Ogre Tyrant: Chapter 35 - Advent of providence - Part Two

Dragging the waggon out into the yard required more effort than I had initially expected, but the freshly lubricated axles made it much easier than it would have been otherwise. The waggon itself smelled abominable, like rancid meat and offal left to rot in the sun. However, the tall sides, the rear panel that doubled as a ramp, and the relatively high elevation of the waggon bed all made the weight of the waggon worthwhile.

Assigning the Gnolls to reinforce the sides of the slatted waggon panels with whatever leather they could find in the factory, I did my best to further lubricate the wheels.

Having already spent the better part of an hour clearing out the undead horde outside of the gate, Morris was taking a well-deserved rest and collecting the Enslavement Collars so they could be stored away and disposed of later. While intrigued that he could unlock a Master tier Class just by snapping one of the collars on a subordinates neck, it was good to learn that he found the idea morally repugnant.

With all the modifications to the waggon completed, I moved all of the Gnolls back into my retinue and gave them an hour of rest, encouraging them to eat and drink to better recover from their malnourished state. Morris made much the same request of the orphans and their carers, providing them with enough food and water to sate their hunger, but not so much that they would vomit it back up again if exposed to the stench of the undead.

The Gnolls demolished their supply of food in minutes. Already half-starved from surviving off the leather and putrid hides in the tannery, their metabolisms were kicked into high gear from my Iron Gut Ability. Thankfully, the food they consumed quickly showed noticeable signs of restoring muscle to the Gnolls' previously wiry frames.

Curious as to why the child I had spoken with was not nearly as malnourished as the Gnolls, I approached Rikit for an explanation.

“Give cubs rations,” Rikit replied simply before cupping her hands and drinking down more water with understandable relish, “Master forbid eat, forbid enter ration tent. Rikit tell matriarchs, feed cubs.”

While my appreciation for Rikit increased, my opinion of the tannery owner drastically depreciated. Not only were the Gnolls left to die, but they had been forbidden from being able to feed themselves. No doubt a carryover from when they were just workers, it was still very telling of the mindset regarding the Slave workforce being less than...human...

With the allocated hour almost over, matrons and children loaded into the waggon, I approached Rikit again with the intention of giving her an individually assigned quest similar to my own. “Rikit, do you know what a Ward is?” I asked, doing my best to avoid sounding condescending.

Momentarily surprised, Rikit nodded, “Shaman magic, protect pack,” she replied obediently.

I nodded, “I am going to give you a special quest to retrieve a powerful Ward from my home. It will take many kills to earn but I believe you are capable of the challenge. Do you accept?”

Still avoiding eye contact as a means of respect, Rikit giggled nervously even as her tail began to wag, “Rikit do! Rikit bring protection to pack!” The large Gnoll matriarch agreed eagerly.

Assigning Rikit the quest, I was a little surprised by how cheap the body count was determined to be. “Killing one hundred and fifty Zombies will earn the Ward,” I explained, “A little less if you kill the Plague Zombies and Crypt Stalkers as well.”

Rikit didn’t seem to fully understand what I meant, but that was fine for the time being. Not adding Wards to the reward table had been something of an oversight since it would have required collaboration with Sanctuary in order to accommodate. This was all the more pressing since the cathedral had been under siege the last Lash and I saw it. Far better to have the undead driven back from the walls entirely than let them gradually wear down your defences.

With Morris in the waggon to serve as a last line of defence, myself pulling the waggon, and the Gnolls circling the waggon’s flanks, the plan was to head for the road to the north that would allow for almost a straight run back to the guard station. Snapping the locking mechanism of the large iron gate was relatively simple and soon saw us on our way.

As they had been waiting for this very moment, Zombies began shambling out from the nearby alleys while I leveraged my strength and size to heave the waggon ninety degrees and onto a new facing. Already prepared for this eventuality, the Gnolls on the right flank yipped and cackled as they gored and dashed apart the slow-moving Zombies with their halberds. Buffed by my Racial Abilities and Rikit’s Class Abilities, the Gnolls seemed to have the Zombies completely outmatched.

Straining my muscles against the weight of the waggon and its cargo, I soon achieved enough momentum to comfortably maintain a brisk walking pace.

While the waggon was already quite heavy, and would only grow more so as women and children were added from the guard station, I would also have Lash helping me achieve and maintain momentum while fighting our way to the cathedral. Having Lash help with the waggon was partially for selfish reasons since it would keep her at the centre of an armed formation. But I was definitely going to need help getting the waggon started at the very least, so she might as well remain as support just in case.

Rikit was taking my request to heart and aggressively stalking ahead of the formation in order to secure as many personal kills as possible. Her original entourage had attempted to provide assistance twice but had been angrily rebuked both times.

Reaching the larger road had a similar effect to kicking an anthill. Zombies began piling out of the buildings on the far sides of the road, the overwhelming majority wearing clothing soiled with dried blood.

Thankfully, the Gnolls kept their nerve and held their rough formation as we pressed onward down the road. Just by a rough running headcount, I had been keeping to pass the time, Rikit had already killed fifty or so Zombies while serving as the vanguard. Judging by the number headed in our direction from the direction of the guard station, Rikit was all but guaranteed to reach her kill count to complete the quest, and then some.

The strange behaviour of the Zombies was making me a little paranoid. To simultaneously lay siege but also hold forces in reserve to trigger ambushes should not be something a Zombie would be capable of doing. Scanning the rooftops and alleyways revealed nothing out of the ordinary, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was very much amiss.

“We are going to increase the pace!” I called out loudly so everyone could hear me. Focusing more strength into my thighs, I gradually began building speed so now the waggon was moving at the speed of a slow run.

The faster pace disrupted the Gnolls cohesion somewhat, but the extra reach afforded by the halberds kept them out of harm's way from the piecemeal assault by the Zombies they passed. The loping gait of the Gnolls made maintaining the pace easy enough from an endurance perspective. Most seemed to be enjoying the exercise, yipping boisterously to one another and lolling their tongues while cleaving Zombies in two.

With a small horde straggling behind them, the guard station soon came into view and revealed that it was under siege by more undead. Hundreds of corpses impaled by bolts and arrows riddled the open spaces around the guard station while maybe fifty Zombies were grouped around the main door. Just like the roadside ambush, Zombies were wandering in from all directions and the guardsmen on the roof didn’t seem capable of killing them fast enough.

Knowing I could handle the Zombies at the base of the guard station if need be, I slowed my pace a little so I would avoid biting my own tongue. “Morris! We will have to evacuate while under attack! Do you understand?!”

“I understand!” Morris called back.

“Women and children in the waggon! Everyone else is to escort with a weapon!” I insisted. This would be non-negotiable. Although the waggon was very large, the collective weight would only slow us down. Moving all guardsmen into my retinue to share Synergies and Class Ability buffs, I doggedly continued straight for the front of the guard station.

“Look away!” I roared, letting go of the rope I had been using to draw the waggon. Gathering mana into my right arm, I held my arm up in front like a shield and charged the massed Zombies by the door.

*BOOOOOM!!!*

Pieces of rotten meat and broken bone erupted outwards like shrapnel from a clamour as the zombies struck by my arm exploded upon impact and shredded through the packed ranks of the small Zombie horde. The pressure generated from the detonations was enough to send nearby corpses tumbling a dozen feet away and to momentarily knockdown Zombies within thirty feet.

“MORRIS!” I hollered, a little hard of hearing after the explosion, “GET YOUR PEOPLE MOVING!”

Morris didn’t immediately reply, but when he did I couldn’t make it out.

“LASH?!” I flicked my arm to dislodge the putrid pieces of flesh and rotten fluids off as best I could while walking back to the waggon.

*Thump*

Lash jumped off the roof and made a kneeling landing like a superhero. Although no doubt bad for her knees, it was a better method than my earlier rolling technique, especially with so many corpses around.

“YOU WILL PUSH WHILE I PULL,” I explained while pointing at the waggon and rolling my neck in an attempt to make my ears pop.

Lash nodded and gave the Gnolls a meaningful and curious look.

“FOUND THEM. SLAVES AT THE TANNERY,” I explained, “RIKIT’S THE LEADER!” I pointed to Rikit who was viciously hunting Zombies on the southern flank, “SHE’S QUESTING FOR A WARD!”

Lash looked surprised and gave Rikit a new appraising look before nodding and heading over to the waggon.

The door to the guard station opened and a half dozen guardsmen warily descended the steps. After confirming that there were no Zombies in the immediate area, the guardsmen hurried out to form a screening formation while one of their number returned inside. A few moments later, more guardsmen joined the screening formation as the first civilians fearfully took their first steps outside.

One of the guardsmen vigorously waved in the direction of the waggon while repeating the same words over and over. Even though I couldn’t hear what he was saying, it was clear that the guardsman was doing his best to try and keep the civilians moving in the right direction.

Lash lifted women and children into the waggon while the men were given weapons from the stockpile on the roof and moved into position by the waggon’s flanks. The remaining guardsmen not already standing in formation were hurriedly lowering bundles of supplies from the roof using ropes, while others used the elevated position to continue picking off more distant undead.

*Pop*

All at once, my hearing returned and I could fully appreciate the sheer amount of noise I had been missing out on. Despite appearances, things sounded like they were on the brink of chaos. Guardsmen were shouting over one another, calling out newly arrived enemies, the next delivery of supplies or making requests for ammunition. Mothers were desperately trying to calm terrified children. Men were doing their best to bolster one another’s confidence while donning gambesons, greaves, padded gauntlets and padded coifs. The Gnolls were barking, snarling and snickering as they continued to hold a loose outer formation against increasing numbers of Zombies.

However, one voice very quickly rose above everyone else and brought a momentary silence. “RIKIT DO!” Rikit declared victoriously, running from her distant hunting ground beyond the formation lines, “RIKIT HAVE WARD!” Pushing past the guardsmen, Rikit paused for a moment and shouldered her halberd while cupping her hands together, “Give reward!” She demanded.

*Pop*

An ash coloured wooden carving of a snake coiled around a branch and baring its fangs at the sky fell into Rikit’s outstretched hands. Without hesitation, Rikit offered me to the Ward.

Although it was the first time I had seen it up close, the Ward itself had no small amount of emotional significance. The Ward had belonged to Ushu. I wasn’t sure if he had been the one to make it, or if he had just inherited it, but to me, it was his all the same. Similar to the communication devices used by the military, the Wards were designed to be easy to use. In this instance, it was rather obvious that the manastones required to power it would need to be deposited in the snake's mouth and stored in its belly.

“Give it to Lash, my mate,” I pointed to Lash standing by the waggon, “Make a strap so she can wear it and keep it safe. I’ll have the humans provide manastones to activate it.”

“Rikit do,” Rikit agreed obediently, yanking a pair of cords from around her own neck and tying them together as she made her way over to Lash.

I turned my attention to the guardsmen in the screening formation that were taking potshots at distant Zombies, “You lot!” I barked to get their attention.

Startled, the guardsmen still half turned their heads to show they were listening without letting the undead out of their sight.

“We need manastones to activate a protective Ward that will slow the undead in our way to the cathedral. If you have points saved, buy them now and give them to Lash before we set out!” I ordered.

Visibly shocked, the guardsmen looked at one another in confusion for a moment before one of the female guardsmen spoke up, “It’s like the Footholds!” She declared excitedly, “My cousin told me it’s what the variants use to keep the regular monsters out of their camps!” Her words had an immediate effect on the beleaguered guardsmen who very quickly began organising who would keep a reserve for ammunition.

With all the civilian women and children loaded into the waggon, and the supplies secured, Morris hurriedly established the formation of the guardsmen and impromptu militia. With the Gnolls serving as vanguard halberdiers, most of the guardsmen would provide ranged support with crossbows and bows, while those with the Spearman Class would assist the Gnolls. The improvised militia would flank the left and right sides of the waggon and stay close as a form of final defence to hold off any Zombies that might slip through the cracks. Far from being expected to kill the Zombies, the militia was only expected to delay the Zombies long enough for Guardsmen or Gnolls to deal with them. This was why Morris had emphasised the militia wear so much protection and use the available shields from the guard station.

Just as before, Morris would ride in the waggon and serve as the absolute final line of defence. The absence of Crypt Stalkers thus far had not gone unnoticed and was more than enough motivation to quell the Guard Captains pride and convince him to accept the otherwise cushy post.

As I had expected, the increased weight of the waggon made Lash’s assistance mandatory in getting the waggon moving from a full stop. Even with her help, the best we could collectively sustain was a walking pace. Thankfully, the weak effects of the mobile Ward were enough to make the slow pace viable, visibly sapping the strength from Zombies as they drew closer to the waggon and Lash specifically.

It was an altogether different experience of anxiety to constantly be under attack and not be one of the people in a position to attack back. Even though I was most likely in no real danger myself, my moral obligation to the civilians in the waggon and the dangers that were very real for them only increased my anxiety via proxy.

Instead of taking the route Lash and I had originally used, Morris had suggested trying to make the approach from the northern side to better allow the guardsmen to thin the zombie horde from a more advantageous angle. Having performed a similar approach on the guard Station itself originally, I had been inclined to agree.

It wasn’t until turning at a crossroads and the distant cathedral came into sight that my paranoia seemed to prove itself justified.

Another horde had gathered down the far end of the road and blocked our path to the Cathedral. At its head was a small group of black-cloaked figures and a pack of Crypt Stalkers. As one, the horde of Zombies began shambling forward.

Still being pressed from the flanks by sporadic attacks and with a ragged horde following behind them, stopping and changing direction was not exactly a viable option.

Apparently having arrived at a similar conclusion, Morris climbed up into the driver's seat and stood tall so everyone could see him. “Archers to the front and loose at will!” He ordered.

Only too happy to oblige, the Archers all readied their crossbows and bows while on the move and began sending bolts and arrows downrange.

To everyone's surprise, Zombies began falling after taking only a single hit. Chest, head, leg or arm, it didn’t seem to matter, one hit and the Zombie would collapse onto the street and be trampled by the horde behind them.

Unfortunately, the Archers’ rate of fire quickly began to slow, the strain of drawing the bows was particularly telling as the bowmen succumbed to fatigue.

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However, Rikit and six of the larger Gnolls took this as an opportunity to ‘borrow’ their equipment, leaving the guardsmen to fall back closer to the waggon and recuperate.

With natural grace, the Gnolls loosed arrow after arrow in rapid succession, holding several arrows and the bow in one hand while drawing back the string with the other. Deliberately targeting the centre, the number of Zombies between the Gnolls and the dark-robed figures began to drastically decrease with each passing moment.

With the Zombies still more than a couple of hundred feet away, it became obvious that the horde would not be able to survive the sustained onslaught. This was only reinforced as one of the crossbowmen hurriedly explained to the Gnoll archers that they could redeem kill points for arrows, giving them a theoretically near-infinite supply.

This must have become just as obvious to the dark-robed figures because the pack of Crypt Stalkers broke into two groups and disappeared into the side streets and out of sight. A few moments later, dozens of roiling black bolts of energy volleyed from behind the ranks of the Zombie horde and towards the Waggon.

“LASH!” I called out a warning as much to ease my fraying nerves as to provide advanced warning.

“I SEE!” Lash replied confidently.

The civilians cried out in fear as the dark bolts of mana drew closer, understandably terrified by the obvious malicious intent. However, before the black bolts of energy could draw closer than a dozen feet of the waggon, they were intercepted by a translucent amethyst barrier and guttered into nothingness.

Stunned by what they had witnessed, or by the lack of impact, The militia momentarily fell behind and had to be pushed and prodded by the guardsmen in the rear to keep them moving and get back into formation.

The Zombie horde reorganised itself and began bunching together in the centre to replace the meatshield between the Gnoll’s arrows and the enemy spellcasters. However, it didn’t seem to amount to much as the Gnolls continued near effortlessly whittling away at their numbers.

More dark bolts of energy arced out from behind the horde in a near-continuous stream. Unfortunately for the enemy spellcasters, it only took one amethyst barrier to render their spells worthless. Lash had increased her Abilities rank and her stats sufficiently to maintain the barrier as long as ten whole seconds provided she had the mana to sustain it. To make things worse for the enemy spell casters, the Ward weakened their spells slightly as well, so they would not have been nearly as effective if they managed to get through.

Just like that, the dark-robed spellcasters disappeared. The approaching horde of zombies rapidly lost cohesion but continued forward, apparently close enough to sense their collective life force or otherwise drawn by the noise.

As the final Zombies began to fall, one of the Gnolls on the right flank barked a warning and cleaved an ambushing Crypt Stalker in two.

As if that had been their signal to attack, twenty or so Crypt Stalkers leapt out of the shadowed alleyways and bolted towards the outer ranks of halberdiers.

*Thunk Thunk Thunk Thunk Thunk Thunk*

Without missing a beat, the Gnoll archers shifted targets and rapidly whittled down the Crypt Stalkers numbers to a handful.

Working together, the Gnoll halberdiers shifted positions to make it seem like there was an opening in their formation.

Taking the bait, the Crypt Stalkers changed targets and headed for the waggon instead.

*Shunk Shunk Shunk Shunk*

Before the Crypt Stalkers could react, the Gnolls pounced. With the Crypt Stalkers distracted, they had no trouble goring the spikes and blades of their halberds through the flanks of the undead and throwing their mangled bodies back and away from the waggon.

Despite the effectiveness of the Gnolls strategy, it had still caused a minor panic in the militia posted on that flank.

With no more immediate threats in the vicinity and only a ragged horde trailing behind us, we continued down the road. Detouring slightly to avoid the larger clusters of corpses as a precautionary measure, the Rikit and the other Gnoll archers proved invaluable in keeping the road ahead clear of any stray and wandering undead.

Collectively, the Gnolls had to have fired hundreds of arrows, but they showed no signs of exhaustion or fatigue. In fact, Rikit and her entourage seemed to be engaging in a sort of game. One Gnoll would name a body part and then the next Gnoll would try and make the shot on the next Zombie. If they failed to strike the named body part, the next Gnoll would try and so on until it was hit. Shooting targets close to a couple of hundred feet away added a whole new layer of difficulty and skill to the game, although Rikit seemed to win more often than not.

Entering the wide roads surrounding the cathedral, it was something of a pleasant surprise to find that the horde of undead that they had just defeated had apparently been previously sieging the cathedral. While there were still a number of zombies gathered near the large gated entrance, there didn’t seem to be nearly as many as I remembered seeing when Lash and I first arrived in the city.

“Do we have a way to let the people inside know we are here?” I called back to Morris, “I don’t want to linger outside the door any longer than we have to.”

Morris didn’t reply immediately and was quiet for a moment before replying, “The belltower seems to have a lookout, but accounting for present company...we will very likely need to negotiate in order to gain entry,” he explained apologetically.

The cathedral was similar to those I had seen on television, being made of stone and incredibly large. While also sporting fanciful crenellations and small statues housed in recessed alcoves, the cathedral also had many arrow slits worked into the higher walls and a number of boiling oil sleuces besides.

Bearing this in mind, it was curious then that the only corpses bearing arrows were from the Gnolls in our vanguard.

Looking up at one of the four bell towers, I confirmed that Morris indeed seemed to be right. A lone figure was kneeling in the shadow of the bell and appeared to be tracking our progress towards the front of the cathedral.

The bodies from my initial attempt at reaching the cathedral were still littering the road. It brought me a small measure of comfort in knowing that the undead wasn’t just being brought back to unlife in an endlessly repeating cycle.

Coming to a halt next to the cathedral’s large reinforced doors, the Gnolls and guardsmen fanned out to form a screening formation against any undead that might otherwise try and sneak up on the waggon.

With no guarantee of being allowed in, the women and children were kept inside of the waggon in case we had to leave again.

Guard Captain Morris waited patiently by the large doors for an opportunity to negotiate. The rightmost door had what looked like a small rectangular recessed area behind steel grating. Judging by how Morris kept nervously staring at it, I figured it had to be something like a sliding viewing port of some kind.

The longer we waited, the more restless the civilians became. Far from sounding grateful, some of the men and women were not so quietly whispering that coming to the cathedral was a mistake and that they should have made a break for one of the city gates instead.

Doing my best to ignore the malcontents, I checked in on Lash instead. Like me, she seemed a little tired from pushing the waggon around but seemed relatively alright. However, Lash did not seem to like standing out in the open under the watch of so many arrow ports, and it was a sentiment I shared.

The Gnolls were taking turns on watch, allowing three of their pack to rest and recuperate for a few minutes at a time before letting others have a turn. Turning in their quest to kill points for food and water seemed to be just as entertaining to them as their pin the arrow in the Zombie game.

Quite suddenly, Morris gave a start as the wooden panel in the door was slid aside.

A muted voice from the other side of the door said something I couldn’t quite make out, although it did not sound particularly welcoming.

“I am Captain Morris of the Mournbrent City watch, acting Commander of the western distri-” Morris stopped abruptly as the person on the other side of the door interrupted him. “Wel, yes,” he admitted defensively, “But that is hardly reason enough to-” He stopped again and grew somewhat flustered, “Now see here! I am acting under the Lord Regent’s authority!”

A lengthy silence ensued before the muted voice spoke again.

Captain Morris crossed his arms and looked like he had just about enough of whoever was on the other side of the door, “When I speak with your abbot, I will be sure to mention you by name!” Morris growled, “And I will have you know that we bring far more than just more mouths to feed, we have more than enough sufficient supplies as well. Now, are you going to do your duty? Or will you break your oaths and be struck down in your god’s own sanctum!”

The viewing port slammed shut.

“Right!” Captain Morris clapped his hands crisply and stepped away from the door with a look of hard won satisfaction on his face. “Alright, let’s get the women and children out of the waggon and form an orderly line by the door!” He called out brusquely, “Militia unload the supplies to the side! Guardsmen maintain formation and await my signal for a withdrawal!”

Morris was vindicated shortly afterwards as the large doors opened and a half dozen militant looking priests exited the cathedral. Each holding a weapon and wearing a grey surcoat bearing the symbol of what looked like a silhouette of two scythes forming a sort of silvery M shape with a small gap in the middle.

The warrior priests looked haggard and in almost as poor a condition as the Gnolls had been when I first found them. “I thought you said they were meant to be prepared for a siege?” I asked Morris.

Morris seemed just as surprised as I was, but was interrupted before he could speak.

“The abbot would have words with you,” one of the priests insisted with a hint of hostility, “Your...Pets... can wait outside.” His eyes drifted to the large pile of supplies hungrily, “Those under your care are of course, most welcome,” he smiled somewhat disingenuously and mentioned the other priests forwards.

Morris’s eye twitched but he otherwise maintained a sense of calm as he gave the civilians the signal to enter the cathedral. “I will sort things out with the abbot,” Morris promised adamantly, “I’ll leave my guardsmen here for your protection in the meantime.”

The rude priest overheard this and scowled at Morris, “You would risk human lives in defence of a monster?” he demanded in an accusing tone.

Morris glared at the priest, his moustache quivering in anger, “I would!” He replied with absolute conviction. “The very supplies you are so eager to lay hands on were only able to be acquired from his Lordship’s direct intervention!”

“His Lordship?” The priest sneered, “Have you gone insane? That’s a monster! Not a man!”

Morris turned his back on the priest in order to address his men instead, “I want volunteers to provide a protection detail for his Lordship while I have words with the abbot. I want to be very clear that I will not think any less of any man or woman who refuses. Those last two weeks have been hard on all of us, and I have never been more proud to serve our city alongside each and every one of you.” Morris snapped a salute and took a step to the side to invite the guardsmen to leave. When none of the men or women made to leave I could see a tear form in the corner of his eye. “Very well! Protect his Lordship with your lives! I will return as soon as possible!” Morris declared proudly and marched into the cathedral behind the ragged group of civilians, stopping briefly to have a word with Ms Ester before they both pressed determinedly deeper into the building.

Just as soon as the supplies were brought inside of the threshold, the priests retreated and closed the doors once more.

Hardly the reception I had hoped for, I sighed and retrieved my axe from the waggon. “I have to complete a quest,” I informed everyone still outside, “I need to kill eighty-seven more Zombies on my own. I won’t stray out of sight, but please don’t interfere.”

Rikit and the other Gnolls seemed curious, while the guardsmen all seemed somewhat perplexed.

“Don’t worry, I will be careful,” I assured them, having no intentions of running face-first into another horde of undead any time soon.

The horde that had been trailing us was exactly what I needed and approaching in a loose enough formation that I would be able to dispatch most at a relative distance.

Taking a long-handled grip on my axe, I took several deep breaths before stepping past the Gnolls perimeter and heading for the approaching Zombies.

Still posing no real challenge, I caught myself tuning out on multiple occasions. Less to do with the difficulty and more to do with attempts at blocking out the smells and sounds of the undead, it was still a very stupid thing to do. However, as I drew closer to my goal I couldn’t help but become more involved in living and experiencing each passing moment.

*Shunk, Thwack, Crunch, Crack*

“-Four, three, two, one,” Counting down the final ten kills had helped temper my nerves somewhat as I began getting overly excited. Hurrying back to the group, I couldn’t keep myself from smiling ear to ear. Now more than ever I needed greater strength to better keep those I cared about safe, and the Evolution Elixirs now waiting for redemption from the completed quest would do just that.

Lash gave me a curious look before realising what I was up to and grinning just as broadly as I was.

“Accept reward,” I barked happily, cupping my hands together so the clay jugs wouldn’t fall to the ground and shatter.

*Pop, Clink Clink Clunk Clink*

The four Evolution Elixirs fell a short distance into my waiting hands. “Help me hold them?” I asked Lash excitedly, not wanting to risk dropping them.

Lash nodded eagerly, “Yes,” she hurried to my side and took two of the jugs.

“Once we are somewhere safe, and if there is any leftover, it’s yours,” I promised and then removed the cork from the first jug with my teeth and upended its contents into my mouth. Swallowing the mildly burning liquid down, I could feel the concentrated mana being absorbed into my body. I downed the second and then accepted the third from Lash. With less than a single digit to go, I decided to only drink half of the third Elixir and then waited a few minutes just in case. When it proved to not be enough, I downed the rest and waited again.

I could feel my body thrumming with power and instinctively knew that I had to be at the brink of my evolution. Sure enough, golden status alerts appeared in front of my eyes one after another.

[Swamp Ogre Stonejaw Runt: +2 Strength, +1 Toughness. (Common*)]

[(Racial Ability: Thick Hide): You have an abnormally thick hide that will shrug off minor damage. {Toughness} increases the level of damage resistance.]

[(Racial Ability: Brute Strength): You deal more damage with {Primitive} and {Heavy} weapons. {Strength} increases the amount of bonus damage.]

[(Racial Ability: Iron Gut): Consuming food accelerates {Healing}. {Toughness} increases the rate of digestion.]

[(Racial Ability: Rock Brain): Blows to the head deal less damage and have a chance to damage enemy weapons. {Toughness} increases the level of damage resistance. Attacks with weapons that fail to deal damage against the skull result in the weapon taking damage instead.]

[Confirm Evolution: {Swamp Ogre Stonejaw Runt} (Accept/decline}]

[Swamp Ogre Vilegut Runt: +1 Strength, +3 Toughness. (Rare*)]

[(Racial Ability: Thick Hide): You have an abnormally thick hide that will shrug off minor damage. {Toughness} increases the level of damage resistance.]

[(Racial Ability: Brute Strength): You deal more damage with {Primitive} and {Heavy} weapons. {Strength} increases the amount of bonus damage.]

[(Racial Ability: Iron Gut): Consuming food accelerates {Healing}. {Toughness} increases the rate of digestion.]

[(Racial Ability: Caustic Bile): Discharge projectile vomit capable of melting stone and corroding. {Toughness} increases the potency of the {Acid} and increases damage resistance against {Acid}.]

[Confirm Evolution: {Ogre Vilegut Runt} (Accept/decline}]

[Swamp Ogre Lord Runt: +2 Strength, +2 Toughness, +1 Presence. (Unique*)]

[(Racial Ability: Thick Hide): You have an abnormally thick hide that will shrug off minor damage. {Toughness} increases the level of damage resistance.]

[(Racial Ability: Brute Strength): You deal more damage with {Primitive} and {Heavy} weapons. {Strength} increases the amount of bonus damage.]

[(Racial Ability: Iron Gut): Consuming food accelerates {Healing}. {Toughness} increases the rate of digestion.]

[(Racial Ability: Savage Nobility): You are a paragon of primal might and authority. {Strength} increases the effect of {Racial Abilities} and {Class Abilities} modified by {Presence} when targeting {Allies} and members of the same {Species}.]

[(Racial Ability: Birthright {1}): Your genes are superior and create superior offspring. Sired offspring will always match your Species and Tier of Evolution. Sired Half-Breed offspring will always match your Species when determining Primary Species and Racial Abilities.]

[Confirm Evolution: {Swamp Ogre Lord Runt} (Accept/decline}]

Carefully reading through the three selections made the choice rather obvious, even if Birthright seemed a little too much like eugenics for my taste. “Swamp Ogre Lord, accept.”

The world turned white as the mana inside of my body began surging with new purpose, reshaping and strengthening bone, muscle and sinew to match an unknowable design.

As my vision began to return, I found that I had been driven to my knees and that Lash was determinedly supporting me so I wouldn’t fall to the ground. My lesser evolutions had not come close to what I had just experienced. My entire body felt sore and tender like someone had viciously worked me over with a rolling pin and then thrown me off a cliff.

With Lash’s help, I stiffly got to my feet and very carefully stretched my arms and legs, feeling somewhat like a stranger in my own skin as I tried to reduce the numbness in my extremities.

“You are alright?” Lash asked with a mixture of concern and excitement.

“I think so,” Feeling was slowly but steadily returning to my fingers and toes, but a headache had taken their place as my primary concern. Gingerly applying pressure to my right temple, I was surprised by the displacement of some of my fingers. Shifting from my temple and onto my forehead, it quickly became obvious why I had such a headache.

My brow had originally been quite pronounced, but now it was far more so. What felt like a large plate of bone or dense cartilage beneath my skin had replaced my brow and effectively deepened the recess of my eyes. Similarly, my cheekbones have been altered to form large ridges of bone beneath my eyes.

Using my hands to continue exploring my face revealed that my underbite had gotten significantly more pronounced, but rather than my jaw slipping forwards it seems to have grown larger instead. The increased size of my jaw appeared to be in order to support two new canines that now flanked the primary existing canines which had nearly doubled in size. By no means the same calibre of those protruding from Lash’s lips, they still felt quite sharp under pressure.

Besides the changes to my face, my skin had developed thicker discoloured and darker patches of skin on my outer arms, legs and back. Cursory experimentation led me to believe that these sections of skin were possibly twice as thick as those that remained unchanged. A rough guess based on our new difference in height revealed that I had grown at least another six inches, putting my overall height at somewhere around eleven feet tall to Lash’s nine feet and change. This increase in size made my boxers snugger than I would have liked, which in turn made me annoyed that I had removed the Egyptian style crotch protector in order to make the arena more dangerous and rewarding.

Even though I was more than capable of doing the maths myself, I was still feeling somewhat overwhelmed and wanted to know the state of my stats relative to my physical changes. “Status,” I yawned tiredly and resisted the urge to blink as I brought my eyes into focus. This urge quickly receded as the shock of what I was looking at demanded my full attention.

[Tim - Swamp Ogre Lord Runt: 0 ] [HP: 78/78 (+20) ] [MP: 46/46 (+20,+26) ]

[Class: Swamp Ogre Lord Noble 43. +7 Strength, +9 Toughness, +2 Willpower, Presence +2, +20 HP, +20 MP.] [Exp: 56050/660000 ]

[Party: Tim’s Party] [Lash’s Mate]

[Bloodline: {Tyrant 0} +1 Willpower.] [Bloodline Progeny: None.]

[Strength: 20* (27*) {+7} ]

[Agility: 9 ]

[Toughness: 24* (33*) {+9} ]

[Intelligence: 10 ]

[Willpower: 16* (19*) {+2, +1} ]

[Presence: 8 (10*) {+2} ]

[(Racial Abilities.)]

[(Racial Ability: Thick Hide {Rank 5}): You have an abnormally thick hide that will shrug off minor damage. {Toughness} increases the level of damage resistance.]

[(Racial Ability: Brute Strength {Rank 3}): You deal more damage with {Primitive} and {Heavy} weapons. {Strength} increases the amount of bonus damage.]

[(Racial Ability: Iron Gut {Rank 6}): Consuming food accelerates {Healing}. {Toughness} increases the rate of digestion.]

[(Racial Ability: Savage Nobility): You are a paragon of primal might and authority. {Strength} increases the effect of {Racial Abilities} and {Class Abilities} modified by {Presence} when targeting {Allies}, subordinates, and members of the same {Species}.]

[(Racial Ability: Birthright {1}): Your genes are superior and create superior offspring. Sired offspring will always match your Species and Tier of Evolution. Sired Half-Breed offspring will always match your Species when determining Primary Species and Racial Abilities.]

[(Class Abilities)]

[(Class Ability: Takesation): The strong take from the weak, and you will take your due. Subordinates receive a bonus to special item drop chance relative to the degree of sacrificed Exp from their kills, maximum of {Presence} in every hundred Exp earned. (1-38 Per hundred Exp). {Takesation} deducts a minimum of one in every hundred Exp earned and awards it to you.]

[(Class Ability: Thundering Strikes {Rank 5}): The roar of thunder announces your presence on the battlefield and serves as a final warning to your enemies. Expend MP to imbue your attacks with additional {Concussive} damage on impact. {Strength} increases the area of the effect.]

[(Class Ability: Dominating Will {Rank 5}): Slaves and Beasts have only one true master, you. Expending MP contests the control of all Slaves and Tamed Beasts within range. Succeeding the contest of {Willpower} transfers ownership of each Slave and Tamed Beast to you. {Willpower} reduces the MP expended. The tier of monster relative to your own increases or decreases MP expended.]

[(Class Ability: Warlord’s Will {Rank 3}): Subordinates place their fate in your hands, requiring Enemies Abilities that target them to contend with your {WIllpower} first. {Willpower/Presence} increases the range of effect.]

[(Class Ability: Honour Guard {i}): It is their privilege and honour to serve and lay down their life for you. A number of subordinates determined by your {Presence} gain the {Bodyguard} Class Ability. (0/38)]

[(Class Ability: Summon Servant ): A true servant is ever at their master's beck and call. Expend MP to temporarily {Summon} a subordinate to your location. MP cost is increased by distance and Tier of Evolution. Additional MP may be expended to extend the duration of the effect. {Presence} reduces the MP cost of the effect.]

[(Class Ability: Inspiring Presence {i}): Your presence on the battlefield inspires your Allies subordinates to greater feats of bravery and heroism. Allies and subordinates within line of sight gain resistance to {Fear} and {Terror} relative to your {Presence}. Being witnessed personally dealing a killing blow grants bonus {Momentum} to Allies and subordinates.

Besides the dramatic increase in stats, the fact that the Labyrinth had changed my Class AGAIN left me feeling conflicted to say the least. Sighing and reading through the Abilities again, I took what solace I could in the fact that we were not quite possibly not as stranded as I had initially feared.

*****

Amalda tented her fingers and stared up at the vaulted ceiling in annoyance. The stench of the living irritated her at the best of times, and the failure of her erstwhile human allies only served to exacerbate her ire.

“I have no patience for excuses,” Amalda stated quietly, her gaze still firmly locked on the ceiling. “If you do not achieve results as promised, then you are little more than food.:

*Click*

At the click of her fingers, the dark figure of Elizabet leapt out of the shadows behind her and disappeared from view.

“NO! PLEASE! I-AEEIIEII!!!” The human mage screamed as Elizabet sated her hunger on his lifeblood, draining him dry before letting his lifeless body hit the floor, now just an empty sack of meat.

With a dismissive flick of her right wrist, Amalda drew the dead man's soul before her, and with a minor gesture from her left hand, the corpse staggered to its feet. “I warned your masters of the price of failure,” she purred softly, gently caressing the incorporeal face of the mage’s disembodied soul, “And perhaps now they will take our bargain more seriously!” Opening her mouth, Amalda inhaled the soul in a single breath. “You may leave us!” She snapped, glaring hungrily at the two remaining mages as they bolted from the opulently decorated room.

“I could bring you another from the larder mistress?” Elizabet offered, forever a Slave to her thirst, “Perhaps one of the younger ones? Oh, the sweetness of their unsoiled blood....” The pale-skinned beauty lolled her tongue and drooled freely.

“Not now,” Amalda replied reluctantly, “I may have need of them soon...” The combination of Elizabet’s disappointment and her own roused hunger managed to get the better of her, “Perhaps one of our allies soldiers might go missing tonight?” Amalda suggested as a compromise.

Patting down her form-fitting leather armour, Elizabet’s eyes flashed crimson in understanding, “They are such disloyal and clumsy brutes!” She laughed, “I’ll bet I find one no less than an hour after sunset!”

Returning her gaze to the ceiling, Amalda tented her fingers once more and continued to wait. Eroding the protective barriers containing her forces to the centre of the city would take time, she had been aware of that since the beginning. However, the blundering actions of her allies had introduced an unanticipated variable that threatened to render all of her patience moot.

The arrival of the Ogre did not bode well at all. Impervious to the attacks of the most numerous and expendable minions, Amalda was loath to risk her more valuable and considerably rarer minions against such a brute. To make matters worse, the Ogre had demonstrated considerable cunning in rallying survivors to improve his own defences. And that Orc...

*Crack*

Amalda glanced indifferently at her broken finger and restored it with just a thought and a slight touch of mana. That Ogre’s Orc BITCH Could counter magical attacks!

When Amalda found the idiot that brought the Ogre into the city, she was going to flay their soul until even the humans’ gods wouldn’t be able to recognise it!