Regis and the other Vangen smashed into the Rebel lines in a clash of screaming iron. Those who were unprepared or under armored were cut down instantly, their robes offering little resistance to the Vangen axes and Regis' black metal sword.
The first swipe took a man's head clean off. The second cleaved another clean through. Nearby, the coterie of Centum's surrounding Magus slammed into a group and brushed them aside with their shields as if they were made of straw.
Even Libro was fighting the rebels with a fury Regis had never seen before. He cut into the throat of a rebel too brave or too stupid to get out of the way, his knife coming out the other end glistening red in the sunlight. Wild-eyed, he pressed on, clutching the knife in both hands, his knuckles near bone white.
Regis charged on, cutting a path straight towards the Palace. Most of the First Gate had collapsed in on itself, leaving behind a jagged pile of rubble. That was fine. Nothing that a little climb couldn't fix.
At least, that was the case before a body the size of a small hill emerged from beneath the rubble, swathed tits to toes in black armor. A broad, flat face turned towards Regis, teeth grit in pain as a large hand reached up and ripped a monstrously sized bolt from an equally monstrous sized neck.
"That is one big bastard." Regis laughed, his heart beating to the thrill of a new challenge. Shapeshifters, warriors, and now giants. What would the Ministers throw at him next?
The giant in question stumbled back up onto its feet, clutching at the ruins of Gate Primaris for support. Green and blue bow levies on the parapet's intact portions continued to pepper the monster with arrows. Most bounced off the armor, but a few sank into the giant's exposed flesh, only to pop out a few seconds later.
Regis moved to a relatively clear area and raised a fist, rallying the men around him. He made the finger cant calling for Libro and Magus. They appeared moments later, both looking equally worse for wear. Libro had lost his knife somewhere during the fight, his hands clutched to Vangen ax now. A few more coats of blood dripped from his chainmail. On the other hand, Magus looked like a well-used leather satchel, his pale skin dripping with sweat. His robe was tattered and stained in a few places, though the chainmail glinting beneath still looked intact.
"Why have we stopped?" Libro demanded, his gaze shifting warily over the battlefield. Most of the Centums and Grenadiers kept the rebels busy, the rest forming a circle around the officers.
Regis pointed a finger up at the giant standing before Gate Primaris, swatting arrows out of the sky and men into it. Every now and then, Nox's crossbow would crack the air, spearing the giant with a massive bolt and forcing it back.
"Where in the seven hells did they get a giant?" Libro ran a hand from forehead to jaw, his eyes boggling.
"The Jotan clans may be all but forgotten now, but look hard enough, and you'll find one skulking through the caves of old." Magus ran a nervous hand through his patchy beard. "Tyrannus sure is a crafty one, I'll give him that. One can only wonder what he promised the giant in exchange for its service."
Libro turned towards the old wizard. "Tyrannus?"
"The Dominator," Regis said, remembering the words of Flemendos. "The one who started this whole damn rebellion in the first place."
"And when did you take the time to figure this all out?" Magus demanded.
"Last night," Regis produced the speckled black sword for Libro to see. "When a Minister tried to kill me with this."
Libro could take away enough context to figure out the rest. His face went pale, eyes glassy as he brushed the Archive's spine with a free hand. "You too, huh?"
"Sounds like we all had one shit of a night," Magus said, exchanging a look with Regis that made him clamp his jaw shut before saying anything else.
"Right, yup. Er..," Regis looked off towards the Gate. "We need to figure out how to get past that big bastard over there."
The giant was holding onto the ruins for support as it yanked another large bolt out of its neck. Black blood spilled out of the wound, dribbling down onto its equally black armor.
"It looks like Dux and the others are keeping it busy, but I don't think they can for much longer," Regis muttered. Look at what it's wearing. I have half a mind to believe the giant's armor is the same as this sword."
"It does look rather peculiar," Libro said, slowly snapping back to reality. "Far different than anything I've seen before."
"That's because it wasn't made here." Magus piped up. "This is Star Steel. Forged by the Stelecasters of Middengard."
Regis blinked at the magician. "And just when in the seven hells were you going to tell us this?"
"When it was convenient, you dumb oaf!" Magus shot back. "Like right now! The point being is that this stuff is tough as shit. Enchanted beyond anything the Forge Lords are capable of. The only thing that can break Star Steel," Magus pointed a finger down at Regis' blade. "Is Star Steel."
Regis lifted the blade, the nebulous metal gleaming as if it were rent from the night sky itself. "You know, in all my years, I've never killed a giant before. The Sisters would sing about that for years, I bet. Enough to carry a man back into his throne."
"Wait, there's still something you need to know...," Magus began to say, only to be interrupted.
"If not, there is always the Archive," Libro said.
"Pah," Regis gave the lad a friendly tap on the chest. "Paper stories were never my thing. Too long. Too boring. I'm of the mind that stories are better sung than read." Holding two fingers to his lips, Regis produced a few sharp notes that carried past the plaza. The call was made to charge. Follow the leader.
"So, let's get to singing then!" Regis launched himself towards the Palace, raising his blade high. Libro charged after, eyes still afraid but held together now with a lion's heart. Magus scrambled to keep up, his words lost to the din of battle. The Vangen formed a spearhead and followed, straight towards the giant.
***
The parapet was alive with the song of bowstrings twanging and the booming howl of Nox's crossbow. The Austerlander clambered past a group of bowmen, heart beating fast, blood surging in his veins with excitement. The giant had been a surprise, but a welcoming one at least.
Turning, Nox pressed the crossbow into the crook of his elbow and fired. The Ramrod bolt sprang out, the recoil sending a jolt of burning fire up his arm. Three seconds later, it punched clean through the giant's throat.
Nox continued up the parapet, climbing up towards the left most battlement three steps at a time. He rounded a corner, feet slipping over the crumbling stone where the giant had destroyed parts of Gate Primaris. He stopped to look down, watching as the big bastard wrenched the bolt free from its throat, black blood dribbling before the wound closed up.
May the Uhlta protect, Nox thought to himself. If the giant could heal itself, it would take a lot more than bolts and arrows to take down the creature. The Austerland looked out towards the plaza. What he saw made his heart swell. Regis and the other Vangen were charging towards the giant, cutting rebels down like wheat to the scythe.
He had to help. Needed to help. It is the will of the weapon to improve its masters in any way. But he couldn't directly kill the giant. Its armor was too strong, and whatever evil keeping it alive was more than enough to shrug off his bolts. His thoughts lingered to the monster man he'd faced at the under wharves. The evil that gave it power was the same as the giants. An idea came to him then.
Charging past the battlement, Nox reached the craggy ruins of the gatehouse and began to climb. He would need a bird's eye view if his plan was going to work—that, and maybe a little help from the Uhlta.
***
The big armored oaf was wrestling another bolt out of its head when it noticed Regis charging. It turned ungainly, trying to stay balanced on the clutter of rubble beneath its feet.
"More Vangen?" The giant roared. "I'll crush you all!" Bulldozing past the rubble, the giant stepped precariously back onto the plaza's firm cobblestones. It raised a foot, intending to crush Regis. Just as he had planned.
"Move!" Regis roared. Libro, Magus, and the other Vangen split away, encircling the giant. Just as the foot came down, The exiled prince raised his sword. The tip punched through the thin metal protecting the giant's sole, spearing straight into its flesh.
"Aaargh!" The giant roared in agony, pulling back reflexively at the last possible moment. Regis grit his teeth and yanked the sword free, splattering black blood on his face and onto the ground. It took everything he had not to wretch.
Regis wiped his face and spat. The giant hopped about clutching at its foot. It turned, smashed into the Gate, and clutched at the stones for purchase.
"I'll kill you!" The giant bellowed. "I'll smash you all to bits and devour your bones! I'll...," A gasp escaped from the giant. From a distance, Regis watched on as Nox emerged from the top of Gate Primaris, his crossbow aiming at point-blank range.
"You clever little bastard!" Regis cried in disbelief as Nox's crossbow ripped through the morning air. The giant's head whipped back as the large iron bolt punched into its eye, letting out a blood-curdling scream as it lost its hold on the Gate and came crashing down.
It hit the plaza flagstones with a sickening crack. The giant's head bounced off the pavement, the armor it wore squealing as metal scraped stone. One hand smashed into a score of rebels, sending them flying. The other clutched at the Ramrod protruding from the giant's eye.
Regis ran towards the giant. He raised the sword overhead, teeth clenched, eyes boggling as he made a mad dash towards the only vulnerable part the big bastard had, his neck. He stepped up the giant's shoulder, aimed, and brought the sword down.
Regis' arms buckled against the impact as if he were cutting stone against iron. Hot, black blood erupted from the cut. He raised the sword and chopped again, every strike leading into another of the giant's screams until only gurgling remained.
Regis stopped when he finally struck the flagstones underneath. The giant had stopped moving by then, its head barely hanging on by a scrap of flesh. Black blood pooled onto the stones, filling the air with a wretched stink.
Regis stepped away, gagging as a horn sounded off nearby. He wiped away a smear of black stink from his shirt and watched with satisfaction as the rebels began to flee.
"They're running?" Libro appeared beside Regis, eyeing the dead giant warily.
"Aye lad, but not for long. We may have cut the head off one snake, but there are still more to be had. They'll be back," Regis smiled at Libro. "But we'll be ready."
The old wizard came huffing after them, his clothes already stained through with sweat. Regis turned towards Magus and waved a hand towards his recent kill. "Well, what do you think? Not too shabby?"
"He's not dead!" Magus screamed, moving as fast as his old bones could carry him towards the Gate.
"What are you talking about?" Regis yelled after him. "I cut the damn things head off for Nido's sake."
Magus snapped around, his eyes wide with terror. "He's a Minister! He can't fecking die!"
Regis opened his mouth to say more before the ground trembled beneath his feet. He turned, slack-jawed in horror as the giant's body began to rise into a sitting position. Gently, it reached down and grabbed a tuft of greasy hair from its scalp. The head snapped back into place with one quick jerk, the skin around its neck already starting to knit back together until only a faint scar remained.
"Neat trick, huh?" The giant laughed, it's voice a grizzled mess as its vocal cords continued to heal.
Regis turned and beat feat fast towards the First Gate with Libro and the other men close behind. It was impossible, unnatural, but he had seen with it his own eyes. The giant's flesh molded itself back together like wet clay, healing from a wound that should have killed any mortal man.
His thoughts flashed back to the Sanctus after he'd split Tranquillis's head in twain. He remembered the body fighting to stay alive, clutching at the sword, try desperately to pull itself up. This, however, was much, much worse. How were the Vangen going to win this rebellion if the Ministers couldn't even fecking die?
Regis scrambled through the jagged rubble surrounding Gate Primaris, turning only to grab Libro by the collar, hauling the boy up and over. The other Vangen had no trouble getting across, joining the soldiers on the other side. It was only at the top that Regis dared to look back, and he very much wished he hadn't.
The giant was standing up now. With one hand still grasped around the Ramrod in its eye, it jerked, yanking the rod and it's eye clean out of the socket. It tossed both onto the ground, splattering the stones in black gore.
"You ruined my surprise, wizard!" The giant roared. "I wanted to feast on the Northman's flesh, and you ruined it! I'll make you pay for that! I'll crush your guts into paste!" He stomped on the ground, smashing the flagstones beneath him in a tantrum.
The giant froze suddenly. He jerked his head up, looking westward, towards Blackstone Tower. The great pillar of stone dominated the still night-borne skies, rising up and over the horizon.
The giant turned and kicked at a nearby fountain with a groan, sending the fixture careening into a building. "Damn it! Fine, I'll go. Stop yelling at me!" The giant said. With a final huff, he turned and walked away towards the tower.
Regis exhaled, not realizing he had been holding his breath the entire time.
Dux poked his head up from the rubble, one eyebrow cocked up in confusion. "Now, just what the ever-living feck was that all about?" He asked.
For once, Regis didn't have an answer to give him. He shrugged, then turned to the side to vomit.