A lumbering giant kicked a loose stone. The stone flew across the corridor and struck Ubough’s finely made tunic. The giant’s keen senses detected the soft sound. The beast towered thrice Ubough’s height, grasped an ugly thick broad blade, turned its hideous head rapidly from side to side, and sniffed the corridor’s stale air. Perhaps the stench of the flowing ichors of the giant’s wounded comrades covered Ubough’s scent. Ubough clutched the black rod. The giant detected him and menacingly advanced. There was nothing for it. Ubough extended the black rod and uttered “frank land pierce,” the phrase imbedded in his memory but never before spoken. The darkness of the corridor obscured most of the Death Spell’s aura. The giant’s heart stopped and the hulking creature fell. Ubough moved quickly ahead. Lightchangers augmented his vision and he detected an opening in the opposite side of the twenty paces wide hallway. The corridor was at least the height of four Vydaelians stacked atop one another… a little taller than the giants.
Ubough rushed past the large body of the fallen giant and heard movement ahead. Quickly he dashed into the opening. Overwhelming stench disgusted him. Three giants dashed past him. Ubough was in a twenty-by-twenty pace chamber, which was evidently a storage area for the carcasses of victims of the giants that had not yet graced the big beasts’ tables.
The three giants rushed to their fallen comrade. The most adorned of the three quickly turned and rushed to the opening of Ubough’s hiding place. The Vydaelian squeezed between the carcass of a cave deer and a partially eaten stone eel. Convinced the grotto was clear of enemies, the massive beast returned to his mates.
Ubough clutched the rod, which was more and more a lifeline with each passing moment and concentrated. The rod emitted an imperceptible black mauve aura and activated Comprehend Languages. Ubough now understood the giants’ guttural language.
benjamintowe 