I saw the giant woman charging at me with an axe in her hand, but still, I didn't move.
She wouldn't attack me with an axe, would she?
I'm still a child.
She moved at a speed unprecedented for a woman of her size and it was when I saw her axe glinting in the sunlight above my head, I was reminded of how I was executed at the ripe age of 15. I weaved a dagger made of ice and dodged her attack. Her axe sliced the ground where I had been standing.
Her movements left no openings for me to exploit.
Big as she was, her movements were fast and precise. The two of us took our stances and steadied our grips on our weapons. We were ready for a one-on-one clash. The troll woman stared into my eyes, and I stared into hers, but just as we were about to begin our fight to the death, someone stepped between us.
It was her son, the giant boy.
"Euuk~"
He turned to his mother and grabbed the axe from her hand.
"Toke, what are you doing?" the troll woman asked now looking a bit confused.
"Euuk~"
She then turned to me, somehow expecting an explanation. I couldn't help but sigh before answering.
"I wasn't the one who attacked your son. He was attacked by some other boys, and I stepped up to help."
"Euuk~"
She stared back at her son, then back at me.
"Oh, so that's what happened." She chuckled awkwardly rubbing the back of her head. "I apologize. When I saw my little boy all injured and you standing there, I thought the worst."
"Little boy?"
"Yes, my son Toke is only 9 years old."
"Huh?!"
That can't be right. You're telling me that behemoth is younger than me?
I couldn't help but gape at the 9 year old boy, who was taller than most adult.
That thing is nine! That can't be right!
"Again, thank you for helping my boy. If there is anything I can do for you, just let me know."
Suddenly I snapped out of my trance and remembered why I came here.
"Actually, there is," I responded. "Do you happen to know where the boat builder is? I came here looking for him, but it seems I might've taken a wrong turn somewhere."
"Hahaha… You're a funny boy." She laughed and gave me a hearty slap on the back, causing me to trip over my own feet. "So, what do you want?"
I looked at her, feeling confused until it dawned one me.
"Wait, don't tell me you're the boat builder… Of course, you are," I muttered to myself, then bent down and picked up the wood I had dropped during our battle. "I'm looking to sell wood like this one here. Is there any chance you'd be interested?"
She took the wood from me and examined it. After just a few seconds of examining the wood, she finally gave an answer.
"No good. This type of wood isn't suitable for making boats."
"They aren't?"
Dammit! I was really looking forward to the coins I could get from selling these.
"But I do know someone who might be interested in buying them, but…"
She paused mid-sentence, as if she wanted to solicit a response from me.
"But what?"
"But it will be kind of a hassle. Why should I go through all this trouble for you?"
What is she, senile? She just asked if there was anything she could help me with.
She rubbed her chin as if thinking up something.
"Here's a thought…"
I just knew it; she wanted something.
"I've been looking for a playmate for my son for a while now. But all the kids here are spineless morons. If the two of you could become friends, I wouldn't mind granting you a favor or two."
Ah, so that's how it is. But what she was asking was impossible. My days are busy as it is; I certainly didn't have time for playing.
"I'm sorry, I don't really have time for playing."
She tossed the piece of wood back to me.
"Then make time."
The look on her face told me she wasn't going to budge. It seemed I had no choice.
"Fine, but the only time I have is in the mornings, when I usually get up to train. We can play then."
Her lips curved upwards into a satisfied smile.
"That should be fine. I'll see what I can do about getting a sale for your wood." She replied.
"Euuk~"
The giant boy walked over to me and grabbed hold of my hand.
"He wants to introduce himself," the woman said. "My son's name is Toke, and you can call me Hildra."
"I'm Sigurd; it's nice to meet you, Toke."
"Euuk~"
"My son may not be able to speak properly, but I'm sure he'll be a great friend to you."
After that, I went straight home. Today was the day I was supposed to babysit my cousin; Astrid. Runa wanted to spend some quality time with my mother, as her sickness was only growing worse.
I tried teaching her the meditation technique, but she wasn't able to grasp it. The seer said it was because she had been living without full consciousness of her energy core for so long that it was nearly impossible for her to perceive it now.
But the good news was that today was one of those days when she was feeling much healthier, and Runa wanted to make the most of it. Hence, I was tasked with babysitting baby Astrid.
Astrid was a little bundle of joy. Even though she was only one year old, she had the same mischievous streak as her mother. She was like a little moth; as soon as you let her go, she would head straight for the fireplace. That, and the fact that her hair was white, earned her that nickname.
It was strange. I questioned Runa as to why her hair was this color white and what she said left me even more confused. She said that Astrid's hair only started turning white after her naming ceremony, which only served to deepen my curiosity. Before that it was brown.
I chased baby Astrid around the room, her wobbling as fast as her little legs could take her. Sometimes she would keel over, but she always got back up, still laughing. Eventually, she passed out after an intense wrestling match between us on the floor.
She fell asleep on my chest, and I spent the rest of the time staring at her cute face. Her puffy round cheeks and round eyes only served to warm my heart. I fell asleep soon after.
Until I heard a knock on the door. I placed Astrid on the bed as she was still sleeping and went to see who was at the door. I was greeted by the worried face of Runa, tears lining her cheeks.
"What's the matter?"
She stammered and fumbled her words before finally getting the words out from her quivering lips.
"S-Sigurd… it's your mother!"