Chapter 21
[Rosseweisse's POV]
"Mama, what are you making?" Artom asked, watching me chop boar meat and separate the fat.
Igor was standing on his toes, trying to peek at the table. "Yeah, what is it? Smells really good."
"I'm making dinner for all of you," I said with a soft smile.
"What kind of dish is it?" Igor asked, squinting at the ingredients. His eyes widened slightly. "Wait, aren't those the special ingredients Papa said we only use for important occasions?"
I chuckled as I glanced at the canned vegetables, luckily for her they are still a long way from reaching their expiry date. "Today is a celebration. I even asked your Papa for these ingredients just for tonight's dinner."
I could still remember the look on his face when I asked—his beaming smile was unforgettable.
"I'm making German Goulash," I announced, watching as the twins exchanged confused glances.
"German... Goo-lash?" Artom echoed. "Is it tasty?"
"Tasty? It's more than tasty! It's heavenly!" I exclaimed, fond memories surfacing. "My father made the best goulash I've ever had in my life. He didn't even need many ingredients. Simple but perfect."
I sighed wistfully as I looked at the boar meat. Ideally, I needed beef for the dish, but this would have to do. Mashed potatoes would pair well, too.
"Mama," Igor said with a bright grin, "can we help too?"
"Me too!" Artom added excitedly.
If I let them help, it wouldn't really be a thank-you dinner... but looking at their eager faces, I couldn't bring myself to say no.
"I could use some helping hands."
"YES!"
"ALRIGHT!"
"You can start by peeling the potatoes," I said, handing them a bowl.
They immediately sat on the floor and summoned their pitch-black knives, peeling the potatoes with surprising care.
I smiled, watching them, then glanced toward the window.
I wonder what Nikolai is up to right now...
----
[Somewhere in the Middle of the Forest]
When facing opponents three times your size, you start to question your life decisions. But when those opponents are undead giants on the offensive, your only choice is to use your environment wisely.
Three of them were still chasing him, their grotesque faces twisted in rage. Maggots squirmed across their rotting flesh, making them even more disturbing.
Nikolai glanced behind him and grinned. He was nearly there.
One of the giants, faster than the others, was closing in quickly—just as planned.
He leapt across a distance of twenty feet and spun around midair, summoning his greatsword in one smooth motion.
The charging giant's speed increased as it barreled toward him.
"I hope this thing still works..."
The creature's foot slammed into the ground—and it sank deep.
It worked!
Nikolai had dug a deep pit trap over a month ago to catch bears. It had caught nothing—until now. The momentum from the giant's charge and its misstep sent it stumbling straight into the trap.
DIE!
With a roar, Nikolai swung his massive blade downward, cleaving through the giant's face. Its body went limp instantly.
"One down. Two more to go."
Another giant let out a guttural roar and leapt into the air, swinging its crude club down toward him. Nikolai darted to the side just in time. The club slammed into the ground, sending a tremor through the earth.
Nikolai placed his hand on the embedded weapon.
"Curse Magic: Grip."
The club pulsed with dark energy. The giant tried to lift it—but it didn't budge.
Nikolai summoned his bow and nocked an arrow.
"Curse Magic: Grip!"
He fired. The arrow struck the giant's hand, impaling it. The curse took hold instantly, binding the creature to the weapon.
It struggled furiously, roaring in frustration, but couldn't free itself.
Now only one remained.
Nikolai turned his gaze to the last giant. It stared back at him. They began circling each other, looking for an opening.
This one was different.
Unlike the others, this giant didn't lumber forward mindlessly—it observed. It moved with intent. Intelligence gleamed behind its rotten eyes.
It began muttering in a strange, guttural language, and a grey aura flared around its body. Nikolai watched in shock as its muscles bulged unnaturally, swelling even larger.
It stared at him—maggots writhing in its decaying face—and then...
It smiled.
A grotesque, nightmarish grin stretched across its face.
Nikolai's heart skipped a beat. "What... the hell?"
No idea what it was doing—but this fight just became a lot more interesting.
He summoned his cursed chains to his right hand and his shield to his left.
"Let's do this!"
They charged at each other. The giant swung its club with frightening speed—faster than before.
Nikolai ducked just in time, the air hissing past his face.
He lashed out with his chain, wrapping it around the giant's dominant arm.
"Curse Magic: Grip!"
The chain locked in place.
The giant grabbed the chain and tried to tear it off, but it held fast. Then, it tried pulling Nikolai toward it instead.
Nikolai resisted, digging in his heels. But the creature's strength was increasing—he could feel himself being dragged forward.
It's getting stronger! Cyka blyat!
If this kept up, he wouldn't last long.
"I've got to stop it!"
Instead of pulling away, he ran toward the giant, leapt high, and looped the chain around its neck mid-air.
"Curse Magic: Grip!"
The chain pulsed, binding its neck. It tried to remove the chains from its next, but it was finding no success.
As Nikolai landed behind it, he summoned his sledgehammer and smashed both its knees.
The creature roared and collapsed, face-first to the dirt.
It tried to lift itself, but its limbs refused to obey, again falling facefirst to the dirt.
It looked up to search for Nikolai...
CRACK!!!
The hammer came down like divine judgment, crushing its skull.
---
[Nikolai's POV]
Man, I love this sledgehammer.
Sure, stabbing and slashing were fine, but nothing—nothing—beats old-fashioned head smashing.
Now, time to collect my trophies.
The mangled corpse of the giant was devoured by the mist.
[ITEM DEVOURED]
[DIGESTION TIME: 1 WEEK]
Alright! New ability incoming. YAHOOO!
There was still one giant left, trapped by my curse.
I wasn't in the mood for another brawl, so I decided to end it the most humane way I could think of.
"Fire Magic: Fire Breath!"
I inhaled and unleashed a wave of fire. The flames engulfed the undead, who screamed in agony.
I turned my back to it and began walking.
.
.
.
GROWL!
.
.
.
That wasn't a wolf nor was it any undead.
.
.
.
That was my stomach, blyat!
I can't wait to get back to the cabin and taste Rose's cooking. The sky's already darkening—I better hurry up.
I asked her earlier what she was making, but she said it was a surprise...
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{Author's Notes}
Thanks for reading this chapter! Your support really motivates me to keep going.
Stay tuned for the next one—more magic, monsters, and madness to come!