chapter 111: it’s all ogre pt.2

    the ogre opened its tusk-ridden mouth wide and bellowed a cacophonous challenge. it stood in the middle of the carved plateau that made up the summit of the dwarven city, surrounded on all sides by a garden of lovingly carved statues.

    shimmering blue walls had sealed in the summit, linking the many columns that lined its edge. kaius ignored the surprise barrier; it was always going to be do or die, a lack of escape meant nothing.

    like a physical wave, the roar echoed through the massive cavern, punching deep into kaius’s chest. he was already sprinting forwards. the ogre heaved on its massive iron wrapped club, shattering one of the many statues that surrounded it with a contemptuous swing. thanks to the jack rabbit tonic that he had imbibed, every touch of foot against stone sent him sailing through the air as he rapidly closed the distance - wind whistling past his ears.

    even though he was still at least a good hundred odd long-strides from his target, shrapnel from the shattered statue showered him, plinking off of his cuirass and helmet. a testament to the siege ogre’s power.

    as he ran, porkchop peeled away from him, moving through the questionable cover of the widely spaced sculptures to flank the guardian. if there was to be any hope of it working, kaius knew he had to hold the ogre’s attention.

    half the distance between them disappeared in an instant, his full sprint eating away at the gap. he gestured towards the ogre with his off hand, aiming for one of its sunken and beady eyes as his hand glittered with the detritus of burnt runes. an azure shard, nearly as big as one of his forearms, crackled with magical potency as it substantiated and then shot forwards. the runic hymn screamed through the air, calling out in violence and hate as its empowered form sparked with arcane discharge, lunar wisdom at work.

    his heart thumped, a breath catching in his throat as he watched the spell with focused intensity. howling in fury at his assault, the ogre lifted one torso sized hand to shield its face.

    the azure shard slammed into its palm, shattering bones and tearing a ragged hole through its flesh. a small one. as it ruptured through the other side of its hand, it disintegrated, showering the ogre''s face in scintillating shards that gouged into its skin.

    a bassy scream of pain and fury echoed out, stinging kaius in the ears. dark green blood poured from the wound he had left in its free hand, coating its face in gore as it swatted at the lingering arcane embers that had settled on its face after the dissolution of his spell.

    with his enhanced acuity he saw the exact moment it closed its eyes. explorer’s toolkit screamed.

    an opening.

    he thrust out his left hand, aiming for its knee. there was no way he was leaving this to chance. he’d watched his spells eviscerate champions, and even empowered the most violent weapon in his arsenal had done far less to its palm. in moments golden rain fell from his hand as kaius unleashed a salvo of arcane bolts, four crystalline missiles screaming through the air to punch into the joint.

    a terrible crack sounded out across the plateau as his bolts slammed home with preternatural accuracy. the ogre cried out once more. it tried to move, tried to get out of the way, but the speed of his pre-prepared casting left almost no gap between his attacks.

    cartilage, bone, and flesh exploded out the back of the ogre''s leg, coating a statue of an enrobed magi behind it in gore.

    the guardian stumbled, but it didn’t fall.

    his blood froze. the ogre roared.

    lashing out in fury, it whipped its club into another statue, sending chunks of stone flying towards him. kaius tracked them with his eyes, sliding to the side and bending at his hips as uncanny dodge pinged him with a half dozen warnings. blurring with speed, kaius danced through the deadly granite rain, growling in frustration as a shower of lesser shards left light cuts on his exposed face.

    stepping towards him, the ogre stumbled on its ruined leg, barely able to put any weight on its partially shattered joint. it started to limp towards him. slowly.

    kaius let out a sigh of relief. at the very least its injured leg had massively hampered its mobility. he would have much preferred if it was completely disabled of course, without any remaining spells he had to commit to melee, and a downed ogre was one much less capable of squashing him like a bug.

    he could feel porkchop lying in wait behind the guardian, ready and waiting for him to begin his assault. they moved as one, racing forwards to challenge their opponent.

    thrumming through his veins with violent intensity, his blood started to sing as the ogre focused on him with a scowl.

    kaius hissed in displeasure. he’d missed. while the wound had certainly pained his foe, a wound to the tear duct wasn’t going to blind it. a moment later there was a pop of displaced air as the knife reappeared in his bandolier, dripping with green blood.

    pained and beset from all sides, the ogre screamed in frustrated fury. it balled it''s free hand into a fist, swiping it behind him in a hammering blow. kaius’s breath caught in his throat. porkchop tried to move. he was just a hair too slow, the weighty blow clipping his shoulder as he pulled back.

    giant strength was more than enough to send kaius’s bond brother flying back, the pain of a cracked shoulder bleeding through their link. porkchop withstood the blow with a stoic snarl, shoving the agony down deep as bestial vigour and platinum skill allowed him to push on. digging his claws into the stone for traction, he threw himself back into the fight.

    his fear replaced by righteous fury, kaius raced back in. two more blink knives shot towards the ogre''s face. it was ready for them this time, bringing its free hand back around to its front to ward off the stinging projectiles.

    enchanted knives sunk into its forearms. against its bulk, they may have as well been gnat bites.

    great hissing gusts of ill contained dimwitted hatred whistled out between the tusks of the ogre. it raised its club, planting the weapon tip first on the ground with a crack of stone. muscles as big as he was contracted on its leading leg. it rose.

    kaius darted in, spinning around a contemptuous slap to try for an arterial strike at its groin. his blade sunk in, nearly a stride of steel releasing a tide of blood from its flesh. porkchop wasn’t going to be out done, lunging forwards to sink his teeth into the back of the creature''s calf.

    they barely did anything.

    it was too large. too thick. too mighty.

    kaius’s eyes flicked to the wounds on its knee, drinking in the injured joints state in seconds. they were still enormous. even with the regenerative panacea of health, the injuries were simply too big to heal quickly. unfortunately, even if a wound of that size would mean his own end, it was a light wound to the guardian.

    it swiped at him again, still rising from its half-kneel. kaius twisted, lashing out at the passing forearm that was thicker than his waist, his blade cutting lightly into the meat. the ogre growled, lashing out again.

    despite his harrying, the guardian rose once more to its full height, barely worse for wear. it hefted its club, causing him to tense, only for it to slam it down tipfirst once more, shattering one of the gargantuan flagstones that paved the plateau.

    its head tipped back. its warted chest expanded as it sucked in air, leaving itself open. kaius blurred, taking the opportunity to fall into a vicious stream of slashes, widening the wounds on its knee.

    they needed it disabled.

    paying them no mind, the ogre let loose an ear piercing roar. mana streamed from its centre, coalescing and suffusing its flesh. kaius noted it instantly. it was channelling.

    screaming a warning through his bond for porkchop to pull back, he launched away from the ogre, creating distance. whatever its second skill was, he wanted time to react.

    a stride. a handful. then a few dozen.

    its mana pulsed. the guardian snapped its head towards him, cruel beady eyes shining with malevolence.

    doom screamed.

    it took a step. the ground cratered. a multi-ton, wall-breaking missile shot towards him as if launched out of a trebuchet.