Thinking logically, I decided not to take any risks or fray the warriors’ nerves.
I emerged as slowly as possible, moving fluidly with my hands raised to show I was unarmed.
I wasn’t certain of the giants’ cultural norms, but given their strong resemblance to humans, there had to be some common ground.
And the human mind, on an instinctive level, is rarely inclined to kill children.
I began walking toward the giants.
To minimize the danger, I hugged the side of the boulders, keeping cover nearby in case I needed to vanish from long-range attacks.
Purely as a precaution.
The warriors spotted me instantly, leveling their staves in my direction.
But before a battle could erupt, the tallest and oldest giant slowly raised his hand.
He surveyed the scene calmly, giving a slight shake of his head.
The other titans watched him for a moment before lowering their weapons.
They lowered them, but they did not put them away.
The closer I drew, the better I could see them.
Up close, it was apparent that the warriors’ crystalline armor and weapons were etched with faintly glowing runes in an unknown tongue.
Their faces were focused, their gazes locked on me.
Save for their size and skin color, their expressions made them indistinguishable from ordinary men.
Yet, their skin remained their most striking feature.
At this distance, it didn’t just look like an unusual shade; it appeared to be a genuine stony crust—cracked, clearly ancient, yet tough and seemingly indestructible.
The largest giant stood out even among his peers.
As I approached, I saw the deep lines on his face and a white beard that almost blended into his clothing.
But it was his eyes that commanded attention.
Cold blue eyes, seemingly glowing with light, stared directly into mine.
Once I was close enough, he spoke:
— “Greetings to you, child who fell from the heavens,” he said, bowing slowly before fixing me with a piercing gaze.
“It seems the omens did not lie this time. I am Uthor, Speaker to the Stones, and may the storm never cross your path.”
— “I, cough-cough…” The first word I uttered in this life came out as a raspy cough, but I managed to find my voice.
“…I am glad to see someone here who doesn’t attack me on sight. I hope we can reach an understanding and find peace.”
My voice, though belonging to a child, was steady and resonant; it was dry but radiated strength and confidence.
Upon hearing me, the giant raised a massive hand and began to stroke his beard.
To show respect, I mirrored the giant’s greeting bow.
For someone with total recall and perfect bodily control, it was a simple task.
I could see the surprise in the eyes of the other giants, but the old man maintained an arctic composure.
— “Yes, the lower slopes of Karaashi are full of perils and mysteries that frighten even my people,” he said, shaking his head slightly as he looked me over.
“They are certainly no place for someone like you. I suspect this entire world is no place for someone like you…”
He sounded like a wise elder reciting the fundamental truths of life.
I listened with maximum focus, catching every word to analyze later.
Information was now a critical resource.
— “To be honest, I know nothing of the world around us. I only began exploring it recently. If you would enlighten me, I would be most grateful.”
— “Enlightenment is the reason I still walk beneath the heavens and draw breath,” the giant grunted, a faint smile touching his lips.
“Well, since you are so curious, I invite you to walk with us to our temporary home. There I can explain things much better, for we shall have time for long talk. To remain here as the darkness veils the land is a poor choice. The steel beasts imprisoned by metal and the spirits lost in time hunt specifically at night.”
The giant turned, nodded to his men, and then made a fluid gesture toward the mountains before extending his hand to me.
— “Our abode is some five thousand paces away, but the journey across the black sands and steel mountains is too difficult for the uninitiated. Forgive me, but our lands do not pardon mistakes. While I see a great strength in you that might allow you to cross them on your first attempt, we have little time. The night is dark and full of terrors. If we delay even briefly, the undead hordes and sentient machines will immediately begin their pursuit. My people are currently in no state to withstand them, so from the bottom of my heart, I ask you to trust me.”
Naturally, I wasn’t keen on climbing into the hands of a titan who could crush me just by closing his fist.
But the giant recognized my hesitation immediately.
— “I understand you have no reason to trust us,” he said with a slow nod.
“The door of trust opens both ways. However, trust is also a stone that can be used to build bridges between men. To prove you can rely on me, I wish to give you this.”
He drew a meter-long silvery staff from his belt and handed it to me.
My mind held blueprints for something distantly similar, but I could feel that this device was heavily modernized.
It used the same principle of ion weaponry, but enhanced through the use of antimatter micro-particles…
staggering fire-power coupled with a near-limitless energy source.
All in one rod.
The thought occurred that this could be a clever trap, but it made no sense.
If they wanted me dead, they could have done it in a much simpler way.
Or rather, they would have tried, as my speed and agility were not to be underestimated.
Giving me a functioning weapon of such power significantly reduced their own chances of survival.
I took the staff and immediately began inspecting it while listening to the giant’s explanation.
Besides, assessing the risks coldly, my chances of surviving here alone were critically low.
No food, no water, no shelter, no information, no warm clothing, and no proper weapon.
Critically low.
— “This is the Thunderbearer, one of our finest implements, capable of destroying even the most dangerous spawn of the ancient eras,” Uthor explained.
“A single discharge would kill even me instantly. It is a masterpiece from the Golden Age, before the Long Night covered the sky. An old weapon passed down through generations. However, I see that one such as you is more deserving of such a treasure.”
His voice was full of reverence as he spoke of the ancient device.
Despite this, my mind was entirely occupied with analyzing the marvelous mechanism.
It was a fine toy, but my mind was already throwing up ideas on how to build something far greater and more perfect…
— “…You have the wires connected incorrectly here.”
The giant looked at me in astonishment as I scrutinized the device.
The cold casing, covered in unknown inscriptions, was not monolithic; peering closely, one could see a barely visible bundle of wires inside.
Although I couldn’t physically see the entire internal structure, my every instinct screamed that the weapon required refinement.
Looking up, I saw the giant watching me with a faint smile.
Evaluating the risks one last time, I gave a silent nod and climbed onto his hand.
He said nothing more, simply turning and moving off at an incredible speed.
The journey took just under an hour, during which I observed the local dead landscapes.
Mountains, sand, ice—and not a single leaf or living organism.
Not a sound of a beast or any sign of human society.
A cold silence blanketed the valley while “un-life” held total dominion: dead stone, dead earth, dead snow, and even dead air singing over the corpse of a dead world…
Only toward the very end of our trek did I finally see something new.
A massive fortress was visible from miles away.
I suspected it was once a gargantuan temple or castle, now replaced by ruins and decay.
Great metallic obelisks stood near shattered towers and boulders that had crushed ancient walls.
Mapping the journey in my mind, I realized I had returned suspiciously close to the giant mountain I had emerged from.
It wasn’t hard to guess what recent event had led to the destruction of their home.
If I was right, it was clear why Uthor called me the “fell from the heavens” and why he wanted me in his abode…
Looking up, I peered searchingly at the giant carrying me.
His face was a mask of perfect calm and confidence.
He shielded me slightly with his other hand, making it clear he would rather perish himself than let anything harm me.
Моя интуиция твёрдо говорила, что ему можно доверять.
As we drew closer, I saw more giants.
It became clear there were two castes among this titanic people: warriors encased in silicon armor guarding the site, and simple artisans without it, attempting to restore the ruins.
Ten minutes later, we arrived at the base of the mountain where the temple was built.
Warriors in stone armor cast suspicious glances at me and Uthor, but he ignored them and pressed on.
He stopped only at the main entrance, which seemed gargantuan even for a giant.
— “Whom have you brought, Speaker?” A group of guards stopped the lead giant, eyeing me.
There was no anger in their eyes, but they were filled with confusion.
— “A child who fell from the heavens. Details can wait, but night is almost upon us; we must enter quickly. Believe me, there will be no trouble—my honor is the guarantee.”
The guard didn’t argue; he simply nodded and stepped aside.
Uthor took a few steps forward, waved his free hand, and spoke a word in a language unknown to me.
The stone groaned into motion.
The gates began to grind apart, revealing inner stone walls covered in glowing runes and—strangely enough—ordinary light bulbs.
Why was a light bulb “ordinary” to me while runes were not?
Likely because the construction of these gates was complex even for me, and the system of mechanisms eluded my grasp.
I would need to look at their innards to figure it all out…
Since there was no longer a need for haste, Uthor set me on the ground and led me inside.
He walked in silence, looking straight ahead.
He seemed to know that despite the risk, I would follow him into the depths from which I could not escape if they chose to imprison me.
I did not hesitate and followed.
Intuition aside, it was obvious I couldn’t survive alone.
In a place where there is no clean water or food for dozens of kilometers, a single child can do little.
Even one like me.
What was I going to do, eat the dirt?
As I crossed the threshold, the doors began to seal shut.
I matched the giant’s pace, which he had slowed once I was on my feet.
I took the time to study the castle thoroughly.
The corridors were perfectly scaled to the inhabitants—ten meters high and just as wide.
A soft light illuminated the stone walls, but the atmosphere remained somber.
Interestingly, some sections were lit far better than others.
Peering closer, I noticed cracked runes that were dark or merely sparking.
They differed slightly from the ones on the walls inside the mountain, but shared common elements.
Intriguing.
Uthor and I walked for another ten minutes until we reached something resembling a blacksmith’s workshop.
In the corner stood a giant forge, a workbench, an anvil, a furnace, and other tools.
Crude as they appeared, my mind was flooded with ideas and blueprints for complex machines hidden behind this “backward” exterior.
Once we were inside, Uthor closed the door.
He checked me over once more, satisfied with my calm, and moved to the table.
He slid a massive chair toward me and sat in another.
Climbing up was no issue—my body was already far stronger than a normal child’s, so I simply hopped onto it.
The giant looked at me with surprise, then leaned back in his chair and relaxed visibly.
— “Now, we can talk. Believe me, nothing here threatens you. Our warriors may look frightening, but they are guardians, not killers. We only oppose those who bring danger to others,” he said peacefully.
— “To start, I would like to know who you are, where I am, and at least roughly what year it is,” I began.
Uthor nodded and began to speak calmly:
— “We are the Order of the Keepers of Mount Karaashi, the peak where our temple stands,” he said with great dignity.
“Though it is not in its best state following the meteorite strike, believe me, our greatness is not so easily undone. Our craftsmanship will survive for millennia more, as it has survived many already.”
He grunted, looking at me as he mentioned the “meteorite.” I was no fool; I could put two and two together.
Yet there was no anger in his words—only curiosity.
— “The year… even for us, it is difficult to keep count of the centuries and millennia that have passed since the Fall. Few peoples have kept such repositories of wisdom as we have,” the giant mused, stroking his beard again.
“Unfortunately, almost all records preceding the Long Night have long been swallowed by the sands of time. But our manuscripts claim that roughly five and a half thousand years have passed since the awakening of humanity and the birth of the great storm that isolated the stars. Though we may be mistaken.”
He sighed heavily, looking away.
— “Once, this world was called Sthenelus,” the giant continued with a hint of sadness.
“A world of steel and fire, a legendary star-forge where wonders of human thought were created.* A center of progress and knowledge accumulated over thousands of years. But after rise of Men of Iron —sentient machines that chose to cast off the yoke of human oppression—after the awakening of the hidden powers of the human mind and the fall of the Empire of Immortals into the depths of depravity, only ruins remained of that former glory. In those rare moments when the clouds part, one can see the ruins of the great steel ring encircling the planet. Telstarax was once the pride of the human race, showing how high we had climbed. Now it is only a reminder of how deep we have fallen… We are the last defenders of knowledge and the keepers of the ancient monsters sealed within this mountain. It has been so for dozens of centuries, but now something tells me the whole world is about to transform. I feel an age of change coming, and you, Fell from the Heavens, will play no small part in it.”
I didn’t know how to respond.
My strange physiology, bizarre origin, and supernatural understanding of mechanisms were all signs that I was far from an ordinary human.
It was too early to think about changing the world, though that was a problem for the future.
Right now, something else was more important…
— “…I can neither confirm nor deny this information yet, as I know too little myself. However, I am certain that no great man ever became so alone. For a start, I will need some assistance…” I said, choosing my words carefully.
Uthor merely laughed and waved a hand.
— “You may stay with us as long as you wish. Our order will not abandon a child in the middle of a dead land full of threats. Personally, I am ready to teach you everything I know, and I doubt any of my brothers would refuse you,” he said firmly.
“Despite the destruction of part of our home, that is the past. While we preserve history, we also try to look to the future. Our world needs someone to change it for the better. It is either that, or the sands of time will bury us all forever.”
Continuing the disclosure of the lore of the most unpopular legion.
Yes, Medusa was once one of the most developed human worlds in the entire galaxy, competing with Mars itself in terms of technology.
The Red Planet is slightly smaller than Terra, but Sthenelus is five times larger than Earth.
And accordingly, one can imagine how much larger than the Martian giant ring around the titan-planet was.
And yet, if even after the Fall they were able to make most of the ships for the Crusade on Mars, then what kind of production capacities did Medusa have?
However, that era has passed and now the planet is inhabited by Storm Giants, Digitized Ghosts, cyber-zombies and thousands of other types of techno-monsters and creatures.
Personally, I think this is the most underrated and interesting world in all of Warhammer, with limitless potential for a story.
And that’s not even mentioning the Black Pyramids made of living metal, located very close to the landing site of Ferrus…