Prologue:

Brunhildagard Brigand needed one more problem.

Like she needed a battle-ax buried in her skull.

" I have never heard of anyone disputing that part of our territory before." Said Battlock.

" Will they send an emissary to speak with us as custom dictates? This could not have come at a worse time." Muttered Brunhildagard, Chairwoman of the Barbarian War Council and former champion of the Barbarian clan. "I don't want to this widely known, but Julia nearly finished me when we fought for the right to represent our Clan at the Tournament of Arms and forced me into early retirement. I had to muster every bit of my strength just to stand up and walk after that "Master Blow" of hers."

" Your secret is safe with me. An emissary is due to arrive today sometime. They must know about our current situation regarding the title of "Arms Master" and along with the Dark Elves and the Dwarves are meaning to take advantage of the situation." Battlock was Julia's mentor as well as chief advisor to the Brunhildagard. He was known for his wisdom as well as his skill in battle.

" That's what I need..just one more...... Wait! Did you hear that?"

The ground started to rumble then stop, then rumble again.

" Those are footsteps." Said Brunhilagard.

The footfalls became louder as the seconds seemed to turn into hours. Finally there was a knock at the huge doors to the council chambers. At a nod from Battlock the doors were opened to reveal the most muscular man Brunhildagard had ever seen. Arms and legs had bunches upon bunches of sinewy muscle. A huge battle hammer was strapped to his back.

He must have been at least thirty feet tall.

With ground shaking steps he ducked under the doors and walked to where Brunhidagard and Battlock were standing and then knelt before them.

" I am Thurgen, emissary of the Northern Clan of Diamond Giants. We have remained hidden and silent for many years, but not ignorant of the events, history, and customs of Jade. In accordance with your laws, at the risk of open war, we demand that your champion meet our champion on the field of combat. The land in dispute is from the Lava river to where the mountains join at Hangman's Jutt. Name the time and place of the battle."

" Seven days from now where the Lava river divides." Said Brunhildagard with no emotion.

The Diamond giant rose to his full height, bowed, and walked out.

" Did you see how lightly he moved?" Said Battlock. " I can't imagine what their champion must be like if this was only their emissary."

Brunhildagard stood silent, deep in thought. Battlock wondered what she could be thinking about. He, for one, would be worried. Not only was their Clan short of champions, but to find anyone that could fight a giant of this kind-.

" I guess its time to call in the 'big guns'." Muttered Brunhildagard.

" Big...what?" Asked Battlock scratching his head.

" Oh..that's a earth realm term I heard my one of my granddaughters use."

1

Lita noticed the change.

She could tell by the way Amy was working out. It seemed that ever since Tifa left, Amy started to be more relaxed and had more fun during her workouts. But that didn't mean the intensity lessened, Amy still pushed her body to its limit each and every set and rep. She had gotten stronger since the time her powers were stolen from her, now using a total of 6 of her special Graviton discs( Graviton Bar Mk 1-setting 100 = 1 disc ) with her Mk3 at the usual setting of 50.

Today they had just gotten back from one of their 20 mile runs. More like a 20 mile sprint. Amy found a place where they could teleport to that was flat for miles around and no tress, bushes or other obstructions. And Amy just took off as fast as she could go. Lita was surprised to find that she had a lot more endurance than she thought she had and only rested twice their first time out. Amy on the other hand went the whole distance since she had done a lot of running before. That was another change, Amy used to prefer swimming than running in the past. Soon Lita could finish the sprint without resting. And after that she could keep up and sometimes win their little race. Lita was happy when they finally timed themselves. It took them 20 minutes to run 20 miles! Good thing they had special shoes( made by Nike...designed by Amy) or else they would have burned feet to deal with. Then Amy had the bright idea to take along her Graviton Bar Mk1 that she had been using for a staff for added resistance. That proved to be yet another challenge, to run as fast as you can while swinging and twirling a heavy bar around your head.

That was another thing Lita noticed. Amy loved to challenge her body as well as her mind. She had developed a unique training simulation that combined magic and technology in which a magical martial artist would appear and fight them. It had a learning sub-enchantment that would increase its level of strength, skill and endurance as their skills improved. They were forced to become better and faster or else they would be nursing many bumps and bruises. Amy was becoming very adept at using her Graviton Bar Mk1 as a staff and Lita's hand to hand combat skills soon surpassed Amy's.

" Whatever happened to that sword you had made on Jade?" Lita asked one day after a training session.

" The curator of Gotham Museum literally got on his hands and knees and begged me to keep it there on permanent display. He was so nice that I couldn't say no. But I did replace the enchanted gem on the hilt with a regular one. That gem took a long time and much effort to enchant properly and would be dangerous if some bad guys stole it." Said Amy.

They were just sitting down to breakfast that one day when the phone rang. Amy's face clouded over when she listened to the frantic voice on the other end.

" I was wanting to rest today and now I have to fly off to Gotham City. Mr. Wayne told me I have to be at this meeting he's having this afternoon." Amy said with a sigh. " You don't have to come with me, this should be a short one."

" That's alright." Said Lita through a mouthful of pancakes. " I have a lot of cleaning and washing to do."

" You do?!" Exclaimed Amy. " The place looks spotless now! Why don't you take the day off and go shopping. Maybe Serena would like to go with you. I'm sure Darien wouldn't mind, he's good about stuff like that."

" Another great idea from Amy!" Said Lita as she and Amy dumped the dishes into the sink.

Amy decided to wear one of her longer dresses that day. All of her new clothes had low cut necklines showing varying amounts of cleavage and yet still had most of her massive breasts covered. When she was finished getting dressed and went down the stairs, she was met by Lita.

" Amy, you're the only one I know of that can get away with showing tons of cleavage and yet at the same time not show anything."

" It's all about how one carries oneself." Declared Amy.

After Amy dropped Lita off at Serena's, she drove to the airport and flew off to Gotham City. The meeting did turn out be important so Amy didn't think the trip was a waste of time. Bruce Wayne asked her to accompany him to the dinner party he arranged for his guests

and much to Amy's surprise, the subject of exotic weapons became the object of enthusiastic conversation. A quick call to the Gotham City Museum's curator and soon the entire party was moved to the Museum where a tour of the held-over 'Weapons as Art" exhibit was conducted by a at-first groggy but soon wide awake Museum President.( Maybe it was the $500,000 grant that woke him up). Amy's blade was the object of much admiration, with each person admiring it's balance and workmanship.

"Yes, that gem is real." Amy kept repeating.

When Amy arrived home the next day she checked her messages. One of them was from Lita. She decided to stay over at Serena's to baby-sit Adrian and their young daughter so Darien and Serena could get away for the weekend. The second was in a form of a magical scroll that Julia used from time to time since she was kinda technophobic.

" Come to Jade now. Your Grammy needs you."

A second teleportaion scroll was along side it.

Getting her bags unpacked she quickly put on her white "adventure' dress she had made at Riverglenn. She like the way it stayed in place plus it showed off her exaggerated hourglass figure, an advantage on Jade realm.

With her Graviton Bar MK 1 in hand and some food she hastily stuffed in her backpack, she tossed the teleport scroll on the floor and soon the clean, fresh air of Jade greeted her.

2

Amy was glad she didn't have to choose between the realms of Jade or Riverglenn. They both had a place in her heart. On one she found her new family, the other she found her power.

But this place was unfamiliar to her. She knew from the scent of the air that she was on Jade, but she had not been to this part before. Was there a malfunction of the teleportation scroll? Grammy, after all, didn't think much of magic users so it may have been a mistake.

The path she was now walking on was well marked and led to a mountainous region. This trail was recently traveled judging by all the footprints. One set caught Amy's eye, Julia had passed this way. It was then an easy deduction that she should follow Julia's path, wherever they led...she would find out what's going on.

She had not been on a hike for a long time and enjoyed the view of the countryside. She then started to do some practice twirls and thrusts with her Graviton Bar MK1 while she walked. She was now using setting 5 on the bar, having gotten progressively stronger as time when on. She remembered when setting 1 was a challenge, and now that seemed like such a long...long time ago. The bar made loud swishing sounds as she swung the bar around faster and faster. Her muscles were starting to get a little pumped from the exertion.

Along the way Amy thought about the way Grammy's message was worded. She deduced that she was called to protect someone or something. Grammy?..Needing protection? That was a new thought. By the way Julia had talked about her and Amy's instruction from her, it was hard to imagine that Grammy was unable to handle any situation. It's not my anniversary of my being adopted into the Brigand Clan or my birthday, I wonder what this was all about, Amy thought.

The terrain soon became mountainous and rocky. It was hard to follow Julia's trail over the rocks, but this path showed signs of being handmade. The air was starting to get colder and Amy was wondering if she should have wore something warmer. Her white "adventure" dress was quite short and the plunging neckline showed more cleavage and was stretched tighter than she remembered.

"After this I'm having a new one made." She thought to herself.

She then saw the end of the trail. A lookout tower of sorts was built onto of some rocks and a tall wooden gate barred any further travel.

" HALT"

Amy saw two figures land lightly in front of her, staves in hand. She wondered why she hadn't heard them sooner. One was a short lithe woman that looked to be an elf. The larger one was a tall, muscular she-troll, her green skin darker than the green uniforms they were wearing. Judging by their stances and the way they held their staves, they were very well trained.

" Please, I am not familiar with this part of Jade. I only wish to ask the way."

" Who are you!?" Demanded the troll.

" I am Amy Brigand-Anderson and I..."

" You are obviously an Amazon Breeder either wanting to spy on us or.." The elf started to chuckle through her sneer. " are wanting to gain entrance into our school by usurping the name of our most honored graduate. If you think that by your obvious endowments that we would go easy on you, you are sorely mistaken!"

" Defend yourself..HARLOT!" Shouted the troll.

Faster than Amy thought possible, the she-troll launched herself at Amy, her staff a wispy blur of deadly might. Amy had to backpedal a little to parry the onslaught, but soon regained her balance. That's the last time I'll underestimate an opponents speed Amy thought to herself as she leapt over the elf's sweep at her legs.

Amy saw that her foes were making the same mistake as she did. Their attacks were not that advanced and soon the elf and she-troll realized that there was more to Amy than met the eye, and soon started to press their attacks harder. Each thrust, sweep and jab was blocked and parried quickly and easily by Amy. The elf was starting to aim her attacks at Amy's legs, crouching down low to the ground as she did so. She's trying to take advantage of the fact that my breasts are so big that I can't see what's happening down at my feet, Amy thought with admiration. The elf was good at quickly assessing any weakpoints in Amy's defense. But she was taught by Julia Brigand..Arms Master of Jade. Julia saw this weakness in Amy's defenses right from the start and trained her accordingly.

The battle raged on until both the elf and she-troll started to tire, their attacks becoming more desperate and sloppy as weariness and frustration grew. Every time Amy had an opening to deliver a crippling blow, she would stop 2 inches from her target, letting her opponents know that she would have inflicted much damage. As time went on this happened more and more often. Thirty minutes went by and both troll and elf were soon down on one knee, panting for breath. Anger was written all over their faces when they didn't detect the slightest sign of fatigue on Amy's face. She wasn't even breathing hard!

" Please, I'm not here to gain entrance into your school or fight you."

" Olga, Kelith! We'll take it from here!" Two more assailants appeared from the gate. Amy could tell by their stances that they were more advanced students. As they stood facing each other a small gust of wind blew across the battlefield, causing their uniforms to flutter.

"**GULP** - They....they're not wearing any..." Amy was stunned at her new opponents lack of undergarments just long enough for one of them to attack. Amy found herself off balance once again and whipped her staff around harder than she had planned and sent her opponents staff flying into the nearby cliff where it splintered into dust.

" Enough!" Said a male voice. " I hope all of you were observing the lessons well learned by a student of our most honored of graduates. I wish all of you would show the same dedication and mastery of techniques expertly taught." The speaker of these words was a man short of stature, but Amy could tell instantly that he was the Master of this school. Even though he was old, he was in very excellent physical shape.

" Please forgive me sir." Amy said as she got down on one knee. " I didn't wish to fight, I just wanted to ask the way."

"Keith, Olga." Said the old man interrupting her. " Go and prepare welcome area for our guest. And your next lesson will be about not underestimating ones opponent. SU!"

It was now that Amy noticed a crowd of students had gathered on top of the wall and at the gate.

" Please forgive the lack of courtesy of my students. To teach manners to hardened warriors is a difficult task. Please accept our hospitality and a meal. I am called Leep."

" I am Amy Brigand-Anderson."

" Yes...I could tell by your style of fighting that you were taught by Julia. Please come in."

As Amy got up from her knee, she saw the suspicious looks from all of those gathered. Twirling her Graviton bar around she firmly planted it into the ground causing the ground to shudder. All onlookers were taken by surprise, except Leep. Amy could tell that he was not in the least startled. He turned around and just looked at her, a small smile appearing on his face as his eyes went from side to side, noting the faces of his disbelieving students.

" I do not wish to enter your school armed." Said Amy respectfully.

" You still have your fists...do you not?" Asked Leep.

" Yes, sir."

" Then you are never unarmed."

3

Karin never experienced so much pain or worked so hard these last two weeks than she had in her entire life.

And she would do it again with gladness. The feeling of being vindicated was enough to blast through any training regimen or take on any punishment that Master Leep could think of.

And now she was preparing to confirm the rumors. She, along with Kaylith and Tettrin would travel north and would be gone for a week. After ten days of extra chores and training, Master Leep deemed she had earned the privilege. Leep, when he heard what happened, didn't act surprised or even skeptical. That confirmed Karin's theory that he knew from the who Amy was and why she was here.

She remembered the stern look on Leep's face when she was at the welcome area waiting for them...

" Where is Olga and Kaylith?" He didn't like to be disobeyed.

" Please Master." Stammered Karin. " I will bear any punishment you would have given them for the opportunity to serve Amy."

" Eh?" He said, raising an eyebrow." And why would you bring such a thing upon yourself? Ohh...I remember....Is this the woman you spoke of? The one at the preliminary contests to become 'one of the ten'?"

" Yes Master."

" You were there?" Asked Amy."Oh...I am so sorry for not recognizing you. The last time I saw you, you were dressed differently and wielding a sword."

" And the incident with the dragon is true?" Asked Master Leep.

" Yes Master, despite what the warrior's say." Amy could tell that Karin was disgusted with the Warrior's Guild. Karin was one of the witnesses that testified that Amy didn't use any magic in any of her contests, that she won by her skills alone. The Warriors Guild stripped Amy of her victories and banished her from any further official competition.

When Karin first arrived at Leep's school, she told the story about that contest, but left out the part about Amy tossing a dragon a good mile. Who would believe her? They would think she was stupid or something. As time went on she grew to be good friends with Kaylith and one night told her about it. The very next day she was ridiculed harshly, teased and harassed by many of her fellow students to the point that she separated herself from the them, keeping to herself as much as she could while learning from Master Leep. Kaylith and Olga were the most cruel to her.

But that time was over.....

" Karin, are you ready?" Called Kaylith from the door.

" I'll be right out." Said Karin as she packed a warm cloak in her backpack.

" Don't hurry..okay?...."

It was nice to be friends with Kaylith again. She strapped on her pack and was soon on her way out the front gate with Kaylith plus Tettrin, the senior student that Amy disarmed the first day she came. They passed the hole in the ground where Amy planted her staff, Master Leep insisting that it be kept intact, to remind his students about not underestimating an opponent.

She thought back again to the day Amy arrived at their school. She served Master Leep and Amy as they talked for a long time. Then, in an uncharacteristic move, Master Leep canceled all classes that day, but not the chores. He gave the hardest chores to those students who were the most vocal in teasing Karin. How did he know who they were? The three of them then went to one of the workout areas and soon Master Leep had Amy doing what turned out to be the entrance exam to get into his school. Having passed those with ease he soon had her doing the more advanced tests of her strength, agility, speed, endurance and she skills at handling a weapon and hand to hand combat skills. Amy had trouble at first because the staff she was using was not her own and Karin could tell it was far too light-weight for her, but she adjusted quickly. The Master Leep dropped a boulder on her head...he asked that she spar with Amy. Having just passed her exams to become a senior student she knew she could hold her own against most of her classmates, but she knew about how strong Amy was and what could happen if Amy connected with a solid punch. But she didn't want to back down in front of Master Leep and she knew that Amy was not the type of person that would intentionally hurt a training partner, unlike some other of her classmates. They sparred for a good 15 minutes, Amy showing no sign of fatigue and she drenched in sweat. How could Amy move and defend herself with breasts that huge? Karin kept thinking. They hardly jiggled at all during the contest. Karin could tell Amy was trying to hold back her strength but not when it came to fighting skills. She had to admit that she had a boost of confidence when it was decided that they were evenly matched and with one more year of training to go from Leep she would be alot better. She was glad it wasn't a real fight.

At the end of Amy's testing, Master Leep invited her to stay the night as a guest of the school. Karin was surprised to find out that Master Leep offered to teach Amy, a rare honor. But she refused. Karin found out later that Amy refused to conform to the schools dress code and when Master Leep offered to make an exception, she again politely refused due to the fact that it would be unfair to the other students.

The next morning Karin served Amy and Master Leep breakfast. It was decided that Karin would guide Amy to the Barbarian War Council. As the three of them were walking to the gate, they heard the shouting.

" Humm...that is not the sound of a fight...but of encouragement. Let us see what is going on. Eh?" Observed Master Leep.

When they came to the gate they saw Olga trying to pry Amy's staff from it's resting place. Many of Leep's students were gathered around her shouting, cheering her on. Olga was the strongest of Leep's students and let everyone there know it. But she looked almost twice as big as she was the day before, her massive muscles straining against the immovable object. She let out a mighty yell and pulled even harder, her muscles growing bigger and thicker. But to no avail. She then collapsed, exhausted.

" It will take 14 days for you to recover Olga." Said Michae, a War Mage Master who was taking advanced classes from Master Leep. " That was the most powerful strength enhancing spell there is and if you hadn't stacked that strength potion along with the spell, you would have only needed seven days. You must have been more than 25 times stronger than normal, you would have died if you tried anything more."

" I just don't understand it." Olga panted. " That staff must be magical."

" If it is, its of an unknown type that my 'detect magic' spell can't sense. And I know at least three different spells from different schools of magic and I tried them all. The result is conclusive, that staff is not magical." Declared Michae.

Karin would never forget what happened the next few seconds.

With the whole school looking on, Amy walked lightly over to her staff and removed it from the ground like one was picking up a stick. After doing a could of practice twirls she went to stand in front of Olga, looking up at her. Amy was not angry but did not move until Olga finally looked her in the eye. Some of the girls started whispering among themselves. Was Amy going to challenge Olga to a fight?

" I am not a harlot."

Amy's voice was soft and feminine, but all those around could feel the power and strength hidden beneath.

Some said they saw Olga flinch, but that was subject to debate.

The next two days were like a vacation for Karin. This was the first time in three years that she set foot outside Master Leep's school. She and Amy talked alot about fighting techniques, life in the school and men. Karin still couldn't figure out how Amy could move so fast with her ...endowments. She could tell right away that Amy was strong...but it was a mystery as to the extent of her strength, but one thing was for sure, she didn't want to find out first hand. When they stopped traveling for the day they trained together, Karin instructing Amy on hand-to-hand combat and Amy showing Karin how to use her staff more effectively.

As they talked Karin could sense that Amy was at ease with herself and her body. The women she knew that were well endowed either tried to hide the fact or went out of their way to display them. Amy did neither. The white dress she wore covered most of her breasts but still exposed quite a bit of cleavage. Amy had long, well shaped legs and a waistline smaller than her own, and Amy was at least 4 inches taller that she was!

When Karin got back to her school she was summoned to Leep's presence immediately. She was assigned to the most difficult chores Master Leep could think of. Not only that, Leep stepped up her training regimen a couple of notches. But Karin bore the punishments and increased training intensity gladly.

" What's on your mind, Karin?" Asked Kalith softly as the three of them traveled north.

" I was just remembering the last three weeks. Amy and I went this way when I guided her to the Barbarian War Council and I just got caught up in the memory."

A smile came to her face as she remembered the night she came back from guiding her journey. After doing the set of chores that were her punishment she was getting ready for bed. Soon there was a knock on the door and when she opened it she saw several of her fellow students, Kaylith standing in front of them...

" Karin, we're...we're sorry for not believing you and treating you so badly about Amy." Said Kaylith contritely. " Is there anything I can do to help you?"

" I will do what Master Leep has assigned to me." Said Karin sternly. But then a mischievous gleam came to her eye. " But you CAN help me clean out the toilets...."

It was a three day journey to the Lava river bifurcation and the three of them made good time. Karin and Kaylith renewed their friendship and Tettrin was glad for the change of scenery.

When they arrived at the spot all three of them walked over to the edge and looked in...gasping...

The rumors were true.

4

Battlock was pacing back and forth, something that made people nervous.

Brunhildagard was not, however. She was busy knitting socks for her grandchildren and humming a tune to herself.

" What's gotten into you?" Asked Battlock. "Why are you so calm? In the past you showed a little more concern regarding these matters. A lot is at stake here."

" What's gotten into YOU?" Answered Brunhildagard lightly." I have full and complete confidence in Julia and Amy, that's the name of our champion for this contest and my granddaughter."

" Julia had another child? I thought she was married to that Theo arch-mage guy. She and Swen didn't..you know..."

" Of course not silly. Amy was adopted into our family by Julia, which was a smart thing to do."

Right then the doors of the council chambers opened and in walked Amy, staff in hand. Battlock could feel the energy and strength flow from her body. As she walked toward Brunhildagard and Battlock, her smile soon turned into a scowl.

"She's gotten bigger." Brunhildagard muttered under her breath to Battlock.

" She looks like an Amazon Breed...."

" Don't say it, Battlock." Warned Brunhildagard.

" Lady Brigand." Said Amy as she dropped to one knee. " I come at your summons."

" Do you have the scroll from Master Leep with you?" Asked Brunhildagard.

" I do."

" Today's business is concluded." She announced to the crowd. "You are all dismissed for the day. Amy, Battlock, you two remain here."

When they were alone Amy couldn't help herself.

" Grammy! You're hurt! What happened?"

" That's a story that I will tell you later. But now Amy, the scroll please."

As Brunhildagard read the scroll a knowing smile came to her face. Amy had passed all the requirements to graduate Master Leep's school in all areas but one. She was at the junior level of skill when it came to hand to hand combat, but at the graduate level when it came to using the staff, due to the fact that she disarmed a soon to graduate senior student with one move. She then gave the scroll to Battlock who skimmed over it.

" Humphh, You have answered all of my questions before I asked them." Muttered Battlock. "I know Master Leep doesn't dole out reports like this lightly and its not advisable to bribe him. But is she strong enough for the task?"

"Amy, show Battlock here how strong you are."

Battlock's mouth dropped open as Amy's bicep grew far larger than he had ever seen on a human. More than once he thought the bicep peak would stop going higher but it just kept on growing until it was almost over her head. Were his eyes playing tricks on him or did her breasts swell larger also?

"She's stronger than she looks." Added Brunhildagard. "And you'd better close your mouth before a bat flies in."

5

"Julia made me proud that day, even though the cost was high." Brunhildagard recounted the day that she and Julia, mother and daughter, had to fight each other for the right to Champion their clan in the Tournament of Arms. "She gave me her best shot and nearly finished me, I would expect nothing less from a daughter of mine. But I know that Julia could not be spared to deal with this current crisis, she has enough problems as it is. And to tell you the truth, I doubt she would win. I could tell that this type of Giant is very different from the ones we know of here on Jade. That is why I called you Amy, to champion our clan."

" I will do my best." Said Amy determined.

" I know you will, dear. But remember not to underestimate your opponents, ever. We have no knowledge about how strong their champion is. But we do know that the conventional giant fighting techniques will not work."

The journey up north was uneventful. The Lava river brought fresh water down from the mountains when the snows melted and then divided into two of the main rivers used by the Barbarian clan for travel and commerce. A thriving city sprang up near the river's bifurcation. It was to this place that the leaders of the Barbarian clan would stay for the contest.

Word of the tournament spread throughout town and many people from miles around soon arrived to witness the outcome and see the Barbarian Champion that would defend their claim to this land. Many heads nodded toward Swen, the tall, handsome man with the huge two-handed sword, surly he was their champion. Many heads turned to look at his super-chested Amazon Breeder mate. But soon a wave of confusion overtook to city. Who was the Champion? Brunhidagard Brigand was immediately recognized along with her chief advisor Battlock. However the rumor started to weave its way through the city that it was that Amazon Breeder that was the one chosen. The official word that came from the town council was that it was Brunhildagard's grand-daughter, Amy, that was their champion and unofficially if anyone used the two words 'amazon' and 'breeder' anywhere near her would have to answer to Swen himself.

The tournament was the next day after their party arrived. Brunhidagard was worried that Amy would not be rested but was surprised to find out that Amy was up early that morning and went out for a long run to warm up. When questioned how far she went Amy described accurately a place where the distance was much too far away to be covered in the amount of time people when saw her leave and come back.

" Well, I'm a fast runner." Amy said modestly with a shrug of her shoulders.

Then terrain on both sides of the Lava river was a combination of fertile grasslands dotted with patches of stone. It was near one of these rocky oasis that the battle was to take place. The sun was bright but the air was still a little chilly due to the fact that they were this far north. When the sun had reached its zenith, the Barbarian contingent arrived at the designated area.

Waiting for them was their counterparts representing the Diamond Giants. They were not ugly creatures, rather they looked like normal humans. The men were well proportioned and thickly muscled. Amy, could tell that several of them were quite good looking.

" Why do I always have to fight the cute ones?" She thought to herself.

Two of the giants stepped forward and walked toward Amy and company, stopping at a distance halfway between them. Soon they were joined by Amy and Brunhidagard. The giant female was not that much less muscled than the male that stood by her, but the male was taller and the head of the giant battlehammer that was strapped to his back was as wide as his shoulders. Brunhildagard was starting to admire the gown the female was wearing when the giant spoke.

" I am Tropazzah, 1st matriarch of the clan of Diamond Giants. And this is Garnet, my son and the our champion. I would be champion myself if my son had not challenged me for the right and defeated me." She finished with pride.

" I am Brunhildagard Brigand, Chairman of the Barbarian War Council. This is Amy Brigand-Anderson, my granddaughter and a Champion of our clan."

" 'A' champion? You have more than one?"

" Yes we do. My daughter Julia is another one of our champions. And, I like you, would have been champion had not my daughter challenged me and defeated me as well."

The two of them regarded each other for a brief moment, understanding what the other felt and said.

"Then let the tournament begin. Good fortune to your champion." Tropazzah said abruptly.

"May the battle go to the strongest and most skilled." Said Brunhildagard with confidence.

" They are not much for ceremony aren't they?" Said Amy as they walked back toward their comrades.

" Neither Am I. She knew just the right things to say before a tournament of this kind."

" I think you kinda like her. You two have alot in common."

" That's true. Among them is confidence in our respective champions." Brunhidagard put her arm around Amy's massive shoulder, giving it a little squeeze.

" Wish me luck. I've fought ogre's before but not a giant like this, I'm going to need it."

Amy stopped halfway back and started to do her warm-up excersises. Her Graviton Bar Mk.1( pat. top secret) was at setting 5, the normal value for combat and practice. She did the movements Julia taught her plus several variations of her own, the bar moving faster and faster each second.

" She's faster than I thought, but so's that giant. Look how he swings that hammer around." Said Swen to Brunhildagard when she finally joined them. " Amy does handle the staff well, but what is she putting on her ears? Earrings?"

" I don't know Swen, that's curious."

The two champions finally faced each other, one examining the other for any weaknesses. Amy thought that he looked at her chest just once too often, but his smile was not a mocking smirk but one of admiration. She unconsciously found herself thrusting her chest out even further, causing the fabric of her dress to tear slightly.

" Whopps...of all the times..." Thought Amy, annoyed when Garnet raised his hands in the air and drove them forcefully into the solid rock at his feet. He then started to extract a huge boulder from the very ground, his muscles bulging with the strain.

Amy quickly bent over and picked up a rock at her feet and held it in her palm and made a few mental calculations when she saw the giant lift the boulder over his head. He was straining too hard...

The sound of the boulder hitting the ground shook her back to reality. Then it suddenly burst into many smaller fragments from Garnet's thrown hammer. Amy had to act fast to defect each projectile careening toward her. One such object hit her forcefully in the stomach, but then bounced away. Amy was glad she did all those inverted sit-ups with her Mk. 2 bar.

Amy deflected that last of the boulders when she had to face a rushing Giant swinging an iron battlehammer. The hammer made a 3 foot hole where she just one second before stood. The giant then swung his hammer down low and across his body.

The clang of iron colliding with compressed neutronium caused the everyone, giant and human alike, to cover their ears. Garnet felt the his hammer vibrate violently in his grip. Now using two hands he swung with all his strength at the small human standing her ground at his feet. Blows that caused many of his enemies to be thrown off their feet were having no effect on this small human. She deflected attack after attack, not moving from the spot where she stood. What made him angry was that she was using that puny staff and knocking aside his blows with one hand. He then threw his hammer at her in order to knock her off balance. Amy batted it away, sending it flying over the Lava river sending several of the townspeople scurrying out of the way of its landing place. He was now unarmed.

Amy then did some intricate twirls with her bar and then held it over her head with one hand. She then looked up at a sweating Garnet and he understood what she was doing. A test of strength eh? He thought to himself.

His steps shook the ground as he walked up to Amy. With her right thumb she increased the setting on her Graviton bar up to 7, just in case. She felt the bar increase ever so slightly in weight, a feeling that made her smile to herself. She found herself thinking about her next workout when she felt the giants hands grip the bar. He was bending at the knees, keeping his back straight.

" How could this small human weigh so much?" He thought to himself as pulled upward with all his might.

After a minute of grunting, Amy then jumped into the air, pulling a startled Garnet up into the air with her. With a overhead motion she sung the giant over her head and sent him crashing down into the solid rock. When the dust finally settled the giant was imbedded 20 feet into the ground where he lay motionless.

When Amy landed she ran over to the edge of the pit.

" I...I just hope I didn't kill him." She said to herself , worried.

She breathed a sigh of relief when after a minute he started to stir.

The battle was over.

6

Tropazzah and Brunhildagard stood in the middle of the battlefield.

" Your champion is strong, the victory is yours." said Tropazzah. " My son is the strongest of our clan. I am wondering, how it is that your champion was able to stand her ground against one of us?"

"Let us go ask her then." Brunhildagard was curious herself.

When Amy felt the giant footfalls coming towards her she turned to the two Matriarchs and dropped to one knee.

" You may rise, my child." said Brunhildagard, trying not to sound too proud. But Amy still remained on her knee. " Amy." She said a little louder. " Your tired old Grammy appreciates your respect, but we would like to ask you something." Amy didn't stir until Brunhildagard put her hand on Amy's shoulder. Amy then looked up and then remembered something.

" Oh, I'm so sorry. I forgot my hearing aids." Said Amy apologisingly. She quickly reached into her ears and removed the two dense pieces of foam. " I always carry a pair around with me and when I saw that iron battle-hammer that Garnet was going to use, I knew I was going to be needing them."

" Smart grandchild you have, to come so prepared." Said Tropzzah." Tell me child, how are you able to stand your ground against our champion and not be thrown off balance by Garnet's hammerblows? I've been on the other end of one of those and it knocked me practically off my feet. And I know you do not weigh more myself."

" It is my staff Mamm." Answered Amy respectfully. "Many have said it is magical, but it is technology. My staff can wrap gravity around itself in such a way that its weight becomes very great. It is my body-weight plus the great weight of my staff that Garnet's attacks had to overcome." Amy then turned off the Graviton bar and held it up for Tropazzah's inspection. It looked like a toothpick in her giant hand as she examined it.

" Now I will turn it on to the normal setting of 5." Amy, with one hand, held up the bar for Tropazzah to take. At first she used only her thumb and index finger, but when she found that the bar was far heavier than she thought she tried to use her whole hand, but Amy and Graviton Bar couldn't be lifted.

( To try to use both hands would have looked undignified, so Tropazzah didn't try.)

" That is quite a weapon you have fashioned, and it appears that only you can use it. That is wise." Said Tropazzah with growing respect.

" Thank-you Mamm." answered Amy , bowing.

" We will abide by the laws of Jade, the disputed territory is yours. We will take our leave now, but we will not disappear." Tropazzah looked at Brunhildagard sternly. She then went to help a stunned Garnet extricate himself from the impression in the ground that his body made and , without a word, motioned to her entourage and left the battlefield, leaving Garnets battlehammer behind. This place was called Hammerpit from then on, a reminder that this race of Giants were not to be trifled with.

" We WILL hear from them again." Said Brunhildagard.

" I'll be ready." Amy answered, unafraid.

" Well now, What am I to do with you now?"

" I'm sorry?"

" Let's see....'Amy the Giant Killer', that will be your name now."

" I didn't really kill anyone...just kinda buried'um for a second."

" Amy the Giant-Imbedder-in-the-Ground."

" Too long." Said Amy, laughing.

" How about this...'Amy the Giant Slayer'.

" I think the word 'slayer' is overused."

" It is? I have to come up with SOMETHING! How about.."