{"id":164,"date":"2019-08-15T11:59:00","date_gmt":"2019-08-15T11:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/141.148.246.190\/index.php\/single-post\/the-giants-gamble-pt-23\/"},"modified":"2022-05-19T15:17:27","modified_gmt":"2022-05-19T14:17:27","slug":"the-giants-gamble-pt-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/index.php\/2019\/08\/15\/the-giants-gamble-pt-23\/","title":{"rendered":"The Giant’s Gamble Pt. 23"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Chapter 23: Duke Zolto<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\n

Roon appeared in the blink of an eye and shot an arrow at one of the hellhounds as it pounced at Flint. The poisoned arrow tip dug into its roiling flesh and made it snarl angrily. The poison would take only seconds to seep through any normal creature\u2019s bloodstream, but this creature was anything but normal. The hound\u2019s skin was raw and cracked, and from the cracks streamed bits of molten lava. As it barked, its mouth spewed ash and fire. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Roon disappeared back into the ethereal plane and made his slow run through the fog toward Evelyn, who was unconscious on the edge of Kilian\u2019s fog cloud. When he appeared to heal her, she groaned as he said, \u201cwould you quit that? I can\u2019t follow you around all day healing you, you know.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The girl got abruptly to her feet, black rage in her eyes. The rage, luckily, was only for the hounds. Kilian\u2019s fog cloud dropped, and the air cleared. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

A large wire ball rolled through the doorway as it was chased by another hellhound. It leaped almost playfully at the large, burnt ball before seemingly noticing them. Opal hit it with a roaring wall of thunder before it could attack. Kilian shot electric black and green bolts of energy into one, nearly slicing its chest in half. Hiccup was looking to Kilian and trying to emulate the sorcerer\u2019s spells, but whatever he did didn\u2019t seem to be working. Thia\u2019s lightning bolt mixed with Flint\u2019s strange bardic magic and took out the third. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Just as they were about to celebrate, two fire giants roared as they entered, one much larger and ducking slightly through the opposite doorway. It seemed their kitchen battles had caught the attention of the entire network beneath the mountain.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

This larger giant wore thick, gleaming armour. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cDuke Zolto!\u201d Thia shouted, and the larger of the two turned on her and gave a crooked grin. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

They turned their spells and blades on the giants, giving way to some ground and finding perches on tables for added height against their much larger foes. Roon continued to blink in and out of planes, never missing with his poison-tipped arrows. He felt exhilarated at his ability, a strange thrill of another mind with his, guiding his shots. Whether it was the divine hand of Baravar Cloakshadow, or something else, he couldn\u2019t tell. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Zolto went for Thia, but she moved quickly, wielding the giantslayer sword and leaving deep gashes in the giant\u2019s gray-black skin. The other giant turned on Flint, who\u2019d taken a stand on the largest of the tables and had out his axe and a wide grin. He swung, but the giant slammed a fist into the dwarf and knocked him across the room where he slumped and didn\u2019t move. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Roon blinked over to Flint and healed him to consciousness, blinking away before the dwarf could thank him. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Evelyn, he could see, had crawled under one of the tables holding her arm, which he suspected was broken. The smaller giant grabbed the table with two hands and flipped it, revealing the small white-haired girl. She pushed herself to her feet and barely leapt out of the following pounding fist. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Two more hounds had come at the sound of the shouting giants, and both pounced on Opal. The genasi screamed as she fell under a mass of tooth and claws. Roon appeared and shot one with an arrow. It turned at him and snarled, and he got off another shot before disappearing again. Through the shadow of the ethereal plane, he saw Opal rise as a giant eagle and fly out of the hounds\u2019 grasps. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cEvelyn, RUN!\u201d Kilian shouted at her from a few tables away.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Evelyn used her good arm to hoist herself over the overturned table and land lightly on the other side, grunting in pain. The giant kicked the table into her, nearly squishing her if not for her reactionary lunge to the side. The giant took another swipe at her with large knuckles. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Blinding lightning struck Zolto in the chest from Thia\u2019s hands and the Duke roared at her. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Roon shot at the hounds, felling one. Hiccup\u2019s form was shimmering with strange, magical armour as he prepared to cast another spell. Flint was barely standing, looking exhausted as he leaned against a far wall. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cHALT! OR THE GIRL DIES!\u201d The smaller giant, still at least seventeen feet tall, shouted. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

They all spun, including the Duke and the last hound, and saw the giant holding Evelyn\u2019s limp form in his grasp with a large swordpoint digging into the bottom of her chin. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Flint straightened and shouted back. \u201cDon\u2019t hurt the wee lass!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cSurrender.\u201d The giant snarled.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cZerebor, to me!\u201d Zolto commanded, and the hound yelped and ran to his side as the Duke backed nearer to the other giant. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWhat are your demands?\u201d Flint asked. The rest of the party was staring blankly, unsure of what to do. Blood leaked copiously from Evelyn\u2019s throat, and her one arm hung at an awkward angle. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cDrop all of your weapons and surrender,\u201d Zolto said triumphantly. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been here before,\u201d Flint said loudly, looking around at the rest of them and puffing out his wide dwarven chest, \u201cand there\u2019s only one solution.\u201d With hands quicker than any of them would have believed, Flint pulled up his crossbow and shot the giant\u2019s hand where it grasped Evelyn.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The giant yelped and nearly dropped the girl, and Flint used the opportunity to shoot a yellow healing light at her. They all saw her arm snap back into place as her eyes flew open and a dagger appeared in her hand. She stabbed the giant\u2019s hand three times successively until it dropped her roughly to the ground. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Kilian formed a weird ball of electric energy in his hand and shot it at Zolto. The bolts twinned in two directions, hitting him in the chest and stomach. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Roon nearly forgot about Opal, who was perched as a giant eagle on the large empty pot. She now screeched and dove at a new figure entering the doorway: another fire giant. This one was female, and had long, stringy black hair. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Opal chased her back out of the room and left their sight, but they could hear the angry cries from the giant as she fled. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The other giant bent and grabbed Evelyn again and threw her against the wall, and Zolto\u2019s hellhound pounced on her and tore into her leg. Zolto shouted at the smaller giant, \u201cGO TAKE CARE OF BRIMSCARDA!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Flint hit the hound atop Evelyn with crossbow bolts as he ran to help her. The hound dropped and he healed her before Roon could blink back. Instead, he went to Thia\u2019s side and gave her healing as she jumped back from Zolto and cast missiles at him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d the elf breathed quickly as the healing instantly stitched her wounds. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Roon nodded and disappeared into liquid air and summoned his spiritual weapon to fly at the Duke and distract him from his friends.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The smaller giant picked up the burnt wire ball one of the hellhounds had chased into the room and hurled it at Thia. It hit the elf by surprise, and she flew off the table with a grunt. It was then, through the shadows, that Roon noticed the blackened corpse of a gnome inside the ball.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Thia got to her feet and spat an incantation at Zolto, and the giant fell to his knees suddenly and screamed in agony. He blinked and curled up in pain.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The smaller giant saw his leader falling. He turned and ran out the door where Opal and the female giant had disappeared, and fled screaming for his life. Roon returned to the material plane. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Then, they all hit Zolto with everything they had. Hiccup, Kilian, Roon, Flint, Thia and Evelyn hit him with various explosions and the Duke fell back and screamed as he cowered. \u201cI YIELD. I YIELD!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cHa!\u201d Flint shouted in triumph, fist in the air. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Opal ran back through the doorway at that moment, back to her genasi form. She was panting, her colourful hair sticking to her sweaty face. \u201cThe other two got away! Oh, well done!\u201d She praised then, seeing Zolto cowering in the fetal position. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cPush your sword away,\u201d Kilian commanded, and Zolto obeyed with shaking fingertips as he pushed it out of reach. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Kilian and Flint used their combined efforts to drag it even further away while the rest of them kept their weapons drawn and their spellcasting at high alert. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWhere is the conch?\u201d Thia demanded.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cC-conch?\u201d Duke Zolto stuttered, moving to a sitting position on the ground. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe magical one that\u2019ll bring us to King Hecaton\u2019s court,\u201d Flint offered impatiently.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAh\u2014oh\u2014yes, that <\/em>conch. It\u2019s in my chambers,\u201d the fire giant said. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cHow many conches can one person have?\u201d Hiccup asked quietly, not getting it. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cTake us there,\u201d Kilian said, \u201cand call off the others if they come near. That\u2019s all we want. We\u2019re not here to kill anyone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAnyone else<\/em>,\u201d Roon whispered to Hiccup, who nodded grimly. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Zolto agreed and got slowly to his feet, leading them out of the gore-streaked kitchens filled with the bodies of giants, ogres, mephits and goblins. They followed him cautiously, some members of their party looking more pained than others as they moved along large passageways, deeper into the mountain. The halls became cleaner and more nicely carved, and Zolto only needed to bark orders to a couple of giants and some ogres along the way. Finally, they reached a set of wooden doors carved with two fire giant figures in rich armour, their swords touching in the middle. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Zolto threw open the doors, revealing a lavishly decorated bedroom with thick red and gold tapestries carpeting the walls. There was a large chest in the corner that he pointed at. \u201cIt\u2019s in there,\u201d he breathed, looking exhausted. \u201cI don\u2019t even care about it, really.\u201d He shrugged, utterly defeated. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\n

On their way back out of the kitchens, Roon, with the help of Opal, slid the burned wire ball containing the gnome corpse into their bag of holding. They left Zolto on the landing and snuck back up the stairs, past the hanging vonendod, and on to the shaft where the platform moved slowly down.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

They\u2019d asked the Duke about the weapon as Evelyn took the large seashell from Zolto\u2019s treasure chest. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The vonendod was nearing completion, the Duke told them. They had almost all the parts to it. They planned to use it first against the dragons, and then against whoever else got in their way. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe shouldn\u2019t have left him alive,\u201d Thia said angrily as they stood and waited for the platform to reach their level. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe must get to the court of Hecaton first,\u201d Kilian said. \u201cThen we can worry about Zolto and his plans.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The elf shook her head but said nothing. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWait here,\u201d Roon said, holding up a hand and looking back. \u201cI want to try something.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Kilian demanded. \u201cNo,<\/em> we don\u2019t have time.\u201d He pointed to the platform, which was only a few floors away from them now.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIt will only take a minute,\u201d Roon promised, and dashed back to the open chamber containing the vonendod.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

He stared at the large metallic thing with the thick red ruby in its forehead. He breathed deeply and closed his eyes. \u201cBaravar,\u201d he whispered to his god, \u201cis there anything you can do?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Then he whispered the slow incantation to dispel the magic. He felt the magic around the humanoid-shaped weapon and tried to draw it away from the metal, but the magic went deep. It threaded through every vein and drop of the thing. He clenched his jaw and tried to pull it free, but it of was no use.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\n

Roon ran back down the hallway and saw everyone already standing on the platform, several floors above him. They were shouting at him to get on. Roon threw out a hand and a small door appeared. He stepped through it and appeared a moment later on the platform next to his friends.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cSo?\u201d Kilian said as they moved incrementally upward. \u201cWhat did you do?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t strong enough,\u201d Roon said quietly as he stared at the moving stone wall, then looked around at their confused expressions. \u201cI tried to dispel the magic within the vonendod. I didn\u2019t think it would work, but I had to try\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIt was a good thought,\u201d Kilian said, nodding approvingly. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cSir Nibbleswooooooorth!\u201d Hiccup shouted down.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cHe sent his squirrel away during the battle,\u201d Opal explained, a worried expression on her face, \u201cbut he hasn\u2019t come back. Oh, I do<\/em> hope he\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Roon nodded seriously, and they all began calling for the squirrel as they moved slowly upward. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

They all stepped off at the top into sunlight and breathed in the fresh air. Thia looked at the waterwheel and turned to Flint. \u201cHey, dwarf. Want to help me destroy this wheel?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWith pleasure,\u201d Flint said, taking out his axe and gripping it with anticipation. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cSir Nibblesworth!\u201d Hiccup cried as the squirrel appeared at the top of the shaft, chattering at his owner angrily.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Thia shot the waterwheel with fire alongside Kilian while the dwarf cut the ropes and chains free. The platform fell into darkness, leaving a gaping hole behind and a following, echoing crash at the bottom. They all stepped aside and watched the thing burn down to water level before turning away and beginning their hike back to the smoldering town of the yak folk. Opal called for Marteen through the sending stone, and a few hours later the airship arrived to pick them up. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

As they waited for the ship, Roon broke the burnt gnome out of its ball cage and cast a speaking spell to the corpse. It cracked as its burned neck moved and Roon asked for its name, how it died, and who it loved most. The lost spirit gave him the answers, and he laid it to rest in a mound of freshly turned dirt. Atop the buried form, he planted a large smooth stone using magic and engraved words upon its surface: \u201cHere lies Grijo, a brave gnome who loved his brother.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\n

That night, they sat on the deck of the airship with the conch between them and began formulating their next plan. In the back of his mind, Roon felt something fade, and some of his confidence waned as the balloons billowed out and the ship moved westward across the sky.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n

END OF PART TWO<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/main><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The party finally finds Duke Zolto in the iron slag mines and fight him for information on the conch that will lead them to King Hecaton’s court. In the meantime, they must also fight through other fire giants, ogres and hellhounds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":784,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[18,19,17,14,15,16,23,20],"series":[],"class_list":["post-164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-giants-gamble-dungeons-and-dragons-series","tag-campaign","tag-cult-of-the-dragon","tag-dnd","tag-dungeons-and-dragons","tag-fantasy","tag-series","tag-the-giants-gamble","tag-wizards-of-the-coast"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Giants-Gamble-Blog-Photos10-copy-14.png","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"amazon":{"key":"amazon","url":"https:\/\/music.amazon.ca\/podcasts\/09c34bbc-b359-49af-a286-31830ed5634c\/short-stories","label":"Amazon","class":"amazon","icon":"amazon.png"},"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/short-stories\/id1621456328","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_play":{"key":"google_play","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/feed\/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbGV4aXN2ZWVuZW5kYWFsLmNvbS9mZWVkL3BvZGNhc3Qvc2hvcnQtc3Rvcmllcw","label":"Google Play","class":"google_play","icon":"google-play.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/feed\/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbGV4aXN2ZWVuZW5kYWFsLmNvbS9mZWVkL3BvZGNhc3Qvc2hvcnQtc3Rvcmllcw","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0lcQCRs52MfYlKs35lVX4K","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"itunes":{"key":"itunes","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/short-stories\/id1621456328","label":"iTunes","class":"itunes","icon":"itunes.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/feed\/podcast\/default-podcast","embedCode":"

The Giant’s Gamble Pt. 23<\/a><\/blockquote>