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[howandwhy99]

Ben and Dram lit torches and everyone but Darius lit another off of theirs. Mirel, Kayla, and Ben threw their torches as far as they could, one into each passageway. More bolts shot out, but the group could see farther in. The center hallway went beyond the torchlight, but those angling left and right were shorter and had propped up tables at their ends as makeshift bunkers. Small forms popped up from behind firing crossbows at them. Darius could see they were not like kobolds at all. “It’s goblins. They look just like Captain Radcliffe said.” Darius explained the beasts were no more fearsome than kobolds. After the count of three, two teams rushed in: three men down the left tunnel and three more down the right tunnel. Mirel hung back and Kayla climbed a tree to keep lookout. Ormand the Redd stood by the entrance too and shot arrows into the darkness down the center aisle.

“CHARGE!” shouted Dram as he, Darius, and Igor ran up the right passage. They tried to swing over the table, which was inside a room and pressed against the archway in. The large room opened up wide to the left and right. Several goblins could be seen moving around in its shadows. Ducking low the three used the table for cover, but were having little luck hitting those on the others side. Meanwhile, Brother Ben and Rogg ran down the left tunnel. Ben could swear Dalin was right behind him, but the gambler sprinted up the center path and picked up the torch on the floor. Ormand saw the man shudder backwards as bolts thumped into his armor. Rogg outpaced Ben and dove over the guard table. The crossbow-wielding goblins on the far side were not prepared at all for this. The big man landed on three of the creatures. Ben used his flail to bend his attacks around onto those still holding the backside of the table.

Four of the goblins overpowered Rogg and began beating on him. Ben noticed only one was holding the door, so he pushed it hard collapsing it on top the goblin. Ben jumped up and down crushing the creature underneath. Dalin kept charging down the long center hall right up to its end where a small, low, stone wall was built. Three more goblins were hiding in the tiny space behind it. Only one had a melee weapon, so Dalin swung his sword into it and tossed the creature’s long spear behind him. The other two cowered in fear. Darius and Dram continued to beat away at the goblins in their tunnel. There was not enough space for Igor too, so he yelled out and dove over the door and through the swordplay. Tumbling to the floor on the others side he quickly counted six goblins and one more running away down a portion of the room that doglegged to his right. His interest piqued, Igor stood back up and chased after it. “GIANT!!!” Mirel’s voice rang out into the tunnels. Ormand the Redd had already started shooting at the hulking form emerging from the tunnel marked B. “Oh no”, thought Kayla as she tried to hide higher in her tree.

Brother Ben heard the call, but Rogg was busy pulling goblins off himself. After swinging at one, Ben ran back outside and spotted the monster. It looked more like an ugly half-giant than the tall, ferocious Giant that he saw attack Outpost Xavier. “Maybe it’s a child”, thought Ben. Mirel handed him an extra sling and the two slung stones at it. Dalin was too busy to lend aid as he kept attacking the two gobbling forms hiding behind their wall. They had proved very wily, as he was frustrated trying to swing over and around the small barricade. Dram and Darius heard Mirel’s call too, but they had just managed to knock over the table run into the far room. Darius saw Igor sprinting away into the next portion of the room. At its end, a secret door was open leading into an unworked cave.

Ben and Mirel climbed trees hoping to get above the Giant’s reach. Kayla stayed hidden. The creature ran slowly through the underbrush directly at Ormand the Redd. The hireling backed into the cave entrance but kept shooting his bow at the monster. “I need some help here!” he shouted. Rogg, Dalin, and Dram continued their attacks, but Darius decided to run after Igor instead. The dwarf had already killed two goblins to Dram’s one, which left only two more for the northerner to deal with. Igor, however, had already passed through the secret door and entered into the large natural cavern. He saw an opening far down to his right with sunlight shining in. “The second entrance”, he said. His eyes scanned the rest of the cave. He saw no other exits, but a massive straw mound was along one side to his left. As he approached it he recognized the smell immediately: Giant stink. The mound had a furrow in the middle for the monster to lie in. Resting alongside it by the wall were seven large sacks. “JACKPOT!”

Igor was hauling them into his backpack when Darius ran up behind him. “Good. Bring those for later. We need to get back. The Giant is outside the other entrance.” Working together they stuffed the sacks away and ran back to the secret door. Dram was standing there waiting and slammed the secret door to the ogre cave closed behind them. To their right, another door was open leading deeper into the hillside. “One o’ the gobbles got away”, Igor explained pointing down its tunnel. They decided to deal with the problem later as two more goblins charged at them. Apparently Dram had decided to ignore the two and outrun them to follow Darius. Dalin was finally finishing off the last goblin at the end of the center tunnel when he heard Rogg calling out for help. He dropped the goblins’ belongings and ran as fast as he could towards the sound. Outside Mirel and Kayla scrambled again to get higher into the branches as the Giant began shaking their trees from below. It bellowed out, “Who You?! Who You?!” Kayla began whispering something archaic under her breath and hoped for the others safety. Ormand the Redd hid in the shadows of the first cave entrance.

Dalin met Ormand at the junction and pulled on him from behind. He needed help with Rogg. Dalin could see the big man had fallen and three enemies were wrestling on top of him. The two allies rushed and tried to pull the little goblins off. Meanwhile, Ben and Mirel slung stones point blank into the Giant’s face, while they trembled with fear. Dram and Igor ran ahead to see them from the cave’s exit and Darius was left trailing behind in his full-plate. “It’s an Ogre”, whispered Dram when he saw the Giant. Hiding himself behind the cave’s exit, Igor pulled out his bastard sword and held it high above his head. He studied the creature outside intently. Kayla saw another faction of goblins enter the ravine following the Giant’s footsteps. She gestured with her hands like Elion had shown her and shrieked. The ogre started trembling in fear. Its will broke and it ran back towards the other cave entrance. “But… but… I was going to kill it”, said Igor.