Staring at the massive weapon that her companion held on his shoulder, and the way it left a long trailing line in the dirt behind them, Ceean grew curious about something.

"Why do ye drag yer sword, then?" Ceean asked Yintal, as they made their way through the forest. He said they were heading for the lake glimpsed through the portal in her room, the place where the human had dropped her bag of gold into the water. Ceean hoped he wasn’t lying to her. She hated being tricked and mistreated.

"Cuz it’s damned heavy, Ceean! Look at the size o’ it," he replied, irritated that the female felt the need to chatter constantly. They’d only been away from the Grinding Wheel for three days, and she hadn’t stopped talking except to eat and sleep. Even when she excused herself to have a shite in the woods, Ceean would call out to Yintal and continue her yapping.

"Yes, but it’s magic, innit? I mean, when I killed those dwarves and that human in my room back at the tavern, it felt lighter than a feather. And there was a strange glow, as weel," she shot back, happy that Yintal was finally engaging in the conversation.

The Hunter shrugged the mighty blade from over his shoulder, brought his lips to the hilt, and whispered a strange word to the sword known as God’s Feather.

"Dioghaltas."

As the word left his lips, the strange translucent glow returned to the sword and Yintal picked it up with one hand. "Yes, lass. ’Tis magic, indeed. But, for me at least, it’s no’ unlimited. It will only last for twenty minutes or so. And then she needs to recharge for about an hour. I don’t use it often, as I like to keep the magic ready just in case there is danger ahead."

"I never said that word back in my room. How did it work for me, then?" Ceean asked warily.

"It’s just like I told ye then. Only one with the blood of the Wolves of the Bay can wield God’s Feather like that. There is magic in the humans of the Wolf tribe. There has been for ages upon ages, going back to the first war with the Grendel. My guess, Ceean, is that one o’ yer parents were a human. And not just any human; they were to have been a Wolf of the Bay, as I am. Though, I am not of the bloodline, as ye are. I was taken in as a child and trained by them. So I must use the magic word to activate this sword’s power. You don’t."

As he said this, Yintal tossed the sword into the air. It floated over to Ceean. She reached out to pluck it from the air, but before she did Yintal said another strange phrase.

"Laig anail."

The glow disappeared from God’s Feather and it suddenly dropped down, gravity now affecting the full mass of the giant sword. Instinctively, and without any forethought, Ceean’s hand snaked out lightning quick and grasped the hilt of the large weapon. The glow returned instantly, and she could barely feel any weight from the sword in her hand. She turned to Yintal and glowered.

"Ye could’ve done me harm like that, ye know," she admonished the dangerous dwarf. "Next time ye want to show me somethin’ just bloody well show me without any o’ yer tricks, ye understand?"

Yintal chuckled as he strolled along the underbrush in the forest. "Aye, Ceean. I swear it to ye. I will no’ do that ever again." And he grinned widely at the tall and beautiful half-dwarf, half-human. It will take time to get used to her constant talking, but Yintal the Hunter did like this lady.

She returned the happy glance, and then suddenly Yintal disappeared right before her eyes. She looked around wildly for him, terrified of being left alone in this forest. She had no idea where they were, where they were headed, or how to even get back to the Grinding Wheel.

"Yintal! This isn’t funny! Ye better not be pullin’ another trick, ye bastard!"

"Not a bloody trick, damn it all!" his voice called out, echoing from somewhere nearby. "I’ve fallen down a fucking hole in the ground. Bruised me arse."

Ceean walked cautiously to where the Hunter had been walking and saw the big hole. She peered over the edge and stifled a laugh. The oddly handsome dwarf in his frilly red shirt, tight black pants, and tall purple boots looked comical as he sat in the mud, all covered in leaves, with broken sticks laid all around him.

"Quit yer buffoonery, lass. This is a goblin trap. There’s bound ta be a score o’ the buggers lying in wait nearby." Yintal began rummaging in his pack and found the rope he always carried when adventuring. You never know when you might need a length of rope. "Catch the end of this line, and tie it off someone sturdy. Then I’ll climb up to ye."

Ceean nodded and put the sword down so she could use both hands in catching the rope. After a few swings to build momentum, Yintal tossed it and the rope soared right into waiting hands of Ceean Uldhe.

"I’ve got it!" she shouted, surprised by their success on the first try. She spun about, looking for something she could tie the rope to, something sturdy. But there was nothing. Sure, trees the forest had plenty of. But the ones in reach were too scrawny to support Yintal’s weight, and the big trees were too far away. The rope wouldn’t reach.

After searching desperately for a few moments, Ceean had an epiphany. Holding the rope in one hand, she seized God’s Feather with the other and plunged the magical blade deep into the forest floor. It stuck fast and provided just the anchor Yintal needed to climb out of the hole.

Before he could begin his ascent to rejoin his new companion, Yintal heard a rustling behind him. As he whirled to face whatever threat this new threat was, he heard a shriek from above.

"Yintal! Something is up here with me!"

Staring into the darkness of the damp pit in which he now found himself, Yintal the Hunter began to see shapes moving in the shadows. "Goblins," he muttered upon seeing the beady red, glowing eyes in that darkness.

"It’s big, Yintal! I can hear it thumping the ground! Get up here quick, and help me!"

The Hunter rushed to the rope, hoping to escape the pit before the goblins made their move. The timid creatures would usually only attack if they felt certain of their success. If someone was injured while falling into one of their traps, the goblins would converge and tear the poor soul to shreds with their tiny razor sharp teeth and claws. But it was evident that Yintal was unharmed, so they hesitated.

"I’m comin’ to ye now, Ceean! Hold on, lass!" he called to her.

But it was too late. The goblins, emboldened by the fact that Yintal wasn’t paying them any attention, all rushed forth and jumped on him as he tried to climb out. The added weight pulled the Hunter back down into the pit, the rope burning his hands as his grip slipped under the added pressure.

From the ground, Yintal fought back against the onslaught of the dozen or so goblins. He didn’t have any other weapons besides God’s Feather. He’d never needed one. Luckily, the goblins didn’t have any weapons other than their teeth and claws. So, it was almost evenly matched. They dug at his clothes, thinking to rip through the weak fabric, and happy this dwarf wasn’t wearing plate or leather armor. But their long and slender claws snapped painfully on the ironweave in his shirt.

You see, the Wolves of the Bay didn’t wear armor, but they did imbue their flashy clothing with wizard made ironthread. Once completed, the clothes were impervious to most small blades and even glancing blows from bigger weapons. While not as much protection one might receive from traditional armor, the freedom of movement granted by this material was a fantastic tradeoff.

Yintal pumped his powerful dwarven legs out, and three of the little hideous creatures flew across the room. He then pushed against the rocks with his hands as he lay on his back, causing Yintal to spring forward onto his feet. Several goblins clung to him, but most had already dashed away as the Hunter jumped up.

"Ceean!" he called out, "What is it up there with ye?"

She looked down into the hole, horror evident in her beautiful eyes, and said, "By the ancestors and the Gods that keep them... it’s a fucking hill giant!" Then she pulled back and attempted hide from the big creature, who stepped into view just as she crouched low.

Yintal appraised the new threat and was not much impressed. Most hill giants were ten to twelve feet tall. This was was only a wimpy no more than nine feet tall. The beast sniffed the air, looking for the pretty dwarf. His eyes met Yintal’s, and he grinned.

"Hello, little one. Having fun with my pet goblins? Don’t worry, they won’t bite," he said with a thunderous laugh. "On second thought, yes, they will bite. But they won’t eat you. I’ve trained them that well, at least. I can’t have my pets eating my meals for me, can I?"

Yintal picked up one goblin and ripped the struggling thing in half, tossing the head and arms at the giant, while letting the legs drop to the ground. The remaining goblins regrouped at the far end of the pit, wary of this powerful dwarf after such a sight.

"Hey, I liked that one," the giant said. "Ferbert, I think I named him. But, you can’t dwell in the past, I suppose. Of course, I’ll have my revenge for that. Perhaps I’ll tear you in just the same way. What do you say, little one?"

"Stop callin’ me little one, ye fuckin’ dog," Yintal said, spitting on the ground. "Why don’t ye come down here and face me yer own self. I’d like to punch the snot out of yer nose a time or two."

The hill giant chuckled and replied, "I will, all in good time. First, I have to eat your pretty little friend here," and he quickly snatched Ceean from her hiding spot.

At that moment, the goblins decided to rush Yintal again. He punched, kicked, and bit any that got close enough, trying to keep them at bay so he could talk Ceean through this. She could kill this giant, the power to do so was already in her blood.

"Ceean!" he screamed. "Fight the monster! The magic in yer blood makes ye feel less pain from his kind, and makes yer own strikes land ten times as hard!"

The giant, a confused look on his ugly face, turned to ask what king of magic the little dwarf was talking about. But the pretty one in has hands swung her fist at his mouth before he could say a word. Her tiny little hand hit the giant with the force of a dozen ogres. Three of his teeth flew out, trailing slime through the streams of daylight that made their way through the branches of the ancient trees. The hill giant dropped the female and placed a huge hand on his face.

"FUUUUCK! You’ll pay for that, you little maggot!" and he whipped his foot towards Ceean, who was shocked at the power she had felt in her own hand as it connected with the giant’s face. So shocked, in fact, that she didn’t dodge the giant’s kick. The gigantic foot slammed into her chest, sending her soaring backward 100 yards. She tumbled and rolled, finally coming to a stop. She should be dead, with a caved in chest cavity and crushed organs.

But Ceean wasn’t.

The kick hurt, sure, but nowhere near as much as it should have. The magic in her blood had protected her. Yintal wasn’t joking about her ancestry. As she got to her feet, the giant stared at her in stunned silence. She wasn’t wearing any armor and had shrugged off a kick from a giant. This dwarf was fucking scary. But he wouldn’t let it be known that a puny little rock lover had gotten the best of him. The giant picked up a stone and hurled it at the lady dwarf. She saw it coming and moved out of the way, keeping her eyes on the big guy. Warily, she approached the giant, fists up in a human boxing stance.

"I don’t know how you survived that kick, pretty dwarf, but you won’t survive this." The hill giant fell forward, hoping to crush the little dwarf under his weight. He was only about four feet taller than the dwarf, but he felt that if he could hold her down, he could use his massive strength to end her life. But as he fell forward, Ceean stepped to the side and brought her little knee up to catch the giant right on his nose as he fell. The force of his fall, plus the weight of his body, plus the magic of the giantsbane in her blood, shattered the giant’s face. On the surface, it looked bruised and a little bloody. But underneath was all crushed bone and ruined tissue. He would die soon, as breathing was impossible for him, but Ceean didn’t know that. The beautiful lady dwarf casually walked over to God’s Feather and pulled it from the ground, still trailing the rope. She pulled Yintal’s rope off and let it fall to the grass. The ancient spell that made Wolves of the Bay the greatest giant hunters on Asa-thor sang within Ceean as she raised the sword above her head and brought it down on the hill giant’s thick neck. The disproportionately large cranium rolled away from the creatures musty, yellow tinted torso. It’s thick and pungent lifeblood seeped into the forest floor.

"Could ye give us the rope again, then?" Yintal called from the pit.

She walked over to find broken goblin bodies littered the entire hole. One final creature struggled in the Hunter’s grasp. Yintal punched his fist right through the goblin’s face, killing it instantly. Ceean once more plunged God’s Feather into the ground, secured the rope, and tossed the other end into the pit. Yintal climbed out easily and grinned at her.

"Ye weren’t lyin’ about my blood, then?" Ceean whispered.

"Nay, lass. I think ye just discovered the truth of me tale. Was it yer Da’ or yer Ma’?"

"Me father was human, but I didn’t know him," she replied.

"Well, I’m ta take ye to yer ancestral homeland, lass. I lied to ye about the gold. I dunno where that lake is. But when I saw ye were able to hold me sword without saying a word of magic... I swore to meself that I’d show ye what yer capable of. And that," he said, indicating the dead hill giant, "is without any bloody training. Once we reach the Wolves, they can really show ye what ye can do."

Ceann nodded in acceptance. She had known, somewhere in the back of her mind, that Yintal didn’t know where that lake was. Maybe it was the look on his face when he saw the vision through the portal back in her room at the tavern; it was not a look of recognition. Or maybe it was that he insisted that they go to the Hammaer River first, in order to retrieve his boat. She knew that river from the maps at school. It did not feed into any lakes. It went to the Sea of Nezra.

"So, me gold really is gone. Ah, well. I wanted ta use that coin ta change me destiny and get the fuck away from Kelgrond. It looks like that has already happened, so fuck the riches. Let’s go find these Wolves, then."

"Now yer talkin’ , lass," Yintal replied. "So, how did it feel ta beat the snot out of a bloody giant, then?"

"Ye know, it felt right. Like... like I was paying him back for something he had done ta me."

"Ta yer ancestors, lass. On yer human side, that is. The giantsbane spell within yer blood is fed by the need for revenge against giants. The Wolves can explain it all better than me. Come on, then. Let’s go get me Da’s boat and leave this place behind."

The next day, they came to a sheltered bend in the Hammaer River. Yintal walked down to a large group of plants on the embankment and uncovered a long wooden fishing boat that he had hidden within. As Ceean approached, she noticed the words "At Long Last" painted on the hull.

She felt the boat’s name was appropriate because, at long last, Ceean was getting the chance to change her destiny.