World: 77 days.

Escaville: 6 days.

Jason and Chanty with the other 2 waited for the wyvern to land. As it did, Adair hopped off the beast and jogged their way. When she got closer, Jason spoke first. "You wouldn't have flown all the way here for nothing. What happened?"

"We have to hurry back to the village. The ogre has emerged from the mine and is marching with the goblins towards the village as we speak." Adair spoke with concern in her voice before turning around and mounting her wyvern once again.

"Ah man! Why? Why are they attacking now of all times?" Complained Jason as he took off running in the direction of the village with Chanty matching his pace and the two men dragging the carts trailing behind.

"Leave the carts behind! They're slowing us down." Jason yelled back at the two who promptly did as they were told and chased after the two. It didn't take long for the group the reach the village, and just in time to see multiple calvaries of goblins and hobgoblin riding cave goats into the village. Said village appeared to be better prepared this time as all the non-combatants were hiding in their homes, while the volunteers were giving it their all in defense. The arrival of the group was met with cheers as the morale skyrocketed.

They jumped into the fray with zero hesitation. Bulldozing their way through; oneshotting everything in their way. Soon enough, the tables turned and goblins were now on the defensive. However they couldn't celebrate because these weren't the main force. The fight was just beginning.

Gyooonn!!!!

A loud roar was heard in the distance which made everyone turn to its direction. What they saw in the distance were 2 Wyverns making peculiar midair maneuvers and blasting air to the ground.

"What's going on over there?!" Asked Jason Adair.

"Skyler and Sid are harassing the ogre! To chase it off, lure it away or slow it down. Whatever works!"

"Looks to me they can only slow it down! We can't wait for it to get here. They'll overwhelm us with numbers and wipe us out."

"So what do we do then, chase it off?"

"Yes."

"I was being rhetorical."

"It's the only card we can play with a win condition."

"Are you insane?! That ogre is a Second Stage Hazard Beast by itself, and way more dangerous with its hobgoblin guards. You'd need a team of 1st Stages to distract the guards, with at least 2 second stages to take on the ogre safely. We're not qualified to take it on. It'd be a pointless suicide mission!"

"Don't worry, I have a plan. Just buy me 15 minutes."

"15 minu- Hey! Where are you going?! Come back!"

"15 minutes!"

Adair cursed out loud as she continued her own battle. Chanty on the other hand only gave the retreating form of Jason a glance before returning her attention to the battles in front of her. She did however wonder about his plan.

Less than a minute later, the head butcher who was protecting his store from any goblin attackers that came close was surprised to see Jason skid to a stop before him.

"Wha-"

"No time! I'll explain along the way. I'll need your store to drive away the goblins. Tell me: do you still have the leftover guts of all the processed Hoglins?"

"Aye, yes! Lots."

"Awesome! Have people extract as much bile from gall bladders as fast as possible. I'll be cooking up something to drive that ogre off."

"Hahaha!!! Are ya now? You hear that boys, get your asses in there and get it done!"

The Head butcher got people moving, and in no time, Jason was in a kitchen area; lining up a number of herbs he's been collecting all this time in preparation for his concoction.

The concoction in question was something Jason had been wanting to make for ages called Wasp Water. It's a skin irritant that gives the sensation of being stung by wasps constantly. It would last for 15 minutes and would make one want to die. It had simple remedies: licking salt, rubbing flour on skin, washing it off with urine.

He could have made it earlier, but didn't have a use for it at the time, and didn't want to use the Clarkson's kitchen for such a thing.

10 minutes in, and Jason was almost finished. He just needed to add the final ingredient.

"Here's your bile." Spoke a man as he walked to Jason holding a bowl full of the stuff.

"Excellent."

Minutes pass and Jason rushes out of the butcher shop and towards the fighting. The goblin horde's main force was just on their doorstep and the two women were swamped with opponents to fight. Adair was visibly panting, while Chanty was keeping it together better, but they were both fighting with everything they could muster.

"I'm back."

"Finally! What now?"

"I need you to get me into the air above the ogre so I can drop my payload on his head. Also have your friends fly back and back Chanty up."

"Huh? What the hell did you make that's got you so confident it will chase off the Ogre?"

"Wasp Water. Now let's get a move on. Time's of the essence!" Jason said before turning to Chanty.

"Can you hang in there long enough for help to arrive?" Jason asks Chanty who in response sends him a thumbs up while karate chopping a goblin.

"Alright. Let's go!" With that, Jason and Adair got on her Wyvern and took to the air.

The two arrived at their destination in no time to see Skyler and Sid harassing the main goblin force; the wyverns taking turns firing columns of wind down primarily on the Ogre's position with the hobgoblins giving their boss a wide berth so as not be caught up in the attacks.

Jason got a good look at the Ogre. He could best describe it as a huge green ugly obese bodybuilder carrying a massive log club the length and width of an average man.

The leader and his hobgoblin knights were weathering the attacks as they marched forward. The rest of the goblins around them were worse for wear, but others further away kept running towards the village without a care. This made Jason even more worried for Chanty.

Getting close to the other 2 wyvern riders, Adair made some gestures which served as a means of communication between the riders. They showed reluctance, but were eventually convinced and promptly flew in the direction of the village.

It was now time to initiate the plan. Adair controlled the Wyvern to fly low to the ground to increase accuracy. Jason's plan was to materialize the bucket of wasp water just before they flew over the Ogre's head.

It would be just like the planes used in fighting forest fires that would spray their payload as the flew by.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

SWOOP! SPLASH! SPRAY!

"Bullseye!" Exclaimed Jason as the liquid irritant poured like a drizzle on the Ogre and most of his lackeys. They all looked fine for the most part: shaking the excess liquid off like dogs. But Jason knew they were going to experience hell in 3... 2... 1...

GWOOOOOHHHHHH!!!

The collective screams were so loud, it drowned out the sould of the Wyvern wings flapping. Several goblins and hobgoblins began scratching with reckless abandon while wailing in pain. Quite a few of them were rolling on the ground and getting as much dirt on their persons as possible in hopes of rubbing as much of the Wasp Water as possible. Jason knew their efforts were pointless, and their only option was suffering for 15 minutes before it faded naturally.

The formation fell to pieces and the lackeys scattered to the wind: leaving the Ogre to suffer alone. It looked about to turn tail and scurry back to whence it came before doing something that caught it's attackers off guard.

ROOOAAAARRRRR!

The Ogre suddenly let out a roar that vibrated one's body like that of a lion. It's eyes turned red, and it muscles increased in size.

"WTH?! Why's it going berserk?" Jason was confused. Ogre were known to go berserk after taking life-threatening damage. This state would dull any pain, and make them significantly stronger, faster, and ferocious.

Temporarily free of pain, the Ogre turns it's attention to the flying duo. It observes them for a short while before snarling and rearing back his club before darting in their direction at high speed.

"Dodge! He's gonna throw that thing!" Screamed Jason. They were hovering not too far from the beast. It wasn't easy to make quick maneuvers in that position.

"Dammit!" Cursed Adair as she controlled her wyvern. It was too late, however, as the Ogre closed in, made a mighty leap into the air, and flung it's lumber sized club which spun like a boomerang straight at them.

At the last second, the wyvern raised its powerful hind legs to intercept the club. It was successful, but the force of the projectile flung them back violently as they lost control and altitude.

CRASH!

The wyvern crashed on the ground awkwardly and let out a cry. Adair did so as well, but out of concern rather than pain. She and Jason got out of the crash mostly unharmed.

Getting back up quickly, Jason eyed the approaching Ogre wearily as Adair tended to her flying companion.

"How's the damage?!" Jason asked.

"She's favouring her left wing. It doesn't look broken, but it could be a fracture. We're grounded." Responds Adair despondent.

"You've got to be kidding me..." Jason said with worry. As the Ogre transitions from its walk into a jog. Not only that, other non-affected goblins begin approaching them. Things are getting hairy, and decision have to be made. Now.

"I'll engage the ogre. You protect the wyvern and take out the small fry." Declared Jason.

"What?!!! Do you have a deathwish or something? You're stil-"

"I know! No time. Enemies incoming" Interrupted Jason as he placed his palms on the ground.

He knew what she meant. He was still in the 1st Stage of the human realm and wanted to take a Berserk Ogre on solo. That was objectively insane. However his goal wasn't to win, but to buy time.

The berserker state won't last long; 5-10 minutes depending on how hard it exerts itself. It would be left fatigued after the fact. That coupled with the Wasp Water taking effect would put it in a very vulnerable position. It would have to retreat then. Just buy time. Nothing more.

With that, Jason raises his hands off the floor and with them comes 2 balls of dirt. "Guess it time to use ki spells in real combat." Jason remarks before running forward to meet the Ogre.

Adair could only cuss at the scene before returning to defending herself from any goblin who dared approach.

Both combatants rushed toward each other with the ogre slightly outpacing Jason. As they closed in, the ogre wasted no time, delivering a brutal overhead swing of its arm aimed at crushing his human foe. But Jason, anticipating the move with precision, pivoted sharply, dodging the strike before it could land.

The ogre, overextending, left itself wide open. Jason seized the opportunity, hurling a fistful of dirt at the creature's face, blinding it temporarily. As the ogre frantically wiped at its eyes, its defenses dropped completely, exposing itself to Jason's next move.

Without hesitation, Jason slashed at one of the ogre's Achilles tendons with his ki blade. It left a deep, bloody gash, but not enough to slow it down. Enraged, the ogre swung a violent backhand in retaliation, but Jason ducked just in time, countering with another quick slice to the creature's wrist as the massive arm flew past. The strike left a shallow wound that bled, but not enough to stop the beast.

The ogre, undeterred, used the momentum of its missed strike to twist and lunge at Jason with its other hand, claws outstretched. Jason responded with a thrust of his ki blade, driving it deep into the ogre's open palm.

The creature managed to grip the blade, attempting to yank Jason closer. In a split second, Jason dissolved the blade, causing the ogre to stagger backward, thrown off balance by the sudden loss of resistance.

SLICE!

Jason pounced on the brief opening, re-materializing his ki blade and slashing at the ogre's exposed knee. Another wound, but like the others, it wasn't enough to bring the giant down. The ogre regained its footing and blindly lunged at Jason once more, its fury unchecked despite its growing list of injuries.

1 MINUTE

The fight turned into a deadly dance. Though the ogre was slightly faster, its impaired vision gave Jason a critical edge, plus he kept re-blinding him with dirt. The creature's massive swipes missed him by inches as he weaved and counterattacked, never letting up. Jason knew one wrong move could end everything, but he stayed focused.

Slash after slash, each wound was small, but they were beginning to take their toll. Blood flowed freely from the ogre's mounting injuries. The beast, once unstoppable, was slowing, weakening under the relentless assault.

3 MINUTES

"Woah!" Yelped Jason as he just barely dodges a random goblin trying to get a cheap shot on him before being sent flying by the ogre who mistook it for Jason since its eyesight is still a little blurry from the dirt. Taking a split moment to guage his surrounding, Jason realized goblins were being attracted to the commotion. Alot of them stopped midway on their march to the village and are returning to assist the Ogre. This wasn't good. It takes all his concentration to stay in this fight without getting hurt. He's not confident he'll be able to juggle 3rd parties jumping into the fray.

This split moment of consideration was interrupted by the Ogre lunging at him once more before the flying goblin had hit the ground. After dodging and counterattack, for like the hundredth time, Jason took off running in a random direction with the Ogre right on his tail.

Jason didn't wish to find himself surrounded, make a mistake and pay a heavy price. His goal was to stall for time; not win. He also wanted to keep the Ogre away from Adair and her wyvern. It would be a nightmare defending them from the not gentle giant.

Cutting down any goblin that got close as he ran, Jason would also make sharp turns like a gazelle inorder to gain some distance from the Ogre, which despite it's size, could run mildly faster than he could. Luckily, it was bad at sharp turns.

4 MINUTES

Jason made one more sharp turn, right after running past a hobgoblin. Then all of a sudden, he heard a hard thud with the sound of breaking bones in the mix. Next instant, his back was struck by an object with such force, it sends him flying, then stumbling a short distance. Turns out the Ogre had smacked the hobgoblin that Jason had just past in his direction and managed to hit him with the broken body projectile.

As Jason was scrambling to his feet, the Ogre was already upon him with one leg reeled back. It looked like it wanted to kick Jason like a football. The highly telegraphed move allowed Jason room to abandon his attempt to stand, and instead, collapse flush on the ground. This mostly works, as the Ogre misses and begins flailing its arm in attempts to prevent himself from falling face first. Unfortunately, Jason didn't fully dodge as the foot grazes him as it rockets by, and he felt some of his ribs break. This pissed him off. He really hated getting hurt.

Jason was able to ignore the pain for the time being thanks to the adrenaline pumping through him courtesy of the close call. He got to his feet in a split second, rematerialized the ki blade and did something abhorrent.

He stabbed it right into the Ogres behind. Not either of the cheeks, but the canal. A cut was made as wide as his hand's span, and the smell of blood and faeces filled the air. Jason knew he had dealt potentially lethal damage here.

Jason could have easily dissolved the ki blade and resumed his running strategy. The Ogre would have bled to death in no time, and the fight would be over. However, his rationality was impaired by his rage and adrenaline. He was going to kill it here and now.

His decision made, Jason pours more ki into the blade to extend it's length and pierce deep into the Ogre's torso: puncturing and slicing internal organs as it went. This all happens in a split second before the Ogre could react. It vomit blood as a result, and begins to fall forward.

WHAM!

'H-how...' Thought Jason dumbfounded as he was sent flying back. The Ogre had performed a Donkey Kick midfall as its final attack before slamming facefirst on the ground as it began to bleed out.

Jason lands and skids some distance. He just took a torso sized foot square to well,... His torso. Luckily for him, he was able to pull one arm towards his core to help soften the blow. As a result, he broke said arm along with multiple ribs. If he hadn't done that in time, chances are his chest would have been caved in.

Goblins and hobgoblins around the area who saw the Ogre go down were paralyzed with shock for a short while before collectively screaming like wounded animals and running every which way.

It was complete pandemonium. The serpent had lost its head, so I began to flail helplessly. The goblins had lost all semblence of order; turning them from a serious threat to a mild inconvenience.

Jason let out one wet bloody cough after another as he struggled to breathe while supporting himself with his one good arm.

BONK!

"ARGH!" Jason yelled in pain as he was struck over the head with wooden club. An opportunistic goblin had snuck up on him to deal the blow. Jason was in no position to defend himself properly. His arm was broken, he had multiple broken ribs, he was still struggling to breathe which hurt like hell to do, and the surprise headshot made it even more difficult to think than before.

So Jason just lay there protecting his head with his one good arm the best he could, while the goblin continued battering him with strikes all over his body.

Of the handful of thoughts that went his mind at the time, one of them was the thought that he might just die to a goblin of all things just a few months after entering this world. 'That would be all kinds of embarrassing.' he thought as he was gradually losing consciousness.

Escavile, Dakota Dukedom

World: 77 days.

Escaville: 6 days.