The Damned Paladin-Chapter 135: Landfall (Read 136 first, Uploaded wrong)

The Isle of Giants appeared on the horizon three weeks after they left Kelmar.

Gabriel stood at the bow, watching the dark smudge resolve into details. Mountains first, their peaks touching clouds. Then forest, thick and green. Finally, as they drew closer, structures became visible.

Not ruins.

Living architecture.

Buildings that towered above the treeline, built from stone blocks so massive that no human labour could have moved them. Towers that reached toward the sky with purpose. Walls that suggested a civilisation still thriving.

"Saints above," Gilbert breathed beside him. "Those buildings..."

"Are built for beings twice our size," Adan finished. He’d joined them at the bow, his usual quiet replaced by visible tension. "This is real. Giants are real."

Tess appeared on Gabriel’s other side. "Captain says we’ll reach port by midday. The city is called Stoneheim."

Gabriel nodded without taking his eyes from the approaching island. The closer they got, the more details emerged. Roads carved into mountainsides. Bridges spanning impossible distances. What looked like a massive harbour with docks built to accommodate ships much larger than the Serpent’s Tooth.

And movement. Figures walking along the docks. Human-shaped but wrong. Too tall. Too broad.

Giants.

Actually walking, living giants.

Gabriel’s hand moved unconsciously to his sword hilt. Not in preparation to draw. Just needing something familiar to anchor himself.

This is what we came for.

Answers about Dracameria.

About what I am.

But seeing the Isle in person, seeing the impossible scale of everything, made the quest feel suddenly real in a way it hadn’t before.

The crew was tense. Gabriel had noticed it building over the past few days. Sailors who’d been relaxed and jovial were now tight-jawed and jumpy. They moved with purpose but also caution, like approaching something that might bite.

Torrhen stood at the wheel, his expression grim. "Everyone listen," he called out, loud enough to carry across the deck. "When we dock, you follow my lead. You speak when spoken to. You do not insult, question, or challenge any giant you encounter. Understood?"

Murmured agreement from the crew.

Torrhen’s eyes found Gabriel. "That goes double for passengers. The giants tolerate human presence because we bring trade. But they don’t need us. Push them and they’ll throw you off the island. Or worse."

"Understood," Gabriel said.

"I’m serious." Torrhen’s jaw tightened. "I’ve seen giants kill men for disrespect. One punch. That’s all it takes. So you keep your heads down and your mouths shut unless you’re conducting business."

The ship entered the harbour.

The docks were indeed massive. Built from the same huge stone blocks as everything else on the island. The pilings holding them up were tree trunks thick as houses. The ships berthed here varied wildly in size, from small fishing vessels to enormous cargo ships that made the Serpent’s Tooth look like a rowboat.

And walking among them, moving cargo and tending ships and conducting business, were giants.

Gabriel’s breath caught despite himself.

They stood twelve to fifteen feet tall on average, though some were even larger. Their proportions were human but scaled up impossibly. Muscles moved under sun-darkened skin as they worked. Their faces were weathered and intelligent, marked by age in a way that suggested lifespans measured in centuries rather than decades.

They wore simple clothing mostly. Tunics and trousers in earth tones. Some wore armor though, and carried weapons that looked like they could cleave a horse in half.

The Serpent’s Tooth maneuvered to an empty berth. Crew members scrambled to secure the ship, moving faster than usual. Eager to finish and get below deck where giants weren’t.

A giant approached the gangplank as it lowered. Male, Gabriel thought, though it was hard to be sure at this scale. He wore simple dock worker clothing and carried a ledger that looked comically small in his massive hands.

"Serpent’s Tooth," the giant said. His voice was deep. Resonant. It carried across the dock without shouting. "Captain Torrhen. Your berth fee is twenty silver for four weeks. Pay now or depart immediately."

Torrhen descended the gangplank quickly, coin purse ready. "Twenty silver. Plus five for provisioning."

The giant accepted the coins and made a notation in his ledger. His eyes moved to the ship, cataloguing cargo and passengers. They lingered on Gabriel for a moment, something unreadable passing across the massive face.

Recognition? Curiosity? Impossible to tell.

"Provisioning will be delivered tomorrow morning," the giant said. "Food, fresh water, basic supplies. Nothing exotic."

"That’s fine." Torrhen gestured to the ship. "My passengers are scholars. Seeking the Grand Archive. Where would they find it?"

The giant’s expression shifted. Interest replacing professional courtesy. "Scholars? What field?"

Gabriel descended the gangplank before Torrhen could answer. His group followed, Gilbert and Adan flanking him, Tess just behind, Ennu silent as always. Mera came last, her eyes wide as she took in the giants.

"History," Gabriel said, meeting the giant’s eyes. "Specifically Dracamerian history."

The giant studied him more closely. "You have Dracamerian features. The eyes especially. Are you claiming heritage?"

"Not claiming. Stating fact." Gabriel kept his voice steady. "My ancestors were Dracamerian. I’m seeking information about them."

"The Archive will have what you need." The giant gestured toward the city proper. "Follow the main road inland. Three hours’ walk for your kind. The Archive is the tallest structure in Stoneheim. You’ll know it when you see it."

"Thank you."

The giant nodded once and moved on to the next ship.

Gabriel turned to Torrhen. "Four weeks?"

"That’s how long I’ll wait. You’re not back by then, I leave without you." Torrhen’s expression was serious. "The giants make me nervous. I don’t stay longer than necessary."

"Fair enough."

They gathered their gear. Gabriel checked his pack carefully. The book was there, wrapped and secure. Everything else was practical. Weapons, food for a few days, coin for purchases.

Tess moved close. "Ready?"

"As I’ll ever be."

They left the docks and entered Stoneheim proper.

The scale was overwhelming.

Streets built for giants were boulevards to human perception. Buildings towered overhead, their doorways large enough to drive carts through. Everything was oversized. Windows placed twenty feet off the ground. Stairs with risers knee-high to a normal man.

But there was beauty too. The architecture was elegant despite its size. Carved stone depicting histories Gabriel didn’t recognise. Gardens maintained with obvious care. Public spaces designed for gathering and discourse.

And giants everywhere. Walking. Talking. Conducting business. Living their lives with the casual confidence of beings who’d never been prey.

A few humans moved among them. Traders mostly, from their clothing. They kept to the sides of streets, staying out of the giants’ paths, moving quickly and quietly.

"Human quarter is that way," one of the traders said, pointing down a side street when he noticed Gabriel’s group. "You’ll want lodging? The Copper Scale takes human coin."

"We’re heading to the Archive," Gabriel said. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

The trader’s expression shifted to surprise. "The Archive doesn’t take human visitors often. You have business there?"

"Research."

"Well. Good luck then." The trader hurried on his way.

They followed the main road inland. The walk took longer than three hours. The streets were designed for giant strides, forcing Gabriel’s group to cover what felt like miles.

But eventually, the Archive appeared.

It dominated the cityscape. A tower that rose easily two hundred feet, maybe more. Built from white stone that seemed to glow in the afternoon sun. Windows spiralled up its length. At its peak, a dome crowned the structure, covered in metallic panels that reflected light.

"That’s it," Ennu said quietly. "Has to be."

They approached the entrance. The doors were massive, thirty feet tall at least, carved with symbols Gabriel half-recognised from the book’s visions. Dracamerian script mixed with something older.

A giant stood guard. Female, Gabriel was fairly certain. She wore armour that marked her as military rather than scholarly. A spear rested against one shoulder, its blade longer than Gabriel was tall.

"State your business," she said.

"We seek access to the Archive," Gabriel replied. "For research purposes."

"What research?"

"Dracamerian history. Specifically, information about survivors of the purge."

The giant studied him with eyes that held more intelligence than most humans Gabriel had met. She saw his red eyes. His scars. The way he carried himself.

"You’re Dracamerian," she said. Not a question.

"Yes."

"The Archive Master will want to meet you. Wait here."

She disappeared through the massive doors, moving with surprising grace for something so large.

They waited in silence. Gabriel could feel eyes on them. Other giants passing on the street, watching the small group of humans standing at the Archive entrance. Some looked curious. Others wary.

One giant stopped entirely. Ancient beyond measure, his face lined with centuries of living. He stared at Gabriel with an expression Gabriel couldn’t read.

He knows something.

He’s seen Dracamerians before.

Maybe he remembers the purge.

The guard returned. "The Archive Master will see you. But only the Dracamerian. The rest wait outside."

Gabriel’s group immediately protested.

"I’m not leaving him alone," Tess said firmly.

"Neither am I," Gilbert added.

The guard’s expression didn’t change. "Those are the terms. The Archive Master wishes to speak with the Dracamerian privately. Your companions may wait in the visitor’s chamber or return later."

Gabriel met Tess’s eyes. Saw her struggle between protecting him and respecting the giants’ rules.

"I’ll be fine," he said quietly.

"You don’t know that."

"No. But if the Archive Master wanted me dead, we’d already be dead." Gabriel touched her arm briefly. "Wait here. If I’m not back by nightfall, assume the worst."

Tess looked like she wanted to argue further. But after a moment, she nodded tightly.

Gabriel turned to the guard. "Lead the way."

They entered the Archive.

The interior was vast. Open floors connected by staircases built for giant strides. Shelves reached toward distant ceilings, packed with books and scrolls and tablets. More texts than Gabriel had seen in his entire life.

Knowledge. Centuries of it. Maybe millennia.

All stored here, maintained by giants who’d outlived human kingdoms.

The guard led Gabriel through corridors lined with more books. They passed giants working at massive desks, reading or writing or organising materials. A few glanced up as Gabriel passed. Most ignored him.

They climbed stairs. Up and up through the tower’s interior. Gabriel’s legs burned by the time they reached a door marked with symbols he couldn’t read.

The guard knocked once.

"Enter," a voice called from within.

The guard opened the door and gestured for Gabriel to enter alone.

He did.

The chamber beyond was circular, occupying what must be the tower’s highest floor. Windows lined the walls, offering views of Stoneheim and the ocean beyond. Shelves packed with books covered the spaces between windows. A desk dominated the centre, enormous even by giant standards.

And behind that desk sat a giant who radiated age like heat.

His skin was darker than the others Gabriel had seen. His hair, what remained of it, was pure white. His eyes were grey and deep and seemed to look through Gabriel rather than at him.

"Welcome," the ancient giant said. "I am Keeper Valdris. Archive Master of Stoneheim. And you are Gabriel, last son of a dead people."

The words hit Gabriel like a physical blow.

"How do you..."

"Know?" Valdris smiled, though there was sadness in it. "Because I was there, child. I watched Dracameria burn. I saw the Seven descend with holy fury and righteous fire. I witnessed the end of your people." He gestured to a chair, human-sized, placed before the desk. "Sit. We have much to discuss."

Gabriel sat, his mind reeling.

He was there.

He saw it happen.

He can tell me everything.

"You’re wondering what I know," Valdris continued. "What secrets this Archive holds. What truth I can offer about your heritage." The ancient giant leaned forward slightly. "The answer is: everything. I know everything about Dracameria. About your people’s gifts. About why the Seven feared them enough to commit genocide."

Gabriel’s throat went dry. "Tell me."

"I will. But first, you must tell me something." Valdris’s grey eyes bored into Gabriel. "There’s a woman following you. Killing in the shadows. Leaving corpses marked with Archangel sigils." His voice dropped. "She’s been here. In Stoneheim. Watching you arrive. And she’s far more dangerous than you understand."

Gabriel’s blood went cold.

Kalael.

She’s here.

"How do you know about her?"

"Because I’m old, child. Old enough to remember the last time an Archangel walked among mortals wearing a false face." Valdris’s expression was grave. "And that’s what she is. The woman you call friend, the one you think protects you, is one of the Seven in disguise. She’s Kalael, the Archangel of Beasts. And whatever she’s planning for you, it will end in blood and fire and the deaths of everyone you love."

The room spun.

Gabriel gripped the chair’s arms, trying to process this.

One of the Seven.

The woman who’s been killing Order spies.

The woman who helped me escape Ariya.

Is one of them.

"I see you didn’t know," Valdris said gently. "That’s her gift. Deception so perfect that truth becomes malleable. She’s been manipulating you since the beginning, Gabriel. Every corpse, every cryptic message, every act of protection. All of it designed to shape you into something she can use."

"Use for what?"

"That," Valdris said, "is what we need to discover. Before it’s too late."