Smiling Giant
In the aftermath of a torrential rainstorm, the morning sun had emerged, casting its blistering heat upon Guhin's back. He had been walking with his companion, a crow named Fukujin, perched on his shoulder. The squelching sound of his water-filled boots was a constant annoyance. His clothes, still damp from the rain, clung to his skin. The sudden recollection of Ishu's birthday had caused him to leave in haste.
GUHIN: "Damn boots. Fukujin, weren't you supposed to bring Ishu a gift? He's going to be upset if we show up empty-handed again."
Fukujin offered no response, merely pecking at Guhin's forehead in a nonchalant manner.
Despite the irritation of his waterlogged boots, Guhin dismissed the crow's peck and continued his journey towards the village in the west. He was currently in the southernmost region of Valherya, known as "Jhorfa". This region was not populated by humans, but by trolls—mountain trolls, to be precise. These creatures towered at an intimidating twelve feet or more, their sheer strength capable of crushing armor as if it were paper. Magic was ineffective against them due to their skin's inherent resistance to elemental forces.
The most effective attacks were those that targeted their minds—or whatever semblance of a brain they possessed. Despite their lack of intellect, their formidable strength and magical defenses were more than enough to deter any knight, mage, or wizard from encroaching on their territory. Thus, when Guhin felt a slight vibration through the earth's surface, he immediately looked towards the horizon, where a cloud of dust was rising into the air...
His first thought was of trolls. It was troll season, after all, and the likelihood of encountering one was significantly higher. However, when the vibrations escalated into a sound akin to a stampede, Guhin had a hunch about what was approaching. A group of at least a dozen horses, galloping at high speed, accompanied by the boisterous laughter and shouting of the men riding them.
GUHIN: "We're not taking a detour like last time. Just ignore them, Fukujin."
Despite the potential threat looming ahead, Guhin continued towards his destination, the village in the western region of Valherya. With each step he took, the laughter and shouting gradually diminished. It seemed they had noticed Guhin, a lone figure in the open. It wasn't long before the group of men, astride their war horses and clad in plated armor, confronted him. These men bore the marks of battle—scars, heavy armor, and patches of fur between their shoulder pads and necks. Their wild hair and fierce eyes indicated their familiarity with combat. They positioned themselves in a line, blocking Guhin's path.
Their weapons were enormous, ranging from battleaxes and spiked maces to greatswords and spears—far from the typical weaponry an average man could wield. As the horses' warm breath seeped through their teeth, each man fixed his gaze on Guhin. Their attire and distinct appearance were foreign to Valherya. These were outsiders, brutes from another continent...
The tension between them escalated, and when it reached its peak, one of the men whistled loudly. The whistle served as a signal for their ranks to part. For a moment, it seemed they were going to let Guhin pass. Instead, a large man with bulging muscles, riding a mighty grey steed, slowly advanced...
This man was a giant, with a fur pelt tied around his waist and leather vambraces covering his forearms. His long black hair fluttered in the wind, and his bare upper body was a canvas of scars. His weapon of choice was an enormous greatsword strapped to his back.
His size was staggering, much larger than the men behind him. Guhin wondered why he hadn't noticed him earlier. Perhaps he had been distracted by the others. The same could be said about the man's horse, which was significantly larger than the rest, its hooves pounding the dirt beneath them.
The giant man radiated a different energy than the rest. Although devoid of magic, his aura was intense, suggesting that he was a formidable combatant. Guhin didn't have the ability to detect magic users, but he had a keen sense of smell. It was widely known that magic users had a distinct citrus scent. Of course, some smelled of the putrid stench of death, typically warlocks, witches, or necromancers. Given that Guhin possessed no magic of his own and was unarmed, if the situation escalated, it would turn into a bare-knuckle brawl against steel.
In the presence of the giant man, Guhin barely noticed the woman seated in front of him. She was bound from head to toe, her white gown tarnished. Her piercing blue eyes stared at Guhin through her long brown hair that draped over her face.
A muffled scream from the woman, her voice stifled by the ropes that bound her, sent a chill down Guhin's spine.
She was clearly terrified. Guhin decided to remain silent for now, but he was ready to seize any opportunity to save her.
A wide grin spread across the man's face as he noticed the golden amulet dangling from Guhin's neck.
LEADER: "Little man, you can start by taking off all the gold in your possession. Do you know who I am?"
The man's deep voice caused Fukujin to spread his wings and take flight. "Oh, I hope I didn't scare your friend."
Guhin remained silent. The leader, receiving no response from Guhin, nudged his horse with his heels, prompting it to take a few steps towards Guhin. The horse lowered its head, coming face to face with Guhin. As it chewed on some grass, white foam formed at the corners of its mouth. The horse exhaled a strong breath through its nostrils, the warm air breezing past Guhin and gently lifting his hood. The moment to save the woman had arrived. Although these savages probably deserved death, Guhin wanted to avoid killing anyone. As long as he could control himself, he wouldn't kill. Aware of his own strength and its potential consequences, he decided to give the horse a light tap on its jaw with his open hand.
LEADER: "My name is Bokun."
As the leader introduced himself as Bokun, Guhin gently slapped the side of the horse's jaw. The force of the slap sent the horse reeling to the side, causing Bokun and the woman to fall to the ground.
The sight of their leader falling to the ground amused the others. They began to laugh, their cheeks puffing with air, their eyes tearing up, until they could no longer contain themselves and burst into laughter.
Bokun rose to his feet, drew his greatsword in a flash, and cleaved through his laughing men without a hint of mercy. The image of his swing, a fine line of steel, lingered in the air before the bodies of his men fell into two separate pieces. The horses they rode on reared in fear, carrying their blood-spurting, headless corpses towards the sun. Laughing at their leader came with a price.
Bokun, taken aback by Guhin's sudden strike, looked at his mighty steed, now lying on the ground with its hooves in the air.
BOKUN: "How dare you hurt my horse Etro, and humiliate me. Now, where were we?"
As he turned around, he was startled to find that Guhin had already closed the distance between them. With no time to react, Guhin clenched his fist and delivered a powerful punch deep into Bokun's chest!
The impact sent a shudder through Bokun's body, nearly launching him off his feet. Before he lost his footing completely, he managed to stick his greatsword in the ground, preventing himself from falling over.
BOKUN: "What the hell?"
Surprised that this "little man" possessed such strength, Guhin closed the distance once again, seeming to disappear and reappear in a repeated cycle. When he got in range, he planted his fist deep within Bokun's abdomen. This time, the giant was lifted from the ground by the sheer force of the blow.
His large body floated in the air, helplessly looking down at Guhin, who was already preparing a kick to finish the job. Guhin drove his leg deep into Bokun's ribcage, sending him flying once more. Bokun crashed headfirst into the ground, skidding over the rocky surface with his teeth, leaving a trail of dirt and debris in his wake.
GUHIN: "That should do it."
Guhin was confident that not only had he avoided killing Bokun, but he had also ensured that the giant wouldn't be getting back up anytime soon. He made his way over to the woman, who was looking at him in complete disbelief after witnessing the brief skirmish.
The dust that had been kicked up during Bokun's fall began to settle, and the giant turned his back to the sun-warmed ground, facing the vast blue sky. Despite being on the receiving end of their brief encounter, he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with happiness and excitement. He had finally found what he had been searching for—a worthy opponent.
As Guhin continued to untie the ropes around the woman's body, Bokun's sudden laughter startled her. She noticed that Bokun was slowly getting up, his face split by a grin from ear to ear. His nose was badly broken, and a few of his teeth were missing, but that didn't stop him from laughing. The woman was completely frightened, and even more so, she was driven mad by the fact that the young man in front of her didn't seem to care. Not in the slightest.
BOKUN: "You will regret not taking me seriously."
A small gust of wind swept through the area, and the broad smile on Bokun's face disappeared. He grabbed the handle of his greatsword firmly in one hand, placed his thumb on the side of his nose, and straightened the broken bone. The sound of crunching cartilage sent shivers down the woman's spine as she watched the large man bend his knees and charge towards them with incredible speed.
A strong dash forward splintered the rocky surface, and Bokun appeared behind Guhin, his greatsword raised high above his head, ready to strike. The woman's bright blue eyes were filled with fear, and when Guhin removed the rope that had kept her from speaking, she screamed at the top of her lungs.
WOMAN: "BEHIND YOU!"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone