Page 41 of House of Ydril

Before I know it, I’m in the arena, looking up at the towering giant in front of me. He looks even more menacing from up close. And I want time itself to stop so I can figure out how to survive this, but almost immediately, the gong sounds and the giant charges straight at me.

I turn on my heel and start running the fuck away from him. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Only a part of my brain registers the announcer saying, “I guess there’s more than one way to win,” I hear the Pied Piper’s smirking voice boom from the speakers.

It doesn’t take the giant long to catch up to me. And I have to start climbing the arena walls to escape him, but he still manages to land a blow to my side, knocking the air out of my lungs and making me fall back to the ground.

I quickly push myself up, but the giant is right in front of me, his chest heaving. For a second, I just look at him. His eyes are filled with something that strikes me as oddly familiar.

But then he attacks again, swinging his arm at me and making me jump to my right. Alright, at least he’s quite predictable, I think to myself. The very thought of having to use my magic to defend myself fills me with dread.

When he misses again, he throws his hands up in the air and lets out a long, frustrated roar. And that’s when it finally hits me, what I found familiar in his eyes.

It’s the same look of helpless anger my former foster brother Danny would have after Mr. Smith would leave him with more cigarette burns on his forearm.

With rounded eyes, I take another look at the giant. Holy fuck, how inhumane can this get?

He’s a child. This is not an adult giant, I repeat to myself as I break into a sprint to dodge yet another one of his attacks. Suddenly feeling in control, I run as far away from him as possible and I sit on the ground.

I can hear the crowd laugh, but I don’t give a shit. I keep doing my thing, just sitting there with my legs splayed out, waiting.

And the giant scratches his head in confusion, but he slowly stalks over to me.

When he’s right in front of me, he sniffs the air and throws me a blank look.

I reach out my hand, gesturing at the ball in his hand and then pointing at myself.

The giant just looks at me for a second, then lets out a roar and takes another swing at me, making me kick myself off the ground and go back to running as the audience laughs.

But I’ve seen the hand in which he keeps the ball from up close. And it still has in it a piece of that spike that Faust threw at him.

So I circle the giant and come to a stop right in front of him. I think I’m making him confused because he’s become hesitant in his attacks.

I motion at his hand again and I pretend I’m taking a spike out of my own hand, hoping he’ll get what I’m trying to tell him.

He just attacks again and this time, I don’t fall back quickly enough. One of the spikes from his armor catches the skin of my shoulder and rips into it.

I curse out loud and he takes a step back, watching me.

I’m panting, my heart is throbbing and pain is searing my shoulder, but I don’t even try to get away. Still standing there, I ask to remove the spike for him again and I wait.

For a second, he just looks at me. Then he switches the ball from his left to his right hand and takes a step towards me.

When he finally holds out his injured hand for me, I hear a murmur rise from the crowd.

Almost without breaking eye contact, I come a little closer and I yank the spike out of his hand.

He lets out a roar and for a moment, I think that this is the end of me.

But then he calms down, bends over a little and rolls the ball in my direction.

This time, I hear gasps from all around me. I ignore them. I just pick up the ball and start running. When I’m all the way on the other side of the arena, I kick myself off the ground and I fling my hand, throwing the ball through the hoop levitating above me.

I hear the gong sound, but this time, the crowd doesn’t applaud. There’s a strange mix of tense silence and excited chatter as a girl with a name tag I don’t bother to read comes to get me out of there. I throw her a tired albeit grateful smile.

My guide leads me out of the arena and down a well-lit hallway. And just as we’re about to turn a corner, I hearhisvoice from a ways down. My breathing quickens as my ears prick up.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, uncle,” he says.

“You were being too smug out there,” Faust Senior replies with obvious disapproval in his voice.

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