Chapter 133: To Fell a Giant

Chapter 32 - To Fell a Giant

It was well that Viper had stopped himself from killing that woman, though whether it'd been out of mercy or rationed thought, Aaron wasn't sure. If she'd died, there really would be no way out of fighting. This way, thanks to that girl, there was a chance at talking his way out.

A very slim chance.

What was wrong with her anyway, denying his help so vehemently? If Viper was to be believed, this crew was beyond just violence. What had she said? A part of Eurale's navy? This crew that sells shase? She had to have known, then. She was drawing maps for them. What kind of life had she led to end up here, amongst scourge, where she wasn't afraid?

I should have left when I had the chance . He'd been forceful, imprinting Mely's image on Eksa and thinking she needed saving. But that uncanny resemblance… Flames but he wanted to possess her as his own. She was a kindred connection to a painful past.

Aaron blinked hard as he was dragged above deck. He tried prying the woman's hand away from his arm, digging into her wrist with his nails. She sank a fist in his gut.

“Try that again, boy, and I'll take a finger.”

Aaron glared at her, considering drawing a knife. He settled for spitting at her feet instead, earning himself a set of knuckles to the face that left him on deck, vision swimming. That would leave a mark around the eye for sure. He sat up, heart thumping with the desire to hit back. The woman stood over him, an obelisk blocking out the sun, fists closed. Kick her knees, mount atop, break her nose .

But those forearm muscles, and the way she carried herself… She was better than the average brawler. Ancient memory injected an artificial concoction of calm into Aaron's head. He eased out his rage with an exhale, catching a mere blur of his captor's fist as it caught his temple. Blinding white seared his vision. Pain exploded within. He felt himself hauled up by the armpit and dragged across deck like a limp ragdoll.

Aaron was thrown away with immense force, causing him to slide a few feet, the back of his head hitting the deck and bouncing up. He groaned and rolled over on his belly, staring at a pair of thick black boots. He looked up —and a long way up it was. If the woman was an obelisk, this thing here was as high as the walls of the Sun City. A giant of a man with a cudgel hanging from his hip and ugly yet somehow regal black hair that surrounded his face and mouth. The captain of this ship.

Aaron's chin was lifted up by the tip of the woman's boot. He turned away, spitting on her again, this time earning a kick to the liver. He writhed with an open mouth, but no sound came out.

“What is this?” the captain asked. His forge hammer voice made Aaron's brain throb more than it already was.

“A thief slithering in Eksa's room.”

Ashes! So she didn't buy that brat's lie!

“A thief? And he's still alive, Aki? This isn't like you.”

Aki shrugged, looking backwards toward where Eksa had climbed up from below deck. “The girl might fancy him. Either that or she has a weak stomach for violence.” She touched her solar plexus. “He caught me once. Still hurts a little. Has a hard fist and a strong spirit. Maybe worth recruiting for your… needs, Dhorjun.”

“I need men, not milksops.”

Milksop? Us? How dare he!

Aaron sat upright, spewing poison through his eyes when Dhorjun wasn't even sparing him a glance. He had a thickening desire to prove this giant wrong. And… he glanced back at Eksa. Idiot girl . Half of him wanted to get back at her for the thrashing he was suffering. The other half wanted to stick around for an opportunity to say I told you so when the denizens of this crew inevitably turned their violent tendencies toward her.

This woman must be protecting her , Aaron thought, turning his hatred toward the one called Aki. She pulled a foot back as if meaning to kick him. Aaron darted behind her and kicked her legs from beneath her. Aki fell down on top of him. He gasped aloud, air forced from his lungs as her back collided with his chest. But he'd been prepared for that. With his legs, Aaron locked Aki's arms in place and he wrapped his arms around her throat. “Yield!” he hissed.

She thrashed around. She was strong enough to lift herself and Aaron a few inches off the ground, only to fall down in an attempt to crush him beneath her. Aaron held on, lungs begging for air. “Yield!” he cried again. He felt her pulse slow. Her resistance weakened. Her mouth opened to utter what Aaron assumed were words of surrender. But then, Eksa —stupid Flaming Eksa, screamed as she ran toward them and kicked the side of his head.

The next thing Aaron knew, Aki was mounted atop of him, a clean set of teeth bared for him to see, her face mere inches from his and her hands wrapped around his throat, squeezing down hard.

An icy chill washed over Aaron's torso. Wisps of Umbra rose from it.

“That's enough,” Dhorjun bellowed.

The chill vanished at the same time Aki released Aaron's throat. She made a point of pressing her knee against his chest while rising to her feet, spitting down at the side of his head, but finishing with a pride filled grin. “Told you he's got fight in him,” she said with a crooked voice, rubbing her neck.

“Are you alright?” Eksa asked.

For a second, Aaron thought she was asking after him, only to realize she was fawning after Aki. But of course she was. Wouldn't do well for her if her sole guardian was injured. Flaming imbecile. Aaron pulled himself up, huffing out breaths of hot air. His coat, his beloved black coat, was marked with dirt. Not as bad as it had been after that time in the sandstorm, but he would have to check it later for any scratches.

Underneath, Aaron was a sweaty mess. But he wasn't done yet. This wasn't enough. He'd decided. He was going to stay on this ship for the time being. How it was he'd come to the decision, he wasn't sure. Part of it had to do with Eksa. She infuriated him and Aaron vowed to get even. The other part had to do with his own pride and wanting to prove Dhorjun wrong.

Milksop , Aaron had been called. The memories of past warriors amongst the Zz'tai stirred inside of him. Though Aaron claimed he wanted nothing to do with them, he could sympathize with the insult that word brought to the ancients living on within him. He made their pain his own, and turned their pride and skills into his own as well. He knew how to fight, and he meant to show it.

“You. Lard bucket,” Aaron said, putting up a middle finger toward Dhorjun. “I bet I'd beat you too in an unarmed fight.”

Every man in earshot turned on him. All was silent save for the incessant cries of gulls. “You'd lose whatever you'd bet,” Dhorjun said after a while. “Ain't no world where you win. Don't push your luck, boy. I'm letting you on the crew rather than snapping you in half for attempted thievery.”

“You couldn't if you tried,” Aaron countered. The ship captain ignored him and turned away. “Coward.”

That gave Dhorjun pause. Coward, I find, is a rather safe insult when goading another into a brawl. That or simply slandering one's mother seems to do the trick. That concluded, I shan't visit a tavern ever again. What a detestable place!

Aaron ground his teeth. There it was again, the memories of that uptight scholar from among his ancestors. His advice tended to be useful. In this instance, it was not.

“Right,” Dhorjun began, “the captain needs to be respected. A broken nose ought to change your opinion, boy. You'd fit in with the rest of these ugly dregs.”

“Including you,” Aaron said, the same time Eksa uttered those words but softer. None seemed to have heard her over him. He smirked in her direction and she turned away. Dhorjun loosened his belt, letting the cudgel fall to his feet. His men formed a ring. Among them were a rag tag group from all over Illusterra, and a handful of carved men with confident stances that spelled military discipline. Only a handful qualified to be part of this so called navy of Eurale.

“Viper,” Aaron whispered. “Can you trip him if our shadows connect?”

“Yes,” came the reply from the Umbra.

Aaron cracked his neck and stretched his arms. His bruises didn't feel crippling at least. “Good. I'm going to throw the match. If I win here, his men lose respect for him and I become a danger to be removed at all costs. I'll bruise him up and make him bleed but ultimately collapse and lay still. That way, I'll have earned enough respect to survive on this ship”

“You're staying here?”

“Yeah. Beats squatting beneath a garbage dump, doesn't it?”

“Yes. Yes it does.”

***

Eksa's toe ached. Aaron had a thick head. A very thick head, seeing as he streamed out insults Captain Dhorjun's way and challenged him to an unarmed brawl. He was lucky catching Aki unawares. He had to have been. The barkeep commanded too much respect from the rest of the crew. She was strong, yet he'd somehow pinned her and was strangling her. And Eksa had saved her. A matter to bring up later. Aki owed her again.

The brawl was about to begin. Aaron removed his coat, revealing a torn mess of a shirt with cut sleeves. His sweat slick biceps had an illicit allure to them. Especially with the way the sun made them glisten. She wondered what it might be like waking up every morning huddled beneath well maintained arms like those. They weren't luscious and voluptuous like those of Agram's guards, but they would grow, she knew. And Aaron, in his long coat, would look like Theodore or Mikael…

That holey shirt snapped Eksa back to reality. A shame the rags ruined any princely majesty Aaron might have exuded. She might just have forgiven him then. After all, a work of art was a work of art, whether crafted by the hand of a deity or a man. A shame he's about to have a crooked nose soon.

Eksa vigorously shook her head. What was she thinking? Forgive this boy after he'd hit her? After he'd ruined her map? And all because she'd spent months dreaming of her ideal future husband, surrounded by hideous men with not an ounce of respect or chivalry inside them. Sure there were those soldier types Dhorjun favoured, but they didn't have that air of kindness that Agram's guards had. Aaron, at least, had tried saving — No! No, Eksa, no! He tried kidnapping you! Get these stupid ideas out of your head!

Right. All Aaron had was a face just slightly more appealing than the others here. And that body… What if his shirt gets torn during the fight…? She could feel herself going hot again. Eksa bit her tongue and forced these childish fantasies away from herself. Any more and next thing she knew, she'd be jumping into the ring to protect him from a giant that could stomp her beneath his boot like an ant. Focus, Eksa. Our first goal is being a sailor of renown. Being a beautiful bride is second. “Besides, who'd want to be the bride of a penniless twat like him? Captain Theodore is better. A little old, but better.”

“You're talking aloud, little berry,” Aki said, standing right beside Eksa. “Thinking a tad far, no? And Lord Coraine is married.”

Another dream crushed. Pleasantly so, as Eksa's mind wandered to the next best thing. Which happened to be Aaron. Her gaze fell upon Dhorjun's thick hairy arms. His fists were three fourths his opponent's face. Eksa prepared herself for another shattering of dreams. “It's okay,” she told herself inside. “Someone else will come one day. Someone else will sweep me off my feet.”

“You're rather shallow, aren't you?”

Eksa twiddled her thumbs, embarrassed, realizing she'd spoken aloud again . “Shallow how? I thought Theodore was a man of outstanding character from when we met.”

“Mhm. And this Aaron? Is he the gallant knight you dream of too?”

“He…” She couldn't tell Aki that he'd tried saving her from this crew. That would come off as an insult to the barkeep who was Eksa's sole friend and guardian. She felt guilty now too, for having had thoughts of leaving the crew. They were violent and heinous. Flames but she knew that. But she couldn't betray Agram like this after all his goodwill. It was her decision to join the king's navy. And neither could she betray Aki after everything the woman had done for her. Another body's weight of guilt was added to her conscience for doubting the barkeep for conspiring with Crow.

“So you're going by his looks,” Aki concluded. “Shallow. He's nothing special if you ask me. Though, compared to this lot you see every day, I can see the allure. No harm in it though if you want him.”

Eksa blushed. “What do you mean?”

The barkeep crossed her arms. “Look, I don't know why you were protecting him when I found the two of you, but you turn red as a beet when I mention even the slightest of racy things. You can sleep with a man and not marry him, little strawberry.”

Eksa gasped. “No… No that's immoral. Th-that's whoring. It's wrong.” That wasn't at all what an Estraean noblewoman should do. She'd be spoiled. Sullied. Unmarriageable.

“So you've been judging me all this time, hmm?”

“Uh…”

“To each their own,” Aki shrugged. “Well, there's no way he comes out unscathed against Captain Dhorjun anyway. If he does, I might just decide to devour him myself.”

“You can't!”

“Why? Is he yours?” Aki gripped Eksa's jaw and leaned forward. She ran a thumb over the cut on Eksa's lip. “After he hit you?”

“That's…” Did that count? Aaron was probably fearing for his own life at that moment. Or am I making convenient excuses? “Anyway, he's probably fourteen or so like me. It wouldn't be appropriate. You're not an adult until you're sixteen.” That's how it was in Estraea.

“So, if Lord Coraine were here right now, and he asked you to marry him, you would not at all give up your chastity for two years?”

“He wouldn't do that if he were here,” Eksa retorted. “It'd be wrong since I'm not of age, and I don't think Captain Theodore is a man of foul character.”

Aki shook her head. “You've too narrow a view, Eksa. I thought you might know better the workings of the world, considering your past life in enslavement. Well, you're young. Perhaps two years from now you'll have grown out of your infantile philosophies.”

Eksa felt insulted but didn’t have time to respond. Captain Dhorjun roared as grotesquely as one might imagine someone of his size would, as he rushed Aaron for a tackle. Eksa sucked in a breath, praying the boy made it out unscathed.

***

Aaron clicked his tongue, expecting an animalistic swing rather than a tackle. With how large Dhorjun was, there was no avoiding this. He threw himself back before the moment of impact. The giant got a mount and raised his arms to beat down upon Aaron's face. Watching sailors were already leaving, seeing as the outcome was set in stone.

Aaron let slip a wicked grin and gripped the giant man between the legs. That got Dhorjun squawking as sure as daylight. He leapt back and Aaron snapped back to his feet in an instant, taking the opportunity to round a kick into his opponent's jaw while the captain was busy massaging his privates.

Dhorjun shrugged the hit off with a grunt. His face was twisted in obvious rage. He howled and swung wildly. He was fast for his size, but not fast enough to be a threat. Aaron was forced back to the edge of the ring formed by the sailors. Dhorjun thrust with his mast sized leg. Aaron slipped to the side and caught the leg, bringing an elbow down on the knee joint. There was no crack. There was too much meat on this giant preventing meaningful damage.

Aaron was easily lifted off his feet and thrown back to the center of the ring. Dhorjun tried going for a mount again but Aaron rolled away, thrusting a weak kick at his opponent's feet. In accordance, Viper caught hold of Dhorjun's foot and sent him falling flat on his face. When next he stood, a stream of red flowed from one nostril.

Gasps resonated within the crowd. “What's the matter?” Aaron taunted.

The ship captain spat out thick phlegm. “You've impressed me boy. But I'll catch you sooner or later.”

Oh I'm aware. Aaron rushed forward despite it, trying to give an air of confidence. He harried his opponent with a torrent of jabs. Dhorjun unexpectedly curled up instead of lashing out. The blows were like fly swats to him, Aaron knew. The captain wasn't stupid enough to waist his energy on getting angry any longer. Fine. I'll give you something to remember .

Aaron feigned exhaustion, breathing in and out heavily. He was exhausted and drenched, but not yet so out of air. He screamed and went in for a slower right hook. The blow connected with the giant's eye. Dhorjun didn't even flinch. He retaliated with a hook of his own.

It connected. Aaron fell. And lay perfectly still, smiling with the hidden half of his face pressed against the deck.