that allows him to sense unseen danger, had come into play. Slowly the barbarian
turned to the closed door and lifted Aegis-fang above his head. He paused for a
moment and cocked his head, straining to hear a confirming sound. None came, but
Wulfgar trusted his instincts. He roared to Tempos and launched the hammer. It
split the door asunder with a thunderous snap and dropped the planks - and
Biggrin - to the floor.
Drizzt noticed the swing of the open secret door across the room beyond the
giant chieftain and realized that the last of the giants must have slipped away.
Quickly the drow set Guenhwyvar into motion. The panther understood, too, for it
bolted away, clearing the writhing form of Biggrin with one great bound, and
charged out of the cave to give chase to the escaping verbeeg.
Blood streamed down the side of the big giant's head, but the thick bone of
its skull had rejected the hammer. Drizzt and Wulfgar looked on in disbelief as
the huge frost giant shook its jowls and rose to meet them.
"It can't do that," protested Wulfgar.
"This giant's a stubborn one," Drizzt shrugged.
The barbarian waited for Aegis-fang to return to his grasp, then moved with
the drow to face Biggrin.
The giant stayed in the doorway to prevent either of its foes from flanking
it as Wulfgar and Drizzt confidently moved in. The three exchanged ominous
stares and a few easy swings as they felt each other out.
"You must be Biggrin," Drizzt said, bowing.
"That I am," proclaimed the giant. "Biggrin! The last foe yer eyes'll see!"
"Confident as well as stubborn," Wulfgar remarked.
"Little human," the giant retorted, "I've squashed a hunnerd o' yen puny
kin!"
"More reason for us to kill you," Drizzt stated calmly.
With sudden speed and ferocity that surprised its two opponents, Biggrin took
a wide sweep with its huge axe. Wulfgar stepped back out of its deadly range,
and Drizzt managed to duck under the blow, but the drow shuddered when he saw
the axe blade take a fair-sized chunk out of the stone wall.
Wulfgar jumped right back at the monster as the axe passed him, pounding on
Biggrin's broad chest with Aegis-fang. The giant flinched but took the blow.
"Ye'll have t' hit me harder 'an that, puny man!" it bellowed as it launched a
mighty backswing with the flat head of the axe.
Again Drizzt slipped below the swing. Wulfgar, however, battle-weary as he
was, did not move quickly enough to back out of range. The barbarian managed to
get Aegis-fang up in front of him, but the sheer force of Biggrin's heavy weapon
smashed him into the wall. He crumpled to the floor.
Drizzt knew that they were in trouble. His left arm remained useless, his
reflexes were slowing with exhaustion, and this giant was simply too powerful
for him to parry any blows. He managed to slip in one short thrust with his
scimitar as the giant recovered for its next swing, and then he fled toward the
main corridor.
"Run, ye dark dog!" roared the giant. "I'll after ye, an' I'll have ye!"
Biggrin charged after Drizzt, smelling the kill.
The drow sheathed his scimitar as he reached the main passage and looked for
a spot to ambush the monster. Nothing presented itself, so he went halfway to
the exit and waited.
"Where can ye hide?" Biggrin taunted as its huge bulk entered the corridor.
