Broken

Shortly down the path after taking care of the few bats, the trio began to pick up ingredients left and right. With their dark vision allowing them to see the spiders and weeds far easier, they quickly ended up with a large bundle of both, quickly filling the small box Teyo had brought. Teyo held a wing like sling around his neck that was carrying at least twenty pounds of bat meat. The only real problem the group faced was a need for an appropriate amount of wood to cook it all. Even though Teyo and Reilly were fairly certain these siblings were a good pair they still held back on showing off their trump cards. The notion to group up again seemed likely as the cohesive nature of the group felt good, but this was still day one and the first pair they had met. One misguided bit of knowledge could surely ruin what they wanted to build.

After traversing the path for a long distance the group came to hear the sound of distant water rushing. They slowly approached and eventually found a hidden pond much like Reilly and Teyo had found their previous attempt. The group had both shared their fights with the larger creatures near the end of the first checkpoint area. Shaking their heads to one another the semblance to their encounter was once again affirmed.

Teyo held the group from stepping further because he had noticed that once again there was luminous fish in the water which he believed to be the facade the slimes like to take on. He decided he would change tactics and bait out the large creature in one go. He found a nearby large stone and took a chunk of meat smearing the meat all over it. With a heave he tossed it into the water near it's center.

A large thunking splash echoed back to them and they waited. The fish in the pond simply kept swimming almost unfazed outside of the current pushing them about. The next moment from beyond the pond behind a wall of stalagmites a head popped up. It was wearing a large burlap like sac with only holes near it's mouth and eyes, it began to scratch it's ear and then stand. A moment later it was towering over the pond looking into the water. It walked around to it's backside just a few meters away from the group whom now lay low and tight against some stone.

Teyo looked over at Reilly and Courage and mouthed, " What the fuck is that?" shaking his hand questioningly.

They all just shook their head no with a shrug a sense of fear on their face. Peeking through the stone spires they saw the large dark brown wooden club it had on the side just dragging next to it. It leaned forward and sniffed at the water looking deeply into it for a second. The next moment it lunged it's arm forward creating a large splash and retrieved the bloodied stone Teyo had thrown in. It sniffed the stone and then licked it. It looked towards the cave mouth where the group came from it's eyes flickering the mirror like reflection of a tapetum lucidum and with a low grumbling gurgle voice it spoke. " Huuu.. maannns". It then stood up fully and nearly touched the ceiling of the cave.

" It has to be nearly 12 foot tall. It's large muscles betray the pot belly it has it's certainly stronger than it seems. The is a giant? or an ogre? Either way this doesn't fall in line with what I thought would appear according to the difficulty modification! Something changed! Or I was wrong." Teyo thought. Courage looked at Teyo snapping him out of his daze before pointing to his eyes and then to his knees and out at the large creature who seemed to be sniffing at the air. slowly stepping nearer. That's when Teyo saw it. A crooked leg as if pigeon toed on one side. The giant thing wasn't just dragging the large club it used it as an intermittent cane.

Teyo looked back to Courage and gave a nod. Courage pulled up his knife slowly and backed away a couple steps. Teyo slowly pulled off his bat wing sling. Reilly and Valora simply grabbed their weapons firmly and waited for the two to act. Teyo reached back and held up three fingers and then counted them off. The giant creature was nearly upon them drooling when Teyo stood up. " Hungry! Here! "

He hurled the bat meat at the giant creatures face. At the same time it pulled up it's wooden club and swung it rapidly at him. Reilly, Valora, and Courage all popped up afterwards and as Teyo jumped back to dodge rolling away, Courage ran and jumped over the stone stalagmites and slid through it's legs. From behind he slashed into it's leg behind the knee and gave it a deep twist, blood began to spray. Reilly jumped over the railing next and charged the monstrosity with her staff, " Censor".

Valora Hopped almost right afterwards and smashed her mace into the kneecap of the creature. Teyo standing up smiled, the large creature was screaming in pain yet no sound to come out. Teyo rushed him as the giant turned his head to look down at the mousey trio. The giant then tossed the club from one hand to the other and gave a swift back hand hitting Reilly into Valora, they were sent flying back into stone crashing down a small wall.

Courage used his dagger and jumped onto the giants back stabbing deeply leaving a gash deep gash. He stabbed it multiple times now standing atop it's rope cinched waist. It began to reach behind scratching at him and finally it's voice came back to it. " Hghhhh You bug! Die!"

Teyo charged the giant while looking over at Reilly and Valora. They seemed to be barely able to get there bearings, Reilly looked the worst. He stepped off the stone and jumped at the creature axe in hand aiming for it's face.

" Haghhhh Predictabllle" The giant growled at Teyo, the next moment it flung forward it's left arm sending Courage by the arm flying towards Teyo, smacking the pair into each other mid air. The two smacked the floor like a sac of potatoes. Teyo and Courage groaned Courage spitting out blood and Teyo's nose splitting open with a deep gush. The giant laughed deep and raspy. Courage's arm clearly was still left mauled and crushed in it's grip. The giant drooled above the two and then it slowly dropped his arm into his mouth, the sound of bones and meat and grisel crunching in it's teeth. Courage seemed to almost pass out, but Teyo quickly used his pan against his now nub " Pan Sear!", which then brought the light back in it eyes but he clearly had no voice to scream in pain, he was quickly sent into shock.

The Giant then swung it's club at the pair with it's full weight behind it.

" Halt!" Mid swing the club stopped like a frozen pendulum. Teyo grabbed Courage and tossed him at the girl's as fast as he could sending Courage a measily three feet, just barely out of harms way. Spinning around he pulled up his left arm and tucked. BONG! Teyo was sent flying backwards. The sound of a church bell like ring, and then a large crash. The giant lost balance falling over onto it's side, it's leg finally giving out beneath it.

Teyo was flying backwards his pan clearly split and dented concave but still attached to his now broken forearm. He felt his conscious fading, he felt weightless. The cave was spinning, he could see the blood twirling in front of his face. The dark liquid danced with a shine uncharacteristic to the darkness, he watched it flutter in front of his face. Nearly allowing himself to get lost in it's deep alluring luster it reminded him of the dark miasma that the group entered the cave with. " Huh. It's so pretty, it looks so delicate.... I guess I can't even pass .... level one.. "

" BLEEESSSS! " Reilly screamed at the top of her lungs. The top of her staff shot out three large balls of light. Teyo looked on as he spun just above her as if time had slown to a crawl. The bright luster of the spell burst raining over the group in a lightning bug like flutter.

The brightness blinded Teyo momentarily and then he caught his breath with a deep inhale, bare brought back from the brink of death. Time seemed to catch up to him, and quickly he was sent careening over the stones behind his group landing heavily on the ground. He coughed and groaned and winced in pain as he look down at his forearm as it bent back into place cracking and rotating back to health. " Arrrrghhhhhhh!" Teyo stood up slowly and looked over the rocks at his group. Valora stood in front of her brother waving her mace, While Reilly was down on her hands and knees out of breath and holding her chest. The giant looking over at them smiled menacingly with a bloody drool.

" Huu maaaaaannnnnssss Arrrree TASTYYY!!" It growled at them getting up by pushing against it's club with one hand and the ground with the other.

Teyo on the other side of the rock stepped over them. He walked next to Reilly pulling her up from the ground. He was clearly bloody and battered barely even alive and Courage was on the ground barely breathing but conscious. Kicking himself backwards Courage held his dagger out pointing at the Giant. Valora stood in her position at the front of them silent but tears streamed down her face. Teyo looked at Reilly and whispered to her. A moment later she reached in her breast and slowly pulled out the tip of the spear. Teyo quickly grabbed it and pulled it all the way out dropping his axe. He stepped forward in front of Valora. Reilly began to cast a spell.

Teyo's eyes began to glow a shade of red so crimson the only thing the Giant could see as it rose to it's nees was the fierce glare Teyo gave like a far off creature in the night ready to pounce on it's prey. Teyo's stomach growled loudly, his mouth began to salivate and his breath went cold. " I wonder what you taste like!"

" Smoulder! - Pan Sear!!"

Reilly smacked her staff down on the back of the spear in his left arm, Teyo's Arm began to glow and the pan snapped free of it's bindings, Teyo quickly caught the pan before it fell even a foot.

Teyo charged, and the Giant swung out it's club once again. Instead of a heads on clash Teyo stopped and the club passed in front of him. The Giants eyes grew wide in surprise.

Teyo charged forward again with the spear aiming upward barely holding onto it. The giant began to fall to it's elbow but still supported itself with it's other arm.

The giant quickly covered his face from Teyo dropping the club and opting for defense. Teyo leapt and stabbed down with the spear into the hand holding holding it's face. The giant screamed in pain as the hot tip of the poker blazed through it's palm and deep into it's eye.

The Giant rolled around screaming like a child, Teyo barely moving out of its way. A second later on it's back it pulled away it's hand from it's head, a large suction like poping noise was made, clearly pulling out it's own eye which sizzled and squeeled on the tip of the poker.

Teyo caught his bearing's and then quickly jumped onto the giants chest. Standing on it's chest Teyo looked down on the giant and jumped again on its forearm sending the sizzling eye back into it's socket and the poker even further.

PONG!

Teyo smashed his pan atop the poker til it gave out an the bent section completely broke off flying a distance away. He then dove on the giant who grew still and smashed in it's other eye with the leftover section of the pan slashing it open wide and down it's face.

Next to the giants head he screamed into its face a gutteral warcry and then a moment later he fell over.

" I bet you taste like shit..."

Teyo fell unconscious.