"HOLD ON!!!" Clive yelled as Hamish and he grabbed onto the hollow log.

Water crashed into them, knocking the breath out of Clive, and breaking the log into splinters. He grasped at anything nearby for cover or support as the water dragged them towards the rocky wall of the increasingly filling lake.

As his hand grabbed onto a tree limb the water rushed by him, threatening to tear him from the branch. He couldn't risk a look to see if Hamish was still with him, he just had to hope the halfling was either still holding on or found his own cover from the deluge.

He struggled to pull himself up to safety, the flood dragging him as it rushed to fill the space of the dry lake. He grunted as he finally pulled himself out of the water, panting from the running and trying to fight against the water.

He wouldn't be above water for long though, once the water hit the walls it was going to fill this place up, FAST! A look over his shoulder confirmed that Hamish was not with him, he looked around trying to find the halfling.

He spotted him on a large tilted barren tree not far from him!

"Hamish! Are you alright?!"

"COURSE I AIN'T FOCKEN ALRIGHT!" Hamish cursed as he held on tight to the bare trunk of the tree.

Clive watched as the water finally hit the wall with a crash. With the water current no longer threatening to smash him to bits against the rocks he could now safely swim towards Hamish.

Holding a breath he jumped into the rising water and swam towards the soggy halfling.

While the current was still strong, it wasn't the force it was before. It still left him heaving as he climbed onto the tree with Hamish.

"You good?"

"No Clive I ain't good! I'm wet, cold, sore! The only thin' goin' fer us is tha giants gon-"

CRASH!!!!

Hamish was interrupted as their tree was rocked from its anchor, sending them spinning over the water, holding on as they splashed back into the water. Briefly submerged before the tree began floating.

"The seven 'cough' hells was that?!" Hamish cursed as he expelled water from his lungs.

Clive turned to where they were, and saw the giant pull himself out of the water. With the water level rising they were just past his knees. Clive feared they would have to deal with the giant again, but he seemed more worried about the rising water and seemed to have forgotten them. He must have crashed into them by accident then, Clive thought as he watched the giant panic.

"Pssst! Clive?! What do we do now?!" Hamish whispered at him.

"He looks more worried about the water than us, so let him worry. The water will raise us to the edge and we can hop off." Clive said as they held fast to their log, while watching the giant flounder around in the water.

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While it was only 20 minutes, it felt like hours as the two watched the giant. Hoping it didn't turn its focus on them. But before long they could grab at some exposed roots from a stump and climb them up to the edge and onto solid ground.

"Oh thank tha Mother! Solid land!" Hamish praised as he just laid on his back.

Clive looked towards the giant, the water was now past his waist. He tried to repeat his jumping feat he did to them, but the water sucked him down like quicksand. Falling back into the water whenever he tried, panicking as he tried desperately to get away from it.

"Wont he just float when the water gets high enough?" Clive asked.

"Nay lad, giants are children of stone. It'll stay fast to the bottom of the lake." Hamish said as he stood up.

Clive just sat watching as the poor thing cried, a pitiful sound that reminded Clive of a whale. He tried to climb the sides of the lake, but his size, and the now wet earth, made it near impossible for him to get a solid footing. What purchase he had long enough to grip the edge didn't last as it just crumbled under his weight.

"Well Clive, I'll bet a tinpenny that yer tha first person ta drown a giant!" Hamish exclaimed as he patted Clive on the shoulder.

Clive could remember reading stories when he was younger, of Dragon Slayers, Giant and Troll Hunters. How all the tales were filled with mentions of "Honor" and "Glory".

Clive watched as the poor thing began to wail again, his fighting had ceased as he seemed to accept his fate. There was no honor, no glory with this.

The water was at his chest when Clive decided to do something really stupid. He groaned as he got up and brought his fingers to his mouth.

FWEEEEET!!!!

Clive let out a piercing whistle. The giant looked over towards them.

"OVER HERE!!!"

"Clive! Tha hells are you doin'!?" Hamish hissed.

"The right thing, and potentially stupid as well." Clive said as the giant made his way towards them.

Clive, seeing a truly massive lone tree near the edge, ran towards it. As the giant neared, Clive began to kick at the dirt between the tree and edge. It began to fall away, but not fast enough.

"Come on!" Clive hissed, he stopped and grabbed a sturdy branch and began to attack the edge.

"Clive! Its a monster! A dumb beast!" Hamish yelled as the giant got closer.

Clive stopped and looked at Hamish.

"Maybe he is a monster, but he doesn't deserve to die like this."

Clive continued his assault. Hamish huffed and cursed before he got his own branch and assisted him.

"If he eats us, I'll 'ave some VERY choice words fer you on tha other side Clive!"

Clive just smiled as their combined assault made progress. The giant, perhaps sensing what was happening, began to grab at the edge, pulling chunks off and exposing the roots of the colossal tree.

The process was painful, though Hamish tried for a time, his own muscles burned and he had to stop. Clive's own muscles weren't much better, but he had to keep trying. The water was at the giant's chin now. Possibly from hope it savaged the edge, gouging chunks from it.

But he kept going. heart hammering, and breath ragged he continued.

"Clive! CLIVE!"

Clive stopped momentarily as he looked over at Hamish.

"Its over Clive."

Clive looked over towards where the giant was, he was now completely submerged beneath the water.

"No, NO! We can still save him!"

Clive bashed at the earth faster and harder, there wasn't much earth left between the edge and the tree, whos thick roots were left exposed, if he could just clear a bit more and the tree will fall into the water, giving the giant a chance to climb out. His branch finally broke under the strain. Cursing he rushed to the back of the tree and pushed.

He pushed and pushed, even hitting the tree with his own hands. But even he had to call it quits. Hamish came up to Clive and patted his leg.

"You did yer best lad. Come, lets go home."

Clive began to follow Hamish. The other halflings came out nearby, panting and sweating.

"Oh Mother yer both alright!"

"What took ya?!" Hamish snapped.

"We didnae know where ya 'ad gone! We saws ya fly o'er the edge with that thing right after ya! Didnae think ya made it till we saws ya floatin' on a tree!" One of the halflings reported as they all heaved and panted.

"Well, no matter. Tha giants dead, 'nd we can go home!" Hamish called as the halflings cheered.

Their cheering was cut short however when something exploded from the water nearby.

They watched as two great arms shot from the water and grabbed at the great roots of the tree, and held.

Clive and the halflings watched as the giant began to pull himself out of the water. The mighty tree groaned under the weight, but by some miracle it held fast as he hauled himself up out of the water and onto dry land with a earth shaking thud.

The halflings formed up into a battleline, ready to face the giant again. But Clive just shooed them away as he made his way towards the giant.

"Clive! Are you mad!?" Hamish called after Clive.

The giant got up and towered over Clive and the halflings once more. But there was no malice, or hate from him. Just sadness.

The giant looked at Clive, tears in his eyes. Then he turned and left, disappearing into the nearby forest away from the halflings.

The halflings cheered as they watched the giant go.

"Clive, that was a really stupid 'nd brave thin' you just did!

He just nodded along with Hamish, they made their way back towards the halfling settlement, following the now flowing river.

While he felt better about saving the giant, Clive didn't feel particularly brave about driving away some scared creature. It was most likely just lost, terrified, and hungry. Then they showed up and attacked it.

Yeah, real brave, Clive thought as he looked back to where the giant had disappeared.