Samuel stood up firmly, as the three true-Blood giants stepped forward, their enormous feet shaking the ground beneath them, with every thunderous step. The land vibrated with the weight of their presence. Each of them was at least 30 feet tall, their skin rough as stones, embedded with ancient runes and battle scars that told the stories of centuries. They were The True Blood Giants, the first generation of their kind, and are said to be descendants of the World-Shaper himself. Their massive eyes glanced down at the two mortals who dared to enter their dominion.
"I need to reach the Tree of Longevity," Samuel uttered, in an unwavering tone, echoing across the ruined landscape.
The three true-blood giants looked at one another, and then, as if struck by the same thought, they began to laugh, deep, rolling, booming laughter that shook the leaves off trees nearby. It was a mocking tone, one that dismissed Samuel as an insect or bug trying to command a king.
One of the giants muttered something in their deep and, ancient and primal language. Samuel's eyes narrowed intensely, as the words entered his mind, translating instantly due to his godlike powers.
"Let us eat them. It's been almost a century since we had a fresh mortal meat."
"Let's split the petite one and roast the tall one."
Samuel intensely turned to Lira. "Do you have any defensive or protection essence left?"
She nodded in fear, her eyes watery. "Enough for one divine shield. Can take maybe two hits at most."
"Use it. Now." Samuel responded quickly.
As Lira hastily began to summon her divine essence shield, the atmosphere shimmered and it formed into existence around her, faint and vibrating.
Samuel reached back and called forth the name of his blade. "Aegirion!"
In a flash of blinding lights, the blade appeared in his hands, glowing with dark green energy, and long and sharp edges, enough to sever fate itself. Without hesitation, he charged forward, eyes fixed on the first giant.
The giants roared, One lifted an Axe the sized tree, but Samuel was already climbing its body, using its rough skin as footholds. He drove Aegirion into the giant's arm, slicing deep into muscle and bone. The giant screamed, swinging wildly.
Before Samuel could reach for the head, another giant's hand slapped him clean off his target's body, sending him flying through the air like a comet.
Samuel twisted mid-air, stabilizing himself with his essence, just in time to see one of the giants uproot a massive tree and hurl it at him. Samuel raised Aegirion and, with a powerful dark green energy, split the tree and the boulders tied to it clean in two.
"Stay behind your shield, and don't come out!" he ordered Lira.
She crouched, hands trembling.
Samuel dashed straight forward again, this time targeting the giant on the right. He slid under its stomping foot, slashing at its heel, then leaped upwards, landing a cut across its thighs, then another at its sides. He moved so fast that it looked like he existed in multiple places all at once.
The giant stumbles, its leg wounded.
Samuel used the moment to vault upwards, reaching for its face, and drove Aegirion right into its eye. The screams that followed cracked the atmosphere.
Before he could land another blow, a massive hand caught him in mid-air.
"Got you, little mortal..."
Their voices rumbled into his ears.
Then With a mighty hurl, the giant threw Samuel with such intense force that he crashed through mountaintops, breaking through miles of solid rock. His body was shattered, 95% of his bones fractured, and his organs were bruised.
He skidded for another mile, destroying anything on his part, before tumbling to a stop in a smoking crater.
Blood ran down his mouth. Samuel grunted, gritting his teeth.
"Get up..."
He forced his essence to surge through his body. Then his regeneration flared, bones snapping back into place, his blood retreating. He stood, body still trembling, dark green energy burning around his body.
Back in Eldoria lira was alone.
The giants loomed over Lira. Her shield flickered from the shockwaves, cracking.
Each footstep brought them closer. One of them raised its foot.
BOOM, One foot slammed against her shield.
BOOM, A second but powerful strike, cracks spread across the divine energy dome.
Lira screamed intensely, Her legs gave out. "Samuel..."
Then the sky split open.
A supersonic boom blasted through the valley. Wind and debris exploded outwards.
Samuel streaked back into the battlefield, moving at light speed. His body radiated a dark green essence. His wounds had all healed.
Samuel intensely drove Aegirion through the head of one of the true blood giants, with such force that its skull exploded. Brain matter rained down like rain.
Before the other giants could react, Samuel disappeared from sight, reappearing with a dark energy stock in front of the giant's chest. Stabbing Aegirion through its heart, twisting the blade. Dark green essence burned the giant from the inside out.
Collapsing it to the ground, shaking the entire forest.
The final true blood giant growled, fury blazing in its eyes.
Samuel stepped forward. Dark green Essence flowed from him like a river.
Samuel used a power from Arithmos, that he had never used.
Thanks to his blade Aegirion, for eating the essence of the True Blood Giant.
Summoning a construct arms, massive glowing fists made of condensed dark green essence, mirrored his movements and matched the size of the giant arm.
The two clashed. The giant landed a heavy punch. Samuel's essence arms are blocked. Shockwaves exploded, tearing up the landscape.
The valley around quaked. The trees bent and snapped. Mountains vibrated to their fists.
The giant roared and swung again.
Samuel ducked, then countered with a brutal uppercut to the ribs. The giant stumbles.
Then Samuel flew upwards and summoned a second Aegirion construct, then fused it with the real one, creating a blade twice its normal size.
With an intense roar, he swung his blade.
"Aegirion." Calling out its name.
The blade sliced through the true blood giant's thick neck. A fountain of blood and flesh exploded into the air as the head fell.
Blood poured like a rainfall, soaking the ground red.
Samuel landed atop the pile of giant corpses, standing tall, soaked in blood, his chest rising and falling.
Lira looked up at him, in awe, terror, and fear.
The Eldoria forest was silent.
Samuel tightened his grip on Aegirion and responded to Lira.
"Let's find the tree."