The ogre let out a deep belly laugh and said, “Well I am Crackrock the ogre, and I don’t see any reason to give you passage, peaceful or otherwise. You trespassed on my lands; you are aiding my enemies.” He looked pointedly at the goblin, then gestured to the bodies lying on the ground before them. “And you’ve made an awful mess of my fortress, not to mention the corpses outside. I’m guessing that was your doing as well. It seems to me that if I’m to do anything, it should be to kill you and eat you.”
Affronted, TJ replied, “Trespass on your lands? Your forces ambushed us a two days’ march from here. How can you claim that land to be your own? Surely it belongs to someone else.”
“Belonged to someone else, you mean.” The ogre chuckled. “My master comes. Soon all of the land between the Golden Hills and the Shadowed Forest will be mine, and I will rule it with fire and steel. Those who defy me will be eliminated!” He let out a roar, which echoed back in approval from the kobolds still alive. “I had planned on discussing . . . options . . . with you, but then I heard you had released that little goblin. Now I think I will just crush you all and squeeze your marrow for my toast.” A loud cheer went up at this last statement, and he stepped forward to engage the heroes.
In a bid for more time, TJ shouted, “Stop! Who is your master? Maybe we could work out that deal? How do you know he doesn’t want extra help?”
The ogre cocked his head like a dog hearing a new command for the first time. “Work out a deal? How do I know that I can trust you? You are aiding my enemy, and the enemy of my master.”
“We didn’t know the little goblin was your master’s enemy. We just brought him along out of charity—you can have him back if you want.”
Allison and Chuck, as if on cue, each moved to grasp one of Eggelbert’s arms.
The small voice said, “Oh, please don’t give me back to him. I don’t want to get eaten!”
“Shh. Let him work,” hissed Allison, and gave him a wink.
“My lord is Magnus, the wizard from the East. He has emerged victorious from the civil wars of the Arcanum and now moves westward. He has promised me these lands for my own if I aid him in his conquest.”
The friends briefly exchanged glances. They hadn’t heard the name before, but there was little doubt that this Magnus was the guy that they were supposed to go and defeat. That he was recruiting local warlords to extend his reach was bad news. Their quest was no longer a simple trek east for a single battle. They would need to fight or sneak their way across the continent before confronting him. The one bit of good news was that it meant he didn’t feel powerful enough to capture, and hold, the lands on his own.
“Magnus! But of course. Who else could it be? We have heard of this wizard, and have been traveling east to meet him.” Technically true. “I think if we ended up battling, he would be very displeased by the outcome.” Also technically true, assuming they were able to win.
Either TJ had said the wrong thing or the ogre had run out of patience. “Grah! Crackrock needs no help, and Crackrock will share his lands and his spoils with no one. Get ready to die, puny things. My toast is waiting!”
The giant creature stepped forward and swung his sword like a scythe, intending to mow down all of them at once. Jimmy stepped out to meet the blade with his own, and when the two collided, a mighty clang resounded throughout the chamber. While Jimmy had been able to deflect the strike, the force of the blow staggered him. His arms felt like they had been run over by a truck. He hoped there weren’t many more of those in the ogre’s arsenal.
The ogre readied another swing, but Stu released an arrow. Crackrock lifted his massive shield in front of him. A second arrow made it past the shield to pierce the seam of the ogre’s shoulder armor, but Crackrock only laughed as he plucked the barb out and casually snapped it in half. Stu reached for another arrow, but found his quiver empty. He slung the bow back over his shoulder, snatched a sword from one of the fallen kobolds, and stepped forward next to Jimmy.
TJ unleashed another series of magical blasts, all targeting their single foe. The balls of energy exploded in rainbows of color as they landed, and both Jimmy and Stu felt ripples of energy reflected back at them from the impact. Although the ogre winced as each one hit, he seemed to shrug off the pain after a moment or two, which wasn’t enough time to give Jimmy an opportunity to strike. Had TJ had his reagent pouch, he could have fired off several of the exploding balls of fire, but without it he seemed able to do nothing but irritate the ogre. He drew his dagger resignedly and prepared to fight.
Chuck was at a loss. Every instinct told him to disappear in the chaos of the battle. Certainly no one was expecting him to go through the secret door in the wall, so even if the kobolds saw him scamper away, they probably wouldn’t pay much attention to him. On the other hand, he had come this far already, and it was conceivable that they could still end up being victorious. It would take something approaching a miracle, but it could happen. While he deliberated, he threw his daggers, hoping to get lucky. Both daggers flew true, sliding into seams in the ogre’s bulky armor, but like the arrow that Stu had landed, they seemed to do little or no damage to the hulking brute.
Allison, for her part, had had something of a brainstorm. Looking down at the ring on her finger, she remembered the special abilities that were granted to the wearer, particularly the one about damage mitigation. It had saved her life once when it deflected the arrow. Maybe it would save her life again. At the very least, she figured it was worth a try. They were all more than likely going to die anyway, so worst-case scenario, she’d only be expediting the process. Or maybe that was best case. She had no idea what fate awaited them if they were recaptured, but it was almost certainly going to be unpleasant. Raising the torch over her head, she let out a yelp and leapt toward Crackrock.
TJ shouted “No!” as she closed in on the giant, who looked mildly amused at both her battle cry and her attack. Crackrock flicked his sword in her direction almost casually, lining it up for her to impale herself on it as she charged. To his surprise (and her relief), the blade scraped across the side of her breastplate, letting her slip behind his guard. She brought the torch crashing down into him, and a loud dull clang reverberated throughout the room. The ogre retreated a step under the force of the blow but was only stunned for a moment. He lashed out with his shield, bashing her shoulder and sending her flying headfirst into the wall. She collapsed to the ground and lay unmoving.
Crackrock laughed and called out, “Neeeext?”
Stu and Jimmy circled in opposite directions, hoping to establish some sort of flanking maneuver, but it was clear to TJ that the effort was futile. The ogre’s long reach and the protection afforded by both his armor and his shield meant that this would be the end of the road. Once the ogre realized that Stu was only proficient enough with the sword to not chop his own legs off, he would focus on Jimmy and pound him into submission. With no other ideas, TJ stepped forward between the other two boys. Maybe if he was able to distract Crackrock for a moment it would give Jimmy an opportunity to strike a solid blow.
As he stood in front of the giant ogre, waiting to be chopped in half, TJ heard mumbled words from behind. It was as if they were floating through his consciousness without ever really settling in his mind. Suddenly, the hair on his head stood straight up as a bolt of energy passed over his left shoulder and hit the ogre chief directly in the chest. A spot in the middle of Crackrock’s breastplate turned bright red with heat, and the color expanded outward through the rest of his armor. The ogre roared in anguish and flailed about angrily, nearly hitting TJ with his sword. The armor continued to heat up, and then suddenly, a violent light flared, causing everyone to shield their eyes. When the light dimmed and everyone could look again, all that remained of the giant and his massive armor was a small smoldering pile of ash.