Glen untied the rope tethering the sheep, but kept a sufficiently long lead in his hand.
He led the sheep and stood not far outside the cave entrance.
"Baa."
"Baa."
The sheep's uneasy bleating echoed through the empty valley.
Fletcher held his breath and gripped the pouch of spellcasting materials at his waist.
Lina nocked an arrow as well. Though she knew full well that against that thick-skinned brute, her arrows might not even count as a scratch.
Still, if necessary, they could draw its attention and ensure Glen's safety.
A few minutes later, the snoring from inside the cave gradually stopped, replaced by a heavy scraping sound.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
First came a shower of loose pebbles. Then, a massive hand gripped the edge of the mine tunnel, followed by an enormous head slowly emerging from the darkness.
Its grayish-brown skin was like rock, rough as the bark of an old tree.
The huge single eye in its forehead had narrowed to a vertical slit in the afternoon sunlight, blankly sweeping over the outside world.
Its broad nose twitched hard, clearly having caught the scent of fresh mutton.
"Baa!" The sheep's bleating grew more frantic and terrified.
The giant's single eye instantly locked onto that moving snack.
With a powerful pull, it hauled its enormous body completely out of the mine tunnel.
"Good... it's out," Glen muttered under his breath. "Don't be nervous, Glen. You can do this. Take it slow, just like walking a dog."
He gave the lead a gentle tug, trying to make the sheep's movements look natural so as not to alarm the hulking creature.
The giant straightened up and began taking heavy steps toward the sheep.
One step, then two.
It seemed utterly captivated by the food before it, a yearning rumble rolling from