Chapter IV:
The Gargantan
The Path
It was the tenth day of Florhus, according to the Albori reckoning, when at last the elves and dwarves were ready to continue their journey. It had taken a while for Ereg and Gheshtick to recover from their time within the Scar. Gheshtick was in worse shape than was Ereg, and the dwarves made as if they were waiting for the elf to fully recover before they resumed their journey. Zefru, alone among the elves, suspected as much.
In truth they were only concerned that Ereg should have as much rest as he needed. In this way they retained their sturdy reputation while appearing generous and patient at the same time.
While he was recovering Ereg's sons hunted, dried meat, and made many preparations for the coming journey. When they heard about the growing perils in the West, and how Sparka was all but doomed, they were half of a mind to return at once and abandon the elves.
'Mm,' Ereg grunted at them. 'We l'slay Drake'Ya, then Fist, Antfister, Five Kings l'tremble.' That was his only hope - their only hope. He knew too much to think that the elementals could be wrong. The Jinn speak only truth, he knew, but perhaps he had not fully understood them.
That evening the dwarves made a great fire and cooked what meat they did not intend to carry on their journey. Every member of their strange party was present for this little feast, and the subject of their mission was the first thing to be discussed.
'Have the Jinn spoken to you, master Ereg?' Xan asked, when at last each member of the group was seated and given his portion. 'Did they tell you which way we must go?' Xan was sure that the dwarves had learned something. He knew that the dwarves had some way of reading the signs of the earth, but he refused to believe Ereg's nonsense about rocks speaking.
'Yes,' Ereg affirmed, drawing every eye to his flame illumined face. 'Drake'Ya rests on Sodeppa, past Spires, past GarBrusht, past Deplund.'
'What are these places?' Agonas asked, looking seriously at the dwarf.
Xan answered with a sigh, knowing that the dwarf would not be willing to give any satisfactory answers. It seemed to Xan as though the dwarves expected others to know everything already. 'The Spires are the great mountains that lie in the center of Kharku, dividing the forests, or "Brushts" as they are called, and separating the northern land, where the weather is ever warm, from the southern Kindgom of Seasons. Deplund is the birthplace of the dwarves, according to our companions; it is a strange and mysterious place. It is said that the dwarves held it to be so sacred that they refused to enter it. Now it is ruled by goblins of the worst sort - and worse than goblins too, if the legends are worth anything. GarBrusht is the lair of the Gargantan-'
'The Gargantan?' Gheshtick interrupted. 'I have never heard of such a beast.'
'The Gargantan,' Xan said, now wishing he could get away with the terse explanations a dwarf, 'stands thrice the height of a man at least, and can slay a man with a single blow. Gargantan,' Xan explained, 'in the tongue of Kharku, means 'Giant'.
'And how will we bypass this creature's lair?' Agonas said, returning their attention to the matter of planning.
'Mm,' Ereg said, 'We l'not. We must go through Manlands, Spires or Fist and Turg if not GarBrusht.'
'But why not pass through the Manlands?' Zefru asked hopefully. 'It sounds much better than any of the other choices.'
'Perhaps for you,' Xan said. 'But I am Adapnan. The men of that land know and hate me. And I daresay you are Adapnan as well - if my guesses have been correct. Even if they allowed us to pass, they would not ever permit a group of six armed dwarves pass through their kingdoms.'
'Why should they fear six dwarves so?' Zefru asked.
Gheshtick looked at him fiercely, and Zefru leaned away from the fire so that his face would vanish from sight.
Ereg's face looked as though it were made of stone, and Fas began to stir as though he was prepared to rise and slay Zefru that very moment. The tension was broken by Xan, however, who burst out laughing, 'That is a good jest, my friend. A good jest! The Manlanders not fearing six dwarves - six dwarves!'
The elves could tell that his laughter was feigned, but the dwarves seemed to accept it as an indication that Zefru really was making a jest. Xan leaned in close to Zefru and whispered, 'Ere the end you will understand just how foolish were those remarks. Our alliance with them is not so sound that we can afford to be careless with their pride.'
Agonas broke in after Xan's laughter had subsided, saying, 'What of the Spires? Can we cross the mountains, and so avoid the lair of the Gargantan?'
'No,' Xan explained. 'Nothing can cross the Spires, save the Fire Bird.' At that name the dwarves grew restless for an instant. On Xan's face was a satisfied grin. He knew how much they hated even the idea that there should be so great a creature to lord it over the thin air above. 'And we cannot pass through Turg or Fist, since they are not friends of the Sparkans.'
Ereg nodded, affirming that Xan had understood the matter properly. He said nothing that whole evening concerning what he had learned about Thure or about the perils soon to come against the Sparkans. There was nothing Xan could do about it anyway, he reasoned, and when at last the day came for him to learn about it he would never suspect that the dwarf had known about it already. 'He l'mourn that day,' Ereg thought to himself. 'Now he l'have peace.'
'But do not the Scars stretch, in the west, all the way to Turg and Fist, and in the east, to the Manlands? How will we go south then, and how will we come to the GarBrusht?' Gheshtick asked.
Ereg smiled, 'Rope,' he said with a slight smile. Gheshtick shook his head - he did not think that he would like whatever it was that Ereg was planning.
'We l'cross t' Scars tomorrow,' Ereg said in closing, 'follow Digra betwixt t' western mountains, then enter GarBrusht from t' north.'
His tone seemed somehow to imply that the council was at an end, and that nothing more was to be said. He rose, waited a moment for his sons to follow him, and then walked away toward his own encampment.
The Crossing
At first light the dwarves arose and hurriedly packed all their gear for the journey. What they could not bring they cast solemnly into the Scars where it quickly vanished from sight. They spent a good portion of the morning searching the cliffside for an area that was flat and secure. When at last they decided on a place nearly a half-mile east of their encampment they set to work constructing what looked to the elves to be an enormous bow with a thin rope for a string. When this strange device was at last assembled they tied a rope to the end of one of Jah'Ereg's throwing spears and nocked the whole spear back upon the string. They carefully lay the coil upon the ground and inspected it carefully for knots. When they were satisfied that it would unravel without catching they began to slowly move the bow into place, Ereg directing them with careful hand motions. They spent nearly a half hour finding their target, which Ereg said was a tree on the other side of the Scar.
When all was ready Haf'Ereg pulled the spear back and released in one smooth motion. The elves watched in amazement as the spear flew across the chasm, unraveling the coil of rope as it went. In a short span the spear struck the tree and pierced the trunk, making a loud whacking noise. The dwarves pulled hard at the remaining rope to test its strength. When Ereg nodded his approval they tied the other end to a great stone and began disassembling their great bow. Gheshtick hissed with terror when he saw Naj, still bearing his enormous pack, slide carelessly over the cliffside, grasping the rope with his hands and slowly making his way over the great pit. The rope sagged under his weight, and the sack seemed to want to pull his tiny body into the Scar, but the dwarf's iron grip did not waver or struggle.
Agonas remained silent as Jah'Ereg and San, the eldest, began to cross as well, dragging the rope still lower into the pit under their weight. 'They trust themselves,' Zefru marveled. 'More than I trust myself to be sure. And more than I trust them also.'
'And they trust their ropes as well,' Gheshtick said, thinking back on his desce
nt to the Place of Hearing. 'But we cannot cross this way, my lord,' he said, turning toward Agonas.
Agonas looked to Xan, who shook his head and spread his arms.
Agonas called to Ereg, 'Master dwarf, how shall we cross - we have not fingers of steel as do your sons.'
'Wait,' he said, turning away from the elves to give some commands to his sons. When Jah, San and Naj finally made it to the opposite cliff, the other dwarves began to cross. First Fas, then Haf, each bearing their weapons and their packs as if they weighed nothing at all.
The marvel rendered Zefru silent, as there was nothing to do but to stand in amazement at their strength.
Before Haf went out onto the rope he tied a black cord to the same stone to which was already tied the rope the others had used to cross the Scar. Then, taking the other end of the cord and tying it to his belt, he crossed the chasm, making his way south across the thin air. When he reached the other side he climbed down to a ledge that stood about twenty feet beneath the cliff's edge. There he bound the other end of the rope.
'Give me your packs,' Ereg commanded the elves.
Xan hurriedly handed his own burden to Ereg. Soon all their heavy gear was tied together and slung over the black cord. Ereg released their belongings, which immediately dropped over the edge, sliding along the cord to the other side of the Scar where Haf waited. 'That is how you l'cross,' he said with a smile as he watched their amazed faces. 'Hold this,' he said to Gheshtick, handing him a short cord, seemingly of the same make as that of the black cord Haf had bourne in his crossing.
Gheshtick nervously approached the edge. He looked back at the others for a moment, and saw their anxious expressions. Their fear certainly did nothing to encourage him. He clenched the cord in his fist, put the other end over the black cord and breathed deeply.
Ereg stepped toward him and added, 'Hold it tight.' If he had been speaking to a dwarf, he would never have added such a statement - of course you should hold it tight! And had it been another elf making the crossing, he might have left out the detail just to see what would come of them. But he felt that somehow Gheshtick could be an ally for Sparka. And they would need allies soon enough.
A moment later he was in the air, soaring across the chasm, his stomach in a flutter and his arms shaking as they struggled to hold onto the cord that alone separated him from death. It was not until he neared the other side that he realized that he was screaming like a terror-stricken child.
Haf bore a broad grin on his face as he caught the elf and helped him onto the ledge. A few moments later Udraja slid onto the ledge, his whole body shaking from fright. The other elves were in a similar state - Xan rushed to the cliff and clutched at the rock wall as if it were a long lost lover. Agonas was nearly sick when he reached the others, though he tried to pretend that the crossing had not affected him.
Zefru alone crossed without any great signs of distress. When he neared the ledge Haf moved aside and allowed him to land on his feet gracefully. He snickered when he saw the others, pale-faced and sickly looking, staring at him with obvious consternation. He smiled, but said nothing. The look on their faces was as satisfying as any jest would have been.
A rope descended from the cliff above and the elves quickly climbed up, coming to stand on the other side of the Scar at last.
Ereg, coming last, untied the black cord and let it fall limply over the edge. Haf quickly pulled it up and wrapped it into a coil on the ledge where the other end was tied. Ereg untied his end of the original rope as well, tying it carefully to a boulder. When he stepped out over the edge to climb across, the boulder moved several feet under his weight, but ultimately came to a halt. Ereg hung over the edge in a careful balance, trying to cross without upsetting the boulder, which was just heavy enough to bear his weight. When at last he made it to the other side - and it took him a good while owing to the fact that he had to cross slowly to avoid pulling the boulder over the edge - he gave the rope a strong tug and pulled the boulder off the edge. As it fell it slipped out of the knot he had tied and fell loosely against the cliff wall even as the boulder crashed against the rocks below.
The dwarves bundled up their things and prepared to continue the journey. The elves were utterly speechless.
A Real Ikwa
In this way they continued their journey southward, stopping to camp at the edge of the second and then third Scars. The dwarves would not dare attempt a crossing if they did not know that they had the full day's length before them.
On the second evening after they resumed their journey, Gheshtick reminded Xan of his promise - to consider the 'proofs' of the Essenes.
He agreed reluctantly, however, and insisted that their time would be better spent in rest, 'or in babbling,' he sneered. 'But nevertheless, tell me what these mortals have to say about the gods.'
Gheshtick thought carefully for a time, and finally said, 'The Essenes insist that a thing can only share in either good or ill if it is a thing of reality and not of imagination. Thus, whatever it is, it is better if it is real than if it is imaginary. For only if it is real can it be good. And it is at least better to have the possibility of good than to have none. There is something that is the very best of all things. This thing, which must be real in order to partake in goodness, therefore must be. For, it being best, must by its very nature partake of reality. And so, it being real, cannot be unreal - for that would be a contradiction.'
'You have this argument well rehearsed,' Xan observed. He nodded for a time and then smiled, saying, 'I think I know this thing - this best thing of which you speak.'
Gheshtick looked at him puzzled.
'It is an Ikwa, I think,' Xan said with a grin. 'A REAL Ikwa.'
'What is an Ikwa?' Gheshtick asked.
'Well, an Ikwa,' Xan answered, 'is a creature of the Peppered Desert. According to legend, this creature is something like a tiny goblin. It's complexion is white, however, like the snow atop the mountains and it runs about completely unclothed. It's skin is said to be made of oil, and it is as fast as lightning. Yet, if one is fortunate enough to capture the creature, it will grant him whatsoever his heart desires.'
'If I have learned anything about you, I have learned to discern when you hold an idea in disdain. I suspect there is no such creature?' Gheshtick asked, knowing already what the other would answer.
'That remains to be seen,' Xan answered. 'Perhaps it will become real over the course of our discussion. Gheshtick looked at him strangely, but he continued, 'Now, granted, the Ikwa is a fiction. No man has ever seen it - it appears only in the fairy tales that people in the Manlands teach their kids. It is something like the story where a poor woman gets a pot that, when spun three times and knocked upon, produces a boiled ham. But she forgets how to make it stop producing boiled hams. By the end of the story so many boiled hams lay about rotting in the village streets that the Beast itself awakes and consumes the hams, the village and the woman alike. It is a fable made to teach the impoverished that there is a danger in having too much as well as too little.
'So also the Ikwa would come and give a man exactly what he desired. And it would typically bring him to ruin, although there are some stories where the Ikwa is outwitted. But even then, such stories generally speak of one escaping the Ikwa's traps, and not actually attaining their desires without dire consequences. Now, it cannot be denied that, if there is not, perhaps, an Ikwa, there is at least the thought of such a creature. I mean, we could not speak of it if it were not so. Do you admit as much?'
'I should think so,' Gheshtick answered.
'And now consider...,' Xan began slowly, 'There is also the idea of a real Ikwa. I mean, you can imagine that such a think might exist. It is not like white darkness, or something absurd like that. You can think of an imaginary companion, just as children are wont to do. And then there are real companions. So there is a difference between them, or else there would be no difference. Do you see what I mean?'
'You mean simply that tha
t there is a difference between a real friend and a friend pretended,' Gheshtick answered.
'No, I mean there is a difference between the thoughts of them - between the thought of a friend and the thought of an imaginary friend. If there were not, you could never distinguish them in your mind.'
'I suppose that is true enough,' Gheshtick agreed.
'But then, what is the difference? Is it not that one is real and the other not?'
'Yes, I think that is correct.'
'But lo, would it not be absurd to say that the real friend is not a real friend?'
'That would be to oppose one's own words,' Gheshtick affirmed.
'Then what is the difference between a real Ikwa and a false one? Is it not that the one contains within it the word 'real', and therefore, like the great god of the Essenes, must exist? For to deny the reality of a real Ikwa would be to contradict oneself - since it is real only for being real.'
Gheshtick looked somewhat disappointed as he gave consideration to what had just been said.
'But consider the ground upon which we affirm all things to be real,' Xan said thoughtfully. 'How long can a man live, who does not appear in time - who lives not for a moment and dies afterwards?'
'I suppose he lives for no time at all,' Gheshtick said.
'Exactly, and could not a million such men live, say, between this word and the next? Their whole lives may pass in an instant - nay, they do not pass at all, for a passing implies a being and then a not being, which would be two moments, or at least a single moment. But if a thing occupies no time at all - well, the gods help us - ANYTHING could be real!'
'So you are saying that it is in standing in time that a thing has its reality, and that if it matters not what our thoughts on the matter be,' Gheshtick asked.
'That is what I would say to your Essenes,' Xan answered.
After a long silence Gheshtick nodded, 'I think that makes sense to me. I thank you for sharing your mind, master Xan of Thure. I shall give this greater thought hereafter. I would continue with my queries,' he said, 'but we should rest for the last crossing, and I would not have us fall into the belly of the earth for having stayed up too late pondering the doctrines of mortals.'
'Nay,' Xan said, 'we do not want to become mortal ourselves! Though there would perhaps be some comedy in such a turn.'
The next morning the elves and dwarves crossed the third Scar. By this time even the elves crossed skillfully and without much anxiety.
Ereg nodded approvingly as they passed over the chasm and landed deftly upon a great jut of rock on the southern cliff wall. There was, perhaps, more to these men than he had first assumed. If they could keep their heads, perhaps they might truly bring down the Drake'Ya. But when he thought of the beast, this confidence vanished away.
The Gargantan
The party walked west for three days, following the contour of the Southern Scar to avoid the rocky and mountainous terrain that lay just to their south. As they went on the southern landscape opened up to a flatter, though more barren place. In the afternoon on the third day after their final crossing, however, a great roar slowly rose in their ears. 'A fall,' Agonas said, his eyes wide. They had passed several streams and two small rivers that ran north from the mountains over the edge of the Scar, and the sight of the water rushing over the edge to vanish into the seemingly bottomless pit was awe inspiring.
But no word of preparation could have made them ready for what unfolded before their sight. The whole earth seemed to break away from them as they looked out upon the western horizon. They came to the edge of a great waterfall, one whose western bank could not be seen for its immensity. An ocean seemed to pour over its edge, thundering into the depths in a rage. The sight was enough to make even the dwarves feel faint. For thus far only Ereg and San had ever seen these lands. The other dwarves stood just as open mouthed as the elves.
'This is where the high gods are said to have promised to cleanse the earth of the Yaha'Nai's evil, Xan said. 'For a hundred thousand years these waters must flow, until at last the Scars the Dragon inflicted upon the earth are filled. Then the Fire Bird will come and roost upon the Mountain, and the coolness of its shadow will freeze the whole land of Kharku until the time has come for the rebirth of the world.'
Gheshtick listened to his tale enthusiastically, taking advantage of every opportunity to learn something novel.
Zefru shook his head with wide eyes. 'Please tell me that we are not crossing this on ropes and cords!' he said weakly.
Ereg laughed and then pointed toward the south. 'We l'follow Digra south,' he said through his chuckles. Apparently the elf's anxiety was as good as a joke for him. 'There is a crossing.'
The party continued south, following the river's edge whenever possible, but never traveling beyond earshot of the water's rushing flow. 'Easy t' get lost,' Ereg said, explaining why it was so important to keep close to the Digra. There were many hills and forests, valleys and streams in this land, all intertwining and weaving their through the land.
It certainly would be easy to lose oneself in these lands, Agonas thought.
It took them four days to find a place that was suitable for crossing. Their pace had slowed somewhat, as the land began to rise steeply into the mountains where the river originated. Also the air began to grow colder. This was partly due to their elevation, but also due to the fact that they were traveling into the southern part of Kharku. 'Beyond the mountains lies the Kingdom of Seasons,' Xan explained, 'So named because, unlike the northern lands of Kharku, which are always hot, the weather in the southern realm cycles through hot and cold, summer, winter, autumn and spring. It is drawing near winter in Sesno.'
'Sesno?' Agonas asked.
'That is the name of the King's city,' he explained. 'And we would do well to keep away from there so long as we are in the company of dwarves. The Sparkans were not the ones so foolish as to name their nation as if it were a challenge to the power of Sesno itself - I speak here of the dwarf kingdom of Antsesno - but the people of the south do not care to 'separate hairs' as their expression goes. All dwarves are hated there, and we would do well to avoid it.'
'We l'enter,' Ereg interrupted. 'We must come to Sodeppa from the south.'
'If it must be so, then it must be so,' Xan said. 'But we should do so secretly, if possible. It would be a shame to make it past the Gargantan only to rot in a Sesno dungeon.'
After crossing the Digra in a shallow place where the water was never more than three feet deep, the terrain became more and more difficult. At many points they were forced to hike several leagues from the water in order to find a suitable place to continue their southward journey. Eventually they came to a small mountain lake where the Digra parted ways with the Gargra. 'The Gargra feeds the GarBrusht, and the Gargantan also,' Xan said as he indicated that their path now led them into the southwest.
The dwarves spent three days there catching and then drying lake fish.
'We will not starve, at least,' Zefru said as he watched the six dwarves working.
On the last day of Florhus they gathered up their belongings and began their descent into the vale of the Gargantan. The Gargra River wound its way through the land, curving sharply to flow south, abandoning the Digra altogether. It cascaded down a series of falls, the sight of which was only to be topped by the grandeur of the Digra Falls to the north, which I have already mentioned. The Gargra Falls were not so large, but they fell over a wild and unpredictable landscape, making it look as though the whole mountainside was bursting forth water like a rotting dam. Among these falls the dwarves and elves now climbed, making their way slowly and cautiously down the mossy rocks to the bottom, where a great pool of crystal clear water awaited them.
Gheshtick was growing quite adept at such rope-work, but the party very nearly lost Udraja, whose only climbing experience thus far had been a few small cliffs and the crossing of the Scars. Zefru beat even the dwarves to the bottom, though he slid uncontro
llably for a good portion of his descent. Fortunately for him, however, he landed on his feet and so more than retained his good image.
'Beware,' was all that Ereg said when at last they had reached the bottom. The high cliff wall blocked out nearly all the light of the sun, leaving them in a perpetual twilight. Night came fast, and the dwarves refused to light a fire. The elves remained utterly silent, not sure just what kind of danger they would find in this Gargantan.
For a week they walked, almost on tip-toe the whole time it seemed, deeper into the GarBrusht. Flies the like of which the elves (excepting Xan of course) had never seen bit at their necks and ears, leaving trickles of blood in their wake. Agonas had taken to slicing them in half with his sword, but Ereg told him to cease, as even the sound of his blade might stir up the wrath of the Gargantan. The dwarf and his sons were so fearful of the might of this creature that some part of him suspected that perhaps the Gargantan was, in fact, the very beast he had come to slay. If it was as large and as mighty as Ereg insisted, then perhaps he might kill it and bring it back in lieu of the true Beast. After all, no one in Sunlan would have imagined such a beast to be possible. They would not question him as to whether or not it was, truly, THE greatest of all Beasts.
But he knew that Pelas would not make such a choice, and if for no other reason than to remain his brothers equal (at least), he drove the thought from his head without delay. He would have to do this right, and he would have to do it completely. Ever since they were children he knew that his own survival depended upon it. But more than this, his brother depended upon it. If ever they fell out of balance with one another, the forces and powers of Bel Albor would drag them away from one another forever. He knew this, and he knew that Pelas understood it as well. 'Once false act,' he thought to himself, 'One mistake, and the whole scale shall tip, and both of us will fall, whichever way the scale leans.'
After nearly a second week of this slow, silent wandering, they came to a small clearing. Zefru peered into the clearing from behind a bush. He had proved himself to be the most silent, and so they made him go ahead to scout things out whenever their way was doubtful. He had already spied out nearly two dozen such clearings, and he felt very little apprehension about them now. But this time he froze in his place as if he had been turned to stone. Agonas rushed, quietly, to his side with his sword drawn and ready. For an instant, he also froze. Before him were two enormous, hair-covered legs with bald feet and nails like a man's.
Soon Ereg stood beside him and then Xan. The rest did not move any closer, their apprehension overpowering their curiosity.
'Gargantan?' Agonas whispered.
Xan nodded and then whispered in affirmation, 'Gargantan.'
A sly grin came across Agonas' face as he looked at the creature. Huge and strong as it was, it had not yet noticed them. There it was, not ten paces from his drawn sword, and it knew not that so many lay hidden nearby. With a quick motion to the other elves he ducked into the bush and crawled through the brush as quietly as he was able.
Xan spluttered and hissed something, no doubt trying to warn him of his folly.
He rushed from his hiding place in a flash, his sword a blur as it cut through flesh and bone, severing the creature's leg from its body. A tremendous howl of terror and pain filled the air as the Gargantan bellowed in agony. In the next instant Gheshtick was standing beside him, slashing at the monster with his broadsword. Amerlu and Udraja rushed in next and, with their swords, brought the creature to the ground. It writhed in terror and pain for a moment before Agonas cut its head from its body, his dwarf-steel blade easily passing through the bone.
'This is your Gargantan!' Agonas said proudly, shaking the blood from his sword's blade.
Xan emerged in a fury, 'A Gargantan! A Gargantan! Not THE Gargantan! It is one of them - as if to say, not the only one. Gargantan is a KIND of creature - not a single monster! You elves of B'alboru are truly too thoughtful! That!' he pointed at the dead beast lying on the ground, 'was scarcely older than a babe. It was a juvenile - like unto the elves of B'alboru!'
Before Xan could continue his tirade - and Agonas perceived that he could have continued his rant for quite some time - a loud bellow arose from somewhere nearby, answered by still others more distant. As the sounds continued to echo and resound - and to find answer elsewhere in the GarBrusht - the party suddenly felt the earth beneath them tremble, as if it too was fearful of the monsters that now wrathfully approached. There was a dreadful cracking and rustling sound as the enormous creatures approached, carelessly uprooting the ancient trees in their anger.
A dark shadow appeared from beneath the trees, as if a black cloud were about to burst forth from the jungle. An angry, growling face burst from the darkness, five times at least the size of a man's head. The eyes of the creature were undeniably intelligent, but its face and brow were flat and wrinkled, making it look more cunning than rational. There were two flaring nostrils in place of a nose, and many large yellowish teeth peeking out behind quivering lips. The creature took one look at the fallen monster and then stepped forward into the clearing. The shape of its body was almost human, but with monstrous proportions. Its muscles rippled with raw power, and its long arms fell down into tightly balled fists. Its whole body was covered with ruddy brown hair, except upon its hands and feet, its stomach and its face.
As if it were not tall enough already, when the beast entered the opening the elves realized that it was standing upon its hands and feet. When it rose to its full height it dwarfed even the other Gargantan.
'Whatever you do,' Zefru whispered frantically in Agonas' ear, 'Don't run from it!'
Agonas nodded, his eyes wide with amazement. He did not think it would be possible to run, he was so terrified. 'I'm as big a fool as Pelas,' he thought to himself, cursing his arrogance.
The Gargantan dropped to his hands and feet again and moved fearlessly toward the party.
Agonas slashed at its arm, cutting deeply into its flesh. But the creature retaliated quicker than the elf could have imagined possible, grabbing him in its arms and slamming him to the ground. As he struck the jungle floor his eyes filled with white dots and all sense seemed to vanish from his mind. In the corner of his eye he thought he saw Zefru dart off into the jungle.
He felt himself lift from the earth once more, but instead of crashing to the ground, he felt himself land in friendly arms as the creature let out a terrible bellow. When he opened his eyes he saw the Gargantan tearing at an iron dart that now stood lodged in its chest.
San stood nearby, another dart ready to fly, and his hand ready to draw one of his swords from its scabbard on his back. The monster turned its attention toward the dwarf and made a fierce charge at him. San's second dart barely slowed the monster's pace.
The Gargantan lifted both fists in the air and brought them down in a blur of motion. It's fists did not fall on San, however; instead its fists clashed against Haf'Ereg's great bronze shield like a great gong. The echo of that sound buried all other sounds and made all the elves cover their ears. The Gargantan bellowed with rage, but its cry was washed away by the resounding clash.
As it stood there, clutching its broken fists and confounded by the noise, Jah'Ereg leaped over his brother Haf, rebounded off the top of his shield and leaped atop the creature's shoulders, bringing his long spear down hard into the beast's neck. The monster flailed in agony and terror, and then fell upon its face beside the smaller Gargantan.
When Agonas regained his senses, he looked around to see Xan standing nearby with an arrow nocked.
Gheshtick helped him to his feet, his broadsword thrust into the earth where he might easily draw it out and fight.
'Where is Zefru?' Agonas asked, his fury rising within him. He knelt to the ground and picked up his sword. 'If he escapes these devils he will have me to reckon with. If WE escape! Curse him!'
Even as he spoke, four more of the creatures entered the clearing with still more following in thei
r train. The dwarves took up something of a formation, Haf in the front with his large shield standing between them and their foes, and the others standing at his side with their swords and axes drawn. Fas, with his great axe slung across his shoulders, stood outside of the group nimbly bouncing upon the balls of his feet, ready to move in any direction. San now had both of his swords drawn, and Naj stood upon his father's shoulders with his crossbow ready to fire. Three quarrels flew from Naj's crossbow, piercing the face of the nearest beast, sending it into a rage as it crashed into the others and pounded the earth in frustration. Two others charged forward, the first held back by Haf's shield and the other falling limbless before Fas' swirling axe.
Naj quickly thrust two darts into the first creature's chest and San, taking advantage of this distraction, rushed forward with his swords and cut three deep wounds into its belly, spilling its insides upon the ground. It bellowed and fell.
The elves stood back to back, their weapons drawn, ready for battle. All of the elves, that is, save for Zefru, who had vanished into the jungle before the battle even started.
Xan felled one Gargantan with a sure shot into its left eye, but that is about all that the elves were able to manage. As they fought back the advances of a stunted looking, screeching Gargantan youth, a much greater monster came up behind them and grabbed Gheshtick and Udraja by their skulls. Gheshtick was able to pry its fingers away from his face and kick himself free. He fell to the ground with a thud, and before he could think of anything else, Udraja's headless body fell on top of him. 'The gods!' he shouted in horror. An arrow flew past his ear, sending his hair waving as it pierced the great beast that had nearly squashed his head. He rushed forward, passing between the beast's legs and cutting its foot with his broadsword.
'Run!' Xan shouted, loosing another arrow into the monster. 'Run! There is no victory here! There is only survival - if we are very, very lucky. Run!'
Agonas ducked beneath the groping palm of one of the Gargantan and cut himself a path into the forest. 'Where do we go?' he shouted. But there was no answer. The others had scattered, and only the dwarves now remained in the clearing.
'Run!' he shouted to the dwarves.
'Run, Adapnan!' Ereg responded. It was clear that the dwarves had no intention of leaving their contest with Gargantan just yet. Two more of the monsters had fallen to them, one peppered by ten of Naj's iron quarrels and the other with one of Jah's throwing spears piercing its neck.
'Fools!' Agonas shouted. 'This is not the battle we seek!'
'We have more battles than you know!' Ereg shouted, his son Naj still balancing upon his shoulders with his crossbow ready. 'Run!'
With that Agonas departed, disappearing into the jungle, making his way southward, keeping the setting sun to his right. He encountered three more Gargantan as he fled, but in the heart of the jungle his size allowed him to escape their reach more easily than in the open. He ran until he nearly fell over of exhaustion, coming to the river just as night fell. He crawled on his hands and knees to the water and drank deeply, collapsing in a heap with his right arm in the water.