They had been marching for half a day now. For a better part of that an unnatural sight could be seen far into the distance. Five figures, standing taller than the mountains on either side, formed an imposing line of rock, dirt, molten lava, wood and a large oil slicked behemoth.

  The five Giants did not react to the oncoming furtives. They waited. Zhi looked to her left. Artesh was right next to her, prepared to lead the forces once the battle began. Next to him was the left flank. It was composed of three different components. The front line, the riflemen, were spread out so that massive attacks from the Giants would not completely destroy the furtive army. The riflemen were meant to thin out the herd of golems that the Giants employed in their defense. Behind the riflemen a cohort of Onsiels accompanied the army. They were there to counteract whatever attack the Giants might launch at the furtives. They would act as the shield for the furtive legion trying to nullify whatever advantage magic gave the Titans against the furtives. At the very back were the cannoneers. They manned the weapons that would be used to blast away at the Giants bodies, that would allow for the killing shot to be delivered. These three units had been training for months now for this exact moment, for their contact against the Titans.

  At the back of this sizable contingent Subulai rode atop a large steed. He seemed larger than life. He would be there to bolster the troops when the fighting began, ensuring none would consider running away.

  Zhi looked to her right. The furtive legion followed the same blueprint here, with Moro at the front of the Legionnaires and Quan at the rear.

  Above the furtive legion, Kadus and other sparrowlings flew. As the furtive legion crossed various distances, Kadus and his fellow scouts would give the forces on the ground updates.

  “One thousand paces to the Giants!” Kadus shouted.

  “One thousand paces to the Giants!” Echoed on either side of the line.

  They were nearly at the battle line. Zhi stared straight ahead. The volcanic Giant, Bolno, stood taller than the Giants on either side.

  Zhi had faced a Giant before, Bellum. She had barely survived that encounter, but this time was different. Her powers had grown substantially, both with time and with Jokasta's blessing. It was time to determine how far her powers would take her.

  “Battle line in fifty paces!” Kadus announced.

  “Battle line in fifty paces!”

  At this distance Zhi could see the various lines of Golems arrayed at the feet of the Giants. There was no order to their arrangement, just a large mob of various types of Golems awaiting the orders from their masters.

  There must be tens of thousands of them.

  She had never seen so many in one place before. In their numbers they would be a concern for the Legion by themselves, but they were not their target. Their masters were their real targets.

  “Battle line in twenty paces!”

  “Battle line in twenty paces!”

  “Ten paces!”

  “Ten paces!”

  “Assume formations!”

  “Assume formations!”

  This was it.

  Zhi's heart pounded as if it was ready to burst through her chest.

  Artesh galloped to the front. If there was any hesitation on his end he did not show it.

  “All of us will live or die by your actions.” Artesh told Zhi. “Show us the power of the furtives.”

  Zhi looked to both sides. On either side thousands of furtives stood prepared to follow her into battle, all she had to do was step up and begin the fight.

  This is it.

  She inhaled and took one breath forward. Slowly she continued until she stood next to Artesh.

  “Are you prepared?” He asked her.

  She nodded and raised her hand. Magic began accumulating in it.

  “Furtives ready your positions!” Artesh yelled. His orders were repeated by the overhead sparrowlings.

  As soon as Zhi began accumulating magic the Titans' line came to life. The mass of Golems began to move onto the furtive lines, and all Titans roared in unison. Bolno raged as he lifted his arms into the air, he was prepared to begin this battle.

  Zhi acted faster. She aimed at the sky above the Titans. From her hand a massive red bolt of lightning shot out. This bolt traversed the battlefield in the blink of an eye and exploded right above the Titans formation.

  Suddenly the calm atmosphere of the valley exploded into a cacophony of crashes as thunder rang through the area and lightning struck mercilessly at the targets below.

  Large swaths of the Golem army were vaporized in an instant as sweeps of lightning crashed upon their formation. The lightning struck at the Giants. Bolno howled in pain as he took the brunt of the attack. His body was impacted by bolts of lightning spewing lava from it, sending it flying all around and impacting the Golems and the other Giants.

  Beryl, the wooden Giant, caught fire on several parts of his body from the lightning impacts and from the molten lava that had fallen on him. Besal, the stone Giant, had fragments of his body tear off from the impact of the lightning bolts. Balino, whose body was made of mud, absorbed the impact better than the other Giants around him. Barmoro, the oil slicked Giant, broke from the line after being impacted by lightning and charged at the line of furtives. His massive frame seemed a frightening image, with portions of his body lit aflame, and oil spewing from other parts of his body. As he charged towards the line he stomped on a large number of Golems.

  “Furtives aim!” Artesh yelled out loud. The sparrowlings echoed his command.

  Bolno yelled in anger. His voice reverberated through the entire valley. The golems moved en masse toward the line of furtives and the remaining Giants on the line reformed and spread out as the red lightning kept crashing down on them.

  Barmoro was about to crash onto the right flank of the furtive line and Zhi prepared herself.

  “Leave this one to the other Onsiels!” Artesh commanded her.

  “I can't just stand by and watch!” Zhi replied back to him.

  “You need to save your strength for Bolno!” Artesh replied forcefully.

  Zhi was not happy with Artesh's command but she understood. The opening volley of lightning had ended and now she had to wait and react.

  With Barmoro nearly on top of the furtives a large fissure in the ground split the ground that separated him from the furtives. The practiced countermeasures had been enacted perfectly by the Onsiels.

  With no time to stop his momentum Barmoro crashed into the fissure, falling down and spilling oil all over the battlefield. His crash echoed through the valley and the reaction from the furtives was immediate.

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  “Cannoneers!” Artesh yelled. “Fire!”

  The command echoed and the cannons responded almost instantly. The volley roared through the valley as it tore through the downed Barmoro's body, tearing it apart piece by piece. Each shot caused Barmoro to howl in pain as the cannons tore through him.

  The golems were about to crash onto the lines now. As they moved ahead large spikes flew into the air, downing three of the sparrowlings flying above.

  “Fly higher!” Kadus yelled overhead.

  Chaos reigned on the battlefield. A single voice kept track of the entire chaos.

  “Riflemen aim!” Artesh commanded. He moved along the line, no longer relying on his commands being echoed. He hurried to and fro, shrapnel impacting all around.

  “Fire!” He commanded.

  A large swath of fire erupted at the front of the line. The furtive riflemen were calm and collected in the face of the incoming wave. The golems shattered and collapsed as they neared the front line. The other Giants reacted to the attack on their ally.

  All participants were now enmeshed in the battle. Beryl, Besal and Balino moved ahead in unison.

  Bolno raised his arms high in the sky.

  “Cannoneers reload!” Artesh yelled. He had moved to the right flank once more.

  Bolno slammed his fists into the ground, sending shockwaves all over the valley. The shockwaves were strong enough to cause the incoming Giants to stutter in their steps. Lava poured into the ground from Bolno’s fists as a large trail began making its way to the furtive army.

  “Zhi!” Artesh commanded.

  She was already preparing a countermeasure.

  As the boiling lava seeped through the ground Zhi jammed her fists into the ground and froze the ground ahead of her. Ice spikes erupted in front of her and they began tracing a path that continued forward until they met the scorching lava that Bolno poured into the ground.

  At the center of the collision where the boiling lava and the ice spikes met the ground swelled and erupted as frozen stone was launched all around.

  The eruption impacted all. Furtives, Golems and the Giants were hit by the flying shrapnel.

  Balino had a large portion of his lower body torn apart by the massive boulders. The impact knocked him to the ground, crashing into a large portion of Golems. Beryl and Besal received heavy hits but continued their march toward the furtive line.

  Some of the Onsiels on the right flank had been able to raise defenses and destroy the incoming shrapnel, but those on the left side were not as fast.

  Zhi could hear the anguished cries of those that had been hit by the shrapnel.

  “Casualties!” Voices were overheard far above.

  “Press the attack!” Artesh shouted, drowning out all other voices. “Cannoneers aim!”

  “Fire!”

  Another round of fire erupted from the right flank. The volley tore through what was left of Barmoro, exposing a large dark rock in the center of his body.

  “Zhi!” Artesh yelled.

  Her reply came in the form of a large red thunderbolt. It screamed past the battlefield and impacted the large dark rock. Barmoro’s scream signified the end of the Giant. The large rock shattered into many fragments, spewing oil and stone all over the battlefield. What remained of the Giant's heart, a cracked large black stone, shimmered in the light as if signifying an omen. For furtives it was one of success, for the Giants it was of impending doom. The reaction around the battlefield was instant.

  “Giant slain!” Artesh screamed.

  The furtive line, some still dealing with the fallout from the explosion, shouted their approval. The incoming Giants reacted by slamming their fists into the ground. The combined might of Beryl and Besal was unlike any that Zhi had felt. The Giants had resorted to their most trusted weapon, overwhelming force, no matter the cost.

  All suffered under the combined onslaught, lines of furtives were demolished, entire swaths of golems were destroyed, Bolno was nearly toppled over, and Balino, who lay on the ground was further fractured by the Giants’ onslaught.

  “Zhi!” Artesh cried out as he struggled.

  “On it!” She replied.

  “I'll rally the others!” Artesh continued.

  Zhi focused all her energy on the ground trying to counter the damage being done by the Giants. The Giants continued pounding on the ground sending out massive shockwaves that were threatening the entire valley of collapsing in on itself.

  Zhi did her best to create fault lines in the ground that would dissipate the shocks, but there was only so much she could do to mitigate the damage. The shocks were still coming even as she dampened their effects.

  “Onsiels!” Artesh called out. “Assist the High Onsiel! Repel the attack!”

  Within moments Zhi felt the fractures she poured her energy into develop at a much faster pace. The other Onsiels all aided Zhi, and the continued onslaught from the Giants began to lose their impact upon the furtive forces, but such was not the case for the other forces. The Golems were quickly being destroyed by their own masters, Bolno struggled to hold his own, and Balino still suffered from the impacts, his muddy exterior having greatly deteriorated. Beryl and Besal themselves had sustained damage from each others impacts.

  “Continue holding them off!” Artesh commanded. He rode to the left flank, the spot nearest to the rampaging Giants.

  “Cannonneers!” Artesh called. “Aim at the nearest Giant!”

  “Fire!”

  Another volley tore through the chaotic valley, tearing apart the rocky Besal. The Giant crumpled to the ground as the projectiles tore him apart. Beryl caught up in his rampage, continued smashing into the ground, ignoring the other Giant. Besal lay on the ground almost completely destroyed.

  “Reload!” “Aim!” “Fire!”

  The commands came in fast and were executed to perfection. The next volley of fire tore through the fallen Giant, exposing a smooth white core and destroying it in one fell swoop. The translucent crystals hung above the air, they now combined with the black shards in the air coloring the valley in a strange combination of light.

  “Another Giant defeated!” Artesh called.

  His words did not need to be echoed by the remaining sparrowlings. The entirety of the furtive legion saw the spectacle and began shouting even louder. Two Giants had fallen now.

  Momentum was now on the side of the furtives. The Giants needed to do something if they were to turn the tide of the battle.

  Beryl was still caught up in his tantrum of destruction and Balino reconstituted himself as best he could. Bolno moved from the back of the line, to regain control of the battlefield and put an end to the unwieldy furtives.

  He made it up to the still rampaging Beryl and lifted him up.

  “What?” Zhi screamed. “What is he doing!?”

  The gargantuan Beryl was as surprised as the rest of them about the turn of events. He yelled as he was lifted high into the air, and the ground below the massive Bolno gave way. Balino stood up as well and began charging at the furtive lines.

  “Incoming!” Artesh screamed. “Clear the lines! Spread out!”

  Artesh realized that the unthinkable was about to occur.

  With great effort Bolno screamed, shaking the entire valley and threw the large Beryl right at the furtive army.

  “Move!” “Get out!” “Scatter!”

  The shouts were heard all around.

  Zhi saw that the Giant was coming straight at her. Knowing she would not have enough time to move out of the way she did what she could.

  She erected the largest ice spire she could in the short amount of time ahead of her with the end aimed right at the incoming Giant.

  Beryl landed on the end of the spire and was gored by the massive spike. The spike struggled to hold in place as the heavy Giant crashed through it. Zhi struggled to fortify the spire as it shattered while holding the Giant in place lest it crash down upon her. As the Giant broke through the spire his body broke apart launching large trunks of tree around the area, crushing furtives and golems in their wake. Zhi could hear their screams as she struggled to hold the Giants body at bay.

  “Incoming Giants!” Artesh yelled.

  Balino and Bolno were moving straight at the furtive line.

  “Zhi, leave that Giant to me!” Artesh commanded. “Bolno!”

  Zhi did not even think as she followed the command. She stopped focusing on Beryl and raised her hand.

  “Kadus!” She yelled and her call was answered almost instantly.

  A sparrowling swooped down, picked her up and quickly raised her up.

  Below Zhi could see the two Giants about to crash into the furtive lines.

  “There!” She yelled to Kadus and a strong gust of wind began forming at the intersection of the lines.

  Below her she could see Artesh galloping up the body of the impaled Beryl.

  Kadus threw her down, the gust of wind holding her in place. As she fell she heard the sound of a Giant’s core being smashed.

  “Attack!” Artesh called from behind. He had just smashed Beryl’s heart.

  The two Giants were now on top of Zhi. Balino was bringing down his foot to trample her and Bolno a molten fist.

  Zhi held her hands out and produced a powerful shockwave outward. The blast shook the entire valley, bringing down avalanches at the far end. The blast tore Balino's leg out from under him causing the Giant to topple over. Bolno was pushed back but stood his ground.

  “We'll deal with Balino!” Artesh screamed from behind Zhi.

  It was now her and Bolno. She would get to test her mettle against one of the strongest Giants.

  Bolno's entire surface flared up. His exterior became so hot that the snow around them melted and the air filled with steam.

  Zhi erected spires of ice around the Giant, to try and contain him, but the Giant swatted them away as fast as Zhi erected them.

  The Giant brought his hands up and lava began spewing everywhere.

  Zhi reacted quickly, molding the ground around her into a protective dome that would stop the lava from hitting her.

  Around her Zhi could see that the lava was beginning to encircle the dome. She was being encased in lava and soon she would be trapped.

  I need to do something!

  Outside Zhi could hear the sound of cannons firing.

  She began focusing all her energy into her hands.

  With a loud yell Zhi released all her pent up energy outward from the protective dome in the direction of Bolno. A large red thunderbolt shot out like a spear, crashing through the dome and skewering Bolno.

  Bolno stood in place, but the lava within him began to solidify. His body began to crumble.

  “Fire!” Artesh shouted.

  Zhi looked and saw the muddy Balino on the ground torn to pieces. His core was exposed.

  Artesh rode to it and smashed the heart spraying green shards all over the valley.

  Artesh surveyed the field around him. He was on edge looking at every possible direction. With no other threat identified he galloped over to Zhi.

  She looked at him. For the first time since the fighting had begun the valley had quieted down.

  She looked around her. She saw the bodies of the defeated Giants lifeless on the ground.

  “We did it.” Zhi said in a barely perceptible voice. She could not believe what she witnessed.

  “You brought us this victory.” Artesh spoke to her.

  Zhi turned to look at him.

  “Without your help I would not have been able to defeat the Giants.” She said as she looked at him. “It took all of us.”

  Artesh smiled.

  “Furtives!” He said as he turned around.

  The Legionnaires turned to him. The same realization was dawning upon them. The furtives had just fought their real first battle against the Titans, and it had been a victory.

  “Today marks our first victory against the Titans!” Artesh shouted. “This is what is possible when the combined might and bravery of the furtives is brought together! This is the first battle in our long journey towards freedom from the Titans!”

  “Death to the Titans!” A voice called out from the crowd of assembled Legionnaires.

  “Death to the Titans!” “Death to the Titans!”

  The call echoed through the valley.

  Zhi looked beyond the valley. Her heart beat strongly within her chest. But it was different from before. No longer did she fear an encounter with the enemy, now her heart craved battle.

  “Death to the Titans.” She yelled in response to the furtives.

  The chants grew louder.