"[b]Not zo fest[/b]!" 

Neil and Emmaline were suddenly obscured by an immense shadow, and Neil's heart skipped a beat when he suddenly remembered his boasting the other night, and all that implicated. Emmaline could see a myriad of emotions, ranging from regret to amusement to acceptance flash across her lover's face. However, that was only for a brief moment, for the sight past her was more attention-grabbing. She tried not to gape as the Ogre, for it was indeed an Ogre, approached, wondering what in Sigmar's balls Neil had done to gain its ire. 

It was Folgtooth, the biggest patron in the Gilded Ox. He came every fortnight, to drink two barrels of mead and eat half the pies in the tavern. Fully nine feet in height, he used the common room's sofa as a throne. Every time he came around, he attracted would-be groupies, and though he broke more glasses and shattered more chairs than anyone, Kargi tolerated him because of the good business, and the fact the Ogre scared off the less scrupulous who thought they might could take whatever bouncer was on duty. Except this time, it seemed like the monster had something to prove with the bouncer. 

"Li'l man sez tonight be the night!" He rumbled, speaking with what passed as an inside voice for the lumbering brute. He wore a sleeveless jacket that barely fit his shoulders, keeping his gut open. On each of his forearms, he bore three bronzed rings. Whoever had tailor pantaloons that fit him, bravo. "You fink Folgtooth fo'get, but he dunnit!" 

"Hey c'mon, man. I was just talking out of my ass, why don't we call it even?" Neil asked him, raising his arms to appear as nonthreatening as possible. Folgtooth did not like that answer, leaning down and showing his massive teeth. Emmaline hid behind Neil, peeking past his shoulder as she clung to his shirt. 

"What did you do!?" She whispered accusatorily. 

"I said I could beat him at arm wrestling and uh, that he was a big baby far from home." Neil remarked. He heard Emmaline's intake of breath, and got a bit defensive. "He was insulting you, I had to say something!" 

"No, you didn't!" She snapped back. As sweet as it was, the main goal was to survive until they could sell the warpstone token. Neil knew that was what she was thinking, leastwise.

"We were drinking!" He complained. She rolled her eyes, but was interrupted before she could chastise him.  

Folgtooth bellowed a guttural roar, and this time he was [i]not[/i] using his inside voice. So loud was his yell, Neil felt his hair pick up from the excess wind, and the Ogre stomped on the ground, splintering a wooden panel like stepping on a twig. The Gilded Ox had gone horrifically quiet in abject fear. "Table! Or I eat youz and yer girl!"

"Alright big gu-" Neil started, then noticed Emmaline's grip had slackened. He turned and saw the tail of her dress fluttering as she was out the door. Well, that was awkward. He sighed, and turned back to face the Ogre. A female mercenary in hard leather stumbled out of the way, as did a local gaoler and one of the dockside workers as Folgtooth stumbled forward and plopped down on his couch, placing his huge elbow on the table. 

Neil lifted his left arm, and gave it a good long look. "Goodbye leftie, we had a lot of fun together. We committed a lot of crimes, but we also made some people super happy too. I bet Emma will miss you as much as me...if I live..." 

Neil found his seat across the table, all eyes on him as he rolled his sleeve up. The silence was only broken by a few whispers of either disbelief or insulting his intelligence. The thief could not blame them in the slightest, if he was honest with himself. He placed his own elbow on the table, and Folgtooth chuckled malevolently. The massive humanoid turned his head, his eyes fixing on a merchant who sipped his wine. "'Ey, youz! Youz getz to count down!" He ordered. 

The merchant nearly spilled his drink, surprised the Ogre had singled him out. But swallowing, he placed his cup down and shakily got to his feet. "Er, of course, herr Ogre." He remarked, fixing his feathered cap and approaching the table. Folgtooth grinned at Neil as the merchant took his position at the side of the table, his pig-like eyes boring into the thief with an unspoken threat. Neil could already tell he planned to rip Neil's arm off. 

They closed hands, Neil's relatively big hand engulfed by the Ogre's massive fist. The merchant looked at Neil like he was gazing at a dog that was about to be shot, and he raised his hand to begin the count. "Yes, are we ready?" Neil was not, but that hardly mattered. Briefly he thought about spitting in the Ogre's eye or getting a knife, but none of the thoughts ended well. "On three!... One...Two...Three!" 

Neil pushed with all of his might, gripping the table with his other hand to steady himself as his muscled bulged in exertion. Folgtooth's arm barely budged, and the Ogre gave a smile that showed his vast teeth, as if he were ready to devour Neil once he took his arm. The Ogre began to chuckle ominously, gripping Neil's hand a bit more firmly for the kill...

A loud whistle rang out from across the common room, and both Neil and Folgtooth turned their heads to see Emmaline sauntering up, a massive pie in her hands. It was freshly baked, and Neil could smell the pie even from there. Folgtooth looked at it like a fish staring at a worm. "'Ey, wots she doin, wit dat?" He asked, dumbfounded. Emmaline batted her eyelashes. 

"Oh this? It's just for Neil to have, since I know he'll lose. Poor bouncer, he works so hard!" She said with a theatric pout, holding the pie under Folgtooth's nose. The Ogre inhaled the sweet scent of the cooked blueberries stuffed in it, and gulped. Neil renewed his assault, and unbeknowst to either him or Folgtooth, Emmaline concentrated as well, having already prepared a spell of manipulation to help move the bronze rings during her absense. As one, both Neil and Emmaline shoved with their combined physical and magical might while the Ogre sniffed the delicacy, and before Folgtooth even knew it, his arm had hit the table with a 'thud.' 

"Oh, wow." Emmaline marveled, placing the hand she had held behind her back for the spell to her lips. "I did not think you'd lose, handsome! Here, have this pie! It's freeeeessshhh." She placed it in front of the Ogre, who had let go of Neil's hand and grabbed the large baked good, opening his mouth impossibly wide to devour it. By the time the food had tumbled down his throat, Neil had grabbed Emmaline's hand and the two of them were out of there, the door banging against the wall from their flight, laughter following them.