One at a time, I unhook all of these blasted bags from my neck, finally giving the poor thing some well deserved relief. Lugging them all the way back from the ruins was an obnoxious chore, made no easier by a certain happy-go-lucky monkey who contributed nothing.

Yeah I'm looking at you buddy. And no, not being a nuisance doesn't count as helping.

I stretch my neck to either side, creating an audible crack as I release all of the built up tension from that long trek. Oh boy does that feel good.

Truth be told, I didn't expect the bags to cause such a strain on my neck. It's not like I packed the things down, they were only loosely filled. Didn't want to scatter any more debris then I had to, the stuff is gnarly to breathe in. Even on the way back, I would get lightheaded and nauseous just from catching a faint whiff of the stuff. Several times I had to drop the sacs off and spend several minutes clearing my head. This crap really is nasty business.

But that's all done now, and the first thing on my mind is taking a dip in the lake. For the last thirty minutes it’s the only thing I could think of. Spelunking in those ancient ruins left a disgusting film over my feathers that I was determined to be rid of as soon as possible.

Without delay I make my way towards the lake until I'm chest deep in the cool waters. A quick dunk of my head and already I feel light years better than before. Now to lean back and float…

Chi-chi!

Koko voices his concerns, probably thinking in his little monkey brain that I'm drowning. From my vantage point I see his green and white form pacing back and forth along the pebble shoreline

I'm fine, see? I hold up my good wing and wave to my loud companion. Just let me relax already, would you?

Of course he does the exact opposite, but at this point I have learned to filter him out.

Last night I made the decision, for better or for worse, to challenge Big Jonas. I could sit here, or rather float here all day, long thinking of what I should do. However, no plan is foolproof, and what's the point of all this planning if I can't work up the nerve to take action?

I let my self float for a bit longer before I decide it's time for some final preparations. I already took the liberty of dicing up some of the local fungi into minuscule bits before I left this morning. Adding those to the horrible mixture inside the sacs is easy enough. The only other matter that needs attending to is giving the ol' knife feet a quick sharpening, not that I plan on using them against Big Jonas. Rather I want to be prepared for what's outside should I succeed in deterring the colossal guardian.

A quick dip in the water and a bit of grinding against the sandstone is all it takes to get that job done. Once I'm finished I inspect each of them with a bit of pride. It may have taken some getting used to, but now I find it hard to imagine a life without these daggers of mine.

With that last bit of business sorted, it's time. I suck in some air and-

Cyii!

My screech causes Koko's ears to immediately perk towards my direction, his face following soon after. From his collection of stolen goods he comes racing over with his tail hiked high in the air. That's right buddy, it's time to go.

After arming myself with my makeshift bombs, the two of us make our way to the top of the slope. At first my companion races towards the passageway on the left, thinking it's time for another spot of delving.

Nope, not this time buddy. I stand next to other entrance and the visible fear on Koko's face becomes clear as day. His hackles stand on edge and his ears are flat as can be. In protest, the little creature hisses towards the tunnel before backing away several feet.

Can't blame him for that reaction, taking a quick look at myself reveals that some of my own feathers are already standing on edge. Just shows how much threat that monster gives off without even trying.

I let out a softer call this time, beckoning the little monkey to my side. In response he spits violently and arches his back further.

Come on, you're making this harder than it needs to be.

As I try to get closer to him, he backs up further down the hill. Now that he's away from the tunnels, his expression relaxes just slightly, but his raised body shows that he is still on edge.

It would seem my first set of fears have came to pass, Koko is just a wild animal after all, and a child at that. It was too much to expect him to behave as I need him to, as much as I hate admitting it. I try calling out to him one more time just in case.

Cyii!

While it does get a slight reaction out of him, he remains glued in place. Refusing to climb the hill to reach me me.

A lump forms in my chest as I turn away from him and walk through the passage. Making my way down the tunnels, I keep expecting to hear the tiny footfalls of his little paws, but instead there's just the soft clicking of my own talons against the rough stone floor. As much as I truly wanted to take him with me, I can't force him to go. He made his choice, and I have made mine. Suddenly conscious of how loud my steps are, I put in more effort to sneaking along the path. Careful as to not let the sound of my talons ticking against the stone to alert the beast of my presence. It's better this way, I tell myself. Recalling the events from the day prior, he would just add another unpredictable element to an already dangerous enough encounter as is.

In the middle of my musings, a familiar formation that is just ahead grabs my attention. A pile of rubble now, but before it was a threat from above that crashed mere inches away from me. Suddenly the feelings of pain and terror flood through me as fresh as the day I fled through these halls, and I'm forced to swallow back bile.

I'm getting close.

I afford myself one last look back, hoping to see a small figure lurking behind me. To my dismay, there is not a soul.

Steel your resolve Alistair, now is not the time to be thinking of regrets.

Listening to my inner voice of reason, I brace myself for the task ahead and finish the last stretch of the tunnel. Creeping the last few feet, the cave opens up into a familiar grand underground expanse that puts the lakeside cavern I have spent most of my time in look like a joke.

Once more I bear witness to the imposing stalagmites and stalactites that are as wide as I am tall. Together, the formations give the subterranean space the imposing visage of a tremendous pair of jaws, threatening to swallow the very world itself whole. And should one somehow escape the impossible trial of the earthen maw, their reward would be paradise. For far beyond awaited brilliant spears of golden sunlight that marked the moss covered boundaries of this bleak stone prison.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

And who else could possibly serve as the warden for such a domain but the earth tyrant himself, as colossal and monstrous as I remember him to be.

I could already see his massive black and white form coming about, but I'm not about to sit here and wait politely for him to greet me. Taking advantage of the maze-like environment the multitudes of stalagmites create, I dive into the stone forest while keeping an eye on Big Jonas. From the safety of cover, I unhook my first 'bomb', and wait for the brute to show his show his ugly mug. Naturally he doesn't disappoint. Within seconds his piercing red eyes are looking right where my hiding spot is.

ROOOOOOOARRR!!!!!!

The raw, concussive force behind his bellows nearly blows me away. If I didn't retreat behind cover, it would have surely sent me flying against my will. All the while, the entire cavern reverberates powerfully to his call, and with every passing second I feel my tenacity turn to trepidation. As it continues, my heart races, and how keenly aware I am of every panic-fueled heartbeat sounding loudly in my ears.

With the worst of his roar finally coming to an end, I feel the stores of resolve that I have fashioned into a sturdy castle brought low, and now lies in a crumpled mess. The powder bomb I had ready to go fell to the ground at some point, and the only reaction I could muster was to look at it.

It wasn't until I heard an onslaught of crashing sounds did I finally get a hold of myself and grab the weapon desperately in my talons. Sticking my head outside of cover, I see his striped form barreling through the stone forest as if the formations were nothing more than saplings to him. At this point he is about 50 feet away, I need to get ready to throw the bomb. Everything hinges on this after all.

Assuming he is going to keep charging at me like an unstoppable juggernaut, I line up the shot, right where I imagine his nose will be in a few seconds. Then with the same motion I practiced back near the lake, I get low and arc my leg with just the right amount of swing… then… release!

As soon I feel it leave my grasp, I bolt to my right and run like hell, affording no time to see if the package meets its mark or not. As my feet carry me across the uneven stone floor as fast as they can, I notice that the destructive sounds made in his wake don't turn towards me, but rather continue towards the wall until-

BANG!

Big Jonas collides into the wall with outrageous momentum, causing the entire underground world to quake dramatically in response. All over the cavern, I hear stone and rubble dislodge themselves from the ceiling and crash towards the ground in an echoing symphony of destruction. Before I realize what's happening, a slab of ash colored stone implodes against the floor several feet away from me. Instinctively, I hold my wing up to cover my face as a wave of dust flies towards me.

Eventually the underground calamity comes to an end, and upon withdrawing my wing I realize just how lucky I am. A dusty fog has developed from all the fallen rubble, making it frustratingly difficult to see the true aftermath.

A howl of rage piercing the silence draws my focus back towards the area where Big Jonas collided against the wall, reminding me that this fight is far from over. Just barely, I can make out the outline of his form, his massive claws brushing over his face. Considering his frantic appearance and him losing control of his charge, it can only mean one thing. It worked! That vile concoction actually had an effect on him!

However my small celebration is short lived as I hear him carving a warpath towards me. His footfalls shake the ground with every step, and every once in a while I get a vague sense of his form swiping away the stone trees in his way, vaporizing the ancient formations into clouds of rubble and debris. As his outline becomes more clear, the shattering blows grow louder and louder, each and every one causing my heart to skip a beat.

Get a grip Alistair, he's coming! I have to slap the side of my head against my wing to get my nerves under control.

My head momentarily clear for those precious few seconds, I unhook another powder bombs and throw it with everything I've got. This time I watch it soar through the dusty fog towards the looming giant.

At first I wasn't sure if it made its mark or not with the haze obscuring those finer details. However, I notice his head sway frantically back and forth, his brutish claws raking the air in vain attempts to dismember an unseen enemy.

Seeing that reaction refills my depleted confidence and I dash away into the fog, unsure of exactly where I'm heading. My plan coming in here was to disorient Big Jonas long enough for me to flee towards the exit, but now I have no idea where it is! Desperately I look around me trying to remember where it was, but in my panic-fueled flight, I somehow lost my bearings.

I'm lost!

A horrifically loud impact startles me, causing me to jump in surprise. Before I can even turn around, a shock-wave picks me up and throws me against the still tremoring ground. Again, I can hear the cracking of the ceiling as earth and stone begin to give way. Instinctively I look up but all I see is a thick obscuring cloud of dust! There could be an entire section of the ceiling falling towards me and I would never know it, and that terrifies to my core!

I run towards the closest solid object I can find to take what meager cover I can and cower as the enormous cavern becomes a deafening festival of devastation once more.

After several heart-stopping seconds, the arena becomes quiet. The occasional pink of falling stones is all that is heard as the ceiling stabilizes.

ROOOOOOAAAAARRRR!!!!

I wince from the sudden roar and close my eyes to try and filter out the horrifying noise. My only solace is that the monstrous howl seems to be aimed at no direction in particular, I might be hidden… for now.

Opening my eyes to try and take in my new surroundings is no use. There is so much dust and debris in the air that I'm practically blind, save for the massive outlines of the stalagmite maze. Though from the ones I can see around me, most of them lie in ruin from the destructive avalanches.

Big Jonas can be heard rising deep in the realm of the dirty fog, the sound of rubble being shoved aside in his wake.

While I don't know where the exit is, I know where he is. With that in mind, I book it away from him, squinting my eyes so I can barely see where I'm going. I bob and weave through the field of giant stone teeth, all the while my adversary has begun another warpath.

Few words can perfectly describe how terror-inducing it is to try and flee from a foe you can no longer see, one that is both faster and stronger than you by unfathomable margins. The giant stone spires that I spend several moments navigating around are nothing short of insignificant nuisances to him. Sure enough, he catches up to my position and when I look back, all I see is a black impression in the fog decimating the last rocky obstacle that stands between me and him.

With no hope but to fight, I use my wing to knock three of the bombs off their hooks and onto the ground. In a wild and desperate hysteria, I launch all three of them towards the approaching monolith of a creature, hoping that they hit their target and don't sail worthlessly into the void.

A massive bear-like claw emerges from the mist, swiping towards my direction, and I feel an overwhelming sense of despair.

I missed… that's it I'm dead.

Only it goes high, creating a noticeable draft as the air is sucked in like a vortex from the momentum of the swing.

The near-death experience sobers me instantly and causes my adrenaline to fire into overdrive. My legs carry me away from the threatening reach of the tyrant, with only fractions of a second to spare as another meaty claw crashes vertically into the spot I just was.

Taking full advantage of the blood-pumping adrenaline, I head straight ahead where the dusty fog gives way to the edge of the cavern. With my back to the wall, I turn to face my foe, bracing myself for his next assault. I spin my necklace around to get access to the rear facing bombs, but to my horror, I realize that they must have been knocked off at some point. I'm out!

Nearby I can hear the heavy and exerted breathing of Big Jonas, by now he must have realized I haven't been squished to a bloody pulp yet. Slowly he turns to face my direction and approaches, one titanic footfall at a time. Upsettingly, I can't make out any details except for a colossal black outline that is growing steadily in size. Focusing my sights on the earthen tyrant, I can barely make out the gleam of his red eyes. There's no where else to go, so I face the death's gaze defiantly, knowing that I did everything in my power to fight for my new life.

Then he lunges, his red stare surging straight towards me with his draconic jaw open wide.

Precisely the moment I was waiting for! Without a drop of hesitation I dive towards death itself.

Unable to stop himself in time, Big Jonas crashes headfirst into the wall, sending forth a violent shock-wave that causes the entire expanse to convulse from the blow.

The ceiling cracks and ruptures, a terrible and disastrous prelude for what's to come. As the heavens give way, the last thing I hear is the calamitous dissonance of falling stones before everything fades to black