Ettin of Truth

What rose up from the fetid pool of the swamp ahead wasn't like any monster he had seen before. It looked almost like the hulking trolls from before only even larger standing fifteen feet tall at the head… heads. Two heads shook themselves and let out an angry sounding grunt. Two huge overly muscled and veined arms protuded form its unnaturally wide set of shoulders like normal. But erupting from its chest were too emancipated arms with grasping hands.

It almost looked as if two bodies had melted togther at the torso. Or perhaps the body had started to split into two from the waist up. Either way, two sets of angry eyes glared at him as he charged forward and two mouths full of broken yellow teeth gnashed incessantly.

D hadn't even brought the little hatchet with him and against the brute it would have been of little use. Instead he swelled up growing in size until he stretched his clothing to the limits. From both hands slender razor sharp blades extended in a manner similar to the bunyips. Only his blades were several feet long and erupted from his palm just below his middle finger. They seemed inefficient for such a behemoth but they were the best he had.

With a grunt the two headed giant swung his club down much faster than D expected. But not too fast to dodge, he twisted his body avoiding the blow only to get struck by the other arm swinging a club as well. The force of that blow sent him careening through the air and would have shattered a normal man. Turning to face him the giant took one heavy footfall forward then stopped with twin surprised grunts as their opponent stood up.

"How it not dead." One of the heads slurred.

"You miss." The other spoke back.

"No miss. Crush. Crunch." The original head spoke.

D rushed forward hoping to catch the distracted monster off guards even as he tried to process the thought of a monster able to speak.

Both heavy clubs started moving instantly. D tried one of the many fients Dean had been drilling into him and the first club responded as expected. The second though acted seemingly independently and he took another glancing blow from it.

"Crunch." Then a loud slobbery giggle came.

D rolled into a fetid pool and hissed almost like a snake in anger. He had treated the monster like a single enemy, but now he realized he had to think of it as two enemies. Still, if all they could do was swing clubs, D would eventually win. They couldn't do any real damage.

Diving into the fetid water he then slid into the damp soft ground just as easily. Despite the darkness of the moonless night the two heads watched him disappear. Rough harsh words in a stunted language emitted from their chest and one of their huge feet rose then slammed into the ground.

D was swimming through the ground toward them when a shockwave hit him. His body suddenly was being squeezed by the soil around him as it turned from liquid consistency back to normal. The force of that shockwave ripped him from the now spongy ground and sent him flying back. He skidded to a stop and glared at the behemoth that seemed to be dual laughing at his expense.

Magic. It had used magic of that he was certain. The thought of such a stupid seeming brute being able to do what he couldnt actually infuriated him. No longer attempting any strategy he charged in, a dark blur against the almost lightless night. Both heads stopped laughing and swung away trying to crush him. Not even bothering with blades anymore he simply lashed out at the closing clubs with all his might. One of them shattered under the blow while the other was pushed back.

Teeth barred and seeming to thrust out like a shark's jaw as he slammed his face right into the chest of the monster, D felt the rush of victory. Then pain as his face slammed into a barrier only a quarter of an inch from the monster's chest, right above the two arms sticking from its chest. Rough stunted words emerged from a mouth right infront of his eyes, a single bloodshot eye off to the side of it rolled to look D in the face. Then one of the emancipated arms pointed at him and a lance of searing copper light hit him right in the throat.

D was sent flying backwards to crash into the fetid swamp again to the dual chorus of laughs.

"Little Face." One spoke with mirth.

D pushed himself up and gagged on blood and bile. HIs throat ached as he coughed. "I'll kill you." His voice rasped out. D hadn't realized how much he had disliked his raspy voice until it had gone away and now returned. Fury burned through him as all the small annoyances and troubles seemed to come crashing in. The loss of his peaceful and comfortable life at the academy. The good food he had enjoyed. The clean and happy city he had never bothered to explore until it was a set of smoldering ruins. Even old grudges like Maerick and the other hunters. The tavern owner who had tried to rob and kill him.

Yet, none of the annoying plots of Lairan or the pestering of Pena came to mind. Not the clingy tendencies of Jane nor the strick mannerisms of Rachel were amongst them.

But what did come was the truth he had been avoiding. How much Larian had meant to him and how much losing him had hurt.

D knelt in that fetid pool on hands and knees with that annoying laughter around him. The water beneath him below him seemed to bounce and ripple. The laughter slowed and stopped as a new sound filled the air. A deep rumbling sound, like a growl so low it couldn't be fully heard but instead felt. The two heads of the giant tilted to the side looking at the strange scaled lizard monster. They assumed it was one of their master's kin. But it had come from the walled place of men. So they were going to kill it, their master wouldn't care for sure.

But something felt off now. When they had smashed it. The little monster had crunched. But then got up. Eventually, little face had used words to kill it. But still little monster started moving. Now, something was happening. The night… trembled. The air felt heavy and a bitter taste they didn't recognize as fear coated their tongues.

From their chest a creaky voice spoke, shrill and terrified. "Run!" Both of the larger heads looked at one another. Little Face knew things. Little face knew words. Little face knew best. They both started to move, each leg they controlled trying to step in a different direction causing them to fall. The coordination they normally commanded was lost in the strange new sensation known as panic. Movement caught their eyes as the little scaled monster looked up while still kneeling on its hands in knees. Silvery liquid fell from its eyes to slowly roll down between its scales.

They had seen tears in terrified human eyes countless times before. Normally it brought childlike laughter and joy to them. Now seeing it somehow made their blood freeze and both hearts seize.

The little scaled monster stood up to the sound of ripping cloth and wasn't so little anymore. It was still smaller than them but now towered over any man they had ever crushed. Scales grew thick then spiky all over its body. Spikes like curved swords emerged from down their spine. From many of the thick scales on their body, tiny spikes grew and jutted and when it threw back its head to let out a roar those spikes shot out then retracted. It took a step forward to the still sitting giant as a mane of thick wiry fur grew around its neck and six blade tipped tails lashed behind it.

Harsh stunted words rose from the giant's chest and another lance of coppery light smacked into the face of the scale monster. The head snapped back then slowly leaned forward. White spikes of bone spread across its face until a mask formed. Both of the giant's legs started kicking as if trying to push away from the monster as it growled low… and hungry.

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Jeremiah was still standing on the platform watching the darkness D had left into when a set of inhuman death keens rolled out of the darkness. A chill ran down his spine making him rub his arms as if trying to fend off the cold.