Almost the entirety of the hall before them was covered with bricks and other debris that fell from the sudden impact. The giant never stopped smashing his body to the wing they were in and it shattered everything before them. Even the earth trembled with each bang of his foot or fist to the concrete.
The menacing being grunted as he did the deed. He heaved as he dug his foot into the solid earth, pressing his body to clear away the columns in his way.
"Get out of the way," said Aksel and the man brushed past Adira and Colette to stand in front of them. At the moment he waited for this being to show themself, he rolled his sleeves over his forearms, exposing tattoos, ones almost similar to some of the imagery the brunette had seen about Adira's body.
It was uncanny thought the young woman. She never expected the older man to even have tattoos but truly she didn't know what to expect, she didn't know him like that, however, it was strange. She expected him to be this quiet person who only did archaic things like being traditionally sexist and misogynistic.
Nevertheless, she watched him as he did this thing of standing still as the giant was successful in clearing away the entire wall. Now, his formidable shoulders and body crashed into the clearing, and they were able to see him beneath what little light remained.
He fell forward, landing on his shoulder and cracking the tiled floor beneath him. It left a crater-like indentation there that told them of the magnitude of his weight.
"Arghhh!" The giant's deep voice growled, deafening their ears as he crawled to his feet.
He'd seen the three people standing amid the rubble but recognized only Adira. Seeing her reminded him of that day at the council when her mother embarrassed him before tens, hundreds of people.
A frown so thick, no one could've missed appeared on his bearded face, however, his grimace and visage resonated deeper with Adira for she recognized the councilman.
There were a few things different about him; he didn't wear his usual robe but was dressed in his native war attire. Markings of his status among his people popped from his skin due to the colourful paint.
Stunned by the strength of the man who thumped a piece of debris out of his way with just his feet, Colette wondered what Aksel had in store since he stood before him. There was no way either of them would be able to take down the man let alone the others that could be heard about the vicinity.
The revenants tried to hold them off with the countless guns that went off. War-like cries from the people being tackled or pushed out of the way by the giant's massive being filled the air.
So how was the older man going to get them away? She had no clue how he'd help but when she saw his head bent, it clicked that he was chanting something the entire time.
"Excaecati estis!" Whispered Aksel those words and stepped back, pointing his index and ring finger to the councilman's head. To the girl's wonderful surprise the man's fingers glowed, almost the same colour that would appear whenever the Avalon's spirit was awakened within her.
And how beautiful it was, those orbs that floated around Aksel.
Inevitably, the giant groaned, stumbling back out of sheer consternation and there Colette and Adira witnessed a white, almost foggy appearance scamper over his eyes, bringing to light his momentary blindness.
This white fog clouded his vision, causing him to fumble and trip over things in his way as he tried to feel his way around.
The councilman panicked, scratching and wiping his face violently. He even tried to swing his massive fists to where he'd seen the three people but to no avail— he only ended up hitting walls.
The warlock incapacitated him, by words, by this spell, causing the giant to appear dazed, stunned but not for long.
"Arrghh!" The councilman yelled as his fear of not being able to see incited involuntary movements. Fear incited him to run full force into the people. His feet tore away at everything before him, pillars were knocked down, furniture snapped like brittle twigs.
Her majesty acted out of pure instinct, manipulating the giant. She tripped him, bounding his legs and arms so that he wouldn't be able to do more damage to the surrounding.
Colette, hyperventilating, wide-eyed and curious stared at the writhing being. He wriggled aggressively and with every wriggle, she felt like he'd break free from whatever hold the woman had on him.
"Foul! All of you! Consumed by wickedness, you and that bitch of a mother," the heavy voice said and Adira frowned.
"I should've let her burn you that day," Colette interjected, her voice trembling as she verbally accosted the man to everyone's surprise.
He still couldn't see much though, due to the white fog over his eyes but he made out the figure of the girl. She stood beside her despicable queen.
"Isabella would've killed you if I didn't step up, you ungrateful swine,"
The councilman growled inciting the girl to flinch.
"Do not cling to that act of goodness for it will never save you,"
The queen didn't want to hear any more of it, so, she broke a section of the crumbling ceiling off, aiming it directly at the man's face and released. The concrete smashed onto bone and skin, ripping away pieces of flesh.
"Ahh!!!" The man wailed, blood oozed from his wound and busted lips. He fought against the unseen hold on his body, he flexed so hard that the veins beneath his skin protruded to the point of them bursting.
He managed to break free from the hold, rolling to his feet. Although there were visible signs of him being an elder, the giant was agile thought, Colette, as Adira pulled her away. Nothing was a hurdle to him, he ducked and hopped over everything like a limber cat.
"He's fast," mumbled the girl as she hid next to the raven head.
In her own, tiny little world, Adira's interest piqued at Aksel's abilities. She listened to his chant and he sounded, behaved actually, like a true spells man. One with little fear and hesitance. He didn't relent before the giant, instead, he dealt with him accordingly.
"Prohibere!" Uttered Aksel when the man chucked a piece of the wall at him. It stopped, floating mid-air for several seconds but quickly being crumbled to dust upon the man's request.
"Take Colette and go, I will take care of him,"
"What about the five others smashing the revenants to bits?" Questioned the young girl. "Aren't we going to do something about them?"
From the cave in the structure of the infirmary, they were able to see fractions of what went on outside. Dirt flew everywhere, statues and other tangible things were thrown about, appearing like obscure birds of the air.
Gunshot wailed, people yelled at each other to either take the fuckers down while some of the giants grunted in agony.
"I can handle them all don't worry," said the man and he ran from the building hoping the giant would follow but the man stood with his attention to Colette and Adira.
"You're a disgrace to the world we live in, you know," said the councilman and Adira frowned. "We've never had much of an issue before you were born. It's like Isabella cursed us the day she opened her legs to birth you,"
"That's not a nice thing to say to someone," said Colette and the giant grimaced.
"I'll never forgive your whore mother for trying to kill me all because I spoke the truth, and you... I hope you die in this war, half-breed," said the giant and Adira never expected to hear such things. She always knew people spoke behind her back whenever she walked or would look at her with curiosity but to hear a renowned councilman utter such things about her was hurtful and infuriating.
But she didn't need to protect her pride, no, it was Colette who did.
The brunette's heart raced so hard in her chest while the man shared his awful thoughts about her love. She wanted nothing but to see him hurt or at least subdued to the point where he couldn't speak.
So she did it.
Conjuring the waters from within the atmosphere and from that which had been thrown to the floor amid their clash, the brunette acted on her hatred and spite, something she never did.
Flinging the water to the man's face, it splashed and hardened upon impact, sending him crashing down to the ground head first. Ice shielded the councilman's face like an artic mask.
A proud Colette didn't think it would work, but it did and although happy, the girl was scared shitless.
"Come on, let's try to get you somewhere safe," Adira yanked the girl and she allowed herself to be whisked away.
"What about Aksel?"
"He said he'd take care of them, I trust he will be able to hold them off long enough for the revenants to gather themselves,"
As promised Aksel rounded the courtyard to where the ongoing clash occurred. Giants tipped and pushed onto the building trying to trap all those in there like insects, the revenants who were able to escape did their best fending the younger giants.
Some scaled the beings like the mountains they were, clawing at their eyes and faces until they fell to their knees. Aksel helped to bring them down, weakening their knees, blinding their eyes until several or more revenants latched onto them, leaving them powerless. However, as he aided in subduing the giants, he heard trampling in the distance. He wasn't the only one to hear it, the many people out there beneath the early night listened keenly.
Footsteps, heavy and loud, almost as if a racing battalion approached.
"You will all die here tonight!" Shouted the councilman when he emerged, his face ladened with fractions of ice still.
"You will be greatly outnumbered," he grinned, his busted lips stretched into two sinister lines.
Chanting a spell for protection, Aksel did it quickly, finishing his affirmations that caused a shield, almost like a dome to appear around the manor, blocking the approaching enemies from getting in.
Colette was amazed at the beautiful colour of this dome. It was like a thin blue sheet had spread over them and it flowed and moved like quiet water. Such a beautiful, subtle shield, however, strong nonetheless.
They were all trapped inside this transparent doom and so made it easy for him to get rid of the giants before the racing people approached.
"Vivere ignotis," he said and even the giants observed him. They'd never seen the pale man before but he uttered words they understand. And recognizing the spell, the giants wrestled to get up but before any of them could, Aksel banished them to a place so void it was worse than death.
"Recedo!" He said with vigour.
Like big balls of energy, every giant combusted. Their skin illuminated, fragmented— they peeled and ripped, drifting off like weightless paper. Some tried to grip their fallen skin, attempting to place it back onto their body but were unsuccessful.
The councilman didn't want to give up, no he persevered the longest and seeing that he attempted to run over the man as if he was nothing but a bug, Adira released Colette and warped onto the man.
She pulled her dagger, driving its sharp blade through his neck before he could reach the warlock. And the blade glided from end to end.
Blood gushed everywhere as the councilman gagged. His formidable hands swatted at Adira but the woman held onto a fistful of his greying locs to steady herself.
He fell like timber seconds later, his unconscious body vibrated the earth beneath them. But he didn't stay whole, nor did his blood ever stain the ground. Everything disappeared, like dust into the sky.
The revenants, Aksel and Colette turned their attention to Adira who stood with the dagger in her grasp. Veins on her forearm protruded due to her grip on the weapon.
Finally, she realized what approached them as they stood there, exhausted and a few people less.
Dashing onto the estate were tens of wild beings. Orcs they were who rode their stallions and beasts onto her land as if they had the right.
They shouted their excitement, whistling even as they pulled back formidable arrows with burning tips aiming it at the manor.
All was well in the moment due to the shield, Aksel knew this. It was impenetrable, but they realized that not only were the enemies approaching but several of the revenants were caught outside.
Adira saw this, Oliver and some others running breathlessly to get to them amid a hail of fiery arrows and her body tensed.