The giant gave the ground a lazy swipe with his flail, sending rocks and blades of grass into the air. Apart from his immense stature, the left side of his body was tattooed from head to foot. And the only clothing he had was a green embroidered bahag wrapped around his wide waist and thick-muscled thighs.

  He stared at Lam's direction with beaming eyes and fuming nostrils. "I'm Siagu, and I come to take your head you little fuck!" he screamed, red veins pulsing in his neck.

  Lam pointed at himself, confusion written all over his face. The waylander knew nothing of the giant. "Me?" he said. "what did I do to you?"

  The giant Siagu raised his flail towards his direction. "I'll have your head or die trying you little fucker. I had to bare a weeks worth of travel by sea with arrogant pale-skinned arseholes just to find you." He snorted and spat a thick clump of phlegm on the ground.

  "What?" Lam scratched his head. "Seriously, I don't even know you."

  The giant trotted and sped on to a jog towards him, slowly building momentum. His flail making blurred circles beside him.

  "He's talking to me, Lam."

  Lam-ag Sagpang Baha turned his head just in time as the gloomy skies opened up. He stared at Pulaco as rain drops began to fall on his face. "You know this beast?"

  Pulaco nodded back. "He came here to take his revenge on me," the datu spoke, no inflection in his words. "Is that right, son of Ziawi?"

  The giant chuckled in excitement as he dashed in a straight line towards Pulaco like a rampaging bull on a rut.

  "Revenge?" He laughed. "I'll reserve that for later. First, I'll give you a bloody beating then I'll give you what you truly deserve!"

  With incredible speed and force he continued towards the two men. It was unnerving to see him close the gap between them with ease, almost enthralling. Almost paralyzing. And as the fleet-footed giant moved, a murderous aura followed behind.

  "Get out of my way puny vermin!" Siagu said at Lam as he struck him with his free hand, breaking his spear in half upon impact and sending sharp splinters in the air. The force also drove the waylander bouncing down the green grass a couple of meters away.

  Pulaco leaped backwards in the slippery grass, his sharp eyes anticipating every move the giant made. He glanced at Lam's direction. Although limp, he still showed signs that he was still breathing. Pulaco sighed. This should not happen. He cursed himself when he realized that this is all his fault. Somehow people got hurt because of him. But before he could catch a breath, the giant swung his thick fist at Pulaco. Good thing the datu saw it coming and Siagu only struck thin air. Pulaco countered with a kick on the side of the giant's head, staggering him away. But it was more because he was surprised than hurt. He whirled back at the little man, flail slicing the air. But Pulaco was waiting for him, he quickly shifted his footing and darted away.

  "You run and run like a coward, fight me!" Siagu said. "Fight me like a bagani."

  Then, the giant dashed, smashed and slashed wildly at Pulaco, eager to club the chief's head into mush. But the datu dodged and parried every brutal blow, using his innate speed.

  "You ambushed my father!" said the giant, frothing in the mouth. "You killed him in cold-blood!"

  Pulaco leaped away to avoid the giant's wide swing. "It was a misunderstanding," he said. "Just a difference in our opinion that blew out of proportion. You don't need to do this. If you only knew why things happened the way it did–" Pulaco slipped in the slick ground but regained his footing to evade another murderous assault from Siagu. He shook his head. The man was so angry, it's making him predictable, the datu of Mandawili thought.

  Siagu's face turned ghost white in anger, body drenched by the flitting rain. Every thing he tried was missing, slowly chipping at his patience. "Just as expected you don't know anything. You are a foolish datu."

  "I know exactly what happened." Pulaco slid between the giant's legs. "So, stop this stupidity and hear me out."

  Siagu whirled to confront his enemy. "You tryin' to talk your way out of trouble?" He swung an elbow to Pulaco's face but the chief of Mandawili only rolled with the strike. Although he shielded himself from the full brunt of the blow, Pulaco was still thrown a few feet away by the giants sheer force.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Siagu closed the distance between them with one step. "The worst part with what you did was that I had to do a datu's job." He struck the datu in chest, staggering him. Then, he tried to grab the man's neck but Pulaco struck him flush on the face, with an open palm. The giant shook his head. "And all that I did for five agonizing years. And what do I get?" Siagu raised his free hand and thrust it towards Pulaco, to pin him down, but the datu countered it with a lightning fast punch of his own, hammering the giant's chin.

  Siagu growled as he batted his foe's next attack. "Well, I almost got exiled by my ungrateful advisers for being unworthy." He gave a hearty laugh. "And one thing lead to the other... So, I burned their huts down and now, every nobility in my land wants a piece of me at the end of their pike."

  Pulaco wiped the blood on his lips before attacking the giant and letting loose a couple of low kicks towards the giant's calf but Siagu ignored it. He had to slowly him down but he was far more durable than Pulaco expected. For a moment, the datu's concentration lapsed, giving Siagu a chance to strike. And like a battering ram, the giant shoved the chief of Mandawili away.

  "Warmonger!" Siagu said. The freakishly tall beast scowled at the datu when Pulaco raised both his fist to cover his guard.

  The giant paused to catch his breath for a while. He gave him a quick scan and a mocking smile blossomed on his face.

  "Ah, right... did that made things serious Mandawilian?" The giant turned his massive head from side to side, loosening his tensed muscles in preparation for another strike.

  "We could still end this peacefully," Pulaco said.

  "You are clearly not listening."

  "I do not see where this is all going."

  The giant laughed. "Ah... You see, as I wandered the Great Archipelago, things got me thinking and days ago it finally clicked!" Siagu said. "If you think it through all that happened to me was because of you! You started it you murdering scum. You started it when you fucking killed my father!"

  And then, Siagu, with surprising speed, attacked Pulaco with wild abandon once again. But he was more vicious this time around! One of the giant's blow caught the tip of Pulaco's shoulder, sending him crashing down the muddy ground.

  "That's why I'm going to smash you to bits." Siagu raised his weapon, panting heavily.

  ***

  Mingming watched Pulaco and the giant fight each other. He didn't know how things started but it surely was brutal as things went back and forth. "What in Sidapa's hell?" he said after seeing Pulaco's dire circumstance. His hand held the spear so tight it made his palm white. "Stand up! Fight him, Pulaco! Don't surrender and show him what you're made of!"

  It was mesmerizing to see how brute strength dueled against agility. And all knew were the Daragangan leader would bet if this was a wager between the giant and his chief.

  Manang Sabtano nudge him in the shoulder. "Pulaco is hesitating too much. He's putting himself in danger by prolonging their fight." She clouted Mingming for ignoring her.

  "What do you want me to do?"

  "The only right thing my son," his mother said. "Go, help your brother-in-law."

  Mingming stared back at her and then at his hands. What should I do? he thought. How in the hell can help him against a giant? His head snapped as Pulaco ducked and rolled on the muck to evade another vicious attack.

  Breathing heavy, the datu cursed himself, evading would only tire him out in the long-run. He needed to slow things. He faced Siagu, eye to eye.

  "Ziawi, your father, died by my hands," he said. "You are correct in that regard. Did he deserved every ounce of pain? No. But he was a drunkard and a slaver. A man with no honor. Yes, I killed him and I regret it." He tried to stand but failed. "But I'm also a firm believer that slavery is an evil that shouldn't befall anyone. I would never enslave those who depend their security," he spat blood, "or their lives on my hands."

  "Fuck your honor!" the giant screamed, weapon poised to strike Pulaco's head.

  Pulaco looked him in the eye. "All my men are free to leave any time and live their lives. A thing your father tried to argue against me using his kampilan blade, but he failed. Ziawi may have fought valiantly but he fought for the wrong reasons."

  Siagu's fist went down like a mace towards Pulaco. "Back to the mud for you!" the giant screamed. But before fist could smash skin and jaw to pieces, Mingming's spear skewered his forearm.

  "Argh. You numskull!" The giant turned and kicked the leader of the Daragangan in the gut, sending him up in the air. His limp body landed back to the wet ground with a thud.

  "Wait for your turn!" Siagu said. "Cause I'll send you all to the mud after I'm finish with your fucking chief."

  Something clicked inside Pulaco's head as he heard Siagu's words. Within a split second, he grabbed the distracted giant's wrist with one hand while his other hand twisted the spear towards the giant's wide chest. Is it too late for you too? the datu of Mandawili thought. Is it too late to change for you Siagu? Pulaco gritted his teeth as his throbbing shoulder exploded in pain. But that question did not matter as much as the thought of him and his friends dying. Fight, or everyone here will die a senseless death, Pulaco urged himself. He pushed his foe back. But the giant resisted with all his remaining strength, spittle coming out of his mouth. Every inch that Pulaco gained in their struggle intensified the pulsing pain on his shoulder. He would not last longer.

  "I will end you, Kalipulako!" The giant grunted, pushing him back. "And glory shall be mine!"

  And so, they continued their struggle, both knowing that they couldn't afford to lose their concentration. The only thought that fueled them was that they knew one will give way and meet his end first. The two of them were sure of it. It was just a matter of time when one of them tires down and make a mistake they would truly regret. The chief of Mandawili shifted his weight on his other foot but instead slipped, giving the giant the chance to slowly push away the cold blade of the spear away from him and towards Pulaco's neck...