*[𝕌𝕟𝕤𝕙𝕒𝕔𝕜𝕝𝕖𝕕 - 𝓢𝓴𝓮𝓹𝓗𝓪𝓵𝓸]*

An Irresistible Idea [ Chapter 1 ]

// CW: None. //

"Tell me the story with the giant again, please, grandpa?" The little tri-breed begged.
"Come on, bud, you know that isn't something your grandpa can talk about." His father, Wilbur, replied.
"Well, I couldn't just deny that cute face though, could I? We can go inside and I'll tell you all about it-" Philza paused, then smiled, his wings shifted slightly. "And.. You are welcome to join us, Zak." the avian said, addressing the dwarf who'd been eaves-dropping from around the corner.

"How'd you catch me this time?" Zak questioned, pouting as his spiked tail whipped behind him; he shuffled over to the trio, a goofy smile gracing his features as he approached. Phil chuckled and gave a short response of, "You make it pretty easy," before standing from his wooden seat. "Now, how about that story, hm?"
Fundy's small tail wagged furiously in excitement. Zak found that to be the cutest thing, and he too, was eager to hear the old avian's story.

Hours passed, Philza's tale was one that struck excitement into the crystal dwarf's very core; and the old man swore it was all truth.

"Surely the one who'd slay the giant would be a hero, right?" Zak pondered the thought aloud, Wilbur shook his head. "You'd be a madman to think you of all could do such a thing." He scoffed; but it seemed Fundy had a different thought. "That'd be so awesome! Zak the Beast Hunter!" He squealed and the dwarf's eyes lit up like the gems in his flesh. "Beast hunter..?" He muttered, "I like the sound of that!"

"Do not be a fool!" Phil suddenly scolded, his tone much less warm. Zak frowned as the avian began to lecture him. "You could die, you know. I hate to say this around my grandson, but I suppose everyone should hear it. That monster is the reason behind the disappearances recently. Any soul stupid enough to enter it's claimed cave is doomed to die." Wilbur sighed whilst Fundy whimpered. "Father, you're turning this children's tale into some morbid fantasy. Everyone knows that Schlatt and his son moved out to the Eldern Plains, they weren't devoured by a giant." He huffed, frustrated. Philza shook his head, "I've had enough of this, I am going to the market." Zak watched with a disappointed expression as the avian stood from his seat with a groan and made his way out of the family's house. He looked to Wilbur, who only shrugged, muttering something to his son before dragging the youngling to what Zak believed was his room. Fundy waved to the Crystalite, and he gave a small wave in return.

It wasn't long afterwards that Zak had made up his mind, he would discover the truth about this so-called beast when night fell. It was still bright out, he had time to prepare himself. It was stupid, why was he doing this? Curiosity; he couldn't bare not knowing if the legends were more than just that, legends. He decided that, since it was still light, he would discuss this with his Floraltite friend, George.

A trail of bluebells led him to the secluded area of the village garden his friend often visited. Soft humming accompanied by the hasty splashing of water from a can onto the ground graced his ears, and the source of it all was the flora dwarf Zak had come to see. The Floraltite's ears twitched and he turned to face his friend, "Oh, Zak! I certainly wasn't expecting to see you today! Er... do you need something?"

"Well, I just wanted to ask for your opinion on something, but if you are busy-" He started, but George interrupted him. "No, no- Not at all!" He squealed, followed by a murmur of, "It's not as if I have a meeting with the High Elf soon that I've been telling you about for weeks," that Zak didn't quite catch. The Crystalite ignored what he thought he might have heard without a second thought, "Thank you, George, I just have to have someone else's input! You see, have you heard the tale of the giant in the Fungal Cave?" The other nodded, a slight frown of worry appearing on his face. "Right well- I've decided that tonight, I'm going to head off and slay the beast! Now, I wanted to know what you thought, and if you might have any tips on how exactly to do that; since, well, you are one of our most celebrated warriors!"

The Floraltite was speechless. Without hesitance he gave Zak as harsh pinch to his cheek, his expression one of utter astonishment over the other's idiocy. "Hey!" Zak squealed, recoiling and pressing his palm to the now sore cheek. "What was that for?!"

"You're absolutely insane." George huffed, setting his watering can on the soft ground. "No one can kill that thing, you have to know your enemy to succeed, we aren't even sure if it's real!" The flowers around his feet began to wilt with the building frustration he felt. Zak frowned, his spiked tail drooping to the ground; "George-" He began, but the Floraltite cut him off,

"You can't seriously expect to win a battle against a foe potentially large enough to crush you like an insect. Slaying a beast isn't nearly as easy as it may seem. Since you seem so eager to listen to tall tales told by elders, do you recall the tale of the War for The Mines? Do you recall how they used to say that there were a breed of horrid monster born from both Goblin and Fireborne ancestry. How these supposed creatures would tear our soldiers limb from limb? I want you to think for just a moment about the size of those beasts. Both larger than us, Fireborne being even larger than humans. Zak, think about what they could do to us, and then I want you to consider what something with claws the size of your entire body could do to you. Think about it. Go home, and think about it. If you decide that you want to risk your life anyway, come see me when I return tomorrow; you will certainly not be doing any slaying tonight."

He let George's words sink into his mind as he shuffled back to his hut, spiked tail hanging limply behind him, crystals in his flesh dimly lighting the way as he walked, he hadn't noticed that it was already evening. George is right, he told himself, I'd be a fool to attempt something so heroic.

But a fool is just what Zak was.