Determined to eliminate the ogre threat, Derek followed the broken trail they had carved through the sprawling state park that now engulfed much of the city. Trees, branches, and shrubbery were pounded flat. The trail lead up to the nose-in-the-air neighborhood that only contained destruction now. There wasn’t any way that the people living here could have defended themselves against ogres in the early days.
The trail of destruction led him to the mouth of a dark cave, its entrance marked by scattered debris and bloody remains, a grim testament to the ogres’ savagery. Debris and bloody body parts were strewn around the entrance. A thick blood trail lead directly inside. The whole place stank of death and decay. Derek propped himself up on a roof that sat a few hundred yards off to the side and watched as he rested his body, that was still tired from the previous fight.
Ogres lumbered in and out of the cave. Derek was positive hadn’t existed before Earth joined the Collective. He didn’t watch for every long as they drug dead goblins, humans, and orcs into the cave, mostly likely as their food source.
Derek wondered why the bodies hadn’t faded into the black mist that those from the portals tended to disappear. But the thought didn’t really stick because he jumped off the house. The twelve-foot drop didn’t even concern him. He rushed down the mountainside toward the cave. His thundering feet pounding more, maintaining his balance than increasing his speed. The descent straight down the mountain gave gravity the influence it needed to do the job.
He slammed into an ogre, his shoulder tackle sending the creature tumbling. Derek’s force was unstoppable, crashing through the much larger creature. The other four ogres were stunned for a moment, but quickly reacted after their initial state of surprise. Derek slammed his axe into the head of an ogre and sent it flying away. The other ogres were on top of him, barbarically attacking him with their clubs of wood with stones fastened to the end with some kind of rope.
Derek stepped back to avoid one attack, ducked under another, and blocked a third with the steel shaft of the axe. He spun, picking up momentum, and struck an ogre in the ribcage, causing it to explode open in a shower of gore. A club slammed into his back, but only caused him to take a half-step sideways to maintain his balance. Apparently, the fallen ogre had rejoined the fight.
The fight was brief; Derek swiftly wiped out all four ogres, their primal aggression no match for his strength. They weren’t really all that much more difficult than trolls. The minotaur and golem was still much stronger. Ogres fought like goblins with giant weapons. They were aggressive, primal, and lacked any skill whatsoever. Naturally, they weren’t worth much experience either.
Derek entered the cave, its entrance almost hidden against the rocky mountainside, a shadowy void that seemed to materialize out of nowhere. It obviously hadn’t been there before the apocalypse, otherwise the community would have known about it. He swapped his double-headed axe for a pair of hatchets. The smaller space within the cave would make the shorter weapons easier to use. Swords require ample space to swing. In cramped quarters, if a sword hits a wall mid-strike, it could be a matter of life or death.
The cave sunk down into the mountain, each step taking him lower and lower. The large cave tunnel maintained its size as he walked, never getting larger or smaller. Derek wondered how the cave got here. He couldn’t see the ogres digging it. After the first dozen feet, the cave walls shifted from dirt to stone. Fortunately, Derek’s eyes penetrated the darkness as the light faded.
The tunnel sunk more than a mile down into the mountain until he arrived at a massive cavern that stretched out before him. The cavern held dozens of ogres, all of which were milling around the area, mostly lazing around or fighting each other with little enthusiasm. An enormous pile of corpses lay off on one side of the cavern. Ogres were tossing their ill-gotten gains onto the pile, while others were pulling corpses off the pile to eat. They would rip off a limb and move on, munching on it idly.
The corpse pile was made of anything that they could get their hands on. Mostly humans and goblins, but there were plenty of orcs and even a few trolls. Apparently, the smell didn’t bother the ogres. Derek wrinkled his nose in disgust as he considered the easiest way to wipe the community off the map. Ideas flashed through his mind: flooding the cave with toxic gas, collapsing the entrance, drowning the cavern in water. But these solutions felt… lacking. No, he would face them directly. That would be the simplest. Even with all of his abilities on cooldown, he still had his Aura and magic.
He focused his magic and created a thin wall of stone to block the ramp upward. It was barely solid enough to hold its shape, but he could blast through it if he needed to escape. It might be enough to fool the ogres. He walked down the ramp leading around the edge of the chamber. His armor was battered and shredded, nearly falling off his body. His body thrummed with strength despite the countless wounds covering him. A pair of large hatchets in each hand, both coursing with electricity as mana flowed through his system, powering the temporary enchantments.
Ogres lumbered through the cavern, their movements sluggish and apathetic, as if weighed down by their own barbarity. The air was thick with the stench of rot, and the sound of their grumbling voices echoed off the stone walls. With a battle cry that roared like thunder, Derek charged into the fray, his axes flashing like twin beacons of destruction in the dim cavern light. The ogres, caught off guard, reacted sluggishly as he began carving a path through their ranks, each swing a deadly arc of slaughter.
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Derek was a whirlwind of steel and fury, his every movement a deadly arc that cleaved through flesh and bone with terrifying ease. The magic swirled around him, fire lighting the cavern and lightning arcing off bodies added the smell of cooked ogre to the putrid stench. The ground beneath him became slick with blood. He was a storm, unstoppable and merciless.
At the sight of the dying, the ogres lethargic movements changed into charges of stumbling rage. Their fury was wrought by the deaths of their kin. Roars filled the cavern as they charged at Derek, clubs and fists raised. He met their reckless charge with a malicious smile and a relentless determination that burned in his glowing red eyes.
An aura of bloodlust and violence covered the cavern as the ravager of death arrived and, with it, the end of their pitiful lives. The ogres died in pairs. Some fled up the ramp only to find a wall in their way. Derek didn’t let them stray too far as he spun, launching one of his hatchets across the distance to slam the handle first into the back of the fleeing ogres.
“Damn.” He cursed, though not particularly upset. He hadn’t practiced throwing his weapons. Generally, that was a poor decision.
He sunk his last hatchet into the head of an ogre before swiping a heavy maul from the hands of an attacking ogre. The brutal club now turned into a wrecking machine as he swung the wooden weapon around. It broke bones and shattered skulls. Meat was turned into paste and blood splashed the cavern liberally.
As the last ogre fell, Derek stood amidst the carnage, his breath coming in ragged gasps. His mana mostly spent, and the club in his hand broken. The cavern was silent now, save for the dripping of blood and the distant echoes of his victory. The slow steps of a thundering monstrosity came from the back end of the cavern.
Derek turned, not having seen the monster before. An ogre stood, covered in plates of steel armor that had seen better days. In its hand was a steel maul. It lumbered toward him with a steady gait. Unlike the previous rabble, this one was a fighter. Its eyes were sharp. It grunted as if speaking to him.
Dropping the broken club, he retrieved his own steel maul. Derek didn’t even let the ogre finish grunting. He shot forward, but the ogre was fast as its maul came around faster than Derek expected. With too much forward momentum, Derek couldn’t stop. So he brought up his maul and blocked the strike. The massive difference in weight classes was apparent as Derek was sent crashing across the mud caked floor covered in blood, urine, feces, and god knew what else. He rolled onto his feet, his arm throbbing from the impact.
That didn’t stop him from launching himself forward again. The ogre swung again, using the same strike as last time. Derek wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. He jumped over the swing, like a high jumper, twisted and slammed his maul into the ogre’s kidney. Every bit of the force from his forward momentum driven into the steel plate covered body. The ogre fell during its twist and brought a hand around in a wild attempt to strike him.
Unfortunately for Derek, the blow connected to his face, sending him flying in the opposite direction. Derek slammed into the cavern floor with a throbbing head and neck. He climbed to his feet, unsteady, head spinning, eyes blurry and understanding that he had just got a concussion.
The ogre rushed forward, having regain its composure. Derek swayed for a moment before realizing what had happened. His mind was foggy from the blow and he couldn’t concentrate enough to gather his mana for his pitiful healing spell. The ogre swung, and Derek dove out of the way, the maul missing him by inches.
Derek stepped back as his mind cleared, the supernatural healing and physique far surpassing normal human limits. He focused his magic as he continued moving, trying to move into the ogre’s blind spot. Then he activated the healing spell and the remaining fog cleared. Without delay, he rushed forward. His mace coated in roiling electricity as he stepped under the blow and slammed his mace into the knee of the ogre.
A loud bang and crack echoed through the cavern as Derek’s strike turned the knee guard into scrap metal and the knee beneath it into shattered mush. The ogre screamed in pain as he passed behind it. His mace coming around and repeating the action on the shoulder.
The battle was won, but Derek wasn’t satisfied. He wanted more. More blood, more violence, more power. The maul came around as the ogre moved away using its good arm and leg, but Derek didn’t give it a chance as he crushed its helm with a powerful swing.
He looked around, feeling satisfaction for another battle won. The notifications flashed before his eyes, a stark reminder of his relentless progress. Ogre Slayer, another title, another step closer to his goal. He knew there were more battles ahead, more monsters to face. But for now, he tried controlling the bloodlust within.
Derek’s body ached and throbbed with pain, the day’s relentless fighting taking its toll. Yet, the bloodlust remained, simmering beneath the surface. Even as he deactivated his Aura, he knew this battle was just a prelude to even more violence. Violence that brought strength, violence that brought safety.
Congratulations:
You have killed 53 ogres and 1 ogre warrior.
Rewards:
14,861 experience
13,606 credits
Congratulations:
You have received the title: Ogre Slayer (rank 1)
For killing: 50 Ogres
Ogre Slayer: You are a known enemy of ogres everywhere. Warning: Your reputation precedes you.
Rewards: +1 stat point