System Break

It cast a shadow over a three story building. 

I drew in a sharp breath while everyone impatiently waited for me to describe what Demon Bird could see. "It's big. Fucking big. Thirty feet. It's trashing a building for the fun of it." I said.

"Describe it," Peppin said. "I've read a hundred books on monsters. I can help."

"It's arms are long; they hang almost to the ground and its holding a mace of some sort. It has armour! It's a giant armoured, ape thing."

"Does the armour look like it's made from stone?" Peppin asked.

"Yeah, it could be. It's dark grey. It just popped an adventurer in its mouth. Chewed and spat him out."

Peppin's brows furrowed. "It eats him for his core and spits him out when it has it."

"So it's refilling. There's no sign of Sakaala or the Protectors."

Peppin frowned. "If it's a Titan then the Protectors will not stand up to it easily. If it's a Colossus it will eat a protector for breakfast."

"What will we do?" Gisael asked.

"You should kill it if you can. Many people will die," a voice said.

The dark blue, shark headed humanoid dressed in finery came up from below decks. It was the Qizhu Scholar. He smiled shyly if that was possible with shark teeth. "I am supposed to be in hiding until we were offshore."

"But they're not my people," I said and shook my head. "This city tried to end us."

"The normal folk? The baker? The butcher? The woman who cleaned your kitchen, did she try and end you?"

I shook my head and spat. He was right. "Fine. Okay. We'll give it a go. I cannot die anyway."

The scholar shook his head. "My tall brown friend. If it eats your core you will die. I assure you."

"Shit, so that adventurer died in real life?"

An unreadable expression crossed the Qizhu's face. "This is real life."

"I apologise. I meant that his host died and so did his mind in another body."

The Qizhu made a hissing sound. "This is not good. It unbalances and already unstable land. Go. Do what you can to save the people who you and yours put in danger."

I nodded. "We will." I stood on the edge of the ship and turned back. "When we get back you have some explaining to do."

His smile made him look like he wanted to eat a baby seal. "If you dispense with the Titan then I will be happy to educate you."

The captain frowned and pointed to the decks below.

The Qizhu sighed and nodded. "I shall stay hidden."

Gisael and Peppin followed me as we ran through the docks. "Keep your distance," I said. "Just support me and I'll see what I can do."

"But I'm a protector," Peppin said, and her voice quivered. "I'm not afraid." 

"You are but it's how you channel your fear that matters. It's adrenalin and you can make good use of it if your mind is right."

Peppin's eyes narrowed. "I don't know what you mean."

I chuckled. "Probably not the best time for a lesson. Just hang back. Let me work out a strategy and stay out of harms way. There were other protectors and adepts defending this city and they're nowhere to be seen. I know they had healthier cores than you."

Where was Alejo and his bastard boss – Sigwurd. Did the Titan kill them? I hoped that Alejo was merely maimed and that if Sakaala died she was smart enough not to get her core eaten.

"Peppin," I said. "Go find Sakaala and see if any Protectors are alive."

"Where?"

"Due east, about five miles. Search for her. I'll send Demon Bird to you when I can."

She frowned. "Are you sending me out of danger?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm calculating. You won't be any use in the fight, and I'll have to worry about you if you're too close. I'm also genuinely concerned for Sakaala and another called Alejo. I need to know Sakaala is okay and if Alejo is wounded he'll need your help."

"Who is Alejo?"

I stopped and held up my hand. We were close. "A bluecloak. Tall and almost as handsome as me. Go."

Without further argument she left.

We watched as the Titan did as it pleased in the city. The soldiers were useless, and protectors were nowhere to be seen.

"It has eyes," Gisael said.

"And a big fucking mace." It's weapon was the size of small car. It was made of stone and would have weighed five ton. Even without qi that was a devastating weapon. The fur and stone covered giant ape had bright blue eyes. They shone like they were headlights. 

Qi patterns covered its body but not the stone armour. The mace however was covered in a qi lattice.

"Can we kill it?" Gisael asked softly.

"I don't know."

She looked at me with concern in her eyes. She was used to me being confident bordering on arrogant. But I wasn't arrogant if I was I would have lied and said no problem. This monster made everything we had faced, the Cave Troll, the Demon Boar, and the Gargscarab look like a walk in the park. It was no surprise that the protectors were defeated.

I looked at my three weapons while tactics swirled around in my tiny brain. I pointed. "Let's head over there." It was where all the citizen lived, and I was an absolute shit for taking the fight there.

We ran north and climbed a three story building. I hefted the throwing spear. It's cold iron wings would help it fly.

For the first time in a battle I dropped qi sight and imagined my qi techniques – strength, agility, and speed. I imagined flooding my spear with qi so it would fly and them bury itself in the Titan.

My qi flowed. I could feel my muscles brimming with power. I didn't need to see it. It was like closing your eyes and your hearing was suddenly sharper. I felt my qi and it felt great.

I leaned back and threw the spear at the Titan's back. I aimed for a section below the stone armour which covered the nape of its neck. It's stone armour only covered half of its body. And I knew all too well what damage could be inflicted by wounding a spine.

The spear flew and it didn't need much guiding, the Titan was tremendously powerful, but it moved slowly. It landed dead on target and bore into its back. The Titan roared like a hundred wounded bulls. It reached for the spear with its massive free hand, it grabbed at it a couple of times and eventually knocked it loose.

It was thirty feet tall; the spear wound was relatively a pin prick. It annoyed the Titan, but it was far from severely wounded. But that was okay, I had its attention.

It turned and searched. It's bright blue eyes burned with alien intelligence and anger. It saw us standing on the three story building in the civilian sector. It was made from wood. 

All the buildings in this section were made from wood.