Chapter 774: Ice Giant

The giant looked into the sky and laughed, it’s voice sounding like thunder across the ocean. The small spirit of ice that had been attached to the piece the Prince had tried to sacrifice to freeze Laz flew into the air and zoomed around the giant, happy to see it.

"Yes yes child. I am here. And we are now freed from that endless hell of nothingness. We can create a new kingdom of spirits here, in this world where we will no longer be trapped," The massive giant said, seeing the spirit zooming around it. Other spirits of the air and water seemed to make themselves known as well, zipping around the giant as though trying to figure out what it was. The giant, in turn, looked at the various little spirits, basically little motes of light, hovering around it. It seemed surprised at first but then raised a withered hand, allowing the lights to land on it as it communicated with them.

The Prince and Minuw backed up when they saw this, Minuw pulling back her brother as a look of intense fear appeared on her beautiful face. While he couldn’t hear what they were saying, she did and that caused her to want to run. The spirits were complaining about being enslaved and locked up for tens of thousands of years when the spiritual energy of the planet vanished. Their elders had vanished and their numbers dwindled. Only the weakest of them could survive and even those had been used by both humans and the oceanic people, sometimes giving their lives to serve their masters desires. Everything they spoke to the elder spirit caused it’s already angry expression to grow even angrier. It could feel the lack of energy here, but also knew it was starting to thicken. As such, it could imagine what the weak spirits were talking about over the past tens of thousands of years after many of the elder spirits had been banished from the world by the god who ruled the world with the disappearance of the elder Fae. Staring at the beings below it, it knew that it seemed to have arrived here first, but that many of it’s brothers and sisters would soon be summoned here again as well.

It was only a matter of time now that the spiritual energy of the planet was recovering.

Just as the great giant was about to strike down the fish people in front of it, a giant boom rang out from the ocean’s depths as Laz rose from the depths of the sea, having broken loose from the ice’s containment. The black flames burned brightly around him, giving his transformed body an evil aura as though a demon who just rose from the bowels of hell.

Laz looked up at the giant spirit and then back to the scared prince and princess.

"Well what the hell did you fuckers do this time?" Laz asked as he floated there and looked up at the ice giant.

"Your aura isn’t new to me... but I have forgotten it... over the long years of sleep..." The ice giant said, looking at Laz.

"You’re not with them?" Laz asked, indicating the two scared fish people.

"They were using this tiny spirit and draining it’s power. It barely managed to awaken before it was completely destroyed," the giant responded, not knowing why it didn’t feel any animosity towards Laz but trusting it’s instincts all the same.

"You used a lot of power to punch through the wall to this realm," Laz sensed, staring up at the giant. He didn’t feel scared of the massive creature nor did he sense any ill intent as it gave off the anger of wanting to protect, not wanting to destroy. As such, Laz didn’t feel the need to engage it, especially since it’s anger was directed at the prince and his sister.

"I had just awoken not too long ago, feeling the call of something getting louder as the days went by. The icy abyss was devoid of energy, but the cold and frost preserved my life. When this little spirit called out to me, I almost ignored it, still half in slumber. But as I sensed the weakening of the walls of the realm, I attempted to probe the barrier and found that all of my years of silent waiting weren’t in vain. I was able to punch through and drag myself back here, somewhere I haven’t seen in tens of thousand of years. Ever since those bastard gods sealed us away once the rulers had left, I’ve dreamed of seeing these skies again, thinking I would die and fade away before that time ever came. There were other’s sealed with me in that icy hell, elders of fire and wood and water and earth and sky. But most of them knew that they couldn’t survive there and instead transferred their powers to me, hoping to give me a chance to see what they knew they never would. There should still be an elder water spirit in that realm somewhere... but I know not where... I see... you’ve been touched by the rulers... the elder Fae...." The massive giant said, staring at a spot on Laz’s chest where the burnt out tree tattoo rested, a sealing mark from his master.

"Yeah. They’ve returned although I have no idea as to why or for what. I just know that they’ve returned with the Yggdrasill although they are thousands of miles away from here currently. My master is a young princess among them."

"Yes. I see this. I sense this. A calling. A summoning from a far distance from here. I can sense more of my kind responding as well. Joining, gathering. We are being awoken to join with the mother tree once again. The age of gods is at an end. The age of the elementals of upon us." While speaking, some to Laz but mostly to itself, it turned to look in the direction of where the massive tree was located. Laz had no idea what it was talking about and could only piece together the story from it’s ramblings. But the important part was there was more of these things showing up as they were being summoned.

Laz didn’t say anything as he stared in the same direction, but he felt differently. He knew the world was full of sleeping gods who were also waking up. Perhaps they were feeling the summon as well while the world was being pumped full of spiritual energy again. Even other creatures of myths and legends, beasts and creatures of power from the past were again being seen in the world.

Not that it had anything to do with him right now. A’ruya wasn’t even talking to him currently so he had no idea what was happening.

’Perhaps I should just go there myself?’ Laz had this thought more than once. He was now an actual god and as such, didn’t that make him at least somewhat important? The feeling that he got was that A’ruya was so far from him that he would never be at the same level as her, but surely she couldn’t be that much stronger than him still.

"Could she?" Laz asked himself as the giant turned his attention back to the fish people.

"These two must die first. They used this child against it’s will and tried to kill it. For that, death is the only acceptable punishment!"

"You shall not touch my children you monster," came a booming voice from the distance.

A massive man like creature was riding on top of a dragon type beast with scales and fins, like some kind of dragon of the sea. Upon it’s back was a massive throne on which the majestic figure rode, a huge trident in his hands. Upon his head was a golden crown with a dozen spikes, each adorn with a jewel the size of a human’s fist. The man looked to be twice the height of Laz even sitting down and an ancient power radiated off of him as the beast came to rest hundreds of feat from the giant, its massive body now above the waves. It’s body was like a snake’s, but it was miles long and glistened blue and green as the reflection of lightning off it’s body gave off an ethereal glow, lighting up the area.

"Father!"

"Daddy!"

The prince and princess were excited for the arrival of their father, the most powerful man in their empire.

While huge, the king was still dwarfed by the size of the elder spirit. Still, standing on the back of the massive sea dragon gave him a presence that seemed to make the spirit appear insignificant by comparison. Behind him, hundreds of thousands of warriors appeared along with a epic collection of sea beasts, including Krakens, whales, giant squids and several smaller sea dragons. Having sensed the danger his children were in along with the breaking of the ice, the king roused his army and came to the rescue, determined to protect the two youths. While he didn’t recognize the ice giant, he could tell it’s power was not to be underestimated. While it might cost many of them their lives, the king was sure they could bring down this beast of legends, an epic feat which would cement the king’s place in his empire’s history.

As Laz floated there in front of the massive ice giant, he noticed that the large man like thing didn’t seem concerned in the slightest. While Laz knew it’s energy had been drained from breaking through the barrier between realms, he didn’t know how much strength the elder spirit had left. As it seemed to be an ally of his though, Laz drew up his height and pulled Jörmungandr from his spiritual space, the bone white blade humming with the thought of absorbing such rich blood energy from the gathered beasts.

Laz then turned to face the massive army, standing between the giant and the sea dragon.

"What is this foolish creature that seems to think it matters?" The king asked before his son and daughter flew over to him and explained who Laz was.

"Ha. Such arrogance. After I capture you, I’ll let my son do as he pleases to you. And as for you, for threatening my children, I shall take your head for my trophy wall!" The King declared as a massive flash of lightning followed by a huge clap of thunder broken over the ocean, causing every living being to want to cover their ears in pain.

Only a few did not, but even they were blinded by the bright flash of light.

When their vision cleared, the king, his children, and his entire army suddenly went slack, as though they could no longer remain upright.

A dozen elder spirits had gathered, joining the Ice giant. Massive humanoid creatures made up of water, light, wind, earth and even a fire giant stood there, floating above the surface of the frozen ocean, forming a huge half circle around the king and his army.

The king was silent for a long moment before regaining his voice.

"Perhaps.... we should discuss this instead? We are civilized beings after all.... right?"