TORIN YOUTH – CHAPTER 04: SHE WHO WAITS

Early morning of the Legionnaire Specialis trial day, the three teams of Elite Legionnaire candidates gather in formation inside the Outer Great Wall.

They carry gear for the long journey ahead, which could take weeks to a month to complete. Far behind them is the Inner Great Wall that protects the city of Torin within its perimeter.

Before the students stands the Legion's highest ranking General, a one-hundred-and-ten-foot-tall Demon Harpy named Aello.

Even while crouched down, the giantess towers over her human audience as she briefs them.

Bia stands side by side with her teammates, with Leon on her left and Atreus on her right.

She fidgets as her thoughts trouble her.

“I have the worst feeling in the pit of my stomach… that everything is about to go wrong.”

The feeling calls memories to the front of her mind.

Bia sees her father and her four older brothers gathered around a bed.

She sees herself as a child, excited, as she steps forward to see what they’re looking at.

Her mother lies on the bed, holding a newborn baby.

Bia’s eyes light up.

She is handed the baby boy.

“I love you,” Bia says as she holds her baby brother in her arms.

Her memory shifts, taking her to a later time.

Bia is older, and her little brother is learning to walk.

“Come here, little brother,” she says as the toddler toddles over to her, seated on the floor.

She hugs him and whispers, “I promise, I’ll never let anything bad happen to you.”

Years later, her promise is put to the test.

The boy lies on a bed, mysteriously ill, his eyes nearly closed.

Bia’s father, mother, and four older brothers are gathered around him, grieving.

Bia sits on the floor, away from everyone else.

She lowers her head to hide the tears rolling down her face.

Her memory shifts again.

She sees herself at the age of twelve, walking a narrow street in the lower districts, the tall insulae looming on all sides.

She stops when she hears shouting from one of the highest floors.

“Huh,” she says.

Bia looks upward toward the sound of the commotion.

“YOU’RE JUST LIKE YOUR DAMNED MOTHER,” a man’s voice echoes.

A door slams.

Bia continues past the building, still curious about what’s happening.

She hears someone from above come down to ground level. A boy emerges, wiping tears from his face.

Bia turns back to see who it is.

She sees Atreus for the first time. He walks in her direction, trying to mask his pain from everyone around him.

Bia is smitten at first sight and stands in place.

He walks past her, not even registering that she was there.

Bia’s mind then takes her to a later time when Atreus is being bullied by three other children who shove him around and call him “the Devil’s son.”

Bia watches from hiding around a corner.

One of the boys punches Atreus in the face.

Atreus is kicked by the others as he falls over, covering his face with his hands.

Bia becomes furious.

The leader raises a foot to stomp on Atreus’ face.

Bia tackles him.

She throws him to the ground.

The other two boys recognize her.

“Oh crap! It’s Bia!”

“Run!”

The two boys sprint past their leader as he realizes Bia is the one who saved Atreus.

Bia grins widely at the bully and cracks her knuckles.

“Ahh!” The boy scrambles to his feet and bolts.

Bia calls after them, smiling, “Ya big scaredy cats!”

She turns to check on Atreus, extending a hand to help him up.

There’s no one there.

Bia stands alone with her hand out.

“Oh…”

Her thoughts return to the present.

Bia stands in formation, troubled by an uneasy feeling still.

“I’ve wanted this day to come so badly—the chance to prove that I can protect the ones I love,” she thinks to herself.

Bia glances to her right at Atreus who stares steadfastly ahead, determination and anger in his eyes.

“…but I’m afraid my strength won’t be enough for what's ahead.”

The Demon Harpy Aello prepares to speak. Her red skin, paired with black eyes and red irises, is enough to send a shiver down the spine of the toughest warriors.

“Listen up, chick droppings,” Aello snarls. “This is very likely the last time I’ll see you alive, so you’d better pay careful attention!”

The students stiffen as the harpy general briefs them on their objectives and gives final warnings, grinning menacingly to showcase her sharp, jagged teeth.

“You maggots have all been equipped with maps to your objectives,” she says. “Team One will plant their flag at the abandoned mine leading into the Crystal-light Caverns. Team Two will plant their flag at the Shattered Crown. Team Three will plant their flag at the entrance to the ruins of Old Torin.”

After pausing to ensure the candidates are following her, she adds, “Your training will be all the help you’ll have. No one will be coming to your rescue. If you ‘tinies’ see a predator, fight it as a team or you will die. If you see two predators… it was nice knowing you, I guess.”

The Demon Harpy’s blade-like feathers stiffen as she delivers another warning.

“This is also a trial of your honor,” she explains. “If you don’t complete your mission but you return under false pretenses that you did, and it’s found out you lied, you’re in danger of severe punishment—including execution. You got that, you bunch of sad sacks?”

The Legionnaire Specialis candidates respond in unison, “SO LET IT BE!”

“GOOD,” Aello responds with a sneer. “Now get out of here. You’re making me hungry.”

The great Outer Gate opens slowly as twelve courageous souls make their way toward it.

Many people in the crowd gathered near the gate cheer and chant Rhea’s name.

The girl seems uninterested, her mind fixed on the task ahead.

They march out beyond the safety of the massive walls they’ve known their entire lives, down the mountainside into the unforgiving wilderness below.

No one dares to break the silence yet.

Atreus looks out at the world beyond the walls for the first time. Even from this high elevation, he can tell the world below was made for creatures twenty times bigger than him.

He has never felt smaller.

Bia is nervous, but she tries to maintain her cheerful persona. Her eyes flick to her teammates as she’s desperate to break the tension in the air.

“I think I’m going to lose my breakfast,” she says, smiling awkwardly.

Leon smiles.

“Not running headfirst into danger? That’s not the Bia I know,” he says playfully.

He notices flowers of varying colors and sizes alongside the path down the mountainside—ranging from as small as two feet tall to as high as twelve feet in height.

“Perhaps we should stop and smell the flowers,” he suggests as he approaches one of the tall ones and gives it a sniff. “It always helps to calm my nerves.”

Leon sighs happily.

“I hope you and your neighbors are having a great morning,” he tells the flower.

Rhea, annoyed, urges him along.

“Not outside, Leon,” she says discreetly, blushing bright red with frustration and shame. “You’re embarrassing me.”

As the three teams descend into the forest at the foot of the mountain—disappearing into trees that tower even over the giant inhabitants that roam here—they near the point where their paths diverge.

One member of Team Two groans loudly while studying their map.

“By the Sacred Seven… imagine if we didn’t have to go around the Valley of Atomata and could simply pass through it,” he says, peering over at Atreus.

“Oh yes! If only we had won that battle for the Valley so many years ago…” his teammate adds.

Atreus keeps walking, ignoring the comments. He still hasn’t spoken a word or softened his hardened visage all morning.

A member of Team One joins the verbal prodding. “I hope you made sure everyone on your team knows which side they’re on, Rhea.”

The jab is meant to hurt Atreus, but it unintentionally undermines Rhea. Her temper ignites.

“Just who do you think you’re talking to?” Rhea snaps. “Do you think I can’t control my own team? Mind your own matters, or the giants will be the least of your worries. I hope I make myself clear.”

The other two teams silently acknowledge the warning as they hike deeper into the forest.

At the end of the path, the three teams pause.

“This is it,” the leader of Team One says.

“Until we meet again…” the leader of Team Two says.

“Be strong,” Rhea says.

The three teams go their separate ways into the depths of the towering forest.

Team Three heads north.

Teams One and Two head south and northeast, respectively.

The day wears on.

Bia tightens her caesti as her team ventures deeper into the wilderness of gigantic, man-eating creatures.

She sighs, trying to steady herself.

“There is still the part of me that can’t wait to punch somethin’ big...” she thinks to herself. “...but the key to survival out here is knowing when to throw ’em and when to hold ’em.”

Creatures, giant and small, skitter through the undergrowth as the Torinian Legionnaires march on, watching for predators..

After sunset, at night, Team Three spots a giant sphinx and hides. She seems to be aware of their presence, searching for them.

Bia has her fists clenched, ready to unleash her punches if needed, however she must hope to remain undiscovered.

“It’s a long journey for us, so if we can avoid a fight, it’s best to do that.”

Meanwhile…

Team One travels south toward the Crystal-light Caverns.

They begin to suspect something big is nearby.

They stop to examine the surrounding area.

A pair of heterochromic eyes—one blue, one yellow—studies them carefully from the cover of the surrounding trees.

“Everyone be on guard,” the leader says. “Something’s out there.”

The team forms a circle back-to-back and raises their weapons.

A peculiar and troubling sound echoes through the forest: a song.

“How far is the sky,' the bird asked the fox. 'Can you even climb above the highest rocks?”

Members of Team One glance at each other in confusion.

“Female. Big, judging by the size of her voice,” the leader adds.

They tighten their grips on their weapons.

The watching eyes narrow, taking notice.

The team turns their heads, searching for any sign of the creature.

Nothing emerges.

“Silence,” one of them whispers.

“She’s… gone?” another asks, confused.

Some time later, in the light of day, Team Two treks through the forest, paying careful attention to their surroundings.

A fallen branch—massive in this world—blocks their path.

As they climb over it, they feel the gaze of giant eyes on them.

“Hold it,” the leader of Team Two says, looking around.

“We’re being watched,” he adds.

As with Team One, the owner of the heterochromic eyes observes their reactions to her presence.

She sings another verse.

"You may tease yet even through the trees the sun shines on those you mock,’ grinned the fox."

Unnerved, the leader gulps hard.

“You can’t intimidate us!” he shouts into the forest.

The team aims their weapons.

The watching eyes notice and lose interest.

The giantess quietly slips away.

The leader smirks, no longer sensing a threat.

“Let’s go, team,” he says, sheathing his weapon. “I think we scared her off.”

They resume their journey, though even more alert than before.

The day draws to an end.

The sun begins its descent below the horizon.

Day turns to dusk.

Team Three looks up at the darkening sky.

“We should set up camp,” Rhea says.

The team nods and begins work on their campsite.

By the time night falls, they rest.

Leon stands, looking up at the great trees that seemingly touch the sky. “I was hoping we’d see a dryad today… and maybe talk to her.”

Rhea tends the campfire. She raises an eyebrow. “Talking to your plants at home isn’t enough? You want to talk to a dryad too? You do know that they eat humans, right?”

Leon kneels beside her and gestures with his hands for her to hold her skepticism.

“I heard that all dryads that share the same soil also share a connection,” he begins. “They can communicate thoughts and feelings with each other over long distances.”

Leon continues, “If it’s true that dryads share this connection with each other, maybe they can also share it with plants. Maybe they heard me talking to the flowers this morning.”

“Dryads are predators, cousin,” Rhea says dismissively. “They only want to eat you, not listen to you chatter about mundane things.”

As Leon goes on about dryads, Rhea seems to lose interest and turns her attention to Atreus who sits on a log, avoiding everyone with his eyes.

Atreus still has the look of a man with only one thing on his mind: to kill something.

She can tell that he’s still troubled by her words from the night before.

Rhea’s gaze softens.

She smiles subtly.

Leon notices her eyes lingering long on Atreus.

“He seems different today, doesn’t he?” Leon asks. “Not himself. Distant.”

Rhea turns away at once, her expression hardening.

“Good,” she says. “The more distance there is, the better.”

Meanwhile, Bia places a large roasted grasshopper—the size of her forearm—on a leaf.

She looks over at Atreus, who still hasn’t spoken to anyone.

She moves to sit beside him, wearing a warm smile.

“I know that look,” she says. “You wanna beat something up really bad.”

Atreus sighs, trying to brush off the girl.

Bia swallows uneasily as her smile fades.

“Even though you couldn’t see me, for years I’ve watched you bounce back from just about anything and find a way to smile,” she resumes delicately. “Obviously, something happened last night. Do you wanna talk about it?”

Atreus replies softly but firmly, “No.”

Bia gently bites her lip, steadying herself.

“Oh,” she says hesitantly, turning away slowly.

She moves to sit by the fire.

Atreus’ determination begins to melt, and his gaze drifts toward Bia.

The girl sits alone, arms wrapped around her legs. A subtle sadness lingers on her face as she gazes into the campfire.

Atreus inhales deeply as concern for her begins to overtake his own heartache.

He approaches the fire and takes a seat beside her.

Bia’s face warms with a welcoming smile as the boy settles in.

They sit together in silence beneath the gentle light of the moon and stars.

The night passes.

With the sun's rising, Team Three continues their journey.

Leon studies a map. They’re getting very close to the ruins of Old Torin.

As they travel, a giant figure hidden among the trees watches them from a distance.

Her heterochromic eyes narrow as she studies the team.

Bia seems more upbeat today, smiling as they hike through the forest.

“I gotta admit… when we left home, I was so scared something bad was gonna happen,” she says. “But now I’m startin’ to think I was just worrying too much.”

Rhea smirks. “Hmph. Don’t go jinxing us now, Bia.”

Behind them, the giantess stalking them brushes a tree by accident.

A branch snaps loudly.

Team Three freezes.

They draw their weapons toward the sound.

Leon stands in front with sword and shield ready.

Rhea stands on his right with her oversized sword, ablaze with fire magic.

Bia stands to Leon’s left with her armored caesti raised, wind swirling fallen leaves around her feet.

Atreus stands in back with his bow raised, a lightning bolt ready to be unleashed.

Their eyes scan the forest for any sign of the creature.

A giantess’ voice sings softly.

“The bird ever despised the fox while spreading her wings to glide, only to find there was no place to hide.”

The team exchanges confused looks.

“Singing?” Rhea asks.

Atreus is the most perplexed of them all.

“That song…” he starts. “How…”

The giantess continues.

“While tormenting the fox gave her glee, the bird was blind to see—

She found only this joy in a cage of her own making.”

Her eyes remain narrowed as she watches their reaction.

Atreus stares in disbelief, his mind distracted. While his team remains alert and ready to defend themselves, Atreus lowers his guard.

The giantess gasps, her eyes widening.

She fixates on Atreus’ reaction. “IT’S HIM! It has to be!”

Rhea notices Atreus has dropped his guard.

“WAKE UP, SPEROS!” she shouts. “Now is not the time to be daydreaming!”

The giantess’ eyes narrow again—this time with only Atreus in her sights.

She darts forward.

Staring into the shadows beneath the trees, the team can feel a gigantic body rushing at them.

“Come on, ya big bitch,” Bia says with a grin. “We’re ready for ya!”

The giantess erupts from the trees and slams her clawed hands into the ground on either side of them.

They have a brief moment to register the size of the fox-human hybrid as she looms over them on hands and feet. Each of them is barely the length of her fingers.

Her long hair drapes over one shoulder. Her canine ears twitch as she watches their movements.

Rhea grits her teeth.

Leon gasps, “THE SCARLET VIXEN?!”

“What? Why here?” Bia asks. “Why US?”

Atreus takes a step back. “She’s… she’s looking at me…”

The Vixen swipes at the group with her right hand, trying to snatch Atreus from behind them.

Leon sees the attack coming.

He stomps the ground, and a pillar of rock rises, blocking the hand.

“Leon, boost me!” Bia shouts.

Leon’s sword and shield glow as he makes an upward motion.

Another pillar erupts beneath Bia.

The rock launches her upward toward the Vixen’s face.

Bia springs with one fist cocked back, a vortex of wind behind it.

“I got somethin’ you can eat!” she shouts, slamming her fist into the Vixen’s jaw and unleashing a shockwave that nearly knocks the giantess over.

Rhea moves next, swinging her flaming greatsword at the arm the giantess is using to support herself.

The blade cuts and burns fur and flesh.

The Vixen groans in pain.

She drops onto her elbows and knees, no longer able to bear the weight of her upper body on that hand.

Atreus shakes his head to clear his thoughts. “What am I doing?”

He readies his bow, charging it with lightning. “I have to focus—and fight!”

The Scarlet Vixen sees Atreus preparing to fire.

She shifts her weight back, sitting upright on her knees.

Atreus fires. The Vixen blocks the lightning bolt with her forearms crossed over her face.

She groans again, holding her arms out in front of her as they sting from the shock.

“Something isn’t right,” Rhea says as she stares into the Vixen’s eyes. “This is… too easy.”

The scarlet-colored fox-giantess turns her gaze to Atreus again.

She quickly regains her stance, sprawling back onto her hands and feet to strike again.

“Let’s attack at once and send her runnin’ back where she came from!” Bia shouts.

Atreus raises his bow again. “This is it! I’ve waited all my life for this!”

The Vixen lunges forward.

Bia winds up to punch.

Rhea swings her enormous sword for the Vixen’s neck.

Leon stands ready with his shield.

Bia slams a punch into the Vixen’s cheek.

Rhea narrowly misses with her blade’s edge, but unleashes a massive blast of fire that hits the giantess.

Atreus leaps back and lets another lightning bolt fly.

The forest shakes with the explosion.

Smoke plumes high above the treeline.

As the smoke clears, Rhea stands.

The Vixen lies still on the ground.

Leon and Bia push themselves up as well.

The Vixen’s eyes are closed.

“She looks to be down… for now, at least,” Leon says.

Rhea tightens her grip on her sword hilt. “Let’s make sure she stays down.”

“You guys…” Bia says, suddenly fearful. “Where’s Atreus?”

Rhea and Leon both realize at once that he’s missing.

Suddenly, the Vixen’s eyes snap open.

She shoves herself up off the ground.

“She was only playing dead,” Leon gasps.

The giantess bolts into the forest as fast as she can.

“SHE’S GETTING AWAY!” Bia lunges to chase her.

Leon grabs her by the armor.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! We have to find Atreus!” Bia pleads desperately.

Leon tries to calm her, compassionate and somber. “Bia…”

The Vixen is already gone—moving through the forest at tremendous speed after her successful hunt. There’s no hope of three humans catching her on foot.

Bia trembles. Her wide eyes stare into the trees, but there’s no sign of the giantess anymore.

She lets out a bitter cry that reaches the top of the treeline, startling birds that had only just settled after the explosion.

“HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

(NEXT CHAPTER)

Rough concept sketch of the team coming face-to-face with the Scarlet Vixen.