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@whalekeeper Good b/c otherwise I would have flat out kidnapped them XD
🥰#TorrynVelgardProtectionSquad🥰
~ 3 ~
In between hisses – “What’d Ronan say about the big leagues?”
Axel grunted with effort, trying to hold Jackal down. The two froze. Then grappled furiously in the dust.
Back, then forward, and back again in cycle.
“Why do you even have to ask?”
Jackal gave a lopsided grin and threw his left fist in reply.
Cocky kid. Would lose a tooth that way. “He didn’t say a thing. I told you he wouldn’t take the bait.”
“Tell him all the good mechanics end up there.”
“He’s too smart for that. He’d say we’re lucky to end up where we are.”
“It would work on my master.” That stubborn smile again.
Axel was so caught up in the rhythm of the fight, that for a second, he didn’t answer.
Jackal could never understand. He only knew what his masters knew, and they knew precious little. Having a complicated master, like Axel did, meant pointing out the wonders. Then leaving them alone. No tampering.
Axel opened his mouth, closed it again, and considered.
“You’re doing the thing again.”
Axel blinked, and dodged. “What?”
“Thinking. You’re thinking. I can see your face scrunch up.”
“…Okay…”
Doug had no reason to protect Axel from the City. Then why? Why had he even stolen the boy in the first place, if he didn’t intend to do more?
Axel wasn’t scared of the dark.
“There. You weren’t even paying attention. I’m trying to take you down, and you’re not even looking at me. Dude!”
Axel glanced up, and gasped. A string of fire streamed from Jackal’s hands.
The boy was panting from exertion, aiming straight for Axel’s head. Where had he gotten a flame gun?
“Whoa – wait, where’d you -”
Jackal let out a crazy cackle, and a wild arc of flame burst over the arena. Axel barely had time to pull himself away on a stray chain, before heat waves knocked him backwards.
“You’re gonna put an eye out – or kill me,” Axel called.
“No,” Jackal insisted, aiming a little higher, “I’m not.”
Axel hung from the netting, rotating from side to side. He tried to stop, tried to prove Jackal wrong, but his hands kept moving. And no wonder. Light, as if from a candle, left him glistening and hot – but didn’t touch him.
Color rose to his cheeks.
Jackal paused, and nodded. “That’s why you deserve more.”
Axel paused as well. His chest and face were completely exposed, as he hung upside down, and stared straight into Jackal’s black eyes.
“I… I want more. But it’s complicated. Do you see this?”
He pointed to his chest plate.
Jackal cocked his head, lowered the gun. “Yeah. So?”
“This is permanent. I don’t know what it is or what it does, but I can guess. And if I’m right, I’m the one who owes my master.”
“That changes things?”
“Yes.” Axel was losing patience. “Doug Ronan didn’t need to do anything for me. He still doesn’t.”
“If you’re right.”
“Yes. I’ll never make it up. All I can do is win him a few games every week – but that’s what he wants. That’s why I’m so good. So what do you want me to do? Try to force him into the City?”
“Well…” Jackal’s smile widened. “You want to make it up to him, right?”
That was the way.
Axel tensed up. “You’re not saying that -”
“It’s only logical.”
That was the way to make it up.
Why hadn’t Axel thought of it that way before? It didn’t matter if he risked his life. If he made it, made millions, it would be worth it.
He would be worth it.
Ting.
A shard of metal froze, an inch from his nose. He’d caught it mid-shot.
Jackal shrugged. “Just keeping you on your toes. Listen, Axel. You know that tournament coming up next week? I know you can make it in. I can feel it – you know, in my bones.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.” Jackal said assuringly. Then he held his hands up, dropping the gun. “Now take me out.”
The older boy hesitated, and took the smaller out.
Axel was quickly transitioned to the world above. He shook his head to rattle out Greld’s shriek of pain, and soon found himself slipped into a pocket.
“Lay low, take a nap,” Doug said.
Axel was only too happy to oblige. He sat in the darkness of the rough shirt cloth, to think.
He knew one thing for sure. From Doug’s vantage point, he was a scrawny kid, with a bad sense of humor and an irreparable cowlick. Fitted in a state-of-the-art invention, sure. But from his bare feet to his oil-streaked face, he was still a kid.
Somehow, he had to prove himself. If Jackal believed in him, that was a good place to start. What he needed was Doug Ronan’s trust. Then, he might just be able to do anything.
Presently, he was aware of the giant’s actions. He brushed against the fabric, and listened.
“No, please. I’ve already been asked.”
“And no wonder. Your human’s a natural.”
The voice wasn’t familiar. It was thin, eager.
“I don’t want any trouble -”
“It’s like a spider, Ronan. It would make it well – deeper in.”
Obviously they were speaking of the City.
“Deeper in, deeper in… that’s all I ever hear about.”
Deeper in. Deeper in, the words rang.
“White skin, thin bones, voice like smoke – no, cinnamon…” The giant seemed to be ticking off boxes. “Brittle eyes. That’s a trick one. Did you get it from the wastelands, or Glass Towers?”
“That wandering is no one’s business, but my own. And I severed that boy’s home-strings a long time ago. You will never find their source.”
“Home-strings as well as heart. You truly are a ruthless genius.”
“Speak in riddles of self all you want, friend. We giants barely have selves to begin with. As you so wisely pointed out, I am one of those giants. What a surprise.”
“But do you see my main point? That human is useful. Its details are so finely drawn, that I can see every pencil line, and the graphite gleam to finish.”
The proud glint in Doug’s eye jingled like wind chimes for one moment. Then went abruptly silent. “You are right in that.”
“What you’re doing right now is child’s play. Rudimentary; an embryo of possibilities.”
“An embryo that depends on unnatural technology to survive.”
Axel’s sweat turned cold. Frost reached his metal heart.
The voice scoffed. “What does that matter, friend? – The new hunter can help you. He understands these humans; last time I saw his project, I was pleasantly surprised. It -”
“She.” Doug’s tone was firm, though drained. “It is a she.”
“No matter. The hunter surprised me, nevertheless. Just think, Ronan – no will of its own! Why not?”
Axel sucked in a breath.
There was a pause, during which he tried to read his master’s mind. The only thing he could feel was the uncomfortable silence. Then the nameless friend spoke up once more.
“I know what you can do, old giant. Old Doug Ronan was the craftiest of giant magicks. His eyes could lace a fly’s legs together, just by looking at them. Surely he wouldn’t pass on such a chance, especially with his odds.”
Doug’s voice hardened as he spoke, until Axel could barely recognize it for the cold. “What odds? A human with only thirteen years under his belt, and a load of hurt still to come? I got the one kid, and gave up hunting right then and there. I’m not heartless, Errow. It may be cowardly, but it’s better than nothing. That kid’s lucky to have one. Don’t ever tell me what I should or should not do with him.”
“Just… consider it, friend. For my sake.”
The conversation was ended.
Axel shifted, yawning as loud as he could without sounding suspicious. The pocket opened as Doug poked his finger in. Both boy and giant blinked.
“Sleep?”
Axel nodded.
“Good.”
Climbing out onto the bar counter, Axel crossed his legs and put his chin in his hands. Quietly, simply, the two contemplated one another.
Doug stroked at a drop of water on his ice-cold beer. His whole face seemed on the verge of collapse; dead-tired. Already. Only half-way through the day. “We’re cutting it short tonight.”
Axel glanced at the dark forms around them. “It isn’t even noon yet.”
“Ah, well. It is dark enough for it.” Doug cursed – unlike him. “Lost track of time, is all.”
“Oh.” Granted, it was hard to see.
Doug Ronan paused. The boy before him was uncertain; his eyes flitted back and forth from his master, to the gray-blue window.
Doug fumbled with his pockets and set a bar on the counter. “A cup, Boko. We’ll stay a little longer.”
Ten seconds later, a mug slid over – filled to the brim with thick, white cream.
“Those never clean out properly.” Swirling a rag in a cup with one rust-crusted finger, Boko stared down at the counter.
His red eye flicked skittishly, like a cockroach under a glass. “Be careful what you feed it. Perhaps it’ll pick up something in the dregs.”
Ronan laughed, voice solemn and richer than chocolate cake. “Is that why you’re watching him so closely? Or is it to get a better look at human flesh? You make me sick.”
Boko turned away, face darkened.
Ronan pushed Axel forward with one finger, kindly. “Don’t bother, mouse. I’ll keep watch.”
Axel scooped up a mouthful. The filmy cream coated his tongue and the roof of his mouth.
He smiled. Leaned closer to the counter stove’s pink ruby glow.
“Everything is a mountain”
- Rank: Chosen One
- Total Posts: 8156
@whalekeeper. Oh, thank goodness. *sigh of relief* 🙏 Many are unnecessary…but I can’t say anything…cause I kill off quite a few. 😛
@whalekeeper I NEED MORE ASAP!!!!!!!! AGH JACKAL AND AXEL!!!!! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH *yeets into the protection squad* NUUUUUUUUU I LOVE THEM NOW AND I NEED TO READ MOOOOOOOOOOORE
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSebALSO I remember u telling us about this story and what that thing in Axels chest really is so I’m like AGGGGHHHH 😫😫😫😫😫
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSeb@freedomwriter76
XD If you gotta you gotta
THANK YOUUUU I love them even though I invented them like, last minute and I’m having So MuCh FuN WiTh iT 🙂 I’m probably not going to add more for like, a week, what with school and all – but I’ll be back, don’t worry.
Ah, yes, that is true. Embrace the pain. *Blank face* HAHAHAHA
“Everything is a mountain”
Your descriptive writing is so good! I could really imagine it. I absolutely love the line ,”More than dirt would soon be under those nails.” I personally could not have read that at 12-14 years old, but I was a really sensitive kid lol, I’m sure some on that age range would love it.
Does Axel get free eventually?
"And so I left this world just as I had entered it. Confused."
@mineralizedwritings Thank you! ❤ When you put it that way, maybe it’s YA instead. I usually write middle grade, and because Axel’s thirteen, I just put it in that catagory. I’m intending violence, injuries, and possibly death. It’s obviously in that darker territory. However absolutely no swearing or gross stuff.
Everyone keeps AsKiNg mE ThAt. XD In what way do you mean ‘free,’ specifically?
“Everything is a mountain”
Yeah I’m sure some middle grade kids could take it fine. Me at twelve would be going, “what if I got captured by a giant and forced to fight” but tbh, I get way to involved in the world’s I read about and alot of kids probably wouldn’t even think of that.
I mean like is he free like… Does he get to live a normal human life at some point? Lol 😆 I already care about Axel and hope everything turns out fine for him. What does he look like?
"And so I left this world just as I had entered it. Confused."
Understandable 😂
Asdfghjkl… *unintelligible noises, frantic looking through the pages of my mind*
😅 I’m not quite sure a normal human life exists in this world. Even his backstory is foggy to me. I know where he used to live, and it’s not… unpleasant, but it’s still controlled by giants. I’m sure there’s some distant location in the world where humans hide. I must figure that out.
Besides, I probably didn’t write their relationship very well (2nd draft, here I come!), but even though Ronan isn’t the most amiable giant ever, Axel looks up to him. So even if he could go free, he might just stay with Ronan.
Long story short, not sure. XD
Axel’s average for a thirteen-year-old, although probably on the thinner side. Taller than Jackal. Light brown hair, hazel eyes, and a few freckles. He has a tendency to move slowly and softly, like his master, even though he can talk fast. XD Oh, and that heart panel. Pretty much exposed at all times, even when he has his little mech suit on.
Also, thank you so much for taking the time to read ❤ I don’t usually broadcast my work.
“Everything is a mountain”
This one’s a bit more intense (in case some of y’all don’t like that sort of thing) and rather confusing… XD But it was fun to write.
~ 4 ~
“The puppets leered down… on the sparrow’s pinstriped pride… Sing it with me, Doug. Come on. Come on, come on, come on!”
A slow chuckle. Silence. Then –
“What a strange thing that cage has inside…”
“There she is. I get like, seventy-eight percent of all the lyrics, because you never, ever put in the work. Next time, I expect better from you.”
“Okay.”
Axel threw out his arms and chest dramatically. “A bit of star must be in there, all starlings beware. Or –”
“Or is that just a ball-tip pen in there?” The last verse, unbalanced and lilted, seemed eerie coming from Doug’s mouth.
“See? See? It’s a dual effort. But it isn’t, much, because you interrupted me.”
“Sorry.”
“Rude.” Axel’s lip twitched, and he looked down, trying to hide his smile.
The giant seemed genuinely sorry for his wrongs. He shook his head. “Forgive me, I beg of you. My tongue ran away with my boots.”
“Now you’re sorry. I won’t forgive you -”
“A tragedy.”
“- Until you sing a solo for me.”
“Doug rubbed the back of his neck. He said not a word.
“Self-conscious?”
There was Doug Ronan’s quiet laugh again. Only this time, it filled Axel’s heart with a soft, husky chuckle, sweeping over its threshold.
“Death lights up the broke home strings, what once could have ticked
Sparks fly from its wings, last sense of life’s lack
Turns eyes to marbles, love thread, glass out of spirit
Of its song, you are lucky to hear it
It comes for us.”
“That’s depressing,” Axel remarked.
“This is true.”
“I can’t make out the rest of it. It’s gibberish – like when someone whispers in your ear while you’re asleep.” Axel shivered. “I don’t like it. It’s unnatural.”
Most giant songs were unnatural. That was their trademark; the lyrics’ slow descent into a moan.
Doug nodded, and quickened his pace.
The gray, anguished sky had begun to drop snowflakes, and the tall, leaning houses were uniform and lifeless.
One never wanted to be in the streets when a storm was on the way.
A cutting wind swirled around Axel’s ankles. His cheeks prickled. “The temperature’s dropping. I think we’ve been out too long.”
“Hush.” The giant’s eyes glittered as he stared into the growing gloom. He was clearly watching something. “Hold your tongue, boy.”
Axel tried to see what his master saw, but that was impossible. He was only human.
All he saw was a flutter of snow, as if a coat were twisting in mid-run. But it was just open air. A sigh. What if –
Footsteps, growing closer, faster.
“Axel,” Doug said urgently, “Hold your breath. Now.”
A shadow ripped into Axel’s throat – chest – and he gasped. His heart banged against his rib cage like a trapped bird. But only for a moment.
The wind turned into black cloth. It was as if ash had fallen from the sky, and collected into one mass, with a thin neck and a indifferent expression in its grayish-yellow eyes.
He – the giant from that morning – passed by, turned on his heel, and evaporated.
Axel stared at the spot where the giant had disappeared. There was one footprint, already filling with snow. “Who was that?”
Doug’s face betrayed a sense of foreboding. “A hunter.”
Axel remembered Errow’s words. “Should we be worried?”
Brushing the snow off his shoulder, Doug trudged on. “Things do not always have to worry us. Staring at strangers will only shorten your life and whiten your hair.”
Axel opened his mouth – to say that the latter sounded sort of cool – when a great claw reached down and swept him off balance. The world spun. Then his face abruptly landed on cold, stinging ice.
“Ronan! My dear, oh so dear friend!”
Axel spat out a mouthful of snow and looked up.
It was Greld. The monster spread out his arms, as if greeting Doug for the first time in a decade. “Why did you leave so early? I wished to speak with you.”
“About what?” Doug said, his mouth a tight line.
“Nothing of great consequence. I wish to hire your skill.”
“I am not making anything for your human.”
Greld’s smile turned into a grimace. A blue vein twisting down his neck throbbed. “And why would you not?”
“You know why full well. I do not believe in fights to the death.”
Doug’s eyes didn’t even flicker in Axel’s direction. Understandable. If there was nothing to entertain him, Greld might find something else to target.
“Which is exactly why I want more weaponry – so my human does not die in the tournament.” The monster shrugged, almost apologetically. “Is that not a good cause? Besides, death is optional for the winner.”
“I know exactly what your choice would be, should Jackal win.”
“The kid needs – what’s the word? – exposure,” Greld hissed.
Jackal swung from his cage and stared down at Axel. He mouthed the words, he’s a lunatic, and jerked his eyebrow in Greld’s direction. Watch out. Don’t let him get to you.
He grinned bravely.
Axel nodded, smiled back, and focused on sending all his energy and strength to his suit. Greld might just coincidentally drop his foot in the wrong place.
This meant dropping his body temperature. Useful in emergencies, which was exactly why Doug had strung the magic together that way, but it was risky. The storm could whisk up at any moment. And that would be too cold for him to survive.
“Entertainment comes with a price,” Greld continued, “so live with it, old giant. I will truly pay you for -”
“I will never support death-fights,” Doug interrupted. He seemed carved from stone. “Silence yourself, monster. You are fighting on the enemy’s ground.”
But Greld was nodding. Slowly, than harder. A wicked smile spread across his face. “You used to, did you not?”
Axel shivered. Ice prickled up his arms, but he forced himself to breathe without chattering – the air in front of his face clouding up.
“This is true. I was foolish before.”
“What ‘before’? That was thirteen years – just a moment, ago. I thought we were friends, Ronan. Friends. We tampered with life together,” Greld whined.
The two giants sized each other up. Doug did so with a critical eye. “Until we went too far.”
This seemed to irk Greld extremely. He fell back, as if hit, then stepped forward, closer. “Now should you, a sad old excuse for a giant, get the best fighter of them all? I am not equally treated. And did you know…that makes me sad?”
Before he realized his own words, Axel shouted, ears buzzing – “That’s my choice.”
Fire bubbled in his lungs, cold forgotten.
Greld looked down. There the boy stood, shivering, but without any sign of fear.
Something rippled violently in Greld’s stomach, and up his throat, as if he was going to regurgitate his own guts. But the only sound that came out was a soft purr. “Really?”
“Really.”
“I don’t think this human understands.” The voice dripped with sweet syrup. He was speaking to Ronan. “Does it really have a choice? Or is that what you’ve led it to believe?”
“I -”
“Let me answer, Axel,” Doug said sharply.
That wasn’t true. Axel had had a choice, from his very first breath in Ronan’s hands. The memory stirred in him for a fleeting second, but this wasn’t a time to reminisce. “No. I might not have a choice, but at least I care.”
“…And what… might it be implying by that?” This hardened into a growl, still addressing Ronan.
“That’s the only way to win. If someone actually cares that you’re alive.”
Silence.
The expression on Doug’s face was unreadable.
Greld swiveled his head and stared straight at the boy, with milky, bulging eyes. “What did you say?”
Axel stared right back, and glanced suggestively at the giant’s twisted spine. “If no one’s got your back, it’ll screw up under the pressure.”
Silence once more.
A human never, ever, spoke to a giant that way. Axel was spelling certain death.
Magic thread glimmered between Doug’s fingertips. It was technically invisible to him, but Axel knew, through pure instinct and years of adjusting, that Ronan was tense. Preparing for an attack.
“Well.” The two eyes glittered like burning stars. “I am offended.”
Axel stood, frozen in the monster’s vision.
Greld’s voice rose, until it was high and trembling. He sounded as if he were about to cry. “I give permission to the shadows. They may eat this…thing.”
Doug – “Greld. He’s only a child -”
“They may tear it into shreds!” Greld wailed, stumbling away.
In one brittle second, a sliver of magic pierced Axel’s suit. It stabbed into his skin – burning, burning, burning – turning his left side numb. Nerves shriveled away.
Dark figures appeared in front of him, behind the two giants. Misshapen monsters, loping forward, drooling madly. Reaching out their arms. Remote-controlling the magic.
The pain rung in his ears. He couldn’t understand Doug’s yell. It hurt him too much. It was like a sleeping foot, on pins and needles. But shooting up into his mind, his thoughts.
He felt himself lifted by one arm, but all he could do was dangle. Like those suits in the shop.
What a funny thing.
“Dispose of it!”
“No! Axel, no!”
“Whut?” Axel mumbled.
The pain was gone, as quickly as it had come. But it had left an overwhelming, almost comforting exhaustion. He struggled to open his heavy eyelids.
Below his feet opened the biggest, widest mouth he had ever seen.
“Stop, please.”
The monsters turned to Doug Ronan. The giant who held Axel paused the tiny morsel’s descent in mid-air, waiting for Greld’s order.
The one whose lips stretched to the back of his head.
He licked them eagerly. “Give me permission, friend. Please do.”
Ronan put out a hand, and silver threads flickered around the giants’ feet – again, invisible to Axel. But they were clearly there, from Ronan’s iron glare. “Drop the boy. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“That’s impossible,” Greld laughed. “You know the ancient laws.”
“I do.”
“Oh, wait, I remember. Doug Ronan doesn’t follow the rules. What’s another law of reality broken? Go ahead, old giant. I dare you, by my right eye.”
The monsters chuckled together, like they had in the shop. This time they had lost all trace of true humor – taking on ice-blue outlines in the darkening street.
Doug didn’t move a muscle.
The nostrils below Axel breathed in deeply. Blew out – sending a thick layer of warm mist into his face.
Doug’s hand lowered. “I’ll take the job. Just put the boy down.”
“Hand it to me,” Greld countered.
The big-mouthed giant did so reluctantly.
“Now,” Greld said, stroking the scales on the back of Axel’s suit, “You will make me a suit, exactly like this one?”
“Yes.”
“And teach me the magic of it?”
“Yes. Though I doubt you will learn well, with your methods,” Doug said coldly.
“Good.”
Greld smiled.
Then, with the tip of his finger, he lightly touched Axel’s back. “Here is one last gift.”
Axel gasped.
Then he was thrown into the air. Frozen. About to break into a thousand shards.
With the last bit of his energy, he sent all his power, all his thought, into the suit. The magic held strong. Even as he hit the ground.
He was alive – relaxed even; wrapped up in ice. But unable to move.
Doug’s voice shot out. “Don’t even think about sleeping, Axel – don’t you dare –”
Sounds of scuffling, and snow being shoveled away.
Why hasn’t he found me yet? I’m right… right here. What’s keeping him? Why can’t he find… me…
“Everything is a mountain”
NOOOO AXEEEEELL!!!!!!
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSebhehe
sorry I haven’t updated, I’m saving this WIP for NaNoWriMo
“Everything is a mountain”
Okay, this one’s short, and there’s some info-dumping. But ya know, that’s what FiRsT DrAfTs ArE FoR. (I feel like I’m validating myself XD)
This is also probably the last chapter I’m posting on here, for reasons such as plot-changing, editing, and just because the story really begins on the next chapter 🙂
~ 5 ~
The boy woke up not to a sight, or a sound, but a feeling – a soft rubbing against his chest. And a soft warmth as well. A warmth he hadn’t felt since he was a toddler.
He forced himself to open his eyes. Blurry fingers, holding a piece of cloth, gently massaged the cold away. A fire glowed somewhere, but it was too dark to see the giant’s face.
“He stopped up your gears with frost.”
“Mm-hm. Is it bad?”
The cloth wrapped around him, replacing the ice. “Nothing I can’t put to rights. You may sleep now.”
“Okay.” Axel closed his eyes again. “I trust you.”
A sharp intake of breath. Then footsteps, as Doug Ronan walked quietly away.
After a few minutes of deep breathing, Axel managed to slip into a doze.
He did dream, but it was more of a hallucination, really. At first, he thought a bird was trapped in the workshop. A wing, he heard, flapped against the glass window. Faintly.
The sound came closer. It morphed into a hoarse breath, mixed with an occasional tinging of glass.
“R-Ronan?”
No. It was still a dream.
He could almost feel his chest plate opening. A creak of metal.
The magic threaded through him and tightened. Gears tick-tick-ticked, and faded away inside him, as the plate was closed.
His other self – three-year-old Axel – giggled into the darkness.
Somewhere before him, he could feel a giant’s heart, too – slowly loosening.
“Axel.”
The voice hit him like a clap of thunder.
Shaken awake, Axel struggled out of the blanket. “Ronan?”
“Sleep, boy.”
“Did you call me?”
A pause. Then – “No. Go back to sleep.”
A faint light came from the window, stained with silver. A small square of it shone on the floor. Somewhere in the workspace’s direction, a stool creaked.
The boy tried to see his master in the darkness. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Well, why aren’t you?”
“I’m doing the worrying for both of us. And I have work to do.”
Greld’s request.
Now that Axel listened, he could hear scraping and warping of metal, coming from Doug’s workspace.
He stumbled to his feet. “Can I stay up with you?”
A sigh. He waited a moment, impatient, and was then swept up into Doug’s arm. The giant carried him to the work desk and lit a lantern.
Jackal’s suit was already half-done. Smaller and less compact than Axel’s, with silver plates instead of copper and gray. Spikes littered the shoulders. Despite the fact that it would make Axel’s job harder, it was still undeniably cool.
Axel nearly laughed out loud. “It looks just like him.”
“True. That boy has guts.”
“Me, too,” Axel protested.
Doug pointed to a pile of cogs and screws. “Sort those. We need to finish by morning.”
The scraps smelled bitter, like blood and the cold. Wrinkling his nose, Axel kicked a piece out of the way. They were clean. Not a bit of rust.
“I figured I could help the kid out. You may have to watch out for a few needles in your next fight -”
“Heh, heh.”
“- But I have a feeling he wouldn’t take you down anyway. At least, this way, he’ll last a while deeper in.”
“Oh.” At that thought, Axel sobered.
Jackal wouldn’t last that much longer. For him to die? That would be almost…numb. Not even painful, necessarily. Because Axel would never even know. Once a giant decided to go deeper in, they never returned. No updates. Not even bad news. Nothing.
Looked like he and Jackal were both in the wrong places. If only there was some way to switch roles.
Doug leaned back, his hand to his forehead. “I don’t want you to fight like this anymore. It’s dangerous, even for you.”
“But it’s not,” Axel burst out. Then, at his master’s doubtful look, he elaborated. “It’s not even that serious. I’ve got a few scratches, but it’s not like anyone’s going to die. The only giant who would try anything is, well, Jackal’s owner. And even then, I beat Jackal up easy. What’s the big deal?”
“Giants invest their souls in this game. You know that.”
Axel opened his mouth to protest, but thought better of it.
It was true. Giants were chaotic by nature; it was in their blood. They fought each other through their toys, and in their imaginations.
“I represent you,” Axel said, thoughtfully.
“Yes.”
“But then why… never mind.”
He didn’t need to ask why they participated in the fights in the first place. He enjoyed sparring with Jackal, or occasionally trying out other nameless kids, owned by Greld’s friends. Besides, Doug would just say it was the way things were done. End of discussion.
Instead, he asked, to distract himself – “Explain magic to me again.”
Doug stopped and waited. This was his way of testing the boy’s patience. The two kept eye contact for a few beats, until something sparked between them.
A tight grip closed around Axel’s stomach. Gentle, but firm.
Doug’s finger flicked.
Suddenly, something felt as if it were vibrating inside Axel’s being. Rather like a guitar string plucked, so that it thrummed. A tinny, metallic sound.
Axel gave a half-gasp, but changed it into an impatient huff. “I know what magic feels like. I want to understand it.”
“Even if I explained it, it’s not in your nature to understand.”
“I’m not that stupid.”
“That’s not what I meant. Humans aren’t designed to understand. They have the parts, but they’re so jumbled up, no one can make sense of it all.”
“I don’t want to understand, I just want to…know. Give me some things I can know.”
He had been shown, time and time again. But during the night, his mind had inched a little closer. Maybe he could finally figure out a few things.
“I’ll do it again. And I’m lending you my vision this time. So follow where it goes.”
This time, Axel paid more attention.
The feeling started when the giant and boy met eyes. They were connected somehow, although it wasn’t clear how.
A thread. That was it.
The thread between them stretched until it was taut. Axel’s body was tangled in a mass of sticky silver threads, but Doug was free. His string went only to his eyes, and to his hand.
Doug moved his fingers again, and a string twanged.
“Heartstrings are so thin,” Axel marveled.
Only giants could see the actual thread. This was magnified a million times.
Was that what Doug had severed? When he stole Axel from his birth home? His ties must not have been very strong – which, honestly, didn’t bother him.
“Why do you use it, then,” the boy continued, “instead of something else?”
“What do you mean?”
“If it’s so weak, why do you use it?”
“I never said it was weak. Do you know how strong spiderweb is, mouse?”
“No, I guess not.”
“Well then.”
The threads disappeared, as Doug turned away. Axel shook his head. He went back to his sorting, full aware of his own confused expression.
He was no closer to understanding, then he had been as a toddler. Perhaps he never would. True, if he could just open his heart panel, he could – but that was impossible. That was a giant-gift, and a giant-gift alone.
As he threw another gear on a pile with a clang, he glanced down at his panel once more. It was like an envelope, decorated with a tightly sealed with magic, he knew that. But his future wasn’t sealed. Not yet.
Doug sighed as he wiped oil off of the suit. “I wish good luck to the boy who wears this suit. And all the boys after.”
Axel raised his head quickly, eyes widening. “Doug?”
“Hm?”
“I think Jackal’s suit needs a tail.”
“Everything is a mountain”
@whalekeeper I REALLY DON’T WANT JACKAL TO DIE 😭
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSeb
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