text: [Themes: fantasy]
  
  To the far South is a cave and within that cave is a massive figure, aat least twice the size of a full-grown human man. It is resting somewhat quietly on a bed of furs. Those furs are disgusting and corroded only being replaced by new furs when the fleas finally pierce the skin of it's occupant. He then kills new creatures and pads his mattress with the rotting furs of those creatures.
  
  The bones and gobbled meat of three score animals lay rotting around the fur. The smell is awful, the stench of Death so apparent that Sebastian chokes under the fumes. The creature, deep in slumber doesn't hear her. It's gargling snores are too loud.
  
  She realizes that the creature is an ogre. A massive Neanderthal from an earlier age averaging ten to fourteen feet in height and with a brutish disposition, a cannibalistic nature, and the intelligence of a rotten child. A Rotten, evil child. It's stench is overpowering and the small of being unwashed for months stings the nose, the body odor is so atrocious. It's foot is easily the size of Sebastian's full length, it's massively muscled arms are twice the girth of her body, and it's tusks look about six inches long.
  
  Worse than that, it has a tree trunk lying to the side of it, such large items are used as clubs, roots and all. Death from an ogre was never easy but as a female, there might be worse fates: The impregnation of human women wasn't unheard of though how it worked biologically was beyond thought. Sebastian decided then and there that suicide would be preferable to rape.
  
  It was a long shot but perhaps a single blow would be enough to kill it. It might be worth a try...
  
  > kill the Ogre with your Short Swords
  Sebastian chooses her Short Swords, they are razor sharp and can be used to pierce or slash enemy flesh leaving deep wounds. She rushes the ogre cutting him twice before he even rises to his feet then twice more as he gains his balance.
  
  It rushes Sebastian with speed that is much faster than she'd have believed from such a big and ugly creature. She cuts and hacks and her swords slice it's skin as It sweeps low with a cumbersome fist, she leaps and goes high leaving more gashes with her foot long blades. It punches forward and she rolls right slicing it with two more long slim slashes. She ducks an overhand smash that nearly levels her. She rolls under him and leaves gashes in his legs but no matter what she does, nothing seems to work.
  
  The Short Swords are great weapons against creatures with light armor and thin skin but useless against the creature with the hide of a rhinoceros and the six inch claws of a bear. Well, unless she uses them to pierce his body!
  
  She curses her stupidity as it's claws nearly punch through her chain. But instead she drives both swords deep into it's fist and as it reflexively raises it's hands to shake the blades loose, she flips up and pulls her swords free landing a kick on it's forehead.
  
  It staggers back and she leaps on the offensive, reversing her grip so that the swords protect her forearms and every time he lurches forward she is there with a spinning cut or a penetrating stab.
  
  Soon it begins to cower, fear in it's eyes and she, though panting, feels the bloodlust surging within her. The perfect mixture of strength, speed, and power reduces it to a filet. Finally, with a running leap she charges and puts both of her swords into the creature's eyes. It struggles and flops then falls to the cave floor, dead!!!
  
  Sebastian has Won!!!
  
  > investigate the Southern Part of the Ogre Cave
  Sebastian decides that a creature as dangerous as an ogre has to have some treasure that is worth finding. She was more than willing to search the ogre's corpse and it's lair to find anything else of importance.
  
  After a search through the bones of some rather disgusting hand half-eaten creatures, she finds the materials the smith needs for the Hemlock Band! In addition, she finds one hundred and fifty Silver, enough to make the Smith happy and enough extra random coins, gems, and even a bit of gold to make the entire mission worth her while.
  
  > return to the Smith in Triumph!
  The Smith chuckles as you return. He looks you up and down and asks, "Did ye' get everything I needed?"
  
  > If you told the Smith to Fuck Off...
  The smith takes 150 silver, and the materials for the Hemlock Band from these he forges the Hemlock Band, a Ring that is powerful proof against poison and disease. You receive the ring and you get to keep the other treasure you found from the ogre's den. Altogether you made a small profit and add 100 Copper Pieces, 25 gold pieces, and 5 Platinum Pieces to your treasure stash.
  
  > Did you find the Beren Sapphire? If yes...
  Sebastian heads back to her Lord with her head held high and Arbalest prances as she enters through the gates and presents the Hemlock Band to her Lord who is incredibly thankful. She is allowed to keep her spoils and she earns respect for her skills in defeating the ogre and overcoming all the obstacles in her journey. The Beren Sapphire is her prize possession and she takes it everywhere she goes. Sebastian hears it singing to her in the voice of her mother. Her dead mother.
  
  For her efforts she is awarded the Silver Pheasant Medallion and is granted a small apartment in the castle for her services. She is quite the celebrity for the next week getting free drinks at the bars and esteem from the other mercenaries and soldiers in her city. However, she soon begins to tire easily and spends more and more time alone in her apartment just staring at the sapphire and listening to it sing.
  
  Her reputation grows and she is able to buy newer, better weapons and armor for her coin but chooses not to, she only wants to hear the stone.
  
  As the weeks go by Sebastian becomes ill and, clutching her precious sapphire, as she grows more faint, paranoid, more addicted to the spectral stone's song, and finally Sebastian lays on the cusp of death.
  
  Inside she knows she is going to die but the Beren Sapphire sings such sweet music..
  
  Finally, weeks later, Sebastian's room is forced open, the stench has the other knights complaining.
  
  She lies on her bed, a corpse, a beautiful sapphire still in her hand...
  
  For her it is...