The Return of Giants (Asterion)

[Nimue Stormson]

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There is a legend from Effekt, told fro generations since the beginning of civilization. It was a time fears in the dark. It was a time of war. A time of heroes. But most of all it was a time of giants. From the grand mountains of Brimgard came the snow giants. Creatures of ice that ravaged the lands below, devouring any and all who dared to step foot near their mountain home. It was said what they protected was a great treasure, something that would bring great power to any who wielded it. And soon there came a time where the king of the land assembled his greatest forces to storm the mountain and claim whatever treasure lied in waiting. Many died from the cold, starvation, and fighting the snow giants. In the end the great beasts were destroyed but the losses were too great and the continuing trek up the mountain Brimgard was far too perilous. And so Brimgard remained empty, many trying to scale the great earthly spire but none succeeded. They say the magic that had brought the snow giants to life still exists and will, in time, return and bring about their second coming. But until they the mountain sleeps and the monsters remain a story. ​

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After reading the story from the large book Empress Nimue finally closed it before looking over her shoulder and asking "Well, what do you think?"​

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She was speaking to her lover [member="Asterion"] , whom was sitting in bed along with her. It was late in the day, the sun already set and the moons shining brightly, but the fire had kept them warm as they rested under a number of furred sheets. Nimue herself was dressed in her nightshirt. She had wanted to tell Asterion some of the legends of her home planet and people, as both a means of entertainment and to enlighten him about the type of culture she came from. She sounded like an eager mother when she'd asked, now wanting to actually hear his reaction. ​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

Leaning on his arm as he sat in bed, fingers toying with the sheets covering him, Asterion watched the dance of the fire in the room as it softly crackled and covered the room in a soft glow. Nimue told him the story and he turned his head to look at her.

”Honestly?”

He pursed his lips.

”Shadows are one thing, but snow giants and armies of ice? That’s a bit much isn’t’ it? A nice bedtime story though.”

Reaching over the trail his fingers down her back over the silky nightshirt, he looked out of the window to the side of the room.

”I mean, it was a good story and I love this culture of yours. You have that glint in your eye. What are you thinking?”

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

Nimue had given a little scoff to his response. Apparently he wasn't as thrilled or intrigued by it as she was. Perhaps it was just because she'd grown up with these types of stories and [member="Asterion"] probably had his own stories from his people he'd listen to. She only placed the book aside while glancing back to him, letting his finger continue to trail down her back. When he mentioned a glint she gave a bemused smile and turned away, ​

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"What glint? I have no idea what you mean." she said, trying to hide the look on her face. Within a moment, however, she turned and said "But just think of it, Asterion. What sort of treasure might be up on that mountain? What if there is something powerful up there that could make anyone unstoppable?" ​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

Casting a wary eye over her, he pushed himself up and slid over the bed to kneel behind her. Wrapping his arms around under her chest, Asterion rested his chin on her shoulder and looked out of the opposite window.

”Sweetheart, I’ve seen people go after treasures and myth and magic in order to become powerful,” he brushed his nose gently around her long hair, ” and I’ve seen them fall in the process because their quest for power brought them nothing but pain.”

He squeezed her gently in his grip.

”Where ever you go, I will follow, you know that. Just think about what you want – is risking your life worth such a gamble for something that could be nothing but a fairy tale? You don’t want to become someone you’re not. You’re already unstoppable – you’re Empress Nimue Stormson and look how far you’ve come just by doing what you do best; survive.”

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

As he wrapped his arms and spoke into her ear Nimue just sat there, putting her hands over his while hearing him out. She kept her eyes on the fire while hearing him say how the entire idea seemed a fools errand. In truth maybe it was. That became clearer on Nimue's face as she listened to him. However when he finished she turned herself around to face him. ​

​

"It's not just about the power." she tried telling him. "It's for the excitement. I mean yes, there could be nothing but rocks up there. But being able to know that we were the first ever to actually make it to the top of Bringard. We could plant blades into the very peak as proof for future generations." Her head came up and teased as his chin before saying "And I always thought you were the adventurous sort."​

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[member="Asterion"]​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

Eyes flicking up to the window, she certainly had a point. There was nothing he had to worry about, save going to Bastion soon for an audience with the Primeval. Until then, he had recuperated a little and felt generally happy and content with thing. He smiled a little and brought his brow to rest on her shoulder.

”Mhm. I am. Always have been.”

He paused, and kissed the soft nightshirt she wore.

”Maybe we can build a snowman in the process at the top too.”

That was all he had to say to confirm his intention – he would go with her. Who wouldn’t?

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

Nimue smirked, knowing she always knew what to say to get [member="Asterion"] to agree on something. Most of the time, anyway. She listened as he started to come around before making his joke about a snowman. She held the back of hid head while saying "See? I knew you couldn't resist." After that she'd kissed him before pushing him back on the bed. She wanted to "thank him" for agreeing to at least try and see what was up on the mountain.​

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The next day was nothing but perpetration for the grand climb up the mountain itself. The needed food, equipment, gear and everything else that the two would need to have any chance of surviving the climb. The entire trip itself was said to take days, even weeks, before reaching the top and making it all the way back down. Nimue was all the more instant to bring anything and everything needed for both herself ans Asterion. After that it was a long speeder ride to the nearest town to Bringard, where a royal welcome awaited the two once they'd come to the inn. After that it was one more night to enjoy their carnal company before both Nimue and Asterion would have to make the grand long trek. ​

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The next day, all packed and ready and wearing the layers of clothing, Nimue had brought Asterion to the mountain gate. A statue of a bearded warrior stood nearby at the base of the large stairway leading up to it. While leaving Asterion for a moment Nimue moved her pack and went down on her knees, praying before the statue. ​

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Mountain Gate​

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Statue​

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[Stephanie Swail]

The days and evening building up to the trek were spent productively to say the least. Plotting routes, picking equipment, choosing the right gear. Asterion had to improvise as all he had was the tunic and cowl he had come with, and that wasn’t going to be good enough.

It had taken a little time for some modifications to be made to his gear thanks to Nimue’s servants and tradesmen in the place, but using some of the guards armour and material he had been able to have a warmer, more durable and protective bodysuit to wear under his cowl. Protective pads covered the vulnerable areas of his body and his utility belt was modified to carry a little more.

At the foot of the mountain, where the ominous gate was atop a large flight of stone steps carved from the mountain itself, he watched as she went to pray to the statue. Craning his head up to take in the sight before him, Asterion whistled gently and pushed his cowl back a little as the breeze flapped it behind him.

He was a natural survivor, learning how to use the environment to keep going and to stay one step ahead of danger. Nimue’s safety was his main concern; everything else was down to her evident belief in greater powers, and her culture had brought her to find something on this mountain.

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

After praying for a safe journey, as well as the safety of those closest to her, Nimue finished, turning back to [member="Asterion"] and nodding she was ready to go. Leading him up the stairs she explained "This stairway was said to be carved by the king who first attempted to storm Bringard. He had his entire army carve it out in order to make the trip easier. There's still some steps further up. You'll see."​

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Once they'd reached the top, stepping through the large opening on the side of the mountain's base, both of them would be able to see it. Brimgard's path. A large natural pathway up the mountain paved from thousands of years of erosion. The view from the path itself was amazing, overlooking the large expanse of forests, smaller mountains, and even a view of the town down below. It was a breathtaking sight, one Nimue had to take in with a deep breath before looking to Asterion and smiling. ​

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After that she gave a more eager look as she readied herself before starting to hike up the mountain's path. It would take a little over two hours before the two of them went higher and higher up, eventually reaching what seemed like the end of the path. A large pile of rocks had cut off from the rest of the path, leaving it too close to the edge to climb around and a little too hard to climb over. ​

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"This is where the old king apparently had his men cut off the path. It was to keep anymore giants from coming down if they still existed. Those who try to reach the top either found a way around..." she then looked down over the side to the great drop next to the path. "...and some of them didn't." ​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

The trek was more comfortable than he imagined. With only a backpack, his utility belt and his lightsaber hilt strapped to it, Asterion was free to more nimble and quicker. But he wasn’t in a rush – this wasn’t a trek to beat the Jedi, or prevent an invasion; it was a trek with the woman he was growing to be inspired by daily to help her destiny as a great leader and powerful warrior. Far more than he was amounting to, but times had changed for them both.

The rock started to get cooler and frosty the higher they went. The air was thin, but in general the conditions was still comfortable with their gear keeping body temperature regulated and hands free to help each other across, up and over small crevices, steps and bridges made from stone and iron that guided them up above the planet down below.

”This is what the Gods must feel like looking down on mere mortals.”

They rested, but didn’t waste time. They talked, smiled, cursed and debated their views on the Force, on culture and ancient history and the myth that tied it all together. When they reached the pile of rock, it seemed to quickly put a stop to things. Well – for anyone else.

Asterion peered over the edge, keeping hold of Nimue as she looked for a way around. He knew what to do.

”Allow me,” he said, guiding her behind him out of the way.

Looking over the rocks, as with all great barriers and towers and dams, they started from the ground up and if you took away the foundations, the rest would simply fall – buildings and governments and Orders all fell when their foundations slipped away.

He reached forward to project the Force around the large rock at the far edge of the pile by the edge of the mountain path. Asterion simply twisted his hands as he fused the Force with the rock and caused it to crack and crumble from the inside out as he distorted all the particles and earth inside before it quickly collapsed in on itself.

As it did, the rock beside it fell. And the two on top of that fell down, and over the edge with a small roar. Another fell, onto the path, and in a perfect domino effect the rocks started to fall and slide down the Force made incline, hurling themselves down over the edge and crashing to the woodland below – hopefully there would be no poor fool down there. The debris rolled past their feet as the thunderous roar subsided, and the path was partially clear for them to continue.

Asterion turned to Nimue and extended his hand as he placed a boot on a rock to climb over.

”Watch your footing, my love.”

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

After watching [member="Asterion"] clear the rock from the path with ease she gave a little grumbled "I could've done that..." Afterwards when he offered his hand to help her she said "Thank you, darling." ​

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From there the path had become far more rugged as they climbed. There was still something or a path, only the ground was more littered with rocks and rubble that made walking a little more unsteady. At times there was plenty of room between the mountain and the drop but other times it would be a little too close for comfort. Nimue was careful to walk around them, often feeling the need to follow Asterion's example first. A few hours passed before the sun began to set, Nimue seeing this and how far up they had come. ​

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"We need to set up camp for the night." she said, looking around. "If we keep going the cold could kill us." Eventually she spotted a nice little area, only it was a little higher up on a flat rock surface. Looking to Asterion she asked "Can you Force Jump better than me? I think for this I'll need a rope."​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

Catching his breath, rolling his shoulders that were starting to ache, Asterion wiped his brow and stood beside Nimue, looking up at their intended clearing on the flats of the mountain. It would be good shelter and secure for the night.

”Jump? I can, but I can do better – I’ll climb the face with a little boost.”

Walking to the stone, gaging the distance up which was a good few feet, Asterion moved around a little and dig into various cracks and holes to get a grip with his fingers. He pushed up on the left side of the rock face and pushed his boot on the rock below, and then sprang upward like a coil.

The Force energy emitted down into the rock rebuffed his body forward, and like an animal, he used the momentum to move and grip onto the next section of rock, adjusting his body slightly and not thinking about where to go next.

Pulling himself up, hands and elbows over the rocky lip of the clearing, Asterion rocked his body to swing his leg up and over and rolled out onto the ground with an exhale of breath. He rolled onto his stomach and crawled forward, peering over the edge at the Empress down below – a good 15 feet below. Raising his eyes in wonder, he was a little impressed.

”That rope? Wrap it around you and I’ll get the other end and pull you up. Leave the gear – we can pull that from here no problem,” he said, letting his arm hang free and enjoying not being on his feet after what felt like forever.

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

As she watched him climb Nimue was impressed with how well [member="Asterion"] was able to scale the rocky wall. A whole fifteen feet between where he stood and where she waited. She sighed with relief when he managed to reach the top before hearing him mention about pulling up both herself and then the supplies. She took the rope before removing her sack first, putting in on the ground. Before she tied her rope, however, she instead did the bag first. ​

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"Take the supplies up first. We can't risk losing it. It has the tent after all." she called up to him, insisting it needed to be first. ​

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She waited until he'd gotten it first before having the rope brought back down so she could tie it around her waist. She double-checked to make sure it was secure before starting to climb, having Asterion help with getting her up faster. She tried following his example yet again and step where he did when he'd climbed. Her gloves made it a little easier to grasp the rocks while the boots provided enough momentum to keep her steady. ​

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As she came to ten feet up she called up "And if you say anything about how heavy I am, you're going to go from y love to being one big pain in the a-AAHH!" ​

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Her foot had slipped and for a moment she lost her footing. She felt her whole body almost give way to the point of falling off. She had one hand and one foot still clutched to the mountain. After a moment she managed to swing herself back around, getting her other hand and foot secured as well. But now Nimue was pressed against the rock, too scared to move. ​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

The gear came up easy enough, minimal side wind allowed Asterion to pull them up and ready for Nimue, who tied the rope around her and started to ascend. The other end was tied around the Knight as he stood, rooted down and feeling only slight movement as his strength was greater than hers, and he was acting only as an anchor.

Smiling at hearing her voice, trying to remain calm but laced with nerves, her cry made him tense as the rope pulled sharply causing him to step forward twice before getting a strong stance and pulling the rope with his hands, feeling a moment of deadweight.

”Nimue!?” He shouted, hearing her heavy breathing and cursing down the face of the cliff.

”Hold on,” was dumb advice but he wasn’t thinking.

Turning his body into the rope, he exhaled and pulled back twice with slow, strong strokes with each arm, before he pushed back with his boots, and repeated the motion to raise her up the face. It would be fluid, and only a few times did her grip falter and the rope tighten.

He saw her arms first cling onto the lip, and then her red face and body came next, rolling over with a gasp. Asterion uncurled the rope and stepped over it as he moved over to her, kneeling beside her and pulling her gently away from the edge as the wind whipped around them. He placed his hand on her chest, in the centre, feeling the vibration from her heartbeat racing away.

”Well, that was fun, wasn’t it.”

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

Nimue didn't move, still clinging to the side. It wasn't until [member="Asterion"] began to help hoist her up that she almost scrambled to get up to the top as much as possible. Once she was there she rolled over on her back, looking up the the darkening, cloudy sky. Her breath almost smoked out of her mouth as she tried to relax herself. Feeling Asterion's hand she reached up and held it before hearing him joke about how "fun" it was. She gave him an annoyed look before standing, taking another moment to regain herself. ​

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"I can see why at this point people either turned back or didn't make it." she said, looking back down towards the path. After that she said to Asterion "We should set up the came. Before it's too dark out." ​

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She helped him pitch up the tent as best as possible. Given how much room there was on the flat surface of the boulder they were on it was easy enough, but still a bit confining. Once it had been set it was a matter of having the sleeping blankets and artificial heater and lamp set up inside. Once the camp was officially set up Nimue found herself look back into the book she'd read the story from before while Asterion did whatever he did. ​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

He winced as Nimue got up, clearly not impressed. She began to unpack the gear, their small hover-sled beside their tent that would carry the equipment on. It took a while as light was fading and the temperature was dropping, but the purple sky above was clear and no snow or rain was due. The moons above were gorgeous, and Asterion fought the urge to watch them and lose himself in thought when there was work to do.

The tent went up, bolted down into the rock, and Nimue set up the heater. As Asterion peered around from the back of the tent, he shook his head – she was engrossed in her book already. So THAT was what she had in her backpack, nothing of real importance to their survival. Was she sulking? Probably, but she still looked good.

Probably why…he loved her.

He pushed down into the rock with the bolt a little slower as the emotion crept up in the most isolated place on the planet where it was just them two; alone. His dark eyes drifted up as he thought about the beast he had been before he knew anything about anyone wanting to care for him. Even the Sith Order didn’t show much care for him – just moulded him and fed him lies to make a monster who served the Lady Kyros.

Now, he was in danger of giving his heart to someone, and that meant she would be his counterweight from descending further into darkness or remaining strong, devoted to their cause and full of passion to live. He would make something of himself with the Primeval, be the warrior and fighter he had always been, but also be the man to love and care for someone who placed their trust and life in his hands and his alone. She would be his everything. He knew not much for love, lust or sexual urges except from those she had brought out of him. He didn’t need another; she was everything to him.

The final bolt cracked through the rock. Asterion tested the tautness and it was strong. He stood up and ambled forward to stand beside her, still engrossed in her book and looked out at the majesty of the world below them. He smiled softly at what he was obviously doing – trying to wind her up.

”Tent is down. Don’t worry, you keep reading, honey.”

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

Nimue was indeed engrossed in her book. She barley said anything, even when [member="Asterion"] had told her the tent was up but she could keep reading. She gave a little "Hhhmmm," while still looking through the text. Even as he settled and looked ready to sleep she still seemed too alter with the wheels in her head winding about as she looked deeper into the stories within the tome. ​

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"Something's missing." she said aloud. "Brimgard is said to be the home of snow giants. Yet in other stories it was said to be the path to the heavens where the gods awaited. I mean maybe part of it is thinking the giants were the gods, but every story clearly tells how they weren't the same. If anything the giants were supposed to be the enemies of the gods. So why would they be in the same place?" She looked to Asterion, trying to see his reaction, before adding "There are tales of great storms coming from the top of the mountain, people thinking it's the gods arguing. But what if it's the giants....or something else." A more worried look was on her face when she mentioned "They say the snow giants were born from nothing but ice and snow. But how does sown and ice just get up and walk around on it's own. Which begs the question...if they weren't just born...then who made them?"​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

Propped up beside her, leaning out into the cold air, his breath condensing as it left his mouth, Asterion looked up at the night sky. He was half in / half out the tent and had left her in peace to read and he comments to both herself and him simply drifted over him.

"You know how lore is lost over years. Who knows how many scribes this has come through and become lost in translation. Maybe the stories partly right, but also wrong."

He drummed his fingers on his chest and looked down to her; she was looking at him after finishing her evaluation.

"Look, there is nothing but the Force in this galaxy, and that itself can create nightmarish things. It's probably nothing more than a cult, like the Primeval say, who have fused the Force with the elements. Look at your shadows, and people who manipulate fire. Why not do the same with other natural elements; water. Wind, even."

He turned back to the sky, losing himself in the majesty of the stars.

"Whatever it is, or whoever is trying to protect something, we will find out. We're a good team, you and I, remember."

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

As she heard him she looked back to [member="Asterion"] , glancing up at the sky as he continued to look at it. she just hoped it would stay as nice as it was before the snow began to fall again. Still despite his explanation the facts still bothered Nimue as to how the snow giants were born or created. If there was someone else behind it than who? And were they still around? So many questioned continued to linger that she found herself looking through the book again. ​

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Nimue has passed out during the night, the book still in her hands while Asterion slept next to her. The book was still open with the pages resting on her chest. As the both of them slept neither of the heard as something began to creep towards the camp. The only light came from the moons as the heater and light were now dimmed to help both of them sleep. A shadow was cast on the tent itself, a figure creeping around to find the entrance into the tent. It looked at the two humans resting and made no noise whatsoever as its focus went towards Nimue. A hand reached out towards her and..​

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Nimue awoke and gasped as if coming out of a bad dream. She sighed as she realized what had happened, calming herself while mentally telling herself it was just a dream. Her hand reached over to touch Asterion, wanting to make sure he was still there, but to her surprise he wasn't. All she felt was something cold and sticky on the sheets. She turned her head and gasped when she realized it was littered with blood. She called for him aloud only for the sound of something massive crashing came from outside. Nimue gasped before the entire tent was pulled up by a massive claw. She screamed as another had reached down and seized her by her leg. The helpless empress looked in horror at a massive white figure that held her, it's hollow eyes of blue staring at her as it held her up high enough to see her face.​

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With a great bellow it said "Go away!" before throwing Nimue far off the mountain side. ​

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She screamed as she went flying into the air before gravity set in. She found herself falling. The ground coming closer and closer and closer until...​

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With a loud yelp Nimue awoke from her nightmare. She was sweating and breathing so hard she almost seemed out of breath. She looked Asterion still there. She tried to calm herself before realizing something odd.​

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"The Book? Where is is?" ​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

His eyes opened at the noise beside him, and the elbow in the back. Stirring at her exclamation, Asterion turned over to see Nimue say up an in slight panic - the book had gone. She did look rather sexy looking slightly dishevelled, but not wasn't the time.

"It's gone..."

Turning on his front, he checked to make sure he hadn't rolled onto it, and moved the fur blanket back to reveal their semi-naked bodies, but not book. Asterion looked up, puzzled, and rolled to the tent opening and knelt outside. The night was cold and dark, and his skin bristled with the chill in the air; hairs standing on end, breathe frozen. Reaching out, the Force found natural life around him but nothing else - all normal.

"Nothing here."

Sweeping back in the tent, he was calm and focused, while Niume seemed disturbed. He knelt down on the bunk beside her.

"What were you dreaming about?"

[member="Nimue Stormson"]