Chapter 11: A meeting with Brak Distar

From the journals of Brother Pieter

My journey with Lord John has been varied, and not without the danger of attack. Witness our recent adventure in the world of the giants during which Lord John has vouchsafed to be his home world, although how this couldst be still remains a mystery to me.

No sooner didst we arrive in the new land than a giantess grabbed both Genius and I, then we were then taken by this thing into a wooden house many sizes the cathedral at Yvens. From there we were placed into a cage house where Lady Brenda was curled up sleeping. The turncoat Gerald was in another corner holding his wrist where his hand had been burnt away during his attack on Lady Brenda.

I had expected some depravation to have occurred but Brenda appeared to be in good spirits. She told me that the giantess that had captured us was actually a good soul that was just trying to help her grandfather, a giant that made his appearance a bit later.

"SO THERE ARE MORE OF YOU LITTLE FOLK AROUND, I KNEW IT! SO YOUR CROCK MUST BE NEAR HERE, WHERE IS IT? WHERE IS IT?" It bellowed to us.

"We don't know what you're on about, what's a crock?" Genius shouted back to it.

"YOU KNOW, THE CROCK OF GOLD THAT YOUR TYPE IS ALWAYS GUARDING! I NEED IT FOR CLANCY! I'VE CAUGHT YOU FAIR AND SQUARE SO YOU HAVE TO GIVE IT UP!" He said. I wasn't sure which deity Clancy was but later I came to know that it was the name of the giantess.

Later we were shown off to other giants. At first I was afraid that we were going to be eaten later, for who knows what food these giants have, but they only seemed to want to look at us. Several of them made some remarks that were quite disgusting about Brenda, Genius and I. They thought they were whispering but even their whispering was loud!

While we were trying to sleep, recovering from the indignities that we were enduring, the giant came into the wooden house with two others. When they entered I noticed that Genius seemed to recognise them, but I do not know how, for she got to her feet and seemed to look at them.

In turn they also reacted to Genius, making motions for her to ignore them as they spoke to the giant.

Following their conversation I learnt that they were with some form of entertainment and wanted to buy all of us to take to yet another place to be looked at. There was even some talk of 'creating' more of us; as if I would agree to such a thing ... I am a Brother of the Church after all!

But the giant told them that they were not offering enough money — I didn't understand what 3 million dollars were but it seemed to be a small amount to the giant — and that he was expecting some other people to arrive who would offer more.

The two men left. In a way I was sorrowful to see them leave, but one of them made a gesture with his hands that Genius seemed to recognise. As he closed the door behind them the giant laughed, "Dammed government! Always trying to steal my gold!" He said in a quieter voice, but it was still loud. And then he laughed I don't know why but he mentioned the men's' names and laughed again as if it was a joke.

When I asked Genius why she recognised the men and she looked at me strangely, "I could feel that they were a part of us. I cannot explain it but I just knew they were not what they seemed to be, but that they were here to help us.

I will not mention the sanitation routine that we had to endure but, suffice it to say, that we tried our best to preserve our own modesty in this. The food was, of course, larger than we were used to. The giantess, Clancy, brought out something called Yam and Exs (I think that was what she called it). The meat was large enough to feed us itself and the Ex's, from thinking about it they did resemble eggs so maybe I could have misheard her, they were white with a yellow middle that was liquid in places. I don't know how they cooked them but it remained hot as we ate them.

As we ate the giantess began talking softly to us, she had been told by Brenda that her normal voice was too loud for us, and we learnt that she was living with her grandfather after losing her parents in some kind of accident. I suppose that giants were more inclined to have such things and they would be worst for them than for us!

But things here were expensive and they only had enough money to feed and house themselves. When Brenda and Gerald arrived Clancy overheard her father say that they must be little-folk, some creatures of myth, who had to be part of the fairy-ring (I didn't understand what that was).

In a way I felt sorrow for the plight of the giantess. She was trying to look after the house of her grandfather, while going to something called a school which seemed to take up most of her day, and then she had to do something called homework. I thought this meant working on her home, but then she said that she had to do her chores before she could go into the garden which she tended.

It appeared that while she was working in her garden there was a shimmer in the air and then Brenda and Gerald appeared, both were unconscious, she took them into her grandfather who began to talk strangely to her, as he's been talking strangely to us all the time, about little-folk who actually existed!

It seems that Clancy tried to tell him that they were not fairies but he would not listen to her. He started to make phone calls taking no heed of the wound that Gerald was holding until Clancy started to scream, it was then that he started using some stuff on Gerald and then gave him a comfit to ease the pain.

When Clancy left Brenda took up the story, of how the girl (I'm starting to think of her as a girl now, not a giantess) had taken to looking after them and kept apologising for her grandfather. She was a good soul in a large body.

It was later that evening when two more giants entered the house, they had Clancy with them and she was crying. If I was larger then I would have challenged them, but what they did was to open the door to some enclosure that they were carrying and then lift the cage so that we fell into the thing. It had smooth sides so that I couldn't get a purchase, although there were several window slits along the side so that we could see out around us, there was also a large doorway made of some strange white stuff which was in a mesh design, which we could not breach.

We were taken outside and, from what I could hear; the girl was being made to come with the men against her will. We were taken to some kind of transport and left Clancy's home. Even though Clancy was holding onto our container it was still a bumpy ride.

We were travelling when I heard one of the men saying, "WELL MOVE YOU IDIOT!"

The second responded, "WHEN THE ROAD IS CLEAR I WILL, THIS BLASTED TRUCK IS BLOCKING THE FING HIGHWAY" (I did not understand the word but from Lord John I have learnt it's not a word that people should use) Then there was a loud noise emanating from the transport.

"WHAT THE F, WHAT'S THAT FING THING DOING! QUICK, MOVE BACK!" The first man said but the noise of the transport ceased.

"FING ENGINE'S CUT OUT"

"WELL START IT, YOU STUPID FER!" They sounded slightly annoyed at this situation, I wasn't sure why?

"WELL, I'M GETTING OUT TO SORT THAT STUPID TRUCKER OUT!" The second man said but then he seemed to have a problem, "WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS FING DOOR!" he said and then both found out that their doors would not open.

Genius began laughing, which made Clancy bend over to look at us. "What's happening?" she whispered to us.

Genius went to the side and shouted out, "Lord John is coming for us! There is no need to worry Clancy, everything will be alright now!" She said.

I asked her how she knew this but she shook her head, "I don't know. I just know that Lord John is behind all this."

And indeed so it was, I won't go through the details of what happened, suffice it to say that we were rescued by Lord John and some smaller help.

We returned to the portal area and then, using some spell that I did not understand, he made us the same size as the giants. He then healed the turncoat who asked why he would do that, he doesn't know the goodness of Lord John, and so I took the time to tell him before Lord John activated the portal for us to travel through.

On arriving back onto the world we were happy to see people we knew, and I thanked the Higher Being that we had been allowed to return. I also asked that he looked after Lord John and that he would give him a gift for his work.

But it seems that my request was short-lived as the man in charge of the blue-suited guardians showed Lord John a missive that caused him to take the turncoat and his spiritual wife with him through another portal. Before leaving he charged us to rest, and to look after the men who were gathered here.

The blue guards were very friendly and helpful and I soon was able to get to know them and learn their beliefs which were vastly different to mine. I quickly assumed that it was because they were so involved in their richness that they had forsaken their true god, but I was wise enough not to dissuade them from their foolishness. Lord John had told me that such a thing was more likely to cause reaction and injury, 'better to leave them to their delusions and remain true to your own god, rather than try to convert them from theirs' were his words to me.

Be that as it may, I did tell them of our beliefs and was surprised to hear them laugh at them. I was sorely tempted to us to use my staff on them, but prayed to the Blessed One to teach them the truth at a later age.

It was later, after they had moved on to another position, that I realised what had happened. Lord John was right that I had been so blinded by my faith that it was stopping me from hearing that of others. In the end we all worshiped a god, be it under whatever name, but it is still a powerful entity! If this fact had been remembered, then many of the religious wars would never have happened.

I was shaken as I realised this and I prayed for the Supreme One to always give me enlightenment when dealing with others, and to be more aware of my own arrogance.

In this new mood I then went forth to the men of my Lord and offered aid and words where necessary.

While doing this I noticed some men entering the area. They were dressed alike and all wore masks, their appearance and movements giving me a sense of foreboding. I went towards them, as did a number of the blue guards, when the men brought out a small staff each and pointed them at the guards who immediately fell down as if struck by arrows.

The leader looked at me, "Where is Brenda?" He demanded.

"Why should you want to know?" I questioned him, only to be struck by him.

"Foolish barbarian! It is my right to ask questions and your duty to answer them. Now where is Brenda?" He repeated.

I wiped my mouth from where his hand had connected and looked at him, "The Lady Brenda is safe with her guardian. Now I charge you by the Supreme Being to leave this place!" I said, pulling myself up to face him, but he only laughed.

"Guardian? You mean that deluded android that considers itself to be a goddess?" The masked man said and then took notice of my reaction, "You didn't know that? My, my, what have they been telling you?" he said which made me wonder. I had believed that Genius was the daughter of Bran o'the forest and a woman called the Green Lady, but now this man was telling me that she was like one of those created people who served at the lodging house.

"Why, even I am better than her as I am based on a real Maker. I am above those lower androids, although my master is the only one I would obey!" The man said and from that I could tell he was one of these false people as well.

"Genius is more than you would ever be!" I said surprising myself.

"Indeed? Why should I care what a barbarian like you would think? My master is a true being who does not need concern himself with the likes of you." The being sneered showing arrogance in his face.

"But still, you need my help to identify your target ... so it seems that without this barbarian you would be lost!" I said with a laugh.

A gesture that was cut short as one of the masked men held me and the leader backhanded my face, "We do not need you, barbarian. You are beneath us!" He said.

"I am a Brother of the faith of the Supreme Being, at least call me by my right title!" I said looking at the man in the eyes.

He hesitated, "A priest? ... You may be needed to convince the female to consummate the union with Brak!" He said and then turned as Genius approached.

"Release that man!" She said her hand reaching for her sword.

"Why should I, android? It's just a lower being just like you." The leader said pulling a sword from his belt, his fellows just looked at each other and laughed.

"You are an android as well!" Genius countered and her sword swung at the man.

He parried and then thrust back making Genius step back, "No, I am an advanced model. I am faster, stronger, and superior to you in every way." He said, bringing his sword down to hack at Genius's legs

Genius jumped and then seemed to lose her sword as she changed form to that of the wolf, leaping onto the man and aiming for his throat. The man ducked throwing the wolf away from his body, the wolf rolled on the ground over the sword lying there and then Genius was rolling over with the sword in her hand.

"Not better, just a newer model, you're damaged!" She said looking at her adversary.