Chapter 3: Against the Odds
“Althea - watch out!”
At the fox’s cry, Althea still stooped over, stepped back from the archway, about to chide the fox for avoiding her questions about his clearly fake name. Before she could utter a word, she heard the hiss of a huge, rusty old scimitar splitting the space in the courtyard she had been about to occupy. In a well-practiced motion, she quickly grabbed her sword with her right hand, making a rapid jab around the corner of the arch into the courtyard. Hearing a bellow, she knew she had made an impression on her would-be ambusher.
Looking down at the terrified fox, she yelled “What’s another way out of this corridor?”
Foxey was frozen, petrified at what had happened. Did they hear me? Why did I get up this morning? I knew I should have stayed in bed today!
Hearing angry, but not mortally wounded roars of curses from the courtyard, she shouted again at the fox. “Snap out of it! What’s another way out of here?”
“Uh… Um… back down the hallway, to the left. There are some stairs leading to the ramparts,” the fox stammered.
Great, human stairs. With no other particularly good options, she took the opportunity. “Come on, fluffy!” she exclaimed as she galloped back through the corridor, away from the courtyard, ducking to avoid the low beams and arches in the dark passage.
She wants me to come along. An adventurer wants me around, not in a cage? He felt a mixture of disbelief and a strange hope he hadn’t felt in years. Snapping out of his amazement and terror, he sprinted to catch up with her. “It’s just up ahead. Big, wide stairs, big enough for you even.”
Barely making out the turn in the dark, Althea tried to make it quickly, but that much mass didn’t turn on a dime. Skidding on her rubber overshoes still on her hooves, she ran into the far wall, knocking her breath out.
Seeing the centaur stumble, Foxey felt terrified again. “C’mon, you can do it! The stairs to the ramparts are just ahead!” He ran ahead, beckoning to her frantically.
Althea, wheezing from the impact, pushed forward. Thank God I didn’t break a leg doing that. Galloping in here – what was I thinking? Seeing the fox ahead, she unsteadily stepped forward, then gradually got to a trot again. “These better be wide stairs! This better not be a trick fuzzball!
A trick thought Foxey nervously. You have no idea, lady.
Following the fox through another doorway, Althea was relieved to find an open room, full of discarded old furniture and… some bones. The late day’s sun shone through broken old windows high above. In this forgotten foyer, a large stone staircase curved upwards. Foxey ran up the stairs halfway, turning to urge her on. Unsure at first, Althea heard loud crashing noises coming from the corridor she had just vacated. Up I go! She stepped carefully, trying to get up the stairs as quickly as she could without breaking an ankle, grasping the remains of the banister as she ascended.
Bipeds make this look so easy! The stairs were too steep, the ceilings too low. Each crumbling step was a reminder to her that this place meant for her. Feeling too big, too cumbersome, she didn’t belong in a world designed for humans. She could hear, clear as yesterday, the jeers she used to get. “Look out! The horse-girl’s about to trip again!” "Clumsy Clodhopper strikes again!"
The taunts rang in her head as she stumbled up the crumbling stairs. “Don’t fall, Clodhopper!” one boy’s voice mocked from years ago. She gritted her teeth, shaking off the memory. I’m not that awkward teen anymore, she told herself, hooves unevenly stepping on the crooked stone, her balance faltering. Gritting her teeth, she knows, I WILL prove them all wrong!
Foxey felt torn, pitying the centaur trying to get up the stairs, but horrified of what was coming. Looking her in the eyes from the stairs above, face twisted in fear, he whispered “I’ll distract them. Get to the top, go forward about fifty yards, then to the left. That will get you outside. There’s an old ramp where they used to move things up to the ramparts. It’s walled off so you can’t see it from the courtyard. That will get you back to ground level near the entrance we came in.”
Face strained with determination, she had a sudden look of gratitude for the fox. “Thank you,” she whispered back. “Now go!”.
Foxey ran down the stairs, giving a wide berth to her legs as she continued up the stairs slowly. Bounding into the foyer, he ran into the corridor to the library. Looking up, he saw the ogre, smashing his way in frustration through the tight corridor. Tall, wide, and far more muscles than brain - your basic ogre. His greasy hair and beard hung down, unkempt and displaying bits of past meals, adding to the foul smell. His dirty tan hide was covered with tattered cloth and clinking bits of old armor, trophies of past conquests. Isn’t that the one they call Throggar? Bloggar? Something like that? I’ve got to act cool.
“Hey there buddy, it’s alright! You don’t want to bring the whole place down on us.”
Stopping to eye the fox with distrust, lowering his scimitar towards the fox menacingly, the ogre snarled, “Don’t tempt me, snack. I’m NO buddy! Where’s big horsey girl?”
Trying to keep it calm and collected, he pointed behind himself. “Just down the hall, past the big room. She went to the left, towards the big storeroom under the stairs. She’ll be nice and trapped in there, in the dead end.” The fox tried letting out a little strained laugh. “Just another dumb adventurer.”
Foxey stood up, flattening himself against the wall, holding his breath and trembling as the hulking ogre passed him, grotesquely chuckling to himself. “Horsey girl for dinner tonight! And fox snack if fox doesn’t keep deal!”
“Heh, yeah, that’s right! We have that deal! I never let you guys down!” He watched as the ogre, pleased with himself, sauntered on towards the storeroom. I’ve got to get out of here! Foxey sprinted down the corridor, back to the courtyard. The sun was getting low in the sky, casting worrisome shadows deep into the courtyard. There were two more ogres he could see, waiting for directions from their brother, back at the main entrance from outside. To think that he’s the brains of this operation! One busted ambush and the other two are just about lost.
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Foxey scurried through the shadows, back up into the inner ramparts on the far side of the entrance. Watching through the rubble, he waited for Althea to emerge from the ramp. I could get out of here any time, he thought sadly, but her only way out was through that gate. She could maybe take those two idiots, but not all three. Who am I kidding? She’s a rookie – she’s toast. In despair, the fox looked down at his paws, going through his same old litany. Why should I care? It’s just another stupid adventurer. They deserve their fate, coming to pillage old ruins and terrorize my forest. Adventurers took everything from me – why shouldn’t they suffer? But he knew, deep down, this one was different.
As he watched, Althea peeked around the crumbling wall at the base of the ramp, both swords out, stepping warily. Unfortunately for her, the ogres spotted her first. With a roar, the two ogres ran towards the centaur, rusty old weapons in hand. One had a broadsword, looking a bit puny in the ogre’s big right hand, and the other a great old battle axe. As they charged, Althea steeled herself, taking her stance, thinking of what she was taught. Ogres generally don’t plan – they go for the kill. They use their mass and strength to make up for their lack of brains. They have no form, no training. They’re not used to opponents big and strong like me – they just see a big girl or a weird horse. Not Althea Stonehoof!
As the two ogres charged, side by side, she held her ground until the last moment, then jumped to the side, in the direction of the ogre with the broadsword, swinging her swords as she moved in an arc. She caught the surprised ogre with a deep slash to his side as he tried to adjust. His brother, trying to correct, attempted a pivot and a mighty swing of his broadaxe. The haft of his weapon smacked the first ogre on his right elbow, causing an angry roar.
Good thing ogres also have not-so-funny bones, she thought. Taking advantage of his distraction, she struck again, slashing the ogre’s left arm, thick green ichor spurting out. Enraged, the ogre swung wildly, with Althea skillfully parrying, stepping to the side to give herself room. There’s got to be at least one more – the one inside must not be back out yet. With a touch of worry, she wondered what if they got the little fox? He’s fast, but not so bright.
Battling the ogre with the sword, she got her chance. The ogre wasn’t used to such a strong opponent. Althea knocked the sword out of his hand, then, with a swift turn, did a 180 and kicked the ogre square in the chest with both rear hooves. This knocked the ogre down, falling onto his brother behind him. Continuing her swing through the arc, she faced the ogre again, leaned down, and slashed the shocked ogre’s throat.
Foxey watched from the ramparts, amazed at the sight. Maybe she’s not such a rookie… She certainly has heart, but she did fall straight into their trap, not on guard at all. With sadness, he thought, My trap. I’m no better than these ogres. He jumped back, shaking, thinking of all the people he had led to their demise, years of memories flooding his mind. It doesn’t matter what was done to me, or how these looters treated me afterwards – it’s no excuse. Whether from the dangers of these cursed old ruins, or the ogres, their blood is on my paws. I’m guilty. Shaking, he looked up to see Althea still fighting. The second ogre, though wounded, was putting up more of a fight with his brother dead. Foxey could see a long gash on Althea’s side as well, and her right arm was limp as she continued to fight with her left. But what can I do now? Throggar, or Frogger, or whatever his name is, is going to figure out I lied to him. His clan knows where I live. I’m a dead fox!
Shaking his head, Foxey thought that he deserved it. But she doesn’t deserve this. Maybe I can make a difference this time. No more innocent blood on these paws! He got up, shaking away the self-loathing, and started bounding across the ramparts, circling around near Althea, staying in the shadows above. Peering down, he saw right as Althea made the killing blow, dispatching the second ogre.
Breathless, wounded, and bleeding, she collapsed to the ground, dropping her remaining sword. Her chest was heaving, trying desperately to catch her breath. That’s it, she thought. I just need to catch my breath, then I can look for the other one. Catch my… the world started going black around Althea, woozy, trying to focus her eyes.
The fox watched in horror as he saw the final ogre slowly creeping along the wall. He’s the smart one. He’s going to come up right on her. She’s in no condition to keep fighting. He’ll kill her for sure!
Desperate, he tried to come up with a way to help. If I yell to her, he’ll hear me, and she’ll still be too weak to fend him off. Even if I attacked him directly, what could I do? Bite his ankles? He’s way bigger than a fish or a vole. Looking around, he looked at the rubble on the ramparts. There was one particularly large block precariously leaned up on another at the edge. With a flash of insight, Foxey grabbed an old iron bar. He’s almost right below me… Watching from above, he watched the sneaking ogre. Just as Throggar drew near, Foxey jammed the bar between the stones, and with all his strength, praying in desperation, he pried the stone free, sending it tumbling.
Hearing the disturbance, both the ogre and Althea looked up just in time to see the large block crash down squarely on Throggar’s head, face filled with sudden rage without time to yell. The ogre crumpled to the ground, lifeless. Foxey and Althea locked eyes for a moment, hers clearly in pain. He dashed down from the ramparts among the broken stones to get to her. Approaching, he could see she was in bad shape. Bruised and bloodied, she’d fought like hell. Slashes on her right arm and flank seeped blood, while a deep gouge in her front armor suggested a deeper wound lay under. Her right arm hung useless as she grabbed onto the stones in the wall with her left to slowly stand back up.
Looking into the fox’s eyes in the setting sunlight, she says, still panting: “Took you… long enough, fuzz brain. I was about to have to do all the work.” Gingerly taking a step to test her hoof, she continued. “You’ve got some work to do to catch up to me. We’re two and one now.”
Fearful, expecting condemnation for his actions in the keep, he froze. We? She doesn’t know! As this dawned on him, the more immediate concern returned. “We’ve got to get out of here. Fast. These oafs aren’t alone – there’s a whole clan of ogres that come through this area. They’ll be looking for their kin.” Thinking for a moment, he remembered. “And they know where I live! They’ll, uh, see my paw prints and come after me as well!”
Althea looked at him skeptically as she carefully bandaged her arm, struggling to regain her composure. “These louts will know specifically that a loudmouth fox killed their kin and come for your burrow? Really?” She continued to gather her gear. Slowly stopping to loot the ogres, she found nothing worth taking while lost in thought. I almost died. These ogres would have gotten me for good without this annoying fuzzball saving my hide. I’ve got to focus more. I can’t finish the mission if I don’t tighten up my act. Wincing at the pain in her side as she checked the corpses, she had to stop. I’ve got to take this armor off and see how bad this is. I’ll be septic within days if I don’t treat this.
“Let’s just say my reputation precedes me.” Please buy it, don’t think about it further.
As the pair approached the gate, the centaur limping, crashing noises could be heard in the woods, along with the boisterous noise of ogres.
In hushed, fearful tones, the fox continued. “I know a game path off to the side that they don’t. It’ll be tight, but you can get through. We need to rush out of here! I know just where to go! Come on, Rockslide! You’ve got to!” His eyes were pleading, looking up at the bruised and battered centaur. You’ve got to make it.
With that, in the waning twilight, the two left the gate of the keep and went straight into the woods. Foxey led Althea into the darkening night, praying that they’ll escape in time.