Gripping the makeshift shield, I threw open the door and charged out, barely hearing their protests echo behind me. A wild rush of adrenaline surged through me as I sprinted toward the nearest ogre. It saw me coming and charged mindlessly in response.
As we closed in on each other, I raised my axe, instincts kicking in. The ogre swung a massive fist toward me, but at the last second, thanks to my amateur MMA training, I dodged to the right, narrowly avoiding the blow.
Finding myself off to the ogre's side, I swung the axe with all my might, like a lumberjack felling a tree. The impact reverberated through my arms, nearly causing me to drop the weapon.
"Holy shit, this doofus is solid!" I yelled out loud to myself. But I wasn't about to give up. As the ogre prepared for another swing, I dodged again, this time slightly clipped by his enormous arm, which knocked me off balance.
Just as the ogre raised his club for a crushing blow, a deafening CRACK sliced through the air. The ogre staggered, blood spurting from a gaping wound in his shoulder.
I glanced back toward the door and saw Princess, rifle poised and smoking, having just taken the shot. Bo, my sister, Potbelly, and Pimple Face were charging towards the ogre, each yelling battle cries, weapons ready. Bo wielded the pitchfork, my sister and Pimple Face each clutched bats, while Potbelly advanced with the shield up front and rake in hand.
A rush of something filled me—was it emotion? Comradeship, maybe? Yep, I was definitely touched.
The ogre, now enraged and in pain, charged at them. My sister, agile and quick, reached him first. She dodged his clumsy attack with grace, reminiscent of her sports days, and swung her bat hard against his kneecap. The ogre buckled, groaning in pain. At that moment, Potbelly lunged, smashing the ogre with the shield and jabbing the rake into his leg. What a move! The ogre fell with a thunderous crash, and the whole misfit crew began to pummel him.
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
Seizing the moment, I charged in and delivered the final blow—an axe strike right to the ogre's head. The crunch was sickening but satisfying, the definitive end to the threat. As the ogre lay still, a heavy silence fell over us for a moment before it was broken by the cheers and heavy breaths of my unlikely comrades.
As I stood there, catching my breath, a message suddenly materialized in front of me, shimmering in the air: Congratulations on your first experience. You may select a class.
Holy shit, that was thrilling. I felt a rush of power coursing through me, intoxicating and raw. I'd been waiting my whole life for something like this, to feel like the badass I was meant to be. Maybe I could become a bounty hunter or something. Fierce Hunter? No, that sucked... maybe Primal Hunter? Too lame. Let's see these classes.
While the rest of the misfits were saying something, their voices faded into the background, muffled by the adrenaline and the rush of possibilities flooding my mind. They seemed to be gathering something from the ground—loot, perhaps? They started to run off, but where were they going? I should follow them, I guess, for Princess's sake. But first, I needed to check out these classes. The options appeared: Warrior, Paladin, Priest, Mage, Rogue. Interesting but basic.
Suddenly, a sharp pain exploded in my chest. I looked down in disbelief—blood was blossoming across my shirt. What the hell? The world tilted, and I started to fall backwards...
Strong hands caught me, and then a voice, like gravel being ground underfoot, whispered menacingly close, "The first kill is always the sweetest. I'm gonna love violating this new world." His breath was rank, reeking of raw, bloody meat. He spoke again, his voice a twisted snarl, "Gotta get my trophy."
What was he doing? No, not my... A blinding pain seared through me, paralyzing and sharp. Despite the horror of the moment, I realized with a bizarre detachment that I wasn't actually feeling the pain. It was as if my body knew it should hurt, but the signals weren't reaching my brain.
"See ya, sweetheart. Say hi to the baby ogres for me. Those idiots love fresh flesh..."
A moment later, I felt myself rising, floating as if my soul were detaching from my body. Screaming filled my ears—was it mine? No, it wasn't me. It was female, filled with anguish, and then I heard the crunching and…pain. Oh the pain, I finally felt it, it was searing and gnashing and the single worst thing I had felt in my short life. I thought I knew pain before this, I was wrong. I looked to the side, and through my blurred vision, I could see an ogre chewing an arm, my arm. Then my eyes saw the mouth…