Warning this story contains adult content so if you’re a minor don’t read it or if adult content involving sex, violence or super powerful women offends you don’t read it either. This story was written with input from Supernaught whose real name I haven’t inquired about.

The author namely me can be emailed or contacted on yahoo messenger at: happiest_in_shadows@yahoo.com . Reviews are welcome


Traveling perhaps the most boring part of her job, Annette couldn’t help but lament as she walked through the forest. The path obviously saw very little traffic as it had several shrubs and other plants growing along it. A few wagon tracts could be seen but they had almost been washed away. Several tree limbs bent or broke when Annette’s chest, stomach or arms pressed against them which were another sign the path was rarely traveled. Had she been a normal person riding in a wagon she would have had to duck.

Annette didn’t bother ducking though neither did she care about the limbs that would occasional brushed against her face or any other part of her body. The fragile plants weren’t nearly strong enough to be worth any note.

A log that had fallen across the road wasn’t even worth her notice that it would have slowed a wagon down considerably or required a person on foot to climb over it. As it was the log shattered the moment Annette’s foot came crashing down upon it. This wasn’t a feat of strength though rather it was a benefit of her weight and that which her armor added to it.

To wear her armor that on the other hand was a true feat of strength one which most humans would have found impossible even without taken into account its’ awkward size. The thinnest points on the gauntlets, greaves and breastplate that she wore were easily 35 centimeters of especially hardened and enchanted alloy. The metal was far denser and stronger then steel even without the enchantment. There was of course the weight of her weapon as well.

Annette stopped for a moment as she came to a fork in the path; after glancing in either direction a long sigh escaped her lips. “Annette you dumb fuck you already forgot the directions.” An aggravated look crossed her face fortunately there was no one around for her to take that irritation out on other then herself. Reaching down she took hold of the locks that served to hold the chains that where used to hold her traveling pack on.

Setting her traveling bag down Annette began to rummage through its contents in search of the directions she had brought with her. A moment later she pulled out an iron case and opened it up. She had learned long ago that it wasn’t a good idea to carry paper items unprotected in her traveling bag. “Fork in the path, fork in the path. Ah, okay here I am and I need to go to the east.”

After taking a few moments to read ahead Annette placed the paper back into its protective case and put her bag back on. Turning her head towards the winding path Annette gave her head a slight shake before she began to wonder down it. Extending her arm out to her she allowed her arm to press into the trees to her side. The natural towers didn’t have a chance against her strength or her size between her own mass and that of her equipment as well as her own walking speed she didn’t even get slowed down.

At least finding her way back to this spot would be easy enough. She couldn’t help but smile childishly as she heard the trees crashing to the ground. Just why did it amuse her so much? Perhaps it was simply in her nature to cause destruction? Of course that wasn’t uncommon she was far from the only person in the world that enjoyed destroying things for little or no reason. In her case the destruction was to relieve her boredom.

Annette listened carefully for the sound of the various animals scurrying away. Some ran because of the actual destruction she was causing others just because of the sound.

Simon grunted with effort as he leaned on the heavy poll while his friends and fellow farmers attempted to push the wagon. They had hit a rut upon their return journey and as a consequence they had become stuck. This was a rather upsetting turn of events but he was glad he had a few people along to help. The four of them had resolved to travel together to town to sell some of their excess crop and see if they could get some new goods.

However, as upsetting as getting the wagon stuck had been what had once been a frustrating experience was quickly turning into a frightening one. None of them knew what it was but they could hear cracking and loud impacts off in the distance. What made things even worse was that whatever was making the noise seemed to be heading towards them. At least the adrenalin might help with them dislodging their wagon. None of them wanted to abandon it after all.

Annette withdrew her arm as she heard something up ahead. She didn’t bother reaching for her weapon or paying much more attention to her surroundings then she already was. From the sounds of things she didn’t believe that it was any threat to her. Indeed whatever it was seemed to be struggling with something already.

Simon felt somewhat better when the noise seemed to stop. At least he did for a little while. As they renewed their efforts to free the wagon though he found himself once again hearing rather frequent impacts those these were different from before. They weren’t nearly as powerful and they were coming in a far more regular pattern. They had thought whatever was approaching them had stopped moving now it seemed that it might have just quit making as much noise.

At last Annette rounded the corner, for a moment nothing happened as the men looked at her and she looked back at them. Glancing down at the wagons stuck wheel her attention shifted back to the men. “Stuck?”

Simon’s mouth had fallen opened the moment the giantess had rounded the corner. As he looked up at her towering form he doubted his head would even be level with her crotch. From his position he estimate that was well over double his height and most assuredly contained a great deal more mass then even that.

Villagers was the dominant thought in Annette’s mind as she had a good idea of what was going to happen next. More then likely the men had never seen a person quite like her, well she knew that they had never seen anyone like her but they may have seen giants before. Of course there reaction often proved to be far worse if they had seen giants then those that hadn’t.

“Run..Run. Run!” Simon muttered as he took off down into the forest followed shortly by his friends.

Annette giggled a little bit she had gotten used to people reacting in such a way to her size that and the fact that most people thought anyone of her scale was a mindless killing machine that lived to pillage. As she watched the men scurrying away she found herself unable to resist the urge to have some fun also she didn’t like that they seemed to believe they could truly out run her.

Simon could swear he heard the giantess foot steps but he didn’t dare look back. Then a tremendous crash resounded through the area and he knew that he could hear the giantess running.

Annette had taken a running start and actually jumped over the wagon. Her massive legs allowed her to easily catch up with the fleeing men in part thanks to their length and in part thanks to their strength being even greater then her body mass would indicate. As she caught up with the first of the fleeing men she reached a hand down and scooped him up in a cradle hold.

Simon heard one of his friends scream out even though fear gripped he couldn’t stand the idea of leaving a friend behind. Coming to a dead stop he turned to face the giantess only to see her massive form leap clean over him.

The fact that one of them had turned to face her surprised Annette on some levels of course it had caused her to nearly plow into him. She dared not scoop him up while he was stopped since more then likely she would end up killing him and that wasn’t her objective at the moment.

Simon watched as the giantess easily caught up with his still fleeing friends. As she reached out and took hold of one of their waste and scooped him up. A moment later she had wrapped him in the arm that had caught her first victim leaving one arm free. He thought more then likely that she could hold another person under that massive arm if she wanted to.

Annette dug her feet into the ground this didn’t stop her right away but between all the mass she was carrying and the speed she was moving at she had built up quite a bit of momentum. Catching up with the second person had put her well ahead of the third. Once she ground to a stop she extended her hand the man as so terrified that he hadn’t even slowed down and couldn’t in time so that he smacked right into her hand.

The impact knocked the wind out of him but didn’t do any serious damage. Reaching down Annette easily lifted the hand into her grasp and arranged him so that she was holding all three of them with only one arm. This only left the man that had actually stopped running. Annette took a few steps forward towards him to see what he was going to do before deciding to break the ice. “Hi. You know it isn’t very nice to scream and runaway when a person shows up?”

Simon didn’t respond right away but took in a few deep breaths. He had just seen how easily she had run down the others and the damage she had caused to the area in doing so. Several trees and shrubs had been destroyed by her massive body and it hadn’t even slowed her down. At last he found his voice. “What are you going to do with us?”

“Well these three I am going to pack back up to the top of the hill. You can either walk back up or I can give you a lift if you want.”

“Um I’ll just walk.”

“Suit yourself.”

Simon waited as Annette walked by and then followed after her. Though he still wasn’t certain what was going to happen next he didn’t see a point in running especially after she had just proven it was a futile effort.

When Annette made it to the top of the hill she proceeded to set the men down as if they were children. She didn’t just set them down on their feet but made them set down as well. “So from the wagon I assume your going to one of the larger towns at the other side of the forest.”

“Yes. Um we were going to try and get some new tools.” Simon hadn’t made it to the top of the hill yet, so he had to raise his voice a bit. At least he thought he needed to raise his voice a bit.

“I don’t think your ox appreciated you running off without her. Are your friends always this quiet?”

“Sorry.”

“You can relax you know I don’t intend to harm any of you.”

Simon didn’t know where it came from bit he felt a slight bit of courage which allowed him to ask. “Then why did you chase us down?”

“Because if I hadn’t who knows when you would have stopped running. You might have ended up lost. That and it was kind of fun I like tag.” Annette bent at her knees so that she could look under the arm. Reaching under it she proceeded to fill around until she found two key support areas and put her other hand under it.

Simon didn’t know what to say as he saw the wagon begin to lift into the air. This massive woman wasn’t even showing the least bit of strain despite the wagon being fully loaded. True she was rather large, standing well over double his height despite that the wagon had quite a bit of goods in it and wasn’t exactly small.

Annette had to be careful not for fear of injuring herself but to keep from damaging the wagon. Giving then ox that had been left behind a slight nudge she moved the wagon forward and out of the ditch before setting it down though she didn’t release yet. “You know what is worse then having your wagon stuck?”

Simon wasn’t certain where this was leading but he felt some what nervous. “What?”

“Having the ox run away with it, why don’t you come up here and make sure it doesn’t?”

Simon moved with more haste making his way up the hill and taking hold of the animal. Uncertain of what was going to happen next he resolved to try and be polite. “Thanks for helping us with the wagon miss.”

“It wasn’t a problem. So what are you hoping to sell?”

“Just some surplus crops, a bit of corn, potatoes and some blankets our wives made.”

“No watermelons?”

“Uh, sorry but no.”

Annette gave a slight shrug. “All well. Listen I am heading towards the town of.” Annette’s face went blank for a moment as if she was having trouble remembering the name. She traveled around so often and saw so many she tended to have problems remembering the names and directions. “Blast it. It is just on the other side of the forest. Do you know how far away it is?”

“What brings you there?” Annette’s face seemed to darken and she suddenly seemed a lot more frightening then she had been before they had even seen her. While she had only shifted her weight in response to his question and moved a little closer Simon got the feeling that he should press that any further and should perhaps answer the question. “It is just an hour or so down the path you are about there.”

“So about fifteen minutes for me, well try not to get stuck again.” Annette gave a slight wave and began to make her way down the path once again.

Once the giantess had made her way far enough down the road that they couldn’t see her any longer he turned to his friends. “So what should we do?”

“Perhaps we should try and get back first so that we could at least have our families move out of the village for a while.”

Another spoke up. “Don’t you think she would be suspicious if we were to suddenly all return?”

“Why? We are just farmers none of us are part of them.”

Simon glanced at his friend as he grew silent even this far from town that didn’t feel comfortable talking about it. Neither did he “Well we don’t really know if she is going to deal with them. Listen I will go back and warn all our families you three go on ahead and see what you can get.”

Annette sighed as she felt her stomach grumbling. These long walks always left her hungry but she was close to the town. Once she got there she felt rather confident she could get something to eat without having to dip into her provisions. Her problem didn’t stem from having not brought enough food. Rather it was because she didn’t care for the taste of what she had brought and hadn’t killed anything fresh for about three days. “I really should have run down a dear or something.”

Glancing over her shoulder Annette could hear the men’s conversation. Perhaps she should have questioned them before moving on after all she knew they were from the town. Giving her massive shoulders a slight shrug she began to pick up the pace.

A group of children playing just outside the village was the first to see the massive woman’s approach. Her bright red armor was the first thing that caught their attention as she was still to far away for them to get a good idea of just how large she was. Of course even without knowing her true scale the sight of a warrior heading towards their small town was quite unusual.

The town was rather unimpressive the only thing it really had going for it was its location and the fact that it wasn’t a very popular place. Poor farmers didn’t have much to tax. Then again while that made it a poor location for legitimate business it made it idea for other activities.

The children continued to watch Annette’s approach until she drew close enough for them to begin to realize just how large she truly was. By this time several adults had noticed her as well and had begun to call the children in.

It was always easy for Annette to tell when she had been noticed. The streets would begin to empty out as people who hide away in their homes or whatever building was handy if they didn’t have a home in town. At times a group of people would come out to confront her and find out just what her intentions were almost as if she was a division of soldiers.

This time no one came to confront her. This wasn’t surprising after all such a small town probably didn’t have much along the lines of a defensive force to protect it. At least it probably didn’t have one that was very considered with the safety of the villagers themselves.

A surprised if not concerned look appeared on Annette’s face as she heard the approach of several lightly armored men. Turning in the direction of the noise she noticed the outfits seemed to indicate they were soldiers except for certain minor details. From afar one might have easily mistaken them though close up it became clear that weren’t part of the actual military. She imagined the man following them a few paces back was a mage.

“You know it probably would have been a good idea to stop me outside of town. If I had intention of causing some trouble you would be a little late to stop that.”

The group didn’t reply right away but a man came forward. “What brings you to our town giantess?”

“Hm I don’t think I want to tell you just yet human.” The scowl on the man’s face told Annette that he didn’t care for her comment.

“My name is captain Lued and I am the head of the defense core for this area.”

“Yeah I guessed as much. Kind of surprising I didn’t expect such a tiny town to have anyone to protect it. So is this the entire core or are they more?”

“That is none of your business now answer my question.”

“Oh and why don’t you make me?” Annette knew she had gotten the desired results when the air was field with the mages chanting and the guards took on a clearly defensive pose. Apparently they intended on insuring she didn’t get to the mage before he had completed his spell. Instead of charging the group though to disrupt the spell Annette carefully listened to the first few syllables and then relaxed.

The air was disrupted for a moment as the mage took aim and released the spell towards Annette. The heat from the fireball was actually enough to make some of the soldiers’ duck their heads and this was before it exploded. Annette didn’t bother trying to avoid the attack but instead held her hand forward and allowed it to smack into it. The mage new some decent spells or at least a decent spell Annette figured but he clearly didn’t have much combat experience. She was standing a bit to close for such a spell that also carried a rather dangerous area affect.

A couple of the men were blown off their heat their eyes browse singed off and light burns on their body. Luckily their armor also included a layer of rather thick leather which protected them from the majority of the heat. However, once the smoke had cleared it was clear that Annette had faired far better then those even in the back despite being at ground zero for the explosion. “You’re new to this whole battle thing aren’t you? Using a fireball spell when your own people are standing so close isn’t exactly the best choice in the world.”

Lued as well as every soldier that could took a few steps back upon seeing that Annette hadn’t even been burned. Drawing his sword Lued tried to appear intimidating despite seeing that she hadn’t been hurt by the fireball, perhaps she was just resistant to magic.

“Resorting to that now? Come on I will give you a free shot anywhere you can reach.”

Lued didn’t know if she was trying to intimidate him but upon seeing that she had left her guard down he decided to go for it. Running to build up even more momentum then normal he placed his hands on the sword’s pommel to get as much force into the thrust he could. He wished he hadn’t the moment the blade met Annette’s skin.

Annette felt the blade press against her skin and come to a dead stop. The blade wasn’t sharp enough and the captain hadn’t managed to get enough force into the strike to do any damage. Judging by the effectiveness of the attack she doubted the weapon was made of the best material either.

Lued started to back away when he felt Annette’s massive hand take hold of his throat and the majority of his head. Looking up he noted a smile that he wished he hadn’t seen. She had been smiling the entire time they were trying to convince her to leave but now she looked plain terrifying. Of course this may have been now she had hold of him.

Annette lifted the captain of the ground so that he was eye level with her. This left his feet dangling three and a half meters above the ground. “Now that you have tested me perhaps I should test you and see how well you hold up?”

Lued allowed his sword to fall from his hands and reached up to take hold of Annette’s wrist. He proceeded to pull himself up as best he could so that all his weight wasn’t pulling down on his neck. He doubted that he men would be coming to help him after seeing how effective his attack had been. Of course it didn’t help that she now had a hostage in a since.

Annette held Lued aloft for a few moments then released him allowing him to fall back to the ground. A cry of pain issued forth from his as his feet made contact with the ground but at least the fall wasn’t far enough to have broken anything. “Now my name is Annette and you would do well to remember it.”

Lued didn’t respond right away instead his attention was focused on the rather intense pain he was currently feeling. When he was able to speak again, “I am Captain Lued I head this town’s watch.” He didn’t bother asking Annette what she was doing here, she had done a good job of showing that she was in control of the situation and he didn’t want to risk her making the point again.

“So would you say that you no everything that goes on in this town?”

“As best any watchman can. We are some what under staffed.”

Annette couldn’t help but smile. He either had been asked that question before or already knew better then to answer yes. “I may have to speak with you later in that case. For now I believe that I am just going to walk around.”

Lued gave a slight nod and watched as the giantess walked off. While he was fairly upset with how he was done there wasn’t much he could do about it. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder just what she was doing in their little village.

As Annette wondered around she scanned her surroundings for anything that might be worth her attention. She had considered telling the captain just what she wanted with their little piece of a town but resolved to look around and have a drink first. If what her employer suspected was true it wasn’t like they could hide it in a day.

News of the new arrival had already spread throughout the town and people had for the most part cleared the streets especially after the little display with the guards. This was to Annette’s liking of course since it made moving around far easier. She took her time searching the town making note of any building of interest and moving on.

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A few hours had passed since the giantess arrival and other then the encounter with the guards nothing had been damaged unless you counter the rather deep imprints she left in the ground wherever she stepped. The tavern had still emptied out for the large part as soon as the giantess had made her way to the other side of the town. Only those patrons, who were too drunk to care, scared to walk the streets or simply had the nerve remained in the tavern.

The bar tender gave a bit of a jump when he heard a rather loud impact on the roof of his tavern. “Hey I would come in but I don’t think that you would like that.” As she had wondered around the town Annette had made note of nearly every tavern and shop that she had come across. She had finally decided on the tavern that looked the most decent. The establishment was pretty nice for something a small town might offer sadly there wasn’t really anyway she could fit through the door without damaging it. Then even if she did she doubted the owner would like the affect her weight would have on the floor.

“May I help you?”

Annette glanced down at the man who had stuck his head out the window. Instantly she resolved that he must be the bar’s collection agent. His build and scars suggested someone that had seen a few fights probably from regular bar fights to encouraging people to pay up their tab. “Yeah get me about 3 gallons hmm ask the bar tender and see what he has here.”

“I am the bar tender and our selection isn’t very extensive. I’ll read the list off to you.”

Annette was beginning to think the village was turning out to be rather odd. This was the second time she had been surprised. First the guards and now this of course this only gave her more reason to search the town carefully. “Just bring me whatever your strongest drink is. There isn’t a need to read the list off to me.”

“Suit yourself. Though I don’t know if even a big girl like you can handle my strongest at least not three gallons of it.”

Annette gave an amused giggle. “Do not underestimate my constitution just because I am kind of short.” Annette reached into her traveling pack and located a smaller bag. Pulling it out she dumped a few silver coins on the top of her fingers and held them out to the bar tender.

Danlin didn’t have to count the coins to know it was more then what was needed and the fact that she wasn’t simply taken what she wanted despite her treatment of the guards well he had been at this long enough to know she wanted more then just a drink. Taking the money he glanced up at her. “Back in a second with your drink, would you mind using a barrel?”

“A barrel would be fine.”

Danlin gave a nod and ducked back into the bar. A few moments later he re-appeared this time carrying a smallish barrel. He never had much of a reason to make more then a few gallons especially not watered down. Handing it to the giantess he took a seat outside trusting those in the bar not to make a ruckus while he was away. Anyway he could still see through the window incase anyone got some ideas.

Annette resolved to start the conversation. “It seems rather odd that a tiny village like this would have so well armed guards even if they are a bit green. I thought at most you would have maybe one drunken lout wondering around.”

“Yeah it was mostly volunteers until a few months ago. That mage’s appearance was quite a surprise. They aren’t actually from around here you see.”

“Now how can a little town like yours afford such a thing?”

“Oh the town has received a little extra income since a particular gentlemen has moved in. Some people suddenly have a good deal more money to spend. The streets are safer at least. During the day.”

Annette took a bit of a sip from the barrel she didn’t want to risk draining it to quickly. “Huh, when I was looking around the town I didn’t see anyone that could boost the economy that much.”

Danlin rubbed the back of his neck for a moment then glanced around the area. “I guess you’re here on some official business.”

“Just a little, later I need to speak to Lued again.”

“Most of the people around here are just farmers of course they are rumors of things that can be found in the forest.”

Annette gave a nod and waved her hand a bit. “I imagine you have other customers to serve.”

“That I do.” As Danlin left he couldn’t help but be concerned. He was better traveled then most of the villagers and had seen the damage a giant could leave and this one seemed not only smarter then the normal raiders but perhaps because of that even more dangerous. He had heard about the incident with the fireball which had him even more concerned. He didn’t think that a giant could shrug off an attack of that magnitude so easily.

Annette didn’t bother mentioning to Danlin or anyone else just yet that she had been hired by a local magistrate. Apparently they were talk of a rebellion and a well known trouble maker was in the area. Her job was to kill him and anyone who was aiding him. Actually, she had more authority then that as it had been explained to her that the loss of such a minor town wouldn’t be a big deal when they might be harboring a traitor.

Sipping her drink Annette continued to look around. It would be faster to just tear the place apart sure she would probably get a lot of people that had nothing to do with the rebel but it would let her return home quicker. She could question more people of course or she could just wonder around some more.

Of course if she didn’t find the person she was searching for and destroyed the village that might end up in her pay being reduced and Danlin had been nice enough to provide her with more then enough information. She knew most bartenders kept track of local rumors as sort of an occupational hazard. You have a lot of drunken people setting around you then you are going to hear things. Still, he had been unusually forth coming with information.

An amused giggle escaped Annette as the alcohol began to take affect. She always got happy when she had a bit to drink. Of course she had to avoid drinking too much or risk slipping into her temperamental stage.

Danlin would have been unusually forth coming if he had been talking to another little person. Dealing with her was an entirely different situation. Annette quickly finished the barrel off she needed to work a bit more quickly. Probably go speak with Lued and see if any of his men had departed or if he himself was gone.

It didn’t take Annette long to walk to the little building that served as the watch house. The structure was fairly noticeable as while it wasn’t the tallest building in the area it was the sturdiest looking. When no one came out to greet her she gave the rather thick looking door a little tap.

Lued nearly jumped out of his seat when he heard the impact and saw the door bulge inward as if it was going to burst. Several bits of the doors wooden frame splinter and shot into the room. The giantess had been walking around so much that he hadn’t been certain what was going on. Now it seemed she was ready to have another chat.

“Captain I need to have a few words with you.” As Annette waited for Leud to work the heavily damaged door out she dug into her traveling back and removed the same case that she used to store maps. A moment later she brought out another document and already had it prepared when Lued finally managed to pry the heavily damaged door open. “Do you know what this is?”

Lued didn’t respond right away. It took him a few moments to gather his senses enough to realize she actually wanted him to read the paper she was currently holding. “I see so you are on official business.”

“That is right. This little town of yours is suspected to either be harboring or having living near by a particular rebel. I have been assigned the task of hunting said rebel down and came here to get some information. You wouldn’t happen to know anything would you?” Annette shifted her frame a bit so that she was basically leaning against the building and looming over Lued.

Reading over the paper once more a not began to form in Lued’s throat. He knew that Annette had been wondering around the down for most of the day but that didn’t mean she knew anything did it? “Well I would be happy to help you in this matter in whatever way I can.”

“Good then tell me where they are at.”

“Lued’s had felt nervous before now he felt his mouth going dry and his adrenalin licking in. Part of him said to run back into the office but he doubted the stone walls would hold up against the giantess strength for very long. “I don’t know where they are.”

“Yeah, sure you don’t. Where did all your men go?”

“They are out patrolling the town at the moment.”

Annette gave an amused giggle. “You know it is not a good idea to lie to me especially so blatantly.”

Lued grew noticeably pale he would have normally been able to hold himself together better but Annette’s over whelming presence had taken away his nerve at least most of it. This was exactly the affect Annette hoped to have it was the same affect she had on most people when she questioned them. “I..I..”

“I was told that you only came to this little town recently as well. Now I know that a little farming community like this with so little as far as trade goes couldn’t hope to afford more then two or three watchmen and while yours weren’t anything special they were more skilled then this town should have and more numerous. Not to mention the presence of a mage.”

Lued didn’t say anything else. Instead he quickly bolted back into the building and gave the door a quick push. The push wasn’t enough to shut the door but he didn’t have time to see that as he ran threw a side door where Annette lost sight of him.

Annette grinned for a moment. Straitening up so that she was no longer looking through the door way she took hold of the roof of the building. Her fingers easily sunk into the heavy timbers that served for the roof. The heavy lumber didn’t seem to weigh anything as Annette lifted it up and tossed it to her side.

Taking hold of the top of the wall the stone began to crumble when Annette tightened her grip upon it. Her weight wasn’t quite enough to tear the stone apart but her strength made it an easy task. She didn’t bother giving the other wall the same treatment as she walked into the structure. Instead she braced her feet to get more leverage to make up for her lack of weight and allowed her shoulder to push through.

As she continued through the structure Annette continued to tear the roof apart, not so much because it would hinder her movement but because she wanted to see where she was going. The building was only three meters tall so it left a fair amount of her body above the roof line.

Lued could hear the building being torn apart above him as well as Annette’s heavy foot steps. He was currently in the cellar of the building trying to think of a way to get out of his current situation. Hopefully she wouldn’t find the trap door.

Most wouldn’t have the weight to make any noticeable affect or the ears to hear but Annette soon picked up on the sound of her steps. The building has a cellar which wasn’t surprising. Glancing at the trap door and then ground she knew that she wouldn’t be able to fit through that tiny opening but if she made it any bigger the floor might collapse. Shrugging her concern off Annette drew her fist back.

Lued let out a scream when Annette’s massive fist tore through roof of the cellar. Her fist struck with such force that it nearly reduced to the stone to rubble had he been standing under that spot he would have been killed. At the moment that didn’t seem like such a bad thing as he looked up towards Annette’s massive form.

The cellar had even less head room then the first floor. At least she didn’t have to climb down into it though as the floor held. Annette was some what surprised how close she had been to crushing Lued but she didn’t let it show, it would be better if he felt the close call was intentional.

The rocks collapsing inward had stunned Lued and he didn’t have time to back away when Annette’s massive hand took hold of his arm. His scream was perhaps the only thing that could have been louder then the stone when it collapsed as he was lifted through the newly created opening. “I don’t trust this place now that I damaged the floor. Let’s get out of here before it collapses.” Annette didn’t actually wait for a response but carried Lued’s struggling form out of the damaged building.

Trying to free himself, Lued wasn’t thinking rationally as he began to kick Annette in the side while struggling to pull his arm free of her grasp. “Let me go. Let me go you over sized bitch.” The moment the word had left his mouth Lued regretted uttering it as he felt Annette’s hand tighten around his arm threatening to turn his muscle into paste and shatter his bone. Soon his cries to be released turned into nothing more then a high pitched scream of pain.

“Now I am looking for Alex Armzon. I have been told that he may be in this village or located near by.” After she had finished speaking Annette relaxed her grip and allowed Lued to fall to the ground. “You’re going to tell me everything you know about this individual and if you don’t know anything then I am going to kill you painfully. If you lie to me it will be worse.”

Despite his pain Lued could feel his fear building. She hadn’t even left the option of not knowing anything or she had it just meant he would end up dying painfully. “But I.”

“Any information would be useful of course if you can convince me that you don’t work for this individual I may not kill you. Then again I might kill you anyway for acting suspicious and leading me to the wrong conclusion.”

As Lued looked up he noted that Annette was smiling. A smile that seemed not to speak of warmth but rather of how cruel she was capable of being and the pain she was willing to inflict. He could still try to lay his way out of the situation but he couldn’t think of anything that might convince Annette other wise. He was in too much pain and too scared to think of anything that might convince her other wise. “He doesn’t actually live in the town.”

Annette rolled her eyes one thing she hated about such fear tactics was it often got useless information. “I already know that. Now tell me where I can find him. I would be interested to know just why he paid for a watch but I don’t actually care about that. I am here to kill him not find out what he was doing.” Annette grew silent for a moment and glanced towards the watch house. She suddenly felt a slight urge to check the cellar for information but decided against it.

“If I tell you, will you let me live?”

Sure. So long as the information you give me is accurate and if you give it willingly I won’t even have to injure you. And what is coin loyalty really worth?”

“The group you seek is based to the west of the village.”

“Okay you can guide me there.”

“Do you even know what this is all about?”

An amused giggle escaped Annette. “It is about me being paid to take care of a trouble maker. The reason he chose to earn that kind of disfavor is of no concern to me. All I know if that someone really hates me him and they are willing to pay me a considerable amount of money to do away with him.”

“You’re just a mercenary.”

Annette just chuckled and lifted Lued up.

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Annette felt her excitement building as she walked up the wooded path the road was narrow and the forest was dense enough that it would be difficult to get a large force up through it. Whoever was already situated would not only have the high ground but would probably know how to use the terrain better to either hold out or escape. Annette was currently allowing Lued to set atop her right shoulder.

Lued held onto the edge’s of Annette’s shoulder pad occasionally glancing around the forest to see if anyone had spotted them. Of course he knew this was a waste effort she was walking strait up the path towards the strong hold so of course she had been noticed and of course they knew who was riding on her shoulder. She might have spared his life for the information but now he would most likely lose it for his betrayal.

“If you are worried about your comrades you don’t need to be. There won’t be any survivors.”

“You won’t even give them a chance to surrender?”

“The job description said dead only and even if it did offer alive as a chaos. Dead is so much easier. What did you tell the men that you sent ahead?”

“I told them to report your appearance in the village and to tell my past employer about your little display. Blocking the fireball with your hand.”

“So should I set you down now?”

“Huh?”

“I said I would let you live. I believe all the scouts have ran ahead already and that pretty much confirms that you weren’t laying to me. I won’t protect you during any fighting so I thought perhaps you would want to leave now.”

Lued wasn’t exactly to say to her offer except one thing. “Yes.” It was a nervous moment when Annette’s hand took hold of him nearly rapping itself all the way around his stomach. He expected her to just kill him right then but instead she placed him on the ground and continued up the path. Once Annette had walked a few steps he turned and began to run back towards the village as quickly as he could. He wanted to get as far away as possible.

Annette was fairly confident that the information she had received would be correct and if her target had decided to move then Lued wouldn’t be of any help. The walk had left her curious though why he had provided the town with a small defense force. It would draw attention after all considering how out of place it was. Of course the town could have been used for supplies an added benefit to already well protected area.

Now that Lued was no longer riding on her shoulder Annette began to pick up the pace. The walk soon turned into an all out run as her massive strides easily ate up the distance between herself and her target.

Being on the losing side of an attempted rebellion was never a good thing no matter who you were. Even if you were just a foot soldier in the losing side it was a rather dangerous event as several of the men had learned. They had been on the run for some time making use of their small size to avoid battles with a larger force. The entire camp consisted of only 107 men and that was including officers.

Even with their forces reduced to such an insignificant number they were still considered to be a threat though and were still being hunted down. Of course this made since as while they were small in number their leaders had every intention of bolstering that number and make another bid for power. This unfortunately meant those that were in power were trying to wipe them from existence before that could happen.

It seemed that they would have to be moving quite soon though or at least may be. A messenger had arrived from the town were they acquired supplies and told them of a rather strange happening. A giantess had showed up in the town she hadn’t killed anyone but she had done a good job of humiliating the unit stationed there to provide advanced warning and to watch over the supplies that were not kept in the camp. The unit also served to provide false information to those traveling through the town.

Annette hoped that the scouts who had already seen her had alerted the others and they had chosen to go on ahead and prepare for her arrival. She wanted everyone to be there since it wouldn’t be any fun if only a small number of them were waiting for her. When she failed to over take any of the scouts that had run ahead while she was carrying Lued or notice any on the path she felt quite confident that they would indeed be waiting for her especially as the camp came into view.

The scouts had indeed made it back for Annette and it had given everyone time to prepare. What she found waiting for her at the top of the hill was some forty men standing in front of the camp while archers and a few mages stood a ways back. She saw several other melees that were more dispersed though moving. It seemed as if they were trying to get behind her to cut off any path of retreat. Annette stood her ground giving them the time they needed.

It seemed that Annette was the only person who wasn’t nervous about the situation which seemed to make the humans even more nervous. At least until one human came walking out of a tent looking to be middle aged Annette recognized his from the information she had been given as her target.

Alex was preparing to speak with the giantess to see if she could surrender after all surely she hadn’t expected to be so out numbered but she reacted before he could get a word out. He didn’t get the chance to voice his thoughts though as Annette reacted her knees bent and the archers let their arrows fly. Annette’s legs moved with deceptive speed however she had underestimated her opponent. The moment Annette began to move she slammed into something thus stopping her evasion. The arrows found their marks.

Annette had just enough time to look up and see three of the arrow heads burst into blue flames. Reaching for her weapon she knew that she would be to slow to draw it but at least now she knew she would need it.

A scream of pain erupted from Annette as the arrows found their marks most bounced off her skin and armor harmlessly however two of them did not. Two of the three enchanted arrows had found her skin and sunk in. The extra penetrating ability the enchantment afforded them had been meant to cut through most armor with exceptional ease. While they hadn’t had as much success with Annette they had managed to bury themselves up to the edge of the arrow head. The third arrow had struck her above her heart but fortunately it had only bounced off her breastplate.

The level of rage in Annette’s bespoke someone that wasn’t use to having to endure pain or being humiliated. As she withdrew her massive broad sword the blade became alight with red and green flames as the enchanted weapon prepared itself. Swinging the sword into the magical barrier that had prevented her from dodging the first salvo the massive blade tore through the enchanted air. A horrific explosion ripped through the area as the mystic energy quickly dispersed.

The archers once again filled the sky with arrows as the mages began to chant. Even those archers who lacked a weapon capable of harming her fired in order to conceal those arrows that could. This time Annette was well gone though before the arrows could strike her. While Annette was upset with the archers who had managed to harm her she knew the ones who were truly responsible for her injury were the mages thus they became her first targets.

Getting to them would require her to get through the warriors that were currently blocking her path for the moment she would just have to deal with the pain from the arrows that had broken her skin.

The first stage of the plan had gone well the magic barrier that had set up in anticipation of the giantess arrival had worked wonders however they hadn’t expected her weapon to be enchanted and most assuredly hadn’t thought it would tear through the barrier so easily. This allowed her to close in on the guards far more quickly then expected.

Over a dozen dead in one blow the first line of defenders were wiped out in a single strike upon Annette closing the gap between her and them. The blade was so massive and her strength was so great that it didn’t need to be enchanted to tear through their comparatively thin armor and bodies. Several in the second column were injured as the green and red flames reached out for them. Those the red touched were burned while those that the green touched seemed to melt.

Annette had swung her blade wide though in order to take out as many soldiers as possible. This had left her exposed at least some thought. While her skin had proven to strong for conventional weapons those with enchanted blades took the chance to attempt to strike her.

Those guards that moved closed enough were met with a weapon nearly as destructive as her sword as Annette brought her leg up. Kicking out with her armored foot it did more then just shatter the ribs of those it struck rather the force of the strike was so powerful that their bodies seemed to disintegrate limbs flying in every direction as three men were struck. The flying limbs and other bits of body knocked several of the guards over.

Those who were knocked down didn’t get a chance to stand again as Annette quickly advanced. Her massive foot nearly covered their entire upper bodies and between her own mass and that of her equipment it easily crushed through them.

As Annette waded through the guards the whole time she could hear the mages chanting and new it wouldn’t be long before they released their spell. The archers continued to fire but she had managed to avoid the enchanted arrow heads for the moment while allowing those that didn’t have the needed power to strike her. Taking hole of one of the guards who was still standing Annette easily lifted him into the air and sent him flying towards one of the mages.

As the guards body moved through the air it was suddenly stopped his screams were drown out but the sound of a howling wind. The mage had prepared a wind barrier to protect him from projectiles as was more then likely the case with all the mages. The winds tore the helpless guard apart. “Open!”

Annette’s attention was drawn towards the sound of the voice. What she saw surprised her. A wave of energy escaping from not one mage but two of them and joining they had used their spells together. She hadn’t been able to focus on the mages as much as she had wanted to so she hadn’t noticed that one wasn’t simply casting a lightning spell while the other cast a earth rather it was two parts of the same spell.

Alex had thought he may reason with the giantess or force her to surrender but she had attacked too quickly. She had reduced the numbers of his men though only by some 20% a decent loss but nothing that couldn’t be replaced and the truly skilled fighters were mostly attacked. He thought it was over when the ground cracked open and a wave of electrical energy engulfed the giantess.

Annette felt the energy rushing over her attempting to paralyze her muscles. She felt the temperature rise and her bag catching fire not to mention the shafts of the arrows that had stuck in her skin. The earth magic and lighting served to create a cycle were the electrical energy repeatedly looped through her body.

A crack of thunder shook the area when the energy finally dispersed at the super heated air was able to cool down. Looking towards ground zero they saw several charred bodies however one thing concerned them.

Annette could still feel the heat from the electrical energy and could have sworn that some of it was still in her armor. The arrows had stung and drew some blood but hadn’t been of any great concern unless enough could hit her. The spell was another story. “That hurt.”

The ground under Annette’s feet shattered as she pushes off of it as hard as she could propelling her massive form as quickly as she could. Turning her sword so that the flat was in front of her she used the massive blade as a shield and battering ram. Despite her surprising speed a few of the soldiers were able to put themselves between her and the mages. She didn’t even bother slowing down but collided with them.

Those who met Annette head on were either knocked aside or worse yet knocked down. First the flat of her sword sent them to the ground and then her massive feet came down upon them. Some of the more skilled guards were able to move to the side and struck out against the giantess those blades that met her greaves or breastplate had their weapon torn from their hands. Their fingers were broken by having their weapon so violently ripped from their hands.

However, a few of the blades did find Annette’s exposed skin striking her legs above her knees where the greaves came to an end or getting her stomach. These were all scratches when compared to the combination attack she had endured a few moments earlier. Once the mages had been taken care of it would be far easier to deal with the archers and the guards.

Alex watched as the giantess forced his men aside or trampled them he had believed that the spell had slain her instead it seemed to have only set her priorities. What made matters even worse is while she did seemed to be injured she was smiling.

Annette easily cleared the gap between herself and the mage before he could utter a complete spell she hadn’t forgotten the shield though or the way it had tore through the guard she had thrown into it. Bringing her blade into an over head position she brought it down with all her strength and weight. The barrier didn’t even slow it down.

Annette felt a wave of relief as she tore through the magic barrier and the first of the mages. They were still others to deal with but at least one major threat had taken hold of. Glancing over her shoulder a delighted giggle escaped her lips as she noticed several of the guards had already positioned themselves between her and the remaining mages. Annette quickly spun around to confront them and to get as much momentum built up as she could all of them seem surprised when instead of charging she sent her sword flying towards them.

The enchanted sword easily tore through every soldier in its path when it made it to the mage for whom it had been intended it not only tore through the barrier but continued moving even after ripping through him.

While using her weapon as a projectile had served for an effective surprise attack Annette was now weaponless and moved quickly to insure they didn’t get to exploit this fact. Several of the men had been stunned by the sudden maneuver and wasn’t prepared for the giantess to land right in their midst.

Annette’s fist covered most of the guard’s upper body and easily crushed through his bone and muscle his armor being reduced to tin foil by the giantess powerful strike. Taking hold of one of the men she figured the remaining mage was protected by a barrier so this time she sent her projectile into the archers. As she tore through Alex’s ranks Annette could help but smile despite the pain she had experienced. This was fun.

Alex couldn’t believe what was happening he had prepared for the giantess by having his mages prepare a barrier spell in advanced and even having them start a combination spell right after she had attacked. The barrier and the spell had both worked and yet the giantess was still tearing his men apart. The most infuriating thing about the whole event was it wasn’t a matter of him being out witted rather the only reason she was still alive and fighting was her strength, endurance and size. With only one well trained mage left the time it would take him to prepare a spell that may harm her would be entirely too long.

Annette’s held her arm up to shield her face as she was engulfed in a wall of flames the spell was incomplete and unfocused as the mage had released it early. While she hadn’t attacked this mage yet she felt confident that would have a protective barrier that she would have to brake through as she had no protection for her hands she chose to attempt to kick the mage with her armored foot. The moment the limb was within a meter of the mage a flame barrier appeared.

Her leg sunk a good one third of a meter through the barrier before coming to a stop leaving the barrier drastically weakened. After yanking her leg out of the weakened flames she got one moment to glance at the mage and realized he was the one from the town earlier. Spinning around Annette once again slammed her foot into the barrier but this time it went through and shattered the mage. “OUCH.”

A few of the archers with enchanted arrows had managed to find their mark once again and Annette felt the painful sting of the arrows. Now that the three mages were gone they were going to be the next to die.

Alex found himself in quite a dilemma the last of his mages were dead and his mother men seemed to only be able to nick the giantess and this only seemed to make her even angrier. He had lost a good deal of his guards which meant she was tearing through the archers even more quickly then she had the mages and they didn’t have anything to protect them. “HOLD.” He was somewhat surprised when the giantess and his men both stopped. “We surrender.”

The look on Alex’s face was priceless when Annette stuck her tongue out at him. “No thanks that spell hurt and so did the arrows I just want to kill you all now.” The moment she had finished speaking one of the archer’s heads popped she had taken hold of him just before Alex had cried out. Her body was already stained so red from blood that it didn’t even seem to add to it and the fight was back on.

“She just wants to kill us?” Alex’s eyes widened with this realization. She had never had any intention of capturing any of his men after all the first thing she had done was attacked them. As Alex stood he could have sworn that behind all the screaming and battle cries of his men he could hear faint giggling as if a young girl was having the time of her life.

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A delighted smile was worn on Annette’s face as she looked at the carnage she had caused while she hadn’t kept track of everything she was fairly certain that she had killed everyone in the camp. A few of them had run near the end of the fight but she had managed to catch up with them. There was only one thing that she was missing and that was the metal case which she had used to carry her maps and other information in. “Blast it.”

The case had been with her on several jobs so she felt confident that it survived the attack. As she sifted through the bodies the blood and gore didn’t faze her at all neither did the blood that had coated her form. Killing people with your hands tends to make quite a mess and Annette had grown use to it. “Ah there you are.” Sifting through some of the charred bodies Annette mentally scolded herself for not checking the spot where the electrical energy got her first.

It was something of an expected relief when she opened the case and insured everything was intact. Sifting through the materials Annette brought out a dagger. “Now for the part of battle that sucks.” After glancing at her shoulder Annette once again resigned herself to the fact that she was going to have to endure some pain. The dagger was too small in Annette’s hands to serve as an effective weapon but it did a very good job of removing things like arrow heads from just under her skin.

Annette was somewhat used to having to remove the occasional arrow head or broken tip of a sword from when her skin was weaker so she was able to keep from crying and was even about to keep her cursing to a minimum as she removed the arrow head. After removing the first she took a moment to inspect it she realized a moment after looking at it that it wasn’t made by one of Alex’s mages.

It wasn’t exactly right to call the arrow heads mass produced but they weren’t to horribly rare. A hunter who was fairly well off may decide to buy one or two for those emergency situations and most armies would give a small unit of very skilled archers the arrow heads. Tapping her head a few times Annette gave up on remembering the exact name of the mage guild that produced and distributed the arrow heads. “At least it wasn’t some roughly made one.” Annette gave the arrow head a slight toss and proceeded to remove the two remaining arrows heads from her skin.

Once the arrows had been removed Annette bleed for only a few moments before the wounds sealed themselves up for the most part. It would take a little while for her to truly heal but she had no need to bandage the injuries. At least her weapon was easier to find then the small carrying case she made use of. She didn’t even bother noticing the corpses of those she had slain with the exception of Alex’s.

After extracting the blade from the ground’s grip Annette took a few moments to inspect the blade. The weapon had a decent edge but it had never had a fine edge. The force with which Annette struck and the objects she tore through simply made that impractical. That said between Annette’s strength, the sword’s mass and the enchantment it more then made up for its lack of a truly sharp edge. Sheaving the weapon Annette only remained in the camp long enough to pick up a few more items namely Alex’s head and a new bag to carry those items that wouldn’t go into her case. As well as to stock up on a few food items for her trip back, those who lived in the town below would be free to loot the remains of the camp and take whatever they wished.

As Annette made her way back down the path she could feel her body already recovering the smaller cuts and burns that she had received during the fight. She had no need to worry about infection unless it was backed by a rather powerful toxin or curse she wouldn’t be affected and she hadn’t seen anything to indicate they were that well prepared.

Danlin had just finished running the last person out of his tavern when he saw Annette walking down the road. She hadn’t taken the time to wash the blood of her hands or legs and appeared to be a monster. The smile on her face spoke of contentment as if she was very proud of what she had just done. A shiver went up his spine as he recalled speaking with her earlier he had thought it best to give her more information then normal when speaking with her now that he could see the end result of her actions he was very glad he had decided to.

Fear was always noticeable and in some cases Annette had learned to enjoy it or be amused by it. At the moment she felt amusement thanks to the fear the towns people were expressing but she had no desire to harm them. True they had sold supplies to her target but if they hadn’t he would just have taken them and moved on. Their decision to cooperate was one of the reasons he had become stationary and much easier to catch.

If they weren’t so scared of her they may even be grateful for what she had done. If it had been a group of knights hunting they would have most likely been caught up in the fight one way or the other or perhaps even punished for providing him with food and other materials. There was also the fact that tomorrow those who worked up the nerve to travel up the mountain path to the camp would find quite a bit of loot if they could stomach wading through the bodies.

They wouldn’t have to be scared for long though as Annette had no plans on staying. At the moment she wants to get out of the town and find a place to wash herself off and bed down for the night.

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Annette let out a sigh as she released the clamps that held her chest plate on while she appreciated the armor’s protection it was always nice to take it off and be able to move freely. Setting the heavy bit of armor down by the river she bent down to remove her greaves and finally removed her gauntlets. Now free of her armor she didn’t exactly feel lighter the armors weight wasn’t enough to truly hinder her but she did feel more flexible.

Now free of her heavy armor the only thing that covered Annette’s body was the chain mail that served as her clothing was the chain mail top and bottom that served as her bra and panties. Her bottom would have normally included a layer of leather as well as the metal links but that had been burned off during the fight. Annette easily opened the links that held the clothing in place and allowed it to fall to the ground.

As she stepped into the water of the river a sigh escaped her lips. While most of the heat from the spell had vanished the cool water still felt wonderful against her skin. The water would have been quite cold and intolerable to most but as far as Annette was concerned it felt cool, refreshing and simply wonderful.

Annette had to wade further from the shore so that went she set down her head was just above the water level. Closing her eyes Annette could feel the rapidly moving water washing away the dirt, grime and blood that had covered her during the battle. Turning her gaze up to the sky she was fairly pleased with the time her mission had taken. A bit more then a week to travel to her destination and she had managed to conclude it the day of her arrival.

It helped that even though she wasn’t a one army woman she could at least be considered a one woman company if not a battalion. Carefully Annette began to scrub the spots where the arrows had broken through her skin. As she removed the dried blood she was relieved to see that the injury had only taken around a day to heal up. The spot was still somewhat sore but that would be taken care of by the morning.

“I wonder how long it will be before those arrow heads can no longer brake through my skin.” As Annette mused to herself she couldn’t help but let her mind drift back to a time when she was smaller and had to worry about such things as minor as regular arrows. Back then she had been worth a platoon at the very best. How grateful she was that those times were so very far behind her.

Slowly Annette allowed herself to lean back and sink into the water. The water loosened her hair and soon it began to flow behind her laying further back Annette opened her eyes once again when her face was submerged. She needed to breath, though not as much as her size would make one think. She liked to take such moments to wonder just when that weakness would leave her as well.

After a few minutes Annette finally was able to convince herself to start cleaning up and not just spend the entire night in the river. She did after all need sleep and she needed to eat something before that. She had been injured and her body would need materials to make up for the materials it had to use to effect repairs.

As Annette cleaned herself off she couldn’t help but notice how her body contrasted with itself. Her skin was soft and almost pale despites its ability to withstand damage. Of course the reason her skin was as light as it was related back to her ability to endure punishment the radiation from the sun simply wasn’t intense enough to cause her to tan no matter how much time she spend in it.

Under her silken skin were horribly strong muscles those in her legs arms and abdomen being exceptionally noticeable. Even whenever she relaxed her body the outline of the muscles in her legs and arms were always slightly noticeable. Of course most didn’t pay much attention to this thanks to her over whelming size. Those muscles in her abdomen though were always noticeable easily separated into six different sections.

Her muscular development seemed to contrast quite heavily though with other features of her body. Hefting her breast for a moment Annette was easily a DD cup even for her scale. While it didn’t serve any combative purpose she was grateful for the visual and other purposes they did serve. Her hair was even redder then the blood she had spilled and her eyes were sapphire blue. Her lips were a soft pink and had a pout to them. It was something of shame that few could get past her size other wise they might enjoy the view.

“Blood?” Annette was taken away from her self appreciation when she began to rub her hand between her breasts. “Now when did that happen?” An amused giggle escaped her. “I guess the battle was messier then I realized.”

As Annette began to clean the crimson substance from between her breast her mind turned back to the other functions that certain parts of her body served. Scooting back a bit she moved close to the shore so that the water wasn’t up to her neck but came about mid way up her nipples. Pressing her hands up under her breast she took a moment to get a feel for their weight. She didn’t know what had been going on when her body was made but she was grateful for the little extras even if they weren’t much use in battle and required her armor to be modified even more.

“Well I suppose even a weapon can be pleasant to look at.” Annette let her breast settle back down so that the water was once again moving over and exciting her nipples. Closing her eyes she chose to focus on the sensation. The water wasn’t as good as a pair of hands but it did get her started.

Reaching up Annette began to aid nature a little bit and gently pinched her nipples. As Annette used two of her fingers to lightly stimulate her nipples her other fingers pressed into the surrounding flesh. At times Annette felt tempted to use more force then what she did but for the most part she enjoyed using lighter touches even lighter then what was needed.

It was odd but for all her sadistic habits Annette had never been able to bring herself to permit someone to enjoy her body or rape someone. Most people who actually got to touch her magnificent body didn’t live through the experience since they were most opponents.

Those that did get to touch her and live on the other hand were either taking measurements for modifications to her armor or clothes or they were simply shaking her hand, patting her leg or shoulder in a few rare situations were they were either standing on something or could levitate. That and those that actually got to ride on her shoulder though they were more often then not riding on her armor plating instead of actually touching her skin.

She had no real idea why the thought of allowing someone to touch her bothered her so much while their blood flowing down her arm and all over her didn’t disturb her in the least. Even if she was to force someone to do exactly what she wanted the idea truly repulsed her. It didn’t bother her for any moral reasons she hardly any grounds to claim moral justifications in anything after all so it often left her wondering why not?

Yet the fact that she only used the lightest of touches was a result of what she wanted. Annette wanted to feel another human exploring her body and she used the light touch to at least simulate what it may feel like. The idea of a human climbing over her much larger body his tiny hands rubbing the top of her breast while he was forced to set on his knees to reach them. Annette could feel her body growing warmer as she thought about it.

As Annette’s mind wondered her left hand began to trace under her breast. Pressing up on them she didn’t even begin to use her real strength instead she used roughly the strength equal to what a healthy human lifting with all his might may have. It was enough to cause her breast to lift every so slightly. Annette’s right hand spread out to cover most of the top of one of her breast. She knew by comparison when she had grabbed someone that her hand was about the same length as a human abdomen.

Gently applying pressure Annette exerted a force of about 700Ns to simulate the weight of a grown man. While she did this Annette’s left hand left the underside of her breast and moved down a little ways to about were his feet would have reached if he was laying on her. Her fingers closed on her breast and she began to gently squeeze as if her breast was being hugged.

As her excitement began to build Annette began to shift in the water and a low moan began to issue forth from her. Whenever she would move one hand to a part of her body the other would move along with it the whole time were separated by roughly the same distance. As she slide her right hand along her breast to cup the bottom her left slid even further down to touch on her abdominal muscles and for a few fingers to trace lightly over her lips.

A shudder ran through her body and Annette convulsed lightly. This served to stir up the section of the river bed she was setting on a great deal though the action was light it was quite sudden and her mass gave it quite a bit of energy. Her leg jutted out suddenly easily digging into the ground and tearing up great chunks of stone to move down the river. Despite this Annette didn’t seem to notice as her eyes remained closed. The water had ceased to be a real factor in her enjoyment as her hands continued to explore her body and she focused on her mental image.

Annette’s hand’s slipped lower and finally she began to insert a finger inside of herself for a moment she locked up her head turning upward towards the sky. As she began to move her finger within herself Annette’s right hand drifted down and began to message her massive thighs. The thought that a little lover would have to use one of his arms or perhaps even a leg to stimulate her excited her even more. Two of Annette’s fingers squeezed as much of her thigh as they could while the other three remained in a upward position as if someone’s legs had tried to wrap around her massive thigh.

As Annette grew more stimulated she began to work more quickly feeling her excitement building continuing to move her finger within herself her thumb to came to rest on her clit as if a tiny lover had snuggled his head closer to her while still thrusting his arm within. A loud gasp escaped Annette and she had to struggle to keep control of herself as she felt her orgasm ripple through her body. At last her right hand left her thigh and her fingers dug into the river bed in an attempt to keep from thrashing about.

Trying to keep control of her body even during the peek of her excitement was quite a difficult task for her especially when she was so used to simply letting herself go. However, the restriction didn’t seem to hinder the experience for her but made it more enjoyable helping to make the illusion that she was with someone she whom she wished to share the delights of her body with all the more complete

As Annette felt the final shudder run through her body a contented sigh escaped her lips and she leaned back in the water allowing her head to sink underneath the surface.

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“Looking at the tracks?” An amused giggle escaped Annette as she had just come upon a few travelers that seemed quite focused on a set of imprints that was traveling along side the road. What made it so amusing was they were the imprints she had left when she was headed towards the village. The group had been so engrossed in speculating as to what might have made them that they hadn’t even noticed her approach.

No one had thought much about it when they heard the giantess voice only that it sounded quite soft and feminine. They had however taken a collective jump back when they realized that the owner of the voice didn’t exactly fit the image it conjured up.

Annette bent at her knees so that she was lower to the ground though that meant she still towered over anyone in the group. It hopefully made her seem a little less intimidating.

After a few moments of silence one person finally found the nerve to answer Annette’s question. “Um Yeah, We haven’t seen any like it in quite some time.”

“Yeah I suppose I do leave some unusual foot prints. At least as far as their depth goes. I was wondering if any of you happen to know how far it is from the nearest judicial center?”

“It is just a bit over a day’s journey from here.”

“Hm so I could be there for the day was up. You’re hunters aren’t you?”

“Yes. We were on a journey now.”

“You haven’t seen foot prints like mine in a while. So have you ever seen a giant?”

“Not close up.”

Annette gave an amused giggle. “Well I believe I am making you nervous so I will let you be in your way.”

“Thank you miss.”

Annette couldn’t help but let out a slight sigh as she watched the people walking away. Now she really wanted to end her trip as quickly as possible. While she did have a sadistic streak she wasn’t the stereotyped monster and did like to have conversations. She longed to get back to a place where she could actually speak with someone and they wouldn’t be scared of her. “Hm maybe I should just buy a slave to travel with me and keep me amused. I mean people travel with birds after all.”

***********************************************************************

Annette had traveled more slowly then she should have and when she arrived in the town it was already late. Looking around at the darkened windows the difference between the little town she had recently visited and this one was staggering. While in the village they had maybe been two buildings that were taller then she was this one was filled with them. The ground was paved and as long as she didn’t intentionally stomp or try to leave an imprint none would be left.

Letting out a sigh Annette wondered if she should try and retrieve her payment now even though her employer would be asleep. She wouldn’t have trouble making enough noise to wake him up after all and most likely the guards would cooperate. Then again she could rest for the night. Perhaps she wouldn’t even have to sleep outside the town but could have a place that would be large enough to house her. The rain and cold didn’t have any real ability to affect her. At least not the extremes that nature used but a part of her still liked to be able to look up and see a roof over her head.

Then again she was certain she wouldn’t like the accommodations that would be fitted to her scale. Annette truly detested the idea of sleeping in a stable and had expressed this opinion on more then one occasion much to the distress of the one that had recommended it. She didn’t feel much better about sleeping in warehouses either.

Some movement caught Annette’s attention as she turned to see three guards looking in her direction. Apparently they hadn’t realized what she was until they were quite close now they seem somewhat surprised. Then again it wasn’t very often that a giant would wonder into a town and then be standing there quietly. The men seemed even more concerned when she waved to them indicating that she had indeed seen them.

“Hold on. Isn’t that the one the magistrate hired?”

“Yes that would be me. I was just wondering if I should collect my payment now or wait for morning.”

The three guards seemed to relax a bit once she had confirmed they worked for the same person but they kept their distance. “I believe that he would prefer if you waited until morning.”

“Yeah but I would prefer to get my money now then have to stand around and try to think of where I should stay.”

The guards looked at one another for a moment as if uncertain as what to say. “Um perhaps we could find a place for you to stay?”

“If you try and stick me in a stable or something meant to store animals you are going to regret it.”

“Oh uh we see. Well then I guess you could take it up him.”

Annette gave a nod and proceeded to walk further into the town. She doubted that her final decision would get a warm reception but they hadn’t had the decency to make appropriate accommodations incase she should return at night.

Three guards stood watch at the gate one appeared to be an archer while the others seemed to be spearmen. They all three tensed up as Annette approached the archer going so far as to ready an arrow. Annette gave the arrow head a quick look at let out an annoyed sigh. “I am here to collect the bounty on Armzon so let me speak to your boss.”

The archer appeared to be the one in charge as he was the first to speak. “He has retired for the night. You need to wait until tomorrow.”

“Well then we have a problem since I don’t feel like standing around and waiting.”

“Your and our employer wouldn’t be happy about being woken up in the middle of the night and even less happy if you were to force your way in.”

“I am sure you will get over it and I would recommend you put that arrow back in its quiver. I admit the enchantment on it would do me some harm but unless it is a new model that means it would just string a little.”

Despite Annette’s advice the archer still held his weapon at the ready the spearmen had already move in front of him and readied their weapons as well. “I. I will send a message to wake him up.” The archer glanced at one of the spearmen and indicated that he was to go to the mansion. “You go and tell them that the bounty hunter has returned to collect her payment and is refusing to wait.”

Annette watched as the guard entered a door opposite of the gate and began to head towards the mansion. She then glanced down at the archer and remaining guard. “How many guards does he have patrolling the town and how many are kept to guard his home?”

“The town receives adequate protection.”

An amused giggle escaped Annette. “Of course it does. I guess that means they are at least two times as many guards kept on the grounds of his own estate then those guarding the rest of this place.”

It was only a short while before Annette noticed the guard heading back down the path though he was moving more slowly then he went up. Rather odd since the trip down should have been easier she imagined he had bad news weighing him down at the moment. As he neared the gate he slowed to a walk and even took a few moments to catch his breath. “The magistrate is not to be disturbed at this time. If you should try to force your entry you forfeit your payment and will be tried as a criminal.”

There was a tense moment in the air as the men waited to see Annette’s reaction. Annette smile and moved her head back as if stretching her neck. Her shoulders shifted a few times and her legs tensed up. When her head returned to its normal position and the men saw the grin on Annette’s face they all three turned pale despite the brave demeanor they had been putting on.

A high pitched scream came from the woman’s lips so loud that it seemed as if it would wake everyone in the mansion despite its thick walls a man’s body had came flying through one of the upper most windows a few moments earlier. She had quickly recognized him as one of the night guards.

The two spearmen were in shock. Annette had moved more quickly then either of them could have imagined. Her massive hand had wrapped around the waste of their commanding officer and he had been sent flying towards the manor.

Annette wasn’t entirely certain why she had picked the man up and thrown him like that. There was just something about the refusal to wake their employer while making her wait outside that had really pissed her off. Of course now the situation was quite complicated as she was certain more guards would be coming soon. That meant she needed to kill off the two guards that were already there before anyone could join up with them.

The first spearman to regain some composure readied his weapon and attempted to drive his spear into her stomach she easily caught the spear before it was even close. He felt as his weapon was pulled towards by the strength of the giantess and then thrust back at him. Two high shrill cries echoed throughout the streets one was from the pierced metal being so forcibly pushed aside by the but of the spear the other was from the man who had just had his own weapon shoved strait through him.

Seeing his comrades so easily dispatched the final spearmen dropped his weapon and made a dash for the side entrance of the gate. He had only managed to take two paces before Annette’s wrapped his waste. Her massive hand covered a huge portion of his torso and her fingers nearly wrapped all the way around him. “Just incase the first one didn’t wake you boss up I think I should throw another mass.”

“No wait I…..”Annette didn’t bother waiting any longer and heaved the spearmen towards the manner since he was wearing more armor then the archer had been she imagined he would make a even more significant impact. Resigning herself to the fact that things would just have to be complicated she easily pushed the front gates open breaking the locking mechanism in the process. Light had begun to appear in the windows of the mansion when she had thrown the archer now she could see them all over the place.

None of them knew what was going on. They only knew that there was trouble at the front gate so that was there they were going. There were a dozen of them in all nine front line spearmen and three archers and they would be meeting up with many more at the front gate. The group came to a dead stop and many were thrown to the ground when something very large appeared in their miss.

Annette felt confident that the magistrate had more soldiers on hand them Armzon had at his camp. However, unlike armzon they were currently spread out so she just had to insure that she dealt with the groups while they were still small.

At least three men had been killed when Annette had jumped in the midst of the guards several others had been injured. As she moved to take hold of those that had been the furthest away from the zone of impact and were still standing the only attention those that had been knocked to the ground received was her massive foot coming down upon them individually.

Annette took hold of one of the nearest guards and pressed her thumb to his forehead she only had to exert the tiniest bit of pressure to pop his head off. Taking hold of another she squeezed his armor in until she felt his rubs collapsing inward she let him fall to the ground before he was entirely dead the injury would finish him off soon enough and with his armor bent inward there wasn’t anything that could be done for him even if a healer was handy.

She was careful to leave some of the soldiers with fatal injuries to moan, groan and scream their cries distracting their comrades and helping to hide her true location. It was somewhat amusing but if they had waited until day light she wouldn’t have been able to use this tactic that or if the magistrate hadn’t saw fit to amass such a large amount of property.

Illuminated by the torch light was a sickening sight. Dead and dying men covered the area a dozen or so in all. It was the third unit Annette had dealt with though they didn’t know in what order the units were being torn apart.

He had been woken up shortly after the archer’s body had came crashing through one of the mansion’s windows. Now the magistrate found himself struggling to figure out a conclusion to the situation. “Why is she attacking us?”

“She arrived about thirty minutes ago and was denied access to you until morning and..”

“Why was she denied access?”

“It was late.”

“You idiot go and call the men back to the main house before she kills all of them.”

“Yes sir.” As the man dashed out of the room the magistrate bit the tip of his finger for a moment. This wasn’t good depending on how many of his men she had killed he might not have the needed man power to stop her that would put him in a difficult situation as far as negotiations. If only he had remembered to grant permission to be woken up should she return from her task at night but he had thought his help was smart enough to do that.

Annette heard the bell ringing but it didn’t slow her down in the least. She did however notice that those units that had already made it to the front gate began to return to the mansion and those that had been traveling to it had turned around and were going back to the mansion. Of course this was the most logical decision on their part the reason she had been able to tear so many of them apart and not even make use of her weapon was they were so badly dispersed.

“Use a wind spell to amplify my voice.” The magistrate didn’t even bother glancing at the wizard as he cast the spell he was to busy looking off into the darkness. Some of the guards had made there way back to the mansion but he didn’t know if it would be enough to stop her. He was somewhat grateful for the darkness of night he didn’t like the idea of seeing all the bodies that littered his yard.

He only acknowledged the mage once he had finished casting the spell. “Honored guest my sincerest apology for the welcome you received. Though I wish you hadn’t chosen such a forceful means to obtain my attention I hope that we may stop this blood shed now and complete our business.”

Annette didn’t bother going closer to the mansion but at least she quit tearing the guards apart she had more then enough lunge capacity to raise her voice to the needed levels. “That is fine with me. I like to be promptly paid after all.”

“Yes I can see that. Your payment for killing Armzon is being readied now.”

“Don’t forget my bonus.”

“Bonus? What bonus!?”

Annette giggled a bit when she heard the anger in the magistrate’s voice and he had been doing such a good job of hiding it when they first started. “I was promised a bonus for however many of Armzon’s men I killed.”

“And how many was that?”

“At least eighty seven.”

The magistrate had to keep his temper in check though he was considering ending the negotiations once enough of his men had gathered at the mansion. “And how many of my men have you slain?”

“I can’t really say I wasn’t counting. I think I already killed off six groups of them.”

“Then I will pay you for fifteen of Armzon’s men killed. Since the bonus was for the number of my men’s lives it would have saved.”

Annette’s first instinct was to argue her point or just threatened to continue killing his men until he didn’t have any left. She decided to be a bit more generous. “I want payment for at least forty three after all your men were the ones that stood in my way. Of course I could just killed twice as many of your men as I did of Armzon’s if you have that many on hand and call it even then. I am sure the fun would be worth the money.”

He couldn’t see it or truly hear it but the magistrate couldn’t help but feel that everyone returning to the mansion started moving even more quickly. “Very well.”

“Don’t take to long or I will think you’re trying to set a trap for me since you weren’t initially prepared.”

The magistrate didn’t bother commenting but proceeded back into his mansion and turned towards the mage who had cast the spell on him. The mage quickly dispelled the magic so they could speak in privacy. “How many men do I have left?”

“Perhaps 128 but they haven’t all gathered yet and we don’t have a battle plan.”

“It isn’t enough to be certain anyway.”

“So we are going to just give in?”

“Since when is paying someone what they are owed giving in? While I am not happy that she killed so many of the guards there isn’t many choices in the matter. Even if we could mass enough men to beat her there is nothing to stop her from retreating. Anyway she was still worth it.”

Annette’s eyes easily pierced the darkness unlike the humans’. She was grateful for the edge this gave her and quite happy when she noticed a well dressed man step out amongst the massed soldiers. He had a large satchel with him at least large in human standards. “I hope you don’t mind if I don’t step forward to retrieve my payment.”

The man carrying the sack spoke up only a moment after Annette. “That is quite alright miss I will just come to you then if you don’t mind.”

As the man drew nearer Annette expected him to set the bag down and back away allowing her to pick it up when he continued to carry it though until he was only within arms reach she had to ask. “Now why did you do that?”

The man set the back down clearly glad to be rid of its weight and opened it up to let Annette see inside. “To show you that it wasn’t going to explode my employer regrets that things went the way they did but hopes to at least end things on a pleasant note.”

“He sounded pretty angry to me.”

“Oh he is furious with you but he has also been furious with some other officials that are both equal to and higher than his rank.”

“So he is a man that is used to having to control his anger when the situation requires it. I take it that the bag isn’t trapped in anyway.”

“No miss. It is just a perfectly normal sack with perfectly normal though valuable coins inside.”

Annette bent down and proceeded to pick the bag up while the man had to use both arms to carry the sack Annette easily lifted it with only one.

“Would it be outline of to request that you do not come back here for at least three years?”

Annette gave an amused giggle. “So it is only going to take him three years to get over this? Okay so long as this doesn’t blow up in my face or turned out to be poison I won’t come here unless it is on business and if I am just passing by I won’t even stop by the town.”

“Thank you.”

“Let me make sure everything is here before you thank me.” Annette easily held the contents of the bag in her open hand sifting through the gold coins she didn’t count to carefully just careful enough to make sure she had been paid roughly the right amount she could count it again later. “Well everything seems to be here.”

As Annette turned to leave the man that had brought her payment called out, “Miss the front gate isn’t that way.”

“I know that. Don’t worry I won’t leave a whole in your master’s wall but I am not taking the obvious path out of this place.”

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Annette tapped her foot against the water’s surface as she let out a sigh. It had been a few weeks since the event at the magistrate’s mansion and she was outside of those land’s borders. Now she found herself in an area between that kingdom and another a sort of neutral zone that didn’t belong to either one though at times would or the other would claim it when they had enough strength. “I think I screwed up.”

“Screwed up on what?”

Annette jerked up when she heard the voice she hadn’t heard anyone approaching. “Whose there?”

“What did you screw up on?”

It was easy to follow the sound of the voice but when Annette looked in that direction she still could see who was speaking to her. “Tell me where you are and maybe I will tell you what I messed up on.”

“I am right in front of you.”

“Huh. I can see through magic barriers and illusions so don’t lie to me.”

Annette’s face turned beat red when a cloaked figure stepped out from behind one of the trees. “Invisibility spell? No no there is just a silent step enchantment on my shoes.”

Annette felt like she had stuck her foot in her mouth fortunately while her foot was quite large she had quite a sizable mouth as well. “Who are you?”

“Now, you mentioned answering my question. You will have to answer that if you want me to tell you who I am.”


“I had a disagreement with some of my last employer’s staff when they wouldn’t let me meet him at night.”

“Oh is that all I thought something new might have happened since then.”

“Okay now who are you and add to that what are you doing here?”

“I am a potential employer.”

“A name would be nice.”

Annette let out an annoyed sigh. “Okay how about you leave me alone now? You are beginning to get on my nerves.”

“Come now surely you aren’t going to turn away a potentially beneficial arrangement over a little lip. Incase you still want to know my name is Warren.”

“All right Warren what kind of work are you offering? Though it had better be good or you had better be fast on your feet.”

“I wanted to hire you to acquire some spell components for me.”

“Which would be?”

“Just the blood, teeth, claws and a few other items from a wing dragon.”

“Yeah I can see why those would be hard to come by but why don’t you just hire someone else or buy them out right?”

“Well I need them to be particularly potent which means they must come from a particularly powerful dragon.”

“How powerful are we talking about here?”

“A young adult should be sufficient for my needs.”

“Heh so you can’t just have someone go slaughter a bunch of young dragons that are fresh out of the nest.”

“Yes but at least I know where such a best can be found.”

“How much are you willing to pay for these components?”

“If they are taken from this particular dragon I would be willing to part with five thousand gold coins if money is the only thing I have which appeals to you.”

Annette couldn’t hide her surprise of course the payment brought up another question. “Okay how many people have you sent to their deaths trying to collect that payment?”

Warren gave a slight laugh and held up three of his fingers on his right hand and one on the left. “So far the beast has killed three dragon slayers and wiped out one small group of adventurers. Fortunately they agreed to let me pay them once the job was done so I wasn’t out anything other then time.”

“I take it you didn’t offer such a generous payment to the first people you sent.”

“At the time I didn’t believe the beast would prove so resilient.”

“You’re being surprisingly honest about this.”

“I prefer to have as few enemies as possible while still obtaining what I want. By telling you this in advance you can’t say you were not warned ahead of time.”

“You mentioned some other items. What else would you be willing to pay me with?”

“Well I believe the dragon will provide more then enough materials for my research so I should have enough left over parts to make some interesting bobbles that may interest you. Such as I could use the dragon scales to make you a lighter suit of armor.”

Annette gave a slight giggle. “Well I don’t exactly consider this armor heavy and to be honest new armor doesn’t truly appeal to me.”

“Yes I imagine what you have is more then strong enough for most situations. I could list more items but I won’t be able to make them unless you succeed in killing the dragon.”

“Did you ever try to best it yourself?”

Warren let out a slight sigh and gave a nod. “I tried but the beast is nearly immune to my magic. I knew that as a creature of wind and magic it would be even more resistant to wind then most dragons but I didn’t expect it to be as resistant as it was. Of course that means the wind magic inherent in its physical make up must be particularly strong or unique.”

“Which makes you want it all the more?”

“You are quite right. So do we have a deal?”

“I’ll see what I can do. I will forgo up front payment for the time being. I want to see the dragon first however that also means I have the right to back out if I decide the assignment isn’t worth the pay.”

“I can agree to those terms.”

“So just where does this dragon live? I could use a map if you have one.”

“Here you go.” Warren reached within one of his pockets and proceeded to take out a crystal which he then tossed to Annette.

Annette easily snatched the comparatively crystal in her hand. As soon as she looked at the jewel she noticed it had several arrows cut in to it and one of them was glowing. “I take it you are use to flying where you want to go and not having to worry if there is a road or not.”

“Well my specialty is wind magic.”

“Yeah I figured as much considering your interest in this particular dragon. How am I supposed to find you to collect my payment and deliver the goods once the job is done?”

“I need the components quite soon after the dragon is dead so I will just come to you with your payment.”

Annette looked at Warren for a moment clearly sizing him up as if she was suspicious. “I can’t help but be concerned that once the dragon is dead you will just take the parts and run. You probably know my reputation while I know nothing of yours.”

Warren chuckled for a moment. “Rest assured that I could not remove an entire dragon’s corpse quickly enough to just run away. Indeed I would offer to fly you to the location if you weren’t so sizable.”

“Just how far is this crystal going to lead me?”

“At the moment you only have a few weeks journey.”

Annette cringed for a moment then glanced at her armor as if she was thinking.

“Is something the matter?”

“My armor may not last me that long.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind if it doesn’t last me until I can deal with the dragon I will make due without it. If I am lucky I will find some place to have my armor fixed while I am traveling.”

Warren took a moment to look at Annette the gaze wasn’t one of suspicion though rather there was something else behind it. “Oh I see what you mean. Your body isn’t that of a natural creature.”

“Well isn’t that obvious? I am a giant.”

Warren gave a slight chuckle. “You don’t belong to the same species.”

“I will rest here for a while longer then I will start traveling. I imagine you have a method of locating me since you found me this time.”

“Yes I just have to listen to the wind.”

Annette chuckled as a massive torrent of air engulfed Warren disturbing the trees and nearly everything else in the area. A few moments later the mage was gone though she could still see the funnel of air that had carried him away. “Son of a bitch gets to travel easy.”

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Annette shifted her arm a bit trying to get the stiffness out currently her body was mostly exposed since she had removed a good deal of her armor. Despite this the wind blowing through the mountain range didn’t disturb her. Looking at the crystal that Warren had given her a soft chuckle escaped Annette. “No wonder he pays so much. The trip here alone is a pain.”

Currently a massive cliff stood between Annette and the strait path she had been taken over the last few days. Giving a shrug Annette places the crystal in her back and proceeded to adjust the carrying back which held her armor and other items. Walking over to the cliff she easily dug her fingers into the solid stone and gave the surface a slight kick with each foot. After assuring herself that the rock was strong enough to support her weight she began to climb upwards.

Once she was about half way up the cliff Annette was somewhat surprised when she heard a rather healthy thunder clap shake the sky and seemingly the mountain. “Strange.” Annette glanced around herself while the wind was strong and would have been cold in most being’s opinion there was no sound of thunder or clouds. A particularly strong gust of wind caused Annette to dig her fingers into the rock’s surface even more firmly and reminded her to hurry up.

When she had reached nearly two thirds of the way up the cliff Annette was delighted to see that smoke could be seen over the mountain top. With the sight of the smoke renewing her vigor it only took Annette a few more minutes to scale the mountain what she found though was quite interesting. The settle was expansive that was true enough but the buildings didn’t look like they were build appropriately at least not for people. A huge smile crossed her face once she realized what the settlement must be composed of mostly.

Dwarfs never seemed to show much fear no matter the situation and they most assuredly didn’t show any just because you were larger then them at least the majority didn’t seem to. As Annette strolled through the streets she noted the hearty if short humanoids wondering around a few of them glanced at her but they didn’t seem all that interested.

“Well hello there miss. I hear you came from over the mountain top. You know the road is generally easier.”

Annette turned to find a few well armored dwarfs standing behind her. The quality of their armor and weapons was quite impressive and she was willing to wager the leader had at least one enchanted piece of equipment. “Easier but strait up and over is faster.”

The dwarf gave a slight laugh. “Perhaps in your case just don’t try packing a load of ore up those cliff. So what brings you to our little town?”

“I am hunting for a certain dragon and I was led her though I was hoping that I might find someone who could help me with my armor.”

“Well you won’t find many places with a greater supply of black smiths then here. If you would like I could direct you to a few smiths that may be able to help you out.”

“That would be wonderful. Would you happen to know of any locations that might be able to house someone of my scale as well?”

“Now that one is a might tougher but it doesn’t mean that we can’t. Give me some time to think.” Annette watched the dwarf’s weapon as he tapped the ground a few times. Each time the hammer would touch a spot on the ground a thin layer of frost would appear it didn’t take her long to figure out that indeed the weapon was enchanted and most likely with a potent frost enchantment. “Ah I have it. If you have coin enough there is an inn near the front of the town just the opposite direction you entered from. Now they don’t have any rooms that are particularly suited for you but they do have a nice little building for travelers who don’t have many coins on them.”

Annette gave a slight nod. “So I could just by a few of the bunks.”

“Yes they are other places of course but they wouldn’t be as tidy.”

“Okay. Now where could I find those smiths?”

“Just follow us.”

Annette was always surprised how quickly dwarfs could move despite their short legs it seemed quite an odd contrast. “You must get a lot of unique visitors to not be more concerned about me.”

A slight chuckle came from the group. “We dwarfs know that size isn’t always an indicator of someone’s capability. Of course I will admit that you did concern us.”

“I take it you wouldn’t normally see fit to escort a guest around.”

“Do you want to try and locate the right smiths yourself?”

Annette quickly waved her hands in the air. “Oh no no. Your help is appreciated.” As she followed the group Annette estimated the leader was three fourths the height of an average human which put him well below her knee level and he was the tallest one in the group.

Of course as he had said size isn’t a good indicator of ability especially considering where she was. She knew the war hammer the dwarf was packing would have strained most humans and he carried it easily. Being part of a species that spent a fair amount of their life digging through rocks did that she supposed. “Okay I don’t want to appear ignorant but what are you digging for up here?”

“Well if you assumed we are digging for gold you would only be right if we were talking about the mines original purpose.”

“Huh. I wouldn’t have thought you would stay on at a site let alone have it grow this much if there wasn’t any gold to be found.”

“We mined out all the gold quite some time ago however during our digs we found other useful metals. This mountain is full of iron as well as arcanon.”

Annette stopped walking for a moment as a curious look appearing on her face. “Okay I can’t say I am familiar with that.”

“It isn’t common in the least so we were surprised to find such a rich deposit here we can mind out about a ton every week.”

“Huh?” Annette couldn’t hide the shock in her voice or on her face for a dwarf to talk about a ton in a week as if it was something special was truly bizarre this got a collective laugh from everyone in ear shot apparently they found her surprise to be quite amusing especially when it was magnified so much and made so obvious by Annette’s scale.

“I know that doesn’t sound impressive but arcanon is quite difficult to mine and even here it isn’t common.”

Annette gave a nod and began to walk again. “So what are its properties?”

“Well early on it is remarkably strong and heat resistance a real pain to work with. One odd feature though is that is very receptive to magic and yet resistant to it at the same time.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well for instance a shield made from arcanon is very resistant to magic attacks yet enchanting it is exceptionally easy. It is like the metal sucks up magic.”

“I see and what do you do with it?”

“We have sold some of it to a few mages guild but we need to study it some more before we begin actively distributing.”

“Ah blast it I was hoping you were setting me up for a sale.”

“Oh I may have been. You said you were here to kill a particular dragon or on your way to. Now I don’t know if this is the exact same dragon you are looking for but there is a rather mean one that has been interfering with our supplies. These mines are profitable but it is hard to grow food up here.”

“And you haven’t bashed its skull in yourself yet?”

For the first time the dwarf gave a slight frown. “Well it isn’t from lack of trying but the bastard is hold up in a cave with a very rich supply of arcanon and it seems it has learned to use it to its advantage. The mages that go in find they are unable to cast any spells and enchanted weapons loose their bite except for what they already had.”

“Why have your attempts to catch the beast out side of its cave failed?”

The dwarf’s smile returned apparently he liked the fact that Annette went ahead and assumed they would try that. “It is just to fast. It is a wind dragon after all though there is another odd thing. Its scales are remarkably sturdy which is odd for its kind from how tough they are you would think we were dealing with an earth dragon.”

A bit of a giggle escaped Annette.

“Hm is something funny?”

“No I was just thinking about how we identify and label dragons. I am kind of curious what terms you dwarf might use to separate the various human groups, elfs and perhaps even my kind.”

A soft chuckle escaped the dwarf leader. “Well I have too many for humans to name. Elfs are just referred to as those pointy eared bastards most the time and as for your type it really depends on location.”

Annette rolled her eyes she wasn’t certain if the dwarf was joking but she didn’t feel like asking either. “Doesn’t the arcanon cancel out the dragon’s own mystic nature?”

“Oh if only it was that simple no for some reason the metal seems to enhance its abilities when it is in the cave.”

“How big is it?”

“I would say it is about.” The dwarf glanced at Annette for a few moments. “I would say it is about 30% longer then you are tall.”

“Is it a young adult?”

“That would be my guess. By the way why are you seeking to kill that dragon you mentioned? From your questions I assume they are the same one.”

“It seems quite likely. I am a mercenary you see and someone is paying me very well to kill that dragon and retrieve certain body parts. Well the body actually.”

“Even the scales?”

“Yes. Why is that a problem?”

“Blast it. No it isn’t a problem that is if you are the one to kill it.”

“Ah you wanted to find out why its scales are so strong?”

“It would be wonderful to study them what is this fellow offering to pay you.”

“Sorry even if you offered to pay me more I couldn’t accept it. I try to hold myself to my word.”

“Well I don’t like it but I can’t say anything bad against it. Nice to see you hold yourself to your word miss. Well it seems we haven’t introduced ourselves yet. My name is Durin and what is yours?”

“Annette. I am pleased to meet you.”

“Well even if you aren’t willing to let us have that dragon’s hide. We would appreciate you ridding us of it and while you may already be employed to do so I am thinking that we could offer you an extra incentive.”

“Some of the arcanon?”

“Yes. We could part with the same volume of arcanon as in your armor.”

Annette couldn’t but smile. “Now you have me wishing that I wore full body armor. I don’t suppose you would be willing to let me have the same weight as my armor?”

Durin gave a slight laugh and shook his head. No. No. I can’t say having the dragon killed is worth that. When I said arcanon was light I meant it.”

“Okay. So what other terms do you have?”

“Only that you deal with the dragon quickly I would prefer if you took care of it right away but I imagine you want to have your armor adjusted first and to be honest I recommend it. With that said here we are.”

Annette glanced to her side. They were currently standing in front of a massive building with black smoke wafting from the smoke stacks as if they were trying to kill the sky. “Here?”

“Yes.” Durin walked over to the massive doors and proceeded to slide them open as he did Annette could hear the clicking of several gears no doubt put in place to make opening the door easier and help with locking it down. Still she imagined the massive doors took a fair amount of muscle and Durin did it easily enough. Instantly the two of them were assaulted with a wave of heat.

“I noticed this town felt far warmer then it should there is no wonder why now. You have giant furnaces everywhere.”

Durin didn’t respond right away but took a moment to shield his face from the heat until he adapted. The dwarf proceeded to stroke his beard as if checking for something. “The furnaces are running a little cool today.”

“Why do you say that?”

“None of the hairs on my beard were singed just then.”

Annette gave an amused chuckle and followed the dwarf into the massive building. A few dwarfs gave them a quick glance but didn’t seem concerned especially seeing that Durin and a few others were with her. “I know you said you were taking me to a place that had the equipment to work on my armor but isn’t this over kill?”

“Well I did say I wanted that dragon killed soon.”

“Just what is your rank here?”

“Captain of the defensive corpse of course we double as the offensive as well.”

“Durin what brings you here and who is your friend? She is a tall one.”

Durin turned towards a rather stocky dwarf that was approaching. Annette could tell he spent a lot of time near the surface due to the condition of his skin. “This is Annette and I believe she will be helping us with our dragon problem.”

“Ah that is wonderful news.” Annette wasn’t quite certain how it happened but a moment later she was learned over with the dwarf shaking her hand. Well he held her massive hands between both of his and moved his entire arm up and down while Annette didn’t have to move much at all. “So what brings you here then?”

“I need to have my armor resized it doesn’t fit me any longer.”

“Ah well then let me take a look at it and I will give you an idea of what is going to cost at the time needed. Since you’re going to be ridding us of that dragon I will even give you a discount hmm or rush the job your choice.”

“Thanks but what makes you so certain that I am up to the task.”

Durin gave a slight chuckle. “The same reason I offered you the job you look about as stout as a dwarf and there is a lot more of you.”

Annette giggled and proceeded to flex one of her arms showing off her massive bicep. “Thanks.”

The black smith gave a quick nod. “What is Durin offering to pay you?”

Durin answered for Annette. “The same volume of arcanon as is in her armor so you are to take detail measurements.”

The black smith seemed a bit surprised this. “That dragon has your beard in knots?”

“That bastard dragon is hold up in one of our caves and it just happens to be the riches in arcanon. Not to mention it keeps attacking supply caravans.”

Annette didn’t bother asking whether or not the dragon had been there before or after the Dwarfs moved in. It was common knowledge that once the dwarfs decided a mine was theirs it didn’t really matter who the previous owner was and it took quite a sizable force to convince them other wise.

The smith gave a nod and turned his attention back to Annette. “Well then may I see your armor?”

Annette gave a nod and bent down and removed the heavy chains she was using to carry her armor on her back. She intentionally held her breastplate and greaves up before setting them down in order to give the dwarf a better idea of just what he would be working with. As she laid out the pieces of equipment the smith proceeded to examine each one of them while repeatedly glancing up at Annette. “I was going to say there is no way this armor would fit you but it seems it was designed with that in mind. These links are meant to make the armor easily expandable aren’t they?”

“Yeah but I sort of outgrew the last link a few weeks ago now it hinders my movement too much to be worth the protection it provides that and it is painful.”

“So it only took you a few weeks to outgrow this armor? My you are growing fast I don’t imagine you’re a normal giant.”

“Nope.” Annette kept quiet as the dwarf continued to look over her armor. When he moved to lift it up she started to help him but he stopped her by calling out to his assistance.

“Hey get over here and hold this up for me.” Only two dwarfs answered the call one female and one male. A moment later they proved that was all was needed as each one took hold of a shoulder guard and held the armor so that it was standing up as if Annette was wearing it. Annette had to keep herself from laughing as the side latches were opened up and the head smith actually entered into her armor. “So does everything expand proportionally?”

“Yeah so you can use that as a guideline for the adjustments.”

“You do realize that these links leave quite a few weak points don’t you?”

“Yes, but it was either that or deal with the pain of my breast constantly being crushed.”

“I really don’t like the idea of modifying this.”

“How come?”

“I could do a better job and considering what you are going to be fighting you don’t really need any weak points.”

“Can you guarantee the armor you designed would be stronger then that suit of armor there?”

“I can assure you that not only will its’ over all strength be greater but the weak points will be less vulnerable.”

Annette glanced at Durin for a moment who grinned. “He is one of the best smiths we have.”

“Okay but if it isn’t stronger you can forget me paying for it.”

“I wouldn’t expect any other deal.”

“So what are you going to charge me?”

The smith took a few more moments to look over Annette’s armor. “Well a work on this scale is going to cost you around 200.”

Annette’s eyes widened her current suit of armor had only cost around 50 gold coins at least she believed. It had actually been given to her so she wasn’t certain. “What kind of strength increase are we talking about here?”

“At least twenty percent all around and I would say I can increase the strength of the jointed areas by at least sixty percent without hindering you.” It was fairly obvious that Annette was far from thrilled from the price however he wasn’t willing to lower it.

Annette brought her right hand up and bit down on her thumb for a few moments. Warren was paying her an awful lot to kill the dragon and the dwarfs had offered her something that was perhaps even more valuable so if she succeeded she would be able to easily justify the expense of her armor upgrade but then again if she could best the dragon without the improvements she would save quite a bit of money. “Fine two hundred it is.” Annette was grateful that she had kept a good deal of the money she earned from dealing with Armzon with her.

Durin had to resist the urge to be overly nosey as he heard the sound of coins rattling. He like most dwarfs had worked with gold and other metals long enough to recognize them just by the sound they made when they were shaken up and he could tell that bag was quite full and the majority of the coins at least were gold.

“Would half now be sufficient?” Annette would have normally paid in full right away and just took her refund if she wasn’t happy however this town was different from most others and she didn’t relish the idea of having to try and fight her way out. Then again they weren’t likely to try and short change her if they wanted the dragon taken care of.

“That will be just fine.”

While Annette didn’t like handing over the money she did find it amusing to see how the dwarfs reacted as she counted out ever gold piece. She had never been able to understand why dwarfs had such an interest in gold especially since it didn’t seem to be their favored form of currency. At least they didn’t like using it to pay for things they would gladly accept it as payment. “There you go.”

The smith had clearly been counting as Annette handed it out though it seemed likely he would end up counting it again. Durin chuckled as the smith began to leave. “Hold it now. Just when do you expect that armor to be finished? The lady has a dragon to slay after it is done.”

“And what about my old armor?”

“Oh. We would like it if you left your old armor here so we can take some measurements.” The smith stopped for a moment. “Sorry I guess I got a little over zealous. Please wait there while we take some measurements to find out just what the scale should be built to. I will be sure to make this new armor easy to adapt to your growing size as well.”

*********************************************************************

“6.91067 meters tall.” The lead smith called down to his assistance as he stood a top a platform. “So you were just 5.5 meters tall just over three months ago?”

“Yeah you can imagine why I couldn’t wear my armor anymore.”

While they would be keeping her old armor they had resolved to take some additional measurements. Extending her arm out strait Annette allowed them to not only measure the length of her arm but its width. Her legs were also measured both tensed and relaxed. It was some what amusing since it took two of the dwarfs to measure the distance around her leg accurately. “Well you seem to be holding proportional to the measurements we took from your armor. I believe if we section your armor correctly we can make it last you until you are nine meters tall perhaps even ten.”

“That is impressive and it would keep me from having to by new armor for a while. Hopefully by then I won’t need its protection any longer.”

Durin had stuck around apparently he was acting as Annette’s watch dog at the moment but she didn’t mind. It was nice having him escort her around town and now that he had hired her he had a vested interest in making sure she was up to the task. “I have been thinking. Would you mind sharpening this ladies sword as well? It looks a might duel.”

Annette glanced towards her weapon for a moment. “I don’t know if it would be worth the trouble the edge isn’t going to hold for very long.”

Durin waved his hand. “That may be true but how often do you know your going up against such a formidable opponent.”

Annette let out a sigh. “I should have not let it be so obvious how much gold I am packing.”

Durin gave a slight chuckle and turned towards the smith. “Why don’t you do this one for free considering you already have the armor?”

The smith gave a nod. “Sure thing and don’t worry you will be getting your money’s worth.” Annette glanced at her sword for a moment in all honest she didn’t like the idea of leaving her armor and weapon behind this seemed to be noted by the others in the room. “Your armor is going to take a lot of attention so why don’t you take your sword with you and come back in two days?”

“That is all the time you need?”

The smith looked at the armor for a moment. “It is hard to say I will have to call in some extra hands but that is fine busy is good.”

“Okay.” Annette easily lifted her weapon back up and placed it on her back.

“Very well now that is settled how about we find a place for you to stay?”

“Yeah I would like to rest for a while.”

************************************************************************

“I wasn’t expecting this.” Annette looked around the massive room for a moment the roof was roughly eight meters tall which meant she could actually stand up so long as she stayed near the middle at least. Several beds had been cleared out to make room for her to lie down. Durin and the hostess stood a ways back watching Annette look around.

The hostess took a step forward. “Well if we are going to house someone we might as well house them properly.”

The room was oddly pleasant especially since it was meant for those that couldn’t afford one of the better rooms. “I am surprised how clean you keep this place.”

“Just because we aren’t in a mine doesn’t mean we don’t work hard. Of course keeping these rooms is easy.”

“You don’t get many guests this high up do you?”

“No. These beds are mostly for the men that are hired to transport supplies up the mountain they are about our only regulars and we appreciate the service they provide so I make sure they get a good nights rest before going back down.”

“Why does this place have such a high roof though?”

The hostess turned her head a bit. “Well it used to be a store house you see.”

Annette gave an amused laugh. “No wonder the floors are strong enough to support my weight. I rarely get to but when I do get to go into a building I have to worry about the floors giving way especially as I grow larger.”

Durin couldn’t help himself. “Have you always been growing so quickly?”

“No. I only started a few years after becoming sentient and learning how to use my body.”

“Became sentient?”

“Yes I wasn’t actually sentient when I was first born.”

Durin gave a slight shrug and seemed satisfied with Annette’s answer. “Well if you want to look around town feel free. I have other task to attend to now.”

“Thanks for taking the time to show me around.” Once Durin had left Annette turned her attention towards the hostess. “Is the dining area large enough to handle someone of my size?”

“I don’t think it would be. However, I would be happy to bring your food to you. You paid enough for a royal sweet after all which includes room service.”

************************************************************************

The town was a rather odd place the majority of the buildings didn’t even come up past Annette’s crotch yet they were some that were massive even compared to her. The residence didn’t show the least bit of fear around their new guest despite their short stature. Of course dwarfs were generally full of behavior that one would consider odd. A conversation with them could often start perfectly informal and reasonable however one wrong word could and often did result in a broken bone.

Annette grinned as she arrived at one of the buildings that did indeed dwarf her. Currently a massive of amount of heat was radiating from within the structure resulting in the vicinity around the building feeling as if it was set in the desert rather then high atop a frozen mountain peek the doors were flung wide in order to allow better ventilation.

“Ah. You’re just in time. I was about to go and find you.”

Annette was somewhat surprised when the smith she had met the previous day poked his head out of the door. “Find me for what? It hasn’t even been twenty four hours since you began working on my armor.”

“Yes but I realized after you had left that we had forgot to ask you a few questions and take some additional measurements.”

“What are they for?”

“The leggings and sleeves to your new armor as well as a shield.”

“Huh? I didn’t ask for leggings, sleeves or a shield.”

“My dear when I make armor I don’t only make half a suit. Now come on in for those measurements.”

Annette didn’t really know what to think or how to argue against the dwarfs request so she followed him into the forge. “I have been meaning to ask. Are all these furnaces fueled by coal?”

“No. Most of the furnaces are fueled by a mixture of fire and wind magic. After all with most metals heat is heat and using coal on them would be a tremendous waste of a resource we have difficulty getting up here.”

“I was wondering how the smiths can afford to heat the entire town. So are you a mage as well as a smith?”

“No at least not in any real since of the word. I know how to make an item easier to enchant but that is about the limits of my knowledge. Take a seat over there.”

Annette gave a nod and walked over to a scaffold that had been set up a rough seat had been placed next to it. “Should I keep standing?”

“For the moment while we get your legs measured.”

“Just what are you doing with the armor that you would need these measurements? It is going to be adjustable isn’t it?”

“Yes but you want it to last as long as possible don’t you? Also you can take your old armor back we are done examining it.”

Annette gave a slight chuckle. “I may end up seeing if I can sell it to someone for scrap if this new armor is as good as you made it out to be.”

“That can be arranged I can’t say we could offer you more then what its weight is worth since well you are the only one that would find such armor to be practical.”

Annette gave a nod. “Yeah that is true but before long it will be too small for me. Would you mind if I left my armor here until I reach a decision?”

“That would be fine we have plenty of storage space well so long as you have decided by the time the dragon is killed.”

“Will do.”

************************************************************************

“So you are going to be joining me?” Annette was currently slipping on the first layer of her new armor the chain mail leggings and shirt were a bit odd in her opinion and wouldn’t served to protect against very precise attacks thanks to its layout but that was fine while it wouldn’t served a human very well it was best for Annette.

Durin gave a nod. “I have a score to settle with that dragon well me and a few of the others are going to be joining you. We want to insure the dragon dies.”

“Is that whether I live or not?”

“Yes. While I do hope you will be coming back alive along with the rest of us that is a distinct possibility. We must insure the beast dies this time.”

“You mentioned earlier that the reason you never attacked in mass was because the dragon was using the arcanon in the mines to amplify its abilities didn’t you?”

“Yeah and to be honest we did attack in mass once. The beast filled the majority of the mine with electricity by running its attack through the arcanon. We lost too many men that day to let it happen again.”

Annette glanced down at her leg when she felt a hand patting the outside of her leggings. “This armor should protect you from that it is insulated so the electricity should be directed around you and not into you.”

“What? Is that the reason you insisted the armor be a complete suit?”

The smith didn’t answer her question but gave her some more information. “We only have a few warriors that can wear the armor needed to protect them from the electricity. It isn’t so much because of the weight but it is bulky and makes it difficult move and to fight in.”

Durin glanced up. “A few men and I have been training to make use of the armor but well it is still hard to fight in. Your armor is already thick enough and you have been using it for a while I reason.”

Annette was tempted to comment she would avoid stepping on any of them but she knew better then to refer to a dwarf’s height in such a manner. As she finished the first layer of armor she picked up her chest plate as well as its back component and began to put it on she then retrieved her sword and placed in its sheath on her back. “I swear it still feel unusual to have my blade so sharpened.”

“Well don’t worry about that. From out past experience with the beast by the time you’re done hacking through its armor your sword will be plenty duel.”

Annette rolled her eyes. “That is so encouraging.”

A slight laugh came from Durin. “Well I am going to go and slip into my armor as well me and the others will be waiting for you at the main gate.” A slight giggle came from Annette. “What is it?”

“I just thought that I don’t even know if this is the right dragon but I do know the guide stone was leading me in this direction and from the information you gave me I am willing to bank on it being the right one.”

“Well if it isn’t it just means you will have an easier kill later.”

************************************************************************

Annette always felt restrained when she was in full armor a part of her liked showing off her legs and arms after all so she doubted that she would continue to wear the complete suit for long after the dragon was killed despite the protection it offered. Of course she couldn’t be certain that she actually needed the protection but the memory of the lighting and earth fusion spell that had hit her several weeks past had not faded from her mind. Of course that hadn’t been the first time such a thing had happened to her but it was the most recent and it was painful.

Durin turned as Annette approached the front gate and he instantly caught site of the grin that formed on her face he had a good idea of what she was thinking. “Damn it I know we look silly in this stuff but do you have to have such a large grin. How I despise this armor.”

“Are you really going to fight in that? It looks like..”

Durin interrupted Annette before she could finish. “Yes I know it looks like the dragon could just roll us out of the cave. This is embarrassing enough though without you grinning or any of you.” Durin turned his attention to a few of the other dwarfs that had come to see them off.

Annette glanced around and was fairly amused to see that everyone who looked at the group of nine dwarfs seemed quite amused and Durin’s obvious annoyance with the situation only made it more amusing even for the other dwarfs. The other eight who were wearing similar armor seemed grateful that it covered everything including their faces.

Durin had already resigned himself to this fate he knew how most would react when they saw the armor considering how impractical it was for most situations but that didn’t make the situation any easier on the dwarf. “Can we just get going?” Durin turned and began to make his way to a cart due to the difficulty traveling in the armor they were going to ride as far as they could.

A chuckle came from Annette. “Why didn’t you just wait to put on your armor?”

“Because we don’t have time to put it on once we are at the mouth of the cave believe me this stuff is very hard to get on.”

Durin’s response prompted Annette to take a better look at the armor. “It seems your armor has an awful lot of bolts in it.”

“Those are just the ones you can see. We can hardly even swing out weapons vertically in fact most of our movements are limited to horizontal swings and thrust.”

It was becoming very clear to Annette why the dwarfs hadn’t killed the dragon themselves yet they had quite a difficult situation with the cave disrupting the spells of their mages and the only armor that provided the needed protection hindering their movements so much.

***********************************************************************

Annette could have sworn she was just picking up solid lumps of metal as she lifted the dwarfs into the air one at a time to deposit them on top of a steep ledge the mountain was a moderately difficult climb under normal conditions however considering the armor they were forced to wear it would have been a trying horrific experience for the dwarfs. The wagon had carried them as far as it could and then been forced to stop.

“I wonder why the dragon hasn’t poked its head out to see what is climbing up i..the mountain.” Annette remembered just in the neck of time that as far as her companions were concerned the mountain was theirs.

“Oh we have tried to lure it out and kill it then it was the closest we have ever come and ever since then it has just been waiting for us to come into the interior of the mountain where it has the largest advantage.”

A bright flash of light lit up the entire mountain even more brightly then what the morning sun did and a horrific thunder clap resounded throughout the area. “Huh? I take it that was the dragon. That was an awful lot of energy.”

“That wasn’t the dragon that was the blasted beast using the arcanon to magnify its energy and running it through the entire mountain.” Durin voice showed that he was quite upset with this little display. “It does it to remind us it seems.”

As Annette and the group continued up the slope she had to ask. “How many did you lose when you tried to storm the mine?”

“I would rather not talk about it. Suffice to say even without this mine we wouldn’t normally have any empty storage space past a week. However, since we had to pull other dwarfs from the mines to serve as guards there has been a slow down.”

Annette quickly resolved that Durin’s response was a sufficient answer and continued to lead the way up the mountain not so much because she had more initiative then the dwarfs but because their armor slowed them down. Instead she would often stop and help them up them anything that would have been to trouble some. She tried to keep this to a minimum as each time she could have sworn she could feel the dwarfs’ annoyance at having to receive aid.

When they finally reached the top Annette took out the crystal that Warren had given her and let out a sigh. “Well either this is the right dragon or they are living together.” A crackling sound took Annette’s attention away from the crystal as a bright light built within the cavern a moment later she and the nine dwarfs were all engulfed in the electrical energy. It only last a few moments but it was long enough to make Annette grateful for the armor. “That would have hurt are you okay?”

“Yeah we are all fine. To be honest you should worry about yourself we had more time to test and design our armor after all.”

Annette gave a slight shrug and began to lead the way into the mine. The moment she placed her armored foot upon the ground she was surprised by the sound of the cling. “This isn’t stone.”

Durin walked around one of Annette’s massive legs. “The walls are lined with arcanon this one vein has more in it then the rest of the mountain combined at least that we know of.”

“How did it get hollowed out?”

Durin didn’t respond right away as the group was once again swallowed up by a wave of electrical energy once the energy had faded enough so that he could speak he did. “We have no idea.”

Reaching her hand up Annette ran her armored fingers against the roof for a moment. She detested having to wear armor on her hands since it didn’t let her really feel what she touched but after the two electrical waves there was no way she was taking it off. There were claw marks all over the walls though not were very deep actually Annette doubted that any of them were deeper then a fourth of a centimeter.

“Be careful of its claws that may not seem very deep.”

“But that is very strong material I know. I was just thinking that it was odd that this place is large enough for me to stand up in. If this was mined before your arrival it must have had an even greater wealth of materials.”

“We’ll know if it has been mind before once we get further in.”

Giving a nod Annette continued to lead the group further into the cavern. As she did she couldn’t help but wonder when the dragon’s next attack would come. She doubted that it would be using another electric attack at least not by running it through the arcanon. “How smart is this particular dragon?”

“As smart as any its age I suppose. If you were hoping for something so stupid it couldn’t even speak sorry but it has mocked us more then once.”

“Fuck.”

“Agreed.”

Continuing further in Annette expected that the cavern would start closing up instead she found that it only served to get larger the deeper they went. This gave her more room to move but it also meant the dragon would have more room to move and it was a type that specialized in speed.

“These walls have never been mined at least not by any method I know of.” Durin broke the silence with his announcement.

Annette didn’t bother commenting but guessed this was the furthest they had ever been in. At last they came to a truly massive chamber which sadly had openings all over the place. The loud clink of the groups armored foot steps made her regret they hadn’t padded them as while the dragon would have most likely known they were coming at least they would have been able to listen for it better. The light creek of metal could also be heard every time anyone would move.

“So that is how you made it so far into my layer.” An amused voiced called out from the shadows and seemed to enter into the room through several tunnels.

Not one panicked the only thing that happened was Durin signaled for the other dwarfs to branch out. Annette reached behind herself and finally took out her weapon the whole time bracing herself for the dragon to attack while she was busy drawing it. She wasn’t disappointed.

The dragon had snuck around the group by making use of the multiple tunnels in the area it had simply been using the echo the tunnels allowed for an echo that it had learned a long time ago and had time to practice. The creature was somewhat surprised by Annette’s appearance and even that the dwarfs had made it so far until it had looked upon their armor. It was obvious to the beast that the dwarf’s movements were hindered by the armor and Annette was the key threat so it wasted no time in attempting to remove her when she reached for her weapon.

Annette unlike most creatures her size was far from slow and despite the dragon’s relatively silent movements she had been expecting an attack. Though she felt more then heard the dragon’s approach she was able to turn and drive her free hand into the dragon’s skull.

The force of Annette’s fist impacting with its head was truly astounding while the dragons size and charge had granted it a great deal of momentum the force from Annette’s punch was more then enough to cancel out its momentum and send the dragon backwards. Once Annette saw that her opponent was dazed she wasted no time drawing her sword.

The punch had both shocked and stunned the dragon but it was still aware enough to hear Annette’s weapon being freed from its sheath. His bread of dragon was meant for speed and agility. The great beast quickly twisted away from the blade and lashed out at Annette with its tail.

A curse escaped Annette as her blade struck the walls of the cavern a horrific ringing and scraping went through out the cavern both from her weapon striking the wall and the dragons claws upon the ground. Even this sound was eclipsed a second later as the dragon’s tail caught Annette in her exposed side the tough armor caved in against the dragon’s strike though it was kept from deforming too much by the incredibly strong layer of muscle that rested beneath. Annette attempted to bring her weapon around to strike the dragon but by the time she had the dragon had already changed positioned and retreated back into the tunnels.

Annette was far from happy from the results of her punch she had expected her punch to fracture the dragon’s skull at the very least considering the amount of energy involved when the two forces collided instead the dragon had only seemed dizzy and it had recovered so quickly. Then again the dragon wasn’t happy with the lack of results as far as striking Annette in the side went.

The dragon wouldn’t retreat from its’ layer at least not yet. Annette knew that much since at the moment they were pretty much even once the fight became truly intense though should she gain the upper hand she knew she would have to finish the dragon off as quickly as possible as while the beast were known to be territorial and despise being driven from their layers they wouldn’t defend them to the death at least not in most cases.

Annette knew another attack was coming when a gentle gust of wind blew through the tunnels so gently that had it been out in the opened one might have never noticed it. A high pitched whistle echoed throughout the tunnels as the dragon burst out from one of them clearly under the affect of a spell meant to accelerate its speed there was no way to prevent it from striking its intended target so Annette didn’t bother trying.

The dwarf resist the urge to scream as it felt the dragon’s claws tearing through its armor instead of instinctively screaming in fear the dwarf chose to ram his weapon into the dragon’s claw with as much force as he could manage. The blade of his axe hardly even left a scratch while his armor was torn apart like wet paper despite the futility of the attack the dwarf was able to slow down the dragon’s motions.

The dragon felt a sudden twang of fear even as he tore through the dwarf’s armor as the dwarf chose to take hold of his claw and slow down his movements. Tearing through armor and nearly anything was something the dragon found particularly easy its claws having soaked up some of the arcanon however it hadn’t expected the dwarf to grab hold even as its weight came crashing down upon the short but sturdy warrior.

A horrific clang rang throughout the area both as the dwarf struck the ground and Annette moved into a dead sprint realizing what the dwarf had done. The dragon’s moment of victory turned to horror as it struggled to force the dwarf to release its claw with one leg impeded so there was no way it could move in time. Annette’s blade came around and struck the dragon in its side not only being driven by her considerably strength but having all her momentum behind the strike.

The force of the impact was enough to drive the dragon back though it was to late for the dwarf everyone even he had known that when the dragon had struck him and with the arcanon disrupting any magic within the cavern they hadn’t bothered to bring a healer.

Durin would feel pain for his kinsmen later but for the moment he felt rage and hope that Annette had managed to kill the dragon the force of the impact was enough to send the dragon flying against the far wall.

Moving quickly Annette attempted to close the gap between herself and the dragon’s downed form planning to insure it stayed down this time she was not pleased at all when the beast scurried back to its feet and swung its tail at her what made her even more concerned is she didn’t see any blood.

While being punched by Annette had hurt and even dazed the dragon the beast could have sworn it felt her sword strike right down to its bone despite this it hadn’t managed to make through its scales having lived so long in the mines the mystic nature of the dragon and arcanon seemed to have fused together to not only makes its attacks exceptionally powerful and claws undeniably sharp but its scales were just as strong as the arcanon itself if not stronger. Spinning around to gain momentum the dragon attempted to strike Annette with its tail once again.

Dragon’s scale was likened to armor often enough that most expected it to be dragon however as Annette blocked the dragon’s tail with her weapon she was truly astounded as she felt the force of the impact run through the blade threatening to teat it from her hands she had brought dragon’s before true most have been smaller but a few had been larger and they hadn’t put up nearly as good of a fight as this one was. As Annette fought she resolved to quit worrying about her weapon and began to attack even more viscously to insure the dragon wasn’t able to retreat back to the tunnels.

Durin was uncertain as to just what he should do at the moment while the dwarf didn’t like to have his lack of stature pointed out there was no way he was going to get near Annette and risk being trampled on by her or the dragon.

A few of the others had moved to where the other dwarf had fallen as if to confirm that he was dead perhaps the most upsetting thing about the situation is that the armor which allowed them to get so far into the mines now contributed to their lack of ability to help Annette and to the death of his friend had the armor not been so cumbersome Durin could move quick enough to join into the fight and his friend most likely would have dodged.

They had told her that the fight was going to dual her weapon and Annette had believed them but as she struck the dragon repeatedly she couldn’t help but feel the situation was somewhat preposterous the blows that she had landed would have normally cleaved a dragon of its scale in half and she had struck the great beast repeatedly.

As the dragon fought with Annette the rational side of its mind began to slip away and its attack became less coordinated but more frequent while her weapon didn’t seem able to tear through its armor her attacks did hurt and she was landing so many that it couldn’t retreat from her. The two combatants were so caught up in the fight that neither of them noticed the cracks that were beginning to appear in Annette’s weapon.

Annette’s eyes widened in shock as with a horrific scream her blade shattered the majority of the weapon braking away leaving her holding the hilt and a pathetic peace of blade the happening was so unexpected that all were frozen for a moment. Unfortunately for Annette the dragon was the first to recover from the shock and lunged for her.

It had been nearly a year since Annette had felt something sink as deeply into her muscles as the dragon’s teeth did while she had responded in time to move her arm to shield herself that meant the dragon sunk its teeth deep into it. As the dragon tasted Annette’s blood it felt its victory was near until her voice sounded in its ear. “LET GO!” Annette’s massive fist struck the dragon in the side of the head the force of the impact forcing it to release her though it caused its teeth to tear yet more of its flesh.

It wasn’t the first time she had experienced pain and indeed it wasn’t the worse however to have her weapon be broken and then the lizard bite her was truly a humiliating experience for Annette and she had never learned to cope well with humiliation.

Durin could have sworn that Annette’s armor seemed to expand outward especially those around her arms and legs just before she had struck the dragon. Dwarf’s as a species has developed rather sturdy yet reliable ear drugs to endure the constant sound of mining but also to be able to notice the subtle sounds that indicated danger. Yet Annette had struck the dragon with such force that even his ears had been left ringing.

When Annette had first punched the dragon it had to deal with the energy of its charge and the energy of her first colliding with its head her second punch hurt even worse then that one despite lacking the energy of its charge and unlike the first time Annette didn’t give the dragon time to recover as her massive leg slammed into its side.

She had broken her weapon against the dragon’s scales yet her punches seemed to have an affect upon it. As Annette drove her leg into the creature’s side and heard a hiss of pain escape it she had a better understanding of just what had happened. The dragon’s scales had somehow become fused with a good deal of arcanon making them far stronger and nearly impossible to cut through however the muscle underneath those scales was no stronger then they would have normally been.

It had at first seemed that the dragon was all about immune to Annette’s attacks now that she was no longer use her weapon this was quickly being proven false. With every strike the dragon felt itself being driven back until it was pinned against the cavern walls. The entire mine seemed to ring with each strike Annette landed as her fist impacted the dragon’s body which then impacted the cavern wall which held it pinned.

As Durin watched the fight he could hardly hold his excitement back he wanted to rush in to help Annette but felt she had it under control at least until he noticed her gauntlets. The metal that protected Annette’s fingers was currently falling away thanks to the force of her strikes and while it seemed she was getting the advantage of the dragon he noticed some trickles of blood beginning to run from her knuckles. Fortunately the resounding impacts served to remind Durin of where they were which gave him an idea.

Annette was determined to kill this dragon especially after it bit her and caused her to shatter her sword it had been a gift to her and while she could have the blade remade the enchantment it contained was most likely gone and while she couldn’t cast spells herself she knew that it would be difficult to have the weapon imbued with the same power it had before hand.

The dragon could hardly believe the level of pain Annette was currently inflicting upon it had it not been for the arcanon in its scales she would have reduced it to a paste by now. Despite the fog of pain that currently clouded the dragon’s mind the creature did manage to come to a realization the armor that once protected Annette had been damaged meaning its electric attacks could now harm her. There was a brief moment when the dragon seemed to glow and then its entire body seemed to light up.

This was a first for Annette all the other dragons had to at least open their mouths or cast a spell to use any form of magic attack this one seemed to be running the energy throughout its entire body.

“DRIVE IT AGAINST THE SPOT THREE METERS TO YOUR RIGHT! EVERYONE ELSE GET OUT OF HERE” Durin called out to Annette at the top of his voice in hopes the sound would reach Annette’s ears despite the sound of the constant impacts. The other dwarfs only gave Durin a quick glance before beginning a slow retreat back out of the cavern they had an idea of what he was planning and had no desire to be around if they were right.

Annette heard Durin’s words despite her anger and while she didn’t know exactly what he was thinking she imagined he must have an idea at the moment. Taking hold of the dragon she slammed the creature up against the spot Durin had mentioned just as it released the energy it had been building up. The dragon’s entire body lit up and the energy ran throughout the cave walls engulfing everyone within. The dead dwarf’s body was assaulted with so much energy that it was lit incinerated while Annette soon found the electricity running through her body.

Durin realized that Annette wouldn’t last long under the current conditions fortunately had had a plan and she had already started the first step. “NOW DRIVE IT INTO THAT SPOT.”

Annette let out a scream of pain but she was still able to force her body to function drawing her fist back she put as much force into the punch as she could not only using her arms to hammer the dragon but also making use of her legs. If it hadn’t been for the pain she had to endure with every moment inside the cavern she might have noticed that the walls were actually beginning to shudder with each impact.

Durin kept a close eye on the wall Annette had the dragon pinned against the top of the mine silently muttering under his breath. “Come on. Come on. Give way dam it.”

The dragon wasn’t managing much better then what Annette was the beast could taste blood in its mouth and unlike before he knew that it wasn’t the giantess’s but rather it was his own blood he tasted it took monumental effort on the beast part to keep up the constant assault it just hoped that the giantess would give before she managed to damage his internal organs to badly.

“JUMP BACK.”

This was the one time Annette thought Durin must be deluded fortunately the first rock that hit her in the head was relatively small but lined with arcanon more then enough to get through the protective covering and Annette’s own thick skull. Her leap was unspectacular thanks to the electricity running through her muscles but it got her far enough back to avoid what came next.

For a moment the dragon thought that Annette had fallen so it was confused when it looked up to see her still standing confusion was replaced with blinding fear and panic as it felt the wall and a good deal of the roof just above them coming down on top of him.
Annette hated how sluggish her body felt as she dashed towards Durin and extended her arm.

Durin felt like a team of horses at full gallop had been let lose with a rope which he was attached to and the slack had just ran out then Annette snatched him off the ground and began to dash for the exit. He was grateful the giantess had remembered to take him along for the trip other wise he wasn’t sure that he would be able to escape the collapsing mine.

“So how much of this place is coming down?” Annette called over the roar of the rubble.

“I have no idea.” Durin regretted his choice of words when he felt himself accelerated once again. As he was being carried he found himself trying to listen for the roar of the dragon or some other sign of its condition.

Warren wasn’t sure what had occurred when he first saw the dwarfs leaving the cavern. He had been observing Annette for quite some time watching her progress through a scrying crystal and had even come to watch first hand when she had journeyed with the cavern. As he heard the rumble and saw the massive giantess dash out of the mine he realized what had happened.

Annette took in a few breaths of air and checked behind her half expecting to see the tunnel collapsing to her surprise the only thing she could detect was the distance rumble of settling rocks. “Well I guess the collapse wasn’t that bad.”

“Nope it shouldn’t take more then a few days for us to remove the rock. Would you put me down now?”

“Sure.” As Annette bent to set Durin down a slight cry of pain escaped her lips and she ended up dropping the dwarf a meter.

Durin let out a slight huff as he hit the ground but wasn’t harmed he was concerned however when he looked up and noticed Annette was clutching her side. “Are you okay?”

“No my entire body is hurting. I have to..” Annette didn’t finish but took hold of the latches that held her armor on when she found that they had been welded closed she didn’t hesitate for a second to snap the metal apart she didn’t even try to slip off the protecting covering underneath her armor but proceeded to shred it.


Durin and everyone present understood why Annette had been so eager to remove her armor. Her body was currently sporting several sever burns. A loud gasp escaped from Annette as she felt the cool air of the mountains running over her skin. When she looked down at her body though her eyes widened in shock. “Those are some pretty server injuries. I think we best get you to back to town and get you a healer.”

Annette didn’t respond right away but seemed to need a few moments to think. “It has been a long time since I was injured this badly. I’ll be fine but I would appreciate it if you have a few doctors in town.”

“Why would you want to see a doctor? We have true healers after all.”

“Magic isn’t very effective on me no matter what type it is. Unless their healing spells are exceptionally powerful they will be even less effective then standard medical treatment.”

Durin was fairly surprised by how calm Annette seemed. “Aren’t you in pain?”

“I am in more pain then I have been in a long time.” Annette was distracted when she felt a breeze rush by and felt a familiar presence.

Warren slowly glided down however he didn’t land as he wasn’t certain of the dwarfs at the moment. “I see that you met the dragon.”

Annette wasn’t sure what Warren was there to talk about but decided to cut to the chase. “Yeah and I will fetch the body when I am not injured.”

Warren glanced towards the mine. “Perhaps I could go retrieve it.”

Durin didn’t give Annette time to respond. “I suppose you are the one that hired this lady to slay the beast. Be that as it may this is dwarf territory and you haven’t obtained permission to enter these mines.”

Warren glanced towards Durin for a moment then the mines. He had forgotten himself for a moment. “My apologies I meant no disrespect. I simply wanted to recover the corpse as quickly as I could.”

Durin took a few moments to size Warren up. “Well unless you’re a good stronger then you look that won’t be happening any time soon.”

“Why would you say that?”

Annette who had been silent up until now let out a sigh and began to walk back towards town she was to sore to stand around and listen to the conversation she spoke as she walked away. “The dragon is trapped under several tons of ore and from what I know magic doesn’t work in those mines it would take me less time to heal then it would take you to dig that dragon out.”

Warren let out a relieved sigh. “Ah. I didn’t mean to seem harsh earlier but I feared that you had buried the beast and had no intention of retrieving the body.”

Annette chuckled a bit. “Well I may ask that you use some of the money you offered me to pay the dwarfs to dig it out.”

Durin gave a shrug. “Well we have to clear the way regardless but we must proceed carefully. Let us discuss this more in town.” Durin didn’t bother saying it but he wanted to get Warren away from the dwarf’s mines.

***********************************************************************

“Are the funeral plans going well?”

Durin smiled over at Annette as he entered the room he didn’t bother saying it but he was glad she noticed the death of his comrade. “They are going as well as possible. We plan on retrieving the body first.”

Annette’s entire body was covered in burn medicine and bandaged up quite well while she was currently lying in inn which she had spent the previous night. “So how are your negotiations with Warren going?”

“Fairly well there is just one factor that we haven’t been able to resolve yet.”

“Namely just what your price is going to be.” Warren walked into the room shortly after Durin. “After all I did offer money or certain items.”

Annette grinned. “I want some of the dragon’s scales from you Warren in particularly those scales on the stomach. Also I would like at least two claws and three teeth from the dragon.”

Warren let out a relieved sigh. “Is there anything else? I admit that is going to decrease your payment by a considerable amount but there should be some left.”

A large grin formed on Annette’s face seeming to indicate she saved the best for last. “I want you to share the results of your research with the Luvarians at least the data you uncover about how the scales fused into such a unique material.”

Warren was openly surprised by this request. “That is quite a request. Mages don’t tend to share their secrets. I don’t really know if it is worth it. Why would you want me to share such information with them?”

Annette gave an amused giggle. “They already know about it.”

Warren blinked his eyes a few times. “How?”

“Because I am one.”

Warren’s surprised only showed for a moment then it made since. “Of course, bodies like yours don’t just come along after all. Not only is it strong but your resistance to magic goes far beyond what is normal that and you have grown since I last saw you. You’re going to let them research the body parts you asked for aren’t you?”

“That is the idea I believe it could benefit me and them.”

Warren grew silent for a long while as he considered this information. “I can’t deny you the body parts that you requested however I can’t agree to share my research without an exchange.”

“Which would be?”

“That an equal information swap is conducted.”

Annette gave a nod. “Okay. I’ll leave that up to the mages then once I contact them.”

Durin had been surprised by Annette’s admission but had kept quiet until she and Warren had spoke a bit. “I have to voice my concerns. I won’t back out of my agreement to provide you with the arcanon promised but I haven’t exactly heard good things about your group and I am concerned what attention you might bring to this town.”

Annette’s attention now turned to Durin. “The Luvarians aren’t as bad as they are made out to be. We are just conducting a business.”

Durin gave his head a slight shake. “Well we have an agreement though I make no guarantee we will sale.”

“That is fine. It will take a while anyway but once I heal up enough to leave and retrieve my payment I will make sure they contact you.”

************************************************************************

Annette smiled as she made her way down the forest noting how things appeared slightly different from when she had first gone through. She was currently carrying a rather large case containing both the arcanon that the dwarfs had given to her and the body parts from the dragon. Perhaps her constantly changing perspective was one of the reasons she had so much trouble with the directions. After all when she had first arrived to deal with Armzon she only stood five and a half meters tall. Now she stood a full eight meters tall causing a decent shift in perspective.

At least her longer legs would see her home more quickly then before that and because she didn’t plan on making any stops. It had been six months now since she left her home and she was eager to get back to it. Of course she regretted that the speed of her travel meant she wouldn’t have time to stop and test just how much her abilities had increased along with her height. That was her dominant thought until she stopped on the road.

Annette never had been the type to look behind every tree or rock she didn’t have to be that worried thanks to the strength of her body. Despite this she felt like something was amiss in this particular spot. A sudden release of magic got her attention and a smile formed on her face as she realized she had stepped right on a trap spell.

“FIRE.” Issued forth from the surroundings and the sky was filled with arrows. Annette began to sprint the moment she heard the words her massive legs easily tore through the enchantment which a few months earlier may have had a chance to hold her however between the increase to her strength and resistance to magic as well as her increase in mass and height she found it to be a easy task just to brake through.

Annette let the large case fall from her hand once she had pulled free from the trap. Turning her head she took quick stock of the arrows that had hit the ground. Each one of them was enchanted though it wasn’t all the same enchantment some burned blue while others had wisp of green floating from them. She recognized the symbol on each of the arrows as well. “The bounty on my head must be getting large.”

The warriors began to emerge from the woods as Annette spoke the vast majority of which were armed with spears it was a good choice as far as weapons went but Annette felt their choice of clothing was lacking. There armor wouldn’t hold up against one of her strikes so having it slowing you down was truly a waste. It was something of a disappointment to see that they didn’t want to speak or even threaten her but she would get over it and live unlike all of her hunters.

The archers prepared another volley of arrows though they didn’t risk firing just yet. She had already proven that she could out run the arrows given their normal flight time it was unfortunate but unlike most opponents Annette was as fast as she was large. They would need to wait for her to make her next move and then attack. They had hoped that the trap spell would be able to restrain her but that hadn’t worked.

He felt as is if his arms would be torn off when the giantess suddenly dashed towards them and smashing his weapon away. As his weapon was torn from his grasp the warrior glanced up to see that she hadn’t stopped advancing instead she proceeded to charge right through and on top of those directly in front of her. Annette had grown large enough over the past few months that she didn’t truly need to nock her opponents down to step on them as her foot came crashing down on the still standing soldier she couldn’t help but feel a slight rush.

Having to nock her opponent down was to acknowledge his existence to not even have to show them such consideration was truly thrilling as far as Annette was concerned. Though she still felt the need to insure they didn’t get to ram one of their spears into her.

The archers were horrified to see how quickly the giantess had just ripped through a few of their men. They had been studying the giantess activity for some time and had hoped they developed a suitable plan for dealing with her now they weren’t so sure. If the soldiers couldn’t slow her down then it would make landing a shot on her nearly impossible. That didn’t stop them from firing though.

Annette could have dodged the arrows that were currently heading towards her easily. They were the same type that had been used on her before. She didn’t do that though rather she gave into the urge to test how much stronger her body had become. Instead of dodging she used her arm to shield herself from the arrows.

The archers had already readied a second set of arrows as they expected Annette to avoid them When she stopped and held up her arm as if she was shielding her face they were truly perplexed all their information reported that the arrows should be capable of braking through her skin yet she wasn’t trying to avoid them any longer instead she had come to a dead stop.

It was like stinging rain when the arrows finally hit her skin. Annette felt the tips push into her flesh a slight bit of pain and then she felt them falling to the ground leaving her arm tingling to some extent. A huge smile was revealed when Annette lowered her arm to inspect it. The extent of the damage the arrows had done to her arm amounted to little red spots.

“FALL BACK!!” Cut through the area as the bounty hunters’ leader called out. Instantly each member began to take a different position. Those warriors who were closest to her moved to prevent Annette from pursuing those that were further away while the archers didn’t move very far from their position but readied themselves to provide support fire.

It took Annette a moment to respond she had been so over come with the revelation that their arrows couldn’t do more then sting that she hadn’t even noticed they the call for them to retreat. She only noticed when several began to fall back at once. Looking to the group that had put the greatest distance between her and them she didn’t even pay attention to the spearmen that were trying to block her path but charged strait through them.

It was their job to delay the giantess as it was their job to safe guard the retreat of their allies during any engagement when it was called for. This meant their unit had the largest amount of casualties during a retreat but it was part of the job. This willingness to die had saved many lives in the past and indeed had saved many of their own lives as well. This was the first time they failed so utterly.

Annette felt the spears press into her skin the sharp points attempting to cut through. Then she felt the warriors arms give away as their spears were pushed back the points lacking sufficient penetrating power to brake through. At last she felt their bodies’ pulp as her feet came crashing down atop of them. She was truly grateful now that she hadn’t had her armor repaired other wise she might have resolved not to take any risk and simply avoided the arrows.

They had been retreating as quickly as they could so that their fellows could fall back soon after. They were horrified when the giantess was suddenly amongst them despite their best efforts. Those that had the time to notice were even more shocked to find that her feet and a good deal of her legs had been stained red already.

As Annette swiped her arm through the group of retreating bounty hunters she felt as if she was running it through water. The speed, mass and strength of her arm allowed her to simply splatter the men instead of sending entire bodies flying through the air the force was so great that clouds of blood and pulverized human remains went to the air instead of solid bodies.

“FULL RETREAT!” The moment the words cut through the air what had once been an orderly and timed retreat broke into a full blown panicked retreat. There was no way that any of their weapons were going to slow the giantess down. This had been the first time that the command had ever been issued but it was followed as perfectly as such an order can be. Every man dispersed from the group each one choosing as different of a route as possible from the others.

A wave of disappointment ran through Annette as she noticed the soldiers scattering. There was no way she could catch up with each and every one of them now. Of course that wasn’t going to stop her from trying. It was something of a shock then when Annette felt several light stings as multiple arrows hit her back. Turning her head she noticed a group of some three archers and two warriors still standing. A slight giggle escaped Annette as she wasted no more time in chasing after their comrades.

“GET BACK HERE.” The group called in unison as they attempted to pursue the giantess. While it would mean certain death for them they had resolved to stand and distract the giantess for as long as they could even if that was just for a couple of seconds. They heard her laugh though and saw her take off in the direction of the majority of their retreat comrades. She had no intention of letting them distract her rather she had chose to ignore their attacks and kill those they had intended to protect.

She had thought that they had made a mistake wearing armor as heavy as they had when the fight first began. Now she was certain of it. The heavy metal wasn’t just slowing down their retreat but it was also making them exceptionally easy to track.

It was easy to tell just how close the giantess was to you even without the sounds of destruction she generated with every movement. She made no attempt to go around trees or shrubs but pushed her way through them with seemingly no effort at all. The sounds of destruction she caused weren’t the worse part though rather it was her laughing.

Annette couldn’t contain her laughter as she tore through the little people she always got this way when ever she realized just how much her abilities had increased and after dealing with the dragon it was nice to deal with some opponents who had no chance against her.

**********************************************************************

A loud cry of frustration echoed throughout the forest the five that had been left now set on the road watching as the giantess walked off. They had rained down every arrow they had atop her and it hadn’t even slowed her down. Rather she seemed to find the fact that they had tried so hard to save their comrades to be amusing. Now they and perhaps a few others were the only survivors. They couldn’t tell which one was more humiliating the idea of running away or that their efforts having not affected her at all.

End chapter 1

The inn she had stayed in before and after fighting the dragon had been fairly nice though it wasn’t truly a structure in comparison to Annette especially when she had left. She couldn’t have stood up except perhaps in the center and while it was solid and warm. There was nothing quite like having a roof which she wouldn’t bump her head against when she stood up to make Annette feel more comfortable.

A wide grin grazed Annette’s face as she turned her head up towards the roof of her home. Slowly she elevated her right arm so that she was reaching strait up above her head and extended her fingers fully. Standing up on her tiptoes Annette brought her fingers as close to the structure as she could without jumping and was delighted to find that she couldn’t quite reach it. It was an odd form of amusement though with both joy and sadness at the same time.

It was nice to have a home to return to. One in which she could move about freely but at the same time she regretted the limitations on herself. While the roof served as a comforter it also served as a reminded of the limits of her capabilities. She wasn’t big enough to reach it at least she wasn’t big enough yet. Would she be happy when she finally could reach the roof with her fingers or would it make her sad that she was outgrowing her current home? Annette didn’t have an answer for that question.

“Mistress.”

Annette was snapped out of her current line of thought by the sound of a tiny voice. Placing her feet back flat on the ground she lowered her arm and turned in the direction of the voice. “Yes?”

The woman took a few steps closer to the imposing figure of her employer. She had been working here long enough to get over Annette’s massive scale for the most part though it always took some getting use to when she came back from a long trip since she always came back larger. “Welcome home mistress. The bath is nearly prepared for you but we have a slight problem.”

Annette took a step closer to the tiny woman and settled down on her knees so that she didn’t have to look so far down. “What would that be?”

“We only have a few articles of clothing prepared for you that will actually fit.”

Annette gave a slight giggle. “Well that isn’t out of the ordinary. It seems to happen every time I return from a journey. How many outfits do I have that still should fit me?”

“Four at the moment and we are rushing to try and get more prepared for you.”

“On the new order you did remember to compensate for how much I am going to grow between now and then didn’t you?”

“Yes Mistress.” The woman grew quiet for a moment and a look of concern appeared on her face.

“Is something wrong?”

“I believe we may have forgotten to take in account the additional time it is going to take to prepare the larger clothing.”

Annette gave a slight chuckle. “Well then I suppose you should send a messenger with the additional information.”

“Yes Mistress.”

“Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?”

“No. That is all Mistress.”

Annette gave a nod and stood back up. She didn’t bother waiting for the smaller woman to step aside but proceeded to walk around her and continue down the hallway. She had become used to the fact that her servants tended to either have her clothing made too small upon her arrival from a journey or at times too large. She preferred when it was too large as at least then she would be able to wear it eventually but it had ceased to annoy her long ago. After all it just meant they would have to work harder to keep the clothing that was her size clean.

It didn’t take Annette long to come to the massive door which lead into the bath area. Placing her hand on it a sigh escaped her lips. At one time the door had actually been over three times her height making her feel like a child when she pushed it open. Several locks and knobs lined the door. Bending down Annette took hold of the bottom most one between her fingers. It reminded her that at one time in her life she had been no larger then a human. Her strength had always been greater though so she never had trouble opening the massive doors.

A collective “Welcome home Mistress.” Came from the room as Annette opened the door and while it was true they couldn’t even see her at that exact moment everyone knew that the number of life forms that could open the massive doors was few and far between.

“It is nice to be back.” Annette stepped into the room and shut the massive doors behind her. A few servants were gathered around the pool that served as her bath tub. The structure was actually a bit large even in comparison to her current height. It had been meant to last her for a while longer. “Have any of you news about Maxwell.”

“Yes Mistress.” One of the servants that had up until now been waiting at the far end of the room began to approach Annette. The pad and pin he carried clearly indicating that his task were more with dealing with records then actually doing labor which the majority of people in the room had been doing. “While he has begun the return trip from his journey he won’t be back for at least another week.”

“Well that just isn’t right. Does anyone know his exact location?”

“Not as of yet even the information we have now is a little dated. So now you can’t go out to meet him.” The man grinned a bit, he had been working for Annette long enough to anticipate her reason for asking a question and comfortable enough to go ahead and answer it.

“I could have someone use a locater spell to find him for me.” Annette stuck her tongue out at her tiny servant.

“True Mistress, should I go about trying to find one to hire?”

Annette didn’t take long to make her decision. “Yes. See if you can find one that can give us some accurate information now everyone out.”

One of the other servants whom had been working on bringing her clothes in spoke up. “We didn’t mean to make you wait to take your bath Mistress but we haven’t been able to bring your clothing in yet.”

“Okay everyone else out then. You can finish your task them leave.” Annette watched as the majority of the tiny people began to exit the room. They couldn’t use the same door she had used since she shut it and she was the only person in the room with enough strength to open it. However, there were several smaller doors built into the walls for the normal people to exit through though this wasn’t obvious at first.

“Come to think about it just bring in one of the outfits that still fit me.”

“Which one would you like Mistress?”

“I don’t know which ones they are so just pick one. Don’t take too long to decide on which one.”

The group of servants that remained behind didn’t really have to stop to think about the question. They would just go with the outfit that they had made the most progress with. Annette’s clothing was rather difficult to move due to its weight and volume. The material wasn’t just cloth material or even leather but was lined with metal supports. This added a great deal to its overall weight which made moving it a team effort.

Annette wasn’t going to wait for her tiny servants to bring in her clothes before she began her bath. Her current clothes were actually meant for travel and she was eager to get out of them. Reaching up she took hold of the heavy latch that held her collar together and easily pulled it free. She had to undo similar latches upon her rest before the shirt loosened up. The material was drawn taught against her skin until these links were released to allow some slack.

It was hard to keep ones mind on their work when they heard Annette removing her clothing. It wasn’t just because of her figure though it was also due to the fact that she didn’t care if they saw her naked or not. The only reason she seemed to even have them leave the room is she liked to have some quiet and it was hard to do with so many people wondering around trying to act busy while sneaking peeks at her.

Sighing Annette stretched her arms above her head. Despite how tight the clothing was she never really felt constricted the garments just couldn’t exert enough force on her to make her feel cramped. Despite this it was nice to remove the clothing and let the air hit her exposed skin. Her pants were made similarly to her shirt with heavy clasp holding back excess material while holding the garment up.

It was quietly spoken off when Annette wasn’t home or when she was on the far side of her home and they were on the other. How many of her little servants would have liked to explore their employer’s massive form. How many times had they wished she was of a normal scale and more approachable. Her body was wonderfully toned her biceps were noticeable even when her arms were relaxed and when she flexed them they grew to nearly the size of her head.

Her legs were wonderful sculpted with the same ripped muscles that bulged with power every time she would take a step. They appeared so strong that it seemed that even without her massive scale she could crush a human to death between those massive thighs in truth she was far stronger then this. Wonderfully formed heart shaped calf muscles graced her legs. Though for all the strength contained in those legs where thighs were wonderfully full and the muscle seemed to flow together.

Annette’s abdominal muscles were clearly sectioned off into six separate sections the outline of which could easily be traced with ones eyes. Her waste for its part was quite thin at least in comparison with the rest of her massive form. In truth at her current height it didn’t seem that two grown men would be nearly enough to wrap their arms around even her waste.

Her breasts were wonderfully full and pert without the least bit of sag even when she wore no clothing. It seemed more likely at times that her breast supported her garments rather then her garments supported them. Each orb of flesh was so massive that even Annette’s massive hands couldn’t cover their front entirely.

Her hair was a deep crimson red that reached down to her mid back and seemed to be naturally curly while her blue eyes seem to be made from sapphire. If only she wouldn’t have a small river of blood soaked into her clothing whenever she returned from a long journey. They knew that she bathed regularly since no matter how cold a river was it didn’t affect her however this only made then more nervous.

Though they called Annette mistress none of them were actually slaves. They were each paid for their services and while it was true she could get away with snapping them in half if she felt like it only those that had truly upset her had to worry about any such actions. At least they had to worry about being broken in half before now they would have to worry about being stepped on.

“Okay that is enough staring. I want to be able to spend some time alone.”

Annette’s little servants quickly realized what they had been doing and busied themselves once again.

Annette gave an amused giggle and moved towards the water. Extending her foot she dipped her toes into the water as if to see if it was too warm or too cold. In truth it didn’t matter how hot or cold the water was as long as she was bathing alone. The temperature extreme just wasn’t great enough to have any appreciable affect upon her. Stepping down into her tub its full depth was more appreciable this way as the water actually covered Annette past her waste.

The sides of the tub were lined with platforms or seats depending on ones scale of various heights. Annette felt around for a moment before setting down upon one that seemed appropriate to her current height. Why didn’t she just tell them to keep the water warm constantly? Annette turned her head towards the roof as she considered this option. She had more then enough money to pay for the resources it would require and yet she didn’t bother.

Wasn’t it even more trouble to wait for the tub to fill and the water to be heated though? Shrugging her massive shoulders Annette slumped in her seat so that the water came up to her chin. Perhaps one of the reason she didn’t have them keep her tub at a constant temperature was she liked to have them fill and heat it all over again. Annette allowed herself to slump lower that her head slid under the water’s surface there she waited.

Annette ran her fingers between her hairs trying to insure that every strand was soaked as well as it could be. She seemed to be able to take as long as she liked whether this was true or not she wasn’t certain though for all the time Annette had ever spent underwater she never felt like she needed to come back up for air yet when she could she did breath.

A small torrent of water flowed from Annette’s hair as she set back up. She always loved the feeling of the water rushing down her back. As while her entire body had indeed grown in scale with the rest of her she could still tell the difference in the volume of water as compared to her last bath. It may have been a very simple act but the extra water seemed to be a confirmation that she had indeed grown larger since her last bath.

After extending her arm Annette began to try and locate a scrubber when she realized that she had switched positions. Turning her head to the side she noted that her servants had left the scrubber a few seats down. It was where she would have set before her journey. Chuckling to herself, Annette stood back up and made her way over to the more shallow side of her tub.

The scrubber was a rather harsh bit of metal mesh that Annette used to clean herself off with. She had no need to be careful with her skin and in truth she preferred to have something she didn’t have to worry about ripping though the metal ones did have to be replaced periodically when they began to rust.

On a whim Annette set down in the smaller seat. A giggle escaped her when she realized how low the water seemed now. She knew that it would be low compared to her current height but to actually feel it was always amusing. “All this time working for me and they still don’t remember that I am growing.”

Annette preferred to be clean and to insure that she was indeed clean she didn’t bother with the gentler materials that she didn’t need. This not only applied to the items she used to soap up and scrub her body but to the soap as well. As she picked up the bar and began to smear the metal mesh with a layer it actually was amusing to think that it would have taken a human’s skin off if they touched it. This of course meant it even cleaned the blood that at times coated her.

Was it truly necessary for her to even use soap though? Annette didn’t bother moving to the deeper sections of her bath right away but took the time to begin to scrub her body. She always used so much force when doing this that it seemed the soap was a complete waste. She tended to apply so much pressure that the water seemed a necessity not so much to help her clean herself but rather to keep the metal from melting due to the friction.

Annette moved to the side of the bath and set on the ledge in order to get her legs and feet. As she was working on her toes thoughts of what she had recently gained enough mass and size to do popped into her head. She remembered the excitement she felt when she realized that she no longer needed to force someone to the ground before she could step on them with ease. She had put on enough height now that they could be standing and she could still perform the act and as she continued to grow it would only get easier.

It was actually somewhat unusual for Annette to consider being able to step on someone. While she had already been quite large when she became self aware she hadn’t been large enough to simply step on someone. At first she would have had to stomp just to crush them even if they were lying down. It was quite a rush for her to consider how much less consideration she had to show her opponents.

At least that was most opponents. Reaching up Annette placed her hand where the dragon had managed to bight her. At first she kept her hand over the spot but when she turned her head to look she removed it. The injury had healed entirely. There wasn’t even a scar there but Annette could still remember the dragon’s teeth sinking into her.

Annette stood back up after she finished scrubbing her body she then moved into a deeper section of the water and washed herself off. Before she could move to climb out of the bathtub she remembered her hair. Once again moving to the side she filled her massive hands with as much soap as she could hold before she began to work it into her hair. It took quite a bit of effort to make sure every strand of hair was clean.

Much like her skin Annette’s hair was a stark contrast between how it felt and how strong it actually was. At first the strands seemed smooth and soft fairly easy to brake however once one actually tried to brake or cut her hair they found it was every bit as strong as armor. At this point in her development she imagined that it was stronger then most armor one could find much as her skin was for this reason she didn’t bother being any gentler while washing her hair then she was with her skin. It was more important to her that she be clean after all.

Once again Annette dunked her head underwater and began to run her fingers through her hair this time in order to insure she removed all the soap. The soap she used didn’t actually have any scent and Annette tended to shy away from the use of perfumes. Considering her scale it would have taken a very powerful perfume to reach others that were far away meaning those that were close to her would be overwhelmed. So it was Annette’s preference that when she climbed out of the water she smelt clean and not of anything else but herself.

For a moment it sounded like a small flood when Annette finally climbed out of the water and allowed the water to cascade off her body. Proportionally water wasn’t able to cling to Annette as much as it would have a human thanks to her rate of movement and overall height meaning that while she was technically wet when she climbed out of a bath she didn’t appear as wet as she should.

Shaking her head Annette moved to the far side of the room. The change in the water temperature to the air temperature was felt however it didn’t bother her so she didn’t bother wrapping herself up. She soon came to a seat which had at once been so large compared to her she could have lain down upon it now that would have been quite awkward so she simply set down. In front of her was a former full body mirror that she had moved whenever she had grown too large for it to serve its purpose in her former bedroom.

Reaching down Annette pulled out one of the desk drawers and giggled a bit. She kept the brushes that she had used in the past as well as her new ones. She also had several sets of scissors though she had never chosen to use them. Reaching into the drawer Annette picked up her very first brush. The little styling instrument would most likely broke if she tried to use it to brush her hair given that it hadn’t just increased in length but it was much stronger now.

The brush she picked up next was actually suited to her and if it had been much larger might have been mistaken for a bed of nails. Annette did tend to take the time to brush her hair and make it presentable she didn’t spend too much time. At least it was presentable by her standards given the amount of time she spend traveling this was a somewhat relaxed view point.

Setting the brush down Annette finally made her way over to where her clothing was laid out. She had been moderately curious to see what outfits that her tiny servants had chosen for her to wear though she was fairly certain they had picked whatever would be the easiest to bring to her. She was right in that respect as the garment was one of her lighter ones which meant it was rather lacking in materials.

The top was sleeveless with a massive slit down the center which showed off her cleavage. It was a mixture of white with blue trim while the dress followed the same pattern except the slits went down each leg instead of the center. The only under garments Annette bothered to wear was her panties since she had never actually needed a bra and in truth part of her liked the outline of her breast to be more noticeable.

“Maybe I should get a real ball dress one day? Well I don’t want any of them to develop back trouble in later life so maybe not. Still they could have picked something that wasn’t basically strips.”

When one looked at the clothing the metal in their makeup wasn’t noticeable however once Annette actually picked it up she could feel the metal threads that ran throughout the garment. In truth the outfit looked far softer then it actually was. Slipping the clothing on Annette made her way back to the hallway.

“You know you were the one that gave the okay for that outfits design.”

Annette glanced behind herself. “You know ease dropping isn’t very polite.”

The smaller woman smiled and began to walk towards Annette and then past her. “Mistress you need to be more careful with how loud you are in private. When you don’t believe any little ears can hear you. You seem to raise your voice to the appropriate level for one your size.”

Annette grew silent for a moment as she took in what she had just been told. “Well the walls have always been thick enough before.”

“True Mistress but you are becoming larger as I am sure you know. I was just letting you know that I wasn’t ease dropping.”

“Okay you’re right. So what were you doing?”

“I just came down here to let you know that your dinner is ready.”

“What did the chef make today?”

“A few sides of beef, corn mashed potatoes and some watermelons for desert.”

Annette snorted a bit. “I swear so many of you little ones slack off while I am away that it takes you a while to get back to active service when I get back.”

The tiny woman gave a slight sigh. “Mistress you’re the one that tells us to decide so many things. If it isn’t to your liking you could always give some specifics.”

A slight giggle escaped Annette. “Can’t I complain without having a rebuttal?”

“Would you prefer if I just agreed mistress?”

“Now that would make for a very boring conversation. Okay you’re just walking to slow.” Annette tended to respect her servants as hired help and not property however she didn’t bother asking if she could pick one of them up. Her statements were often warning enough for them to know her intentions anyway. The woman stopped moving and allowed Annette to wrap her fingers around her.

As she was lifted up by Annette’s massive hand the woman didn’t feel nervous. While they knew their employers job, business habits and that she did indeed enjoy them they also knew her as a fair employer most the time and she had been working for Annette a long time. “I remember when you had to use both hands to do this.”

“Yeah it wasn’t a very long time ago.” After picking the woman up Annette began to walk down the hallway at a speed more appropriate for her size.

“While we haven’t managed to anticipate the greater needs your increased size would cause. I believe you’ll find that there is enough food at least.”

“That is nice to know. So how was the beef prepared?”

“Mistress, do you really have to ask that question? You were the one that said yourself. If you don’t tell us how to do something we are going to do it the easiest way possible.”

“Which means grilled beef? Don’t I pay you people enough to be more thoughtful?”

The servant gave a slight chuckle. “Well I am quite content with what I am paid but we are humans after all. I believed you liked your food grilled though.”

“I do other wise I would have to tell them to make me something else.”

“Is there something you would prefer to have prepared instead?”

Annette took her time to consider her options. “Well now that I think about it I can’t say there is. I just wish that they had picked a different desert them a fruit.”

“Okay. Why don’t you just tell the cooks that?”

“I suppose I shall or perhaps I should just tell the cooks to prepare me the same thing as what you little ones get to eat.” The look on the serving girl’s face told Annette she may not want to do that. “Now what was that look for?”

“Do you have a taste for let us say gourmet food?”

Annette gave a slight giggle. “Well I can’t say I have had much experience with it considering the time I spend traveling.”

A slight giggle escaped the woman. “It is your decision.”

“Great, now you have me thinking that I may regret giving such an order. Well I know what I can tell them to do.”

“What would that be?”

“From now on the desert chosen for me has to be either be cooked or prepared in some fashion. It should at least be a combination and not a single item unless I say otherwise and I’ll be the one to inform the cooks.”

“Wouldn’t you prefer if one of just stopped by your room and asked you what you would like to have for lunch and dinner? You could also tell us what you want for breakfast the next day.”

Annette shook her head. “While that would make up for the time it takes to cook my meals at least with the level of care that I want taken while I am at home. I always end up changing my mind which is more annoying you might realize since if I ask for whatever I decided I want and order it prepared then most likely by the time it is ready I will have changed my mind again.”

“I never thought of you as the type to have trouble making up your mind mistress.”

“I normally don’t but eating isn’t as pressing of a concern for me as it is for others. Anyway, I would end up putting it off until I seriously needed to eat and then I would want to over do it. That and I wouldn’t have the patience just to wait around for anything to be cooked in that situation.”

“Do you have this problem on the road?”

“No but here I know I have you little ones to help keep me on schedule.” Annette stopped for a moment and took in a breath of air as she came to the entrance to the dining hall. She didn’t bother setting the woman down but continued on into the room. She started to move towards some of the smaller seats but remembered her increase in size and quickly changed to a location built for her. “Just two more seats to go and I’ll have to have more made.”

“Won’t you need to have the building expanded for that?”

Annette gave a nod. “Of course to be honest I am more likely to just tear this place down or the sections I need adapted.” Annette set the tiny woman atop the table she had resolved while walking down the hall that she would like to have someone to speak with while eating.

*************************************************************************

He entered more slowly then he had left in truth his return trip had been slower then his departure. The attempts to locate Maxwell in order to inform Annette had proven less then fruitful and while he deemed his fear for his safety as unreasonable there was still something that made people walk more slowly when they had to deliver bad news to Annette.

He had long since become use to how large Annette’s home was and how one often had to be given information to find her in one section or the other so he only became aware of it when he was in a hurry in which he resented it or when he had bad news to give in which case he was greater for the long walk.

Despite the length of the walk it was still inevitable that either Annette would find him or that he would eventually arrive at her location if she didn’t move. In this case he arrived at her location.

Annette had ended up in what amounted to a lounge built for beings of various sizes. There was a fair amount of human sized accommodations with seats and other items built for larger species each one meant to be comfortable for something two meters taller then the last with appropriate human dimensions.

“Mistress I am sorry to say.”

“That you weren’t able to find Maxwell for me.”

Growing silent for a moment the servant gave a nod though Annette currently had her back to him. “That is true Mistress.”

“I swear it is so easy to guess when you have bad news and just how bad it is. You walk down the hall more slowly the worse it is. It has been a few years since I killed any of you. So why be so nervous?”

“Mistress that isn’t exactly something one gets over quickly you’re quite intimidating just by merit of your scale.”

“I was pretty immature back then always losing my temper and killing the messenger when I got bad news. I know better then to kill the messenger now at least. On your way back do me a favor and pass it around that I don’t want anyone telling any new workers about my past behavior problems.”

“Yes Mistress.”

“You may leave now.” Annette had been told while gossiping at dinner how some of the servants that had been working for her a while would scare new employees. It was amusing but she didn’t like to have to wait for people she didn’t intend on harming to get use to her any longer then she had to.

“Okay now Annette. Maxwell is either so far away that they couldn’t find his location accurately or he is traveling with a ward against locator spells either of which is possible. You’re not going to be back on the road for a while. At the very least not until the Luvarians get back to you with more information on the arcanon so what do you want to do?”

Annette found herself tapping her finger against the chair she had been reclining on. After a few moments of this she began to annoy herself with the clicking and quickly stood up. Walking to the exit Annette closed her eyes and did her best to forget her homes layout a task which wasn’t overly difficult given its dimensions and that the perspective to her was constantly changing. While she didn’t succeed entirely Annette finally turned and began to walk down the hall she had resolved to stop when she found the first source of amusement.

After sometime of walking she finally came to one of the exits and found herself looking out into the wilderness. A grin formed on her face as at last and idea came to her.

*************************************************************************

“Okay is everyone ready to find out why I called you all out here?”

“Yes mistress.” The response was unified which Annette expected since the servants she rounded up were the guards.

“Well I have decided that I want to work on my tracking skills some and that you should work on your evasion and stealth.”

“Then shall we remove our armor mistress?”

“Would you normally remove your armor when trying to evade a more powerful force?”

“No mistress.”

“Well do it anyway. I want you to be able to move as quickly as possible and leave as few tracks as possible. Be sure to take a weapon though.” Annette didn’t expect the guards to actually fight against her but she didn’t like the idea of sending them off into the forest without any additional protection.

The group of people moved back towards the main structure and began to strip away the majority of their armor. A few of them kept their greaves and gauntlets on. The majority also chose to carry their javelin with them while three opted to take their swords. They had all played this game with Annette before and each had a somewhat different plan to evade her. “Is there going to be a reward this time mistress?”

“I haven’t offered anything the last two times and you didn’t do all that well so I suppose I have to.”

There was some muttering amongst the guards and one of them even spoke up. “Mistress we didn’t slack off just because there wasn’t a reward. Your skills are improving and we don’t practice evasive techniques as often as you are on the hunt.”

Annette gave a slight giggle when she realized that she had offended the guards. “Sorry I didn’t mean for that to sound as negative as it did. I know you wouldn’t intentionally slack off on your task.” That was a lie of course but for the most part she knew the guards to be hard workers. “Anyway, you all remember the rules I take it?”

“Yes Mistress. You give us a thirty minute to a three hour head start to either hide in the forest or to keep moving. After which time you begin searching for us.”

“Okay now as for a reward.” Annette closed her eyes and began to consider her choices in this matter. She had a fair amount of trinkets she had brought home from her travels and more then enough money. “Whoever is the last person I catch can have a week paid vacation.”

Several of the guards glanced at one another. Annette had just assured that no two of them would be working together with that one statement. If she had offered equipment those that truly desired it may have struck a deal with the others that didn’t want it as bad. Had she offered money then they would be liable to form small groups which agreed to split the money but this none of them would want to share.

“Oh and to insure that you don’t get any ideas you can’t give your days to anyone else. So if everyone is ready you should get to hiding.” Annette gave a slight giggle as the group took off into a dead run. None of them even bothered to try and hide their tracks at least not while they were out in the open. Once they hit the forest she knew that some would slow down and be more careful while others would continue to try and put distance between themselves and her.

They had plaid this game before and Annette had always given them an inexact amount of hide which they had to use. Whenever she gave a great deal of time those that chose to run tended to have an advantage while when she gave a short time period those that had chosen to hide often lasted the longest.

“So you don’t really need those days off do you?” The guard smiled as he and his college ran along side one another for the time being.

“Not really. Especially while Annette is home but you don’t need them either.”

“Hey now that would really help me out.”

“Just how would it help you out?”

“I have needed to go to town for a while now and a whole week would let me get quite a few things taken care of.” As he spoke the man began to slow down and move in behind his college in an attempt to help conceal his tracks within the other man’s.

“I really believe that. Quit trying to run in my tracks.” Moving to the side the guard was determined not to be a decoy or a distraction for someone else.

Annette had walked back into her home once the guards had taken off running and was currently making use of an hour glass to keep track of how much time had passed. She had resolved during the walk to allow the glass to fill up over halfway but not all the way. This would give those that had chosen to hide a slight advantage over those that had chosen to run.

“You jackass.”

“Sorry I didn’t know you were hiding there.”

“You intentionally disrupted the path leading to here so that she would find me.”

Instead of continuing the debate the two men left the now ruined hiding spot. Now both of them had to find a spot to conceal them before Annette came along. As the two separated they each resolved to distance themselves from the other since one had just revealed how he played and the other feared he would be out for revenge. Though this was a fairly common tactic when one located a hiding spot they desired but it was already taken.

The others had left him far behind by now even though that had hidden themselves had still charged ahead further then what he had. In truth he was taken a high risk gamble as he had remained close enough to the complex for the forest to remain fairly thin which meant Annette was more likely to find him. However, with the odds being one in ten that he would when just by the numbers he felt it was best to take a high risk gamble.

The plan had worked in the past though very rarely. The first four people that had tried it had been caught right away. The goal was to let Annette move past you and then make your way back to the complex to find a hiding spot indoors. Of course this still meant you would be found eventually after all Annette didn’t give up the hunt until everyone was accounted for.

Straitening up Annette glanced down at the glass one last time. It was nearly two thirds full as far as she could tell which meant it was time to begin searching.

He heard when Annette began to make her way into the forest. Unlike the men she had no need to try and be subtle when she was searching around since her ears would pick up the sounds of them moving if they tried to run. There was also a difference in her movement speed one would have thought this would put those that run at a greater disadvantage since she could cover the distance easier however this was offset by the fact that as Annette had grown larger her senses had grown sharper.

Annette didn’t bother running but chose to walk at a reasonably comfortable pace as she followed the tracks of the guards. It was a good thing that she had them take off their armor given the condition of the ground if they had been carrying the extra weight their tracks would have been far to easy to track for it to be any fun.

The thought of armor brought Annette’s mind to her own armor and a rather pressing question. Should she have it made larger in order to accommodate her new size or had she finally grown strong enough that she could risk working without it? As she walked through the forest she noted it was nice to be able to better feel the branches press against her skin or the outside of her clothing and brake. It seemed to give her a better feel for how much larger and stronger she had become.

Annette didn’t really notice what she was doing until she was looking and walking towards one of the guards hiding spots. As she neared the spot she had to keep herself from giggling. She couldn’t see the guard but she knew he was there.

The game was up and he knew it. Annette was entirely to close for her not to notice him. Resigning himself to his feet he started to stand up when a sudden rush of movement nearly knocked him over. He had been hiding in a small dug out part of which consisted of a tree a tree which had suddenly been uprooted.

“You know you should have found a better spot. You were planning on sneaking back home weren’t you?”

Rubbing his arm the guard stood up. He quickly realized it had been some of the tree roots that had hit him. “Yeah.”

“I take it you learned your lesson about using that trick.”

“Well I learned not to hide near trees which you may uproot.”

“Huh?” Annette glanced down at the guard and noted a few marks on his arm and side. “Whoops I didn’t stop to consider what the roots may do.”

The guard waved his hand. “Well at least this way I won’t have to spend anymore time in the forest.”

“You’re forgetting something.”

The guard’s eyes widened in surprise “Sorry mistress.”

“You are forgiven. Well I going by your statement I assume that you want to go on back.”

“Yes Mistress.”

Annette gave a nod and stepped aside. She still held the tree above her head in her left hand. “Now don’t let me catch you trying to find another hiding spot.”

“Would I do that mistress?”

“I have no doubt that you would.”

“Very well Mistress I won’t try to deceive you.”

Annette blinked her eyes. She knew better then to trust that statement or at least she couldn’t help but be suspicious. A half smirk appeared on her face and she reached her free hand down and took hold of the guard. Her hand easily rapped around his entire body which allowed her to lift him up without setting down the tree. “Am I going to have to carry you back and restrain you?”

The guard had seen the hand coming so he didn’t suffer from as much shock as someone who was having his first encounter with Annette. “No mistress.”

Annette glanced at the tree she was still holding and then gave it a slight toss back in the direction which she had came. She intentionally kept her action brief as to show that she was only using a tiny portion of her strength. The massive bit of lumber flew through the air far further then what its relative size to Annette would imply such a slight toss would. “Hurry back and don’t let me catch you trying to pretend that I didn’t find you.” With that Annette set the guard back on the ground.

“Yes Mistress.” Turning the guard began to run back towards the compound. He had considered trying to do just what Annette had told him not to but he felt quite certain that she would punish him if he even tried and why he doubted that would involve him losing his life he didn’t really want to find out what punishment Annette had in mind. In general working for Annette was a fairly pleasant experience but they were jobs that no one wanted and even though he had been employed by her for a few years now he also knew Annette had a mean streak that could raise its head even at her home though very rarely.

Annette gave a slight giggle. It still only took a slight display of power to get the most people to comply with her wishes even after they had come to know her fairly well. Her amusement was somewhat dimmed by the fact that a part of her that wished it wasn’t as easy as that also implied a lack of trust.

How far ahead or behind was he compared to the others that had chosen to flat out run for it? He couldn’t actually be certain at the moment as he continued to job through the forest. His decision to carry his sword instead of his spear and proven advantageous as the weapons decreased length meant there was less of a chance of it getting snagged. Would Annette focus on those that had continued to run first or would she go after those that had chosen to hide? She tended to do a rather nice job of never hunting down either group in a particular pattern.

Annette knew if she focused on those that had hid themselves then those that had run were the most likely to win. However, if she chased down those that had run only then she would probably pass up those that had hidden for these reasons she chose to walk at a steady pace which gave her time to examine her surroundings. This was a steady pace to Annette which was growing more and more rapid these days. She could cover the distance in one step that would have taken a human a great many and she took her steps at the same speed of a human.

This game was going to be even shorter then previous ones and Annette knew it. As she walked she had already found the path of one of the guards that had ran for a reasonable distance unlike the first. Her senses had grown sharper perhaps even faster then her size and she already had a good idea just where he was located. To add to the ease of finding them her increased size simply made it to easy to catch up and reduced the time they had to hide themselves away.

“Won’t it be neat whenever I don’t even have to ask you to come down?”

The guard stuck his head out from over the side of the branch. “Well done Mistress. I didn’t expect you to find me so soon. What gave me away? Did I break too many branches on my way up?”

“What is it with you people and hiding around trees?”

“Sorry Mistress. I guess we are still thinking about when you were smaller and less skilled.”

Extending her hand upward Annette knew that she couldn’t reach the guard but at least this way he wouldn’t have to climb all the way back to the ground. “Come on down and I’ll help you to the ground. Actually, it wasn’t the broken branches that helped me figure out where you were.”

“What was it mistress?”

Annette gave a slight giggle. “You haven’t been exercising enough lately.”

“Mistress I was only slightly winded. Do you mean to tell me that you could hear my breathing?”

“Yes. Be careful not to fall I could probably catch you but from that high up it would probably hurt.”

The guard nodded his head as he continued to make his way down the tree. He had actually climbed to nearly double Annette’s own height.

“Is it really so surprising that I could hear you?”

“Yes mistress.”

“How far away can you hear a normal human who is slightly winded breathing?”

“A few meters depending on how good someone’s hearing is and if they have been taught to listen.”

“You do realize that I can hear a normal human being just as well as you can at a few meters except that a meter for me is currently four and a half times more then what it is to you. So if you can hear something at ten meters I can hear it at forty five meters.” The guard had made it low enough and Annette wrapped her hand around his waste.

The guard waited until Annette had set him on the ground before he spoke. “I see your point. Well Mistress if you grow too large even the forest won’t be hard enough for us to hide in. Do you ever worry about the sounds over whelming you?”

“You would think all the sound would interfere with my thought process but it doesn’t unless something particularly strange is occurring. I suppose I am like someone that is used to spending their time in the market and knows how to cut out the ranting of the merchants.”

“Out of curiosity mistress am I the first one you caught?”

Annette shook her head. “No but you are the second.”

“Well darn. I was hoping to provide more of a challenge for you.”

Annette gave a slight chuckle. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you back at my home I am going to continue my search for the others.”

*************************************************************************

“Well someone is just trying to be cute.” Annette had a grin on her face as she looked across the chasm that opened up before her. A rather large log had fallen across the gaping void however Annette doubted that it would be able to handle her weight and she was certain that at least one of her men had ran across it to avoid her. As she looked at the log a sudden realization hit her. She had been here before only when she was much smaller and could actually run across the log.

So far she had managed to capture five of the men and sent them back she was certain she would have caught the others before they had crossed the log if she hadn’t stopped to chat for a little while with each of them.

“They should know better then to try to use a tactic that didn’t work on me when I was smaller.” Annette took a few steps away from the edge of the cliff bending her knees she sprinted towards the opening. She jumped while she was still a step away from the edge of the opening the strength of her legs easily carrying her across the opening.

Annette gave a glance over her shoulder back towards the opening then an amused giggle. She hadn’t worried about falling even if she had the landing wasn’t very likely to cause her serious injury and there was no doubt in her mind that she would survive the impact. If the force of an enchanted arrow focused on a single point on her skin couldn’t brake it there was no way falling was going to harm her considering that the force would be spread out over her entire body.

“Okay you can come out now.”

A sigh was heard and one of the guards emerged from just behind a rather hefty boulder. “Congratulations mistress.”

“That didn’t sound like a congratulation sigh to me.”

“Sorry Mistress but I am not thrilled about not winning.”

Annette gave a slight giggle. “Which means a few of your friends did go ahead while you were certain that I wouldn’t be able to make the jump?”

“Yes mistress that and the run had left me rather tired.”

Annette glanced back over her shoulder. “I am going to go ahead and catch up with the others in that case. Tell me where you the first one here?”

“Yes mistress.”

“That is a good answer.”

“Why do you say that mistress?”

“Well I am going to take the fact that you were the first one here to mean that you ran the entire distance which explains why you weren’t able to continue on beyond this point. If you had been going at a slower pace I would have to require you to do something to improve your stamina if you want to keep your job.”

“I see mistress.”

Annette glanced back at the tree. “I swear it looks sturdy but that tree can’t have much longer to last. I believe on my way back I’ll just get rid of it.”

The guard wanted to protest but doubted Annette would be willing to listen to him. “Very well mistress. Shall I be on my way?”

“Yeah” Annette watched as the guard crossed the tree and couldn’t help the idea that popped into her head. They had tried to make her go around in order too buy time but in truth they would have to come back eventually. Perhaps she should just take the tree out now and see how long it takes them to travel back. Annette gave her head a quick shake and decided that was out of the question. She was hunting them after all and it wasn’t like her prey would normally come back to her.

“Well that isn’t good.” He had heard Annette approaching the opening or at least he felt certain it was her considering how rarely trees fell and limbs were torn off at such a rapid rate. He had then heard the impact and realized that she had simply jumped the opening. Now he was back to running not so that he could escape from her but rather in hopes that he would be able to get ahead of his friends.

There had been three of them all together. The first one caught had actually been the first across and felt confident that Annette wouldn’t be able to make her way over. At least he had provided a delay.

Annette didn’t know how many had crossed over but she knew there was at least one person. As she made her way through trees it didn’t take her long to pick up on his movement. Judging by what she heard she imagined that he was running at full speed and had given up any hope of concealing where he was. This meant that there had to be more then one person that had crossed over.

It seemed likely that he was trying to insure that whoever had crossed over with him would be captured first. Annette tried to avoid going after those that ran and those that hid in any particular order however with the runner being so easy to track she felt it was only fair that she went after him first.

At first it wasn’t clear what Annette would do but as he ran the guard realized his mistake. Instead of insuring that she got those behind him first he had drawn her attention to him. It wasn’t surprising though considering how much noise he had made and his path. He hadn’t stopped to rest after crossing over the gap and his sudden decision to go into a run in order to get ahead and simply caused him to make more noise.

While the dominant thought was to just stop and wait for Annette to locate him he soon resolved to keep moving. Even if seemed to be good as caught he wasn’t actually captured until Annette took hold of him.

It didn’t take long for Annette to catch sight of her prey the moment she did though a giggle escaped her. Up until now they had been unable to run or had simply stopped and given up once she caught sight of them. One of them had even come out because she called out to him so it was rather amusing to her to find one that had continued to run. “Okay you can stop now.”

“You haven’t caught me yet mistress.”

A delighted giggle escaped Annette though she realized it wouldn’t be much of a contest. Her walking speed was far faster then his running speed and he was already winded. Annette placed her hands behind her back and began to walk after the fleeing guard. As she pursued him she followed his path as best she could though his smaller body didn’t allow him to maneuver better those objects she couldn’t walk around she simply walked through. It only took a few seconds for Annette to catch up so that she was beside him.

He expected Annette to reach down and grab him at any moment but he could also hear her giggling so at least he knew that his employer was enjoying the game. He was a bit surprised when the massive pillar of Annette’s leg was suddenly right in front of him.

Annette had sprinted for just a moment so that she could get in front of the guard then came to a dead stop allowing him to collide with her leg. He didn’t even have time to try and stop before he collided with the massive pillar nor could he get up after the impacted as Annette placed her foot atop him easily covering the majority of his body. “Now have I caught you?”

“I have to admit mistress I am pretty well captured.” The guard had been surprised when Annette placed her foot atop him but he doubted that she was upset. The smile on her face was to warm at the moment and he had heard her giggle.

“You know this gives me an idea. Perhaps I should make a rule where I have to pin or restrain you before you’re officially captured and to make it even more fun I could disallow the use of my hands.” Annette lifted her foot from the guard allowing him to stand back up.

“Shall I go back now mistress?”

“Don’t you want to know if you’re the last one I caught or not?”

“That would be nice mistress.”

“You’re not the last person that I caught.”

The guard gave his head a slight shake. He had expected as much but knew that he should let Annette tell him. A few people had lost their prizes by not waiting to hear whether or not they had won or lost but instead assumed they had lost.

*************************************************************************

Annette glanced towards the sky as she walked towards her home. The victor the little contest was currently setting atop her shoulder holding onto the material of her top to help keep stable. “So when would you like to take your additional time off?”

“I don’t know for certain. Would it be okay if I held onto the time off for later mistress?”

“Yes but be sure to have a note made about it.”

“Welcome home mistress.” Annette waved as she noticed a few of her servants were waiting outside for her.

Annette didn’t respond to the greeting right away but waited until she was a few steps away from the entrance to actually speak. “I didn’t expect someone to be waiting outside for me. Is there something you needed to tell me?” Annette reached up and took hold of the guard she had been allowing to ride on her shoulder as she spoke she set him on the ground.

“We received word that Maxwell was traveling under an incantation to blind seers or locater spells.”

Annette moved closer to the servant that had given her the news. “Does that mean you were given some information about his location?”

“That is correct mistress. We were informed by messenger that he is nearly home and traveling along the eastern road.”

Annette quickly jumped to a standing position the sudden action, her proximity to the little people and her size nearly knocked them over. She didn’t bother to look back though but quickly sprinted off.

Traveling was often a problem for Annette considering how few things looked the same whenever she came through a second time even a slight increase in height could cause one to view things differently and considering how quickly Annette grew that was almost always a problem. This didn’t just trouble her in foreign lands but even in the lands which she called home.

They were however a few paths that she never seemed to forget. The way to Maxwell’s was one of them though some might have thought this was due to the fact that Annette had almost always taken a direct path to his home. The path had been worn quite clear over the years that she had been living within the lands as she had never did much to avoid the trees or anything else that got in her way.

In truth though it wasn’t that she had worn the path so clear that it was easy to follow or it had very little to do with how easily Annette found her way to Maxwell and a few other people. As one would soon learn she almost always seemed to be able to make a strait line to his home and a few other locations that were exceptionally important to her and more often not these lines were indeed strait. She had only begun to avoid farms and structures recently as she had grown too large to travel through them without causing significant damage.

The fact that Annette even bothered to avoid such things was amazing in some ways. However, as she had been welcomed into the lands or least she had been more welcome then what she was in most during her early years she felt a need to try and keep the damage she caused to a minimum.

Maxwell was tired. He had left only a day or two after Annette had left his lands in order to meet with the other leaders. It was good to be back in his own lands but that didn’t change the fact that the journey had left him drained he truly detested negotiations with the surrounding leaders. They seemed to take a great deal of joy in giving him as difficult of a time as possible perhaps due to his young age or maybe they just hated his deceased father for carving out a chunk of their territories.

Annette had to remember to impact the trees she brushed aside with her exposed skin as while her clothing was quite durable it wasn’t her armor and probably wouldn’t survive the trip if she treated it the same way.

As they continued to travel up the road Maxwell noted several loud impacts. At first he moved to retrieve one of his swords however when he noticed how rapidly the impacts were coming he relaxed. He had a pretty good idea who was coming especially as the sound grew even closer.

Annette had begun by heading in the direct of Maxwell’s house but as she had ran she had felt an impulse to change directions. She couldn’t explain where it had come from but she had learned to listen to this feelings and quickly changed directions. As she had traveled she felt she was approaching her target.

She didn’t seem to do it intentionally but Annette could make quite an entrance. Maxwell had seen this for himself several times and was witness to it again when Annette’s massive form came bursting through the trees to land ten meters ahead of them. He couldn’t tell her exact height since she landed in a crouch but he could tell that she was indeed larger then the last time he saw her.

“MAX.” They were few people in the world that received as warm of a welcome from Annette as Maxwell though some would question if this was a blessing or not. It only took her a few strides to close the gap between herself and Maxwell fortunately before she took hold of him she remembered to slow down her rate of movement before she scooped him up.

Maxwell couldn’t respond at first as he felt Annette’s massive hands close in around him. A moment later she had whisked him off his horse and up to her face. He started to reply but found this to be impossible only moment later as Annette pressed her massive lips to his face. He could recall a time when she could have limited the kiss to his cheek now her kiss covered his entire face and then some. Of course he never got such a warm welcome when she was small enough to limit the kiss to his face.

Annette held Maxwell until she sensed that he was having trouble breathing. At last she quit kissing him and held him away from herself.

“So Annette, I see that you made it back before me.”

“Yeah and I left sooner then you did as well.” Annette released her hold on Maxwell so that she was only holding him aloft with one of her hands. She then moved her now free hand under him and set him down upon it holding her thumb across his legs to hold him securely in her palm.

“I am glad to see you. So how did your journey go?”

“It went wonderfully well. I managed to come back with more then gold this time and.” Annette grew silent for a moment. “Blast it I wanted to give you a piece.”

“You wanted to give me a piece of what?”

“I managed to retrieve some interesting metal while I was away. I handed over most of it to the Luvarians for study but I kept a small amount of it for you. I just left it at my home.”

Maxwell leaned over a bit and gave Annette’s massive index finger a kiss. “Well now I feel guilty that I don’t have a present for you.”

Annette waved her free hand. “Well I wouldn’t have a gift for you if I hadn’t stumbled across one. Would you like to head towards your home or mine?”

“I would prefer to go to mine for now. I really want to switch out of these traveling clothes.”

Annette gave a quick nod of her head she then turned towards the guards that had been traveling with Maxwell. “I’ll take him on ahead. He’ll be safer with me anyway.”

Maxwell gave a slight chuckle. “I wondered if that was true for a moment when you moved to pick me up.”

“You know that I wouldn’t harm you. After all you’re my land lord.” Annette turned to go back the way she came but after taking a step she quickly changed her mind. It would be more fun to take the long way and have some time to speak with him. She quickly redirected herself and began to make her way up the road being careful to keep a speedy though not rushed pace.

Maxwell figured Annette was walking as fast as a horse at full gallop and while this was quick he knew that she could move faster which meant she wanted to talk. “So what all did you do while you were on your journey?”

“Have you ever heard of Armzon?”

Maxwell gave a nod. “I believe so. Wasn’t he a rebel? The last I heard he had been giving some barons quite a bit of trouble.”

“Well I was hired to hunt him down.”

“How did the hunt go?”

“Oh it was so much fun. I don’t get to fight so many people very often.”

“Just how many are we talking about?”

“I believe it was a bit over a hundred. Anyway, I was hired to hunt him down shortly after I arrived in the region. My employer was able to give me a few details on where he was located. I suppose that is kind of easy though when one is moving about with so many men people are bound to notice something.

I followed the leads that he gave around for a while and eventually ended up finding my way to a little village where I encountered some guards which struck me as being rather odd. Especially when I discovered that they had a mage within their ranks and saw the quality of their equipment.

My instincts told me that I was in the right spot or at least very close.” A slight giggle escaped Annette. “I was tempted to just level the place right then and see what other clues I could find.”

“What made you decide not to?”

“Well it was part of my employer’s domain so leveling the entire village might have been seen as a little extreme though I was really cutting the town’s people a brake though I did actually have grounds to attack. The mage hit me with a fire spell.”

Maxwell couldn’t help but laugh. “Really and did you provoke this attack?”

“Well I may have said a few things but nothing I felt would warrant an attack.”

“Sure. Please continue.”

“What you don’t believe me?”

“Annette I trust you but I also know you.”

“Well anyway. After they saw how little affect the spell had one me they began to cooperate. I wondered around town for a while and came by a nice bar. I believe the owner must have been a retired soldier or adventurer or something he wasn’t as nervous as I expected. I was able to convince him while we were talking to give me some information.”

“I imagine you gave him the chance to give you the information or you would just level the entire town.”

“Maybe now quit interrupting. After that I went back to speak with the head of the guards and found the others had went on ahead. Once again I engaged in some negotiations and was able to convince him I could kill him just as painfully as anyone else so he had best help me out. He lead him most of the day to the encampment You know I just realized that I didn’t bother to look for him on the way back down I wonder if he got away alive.

All well. I found Armzon and his little group of guards of course they had seen me coming up the trail and set a trap for me. When I tried to rush them I ended up smacking into a magic barrier and pelted with arrows. They actually had some people using enchanted arrows my armor stopped most of them but a few of them got me. Do you want to see where?”

“Sure.”

Annette used her free hand to move her hair to one shoulder and proceeded to lift Maxwell so that he was held level with her upper body she then moved him to the former location of the first arrow. “Can you see it?”

“No it seems you healed up quite nicely.”

“Are you certain it didn’t leave a scar?” Annette didn’t bother giving Maxwell any warning before she pressed him against her skin. His smaller body covered a very tiny portion of her massive frame far less then even an infant would have of an adult.

Maxwell grinned and placed his hands where he imagined the injury had been. Lifting his right hand up he began to chant slowly.

Annette felt the slight glimmer of magic coming from Maxwell. “I see that you have continued your studies.”

Maxwell didn’t respond until he finished the spell a soft glow began to alternate from his hand switching from blue to green as he moved it about. “Yes.”

“You just fused earth and water magic didn’t you? That is a diagnosis spell?”

Maxwell gave a nod and continued to search for the former location of the injury. “Even this way I can’t get a reading on where the injury once was of course given your resistance to magic I doubt even a scrying spell would work.”

Annette’s only response was to lighten up the pressure on Maxwell’s back though she didn’t lift him away from herself instead she moved him over her skin to where the second arrow had struck. “One got me here as well. It might have been a little deeper maybe you will be able to detect something here.”

Maxwell doubted it but he still proceeded to examine the spot. “No. I can’t say that I can detect anything.”

“All well.” Lifting Maxwell away from herself Annette held him level with her head as she continued to walk. “They managed to catch me off guard with the strength of the spell and the arrows though the arrows weren’t the worse part of the battle. There was actually a few mages working together to cast a massive earth wind fusion spell it packed quite a punch.

I was so flustered that I nearly made the mistake of going for the guards first. At least I was before the spell hit me after that I knew I had to take the mages out before they managed to get anymore of those spells off if I didn’t want to risk dying. It was fairly easy to run circles around the guards and get to each group of mages before they could get between me and them I was even able to avoid the vast majority of enchanted arrows.”

“What about the standard arrows?”

“Didn’t I tell you before that I quit dodging those all together?”

Maxwell thought for a moment. “No. I can’t remember you telling me that if you did.”

“Ah well. I haven’t bothered to dodge standard arrows for quite some time now and I believe the day is coming when I won’t need to dodge.” Annette grew silent for a moment as she considered her words. “I won’t need to dodge enchanted arrows that have been made by anyone less then an expert.” Annette had learned long ago not to make the mistake of lopping all magic items together.

“So you went after the mages how did that go?”

“It went easily enough a few of them tried to create shields but they weren’t a major concern. After I took care of the mages I went after those with enchanted arrows next. They were actually quite competent in that they kept firing at me even after I had killed the mages if they had turned to run none of them would have lasted as long as they did.

The archers were so much more fun to tear apart then the mages. I don’t know if it was because I knew I was safer with all the mages dead or if their stronger bodies just feel differently when they brake but I got quite a rush tearing them apart. ”

“I bet you had a lot of fun once everyone with enchanted arrows was dead.”

“Of course I did. I was actually able to take my mine after that and enjoy the feeling of their tiny bodies braking. Oh speaking of braking guess what I can do now.”

Maxwell glanced over the side of Annette’s hand and took a moment to consider what discovery she might have made related to braking people. “You discovered that you are finally tall enough to step on a fully grown human some time during your journey.”

Annette gave an amused giggle. “Well you got it one try. I suppose you know me quite well.”

“So I imagine you saved Armzon for last?”

“Of course it was kind of funny since he gave me the option to surrender and leave alive when I first arrived. I couldn’t extend the same mercy to him though if he would have let me pop his head off first thing I wouldn’t have had to slaughter his men. Um I can’t remember if I gave him that option when I arrived I suppose I should have and might have but I don’t remember if I did or didn’t. I might have been a little to excited by the idea of tearing his men apart after arriving.”

Maxwell couldn’t help but laugh. “That is my Annette. So what else did you do?”

“Well after I collected the head I had some trouble getting my payment. The guards wouldn’t cooperate and I was actually attacked after I forced my way in. It was the dead of night and I understand that he wanted to sleep but they could have been more accommodating.”

“Yes I imagine they could have.”

“Do you remember what you did the first time I came to collect my payment from you?”

“If I recall correctly I had a room prepared for you since it was late and some water heated for a bath you were quite filthy. Of course that was easier back then.”

“That is right. I was actually surprised that you gave me a whole room to myself.”

“Well you did rid me of a rather annoying problem. I can’t have bandits plaguing my roads no matter who they are associated with.”

“Yeah and you couldn’t go after them without starting a war since each time you tried to chase them down they ran across the border and hid themselves away. I bet that um I can’t remember his name. Well I bet their benefactor was quite upset when I sent them back to him in bits.”

“Believe me was though he won’t admit to it. I could tell at the talks I went to. It has been over seven years since then and he is still upset. Anyway, back to your story.”

“Okay. When he went his men after me I realized my best chance was to keep them from forming an organized unit so I began to tear apart the small groups as quickly as possible. It helped to deplete the man power even after they joined up. I thought I might have to retreat and attack again or kill all of his men but a while into the fight he finally came out and we had a nice talk.

“I left on better term then what I was going to.”

“An army wasn’t sent to chase you down?”

“No, but I was told that I wasn’t welcome in that region for a while though they may want to hire me again after people have had a few years to forget. I believe I may go back their before that happens though.”

“Are you being spiteful?”

“Of course you know I love to tease people when they can’t do anything about it.”

Maxwell shook his head. “And yet ever since you came to live here you have never charged me more then your standard rate. Your standard rate of a few years back that is what is it now?”

“Well I don’t really have a standard rate anymore now I just charge according to the capability of my opponent or the level of annoyance I am going to have to put up with. Asking me to clean out a nest of goblins is going to cost quite a bit simply on the grounds that they can be pains to catch.”

“I have to believe that your size wouldn’t help with that either. They would be able to tell your coming from quite some distance.”

“Yeah which gives them time to hide and the majority of the times they hide underground which can make getting to them even more difficult.”

“I just remembered you said you found some rare metal while you were traveling. Did Armzon have it?”

“Nope hey you got me side tracked.”

“Sorry.”

“Well alright. Would you like to hear what happened after I collected my money?”

“Sure.”

“Well I guess that I’ll have to tell you later.”

“Why is that?”

Annette’s response was to turn Maxwell around so that he was no longer looking at her but could see how close they were to his home.

“This trip is quite quick when moving at full gallop the entire time.”

“Yeah I didn’t realize that I was walking so fast.” Annette continued on up the path leading to the estate however instead of heading towards the main gate she decided to have a little fun and simply walked strait instead of following the curving road until she came to the outer wall and tilted her hands so that Maxwell could look down at the ground a moment later she lifted her massive leg and easily stepped over the barrier.

“You always did enjoy it when you reached a new level.”

Annette intentionally stepped down with more force then she needed to so that the impact was easily heard. “Guilty as charged. It is just so much fun to be able to step over a wall.”

“A wall meant to hinder you still can’t step over a castle wall.”

“Oh you just wait little one. One of these days I’ll be over to step over the tallest castle wall you little people can build. I bet I could climb over one easily enough already.”

“I don’t doubt that.”

“Do you believe I’ll be able to come inside?”

“I believe they are some sections in my home meant to accommodate you though I don’t know for how much longer but don’t worry I wouldn’t dream of leaving a guest outside when they come to visit. I’ll have those sections expanded as soon as I am able.”

Annette lifted Maxwell up to her face and gave him a quick kiss. “Thanks. Do you have enough money put away to pay for the expense? I could always make a donation since I doubt you’ll be having any guest that would require you to make the adaptations I do.”

“I’ll be certain let you know but you’re going to have to expand an entire building. One that is already quite large.”

Annette waved her hand dismissively. “I can more then afford it.”

“How much have you saved up? Wait I don’t believe I want to know you’ll probably make me envious.”

“Well I am basically a one woman battalion so I do tend to make quite a bit.” Annette finally came to the main entrance to the estate at least the main entrance if you had supplies or happened to be a giantess.

Maxwell glanced back at the gate and waited to see it opening. After a little while he had to speak up. “Have they even unlocked..” Maxwell grew silent when the door slowly began to open.

“I suppose they didn’t expect us so soon.” Reaching out Annette resolved to give the mechanism and people that opened the door a little help and began to push it the rest of the way open. Those working the ropes were use to this and had release as soon as they had felt the rope stiffen at an unusually quick rate having long ago learned what that meant.

Annette took a few steps into the main area and noted the difference between those that Maxwell employed and those that she employed while either group was somewhat use to her those that worked for Maxwell clearly expressed more concern when she arrived. “I regret that I didn’t know you as well as I do now when I was smaller.”

“You could have accompanied me through more of my home.”

Annette gave a nod and walked as far into the structure as she was able to Annette then bent down and set Maxwell just in front of one of the side doors.

“I believe they expected me to go your home first so I don’t know if everything will be prepared for your arrival here. That said you could still go and wait in the study if you would like.”

“That sounds good to me.”

Nodding his head Maxwell exited through the door leaving Annette to do as she pleased.

Annette waited for the door to shut then took a quick looked around. Maxwell had his home modified extensively to allow her to move to and remain in certain rooms. They were two doors in the current room which she could move through the entrance was one and another was a side door which lead to the court yard she could then travel through there and enter the study or library in all reality.

Those that had been waiting in the court yard quickly retreated from it when they heard the massive main doors being opened. They preferred to avoid their employer’s guest as well as possible though a few of them stayed behind to watch as Annette stepped into the court yard and carefully made her way down the walkway.

“Is she walking toe to hill?”

“I believe she is good lord she couldn’t even put her feet side by side and stand on the path at least not entirely now.”

Annette could hear the servants talking about her and considered joining in on the conversation but decided against it. Instead she continued to the entrance to the study. The doors unlike the front ones had only one purpose and that was to allow Annette to move about when she visited for this reason opening them was entirely up to her.

The library had been one of the largest rooms in the entire building second to the dining hall each of the rooms were several stories tall despite this a great man of the books had to be removed and several walk ways torn down in order to accommodate Annette and it seemed that it would need to have a elevated roof if she grew much longer. This tended to weaken the entire structure as a whole but Annette tended to make up for the decreased defense.

Annette moved to the center of the library and took her usual spot. She could hear a few doors being shut on either side of her. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that it was people who had been in the library making a rather hasty departure upon her arrival.

There had been a time when Annette could have wondered through the various shelves and attempted to find something to read now that task would have been considerably more difficult and she felt confident that she would end up destroying something unintentionally. This posed a problem for her as she found herself rather bored especially in comparison to the high that she felt while rushing off to find Maxwell.

As Annette waited she found her boredom growing and began to look between the shelves she could reach hoping that something would catch her. As of the moment though she hadn’t seen anything that looked like it would be particularly interesting to read at least none of the covers or few titles that she could actually read seemed to be interesting. The shelves were lined with basic magic books of various types, history and strategy books as well lined the rows.

The Application of Non-Human Species in Battle Annette caught sight of the book near the edge of one of the shelves the book was quite thick and the cover seemed to be quite sturdy. Reaching out Annette placed a finger on either side of the document insuring that she had a finger in-between to try and retrieve it. The book came out surprisingly easily despite Annette’s massive size.

Annette was actually surprised by how easily she was able to remove the book from its spot though she didn’t know if it had been easy due the improvements in her coordination and self control that came with her size increases or if it was simply placed in a position that would make it easy for her to retrieve.

A slight giggle escaped Annette as she opted to believe that it had been the books position that made it easy to remove as well as its size since this meant she could then guess whether or not it had been placed there intentionally or not. She once again chose to believe it had been placed there intentionally by Maxwell in preparation for one of her visits so she wouldn’t be bored while waiting for him.

Now that Annette was holding the tome in her hand she was quite surprised by just how large it truly was. The book’s weight actually took up three of her fingers and it was horribly thick its length was even greater then its width either the book had a lot of large pictures or it had a very extensive list of strategies in it.

“Wait a minute.” Annette turned the book over in her fingers a few times further estimating its actual size and weight it didn’t take her long to realize that it probably was set out just for her. It would have been far more practical to break the book up into several volumes instead of a single massive volume. This actually brought a slight blush to her cheeks she was use to people doing things for her because of her size and the fear she could put in them however she truly loved it when someone did something for her out of pure thoughtfulness.

When Annette opened the book she wasn’t surprised to see that the text inside was as small as the text of any other book. Maxwell knew that despite her size her eyes could easily pick up even such small details from a great distance. As she ran her finger over the paper she could tell that earth magic had been used on the pages considering whom it was meant for Annette imagined that a durability spell had been cast on it.

“Okay let me see here what do you want to read about first?” Annette began to look through the table of species her first instinct was to see what the book had to say about giants however she went to far and noticed goblins before then. A smirk appeared on Annette’s face. “This should be interesting.”

Using her pinky to move the pages the true depth of the book became apparent when she made it to the goblin section and noticed on the first page there was an additional list which named the various known species of goblin. Annette recognized some of the types though others she had yet to encounter she went to the section which dealt with those she had the most experience with and cleared her throat.

“These are thought to be the most numerous of the goblin species. They are a naturally viscous bread those that enlist their help are taking a great risk just negotiating with them can be quite a difficult experience as they are more likely to attack you then speak with you only after one has managed to not only corner them but proof they are outmatched do they become even the least bit reasonable.

The only good thing about their lacking of intelligence is one isn’t likely to encounter a mage amongst them and their tactics are lacking.

This benefit is hardly worth it though as once one does manage to speak with them they often find a political system that would sicken the most corrupt of politicians as while it is in part based on the strongest will rule it is so full of treachery and assassinations this does not even seem to be reliable.”

“I imagine that you are one of the few people that could serve as an effective negotiator with those little beasts.” Maxwell had a grin on his face as he walked out from between several rows of books. He hadn’t expected to be able to sneak up on Annette given how perceptive she normally was but then again she was in a relaxed setting and she did consider him a friend it probably had something to do with her decreased awareness.

Annette grinned as she looked down at Maxwell and closed the book she placed it on the closest table instead of trying to put it back on its shelf. “Do you feel better now?”

“I feel much better.” Maxwell continued until he was within Annette’s reach a few moments later her felt Annette’s massive hand wrap around him and he was lifted into the air once he was eye level with her she repositioned him so that he was once again setting on her hand with her thumb holding him in place. “So did you find the reading to be interesting?”

“Well I didn’t actually get to the strategy section I was just reading the political.”

“I wish I could say that the strategy section is long but when it comes to goblins it appears there isn’t much planning that wouldn’t just be wasted.”

“Have you had experience with that?’

“No. I can’t say that I have ever been in a situation in which working with goblins was a good idea.”

“Have you read that book?”

“I read some of it about those species I was most likely to encounter. I acquired the first volumes of it once I began working with you actually.”

“I hope this was before you came to trust me.”

“It was back when we were on a purely working relationship.”

“So when did you acquire that version?”

“I actually had work begin on it once I realized you could no longer fit through the shelves when you came to visit.”

“Did you only have it put out recently?”

“No. It has actually been setting there for quite some time it just seemed that you were always able to find something else to amuse you.”

“How about we go back outside? I really don’t like setting so much.”

“You just want to go where you can stand and walk around freely to show off your size.”

Annette stuck her tongue out at Maxwell which given his proximity meant she nearly licked him. “You know me to well.” Standing up Annette didn’t bother waiting for a yes or no but proceeded to open the doors leading into the library and step back out into the garden.

Maxwell leaned against the finger that was currently holding him in place he didn’t mind if Annette took the lead she most assuredly didn’t ask his permission to pick him up when she had met him on the road. “So why don’t you finish telling me about your journey?”

“You had those clothes enchanted didn’t you?”

Maxwell glanced down at his legs for a moment. “Yeah they have a light enchantment on them. Have you been working on sensing magic?”

“I have but just a little.”

“Well maybe that will make your parents happy.”

“Pfft, they want me to be able to since what spell has been cast on a book through three layers of magic shielding.”

“You know that is an exaggeration.”

Annette grinned and turned her hand so that Maxwell was upside down. “No taking their side.”

Maxwell rolled his eyes knowing full well that he wasn’t in any danger. “I have seen their expectations of you and given your natural abilities I believe they are quite reasonable.”

Annette pouted a bit seeing that Maxwell wasn’t concerned with her little display of course she was glad that he wasn’t. It was only a couple of seconds before she turned him upright once again. “So what made you decide to change into some enchanted clothing?”

“They ruin less easily.”

Annette opened the door leading to the entrance chamber and the exit. “Hey I haven’t ruined that many of your clothes.”

“Yeah but I have noticed that the number of outfits of mine you end up destroying have gone up with your increased size.” Maxwell knew that Annette’s size actually had very little to do with his ruined clothes except for what her size allowed her to do. The main reason he had lost so many is that she had grown closer to him and he her so that she was more prone to playful out burst.

“Well you shouldn’t have them made out of such weak material. Oh wait that is what you have done.” Annette used her free hand to give herself a light smack upon the head.

“Since we are going for a walk why don’t you take me to your place and let me see the metal you wanted to show me? You can tell me about how you acquired it on the way.”

Annette pressed open the final doors and gave a quick nod. “Sure.” She then lifted Maxwell so that he was level with her shoulder. “Why don’t you ride here?”

Maxwell had to wait for Annette to left the finger she was using to restrain him before jumping off and onto her shoulder. Once there he quickly took hold of a few strands of her hair and the edge of her top.

“I see you haven’t been neglecting your martial training.”

“I practice when I get the chance but while traveling I find that reading is more suitable.”

With her hands free now Annette rapped them around herself so that she was just pushing up on her breast making them seem the slightest bit larger. “So should I take the direct rout or the long rout this time?”

“I believe we should take the path which you used to get to me so quickly. I imagine it is clear enough that I don’t have to worry about being knocked off especially if you walk.” Maxwell was shaken slightly when Annette chuckled.

“It probably is though I wasn’t exactly paying attention to how well I had cleared it out.”

“You know I would have to scold you if there was a lack of timber.”

“Oh please I haven’t destroyed anymore then you would have lost if you tried to create a new battalion of soldiers which I am worth. I probably require fewer resources in the long run.”

Maxwell glanced off the side of Annette’s shoulder for a moment. “How goes your eating habits?”

“The amount I like to eat has gone up but the percentage I need has gone down.”

Maxwell lifted his foot and gave Annette’s shoulder a few kicks. “Well come on continue the story.”

“Hey how would you like it if I kicked you?”

“I wouldn’t appreciate that but you did invite me to ride on your shoulder.”

Annette gave a slight giggle. “After I collected my payment I was ready to rest though I was disappointed that I couldn’t get a spot in town. So I found a nice river to camp by and took a bath. I didn’t expect that I would have company.”

“Hey no skipping ahead, you need to detail the bath.”

Annette found herself blushing as she hadn’t expected Maxwell to tease her. “Well maybe later or perhaps I’ll give you a live show.”

“Even better please continue.”

“Well a little while after I had finished bathing and started to cook a snack a mage showed up with a job offer. At first I was moderately skeptical but I didn’t have any other work and I doubted that someone would track me down just to waste my time especially considering how difficult I hear it is to locate me using a spell. He wanted me to go and kill a certain dragon for spell components and offered quite a nice sum of money.

Naturally I accepted the offer once he gave me a locater stone to find the dragons location. I chose to take a more direct path then usual since the stone kept me pointed in the right direction.”

“Did you run through any villages while taking this direct path?”

“A few and one that I even stopped at. While I was traveling I ended up in a dwarf settlement and ended up meeting with one of their security officials. He and a few of the guards followed me around in order to find out what my intent was and they also helped me out a bit once I told them I was there to kill a dragon.

Apparently they had been having difficulty with a particularly stubborn dragon that wouldn’t get out a mine they desperately wanted. I stayed around both to have my armor let out since it wouldn’t fit me any longer and to learn what I could about the dragon. The dragon was a wind type which had been conducting hit and run raids on any supplies that tried to come up the mountain paths however there was something very odd about this dragon.”

“I imagine there would have to be to prevent the dwarfs from just cornering it and dealing with the problem on their own.”

“Yeah it seems while it was a wind dragon it had unusually strong armor which turned out to be very true. I haven’t even fought earth dragons with scales that tough.”

“Do you know how that happened?”

“It seems the mine the dragon took up residence in was filled with a certain metal the dwarfs are calling it arcanon. It is exceptionally strong and works very well with magic in some ways.”

“Sounds like something the elves might have developed.”

“You didn’t let me finish. It works very well with magic at times however it seems to be one way it also tends to disrupt or even destroy magic enchantments on touch and is nearly immune to magic attacks.”

Maxwell couldn’t help the expression on his face. “That is something else most items that function well with magic can be disenchanted since they are magically made themselves.”

“That doesn’t seem to be the case but let me tell you more of the story and I’ll explain the metal more when we get back to my place.”

“Sure.”

“Well Durin the head of the military units there filled me in on details about the dragon and the cave. The main reason they couldn’t corner the dragon in the mine was that the walls were lined with the arcanon and somehow the dragon was using it to transmit and magnify its own attacks which means every time they stepped into the mine they got baked unless they war some specially made heavy armor.

The problem with the armor though was that it was entirely too bulky and they couldn’t fight effectively while wearing it so they needed someone that could handle the armor being thick enough to resist the attacks but still be able to move.”

“And I imagine you fit the requirement perfectly.”

Annette couldn’t help but give a rather prideful smirk. “Yep, the dwarfs actually made me a suit of armor which could resist the attacks and we agreed that I could have enough of the metal to equal the volume of my armor. Now I had been hired earlier to kill the dragon and retrieve body parts so they also agreed I could do whatever I wanted with the corpse.”

“I don’t believe you told me what the mage offered to pay you.”

“Well he offered money and quite a lot of it or a combination of money and magic items some of which would have been made from the dragon itself. Anyway, the dwarfs ended up suiting me up in well I suppose I would call it solid plate armor since full plate doesn’t quite describe it. The stuff was basically a solid shell.”

“Which would divert the energy around you?”

“Bingo. Durin a few others and I went to the mine to kill the dragon and well things didn’t go quite as easy as I thought it was going to be. I couldn’t brake through the darn things armor I even ended up breaking my sword over it.”

“Wow I have seen you hack your way through magic barrier with that thing.”

“I haven’t gotten around to having it enchanted again yet.”

“Would you like me to try and enchant it or do you plan on having a large weapon made first?”

“Well to be honest I don’t really know if I want to continue using a weapon at my current size and strength just using own hands and feet is starting to look good. They’re the only weapons I know that I won’t end up outgrowing.”

“That is probably true. You said you didn’t feel like giving me much details about the fight at least let me know how you won.”

“Well it isn’t exactly astounding or dignified what I did. Durin pointed out a weak point in the mine wall and I pinned the dragon against it while pounding it into the wall once a cave in got going I grabbed Durin and ran.”

“Did the cave in kill it?”

“Well between the cave in and the blunt trauma damage I was able to do with my hands it wasn’t strong enough to escape. After that the dwarfs sort of starved and smoked it to death.”

“Smoked?”

“Yeah you know. Flooded the mine with smoke to insure that no air got to the dragon they suffocated the moth.” Annette gave a slight giggle. “Come to think of it that is a pretty fitting in to the overgrown insect of course it wasn’t normal smoke I don’t know exactly what was in the mixture but apparently it was a good time to be able to stay down wind.”

“I suppose that means you stayed far away.”

“Yeah.”

“What about the mage that hired you?”

“Oh he showed up shortly after I buried the dragon apparently he worried that I was backing out or something.”

“I am surprised you didn’t kill him for doubting you.”

“Well he didn’t offend me. So are you curious to see the metal itself?”

“Of course I am though I don’t want you to speed up I rather like these rides they are so much better then horse back.”

“I like that you can set on my shoulder so easily now.”

“I am glad you don’t mind me hitching a ride.”

“It is fun carrying you around. Hey I almost forget the dragon wasn’t the final foot note to my journey though.”

“What else happened?”

“I ended up being ambushed by a group of bounty hunters using enchanted arrows.”

“Were they specially made or mass produced?”

“Now why did you have to ask that? They were the standard ones. Well I suppose as standard as enchanted arrows get. Still, you wouldn’t believe what a thrill it was when they couldn’t even penetrate my skin it was a wonderful brake from the dragon that and I realized something else during the fight.”

“What did you realize?”

Annette gave an amused giggle. “That I no longer have to nock someone over in order to step on them.”

“You’ve gotten a lot more powerful then when you first came here.”

“I know.”

*************************************************************************

Annette wrapped her massive fingers around Maxwell and lifted him from her shoulder she then deposited him on the table where the sliver of metal currently rested. “Let me know what you think about it.”

Nodding his head Maxwell walked over to the bit of material. He was actually a bit surprised to see there was enough to make a dagger from it seemed that Annette’s eyes of a little was becoming larger. When he went to lift the metal though he was surprised by how light it was. “Well this wasn’t expected I thought it would be heavier. How does the material’s cutting power hold up with it being so light?”

“I haven’t had much of a chance to test that to be honest though I imagine the edge can make up for that.”

Maxwell gave a nod and rolled the material over in his hands a few times. “Would you mind if I tried a few things?”

“Go right ahead I brought it back for you after all.”

Maxwell gave a nod. “You said that the dragon was a wind dragon as I recall. Let’s see if I can get an idea of how the dragon managed to amplify its mystic energy.”

“You’ll probably have an easier time then the dwarfs did figuring that out I don’t believe I saw a mage amongst any of them while I was there well except the one that hired for me.”

Maxwell gave a nod and started to turn away from Annette when her hand suddenly appeared in front of him. “Huh?”

“Try it out on my hand.”

“I don’t know if that is wise Annette we don’t know how much this will magnify a spell.”

Annette gave an amused giggle. “While your concern is appreciated I don’t think I have much to worry about considering you’re far from a arch mage and I doubt you’ll try to run your most powerful spells through it right away that and the dragon had an entire mine you only have a little piece.”

“You do realize the fact that it was trying to use the entire mine and not focusing its power on a single spot might have actually lessoned the affects.”

“Well I am not exactly standing right in front of you am I?”

“Good point but let us start with something none living first okay?”

“That would be safer but no.”

“Annette there is no need to take unneeded risk.”

“Come on Maxwell you don’t have to worry so much about harming me now give it a shot. We don’t even know if you can channel your magic through it after all.”

“Okay you win. However, if you since that the magic is building up to much force.”

“I’ll be sure to cover your body with my hands.”

“I was going to say to move your hands.”

“Um no if I believe that there is going to be too much energy released for you to control I would rather risk having my hands burned off then you getting killed.”

Maxwell rolled the bit of metal around in his hands for a few moments before setting it down on the table. “Okay that was a pretty bad idea on my part. We’ll just wait until we can arrange a safer situation.”

“Huh? You can still give it a try if you want I am certain that I am more then strong enough.”

“It sounds to me someone has let their ego get a little too big for their own good.”

“What do you mean?”

“You always get this way whenever you reach a new level of power. I imagine you are feeling quite confident now that enchanted arrows bounce off of you.”

“Oh you hardly need to worry about me go ahead and give it a try if things look like they’ll become dangerous I can protect you.”

“And in protecting me you may get yourself harmed. No I’ll wait until they are some more safety measures in place.”

Annette let out a slight sigh and straitened herself up while placing her hands on her hips. “I don’t believe you realize just how powerful I really am little one.”

Maxwell couldn’t help but chuckle he had seen Annette this way before and on quite a few levels it was amusing. “I believe you don’t realize your own limits.”

“Am I going to prove just how capable I am now?”

“How would you go about doing that?”

Annette now had a playful smile on her face. “You and I are going to step outside and I’ll show you just how capable I am.” With that Annette extended her hand so that Maxwell could sit on it.

Maxwell took his place. “Okay.”

*************************************************************************

Annette stretched her arms above her head holding the position for a moment before lowering them to her sides and then placing them on her hips. She had stripped down so now she only wore what would have amounted to a bikini if bikinis were made of rather sturdy plate armor.

Maxwell had to keep his mind focused and not admire Annette’s body as he currently busied himself carving an arcane circle into the granite. He did actually need the mystic circle to cast the spells he had in mind but it would help him focus making the experience less draining and the spells more powerful.

“How is the circle coming?”

“Its coming you’ll need to give me a while longer though I don’t normally have time to use something this complex.”

“That is alright take all the time you need just make sure it is the most powerful one you know.”

“Don’t worry it is.”

Annette nodded her head and began to bounce around a bit helping to warm up her legs for the ensuing match. She and Maxwell had actually done this several times in the past in order to test her abilities and his to a lesser degree. She would allow him to set up a situation that favored him far more then her and then they would also apply certain rules. In this case she wasn’t allowed to shatter any of the mystic circles or artifacts he happened to be using to boost his capabilities.

Annette on the other hand didn’t have much to help her at all. At first she had worn her armor to provide extra protection incase an accident occurred but as of late she had been stripping down to less and less until now she felt she was exposed as most situations could possibly cause her to be.

A long sigh escape Maxwell as he finished making the final etching and set down within the center of the circle. He then reached behind himself and removed both of his swords and implanted them into the ground next to him.

“Oh so you aren’t going to be holding back?” Annette new that both of Maxwell’s weapons of choice had rather powerful enchantments on them one being enchanted with fire while the other held wind magic within it not only did it make the weapons more effective but they could double as casting tools and boosters for certain spells.

“Well you wanted to prove me that your ego wasn’t simply inflated.”

“You do remember that I beat you the last time we did this.”

“That is true but perhaps you didn’t notice this is a more powerful circle and I have improved while you were away and while you can’t see my improvements as easily as your own believe me they are quite significant.”

Annette gave an amused giggle. “Sure they are.”

Maxwell didn’t bother to comment back but began to slowly chant. If Annette didn’t believe him he would just have to prove it to her.

Still grinning Annette began to walk away from Maxwell rather slowly while she wasn’t certain what spell he was casting she knew that it was going to take him quite some time to cast it. The main reason she felt confident about this was she felt the power in the words and the slow build up of the spell she couldn’t tell what it was making but she knew that it was complex.

For a moment Annette was tempted to try and break Maxwell’s concentration by speaking to him but she decided against it. He rarely used a spell that required him to use more then a few words to shape the magic and as she watched she noted that the glyph he had carved into the ground was beginning to glow as were the two enchanted blades. He was fusing fire and wind magic to form something.

Maxwell knew that he would have been dead by now if he had actually been fighting Annette indeed in nearly any combative situation he could think of he would have been dead long ago however the spell was simply too powerful and complex for him to short cut it at his current level of skill despite this he was quite pleased with himself when he was able to finish the ten minute long chant.

Annette could feel the energy release and readied herself for whatever Maxwell was about to throw at her however after a minute of waiting she couldn’t help but wonder. “Did something go wrong with the spell?”

“No.”

Before Annette could ask a follow up question she felt a rather heavy impact on the back of her head the force of the blow was actually enough to send her toppling to the ground. This did little to daze her though as the moment she hit the ground she quickly rolled to her side the sound of another impact hitting the spot she had been lying on just moments later confirmed that something was most assuredly attacking her.

It only took a few moments for Annette to spring to her feet in order to find out what was attacking her. “Oh that is just mean.”

Maxwell had a rather large grin on his face. He had spent his time summoning an elemental composed of both fire and wind. The reason why Annette had felt the impact so completely was that it was actually a small explosion. “You’re the one that wanted to prove yourself. I take it you regret not practicing now.”

Annette frowned she didn’t like being reminded of her skipping her exercises. “I don’t know to train to beat these things.” Annette advanced quickly and attempted to drive her fist into the elemental only to find her hand moving through nothing but air as the mystic creation temporarily separated. A growl escaped Annette as the moment her hand was extended and her defense was open the elemental swung its still corporeal fist.

The explosion was actually quite powerful and this time it hit Annette right in the face though to Maxwell’s surprise she didn’t move backward but simply braced herself and moved toward into the impact using her shoulder she slammed her entire body into the elemental.

Maxwell could feel the drain on his energy when Annette hit the elemental. Having the elemental temporarily disperse part of its body had consumed energy as well but not nearly as much still he was at a major advantage. The vast majority of opponents would have simply avoided the elemental and gone for him since killing him would have dispersed the creation nearly immediately.

Of course Annette wasn’t allowed to attack him in this situation or destroy the arcane symbol which was currently helping him to maintain the spell. This meant her only choice was to constantly pound away on the elemental until she exhausted all of his energy. A task made even more difficult by the fact that the only way she could hit it was to get it when it could separate such as when she had countered its punch.

Maxwell felt a bit of relief when it seemed like Annette had resolved not to continue her attack on the elemental this was short lived though as he saw her draw her foot back and move to kick it while he was able to avoid the strike by having that section of the elementals make up turn incorporeal for a moment he realized that Annette wasn’t going to cut him any slack.

What had I been thinking? Was the dominant thought in Annette’s head as she attempted to stomp the elemental. It was true that hitting it would say far more energy then making it switch forms but that didn’t mean forcing Maxwell to constantly be changing the elementals shape and density wouldn’t sap his energy faster.

The elemental had to be made to avoid Annette’s several times before it was actually able to mount an attack against her. At first Maxwell had felt confident he would be able to wear her down given the rules of their match however he hadn’t gotten a good glimpse of her face until she had began to try and stomp the elemental and realized she didn’t have the slightest hint of a bruise it seemed wearing down her body would take far more effort then he had original believed.

Annette had a great deal of dislike for anything that could switch from corporeal to in corporeal mostly since it proved that she really needed to master more of her body’s abilities. Of course if she had a weapon with a powerful enough enchantment she would have been able to harm the elemental no matter what state it was in. The thought of weapons made her remember Maxwell’s swords.

An explosion signaled another solid hit as the elemental combined the wind and fire magic making up its being to generate the blast every time it managed to get close enough to Annette however when Maxwell saw what happened he found that Annette had intentional blocked the attack. “Blast it you’re using the energy from your swords to supplement your own power aren’t you?”

“I couldn’t maintain this very long other wise.”

“You little sneak. Okay I’ll show you what real muscle is.”

Maxwell wasn’t certain just what Annette was talking about until she resumed her attack on the elemental. At first her attacks had been somewhat focused now she seemed to be going for whatever part of the elementals body happened to be solid at that moment even if it meant leaving herself open to an attack.

A shockwave ran through Maxwell’s body as he had the elemental attack Annette using the same explosive technique as before. She had actually met what would have passed for the elementals fist with her own.

Annette felt her hand slow down as the force of the explosion countered her fist then she felt that give way and her hand push into the section of the elementals arm that hadn’t been meant to be torn away pressing forward Annette once again slammed her entire body into the elemental.

While Annette didn’t know how quickly she was draining Maxwell he had a perfectly good estimation of how rapidly she was sapping his strength. He knew that Annette’s abilities increased even more quickly then her size did but he hadn’t estimated her to fight in such a savage manner.

The force of Annette’s feet stomping the ground and her weight sent mini shockwaves throughout the area as she tried to stomp down on any part of the elemental that even looked like it would become corporeal. At least until she noticed a chance in the elementals energy as the green turned to red.

Maxwell was very glad he had chosen a spot far away from the fight itself as he felt the shockwave from the explosion Annette had been attacking so quickly that he had no choice but to cause the elementals entire being to detonate though it was a significant drain on him as now if Annette was able to continue he would have to reform its body all over again.

“Someone is going to have to do better then that.” Annette had a huge grin on her face as she walked towards Maxwell. “That was a very large elemental it has been a long time since I saw one as large as well as large as what I am now.”

Maxwell grinned as he looked up at Annette. “Do you feel like continuing?”

“Do I look like I have been harmed?”

“Sorry I can’t tell you’re sort of dirty.”

Annette glanced down at her body for a moment. “Well don’t worry even if you can’t see it I assure you I am perfectly fine. You really shouldn’t have used explosions like that to fight me.”

Maxwell was about to ask why when the reason suddenly hit him. “Damn the energy was too spread out.”

“That is correct. That elemental really would have been better suited to fighting a group then fighting a single opponent. So do you feel like continuing or do you give up?”

“I give. I swear this is just getting too easy for you.”

“Since I won would you mind cleaning me off?”

“Sure.” Standing up Maxwell glanced down at the symbols he had spent so much time inscribing only to have them come to not. “I swear if I spent anymore time on this I would be quite upset.”

“Isn’t that the most complex one you know?”

“Well it is the most complex one I can make on my own but I have seen a few diagrams during my studies if I had my books I could make something more complex.”

“Maybe some other time now how about for cleaning me up.”

“Sure.” Maxwell removed both his weapons from the ground and sheathed the fire sword. The wind enchanted one he proceeded to point at Annette and began to chant.

“Ahh hey.” A delighted squeal escaped from Annette as a torrent of water rushed from the blade as while the sword wasn’t water aligned its wind enchantment did allow it to function very well as a focus for such attacks. Annette had to move her hand to block the torrent of water from slamming into her face. “I thought our sparring match was over.”

A playful grin was on Maxwell’s face. “It is you won.”

“Then why am I being assaulted with a torrent attack?”

“Huh, what attack?”

“Unless I have lost my ability to gage force this is more then enough to clean me off actually I believe it would be able to cause some serious damage.”

Maxwell responded by adjusting the angle though not the force of the spell. “Well it takes a lot of force to affect you.”

“Huh?” Annette knew that Maxwell knew that it would take a lot more force then what the water was currently exerting to truly affect her. The only reason she had even responded was she hadn’t expected him to use such a powerful spell. However, after the shock wore off and Maxwell adjusted the angle she realized exactly what he was talking about. “Well I suppose they do have quite a lot of mass it would take a lot of force to move them.” Annette proceeded to bring her hands up and press against the underside of her breast. “However I wanted to get more then a few parts of my body cleaned off.”

“Okay.” Maxwell proceeded to adjust the jet of water to clean Annette’s entire body off though he made no effort to diminish the force even though it was depleting his energy to maintain it.

“Are you still doing that?”

“Doing what?”

“Casting spells until you don’t have the energy to light a candle on a regular basis?”

“Of course it is a rather effective way to develop ones skills.”

“Okay that is good enough if I want to get cleaner I’ll have to wash off inside.”

Maxwell gave a nod and halted the jet of water. “So would you like to dry you off?”

“Yeah but don’t cover me with suit again.”

“Don’t worry I won’t.” Maxwell started to reach for his other sword but quickly changed his mind. Instead he chose to cast the spell relying entirely on his own ability to control the energies.

Annette let out a sigh as the wind rushed over her. The spell was a simple fusion of wind and fire magic which generated super heated air. With that thought she glanced down at her feet and was quite amusing to seen that the grass around her had actually been burned away. “Was that intentional?”

Maxwell wasn’t certain as to what Annette was talking about until he looked down at her feet. “Whoops that was not intentional.”

“Could you have actually held back with that water spell?”

“Yeah, but not enough to simply wash someone off I haven’t gained that level of control yet.”

Annette bent down and wrapped her massive fingers around Maxwell. “I suppose modifying a spell that was meant to kill someone so that it only washes a bit of dirt of is a rather difficult task.”

“Its like trying to cut an apple into neat slices with a sword at best and most of the time it feels like I am trying to use a battle axe.”

“Well then since you’re to exhausted to continue sparing how about we go and do something that is a little more relaxing?”

“Actually I have a favor to ask.”

“What is that?”

“I haven’t eaten since I arrived.”

“Whoops and you sparred with me nearly as soon as I got you back here.” Annette proceeded to offer hand to Maxwell so that he could climb on.

“Yeah and sparring with you didn’t do anything to help.”

“Well at least you didn’t blame your defeat on hunger.”

“Please. I am hardly that petty and anyway if I did you would just want to spar after I had eaten and rested.”

“Oh actually I want to spar you after you have eaten and rested anyway.”

Maxwell couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well you know it is going to take me a while to fully recover.”

“I know anyway lets get you some food.”

*************************************************************************

Annette smiled as she glanced down at Maxwell’s tiny form. He was currently setting atop her right thigh and it amused her to no end to see how much room he had of course this only made her even more eager to grow larger. “Isn’t that better then setting on the table?”

Maxwell had been having some difficulty eating while atop Annette’s leg not because of its curvature or the slight rippling of muscles he felt beneath her skin whenever she would move in the least. Actually they were problems however they were so eclipsed by a far greater issue and that was the fact that Annette seemed to have intentionally positioned him and her to make her charms as noticeable as possible.

The most obvious example of this was Maxwell found himself enjoying a rather decent amount of shade not unlike one would enjoy with an umbrella over their head. It was just in this case the umbrella happened to be Annette’s rather impressive endowments which currently obscured his view of her face. “It is wonderful Annette.”

Annette gave a slight giggle causing Maxwell to be shaken lightly. In truth her thigh had been her second choice for him to set on after she had decided that her first choice might be going a little too far. “So how about after you finished eating you experiment with the metal some? I believe that I have proven how durable my body is.”

“Sorry Annette but I still believe it is too risky especially to have you serving as safety equipment.”

Annette let out a sigh and tilted her head back. “You can be difficult you know. I swear instead of worrying about me less you seem to become more concerned as I grow larger.”

“Only in regards to things I don’t understand and my concern isn’t due to your size.”

“I know but still you know my body is far from delicate.”

“Yes but you don’t know how the metal might behave my spells are hardly the same as a dragons innate abilities.”

“Okay I can’t force you to experiment with the metal anyway. I am sure the Luvarians will have plenty to report whenever I go speak with them.”

“When is that going to be?”

“I don’t really know I was just told they would get back to me once they were done with the experiments.” Annette lowered her hand so that it was level with Maxwell.

“Huh?” At first Maxwell was unsure what Annette wanted until he noticed that her finger seemed to be pointed towards the watermelon slice that he had finished. He then deposited atop Annette’s finger.

“So how far do you believe I can flick it?”

“Honestly I don’t believe you can send it more then thirty yards.”

“Huh that is a pretty lousy guess.”

“Try it and see.”

“Come on you know that I am more then strong enough to send it more then thirty yards try to guess closer.”

“I am sticking with less then thirty yards.”

Shrugging Annette lifted the watermelon slice so that it was eye level and gave it a flick from her finger. The moment her fingernail came in contact with the watermelon Annette realized why Maxwell had said she couldn’t flick it more then thirty yards as a spray of red burst off her finger.

Maxwell gave a slight chuckle as he heard an annoyed sigh from Annette. “You should have thrown in instead of flicking it.”

“You could have mentioned that before hand.”

“You’re quite remarkable you know what? At times you seem perfectly aware of your size and the complications its causes but other times you seem to totally forget.”

“Well generally when I flick something with all my strength I mean to cause damage or nock it far away. I guess I didn’t stop to consider how well it could hold up.” The sound of someone approaching caused Annette to turn her head in the direction of her home.

“Well perhaps some of the watermelon bits reached that far. Is someone coming?”

“It sounds like they are but they still have a few minutes of walking to do.”

Maxwell started to stand up to see what Annette was looking at when her massive hand reached down and pressed him back down. Apparently she didn’t like the idea of him moving from his current spot though as he glanced up towards her face he had to wonder if she had done it intentionally or if it had been an instinctive reaction he couldn’t really tell since he could see her face. He resolved not to bother mentioning it. “So when do you plan to have the expansion to your home added on?”

Annette returned her attention to Maxwell and lifted her hand from his body. “I was thinking about having it started the next time I go on a journey.”

“It would give you something to work on when you get back.”

Annette gave a slight giggle. “Yeah I suppose there is no way they would be finished by the time I returned and I do like sculpting.” She didn’t bother saying anything but Annette resolved to start organizing once Maxwell had left while he was with her though she wanted to spend her time with him. “Are you finished eating?”

“Yeah I believe I might have over eaten actually.”

Annette glanced over the side of her breast at the plates that were still on her leg. “But you haven’t finished everything.”

“Annette it would take me a day to finish all of this.”

Annette gave a slight giggle and reached down. She couldn’t see what Maxwell had and hadn’t finished however she could sense it. “I guess I’ll just finish it for you.” Gathering up the fruits and meat that Maxwell hadn’t finished Annette made certain to get it all in one trip before lifting it to her mouth and eating it in one bite.

“You like doing that don’t you?”

“What eating? It is alright though I look forward to when I don’t need to eat anymore and can just do it for fun.”

“Well while eating may apply I meant you really enjoy flaunting your size ah but I have already said that once today when you stepped over my gate. Perhaps I should have a larger gate put in.”

“Oh goody then I could outgrow it.”

Maxwell gave a slight laugh himself. “You would like that. How big of a gate should I have put in so that you can step over it later?”

“Mm that is a tough decision to make I suppose oh lets say a modest gate that is ten meters higher.”

“Which is just about your height right now I believe someone is imagining the day whenever she could look down at her old self?”

“It is a really fun thought and they are plenty of other things that I look forward to being able to do.”

“Why don’t you tell me about a few of them?”

“Oh you know I have told you about them before.”

“Yes but I have noticed that every time you grow larger they become even greater and I want to hear them again even the old ones.”

Annette reached down and began to gather up the plates in her hand after putting them in a neat stack she set them at arms length away from herself. Reaching down she encircle Maxwell with both of her hands even though one of them was more then sufficient to cover the majority of his body and easily lift him. She kept her hands folded around him as she lifted him from her lap and held him a lot in front of her face her fingers spreading out to surround him. “Well for one thing I look forward to the day whenever you can stand in the palm of the hand and be encircled by my fingers like you are now.”

“You can hold me in your hand now.”

“Yeah but you can’t really stand in my hand. I mean you can stand on it but it is such a small platform I don’t feel like you are really there.”

“I can’t say that I really follow your mean.”

“Oh.” Annette grew silent for a moment as she tried to consider just how to phrase what she was feeling. “You can’t move around and I feel like you could just hop off at any moment. I want to be able to feel you standing in the center of my hand and been able to wrap my fingers around you to conceal you entirely.”

“I see. Well that day may come you haven’t shown any signs of stopping your growth.”

“Mistress?”

Annette turned her head in the direction of the servant that had just exited her home. “Yes what is it?”

“A messenger has arrived they need to speak with Master Maxwell.” A jolt of fear ran through the servants body as he noticed Annette’s expression change apparently she didn’t like the news that he had brought.

“What did they say they wanted?”

“I don’t know Mistress they just requested Master Maxwell.”

“Well then go find out.”

The servant started to protest to inform Annette that it was one of Maxwell’s men and a messenger from one of the local lords was with him but as he looked into his Mistress eyes the only words he could utter were “yes mistress.”

Maxwell didn’t bother commenting on the conversation. He was curious what the message was clearly more so then what Annette was but he could tell she didn’t feel like hearing about it. “So what else do you look forward to being able to do?”

Annette’s featured softened once again and she turned her attention back to Maxwell. “Well it would be nice to be able to simply step over a ten meter wall but I already mentioned that one to you. Okay give me a moment to think that distraction got me somewhat side tracked.”

“If you get too large people will start wanting you to fight entire kingdoms for them.”

“Now I would have to charge quite a bit in order to justify taking a job that big still it would be so much fun. The only thing that has me concerned is what could I do for housing?”

“I have a few ideas. I know the last time I asked there was no indicator to how large you were going to get. Has the guild managed to provide you with any additional information?”

“Nothing as far as how large I am going to grow. Actually every time I go to speak with them they mostly gripe at me.”

“You really should work on the training they recommend you’re not using your full abilities after all.”

“What makes you so sure that they are complaining about a lack of practice on my part?”

“That is the only thing I ever heard to them complain to you over well that and reminding you not to bump your head.”

A long sigh escaped Annette. “I just couldn’t get use to the main hall being too small to let me stand up.”

“And now you are going to have trouble with the storage entrance as well.”

“I bumped my head on one of the balconies.”

Maxwell blinked a few times. Annette’s statement had been so plain and unexpected that it had caught him off guard a few moments later he found himself shaking with laughter despite his efforts to remain composed. “Now how did you manage that?”

Annette pouted for a moment before responding. “You know it isn’t that amusing.”

“Yeah I know. I am sorry it was just so unexpected.”

“I had gone by the guild hall to check up on a few things and get myself checked out when I was told that one of the mages on second floor wanted to speak to me. The tower he was in didn’t have an entrance large enough for me to fit in even before I reached that size so I went around the side to peak in through one of the windows. I had been using it for a while though it had required me to look up to it for a long time.

Well I had never had to take note that there was a low balcony above that window. When I moved to look in I ended up bumping my head against the balcony.”

“Did it hurt?”

“No which caused me to nearly destroying the balcony.”

“I bet you got a bid of a rush at the realization despite the property damage.”

“I always do.”

“Which is more fun for you finding out that you have grown even taller or finding that something that once harmed you no longer can?

“In all honesty I believe it is finding out that a weapon that would have once torn me apart isn’t powerful enough any longer.”

“Mistress?”

Annette turned her head in the direction of the shaky voice. “Yes?”

“Master Maxwell has a message from Duke James.”

Maxwell felt her face growing hot as she realized what the news meant. “I see and is it urgent.”

“The messenger from Duke James seems quite insistent that it is.”

Maxwell had kept quite during the first time the servant had come by but now he couldn’t help himself. “Damn it. I thought I wouldn’t have to deal with him for a while after the last meeting.”

Annette couldn’t help but groan. “You can’t afford to ignore this message.”

“The bastard probably just has some trivial matter that he wants to call me away for. To show that he is still more influential then I am.”

Annette lowered Maxwell down to the walkway as she did so an old objective flashed into her mind though it was one that she had never gave voice to. As Maxwell started to walk away Annette stood up.

“Are you going to be going to the front with me?”

“Yes but don’t ask me to carry you other wise the trip will be too quick. We can talk while you walk.”

“That is fine anyway the view is pretty nice from down here.”

“I am glad you like it since especially if you weren’t paying attention to where I took you.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Oh we are on the furthest side of my home from the main entrance.”

“Then it is a good thing that I don’t mind walking and yeah it is worth it to enjoy the view. How did you servant make it so back so quickly though.”

Annette let out a sigh. “He ran. You know maybe I should inform them that if they are delivering bad news they shouldn’t run or use the delivery system.”

“What delivery system?”

“Yeah you know like a messenger. They run and give the information to one servant who runs and gives it to the next.”

“When did you start doing this?”

“I started when I grew to five meters tall and got tired of waiting for such a long time to hear anything. Why do you think there is a servant stationed almost everywhere throughout my home?”

“I see your point.” As Maxwell continued to walk he began dwelling on the fact that Annette actually had a messenger service in her home before too long he found himself chuckling at the thought. “You really are a giantess Annette.”

“I am glad that you noticed.”

“Seriously I suppose it doesn’t always register with me how big you have grown until you mention some little detail like the messenger service you use in your home.” Maxwell stopped for a moment as he noticed the servant that had delivered the message. “Is that his station?”

“Yes it is.”

Maxwell started to respond when a sudden shockwave ran throughout the floor and nearly caused him to fall over as the sound of the impact seemed to vibrate throughout his entire body. “Huh what was that?”

Annette glanced down at Maxwell a somewhat sheepish smile on her face. “Whoops.”

“Huh?” Maxwell’s question was answered when he looked towards Annette’s foot and found that he saw part of her leg where her foot should have been.

“I suppose I am more upset then I realized.”

“What are you upset about? I mean you were fine until the message. Oh I see. Annette I don’t like having to leave.”

“I know you don’t but I just despise it. I mean the better part of your journey was handling such meetings. I would think that considering the distance everyone has to travel that they would resolve any issues before letting you leave.”

“Yeah I thought everything was resolved as well.”

“I swear once I get strong enough I am going to show them how much I dislike it when they.” Annette didn’t complete the sentence but took a moment to free her leg tearing up more of the flooring as she yanked her foot back through.

Maxwell didn’t bother asking Annette what she had been going to say he had a pretty good idea what it was. Unlike him most of the local leaders didn’t care for Annette’s presence or to be more exact they didn’t like that she seemed to be siding so completely with him especially considering her constantly increasing scale. He wasn’t about to tell Annette that one of the reasons he had to endure so many meetings was because of her having a home in his lands and the fear that caused.

In truth the reason he hadn’t been willing to tell Annette what they had been discussing at the conferences he attended wasn’t so much that they were boring but rather they focused a great deal on her and what he knew about her. “It’s good that you were already having some renovations planned.”

“That is true. Though I didn’t intend on having my floors redone I just stomped a little too hard is all.”

“Believe me when I say that I felt it.”

Annette got a playful grin on her face and gave the floor a quick tap with her foot trying to insure that it was forceful enough for Maxwell to fill the affects but not so forceful that it knocked another hole in the ground. “I suppose such little disturbances affect you tinies more then I realize.”

Maxwell felt his legs shake for a moment but was able to hold is ground fairly easily. “Well you are rather hefty.”

Annette gave an amused giggle and began to walk down the hall once again. “That I am.”

It was fairly easy to keep pace with Annette considering that she was walking at an abnormally slow rate to let Maxwell keep up easily. “Hopefully this message won’t take me away from home so that I can come back and visit you later.”

“Later wouldn’t you be able to come back tomorrow.”

“I have some things that I need to get done before I can really relax. The meetings did bring about some changes and the surrounding leaders want some information from me.”

“When I get large enough I am going to have to offer you a discount when it comes to crushing an entire army maybe even one hundred percent off.”

Maxwell chose not to respond to Annette’s offer and indeed he forced himself not to think on the subject too much or let the concept. “You already give me a rather nice rate when I do need to higher you.”

“Yeah but you know I just realized you haven’t offered me a job for quite some time. Haven’t you had to deal with any trouble makers in a while and needed something done? You know I am fairly good with stone work I don’t just have to destroy things.”

“Well I am going to have to have my home expanded soon to continue accommodating you so I don’t know if I can fit it into the budget.”

“Hey I said I was good at building things.”

“Of course I don’t know who I am going to actually higher for the job. Can you think of anyone?”

“I know of a few stone workers that do pretty good work.”

Maxwell gave a slight chuckle. “Okay enough games. So how much are you going to charge me?”

“Well given that I don’t really need the money if you’ll just provide the materials and higher the help I’ll work for free since it is for my benefit. Oh and you have to provide refreshments.”

“Now what did I do to deserve such treatment?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You’re trying to bankrupt me.”

Annette couldn’t help but giggle. “Now how do you get that?”

“You want to eat up the treasury.” Maxwell couldn’t help but chuckle when he looked up and saw the expression on Annette’s face.

“You know that I am not that bad.”

“Yeah I’ll look into having some blue prints drawn up and see what adaptations the existing structure can take and what had to be modified. My home wasn’t designed with such expansions in mind after all.”

“I’ll look forward to having an excuse to hang around your home more other then just visiting. Hey while you work on paper work I can work on construction.”

“That sounds like a plan.”

“Here we are.”

Maxwell came to a stop as he noted the entrance and three men standing near it. He recognized as one being one of his employees and the other seemed to be Annette’s while the third was most likely the messenger. “I take it that you are the messenger from Duke James.”

The man upon being addressed stood as if to move towards Maxwell but made no such movements as his gaze traveled up to Annette’s face. “Yes Duke James sent me with a message for you and he wants a prompt reply.”

“So I have a time in which I can respond?”

“Yes.”

Maxwell felt his temper flair for a moment though unlike Annette he was used to having to suppress such feelings so the only way one could have noticed would be if they could see more then body language or facial expressions.

Annette knew the Duke’s message had upset Maxwell though he didn’t say it however she knew that the fact that he only had so much time to respond infuriated him. It wasn’t so much his body language as she could tell by the shift in his aura when tempers ran high the strength of the flame magic he learned grew strong and made it more noticeable.

Maxwell knew that he shouldn’t ask he knew that he shouldn’t push the issue but he couldn’t help himself. “Did Duke James say what would happen if I didn’t respond in time?”

“He would be forced to act.”

“Fine let me have the message.”

The messenger nodded quickly and handed Maxwell a sealed document. “Well then I shall be on my way to let Duke James the message had been delivered.”

Maxwell nodded his head and proceeded to open the document. It only took a few moments of reading for him to turn to Annette. “I have to be going.”

“You’ve never really had it easy with the surrounding rulers have you? Didn’t your father basically take this land?”

“In part yeah and it left quite a few angry. It’s been hard to hold onto what he gained.”

“And letting me move in didn’t help anything.”

Maxwell gave a slight chuckle. There was no way he was going to lye to Annette about it. “They behave like I gave a dragon sanctuary in my lands under the agreement it would only ravage theirs.”

“And each time the dragon grows larger they find an even bigger reason to be alarmed.”

“If it means having you around the trouble is worth it.”

Annette grinned and proceeded to wrap her fingers around Maxwell and lift him into the air. “I am going to carry you home. You said you needed to hurry and you didn’t exactly ride a horse here.”

*************************************************************************

Annette lay just outside her home looking up at the sky. She had carried Maxwell home and they had continued their conversation along the way. While talking she had attempted to bring up the subject of what trouble her presence caused him several times but each time he would divert the conversation or simply go silent when she tried to push the issue.

She had confidence in Maxwell in his intelligence and for him to be honest with her. It was obvious that not responding would make her very concerned which made her wonder. Just what was so important that not mentioning it would be sparing her despite the anxiety it would cause her regardless?

The moment she had got home she had taken up her current position and began to consider the options. Of course she heard the part about the Duke acting on his decision automatically if Maxwell didn’t respond quickly enough. Were they going to try to use military force and force Maxwell to remove her from his lands? That seemed like it would be a bit extreme as far as Annette was concerned but she wouldn’t put it past James to push for it.

What would she do if they tried to force her to leave? She could always go to the guild for help and she knew that Maxwell wouldn’t force her to leave. Then again she could always fight back. Annette fingers dug into the concrete of her home. She was going to make James pay for the frustration she had been forced to endure she just had to gain enough power to do so.

She could fight back now but she was fairly certain that she would be overwhelmed eventually. Then again at the rate at which she was increasing in size and ability Annette’s eyes widen and she gave her head a quick smack.

Setting up Annette glanced towards her side for a moment in the direction she knew one of the guild branches was in. “Fine you’re right. I am just glad none of you are here to hear me admit it.”

Annette was often being pestered by her guild to try and develop her other senses and abilities but she had always refrained from it feeling that she worked hard enough and was powerful enough that she didn’t really need to work harder. Now that she found herself having to worry about causing Maxwell even more trouble she had to admit to herself that she really needed the extra power that refining her abilities would give her.

At last Annette stood up entirely however when she started to walk in the direction of the guild she found that she couldn’t bring herself to do so. It was rather childish on her part but she really didn’t want to go to the guild and admit that they were right and ask for an instructor to help teach her.

“Now don’t be this way Annette. You have gone to them for help before and they didn’t say anything about it. Then again this is the only thing you have really given them a hard time about.”

*************************************************************************

“If Maxwell should try to get in touch with me tell him I went to the nearest Luvarian strong hold. He already knows where it is.”

“Yes Mistress. Do you plan on being gone long?”

“I hope not but it really depends.” Annette busied herself preparing a few items for her journey. It wasn’t more then a few hours walk if she took a direct rout to the guild hall but she didn’t know how long she would have to stay there.

“You seem to be leaving rather soon Mistress. Normally you stay home for at least a month after coming back from such a lengthy journey.”

“Yeah well it isn’t that I wouldn’t just love to but I really don’t have a choice in the matter.”

“Has this something to do with the message that was delivered yesterday?”

“Yeah it does but to be honest with you I have needed to do this for a while. Anyway everything should be in order.”

“Don’t you want to at least stay the night here and leave in the morning?”

“No. This way I’ll arrive just whenever everyone is active so I won’t have to wake anyone up.”

“Very well Mistress.”

Annette let out a slight sigh and zipped up her carrying bag she then picked up the broken pieces of her sword. “Blast it. I just remember Maxwell was going to try to enchant this for me. I suppose I might as well have it done at the guild while I am there. Then again hopefully after this visit I won’t have any need of it.” Shrugging Annette set the remains down. “I’ll just leave them here.”

“Be sure to return before you outgrow your home and have to sleep outside Mistress.”

“I’ll do my best.” Annette easily hefted her carrying bag over her shoulder. Inside of it she had the same carrying case she had used on her journey and once again it held maps and other items to help her find her way just incase she should find things had changed prospectively upon her return. “Speaking of outgrowing things try to keep a few outfits that will fit me at my predicted growth rate on hand.”

“I will be sure to inform everyone Mistress.”

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“That damn James just wants a reason to attack me. The only reason he hasn’t already done it is because he doesn’t know if he could win” Was the dominant though in Maxwell’s head as he found himself once again leaving his home He hadn’t allowed Annette to see the content of the letter which he had received but now took some time to read it once again though he skipped the false greetings and well wishing.

“It has come to my attention that Miss Annette whom you have allowed to take up residence in your land has returned from her journey and while one person would rarely warrant a discussion she is not a normal person.

Our main concern is that by allowing such a creature in your land you are building up your own military forces to make a move on our lands and indeed the entire kingdom. At first we did not have such concerns as we were not aware that she would become quite so large but upon her return I have heard rumors that she has grown quite a bit larger and now I fear that the threat she posses must be addressed.

Even if you should not have any plans for her she is still a considerable threat to the kingdom’s safety.”

Maxwell had to stop himself from reading as he once again felt himself becoming irritable. The point of the entire letter was quite simple after all. James hadn’t just sent a letter to him but he had sent one to all the surrounding leaders upon learning that Annette had grown even larger.

Now he had to prove that he had by no means secretly recruited her. A task which would be rather difficult since Maxwell felt confident they had already decided he was guilty. There was also the fact that he had indeed higher Annette several times in the past when she was much smaller though those contracts had worn out long ago.

He also had to assure them that Annette posed no serious threat. If he didn’t show up at the meeting and make his case they would mostly likely decide that he wasn’t coming and the allegations were entirely true. At which time they would try to remove Annette by force and if he didn’t aid in the effort they would remove him as well. Of course remove was being polite he knew they wouldn’t piss someone as dangerous as Annette off and simply exile her. If they were to ever get the chance they would most assuredly kill her to make sure she never got the chance to repay them.

Of course Maxwell knew how powerful Annette was or he had a good idea considering their sparring session. He didn’t believe that she was strong enough to take on an entire army at least not at the moment she was getting stronger though and perhaps that day would come. Then again the fear that day would come was the reason he was currently having to plead his case for allowing Annette to remain.

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Annette let out a sigh as she stopped in front of the massive guild hall. At first glance no guards could be seen however upon closer inspection of the statues that surrounded the outside of the building one would find that the structure actually had many guards in the form of golems. Turning her head Annette glanced towards one of the far towers and gave a slight giggle as she noted the balcony she had once bumped her head against.

Instead of entering right away Annette resolved to walk around and examine the surroundings. She knew that they probably hadn’t changed since she dropped of the metal for study but she liked to do so and no one would mind. Those inside were already aware of her presence or at least she felt quite certain they were and since she was a guild member she could roam the grounds as she pleased.

The first spot she resolved to stop by was the testing ground. Walking around the main structure herself she soon came to a massive side entrance. This position was arguably a weak point in the hall’s defenses however that assumption only lasted until someone learned why it had been put there. The opening itself was still large enough for Annette to walk through.

Slipping through the massive opening Annette found herself on a large flat plain. Several bits of broken metal, clay and other material littered the ground. Stepping out into the testing ground Annette walked over to one of the larger chunks of metal and picked it up.

“The new model didn’t work out quite like we expected.”

Annette didn’t bother looking in the direction of the voice as she recognized it. “What were you experimenting with?”

“It was just a heavier type composite golem however we found there was a grave flaw in its design.”

“Which was?”

“While the golem’s armor was strong well you can test the strength of the armor yourself try to bind the piece you are holding.”

Annette gave a nod and placed a thumb on either side of the bit of metal she then proceeded to bind the material inward. “I see what you mean. So what was the complication?”

“The metal didn’t respond well with the energy used to power the golem which weakened its power output. The darn thing couldn’t even move.”

“So you just let it be beat to bits? I figured you would have stopped and tried taking it apart.”

“The test was between two separate types of composite golem.”

“Oh so how did the second one work out?”

There was a slight chuckle. “Clearly the victor of the two but we haven’t fully tested it either.”

Annette finally turned around to look at the man she had been speaking to. The mage that currently stood some distance away was in a word orderly. Everything about the figure seemed to speak of precise planning and near perfect symmetry. “Wow you laughed. I don’t hear that often.”

“Well Jahnah introduced quite a bit of chaos to my system only a short while ago so you’ll find I am more emotional then normal right now. It is good to see you.”

“It’s nice to you as well Dehvess.”

“You didn’t come here just to talk.”

“And what makes you so sure that I didn’t?”

“One reason I am certain if you’re carrying a bag, the seconds reason is you only visited a few days ago to deliver the metal you recovered and the third reason is after any journey of reasonable length you spend considerable time with Maxwell. So for these three reasons it is clear that your not here just to talk.”

“Yeah I couldn’t really spend much time with Maxwell since he left. I came here since I need help with something.”

“You need help with helping Maxwell with whatever problem has arisen you fear something that isn’t to your liking may be coming.”

“Am I really that transparent?”

Dehvess’s expression didn’t change as he glanced up at Annette. “I don’t believe so.”

“Well your assumptions have been right on.”

“That comes from knowing you. So what brings you here?”

“I was hoping that I could get some lessons?”

“What do you want lessons in?”

“Oh sure you figure out why I am here but now that I tell you I want lessons you can’t figure out what it is in?”

Dehvess grew silent for a few moments though his facial expression didn’t change in the least it was fairly obvious that he was considering Annette’s question. “There are a number of things you could have us teach you however it seems most likely that you have come to learn about yourself.”

“I swear your order magic specialist can be so strange but then again so are the chaos specialists.”

“Does this mean that you’re ready to start developing your additional abilities or do you want to refines those you have been relying on?”

“I want to work on my more specialized talents such as how to locate life energies.”

“Is there anything else you would like to practice?”

“Do I need to make a list?”

“That would be helpful it would allow me to make a training plan to get the most out of your time.”

Annette couldn’t help but blink her eyes a few times. She had forgotten how structured Dehvess could be. “Is that chaos energy Jahnah put in you already wearing off?”

“The moment Jahnah introduces any such energies to my system or I introduce order to hers it begins to degrade.”

“I mean has it already seriously degraded?”

“No. For the most part the energies she put me are the same as before she left. Is something the matter?”

“She didn’t put much into you did she?”

“No.” Dehvess didn’t bother trying to figure out why Annette was asking him these questions about his mental state. The thoughts didn’t even begin to cross the order mage’s mind as in his current state he didn’t have the imagination to consider them.

“Okay. I want to work on my ability to sense life force as I already said but I also want try to refine my ability to resist magic.”

“And by sense life force would you like to practice identification of the energy or just where it is?”

“I would like to work on identification and location.”

“Okay. Now for the resistance to magic is there a particular type of magic you want to learn to resist more effectively or do you want to work on it as a whole?”

“I need to refine my resistance as a whole.”

“So you want to work on developing your ability to locate life force and recognize familiar energy patterns you also want to further develop your resistance to magic and these are the only things you want to work on. Is that correct?”

Annette knew that Dehvess was just making sure that he had the information down correctly. It was a habit he had developed while studying order magic. In order to avoid communication he always asked follow up questions to insure that he had not miss heard anyone. It tended to make conversations longer then they needed to be and could grow tiresome but it did help him with his job. “Yeah that is right.”

“Do you want to begin as soon as possible?”

“Yes I would like to start as soon as possible.”

“How much are you looking to improve your life force detection and magic resistance?”

“As much as I can before Maxwell returns.”

“Does that mean you don’t have a set amount but would like to be taught intensively?”

“Yes.” As the questioning continued Annette braced herself. She knew that Dehvess wouldn’t be willing to assume anything with the limited amount of chaos within his system he simply didn’t have the mind set to do so at the moment.

End chapter 2

Warning this story contains adult content so if you’re a minor don’t read it or if adult content involving sex, violence or super powerful women offends you don’t read it either. This story was written with input from Supernaught whose real name I haven’t inquired about.

The author namely me can be emailed or contacted on yahoo messenger at: happiest_in_shadows@yahoo.com . Reviews are welcome


Hellik could hardly believe what he was feeling as a massive wave of life energy surged throughout the entire complex. He could feel various scrapes cuts and even old scars mending themselves entirely and as he looked around at his fellow Luvarians he could tell that they were feeling the exact same thing. He started to approach the source of the energy but he remembered to the warning to stay away from the source.

What he was experiencing at the moment was only the wind off the fist. He gave a slight jump when he felt something brush against him and looked down at his staff. His eyes widened in ancient shock as he felt the ancient wood once again coming to life. Limbs began to sprout from the bit of tree and what he had felt had been a few leaves from one of the limbs brushing against him.

“There you go she is stable now.”

“Thank you Amalmay we would have lost here if it hadn’t been for you.”

Instead of responding right away Amalmay ran her hand over the outside of the massive tank that was currently before her. “You’ve made good use of those notes that I gave you. I didn’t actually believe you would be able to try something this advanced.”

“Well we would have lost here if you hadn’t agreed to come and help us once again.”

The half-drow woman finally turned her attention away from the tank and looked towards Hellik. “This is more advanced then what I would have recommended trying.”

Hellik blinked for a moment somewhat perplexed by her words. “But you just said you were impressed.”

Amalmay gave a slight giggle and turned her head to the side. “I am. Do you want to know what impressed me about it?”

Hellik was quick to nod his head. “Yes. I would be quite grateful.”

“I am impressed that you were actually able to grow a golem. There is a huge difference between a golem that has been crafted of clay and a composite golem. What is the most complex golem you were able to make up until this point?”

“That would be the.”

“Not the name. Just tell me what it was made from.”

“The internal body is made out of sand; the middle shell is made from steel while the outer is made of stone.”

“I believed that the notes I gave you would only enable you to better fuse materials together and make a more refined composite golem. Instead you expand upon the concept and actually manage to create an organic life form.”

“Then what is wrong with our current project?”

“You shouldn’t have tried for a humanoid creation so early. I find it highly doubtful that you’ll get the results that you intend.”

“What would you have suggested then?”

“Well for one thing something that didn’t take so long to grow. It is going to take several more years for this one to be born.”

Hellik couldn’t help himself. “What do you mean born?”

Amalmay gave Hellik a grin that he wasn’t sure he wanted to see. “I mean just what I said. Of course you intended for her to be alive didn’t you?”

“Yes. I don’t see what could go wrong though. We planned her design very careful.”

“Did you now?”

Hellik knew that Amalmay knew far more about the creation of golems then the entire guild put together. However, he had over seen the plans to create the golem himself and had every calculation checked numerous times. “Did you since something that we aren’t aware of?”

Amalmay gave a slight shrug. “Be careful not to destabilize the womb. I mean tank again.”

Hellik started to respond however he didn’t get the chance as a he felt a brief moment of heat and then Amalmay had vanished from the spot. For a moment he was stunned he knew that the sorceress was quite powerful and skilled but to teleport without even speaking a word was hard to believe. At least he knew better then to send anyone to pester her for answers. If she had wanted to answer his question she would have done so then and to press the issue would only annoy her.

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A few years had passed since Hellik had last spoken with Amalmay about the creation of the golem but despite the time he found himself remembering the brief conversation. How could he not? The golem’s body had finally fully formed and now the only thing was to remove her from the chamber and see what they had.

“Dry the tank out.” The sound of valves that hadn’t been opened since they were installed being turned echoed throughout the room and he heard the sound of flowing liquid. Turning to his side Hellik watched what had once had been life and magic carrying fluids emptying from the tank.

Over the years the liquids had went through quite a change. Once a mixture of green, blues and reds they now came out as a rather chalky looking compound. The substance was on top of being unpleasant to look at exceptionally dangerous. The energies that had once composed them had been drained out and used to nourish the life growing inside the tank. Now instead of giving life the compound would suck magic and life energy out of whatever it could.

Things got worse if the substance was to come in contact with animal life including those humans that didn’t have the strength to resist its effect or were overwhelmed. The creature that it came in contact with would first have all its life energy sucked right out of it and whatever magic energy the substance could get. After which there was a chance the person would raise again as a form of undead that even Hellik didn’t care for.

The abominations of the substance created couldn’t be controlled by any means the Luvarians had ever heard of or developed themselves. They were utterly useless prone to attacking even necromancers and other more valuable undead. Even low price golems could be stripped of the mystic energies that animated them.

The substance had to be carefully disposed of. These thoughts only gave me a greater appreciation for what they had achieved. The golem had held every last bit of the energy the chemicals had provided while it was growing.

“Okay now. Open the tank.”

A rush of excitement went through everyone in the room as they watched the heavy doors begin to open. The metal was a form of highly magic resistant iron meant to contain what had been growing inside. However, for such a large container the form inside was relatively small. “Come out.”

The room was silent all except for the sound of foot steps coming from within the tank. What stepped forward could have been mistaken for an Amazon or Valkyrie. Her entire body appeared to be exceptionally fit while her red hair reached down past her waste. She stood at least two meters tall and with arms and legs that looked as if they could take a grown man’s head off she was quite an imposing figure.

Hellik had to contain himself as the thoughts of the conversation with Amalmay almost made him laugh. He had been so worried that something would go wrong however as he looked upon the feminine figure he felt confident they had succeeded despite the warning. Of course tests had to be conducted first.

Hellik took a few steps closer to the golem but didn’t come within arms length. The first test was a very simple one. “Who am I?”

The woman looked at Hellik for only a moment before respond. “You’re my master.”

Hellik couldn’t hide his surprise. While they had given a fair amount of thought to the golem’s humanoid structure they hadn’t really considered her voice. So he was quite surprised when her voice came off as soft and sweet as any he had heard before though lacking in emotion. “I believe that is time to start the test and see just how well she came out.”

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“I prefer red it goes with her hair.”

“I think we should call her blue for the time being. I mean look at those eyes.”

Both mages turned to look at the humanoid that had been instructed to research. It had actually been a bit of a surprise when they learned the golem didn’t have any class name so the mages to be conducting the research had spent the last twenty minutes arguing over what she should be called until the higher up guild members settled on an official title.

“You two can argue about that later. We need to get to work so we can find out if she came out as planned.”

The two mages both looked at their college for a moment. Clearly they didn’t appreciate their conversation being interrupted. “What is the first test?”

“We’re supposed to give her a physical.” The two bickering mages instantly forgot their annoyance with their college and were quite ready to work a few moments later.

“I have got to say this is pretty strange.”

“What is?”

Looking up the researcher touched the Annette’s chest just over her heart. “This is the first golem I have ever encountered that has a heartbeat.”

“Well from what I was told her body is entirely alive and modeled after a human’s.”

“So does she eat?”

“If you want her at full strength she needs to. If not then energy normally used for other things has to be devoted to keep her body alive.”

“Well that seems like a waste. What gave them the bright idea to make a golem that needs to eat to use its full strength? What makes her worth all the trouble?”

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Hellik carefully looked over the initial evaluation of the golem which the staff had taken to calling red after much debate.

“The golem now known as red seems to have the physical attributes we were attempting to achieve. Her skin has the strength of most high quality chain mail and while this is less protection then most golem armors she does not have the insufferable vulnerability to blunt trauma.

We have so far found that she can wield a one handed weapon with a mass of sixty kilograms effectively and can wield a two handed weapon of one hundred and forty kilograms.

Her eyes sight and other senses are easily on par with that of the most members of the fairy races and her reaction time is even quicker then expected.

She does not suffer from the general slow movement rate of less well made golems and her running speed has been clocked at seventy kilometers per hour.

Her physical capabilities are well within what we had hoped to achieve putting her far above or on par with most species in every area.”

Hellik flipped back a few pages of the report to take a look at the actual test data. After reading over it for a few moments he continued with the conclusion.

“There are a few areas of moderate concern though. It seems that having a truly living body has made red far more vulnerable to magic attacks then we had anticipated. We haven’t been able to understand just what caused her to be vulnerable in this respect however I assure you that her resistance to such assaults is still quite exceptional.

Further more it has been surmised that this may actually prove to be an advantage as while it does mean she can be effect by magic more easily then other golems she can also receive magic benefits more easily as well.

A second area of some concern come from the golem’s to actually eat in order to be at full strength. We have calculated that her effectiveness in combat declines by thirty percent when at the point of starvation. This still leaves her quite formidable in combat. This is once again considered to be a fairly minor concern and not to be a major weak point.

There is however two major points of concern one of which may be easily fixed while the other we are not certain of.

As far as raw combative abilities red has plenty however her attacks are unrefined. Given that she has limited durability it would be beneficial if she received some type of combat training. However, the usual methods don’t seem work on her given her unique make up so we need to bring in an instructor to train her.

The final concern is that her organic design requires that she sleeps or at least isn’t made to be very active for a few hours. The time she actually needs to sleep seems to be fairly limited however we found that over a few days without any sleep her capabilities begin to suffer.”

Hellik put the report down once again. He knew of a few skilled warriors which would be willing to train her for a price. The fact that she needed to sleep was indeed of some concern but as the report mentioned there may not be a way to fix such a problem.

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It had been a few weeks and once again Hellik found himself holding a status report on Annette. As he flipped through the pages he skipped those sections dealing with the raw physical performance and into the studies they didn’t have time to conduct before hand.

“It has been found that like all organic life forms red is vulnerable to certain forms of toxins. This conclusion was reached by introducing various amounts of toxins to her system both enchanted and not. It was found that her resistance to purely natural toxins was far greater then her resistance to those that aren’t.

It was also concluded that while she isn’t entirely immune to toxins she is exceptionally resistant and it seems that resistance goes up. We found after several applications of numerous toxins that each time it required more then the previous in order to make her ill and while we can’t speak for all toxins it was concluded that over time she would become immune after encountering the toxin enough.

We recently began to test how quickly red was capable of healing from various injuries. As was expected she healed at a rate far quicker then most creatures found in the natural world.”

Hellik couldn’t help but smile as she considered this news. The vast majority of golems weren’t capable of healing themselves and if damaged were absolute nightmares to repair. Closing his eyes the arch mage had to admit that in all honesty the Luvarians hadn’t developed a golem that could truly heal itself until red’s appearance. Those that were said to be able to heal themselves could only do so in a very limited fashion which requires the damage to be relatively minimal.

This of course meant that no matter how many golems you had they would eventually need to be replaced. It could take hundreds of years but eventually they would be chipped down. The main reason for making composite golems was to make them easier to repair so long as their outer layers weren’t damaged to badly. Red on the other hand would recover from any damage received on her own if given enough time.

It seemed that Amalmay had been wrong about their calculations. So far red had preformed exactly as planned.

**********************************************************************

Hellik could feel the color draining from his face as he looked at the most recent report. It had been over nine months now since they had taken the golem now known as red out of her tank. In nearly every area she had performed perfectly however there was one crucial point that the experiment had hinged on one which would make it financially viable.

Once again he turned his eyes to the report.

“It seems that red is incapable of duplicating herself as previously planned.”

Hellik read the one line and closed the report. Growing red had taken several years to accomplish which was far too long to make even a golem as useful as her a viable model to sell. They had planned for this though and actually given her the ability to give birth. They even went as far to give her an entirely human autonomy. She should have been able to birth children which would grow to become perfect duplicates of her once every 9 months without the need of another of her kind to mate with.

The idea was to have her birth at least ten children which they would keep. Then from there they would sell the others that they gave birth to after making them unable to duplicate themselves. Now it seemed as if all that had gone up in a moment. Once again Hellik opened the papers.

“Despite our previous calculations all of our test indicate that red is not capable of giving to birth to even a degraded form of her.”

Hellik knew those that he had put in charge of researching Annette were skilled mages and he trusted their work. Despite this he slowly flipped back in the document and began to read their research methods and findings.

It took several hours of reading the documents but at last Hellik stood up from his desk and walked over to his window. Looking up at the sky he realized that he had read and reread the document so many times that it was now night. “Damn she was expensive to make.”

***********************************************************************

Three years had passed since Red’s creation and Hellik had calmed down quite a bit. Their plans might have fallen through but the guild was still developing new types of golems and making a profit. He had taken Amalmay’s advice and settled for less complex creations then red. The guild still invested extensive time and money into researching living golems but they worked with simpler ones now.

The sound of someone knocking on the door disturbed his train of thought a moment later. “Sir Hellik?”

“Yes come in.”

One of the guilds lower ranked mages entered the room carrying a report with him. “Sir Hellik I have a report for you.”

Hellik glanced down at the heavy stack of papers. The research teams were due to turn in some reports. “So what is the report about?”

“It is about Red sir.”

Hellik’s eyes visible widened as he heard the news. They had continued to research red in an attempt to find out what had went wrong with the experiment. It was fortunate that the golem’s resistance to magic wasn’t absolute or too strong since it meant they didn’t have to take her apart to study her. “Have they found something? I haven’t seen a report this long from them in years.”

“I don’t know sir.”

Hellik gave his head a quick shake. He had forgotten for a moment that the young mage wasn’t actually on any of the research projects. “Let me see the report.”

The mage wasted no time in handing his guild leader the report.

“Thank you. You are excused.” Hellik didn’t give the mage another thought as he walked over to his desk and set the report down.

As he opened the report Hellik went strait to the conclusions. He didn’t know exactly what had been found by on some level hoped it would tell them what they had done wrong. Though he didn’t have any hopes of fixing red.

“Sir Hellik. Things have changed in regard to Red though I fear not in the way you were hoping. We have yet to discover why Red is incapable of duplicating. We haven’t found a way to give her any abilities that we had intended she have but she came out missing.

What we have found is that she has traits that we never expected or had any indication that she would have. Also other attributes have begun to show a significant improvement.”

Hellik had to stop reading the report for a moment. Amalmay has told him that red would most likely developed in ways that he didn’t expect or at least she had hinted at it. He had assumed she had meant her ability to duplicate herself but now he was beginning to understand that her words carried more wait then he had come to believe.

“How is this possible? Could she have done something?” Hellik quickly shook his head. He knew better then to suspect her. After all she had given them some of her notes in order to help them out. Had she wanted to harm them she could have done a lot worse. Opening the report back up he began to read once again.

“First I would like to address the favorable traits we have noticed.

The first would be a decrease in the amount red needs to sleep in order to function properly. We have found that she needs thirty minutes less sleep in order to recover completely then what she did whenever we first began testing. Some how over time her body has improved it’s over all efficiency so that it does not require as much rest.

The second improvement would be a decrease in the amount of food she actually needs to eat to remain at full strength. We suspect that whatever caused her to require less sleep has something to do with as well. I should mention though that the volume of food she eats has gone up the relative percentage to her weight has gone down though.

The third improvement that we noticed would be an improvement in her over all strength. This was discovered when we decided to use Red to test a serious of new golems. We equipped her with a heavy two handed weapon intentionally selecting one that would be too heavy for human use. After being ordered to attack the golems though Red proceeded to wield the weapon with only one hand.

We calculated that red has more then doubled her strength since her completion. This makes the fact that she needs to eat and sleep less even more confusing since a power increase shouldn’t have resulted in a need for greater amounts of energy.

The final change that we have noticed so far is Red’s over all has increased. She now stands fifteen centimeters taller then at the beginning. After talking with several of my fellow researcher it seems that this has been going on for quite some time as they noticed her clothes had began to look tighter.

We will continue to evaluate Red and attempt to find out what is happening unless informed we are to do other wise.”

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“Sir Hellik I regret to inform you that studying Red has become more difficult over these past weeks. There has been a very noticeable increase in Red’s resistance to magic and this includes those spells we use to examine her.

Her physical trend as continued in much the same way as our last report however we have noticed something rather interesting.

Red has begun to show signs of emotions. During one of our test Red broke with her standard attack pattern after one of our defensive golems was able to last over thirty minutes with her. Her attacks became more powerful but less refined and she was actually hit.

She has taken damage in previous battles however this time she didn’t simply continue her assault in the same emotionless state as always. Instead she flew into a rage and seemed to forget all of her training however her combative style wasn’t the same as when she was first made either. It was far more passionate and brutal.

What made this even stranger is that she began to yell. Up until that point she had only spoken when spoken to and the best we could get out of her during a fight was a grunt. During the test we attempted to read Red and found that indeed she was given off all the signs both physical and mystical of raw rage.

We have no idea what is going on Sir.”

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Hellik had ordered them to continue their studies of Red to see just what was going on. Now just over a week later he found himself looking at another report.

“It has been found that Red is no longer remaining stationary after her testing is done. Indeed she has been moving around the room and examining various items. She hasn’t done anything to make us believe this is a hostile action or that she seeks to leave.

The closest thing we can liken this to is curiosity. We have found however that if ordered to do so Red will wait in anyone spot for however long the order was for or until she is ordered by another member of the guild with sufficient authority to move. She only begins to wonder whenever she has no direct order not to do so.

In accordance with advice from the guild’s necromancers and elemental users we have halted certain test that Red may find objectionable. We have also begun placing various items in her room to see those of which she pays the most attention to. As of this time we haven’t gathered enough data to say anything conclusive.”

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“So Red did this?” Hellik glanced at the mages broken arm. It had been broken in two separate places allegedly whenever Red had taken hold of it with one of her hands and moved the section of bone she was holding at an angle.

“Yes Sir.”

Hellik glanced at the mage with the broken arm, at the researcher and then at the golem girl herself. At first he was going to ask the researcher what happened but quickly changed his mind and walked over to red. “Why did you break this man’s arm?”

“He tried to take it away from me.”

“Tried to take what away from you?”

“A..” The researcher started to speak but was quickly silenced by a still tongue spell from Hellik

“He tried to take my armor away from me.”

“Do you mean that armor?” Hellik pointed to a corner of the room were a crimson suit of full plate armor was currently wresting. As Red was capable of wearing such armor they had been allowing her to wear a suit of it. It had been a surprise to everyone when they found it had been painted red when they forget a can of paint in the room.

“Yes.”

“So you were protecting what belongs to you?”

“Yes.”

Hellik grew silent for a moment as he considered his next question. “What makes that armor yours?”

“They said it was mine after I colored it.” Red pointed to a few of the researchers.

Hellik glanced at them for a moment. “Is this true?”

“Yes sir. We didn’t say it directly to her but after she painted it we figured it could be hers and we allowed her to keep it in her room.”

Hellik stood up and walked over to the armor. “Would you attack me if I tried to take it away from you?”

“No sir.”

“Why is that?”

“You have the authority for such things.”

Hellik glanced over at the assistant. “And he didn’t?”

“No.”

“You have never been ordered to obey members of the guild with ranks as low as his have you?”

“No.”

“What is your rank?”

Red grew silent for a few moments as she considered the question. This act alone was fairly surprising. “I am unable to answer.”

“Why is that?”

“I have no authority to command but not everyone has authority to command things of me. Unless I have been given an order then I have the same authority as the one that gave the order while acting upon it.”

Hellik gave Red a pat on the shoulder. “That is a good girl.”

************************************************************************

Hellik smiled as he looked down at the guilds newest member. She was currently standing in the training yard sparring with a few golems that had been officially listed as unfit for sell and thus rejects. It was a pretty beneficial way to get rid of them. Instead of just pounding the golems back to powder she could train by fighting them. “So how is she doing?”

“She is doing well. Her personality is coming along nicely.”

“I wonder when she truly developed a will of her own.”

“It is hard to say sir. She could have had it from the start but it took a while for her to gather enough information to express it.”

“Has she chosen a name for herself?”

“Yes she has.”

“What is it?”

“She likes the name Annette.”

************************************************************************

Hellik gave the papers setting in front of him a light pat. It had been over a decade now though just barely since Annette had made herself known inside the body of what was meant to be a mindless golem. Amalmay was right about the result not being what had been intended but over all he was happy with the results. “So Annette is going to be staying with us for a while?”

“Yes Sir. She fears that there is going to be trouble at her home and wants to prepare for it.”

“So she is finally ready to start learning to use more then just her base abilities?”

“That seems to be the case.”

“Since you saw fit to inform me I imagine that there is more to it then just a member of the guild wanting lessons.”

“Yes Sir. Dehvess informed us that he would like any information on jobs that would help Annette develop her abilities given over to him.”

“Is she going to be charging us?”

“Yes but as the guild is doing her a favor she says she just wants seventy five percent of what the guild would normally pay someone else to do the job.”

Hellik couldn’t help but chuckle. “I swear maybe we shouldn’t have started charging her for room and bored so soon after she became self aware? Then perhaps she wouldn’t be charging us now. Still, it will be good to have her on active service once again. Have any jobs that would suit Annette or help her develop her skills more sent to Dehvess. He and Jahnah can decide if Annette gets the job or not.”

“Sir I didn’t make any mention of Jahnah.”

“She’ll be there. Her bond to Dehvess seems to be the only thing that can contain her wonder lust.”

************************************************************************

As the teleportation spell was finished a wave of energy ran throughout the entire building. Vials that were being heated as well as cooking items began to boil with more vigor, the building seemed to sway slightly and several minds were lit for but a moment with both improved creativity and decreased focus.

Dehvess looked towards the main teleportation chamber. He didn’t actually need to see her to know that she had arrived. The order which his energy imposed on the structure and people within it was so close to perfectly counter acted by the chaos of the towers newest arrival that he knew who it had to be. The only thing that kept it from being a perfect balancing act was the distance between the two.

Those within the tower both looked upon Jahnah with fear and curiosity. This wasn’t just because of what they heard about her but it was the chaos that made up so much of her being. As humans are drawn to the chaos of a fire but fear its touch so did everyone that saw her respond to her. Their moods switched between fear and curiosity as quickly as any fire may change direction with a gust of the wind.

Her hair was never strait no matter how often one brushed it and indeed it didn’t seem to ever settle. Instead with every moment strands seemed to shift, to curl and uncurl appearing as waves on a turbulent sea. Her clothing underwent the same shift effect as everyone that was not of a solid color seemed to move and flow.

It was all too easy for Dehvess to feel Jahnah’s approach however he couldn’t do anything to predict when she would arrive. Just as it was impossible to truly hope that he would arrive sooner then expected or later it was impossible to know when she would arrive even when her path was strait.

Annette smiled as she watched Dehvess looking towards the towers. She felt like inquiring what he and Jahnah had been up to but knew not to do that at the current moment. As to do so would result in her receiving a rather lengthy list of every little thing they had done since she last saw them. “Why don’t you go and meet her?”

Dehvess gave a nod. “That would be helpful there is no way of knowing when she is going to get here other wise.”

Annette blinked her eyes as the raven haired figure was suddenly standing beside Dehvess. Looking up she realized that Jahnah must have decided to use a combination of a strengthening spell to bolster her jumping ability and a slow fall spell to take a short cut. It seemed she refused to even allow someone to predict if she would use the stairs to come down or not.

“Hello Jah…”

Dehvess didn’t get a chance to finish as Jahnah placed her hands on his shoulders. Red and black energy flicked from her finger tips for just a moment before a surge of energy began to rush out of her and into him.

It took a moment for Dehvess to realize what was happening as he felt the energy coursing into his body. He was able to move his body some whenever the energy weakened for a moment its chaotic nature making its intensity impossible to predict. As he pressed his hand against Jahnah’s stomach a steady stream of energy began to move through his arm and into her body.

Annette gave a slight giggle. She should have known better then to expect Jahnah to just give a friendly hello. It was true that she was very much capable of such things but to try and predict her behavior in all but the most vital topics was a complete waste of time.

As Dehvess and Jahnah continued to poor energy into one another’s systems Annette made certain to keep her distance. It was fun to watch though as she found herself wondering just who would win this time. She had seen Dehvess and Jahnah play this game before. He would introduce a steady amount of order into her system while her chaotic energy would fluctuate wildly. Do to energy from Jahnah constantly changing intensity levels she could never guess who would win.

Dehvess let out a sigh as he finished pouring energy into Jahnah and withdrew his hand. The look on his face was no longer as static as before. “It is good to see you again.”

Jahnah took a few moments longer as she gained more control of herself. The flow of her hair seemed to decrease as did the movement of the colors on her clothing. Her eyes expressed a greater clarity and unawareness then just moments before. “Okay that is better. I am glad to see you as well.” Leaning forwards Jahnah gave Dehvess a kiss on the cheek. “Now I can remember what I was supposed to tell you.”

Dehvess gave a slight laugh. “What would that be?”

“Hellik wanted me to tell you that a report of job opportunities suited to Annette will be arriving in three days. I’ll be staying here to help with training Annette as well.”

Annette approached the two mages once she was certain they were done swapping energy. “So do you feel better now?”

Dehvess gave a nod. “I feel alive.”

Jahnah glanced up at Annette. “Yeah I am here now. I swear not being able to focus your attention and alternating between extremes of joy, anger, sadness and every other emotion well you feel alive but it is difficult.”

Annette smiled and held her hand out to Jahnah who placed one of her hands on Annette’s finger. “It is good to see you again. How come you never visit me?”

Jahnah let out a sigh. “I have meant to seriously but every time I try to plan my activities my attention gets swept else where. I spent three hours looking at birds last week when I should have been working in the labs.”

A giggle escaped Annette. “Well okay. Hey what about you Dehvess you never visit me either?”

Dehvess couldn’t help but smirk “Do you want to see my year’s schedule?”

Annette quickly waved her hands in the air. “No. No thank you.’

Jahnah gave a giggle and glanced up at Annette. “You have grown quite a lot since I last saw you.”

“Are you sure that I have grown that you haven’t shrunk?”

“I swear if you do that to me when my mind is less focused I will show you some of the more destructive spells I have learned.”

“You mean as soon as you have regained enough of your compose to realize what I did?”

“You do realize that the moment Dehvess introduces enough order into my mind to counter act the chaos I can remember everything that happened to me?”

“Yes I do. Of course that can take a while.”

Jahnah gave a slight chuckle. “That is true. Well then I suppose Dehvess already has you a room prepared?”

“Yeah I actually spent the night.”

Jahnah grew silent for a moment and closed her eyes. After a few moments of organizing her thoughts and sifting through the chaotic fog that use to be her memories she opened her eyes. “DAMIN IT.”

Dehvess couldn’t help but laugh at Jahnah’s out burst. “What is the problem?”

“I was given that message a day ago. I got distracted.”

Annette couldn’t help but giggle. “Well it happens.”

Jahnah gave a nod of her head. “Well then why don’t you show me your room Annette? Oh and Dehvess. Is one of the better chambers empty for me?”

Dehvess gave a quick nod. “Yes. I like to keep one room open for emergencies. Of course I am normally too much of an ass to allow anyone to use a room that is higher then their rank deserves even if it is open.”

Jahnah and Dehvess’s conversation was put on hold whenever Annette placed her hand down next to them. “Would you like to see my room?”

Jahnah gave a quick nod and set down on the side of Annette’s hand. “Come on Dehvess. Let’s see what you think about your decorating skills now.”

Shaking his head Dehvess set down on Annette’s hand and the two of them were lifted into the air by Annette. “Believe me I know what to expect. I have scene my room after you put enough chaos in me to balance me out.”

Annette grinned down at the two mages as they continued to talk and began to walk towards her room. Jahnah and Dehvess were both rather interesting mages as was as she was concerned.

Jahnah was a master of chaos magic and nearly immune to all attacks from that particular school of magic. However, the magic she used came from within her and in order to become a more powerful mage she had strengthened the chaos inside of herself.

This wouldn’t have been a problem but in order to become more capable with chaos magic more quickly she hadn’t learned much order magic to balance it out meaning the chaotic side of her nature far out weighed the order to the point that it not only affected her body but her surroundings.

Dehvess was the polar opposite of Jahnah. The order magic he used had grown so powerful that it had over whelmed the limited amount of chaos that was part of his spirit. In order for either of them to become balanced permanently they would have to develop a high enough master of the opposing ones magic discipline.

In both cases they had serious problems. The over whelming amount of order found with Dehvess drastically weakened any elements of chaos. It had gotten to the point that he had a very limited amount of free will left. There was so little that he had actually ceased to refine his order magic until he had learned enough chaos to balance it out. To go further in order at the moment would strip him of his own free will and leave him a mindless puppet with no initiative of his own and end in a slow death.

Jahnah’s chaos magic on the other hand had over whelmed the vast majority of order to be found within her. She couldn’t focus her mind and her ideas ranged from brilliant to truly idiotic. Her emotions with no order to balance them or tell them where to go were in constant flux. To grow any stronger in chaos without developing the needed amount of order to balance it would result in her burning herself out. Her death would be far quicker then Dehvess’s in such a situation but far more violent.

They were not constantly off balance though. They could temporarily balance themselves out by relying on the other. The magic Dehvess had introduced to Jahnah’s body and spirit would have stripped most people of their will but given the over whelming amount of chaos inside of her it had only allowed her to take control of herself and stabilized her mind and spirit.

As for the energy Jahnah had put into Dehvess it would have left most people entirely insane. Incapable of holding a thought and with constantly changing emotions it wouldn’t be long before then burned out. In his case though it only energized him and restored his freewill to a more natural level.

“I see that you tried to anticipate her needs.” Jahnah gave a slight giggle when Annette opened the door to the empty storage area. What was to be seen was a massive makeshift bed, a support structure which would have once been used to hold a massive six meter tall golem had been converted into a chair for her. A few other locations had been cleared for her clothing and then nothing else but open space.

Dehvess hung his head low for a moment. “I swear you would think that even in my purely order state I would be able to factor in the physiological needs of others. Even if it doesn’t apply to me when I am like that I should be able to analyze a situation and take appropriate action for the subject’s emotional state.

There was a brief flash of energy as Jahnah placed her hand on Dehvess’s shoulder and sent another wave of chaos flowing into him. “You were getting overly analytical.” With that the woman hopped down from Annette’s hand. The spell that she had used to endure the jump from the top of the tower was still in effect so the landing was gentle.

Glancing up at Annette Dehvess had to wonder. “Why did you tell me you could use some more life in the room?”

“To be honest I really didn’t feel like having to go through another evaluation and I knew she’d be along before to long to liven you up.”

Jahnah didn’t take long to decide that she didn’t like the complete lack of color in the room. “Annette if you’re going to be staying here we are going to have to get you some better things. I assume Dehvess already has a better bed underway.”

Dehvess took a moment to clear his throat. “Actually, I factored in how much it takes to make Annette uncomfortable and resolved that more cushioning then what was already there would be a waste of materials.”

An amused giggle came from both women as Annette set Dehvess down. Jahnah then turned to the two. “Well I can’t be too hard on you. I would have either crammed the room so full of things she didn’t need that she couldn’t actually move in or forgot to have the room prepared in the first place.

“Well hopefully now that you two are more balanced I can get this room spruced up a bit.”

Dehvess gave a nod. “Sure. I’ll go and have that taken care of now. Jahnah, Annette and I were just about to begin her lessons. Why don’t you two go ahead and get started?”

“Are you certain? I don’t know the lesson plan after all.”

“My original lesson planned called for testing Annette in multiple areas to see where she needed help. Many of which I assumed that you already mastered but felt it would be best t make sure.”

“Oh and now you believe that would be a waste of time?”

“It is amazing how much freewill shortens one’s patience.”

************************************************************************

“So where are we going to start?”

Jahnah smiled up at Annette while riding on her shoulder. “That really depends on you. What did you come to work on?”

“I came to work on my magic resistance as well as my senses. It would also be nice if I could improve physically.”

“What do you mean work on your senses?”

“I mean my ability to see mystic energy I would also like to learn to recognize life forces.”

“Oh you want to work on your abilities as a golem then?”

“Yeah, why do you have that look on your face?”

“Do you want the accelerated program?”

“Tell me why you have that look on your face first.”

Jahnah gave an amused giggle. “What is the matter? You know my loyalties hold true even in my more chaotic state.”

“I know but I also know you can do some pretty darn rotten things while being loyal. Now tell me why you gave me that look.”

“Well okay. As you know one way we helped to make you resistant to toxins is by introducing a limited amount to your system periodically. Though it is a good thing you don’t actually remember what this process was like.”

“I imagine that it was quite painful so yeah I am glad I can’t remember it.”

“Your magic resistance works in much the same way. The quickest way to improve it is to constantly use magic attacks that harm you until you develop enough to resist them. Of course they are other methods but the attacks don’t have to be injury causing they just have to cause distress.”

Annette blinked her eyes for a moment. “YOU ARE NOT CASTING PAIN ON ME OR ANY VARIATION THERE OF.”

Jahnah was nearly blown of Annette’s shoulder by the power of her voice and the sudden action of turning her head. Jahnah burst into a fit of giggles almost the moment the words had left Annette’s mouth.

A blush lit up Annette’s face as she realized that more then likely everyone within a few miles had her shout. She would have wondered how Jahnah avoided having her ears drums burst but at the moment she was too much in shock. “I swear I thought Dehvess had made you sane.”

“Helping me to control my emotions and focusing my mind doesn’t necessarily make me sane you know?”

“Do you seriously want to try using spells meant to torture people without doing damage on me?”

“Well it would be the quickest way to help you develop and such spells are one of my strong points.”

“I’d sooner stand around and let someone hit me with lightning spells. They aren’t as painful.”

“Well of course they aren’t. A lightning spell does damage primarily pain is just a side effect. Spells meant to torture do no physical damage but instead devote all their energy to suffering.”

“You’re about immune to pain aren’t you?”

“Well yes I am. Even my senses are affected by my magic when I lose too much order. I can be feeling utter bliss at one moment and then it will feel as if my entire body had been lit on fire.”

Annette shook her head. “Well I still am not going to let you cast any spells meant to torture people on me. My body heals much more quickly then my mind after all.”

“Oh very well but you could learn to handle pain better as well.”

“It isn’t going to happen.”

“So do you want to work purely on endurance or do you wish to try and evade attacks as well?”

A shudder ran through Annette just before she gave her answer. “As much as I don’t like the idea of it I want to focus on endurance. So I won’t be trying to evade.”

“Well then this should be far enough out since I won’t need to use any spells that affect the surrounding area.”

“So you are going to stick with spells that focus on a single target?”

“Of course you can just set me down over there. The leap spell I used earlier has worn off.”

Annette gave a nod and proceeded to remove Jahnah from her shoulder. Walking a few more paces she deposited the mage atop a near by rock and proceeded to step away. “Okay what are we going to begin with?”

“Let’s start with the elements since they are what you are most likely to encounter. That and to be honest I would prefer if Dehvess was here before we began to use the truly dangerous spells.”

“Okay. Well I can’t dodge so here I am.”

Jahnah gave a slight giggle. “I hope I don’t make you regret that comment about how quickly your body heals.”

“You know you’re not supposed to try and kill me.”

“Don’t worry I won’t.”

A sigh escaped Annette and she braced herself. As she watched Jahnah extending a hand towards her she tried to guess just what she was going to be hit with first. “More then likely it is going to be either wind or fire magic. She knows that water and earth allow one to rely on their body’s endurance as well as magic resistance more then any other magic.”

The grass around the stone Jahnah was setting upon began to shrivel up as all the moisture was removed from within them. The air seemed to heat up as a few wisp of steam seemed to be visible radiating from the ground.

Annette recognized the type energy that moved towards her. A rush of steam formed around Annette as all the moisture that was upon her skin and on the surrounding ground was stripped from the spot however there was a total lack of heat.

“How was that?”

“You just used a water spell to strip the moisture from the air and ground around me. You also took as much moisture from me as possible.”

“Okay let’s try something more complex now.”

A shiver ran up Annette’s spine. She would continue to try and guess what Jahnah was going to use next but doubted she would have much success after the first guess had proven so very wrong.

***********************************************************************

“Annette what happened to you?” Dehvess blinked his eyes a few times as he watched a rather exhausted looking Annette carrying a rather smug looking Jahnah approaching.

Annette raised her finger and pointed right at Jahnah. “Sadistic bitch.”

It was silent for only a moment before Dehvess began to shake with laughter. “You mean you forgot that?”

Jahnah gave a giggle. “I prefer to think of myself as an inventive teacher.”

Annette grumbled under her breath as she lifted Jahnah from her shoulder and set her on the ground right in front of Dehvess. “I really need to go wrest now.”

As Annette walked away Dehvess turned to Jahnah. “So how did she do?”

“I believe she did very well. Do you believe that you could stand there limiting yourself to only shielding spells and survive a few hours worth attacks from me.”

“Um no.”

Jahnah stretched her arms above her head. “Of course now I am kind of drained myself.”

Annette didn’t have the energy to appreciate the changes that had been made to her accommodations while she was away. Instead she proceeded over to her bed and proceeded to allow herself to fall into it. The force of the impact seemed to cause the entire surrounding structure vibrate. It was fortunate that in his more order aligned state Dehvess had planned for such an event so the bed held despite the impact.

Moments later she rolled onto her back. Numerous burns, cuts and bruises covered the front of her body. A long sigh escaped Annette’s lips and she closed her eyes. She normally wouldn’t be going to sleep so earlier but at the moment all she wanted to do was lose consciousness.

************************************************************************

“So how are you feeling?”

Annette glanced down at Dehvess as he approached her. It only took a moment for her to confirm that the chaos Jahnah had put into his system was still there and allowing him to function normally. “I’ve healed up.”

“That is good. I have decided that it would be best if Jahnah continued training you in magic resistance.”

It took a moment but Annette’s mouth slowly opened up it took a few moments later for her to pronounce a word. “Why?”

“Well in my original plan I was going to be the one training you but I realized last night that Jahnah is the better suited to the task. She will do a better job then I would of preparing you for a wide variety of spells. I on the other hand will help you with your resistance against defensive spells.”

“What do you mean by defensive resistance?”

“Magic should be less effective on you then normal all around. A magic barrier should not have any more effect upon you then an attack.”

Annette glanced around the room for a moment as if searching for someone after doing this for a moment she once again turned her attention to Dehvess. “Could we work on that today?”

Dehvess blinked a few times. “What did Jahnah do to you yesterday?”

“Well I wouldn’t let her use spells meant to torture people on me. So she alternated her spells so that I never knew what was going to hit me next. I couldn’t prepare myself mentally for any one attack.”

“Ah. That is actually quite smart. That way she is preparing you for any circumstance instead of one.”

A long sigh escaped Annette and she stretched her arms above her head. “Well that is what I came here for. So when does Jahnah want to begin today’s torture session?”

“She would like to begin thirty minutes after you have finished eating.”

“So you don’t have a specific time planned?”

“Well agreeing to start thirty minutes after you have finished eating breakfast was the most concrete time period I could get her to agree to. Four hours after your first lesson she wants to stop for lunch and a short brake.”

“You mean this is going to be an all day thing?”

“She would like to expend at least eight hours of the day better preparing you against magical attacks.”

“How long do you believe this should go on?”

“For however lone it takes you to achieve the level of resistance you desire of course.”

Annette’s eyes drifted shut for a moment and she took in a long breath of air. “Okay I am going to finish up by soup and then head outside. Once thirty minutes are up send Jahnah out and she can get started.”

************************************************************************

“What are you carrying?” Annette glanced down towards Jahnah and in particular her right hand.

“Well yesterday you tired me out. I don’t believe I have enough energy to keep this up all day relying purely on myself so I brought a little assistance.”

“Just what is a little?”

Holding her hand above her head Jahnah revealed a rather large red jewel. “It is just a little stone.”

Annette took a moment to examine the jewel that Jahnah was holding up for her inspection. “That is an essence gem.”

“It just provides a little extra energy. You know a little pick me up.”

Annette started to grumble but reminded herself that she was the one that wanted this. Of course the little pick me up that Jahnah was speaking of was enough to power a golem indefinitely.

“Are you truly committed to this Annette? I know your body improves quickly but you need to decide what level you want to reach and to tough it out.”

“Yeah I am positive. There is something more important to me then my temporary comfort to gain and things I need to be able to protect.”

For a moment Jahnah looked sympathetic at least until she began to draw energy from the gem. At least Annette knew she wouldn’t be able to go non stop even with the essence gem backing her up. Essence gems never ran out of energy but they could only produce so much so fast. “Just remember that you get a brake today.”

“What type of golem did you take that from?”

“It was just a six meter tall, composite siege golem.”

Annette would have commented on this if a lightning attack hadn’t shot forth from Jahnah and slammed into her. The pain caused Annette to wince and she took a moment to steady herself. “Well that one was weak.”

Jahnah raised and eye brow as Annette seemed to be provoking her to use stronger attacks. An amused giggle issued forth from the mage and she resolved to show Annette something a little more impressive for the next spell.

Dehvess quickly turned his head in Annette’s and Jahnah’s direction. A flash of light had just illuminated not just the training area but for a moment had flooded every window of the guildhall with enough light to make anyone that happened to be looking in that direction see spots.

“You hurt my eyes.” As Annette spoke she didn’t have to look to tell that certain metallic parts of her clothing were beginning to melt.

************************************************************************

“Hi what are you two doing?” Annette grinned as she peeked in through the library window to find Jahnah and Dehvess.

Jahnah smiled up at Annette. “Dehvess is reading over some of my old notes on chaos and trying to learn there exact application. I on the other hand am studying his work with chaos and seeing if I accept it.”

“What do you mean by accept it?”

“It’s hard for me to retain order magic while it is hard for him to retain chaos. The laws and energies we have already accepted as part of our being attempt to reject them on some level. I guess I could explain it like this. When most people try to learn order magic they are basically taming a stream however due to my heavy experimentation and development with chaos I am trying to tame a raging river.”

Annette gave a slight giggle. “Well I get the metaphor. I was hoping I could speak with you two outside. Would you mind coming here?”

Dehvess gave a nod and stood up. “Sure.”

It took a few moments for the stunned expression to wear off Annette’s face. She had expected Dehvess to point out that her talking through the window worked just as well as them coming to her. So it was surprising when it was only a short while later and Jahnah and Dehvess were standing in her hand.

Jahnah didn’t look at Annette’s face right away. Instead she over looked her body searching for any injuries. “You heal quickly that is certain.”

“Yeah, I actually wanted to talk to you two about my lessons.”

“What is it?”

“I believe that my offensive resistance is strong enough. I want to try to work on my defensive resistance now. Would you agree?” Annette looked directly at Jahnah.

Jahnah closed her eyes for a moment. “I have been using some very powerful spells against you. Indeed the last few weeks you have forced me to quit relying entirely on the stone’s energy and start using some of my own and the stone’s to make the spells powerful enough to harm you.”

“So would you agree?”

“Whether I agree or not isn’t really the question here. The question is do you believe that is good enough? Of course your magic resistance will continue to improve along with the rest of you.”

Annette frowned for a moment. “Come on you’re the mage. Is that a high enough level of resistance?”

“Is it a high enough level of resistance for what?”

A long sigh escaped Annette. “You’re not going to give me a strait answer are you?”

“I have answered you.”

“Okay you win. I guess there isn’t a truly certain answer to that question or at least none that you would give.”

Jahnah gave an amused giggle. “What did you want to talk about?”

“I believe that is time I moved on to improving my resistance to magic defenses.”

Dehvess gave a slight chuckle. “You know we can continue working on your resistance to magic offense while working on defense. All I would need is Jahnah to help out.”

Nodding her head Jahnah turned to Dehvess. “I would be happy to help you. Is that alright with you Annette or would you like to focus purely on defensive resistance?”

“Working on both is fine though now I am wondering why we didn’t do that from the start.”

“I thought it would be best if you worked with Jahnah and focused on resisting offensive attacks alone for a while. After all they are your primary concern if I am not mistaken.”

“That is true.” Bending down Annette set Jahnah and Dehvess back on the ground. “Well then I’ll let you two get back to your studies. I already had my lesson for today.”

************************************************************************

“Good morning.” Dehvess smiled up at Annette as she approached the two of them.

“Good morning. Hey you two look smaller then I remember.”

“Well you have been growing since you got here.”

Annette gave a slight shrug. “That is true. I guess I finally grew enough to notice the change in perspective.”

“Ah blast it.”

“What is it Dehvess?”

“I should have measured you before the testing actually began. I think I meant to. I would have liked to see if forcing one aspect of your being to improve more quickly then normal would cause the others to improve more quickly or slowly.”

Annette gave a slight giggle. “I believe this is about normal. You look to be half the size you were when I arrived which means I have nearly doubled in height. Given my usual rate of increase that seems right.”

Dehvess gave a nod. “It is a good thing we are starting now. If we had waited to long you might have been able to just use raw force.”

“I don’t know about that one. What are you doing anyway?”

Jahnah took a moment to answer Annette’s question seeing that Dehvess was focused on the task at hand. “Well unlike the attack spells I used against you the defensive spells don’t need to vary as much at least not until you can force you way through them. These glyphs will keep the spell going as long as it is backed by an essence gem or three.”

Annette gave a nod. “Well at least it won’t be as painful as the offensive resistance training.”

“Actually, you’re mistaken on that point. You see those glyphs inside of the main one? Those are a sort of conditional offensive spell.”

“What does it do?”

“Every time you try to free yourself it will hit you with a magic attack.”

“What do you mean free myself?”

Dehvess grinned and stood up. “Well defensive spells take on different forms but they behave similarly whether in a bubble shame or formed into bonds around someone. In fact the bonds are the more difficult to deal with since all the energy is concentrated on a single spot around you.”

“You two just want to practice bondage don’t you?”

Jahnah gave a giggle and looked at Dehvess. “Well he is an order mage. He likes to tie people down. He likes to try and tame chaos.”

Dehvess couldn’t let Jahnah’s comment go unchallenged even while he worked. “Oh and you don’t like to try and bring out the wild side in things?”

“Okay you two need to stop right there. I am suddenly very suspicious that you’re sharing a chamber.”

Dehvess didn’t respond and for a moment dared to hope that Jahnah would be quiet but soon learned other wise. “You would be amazed how much order magic can help with stamina. He seems naturally inclined to move things at a nice slow pace and draw out the experience.”

Annette was silent for a moment but couldn’t help but giggle. “I guess I should expect a chaos mage to be free spirited.”

Dehvess couldn’t help but give a slight groan. “While I am grateful for the complement” Dehvess grew silent for a moment and shook his head. “I am not even going to try.”

Jahnah gave an amused giggle and gave Dehvess a kiss on the cheek. “You and your rules of conduct.”

It took a moment but Dehvess finally grinned. “Well if you two are quite done tormenting me I believe that we are ready.”

Annette started to step back like she had during her offensive training but was stopped by Jahnah. “Hold it. We want this to be as strong as possible so you need to stay near the ruins.”

“Okay.” Taking a few steps forward Annette set down so that the ruins were just outside of leg reach.

“Are you ready?”

“Go ahead Dehvess I am ready.”

Dehvess and Jahnah both stood up. Taking a few steps back each one of them stood on the center of the glyph they would be activating. Annette was fully expecting them to begin chanting but instead she saw the glyph and stones begin to glow. “Okay Annette put your arms and legs together.”

“Okay.” The moment Annette’s wrist and ankles touched she felt a slight rush of energy. “Now what do I do?”

“You try to separate them.”

Annette gave a nod of her head and attempt to move her legs and arms apart. The moment she did she felt a jolt of electrical energy run through her body and felt as if chains were wrapped around her. “I believe the spell worked.”

“Well then now we can begin the lesson. Annette you feel those bonds holding you. Now the purpose of this isn’t to teach you to break them with raw strength it is to teach you to resist the magic all together so that physical ability doesn’t apply. “

“How do I work on that though? All I know is to try my best to pull my legs and arms apart.”

“That is exactly what you are to try to do but you are not permitted to use jerking motions. Indeed you should only use enough force to cause the penalty spell to hurt you.”

“Won’t I just wear down the bonds’ energy?”

“Not with the essence gems maintaining them.”

Annette gave a nod and began to try and separate her arms and legs once again. At first she felt nothing however as soon as she had them a short distance apart there was a slight crackle and a surge of electrical energy began to rush over her. “Okay now what I do.”

“You focus on freeing yourself without using additional physical strength. Just remember what it was like whenever you were resisting Jahnah’s attacks.”

“This is going to take a while.” She hated it whenever mages gave such answers.

************************************************************************

Annette giggled as she made her way through the snare spell. She had done this before but each time it had been a feat of strength now it was nothing more then her own resistance to the spell making her immune to its effects. “How was that?”

Dehvess gave a nod. “That was good Annette. You’re ability to resist defensive spells and traps are coming along nicely.”

“Thanks, but I am still having trouble with those glyphs you set up.”

“At least you don’t have to use as much strength break free now since it is no longer as effective against you.”

“That is true. Why the sudden slow down with the snare spell though?”

“I wanted to show you that you had indeed improved since you began.”

“That you have.”

Annette glanced down at her leg whenever she felt a hand wresting on it above her ankle but no where near her knee. Jahnah was currently standing amongst the snare spell. The chaos mage wasn’t hindered in the least. “You little show off.”

“Come now Annette surely you didn’t expect such a low level spell to be able to affect me?”

“No I didn’t. You don’t have to rub it in though.”

“Actually, I didn’t do this just to rub it in. Dehvess don’t you believe it would help Annette if she had an example to watch?”

“You mean she should observe one of us?”

“Well that would work but I was thinking more along the lines of another golem. Of course it wouldn’t be exactly the same for her.” Jahnah turned her head to the side for a moment. “Of course that doesn’t mean she couldn’t watch us as well.”

Annette gave a slight sigh. “Here I have the body designed to resist magic and you two can do it better then I can.”

“That is the benefit of knowledge. Of course with practice you will greatly surpass either of us. Like you said you’re the one with the body designed for that purpose.”

“Well then how about we get back to the lesson.” Annette started to take a step however as she went to move forward she felt the spell take effect. She had allowed herself to become relaxed and accidentally let the spell take hold of her.

Jahnah giggled for just a moment as she slammed her right hand into her chest. Once she did the entire world seemed to slow down as she accelerated the time around herself allowing herself to act faster. She was standing next to Dehvess before Annette was even half way to the ground.


************************************************************************

A huge grin was on Annette’s face as she slipped the wrist and ankle bands on. Each one of them had a lump within it which she positioned so that it was over her ankles and on the sides of her wrest.

“Well you seem happy.”

Annette glanced over at Jahnah and gave a quick nod. “Believe me I am. Do you know how long it has been since I got to break something?”

“I would say that it has been a bit over two months.”

“I would say that you’re probably right. I thought when I agreed to take on jobs for the guild at a discount rate that I would get to see a lot of action.”

“You should have known better then that. Dehvess would never let one of his students leave early. In fact I imagine he views this as more of a brake from your lessons then teaching.”

“Well I thought once you showed up he would liven up. Doesn’t he believe in hands on experience?”

“Order mages almost always believe in controlled situations for teaching. Of course you have had a lot of hands on experience already.”

“Yeah so you two are going to be joining me aren’t you?”

“Yes but we are only going along to hinder you.”

Annette glanced down at the wrist and ankle bands she had just put on. “These are meant to create magic barriers right?”

“Yes but they can do other things which you must resist. We won’t tell you win but at any time we may send some energy through the bands and create a snare or barrier spells to trap you. And those aren’t the nastier things the bands can do.”

“Just don’t get me killed okay.”

“Don’t worry I doubt that would happen even if we made it as difficult for you as possible.”

************************************************************************

“Be careful with those.” Riclamin called down a few of his men who were busying themselves with the crates.

The two bandits didn’t each gave a nod and grunted in response. They would have given their leader a more appropriate response but currently they were busy unloading a rather heavy crate.

Riclamin watched for only a moment more before he moved to help the men. Taking hold of one of the corners his additional strength allowed them to easily lift the crate and set it down.

“What is in this thing?”

Riclamin grinned. “I’ll show you what is in it.” Upon moving to the side of the crate Riclamin went to unlock the container when he found there was a problem. “How the hell did you get this thing turned upside down?”

“What do you mean upside down?”

“I mean look at the lock.”

The bandits took a moment to see what their boss was talking about. After only a moment the group began to wordlessly work on turning the crate back over. Riclamin joined in on the effort though more so to insure that it was done properly this time. “I swear if you three weren’t so sneaky you wouldn’t be worth keeping around.”

The three bandits gave a slight chuckle. It wasn’t the first time Riclamin had said as much to them. “And if you didn’t pay us so well we wouldn’t be willing to help unload the cargo. Our job is to slit throats not to pack boxes around.”

A sigh issued forth from the entire group after they managed to get the crate right side up and Riclamin began to look the lock over. “It’s enchanted. Would someone mind getting me a scroll?”

“Sure. I’ll go get one.”

It was only a short while and the bandit returned and handed him the disenchant scroll. “Okay, give me a second to remove the protective spell.” As he unrolled the scroll Riclamin couldn’t help but notice his men backing away from the crate. “What the hell are you doing?”

“We’re just making sure that we don’t get killed whenever you try and use that spell.”

“Very funny it was not disenchanting the locks first that caused that accident. Now get your asses back here.” Riclamin gave a slight chuckle. “If I go up I am not going alone.”

Annette more skipped then walked as she made her way down the road. With Jahnah and Dehvess serving as her guides she didn’t even have to worry about getting lost. “So what was stolen again?”

“A group of bandits stole some of our golem armor.”

Annette grew silent for a moment. “I don’t remember seeing any of that when I was around but I probably can guess what it does.”

Jahnah gave a nod. “The name sort of says it all.”

“Tell me if this is right. It is a suit of armor that grants golem level strength and high resistance to attacks? Given that golem themselves don’t tend to wear armor at least not in the normal since it is probably for humans or the like to wear.”

Dehvess gave a nod. “That is right. Can you guess what its key limiting factor is?”

“It probably depends on the person wearing it for the armor to function due to a lack of an essence gem.”

Riclamin smile as he held up the shoulder pad for his men to see. “This is what it was for?”

“What are we being so careful not to break armor and what makes it so valuable?” As the man spoke he picked up the gauntlet to the suit of armor and started to give it a tap with his dagger.

“Don’t! Do that.”

“Huh? It isn’t like a little poke is going to hurt it.”

“Yes it will. Right now this stuff is as delicate as a pot.”

“What? Then what is the purpose? I thought this armor was valuable.”

“It is but until someone actually puts it on the armor is very delicate. This is a very special suit of armor. It looks a little big for me though. Who wants to try it on?”

The group looked at one another for a moment before a particularly large bandit came forward. “I’ll give it a try.”

“So how did you lose the armor?” Annette had a smug grin on her face when she looked at Dehvess and Jahnah.

“Jahnah and I did not lose the armor. A group of bandits managed to get lucky while we were transporting a shipment. That is all.”

Annette couldn’t help herself and decided to give both Dehvess and Jahnah a hard time. “The guild must be slipping if they make such a careless mistake.”

Jahnah gave an amused giggle. “Just like you did with the snare spell a few weeks back even though it is one of the most basic of trap spells?”

Annette smirked. “Okay you have me there. We all make mistakes. It still seems odd that you would lose something like that though.”

“Well the suits we lost weren’t exactly exceptionally valuable and they have a major weak point in regards to river crossings.”

“They can’t swim can they? And since the human wearing the suit needs air you could easily drown them. What are the suits made of?”

“The truly valuable ones are made of metals but the ones that were stolen were just clay suits. They are exceptionally easy to damage when someone isn’t actually giving the suit energy by wearing it.”

“So what happened to the client?”

“We were able to replace the lost shipment and the client got their merchandise. Now we just need to recover the stolen shipment and wait for another buyer.”

“Aren’t you worried that it might have been damaged?”

Dehvess gave a nod. “Yes.”

“So what are the exact details of my job?”

“You’re first task is to kill the group responsible for steeling the suits. That is what you are getting paid for. You’ll also receive a bonus for every suit you can recover and a smaller bonus for every piece that is undamaged.”

“Ah and recovering the suits undamaged would normally be near impossible even for the guild.”

“You’re right about that. We could kill them easily enough but that would damage the suits. The only way we have of recovering them undamaged other then relying on you would be to commit multiple golems. That is if the bandits are using the suits.”

“How big are the suits?”

“They are a bit under two meters and a third.”

“Goody. So I just catch the little pest remove their helmets, pop their heads off and it is done.”

Jahnah couldn’t help the mischievous grin on her face as she wondered if Annette had already forgotten about the wrist and ankle bands she was wearing.

“Boss, are we really going to sell these?”

Riclamin grinned as he watched the three of his men that had placed on the golem armor working to unload the nine other additional suits. “We may keep a few of them.”

“These things are incredible.” One of the bandits gloated as he easily carried one of the crates over to his fellow gang members. “The strength they give is something else.”

“RICLAMIN, RICLAMIN WE HAVE A PROBLEM!”

Riclamin turned to see the lookout quit approaching. “What is the matter and what is with all the yelling?”

“There. There is something headed this way.”

“What?”

“It’s a giant sir. One larger then any I’ve ever scene before.”

Riclamin was silent for a moment. “I don’t see what that has to do with us? I doubt a giant is wondering around for a group of bandits.”

“Sir the giant has two people on its shoulders. They have symbols on their cloaks the same symbols as on the crates.”

“I see. I suppose they didn’t take kindly to us steeling from them but I didn’t expect them to send in a giant. Of course that doesn’t mean they will ever find us. Unless someone was foolish enough to run here while not worrying about their tracks.” For a moment Riclamin’s expression changed greatly.

“Sir I covered my tracks.”

“Ah then there isn’t really a problem. Still, I suppose would be better to play this safe then sorry.” Turning to his men Riclamin began to move throughout their ranks picking out the best fighters. “I want you each to suit up.”

“Why don’t we just go and hide for a while? It isn’t like they are going to level the entire forest to find us.”

The lookout’s expression suddenly changed. Something that was noticed by all, “When you said it was the largest giant you had ever seen. How big were you talking about?”

“It was at least fourteen meters.”

“You also said that she had two people in robes with her. Damn it, the giant must have mages with it. I don’t believe that trying to hide in the forest would be a good idea.”

“Why shouldn’t we?”

“Because this spot is warded against detection spells. That and do you really believe we could move those crates without leaving tracks. Just look at the ground where you have been walking around in the armor.”

“But if we do confront them then others would know where we are. She is going to leave a trail that is easily to follow.”

“That is true. Okay you get suited up and everyone else get to packing up. We can’t leave until we deal with this giant and the mages. Once that is over with we are going to need to move quickly.”

“Do you believe we can take a giant?”

“With those suits it shouldn’t be any trouble.”

Dehvess glanced over at Jahnah then up at Annette’s ear. “I believe this is where we should leave you. We can find a nice vantage point well away from the battle and decide when to make use of your handicaps”

Jahnah gave a nod. “Okay.”

“Does that mean we are close?”

Jahnah indicated the forest. “The tracks from their theft had worn away by now or they have covered them up so don’t expect to find a physical trail.”

Annette gave a nod. “I can just hear them out.”

Jahnah gave a sigh. “I wish we had remembered to bring something to clog your ears. Annette you shouldn’t rely on your hearing for this. They have golem armor and they’re probably putting the suits on. You shouldn’t have to rely on your hearing to find the suits if they are being worn.”

Annette gave a nod and held up her hand for Dehvess and Jahnah to climb onto. “Well then I guess I should get going.”

“Just try to remember what you saw while practicing to resist defensive magic and offensive magic.”

As Annette began to move into the forest the first thing her foot came down upon as a small tree. At first she froze in her step and then slowly lowered her foot. She felt the branches press up against the bottom of her foot, the leaves lightly tickling it and then she felt the braking. She felt the weak little branches breaking away first and then her soul touched the more solid trunk. This wouldn’t have normally slowed her down but she had to take a moment to enjoy it. “That felt good.”

Annette didn’t normally find simply crushing a small bit of underbrush to be so enjoyable. This wasn’t exactly a normal situation for her. She had been enduring Jahnah and Dehvess’s lessons for a few months now and it felt good to release some of the frustration that had been building up over that time. It also felt good to be able to use her physical abilities after having to rely on others for so long.

Taking a long slow breath, Annette had to beat down the desire to simply tear apart the entire forest and focus on the task at hand. At first when she scanned the forest she didn’t see anything other then the tops of tree however after a moment of focusing she began to notice a faint glow.

The glow Annette saw wasn’t that of the energy being released by the golems rather it was something else. After a few moments of focusing a giggle escaped her as she realized it was a spell meant to block attempts to use magic to find the location. Of course even a spell meant to conceal something had to give off some energy.

“Well that didn’t take long.” Annette mused to herself and began to slowly walk towards the energy. She didn’t know for certain if the suits of armor were there but she felt confident she would find something. People didn’t set up such spells for no reason at all.

Jahnah smiled. “Well she already found them but I believe she is a little too relaxed.” A brief spark of energy was seen upon Jahnah’s finger tips as she sent some energy to the wrist band on Annette’s right hand.

Annette was swinging her arms as she went when she felt the energy. Instinctively she resisted canceling out the spells negative effects. A giggle escaped her as she realized what she had done and she looked down at the band for a moment. Jahnah had attempted to have the band cast an acceleration spell on her. While this was normally a good thing the results of it being cast on a single part of the body could be quite painful. Say for instance punching yourself in the stomach when you just meant to swing your arm a bit.

“Well that wasn’t expected.” Dehvess glanced over at Jahnah. “I expected she would resist an offensive spell so I didn’t cast anything. It was very sneaky of you to use a normally beneficial spell.”

Annette grinned as she felt the bottom of her breast pressing against the top of the tree. The leaves and branches scraping against the underside of her breast tickled her slightly. Wrapping her arms behind herself Annette began to swerve to the sides slightly making sure to hit any tree that was chest level with her with her bust.

“Well she sure isn’t trying to be stealthy.” Riclamin glanced over at the dozen men who had suited up in the golem armor. He himself had chosen not to wear one of the suits. His skills were better suited to surprise attacks which the suits wouldn’t permit.

It was hard for Annette to keep her focus as she felt the tree branches tickling her. She had to constantly remind herself to try and keep the spell in sight. Just over a year ago she would have actually been looking up at the trees instead of looking down at them. A frown formed on her face when she noticed something. “That just won’t do.”

Walking over to the one tree which was clearly taller then her Annette wrapped her fingers around a bit of the trunk that was just level with her nipples. A moment later she snapped the top of the tree off before she let the tree drop to the ground though she turned in the direction of the glow. Taking aim she gave the tree a slight toss and sent into slamming into the region that the spell enveloped.

Riclamin and everyone in the camp heard the sound of the projectile tearing through the trees. “I believe that she is toying with us.”

Annette gave her head a quick shake. She couldn’t continue wasting time like this or they might decide to run for it. An amused giggle escaped Annette as she realized that would actually be more fun but she needed to get the entire group. The feeling of some wind magic forming on her left wrist got her attention however she realized it wasn’t an attack but a communication spell. “You know if you would have learned to see people by their life energy as you should be able to. You could have a lot more fun and let them run.”

Annette turned towards where she had left Dehvess and Jahnah. Even if she didn’t have a communication spell she could easily speak with them. “I know you don’t have to rub it in.” Annette’s voice thundered over the whole of the forest. Everyone within it could hear what had been said though no one other then Dehvess and Jahnah new what it was about.

Jahnah grinned and gave Dehvess a nudge. “She is fun to watch isn’t she?”

“She isn’t very time efficient.”

Jahnah shook her head and walked around Dehvess who was currently setting down. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders she leaned against him so that her breast pressed against the back of his head. “Come on admit it that on some level even you don’t like constant order.”

Dehvess grinned and reached up taking hold of Jahnah’s wrist. A bit of energy was seen moving from his hand and into her. “Of course I don’t. How else could I stand being around you?”

“That is a good point.” Jahnah grinned and began to send chaos into Dehvess. “Maybe this’ll help you enjoy the show more.”

As Annette moved closer to the energy she began to try and see through the energy which blocked locator spells. This was proving to be a futile effort as the only thing that happened was the energy became clearer. For a brief moment Annette stopped as a realization hit her. The spell was meant to block locater spells. Of course she couldn’t see the energy the golem armor would be giving off.

Curiosity soon took hold of her and Annette hurried to see if she could actually see if something was hiding behind the barrier.

Up until then Riclamin hadn’t actually scene the giant and had only been relying on what his men told him. It was only whenever Annette pushed her way through the spell that he saw that it wasn’t a male as expected but was a rather busty female. He grew concerned when he noticed that the two mages his men had mentioned weren’t with her and he was down right perplexed when the giantess clapped her hands.

Annette couldn’t help but feel excited whenever the first thing her eyes locked on where the suits of golem armor. Now that she was beyond the barrier she could see them perfectly.

Riclamin took in a swallow of air as he watched the giantess’s eyes dart about his camp. He had his men station themselves so to give them something of an element of surprise when she attack however with every stop her eyes made it became very clear. She knew exactly where they were.

“Found you.” Annette called out in a singsong voice clearly she was enjoyed herself.

One of Riclamin’s men wearing the golem armor stepped out to confront the giantess. “Yes you have. What brings you here?”

“OH as if you hadn’t already guessed. I was sent here to kill those who stole the suits of golem armor one of which you are wearing. Then retrieve the suits with as little damage as possible.”

“I don’t suppose we could talk about this.”

“Of course not, now come here and I’ll pop your head off nice and quick so you don’t have to suffer.” Annette proceeded further into the camp and started to reach down to retrieve the little man though she expected him to dodge when she felt something take hold of her right leg.

Dehvess chuckled as he used the anklet to cast hand of the earth. A massive stone formation had reached up and literally taken hold of Annette’s leg.

Annette realized that she had slipped up and allowed the spell to take hold of her. It was already too late to prevent her from falling as she had been in mid step when he had chosen to cast the spell. However, falling to the ground took her a fair bit longer then it took a normal person to reach the ground due to the greater distance she had to travel. It was easy for her to use her arms to catch herself.

Riclamin could hardly believe what was happening when he saw the giantess falling. He was even more surprised when he looked towards her leg and saw what had taken hold of it. As he remembered the two mages he had no idea what was going on but he wasn’t about to let an opportunity pass him by. “ATTACK NOW.”

The man that had come out to speak with Annette didn’t miss a beat as he charged the giantess. The strength increase the armor gave was so great that instead of the armor’s weight slowing him down it allowed him to move even more quickly.

Annette felt her hand sink into the ground as all her weight settled upon it. Hearing the order to charge she could hear multiple attackers coming in her direction. Reaching up with the hand that wasn’t supporting her she easily caught the first to come close enough. She then proceeded to send him flying into two of his allies.

If it hadn’t been for the armor the force of the impact would have killed all three of the men. As it was the only thing that happened was they felt a slight drain on their energies and were sent flying backwards.

Annette quickly broke the stone around her leg by shifting her leg a bit. Instead of climbing back to her feet though she pulled her legs under herself so that she was crouched.

The speed at which the giantess had recovered surprised her attackers and for a moment they halted their assault except the three that she had knocked back. Having endured Annette’s first attack the three men now felt confident in the armor and moved quickly to regain the offensive.

It was hard for Annette to decide how she wanted to handle her attackers. She could have just crushed them in her hands but that would destroy the armor. Then again she had noticed the slight pulse of energy generated whenever she had thrown the man at the other two. If she could drain their energy then the armor would cease to be an advantage and just be dead weight.

As he neared the giantess the man was confident in his armor’s abilities. Having seen his three friends had already recovered from being thrown quite a distance he felt certain the suit could protect him from any harm. Seeing that the giantess was now reaching for him he drew back his lance and attempted to impale her finger.

At least their weapons weren’t actually part of the armor. Annette easily caught the lance between two of her fingers and promptly snapped it in half leaving him holding a much shorter and duller weapon. Leaning forward a bit she gave the bandit a quick flick with her finger.

When he felt the giantesses finger flick him he felt certain that had if not for the armor he wouldn’t have just been killed but would have been little more then a spray of blood.

An amused giggle escaped Annette. It was like she was being attacked by hard shelled bugs. They had no real chance of harming her but she could use a little bit of her strength and nock them around. The only problem was that as soon as they realized they couldn’t win the fight they would most likely begin to try and run away.

As one of the people charged Annette extended her finger as if to flick him. Instead of doing so she allowed the bandit to swing his weapon at her and blocked the attack with her fingernail. Still smiling she proceeded to ignore her other attackers while she amused herself by making use of her fingernail as a shield.

It didn’t take long for everyone wearing the suits to surround Annette and begin attacking her. At first they felt confident that at last they would take her down but after multiple attacks failed to scratch her or even draw her attention their hope was quickly fading.

“You know that is some very tough armor you have right there.” Annette gave a slight giggle. “But I believe I just thought of a way to deal with you.” Annette moved quickly and scooped up four of her attackers two in each of her hand. Glancing over her shoulder she dropped the men just under her rear and switched from a squatting position to a setting one.

The men were disoriented by the sudden motion of being lifted so quickly however even they knew they were in trouble when they looked up to see the giantess’s rear looming over then. A moment later it began to lower itself. Several of them tried to rise but with everyone trying to get up at once none of them could.

Annette felt the men’s weapons and hands pressing against her bottom as she lowered herself onto them. This only served to tickle her and once she certain they couldn’t get up she began to lower herself more slowly so as to enjoy the experience. “You see that armor may protect you from many forms of magic, increase your strength and give you great defense but it doesn’t provide you with any air.”

Despite the mass of woman above them those trapped under Annette could hear what she said and began to struggle even more frantically to escape. Being crushed under her wasn’t exactly appealing but being smothered was even less so. The armor wouldn’t actually allow her weight to kill them.

A delighted giggle escaped Annette as she felt her bottom finally touch down on the ground. Her legs now spread out in front of her forming a massive v. “Oh yes I can feel them struggling. It feels rather nice.”

The bandits’ previous hope of over coming the giantess had quickly fled from them and now they only sought to escape as the truth of the situation set in. Annette had anticipated this react though and had intentionally allowed them to surround her.

Riclamin watched as the giantess quickly turned grabbing two or three of his men in each hand before depositing them between her legs. With four of his men currently trapped under her it was only two handfuls for each hand and she was finished.

“You’re not going to abandon your friends are you?” Annette giggled as she looked down at the group of people between her legs. Still grinning she began to move her right hand over the group.

He knew that the strength increase the armor gave him would allow him to jump over the giantess’s leg if he could just make it to her knee. Waiting until the hand had move over him the bandit quickly jumped to his feet and began to run towards his destination.

Annette moved to give the fleeing man a quick tap with her finger whenever she felt a magic impulse. She was still quite weary from the rather embarrassing fall she had when she arrived at the camp so she resisted it with ease. Once she was certain the spell wouldn’t be affecting her she gave the fleeing figure a quick tap with her fingernail slamming him to the ground.

“I’ll tell you what. Take off the armor and I will kill you quickly. I believe that is a fair trade considering how painful it would have been for me had your weapons be able to affect me.”

Annette continued to play with the trapped men while for the most part ignoring those that hadn’t put on the armor. She needed to deal with them as well but for the moment she was having fun. Every time one of the men would pop up and try to escape she would give him a quick tap with her fingernail and nock him back to the ground.

“You’re friends are struggling quite nicely. Mm I like how their little fist and swords tickle me.”

Jahnah let out a sigh. “Smothering? What a boring way to kill someone it is just so methodical and steady.”

“I wonder if she is going to remember to compensate for air that might have been trapped under her when she set down.”

Jahnah pouted for a moment and gave Dehvess a slight push. “I am bored now.”

“Don’t concentrate on the smothering and focus on the game of whack the bandit.”

Annette knew that it was Jahnah currently activating the wrist bands. The spells effects alternate widely between hindering and helpful to spells that seemed to serve no other purpose but to distract her. It was actually complicating the process of tapping the bandits down. If she used too much force she would end up destroying the armor and if she used to little she wouldn’t nock them down.

“Well I believe that your friends had long enough.” Rising up a bit Annette used one hand to remove the bandits she had been setting on while the other was kept busy preventing the others’ escape. She then placed the four smothered figures along the right side of her leg. “Okay that is four down eight to go.”

Riclamin made his way swiftly through the forest. After seeing the giantess deal so easily with his men he had resolved it would be best to leave. He didn’t like that he had to leave his men behind but it would have just been a waste of life to try and fight her. If those wearing the armor hadn’t been able to hurt the giantess then there was no way that he or any of his other men could.

Annette easily slipped four more of the struggling forms under her bottom and promptly set down upon them. “Well now that is four down and soon it’ll be eight. That leaves four of you. Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer to just remove the armor and have a less painful end?”

The giantess’s finger moved over the bandit for a moment. She had knocked him to the ground several times now but when he made no move to run she didn’t act. Reaching up the bandit removed the helmet and glared up at the giantess. “You want this armor?” Shit was the dominant thought in Annette’s mind the moment the bandit spoke. Quickly falling to one knee the bandit slammed the helmet into his knee the same moment he brought his elbow down upon it.

“BITCH!” Drawing his sword the bandit didn’t stop with his helmet but proceeded to slam the weapon into his own body. Several times he cut himself with his own blade but that didn’t slow him down.

Annette started to slam her finger into the human’s skull. To shatter it into a thousand bits before she could though she realized this would only give what she had promised a quick death. Instead she chose to try and grab him so that she could make his end fitting such behavior but before she could take hold of him the bandit rammed his own blade into his chest the only bits of his armor that hadn’t been damaged being one legging, a shoulder pad and the gauntlet on the hand that held the sword.

Jahnah couldn’t help herself. The moment the bandit had began to tear his armor to bits she had burst into hysterical laughter. She always loved it whenever the unexpected arose to challenge order and even though she considered Annette to be a guild member and a friend she was delighted by the bandit’s response. “Oh I liked him.”

Annette looked at the body of the bandit for a moment. There wasn’t really anything she could do to him at this point. A sigh escaped Annette as she picked up the corpse and deposited it near the bodies of his smothered comrades. She didn’t quite feel like setting him amongst the others.

The other bandits let out a slight cry having feared their comrade’s actions had guaranteed them a painful death whenever Annette reached for them. Instead of picking any of the three remaining men up though she quickly stripped them of their weapons. “Just incase you get the bright idea to try and follow your friend’s example.”

After being stripped of their weapons the three glanced at one another. Even with eight of them trying to run away all at once the giantess had been able to keep them all trapped. Now they were down to three. Taking a few steps forward one of the bandits removed his helmet and allowed hit to drop to the ground unharmed. He didn’t even see it coming.

The moment the bandit had removed his helmet Annette used her index finger to quickly remove his head. The act was done so quickly that the other bandits took a moment to respond to what happened. “Well I did promise a quick death to anyone that surrendered without damaging the armor.”

A sigh escaped from the two men and just a moment later they each removed their helmet and set them upon the ground. As with the first bandit Annette gave each of their heads a quick flick. The force behind the action was so great that it didn’t just remove the head but destroyed it entirely.

Annette took a moment to look around her before calling out. “Well I see that everyone tried to run off and leave me. Don’t worry I’ll be tracking you down just as soon as I am done with your friends. I believe they have just about suffocated.”

Riclamin kept his speed constant despite the giantess’s announcement that she would be coming for the others soon. He and those of his men that hadn’t been wearing golem armor had all ran off in separate directions and he hoped that all of them knew to stay far away from one another.

The bandits had quit tickling Annette’s bottom for five minutes now. Rising up she glanced down at the bodies and proceeded to gather them up. It only took Annette a moment to confirm that they were indeed dead and she set their corpses with the rest of those that had either smothered or removed their armor. At last she stood up entirely and began to search around the area.

Anyone who was currently fleeing the sight of the slaughter had to only look over their shoulder to see that the giantess had finished off those wearing the golem armor. A few cursed quietly under their breath. Surely she hadn’t smothered all twelve of them in that time period? Some of them must have decided they would die quickly and not give their fellows more time to flee.

Every human ear in the forest listened careful as they began to wonder in which direction the giantess would go first. Those people moving in whatever direction the giantess chose would either need to hide or give up stealth entirely and go for speed.

Annette took her time evaluating where she believed most of the people would have gone and trying to sense their locations. She knew that golems especially the better made ones tended to be able to detect life force and she was one of the best. The only problem was that as she had a soul she had never taken the time to truly refine the ability.

Dehvess glanced over at Jahnah to find that her eyes had changed to a solid glowing green. “How many of them can you see?”

“I can see all of them of course.”

“What direction are the majority going in?”

“The majority are going northeast as they move they are fanning out further and further from one another.”

“Jahnah give me your hand. I am going to need your help performing a spell.”

Shrugging a bit Jahnah didn’t bother questioning what Dehvess had in mind but simply offered her hand and opened herself up. “What should I do?”

“I want you to begin casting a spell to alter the weather. I want to generate a thunder storm.”

Annette was fairly impressed by how little the forest around her had been disturbed. Her attention was taken away from this though when she looked up into the sky and saw the gathering energy. It took Annette a moment to realize what was going on as she saw the gathering the chaos she also caught site of the order that had been mixed into it. “Blast it they’re going to make it even more difficult to track them.”

Spinning around Annette tried to focus on what she had felt while examining various magic items. While human life force and magic energies were different the techniques for locating them were somewhat similar. Of course now she had another problem with the storm forming above her. The magic required to generate a truly powerful storm tended to through off her senses even more so.

At last Annette strode off in a northern direction. She wasn’t certain it was the right direction to catch as many of the bandits as she could but it was the direction her senses seemed to be telling her to go.

None of the bandits broke their stride when they heard the crack of thunder and heard the rain beginning to fall. Several of them did however alter the way which they had been moving. Up until now the ground had been fairly solid but with the rain coming down some began to run entirely on the dirty and trusted the rain to wash them away others began to leap along the stones, trees roots and other solid objects.

As Annette made her way through the woods she couldn’t truly see those that were running from her as she had seen the golems. There was however something telling her to go in that direction. It seemed to be a sort of sent and she tried to focus on this and not rely on the physical tracks.

It was a bit of a relief when the sound of shrubs being crushed and trees being pushed over stopped. Annette remembered the ticklish struggling of the bandits she had set on. She had actually enjoyed the experience and a delighted grin crossed her face as she realized that she had indeed smothered four at a time. Glancing down at her feet Annette bent down and removed her shoes. She then turned and gave them a slight toss. The shoes landed slightly past the bandit camp to insure she didn’t destroy the suits of armor.

Giggling to herself Annette once again began to follow the scent or feeling she had but she moved at a far greater pace. She didn’t have to rely on it to tell her exactly where the people where after all. Even with the storm covering up their tracks once she drew close enough she could be able to hear them.

Jahnah withdrew her hand from Dehvess’s as they finally got the storm going so that they didn’t have to sustain it. “I like thunder storms.”

Dehvess turned his head towards Jahnah and watched as the chaos mage began to sway lightly. The chaotic nature of the storm was influencing her despite the order magic he had used to insure it would remain in that region and not be taken away by a gust of the wind.

Annette was a bit surprised by how far the bandits had traveled in such a short period of time. Considering how much she hunted her own employees for practice she felt she had a good idea how far a human’s legs could carry them through the forest. When she did get home she was going to have to encourage them to start practicing in the forest more often in order to give her a decent chase.

The bandit knew the giantess was heading in his direction as her foot steps got louder. At first he hadn’t been certain what the sound was as the sound of her exposed feet on the ground was far different from the sound generated by her boots. Once they drew close enough though he knew exactly what they were.

Annette perked up a bit when she heard the sound of a human breathing and moving through the forest. Swerving to the side she began to pay less attention to what she was feeling and focused more on what she was hearing in order to catch up.

At last the giantess’s foot came slamming down just behind the bandit. The force of the impact was so great that it actually knocked him into the air. The bandit quickly tried to regain his footing however it took him some time to actually get a firm grip on the ground. As he was beginning to push himself up he felt the giantess’s foot come to wrest upon his back.

“I got you.”

The bandit responded to Annette’s taunt by quickly falling to the ground and attempting to use the slippery mud to his advantage and slide out from under her foot. This proved futile though as the moment he fell down on his stomach the giantess’s foot lowered with him.

“No you don’t. You need to become a smear.” Annette giggled and considered taunting the little bandit more but realized she had others that needed to be found.

The bandit knew that his weapon wouldn’t be able to harm the giantess but he had to try something. As he found himself trapped under her foot he reached for his side in order to get his dagger but before he could even reach his waste Annette’s foot came down entirely and crushed him. The entire action took less then a tenth of the second to complete.

“Sorry to leave so soon tiny but I can’t spend much time with you.”

Annette needed to track down as many of the bandits as she possibly could. After all the armor retrieval was only the bonus. Her actual job was to track down and destroy the bandit group and while killing off thirteen of them would harm the organization she felt it was far from destroyed.

Annette took in a deep breath of air as if trying to get the bandits’ scents. She once again began to focus and look around her surroundings. Her attempt to feel out the first bandit seemed to work but she couldn’t be certain if it was just luck or not. The second attempt would give her a better idea of how good she was with the skill. Once she felt confident that she was pointed in the right direction Annette began to move quickly towards it.

Riclamin didn’t know how the giantess was locating his men however each time he heard her stop for a few moments he knew that she had managed to capture another one of them. At the moment he was currently heading towards the east and towards a river. After everyone that could escape had done so the group would try to join up again a week later.

Having to kill off each bandit quickly didn’t take all the fun out of Annette’s game but it most assuredly took a fair amount of it out. Annette liked to flaunt her power and take her time to enjoy the experience. She just didn’t have time for this though as each time she tried to feel out the bandits’ locations the task became more and more difficult due to the bandits becoming more and more spread out and thus the life force less concentrated and harder to notice.

Annette found herself having to deal with quite a dilemma. If she simply went around stomping the bandits whenever she caught up with them then she wouldn’t have nearly as much fun but every moment she wasted taunting one gave the others more time to escape.

A resounding smack could be heard throughout the forest as Annette’s massive hand came up and she gave herself a quick smack to the forehead. “Oh I am just incompetent. Here I am stomping you flat in an instant and not having nearly as much fun as I could. How could I forget that I have hands large enough to hold two or three of you at once? Well no more of this quick death business at least not for the next three or four I catch.”

Annette didn’t bother saying it as she continued to track the bandits but she also remembered there was a second way to flaunt her power that didn’t involve much physical action at all. She could always taunt them by speaking. “You know you brought this on yourself. You stole a dozen suits of golem armor after all. Then again I suppose you didn’t expect to be tracked down.

Of course I have to give you credit for even making off with the armor. That was a fairly impressive act or should I say feat? Oh and on the subject of feet mine are slowly being coated red. I would have thought all this rain would do a better job of washing it off but I suppose not.”

The bandit knew that the giantess had found him but he couldn’t stop running. There was no way that he would just surrender especially with her previous declaration. He did have a small glimmer of hope as he realized how much tougher it was to catch a living target then just stab it or in her case step on it. This hope was short lived though when the giantess’s hand reached out for him and actually tore through a tree that was in its way.

It was easy for Annette to capture the little bandit. She didn’t have time to gloat though but proceeded to quickly remove any weapons she saw on his person as well as any clothing that she felt may contain a weapon.

The bandit screamed out when the giantess’s fingers wrapped around him. Then while she was still walking she began to take away every weapon he had on himself. The experience of being disarmed and partly unclothed was made even more humiliating by the fact that she didn’t even have to stop or break stride in order to do it.

As Annette removed the bandit’s belt she took note of the various daggers contained with it. “Hey thanks for the idea.”

The bandit had no idea what the giantess was talking about when she reached back and use two of the fingers of the hand holding him as well as her free hand to brake off two strands of her hair.

Annette easily held the bandit’s hands together and used the strand of hair to bind his wrist together. She then proceeded to run the strand through her waste band and leave him suspended by his arms. “There we go. I just wish I had brought some rope with me but I guess two standards are enough to hold enough of you little. Mm I can’t think of what to call you. Are you just going to be toys or are you going to be treats?”

************************************************************************

A huge grin adorned Annette’s face as she stripped the golem armor from the bodies of the bandits. She then proceeded to place each suit of armor into a small carrying case that she had brought with them. “I think retrieving eleven out of twelve suits of armor is pretty good. What do you think?”

Dehvess looked up at Annette. “Yes you did a very good job of recovering the armor.”

“You believe I did a good job of recovering the armor but what about the job as a whole?”

“I believe you did well enough to warrant getting the full reward even though forty percent of the bandits were able to escape.”

“Ah did you here that?” Annette glanced down at her waste were currently eight of the bandits were tied up. “Forty percent of your friends were able to escape with their lives.”

“So what are you going to do with them?”

“I am not certain what I’ll do with my catch just yet. I’ll decide when we stop so that you and Jahnah can wrest for the night.”

Annette finally shut the case back up and slipped it into her carrying bag. She then lowered her hand and allowed Jahnah and Dehvess to climb on. After being lifted onto Annette’s shoulder Jahnah took hold of some of Annette’s hair and proceeded to lean out over the back of her shoulder. For a while Jahnah just looked down at the bandits then finally came back and moved to set down next to Dehvess.

Annette couldn’t help but wonder. “What were you thinking about Jahnah?”

Jahnah leaned over a bit and gave a slight pout. “The calm came too soon.”

************************************************************************

“The calm came too soon? What do you suppose Jahnah meant.” Annette dipped what would have amounted to a hand towel in a barrel of wine before reaching into the group of stripped bandits. The tiny figure struggled but couldn’t actually escape from her as she had bound their hands and feet.

Annette giggled as she looked at the tiny figure. She then pressed the heavy woolen blanket she was using as a rag to his front and began to clean away the dirt and crime. “My goodness you’re a filthy bunch you know that? Not that it bothers me. I just like to actually prepare whenever I can take my time doing so.”

The bandits still struggled but they had quit begging for mercy quite some time ago. In fact they had quit begging before the hunt was even finished. “Hey I just thought of something. Maybe she was talking about you. I mean you had pretty much given in whenever she saw you tied to my waste.” Annette flipped the bandit over and dipped the blanket back into the barrel before she started wiping down his back.

“Do you suppose that was what it was? Maybe she wanted you to try and plead for mercy so that she could listen to you. You know I bet that was it. While you were still struggling an element of chaos existed but when you gave in and your wills die and you become perfectly orderly.”

Annette set the human down amongst his friends and picked up the seventh one. “All well. It is kind of a shame that she and Dehvess went to bed I bet she would like what is going to happen soon. You’re a lean bunch you know that? I suppose living in the forest and relying on your stealth and ability to outrun pursuers you have to be.”

“Will you just quit tormenting us?”

A giggle escaped Annette as finally one of the bandits spoke up. “How am I torturing you? I am just cleaning you off right now.”

“Quit mocking me and just kill me if that is what you’re going to do.”

Annette proceeded to stick her tongue out at the tiny figure. “I’ll have as much fun with you as I want.”

“We slit the throats of your fellow guild members quickly.”

“Guild recruits would be a better way of putting it actually. Had there been two or maybe even one true guild member there you wouldn’t have gotten away alive. There you go.” Annette set the seventh bandit down and picked up the eighth. The tenderness she had used while cleaning him off and placing him back on the ground was in great contrast to the way in which she had grabbed them. In truth her tender care at the moment only made them more certain she had devised a truly cruel way of dealing with them.

“What is the matter? I thought you had more to say.”

“This is an awfully expensive way to clean us off.”

Instead of responding to the bandit’s comment Annette chose a different path to answering his question. “Did you know that I am still growing? I was hardly even five and a half meters tall a year and a few months ago. Now I am over sixteen meters tall. It’s is quite a rush to still be growing and one of my favorite activities is to try new things at different sizes.

Such as stepping on a person while they are still standing up or today I found out I was large enough to smother four of you at once under my bottom. Well actually that was yesterday. Now I want to try something different with you. Ah there you are all nice and marinated I mean clean.”

Annette giggled when she looked at the bandit’s faces. “You monster.”

A delight giggle escaped Annette. Reaching behind herself she undid the clasp that held her clothing in place and allowed it fall over her shoulder revealed her breast and stomach. “Come now surely you see this is better then me just killing you. This way your deaths will actually serve a purpose. Now who wants to be the first to journey into my stomach?”

Annette let her tongue slip out from her mouth just enough so that the bandits could see the very tip of it. She then proceeded to move the tongue along her lips ever so slightly. “Is anyone going to volunteer? You know the offer I made to those wearing the golem armor still stands to some extent.”

The bandit that had been speaking with Annette up until this point glanced over at his struggling comrades. “I’ll go first.”

Reaching down Annette lifted the bandit into the air and held him level with her lips. “Did you know this is the first time that I actually decided to try and eat a person? Up until this point I just wasn’t large enough for it to seem like much fun.”

Each time Annette spoke her breath would wash over the bandit in hot waves. Each time her lips would part he could see the moon light glistening off her teeth and he cursed the night for being so bright.

Annette giggled again and let her tongue slip out of her mouth. The hot muscle pressed up against the bandits chin and moved over his face. As Annette drew her tongue back into her mouth she brought the bandit forward so that his head was just between her teeth.

The bandit was able to control his fear as he looked up at those massive teeth each one was the size of a small tombstone. Slowly they came down until the top row pressed against his face while the bottom pressed against the back of his head. He felt the tip of Annette’s tongue rubbing against the top of his head coating his hair in her saliva.

There wasn’t any resistance to speak of whenever Annette bit down on the bandits head. There was just a moment and a burst then she tasted the bandit’s blood running over the tip of her tongue. For a moment Annette was entirely quiet as if evaluating what she had just done. Her mouth widened a few moments later and she stuck the upper portion of the bandit’s body into her mouth.

Annette felt her teeth slice through the body’s muscles, she felt her teeth encounter his bone and crush through them and she felt his insides running out into her mouth. Each major organ, bone and muscle group had its only unique texture and flavor to it.

The bandits watched in horror as the giantess took her time chewing their comrade. A cold shudder ran through every last one of them as they watched her massive body shuddered.

After she finished chewing the upper part of the body Annette carefully swallowed. The force the action generated within her massive mouth was actually enough to pull not only the pulverized flesh entirely down her throat but all the blood as well. Looking down at the seven and a half remaining bandits Annette couldn’t help herself. “YUMMY.” With that Annette opened her mouth once again and shoved the bandit’s legs entirely into it.

Annette could feel the bandit trembling as she reached down for him. “Don’t worry you’re going to at least get to rest together after all.” This time Annette took the time to remove the bandits bonds before lifting him to her mouth. Opening her massive jaws up her tongue once again started out and pressed against the bandit’s upper body.

If the bandit hadn’t been so frightened he might have enjoyed the massive muscle of Annette’s tongue slowly licking over his body. The muscle was actually quite soft especially in comparison to the rest of her body as things were he found himself frantically beating his fist against the red muscle as if it would someone save his life.

Reaching up he attempted to press his hands against the giantess’s tongue to try and force it away however the muscles constant movement, great strength and the saliva coating it and his hands made it impossible for him to force away.

The bandit tasted somewhat different then the last one. There was something extra to him. Annette assumed it had to do with the different levels of fear each bandit must have been experiencing and their sweat. Whether it was psychological or physical Annette quickly decided that fear made them taste better. Puckering her lips Annette slowly sucked on the tip of the bandits head further coating it with her warm saliva.

Logically he knew it was futile even those that wore the golem armor had no chance of denying the giantess’s strength but he wasn’t thinking logically at the time. The bandit found her lips easier to push his hands against but they had no more effect on the gate to her mouth then they had on the serpent that rested within.

Opening her mouth up Annette began to slowly ease the bandit inside. She felt his little hands trying to hold onto her lips for a moment and then she felt his fist beating against the roof of her mouth. It only took a moment for Annette to decide that it was more fun having her food still alive whenever she placed them in her mouth instead of just biting off their heads.

The bandit pressed his hands against the roof of Annette’s mouth whenever he felt her jaw begin to lower. Despite his best efforts though her massive jaws closed at a steady pace until the light was shut out and he felt her teeth resting on his waste. A moment later blinding pain filled his entire body.

Annette easily sunk her teeth through the bandit once again taking note of the various textures she felt while doing so. She didn’t begin to chew after the first bite but rather waited for the bandit’s struggles and screams to die down. She took her time to enjoy the feeling of his blood pouring out of his body and coating her tongue. After finishing the bandit off Annette glanced down at the six remaining and once again reached for one.

Four more had gone down the giantess’s throat since the last one she had actually bit in half. As horrific as that death might have seemed the two after that had been even worse. The giantess had actually taken to bighting of arms and legs before she would even start on the more vital parts of the body. She would bite the leg off and then press her lips to the open wound and wait for the blood to stop flowing into her mouth before taking off another. The most recent one she had actually tried to swallow alive.

“Blast it I crushed him.” Annette let out a sigh and looked down at her last snack. “I guess my throat is to narrow to swallow one of you whole. All well I wonder if I can do it if I trim you down a bit.”

The little bandit had by now either realized that screaming was useless or had screamed until he had lost his voice. Lifting him up to her mouth Annette gave his arm a gentle lick. Opening her lips slightly she began to suck on the limb.

The bandit desperately struggled to keep his arm from being pulled into the giantess’s mouth but found it to be utterly useless. She wasn’t even using her muscles but was simply relying on the force generated by the suction to pull his arm in.

Annette had to keep herself from giggling otherwise she would lose the progress that she had made. Once the bandit’s arm had been pulled strait by her gentle sucking she closed her lips around his arm and a good deal of his upper body so that he couldn’t withdraw it

Despite the soft texture, a hold that didn’t even have enough pressure to cause pain and moistness of the giantess’s lips they had an exceptionally secure grip. He felt the giantess’s massive tongue flicking his arm around while her teeth came to rest just below his shoulder.

Annette easily sank her teeth through the man’s arm. For a moment she just held him there letting the blood flow from the injury. However, she knew that she couldn’t take to long. As she relaxed the pressure from her lips she reached into her mouth and took hold of the stub that had once been an arm and pinched down to limit the loss of blood.

The bandit was in too much pain to appreciate, hate or even notice how quickly Annette removed his other arm and legs. He hardly even noticed whenever she tossed him into her mouth.

Biting off the person’s head first had been the least enjoyable way of killing her victim but as Annette felt the armless and legless core laying in her mouth she resolved that this was a close second. Even if it did make them small enough for her to swallow alive it just wasn’t as enjoyable as feeling their struggling arms and legs. With that in mind she rolled the tiny figure over onto her teeth and bit him in half.

“I don’t believe he would have been small enough anyway.”

************************************************************************

“Is she still asleep?” Dehvess glanced over at Jahnah who had been looking out the window for the past hour now.

“She is still in her room.”

Nodding his head Dehvess could contain his curiosity no longer. “What are you looking at that would hold your attention so completely?”

Jahnah didn’t answer but proceeded to point out the window forcing Dehvess to walk over to her. At first he couldn’t tell what could possibly hold a chaos mage’s attention for so very long until he noted the wild life.

“I would get you some birds for your room but I know you would just set them free or cook them.”

Jahnah gave a slight shrug and cast a wind spell on herself. When she began to whistle the sound was a perfect copy of a songbird’s whistle. The animals looked up at her for a moment but none of them dared to come to her despite the sweet tune. “It isn’t fair.”

“What isn’t fair?”

“The animals don’t like me.”

“Well they don’t tend to like fire. Would you like to go and check on Annette?” Dehvess was a bit surprised when he saw a sudden release of mystic energy come from Jahnah’s hand.

The shadow hand easily took hold of the bird. The tiny creature struggling in protest as it was taken into the air and to Jahnah who quickly closed her own hand around the tiny animal. “Do you not like me birdies?” Using her free hand Jahnah began to pet the little animal which was franticly looking around those it couldn’t do anything else.

Dehvess watched as Jahnah held the bird. The moment the animal looked into her eyes he saw a slight tinkle in Jahnah’s and the bird calmed down.

“See. The birdy likes me. It just needed to see that the fire could be warm as well.”

“You mesmerized the animal.”

Jahnah turned and stuck her tongue out at Dehvess before hopping up onto the window seal. Giving her legs a quick tap and using a slight spell she jumped out of the fourth story window and landed on the ground. “Well come on lets go and check on Annette.” Jahnah grinned as she returned her attention to the bird. “I wonder.” A moment later a bird under the effect of a rather potent strengthening spell left her hand.

Annette felt kind of strange when she heard the impact on the massive outer doors to her room. It actually took her a moment to remember just where she was. “Come in.” A yawn had half left Annette whenever she froze. The first thing she saw when the door opened was a tiny bird pecking them to the side.

Jahnah gave the bird a quick pat on the head. “Okay you go and enjoy yourself while that spell last.”

“Was that a blue bird that was pecking those doors open?”

Jahnah gave giggle and a quick nod. “Yes it was.”

Annette’s mouth opened to say one thing but she quickly changed her mind. “That is good I thought something might be wrong with me.”

Dehvess entered the room behind Jahnah a moment later. “What would make you think something could be happening to you?”

Annette gave a slight shrug. “Well nothing major. I just wondered if there might have been something up with the bandits I ate the previous night.”

Jahnah gave a slight giggle. “You seemed to sleep very well last night.”

“Yeah which is funny I don’t normally sleep very much.” Annette once again looked out the door. “Okay that is weird. I never sleep this late either did one of you cast a light spell?”

Jahnah shook her head. “No.”

Annette scratched her head and set up in her bed when she did though she couldn’t help but notice something very unusual. The bed Dehvess had made for her had actually had a little spare room to compensate for the amount she would grow while she was with them. However, her feet were now hanging over the end.

“Is something the matter?” Jahnah giggled having by now realized what was happening the moment Annette told her what she had done.

Instead of responding Annette laid back down. It only took her a moment to insure that the top of her head was indeed at the very top of the bed. Despite this her feet still stuck out over the edge of the bed. Setting up Annette turned and placed her feet on the ground then looked up at the roof.

At last Annette stood up the whole time continuing to look up towards the roof. Whenever she finally finished she was certain that the roof was closer to her now then it had been the previous night. This wasn’t unusual to her as she knew she was still growing what was unusual was how much closer the roof was. “I believe the rate at which I am growing speed up a lot last night.”

Dehvess gave a nod. “It did.”

“Why?”

“I imagine it had something to do with your bandit meal.”

“How is that possible? Eating has never made me grow faster before.” Annette turned her attention towards Dehvess and Jahnah. Walking over to them she counted the number of steps it took her to make her way to the door and realized that it seem to have took two less steps then it did upon her arrival. Slowly she set down in front of them crossing her legs after doing so.

“How many animals do you know of that have the ability or even the potential to use magic?”

Annette wasn’t certain where Dehvess was going with this but resolved to follow along. “Not many and those that can I don’t believe you could really call them animals.”

“Have you ever tried to eat one of those animals?”

“I can’t say that I ever had the chance. I wanted to try dragon once but those scales would have been tough. Wait, are you saying that eating the bandits had some effect upon me?”

“It is possible.”

Annette glanced up at the roof once again then back down at Dehvess and Jahnah. “Would you mind explaining this theory of your in more detail?”

Jahnah took a few forward. “Just consider what was powering the golem armor. It was the energy of the people wearing the armor. Now consider what your body is and how it was originally made.”

As Annette considered this a grin that threatened to split her face in half began to form. “Would you mind giving me some details about how it works?”

“Well I believe at this time that your body processed the limited mystical energy contained within the bandits flesh whenever you ate them. Since the energy in their flesh is quite similar to compounds used in growing a golem. Actually, one of the quickest ways to make those compounds is to start with a human being and tear them down if you don’t have a structured process of making the compounds. ”

“So you think this is a permanent increase?”

“Yes. It seems unlikely that you would lose the energies. Of course don’t assume that eating the same number of people is going to have the same effect upon you. It could have far more of an effect depending on how much energy is contained within their flesh and how fresh it is. I doubt that you would get anything from a corpse after a few hours had passed by.

Actually I imagine the fresher the kill the better. I wonder when the energy actually begins to be extracted. I expect that it actually begins to occur within your stomach after all your body was based on the human form so you have any of the same features.

Mm yeah I would have to assume that the energy extraction actually begins inside of your stomach. I bet the fact that they were already dead whenever you swallowed them would have also caused you to lose some energy or more then likely a good deal of energy. Your body didn’t have as much time to extract the energy from the flesh as it would have.

Of course I doubt the same amount of energy is going to cause the same amount of size increase. The energy is added into you after all it doesn’t magnify how big you get you would probably have to eat at least twenty people with the same amount of energies to get as large of a percent increase as you did this time.”

Annette couldn’t help but giggle as she listened to Jahnah. She was grateful that Jahnah and decided to explain it to her rather then Dehvess. “So is this just a theory of yours?”

Jahnah gave a nod. “I believe it is a very likely theory though it could have been due to your intensive use of your other senses during your hunt. I imagine that helped you to work a few aspects of your being that hadn’t ever really got any attention. That could also explain for your sudden increase in size.

Though I have to believe that more then likely it was because you ate those bandits.”

“You said that the amount of energy a person had inside their body may have something to do with it. How big do you think eating you two would make me grow?”

A huge grin formed on Jahnah’s face. “That is one thing you’ll never find out.”

“OH I don’t know I believe that I could take the two of you.”

“Would you like to try?”

Annette lowered her face so that it was level with Jahnah. She then opened her mouth and quickly snapped her teeth back together the sound generated by the impact was like an explosion. Despite this Annette wasn’t even able to cause Jahnah or Dehvess to flinch. “Hmph you two just take the fun out of it. You know I would never eat a friend still you could at least play along.”

Jahnah giggled. “Well I am sure you can make those servants of yours jump whenever you get home and give them the news.”

Annette gave a slight pout and set up. The moment she did though a giggle escaped her and her smile returned. “I just can’t get over this. If I had known this before hand I wouldn’t have just crushed my opponents. Well whenever I had the time to enjoy myself. This is the first time I have ever really been big enough to eat someone and even now it takes a little time.

Though I bet I could fit more of someone into my mouth now then I could before. You wouldn’t happen to have anyone that we could use to test the theory do you?”

Jahnah and Annette both looked to Dehvess. “To my knowledge we don’t have any living prisoners at this time.”

Annette gave a slight sigh and shrugged. “All well.” She then leaned forward and held her hand out for Dehvess and Jahnah to climb on. “Come on I want to step outside and see how it feels. I am use to growing but never this much in one night.”

Annette moved her hand close to her chest once Jahnah and Dehvess had climbed on to help stabilize them. She then used her free hand to open the doors far enough for her to scoot out. Slipping through the opening Annette didn’t waste any time in standing up to her full height.

“So how does it feel?”

“It feels wonderful. I know I didn’t grow too much last night but to be able to notice a difference just after one night is wonderful.” Turning around to face the building Annette let out a bit of a sigh. “I kind of wish I had grown enough to make the top of the door level with my head though. I wonder if Maxwell will notice that I have grown more then normal.”

“I believe anyone that is use to your regular rate of growth will notice something is off. Of course this means none of the clothes you might have had being made will fit you.”
Annette froze for a moment. “Blast it you’re right and I don’t want to have to send a message home asking for larger clothing I want it to be a surprise. Oh crap not even the clothing I brought with me will fit now. I was running out of clothes already.”

Dehvess gave a shrug. “I’ll have some clothing put on express order for you. It isn’t the guild’s normal business but we know some people.”

Annette blinked for a moment. “Thanks Dehvess.”

“You don’t have to look so surprised about it. I am not a total ass when Jahnah is around.”

Annette gave a giggle. “Sorry I didn’t mean to look so surprised.”

Jahnah giggled a bit. “So Annette do you feel different?”

Annette grinned and ran the fingers of her free hand through her hair flexing her biceps at the same time. “Yeah I can tell that I didn’t just grow faster last night. I feel stronger.”

“I bet you’ll want to get back to work now that you know how to speed up your rate of growth.”

“Oh hell yes I do! I do but I know that I can’t just yet. I need to work on developing myself a little more before I head home. That and maybe the guild will send some more work my way. Still, would either of you mind if we put my lessons off for today? I want to take some time and enjoy my height increase.”

Dehvess gave a shrug. “Considering the amount your abilities increased over night I don’t believe you’ll suffer for taking a day off to enjoy them.”

Jahnah gave a shrug. “Sure go ahead and have fun.”

Annette gave a nod and started to set Dehvess and Jahnah down but quickly changed her mind. Instead she turned towards the main structure and began to walk towards it. “What floor where you in before you came down to check on me?”

Jahnah gave a slight chuckle. “We were just in the fourth floor so you won’t really get a chance to show of your size.”

“Well that just isn’t any fun. Then again I may be wrong.” Grinning Annette walked up to the building until her breast pressed against the side of it. Instead of moving her hand to the window she held is up against the side of her chest. “There you go.”

Jahnah shook her head. “Now you’re just making me jealous.”

Annette had to keep herself from laughing as Dehvess and Jahnah climbed up onto her chest and proceeded to the window. She grinned as she noted the slight difficulty they had moving across her chest but the fact that the slope remained constant despite the weight.

Jahnah grinned after she and Dehvess were through the window. “Well yours may be bigger but mine are firmer.”

Annette raised an eye brow. “You wish your breast were as firm as mine.” Grinning Annette folded her arms behind her head and using her muscle control caused her ample bust to bounce a few times. She was a bit stunned when Jahnah mimicked her.

“You were saying?”

Annette couldn’t help but grin. “Impressive. Dehvess does Jahnah wear a bra?”

Dehvess couldn’t help but give a sheepish grin. “She doesn’t need one either.”

A delighted giggle escaped Jahnah and she gave Dehvess a quick pat on the back. “You’re making progress.”

“Well I’ll see you two later I am going to go have a little walk around. See what it is like to have the trees that once were level with my breast only brush against the bottom, get upset at the trees that are still higher then my chest and see how much tighter my night gown as become. Oh and I suspect that you used magic to strengthen your body so you could do that.”

“Oh and your body isn’t a construct?”

Annette gave a shrug. “I’ll talk to the both of you later.”

************************************************************************

Annette gave an amused giggle as she looked at her reflection. She had been forced to butcher a fair amount of the clothing that she had brought with her and used the different sections to make herself a rough outfit. It was amazing how growing a few weeks ahead of schedule would throw off a carefully planned clothing routine.

After the night she woke up she found herself being forced to wear the clothing she had planned to wear at the end of her stay. Now that a few weeks had passed that clothing couldn’t fit her any longer. She had considered simply going home over a month early and taking some time to relax but when she mentioned it to Jahnah and Dehvess. Jahnah had been quite insistent that she stay.

The sound of heavy combat golems drew Annette’s attention away from her the mirror. Setting the solid sheet of shined metal down she made her way outside to see what was going on. What she found was multiple sentry golems escorting a cart as well as Jahnah waiting for its arrival.

With her curiosity peeking Annette made her way over to the chaos mage. “What is in the cart?”

Jahnah had a smile on her face that told Annette she was up to something. “Sorry I can’t tell you just yet. It is a secret.”

“There is a secret that you can’t tell me? I didn’t believe there was any information I didn’t have access to.”

“Oh it isn’t because of your rank that I can’t let you see it.”

“Then why won’t you tell me?”

“It’s a surprise.”

Annette couldn’t hide the look of curiosity on her face. “So it is something that would surprise me and warrants high level protection?” Annette closed her eyes and considered the options. “HEY! Did you get me an arch mage to eat?”

Jahnah’s smile was replaced by a look of shock for only a moment. Then the smile returned and the chaos mage began to shake with laughter. It took some time for Jahnah to calm down enough to respond. “You have a rather one track mind. Of course you have enjoyed growing ever since you became self aware.”

“I guess that means it isn’t for dinner.”

Jahnah gave a nod. “You’re right. It isn’t an arch mage for you to snack on but it is a surprise. Now I want you to go back to your room and no peeking. I’ll send someone to fetch you whenever it is ready and until then you are to stay away from the main hall.”

Annette considered being stubborn and pointing out that Jahnah had no real authority to tell her what to do. However the fact that she was getting a surprise overwhelmed any arguments Annette could come up with and she quickly retreated back to her room.

**********************************************************************

“What is taking so long?” Annette was currently setting on a massive boulder facing the guild hall. The shipment had arrived in the morning and now it was midday and she still hadn’t got her present.

Jahnah didn’t bother using a spell to amplify her voice she knew how sharp Annette’s ears were. “We’re the ones doing the work. So grow up and show some patience.”

“If I could speed up my growth quickly enough I would. That way I could just look over the guild hall and see what you are up to.”

Jahnah gave an amused giggle as she looked at their handy work. She and Dehvess had spent the first four hours of the morning enchanting it then having some golem’s help put it together. Now for the last three hours she had been setting around reading a booklet just to make Annette wait longer.

“What business does a chaos mage have telling me to be patient anyway?” Annette grew silent for a moment. “Still, thanks for working on whatever it is for so long.”

“Actually Dehvess and I finished a while ago I just wanted to make you wait.”

“What? Oh that is it I am coming over there to see what you are doing.” Standing up Annette actually ran around the guild hall. She didn’t want to give time for Jahnah to try anything else cute. What she saw when she made it around the other side caused her to freeze.

Jahnah gave a giggle. “Tada it is a new outfit for you one which I believe you’ll like.”

Annette didn’t say anything at first but proceeded to step into the testing area were the garment had been put together. The material looked to be silver at first but only at a quick glance if anyone looked longer they could tell it was something different. Annette could see a rather familiar aura forming around the substance as well. Bending down she ran her fingers along the breast section. “This is arcanon.” Annette couldn’t help the surprise in her voice.

Dehvess gave a nod. “Yes it is.”

“What were you thinking? I can’t wear this. I will outgrow it in a little while and this stuff is too hard to work with to make it into larger sizes. Not only that but where did you get so much?”

Dehvess gave a sigh. “We had to make a lot of compromises with the dwarfs and believe me Annette you don’t have to worry about this outfit. We learned a lot by studying the dragon’s scales, claws and fangs.”

Annette picked up the breast plate for a moment and felt an odd tug on her being. “It feels strange.”

“That would be the preparation enchantments. Now Annette Jahnah and I are going to need you to open yourself up to the effect of our spells. We also are going to need you to put those on very slowly.”

“Why?”

“We designed that outfit based on what we learned from the dragon’s scales, your creation, making golem armor and what we learned from examining you after body was complete. We aligned it with you as best we could before hand but the final touches must be done while you are wearing it. Please put that piece down.”

Annette quickly set the top back down. “Why?”

“It is trying to align with you.”

“Isn’t that what it was meant to do?”

“Yes but Jahnah and I are going to make sure it does it properly.”

“So just what will aligning it with me do?”

“The clothing will become a part of you. Much like the dragon’s scales grew with the dragon we believe this armor will grow with you. It also has other features as well. It’s the only reason the guild was willing to give up so much material.”

Annette looked on in amazement for a moment. As the shock slowly wore down she felt her excitement building. A moment later she literally leaped from the ground. She would have run over to Dehvess and Jahnah but the jump put them both within her arm’s reach. Reaching out she cupped her hands behind both of the mages and lifted them into the air. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Dehvess and Jahnah would have responded but at the moment they were pressed to Annette’s chest and anything they said would have been muffled beyond recognition. It was only after Annette withdrew them that either of them was able to speak. “You’re very welcome.”

“I’ll have to thank Hellik as well whenever I next see him.” Still grinning Annette glanced back over her shoulder at the clothing. “I don’t understand though. Why spend so much on me?”

“You informed the Luvarians about the arcanon and didn’t ask for anything in return. There for Hellik decided this would be fitting.”

“So what should I do now?”

Dehvess took a moment to straiten his clothing before responding. “First set us down and pick out a piece of clothing. Only put on one piece at a time and take your time doing so. Jahnah and I will work on making sure the armor’s energies align with yours.”

“Okay. How about we start with the top then? It already started to bond with me after all.”

“Sure just put us down on either side of you while you put it on.”

“Before we begin I have one question. What were the extra abilities you mentioned?”

“Well as you recall arcanon is very receptive to magic and yet resistant at the same time. We believe that you will be able to alter the materials shape and texture almost at will though it will require you to expend a little energy to alter the shape and texture. You may even be able to alter the mass though that will most likely be far more difficult other then when it grows with you.”

Annette had to contain herself when she heard this. Taking in a few deep breaths she slowly turned to face the clothing and set down Annette and Dehvess. Reaching behind herself she took hold of the strips of material, slipped her finger between it and her skin and snapped it. The material which had been relying on the friction between itself and Annette’s skin to remain on quickly fell away once the tension was released. “Are you two ready?”

Dehvess glanced at Jahnah. “I am ready are you Jahnah?”

“Go right ahead.”

Annette couldn’t help herself and gave her hands a quick clap before discarding the fragments of her torn top. This time when she picked up the top she began to put it on but took her time to notice the details. The metal itself felt far from any alloy Annette had encountered it actually felt warm and soft in her hands as if it was some form of leather she felt certain this was the result of whatever process was used to mimic the dragon’s scales.

The top itself was hardly proper armor. The upper section of the chest piece was missing revealing a good deal of cleavage and providing a very easy attack rout for someone that wished to get to Annette’s heart provided they could aim at a target that high up. Two straps went up the sides of the armor and around her shoulders reaching down the back. The materials of the straps expanded at the top to cover more of her shoulders.

The bottom section of the armor however was far more complete then the top. The material was fitted to the form of her breast and covered their underside while flowing down to cover her stomach as well. As Annette slipped the covering on, she noted something else. The armor for the most part looked as if it had been made from one solid piece of metal except in certain sections.

She took a moment to examine these and quickly realized the section that covered the underside of her breast seemed to be removable. Annette was grateful for this as even if she couldn’t adapt the armors shape through mystic means at least she could adjust a few aspects of it.

While Annette fitted the top on, she could feel the material aligning with herself. It seemed to be becoming a part of her. She felt a slight drain on herself then a small rush of energy reminding her that arcanon was to her knowledge a magic amplifier. Any thought of it possibly draining her energy was quickly forgotten and turned to thoughts of it possibly increasing her energy.

The chest piece wasn’t just solid plate she quickly realized. Inside of the material was actually what appeared to be an exceptionally fine layer of very flexible and adjustable chain mail.

“Okay Annette that should do it. You may move on to the next part.”

Giving a nod Annette stood up and stripped away her makeshift panties. Reaching down she lifted a pair of pants from the mixture. Unlike the chest plate this section was primarily mail instead of plate. Only the region which would actually encompass her waste and crotch seemed to be made from plate though within it was the familiar mail. She was quite certain it would be within every major part of the armor.

Just as the top she found that the pants seemed to have certain section which looked as if they could be removed by releasing a few locks. The pants section itself reached down to Annette’s ankle and hugged her legs showing off every curve and muscle whenever she would flex. A massive plate on either side of her thighs formed into an oval point with the point stopping just above the side of her knees.

“Hold on a minute the extra material is taking time.”

Annette gave a nod and ran her fingers over the mail. As she did so she was amazed by how fine the mail actually was. She had seen some very well made mail armor for humans and the links went far beyond what she had seen on the majority of them. Each link seemed to have a diameter of one tenth of a centimeter. When Jahnah and Dehvess finished binding it to her she had to ask. “Will these links grow?”

Jahnah shook her head. “The dragon’s scales didn’t grow after all and they behave the same way. To a limited extent that armor is alive. You’ll form more links rather then them increase in size. We wouldn’t want them growing to large after all someone could get stuck in them then and at larger sizes they aren’t very comfortable to lie on.”

“I imagine you’re right about.” Reaching down Annette was a bit surprised when she picked up the boots and found some carefully folded mail under it. “What is this?”

“That would be the chest and neck covering. You can attach it to the chest piece.”

“Why didn’t it come attached?”

“You have no idea how hard bonding that much plate and mail at the same time to you is. It’s easier taking one section a time.”

Nodding her head Annette proceeded to slide the boost onto her feet. It was clear that her legs would be better protected then the rest of her body but they were what were hit the most often. The boots were of a rather simple design with three massive arcanon straps holding them on. “Hey! What do you mean the links aren’t comfortable to lie on at the larger sizes?”

Jahnah finished up the bonding spell and giggled. “Well that is what Dehvess said whenever I tried the clothes on to make sure they fit. How do you think we managed to get the materials to fit so well?”

Annette gave a giggle. “Chaos mages, you can’t even stay at a consistent size. Well thanks for helping with the design.” Reaching down Annette lifted up the greaves and began snapping them into place. The greaves followed the shape of her leg getting thinner near the bottom and stopping just above the ankle. Several heavy straps wrapped around the back and locked into place.

The greaves had far less material then either the top or the pants which allowed Dehvess and Jahnah to finish quickly. Dehvess took this time to relay some information. “Now Annette those bonds are still forming. So the armor will only grow with you while you’re wearing it if you go without wearing it for too long you’ll outgrow it.

You need to give the bonds time to strengthen so the armor will continue to grow even when it isn’t on you. Of course then you still need to avoid getting so far away the armor isn’t affected. The stronger the bonds grow the greater distance you’ll be able to travel and not worry about outgrowing the material.”

Annette gave a nod and slipped the sleeves on. It only took her a moment to find the spot under the shoulder pads where the sleeves attached and to snap them into place. Nearly as soon as she had finished this she was able to fit the gauntlets on and finally slip on the bit of mail that covered her chest and neck.

Grinning the whole time Annette clenched her fist and shifted about in the armor. “This fits very well. I have never had armor or even clothes that fit me this well.”

“Well this is the first time we have ever enchanted something for your personnel use.”

Annette gave a giggle and placed her hand on the top of her head. “I have to say it feels kind of strange to be wearing full armor. Well except for my head but that isn’t really a problem my skull is plenty thick and just about out of everyone’s ability to reach now.”

“We didn’t make you a helmet since we knew you would never wear one.”

“Hey! That isn’t true. I wore one whenever I had to fight the most recent dragon.”

“Would you like for us to try and make you one?”

“Hell no, I hate wearing helmets. So how long should I wear this each day?”

“For as long as you can until you believe the bonds between you and the armor has become strong enough to continue to effect one another even after you take it off.”

“So you’re saying I should bath with it.”

Dehvess gave a nod. “It wouldn’t hurt.”

Annette gave a slight laugh and lightly tapped the chest plate. Instead of hearing a metallic ring she heard a rather duel thud. “It really is like the dragon’s scales though I have to think it is somewhat softer and probably stronger.”

Jahnah gave a nod. “We tried but we can’t be sure of it.”

Placing her hands on the upper section of the chest piece Annette ran her fingers over the plate and down the mail sections. “What if it gets damaged?”

Jahnah gave a shrug. “Like I said it is similar to the dragon’s scales. If it gets damaged the armor should repair itself of course it will be getting its energy from you unless you shut yourself off. Then the armor won’t be able to repair itself or grow for that matter.”

Annette gave a giggle. “Well after what it took to take down that dragon I don’t believe I have much to worry about. Oh. These clamps are they there so I can take off different sections of armor?”

Dehvess gave a nod. “Yes they are.”

“Mm so when do we begin testing to see if I can cause the armor to shift forms?”

“We should wait until the bonds have had time to strengthen before we try altering the armor’s form.”

Annette gave a giggle. “Okay. Well then I am going to go and see how I look in my new clothes.”

************************************************************************

“I can’t believe I didn’t realize this would happen.”

Annette gave a shrug. “Don’t worry Dehvess it isn’t your fault and you were suppose to give the armor to me as quickly as possible so that I wouldn’t outgrow it.”

“Yes, but I was also suppose to continue teaching you for as long as you liked. I didn’t stop to think how much the arcanon would bolster your resistance to magic.”

“It isn’t a problem.”

Jahnah gave a shrug. “You know Annette it isn’t like Dehvess and I couldn’t affect you with our spells. We would just have to use far more powerful spells then we have been using.”

Annette gave a giggle. “No thank you. I know what those more powerful spells are like.”

“But with your armor on you should be able to resist them.”

“That may be true but I don’t really want to have to endure the pain. Plus I am pretty sure the spells you have in mind would even drain you two not to mention the damage they would cause to the surrounding region.”

Jahnah gave a nod. “Na. You don’t have to worry about exhausting Dehvess and me when we work together.”

Annette gave a slight giggle. “Once again no thanks.” Annette carefully laid the last of her belongings in the carrying case she had brought with her. As she did so she couldn’t help but marvel at how much smaller everything looked compared to when she had arrived. Even being use to her normal growth rate growing the extra height had through of her sense of perspective a bit. “So what are you two going to do once I leave?”

Jahnah giggled. “Oh I am going to be staying here for a while. Hellik wants me and Dehvess to remain close to you for a while.”

“Huh? How come?”

“Annette we are all very glad that you decided to develop your abilities more but we aren’t stupid. If you come to us seeking training that you have been putting off for so long we know something big must be brewing.”

“Is my coming to you the only reason you know that?”

“No I can’t say they are but you don’t get to know where the additional information came from.”

“So you and Dehvess will be staying around to protect the guild holdings?”

“That or to come up with some nice materials.”

“Materials?”

“If a war brakes out we are to inform the necromancers of the guild immediately. It would also provide an idea situation to work on flesh golems and a few other things.” A sigh escaped Jahnah. “Unless a war is going on people just don’t understand the need to dig up their ancestors graves and conduct research on them.”

Annette gave an amused giggle. “Well I don’t know how many bodies you’ll be able to get your hands on if a war brakes out.” Annette opened her mouth and quickly snapped her teeth together. “There may not be many of them left considering now I know how to help speed up my growth.”

“I have the strangest feeling that you are not joking about that.”

Annette gave an amused giggle and stuck her tongue out at Jahnah. “I’m not.”

Jahnah faked a look of shock. “Why you. How could you do something so cruel? You over grown glutton, we need those corpses for research.”

End chapter 3

Warning this story contains adult content so if you’re a minor don’t read it or if adult content involving sex, violence or super powerful women offends you don’t read it either. This story was written with input from Supernaught whose real name I haven’t inquired about.

The author namely me can be emailed or contacted on yahoo messenger at: happiest_in_shadows@yahoo.com . Reviews are welcome


Annette felt a little strange as she walked towards her home. She liked her new armor and she was impressed by the fact that despite wearing boots and gloves she seemed to still be able to since the world around her. It was just that even with the magic inherent in the armor’s make up allowing her to remain as sensitive as normal it was strange for her to wear an entire suit of armor.

She realized on her way home that this was due in part to it being a shot to her ego. Ever since those enchanted arrows had started bouncing off her skin she had been on something of an ego trip and very eager to declare she needed no protection from such attacks. Now she was covered in more armor then ever before as if there was something for her to hide from.

For the time being she would just have to swallow her pride though. As if she were to take off the armor then she would break the connection it was trying to establish. Then she ran the risk of outgrowing the current suit. Even with her close relationship to the guild and being on such good terms with it she knew to request a new suit of arcanon armor would be entirely out of the question.

At least she could take some comfort in the fact that her body was still her primary weapon. With that thought Annette seemed to relax considerably. Stopping for a moment she looked around the surrounding area until she noticed a tree no taller then two meters tall. Walking over to the sapling Annette raised her foot and moved it over the tree so that the bottom of her soul just brushed the top of it. An amused giggle escaped her and Annette brought her foot back without actually crushing the plant.

Turning her attention back to the road Annette once again began to make her way home. The terrain had changed a lot since she last made her way through it. Annette gave her head a shake and went to correct herself. It wasn’t the land that was changed she had just grown so that everything seemed different. It had been more then ten years since she became self aware and she still forgot that at times.

It was a rather strange even for Annette to realize that she wasn’t entirely mistaken when she thought the lands had changed a few miles down the road. A few miles before she reached Maxwell’s territory she was surprised to find a guard station along the road. The little structure was somewhere between a fort and a watch house though Annette felt it leaned more in the direction of a watch house.

Annette could have just walked on by the station. It wasn’t like any of the people inside were coming out to meet her. However, as she neared it Annette couldn’t help herself. She had to know just why the structure had been set up.

Bending down Annette gave the main gate to the structure a few light flicks with her finger. Each time her finger would touch the door it would be forced inward a few centimeters as if it was being struck by a battering ram. “Hello is anyone in there?”

Annette waited a few moments before she spoke up again. “That was a rhetorical question. I can here you so come on out unless you want me to pull the roof off.” Annette heard some shuffling inside and murmuring. It took a moment but she soon realized they were deciding who should go out and confront her.

The young soldier immerged from within the structure. While he could tell from the pounding on the main door and the fact that the entire structure was only two fifths as tall as the giantess at most he still felt safer inside. His lack of any real rank meant he had to be the one to go and speak with the giantess. “How may I help you?”

“You’re going to have to speak up even my ears aren’t that sensitive.” In truth Annette heard what the soldier said perfectly. She just felt like giving him a hard time.

Taking a moment to build up his nerve the soldier practically shouted his next question. “How may I help you?”

Annette couldn’t help but giggle. She could tell that the volume of the soldier’s voice was due more to fear then anything else. “I was wondering why there is a fort here.”

“The fort is here to help protect this road from bandits.”

Annette straitened up and for a few moments scanned the road. “I am not stupid and I do live here. This stretch of road is hardly of any major significance especially enough to warrant a border line fort being built on it. Now tell me the real reason it was constructed.”

The guards knew of the giantess that lived in Maxwell’s domain. They even knew Annette’s name and that she was on good terms with Maxwell. This was the exact reason why they didn’t want to tell her the actual reason the fort was constructed.

“Okay I am going to make this simple for you. Tell me why this was built here or I will eat you, destroy the fort and eat everyone inside.” Annette watched as the color drained from the soldier’s face. Clearly he didn’t like the idea of telling her the truth. “Oh and it had better be believable.”

“Tension has been rising between Maxwell and the surrounding leaders. This fort was put here to monitor the traffic from and to those lands governed by Maxwell.”

Annette gave a nod. “Now was that so bad?” Straitening up Annette let out a bit of a sigh. She knew when Maxwell left things weren’t going well after all that was the reason she went to learn from the Luvarians. At least a war had started while she was gone though the fort was a bad sign even if the one she encountered was a small one.

The soldier could hardly believe that he was alive as he watched Annette walk off. From everything they heard everyone believed that all the installations on whatever road she traveled would be leveled.

Annette gave a sigh. She could have taken out the little fort easily enough but in a few weeks it would be even easier and more fun. Of course the little soldiers would have made nice snacks but that had draw backs as well. The construction of the fort most likely meant that a war was on its way but hadn’t started just yet. If she were to just destroy one of the forts then go to her home it would start the war even sooner.

************************************************************************

“She is back? We may have a chance now.”

“Are you joking it is because of her this whole mess started. If she had just stayed away maybe things would have just cooled off.”

“Those war mongers are just after the land. She is just an excuse.”

“Has she grown larger?”

“You men worry too much. Just look at her I bet that young lady could trample an entire army under foot.

“She isn’t that big.”

“I bet the young Lord already has a plan to get us out of this trouble.”

Annette had become use to being looked upon even in Maxwell’s domain. However, as she walked through the country side she had never had so many people take such interest in her. They kept their distance but she could see them peeking out from their homes or trying to sneak a look while appearing to work in the fields. She could also hear their conversations.

As Annette listened to the civilians’ conversations she felt like getting involved. However, she knew that if she did then they would most likely quit talking and at the moment she was more interested in hearing what they said to say then giving her opinion on the subject.

What Annette quickly learned about the little people was that some flat out blamed her; others saw her as a protector; still others were relying on Maxwell’s leadership ability to see them through the trouble. Most of their opinions varied amongst those threes or where some combination of one of two thought patterns

Annette for her part wasn’t entirely sure what the main cause of current events was. She knew that Maxwell’s family had their fair share of enemies and he hadn’t done anything to improve his standings by allowing her to take up permanent residence.

Was her making her home in his lands really enough to cause a war though? It was true that her presence caused a slight shift of power even early on. The fact that she was still growing in strength, size and ability also meant that the power shift had become greater with time. Perhaps they feared her growing too large and allying herself with Maxwell.

There was also the matter of the extra income she represented. Annette may have worked for money but spent only a very small portion of what she earned. The vast majority of the income she would have gladly donated to help Maxwell out.

What sounded like an explosion could be heard from over a mile away as Annette brought her massive hand up and quickly smacked her forehead. She had forgotten to tell Maxwell he could make use of her savings in preparing his lands for an attack.

************************************************************************

Maxwell gave a sigh as he looked out his window. His meeting with the surrounding Dukes and Lords had gone the way he expected it to. Sadly that wasn’t the way he wanted it to go. His spirits were at least lifted whenever he heard several massive impacts as if foot falls. Annette was perhaps the only person he knew of that one could hear coming up the road to his estate long before one actually saw her.

Despite being able to hear Annette coming Maxwell was quite surprised when she rounded the corner. It was the first time in four years that he had seen Annette wearing a complete suit of armor. As she neared he also realized she was somewhat larger then what she would normally be given her regular rate of growth.

Annette giggled when she saw the surprised expression on Maxwell’s face. “Unless you want me to tear out part of the wall I suggest you stand on the window seal or at least lean out a bit.

For a moment Maxwell was surprised. He was used to Annette’s more enthusiastic side especially whenever they had been separated for such a long time. This feeling of amazement and concern only lasted a moment as Annette flashed him an enormous smile and quickly picked up the pace. Those massive foot falls become far more rapid as Annette’s broke into a light sprint.

Annette could not only hear the effect of Annette’s steps but he could fill them as well. Each time she would take a step her boots struck the ground with such force that the sunk in nearly a meter deep. The force of the impacts were enough to cause the estate itself to shake at least they seemed to be. These little vibrations were nothing though compared to when Annette leaped into the air easily jumping over the main gate and landing what must have been at most fifteen meters from the tower he was in. She was so close that for a moment it looked as if her breast might demolish the tower when she straitened up.

Maxwell jumped back whenever Annette straitened up. She had grown so large that her breast where now level with the window. When he looked out the window all he could see was Annette’s massive armored globes.

Annette gave an amused giggle and took in a deep breath and thrust her chest outward. Thankfully the armor had been designed with her in mind and she could feel several of the links shifted to accommodate her change in position. Her massive breast pressed against the side of the tower causing the solid stone to crack due to the material that covered her chest and her breast’s mass.

It was soon clear to Maxwell that his assumption that Annette was somehow remaining calm was very much false. Indeed he could tell that she was in a very frisky and playful mood. This wasn’t surprising considering how much she had grown while she was away. She was like a little girl and a doll when it came to her size increases thus always eager to show it off.

It was hard for Annette to keep herself from giggling. She could feel Maxwell’s eyes on her chest and felt certain she had his undivided attention. At last she was no longer able to hold her excitement in and was forced to step back in order to avoid pressing her chest more firmly against the window and possibly destroying the wall.

As Annette stepped back Maxwell couldn’t help but smile. “It is good to see you to Annette.” He was a bit surprised though when his view of her was suddenly blocked by three of her massive fingers working their way into his window. He suddenly remembered what Annette had said about him coming to the window.

Carefully Annette slipped three of her fingers into the window. She didn’t really mind destroying the wall itself she just didn’t want to collapse it inward. Once she had her fingers positioned she proceeded to pull them outward. It was as easy as pulling her fingers through a sand castle if not easier.

The sound of shifting stones met Maxwell’s ears before he could even try to convince Annette to stop. A moment later he heard the stones crashing to the ground as Annette easily tore an opening with a radius of two meters in the wall.

Now that Annette had an opening large enough for her to work more of her hand into she quickly reached in and wrapped her fingers around Maxwell. She was careful not to crush him but she did it quickly enough and got a good enough grip that she felt certain he couldn’t escape.

Maxwell was used to being picked up by Annette especially after they had been separated for a long time. However, this was the first time she had torn away part of his home to do so. Of course it was the first time such a thing was required of her to get her hand inside. He wasn’t upset over the loss of the chunk of wall though he hoped that it didn’t rain until they had time to seal it up.

Despite not minding the loss of the wall Maxwell resolved to tease Annette about it for a while. At least that is what he thought he was going to do before he could speak though she lifted him to her face and pressed her lips against a good portion of his upper body including his head.

Being kissed by Annette had always been an enjoyable experience, one that seemed to grow more pleasant as she grew larger. Despite Annette’s size and endurance her lips were a delight to the touch, pleasantly soft at first and becoming firmer as one pressed deeper. As her wonderful warm lips covered his face Maxwell found himself unable to speak. The only thing that seemed to change as Annette grew larger was that more of ones body got to enjoy the wonderful sensation.

Annette finally removed Maxwell from her lips. “I missed you.”

Maxwell had by now forgotten what he was going to say about the wall. “I missed you to.”

“So what happened while I was away?”

“I met with the local leaders and well things didn’t go well.”

“I figured that out already. So tell me what happened.”

Maxwell gave a nod. “Okay I suppose I’ll start at the beginning. Shortly after I left I had to travel to Duke James’s estate. I expected several of the surrounding leaders to have gathered there instead I found that they all had gathered there.

I had hoped to get down to business but James decided to have a feast in order to show everyone involved that there was no ill will.” A low chuckle escaped Maxwell.

“Was the food any good?”

Maxwell blinked a few times as if unsure if he had heard Annette correctly. At last a chuckle escaped him. “I suppose it was but it is hard to enjoy a meal when in poor company. I would prefer a simple snack of fruits with one that is more pleasant to be around.”

Annette gave a giggle and gave Maxwell another kiss though this one was far quicker then the first. “Well go on what happened after dinner.”

“The next day after everyone had slept James finally got down to business. He spent the majority of the day expressing his concerns about giants as a species. It was of course a build up to talking about you.”

“How did the other guest take it?”

“They agreed with him of course. At least they agreed until he expressed a concern for my safety.”

Annette’s eyes widened for a moment. “Excuse me I don’t know if I heard you correctly. Did you say he expressed a concern for your safety?”

“Yes and the people that lived in my domain. He went into this rather lengthy speech about how wonderful it was of me to take you in while you were small. At least for a while then he began to express concern about your growing size though and that you had and the Luvarians had tricked me.”

“Well isn’t that considerate of him.”

“I tried to explain that I had been informed of the risk but he pushed my arguments aside like he was dealing with a child. I wanted to cut his head off then and there.”

Annette gave a giggle and kissed Maxwell. “I am glad that you didn’t.”

“They got onto the subject of what would happen whenever you outgrew your home here and wanted more space to roam in. That bastard actually hinted that you had been amassing so much gold over these years to start a war in order to take my land and theirs.”

“So when did he call for the forts to be built and war?”

“He didn’t. Despite my efforts no one would listen to me. Once he was done he had all the others so fearful and excited that they took over for him. They started talking about you having to leave my land and the kingdom as a whole. Then someone mentioned that you might come back for revenge if forced out and that you and the Luvarians may be seeking a home kingdom of your own.”

“So now they want me dead?”

“Yes. They suggested that I should help deliver you up and had the nerve to suggest it would be for my own good.”

“I bet James loved this.”

“I have no doubt that he did but he did a great job of hiding it.”

“Why did he do that?”

“Once everyone was truly scared and excited” Maxwell stopped when Annette held up a finger.

“Wait excited about what?”

“They were excited about the idea of looting your home.”

“What made them so excited about that?”

“Annette you have amassed more wealth then the entire kingdom does in a year.”

Annette gave an amused giggle. “You little people really are lousy at raising funds.”

“I believe I am going to get back to the story now. After they suggested that I help lead you into a trap I refused. At which point they began to turn on me. They accused me of working with you in order to over throw the entire kingdom. I tried to calm them and prove that I wasn’t however they began to talk about invading while you were away so they wouldn’t have to fight two enemies at once.”

“You didn’t lie and agree to turn me over did you?”

“No. I didn’t lie.”

“You mean you intend to turn me over?” Annette gave a slight giggle when Maxwell sighed. “I am sorry I’ll quit teasing.”

“After the conversation had got somewhat heated James finally stepped in and called for them to be reasonable. He actually argued for my case and managed to convince them to calm down.”

“So what is going on with the forts?”

“He got them to calm down but somehow while doing so he made them even more certain that they had to remove you. However, before a war gets underway they want to appeal to the King himself and see what his opinion in the matter is.”

“So until then they set up watch houses?”

“Yes. They also cut off ever trade rout except those going from James’s land.”

“Why did they leave one open?”

“The others didn’t but James refused to back down and insisted that those through his land would remain open. He said to blockade someone’s land was an act of war which he wouldn’t commit to without the King’s approval.”

“How did you respond to that?”

“I swear. I began to wonder if everyone in the meeting had forgotten that he had not only called it originally but he was also the one that turned the directions of giants and what threat they posed. After a few days I was sure that they had.”

“So what about James’s decision to keep the trade routs between your land and his open?”

“I couldn’t very well reject the offer. However, I haven’t made use of them and have tried to discourage the practice.”

Annette gave a slight giggle. “I wonder if it was an attempt to make you funnel funds into his domain.”

“It could have been.”

“So let me see if I have everything. You meet up with James and the surrounding leaders, he gets them all fired up about the threat I pose to you and everyone else. After you try to defend me they turn on you. After they have turned on you James tries to act like he is the voice of reason but whatever arguments he uses to try and calm them aren’t nearly as effective as those that upset them.

Now you’re surrounded on all sides and the only person that seems willing to help in the least is the one that caused the problem to begin with. You won’t accept his help but you won’t officially reject it either since that would probably cause an already dangerous situation to explode.”

Maxwell gave a nod. “It isn’t exactly a pleasant situation to be in. Of course I wasn’t caught unprepared. While I never unexpected this exact sequence of events to take place I knew that something would happen one day.”

“So why haven’t they attached yet?”

“They were waiting for you to return and to see what I would do. They felt that perhaps upon your return I would see what they consider to be reason.”

“And now that I am back?”

Maxwell gave a sigh. “They’ll speak to the King about the matter. I swear one thing is really eating at me.”

“What is that?”

“James seems to be putting a great deal of energy into making sure that I have plenty of time to prepare. He has an ulterior motive.”

“Do you have any idea what it is?”

“I could speculate on the subject but I would prefer not to.”

“Okay well now that I know what is going on. What do you plan on doing about it?”

“So far I have fortified every major position that I can but I have a problem.”

“You’re surrounded and even if you gave every farmer in the land a sword and a shield there is no way that you could sufficiently fortify every location? Hey wipe that stunned look off your face.”

“Um sorry” Maxwell took a moment to take on a less insulting expression. “You’re right there is no way that I can protect every location from an attack on all sides. I have done what I can and tried to situate what soldiers I do have into what I believe to be the most advantageous defensive network.”

“You don’t look happy about that.”

“I’m not.”

“I doubt that you’re going to get any allies since I am living here. Just my presence is going to give a negative impression.”

“In order to get here anyone would have to come through the surrounding lands which means they would most likely be wiped out before the armies could form into an effective unit.”

“Ah that is sweet.” Lifting Maxwell back to her lips Annette gave him another quick kiss. “Thanks for saying that to make me feel better but I know this situation is largely because I am here. Even if they had wanted to attack you long before now they couldn’t have justified it and formed into an effective union if you hadn’t let me live here.”

“Annette this isn’t because of you.”

“Then what is the cause? What was James key argument?” Annette grinned and gave Maxwell a few minutes to think but eventually she spoke up again. “See. I know that this has a lot to do with me. So here is what I want you to do. I want you to send out some messengers and recruit some mercenaries. Now I know you probably did this on a smaller scale but I doubt your budget allowed for you to recruit many. So I want you to use some of my money to put together a solid defensive force.”

“Annette, are you going to help defend these lands if they are attacked?”

“Of course I am.”

“I don’t want to make use of the money that you earned.”

“Well if you don’t want to you don’t have to. I’ll just get in touch with the Luvarians. I may not have anyone I could send out to recruit mercenaries but I wonder what size of a golem army I could purchase from them. Dang it now I wish the store house in the nearest guild hall hadn’t already been cleared out.”

“Annette I don’t want you spending your money to defend my land.”

“Hey it is my home. Mm maybe golems would be a better choice. I don’t know how mercenaries would respond when they learned they would be fighting beside a giantess.”

“While I appreciate your concern aren’t you worried that the guild will be swept up in this as well?”

Annette gave a nod. “They sure will be and that reminds me. You’re going to need to write a letter to the Luvarians.”

“Write a letter to them why?”

“You mentioned that it was suggested the Luvarians and I might have deceived you. That would indicate they may target the Luvarians as an organization. You see you have more allies then you realized.”

“I don’t want to use a tyrant’s army.”

“So you would be happier sending human soldiers off to die instead of expendable golems?”

Maxwell couldn’t help but sigh. “No. I would prefer if none of my soldiers had to die over this.”

“Okay. So before I go and start talking golems with the Luvarians I am going to need you to write that letter. You can be honest but if there is a way to say something more negatively then expressed at the meeting I recommend you do so.”

Maxwell gave a sigh and Annette held her hand level with his officer. After a moment he stopped off her palm and through the opening she had tore only moments earlier. “This is all moving quite fast but then again now that you’re back I don’t know how much time we have.”

“That is why you should get to writing.”

“Just what type of letter is this anyway?”

“Oh that is right you don’t know. The Luvarians already suspect something is going on. Actually they seem to be certain something is going to happen. In fact they are so certain that something is going to happen that they have positioned two of their elite mages in the nearest guild hall to make sure their holdings are kept safe.”

“So what do you suggest I say?”

“I don’t know. What do you normally say to someone with whom you have a common foe or threat?”

Maxwell gave a nod. “Okay I believe I know what I need to say now.”

Annette waited for Maxwell to set down at his desk before she reached back into the opening. She proceeded to take hold of the back of Maxwell’s seat and lift the chair and him back out the opening. A moment later she picked up his desk as well. “It’s a nice day outside.” Setting down Annette placed the chair and desk atop her massive right thigh.

“I hope you’re going to put my desk and chair back.”

“Sure though you may want to look into having that opening fixed.”

“I’ll have it sealed up later.”

“Oh I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I mean you know if you do that it is just going to get tore open again.”

Maxwell gave a slight chuckle. “Now why do you say that? Okay I’ll have a larger window put in that can even be opened from the outside.”

“That’ll work.”

As Maxwell wrote he couldn’t help but relax. He knew that the situation was still dangerous and he didn’t actually know if the Luvarians would help out though he knew Annette would. Still, as Annette’s massive shadow engulfed him he couldn’t help but relax. “What do you believe will happen after I send my proposal for an alliance to them?”

“They’ll give me a discount on golems most likely since I am a member myself and you are a previous customer in need of help. After that they’ll send their counter alliance proposal.”

Maxwell couldn’t help but give Annette a surprised glance. “What do you mean counter alliance proposal?”

“The Luvarians are a business. They’ll offer you a certain amount of materials in exchange for. Let’s just say they’ll want to make use of certain human resources once this is all over.”

“Would you mind telling me just what kind of uses they would have for such resources?”

Annette gave a shrug. “Human test subjects for various experiments and they’ll want to lay claim to certain corpses as well.”

Maxwell grew silent and leaned back in his seat for a moment. He knew the Luvarians reputations and he knew they weren’t considered the most moral of guilds. In fact they were far from it. “They are days I wonder how I ever came to know you.”

“Is something bothering you?”

“I don’t mind doing business with the Luvarians but to be honest a good deal of their practices disturb me.”

Annette bit her lower lip for a moment. “Maxwell there is something I need to tell you.”

It was easy for Maxwell to recognize the change in Annette’s voice. She had something to tell him which had her worried. “What is it Annette.”

“I suppose you noticed that I grew a little more then normal while I was away.”

Maxwell gave a nod and could easily see were the conversation as going. “What did you have to do to speed up the process?”

“When I eat the flesh of a live form that has magic potential such as humans I grow more quickly then normal.”

Maxwell took a moment to respond. “So you ate people?”

“Yeah, I did.”

Maxwell gave a shrug and returned to his letter. “I swear Annette you scared me for a moment.”

“Maxwell I am not joking.”

“Annette dead is dead. It isn’t the practice of killing that bothers me. Even the idea of using humans for experiments doesn’t bother me a great deal. It is the fact that necromancers often trap a soul between life and death that bothers me.”

A relieved sigh escaped. “I was worried you wouldn’t approve or worse.”

“You plan on adding humans and other sentient species to your diet don’t you?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Well I believe you’re mature enough to know who it is okay to eat and who you shouldn’t eat. How did you find out about this though?”

“It happened while I was taking care of some bandits. I captured a few of them to toy with and well you know I like to try new things whenever my increased size allows for it.”

“So you decided to find out how people taste?”

“Yeah, I don’t really know what brought it on though.”

“It could have been you responding to an instinctive desire that up until that point you subconsciously felt would be too much trouble to fill. Then again it could have just as well been the same impulses that lead you to try and step on someone.”

“So about these people that supposedly I shouldn’t eat.”

Maxwell couldn’t help but chuckle. “What about them?”

“I take it that they include your soldiers and the people that live in these lands.”

“I would appreciate it if you didn’t eat them.”

“How do you feel about prisoners?”

“Well it would beat being used as a test subject especially for necromancy.”

Annette gave a slight giggle and licked her lips. “Maybe I should have trashed that fort I saw when I was coming here. Then I wouldn’t have to wait for a chance to satisfy my hunger. Are you really okay with me actually eating people?”

“I believe that I am but I can’t be certain. You’ve always experimented with what your greater sizes and strengths allowed you to do though. I knew that this would happen if you ever grew large enough.”

“Mm I guess I did have all the warning signs.”

“So should I send someone to deliver this letter or are you going to do it?”

“Well you did say you don’t know how much time you have. I’ll be the one to take the letter.”

“You haven’t been home yet have you?”

“No. I only got back a short while ago and I came strait here to visit you.”

“Should I have a snack prepared for you?”

Annette shook her head. “No thanks.”

“So why don’t you tell me about how you received pure arcanon armor?”

“It was a gift from the guild. It is a thank you for bringing the substance to their attention.”

************************************************************************

“How many times is he going to read that?” Annette glanced down at Jahnah who currently set on the edge of the tower’s window.

“I believe this will be the last time. He wants to make sure he didn’t miss read anything before sending the letter on to Hellik and including his own opinion.”

“Well while Dehvess makes certain there is no mix up in the communication maybe you and I could talk about me purchasing a few golems.”

Jahnah gave a nod. “We could but I don’t believe you want to do that.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“The golems may not cost you a thing. From what I read it seems Maxwell has no desire to keep the golems.”

“What?”

“The letter makes it clear that he has no desire to keep the golems as a permanent force. It does however mention a desire to purchase some golem armor.”

“I swear I am starting to believe Maxwell has something against golems.”

Jahnah couldn’t help but giggle. “Well it is clear that he has something against golems less advanced then yourself.”

“Yeah you’re probably right. Why do you think that is? He referred to them as the tyrant’s army.”

“Well because that is what they are for the most part. Just think they are mindless unquestioning dolls with little purpose other then to kill people or stand watch. You have no fear of betrayal and they never show mercy to your enemies. The only danger is that someone finds a way to replace you as the one the golems obey and then has them go against you. Only the very paranoid and more often then not moderately insane require such devices.”

“You had better be talking about the more primitive golems.”

“I am. The more advanced golems have far grander purposes after all. They can serve as protectors but they are too difficult to produce to serve as a standing army.”

“I suppose that is why he has interest in buying golem armor but not golems. You seem very together today.”

Jahnah gave a shrug. “I am.”

“So tell me what type of golem do you prefer?”

“The more advanced ones of course. The others are instruments of imposing order after all. I prefer a more chaotic setting.”

The women’s attention as drawn away from their conversation when they heard Dehvess opening a desk drawer, a moment later he took out two sheets of paper and began to write.

Jahnah gave a giggle. “Are you only going to read it three times Dehvess?”

“I was only going to read it twice but you two kept talking and I couldn’t focus so I had to read it an additional time.”

Jahnah gave a giggle and stuck her tongue out at Dehvess before turning back to Annette. “So what were we talking about?”

“We were talking about golems and why Maxwell called them a tyrant’s army.”

“Let’s talk about something else now.”

Annette gave a slight shrug. “Is the subject beginning to bore you?”

“Yes it is.”

A giggle escaped Annette. “Well at least you’re honest about it. So what do you want to talk about?”

“Have you told Maxwell that you have acquired a taste for the flesh of sentient species?”

“Yes I have.”

“Oh he must have taken it well. You don’t seem at all depressed.”

Annette gave a nod. “He didn’t exactly jump up and down and praise me for the discovery but he didn’t seem to mind either.”

“Oh that is wonderful news. Have you asked him to empty out the dungeons for you?”

“Mm no I can’t say that I did. I hadn’t really thought about it.”

“Annette you are preparing for a war. There is no need to go to battle starving.”

“I have to agree with you on that. I’ll have to ask Maxwell about it whenever I get back.”

“Of course this is further going to hurt Maxwell’s image.”

“Um say that again?”

“Oh Annette you know allying with the Luvarians never helps anyone’s image and even if he doesn’t keep the golems the fact that he used them in war time will put him in a bad light. Then you take into account that he has allied with a giant and one that enjoys eating people no less it is going to hurt his image.”

Annette couldn’t help but look a little shocked. “Dehvess something is wrong with Jahnah. She is being a downer that is your job.”

Both Annette and Jahnah noted Dehvess flinch when Annette teased him. A moment later he turned around in his seat and faced the women that by now were giggling uncontrollably.

Annette held up her hand though she couldn’t stop herself from giggling right away. “I am sorry.” A few more giggles escaped Annette. “That was entirely uncalled for.”

“So that is the appreciation I get for trying to help you?”

Jahnah didn’t try to stop giggling even as she stood up and walked over to Dehvess. Bending down a bit so that she was more level with Dehvess’s setting position she wrapped her arms around him. “No this is the thanks you get for helping us out.” With that Jahnah quickly tightened her grip and leaned forward so that she pulled Dehvess’s face into her cleavage.

Dehvess had only been pretending to be upset by Annette’s teasing. He knew that many felt he drained the life out of a room and even knew that it tended to be true. Still as he found his face pulled into Jahnah’s ample cleavage he knew that even if he had been upset that would have melted away. When she let him up he knew that he couldn’t have held a stern face even if he wanted to. “Well suddenly I feel very appreciated.”

Jahnah gave an amused giggle. “So what kind of letter are you going to send to Hellik?”

“I plan on telling him that” Dehvess was silenced when his head was pulled back down into Jahnah’s cleavage.

“I said what type of letter I didn’t ask for details. Ohh.” Jahnah gave a slight moan whenever she felt Dehvess try to speak. Her breast muffled his words so she couldn’t hear what he said but it felt nice and she hadn’t been expecting it

. Annette watched as Jahnah shifted a bit rubbing Dehvess’s face against her breast. She waited a few moments before speaking up. “So are you going to let him tell us what type of letter he is sending? Also I think he is having trouble breathing.”

Dehvess took in a deep breath of air when Jahnah finally released his head. If he had found it nearly impossible to wear a frown before now he couldn’t have removed his smile. “The letter is a positive one.”

Jahnah gave a nod. “Is there anything negative in it?”

“I did list a few concerns but I also listed simple solutions to those concerns as well.”

Jahnah gave a nod and gave Dehvess a kiss on the cheek before walking back to the window seal. “Personally I believe Dehvess should just read the letter and you and he should go speak with Hellik yourselves.”

Annette blinked her eyes a few times. “Why don’t we just do that?”

Dehvess didn’t bother turning around to answer Annette’s question. “This is proper procedure. Also when you write a letter it forces you to think about everything you wish to say so that you are clearer then when you speak. At least that is what it should do.”

Jahnah turned to Annette. “The vast majority of people send letters and before you learn spells powerful enough to teleport or gain the ability to travel fast enough you do. Then you take into consideration that old habits are hard to break and you find that sending letters form a comfort zone.”

Annette couldn’t help but blink. “I thought you said you didn’t now why they send letters.”

“I don’t and neither does Dehvess. What he gave was his opinion on the situation and that is mine.”

“Why did you ask if you already had an opinion on the matter?”

“I didn’t have a serious opinion on the situation until after Dehvess was finished speaking.”

“You just said that to take a hidden stab at those who prefer order didn’t you?”

Jahnah gave a slight giggle. “That doesn’t make my points any less valid.”

Dehvess just shook his head as he finished up the letter. He then proceeded to fold it over the letter Maxwell had sent and placed them both on his desk. “Jahnah, would you mind giving me a hand?”

“Sure.” Walking over to Dehvess Jahnah gave him a few moments to begin the teleport spell before she placed her hand over his and began to chant herself. Dehvess would actually be controlling were the letter was to go while Jahnah was supplying the energy. This kept it from being draining on Dehvess due to Jahnah’s greater supply of energy and it made sure it would arrive due to Dehvess greater control.

Jahnah removed her hand from Dehvess’s once the letter was gone. “Well then Hellik will find that waiting for him and can send his response.”

“So what should I do?”

“It shouldn’t take Hellik more then an hour to respond to the letter. You can just wait around here.”

Annette gave a nod. “It would be kind of pointless for me to run home only to have to turn around and run back an hour later.”

Dehvess who had been setting the majority of the time gave a slight sigh when he stood up. “How long did it take you to run here?”

“I would say two hours.”

“That is impressive even if a giant was your size they couldn’t match that speed.”

“Yeah but I have always been fast for my size. It is just now my size is at least twelve times taller then your average human and nearly two thousand times the volume.”

Jahnah gave a slight chuckle. “I just realized they are even more reasons not to simply teleport to where someone is.”

Annette glanced down at Jahnah. “What are they?”

“The energy drain is one reason. It takes a bit out of me to teleport from guild hall to guild hall and we even have specially constructed rooms for that.”

Dehvess gave a nod. “That is true but you lose a lot of energy during the process.”

“Yes but that is due to my particular method of teleporting since I have the energy to spare. You on the other hand must use a more efficient method.”

Dehvess gave a nod. “What would the other reason be?”

“Guess.”

“Huh?”

“I want you to take a guess.”

“Well teleporting a small item does save a considerable amount of energy. Teleporting with Annette might be impossible due to her mass and resistance to magic.”

“Would it be so bad even when my guard was relaxed?”

“It would still be difficult due to your mass but not impossible in that case.”

Jahnah gave a giggle. “That is just another way of saying that it cost too much energy to constantly do.”

Dehvess gave a nod. “There is also the limitation that one must either know where they are teleporting to well, be able to see it or have something guiding them. If they don’t they could teleport inside of a rock.”

Annette gave a slight giggle. “Okay I see why you don’t teleport to speak to Hellik.”

Jahnah gave a nod. “It isn’t like it would speed the matter up after all. At least not enough to be worth the energy drain.”

Reaching through the window Annette gave Jahnah a quick tap on the head. “Okay I get the message.”

Jahnah gave a slight giggle and stuck her tongue out at Annette. Dehvess for his part couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well since we are done talking about the merits of teleportation spells and I have sent Hellik the letter I believe that I will get back to work. Would you like to join me Jahnah?”

“I believe that I’ll keep our guest company.”

“Fellow guild members that just spent several months with us don’t count as guest.”

Annette couldn’t help but wonder. “What do you plan on doing?”

“As you know Hellik left Jahnah and me here to protect the guild holdings. With that letter sent I suspect things may become busy. I want to make sure all our test data is properly recorded and stored away incase we are forced to delay them or transfer them to another guild hall.”

“And you wanted Jahnah to help you with that?”

Dehvess couldn’t help but chuckle. “You do have a point there.”

“Oh now I definitely won’t be helping you.”

“I’ll check on you two in forty five minutes. If Hellik sends a reply before then you can come and get me Jahnah or Annette could just tap the side of the tower a few times.”

Jahnah and Annette waved as Dehvess proceeded out of the room and out of their sight. After a few moments Jahnah turned to Annette. “So are you looking forward to the war?”

“I always think battles are fun. On most levels I am but I really don’t like the idea of my home land being torn to bits. I may not know many of the people there but I don’t wish them ill and would prefer if they weren’t harmed.”

“Ah that is sweet of you.”

“Well they may not be my friends but they seem to have accepted me to a limited extent.”

Jahnah proceeded to give Annette a stern look and set up slightly. “Well I hope you don’t like then more then us.”

Annette couldn’t help but giggle. “No my loyalties haven’t changed all that much.”

“Oh so your loyalties have changed and just how have they changed?”

“First Maxwell, then the guild, then myself, then my servants, then the people of my homeland and last my clients.”

“How could you let someone come before the guild that helped give birth to you?”

Annette rolled her eyes. “So if Dehvess left the guild you would choose to stay with it?”

“Of course not but we are talking about you and your short comings.”

Annette gave a slight huff. Leaning down so that her head was close to the window she puckered her lips and sent a quick burst of air into the room. The force of the wind was actually enough to nock Jahnah off the window seal. “Everyone has their priorities and I have mine.”

A slight giggle escaped Jahnah as she was sent tumbling into the floor. A moment later she set back up and leaned on the window seal as Annette spoke. “That is true one must have their priorities. So you must be quite fond of Maxwell.”

“Yeah I am.”

“Have you shoved him down your top yet?”

“No.” A slight giggle escaped Annette. “I have only recently grown large enough for that.”

“So when are you going to try it?”

“I don’t know.” As Annette spoke she soon realized she was beginning to blush.

“I recommend doing it whenever you get back. Just pick him up and shove him right between your breasts.”

“Like you did Dehvess’s head?”

“You shouldn’t do it exactly like I did Dehvess’s head. You should probably do it feet first.”

Annette couldn’t help but giggle. “Maybe I’ll take that advice though is hardly seems appropriate at such a time.”

“What are you going to wait until there is a battle going on?”

“No.”

“I know you could do it shortly after eating some people. That way he might be able to feel you growing around him of course you would have to eat quite a few people to cause a noticeable change.”

“I believe that would kill the mood.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Yes I do.”

Jahnah turned her head to the side for a moment while a curious expression appeared on her face. “I don’t know. I admit I never ate someone but love making seems to be more enjoyable after draining the life force out of someone.”

“Is that because draining the life out of the person makes Dehvess try harder or are you just on a buzz?”

“Oh I am on a buzz there is no doubt about that but he seems to enjoy the extra pep. Of course I don’t always tell Dehvess what I have been up to just before and you wouldn’t have to tell Maxwell that you had just snacked on a few people. Sure Dehvess always figures out what happened after words and since you told Maxwell how you make yourself grow more I am sure that he would figure it out eventually as well. That said do you really expect him to be thinking of such things during the actual event?”

“You do have a point.”

“Of course I do. So when are you going to try it.”

Annette gave a slight giggle. “I don’t know. Do you know of a bunch of people I could snack on?”

Jahnah proceeded to point past Annette. “There is a town in that direction.”

“Very funny I am not going to just go and eat a bunch of villagers who haven’t done anything to provoke me.”

“Oh fine but your letting your code of conduct get in the way of a lot of fun.”

“You seem a little different then normal.”

“It’s the thought of the approaching conflict. To be honest I am surprised Dehvess isn’t more depressed.”

“Huh?”

“You know that I am primarily a chaos mage. Whenever events are moving towards chaos I get a slight increase in ability and a rush. This is normally accompanied by horrible levels of happiness, depression and every emotion you can imagine in between. Dehvess gave me enough order to keep me on the happy end of the spectrum for a while.”

“Wouldn’t the order of the military help Dehvess?”

Jahnah shook her head. “The chaos of war can easily over whelm the order especially when you have multiple armies attacking you each seeking their own gain.”

“So Dehvess is weakened by it?”

“He’d be strengthened if the world around him was more structured. It really depends on the way the war seems to be going. Someone is causing a lot of chaos.”

“Is it me?”

“You’re one of the sources but you’re not the source. I get the feeling that someone is making sure events don’t go smoothly. I have a feeling there is going to be a long series of blood conflicts.”

“Mm, are you the source of the chaos?”

Jahnah gave a delighted giggle. “I am one of them but once again I am not the one I am sensing.”

“So who is the one?”

“I can’t tell but I can say that this won’t have any easy path to victory. Just consider that you’re fighting more then one opponent. It isn’t as simple as marching on a single city.”

“So this makes you more blood thirsty?”

“Yeah but that is the necromancy acting up. Every necromancer in the land should be sensing that a great deal of life will be released soon.”

“How does that work exactly?”

“Annette, can you tell when it is about to rain?”

“Sometimes I can make a good guess.”

“I can’t explain the details it is just a feeling that one gets after they have become attuned with a certain magic aspect. The more attuned you get the more sensitive you become.”

“So you can since it when events are moving towards chaos? Does that mean it is going to happen?”

“No. The clouds can give all the signs of rain and then move right over head. At times it seems like something is going to happen then it doesn’t also just because things move towards chaos or order doesn’t mean it is for the reason you believe it to be.”

“Like you’re expecting a war and get a storm instead?”

“Yes or you’re expecting a piece agreement and instead everyone is killed in the case of order.”

Annette gave a giggle. “I suppose killing everyone is one method to bring about order. So if you get a buzz whenever you feel things moving towards chaos what happens to Dehvess?”

“He becomes more intense. His focus gets sharper and his drive increases as well.”

“So do you crash after the chaos has died down?”

“It depends on how quickly it dies down. If the result is a huge bloody battle that leads to the fighting’s end immediately after. Yes I tend to crash. I tend to feel exhausted for a few days after words.”

Annette was about to comment when she felt a slight rush of energy and saw a slight distortion appear above the desk. A moment later what appeared to be a letter appeared though it was far thicker then Annette expected. “Jahnah it looks like you have a letter.”

Turning around Jahnah walked over to the desk and picked up what was actually two letters. “It seems Hellik sent some orders to the guild as well as a letter to Maxwell.”

“Should I get Dehvess?”

“Yes. Would you like to see what the letter to the guild has to say as well?”

“Sure. I am a Luvarian to.” Turning around Annette moved over to the tower Dehvess would most likely be in. Reaching down she gave the bottom portion of the tower a few light taps. Each time her knuckles struck the side of the tower the entire structure would shake lightly. After the tenth time Annette moved back to the window she was looking into while speaking with Jahnah. “That should get him.”

“I was kidding about tapping the guild hall.” Dehvess sighed as he walked into the office where he found Jahnah waiting with a letter while Annette peeked into the window.

Jahnah grinned as she noted the tired expression on Dehvess’s face. “You see as the world moves towards chaos he looks more drained.”

“Huh?” Dehvess gave his head a quick shake. “While the up coming chaos may drain me slightly I still have plenty of energy.”

An amused giggle escaped Jahnah. “An order mage never has plenty of energy.”

“Only when speaking with a chaos mage, anyway the drain the up coming chaos causes is only superficial.”

Jahnah gave a nod. “Just enough to make you look like you should be in bed.”

“So going by the disturbance I assume that you have news.”

Jahnah held up the still sealed letter from Hellik. “Here are our orders I assume.”

“I can’t help but wonder. This is my first time dealing this closely with a military event planned by the guild. Does it normally respond so quickly?”

Dehvess turned to Annette. “It depends on how much information we have on previous situations. We learned of this when you came to visit us after all so we have been preparing and making plans for what to do incase of various situations.”

“So I imagine Hellik already met with the high ranking guild members and discussed the situation.”

Jahnah gave a nod. “Yeah he did.”

“Why wasn’t I told about this?”

“The same reason the entire guild wasn’t informed. It isn’t really there concern.”

Annette stuck her tongue out at Jahnah. “I suppose it wouldn’t have affected anything if I had known the guild was already making plans. Since it sounds like you made a few contingency plans based on how I may react. Dehvess I just noticed you seem a lot more drained then when you left the room.”

Dehvess nodded his head in agreement. “It is because of that letter.”

“Do golems affect you the same way human soldiers do?”

“No, you affect me far more then a human soldier due to the power you possess. If you’re speaking about the mindless puppets we sell it depends on if they remain in control or not.”

“Why do you get along so well with Jahnah then if chaos makes you feel drained?”

Dehvess glanced at Jahnah for a moment. “Despite the fact that chaos weakens order and order weakens chaos. The two need one another in order to exist. If you have absolute order or absolute chaos they will both lead to the same end and that is death.”

“So you either die a slow orderly death or go up in one big explosion in either case?”

Jahnah gave a giggle. “Yeah that is what it amounts to. It’s why I had to put my studies of chaos on hold until I learn enough order to keep myself under control.”

While Jahnah and Annette spoke Dehvess took a seat at the desk. He knew that the energy drain he felt was superficial as he had said but he still felt it. “Jahnah, would you mind removing the protective seal on the letter?”

Jahnah gave a nod and took the letter from Dehvess’s hands. She then placed her fingers over a solid crimson seal that held it shut. There was a slight spark of energy and the seal seemed to melt away so that it could be opened. She then handed it back to Dehvess. “Read it and give us the short of it.”

“Thank you.” Dehvess took the letter from Jahnah and opened it up. Leaning back into the seat he began to carefully read.

“I thought you said his focus was hindered by the approaching chaos.”

“It is but he is still more focused then me. When the world moves towards chaos it sure doesn’t help me concentrate.”

************************************************************************

Jahnah glanced over at Dehvess when he set the letter down. She could just hear him sighing. “Is it bad news?”

“No, I just feel tired.”

“So what are we suppose to do?”

“Well it doesn’t have any orders for Annette however it does have orders for the rest of us. We need to store all out documented golem research, place a protective spell around them and transfer them to the main guild hall. We are to cease golem research for the time being and have all incomplete golems moved into storage. The completed ones are to defend the guild hall

We need to choose someone to run things while we are away and to work on defensive steps. You and I are to meet up with a group of golems and over see their movement to Maxwell’s land. At that we are to deploy the golems as needed. It also mentions something for Jahnah and me.”

“So does that mean you two will be working with me?”

Dehvess gave a nod. “Yes. We’ll be working with you. We have further instruction as what to do whenever Maxwell accepts Hellik’s terms of alliance and what to do if he doesn’t.” Dehvess proceeded to pick up the letter Hellik had sent for Maxwell and gave it a slight shake. “This is to be delivered as quickly as possible.”

Annette extended one of her fingers through the window. “Give it to me.”

Dehvess started to stand up when Jahnah took the letter from him and placed it on Annette’s finger. “There you go.”

Annette pinched the letter between her fingers and withdrew them through the window. “Well then I am going to get back to Maxwell and give him this letter. Will you two be here in five to nine hours?”

Dehvess gave a nod. “It is going to take some time to gather everything up as instructed. We should still be here.”

“Okay then I will go ahead and deliver this letter then come back. One question though. What did Hellik say to do if Maxwell didn’t accept the agreement?”

“In that case we would withdraw those golems that weren’t purchased and store them in this guild hall until the war was over if the alliance was rejected entirely. They are some aspects of the agreement that are negotiable.”

“Okay. I’ll see you two later today.”

************************************************************************
Annette glanced down at Maxwell who was taking his time reading the letter. “Well what do you think about it?”

“It’s financially generous.”

“That means that ethically something is bothering you.”

Maxwell didn’t respond right away but took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. It was at least a minute before he opened them again. “Okay.”

“What is okay?”

“Okay I am ready to do what I have to do. The main item I was having issue with refers to prisoners captured by the guild itself.”

“What does it say?”

“It says that I shall in no way attempt to secure their release. I can only begin to guess what the guild has planned for such people but I imagine it involves being test subjects.”

“I would have to say that is more then likely.”

“I’ll just have to live with that. I’ll write a letter of agreement.”

Annette gave a nod and lifted Maxwell so that he was level with the gaping hole in his office wall. “I’ll deliver it once you’re done and the alliance will be official. Does it say anything else?”

“Yeah but I imagine you’re wondering about things that really stand out. It states they’ll want some land in order to build an additional guild hall. It seems that they want to expand more.”

“That seems a little peculiar. I don’t really see anything here that would make it worth building a guild hall. They know that you dislike using golems so they can’t expect you to buy any. Plus after allying with you it isn’t like anyone will trust them.”

“I suppose they like the idea of having an agreement where by I can never attempt their removal for any other reason short of an outright attack.”

“Ah yes they have lost quite a bit of money whenever the local opinion would change and they’d be pressured to move.”

************************************************************************

Jahnah grinned as she removed the last of the protective spells around the container. Before she actually opened it she turned to Dehvess. “What do you suppose it is?”

“I honestly don’t know.”

“It is kind of strange for Hellik to send us something without informing us what it is.”

“These are abnormal times for the guild and everyone involved.”

“What do you mean?”

“Have we ever had a guild member like Annette before?”

“No we haven’t but it isn’t like this is the first time we have made a business move such as going to war with an ally.”

“Hellik and Maxwell haven’t even met and spoke about the event face to face once and now Hellik is sending a small army of golems to back him up.”

“I believe that we are helping Annette more then anyone else.”

Dehvess gave a nod. “I can see that. We have never had a guild member with the same type of potential she does.”

“So what do you think is in the box?”

Dehvess shook his head. “I just said I don’t know.”

“Think and know are two different things.”

“Jahnah you know that I don’t like to guess.”

“Then take into consideration what you know about current events and Hellik then make an educated assumption.”

Dehvess gave a sigh and started to reach over in order to open the container himself when Jahnah blocked him. Clearly he wasn’t going to get to see what was inside until he took a guess. “I believe that it will be related to magic somehow.”

Jahnah couldn’t help but frown. “Well of course it is related to magic.”

“How do you know that?”

“I don’t but it is very likely.”

“Well then open it and let’s find out. You didn’t say how vague my guess could be.”

************************************************************************

“Annette was these grips built in intentionally?”

Annette glanced over at Maxwell who was currently setting atop her right shoulder. His right hand was currently holding onto a slight raised part of her armor while his feet fitted into other holds. “I believe that it was. This armor was designed so that it wasn’t just for the battle field.”

“So you won’t be able to take it off for quite some time?”

“I can take it off to bath but that is it. Oh and by bath I don’t mean the long soaks that I enjoy.”

“You must really like this armor to sacrifice those.”

“I do. Believe me I do.”

“Thanks for giving me a lift by the way. I couldn’t normally check every position in one day.”

“It isn’t a problem and I prefer you being with me rather then traveling alone. So who are we meeting next?”

“Graendithas he’s in charge of guarding one of the borders.”

“Graendithas? Mm I believe that I have heard you mention that name before. He is a half-elf isn’t he?”

“Yes he is. Currently he’s in charge of guarding the eastern forest.”

“So do you expect to learn anything? So far it has been a whole lot of nothing.”

“I wouldn’t say a massive build up of soldiers and fortifications all around is nothing.”

“What I mean is there hasn’t been any moves to actually attack as of yet.”

Maxwell gave a slight nod. “I believe that someone is looking for a little action.”

“Guilty as charged. However, I would like for Jahnah and Dehvess to arrive with the golems before any serious fighting started. Even with my new stature I don’t like the idea of taking on an entire army.”

Maxwell gave a sigh. “You know there is one thing I don’t like about your new armor.”

“What is that?”

“I can’t give you a kiss on the neck.”

Annette gave a slight giggle and lifted Maxwell from her shoulder. “Well then on the lips will just have to do.”

Maxwell closed his eyes so that he could focus entirely on the feeling and warmth of Annette’s lips being pressed against his body. Even with Annette’s fingers firmly holding him against her lips he found himself attempting to lean even more into the embrace. As Annette kissed him he returned the favor by kissing as much of her upper lip as he could while using his hands to massage even more. “I missed this. I didn’t realize how much until you lifted me out of my office.”

Annette had to wait until she was finished and had pulled Maxwell away to respond. “Yeah, it was tough to spend so much time away from home and even tougher to spend it away from you.”

Maxwell rubbed the outside of Annette’s gauntlet as she held him in her right hand. “Let’s hope that we won’t be separated for quite some time.”

“Oh there is no hoping to it. I don’t believe I am going to be returning you to your home tonight.”

“So am I going to be with you then?”

Annette gave a quick nod. “I have spent the last few months worrying about you. Now that I have you back in my hands I don’t plan on letting you out of my sight for quite some time.”

“Mm I wish I had been told that earlier. I would have told everyone that if they need to contact me they should send a messenger to your home.”

“You can still tell Graendithas and he can have messengers sent out. He isn’t the last person on our inspection either is he?”

“No we have two more locations to check.”

“You really are under staffed if we only have two more stops.”

Maxwell gave a sigh and nodded his head in agreement. “That tends to happen when dealing with multiple opponents each one possessing a force equal to your own.”

“Well I am sure the equality is only in numbers.”

“Of course I have you. That has to bring up the average a great deal.”

Annette couldn’t help but giggle. Once again she brought Maxwell to her lips and pressed him against them. “I don’t know if your soldiers would appreciate you saying that. It may be bad for moral.”

“I know but it is the truth.”

‘Thank you.” At last Annette returned Maxwell to her shoulder. “You know I just realized something. Do you believe that you could use my armor to bolster your spells?”

“It is possible but the last time I tried to experiment with arcanon you were dead set against it.”

“That is true but once Jahnah and Dehvess arrive they could give you some pointers.”

“I hope they don’t charge me for the lessons.”

Annette rolled her eyes for a moment as she tried to suppress a giggle. She failed to do so and had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing. “The funny thing about that is. Now that you mention it I worry that they might but I don’t believe they will.”

Maxwell gave a slight chuckle and patted Annette’s shoulder pad. “That is quite a group you belong to.”

Graendithas’s ears picked up on Annette’s approach long before anyone else in the fort. He had seen Annette before and even spoken to her briefly though he hadn’t seen much of her. Due to his own request he was kept away from the majority of the heavily populated areas and spent most his time patrolling the wooded sections of the country.

At one time he had kept watch of the forest around Annette’s home but upon her arrival it had been deemed unnecessary and he had been moved.

At least he assumed that it was Annette. He didn’t know of many giants that were quite as large as her. Resolving to be on the safe side he turned to the nearest soldier. “Go tell everyone to be on alert and ready all spells casters and crossbow men.”

“I believe that we are expected.”

“That is good. I would be upset if I had to talk to Graendithas about being prepared.” Maxwell was somewhat surprised when he heard Annette sigh. “What is it Annette?”

“It isn’t anything important or to be exact it isn’t anything that can be helped at this exact moment.”

“Still, you can tell me what it is.”

Annette pointed at the fortification she was approaching. “While I was away I learned to feel life force. At least I can feel it fairly well. Going by what I can feel and felt at every fortification you really have your troops stretched as thin as they can be.”

Maxwell gave a nod. “If we weren’t surrounded things would be different. They just aren’t enough people to maintain every fortification though. The only upside to this dilemma is that every location has more then enough food for the soldiers within.”

Annette gave a nod and noted someone standing on top of the main tower. She instantly recognized him as Graendithas considering that he was one of the few half elfs around he was exceptionally easy to recognize.

Graendithas gave a quick hand sign to the defenders not to fire. Now that he could see Annette he recognized her and while he couldn’t see Maxwell very clearly he had a good idea that it was him riding on top of Annette’s shoulder.

Annette was a bit disappointed whenever she came to the fort and found that the walls were too high for her to simply step over. The pout on her face was slight however even a slight pout for Annette was very noticeable. “What is the matter Annette?”

“I was hoping that I would be able to just step over the walls. I suppose I am just going to have to be glad they look sturdy.”

Graendithas waved down at Annette and Maxwell. As he looked down at Annette he realized that had she been standing right next to the tower it would have only been a head taller then her.

Maxwell glanced up at Annette. “Would you mind setting me down in the court yard?”

“Why would I do that when I can just set you atop the tower?”

Maxwell gave a slight chuckle. “Okay then would you mind setting me on top of the main tower.”

“Sure.” Annette held her hand level with her shoulder and allowed Maxwell to climb onto it. She raised her thumb so that he would have something to hold onto and help balance him as she lifted him to the tower.

Due to the distance from the tower and the tower’s slight height advantage Maxwell wasn’t quite level with the top when her arm was fully extended. Walking over to the edge Graendithas reached down and helped Maxwell up the wrest of the way. “So how are you doing Max?”

Maxwell didn’t mind that Graendithas chose to refer to him by a nick name. He had grown quite use to the half elf’s behavioral pattern over the years. Plus while no one would know it by looking at him Graendithas was twenty years older then Maxwell. “I am doing better then I have been for a while now.”

Graendithas glanced over the side of the tower at Annette. “I can see why. Welcome back missy.”

Annette couldn’t help but stair at Graendithas. It was probably the first time in her life that she had been referred to as missy. She didn’t know if she liked the nickname or not and probably wouldn’t know until after the shock wore off. “Thanks shorty.”

Graendithas gave a slight chuckle. He was actually quite tall by human standards but he had to admit that compared to Annette he was short or down right tiny to be exact. Giving Annette a slight wave he turned his attention to Maxwell. “I sent a messenger to you around three hours ago. I have some news. I suppose he’ll just have to make a wasted trip.”

Annette could easily here the conversation and a playful grin formed on her face. “I don’t know. I could go catch him if you would like.”

Graendithas could only imagine how the messenger would respond to a giantess chasing him down. After only a few moments of consideration he turned to Annette. “That would be appreciated. I am sure he would be thankful that you saved him so much time.”

Annette gave a giggle. “Well then Maxwell I’ll be right back.”

Maxwell had began to chuckle the moment Annette had suggested she go and retrieve him. When he had realized that Graendithas was going to ask her to carry through with her offer he had found himself unable to contain himself and was now openly laughing. “That was just mean.”

“How is it mean? All I am doing is saving him a trip.”

“That may be true but you just guaranteed him one of the worse scares of his life. So what message was he bringing me?”

“We captured a few scouts.”

“So we are getting that much closer to an all out war.”

“It would seem that way but I don’t imagine they’ll try to send the main force through the forest with so many nice open paths to choose from.”

“Why do you believe the scouts were in the forest?”

“It is hard to say. Like I said there are plenty of other routs to take. The forest is one of the more difficult ones.”

“Have you managed to get any information out of them?”

Graendithas gave a slight sigh. “I just sent a messenger a few hours ago. What do you believe the odds of me having time to interrogate them are?”

Maxwell gave a nod. “Sorry that was a pretty stupid question on my part. How many did you capture?”

“We captured five of them alive. Would you like to see them?”

Maxwell walked over to the side of the tower which faced the direction Annette had walked off in. “How dirty are they?”

Graendithas couldn’t hide the curious look on his face. “They are pretty filthy. What are you think of doing?”

“Annette told me something interesting when she came back. I want you to take them and have them cleaned up very well. Then I want them taken to the main court yard and set on some carpet.”

“I don’t know exactly what you have in mind but I have a feeling that it’ll be good so I’ll wait to see.”

“Graendithas, how do you feel about torture to gain information?”

Graendithas gave a slight shrug. “If it saves the lives of my men I don’t have anything against it. You’re not thinking of regular torture though. I am going to go and get the scouts now. I want to see what you have in mind, not be told.”

Annette couldn’t help but giggle as she carried the two figures back towards the fort. One of them was a rather healthy war horse whom she had to carry around his mid section to prevent it from trying to jump out of her hands. The second was the messenger whose heart she could feel beating wildly even after she assured him that she had no intentions of harming him.

The messenger’s plight amused Annette so much that she had to take a longer time going back to the fort then she did leaving. “You know for someone that is supposed to get the message through no matter what you seem awfully nervous. I thought you’d be braver. Then again I suppose fear would encourage you to run faster so maybe one doesn’t really want nerves of still in their mail carriers.”

The messenger didn’t say anything. He had been making good time and planned on trading his tired horse for a fresh one the moment he came to another fortification. Then he had heard and even felt what seemed to be the entire earth shaking. A moment later he had been scooped up off his horse before he could even turn to see what had over taken him. For a moment he had actually thought a wyvern and swooped down and seized him.

Of course he had screamed. It was a perfectly natural response. His fear was so great that he only realized it couldn’t be a wyvern when he found that he was no longer being lifted into the air. This had allowed him to realize the hand holding him was humanoid and that whoever had taken hold of him was actually speaking to him. This hadn’t done anything to calm him down though.

Annette hadn’t actually given the messenger time to calm down. Shortly after scooping him up she had retrieved the horse and proceeded to make her way back towards the fort. She knew that it would help him calm down if she stayed still and gave him time to reorient himself but she was enjoying his panicked struggle too much to allow that. It was somewhat mean but she felt his panicked screams and struggles were truly amusing.

As his nerves calmed the messenger had remembered what the giantess had said when she first began to walk back towards the fort. At the moment he had been too scared to realize what her words meant though he did understand them. He was still quite nervous about the situation but when Annette spoke to him about his nerves he was at least able to understand her. If he hadn’t been so frightened he would have commented.

It was easy for Annette to tell that something had changed while she was away. She wasn’t certain just what that change was but she could since the activity that was going on behind the gates. When she looked towards the tower Annette suddenly quickened her pace when she realized that Maxwell was no longer waiting atop it.

“Maxwell where are you? Are you inside of the fort?”

Maxwell remembered what Annette had done to his office and given the tone of her voice he realized she may do it again. Realizing that if he didn’t want a hole in the fort he had best respond now he turned in Annette’s direction and called out. “I am in the court yard right now. There is no need to tear down the wall.”

Annette breathed a sigh of relief. As she relaxed her mind was brought back to the tiny figures in her hands and she looked down at them. The messenger was franticly trying to loosen her grip. It only took her a moment to realize why and she quickly relaxed her hand. “Sorry about that.” Bending down Annette set the horse down first but she kept her hand on it. The passenger came next. When he started to run away she quickly grabbed him again. “Get your horse so it doesn’t run when I let go.”

After the messenger had time to calm his horse Annette released the animal and proceeded over to the gate. “So what are you doing?”

Maxwell gave a slight sigh. For a moment he considered chastising Annette for being over protective but decided not to. He simply couldn’t get the words to come out of his mouth since he knew her behavior was only showing her concern. Her behavior did make him wonder if her increasing size was beginning to make her see him as helpless and needing protection.

When Annette had left she had been protective. However, she had left him at his home and not seemed concerned. Upon her return and after her accelerated size increase she seemed far more protective and for some reason he didn’t believe it was due to the approaching war. He had proven to Annette that he was not only skilled at melee combat and he was proficient with elemental magic as well.

The only thing that he could think of which would explain her sudden increased level of concern was the fact that she had grown so much larger and faster then normal. Perhaps her increased size and strength caused him to look much smaller then he normally did and even though his abilities hadn’t actually diminished they had in comparison to Annette.

Annette noted the thoughtful expression Maxwell’s face and held her tongue so that he had time to think. However, in the end he stayed in this thoughtful state for a minute too long and Annette had to speak up. “So what are you doing?”

Maxwell gave his head a quick shake as Annette’s question snapped him back to reality. Looking up at Annette he pointed over towards the five men that were currently setting atop a few mats. Their bodies glistened a bit due to the cold water that had been used to wash them off a few moments earlier. “The message Graendithas sent was that they had captured a few scouts. We’re getting to question them now.”

The five scouts looked up at the massive giantess who was currently looming over the wall. The fortress wall only reached up slightly over her crotch making it look very fragile and her massive shadow covered the vast majority of the court yard. At first they had thought the guards were preparing them for interrogation by dowsing them with cold water. Now as they looked up at the massive giantess they weren’t certain what was going on.

Annette’s massive presence distracted the five of them so completely that they hadn’t even heard Maxwell say they were going to be questioned. If it hadn’t been for their restraints they would have tried to run for it despite the guards that surrounded them. Even with the binds they still attempted to scoot backwards when her gaze fell upon them.

Annette looked down at the five tiny figures. She could tell that they had just received a thorough but very rough cleaning. They were all shivering and surprising it wasn’t entirely due to fear. Their skin was a bright red apparently where someone had scrubbed too hard and except for their restraints they were entirely naked. “Oh am I going to be helping with this inquisition?”

Maxwell gave a nod. “Given our current situation I believe that it is important we strengthen our forces as much as possible. These men can help with that one way or another. They can either provide useful information or you can eat them and that will accelerate your growth and strength increase.”

Annette gave an amused giggle and looked back towards the five men who had just lost the majority of the color in their skin despite the rough cleaning. “Mm” Annette parted her lips just enough to let her massive tongue come out. Slowly she traced it over her bright red lips leaving a trail of saliva that glistened in the sun. “Just remember you said useful information. If they don’t have any then I get to eat them.”

It was a tense moment for Maxwell but he gave a nod. “Yes, that is what I said. Graendithas, I want you to tell me everything you know about their activities and what might be being planned. We can’t have them getting out of this by giving up information you already acquired.”

Graendithas was silent for a moment then a slight chuckle escaped him. “I don’t know what would be worse, leaving them in a dire spider web until they gave up the information or were eaten or this.” Graendithas glanced up at Annette for a moment. “Well no feeding them to the spider would be worse.”

“So you have no objections?” Maxwell couldn’t help the relief in his voice. He wouldn’t go back on what he said but he hoped that Graendithas wouldn’t decide to leave the army over it.

“I can’t say that it is any worse the being beheaded from a death view point. Of course I have to wonder if the young lady plans on killing them before eating them.”

Annette gave a slight giggle and glanced down at the scouts. “I can’t say that I do.”

Looking over his shoulder at the scouts Graendithas gave a slight shrug. “I recommend you each start trying to remember everything that you can. Now where should I begin?”

A soft giggle escaped Annette. She could tell that Maxwell was conflicted by his decision but felt it was the best course of action. The report Graendithas was giving didn’t truly concern her but she paid close attention none the less. She wanted to make absolutely certain that the scouts didn’t try to pass off information that had already been given simply by putting it in a different form.

It pleased Annette to no end whenever she realized that Graendithas wasn’t just giving a matter of fact report. He was also taking the time to talk about what he believed was going on and what it could possibly mean.

The scouts had started by talking amongst themselves at first however as the conversation went on between Maxwell and Graendithas they grew silent. The half elf had far more information then they believed and with every fact he gave or theory he and Maxwell discussed they seemed to lose even more hope. None of them dared to lift their gaze towards the towering giantess that loomed over the wall.

They could feel Annette’s gaze and as the conversation grew longer and the details more focused her presence seemed to grow all the greater. The water had long since evaporated from their bodies and the heat seemed far greater then the day warranted. Several of them realized why the guards had taken them outside and cleaned them off. It was in preparation to serve them as a snack. These thoughts only seemed to make the heat even more oppressive

Annette listened to the conversation very careful but she kept her eyes on the scouts. Every now and then her massive tongue would flick out and play along her lips. As time wore on she couldn’t help but want to get closer to her food to be. “Maxwell I hate to interrupt but may I come over the wall?”

Maxwell glanced up at Annette. “Sure but you don’t know if you can eat them yet. They may have some useful information.”

Annette gave a slight giggle and winked as Maxwell. “I am not that worried. Now I recommend bracing yourself the wall is to high for me to step over and I don’t believe it could support me climbing over it. I am going to have to jump.”

Graendithas whom had been calm during the entire time Annette had been there suddenly seemed very concerned. “Wait. No, don’t just jump into the court yard.”

Maxwell gave his head a sudden smack. “Damn that was stupid of me. Annette a lot of this structure is actually underground. It isn’t all earth under us and you might destroy some of the underground sections if you landed in the wrong part of the court yard.”

Annette gave a slight sigh. “Is there any section that I could land on?”

Graendithas quickly scanned the court yard. “It doesn’t run under the whole of the court yard but you can’t just jump down into it without knowing where to land.”

Annette gave a nod. “Do you know the layout?”

“Well I know it pretty well but I never had someone wanting to jump over the main gate with your mass missy.”

Maxwell gave a nod. “There is an easy way to find out at least.” Bending down Maxwell placed his hand on the ground and began a slow chant. As he did so Annette could see wisp of earth magic beginning to move from him and into the earth. The spell wasn’t very powerful however it was highly precise and took a few moments to complete due to the precision.

“So what did you find?”

Standing up Maxwell walked over to a weapons rack and took out one of the spears. He then walked over to the northern wall and began to draw a massive line with the bottom of the weapon. After this he walked back over to where he had been setting with Graendithas. “You can land right there.”

“Okay now I recommend that everyone braces themselves.”

Maxwell, Graendithas and everyone else present expected Annette to get a running start. They were surprised when she went from standing behind the wall to leaping over it with what appeared to be a slight hop. The actual jump seemed to happen extremely quickly however Annette’s mass did nothing to speed up the effects of gravity so that the action of landing seemed quite strange.

They could actually see Annette’s body accelerating as she fell towards the earth. They saw the motion of her legs as her feet met the ground and they bent to dampen the impact. The impact which she struck the ground with was far greater then what anyone but she had expected. It wasn’t simply due to her greater mass but the greater speed she had been falling at.

Maxwell remembered what had happened when Annette had leaped over to his home upon her return. He should have known to do a better job of bracing himself but as the shockwave from her landing was sent throughout the area he found his footing destabilized.

Graendithas quickly reached out and took hold of Maxwell preventing his fall. “Maybe you should have asked her to take off that armor. I believe she may have shaken some of the structure loose.”

Annette gave a giggle as she straitened her legs and took a moment to look around. Several of the guards had been knocked to the ground but as far as she could tell no one had been injured. The first person she checked on was Maxwell at which time she saw him being steadied. “I said that you should brace yourself.”

Maxwell gave a nod. “Yeah and I knew that you meant it. I just didn’t expect such a powerful shockwave.”

“Well then please continue with your discussion.”

Graendithas gave a slight chuckle as Annette walked over to the prisoners. “I swear you’re as bad as a child. Missy suits you perfectly.”

Maxwell couldn’t help but laugh when Annette stuck her tongue out at Graendithas. “Yes definitely.”

Before she moved to the scouts Annette turned towards Graendithas and Maxwell entirely. “I swear not many people have the nerve to speak to me the way you have. You’re alright but I can’t help wondering. What made you think that I wouldn’t just kill you for calling me missy?

Graendithas gave a slight chuckle. “I have spent a long time learning to read body language. Plus, I have heard about you and surely you wouldn’t eat one of Maxwell’s buddies just because he called you Missy.”

“Oh. So you relied on your friendship with Maxwell to protect you initially and responded to my reaction after words?”

“Of course one doesn’t survive by being stupid and reckless.”

Annette gave a slight giggle and turned her attention back to the scouts. As she neared the guards around them scattered once the area was moderately clear she proceeded to set down and extend her legs to either side of the group. She then proceeded to lean forward so that her face was just above the group.

The wall had appeared fragile compared to Annette so very fragile. However, even though it appeared fragile it still had served as a barrier between them and the giantess. Now that thin veil of safety had been torn away and the found themselves within the giantess’s grasp.

As the scouts squirmed Annette couldn’t help but make fun of the event. She wanted to see how much fear she could cause them without actually touching them. Earlier she had teased them by allowing her tongue to play along her lips once again she made use of the tactic, this time she leaned over the group so that he could look up at her massive face.

The scouts fear seemed to only make Annette’s hunger grow. As her appetite increased the amount of saliva she began to produce began to increase. This could be seen every time her tongue would trace a path across her lips. What had been a thin trickle that was only visible whenever the sun would glint off her lips was now very noticeable.

As Annette traced her tongue over her lips she could feel the saliva building up. On one such pass she actually felt a tiny drop of saliva roll of her tongue and fall towards the group at least it was tiny from her perspective. As the men looked up at her face they saw the droplet the size of a watermelon roll of her tongue and fall towards them. The fact that even setting she still loomed around eleven meters above them gave them a second or two to actually watch it fall.

The saliva was denser then water so that it didn’t bust quite the same. Instead it seemed to ooze and poor over the scout it landed upon for just a moment before bursting. The heavy mixture struck the man with enough force to nock him to his side and several of those setting near him nearly toppled onto their sides as well.

Maxwell knew what Annette had been doing the entire time. This didn’t mean he was prepared for the scouts to suddenly start screaming. Worried that Annette may have already decided to eat one of them he quickly turned around to find her hands no where near the group however he did notice the liquid that drenched them.

An amused giggle escaped Annette even as she looked up and saw the expression on Maxwell’s face. “I didn’t touch them.”

Graendithas rolled his eyes as he already realized what had happened even without looking “A young girl drooling over candy.”

Maxwell gave a slight chuckle and covered his forehead for a moment. At last he once again brought his gaze to look up at Annette who by now was back to taunting her potential food. “Yes, she sure likes playing with her food an awful lot. So is there anything else I should know?”

Closing his eyes Graendithas leaned back and covered his ears for a moment so that he could focus on what they had been talking about. After a few moments he shook his head. “No I believe I have all the facts and reasonable speculation out of the way.”

Annette glanced over at Maxwell upon hearing the good news. “Hey just because one has good information does that mean the others get spared? You two spoke for so long that I really am hungry.”

“No. They each have to give some type of useful information.”

Annette gave an amused giggle and looked down at the scouts. She then brought her finger down and proceeded to press it to the one that appeared to be the most physically fit. Pressing her fingernail into the man’s stomach she forced him onto his back and proceeded to push down until he screamed out in pain. When she removed her fingernail there was a bright red spot where her fingernail had pushed down. “I hope that you don’t know anything. You look absolutely delicious. You are so nice and lean.”

Maxwell glanced over at Graendithas. “So in what order should we question them?”

Graendithas glanced up at Annette then at Maxwell. “Let Missy decide.”

Maxwell gave a nod. “Okay Annette you get to decide on what order we are going to question them.”

Annette quickly clapped her hands together as she realized she’d most likely get to choose who she got to eat based on what order she picked them in. “Can you guess who is going to be the very last person to get asked?”

“So which one is it going to be?”

************************************************************************

“What is the matter? You look tense.” Annette glanced down at Maxwell who currently set atop her right knee. Currently he, Annette and a few others were waiting along side a dirt road.

“I hate that we had to use this road.” The road Maxwell spoke of ran through James’s domain and was the road the golems were currently being marched down.

Annette gave a sigh and gently rubbed her finger against Maxwell’s back. “The guild resolved that it was the most reasonable rout to take since it is the only one that isn’t closed off.”

“James is going to send messengers to the king and the surrounding lords and dukes.”

“We all know. He even went and told the guild that he would have no choice. The golems are going to be here before the word to prepare to attack can get out though. The messenger and the armies are humans. The golems can move all night and day if they have to.”

“I am sure the messenger will take his time as well.”

“The fact that he is giving you time to prepare after starting this mess really has you worked up.”

“I am doing him a favor or to be more precise I am being forced to do him a favor. I don’t know what that favor is but I know there is one.”

“Then after this is over with you can require him to do you a favor.”

Maxwell gave a slight chuckle. “I imagine that keeping his lands open for this long would count as that favor.”

“Ah but have you forgotten? He started this which means he either needs to repay a favor or he wronged you.”

“I like your way of thinking.”

Annette gave an amused giggle. “Though I have to admit I am grateful that he is sending so many snacks my way. I was surprised that none of the guards left when you offered them the chance to leave the court yard.”

“That was Graendithas’s handiwork.”

“What did he do to them?”

“He does a good job of weeding out those with weak stomachs. I’ll leave it at that.”

“Oh come on give me an example.”

“Do you remember the comment he made about dire spiders?”

“Yes.”

“He keeps one stored in a well reinforced room of the fortress. He has used it to encourage bandits hiding in the forest to talk. Of course he has an uncommon hatred for bandits.”

“Ah.” Annette turned her head to the side. “They should be here within an hour do you want to go and meet them?”

“I am not going to cross over into James’s domain.”

“Someone’s ego has been hurt.”

Maxwell gave a sigh. “I know. I just can’t bring myself to cross into that snakes land anymore.”

“Mm I wish I could kiss it and make it better. You know you’re not the one being played though. You’re the one that sees through everything that is going on.”

“Am I? I sure hope that I am however that doesn’t change the fact that I have no means of stopping it. I can’t even ask you to kill him. He hasn’t actually given me a reason to do so and it just means those soldiers under his command would go to others.”

“You can still ask me to kill him.”

“You just want his soldiers to attack so you can eat them.”

Annette gave a giggle. “Maybe but that doesn’t change the fact that you can ask.” Maxwell gave a sigh and patted the armor that covered Annette’s leg. “You’re not going to ask me to attack him without better justification are you?”

“No I am not.”

“Even if he keeps fanning the flames so that everyone else attacks you?”

“The desire to attack was already there as were their suspicions. James just decided to make use of them.”

“Okay I am not going to pretend to understand your reasoning. I’ll just go along with your decision for the time being.”

“Killing James won’t make things any better and at the moment it would just make things worse. Even if I had asked you to kill him before hand it would have ended up with the same outcome.”

“Mm if only I was bigger. You wouldn’t have to worry about taking on more opponents then you can handle. Have you planned how you’re going to station the golems?”

“Yes I have. I was hoping that you would help me with something once they are here.”

“What is that?”

“I tried to strengthen my defenses as much as I could but like you noticed before I have few troops. I would like it if you would carry as many golems as you could to a few locations that have the most desperate need for reinforcements.”

“I’d be glad to but you’ll have to come along. Someone has to tell the golems who their commanding officers are.”

Maxwell gave a nod and looked towards the road. “Is that them?”

Annette glanced over the road and gave a nod. “That is them. It is kind of hard to tell that they aren’t human from this distance isn’t it?”

“Yeah if one doesn’t notice their coloring” Maxwell continued to watch as the humanoid shapes grew closer. As more rounded the binds and came over the hills the entire road seemed to serge forward as the clay warriors grew closer. “There motions are so static though.”

“Every last one of them is made the same. Their legs are all the same length and move the same amount. So yeah each ones motion is a perfect replica of the last ones. If you figure out the flaw in one of them you know the flaw in every last one of the same series.”

“I imagine knowing the flaw and exploiting it are two different things.”

“Yes it is.”

“From here I would say the flaw in the general combat golems is they are slow.”

“Pfft.” Annette couldn’t help but giggle. “Yeah they are slow. They can only run slightly faster then your average human wearing heavy armor. You won’t be getting any of them on horse back either.”

“You’re speaking relatively aren’t you?”

“Yes I am, if everyone was so much faster then them that they were easily beaten they would never sell and I would have to have a few words with the Luvarians for sending junk.”

“Do they have junk models?”

“They call them vintage. Basically they are inferior golems that are no longer in production.”

Maxwell gave a light chuckle and started to comment when he saw something that silenced him. “Annette, is that a golem?”

“Huh?” Annette glanced back towards the road and what she saw surprised even her. “That isn’t a golem. That is Jahnah?”

“I thought you said she was a chaos mage.”

“She is.”

Jahnah could easily see the stunned expression on Annette’s face. “Hey. I hope we are here in time.”

Annette didn’t respond right away. Instead she continued to stare at Jahnah while trying to figure out what was going on. As she looked her over Annette tried to see exactly what was going on. At first she assumed that Jahnah was using an illusion spell however despite her efforts to focus and see through the illusion there was absolutely no change.

At last Annette noticed something that she hadn’t seen before. “Where did that tiara come from?”

Jahnah gave a giggle. “It is just a little something made by the Luvarians.”

“You’re using a very powerful polymorph spell.”

Jahnah gave a giggle as she finally drew close enough to Annette for their height difference to become apparent. “That is right. This is something developed through the guild’s studies of arcanon.”

“The metal allows you to fuse the energies of all those crystals together. I am surprised you can control it though.” Annette could hardly believe her eyes as Jahnah neared her. Even if she had been standing her head would have most likely only come up to the underside of Jahnah’s breast.

“Well the arcanon still doesn’t let me control it. That is his job.” Reaching into her bra Jahnah took her time removing a tiny object from her cleavage. Dehvess didn’t know if he should be upset with Jahnah or just happy about were he had spent the majority of their journey since she had tried on the tiara.

Annette retrieved Maxwell from her knee and proceeded to stand up. “That tiara must pack a lot of energy. Why aren’t you wearing it Dehvess?”

Dehvess blinked his eyes a few times. “I don’t like jewelry for one thing and for another thing my body couldn’t contain so much energy.”

Jahnah gave a giggle and stepped a bit closer to Annette once she had stood up. “However due to my training in chaos magic I can handle a nearly unlimited amount of energy running throughout so long as it is the right type.”

Annette’s expression changed from shock to a smug grin. “But you can’t control it which means to reduce you back to size I just have to take him away.” Annette moved to grab Dehvess only to have Jahnah snatch him away.

Jahnah gave a giggle and waved her free hand just in front of Annette’s face. “No you don’t little lady.”

Annette gave a playful chuckle and stepped back so that she could see Jahnah’s face. “So can get you get larger?”

Jahnah gave a quick nod. “I can if Dehvess here lightens up on the strangle hold he has on the energy.”

Dehvess couldn’t help but snort. “You may be the one that allows the energy to flow but I still have to regulate its use so you don’t get too much or too little other wise the spell will break.”

“Not that I want to see Jahnah even larger then me but why don’t you just keep it from dropping too low and give her the crystals maximum?”

“Because it would incinerate me in order to control the energy I have to learn how it behaves. It doesn’t help that I have to convert raw energy into a form Jahnah can easily use either.”

“So what is the crystals’ maximum?”

Jahnah gave a shrug. “As of yet we don’t really know.”

Annette gave a slight shrug and lifted Maxwell up so that he could get a better view. “Maxwell I would like you to meet two of my fellow guild members. As I am sure you already realized the big on is Jahnah and she is currently cheating to bolster her size and her accomplice in cheating is Dehvess.”

Jahnah bent down so that she could get a better look at Maxwell and held Dehvess up. “Please to meet you Maxwell. We’ll be helping to protect your territory and guild interest.”

Maxwell gave a nod. “I am pleased to meet the two of you. So what are your functions in this matter?”

Dehvess proceeded to step out onto the ends of Jahnah’s fingers so that he was closer to Maxwell. “The golems are yours to command for the time being. We’ll cooperate with you as well but we aren’t your subordinates.”

Maxwell gave a nod. “Well then perhaps I could ask for a favor right now.”

Jahnah gave a nod. “Go ahead.”

“They are a few weak points that I feel the need to strengthen as quickly as possible. I was going to have Annette carry a few golems to these locations. Perhaps you would be willing to assist in this?”

Jahnah gave an amused giggle. “Well we are supposed to transport the golems to their locations though I had hoped that would end at the border. We’ll still help though. Annette and I can make it into a race.”

A delighted giggle escaped Annette. “Did you see the look that Dehvess and Maxwell just gave one another?”

************************************************************************

Immune to weapons that weren’t at least enchanted, nearly immune to swords, spears, arrows and javelins even if they were enchanted it was no wonder golems were feared. It was also no wonder that those whom used them were often thought to be monsters by their enemies. Maxwell found himself looking at a map of his lands.

The Luvarians had provided him with a total of two hundred and fifty golems each one of which was worth seventy experienced soldiers in nearly any situation so that effectively they had provided seventeen thousand five hundred additional soldiers. They had also provided him with two of their elite mages. He had taken the golems and divided them into five main groups which had been broken down slightly further at key locations.

“So this is the defensive layout?”

Maxwell glanced over at Dehvess who was currently leaning over the table. “Yes, since you brought the golems I spread it out further then what it was in order to provide protection for even more people.”

“I can see three routs which would work equally well to launch an attack from. Given the enemies superior numbers I imagine that they will launch them from all three locations at once.”

“Yeah I wish I could say that the attack from the west will be the largest one but I don’t believe that will be the case. They’ll probably reinforce those lands to the east even though they are smaller and either attack with a stronger force from that direction or one that is at least equal to the other two additional attacks.”

“I believe that we should attack the eastern lands before that happens.”

Maxwell turned his eyes away from Dehvess and back down to the map. “You believe that we should make the first move?”

“Like you said that is the smaller of the lands which means it most likely has the smallest military force at the moment. It would be beneficial to destroy them before they can be reinforced.”

Maxwell nodded his head in agreement. “I could ask Annette to attack them and send a few units of cavalry and mages to back her up.”

“Please, don’t thin your defenses any further. I would be happy to go and I am sure Jahnah is itching to try fighting as a giantess. Annette should also come of course. Annette and Jahnah are by far the most mobile forces you have and should things go poorly can retreat the most easily or travel to where they are needed in just a few hours.”

Maxwell gave a nod. “I don’t know if Annette will just allow me to wait here. I am surprised that she didn’t insist on being here while we talked.”

“I am sure she can be persuaded provided you allow her to set some safety measures.”

“Why do I have the feeling that I am going to have a golem bodyguard?”

Dehvess couldn’t help but laugh. “One is if you are lucky.”

Annette set in front of the tower so that Maxwell, Dehvess and Jahnah were at eye level with her. “So you two have decided on a course of action?”

Maxwell gave a nod. “Yes in going with Dehvess’s advice. Annette I want you to attack the eastern lands and destroy as much of their military force as you can. Jahnah, I would appreciate it if you and Dehvess would go along with her.”

Jahnah gave a slight snort and poked Dehvess. “Why even ask? I am sure that a certain order figure already made the decision for me.”

Dehvess couldn’t help but laugh. “Chaos needs control.”

“You’re lucky that you didn’t say controlled other wise I would show you just how difficult that can be.” An amused giggle escaped Jahnah and her mood seemed to lighten. “I would be glad to go.”

Annette couldn’t help but sigh. “I take it that you won’t be joining us will you Maxwell?”

“Someone needs to be here incase events should change else where. However, I am prepared to listen to any safety measures you have to suggest so you can have peace of mind.”

“You kept ten of the golems here didn’t you?”

“Yes I did.”

“I want you to keep three of them with you at all times and you are not to go to a battle field of any kind.”

Maxwell gave a nod. “Okay Annette. I am glad you have enough confidence in my abilities that you only required I keep three golems with me.”

Annette couldn’t help but pout. “It isn’t that I don’t have confidence in your abilities. You’re just too precious to me to want to take any risk of loosing you.”

Maxwell felt himself blush a bit and suddenly regretted his choice of words. “Thanks Annette. I want you three to play it carefully as well. If you find yourself getting injured or worn down I want you to retreat.”

“You’re welcome. I take it you would like us to leave as soon as possible.”

“Yeah, of course they may already be reinforced.”

Annette gave a slight shrug. “I’ll tell you tonight when we come back.”

************************************************************************

Annette tried to keep her annoyance from showing as Jahnah insisted on walking along side of her. She still wasn’t used to having someone her own height coming along for the journey let alone taller then her and on many levels she didn’t like it. “So what is the plan of attack?”

Dehvess glanced at Annette from atop Jahnah’s shoulder. “With only two people to work with I didn’t feel the need to come up with an elaborate plan of attack. I took the time to memorize the locations of several fortifications and ordered them into a list of the most practical targets.”

“That actually brings me to another question. What are we going to do about prisoners?”

“We won’t be taking any. I expect you two to kill everyone that you can.”

“Huh, I thought the Luvarians wanted to acquire test subjects.”

“There will be plenty of time for that later.”

“So if they surrender?”

“Despite your size the two of you don’t have the ability to transport them and I refuse to risk them joining up with other units.”

Jahnah gave an amused giggle. “I am surprised that he didn’t ask us to trample their fields.”

“We don’t have time for that. For the moment I want to focus on the military installations. After the fortifications have been destroyed we can move onto less important targets. Though I don’t truly favor the idea of having you two ruin the fields or any of the land for that matter.”

It only took a moment for Annette to realize where Dehvess’s line of thought had taken him. “You don’t want us to destroy the land because it isn’t the source of chaos and is a resource. You’d just rather if we killed all the people that resisted or supported the resistance.”

Dehvess gave a nod. “I believe it to be the best course of action. Of course we don’t know if it will come to that. Hopefully after they witness what is done to the military the peasants will be less likely to go off to die.”

Jahnah gave an amused giggle. “That is my order mage, order regardless of the cost of life.”

“Mm and is my chaos mage objecting?”

“Of course not I don’t mind being the instrument of destruction, though some part of me doesn’t like the fact that I in causing such chaos I am helping to bring about order.”

Annette couldn’t help but giggle. “Well I am up for it Maxwell did say he wanted us to destroy the military forces. I may as well assume that means entirely.”

************************************************************************

“Dehvess are you alright? I thought I just heard you groan.”

Dehvess gave a nod. “You did hear me groan.”

Looking up Annette was surprised when she saw Dehvess face. “What is wrong you look like you’re in pain?”

Jahnah gave a sigh and proceeded to retrieve Dehvess from her shoulder. “We are nearing the first fortification. He is in pain. The chaos is growing stronger and he is trying to reject it. The chaos you and I are moving the region towards is so great now that it is actually hurting Dehvess.”

“Is he going to be okay?”

Jahnah gave a nod and pulled her top open she then proceeded to slip Dehvess down between her breasts and finally further down until he rested in her bra just under her breasts. “He’ll be fine. Just give me a moment.”

Annette gave a nod and stopped as Jahnah did. She then watched as the chaos mage folded her fingers together and began a light chant. A few moments later she saw several wisp of energy moving around her. As the energy circled her it seemed to flow into her as if she was absorbing it.

Jahnah separated her hands and checked inside her bra. “Is that better?”

Dehvess gave a sigh. “You know you don’t have to put me in here to do that.”

“Oh, shush. Are you feeling better now?”

Dehvess gave a nod and set up. “Yeah I am.”

“Okay you should probably make yourself comfortable.” Jahnah took a moment to blow Dehvess a kiss before she began to close her top.

Annette gave a slight giggle as she watched Jahnah seal Dehvess away. “What was that spell you used?”

“It was a curse.”

“Huh, you mean you cursed yourself.”

“Yes I did though it doesn’t affect me the way it would most people. The curse calls chaos to a person. This would normally cause things to behave in an erratic fashion and more then a few unexplained events however in the case of a chaos mage we can just absorb the chaotic energy for a slight energy boost.”

“So by absorbing the energy you’re keeping it from effecting Dehvess.”

“That is right.”

Annette gave a nod and started to walk again after Jahnah finished shutting her top. “Does he have to be in your bra for it to work?”

Jahnah gave a slight giggle. “No. In fact he only has to be within the general area we’ve used similar methods several times before. Whenever the battle begins to calm down and order returns he’ll cast a second curse on me which doesn’t allow order to come into ones life.”

“Which I assume won’t allow the order to affect you.”

“That is right and by doing so we remove each other’s primary weak points.”

“Can you run with him in there?”

“Oh yes I modified a sections in several of my bras once we arrived. How else would I expect him to get comfortable if I hadn’t?”

“So you were planning to keep him in there?”

“I admit I had few other places in mind but yes. I resolved that near my heart was the best place to keep him and the least distracting.”

Annette couldn’t help but giggle. “I imagine the distraction factor was the primary reason you didn’t put him in the front of your bra.”

“Maybe it was.”

“Well then is he safely tucked in now?”

“Yes.”

“Well then how about we have a little race to the fortification? Just because your legs are longer then mine doesn’t mean you’re as fast as me.”

Jahnah couldn’t help but giggle. “I wonder if that is one of the reasons Dehvess felt the chaos strengthen.”

“Well it would give them less time to prepare and serve our purposes.”

“Yeah and as much chaos as having two giantess attacking would cause I am sure seeing two giantess charging at the same time would cause even more. Okay you’re on.”

Annette gave a nod and came to a stop. “Okay you can say when to go.”

************************************************************************

A yawn escaped from the watchman as he looked out over the road. He was currently standing on one of the walls and even though it was no where near the highest point in the fortress it gave him a very complete view of surrounding area. The position was situated to provide the best view of the surrounding area including the only roads that were easy to pass through within the region.

The position provided a nearly perfect firing range for the mages and archers within the fortress. The only major flaw in the fortress wasn’t its location or design but rather it had seen at least two decades of only minor repairs. It had once stood as one of the major lines of defense for the region but since the kingdom had been formed into a cohesive whole it had only been lightly maintained.

It had seen some repairs since the hostilities had broken out but despite the fortress’s sturdy design they hadn’t had enough time to affect total repairs yet. The watchmen gave a slight shrug and chuckled. This didn’t truly concern him as he belonged to the group that felt the fortress was plenty strong for its purpose despite a few decades of neglect. It wasn’t likely that its walls would see any action at all.

“Son of a bitch” The watchmen quickly retreated from the edge of the wall as he felt a sudden shockwave run through it. A bit of rubble was sent toppling off the less stable sections of the wall but all the main stones stood firm. The watchmen had worried that a chunk of the wall was about to slide away. “Maybe this place isn’t as sturdy as I thought.”

“Hey!” Jahnah’s voice resounded throughout the area. Annette had just leaped into a river they had been about to across instead of leaping over it. Jahnah had been soaked. Annette had to work hard to keep her focus and not slow down as she fought through the giggles that threatened to rack her entire body.

As the watchman calmed down he noticed the wall once again beginning to shake the shaking wasn’t nearly as extreme but it was noticeable. Turning around he moved to leave his post whenever he noticed that the tower leading up to the section of wall had began to shake as well. Indeed as he looked around him he noticed the entire fortress had began to shake.

The sound of what seemed to be several explosive spells going off in succession drew his attention back towards the road. What he saw made his mouth go dry. Everyone knew about the massive giantess that would be fighting along side Maxwell however knowing about Annette and actually seeing her were two entirely different things. His blood seemed to run cold though when he realized there was a second giantess with her.

Annette pushed herself to run even more quickly as they neared the fortress. She and Jahnah had resolved that the wall would serve as the finish line and the first one to brake through would be the winner of their race. She suddenly regretted the brief jump into the river since it had caused her to lose a few precious moments.

Jahnah would have loved to use a spell to speed her up however at the moment she couldn’t do that. She had been able to cast the curse to absorb the surrounding chaos on her but that had been while standing still. Now she was simply drawing too much energy to try and draw anymore through her system. To do so would risk trying to make Dehvess control too much energy which could result in him being seriously injured. She would have to just depend on her altered body.

Annette and Jahnah slammed into the fortress wall seemingly at the same time as the pressed against it though the winner became clear. Annette had been fortunate enough to choose a weaker section of the wall the side having been exposed to the elements more then the one Jahnah struck allowing Annette to press through more easily.

The guard had realized what the two giantess were going to do and dashed into the tower in order to avoid being taken down with the wall. As he saw the two massive figures crashing through it he didn’t believe the wall had even held them back for a tenth of a second. Several massive chunks of the wall were sent flying through the air causing further destruction. The main massive tower was rocked and had an enormous chunk tore out of it when a slab slammed into it.

Annette would have liked to gloat about being the first through the wall but at the moment she had other concerns. As she scanned the fortification she focused her eyes and tried to ignore those figures that didn’t show much mystic energy. A slight flash of light got her attention and she looked towards the opposite wall to see that three mages had begun casting fire spells.

The entire fortification seemed to shake as the giantess advanced on them. The three battles mages still held there ground. They two had seen the giantess charging and while they hadn’t expected them to breach the gate so quickly they each knew that their best chance of survival was to complete the spell. As the red headed giantess reached her gloved hand for them they completed the spell.

The spheres of flame that erupted from the mages hands’ poured into one another forming into an even greater volume. As it struck the giantess’s hand the flames poured forth instead of exploding and covered her hand and gauntlet entirely.

Despite her military training the mage let loose a shriek when the flames vanished only moments later and the giantess’s massive hand continued to advance. Before she even had a chance to move the massive black glove had encircled her and she was lifted away from the group.

It had taken Annette a few moments to identify the mage with the strongest mystic energies in the area due in large part to the energy Jahnah was radiating. As Annette lifted the woman into the air she would have loved to taken some time to taunt her but at the moment she didn’t have time for that.

The woman’s fear had seemed peeked when the giantess had taken hold of her however as she saw where she was being lifted towards it did the impossible and grew even greater. The giantess’s massive mouth yawned open revealing massive white teeth the size of many tomb stones and a tongue that surpassed the largest of serpents she had seen.

“No!” The woman only had enough time to utter a single word not nearly enough time for her to cast a spell before she hit the soft wet surface of Annette’s tongue. The saliva hadn’t even had time to coat her entirely before Annette had turned her head back. The woman was too large for Annette to close her mouth without tearing off some of her body.

There was no desire in Annette to bite down on the woman though. So instead she used the same hand that had just deposited the mage into her mouth to press down on the woman’s feet and relaxed her throat as much as she could.

With no time to cast a spell, no hand holds and Annette’s saliva making her tongue all the more slippery the only thing the woman could do was to scream as she was forced towards Annette’s throat. She felt her shoulders impact with the sides of Annette’s throat and for a moment it seemed like she would be too large to swallow. However, she then felt Annette’s hand pressing down on the back of her feet.

Annette’s throat muscles relaxed for a moment widening the path, the coating of her saliva allowed the woman to move more easily and the force of her hand pushed her inside. Pain shot throughout the woman’s entire body the moment the giantess pushed down. As the bones in her arms were fractured once she was past the opening they were crushed all together as Annette’s throat muscles began to force her down.

As Annette’s throat muscles worked the woman down her feet slide the rest of the way into Annette’s mouth allowing her to close it entirely. The progress of the mage could be seen for a few brief moments as Annette’s throat was made to bulge outward.

The pain only lasted a few moments. The mage wouldn’t have to endure the suffering of slowly being digested by Annette’s stomach acids. While Annette was able to force her down without biting down the powerful muscles of her throat crushed the life from the woman only a few moments after her upper body had been forced past Annette uvula.

The moment the first mage was down Annette turned her attention to the other two whom had been with her. The event had happened so quickly that they hadn’t had time to truly respond and she wasn’t going to give them time. Quickly Annette ceased the two remaining mages in her hand and brought the one with the stronger mystic energy of the two to her mouth.

Jahnah was moderately surprised by how quickly Annette had moved. At first she wasn’t certain just what Annette was doing. While it didn’t take long for Annette to swallow someone it still took much longer then simply crushing them under foot or in hand. When she noted the path of destruction Annette’s charge had left and realized that Annette had went for the first mages she saw the answer was clear.

Filling her belly was Annette’s primary priority. Of course if she was going to fill it then why not make sure she consumed the most nourishing food around? If she had waited until after they finished destroying the fort there would be a good chance a few of the mages would be killed before Annette could eat them.

An amused giggle escaped Jahnah and she decided that she would try to avoid killing the mages and allow her friend to have them. Of course as she watched Annette eagerly choke down the second mage and begin working on the third she couldn’t help but wonder if people tasted as good as Annette made them out to be.

The force of the impact and shaking of the ground had been so great that those who weren’t near a window did not truly have an idea what was going on. Those that had seen what was happening had been so stunned by the sudden appearance of the giantess that it took them a few moments to respond. At last though the alarm was sounded and the fortifications defenders began to mobilize.

As the defenders mobilized several of them encountered a major problem. They had been prepared to defend from a threat outside the fortification they hadn’t expected to find two massive threats inside the fortification.

Jahnah wasn’t used to actually following a plan however at the moment she was making an exception. While Annette had been snacking she had went to work destroying key towers around in order to keep the defenders from coming up through them. This meant many who had intended to use a particular exit would have to take a different rout and they were only a few places they could come from.

Dusting some of the dust from her hands Jahnah made her way over to one of the towers which she had left standing and waited beside it. She didn’t have to wait long before seven soldiers came bursting through the door. “Hi down there.”

At first the group didn’t know where the voice had come from however upon a massive shadow falling over them they got their answer. They didn’t get a chance to retreat though as the moment they looked up the massive foot descended upon them.

An amused giggle escaped Jahnah as she trapped the men underneath her foot. She had been forced to move quickly to make sure none of them were able to retreat back into the tower now that she had them trapped under her foot though she wanted to see what it was like.

Attempts to stand proved futile as the giantess easily pinned them to the ground. As the soldiers struggled under Jahnah’s massive foot, those of them that were in a position to do so released their spears and took out their swords. They then proceeded to drive the weapon up and against her soul.

Jahnah felt the tiny blades tickling the bottoms of her foot though none of them were able to break her skin. The soldiers attempt to either lift or force her to lift her foot only served to amuse her. A few arrows striking the sides of her legs got her attention and Jahnah was forced to step down entirely. The arrows didn’t harm her but they did remind her that she had a job to do.

The archers were nearly blown over whenever the giantess quickly turned to face them. As she turned a bright streak of crimson was left on the dirt, it was the remains of what had once been their comrades. They then saw that massive foot lift into the air once again.

Five of the eight archers were thrown to the ground when the giantess foot came crashing down. Three of them were forced into the ground by the giantess massive foot coming down upon them. As they scurried to climb back to their feet the giantess lifted the heel of her foot but didn’t bring her toes off the ground.

Jahnah had intentionally stepped on as few of the archers as she could within a single step. They had been so bunched together that she had been forced to go for the three on the very edge. As she moved to crush the next one she didn’t bother lifting her foot off the ground entirely but proceeded to keep her toes on the ground and bring the heel of her foot above the closest one.

A delighted giggle escaped Jahnah as she brought the heel down upon the archer. As she moved her foot she moved the rest of her body so that the entire action seemed to be a rough dance move.

As the archers retreated from the giantess they were suddenly halted when she moved her entire body and brought her other foot down in front of them. Before they could even move to use their arrows Jahnah spread her toes and took hold of the nearest archer between them.

Jahnah quickly lifted the tiny figure into the air and moved to deal with another one his comrades. Once again the heel of her foot came down upon one of fleeing archers. Looking down Jahnah was quite pleased to see that while she had crushed the fleeing figure the one held between her toes was still alive though from his shrieks she was certain that she had just crushed his legs.

Using her other foot Jahnah caught yet another one of the archers between her toes and began to move around the court yard. Her steps were slowed by the fact that she tried to move in such a way as to not crush the people she had held between her toes.

He would have screamed if the force of the giantess’s foot striking his body hadn’t nock the air out of his lunges. Each time the giantess would move he would feel the slightest bit of her weight settle atop his legs. If she made the slightest mistake and put too much force down she would crush his legs to past. From the screams of the archer that had been first captured by her toes grips he was sure that is what happened to him.

The giantess’s rapid movements was so disorienting that the archer didn’t have time to realize the goop that covered the bottom of her foot and was coating him was all that remained of his comrades. He wasn’t so far gone though that he didn’t notice when the giantess toes came together and crushed the head of his fellow prisoner.

Jahnah glanced down at her feet and noted the headless corpse she held under her foot. For a moment she didn’t do anything but rub her toes together as if taking a moment to feel the remains. At last an amused giggle escaped her and she promptly captured another defender with her foot.

From afar one might have mistaken Jahnah’s movements for a dance. As she used her feet to guide whatever defenders dared journey within her line of sight. With each step she attempted to crush one and only one of the fleeing soldiers while at the same time holding at least one captive with the toes of each foot.

He had heard the alarm sound and went with the first group of warriors Jahnah had stepped on. However, unlike the warriors he hadn’t charged through the opening and indeed come to a dead stop once he heard the giantess’s voice. The moment he had realized what was waiting for him on the other side of the door he had began to retreat back down into the fortress.

The mage had no delusions about how much resistance the fortress would offer the giantesses if they were to strike it directly however it did offer one thing and that was cover. Now he was quickly making his way down the hallways. He had seen that to go into the court yard meant almost certain death however it wasn’t the only exit to the place.

Drawing her hand back Annette straitened her fingers and slammed them into the ground. The ground didn’t even offer enough resistance to cause Annette’s fingers to bind as she shoved them into the earth and into the fortress’s lower sections. She was grateful for the lessons she had learned from Dehvess and Jahnah as they aided her in finding her snacks.

The impact was heard only moments before Annette’s massive hand came bursting through the wall. The mage went to yell when Annette’s fingers closed around him so tightly that they forced the air from his lunges. Quickly he was drawn up through the opening and into the light where he saw that the giantess had her mouth already opened and waiting.

Annette could feel that she was nearly full and felt that this would be the last mage that she could fit within her stomach. She was actually quite surprised by the number of spell casters that had been located within the fortification. As she brought the limp figure to her mouth she could tell that he was still alive. Her grip and the shock of being snatched out of what he must have thought was safety had only stunned him.

Once again Annette moved to swallow the mage head first however she stopped. All the mages she had swallowed head first had died within moments and while it was true that her throat muscles would crush the life from his body as well she couldn’t resist trying to swallow as much of him as she could while he was still alive.

The mage’s heart nearly stopped as the giantess changed his orientation and brought him towards her mouth. The giantess’s tongue met him before he was even within her mouth. The muscle seemed to wrap around his legs and her fingers released him before was even half way within the void. However, any hope that he might have escape was soon lost as the massive tongue quickly drew him in.

The speed with which Annette pulled the tiny figure into her mouth was so great that he didn’t even have time to take hold of her lips. Despite the lack of breath a cry still tried to escape from his tortured lunges the moment he felt his legs touch against the side of her throat.

A moan escaped Annette as she felt the tiny figures hands trying to take hold of her tongue. He had slipped far enough down her throat that she no longer needed to use her tongue to pull him downward; her throat muscles had a secure enough grip on his legs.

As the mage was pulled further into the darkness he began to grasp at anything. He panic had grown to the point that he didn’t seem to remember that it was the massive muscle of her tongue that pulled him into the void to begin with. Now that her could feel her throat muscles tightening on his legs and working to drag him down further he clutched at the tongue as if it was a savior.

No salvation would be found from the muscle though. As Annette’s saliva made her tongue too slippery for him to get a grip on and even if he had there was no way he could counter act the force of her throat muscles pulling him down. As he slipped further back he felt his hips beginning to make their way down into her throat.

As with the others this portion of his body was too large to simply slide down. The muscles around his hips relaxed widening the passage while those further down pulled. A moment later his hips slipped within the narrow void and the muscle tightened around them. Blinding pain surged throughout his entire body.

Annette could tell that having his hip bones crushed had temporarily taken the fight out of the mage as he grew limp. She would have preferred to taken her time with her meal as she had done with the bandits and scouts but now she had work to do. With her belly full she could focus on dealing away with the rest of the soldiers.

Jahnah gave a giggle when she saw Annette taking a moment to wipe her mouth. “Did you enjoy your meal?”

“It was filling but I didn’t have time to truly enjoy it.”

Jahnah didn’t stop her dancing even while she spoke. “I noticed. It took you less then thirty seconds to force each one of them snacks down. If you were a true member of the giant species I believe that you would have gotten choked.”

“That is an interesting dance routine you have going.”

“I know that it is a little rough but I like to believe that I am working out the kinks. Would you like to dance with me?”

“No thanks. I am a little full and I don’t want to do anything fast paced.”

Jahnah gave a giggle as she spun and stopped just beside a tower. A moment later she thrust her hips to the side striking the cylinder of stone with such force that she sent it toppling over. “Well them maybe after your tummy settles.”

Annette couldn’t help but giggle. “I wouldn’t count on that. As soon as my stomach settles I plan on filling up again.”

“Well aren’t you being a glutton.”

“Hey, I am a growing girl I need to eat a lot of meat. Still, since I am full for the moment I suppose I should give you a hand or a foot.”

“You can leave the court yard to me this is fun. How about digging into the actual structure itself?”

“That is fine with me. I won’t have to move around much.”

“If you find the kitchen or any food supplies try to grab some loafs of bread or something.”

“Is your dancing working up an appetite?”

“Not yet and I don’t want the food for myself. I am a giantess so I want to try eating like one. The food is for Dehvess.”

“You mean he didn’t think to bring any?”

“I believe that he had bigger things on his mind.”

Before she could actually tear some of the fortress away a giggle escaped Annette. “Are you sure you he forgot to bring something to eat?”

“I didn’t see him bring anything; if he did it must be small.”

“I don’t know about that. You might have given him an idea by packing him around in your bra so much.”

Jahnah stopped mid step and blinked her eyes a few times. A delighted giggle escaped her a second later. “Oh I like that idea. It would only require me to make some minor adjustments to the polymorph spell so that I could.”

“So should I forget the bread?”

“Yes you should.”

“You know we could just flatten this place now. It isn’t like there is anything we need.”

“Where is the fun in that?”

“I was just thinking it would allow us to get to the next fortification.”

“We haven’t even been here for fifteen minutes. We can take our time or are you in a hurry?”

Annette shook her head. “Not right now. I need to wait until I have some more room in my tummy.” The stone walls of the fortress’s main structure offered little resistance as Annette easily sunk her fingers into them. A moment later she tore away a massive section of the wall nearly causing the roof to collapse. What she revealed was a group of archers who had been firing through several slits in the walls. “You will all be happy to know that I won’t be eating you.”

Annette took a moment to remove her glove before reaching through the opening and giving the closest archer a flick. The force of the impact collapsed his ribs and sent him flying across the room. Instead of pressing her assault Annette gave the archers a few moments to run. They were two exits in the room not including the gaping hole she had torn moments earlier.

As soon as the first person neared one of the doors Annette gave him a quick flick. This caused the group to come to a dead stop, turn and dash towards the opposing opening. Once again Annette gave them a few moments to near the door before she flicked the lead runner. A moment later those still alive were a mass on the ground as several of them turned to go the opposite direction colliding with those that were less quick to react.

Once again Annette held back her assault and gave the group time to stand up. This time they broke into two separate groups, one running for the western exit while others continued to try for the eastern exit. This was what Annette was hoping for as every time one of the soldiers would get within a yard of one of the doors she would give them a quick flick.

The force of Annette’s finger striking the soldiers was enough to shatter their bones and break their skin. This had the effect of slowly dying the front of her index finger a bright crimson. By only killing one of the soldiers at a time and allowing them to at least control the time they died to a limited extent by only striking them when they neared the door it allowed Annette to draw out the game and give her stomach more time to digest its current contents.

Despite her efforts to draw out the game it only took Annette a minute to clear the room. As she found herself with one last victim left she chose to pin him to the floor instead of simply killing him. The archer must have been too tired to scream as the only response he gave when she pressed down on his back was dead silence. “You know I believed I was full but I think I may be able to choke one last person down. So I have a question for you. Would you prefer if I crushed your stomach and legs then left you to die or would you rather give your life for the far more noble purpose of nourishing me?”

As the archer looked into the giantess’s eyes, saw her massive tongue play across her lips and felt her finger press down on him he wished he hadn’t been the last one left.

“Annette may I try him?”

Upon glancing up Annette found Jahnah was leaning over her. “Do you want to try him?”

“Yes I do. I didn’t want to eat any of the mages since I felt they would serve you better then me. I would like to try him though.”

Annette gave a quick nod. “Well it looks like you took too long to decide what you want. Oh and so you know I wouldn’t have been able to get you down alive. However, Jahnah hear just may be able to get you down.” Annette removed her index finger from the archer’s stomach and picked him up. She then held him up for Jahnah.

Instead of using her hand to take the archer from Annette Jahnah bent down so that her head was level with Annette’s fingers. Opening her mouth up Jahnah leaned forward and took the person and Annette’s fingers into her mouth. Once they were both in her mouth she began to lightly suck on Annette’s fingers and run her tongue along the little man as if trying to make him slippery enough to slide off due to the suction.

It had surprised Annette when Jahnah took her fingers into her mouth. As she felt Jahnah’s tongue playing along the tips of her fingers while lightly sucking on the little man though she just had to play along. Carefully she tightened her grip on the archer to make it more difficult for Jahnah to get him to slide free.

Despite his fear the archer was finding it difficult to call out for help. The shock of seeing so many of his comrades slaughtered was weighing heavily on him, he had yet to regain his breath from the red headed giantess pressing her finger down upon him and the oppressive heat of the other giantess mouth was making it hard to air. Soon he found himself having to deal with another problem as her saliva coated him more and more thoroughly covering his face and making it still harder to find breath.

Jahnah could tell that she was making progress. She could feel the tension in Annette’s fingers as her grip on the man grew less secure. As she brought her tongue against him again and again she didn’t know if she cared for the taste at the moment but she knew that she was enjoying the experience.

The archer pressed his feet against the massive muscle that coated him more and more completed with its saliva. While the giantess that held him had put him in the situation she was also the only thing preventing him from sliding down the throat of the other. So he continued to struggle and try to press himself back into her grip.

At last Annette felt the man slide entirely free from her grasp and she withdrew her fingers from Jahnah’s mouth. She was about to tell her friend not to swallow right away when she noticed a bulge appear in Jahnah’s throat. “You really don’t know how to draw things out do you?”

“Mm?”

“You shouldn’t have swallowed right away.”

“Why shouldn’t I have gone ahead and swallowed?”

“It’s fun to play with them while they are still in your mouth. All well, did you manage to get him down alive?”

“No, my throat muscles squeezed on him a little too hard. What is that grin for?”

“Now I want to see if I can be the first one of us to grow large enough to be able to swallow someone alive and without breaking any of their bones.”

“Do you want to make a contest out of it?”

“If you promise not to specially modify your throat to allow you to do it more quickly.”

“Okay, I promise that I won’t modify my throat in order to be able to swallow people without injuring them. At least in regards to our contest, so what do you want to wager?”

“If I when you have to find me an arch mage to eat, one that won’t get me in trouble with the guild.”

“Okay if that is how you want to play it. If I win you either have to find me a soul stone or an elemental or dragon which I can create a shard that is on par with a soul stone from. I don’t many one of the cheaper shards either; I mean it has to at least be an eight.”

Annette gave a quick nod. “Which means you want one with the energy levels of a young arch mage at least?”

“That is right.”

“What would you say the shards in your tiara are?”

“I would say they are a five on the scale of mystic crystals.”

“I take it you want the eight to replace one of them. It seems that I am not the only one that enjoys being big.”

Jahnah gave a giggle and straitened back up to her full height. “I have to admit that I enjoy it a lot more then being my regular size. They are quite a few advantages. Now I suppose I should get back to my dance partners.”

************************************************************************

“So she can’t put him down for at least forty eight hours?”

“Nope, other wise she may return to normal or at least shrink too much.”

Dehvess couldn’t help but sigh. He had only learned after it was too late how much Jahnah had eaten. Now if he risked leaving her and let the energy flow become unstable she could very well be torn apart by the mass in her stomach. “I swear I am going to make you put a crystal viewing window in your bra or something so I can watch what is going on.”

Maxwell couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well how did the raid go?”

“It went very well. Jahnah and I managed to destroy the seven most important defensive positions in the eastern lands.”

Maxwell gave a nod. “I take it you didn’t leave any of the seven fortifications standing.”

“Nope, we didn’t.”

“We didn’t have the people to man them anyway.”

Dehvess’s eyes widened and he gave his forehead a quick smack. “We could have used those fortifications ourselves.”

“Like I said we didn’t have the people to man them properly. However, I would appreciate it if you three would take at least three golems to three of the locations, the three locations which are most difficult to escape from.”

Annette gave a nod. “And when the army arrives the golems could come up from behind them and trap them. They wouldn’t have anywhere to go and no fortification to run into.”

“That is the idea. I believe we have enough golems to spare considering that the reinforcements shouldn’t be any stronger then a few hundred soldiers.”

“Jahnah and I could also work on narrowing the passage to the fortifications. That way unless they happen to have someone there with a blunt enchanted weapon the vast majority of them should die.”

“I was distracted when Jahnah told me how she wanted to feed me so I didn’t get a chance to ask. How many soldiers would you guess managed to sneak away?”

“I don’t believe anyone managed to escape. You were looking for life energy the entire time weren’t you Annette?”

“That I was.”

“Then it seems likely that few if anyone actually knows what happened to the fortifications and even if they do know what happened to one or two of them. I doubt anyone realizes that seven of them were destroyed at least at the moment.”

“Mm I see your point Dehvess. That should work towards the golems favor during the first encounters. Do you believe that the three of you will be able to conduct another raid tomorrow?”

Annette eagerly nodded her head. “You had better believe it. If previous experience is an indicator I’ll be even bigger and stronger come tomorrow morning.”

Jahnah gave a slight giggle. “She is right. You wouldn’t believe how much she ate. To be honest I don’t know how she forced so much down.”

“My muscles are very good at compacting a great deal of material.”

“I believe Dehvess wants me to work on burning off some of what I ate so that I can put him down. So I’d be happy to go as well.”

“Why do I get the feeling that you’re just going to stuff yourself again?”

“Come now Dehvess it isn’t like there is anything bad about spending so much time on me. Plus if you went too far away from me the chaos me and Annette are causing would begin to hurt and don’t say that it is just pain. I know that it isn’t damaging you but even if you try to be indifferent about it I know you prefer to avoid it.”

Dehvess gave a sigh and placed a kiss on Jahnah’s neck. “I know and I even tend to enjoy myself. It is just a new experience for me. I am sorry that it takes me so long to adjust to new situations.”

Jahnah gave a delighted giggle and took Dehvess into her hands. Bringing him to her lips she gave him a quick but gentle kiss. “It isn’t a problem. So is there anything else?”

Maxwell shook his head. “I believe that will do for now.”

Annette clapped her hands together. “Well then I believe Jahnah and I need to go and get cleaned up.” Standing up to her full height Annette reached down and picked Maxwell up.

“Um Annette what are you doing?”

“Jahnah can’t put Dehvess down so he is going to have to bath with her. I am not going to be the only girl there without a bath toy.”

“Oh don’t worry about it Annette. Dehvess and I’ll wait until after you take a bath it isn’t like you can take very long.”

“Huh? Why can’t I take very long?”

“Your armor is why not.”

Annette grew silent and her eyes seemed to narrow. “Damn it and since I ate so much I have even less time before I need to get my armor back on. Hey wait a minute didn’t you say the armor would form a bond with me?”

Jahnah gave a quick nod. “Yes we did.”

“Well shouldn’t that bond be forming now?”

“It should have started but we don’t know how strong it is.”

“Well then how do I find out?”

“Take the armor off and see if you can feel or see anything.”

Annette grew silent for a moment. “Were you just trying to get the bath tub all to yourself?”

An amused giggle escaped Jahnah. “Maybe I was.”

“Well it didn’t work. Now I am going to take Maxwell and go get cleaned up you can either wait for us to finish or join us.”

“Be sure to check your armor.”

“I will.”

************************************************************************

Annette smiled as she placed her boots along side the edge of the tub. As she had removed the armor she had felt a pull upon herself for a brief moment but there had been no breaking.

“So do you feel the connection?”

Annette gave a nod. “I can feel it and now I can see it. There is no way for me to tell how strong it is though or how far I can go. Still, I believe that as long as I am in the room it will hold and if it does break I can just get closer.” As Annette stood up she could feel Maxwell’s gaze upon her. She could tell that he was getting a truly good look at her so she held her ground for the time being.

Maxwell didn’t even realize that he was doing it but it had been so long since he had seen Annette in such a state that he couldn’t help but examine her. Annette’s feet were truly massive weapons, massive and exceptionally powerful easily capable of smashing their way through the most solid stone and crushing a human underneath them. Yet in comparison to the rest of her they were dainty and wonderfully formed. Amazingly versatile Maxwell had been surprised more then once at how easily Annette could use her toes to pick objects up.

Traveling up he didn’t even realize what was happening when Annette turned to the side giving him a better few of her legs. Her heart shaped calf muscles pulsed with strength and power. The muscle looked to be as strong as steel but Maxwell knew it was far stronger. Annette’s legs were wonderfully muscular though the muscle seemed to flow together with slight raises appearing every so often.

Due to her muscle tone Annette’s thighs looked wonderfully full and very massive. As if they possessed strength that nothing could deny. Her legs muscles flowed together so perfectly that they seemed to poses strength, speed and grace that no serpent could ever hope to match.

Despite her build Annette’s rump was wonderfully full. The muscles of her buttocks were just as toned as the rest of her giving her a very full but firm rear. Annette intentionally did a slow spin giving Maxwell time to appreciate this.

After a moment Maxwell’s gaze traveled further to Annette’s abdominal muscles. The solid plate of muscle was cut into six separate sections with deep cuts between each muscle. Maxwell couldn’t recall ever seeing plate armor that looked as strong as those muscles.

Further up Annette’s breast stood proud and firm. Her massive globes didn’t show the slightest bit of sag despite their mass and the effects of gravity. Yet whenever Annette would step one could see them bounce slightly. Her areola was so massive that Maxwell could have lane on it fully prone and not been able to touch the edges.

Each one of Annette’s massive globes was roughly the same size as her head. With cleavage so very deep that Maxwell knew it could hold a man captive physically as well as mentally. Indeed he imagined if one was to be pushed within the depths of Annette’s cleavage at her current size she could easily suffocate them between her breasts and she was still growing.

His gaze traveled to the side now for the moment avoiding her face. Annette’s arms were not quite as powerfully built as her legs there was however a significant amount of tone. Her biceps could easily be seen even when she relaxed her muscles and became exceptionally pronounced when she would flex. Had she been a normal sized woman they would have surpassed the size of grapefruits when flexed. At her current size they easily surpassed boulders.

As Annette turned to the side and flexed her arm Maxwell took note of her hair. The bright crimson waves seemed to flow down her back. Her hair was chaotic yet it seemed to flow like the ocean waves. At last his gaze moved to her face.

Annette’s lips were a soft pink and rather full. Her eyes were a wonderful blue that seemed brighter then sapphire while her teeth were whiter then pearl so pure that it didn’t seem any amount of blood could ever stain them. Yet to many those wonderful teeth were simply terrifying. Massive gems meant to crush the life from them. “Do you like what you see?”

“I love what I see.” Maxwell gave a slight start when he suddenly realized what he was doing causing Annette to giggle. “I didn’t realize I was staring.”

“That is okay.” Annette finally let herself slide into the water, as she did so the waves generated by her great mass caused Maxwell to bob lightly. Annette leaned forward and brought her hands up under Maxwell. Lifting him from the water she pressed him to the top of her breast before the chill of the air could get to him.

Annette’s attention was taken away from Maxwell for a moment when she heard the door open. “So you decided to join us?”

“Well you did invite us.” Jahnah didn’t waste any time stripping away her clothing. She much like Annette was perfectly comfortable with her body and indeed since she attained her current giantess stature she found she enjoyed showing it off. Then again flames rarely seek to conceal themselves.

Annette gave a slight chuckle as her friend climbed into the water causing the water to rise slightly. When she glanced down at Maxwell Annette was quite pleased to see that he seemed too focused on the massive breast which currently held him aloft to notice Jahnah. Indeed she was well within the water whenever he finally seemed to acknowledge her presence.

“I see that the link between you and your armor is strong enough for you to take it off now.”

“Yeah and it is a good thing to.” As Annette relaxed in the water she wrapped her arms around herself and pressed up on the underside of her breast. This had the effect of making her already substantial bust seem even greater and lifting Maxwell slightly higher.

As she did this Jahnah extended her legs under the water and crossed them. Carefully she flexed her thigh muscles and gently ran her legs together. They were less defined then Annette’s but no less appealing and indeed carried the same smooth strength if in a smaller amount. Her massive thighs just prevented one from getting a full glimpse of her lips.

Both Dehvess and Maxwell knew something what was going on as they noticed Jahnah and Annette altering their poses. Dehvess knew that Jahnah was finicky and didn’t like to hold anyone position for too long. However, he also knew those positions altered between relaxed, sexy, and cute and several other ranges. When the only poses she seemed to be taking on were focused on sexy and cute he was certain something was going on.

Maxwell was having a similar time with Annette. She normally moved him about and would adjust her body to draw his attention to one part or the other. However, she never changed positions so often. As he found himself being lifted and shifted about atop Annette’s breast he couldn’t help his arousal.

The main reason Maxwell and Dehvess didn’t realize what was going on is that neither of them seemed to see the big picture. Dehvess was simply too focused on Jahnah and Maxwell’s attention was held far too firmly by Annette for them to realize just why their ladies were shifting about.

Annette and Jahnah both had very athletic builds however Annette was indeed more developed in terms of her muscles and a fair amount larger when compared to her height. This meant she couldn’t match some of the more subtle moves Jahnah used however Jahnah couldn’t pronounce her features as easily as Annette could.

Removing her arms from the underside of her breast Annette was able to prevent them from returning to their original positions by making use of her chest muscles. Reaching into the water she slipped her massive hands along her thighs and began to lightly trace the contours of her thigh muscles.

Jahnah could make her breast bounce as Annette had done before but she didn’t have enough control to maintain their position as Annette was. So while her thighs continued to move against one another she brought her hands up and crossed them. Her right hand came up and pressed against the front of her left breast while her left hand moved across her abdominal muscles.

Dehvess wasn’t the best at handling unexpected situations and Jahnah hadn’t been a giantess for very long. So when he realized that she was using her hand to message the front of the breast he was currently setting upon he was at a total lost for words and actions.

Maxwell found himself shifting about unconsciously trying to see exactly what Annette was doing. While Annette didn’t cause the same stunned response Jahnah caused in Dehvess his attention was no less focused.

End chapter 4:

Warning this story contains adult content so if you’re a minor don’t read it or if adult content involving sex, violence or super powerful women offends you don’t read it either. This story was written with input from Supernaught whose real name I haven’t inquired about.

The author namely me can be emailed or contacted on yahoo messenger at: happiest_in_shadows@yahoo.com . Reviews are welcome


“When did you come up with this idea?” Annette currently found herself walking around what one might have mistaken for a ship in the midst of construction from afar. The vessel would probably float but unlike most ships it was not built anywhere near water and was never meant to be moved by the wind.

“Oh I’ve been considering it for a while. I remember you once mentioned you would like to be able to bring more things with you on a journey.”

Annette gave a nod and bent down to get a closer look at the object. “That is true.”

“So you don’t mind making a few deliveries for me?”

“Not as long as you come with me.”

Maxwell gave a nod. “Thanks I really didn’t want to have to thin out any of the units more then what I’ve had to so they could deliver supplies. Plus this will give me a chance to expect the fortifications.”

The container Annette had been examining would have amounted to a backpack to the massive giantess. Currently it was being loaded down with various salted meats and preserved fruits which Annette and Maxwell would be taking to several fortifications. “So how badly are the supplies needed?”

“They aren’t actually needed at the moment. That is why I want to deliver them now.”

Annette gave a nod as she finished sizing up the container. She hadn’t actually lifted it with a full load yet so she wasn’t certain where the weak points would be. After holding it for a while when it was empty and now taking her time to examine it she believed she knew the best way to carry it around. “I take it you don’t plan on restocking every fortification.”

“No. Those supplies are just meant for the ones that have the most difficulty restocking from their surroundings.”

Annette gave a nod and watched as the last worked exited the carrying case. Up until that point it had been being loaded by various soldiers now a group of them began the task of closing it up. They were saved the difficult task whenever Annette reached out and took hold of the door. “Is everyone out?”

It took a moment but at last the soldier in charge of the supplies spoke up. “Yes, they are Madam.”

Annette gave a nod and closed the door making use of one of her fingers. Reaching around the container she gently pressed on her hand holds to make sure they would hold before lifting it from the ground. She then extended a hand for Maxwell to climb onto. “Well then shall we get going?”

Maxwell gave a nod and climbed onto Annette’s hand. A moment later he was lifted over to her shoulder where he stepped onto the shoulder pad of her armor and took hold of the grips. “I am ready when you are.”

Turning around Annette started to step over the wall but she stopped before finishing. A wide grin formed on her face and she took some time to swing her leg back and forth to demonstrate how much taller she was then the structure. “I know you don’t care for what has been going on but I have to say. I rather like having my growth speed up. It would have been a few more years before I could do this other wise.”

Scooting over to the side of the armor Maxwell looked down at Annette’s leg. “It’s alright. There is nothing wrong with enjoying one of the few good things that is coming from all of this.”

Annette gave a nod and finally finished stepping over the wall. An amused giggle escaped her. “I hope I can do that to a few of the fortifications when we get to them.”

After Annette had taken a few steps Maxwell turned to look at her neck. A moment later he released his grip on her shoulder pad and quickly took hold of a few strands of her hair. He then scooted over so that he was closer to her lovely neck.

A shiver ran through Annette’s body whenever she felt Maxwell press up against her neck. Using her free hand she reached up and pressed him more firmly against the side of her neck for a moment. She felt him place a kiss on her neck a moment later. “What was that for?”

“Nothing in particular, I just wanted to feel your skin instead of that metal.”

“Oh really?”

Maxwell closed his eyes as he leaned against Annette’s neck and begin to lightly guide his fingers over her skin. “Yeah”

“You know they are better ways to feel my skin.”

It took a moment but Maxwell straitened up rather quickly suddenly realizing he might have made a slight mistake. “No I will be fine right here.” A grin formed on Maxwell’s face as he felt himself blushing when he heard a few clicks. He didn’t bother looking to see what Annette was doing and covered his face with his free hand. He didn’t need to see what Annette was doing to know what was happening.

Annette had removed her hand from Maxwell and was now using it to remove the bit of armor that covered her cleavage. She was grateful that it had been designed with her in mind so that she could easily remove it whenever she wanted to. Plus with the strength of the armor’s current link with her she didn’t have to actually wear it to have it grow with her.

Annette didn’t bother detaching every link that held the armor in place but stopped when she had just enough to scoot the material to the side while still keeping it attached. Reaching up she didn’t even hesitate to lift Maxwell from her shoulder. A delighted giggle escaped her when she saw the expression on his face. “Now what is that look for?”

“Oh nothing, I suppose you don’t feel that this may not be the appropriate time for such behavior.”

“No. I can’t say that I do.” Grinning from ear to ear Annette slipped the end of the fingers that held Maxwell between her breasts. She then proceeded to slip him down into the opening and finally remove her fingers allowing the flesh to incase him on each side. “What could be wrong with that?”

Maxwell couldn’t help but chuckle as he shook his head. Leaning to the side a bit he gave Rachael’s massive right breast a kiss. “Nothing that I believe you would care about. Would you be so kind as to free my arms?”

“Sure.” Reaching down Annette parted her breasts just long enough for Maxwell to free his arms. The moment his upper body was above her cleavage line she released so that he was once again held in place. “It’s a good thing I’ve been to each fortification before other wise I wouldn’t be able to keep you there.”

“Now Annette I want to have those supplies delivered before the day is up.”

“Mm well then I would suggest you don’t move around too much while you are down there. Otherwise I might be tempted to stop for a little while.”

“Oh so would you like me to remain perfectly still?”

Reaching into her cleavage Annette pressed a finger to the side of Maxwell’s head and pressed on it lightly slowly forcing him to lean forward and to the side so that his face was brushing against the side of her breast. “Well that just wouldn’t be any fun.”

“Very well, Annette since I can’t look around would you mind looking for any signs of raiders. Since we are out here we might as well do a search for any enemy soldiers that might be trying to interfere with supply lines.”

“Sure, maybe I’ll come across a snack while running this little errand.”

************************************************************************

Maxwell moved his hands over what little bit of Rachael’s breasts he could actually reach. Slowly he began to move his hand over her flesh lightly moving his fingers as he did so. Only a few moments after he began he heard a sigh from Annette. “Do you like that?”

“It feels nice. I just wish you didn’t have to stop.”

“Is it too distracting?”

“No but we are nearing a fortification.”

A chuckle escaped Maxwell. “What does that have to do with anything? You didn’t let me out during the first three drop offs. I had to take your word that the structures were sound.”

“You’ll see.” With that Annette reached into her cleavage so that a finger was on either side of Maxwell. She then proceeded to lift him free of her breasts’ grasp.

At first Maxwell couldn’t see what Annette was talking about. As they neared the fortification things began to become clear. “Well that is decidedly disappointing.”

Adolamen hadn’t been surprised when one of the watchmen came to get him. He was surprised though when he learned the reason that the watchman had seen fit to get him. Now he found himself waiting on the wall that faced Annette and Maxwell as they approached.

Annette noted the figure that seemed to be waiting for them on the wall before Maxwell did. “Maxwell is that the forts commander?”

“I believe that it is.”

“Welcome” Adolamen called out as Annette drew closer to the wall he was currently waiting on. He was quite surprised when she didn’t seem to notice him as she drew near.

The ground seemed to shake as Annette drew closer despite the fact that she was walking at what to her was a slow pace. As the giantess drew within a single stride of the fortress everyone stationed there expected her to come to a stop so it was a shocking moment for all when she proceeded to swing one of her legs over the fortress’s wall.

Adolamen couldn’t help the slight yelp that escaped him as Annette’s massive leg swung over him and the wall. He didn’t think to look up and enjoy the view even after he heard her foot come down on the other side for fear of his head being taken off by the leg that would follow. Had he looked up he would have realized this wasn’t even close to happening.

Annette couldn’t help but giggle as she looked back over her shoulder. The fear on Adolamen’s face was immensely amusing. “Hello Captain.” Turning around Annette lowered her hand so that Maxwell could climb onto the wall with him.

Maxwell didn’t bother saying anything at first but made his way over to the side of the wall and looked down at the golems that waited beneath. “Annette would you please set down the supplies so they can begin unloading them?”

“Sure.” As Annette set the supplies down she kept an eye on Maxwell. She doubted that he would let her eat one of his captains but there was some hope.

After composing himself Adolamen moved to speak with Maxwell. “It is good to see you here my lord.”

“Those golems down there are impressive weapons aren’t they?”

“Yes they are. They’ve made defending this position a breeze.”

“Yes, they greatly reduced the need for human soldiers. I see that they made you feel confident enough that you even reduced the number of sentries. Where would they happen to be?”

Adolamen had taken a while to catch on but by now he realized Maxwell was quite upset. “They’re wresting at the moment sir.”

“Where are they resting at?”

“They are resting in the barracks.”

“Annette is that true?”

An amused giggle escaped Annette. She knew that she shouldn’t find the situation to be funny but she did. Turning towards the fortification she took her time scanning every inch of it for life energy. “They aren’t nearly as many life forces in here as at the previous fortifications.”

Maxwell didn’t bother looking at Adolamen as he spoke. “Why are so many of your men missing?”

“Come now my lord. With the golems it isn’t like they are actually needed.”

“When Annette brought me here the first thing I noticed was how few soldiers you had keeping watch I had hoped that at the very least the majority of them would be in the fortification but now I know other wise. Plus you lied to me.”

As Maxwell spoke Annette began to move closer to the wall. Her hope that she would get a quick snack was growing at the moment. This had an effect on nearly everyone around her. Even though the giantess hadn’t said or truly done anything her body language told them they should be scared. Especially when some realized her tongue had just made its way across her lips for the fourth time.

Maxwell had feared this happening shortly after seeing how effective the golems were. Given their capabilities it didn’t take much for someone to decide that the human soldiers were no longer needed.

“My Lord, I don’t see what the problem is. The golems more then make up for the men that are lacking.”

“You are to have all the men brought back from whatever taverns or brothels they decided to go off to. I don’t care if you understand why. Bring them back here. We may have to make use of those things but I don’t intend on becoming anymore dependant then necessary.”

“Ah you’re not going to let me eat him are you?”

Adolamen’s was nearly floored by Annette’s sudden outburst as was everyone in the fortification. This of course only served to amuse the giantess who glanced around to see the various stunned expressions.

While stunned Maxwell couldn’t help but laugh. “I am sorry Annette but no. I won’t let you eat someone over such a mistake.”

“But he lied to you. You clearly can’t trust him. Come on I want to eat him.”

“While I am not happy about being lied to, what he did doesn’t deserve such a harsh punishment as death.”

“Sure it does and he’ll still serve you. His life force will make me even larger plus it’ll serve as a warning to anyone else who doesn’t listen.”

Despite the situation Maxwell couldn’t help but chuckle as he listened to Annette. He was very surprised though when he heard Adolamen call out and quickly spun around to see what was happening. “ANNETTE!”

When Maxwell had turned his back on the both of them Annette had quickly snatched up Adolamen. She had meant to pop him into her mouth before he had a chance to scream but she hadn’t squeeze on his stomach hard enough to force all the air out. She didn’t place Adolamen down right away and continued to hold him above her mouth. “Um yes.”

“Did I say you could eat him?”

“You didn’t say that I couldn’t.”

Maxwell shook his head and considered telling Annette to put Adolamen down. Fortunately for Adolamen he realized how big of a mistake that would be before a word had even left his mouth. Annette would put him down alright. Right down into her stomach. “Annette do you really believe telling such a lye is an offence worth dying over.”

“Well yeah. He not only refused to give you the information but he gave you miss leading information as well.”

While Annette and Maxwell had been talking Adolamen had been trying to regain his breath. Once that was done he couldn’t help but put his opinion on the situation. “I am sorry. I am sorry. I didn’t mean to miss lead.”

At the moment Maxwell couldn’t risk turning his attention to Adolamen. He needed to try and convince Annette that eating Adolamen wasn’t a good idea. Despite the fact that he could have pulled rank and simply told Annette that she wasn’t to eat him he couldn’t bring himself to pull rank on her. “Annette, the actions he has taken in defense of this land out ways his brief lack of good judgment.”

“Really what has he done? From what I have heard and seen so far he has hid behind the golems. I bet he would have betrayed you if it wasn’t for them and me helping to boost the military’s power.”

“I wouldn’t have. Please just put me down…” Adolamen continued to cry for release. The fact that neither parties involved in the conversation seemed to be paying attention to him wasn’t helping his nerves.

This debate with Annette wasn’t happening the way Maxwell had hoped. Either it was going no where or he was actually losing ground to her. Before Maxwell could speak Annette resumed her side of the debate.

“Plus, how do you know his actions haven’t cost lives? Part of the sentries’ job is to watch the surrounding landscape with so few humans watching people might have been able to sneak by. I bet he didn’t even think to command the golems to remember anyone passing by and even if they did they are hardly capable of telling if someone looks suspicious.”

Maxwell felt as if he had just received a rather heavy blow to the head. During the debate he hadn’t actually considered that and most assuredly wasn’t expecting Annette to bring it up. He was tempted to point out that they didn’t know if that had happened but he knew Annette would just retort with the fact that they were at war and such risk can’t be taken. Now there was no way that he could pull rank on her if she was going to actually use a rational argument and not just eat him because she was hungry.

“Annette if I let you eat him it will hurt the moral of the troops.”

“No letting the troops leave and think the golems can replace them will hurt the moral of the troops. What he has done isn’t just a little mistake it is a major one.”

As Maxwell listened to Annette he found himself in a difficult position. It was rare that he had to debate a point with Annette as more often then not she would simply do what he suggested. He was certain that if Annette had simply wanted to feed her belly she wouldn’t have put up such an argument. “I suppose you have a defense against the argument that it would hurt the troops if they had to worry about you eating them.”

“Yes I do. If you simply let him get away with disobeying you and in so doing so compromising security then it will only encourage such behavior from others. It’s just another form of execution for an act that deserves it and it will make it very clear to all that hear of it that they shouldn’t depend on the golems.”

A sigh escaped Maxwell. He could draw the argument out longer but he could tell he wasn’t going to convince Annette that eating Adolamen would be a mistake. She had actually given quite a few points to show why it was beneficial and appropriate for the situation. “You win Annette.”

Annette gave an amused giggle and turned her head upright and opened her massive mouth allowing Adolamen to look down into her throat. His screaming and pleading was so great that it seemed as if it could be heard throughout the whole of the fortification. Oddly despite all his efforts to convince Annette not to eat him Maxwell couldn’t turn away from the sight as he watched Annette dangle the figure above her mouth.

Instead of simply dropping Adolamen into her mouth Annette waited. She waited to hear his screams and his pleading as if his fear served to heighten the flavor. She took her time to let her tongue play along her lips twice before finally releasing the tiny figure.

Due to his position on the wall Maxwell couldn’t see what happened once Annette released Adolamen however he was able to see her throat muscles working whenever she swallowed. She had held him above her mouth even longer then she had held him inside of it leading Maxwell to the conclusion that she had simply swallowed him and not even bothered to chew.

“Don’t worry he didn’t feel anything after he got past my throat. Due to his armor and my current size I haven’t been able to get anyone down without killing them.”

Maxwell gave a nod. “Well then I’ll need to choose a new commanding officer for this location.” Glancing down into the court yard at the stunned troops Maxwell called down to the highest ranking officer her saw. “Go and tell the men to return. Don’t tell them anything about what happened here until they returned so that I can explain the situation.” After just witnessing what Annette had done to Adolamen the soldier didn’t waste anytime.

************************************************************************

“So are you mad at me?”

Maxwell glanced up at Annette as he lay within her cleavage. At the moment she didn’t have any portion of his body trapped between her breasts so he had his full range of movement. “Why would I be mad at you?”

“I thought you may be a little upset that I ate one of your commanding officers.”

Closing his eyes Maxwell leaned to the side and pressed his ears to Annette’s breast listening to the sound of her heart beat as best he could through so much flesh. “I am not mad at you.”

Annette grinned as she glanced down at Maxwell and noted how comfortable he seemed. “That is good to know. How do you feel about it though?”

“You made some very good points Annette. I admit the punishment still feels rather harsh to me but I couldn’t just dismiss what you had said. I don’t know why it seems harsh to me as I can see your points.”

Reaching into her top Annette gently ran one of her fingers along Maxwell’s back as he leaned against her breasts. “I noticed you watching me whenever I swallowed him.”

As he opened his eyes once again Maxwell rolled back onto his back so that he was looking up at Annette’s face. “I don’t know what it was by I couldn’t take my eyes off of you.”

“Even if you believe the punishment was harsh.” Annette stopped whenever Maxwell held up a hand.

“I feel that the punishment was harsh I don’t believe that it was.”

After a moment a giggle escaped Annette. “Well even if you feel that the punishment was harsh I believe you liked watching me eat him.”

Instead of trying to argue Maxwell gave each of Rachael’s massive breasts a pat. “I suppose that I did.”

“Why do you believe that is?”

“You wanted to for one thing. It’s hard for me to say no to you no matter what the case is. Another is that I suppose on some level I felt like I was helping you.”

“You like the idea that you’re helping me grow larger don’t you?”

“Yeah, I do. Often it seems like the best way I can be of help to you.”

“I am going to be kind of sad whenever this is all over and my diet is diminished.”

“Well they’ll always be prisoners and outlaws. Considering the reputation that this is going to leave me with I doubt it’ll hurt me. I’ve used golems in large numbers as weapons in war. I may as well give up the idea of being remembered as anything but a tyrant.”

“You don’t sound as if it bothers you all that much.”

“I gave up on worrying about it a while ago.”

“So once this is all over you’ll start feeding me prisoners and bandits?”

“Sure, if they are going to hurt my lands they might as well be made to benefit it by making you even more powerful.”

Annette flicked out her tongue and proceeded to run it along her lips. “Oh I hope there are a lot of trouble makers.”

“I’ll tell you what. When we get back I’ll begin drawing up papers to make consumption by you the official means of execution throughout all the land that is under my control. Their deaths might as well serve a greater purposes them to just remove a criminal from the population.”

************************************************************************

“Cheater”

Annette glanced over at Jahnah who was currently in her giantess form setting across from her. “What do you mean?”

“You’re getting help from Maxwell to speed up your growth.”

“How is that cheating? Dehvess is constantly helping you. Without him you wouldn’t be able to even grow to that size safely.”

“You knew Dehvess and I were working together right from the start. You didn’t have Maxwell helping you out until recently.”

“Oh please I am hardly cheating. I bet if Dehvess figured out a way to help you grow larger more quickly you wouldn’t hesitate.”

“Well I can’t argue with you there.”

“You have someone helping you and I have someone helping me thus I am not cheating.”

Jahnah could only stick her tongue out at Annette in retaliation. “Come to think of it didn’t Maxwell plan on letting you eat any prisoners of war?”

“Yes he did.”

“Have you gotten to yet?”

“No, several have been captured but I haven’t gotten around to eating any of them yet.”

“Why are you waiting?”

Annette couldn’t help but giggle. “To be honest I am waiting until I have enough to make a big meal out of it.”

“Ah I see.”

“You didn’t tell me that the bond between you, Dehvess and the tiara would strengthen over time. Are you glad that he doesn’t actually have to be on you for the energies to be controlled properly?”

“Yes and no. I am glad that I can walk around as a giantess so long as I don’t go too far.”

“However, you liked having him ride around on you. Is that right?”

“Yeah, that is it.”

“Well has this development really changed the amount of time he spends with you?”

“Not really. The only time that I let him get away from me is when he is working on something. The problem is that I have become so use to him being with me when I am in a giantess state that I still expect to feel him pressed against me when I am in it even if he no longer has to be.”

“I bet that something he is working on also has to be something he couldn’t do as well while on you. Such as planning the new troop placement with Maxwell, if he was reading a book you’d probably have him tucked inside your bra.”

“Yeah, I doubt they would appreciate our moving around while they tried to make plans.”

“We could do without tall the talking as well.”

Annette and Jahnah’s attention were drawn to the little window were Dehvess currently leaned out. Reaching out Jahnah gave Dehvess a quick tap on the head with her index finger. “Well you’re just going to have to deal with it. If you want more privacy I recommend strengthening the bond so that I can go further away while I chat with Annette.”

Dehvess would have suggested that Jahnah could simply shrink down but he knew that wasn’t going to happen. The time she spent as a giantess had been regularly increasing ever since she had first put on the tiara and he doubted that it would stop increasing.

As Jahnah spoke to Dehvess she turned so that Annette could see the side of her head. What Annette didn’t see surprised her. “Jahnah where are the ends of the tiara?”

A rather pleased grin formed on Jahnah’s face as she turned to Annette. “They are further in.”

“What do you mean?”

“Much as your armor forms a bond with you the tiara forms a bond with me. That is one of the interesting things about arcanon we have discovered. However, unlike your armor my tiara is actually becoming a part of me.”

“So the tiara is actually imbedding itself in your skull?”

“No, that isn’t accurate. The tiara isn’t becoming a bit of metal in my skull it is actually becoming a part of me and Dehvess. Now the relationship between Dehvess and the tiara is much the same as the relationship between you and your armor.”

“Um isn’t that kind of dangerous for you?”

“It isn’t anymore dangerous then when I first put the tiara on in fact it is less dangerous as at that time Dehvess had to actually be touching me to regulate the energies. I don’t have to draw on the power of the tiara just because it and the shards have become part of me.”

“Can you still add extra shards into it?”

“Yes, but it is an absorption process now while before hand it was just a matter of removing one of the previous shards. This is actually a good thing though as before hand I had to remove an old shard to add a new one. Now I have to absorb the power which isn’t as quick as simply removing an old one and adding a new one in but, it does let me add an infinite number of shards.”

“So how long is the entire process going to take?”

“It still has quite some time to go. As you said only the ends of the tiara have actually vanished within my skin. At the moment if someone where to remove it by force it wouldn’t reform.”

“You mean once it is finished if someone removed the shards they would grow back?”

“It depends on what you mean by remove. Once the tiara is fully fused with me the energy from the shards will be part of my own so unless they are going to take a hunk out of my soul that isn’t going to happen. As for if the physical bodies that once held the energy were removed. If I wanted to reform them I could.”

“Huh, does that mean you’re going to gain the ability to feed on mystic and life energy the same way I do?”

“That is hard to say. At the moment it is believed that it would have to still be turned into a shard and then I would have to absorb it.”

Annette couldn’t help but giggle. “Good I was worried that you would start competing with me for food.”

“Of course I don’t know what I could do with my studies in necromancy and the additional abilities the tiara grant me. Perhaps I should begin experimenting.”

“The prisoners of war are mine to eat.”

Jahnah gave an amused giggle. “Okay I won’t touch them. However, there are those the guild receives.”

“What is wrong?” Maxwell was a bit surprised when he noticed Dehvess suddenly cringe a bit.”

“We are supposed to deliver the human resources to the guild. However, from what it sounds like Jahnah may be getting other ideas for what purpose they should serve.”

“She wouldn’t just start eating them would she?”

“It depends on her mood. It isn’t like experimenting with them would constitute a major violation even if they were meant for another research team.”

Annette couldn’t help but grin. “Well you still have to experiment to even find out if you could even gain the same benefits that I do. Then you’d have to develop the ability to actually do it.”

“Oh it sounds like someone is worried. Maybe I should begin my studies as soon as Dehvess is free to help me out.” Jahnah couldn’t help but giggle when she noticed the expression on Annette’s face. “I believe someone is used to being the big girl around town and doesn’t like the competition.”

At first Annette wore a scowl but at last a giggle escaped her and she couldn’t help but grin. “Well you get used to being the biggest girl around and competition becomes somewhat hard to deal with.”

“Well you had better get used to it.”

“We haven’t compared heights in a while. I know that you were taller then me when you first arrived but how about now?”

“Maybe we can compare later.”

“Why wait until later? Are you worried that I might have not only caught up but might have outgrown you?”

“Oh fine then you’re on.” Standing up Jahnah stood perfectly strait and turned her back to Annette. A moment later she felt Annette’s back pressing against hers. “Hey men get out here and tell us which one is the tallest.”

Maxwell and Dehvess were both surprised but not by Jahnah’s sudden declaration. Instead the look they gave one another surprised them. It was as if they both knew that was a question they did not want to answer. Maxwell was the one that went over to the window to respond. “Sorry ladies, from down here it is difficult to tell. You’ll have to figure it out for yourself.”

Both women glanced over at the window and were surprised by how quickly Maxwell retreated back into the room and the shutters were closed. Reaching up Annette placed her hand flat against the top of their heads. “Well since they don’t seem interested in giving a verdict.”

Jahnah gave a sigh and straitened up a bit. “You know we could set you atop our heads.”

Annette gave a giggle. “Don’t bother I can tell that I am the taller.”

“Huh? Let me see.” Reaching up Jahnah batted away Annette’s hand and placed her hand atop their heads. A moment later she gave her verdict. “No you are not. I am still slightly taller then you are.”

“You wish.”

“You’re just going by the fact that your hair is slightly fluffier then mine.”

“I am not.”

Maxwell couldn’t help but shake his head. “I knew it would be a bad idea to get involved in that. They’ll probably be going at it for a while.”

Dehvess shook his head. “I don’t know how long we’ll be able to stay out of it. Even if we keep the shutters closed they’ll eventually tear down the wall if we don’t start responding.”

“I wish I could say Annette knows better then to do that whenever we are actually working. However, considering their combined power I doubt they’ll view this as urgent enough to leave us alone once the debate gets heated.”

“Well then let’s get back to work. We can finish as much as possible before they involve us.”

************************************************************************

Jahnah ran her fingers along the side of her head. She could feel a slight raise in her skin where the tiara had just begun to fuse with her. “This is taking longer then I expected it to.”

Dehvess gave a nod. “Your experience with chaos magic normally allows you to adapt to new situations quite quickly. Still, don’t try to rush it.”

“I know. So how are things going?”

“The guild is happy with the first shipment of human resource they received.” Dehvess was stopped when Jahnah giggled. “What is it?”

“Why don’t you just call them people?”

Dehvess gave a slight shrug. “It would save time. The guild is happy with the first shipment of people that we sent. Though they still hinted at it not being enough, I swear though it never seems like they have enough people to experiment with.”

“Did they say they already went through the first ones we sent?”

“No, they still have plenty left. I believe their eagerness to receive more is a side effect of all too often having to compete with one another for sentient life forms to work on.”

“Did they complain about the time it took to get the people to them?”

“Actually no, they were quite interested in how you are doing.”

Jahnah couldn’t help but giggle. “I bet they were. So how many were hopeful interested and how many were interested because of fear?”

“I didn’t stop to count.”

Before Jahnah could comment her attention was redirected as Annette quickly made her way into the room. “Why are you in such a hurry?”

“You two need to hurry and get ready then meet me outside. Maxwell is getting clothed at the moment. I’ll explain what is going on once we are underway there is a problem.”

************************************************************************

“So what is the matter?” As Jahnah ran alongside of Annette both giantesses were careful to keep beside the road but avoided actually running on it. If they had their foot prints would have left it so badly damaged that it would require major repairs to be an effective path to travel on again.

“The port town that we shipped the Luvarians’ test subjects from. We lost control of it and several other towns in the region.”

Dehvess and Maxwell weren’t actually capable of speaking to one another due to the giantesses’ running and because each one of them was nestled into the cleavage of a separate lady. However, Dehvess could hear what Annette had said and he was more then a little curious. “How did that happen?”

“The messenger says that a small military unit caught them off guard.”

“What about the golems?”

“They were already destroyed.” Annette was a bit perplexed when she heard Jahnah giggle. “What is so funny?”

“Dehvess turned pale for a second.”

Dehvess took a moment to regain his composure. “How many of the golems were destroyed?”

“All six of them according to the messenger were destroyed.”

“Was it a special forces unit?”

“No. From what we gathered the only reason they were even able to drive them out even with the golem’s destruction is they were caught off guard.”

Maxwell had been quiet up until that point. He had been with Annette when the messenger arrived so he knew the story. Despite this he couldn’t help but give his opinion on the soldiers being forced to retreat. “Even after Adolamen’s execution those idiots still relied on the golems too much.”

Annette couldn’t help but giggle as she glanced down at Maxwell. She knew that he was upset and that she shouldn’t be laughing at him. However, he simply looked too cute for her not to between his anger and the fact that he was trapped in her cleavage at the moment. “Maxwell seems quite upset about all of this.”

Dehvess shook his head. “If they weren’t Special Forces how did they destroy the golems? Were they any with enchanted weapons?”

Annette knew Dehvess couldn’t see it considering where he was but she shook her head as a force of habit. “No. The messenger didn’t mention any of them using enchanted weapons. They were just attacked by a small group of soldiers between being caught off guard and because the town joined in they were driven out.”

A wide grin formed on Jahnah’s face. “So the entire town joined in?”

“I can’t be certain. The messenger said towns people joined in but we will have to find out for sure when we get there.”

Dehvess couldn’t help but sigh it didn’t seem anyone was catching onto what his primary concern was. “How were the golems destroyed?”

“The messenger didn’t say how they were destroyed.”

Maxwell couldn’t help but flinch. “The idiots weren’t even paying enough attention to see their primary weapons being taken apart. Now we don’t even know what was used against them.”

Annette turned her attention away from Jahnah and Dehvess to the sulking figure in her cleavage. “It is alright. We’ll be there in just a few hours and we’ll find out what happened.”

Jahnah fell back a bit so she could look down into Annette’s top. “Since the soldiers messed up so badly can Annette and I deal with them?”

Maxwell wouldn’t have normally given a strait answer to such a question. However, between the incident with Adolamen and now this he wasn’t thinking clearly so he answered strait away. “Yes.”

Dehvess glanced up at Jahnah. “What did he say in regards to his soldiers?”

“That Annette and I could deal with them.”

After having his questions answered Dehvess had formed an opinion on the subject as to what should be gone with those left to guard the town. “Kill them.”

Jahnah gave an amused giggle. “I know. They made a rather extreme mistake didn’t they?”

“I have no idea how they could have been so neglectful of their task that they didn’t even see what destroyed the golems. There probably wasn’t even a human soldier supervising any of the golems.”

************************************************************************

As Annette neared the fortification she slowed to a trot and reached into her cleavage to retrieved Maxwell. She could feel his relief when he saw the fortification. A few golems patrolled the exterior there were also several archers watching the walls.

When the giantesses came into sight the entire structure seemed to come alive in preparation for their arrival. Those soldiers that had been left to secure the town were quickly roused from their quarters and rushed into the court yard. Each one of them knew they were in serious trouble. They had all heard about Adolamen by now and his fate and now in making the same mistake he had they had cost the army considerably.

Both Annette and Jahnah stepped over the wall in unison as their feet came down at the same moment the impact was even more powerful. Once over the wall Annette moved forward a bit and then set down so that her back was against it. She then set Maxwell down. Jahnah followed suit and placed Dehvess down next to Maxwell. Due to the golem losses the guild would have a say in this.

Ravastina waited until both giantesses were seated before she approached the two of them. “Welcome Lord Maxwell and Lord Dehvess. I wish that this meeting was under better circumstance.”

The moment the woman drew near Dehvess felt a slight shift in the energy around them. After looking at her for a moment he was somewhat surprised. “Are you an arcane archer?”

Ravastina gave a quick nod. “Yes sir I am one.”

Maxwell couldn’t help but grin. Ravastina was one of his more unique soldiers. At times he wondered why she even decided to stay though he knew the reason she had initially joined. “Could you give us some more details on the situation?”

“Certainly, would you prefer if we went inside first?”

“Out here is fine.”

“Very well, early in the morning two days ago I was woken up by one of my subordinates. Several soldiers from occupied towns had arrived and were seeking shelter inside. I wasn’t truly certain what was going on so I went out and checked. It took me a while to even decide to let them in and I took their weapons away. There was just so many that I couldn’t be certain if they were yours or not.

Once I felt certain that they were allies I allowed them inside and resolved to find out what had happened. Apparently during the night they had been attacked by a small group of soldiers. It took me a while to get it out of them but they also confirmed that they had been spread out around the city. Several men were occupied with things other then their duties.

They felt confident that the golems would be enough to suppress any civil discord. Despite their fractured state they tried to regroup around the golems however when they called them or found them they had already been destroyed. None of them saw by what so I assume that it happened some time during the night while they were occupied else where.

After the towns people saw that the golems had been destroyed they joined up with the soldiers. I can’t give the exact number of soldiers that they actually had to deal with as it keeps changing when I ask. However, I don’t believe it was very many most likely a small unit.”

Dehvess couldn’t help but ask. “Why do you believe it was a small unit?”

A wide grin appeared on Ravastina’s face. “Because they would have to get past here to move any substantial number of men and I didn’t notice anything.”

Maxwell couldn’t help but chuckle despite the situation. At times Ravastina could be truly arrogant in her speech. “Do they have control of the town?”

“Not at this moment. I sent a few people out to gather information. What they found is that shortly after destroying the golems and driving out our soldiers the attacking party left. At least they left after setting fire to most buildings that could be used as a stronghold and the ships.”

It was impossible for Maxwell to conceal his disappointment. “We really could have used those ships. I should have made better use of them while the town was still under our control. Do you have enough people with you to subdue the populace if we retake the towns?”

“Is that including or not including those soldiers that were driven out?”

“Not including.”

“Then I don’t have the people that I would need to insure the populace would be kept under control. Of course since I don’t have those that left their post I assume you have something else in store for them.”

“Yes, the two ladies behind me are going to be deciding their fates.”

“Ah I see. Well if you want to insure that the populace is kept under control then you’re going to have to provide me with more people or come up with another means.”

After waiting a moment to confirm that Maxwell and Ravastina had finished speaking Dehvess spoke up. “We are going to need to find out what happened to the golems. I won’t have any more golems brought in to replace those that were destroyed until we know what happened to them.”

Maxwell gave a nod. “I understand. Would actually examining the remains be of any help?”

“Yes that would be helpful.”

“I don’t like the idea of staying here for too long. Given that they didn’t actually try to hold the towns even after destroying the golems and driving out the troops leads me to believe that this may be a distraction. Of course we can’t just leave without finding out what happened to the golems either.”

Annette could sense that things weren’t going her way. Jahnah needed Dehvess to remain in her giantess state which left her as the only giantess that could travel to other locations to check on their status. That of course meant that Jahnah would get to be the ones to deal with those that had failed in their tasks and probably get to retake the town. “I don’t believe you have much to worry about Maxwell. Even if it was a decoy it isn’t like any of the fortifications could be over run in just a few days. That would give a message plenty of time to reach us.”

Jahnah couldn’t help but grin as she listened to Annette. “Well it is better to be safe then sorry. Why don’t you go and check it out? Dehvess and I are needed to examine the golem fragments.”

As she spoke Annette tried to keep the irritation out of her voice. “I can gather up the pieces for you and you’ll want to check on the other golems at other locations anyway.”

Maxwell couldn’t help but chuckle as he realized what was happening. As he looked over at the soldiers a sigh escaped him. “Annette, Jahnah I need to speak with the two of you.”

Annette turned away from the soldiers and glanced down at Maxwell. “What is it?”

“Jahnah would you mind letting Annette deal with the soldiers?”

The expression on Jahnah’s face told Maxwell that she cared a great deal. “Why would I want to do that?” Even though Annette liked the idea she couldn’t hide the perplexed expression on her face.

“Annette Jahnah made some good points about someone needing to go and look around for any additional threats. You’re the most qualified. Plus I don’t want you helping to retake the town given what is most likely going to happen.”

Annette couldn’t help but look disappointed as she realized she was the one getting the short end of the stick. “But why? Why does she get to help with the town?”

“Annette, even if Jahnah remains here which I doubt is likely she is less well known and part of the Luvarians forces not my own. You actually live here and it would help if you weren’t involved in the initial slaughter.”

Jahnah’s previous expression of concern quickly faded and a grin returned. “So she gets the soldiers and I get to deal with the town? I like that plan.”

“Do you really believe that if I got involved with the town it would make matters worse then they already are?”

“I believe there is a very good chance that if you were involved with the retaking of the town it would cause trouble later.”

A pout appeared on Annette’s face as she gave a sigh. “Fine, she can be the one to retake this town. Though I don’t see how dealing with the town’s folk would be any different from me dealing with the soldiers that deserted.”

“There is a chance that it wouldn’t be. Especially considering what may have to happen but there is a chance that it would be.”

Leaning over Jahnah placed an arm around Annette. “There, there it will be okay.”

Annette grumbled a bit as she looked over at Jahnah. “Don’t think this is over with. I am not going to let one little set back cause me to lose.”

Maxwell gave a sigh and walked back over to Annette. Placing a hand on her thigh he gave it a few gentle pats. “Dehvess I assume that you’re capable of finding out what happened to the golems without my help.”

Dehvess gave a nod. “I take it you would rather not be involved in our initial investigation either.”

“I’d rather not.”

“Very well, you may consider Jahnah’s and my actions in regards to this business as an entirely separate action of the Luvarians. Of course during our investigation of the town I won’t be seeking your approval in any actions Jahnah or I deem necessary. It will be entirely guild business.”

Maxwell gave a sigh and nodded his head. “I understand. Since all of my units have been driven out of the town it is essentially enemy territory until it is once again properly garrisoned. However, once you’ve found out what was responsible for the destruction of the golems I will consider the guild’s solo investigation over with and once again it will become a joint effort.”

“That is acceptable. I have a feeling that this would be difficult to resolve other wise.”

Jahnah couldn’t help but giggle. “So we get to play the roll of monsters but when it is over we are the ones that take all the blame. Maxwell I thought you were different from our previous clients.”

Annette gave Jahnah a slight nudge. “Oh shush. You said yourself that you like the arrangement. You’re getting the better end of the deal regardless.”

“Ravastina, I want you to stay out of this. All of our people are to be kept back from the town until Dehvess and Jahnah report that they have discovered the cause of the golems’ destruction.”

Nearly everyone was surprised when Ravastina giggled a bit. Of course she noticed the expression on everyone’s faces. “What? This is all because they drove out the soldiers that would have protected them from it. Maybe after this they’ll be more appreciative of our protection or scared to death of losing it again.”

Reaching down Annette gave Maxwell a slight nudge with her finger. “Do I have some time to take care of a few things?”

“Sure, I imagine it will take Dehvess and Jahnah some time to finish with their investigation. If you notice anything happening else where I leave it up to you to decide what should be done about it.”

Lowering her hand Jahnah held it out flat so that Dehvess could climb onto it. “Well then should we get to work?”

Dehvess gave a nod and climb onto Jahnah’s hand. “We will need to stop and pick up a few bodies if we can. If not we’ll just have to make them once we get there.”

Jahnah gave a nod. “Looking for some readily made disposable soldiers?”

“Yeah, so you’re going to have to shrink down a bit so that I can redirect energy and focus.”

Jahnah couldn’t help but sigh. “Drat it.”

“Hold on a minute. Does that mean Jahnah is going to be smaller then she is now?”

Dehvess gave a nod. “I’ll have to use some of the energy to help with the investigation. She won’t be able to just level the town as we need to actually find out what happened.”

Jahnah gave a slight chuckle when she noticed Annette breath a sigh of relief. “You just remember that I’ll only have my size somewhat reduced for a little while. After we’re done with the investigation things will be back to normal.”

“That may be true, but you won’t be winning our bet today.”

************************************************************************

“Don’t worry Annette I’ll see what I can do to help you out later. I didn’t realize the competition between you and Jahnah was so intense.” Maxwell currently set atop Annette’s breasts as she made her way back to her home.

“Thanks. I tried not to make a big deal of it but losing that town could be a bigger set back then I let on or would like to think about.”

“So what is that personnel business you want to attend to? It must be urgent considering how quickly you went through those soldiers. I guess that is how much you want to win.”

“You know those prisoners that I haven’t gotten around to dealing with? Well its time they made their way into my tummy. I’ll check for any as I make my way around to each fortification. Soon you won’t have to worry about them anymore.”

“Ah, I am sorry about that.”

“Why?”

“For you to wait so long to enjoy a meal, you must have had a reason.”

Annette couldn’t help but give a disappointed sigh. “Yeah I did actually.”

“Would you mind telling me what it was?”

“Mm actually yes I would. It won’t be as dramatic as I had planned but I believe it’ll still be effective. What do you want to do? You could come with me.”

“I am going to have to take some time and plan where the additional soldiers Ravastina is going to need will come from. I am sorry.”

Annette gave an amused giggle. “Oh that is fine. So I’ll be leaving you at our home.”

“Well someone seems to have pepped up.”

“Of course I can’t stay on a downer the whole day and you did say you would try to help me.”

“I am glad that you are feeling better. Still, what is the bet you and Jahnah were speaking off?”

“OH we put a little wager on which one of us would be able to swallow a person alive first. Up until this point they always end up being crushed in our throats.”

“I should have known. So what did you bet?”

“If I win Jahnah has to find an arch-mage for me to eat. If she wins then I have to find a rather powerful shard for her to absorb.”

************************************************************************

“Now Jahnah I don’t want you to start killing right away. We are going to find out what happened to the golems and we can’t do that if you eat everyone in sight.”

“I know, but to make sure we don’t speak to the same person twice can I eat everyone that doesn’t know anything?”

“Yes. As I recall one of the fortresses you and Annette leveled during the initial stages of the war is along this path. Am I right?”

“I believe so.”

“Good we can get our soldiers there.” Dehvess was moderately surprised when he felt himself lift higher into the air and then lower as Jahnah side. “Is something wrong?”

“I really don’t like the idea of shrinking down any.”

“Would you like to try to keep an eye on the town without the additional help?”

“No. We need the extra eyes and hands to get the job done.”

“I am sorry that it is taking me so long to learn to regulate the tiara’s energies properly. There is just a great deal there.”

“I know and you don’t need to apologize.”

“Well you are keeping up your end of the deal wonderfully.” Dehvess was bounced lightly into the air when Jahnah gave a slight giggle.

“Yes but letting a river flow is much easier then trying to control its movement.”

“Hold on a moment. Did you and Annette eat everyone at the fortification?”

Jahnah slowed her pace for a second. “Whoops, we didn’t eat all of them but I don’t believe any of them would be suited to rise.”

“Very well, we’ll just have to continue onto the town.”

************************************************************************

Chris couldn’t help his pacing as he looked towards the road. When the golems had been destroyed and the soldiers had come they had thought they were there to stay. The towns’ folk had been so grateful to be rid of the blasted golems that they had actually joined with the soldiers to drive out the invaders.

However, things had begun to go badly whenever the soldiers began setting fire to the buildings the invaders previously occupied. No one knew exactly what was going on and they were even more surprised when the ships were set ablaze. Then after that those that they thought had come to take back the town took all of their equipment and left. Now everyone was uncertain what was going to happen.

Many hoped that they had gone to join up with a large unit in attacking the fortifications the enemy still held. Indeed when they had spoken to some people from near by towns it seemed like the units were doing just that. Despite the good news he couldn’t help but be worried about what was going on. He remembered the day the invaders had arrived with the golems.

“Well this is strange.” As Jahnah had neared the down she had began feeling for life energy. What she found surprised her.

“What is it?”

“The number of lives within the city is far greater then I would have expected.”

“How much greater are you talking about?”

“It’s as if no one has left. It has only been two days but I believed that at least some people would leave.”

Dehvess gave a shrug. “Perhaps they were lead to believe that the town wouldn’t be retaken. Of course this only supports the suspicion that this is all some kind of decoy. Now what is that look for?”

Jahnah couldn’t help but frown as she walked towards the town and considered what a decoy could mean. “Well if you’re right then Annette may happen upon the true threat before we even hear of it. I know that she’ll engage them the moment she seems them as well.”

“Are you worried about her safety? You know she is capable of handling a very significant threat. Even if they were able to over power her it would be nearly impossible to block her retreat as well.”

“I know that is why I am not worried about her safety. I am worried that she might get a bigger meal then me.”

As he shook his head Dehvess couldn’t help but grin. “Now why does that bother you?”

“She may outgrow me.”

“You really like being taller then her don’t you?”

A delighted giggle escaped Jahnah. “We are sort of playing a game I suppose. Of course unlike most games neither of us knows when it is going to end but we are both making our way down the same path seeing who can get to the end first.”

“I see nothing wrong with a little competition. Sense neither of you know the end do you have prizes planned along the way to help encourage each other?”

“Yes we do. Right now we have a bet on who will be able to swallow an entire person first.”

“Ah what are the rules on this little bet of yours?”

“Just whoever is able to swallow an entire person first wins. If I win Annette has to get me a rather powerful shard while if she wins I have to find her an arch-mage to eat.”

“If that is the only rules why don’t you simply alter your throat structure a little?”

“Don’t you believe that would be unfair?”

“It is perfectly within the confines of the rules you two specified. I see nothing wrong with it.”

An amused giggle escaped Jahnah as she reached into her top and gave Dehvess a quick tap on the head. “The swallowing is only the gage. The real test is to see which of us can become bigger faster.”

“If that is how you want to play it the decision is up to you.”

A rather impish grin formed on Jahnah’s face as she neared the village and she intentionally raised her voice. “Well I don’t want to lose. Maybe I’ll eat the entire town.”

Chris and everyone in the entire port town seemed to freeze as a very powerful yet feminine voice reached them. They had been far enough away from the fortifications and battles to not actually see the two giantesses. However, they had heard stories of them and to hear Jahnah’s threat ringing out so playfully caused nearly everyone’s blood to run cold.

For a moment Chris started to run back towards his home in order to gather up his positions. He had only taken a few steps before he changed his mind. He was grateful that he had chose the day to wait near the gate as he quickly dashed out of it and began to take the shortest path he knew of out of the city.

Dehvess gave Jahnah’s breast a quick smack. “Jahnah that was entirely uncalled for. You know how many are going to run now.”

A delighted giggle escaped Jahnah. “I know which means I get to hunt them down.”

Chris had for just a moment hoped he would get away from the town. However, he had only been running for two minutes whenever the giantess came into view. When he saw those towering legs carrying her he knew that it would only be another minute at best before she was actually inside the town itself. He could already hear the chaos inside the city.

Dehvess was a bit surprised when he felt himself lifted slightly higher. At first he thought it was the affects of Jahnah taking a deep breath but he soon realized that he didn’t go back down again. “How did you do that? I didn’t channel any additional energy.”

An amused giggle escaped Jahnah. “Why do you think I caused so much chaos?”

A slight chuckle escaped Dehvess. “That is rather clever. You’re using their panic against them.”

“Yes now if you would help me with a little order. I am going to increase their fear a bit so that they are nearly blinded by it. You’ll need to deter them away from the gate with some order magic.”

“You know you’ll shrink back down if I do that.”

“Yes, but it insures few if any will escape. They’d have to bee able to see through my spell’s effects. We can raise those that are trampled to death in the panic after words.”

“When did you come up with that little idea?”

“Three minutes ago.”

Dehvess shook his head though he continued to grin. “Well if you don’t mind. Please hold me up so that I can better see what I am doing.”

Chris felt a slight pull upon himself though he didn’t know what it was. However, he could tell the giantess was up to something. He could see that she held something or someone up and her other hand was oriented towards the city. Her lips were moving though despite her great scale he couldn’t hear the words. She was apparently speaking very softly at the moment. The spells Jahnah and Dehvess cast were directed within the city confines leaving him outside of their affects.

Realizing that if he continued to move he would most likely be spotted Chris threw himself into the first ditch he saw that was large enough for him to hide in. It was the first time in his life that he regretted living close to the ocean so very much.

Jahnah gave a giggle as she felt the chaos feeding on itself. She also felt a slight rush from the life energy that was suddenly being lost. The lives of those that found themselves trapped under the mass of people now blinded by their own panic trying to find a way out of the city yet guided away from the exits by Dehvess’s magic. “OH this feels good.”

“Well I was wrong. Their panic is feeding on itself enough to make up for the energy I had to take away. At least I don’t believe you have shrunk at all.”

“I haven’t. Now let’s see what happens whenever I step into the town itself.” Jahnah’s tongue flicked out and glided slowly over her lips. It was true that at the moment she hadn’t learned to absorb the energies of sentient life forms to give her a permanent boost. However, with so many people to experiment on, her training in necromancy and the tiara she felt she could find a way.

The time Jahnah had spent as a giantess had been quite interesting to her. She naturally loved the change in perspective and as she was still growing the perspective seemed to constantly change though just slightly. As she neared the gate she looked down at the people running around. Some of them past near the gate but none of them seemed to be able to realize that it was there.

Before Jahnah could step into the town Dehvess got her attention. “Remember we need to find out what happened to the golems. If you kill too many people we may not be able to find the ones with the information we need.”

Jahnah couldn’t help but sigh. “I know. Well then I suppose I’ll just gather up the bodies for now.”

It had been Jahnah’s intention to simply step into the town and not worry about those running about. Now that Dehvess reminded her of her first task she resolved to be more careful though that didn’t mean she couldn’t have some fun. Looking at the various buildings she felt out the life energies and located those with the fewest in them.

The first step into the town forced Jahnah to stretch her leg a bit as she wrested her foot on one of the homes. She took her time increasing the pressure on the house. In part to allow those inside time to flee if they realized what they needed to do in time and in part to enjoy the feeling of the tiny building giving way. Her time with Annette had been fun and she had experience a great deal of things but this was her first time entering a town at such a scale.

Those inside the building at first heard a loud impact on the roof and some would have sworn it was pushed down slightly. As the pressure began to increase the creaking of boards became very clear. When chunks of wood began to splinter from the beams they finally realized what was happening and made a dash for the door.

A sharp gasp escaped Jahnah as she felt the utter panic issuing forth from the home. While they were no more then three people within the building their panic was so great that it felt as if it was many more to the chaos mage. Reaching down Jahnah placed her hand on her massive thigh and gently rubbed the muscle as she continued to increase the pressure on the building.

Dehvess couldn’t see Jahnah’s entire arm but he heard the gasp and giving the limbs motions he had an idea of what she was doing. He found himself growing very concerned that she might forget herself and may very well end up killing everyone in the town. As he looked up at her massive face he wasn’t sure if trying to speak to her would do any good.

One of the occupants of the house had actually made it to the door after the first splinters had broken loose. However, in his panicked state he didn’t think to turn the doorknob until three seconds had passed. The shock of realizing what he had been forgetting to do was so great that he stood stunned for a moment wasting even more precious time. When he finally pushed the door open and began to rush through Jahnah’s foot burst through the roof.

An amused giggle escaped Jahnah whenever she saw the tiny figure scurry out of the building. Despite the sound of the structure collapsing in on itself she heard screams coming from inside.

Looking back the man was horrified to see that due to his delay he had been the only one to make it out. When he looked through the door all he saw was bits of debris and the giantess’s massive foot.

Jahnah’s stance was more then a little awkward so that she didn’t waste any time finding a location for her second foot. As she was somewhat off balance at the time she wasn’t able to take her time as she had done previously.

Looking down into the first building Jahnah bent slightly and began to clear away the rubble. She soon found what she was searching for. The corpse of a young man and a woman lay on the floor. To her surprise the woman was actually still alive apparently the falling debris had only bruised her some and knocked the wind out of her. It was fortunate that her foot hadn’t come down on top of either of them.

Despite his fear the man had been too overwhelmed by the shock of what had happened to look away. He was only relieved for a second when he saw his wife and heard her give a low moan of pain. This only lasted until the giantess lifted her into the air and took a moment to look her over.

If one could have seen Jahnah’s fingers they would have noticed a crimson energy flow from them and into the corpse. The bit of energy flickered in the body and seemed to glow brighter. A moment later it returned to Jahnah. The woman took one sharp gasp and the body became limp. The life force Jahnah drained from the woman wasn’t anything spectacular but it was extra energy.

Holding both the corpses in her hand Jahnah glanced down at Dehvess. “What type should I make?”

“Go ahead and make them augmented undead. We don’t need them to last more then a few days.”

Jahnah gave a nod. Looking down at the corpses she began to channel the necromantic energies into them. As she did so she took a tiny fragment of the life force which she had absorbed from the woman. As she did so she altered the energy and tore a tiny fragment of it away which she slipped back into the corpse.

“Awaken.” The two corpses were made to jerk upward at the sound of their mistress’s voice. As they set up the difference between an augmented and a pure zombie became somewhat clearer. The wounds on the corpses began to close up, however unlike the male the woman’s corpse seemed to almost take breath. As the woman looked around crimson light seemed to radiate from her eyes.

A delighted giggle escaped Jahnah as she looked back at herself. It was the first time that she had a good look at herself from such a vantage point as she saw through the woman’s eyes. As she looked over the woman’s reanimated body she couldn’t help but be impressed that she had survived the amount of debris that had landed on her in such good condition.

As Jahnah look at the body though she noticed something that surprised her. The woman’s build had been quite exceptional. It was far stronger and sturdier then what Jahnah had expected. After a moment she glanced down at the building to see just what she had stepped on. What she found surprised her.

The building she had crushed had actually been a smith’s home and work shop. As she looked over the tiny woman she was quite certain she’d either done some metal working or had at the very least helped. Jahnah’s remembered the tiny figure that had escaped the building and for the first time turned to have a good look at him.

The smith couldn’t see what had happened to his wife but he knew he wouldn’t like it. He had heard the giantess speak and could only guess at what she had done to her. When the giantess’s gaze fell upon him he brought his gaze up to meet hers. As his eyes found hers he felt as if a massive weight had suddenly come to wrest upon his chest. The shock was gone now but the fear was so great that it was not only blinding but it seemed to be crippling.

Jahnah took a moment to appraise the man and felt certain he was indeed a smith. The other male that had been left in the building had a good build himself but less developed. Turning back to her hand she addressed the woman. “What was the young man in the smith’s home?”

The clarity with which the undead woman spoke was astounding as she addressed her mistress. “He was an apprentice, mistress.”

The life force which Jahnah had altered and returned to the woman had not only enhanced the undead’s abilities but it had also served to create a connection between it and Jahnah. This allowed Jahnah to see through the undead’s eyes and actually left the woman with something of her previous intelligence with all of her knowledge as the woman had not received any major damage before Jahnah drained the life from her.

Jahnah’s tongue flicked out and lightly glided over her lips as she continued looking the woman over. As she did so the woman turned allowing Jahnah to better see her body as if able to sense her mistress’s desires.

Dehvess could see the animated bodies in Jahnah’s hand though he wasn’t certain what was going on. After staying quiet for thirty seconds he had to ask. “Jahnah what are you doing?”

“At this moment I am saving up some energy.”

“I mean why are you just looking at those undead?”

“I haven’t saved up enough energy to finish my idea just yet. Don’t worry I just need a few more moments to feed on the chaos and I’ll have all the energy I need to complete the spell.”

It was common for Jahnah to come up with a plan at the spur of a moment many of these ideas proved to be quite useful. However, as Dehvess set within the confines of Jahnah’s top he couldn’t help but wonder what she was planning. “Would you mind giving me some more detail?”

“You’re looking at my avatar.”

“Huh?”

“I am going to strengthen the bond between me and mm I am going to have to come up with a name. Anyway, I am going to bind her to me and my power. I can use the temporary bond that formed whenever I returned the altered life force to the corpse to make it permanent. Well unless I sever it. That way she’ll continue to function until I break the bond. I’ll need to make some alterations to the body of course.”

Dehvess couldn’t help the shocked expression on his face. He knew the benefits that such a process would give the undead and how useful of a tool such beings could be. However, he had never actually seen it done for a few reasons and one major one. Sustaining such an undead required a tremendous amount of energy. Energy greater then what was required to sustain several types of golems. “Jahnah what are you trying to do?”

“Oh I am just trying my hand at making and avatar. I am going to have to make some modifications to Xyra’s body before she is ready.” Picking up the male undead from her hand Jahnah leaned over and set it down as close to the gate as she could. “Go to the gate and don’t let anyone exit.”

While Dehvess didn’t have to regulate it he could tell that Jahnah had built up a tremendous amount of energy by feeding on the chaos around her. He had no doubt that she intended on using some extremely powerful spells.

“Lay down.” Jahnah placed her hand over the corpse so that it was completely enclosed in her hands. “Dehvess would you help me focus, I don’t want any of the energy escaping.”

“Sure, I am interested to see just what you’ll come up with.” Turning his gaze towards Jahnah’s hands Dehvess was grateful that she was soaking up all the chaos in their environment. Had it been able to affect him he would have found it far more difficult to help Jahnah concentrate her energy.

It was rare that Jahnah had to speak in order to cast a spell that involved either death or chaos magic. This was one of those rare instances were she not only needed to speak to help guide the energy but she had to speak the entire spell. As she began to chant the mystic energies could be seen flowing throughout her body and focusing in her hands.

The moment the energy was guided into the body it convulsed violently and would have set up had Jahnah’s hands not kept it held flat. The force with which it struck Jahnah’s hands was great and would have normally required the body to be bound down to cast the spell. As the energy continued to flow the body began to change. What had once been tone muscle fluctuated and seemed to both flow and expand.

Xyra’s body was made to move out in all directions as her body began to both lengthen and expand. Dull cracking could be heard within the confines of Jahnah’s hands as the body’s bones were repeatedly broken then healed back together. While the initial transformation made new wounds shut the current one reached to those that had long since healed. Scars melted and smoothed into perfect flesh once again.

As the muscles melted and reformed their very structure was changed. The tendons grew stronger but the body no longer convulsed. The skin darkened and became stronger as blemishes and flaws melted away. What had once been a dull crimson light in Xyra’s eyes became an absolutely radiant glow as the energy continued to flow into it and alter it.

What had once been a well defined healthy bone changed to that of a Valkyrie. As the body was altered physically so was the bond that connected Xyra to her mistress. Jahnah felt a great pull on herself as while the energy that altered the body and helped her strengthen the bond came from her surroundings. The energy that fueled the body and animated it came directly from her.

A sharp gasp escaped Jahnah as she felt the bond between herself and Xyra form. If she hadn’t altered the body before forming the current bond she would have been forced to quickly reduce in size or risk pulling too much energy through Dehvess. Even with that Dehvess felt a quick jolt run through his being though nothing strong enough to cause him to believe the spell should be disrupted.

A low chuckle escaped Jahnah as the bond was finished and she heard the first thoughts of her creation. Even an augmented undead had no true thoughts of its own and it had grave difficulty applying new information that wasn’t exceptionally basic as did most golems. Xyra was quite a different creature.

Dehvess couldn’t help but sigh when he felt the energy relax. While he had been correct about how much energy Jahnah would use it was still taxing on him. “It is hard to appreciate how difficult it is to establish such a link until you have to do it.”

An amused giggle escaped Jahnah and she parted her hands. “It’s no wonder I’ve never heard of someone having more then one such servant.”

As the energy weakened the crimson glow in Xyra’s eyes faded until it only shown faintly at the very back of her eyes. Once her mistress’s hands had parted enough she stood to her full two and a half meter height. Only a few moments after raising to her full height she once again lowed herself down to Jahnah’s palm though this time she didn’t lie down but bowed. “How may I serve you masters?”

Jahnah was immensely pleased with her handiwork despite the fact that it put a slight drain upon her power. She was already very confident that Xyra would be worth the drain. Bending down she deposited her creation within the confines of the building. “Search through the rubble. I want you to find anything suitable for weapons and then head towards the main gate. You are to insure that no one leaves.”

The smith had seen Jahnah set down his wife. As he watched the giantess leave he had to go and see what had happened. Quickly he moved to see what the giantess had done to her. What he saw astounded him. The Valkyrie that currently sifted through the remains of his home was a far cry from the wife he had once known. While many of the core features remained they were so refined and enhanced he wouldn’t have believed it was her had he not seen the giantess set her down.

As Xyra moved to carry out her mistress’s wishes she noticed the man the previous owner of the body she now inhabited had called husband. An absolutely wicked grin formed on her face as he began to stumble into the building.

“Is that you dear?” The smith slowly approached the figure until he noticed the smile upon her face. Upon seeing that grin a grin he had never seen upon his wife’s face he came to a stop.

A cold laugh issued forth from Xyra. Her mistress had told her to guard the gate but she hadn’t told her that she couldn’t have some fun. “Do you mean the woman that you left in the building while you hurried out through the door?”

“I am sorry I didn’t mean to leave.” The blacksmith was silenced when Xyra took a step towards him.

“You didn’t leave me. You left her.” Xyra was actually surprised; the man’s grief seemed great enough to cancel out the effects of Jahnah’s previous spells for the time at least.

Despite his fear and that he had quit coming towards Xyra. The smith was unable to back away from her. He felt his mouth going dry and the color seemed to drain from his face. He gave a slight jump whenever Xyra stepped down on some of the debris that had once been his home and workshop but that was all.

When Xyra finally came within arm’s length of the black smith a slight chuckle escaped her and she quickly took hold of the smith’s throat. A sharp gasp was his only response and she noted a few tears forming in his eyes. This only brought a giggle from her as crimson energy danced on her finger tips and went into the man.

The smith saw some of the energy. Energy that seemed to be the same type that went into his wife. He felt it flow into it him and clench at his heart however he didn’t have the will to resist at the moment.

Jahnah gave a slight gasp as she felt the strain of maintaining Xyra weaken. The life energy her avatar pulled from the black smith would be enough to fuel the body for a few hours. Jahnah could have taken the energy and used it herself but she decided to let Xyra keep it to make maintaining her less strenuous and allow her to do some work.

A slight chuckle escaped Xyra as she held the corpse aloft. Using some of the energy she had just siphoned from the body she began a slight chant. While the avatar did have some of the abilities of her mistress they weren’t as refined and she could not perform them anywhere near as often. However, with the power the life energy gave her and knowledge from her mistress she turned the corpse into an augmented undead.

“You’re to go to the main gate and wait for me there. Do not let anyone leave.” As Xyra spoke she set the undead down and resumed her search of the remains.

************************************************************************

“How many are at each gate now?”

Jahnah glanced around the town for a moment before responding. “Each gate has two dozen except the main one. It only has a dozen but Xyra is there.”

“Would you mind relaxing your influence then? I believe that is enough guards for each gate. They would only need to keep the populace in check for a moment.”

Nodding her head Jahnah ceased to encourage the chaos that drove the crowds about. Even though Jahnah retracted the energy this did not stop the panic in the streets. It would be a while yet before the effect of the spells and the people own panic declined enough for them to regain their composure. “Well what should we do now?”

“There should be some places for you to set down since several of the buildings were burned even before we arrived. Why don’t you set down and wait for things to calm down?”

“I thought you’d just calm the crowds panic.”

“Why would I do that? The more they exhaust themselves the better.”

Jahnah gave a slight pout before she responded. “Well to be honest having them run around in a blind panic isn’t any fun. Not while I have to watch my step.”

“So you want to get down to the questioning?”

A giggle escaped Jahnah as she shook her head. “No. I don’t really want to begin with the questions. I want to get to what comes after the questions.”

Dehvess couldn’t help but grin. “Okay but I am going to need your help. You’ll need to draw in as much of the chaos as you can why I try to instill order in them. After they’ve been calmed enough you’ll need to address everyone.”

A delighted giggle escaped Jahnah and she quickly clapped her hands together. “Then I can get to the fun stuff. Okay I’ll start drawing the chaos in.”

It would have been impossible for Dehvess not to smile. She simply looked to adorable in that moment for him not to. As he felt the chaos moving in on Jahnah he began calm the masses. Had he been alone the task of calming so many people would have taking a tremendous amount of energy however with Jahnah taking in the chaos it would only take a few minutes to bring things to a more ordered state.

***********************************************************************

A low chuckle escaped Maxwell as he reviewed the current troop placements. He didn’t know why he found the situation so amusing but he couldn’t help but laugh. Annette and Jahnah were both exceptionally powerful even at the start of the conflict. Now that they had time to gorge themselves they had became even more powerful. In truth even with the loss of the golems and soldiers throughout the course of things his forces had become stronger simply because of the two of them.

At the beginning of the conflict he wouldn’t have thought Jahnah or Annette was powerful enough to take on an army by themselves. That was no longer the case. They had easily over come numerous fortifications and while he hadn’t been there to witness the occurrences he knew that the fortifications often had numerous mages. So why didn’t he simply let them decimate the surrounding lands as quickly as possible?

Why was it so difficult to win when he had two nearly unstoppable juggernauts aiding him? The port town and those surrounding it seemed to supply the answer. Annette and Jahnah could destroy very large forces and break through fortifications with great ease. However there was only two of them and they couldn’t hold the ground they had taken on their own.

Of course he could have Annette and Jahnah attempt to locate and consume the leadership. The difficulty with that idea was locating them. If he had thought Annette and Jahnah could destroy truly well prepared fortifications at the start of the conflict he could have had them go for the throat and destroy the leadership. That was no longer an option. By now they had learned of what happened to the first fortifications they had attacked and moved to other better hidden locations.

What was the point of expending the energy to take a position if you couldn’t hold it? A chill ran up Maxwell’s spine as he considered one option. It wouldn’t be necessary to hold any position if Jahnah and Annette were to simply kill everyone that resisted in the least.

“Maxwell, are you still busy?”

Maxwell jumped slightly when he heard Annette’s voice. “No, I was just thinking on a few things.”

“Like what?” Annette stood just outside the door of her room. She and Maxwell had been sharing her room for some time now and his office actually set atop her dresser.

“I was just wondering how this is going to end.” Standing up Maxwell walked over to the edge of the table. Moving in with Annette had been surprisingly easy due in large part to a good deal of her furniture being designed with regular sized people in mind.

“What have you come up with?”

“I haven’t come up with anything that I feel comfortable trying to implement. Why are you waiting outside?”

Annette gave an amused giggle. “Well they only have so many people they can throw at us even if they resort to mercenaries. And I’ll gladly fill my belly as many times as it takes to get them to quit sending them.”

“I am sure you would. Though, this latest event with the golems has me worried. If we lose too many golems then there will be no way to provide adequate protection. Even you and Jahnah can’t be everywhere.”

“Well since you aren’t busy at the moment I am going to head onto the baths. I want you to come and join me in a little while. I’ll send someone for you when I am ready.”

“Huh, does this have something to do with why you aren’t coming in?”

“Yes it does. Now don’t look at the door.” At one time Annette could have made her way to the baths without having to cross her room. However, with her size increasing so quickly she had outgrown several sections of her home and only been able to expand some to keep up with her size. Now she either had to walk past her room to get too the baths or circle around outside.

************************************************************************

Annette sighed as she set the massive carrying case down next to the bath. It was the same case that she had used to deliver supplies earlier though now it had a treat for her. Releasing the latch she glanced in at the various prisoners that were pact neat and tight within its confines.

Those within the case ranged from those that had been taking prisoner after battles to criminals. “Hello dinner.” An amused giggle escaped Annette when several of the figures began to shift about clearly trying to free themselves. If they had been given enough time they would have been able to. The bonds that held them were inexpensive rope.

Reaching into the confines she picked up one of the pudgier prisoners. He had been a leader of some type though she couldn’t be sure what. Beside the bath set several containers of flavoring for Annette. After a moment she lowered the figure into the bit of apple jelly she had brought to the baths. She moved the tiny figure about within the jelly until a thick layer covered his entire body.

As Annette lowered the tiny figure into her mouth she leaned over the container so that some of those inside could see the fate that awaited them. She lay the tiny figure flat against her tongue and then released. The slippery substance that covered his body allowed him to slide into her mouth with exceptional ease and within a moment she swallowed.

None of the people had their mouths gagged at the moment but she paid their screams no attention. Once she felt the tiny figure slide into her throat and her muscles began working him down she knew that she wouldn’t be able to swallow them alive. Her throat was still too narrow for that task.

Once the first one was down her throat Annette began to go through the people far more quickly. She wanted to force as many of them down as quickly as she could. The fact that this meant they would get a quick death was lost on those in the container as the ravenous pace with which she consumed them only seemed to frighten them even more.

Annette wasn’t certain if she would be able to force the entire contents of the container down but she was most assuredly going to give it her best. Normally she would have liked to take her time and savor her meal but she had other plans at the moment and she needed to finish them as quickly as she could.

“Yes what is it?” Maxwell glanced down from the table at one of Annette’s servants as she entered the room.

“Lady Annette wants you to come and meet her. She says she wants you to hurry.”

Maxwell gave a quick nod and hopped off the side of the table. As he fell he drew his wind blade and used it to cast a quick spell to slow his fall so that he landed softly. “Did she say what it was?”

“No, only that she wants you to come quickly as possible.”

Annette pushed the emptied container to the side and gave a slight sigh followed by a groan. There had been far more people inside of the container then she realized and now she felt stuffed or more along the lines of over stuffed. Upon running her hands over her stomach she could have sworn she felt it bulging somewhat.

As Maxwell entered the baths he didn’t think to look away. He had been in the baths with Annette before and new that she enjoyed his attention. Of course even if he hadn’t been he doubted that he would have torn his eyes away her lovely form. “What did you have on your mind Annette?”

Turning towards Maxwell Annette stood and moved slowly in his direction. She kept her strides slow so as to avoid upsetting her stomach until she leaned against the edge of the bath. She then extended her arm and moved her fingers as a bit a signal for Maxwell to come closer. “Don’t do that.”

Upon moving towards Annette Maxwell had began removing his jacket. He ceased when she told him to and continued forward until he was within her grasp. At the moment he had no concern for his clothes.

Annette carefully wrapped her fingers around Maxwell so that only the tiniest portion of his body could be seen above her hands. Standing up she moved to one of the more shallow sections of the bath and set with her back against the wall. “I know you’re worried about how things are going but you don’t need to be. Jahnah and I are getting stronger and there are still plenty of golems.”

“I know but..” Maxwell was silenced when Annette placed one of her fingers over his mouth and most of his face.

“This is the first time that we have really been alone in a while and I wanted to show you something.” After removing her finger from Maxwell’s mouth Annette moved the hand under him and set him down in her palm. She then took hold of the side of his coat and began to remove it.

Maxwell extended his arm allowing Annette to remove his coat. Once she had one sleeve off the second one came far more easily. He wasn’t sure how much of his clothing she intended on removing herself but at the moment he was resolved to let her try as much as she wanted. He would get over a few torn bits of clothing if his lady wanted to try to undress him.

After removing Maxwell’s coat and his weapons with it Annette set it down nearly as far as she could reach. Taking her fingernail she moved as if she was going to press it to the bottom of Maxwell’s chest but aimed a little low and pressed it against his waste and crotch instead. When she felt his body shake a little an impish smile appeared on her face as she brought her fingernail up slowly so that it hooked the underside of his shirt.

It was hard for Maxwell to resist helping Annette in removing his clothing whenever his view of her smiling face was blocked. It was fortunate that she worked quickly to remove his shirt and set it to the side. As her fingers returned he couldn’t help but wonder how she was going to try and work his belt off. It was true that Annette was quite dexterous but he doubted she could work with the clasp.

There was no attempt on Annette’s part to remove Maxwell’s belt without damaging it. Instead she took the bit of material between her fingers and squeezed down on it. While the edges of her fingernails were far from sharp due to her scale the pressure was so great that it easily crushed the tough leather. A delighted giggle escaped her when she noted the surprised look on Maxwell’s face.

“Here I thought you were trying to avoid tearing my clothing.”

“Oh I am. I just don’t feel like trying to work your belt off is all.” As Annette finished sliding the belt off a grin formed on her face. Taking the sliver of hide she didn’t place it with the wrest of Maxwell’s clothing but tossed it into her mouth and quickly swallowed. “There now you don’t have to worry about fixing it.”

Maxwell chuckled and went to unbutton his pants when Annette stopped him. He expected her to pinch through the material like she had done his belt but was surprised when she slipped a fingernail partly into his waste band and used another to work the buttons. Much to his surprise a moment later all the buttons were undone and she had pushed him onto his back and removed his pants.

“See I can handle delicate work. Your belt buckle was just a bit more then I felt like spending my time with. Hopefully from now on you’ll use simpler buckle designs.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Instead of trying to remove Maxwell’s underwear with her fingers Annette lifted him to her mouth. As she opened her mouth she extended her tongue and pressed it to the bottom of his legs. Slowly as she slid her tongue up his body she let him slip off of her fingers and onto the slippery crimson surface.

Maxwell gave a sharp gasp when he felt Annette’s warm tongue sliding under him. By extending his arms he was able to reach the edges of Annette’s tongue but he didn’t try to grasp the sides. Instead he teasingly ran his fingers over the surface. He didn’t even struggle as Annette drew him in.

The heat within Annette’s mouth was astounding. Maxwell could feel it reaching up to his feet before they even entered. As his legs slid past her lips he set up slightly. Extending his hands he placed them against her upper lip but was surprised when she closed her mouth on him. From slightly above his waste down he was entirely within Annette’s mouth.

Using her lips to secure him Annette began to lightly suck on Maxwell’s lower body. Running her tongue along his legs and over his waste she began to rub the muscle against his underwear in order to help drag them off of him. It wasn’t long before she felt the garment beginning to slide down his legs.

With so much of his body clamped between Annette’s lips and inside her mouth it was difficult for Maxwell to set up. Still he was able to raise himself up enough to run his hands along Annette’s upper lip. He heard a slight gasp and the suction of her mouth suddenly increased whenever his hands moved to the center of her lips and began to caress the bit of flesh.

As Annette used her mouth and tongue to work Maxwell’s underwear off her hands were left free to roam over her own body. Pushing up on the underside of her massive breast she gently squeezed the flesh.

A grin formed on Maxwell’s face as he struggled to focus so that he could cast a spell. It was the first time in several years that he had to speak in order to use a basic water spell but within a few moments he had pulled enough moisture from the air and cooled it to form a small sphere of ice which he pressed against Annette’s lips.

By now Annette had worked Maxwell’s underwear down to his ankles. Removing her tongue from under him she turned it to the side slightly and slipped the very end between his legs which she used to work his underwear the rest of the way off.

Annette’s hand finally left the underside of her breast and once again took hold of Maxwell. As she parted her lips her tongue pressed against his back once again so that he slid against its surface as she drew him out. “Mm you’re a tasty little treat. I had best be careful or I’ll use you up too quickly.” Reaching into her mouth with her free hand Annette took out Maxwell’s underwear which she set with the wrest of his clothing.

Maxwell let the bit of ice that remained fall from his hand and into the water below. He wasn’t certain exactly what Annette was doing but he was more then willing to find out. The concerns that had been plaguing his mind only a few minutes before had been pushed far to the back. A slight chuckle escaped him when he felt his feet meet the warm water.

“What is so funny?”

“I swear this water is cooler then the inside of your mouth.”

“I have no doubt about that.” Annette continued to lower Maxwell until he rested atop her stomach. In her current position the water didn’t quite reach a meter over her stomach. “Go ahead and take a seat.”

As he settled down atop Annette’s stomach Maxwell began to lightly trace the outline of her abdominal muscles. He was actually grateful for the decreased activity as it gave him time to recover. The time in Annette’s mouth had been quite stimulating for the both of them.

Annette giggled a bit causing Maxwell to bounce in the water. His little hands tickled her but she enjoyed the light tingle. Slowly she let herself slip further into the water so that more of her was submerged until the water was up to Maxwell’s neck. “It is nice to relax once in a while.”

“Yes it is.”

Reaching behind Maxwell Annette began to gently rub his back with her index finger. She didn’t want to continue any further then what they had until she could feel her body expanding and she truly hoped that he would notice. Her digestive system wasn’t that of a humans and she knew that it wouldn’t be long before the mystic energy within the flesh of the people she consumed would begin to affect her. She hoped that it would be enough for Maxwell to notice.

Reaching behind himself, Maxwell wrapped his arm around Annette’s finger and pulled. As he did Annette allowed him to pull her finger around so that it was beside him. Turning slightly he gave the massive digit a kiss before leaning against it. He was content to just relax with Annette if that is what she wanted.

Annette flicked out her tongue and drew it along her lips as she felt her body beginning to adapt to the energies flowing through it. It was such a drastic contrast compared to how she normally felt. While she had always been growing the process had been slow and the effects would only become apparent after several weeks. This all changed whenever she took in the energies of the sentient life she consumed.

Maxwell didn’t notice anything at first. He had no reason to be expecting something to happen and the warm water served to relax him. However, as time passed he was surprised when he felt a chill on his upper shoulders. At first he thought that Annette might have shifted in the water but quickly realized that couldn’t be the case. Given Annette’s size he would have noticed if she drew back even in the least.

Annette felt Maxwell’s hand come to a stop at the center of one of her abdominal muscles. She felt his fingers tense as they pressed into her skin as if feeling for something that he wasn’t certain of. It was hard for her to keep from giggling but she chose to keep quiet.

The slight chill Maxwell had felt had been enough to make him wonder exactly what was going on. As he paid more attention he noticed that the skin his fingers were pressed against so firmly seemed to be moving. As the skin seemed to shift he felt the chill on his shoulders growing more and more noticeable. At last he was very certain of what was going on. “Annette, I can feel you growing larger.”

It would have been impossible for Annette not to flash her teeth as she smiled. Once again she moved her hand behind Maxwell’s back. Using her hand to steady him Annette pulled herself further up in the bath until she was setting on the dry concrete surrounding it. “Maxwell, do you want to be with me?”

At first Annette’s question caught Maxwell off guard. However, with her fingers gently squeezing him he knew what she meant. “Yes.”

“I would like you to explore me. I want you to truly get to know my body.”

As Annette spoke her fingers left Maxwell setting atop her stomach. He couldn’t think of the right words to respond to Annette’s request so he resolved to reply with action. Drawing his legs out from under him and getting on his knees he bent down and gave Annette’s stomach a kiss.

Upon setting back up Maxwell looked around at the vast expanse of Annette’s body. He wasn’t certain of where he should begin exploring such a vast form. A moment of looking upon his surroundings was all that was required for him to realize that she had chosen to set him on her stomach for a reason so he resolved to start there.

Annette gave a sigh when she felt Maxwell place a hand on the cut between her abdominal muscles. While impressive in its own right due to her muscular build at her scale the slight channel between the muscles was quite deep. The defined muscles actually had a tiny stream of water running between them from when Annette’s stomach had been submerged under the water.

So deep was the channel that Maxwell was able to insert a good portion of his hand within it. As he did so he couldn’t help but think that Annette was growing larger still and eventually he would be able to easily fit his entire hand between those muscles. He just hoped she remembered never to flex when he did this. Slowly he began to run his fingers along the edge of those wonderfully defined muscles.

Tiny bits of water were splashed up and onto Annette’s abdominal muscles as Maxwell moved his hand through the channel between them. At every hand length he would stop and give the edge a squeeze as if testing for any weakness within Annette’s armor. With every squeeze he would stop and give the closest muscle a gentle kiss.

As sigh escaped Annette as Maxwell made his way about her abdominal muscles. Using her right hand she began to lightly run her index finger against his back though not with enough force to effect his direction. She had no desire to guide Maxwell’s progress over her body but resolved to let him explore at his own pace.

Maxwell stopped just long enough to turn and give Annette’s finger a kiss. The moment he did he was bounced lightly whenever Annette’s giggled. At first he wasn’t sure what caused Annette to giggle but upon looking back down at her stomach he realized that he was nearing her belly button.

While Maxwell massaged her stomach Annette used her left hand to stimulate other parts of her body. Reaching down she placed her hand on her outer thigh and gave the massive muscle a slight squeeze. As she relaxed her grip she drew her fingers up until only two touched the muscles. These two she began to move in unison while applying nearly the same force the weight of a human body would.

Drawing closer to Annette’s belly button Maxwell noted that it too was filled with water. Reaching into the opening he ran his fingers along the edges. He wasn’t surprised when Annette’s entire body seemed to tense up and he felt her stomach quake slightly as she suppressed a giggle.

“Oh no” Annette giggled when Maxwell looked up at her face. A moment later a delighted squeal escaped her and she arched her back. Maxwell began to rapidly move his fingers along the rim of her belly button tickling her to no end. The warm water that currently filled her belly button actually seemed to help him in his efforts.

It only took a few moments for Maxwell to realize how ticklish Annette’s belly button actually was. In only a few moments her entire body had tensed up and she was struggling to keep from thrashing about as he continued to tickle her. He saw one of her hands start to move in his direction but knew she wouldn’t risk bringing it too close to him.

At first Annette had considered lifting Maxwell off her stomach but given the state of her body she knew that if she grabbed him she might accidentally crush him. Instead she began to flex her abdominal muscles while raising and lowering herself slightly in an attempt to destabilize him and get him away from her belly button.

The cuts in Annette’s abdominal muscles now served Maxwell as hand holds as he struggled to keep his current position. Though even with the hand holds he didn’t know how long he could keep this up. Annette’s thrashing about was growing increasingly powerful and he didn’t know how long he could keep his grip.

A slight shout escaped Maxwell when his grip on her finally released. The force of her bucking was only enough to send him a meter. This left him well within the confines of her stomach. Quickly he scrambled to his feet however he didn’t get to regain his hand holds as before he could reach Annette’s belly button he received a quick poke to his back.

“Oh so you thought it would be funny to tickle me.” A wide grin formed on Annette’s face as she gave Maxwell another poke the moment he tried to raise himself up.

Maxwell couldn’t help but laugh as Annette shoved him back down on her stomach. “Well you did tell me to learn about your body.”

Playfully Annette continued to shove Maxwell about with her finger though she kept him on top of her abdominal muscles. The channels that had once served as hand holds now proved to be his bane as the water he had splashed about previously insured the surface was quite slippery and they repeatedly caught his foot. Still as Annette poked and prodded him about he couldn’t help but laugh.

Annette continued to poke Maxwell about even past the point where she had regained her breath. As he continued laughing it became more and more difficult for him to regain his footing and breathe so at last he was forced to simply lie on her stomach until he regained his breath.

It took a few minutes for Maxwell to regain his footing after Annette’s finger had ceased molesting him. Grinning from ear to ear he once again lowered himself to her stomach and placed a gentle kiss on it. Slowly he stepped off of her stomach and began to make his way up to her massive breasts. As he neared the massive globes he moved to go between them only to have Annette flex her chest muscles and cause her breasts to come together.

A sigh escaped Maxwell as he leaned against Annette’s massive warm breast. The soft flesh was in great contrast to her stomach but despite her busts mass she needed no support for her breast to stand proud. Moving to the side he went to slip an arm between her breasts only to have it trapped whenever Annette flexed her chest muscles. Suddenly Maxwell found his arm caught within a soft but incredibly effective and warm trap.

Leaning forward Maxwell placed his cheek against Annette’s breast and gently rubbed his face against it. Every time his lips would meet her flesh he would place a gentle kiss on the warm fragrant surface. Slowly he began to try and remove his arm only to find Rachael hadn’t relaxed her grip on it in the least. Instead of asking her to release his arm he resolved to try and get her to free it through other means.

Annette’s tongue flicked out and ran over her lips as she felt Maxwell’s fingers press into the flesh of her breasts just where the to massive globes met to form the seal that held his arm. As his fingers began to work the sensitive flesh she closed her eyes and tried to keep focused on keeping the seal on his hand nice and firm.

Maxwell couldn’t see Annette’s face due to the massive peaks that currently held his hand. However, he could tell that his touch was having an effect on her. As his fingers ran along her cleavage he leaned forward and gave her left breast a gentle kiss. On a bit of a whim he gave her a breast gentle bite moments later. A sharp gasp issued forth from Annette. Upon hearing this Maxwell slowly began to increase the pressure.

As he worked on freeing his hands Maxwell’s actions slowly became more forceful. He would alternate between kissing and biting Annette’s flesh. In truth he was quite surprised that there appeared to be a difference in the stimulation level Annette received for each action.

It was becoming increasingly difficult for Annette to keep her focus as she felt Maxwell’s fingers traveling lower along her breast line. Soon he began to touch the flesh just at the base of her breast. Upon once again biting her flesh a low moan escaped her and she felt Maxwell begin to pull his arm free.

Even as Maxwell withdrew his arm he continued to caress the flesh of Annette’s breasts’ in an attempt to keep her from focusing. Even bringing his once trapped hand into play as he withdrew it, however even with these steps he was only able to pull his arm out slightly past his elbow before Annette managed to regain her composure and once again secured her grip on his arm.

A slight chuckle escaped Maxwell. “I am almost free.”

“Mm, not yet you aren’t.”

Leaning forward this time Maxwell pressed as much of his body as he could against Annette’s breasts. The only part of his body he didn’t try to press against her peeks fully was his legs which he extended slightly to allow him to push himself more firmly against her chest. With some of his arm now free he was able to work himself into something of a hugging position.

While pressing his upper body against Annette’s breast with as much force as he could Maxwell extended his arm. There was no way his arms could hope to encircle those massive hills however he was able to get enough of a grip to give her breast something of a hug. With his freedom so limited Maxwell had little choice in the ways that he could move so as he hugged Annette’s breast he began to bend at the knees and stand back up rubbing his body against her breast.

It would have been impossible for Maxwell to free his arm relying upon strength alone. However, by attempting to stimulate Annette so that she was forced to relax her muscles he could slowly work his arm free. As he considered the situation he ceased to push himself as firmly against Annette’s breast as he had been.

Relaxing his grip on Annette’s breast Maxwell still continued to hug the mass of flesh but now he used a relaxed hold. As he no longer had to use his full strength he could relax then tighten his grip. Leaning against her chest he soon found his squeezes following the rhythm of Annette’s heart beats. As his arms found the rhythm he brought his legs closer and pressed his crotch against the soft flesh.

Annette bit down on her lower lip to help herself keep control. However, as Maxwell began to rely less on strength and his motions became more fluid she found this harder and harder to do so. Slowly her body began to relax and her grip on his arm began to loosen. A slight giggle escaped her and for a moment she relaxed her grip on Maxwell’s arm entirely when she felt the bottom of her breast being tickled.

Using one leg for balance Maxwell began to use his toes to tease the very bottom of Annette’s breast. As he worked he was able to slide more and more of his arm out as her grip on his hand loosened between each of her breaths. At last he was able to work his arm entirely free. “Wow, it was warm in-between there.”

A slight giggle was all that Annette could manage. The little game had actually served to work her up more then she realized. Of course there was still a ways to go.

Maxwell took a moment to step back and admire Annette’s breasts. Since he doubted that he would be getting between those massive globes he could only see one option. Walking back to the firmer skin of Annette’s abdominal muscles Maxwell took on a sprinting stance and began to gather energy for a wind spell. He then pressed off Annette’s abdomen with as much force as he could knowing that he would lose energy as he began to cross the softer flesh closer to her breasts.

The ground quaked beneath Maxwell after he had only taken a few steps. Annette had realized what he was trying to do and hadn’t been able to repress a giggle despite this he was able to keep his footing until he drew closer to Annette’s breasts and leaped into the air. Instantly he released the energy for the spell and gave himself an added push.

A delighted squeal escaped Annette when she felt the sudden burst of cold air against her flesh. She hadn’t been looking for a spell so that it caught her entirely off guard.

It would have been easy for Maxwell to gather up enough energy for him to leap clear over Annette’s breast however he had been aiming for the edge. He hadn’t anticipated Annette’s reaction to the burst of wind though so that when she squealed and thrust her chest up slightly his landing was a bit off. Maxwell wasn’t able to get any footing as his foot came down upon more curve then he had expected. Instantly he began to fall backwards.

Upon feeling Maxwell’s foot touch her breasts for only a second Annette moved more reflexively then anything else. As he fell backwards she brought her hand up and caught him in her palm. Lifting Maxwell back to her breast she didn’t stop until he was firmly pressed into the soft curse of her breast.

Maxwell had readied himself whenever he felt himself falling. He didn’t have time to cast a wind spell without his weapons but the fall wouldn’t have harmed him. What he wasn’t expecting was to have Annette catch him and press him against the top of her breast in one sudden motion. The rate at which her hand had moved had been so swift that it left him somewhat stunned.

A sigh escaped Annette as she arched her back slightly. It took her a moment to even realize what had happened and only because she felt Maxwell shifting about under her hand. An amused giggle escaped her as she lifted her hand from him. “You should be more careful not to fall. You’re lucky I am so small or that could have been quite the landing.”

“Yes, you are a little on the small size. I swear your breasts couldn’t be big enough for more then two of me to lie on top if it with my arms fully extended.” Maxwell was bounced lightly as Annette giggled. Rising up on his hands and knees he crawled his way further up her breast to avoid being bounced off by her gentle laughter.

As he came to Annette’s areola he noted the bumps on the surface. A moment later he leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on one of the bumps and took another between his fingers. Slowly he began to rub the surface of the gentle rise in Annette’s skin. “I swear Annette I’ve seen women with smaller nipples then your dimples.”

“And breasts many times smaller then my nipples?”

“Yes.” Turning to the side Maxwell placed one leg on the interior of Annette’s areola. He then began to move about the surface using his arms and one free leg. Every time he came to a dimple that seemed to be as large as a regular woman’s nipple he would give the bit of flesh a kiss. If it was particularly noticeable he actually would stop to suckle on the bit of flesh for a few moments.

While Maxwell circled her nipple Annette began to run her fingers along her stomach. As she did she slipped one of her fingernails within the cuts between the muscles that had been like small water channels to Maxwell. Slowly she drew her finger along tracing the outline of each one of the muscles.

Upon finishing one revolution around Annette’s areola Maxwell moved further onto the flesh so that the leg that had been previously off the areola was now at the position the previous one hand been. This meant his other leg actually road up on the slant created by Annette’s excited nipple. “I swear Annette I can’t tell if you are still getting larger or if it was just your nipple responding. I think I’ll believe that you are still getting larger.”

Once again Maxwell began the process of scooting along Annette’s areola giving each noticeable dimple along the way a few moments of attention. As he came to a particularly large dimple he felt Annette’s finger push down on his back. For a moment she pinned him against her flesh. He was very pleased with himself when he noticed Annette’s breathing slowing while he was held still. Apparently she was taking a moment to recover.

When Annette’s finger lifted from him Maxwell was at last allowed to make it to her nipple. Looking at the massive bit of flesh he wrapped his arms around the very tip while circling the base of her nipple with his legs. Instead of using all his strength to squeeze though he remembered the lesson from hugging her breast.

At first Maxwell only tightened his arms on the tip of Annette’s nipple however as he relaxed his arms he began to squeeze her nipple more with his legs. It only took a moment for him to realize his efforts were working as he heard a sigh escape Annette. Leaning forward he placed a kiss on the very top of her nipple before starting to lick the bit of flesh.

The alternating pressures were wonderfully effective. As Maxwell worked with one nipple Annette began to tease the other with her free hand. Slowly the hand that had been exploring her stomach began to slide further down and trace the interior of her thighs.

Maxwell had to be careful while working Annette’s nipple. She wasn’t the only one that had been excited and he had to be careful not to release too soon. As time went on he found himself relying more on his arms and less on his legs to work Annette’s nipple until at last he was forced to move on. Had he remained on her nipple any longer he would have released.

Annette gave a slight moan when she felt Maxwell leaving her nipple. For a moment he was frozen when her eyes fell on him. As their eyes met he could sense that she wanted him to return to her nipple but he couldn’t relent on this subject. After holding each other’s gaze for a few moments Annette’s finally relented.

Walking to the edge of Annette’s breast Maxwell slid off the side of the gentle slope until it became too steep and he allowed himself to fall. Now on Annette’s upper chest he made his way over to her throat were he once again got on his hands and knees. Extending his arms he did his best to hug Annette’s neck and placed a kiss over her jugular.

Rising up Maxwell pressed his palms into her throat and slowly began to move them about. The action was fairly ticklish to Annette and she bit down on her lower lip to avoid laughing and shaking Maxwell off.

The tickle torture only came to an end when Maxwell finally made it to Annette’s chin and pulled himself up onto her face. Maxwell wrapped his legs around Annette’s chin to help balance himself as he leaned forward so that his face was level with her upper lip. At last he gave her a kiss upon her lips.

Annette parted her mouth a third of a meter and let out a gust of the air. The force of her breath was so great that it actually lifted Maxwell up slightly. When she ceased breathing he fell back down upon her lips and she gave him a kiss that covered a good deal of his chest. Maxwell then extended his arm and placed it on the furthest part of Annette’s nose.

As he lay across Annette’s lips Maxwell began to kiss her upper lip in the center recalling that was the spot that he had got the most noticeable reaction. At the same time he used his extended hand to rub her nose and his other arm ran along some of her lower lip. Annette responded by kissing his chest. The suction of Annette’s kisses was so great that Maxwell imagined he would have had to use his arms to pull himself up.

While kissing Annette brought her right hand up and gently pressed down on Maxwell’s back forcing him more firmly into her lips. She only relented when she heard a slight gasp of pain from Maxwell but she kept him firmly trapped against her lips.

It surprised Annette when she felt something brush against the very tip of her tongue. For a moment she wasn’t certain what had happened but soon realized that Maxwell’s hand was no longer petting her lower lip. He had actually reached inside of her parted mouth and gave the tip of her tongue a gentle flip.

Maxwell knew something was coming whenever Annette’s hand left him. He felt her face shift slightly. A moment later he felt something very wet and slippery start to wrap around his arm. Quickly he yanked his hand free of the muscles grasp. Glancing down towards Annette’s mouth he pushed up on her lips with all his strength. Even using all his strength he was barely able to avoid the muscle that surged forth.

A delighted giggle escaped Annette causing Maxwell to bounce about. Extending her tongue she attempted to wrap the warm wet muscles around him in an attempt to draw him within her mouth.

Annette had caught him off guard but it only lasted a moment. By the time the tongue had reached for him Maxwell realized what Annette was attempting to do. The dexterity with which Annette could manipulate her tongue was truly astounding and had it not been for the slick muscle having so little friction he wouldn’t have been able to struggle free of its grasp.

In an attempt to get away Maxwell started to rise to his feet only to have the muscle quickly sweep his feet out from under him. As he was sent falling forward Annette parted her mouth even more and her tongue attempted to wrap around him. Instead of trying to jerk away Maxwell actually leaned into the muscle for a moment and used his arms to push off of it to stop his fall.

The force with which Maxwell pushed off Annette’s tongue and his own reaction time was enough to allow him to avoid falling into her mouth. However, he had been too focused on escaping her tongue and had forgotten how limited the room he had to maneuver in was. When he landed his foot caught the edge of Annette’s jaw and he fell backwards onto her throat.

Realizing that Maxwell was down Annette moved quickly to try and pick him up with her tongue. She ran into a problem though as once her tongue was fully extended she found it was just too short.

When he had fell and saw the muscle coming for him Maxwell had thought he was done for. However, when Annette failed to grasp his leg he couldn’t help but laugh. Slowly he stood back up and faced the muscle that still reached for him. “Hah well then, I guess I showed you. Ah what is the matter? Can’t get me? No you can’t get me.” As Maxwell spoke he started to smack the very tip of Annette’s tongue.

Annette continued to reach for Maxwell with her tongue even as he smacked it. If he had seen the grin on her face he would have realized he should get off her throat. After the fifth or sixth smack Annette gave her head a slight jerk which caused Maxwell to stumble towards her tongue.

The action caught Maxwell off guard and he screamed slightly when he felt Annette’s tongue take hold of him. He was still able to move but unlike him Annette didn’t bother teasing. Instead she didn’t give him the time to free himself and quickly whisked her tongue and Maxwell into her mouth.

The difference between the temperature outside of her body and inside of Annette’s mouth was quite astounding. “Well darn it.”

“That is what you get for gloating.”

Annette’s words were slurred due to his presence in her mouth but Maxwell could still make them out. A sigh escaped him as she drew him further into her mouth until he rested at the very back of it. By spreading his legs he was able to stay just above her throat and with her mouth open he could actually look down into the void.

He took a moment to look around his surroundings. Annette’s tongue had released him but she made no move to act further. Apparently whatever he was going to do next was up to him. Looking up towards her mouth he could have used a spell to get out but resolved to try something else. Her tongue was far too slippery for him to climb out but with her jaw parted he could use her teeth.

The feeling of Maxwell’s hands and then foot wresting on her teeth was quite odd to Annette though far from unpleasant. She considered impeding his progress with her tongue but found the feeling of Maxwell climb out of her mouth to be far to amusing to do that.

Annette’s teeth were far from the best climbing stones Maxwell had encountered. Their smooth surface made them hard to hold onto to begin with. Factor in her saliva and it was exceptionally difficult. Still, her mouth was still small enough for him to make progress.

As Maxwell climbed out of Annette’s mouth he actually found himself taking in the view. Her teeth were pearly white and exceptionally smooth and he was grateful that her design had been so human so that the teeth closer to the back of her mouth were flat. Each one of her teeth was far larger then a human fist and felt as solid as any metal that he had ever encountered.

Upon nearing the top of her mouth he began to use her tongue and teeth to climb out. Placing his hand the tip of Annette’s tongue instead of her teeth he hoisted himself up until he could put an arm over on her lip. A few moments later he drew himself out entirely. “Well I believe I need to get washed off.”

Reaching up Annette lifted Maxwell from her jaw and set him down in the water between her thighs. A wide grin graced her face as she watched him take a moment to clean her saliva off. “See what letting your ego take over gets you?”

“Now don’t get over confident. I made one mistake and you caught me off guard. Next time I won’t be so easy to catch. Still, I should show my gratitude for the quick release.”

“Yes you should.”

Maxwell took his time swimming over to the bit of Annette’s thigh that was still in the water. Placing his hands on the massive muscle he gave it a gentle kiss. When he looked up and saw that Annette was still smiling at him he leaned more into it and began to rub his hands along her thigh.

A sigh escaped Annette as Maxwell began to caress her thigh. Reaching up she began to gently massage her breasts and let her eyes drift shut. Drawing her legs together she formed a corral so that he couldn’t swim out.

The rush of water from Annette’s closing legs proved to be quite substantial. Upon seeing her legs closing and the wave coming Maxwell reached up and took hold of one of the cuts created by Annette’s muscles. This allowed him to keep himself stationary while the wave passed. Once the water had settled down he resumed his massaging of her thighs and began to slowly work his way closer towards her crotch.

While having her thighs teased initially was less stimulating then their kissing or having her breast massaged it did keep Annette from cooling down. As Maxwell made more progress though it ceased to simply keep her from cooling down and began to heat her up. The closer he came to her crotch the more sensitive her skin seemed to become.

Annette’s eyes opened just enough to look down at her little lover. Maxwell had finally come to the end of her leg and was not making his way over to her lips. Several times she had been tempted to simply pick him up and shove him between her legs and now that he was actually there she found the desire to have him inside of her was no less intense.

It would have been apparent that Annette was quite excited even if she had been no more then two meters tall. Given how many times larger she was then that it was exceptionally apparent as Maxwell came to her lips. Reaching out he placed a hand on the very edge of Annette’s lips. He heard a sharp gasp above him and felt some movement to his side. When he looked over he noticed that her hand had come down and grabbed hold of her thigh.

Something told Maxwell that her thigh hadn’t been Annette’s hand original destination. Instead of taking this as a sign that he should hurry he continued to tease Annette’s lips by running his hand around their edges. Every few moments he would look over to see if Annette’s hand had moved.

After several trips around Annette’s lips Maxwell finally began to run his hands along the lips themselves. He then took his free hand and gently pressed it against Annette’s slit. Instead of keeping his entire hand pressed against the opening he soon switched to using only three fingers which he moved about in a tickling motion.

By now Annette had ceased to massage her breast and her hand was gripping her thigh so firmly it caused her a small bit of pain. The pain was actually a necessary distraction she felt as had it not been for it she would have simply took hold of Maxwell and forced him inside of her vagina already.

Bending down Maxwell leaned forward and gave Annette’s lips a gentle kiss. He was surprised when he heard Annette gasp. Carefully he pressed his shoulder against Annette’s lips and began to move himself, coating himself in her nectar. As he worked himself against Annette’s lips Maxwell hadn’t been paying attention to his surroundings so he didn’t notice the small pool of fluids forming around him.

Upon one of his stroke’s Maxwell lost his footing do the substance that had pooled around his feet. As he lost his balance he leaned forward more firmly against Annette’s lips and accidentally slipped his entire arm inside of her. A sharp gasp issued forth from Annette and a moment later he felt something close on his legs.

“Get in me.” At first Annette had resolved to allow Maxwell to explore as he saw fit. However, this resolve had begun to melt away as they kissed and had resulted in her placing him between her thighs. Now after having her lips teased it had evaporated entirely.

Maxwell didn’t have a chance to respond as Annette pressed him into her lips. This act would have crushed him in most situations however given her excited state her lips were quite yielding and even eager. There was hardly any resistance as Annette slipped him into herself head first.

The feeling of Maxwell’s body slipping inside of her sent a shiver up Annette’s spine and she couldn’t help but cry out. If Maxwell had been outside of her body her moan would have been deafening. Still she continued to push him into herself until her hand touched her crotch. She then released Maxwell’s legs and pressed her finger to his feet shoving him the wrest of the way in.

Even being so near Annette’s crotch before hand hadn’t prepared Maxwell for the temperature change within her body. As he was forced within her for a moment he thought she had relented until he felt her fingers press against his feet and he was shoved the wrest of the way in. The walls of her vagina were slick with her moisture and he glided inside of her with exceptional ease.

While Maxwell had realized what was going to happen once he was placed between Annette’s legs. He wasn’t prepared for his environment to change so quickly and it took him a moment to respond. As he adapted to the heat and risked taking a breath he was surprised he could still breathe. The air was thick and laced with Annette’s sent but some how there was enough to it for him to draw breath easily.

At first there was nothing after the initial feeling of shoving Maxwell into herself. For a moment she considered withdrawing him as concern that she might have injured Maxwell began to mount. However, when Annette felt him begin to slowly shift about her concern began to fade and then she felt his hands press into her walls more firmly.

Given that Annette had left him inside of her vagina Maxwell wasn’t sure what to do initially. After a few moments he had realized that Annette would be getting concerned. It took a moment but he was able to work his arms up from his sides and press them into the vaginal wall that pressed into the front of his body. When his entire environment was made to shudder he grew bolder and began to shift about.

He didn’t know if Annette could tell what each little action he took was but he was sure she could feel him. Maxwell didn’t even have to learn forward to give the slick surface a quick kiss. After a moment his tongue followed and he tasted Annette. Given how restricted his environment was he had no idea how he was still breathing and not suffocating but resolved to worry about that later.

It took a few minutes but at last Maxwell began to shift about and move more actively within her. As his actions became quicker Annette began to take in shallower and shallower breaths. Using her right hand she began to gently pet her lips while her left hand was used to massage her breasts and tease her nipples.

As Maxwell grew accustom to his new environment he began to bring more of his body into play. Not just using his hands and kisses to stimulate her but his legs as well. Once the initial shock of being thrust into Annette had fully warn away he found his arousal growing as he felt her squeezing not just a tiny portion of his body but the entire thing.

Annette could easily tell that Maxwell was growing more enthusiastic about his new environment. The slow testing pace that he had started with was replaced by a far more enthusiastic one as he moved within her.

Soon Maxwell found himself truly drenched in Annette’s nectar as he moved within her. As she grew more excited he found the walls surrounding him squeezing on his body more firmly and far more quickly. The heat within her seemed to increase as did his own passion as he thrust against Annette’s vagina walls.

Maxwell’s and Annette’s arousal seemed to feed the others. As Maxwell grew more excited he would move more quickly increasing Annette’s excitement. The feeling of Annette’s vagina squeezing on him more and more firmly, at times even preventing his movement, served to bring Maxwell to higher highs. As the heat and passion continued to build within the two of them at last they released.

When Annette finally came her vagina squeezed down on Maxwell while a rush of fluid drenched him. The rush of heat and movement was all that was required to push Maxwell over the edge and at last he released within her.

************************************************************************

It would have been impossible for Annette not to giggle as she remembered Maxwell’s face when she had left him. While their love making had been quite the activity for both of them it had taken a lot more out of him then her. Even after a full nights wrest she could tell that Maxwell was fairly tired when she left him back on her bed.

Due to Maxwell’s exhausted condition after their love making she had told him that she would make the rounds today and check on some news of enemy troop build up. She hoped that he would take the day to rest up and spend as much time in bed as he could. That way perhaps he would be ready to spend a little time inside of her whenever night came. Jahnah and Dehvess weren’t finished yet and she wanted to take advantage of the time she and Maxwell had to themselves.

Her mind was taken from such pleasant thoughts as she neared one of the fortifications. She started to put on a more serious face but resolved that wouldn’t be needed. Apparently news of what had happened to those that had slacked of previously had worked its way around and while Annette couldn’t tell for certain at such a distance. The fortification seemed to be at the ready.

As Annette neared the soldiers within the fortification quickly busied themselves. They had been performing their duties well before hand now they tried even harder to appear to be working. The commanding officer who was waiting on top of the main tower even seemed to be nervous due to not having something to do immediately.

“Hi, where you the ones that sent the message about enemy troop build up?”

The officer gave a slight hop when Annette addressed him but moved quickly to respond. “Yes Sir. We were.”

Nodding her head Annette turned to her side and looked at a rather small encampment a few miles away from the fortification. She was certain no human eye could see it for what it was. “It isn’t a particularly large force is it? Did they move before I go there?”

“No Sir. They haven’t moved at all as far as we can tell.”

“I am surprised you even reported such a small force. They can’t be more then a few hundred of them.”

“I am sorry sir. I just thought I should give any information I found.”

“It is fine. You did your job.” Annette gave a sigh as she looked at the small encampment. Normally she would have laughed upon seeing such a small force. She had taken out larger numbers of people at smaller sizes. “I suppose they may be there for observation. Then again they may have something to do with those golems that were destroyed. When did you become aware of their presence?”

“Only yesterday though our scouts believe they have been there for two or three days. The only reason we even noticed them at first was a few scouts didn’t return.”

Annette gave a nod. Most likely the fortifications occupants couldn’t even see the small force given their numbers and the distance. “They probably thought both Jahnah and I would put all of our energy into chasing down whatever destroyed the golems.” A slight chuckle escaped Annette as she considered this.

“What do you want us to do?”

“Stay put. I’ll just go ahead and kill them. If they are the first to arrive of a larger force there is no reason to wait until the others arrive so they can become a threat.”

“Yes Sir. What if you should need help?”

An amused giggle escaped Annette as she glanced down at the tiny officer. “If I need help I recommend sending a message back to Maxwell to get Jahnah and Dehvess. Then either abandoning the fort all together or baring the gate.”

The officer gave a quick nod and wasted no time scurrying back inside once Annette began to walk away. She hoped that her advice wouldn’t be entirely lost on the people inside of the fortification. If she did get in trouble the odds of them being able to help her were fairly none existent. Of course she didn’t plan on getting in trouble.

Annette took her time walking towards the encampment being sure to keep her speed just over two times a horse at full gallop. She wanted to give her snack time to ponder their fates. As she progressed towards them though she couldn’t help but wonder what had been going on.

“Were they planning a sneak attack? Use the destruction of the golems to lure Jahnah and me away from the main lines. How could they though? They don’t have nearly enough troops to over whelm a fully armed fortification and especially not quickly enough to prevent either Jahnah or me from returning in time to help out.”

After a few moments Annette came to a stop and glanced over her shoulder. “Then again they aren’t exactly fully manned. If the enemy had a way to quickly destroy the golems they could have taken the fort with relative ease. Well more like destroyed it then retreated back to their lines.” A wide grinned formed on Annette’s face as she wondered if such camps were actually setting up around several fortifications and they simply hadn’t been noticed yet due to their small size.

Once again Annette resumed her walk towards the encampment. As she made more progress towards the camp she continued to theorize about what had been going on. The enemy had meant to draw her and Jahnah away from the main lines then they would use whoever or whatever had destroyed the golems to destroy several of them and probably over run several fortifications. With so many strong holds torn apart at once the defensive line would be severally reduced and force Maxwell to give up the defense of a great deal of land.

Of course there was the chance that a large force was on its way to join up with the initial force. While they were a few miles away from the fortification it wasn’t so great of a distance that it couldn’t be traversed within a few hours especially riding on horse back.

With every few steps and moments of thought Annette became more certain of herself. What had once been a slow walk was slowly growing into a trot until she was jogging towards the enemy encampment.

Annette had seen the soldiers forming up the moment she had arrived at the fortification. As she drew closer she grinned as they finished their battle lines and the archers readied themselves. A few mages stood at the very back and began casting. She was a bit surprised when she felt a growl in her stomach and noticed that she had began to salivate. Her body was looking forward to being feed it seemed.

As Annette came within roughly a mile and a half of the camp Davlamin turned to his men. Waving his hand several of the soldiers drew their weapons and quickly cut away the ropes that held several of the tents in place. As the protective covering fell away a great wash of mystic energy seemed to erupt within their confines. Several sealing glyphs suddenly became very visible on the tops of the tent.

As Jahnah reached for her next victim her tongue could be seen running along her lips. There had been several attempts to escape but the undead had kept the populace in the town long enough for Jahnah to capture them. Now they had been going through the questioning for a day now and anyone that didn’t hold some valuable information she did indeed get to eat.

Before Jahnah could pick the woman up though she was distracted when she heard Dehvess suddenly scream out. A moment later she felt the sudden wash of energy.

Dehvess wasn’t certain of what had happened. He had suddenly felt a great surge in the regions elemental energies and then it being drawn to the same spot. The rapid fluctuation in energy had been anything but orderly and the chaos it caused was enough to cause him significant amounts of pain. The pain was so great that it actually caused his knees to buckle and he had to catch himself on the table he had been standing next to.

When Dehvess had first screamed out Jahnah had moved to pick him up. However, she was made to jerk her hands back whenever she looked into his eyes. Dehvess slowly forced himself to stand up as he did utter rage boiled inside of him. It wasn’t the pain that was causing him to feel such anger but rather such a sudden disruption of order. He calmed down considerably though when he felt Jahnah’s fingers wrap around him and she began to soak the chaos before it reached out.

There was no fear of Dehvess in Jahnah no matter what mood he was in nor did he ever fear her. Jahnah had only jerked back as she hadn’t seen such a look of hatred in Dehvess in a long time. “Are you okay?”

Dehvess groaned a bit as he set up. “Tell Xyra to handle the interrogation from here on out. We have to go and find out what just happened. That energy was massive. We need to move quickly.”

Jahnah gave a nod and much to the surprise of those that watched began to diminish in size. For a moment the crowd seemed to feel some relief when they noticed something. Two odd bulges began to form in Jahnah’s back as she shrank in size. Slowly to massive skeletal structures sprung forth from her back, several thinner bones flowed down from these and flesh began to form along them.

As the chaos mage shrank her features seemed to either become more draconic or demonic. When her hands were no longer large enough to hold Dehvess she cradled him in her arm.

Xyra pushed her way past the few augmented undead that had been helping guard the main gate. She then turned to the one that had once been the apprentice and husband of the body she now owned. “You two come with me.” There was no need for Jahnah to verbally speak her desires to Xyra. The undead felt them in her mind as surely if they were her own objectives.

Maxwell tried to steady himself as he quickly dressed and readied his weapons. While physically he was fine he couldn’t help but feel drained. When the energies had first been released he had felt a tremendous boost in his elemental magic but it was ripped away as quickly. The entire process didn’t cause him any pain but it left him feeling very tired.

There was no need for Maxwell, Jahnah or Dehvess to cast a locater spell to find the source of the disturbance it had been so profound they knew the right direction.

While Maxwell, Jahnah and Dehvess had been feeling the effects of the energy Annette had been not only feeling but seeing them. As the sudden burst of energy erupted through the land she felt a sudden heat on her face as if someone had just stepped out from a cooled home into a blistering hot day. She had closed her eyes for only a second and what she saw when she opened them was far from comforting.

The tents had each had a group of several dozen mages within them. Each group of mages had been working on a different component of a spell for how long she did not know. They had used the heavily protected tents to conceal the spell until she was very close in comparison. She would have moved to try and stop the casting but it was clear that the casting had been finished before she had arrived. What she saw now was the energies mixing.

Each group had been working on a different aspect of the four elements. Now that the energies had been released they took on the form of the elemental in its most visible form. Massive tendrils of lightning, water, gravel and flame extended forth from each group and clashed together a mile away. The ground was made to shudder, freeze, burn, and disperse in various sections.

Instead of water negating the fire or the wind dispersing the ground energies they seemed to fuse. A single radiant body could be seen forming where the energy met a radiance that was quickly taking on a humanoid shape.

Annette had seen a summoning ritual for elementals before and while the currently spell bore several resemblances. It was clear she wasn’t going to be fighting something as simple as a fire elemental. As she looked at the energy form she broke into a full sprint. While she hadn’t arrived in time to stop the spell from being cast she hoped to attack whatever was being called on before it was fully formed.

It only took Annette a few moments to cross the terrain and she used the time to build up speed. As she neared she locked her fingers together forming her hands into one mallet and slammed it into the forming body as hard as she could. The force of Annette’s hands striking the radiant form was considerable. As the mass of her hands impacted the object the sound was likened onto a mine collapsing.

Annette was horrified by how solid the body felt. As her hands slammed against it she was sent stumbling backwards. However, as she looked at the body she was relieved to see a considerable dent in the forming mass. At least she was until the mass reformed. Once again she lunged for the body and began to drive her fist into its forming mass.

Davlamin grinned as he glanced over his shoulder. The mages had gotten the spell off with relatively little causality though all of them were exhausted. The drain of releasing the energy had left all of them exhausted but they had successfully cast the spell. Now they only had to wait for the monolith to do its job. As the monolith formed he began to cast a spell of his own.

Annette drove her fist into the monolith’s forming body several times. As she did it seemed as if her actions were slowing down the creature’s formation and she hoped preventing it. She was however horrified when the monolith’s head rose up from the body and looked at her. Quickly she wrapped her fingers around one another and moved to bring them down upon the creature’s freshly formed head in an attempt to crush it.

The moment Annette began to bring her hands down the monolith opened its mouth. White hot flames and lighting seemed to blend together and rush out towards her. The force of the energy was so great that it served to lift the giantess from the ground and sent her flying through the air.

For the first time in a very long time Annette screamed in pain. Not since the dragon in the dwarf mine had she felt electrical energy so intense and she could not remember ever encountering such hot flames. At least the monolith had to exert a fair amount of energy to release such power or she hoped it had. As she looked up at the creature and saw its arms and legs forming she knew things were getting bad.

There was only enough time for Annette to rise to her feet before the monolith lunged for her as the last of the tendrils of elemental energy vanished within its body. The creatures fist connected solidly with her stomach though her arcanon armor served to take a good deal of the edge off the attack.

While Annette hadn’t felt such pain in a long time she had dealt with it before and she was capable of moving through it. As the monolith moved to strike her once again she was able to weave to the side and deliver a blow to the creature’s head.

There was a crackle of thunder when Annette’s struck the monolith and she felt a slight surge of energy and heat. Whenever she had struck the creature this time she had actually had been hit by what was effectively a fire and lightning spell. Annette had never had to deal with the effects of elementals such as when striking a fire elemental one was often burned. Their magic just hadn’t been enough to affect her. The monolith seemed to be different.

The slight tingle Annette felt in her hand distracted her long enough for the monolith to respond. The radiance that engulfed its entire body seemed to fade as its arm was made to glow crimson then brown. What formed was an exceptionally solid stone which it moved to strike Annette with.

Annette saw and moved to avoid the attack. However as she stepped backwards to her horror the monolith’s arm was made to lengthen. The sound of the solid stone slamming into her chest was louder then many explosive spells she had heard. An audible gasp issued forth from Annette as she was sent stumbling backwards. When she looked up for a moment she was surprised to see the impact that actually shattered some of the stone.

There was no relief though when Annette saw the stone shattered. As only a moment later the monolith’s arm was made to mend.

“Damn you.” Once again Annette moved to attack the monolith. As she sprinted as quickly as she could the force of her feet pushing off the ground was enough to send up several boulder sized chunks of earth. As she neared the monolith drew back to strike her however her attack struck it first.

Annette drove her leg into the abdomen of the monolith. The force of the impact not only had her strength and mass behind it but the energy she had built up while running. Much as the monolith had sent Annette flying backwards the force of her kick send it back though at a cost to Annette.

A shard surge of pain ran through Annette’s leg as not only heat energy but electrical was sent through the limb. While the monolith had been forming it must have not had the energy to exact such a nasty toll on her for every time she struck it. Now that its body was whole things were different. Things only became worse when looked at the monolith and saw where her foot had struck heal.

While the monolith had healed from the wound with great ease this seemed to take even more of its focus and Annette felt certain that dodging and hoping it would run out of energy wasn’t an option. Moving to take advantage of the monolith while it was downed she drove her still tingling leg into the creature’s side with enough force to cause it to jerk upward.

The counter shock from hitting the monolith made Annette stumble backwards but it wasn’t enough to stop her. Lifting her foot up in order to make use of one of the thickest regions of her arcanon armor and her full weight she drove the heel of her foot into the creature.

With the armor around Annette’s lower legs was one of the thickest of her armor as unlike most people this would be the easiest part of her body to attack. It was fortunate that the Luvarians anticipated this as the thicker arcanon did manage to absorb some of the sting from each time she struck the monolith though not all.

Each strike Annette rained down on the monolith sent another shockwave of pain through her leg. However, as she repeatedly struck the monolith the injury she inflicted grew steadily worse and the pain seemed to lesson. Unfortunately she couldn’t be sure if this was a result of the monolith weakening or if her leg was going numb.

At first the monolith seemed entirely focused on restoring its body however after the thirteenth strike the creature shows a glimmer of intelligence. Once again it slung its arm towards Annette’s head. This would have been ineffectual however as before the creature’s arm was made to stretch.

The blow caught Annette off guard between the pain in her leg and the fact that most opponents she had a chance to step on didn’t raise again she hadn’t been prepared. The force of the impact sounded as thunder as it sent Annette stumbling backwards.

Davlamin chuckled as he watched the monolith and Annette fighting. The mage was the only one that hadn’t helped with the casting of the spell. This was due in large part to his rank and the fact that someone had to maintain a conceal spell. The monolith was far from under the control of the mages so that they had to remain hidden from it. Though they also had been forced to wait for Annette to arrive, if the monolith didn’t have someone distracting it then it would have easily seen them despite the spell.

The effects of Annette striking the monolith and the arcanon magic disrupting properties had affected the creature. Had it not been for this she would have been in considerably worse shape as she rose again. Still, even with the damage she felt her situation growing very grave. No matter how much damage she tried to inflict on the summoning the creature seemed to recover from it. She didn’t feel the monolith was stronger then her. However, she didn’t seem to be able to truly harm it.

Annette could feel the effects of the few strikes the monolith had landed upon her and the repeated effects of striking it. Her leg was still fairly numb from stomping on the monolith and she was having trouble seeing out of one eye. It was perhaps the first time since she had become sentient that she actually had a notable bruise on her face if not the first time her face had ever been bruised.

Gritting her teeth Annette once again moved to attack the monolith. It hadn’t recovered from her stomping on it yet and she wasn’t about to simply stand there and allow it to. Even if the creature could recover from her attacks it could only recover so quickly and she was determined to rip it from this existence.

Maxwell wasn’t certain what was going on but he felt he needed to hurry. He was grateful for the energy his two enchanted blades offered as it allowed him to take a rout by air instead of having to depend on horse back. As Maxwell moved in the direction of the battle he could have sworn he heard a scream.

Annette positively shrieked in pain as she was once again engulfed by the monolith’s flames. She had believed what the creature hit her with at the beginning of the fight was its best but now knew other wise. As she used her hands to shield her face she felt two solid blows in her abdomen which slammed her to the ground.

There wasn’t even enough time for Annette to rise again as the creature loomed over her. Using her arms she shielded her face from the blast of heat and electricity that descended upon her downed form. A roar could be heard throughout the area as the lightning tore through the ground and the fire made it to melt. As the creature beat down on Annette’s downed form she could feel herself sinking into the ground both from the force pushing down on her and from the earth melting around her.

Even as Annette held back with the flames her arms, she felt several powerful strikes on her abdomen. With each blow she had to resist screaming out in pain and trying to block them with her arms. If she did the flames would be able to get to the one part of her body that wasn’t covered in arcanon armor.

It wasn’t clear how much time had passed but upon one strike Annette was finally jarred back to reality. Annette’s, eyes widened in fear as she realized that for a moment she had actually blacked out despite the creatures attacks. Even now the only thing that had brought her back into the world had been the additional pain. As she tried to resist blacking out she could have sworn she heard a signal to charge.

The roar of the flames was blocked out for a moment. As Annette let out a scream, pushing off the ground the monolith’s fist slammed solidly into her stomach but still she rose. If she continued to allow herself to be pounded on she was going to black out again and she knew that this time she wouldn’t wake up.

Annette felt her fingers made to blister and her arm grew numb. The flames burned at the side of her face and her eye was shut as she reached through the flames. With the monolith momentarily distracted by the call to charge and her life on the line Annette was able to move too quickly for it to avoid her.

For the first time since the start of the fight the monolith seemed to scream. Annette made no move to strike the monolith but went for the one part of it she hadn’t been able to strike. It’s head. She dug her fingers into the creature’s eye socket and grasped the two orbs that she found there. Screaming out she tore the pure white orbs from the monolith’s head.

Annette was thrown back to the ground only seconds later as the energy erupted. Groaning in effort she rolled to her side and pushed herself up. She didn’t have the strength to get up without the aid of her arms anymore. The world was blurry when she looked over at the monolith it eyes still clutched in her hand.

Her lip was made to quiver as she saw the energy pouring from the creature’s eye sockets. The monolith’s eyes were reforming. Pressing off the ground the ground Annette stumbled during her first few steps however after a few strides she was running.

Davlamin felt his mouth go dry as he saw Annette running. Not because she was running towards them indeed she was going in the opposite direction. What made his mouth go dry and his blood run cold was the monolith standing again. The creature’s eyes had yet to reform but he could tell that it was now looking at them.

As he looked around he was surprised to see that the troops had already formed a defensive line. It couldn’t have been due to the monolith then he remembered the signal to charge he had heard coming from the enemy.

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Maxwell let out a slight grunt as he felt himself suddenly begin to lose altitude. Another ripple of elemental energy shook the region with enough effect to disrupt even his weapons. He had prepared for this though and kept himself high enough that unless the disruption lasted for a significant time he could compensate. He had only fallen around one hundred meters before he was able to once again begin flying.

He no longer felt the great energy that he had been following before but something told him where to go.

“You call that flying?”

It was impossible for Maxwell not to be surprised when he suddenly heard a feminine voice. A moment later he felt a powerful gust of wind as something massive swooped down and began to fly along side of him. He would have moved to distance himself from the new arrival if he hadn’t first noticed Dehvess being carried. “Dehvess is that Jahnah?”

“Yes it is me. I take it you felt the same thing we did.”

“If you felt a massive shift in the regions elemental energies then yes, I felt the same thing you two did.”

“Then you must be headed that way.” Jahnah gave a quick roll and brought herself up under Maxwell.” Set down and grab hold of some of my hair. We need to move.”

Maxwell gave a nod and settled down atop the ten meter long form. Only moments after taking hold of a few strands of her hair he felt a powerful jerk as Jahnah quickly moved to regain lost speed.

Annette took a moment to slow and try to catch her breath. She could barely see her surroundings out of the one eye she could still see out of. The other had been damaged when the monolith had scored a hit on the side of her face with its flames. At the moment her flesh was seared shut and she didn’t even know if she could see out of that eye had she been able to open it.

It only took her a few moments to realize that she wasn’t catching her breath even as she stood still. As this realization set in she took in a swallow of air and once again began to walk. Upon the first step she felt her leg shake and the darkness seemed to creep in. Looking over her shoulder she didn’t see anything following her.

Despite her need to keep moving Annette halted after a few moments. She had placed her hand on her lower stomach. When she looked down she was horrified to see her own blood flowing out from under her armor and covering her hand. After a few moments longer she was made to collapse.

“What are they doing?”

“Huh?” Maxwell glanced over the side of Jahnah’s shoulder and was surprised to see a group of men traveling up the road. “I don’t know. I can’t see very well from up here.”

“Don’t worry they are yours. At least they seem to be.”

“It’ll have to wait let’s hurry up and find Annette.”

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“No wait. Crap.”

Maxwell didn’t bother listening to Jahnah as he slipped off of her back. As he fell he prepared his wind sword and a spell but waited until the last second to actually cast the spell to avoid breaking his legs. The sliver of pain that he felt shoot through his legs as he landed didn’t even slow him down as he ran over to Annette. “Annette!”

Not once had Maxwell seen Annette seriously injured though she had told him about some events from her past. Still, even the stories suggested she had never been injured as severally as she now was. He felt a great wave of relief when he pressed his hand to Annette’s neck and felt her breathing.

Jahnah only landed half a second after Maxwell had made it over to Annette’s neck. She didn’t waste any time setting Dehvess down and beginning to adjust her size to a greater scale. As she adjusted her size Jahnah didn’t even attempt to set Dehvess down but lifted him to her shoulder. “Is she alive?”

Maxwell gave a nod. “Yes she is alive but I can’t tell how bad it is.”

“I suggest you get on her. I’ll have to carry her.”

Instead of attempting to climb onto Annette or getting a running start Maxwell quickly released a booster spell which allowed him to leap onto Annette. “Can she still feel the affects of healing spells?”

“Yes though you would be wise to save your energy.”

“I won’t use my own. I’ll just convert something.” Drawing both his blades Maxwell situated himself just over Annette’s neck. He then began a low chant and started siphoning energy from the weapons. While the two blades offered only wind and fire magic he could convert them to earth and water though the conversation would cause a net energy loss.

“Okay. Are you ready I am going to pick her up?”

“Yes, do you believe you’ll be able to help her?”

Dehvess leapt from Jahnah’s shoulder down onto Annette. Walking over to Maxwell he patted him on the shoulder. “We can help her body heal but Annette is a very complex creation. She’ll benefit from being simply taken into a cleaner environment and we need to bandage those wounds.” As Dehvess spoke he took hold of a bit of Annette’s armor and Maxwell’s shoulder.

Once Jahnah reached the appropriate size she wasted no time slipping her arms under Annette and picking her up. Despite the two giantesses having scales that were fairly on par with one another they both also held strength that their sizes only hinted at. Though not so great that Jahnah could have flown while carrying Annette.

Maxwell was grateful for Dehvess’s hand helping to steady him as Jahnah lifted Annette though he wasn’t of the mind set to say it at the moment. “What do you believe happened?”

“I believe your guess is as good as mine in this situation. Though I believe those soldiers we saw heading towards Annette and your estate may have some useful information.”

“Her face is burned.” Maxwell had to choke back a few tears as he looked up at Annette’s face.

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It was difficult for Maxwell but he couldn’t bring himself to look at Annette. He knew that if he did he would lose control of himself. Currently he heard Jahnah stripping Annette of her armor while they worked on bandaging her and assessing the damage. Currently he and the officer from the fortification were setting in one of the rooms meant for Annette’s servants but converted to an office. “So tell me what happened from the beginning.”

The officer took in a deep breath as he glanced past Maxwell towards Annette. He hoped this would go well. “Just a bit over a day ago we sent out a few scouts and they didn’t return. When they didn’t come back a larger force was sent out with a golem to help escort them upon their return we found out there was an enemy encampment a few miles away. A message was sent which sense lady Annette arrived I assume you received.

Upon Lady Annette’s arrival we explained about the scouts and asked what we should do. She told us that we should just stay back and let her handle the situation. Then if something should happen we should either abandon the fort or seal the gates in preparation for an attack. .

At first nothing happens and then there was a massive. I don’t know what to call it Sir but they looked like tendrils of.”

Maxwell held up a hand “Earth, lightning, water and fire?”

“Yes Sir. They merged together close to Lady Annette and this thing appeared.”

“It was a monolith.”

“At first we stayed in the fort but then the fight started. At first it looked like Lady Annette would win as she kept striking it but well it didn’t seem to hurt it.”

“No matter what she did, the monolith kept recovering I imagine.”

“Yes Sir. When it looked like Lady Annette would lose. We abandoned the fortification. We wouldn’t have stood a chance against that..”

Once again Maxwell silenced the officer. “You did the smart thing and got out. Had that monster turned on the fort you would have all been killed. Did you see what happened after that?”

“Yes Sir. When we moved to retreat we sounded a charge signal hoping to throw off the enemy. It seemed to work as Lady Annette looked as if she took hold of something. I believe she tore out the eyes of the monolith. I think that is what you called it. We thought she might still try to fight but then we saw her running so we ran to.

We didn’t see much else but I glanced over my shoulder while we were running away. It looked as if it turned on the mages that summoned it. I don’t know why it didn’t chase after us.”

Maxwell gave a nod. “Thank you. That’ll be all. I have to go and make some preparations.”

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“Dehvess, while we were traveling back you mentioned that consumption of life force would help Annette recover. How much would it speed the process up?”

“It would help insure she survived however it wouldn’t speed it up a great deal though the benefits in the long run would be great. They are certain aspects of Annette’s healing that can’t be rushed.”

Maxwell glanced up at Jahnah who was currently holding a healing spell over Annette. “That spell is just holding her together isn’t it?”

Dehvess gave a sigh and nodded. “Yes, in her current condition Annette can’t survive for very long on her own.”

“I am going after the bastards that are responsible for this. I was hoping you two could join me but since you have to stay with Annette I’ll have to put together a special unit.”

Jahnah gave a slight giggle. “Dehvess said you might try as much.”

A hint of a grin was noted on Maxwell face as he looked at the order mage. “I thought you didn’t like taking guesses.”

A low chuckle escaped Dehvess. “It wasn’t a guess. Jahnah, where is Xyra at the moment?”

“She’s on her way to pick up Ravastina but she’ll be there soon.”

“Thanks, if it wasn’t for the two of you being here Annette would be dead and..”

“And the Luvarians would have lost a very valuable member. Don’t forget Annette is one of us to.”

“Who is Xyra though?”

“Xyra is some of Jahnah’s handiwork. While Jahnah can’t physically be there with you she can accompany in some small way through Xyra. However, Xyra won’t be enough by herself.”

“So you sent her to pick up Ravastina, she must have made quite an impression on you. Jahnah, can you speak with Xyra?”

“In a sense yes, she is always connected to me.”

“Please tell her to have Ravastina pick out twelve of her most stealthy soldiers. I want them here within the day.”

Jahnah couldn’t help but giggle. “Oh don’t worry about that. I’ll have them here within the hour. The only real time delay will be having Xyra convincing Ravastina of what is going on.”

“How is that possible? You and Annette took several hours just to walk there.”

“Oh just trust me on this one.”

Maxwell gave a nod. “Okay. We do need to hurry. In order to catch up we’ll have to travel through Annette’s and the monolith’s battle field. The area will be tainted and the longer we wait the more expressive it will become.”

Dehvess nodded his agreement. “You do realize that this decision of yours is quite dangerous and some might even say foolish. With Jahnah having to stay here with Annette you’ll be quite vulnerable.”

“I can’t let them get away with what they did to Annette. Summoning one of those things is beyond reason.”

“I take it you have other preparations to make as well.”

“Yes, please watch over Annette I need to go and gather some more people together.”

“Where are you going? It won’t take Xyra long to get here as Jahnah mentioned.”

“Annette actually had some very capable guards at her home. I need to go and make some selections for this task. We need to move as quickly as possible.”

Ravastina wasn’t certain of what was going on as she looked down at the valkyrie waiting below. “You want me to do what?”

“You are to select a dozen of your stealthiest soldiers then come with me.”

“And by whose order am I being told to do this?”

“Lord Maxwell’s, we are to come as quickly as possible so you will need to let me inside as well.”

Ravastina hadn’t had any of guards or golems attack the figure as she had been alone and stayed away from the golems. As she looked over the gate at Xyra’s massive build though she couldn’t help but wonder if this was the golem breaker. The only thing that made her doubt that was the make shift armor Xyra was currently wearing. “You’re going to have to do something or show me something before I am going to believe you were sent by Maxwell.”

Xyra gave a nod and looked at the few golems outside of the fortification. “Golem units come to my position now.”

A slight chuckle escaped Ravastina at first however, when the golems began to walk toward Xyra that quickly stopped. It was only when she noticed the golems inside of the fortification heading towards the main gate that she spoke again. “Golems stop.” Instead of listening to her the golems continued towards the gate.

“Would you like me to order them to stop?”

“Yes, before they tear down the main gate!”

“All golems cease convergence and return to your previous positions.”

A sigh escaped Ravastina. “I expect to head strait to Maxwell and speak with him about you.”

Xyra gave a low giggle and a smug grin appeared on her face. “That is fine.” As the golems were on loan Jahnah and Dehvess both had more authority over them then Maxwell. With Xyra having a connection to Jahnah’s soul the golems also were compelled to obey her.

Maxwell was quite surprised how many of Annette’s guards had volunteered to join him in the mission to avenge her against those that had injured her so badly. He had said he only needed a dozen men that were well versed in stealth combat. It seemed that every guard in the manner had volunteered for this task. Still, he had to cut their number down. “I realize that some of you may wish to help avenge Annette as well. However, I need stealth fighters.”

One of the guards came forward as if to leave but instead he spoke up. “We have all had training in stealth combat. Annette sort of forced such training on all of us.”

A slight chuckle escaped Maxwell. “I remember now. Her training games, very well then. What twelve among you have the highest scores?”

It took a few minutes as the various guards turned to one another. It was surprising how well each one of them remembered their rankings. A few left rather quickly but some it took quite a while to find others with a higher ranking.

As the twelve were finally weeded out Maxwell took the time to look them over. He knew of the games Annette liked to play and how many of them were combat related. In truth he would have liked to use his own soldiers rather then Annette’s guards but time was pressing. Still, he had to ask. “Why did you volunteer?”

The guards didn’t seem to need to consider the question. “It is our task to protect our lady. Annette has been a very good employer after all. Plus we don’t often get a chance to serve her.”

“At times I worried that Annette had chosen people that couldn’t handle true combat.”

A ripple of chuckles moved throughout the men. “We’ll have to proven you wrong then.”

“So are these the best men you have?”

Ravastina gave a nod. “Yes they are. I already gave orders as to what is to be done while I am away. Shall we get moving?”

“Yes, please gather around me.”

“Huh? What are you doing to do?”

“Mistress Jahnah can teleport me to Annette’s estate where she is currently located. There we will join up with Maxwell.”

Ravastina didn’t respond right away but took a moment to look into Xyra’s eyes. After a moment she finally recognized what was going on. Teleportation spells tended to be quite dangerous as there was always a risk one would end up teleporting them inside a rock or some other object and at times even a living being. This required one to either know their destination very well or to be teleporting to a chamber specially made for such things.

Xyra provided Jahnah a method to bypass this problem. As she saw through the undead’s eyes she could teleport anywhere Xyra was safely, as well as teleport Xyra to herself at any given time. While this required one of them to already be at the destination but it still served to greatly improved mobility.

As Ravastina gathered around Xyra she began to glow. The light flowed from her eyes and moved out to engulf the entire group. Jahnah felt a slight pull as she first pulled those around Xyra through the portal and then Xyra herself came. With Xyra as the conduit and the energy from the tiara it was easy to teleport the entire group.

End chapter 5