Journal of Ashrem Feng, Giant-Killer

I've never written a journal really. Well, really, I hadn't written much of anything before we traveled to this new world. It never occurred to me that it might be useful. Then I died.

Death does strange things to a man. You start to think "What if I never come back? What will people remember about me? Who will even know what I have done, and who I was?"

That's what I started thinking, after the clubs came down on my head, and the cackling of the giants could be heard as a distant echo down a long tunnel. But I am getting ahead of myself.

First, let me say that life is good.

We came to this world relatively recently. It was an accident involving magic. I don't often concern myself with the doings of magic, it being so complicated a thing to wield that so often seems to result in pain, confusion, and strange happenings. Not to mention that, in the world I come from, the authorities don't look to kindly on those who dabble in that sort of stuff.

So I'm not surprised that magic was the cause of our happenstance of arriving here in this unusual place - magic is an odd thing like that. But, I'm not unhappy it happened. The world we came from was a miserable place, full of rules none of us were happy to live with, and all too often a place where people died for stepping on a regulation you never even heard of or wouldn't have thought could even be something someone could tell you to do or not to do.

This place is different. This place is about freedom. We figured that out shortly after arriving here, that freedom was a thing cherished by many people here.

Not that everything made sense right away. No sir, it took us a while to even get to Geanavue, where things started to fall into place finally. And getting here, well that was an adventure full of danger itself, have no doubt about it. But up until we arrived in Geanavue, things still seemed a bit chaotic. We saved a couple of towns along the way, but none really felt like places we could settle down and drink and stay a while.

Geanavue was different. Geanavue was exciting. I knew it before we even arrived. I think we all did.

Even the road to Geanavue was a thing to behold. Well, that's because that road involved our first encounter with Giants.

Now, when I say Giants, I don't mean really big men. I've faced down my fair share of really big men.and those folks are nuthin compared to what I am talking about. I mean GIANTS. Massive beings of might. Muscle bulging, tree ripping, earth shaking with every foot stomp monstrosity types. That's the kind I am talking about.

And mean. I knew they were mean the moment we saw them. They were attacking a small group of travelers, just some wee folk trying to go about making their way in life. And these evil walking mountains were throwing boulders on top of the wee-folks heads. Now when I say boulders, I don't mean rocks. I mean the sort of thing one might otherwise sit on and drink a pint or two. I mean the kind of thing you carve your initials into, cause you know it generally won't be going anywhere for a few hundred years on account of its way too heavy to even push an inch. That sort of boulder.

And these giants, well it was nothing for them. They just picked those boulders right up, and tossed them down on the wee folks' heads. Well, there was nothing to be done other than smite those sons of ugliness right back. And that we did.

The battle went well, but not as well as we had hoped. The wee folks didn't last long, and soon it was all we could do to pile on the hurting on just one Giant at a time just to try and stay alive. The Giants dropped, finally, but not after getting their licks in and causing us a world of hurt. Nothing that Leodan couldn't take care of, of course. Leodan always takes care of us.

Finally, we arrived at Geanavue. My oh my, is this a wonderful city to behold. And so BIG. I mean, Imperial cities where I grew up, they were not small. But this place! It seemed to go on forever. Every where we looked there were blocks of homes and shops and temples and inns and every sort of place one might think would be useful.

Well, when faced with a city this size, the thing to do is obvious. So, we of course settled in for a bit of serious drinking. The liquor in this place is not half bad. I'd say some of it is quite good actually. And the rooms, well, let's just say they are the most comfortable I've ever been to in my life.

I couldn't tell you much of what some of the others were doing then. I know Taal must have wandered off a while ago. But then, that's what Taal does. I'm thinking we won't be seeing much of that shadow-hopping thief again. And then Eldane. Now that was a sad thing. Eldane and I had been pals for a long time. But, sometimes the wanderlust takes a hold of a man, and sometimes it doesn't. Whichever took hold of Eldane, I suppose it doesn't matter. But he had to move on.and so he did.

The others did wander off themselves, but managed to find their way back again. Iryi seemed to be off having a dalliance with some local boys. Leodan kept going off about the architecture in the town. The elf.well the elf is rarely seen in doors. But he did say something about time to really get to work on something. I wasn't sure what the something was, but you can be damn sure with that boy that it meant something wicked dangerous, and magical.

Torj, well now Torj I can tell you a bit about during that time. That man knows how to drink like the best of them. For every one I knocked back, so did he. I know we were competing at one point to see who could stomach the most.but my brain fuzzes out too much at that part to tell you who won. It did me proud to know I was traveling with a man who knew the seriousness of the business of drinking.

Eventually, after due time to enjoy the fruits of our adventuring, we gathered back together again and finished up our tour of the city. The main castle here, well that is certainly something to behold. Immense, imposing, and lovely. That's about all I can say about that.

It turns out the Giants we killed on our way in did someone in town a big favor. Some rich guy was just dying to get someone to go take care of the rest of the Giants that were plaguing his lands. And we, of course, are just the folks to help him out.

Not that we would undertake such a thing for free. Hell no! I can tell you, every one of us knows the value of money in this land. Some of us (the elf) know it all too well. So we struck up a bargain. He would give us the thing we all desired - a real place to settle in, and call home for a time. In exchange, we would give him what he wanted - death to the Giants! If you ask me, we got the better end of that deal.even if we didn't even get the house.

So after getting our supplies back up to a respectable arrangement, and after much grumbling from the elf concerning his need for more time and resources to empower the whatnot and something of the sort I don't understand, we all finally agreed to depart for the land of the Giants.

I was looking forward to it. The first battle with the Giants was a rather tough thing, but I sure had enjoyed it. It wasn't long before I had that opportunity again.

Our guide brought us out quite a ways, and showed us a nice place to camp for the night somewhat near the Giant's home. And then, after the guide left, we settled in for some serious planning on the best way to kill us some Giants.

Giant killing is not an easy thing. We had learned that in our first skirmish with them outside Geanavue. Generally, it takes a good plan, and cooperation, to bring them down without dying in the process. That's something I would be reminded of all too loudly later, but let's not skip ahead.

So we came up with a plan to locate the forward scouts for the Giants, figuring they had to have patrols out around some place. The plan was for us to attack them from higher ground, if we could, and distract them from two different directions. That way none of us would be faced with a pack full of Giants all in our face at once.

It worked. In fact, it worked perfectly! We caught a patrol in a cross fire between two hills, and really put the pain on them! I couldn't believe how much it took to make them drop, but our plan gave us the time we needed to do it right, and everything went off without a hitch.

Now that we knew how to take care of Giants out in the open, we endeavored to keep doing it until no more Giants were left outside their keep. Iyri, who was demonstrating some seriously scary feats of magic these days, went out on scouting duty with her little pet. The two were to locate patrols, while the rest of us would go in to clean up what was left.

This didn't work as well as we had planned, though it certainly wasn't a total failure. The Giants were dumb, but not that dumb. Pretty quickly, we stopped seeing patrols outside their keep, and realized we would have to go into their den to root them out.

I was so proud of our team then. Instead of just charging in, we really planned this one out. Iyri was able to take care of the guard in the tower pretty darn well. We all went in while invisible thanks to her powers, and climbed up the side of the tower and into the little bell room at the top. From there, we were able to quickly take care of the guards below, with flame from above and steel from below. Then, before anyone else could respond to the attack, we were away. Things went pretty smooth. Those Giants never knew what hit them.

After a while back at our camp, we decided to go back and do it again. That was the plan, see. We would continue to take out small groups of Giants, and never a big pack of them all at once. Or, at least that was supposed to be the plan.

Anyway, that's what we did for the time being. We went back, and again took out the front guards in nearly the same way in the front of the keep. Once that was all done, and it was obvious no more Giants were to be found out in the open or in easy places like before, we decided we would have to start opening doors and moving on in to the keep.

Well, the first attempt at this was a bit of a failure. If you ask me, it's because this part wasn't planned in advance. I don't know who opened the big double doors, having not really been there right then. I do know it wasn't a good idea. From what I have heard, behind those doors were literally scores of Giants! Big ones, squat ones, fiery ones, stormy ones, angry ones, drunken ones, every old type of Giant you can think of were in that room. Well, our magic-wielding friends did the only thing they could - they starting shooting first and asking questions later. Fire smashed into the room, shouts and screams and chaos erupted. Doors were slammed and people started racing around everywhere.

To this day I really don't know what happened in that room. All I can tell you is that we awoke a hornet's nest of trouble there, and it was decided we would try to avoid that part of the keep for a while to come.

Later, we decided to do things by planning and patience again, something I was pleased to see (when it comes to fighting). We went room by room, taking care of one small group here, and one small group there.

We made our way towards the back of the keep, every time trying to keep the noise levels as low as possible, and the packs of opponents to a reasonable number. Things went fairly well during this time. When we got so injured that Leodan started to look a little worn around the edges from patching us up so often, we would step back out and lick our wounds, and discuss our plan for the next day.

These Giants were an evil lot. They kept slaves of several types. Orcs and Ogres and who knew what else. And the things they ate.well, let's not get into the details of that. Let's just say they aren't things any thinking person should be gnawing on.

I can't stand slave-takers, having been a slave in my prior times back in our world for a time. I don't take too kindly to people who try to remove my head and eat it, neither. So it was with some sense of pleasure that I walked back in with the others to the keep.

We decided to follow a circular pattern through the place, moving down one side, crossing over in the back, and moving back up the other side. All the time we avoided that center room, knowing what was in store for us there. The battles were good. Blood flowed freely, and many a Giant fell to my sword. We stayed organized the whole time, with Torj and I in the front, Iyri and Aster blasting from behind, and Leodan being sure to keep us all going and filling in any gaps that appeared in the ranks. That man seems just as effective with his weapon as he is with his powers, and he makes a mighty fine companion.

We came to a room with a really big Giant. I know what you're thinking.is there such a thing as a not really big Giant? Well, this guy, he was bigger than others, and wider. He had a bevy of female Giants there with him, and the way he talked and strutted, it was apparent he thought himself quite the showman. Well, we took the show out of him right quick. It wasn't long before he tasted the flavor of our steel and fire, and his little worshippers were cowering in the corner.

During this time, some strange things started to happen between Aster and I. Now the rude elf and I had our little dispute here and there to this point. But as time went on, I found that I had to admit that the elf had his uses. Rude? Sure. Arrogant? Definitely. But still, if you could look past those parts, he wasn't all that bad a guy.

All this came to a head when we left the Giant females cowering behind us, and opened a door to a courtyard full of the nastiest looking dog-wolves I had ever seen. I was all ready to charge in and take them on, facing almost certain injury from their wicked fangs. But then something Aster said struck a cord. It was only a little thing, the kind of thing he says all the time with that confident steer of his.he said "Let me deal with these". And you know what? I knew the moment he said it that he was right. He really could take care of these, if he said he could.

That's new, for me. To be able to trust the people I am with that much is something I'm not used to. But with this team, well, it isn't that hard to start to trust them.

So, Aster went flying on in, and I shut the door behind him. The next couple of minutes were a noisy few. Blasts could be heard, undoubtedly from Aster, and the howling and death of the dog-wolves followed. After a few minutes, when silence reigned, I opened the door back up and walked out to view the carnage.

Sure enough, Aster had slain quite a few from above. Unfortunately he reported that many had escaped out a back door. But never fear, it wouldn't take long for us to find the remaining hounds.

We searched through an out-building used by the Giants as a barracks, encountering little, and decided to call it a day and head back to our camp for some rest.

On returning to the Keep the next day, we had a bit of a scare. At first Iyri's pet reported many Giants back in the front of the Keep. That was new, since it seemed that the Giants had long ago abandoned the front rooms of the keep. So, we slowly investigated, expecting trouble. Iyri blew a fireball down on top of them, and nothing moved! Ah, of course. It seems these Giants are not quite as stupid as they seemed at first. They had stuck their dead in that front room as bait, and we had taken it!

That was the last trick we would fall for, however. We moved back through the keep, breaking through some heavily barred doors, and back around to where we had left off near the courtyard. We finished off what we could of the remaining Giants outside the main room, and took a bit of damage here and there, but nothing too serious.

That's when we figured out that most of everything that was left must be back in that main room.and things started to go a bit wrong.

It's not like we abandoned our plan-making. No, we sure did have a plan again this time. Iyri went up on the roof, and using some holes she had carved previously there, she was planning to blast her first down from above on the heads of these Giants. But only after she got the signal from the rest of us.

We were formulating the rest of the plan, and trying to decide if we should split up and approach from multiple doors or just one door, when the elf discovered a secret door into the place. If you ask me, that was where the problems all came from.

Now the elf, he is a curious lad. Never one shy from a mystery or a hidey-hole that could contain some treasure of magical bit, he decides it's a good time to pop open that secret door right then and there.

I was standing right behind him when this all happened, and even I didn't expect him to open the door when he did. And, sure enough, the Giants were all packed in there. Aster let loose with magic, while Torj, Leodan and I all scrambled to figure out how best to deal with the situation. I let loose some javelins, Leodan did his best to zap one out in the dim light of the main chamber, and Aster kept pumping magic into the room. At some point the blast of Iyri's fire from above could be heard, but we didn't pay it much attention as we quickly realized that this was yet another good time to leave and fight again another day. We slowly backed out of there, doing some damage to the following Giants as we left down the corridors. Darkness was summoned to confuse the Giants, and later a cloud of vapor to further cover our retreat. We came to a big, heavy door, and it took quite a shove for me to open it. We all started to pile out and head for freedom.and then disaster struck. Torj closed the door behind us.leaving Aster inside the keep!

I was already at the exit, waiting for the others, when this happened. I didn't know why Torj had closed the door. Perhaps Aster had said something to him that led him to believe this was the plan. Perhaps not. But from where I was standing, Aster needed our help, badly!

Something came over me then. Rage built up, and with it fear. I didn't want the elf to die. He was a rude bastard. And yet, he was my friend. After all the times Aster had saved my ugly mug from certain death, I felt it was right time I paid him back the compliment.

Giants were charging out of their main hall by now, heading right for us. They were only steps away from the heavy door behind which Aster was trying to escape, and I knew he couldn't take them all himself even if he did manage to get the door open. I knew what I had to do.I had to save him!

I charged, plunging right into the middle of the pack of Giants before me. I smashed by sword into the side of one of the leads, and was satisfied at his howl of rage. The blood lust overtook me, and I started to swing.

Too late did I realize that I was in over my head. WAY over my head. I had thrown aside all the planning and calculated battle formations that had been so useful up until this point, and I paid for it dearly. Clubs came smashing atop my head. Dozens of blows rained down on me, and the world turned red with blood, and started to spin. The howls of the Giants were awesome, and I realized far too late that I was done for.

For a time, I thought I saw things that I could not have seen. I saw my dead, lifeless body fall to the ground. I saw the others come back for me, and fire blaze around me. Then, only darkness.

I awoke an eternity later. Or, perhaps it was only a minute. All I knew was that we were no longer inside the Keep, and I felt drained and fatigued. My brain was all mush, and I couldn't quite think straight. The rest of the group explained that they had rescued my body, and through a complicated ritual, Leodan had brought me back to life! Had I known Leodan had such godly powers, perhaps I would have been less afraid to charge into the fray in the past. Well, perhaps that is for the best.since dying is not a pleasant experience, and I feel the effects of that death still to this day.

Iyri and Aster had gone back to the Keep to do some more damage. After they returned and we all went back in as a group, it turned out the place was deserted. We went from room to room, checking everything. Sure enough, everyone was gone. We had done it! We had conquered the Keep of the Giants!

The road back was a pleasant trip, and we encountered nothing that threatened our joy at recounting the stories of our battles with the Giants. But even that was nothing compared to the shock and surprise of our Geanavue host on seeing us again and hearing that the Giants were all dead or fled. I truly think he thought we were never going to be seen again. He was a bit reluctant to believe us at first, but after Aster started to show him some of his gory little tokens, and quickly came around.

And that is how we got this house. And a nice house it is. Plenty of room, plenty of ale, and nice soft beds. It's just the kind of place I always dreamed of having.

And so now, it's time to rest and relax and again enjoy the fruits of our adventures.

Yes, that means it's time to get down to some serious drinking again. I know Torj will be with me on this. But, perhaps this time I can buy the rude elf a drink, and toast to wondrous powers of friends.

And, after the drinking is done, and the carousing, and the elf has the time he so dearly wishes to dabble in his magics and create his fantastic items of power, perhaps then we can go back out into the world, and seek further adventure.

But this time, we will know we have a place to come back to. Finally, a place we can call home, and friends we can trust.

Yes, life is good.