The feast began at the foot of the enormous hills. From cracks in the ground, smoke lazily rose, swirling in the thick, warm air, heavy with the smell of roasted meat and the bitter tang of campfires. The fresh breath of the forest only barely diluted this dense mixture. There was almost no wind—the entire valley felt covered by an invisible tent.
We had barely managed to settle on a fallen log when the meat was ready. But as soon as I picked up a piece, the ground trembled—the volcano towering nearby let out a muffled, hoarse roar. Startled, I nearly dropped my food.
— Hey! Why are you standing up?! — I shouted, noticing how both giants slowly rose, as if the mountains themselves had come alive before our eyes.
— It's time for the duel! — Brogy roared, grinning as wide as the entire valley. His voice echoed through the hills.
The giants stepped back a good hundred meters. The ground shook with every step: stones bounced, tables rattled, campfire smoke twisted into whirlwinds. And then—they stood face to face.
Dorry attacked first: his fist, huge as a boulder, sliced through the air with a roar. Brogy countered with a leap, spinning midair, and struck with his knee so hard that we were nearly blown away by the gust.
— Look, look! — Sabo exclaimed, his eyes blazing. — He dodges like a barrel on wheels!
Dorry slammed his arm down with a roar—an old tree split clean in half as if it were a fragile twig. Brogy instantly struck from the side, stones scattering everywhere, the air cracking from the crash of their foreheads colliding. I barely kept my balance, my heart pounding from the sheer force of each movement.
— Whoa… — murmured Karina, recently awakened. She stared wide-eyed, as if watching a divine spectacle unfold before her. — That's… monstrous strength.
Then Brogy spun, seized Dorry by the shoulder, and hurled him across the river with unbelievable ease. Water exploded into a towering fountain. But Dorry surfaced at once, his eyes blazing with battle-lust. He charged back and knocked his opponent to the ground with a mighty blow. The whole valley shuddered—stones tumbled from the hillsides.
At that moment the volcano let out another drawn-out roar. And—almost as if by signal—the battle stopped at once. The two titans calmly returned to the fires, as though everything had been nothing more than a warm-up.
— So that's what a "duel" means? — Sabo breathed, still shaken.
— One of us must win and return home, — Brogy said, eyes alight.
— Why not both of you? — Karina asked in surprise.
— Because this is the purpose of our hundred-year dispute, — Dorry replied, his voice ringing with steel.
We followed his gaze to where he pointed: two colossal skeletons at the foot of the hills. Snow-white bones glistened in the sun, monuments to ancient madness.
— It all began with the Sea Kings, — Brogy laughed. — We couldn't decide whose trophy was bigger. And so the laws of Elbaf decree—the quarrel can only be settled by battle!
— A hundred years?! — the others cried out together.
Karina crossed her arms and muttered quietly:
— Sounds… foolish.
Dorry and Brogy frowned, their cheerful smiles vanishing, replaced by cold sternness. It felt as if the masks of good-natured giants had fallen away. Their gazes grew heavy as stone, their breathing thickened, and the air itself filled with menace.
— Do you dare mock Elbaf? — Dorry's voice grew low and hoarse, like distant thunder.
Brogy clenched his fist until his knuckles cracked, leaning forward over us like a mountain ready to collapse. His eyes flashed—there was no kindness left in them, only wrath and warrior's fire.
Karina paled, pressing her hands to her chest and stepping back. Sabo tensed as well, his muscles flexing, as if ready to reach for his weapon at any second. Even the air grew heavier, like before a storm, the campfires crackling louder than usual.
— I-I didn't mean it like that! Forgive me! Your… uh… law is very impressive!
I stepped forward. My heart hammered in my chest, but retreat was not an option.
— If words are not enough… then allow us to fight you! If we endure until the volcano's roar fades, you forgive us this offense! That will be our apology!
The giants froze. Their brows rose slightly, and for a moment their sternness gave way to surprise. Then their lips stretched into smiles—far more dangerous ones this time. There was no mirth in them, only anticipation of battle.
— Ha-ha-ha! — Brogy laughed, slamming his fist into the ground so hard the stones leapt.
— Now that's a challenge! This boy understands how the world works!
— We'll see, — Dorry added, leaning forward as if ready to leap. — Whether you're worth anything in a fight with the warriors of Elbaf!
— Bellamy, be careful, — Sabo said softly from the side. His eyes shone with deadly seriousness. — These aren't just giants.
Well, you'd better prepare too, I told him, watching Dorry rise.