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To his shock, he spotted a tiny human figure, no larger than an ant to him at this distance, popping up from the clouds.
"Well, that answers where it came from. Definitely below."
Barrett could go to the human, send him away from the realm. Or, he could watch the human and try to understand how he came to be here and why.
Or you can watch and see if there's a way for you to leave the way he came.
Barrett continued to stare, watching as the human continued the climb to fully arrive above the cloud layer. His boots must have on the jagged bark, leaving small divots behind him. His strong arms pushed against the vine, pulling himself higher with each determined step. Sweat glistened on his forehead in the light of the sun despite the cool air around them. Barrett could almost taste the tang of exertion in the wind.
Watching the man was mesmerizing. Barrett found himself holding his own breath, afraid that if he made any noise, this moment would end.
Each handhold and foothold looked more precarious than the last. Each step seemed to defy gravity itself. And yet, the human just kept climbing.
Barrett's gaze lingered on the beanstalk, entranced by the human climbing it. He wondered what thoughts filled the human's head. If he was scared or brave, excited or merely adventurous. A gust of wind blew through his hair and caused him to close his eyes briefly before steeling himself against the chill.
Even from a short distance, Barrett could hear the audible ragged inhale the man took, thanks to a giant's hearing. The man's muscles rippled under his tattered shirt as he pulled himself upwards, revealing a body honed to perfection. A strap of leather wrapped around his waist, holding what must be tools or weapons, but Barrett wasn't able to tell.
It wasn't just his rugged features or strong physique, although those were certainly captivating.
It was something more.
There was an air of determination wrapped around the man that Barrett couldn't help but find fascinating. He seemed so strong, yet his stature as a human made him vulnerable by default.
The sun danced across his broad back as he hauled himself higher and higher until he jumped down and began to move directly toward the castle.
Barrett's heartbeat quickened as he watched from the tower.
Either this man was blind or incredibly stupid.
Every instinct in him screamed that this was a fool's errand, but something about the human made it impossible for him to look away.
Sweat trickled down the stranger's forehead and soaked through his shirt, leaving behind salty trails that caught the light of the setting sun. It made Barrett's mouth water to think of what the man must spend his days doing to hone his body in such a way. This man's body was cut with hard work and hands that knew how to hold on.
It had been years since he'd been with anyone and his sex drive wasn't letting up now. For over a decade, he'd serviced himself rather than dare let a giant touch him. And now it seemed to culminate in him peeping after a male he'd never met simply because he had strong arms and a sweaty sheen.
As Barrett stared toward the human man, he realized what he'd missed. Like a jolt, Barrett understood why he watched the male.
"If he came up, then there's a way down. A way away from the giant. And if he grew that plant, there's a way to grow it again closer to his old home." Barrett had never thought to try to grow anything to climb down before, but it was clear this man had something to do with the giant beanstalk.
With a furrowed brow and gritted teeth, Barrett clenched his fists and summoned all of his energy. The familiar tingling sensation prickled across his skin as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, channeling his magic with precision. Slowly, his body began to shrink, muscles contracting and bones shifting as he returned to his human size. The air around him seemed to ripple and distort as the transformation took place, until finally, he stood once again in his human form. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple, evidence of the immense effort it took to control such powerful magic.
The searing pain throbbed his bruised and battered body with every step, but he gritted his teeth and pressed on. His movements were slow and careful, like a tiny mouse scurrying through a maze of dark castle corridors. He stayed close to the walls, blending into the shadows and avoiding any watchful eyes that may be lurking. The musty smell of age and neglect filled his nostrils, a sharp contrast to the crisp air outside. The dimly lit torches cast flickering shadows on the stone walls, making it seem as though they were moving.
Barrett dodged a foot and said a silent prayer that a giant happened to be going out the same instant he needed to - except that meant the giant could bump into the human before Garrett fled.
He squeaked past the door and away from the enormous foot, skidding around the corner and pressing his back against the side of the castle. It had been some time since he'd been so small, and his heart raced with exertion.
Sure, he could have tried to leave as a giant and turn human once outside, but odds of his escape would have been slim.
"Except you don't know if the human left or where he is."
He scanned the area for any sign of the human, but all he could see were towering walls and looming giants. It seemed like an impossible task to find one person in such a vast and intimidating place.
"So, you go to where you think you saw him." The walk toward the garden could take over an hour in this current size, but he wasn't going to waste magic shifting back and forth.
His mother's magic was the only thing that kept him content when he was trapped. He was the stronger creature - he'd just never been trained to use it properly.
"Step one. Get to the human. Step two. Convince the human to take me down."
