Our group now consisted of sixteen people, eleven level fours and Meagan, Mike, Stew, and Me. We had a total of sixty-seven levels and I still felt uneasy about whatever was waiting for us. The rest of our initial group were either injured or no longer willing to continue into the dungeon.

Making our way up the stairs I studied the changes in the building. Four days ago when I had walked up these stairs to my English class they had been scuffed and dirty but whole. Now the treads were worn and cracked. Some were even missing. Concrete edges had even broken and crumbled in a few spots. The walls had scratches and holes that looked older than me. I felt a little like a time traveler except instead of the past, I had gone four decade into the future.

We walked from the top of the stairs and down the second floor hall towards the front of the building. Nobody was willing to open any more lockers after Stew had opened one and released a noxious smell.

At a smaller intersection that mirrored the entrance downstairs we found a set of stairs that led up.

"So there's just one up there?" Sam asked me.

I pointed straight up. "One room. Only a few in it, two at least. The ring dinger from earlier and something else. It feels almost twice as dense as the Rat King did and that guy was only level seven."

Sam took a deep breathe. "Well I've never been one for leaving a job half done. Lets go."

At the top of the stairs was a room that was easily fifty yards long and twenty wide. In other words far to big for the fifteen foot square bell tower. At the far end there was a stone throne and sitting in it was what looked like a massively muscled burn victim wearing only a loincloth. He was casually holding a three foot goblin around the neck.

"Welcome. Come in, come in." His voice was a raspy but otherwise understandable.

We slowly approached.

"Good news, chief. Turns out your goblins did bring me something after all. I guess I don't have to kill you."

He grinned at us and we saw his teeth. He was an it and pure carnivore.

"I still don't want you anywhere near me." Using an underhand toss he sent the goblin towards us. It hit the floor and skidded to a stop a few feet away.

‡ Lvl(3) Goblin Chief ‡

It stood up to it's full two feet of height and adjusted what looked like a grass skirt it was wearing. It then beat its scrawny chest and yelled. "I am goblin Chief! I say kill the interloper!"

The last goblin ran towards the thing on the throne.

"Oh, really now. That didn't work last time and you had far more goblins." Reaching down it grabbed the goblin completely around the chest and lifted the struggling creature to it's mouth. There was a crunchy grinding noise and the goblin went limp. Blood and brain fluid ran down his face as he grinned.

The goblin chief whirled around and yelled at us. "You will die and more goblins will spring from your tortured guts!"

I didn't hesitate to whack him upside his head with my hammer. The chief fell senseless to the ground.

"HAHA! You'll have to do better than that. Goblin skulls are so thick that a critical hit is nearly impossible with just a little knock like that."

I frowned at the figure on the throne. I hit the unconscious chief with my axe, right on the head.

‡ You unlocked Goblin Chief Bestiary entry +5XP ‡

+ Goblin Chief +

A Shadow staple, these creatures have been formed from the nightmares of our minds.

+ These Goblins keep their hold over their lessers by knowing the secret to birthing more Goblins. +

‡ Quest Completed! Goblins School of Hard Knocks ‡

‡ School is out for the summer! ‡ ‡ Reward: Graduate of Goblins School of Hard Knocks Title. One Shiny Gold Coin! ‡

‡ You have wrested two shadow levels from an enemy! ‡

‡ Will you attempt to absorb them? ‡ ‡ Will you expand Shattered but Whole? ‡

I quickly selected to expand my Shattered Title while another gold coin flashed towards me.

Before the coin made it all the way another flash of light was drawn from everywhere and into an orb held by the figure at the far end of the room.

‡ Caution: This dungeon has lost it's essence. It will begin realignment with the outside world shortly. ‡

"Now on to the fun part. Dog just isn't really to my taste you know."

It stood up and started in our direction. As it came closer it's skin seemed to change color to a rocky gray. I assumed it had something to do with the light but I was distracted as it came in range of my [Analyze].

‡ Lvl(10) Ogre ‡

We spread out and tried to surround it as it steadily walked closer. John raised his shotgun and pulled the trigger. It lunged forward straight through the shot, pellets rebounding everywhere, and grabbed him.

Holding John's head steady as he yelled the ogre almost daintily bit off a section of his skull. It looked right into my eyes. "It always tastes best fresh." Placing it's lips around the wound it sucked out John's brain.

The ogre sighed and dropped the body as I heard someone start vomiting. Half of us were collected enough to rush it. Mostly the half that hadn't seen it just eat a brain. Sam fired off a shot from his pistol. He cursed as it ricocheted off a gray eyebrow.

It laughed at us. Mike swung his machete and struck an arm. A small chip flew off as the machete bounced off. Stew slammed his bat into it's ribs and the new metal plates sparked. Someone else broke their bat on it's shoulder while Meagan deformed the metal point attached to her fiberglass tree stake. I moved behind it and slammed my weapons on it repeatedly doing nothing more than scuffing the surface of it's skin. I saw one of Gilberto's fireballs do even less, just a soft glow that faded in less than a second.

Casually reaching forward it grabbed the closest person and brought him closer to it's mouth. Stew brought his club down on it's hand. I thought it flickered for an instant, going from a rocky gray to a more normal skin tone. Grunting, it tossed the man it held directly at Stew. They fell, tumbling away.

"Mosquitoes." I saw it swat away Mike's machete where it was lodged shallowly in it's side. It also smacked Mike in the face at the same time.

I moved forward and dragged Mike back from where he had fallen. He was unconscious and bleeding from a broken nose. I quickly healed him back to consciousness.

"Mike what attack did you use?" I watched the ogre's HP. Mike's attack had done the most while no one else did more than...well chip away at it's HP.

Mike was still logy from being hit. "I tried to [Slash] him. From my Knife Initiate Title."

"We need you up Mike. Yours was the hardest hit we've managed."

My Axe Initiate had taught me [Chop], maybe that would work for a backup plan.

Stew had managed to stand back up from being bowled over just in time to duck another person thrown at him. They slammed into the wall and fell to the floor. The ogre continued to laugh and make playful grabs at everyone around it.

I ran to Mike's weapon and kicked it back to him. Continuing on towards the melee I tried to time my rush to get there at the same time as Stew.

I saw it for sure this time. It's skin flickered just as [Chop] landed. My axe sunk at least two inches into the back of it's shoulder. It whirled around, yanking my axe out of my hand, and backhanded me.

 ‡ You received a mighty blow -29HP ‡

I flew twenty feet to the wall

‡ You have been wounded -12HP ‡

‡ You are bleeding -1HP every 30 seconds ‡

‡ You received a critical wound. Stamina recovery reduced. ‡

Standing up I felt a stabbing pain from my ribs. I needed to get back into the fight as soon as I could. I knew what it felt like to heal myself, maybe I could manage it while moving this time.

I started forward as I moved my Mana into what I thought was the right formation. When I activated it and tried to take a step I unbalanced myself and fell on my face.

‡ {Arcane Might} Unlocked ‡

‡ {Arcane Might} - Feeling a little inadequate? Try putting a bit of Mana in those noodly arms. 10 Mana increases Str by 1 for 1 minute. ‡

‡ You literally tripped over your own feet -2HP ‡

Struggling to my hands and knees I coughed up a fine mist of blood, it speckled the ground in front of my face.

I rolled onto my back and healed myself as fast as I could. No more experimenting in the middle of a fight for me. I stopped and got to my feet as soon as I got the notification that I had stopped bleeding.

Moving to get behind the ogre I grabbed my axe and tried to yank it out. Mike was next to me as I was pushed and pulled around by my axe as the ogre moved.

"Mike, is the slash working?"

Mike was breathing hard as he dodged and slashing whenever one of the ogre's hands came in range.

"Nothing."

One particular violent movement threw me a few feet away and onto the floor. I held my axe in my hand though. It had left a divot as it came out. I looked up at the ogre's HP. We had taken off a little more than 5%. I think pulling my axe out had even done a little more than when I had put it in.

Stew ran in to hit it again. It's skin blinked, losing its rocky appearance for an instant. A single bead of blood fell from the wound my axe had mede.

This time Stew stepped back in time to avoid the ogre's response. His shirt was torn where he had been hit before and his chest was covered in bruises.

"Why won't you shatter!" Stew yelled.

And there it was. The final piece I needed. Stew had been trying to use his Shattering Blow on the ogre. Every time Stew hit the ogre its rocky skin changed to flesh. I had a plan. Hopefully Stew could keep it occupied.

"Your minuscule attacks can't harm me. I am an ogre, one of the most durable creations of The Shadow that exist." The ogre sneered.

I saw Terrance waving his bowie knife at the ogre while his shotgun was slung on his back. I ran at him as ogre drove a punch right in Stew's chest. Stew flew tewnty feet to hit the floor and slid to a stop against the wall. I saw him coughing blood as he tried to get up.

I grabbed Terrance's arm and hissed into his ear. "Do you have any shells left?"

He was so busy watching Stew struggle to stand while the ogre laughed that I had to repeat my question.

"Yea but it ate the last person to shoot it and he didn't even manage to hurt it."

"Have you managed to do anything with that knife? Listen I have a plan. I think it's weak to [Shattering Blow] it changes into flesh to avoid Stew's attack. So I'm going to hit it with mine. You shoot it as soon as it changes. Watch the skin tone."

We moved forward. I decided to try {Imbue Hammer} while I was moving forward for the attack. Maybe it would increase the damage of the skill. As Mana coated my weapon the ogre turned around. I stopped my advance as the ogre looked right at me.

Terrance sidled away from me, circling the ogre. It watched him, amused, before it turned back to me.

"I thought another might have more humor for me to laugh at. You used a good one. Ogre's are some of the most earthly creatures there are. You just let me know you were there and wasted your chance at an attack. In appreciation for the amusement I shall allow you one strike. Perhaps I will be amused again. Will you [Slash] me with your hammer?" It laughed.

I saw Terrance waiting to the side shotgun ready.

"I was thinking of something else." I said

I darted forward and brought my hammer down on it's shoulder with {Arcane Might}. I activated [Shattering Blow] at the last instant. I saw a look of surprise on the ogre's face just before the hammer hit. There was a sharp crack and I stepped back. It studied the new feature on its chest, a fracture running from it's collarbone and down it's chest for several inches.

"Perhaps I do like to play with my food too much. That ends now."

I saw the rough hands coming for me and dodged, rolling on the ground. I tried to come back up on my feet and overbalanced to fall on my face. Hearing heavy footsteps approaching me I scrambled across the floor to get away.

Suddenly the ogre was being hit so much it sounded like rain on a tin roof. Metal hitting a big rock just doesn't have the same ring to it. I got up and ran directly for Stew while everyone tried to buy me time. I dumped half my remaining Mana into him with {Heal}. His face gained a bit of color but when he tried to stand he was still moving stiffly.

"We have to get this jackass, Stew. I'm going to try and get his attention. You shatter his ass from behind.It'll work if he doesn't see you coming."

"OK. If you're sure." Once Stew was standing I ran back towards the ogre.

It's eyes focused on me and it strode forward.

"Make a hole!" I called out and those between us stepped aside.

This time instead of aiming for a body blow I aimed for the fist that I knew would be coming. I struck the approaching fist with a solid thump. My Stamina flowed into the weapon. As my weapon struck the fist my Stamina created a small shock wave in his flesh.

I could feel how switching between rock and flesh benefited the ogre. His dense muscles could absorb the shock wave from [Shattering Blow] while the rock denied most weapons easy damage.

The punch completely overwhelmed me. It was like trying to stop a train with a ball peen hammer.

Thankfully Terrance had pulled the trigger as soon as the ogre had shifted from stone to flesh.

Roaring the ogre pulled it arm pack to protect it's side as it returned to stone.

I struck it's arm again, fracturing it. When it reached out I jumped back.

The ogre snarled and lunged at me. Stew struck it's arm and widened the crack. When it turned on Stew I struck again. This time it defended itself from my [Shattering Blow] and left itself open for another shotgun blast from Terrance. Screeching it turned and charged for the stairs.

I saw Meagan standing between it and escape.

"Meagan, get it's feet!" I yelled and started running after it.

"No! Let it go! It's too much for us." Sam called out.

Meagan stepped to the side. When the ogre tried to pass by she shoved her tree stake in between it's legs and heaved against it. Several things all happened at once. Meagan was yanked off of her feet and fell heavily to the floor while her modified fiberglass tree stake bent until it shattered into two pieces and a cloud of fibers. The ogre missed it's step and plowed into the floor.

I was right behind it when it fell. I struck out at it's foot. My [Shattering Blow] created a large crack. It bellowed and I hit it again. It's foot and lower calf shattered. Stew appeared and smacked it in the back of the head.

It lurched and flipped itself over, knocking Stew away. I lunged forward and caught one of it's hands and shattered it against the floor. Recovering, Stew hit it on the shoulder and created a large fracture.

Stew and I traded off. Whenever it tried to focus on me I would back off and Stew would step in to hit it and whenever Stew stepped back I would step in. It didn't take long.

"Ding. Mother. Fucker." Stew said between heavy breaths.

‡ You have defeated Lvl(10) Ogre +300XP ‡

‡ You unlocked Ogre Bestiary entry +5XP ‡

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

+ Ogre +

Unlike it's close cousin the Troll Ogres focus on their connection to earth and stone 

+ Ogres are voracious creatures who struggle to fill their stomach and ignore much of anything else. +