Wizard Gigantic
Book Nine
Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles
Rodney W. Hartman
DEDICATION
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This book is dedicated to my brother Ron. He is a good friend, a fellow veteran, and probably the biggest wizard scout fan I have. I am blessed to have him as my brother.
Copyright © 2019 by Rodney Wayne Hartman
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover Design by Angie Abler
Proofreading service by The Pro Book Editor
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Books by Rodney Hartman
Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles
Wizard Defiant Book One
Wizard Cadet Book Two
Wizard Scout Book Three
Wizard Omega Book Four
Wizard Rebellion Book Five
Wizard Betrayed Book Six
Wizard Redeemed Book Seven
Wizard Defender Book Eight
Wizard Scout Trinity Delgado Series
Trinity Unleashed
Last Stand on Talos Seven
Table of Contents
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DEDICATION
Copyright
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 – Giants
Chapter 2 – Inconvenient Allies
Chapter 3 – Man in Black
Chapter 4 – First Healer
Chapter 5 – Clues
Chapter 6 – Man in Black
Chapter 7 – Message from the Past
Chapter 8 –Elf Friend
Chapter 9 – Bad News
Chapter 10 – Desert Heat
Chapter 11 – Distant Thunder
Chapter 12 – Aftermath
Chapter 13 – Feelings
Chapter 14 – New Drepdenor
Chapter 15 – Encampment
Chapter 16 – KP Duty
Chapter 17 – Hot Chocolate
Chapter 18 – Guard Duty
Chapter 19 – Crendemor
Chapter 20 – Ambush
Chapter 21 – Tele-bots
Chapter 22 – A Vampire’s Story
Chapter 23 – Dwarves’ March
Chapter 24 – Shandria
Chapter 25 – Monoliths
Chapter 26 – The Trap
Chapter 27 – Dragon
Chapter 28 – Recovery
Chapter 29 – New Hope
Chapter 30 – A Ship Acquired
Chapter 31 – At Sea
Chapter 32 – Point Departure
Chapter 33 – Limping Into Port
Chapter 34 – Tharg
Chapter 35 – The Museum
Chapter 36 – Armor
Chapter 37 – Battle Suit
Chapter 38 – Attack
Chapter 39 – Traps
Chapter 40 – Tunnels of Drepdenor
Chapter 41 – Old Drepdenor
Chapter 42 – Choices and Decisions
Chapter 43 – Dreams
Chapter 44 – The X-shuttle
Chapter 45 – Working with Fools
Chapter 46 – Green Time-bubble
Chapter 47 – Crash Landing
Chapter 48 –Purple Time-bubble
Chapter 49 – Battle of the Stairs
Chapter 50 – Demon Two
Chapter 51 – Intersection
Chapter 52 – Orange Time-bubble
Chapter 53 – Unexpected Help
Chapter 54 – The Angel
Chapter 55 – At Her Mercy
Chapter 56 – Dark Pool
Chapter 57 – Duel of the Giants
Chapter 58 – Choices
Chapter 59 – In Check
Chapter 60 – Ironfist
Epilogue
About the Author
Chapter 1 – Giants
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[Begin Transmission]
The giant Amirithoda, or Amir as his friends liked to call him, waited at the Five Ways intersection. The popular tunnel crossing was on level seven of the giant’s underground home deep beneath the Thandarhar mountain range. Although not the most elaborate of the Ecarian clan’s tunnels, Amir thought level seven was the most beautiful. The old stonemasons had taken millenniums to polish the black granite walls and floors to a mirror shine that reflected the light-globes embedded in the ceiling of the tunnel. The magic light made the detailed carvings of dragons and heroes of old on the tunnel walls stand out in all their glory.
A warm glow spread through Amir’s heart as he looked upon the handiwork of his giant forebears. Of course, it wasn’t just our stonemasons. The dwarves helped with some of the more intricate work. Amir smiled as he tried imagining giants six times the height of a dwarf chiseling the more detailed artwork on the walls. The dwarves are good, but even they would’ve been hard-pressed to excavate tunnels twice the height of the tallest giant without having the whole mountain fall down around their ears. He gazed at the light-globes in the ceiling. I suppose I shouldn’t forget to give credit to the gnomes. Our shamans are the best, but when it comes to light-globe magic, no one does it better than the gnomes, not even elves. Those lights have burned for tens of thousands of years.
Amir glanced at the northern-most tunnel of the five-way intersection. The hour was early, and only a handful of giants were to be seen.
Humph. Any giant with sense is still in their home-cave enjoying their bed. Come to think of it, that’s where I should be. He glanced down at his thin, cotton blouse, leather pants, and sandals. I should’ve worn something warmer, but too late to think about it now. Why Glory insisted on starting so early is beyond me. To top it off, she’s late. I should’ve known she wouldn’t be on time.
An image of the giantess Glorinda, or Glory as she preferred to be called, formed in his head. Warmth spread throughout his body as he imagined the brown-haired giantess giving one of her heartrending smiles. He’d long ago decided she was the most beautiful giantess in all of the Ecarian clan.
He stomped his feet to get his blood going. Well, beautiful or not, she’s notorious for being late. I’m an idiot for showing up on time.
Amir glanced at a metal plaque attached to the apex of the carved-stone archway that formed the entrance to the north tunnel. The magic plaque showed an image of the sun still well below a line of jagged mountains.
She’s later than usual. I’ll bet my mother’s best pickaxe that she stopped by the practice yard to get in a little training. I swear she’s not happy unless she’s beating on somebody with that sword of hers.
Amir shook his head. He loved the brown-haired giantess, but her enthusiasm with the more militaristic aspects of being a member of the Ecarian clan eluded him. The pursuit of magic and the life of a gem-seeker were better suited to his temperament.
Well, it’s nothing I didn’t know before I fell in love with her. Besides, she probably thinks it’s just as strange that I prefer reading a scroll in the library over beating something over the head with a club.
He tapped his sandaled foot and glanced at the time-plaque again.
We’ll make it work out somehow. Once we’re married, I’ll buy Glory a new set of armor and sword. As far as I’m conce
rned, she can practice all she wants if that’s what makes her happy.
“Amir!”
Glancing up, Amir saw Glory hurrying down the northern tunnel in his direction. Like usual, she was wearing chainmail over her padded leather jerkin and pants. The gray chainmail hung down to the top of her boots. She had an iron and wooden shield slung over her back. He knew the shield. Somehow she’d gotten Shaman Blackroot to cast a permanent illusion of a giant riding a gold dragon on the shield’s face. A longsword strapped to her left side completed her gear.
The giantess’s warlike appearance barely registered with Amir. His attention focused on the brown hair flowing out of her steel helm and washing over her shoulders all the way down to the small of her back. He noticed a bright yellow flower clipped in her hair. He smiled. He’d given it to her the night before.
She’s always liked yellow.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Amir noticed a massive sledgehammer gripped in the beautiful giantess’s right hand.
Hmmm. I’ve never seen that before. I wonder where she picked it up from.
Glory broke into a run, only slowing to a walk when she drew near. She stopped a pace and a half in front of Amir and laughed. Raising her left hand, she wiped a trickle of sweat from her brow that threatened to run into her eyes. “Sorry. I got up early to get a few rounds of sparring in at the practice yard. I guess time got away from me.”
“When have you ever been on time?” Amir asked, smiling in spite of his attempt to sound stern.
Feeling his face grow warm, Amir glanced down at the polished stone floor before looking back at his fiancée. “You know I hate wearing chainmail. It gives me a rash.
“Sometimes I think you’re hopeless. Chainmail gives everyone a rash.” She touched the wool scarf wrapped around the base of her neck. “That’s why I wear this. If you wore your armor more often, you’d be used to it.”
“The scribes don’t allow armor or weapons in the library. They say it scratches the wood whenever someone—”
Glory laughed. “I knew you went to the library first. You’ve got to learn to be ready for anything. We don’t know what we’re going to encounter this morning.” She gave a wink. “I may not always be around to protect you.”
“I’m pretty sure the most dangerous things we’ll cross paths with today are a bunch of cobwebs and maybe a few cave spiders. The tunnels below the Sanctuary Vault haven’t been used in centuries. Most seekers say they’re played out.”
“Well, we’re going to prove them wrong, aren’t we? You may not be a shaman yet, but I’ve got confidence in your seeker abilities. You’re the best gem-seeker in the entire Ecarian clan! You’ve told me often enough that the stone talks to you in ways the other seekers can’t understand. If there are any gems left in those old tunnels, you’ll find them.”
Amir blushed at the giantess’s praise. She’d always been the first to cheer him on and point out his strengths when others saw his weaknesses. Glory had set her battle helm for him at an early age. He remembered their Turning Ceremony, when they’d become official adolescents. The brown-haired warrior-to-be had come up to him and announced they would be married one day. At the time, he’d been more interested in scrolls and stones than in the opposite sex. Her perseverance had eventually won him over, and he was glad it had.
“I’ll do my best,” Amir told her. “I’m going to apply for an apprenticeship with Shaman Blackroot next year. He stopped by during seeker training last week. He’s better than all the other shamans combined. If I was his apprentice, I’d learn a lot. Uh, not that I’ll be giving up my seeker training. It takes a long time for a shaman apprentice to gain enough skills to make a living. I know we’ve got to have a way to support us when we’re married.”
Glory smiled. “Well, as long as you remember we can’t get married until you give my father the dowry.” She touched a leather pouch dangling from a thong tied to her belt. “We’ve got sixteen gems so far. We need another twenty-five. Then we can be married, buy a home-cave near the practice yard, and live the rest of our lives raising our children and growing old and fat together.”
Something his fiancée said made him frown. “What do you mean near the practice yard? I thought we’d agreed to get a cave near the library.”
The giantess gave a loud laugh. “Actually, I never agreed to that. I said I’d think about it.” She flashed one of her smiles that always seemed to make him want to do whatever she desired. “As it so happens, I have thought about it, and I think it would be best to have a cave near the practice yard. I’m sure you’re as anxious as me to have our children be inducted into the warrior clan.”
“Hey, I never said our children would be warriors. Maybe they’ll want to—”
Laughing even harder, Glory reached out and caressed his cheek. “Relax. Let’s not get in an argument over children we don’t have yet. We haven’t even consummated.”
Amir’s face grew red.
Glory shook her head. “Are you blushing? I swear you’re naive sometimes. Consummation is just a fringe benefit of being married.” She gave another one of her heartrending smiles. “They’ll be time to talk about that later.” Dropping her smile, she held out the sledgehammer. “Here, take this. It’s time to get to work now.”
Reaching out, Amir grabbed hold of the huge hammer. As soon as she released her grip, the hammer dropped, dragging his arm down with it.
Grinning, the giantess grabbed the hammer back just before it hit the polished floor. “I guess I should have warned you. Shaman Blackroot cast a spell on this sledge before my parents died. It’s twice as heavy as it looks.”
Amir scratched his head. “Why make it heavier? I’d think you’d want it lighter.”
The giantess hefted the sledgehammer over her shoulder. “Just wait until you see what it can do. For now, let’s get going. I’ve got a sparring match scheduled with Dreusel this afternoon. You know how much I like beating on him.” She touched the yellow flower in her hair. “He made the mistake this morning of making a snide comment about fighters wearing flowers. I told him it was given to me by someone special.” She winked. “I’m going to have one of the shamans put a preservation spell on it. That way I can put it on a chain and wear it close to my heart.” She smiled. “You don’t mind, do you?”
“Uh, no,” Amir said, growing suddenly tongue-tied.
Glory took off at a fast pace toward the south tunnel. Amir hurried to catch up. Even wearing armor, she was a fast walker. She was also the fastest runner in the Ecarian clan.
Truth be told, she’s the best at everything. She always has been. Amir shook his head. No, that’s not true. She’s horrible at magic. Most warriors are.
Coming to the first of the major staircases leading down, Glory descended ten flights of steps at a quick pace to the lowest completed level of the Ecarian giant’s mountain home. Four guards carrying clubs and spears stood at the only exit from the stair’s landing. At Glory and Amir’s approach, the guards snatched shields off their backs and formed a shield wall, blocking the exit.
“Halt,” said a black-haired and very stern-looking female guard. “What business have you here?”
Glory lowered the sledgehammer from her shoulder and set the butt of the handle on the floor. She glanced at Amir and winked before turning back to the guard. “Our business?” she said. “I’ll tell you what our business is. It’s none of your business, that’s what it is.”
The guard glanced at her three companions before lowering her shield and spear slightly. “Come on, Glory. Don’t play around. The king’s in the vault with Shaman Blackroot. Sergeant Cracktow will
have our hides if we aren’t doing our jobs.”
Amir felt sorry for the four young guards. He knew them all from his increasingly less frequent trips to the practice field. The leader of the four guards, Windjammer, had been his only other close friend. Glory had always been a little jealous of her, which Amir thought was silly since they were just friends and nothing more.
Growing serious, Glory placed the sledgehammer back on her shoulder. “The king’s here? Why?”
“You’re asking us?” said Windjammer. “How would we know? Sergeant Cracktow only put us here because the Sanctuary Vault level is the least frequented tunnel in the whole mountain. He says even we couldn’t screw things up down here.” After a quick glance at her three companions, Windjammer looked back at Glory. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t make us look bad in front of the king.”
“I’d never intentionally do that,” said Glory relenting a little. “Amir and I are going to the lower levels to look for gems.” She pulled a roll of parchment from the sleeve of her chainmail. “Here. We’ve got permission from the chief seeker. See? It’s signed and everything.”
Windjammer unrolled the parchment and stared at it. After a couple of seconds, she handed it to one of her male companions. “Uh, I never did learn how to read. What do you think?”
The male guard shrugged his shoulders. “Why ask me? I can’t read either. None of us can. Fight, yes. Read, no.”
Windjammer took the parchment back and held it out to Amir. “Is that what it says? I know you wouldn’t lie to me.”
Taking the parchment from the giantess, Amir glanced at it. Sure enough, it was a permission slip signed by the chief seeker. He looked at Windjammer. “That’s what it says all right. It gives permission for Glory and me to work the tunnel and keep any gems we find.” He glanced back at the scroll and scratched his head before looking at Glory. “Hmmm. It also says ‘Good luck. You’re going to need it.’” He looked back at the scroll and read the next line twice. “Hey! It says I’m supposed to work two hours extra for the chief seeker for every hour we’re in the tunnel.’”
Glory laughed and snatched the parchment back. “Oh, yeah. I meant to tell you about that.” She winked at the four guards before turning back to Amir. “It doesn’t matter. You’re such a good seeker, I figure we’ll find all the gems we need in a few hours.”