The three of you spend some time just staring at the thing, each implicitly asking the other to go first, before you decide to just be explicit about it.
"Ye guys're good with beasts. Why don't ye go say hi?"
"You're the one whose pieces grow back," Djura counters.
"Don't try ta weasel yer way out o' this with a perfectly valid excuse like that."
"Let's just have a proper huddle before you two get caught up bantering until that thing wakes up on its own," grumbles Steffon.
"Aw, c'mon, that wasn't gonna happen." That was totally going to happen.
You join the scrum regardless and, by the power vested in you by being the biggest, start the discussion.
"Just so everythin's on the table: I want that pendant."
"Why?" says Steffon.
"It looks way too important ta leave behind. Call it a hunch. Besides, I don't think the big guy can even fit it around 'is neck, so what good's it doin' 'im?"
"So you're willing to risk fighting a giant, fiery beast on a hunch?" says Djura.
"To be fair," says Steffon, "it did manage to sleep through that." He points at the massive, still-crumbling dent in the wall from your little baseball misadventure.
Or would that be cricket? The boulder was still rolling, after all, and the Powder Kegs were kinda like wickets and you're getting off-track again.
"Look, if ye're worried, I'll deal with it myself, alright? You two can wait outside. I've beaten one o' these things before, anyway."
"Was that one on fire?" says Steffon.
"Well, no, but the principle should still be the same. Can't be that much tougher."
With that, Djura takes you up on your offer and strolls back downstairs, pulling a whetstone from somewhere as he steps outside. You hear rhythmic scraping before turning to Steffon.
"Why ye stayin' behind?"
"Couple of reasons. One, it'd feel rude to leave you here, and two, I'm morbidly curious about what will happen when you take the pendant out of its hand."
"Alright, then, but I'll expect ye ta cover me if shit goes south."
"Will do."
Thinking sneaky thoughts, you begin your stalk, willing yourself with all your might not to hum either the Mission: Impossible or Pink Panther themes. You notice flakes of ash hovering lazily in the air and feel the temperature rise dramatically as you close in on the slumbering beast. Is it your imagination, or are its ears twitching in time with your footfalls?
Oh, nope; it's your imagination.
With glasses fogging and sweat glands on overdrive, you pluck the pendant from its grasp. The great hand twitches once, but its great breaths' tempo remains unchanged. You scurry back towards the entrance, where Steffon has his cannon trained on the beast.
"Ye look a wee bit disappointed."
"Just a bit," he says with a frown. "I was kind of hoping to see you fight that thing in a battle for the ages."
"Eh, we'll have other opportunities. Plus, who knows? Fight could've wound up bein' a frustratin' slog instead of anythin' memorable."
"True."
You find Djura seated atop the stairs beside the thoroughly squashed giant, occasionally prodding it with his Stake Driver before returning to sharpening.
"Nothing exploded, so may I assume it's mission accomplished?"
"Yep," you reply, holding up your prize. The metal pendant features a series of raised concentric circles on its surface, surrounding an incredibly realistic eye. You're sensing a pattern.
"Interesting," says the old man as you put it away. He points a finger towards the Cathedral's stage left. "I believe that tunnel leads further into the city."
Following his finger, you see the aforementioned tunnel, apparently composed entirely of that odd stone. Djura gets to his feet with a series of unpleasant crackles and Steffon falls into position beside him.
[] Go deeper into the city
[] Retrace your steps
-[] To where?
[] Write in...
