Chapter 8
Monsters swarmed around us, their snarls and growls filling the air. Johan drew his sword, swiftly taking down a beast with a precise and deadly strike. Vivian covered our rear, eyes scanning the shadows for potential threats, while I stood guard beside her, protecting her from harm.
As Johan relentlessly pursued the leader, a massive fireball hurtled towards him. He dodged at the last moment, barely avoiding the blast. "Where did it come from?" we all exclaimed in unison, our gazes sweeping the area in shock.
The fireball crashed into the wall, unleashing a deafening explosion that sent shockwaves. We followed the trajectory of the flames to their source: a goblin with an animal's smooth brown robes, its eyes blazing with malevolent intent.
The green monster(ogre) gazed locked into Johan, its expression twisted in a snarl. Johan's focus snapped back into place, and he charged towards the throne, his determination unwavering. The ogre interruption only seemed to fuel his resolve.
With Vivian's magic restricting the minions' movements, I unleashed a fierce charge, my blade slicing through the immobilized foes with deadly precision. The sound of clashing steel and the scent of sweat and blood filled the air as we carved a path through the enemy ranks.
As I fought, Johan continued his relentless pursuit of the throne, his determination driving him forward. The goblin in brown robes watched with interest, its eyes gleaming with curiosity and hostility.
Johan's eyes locked onto the two ogres, his determination burning brighter than the flames they hurled at him. He charged forward with a fierce battle cry, his sword slicing through the fireballs aimed at him easily. The ogres, Gnarled and laughed menacingly, Kiee kiee, their eyes glowing intently as they unleashed a barrage of fire magic.
Johan's Battle
Undaunted, I (Johan) pressed on, my bone sword glowing with aura as I gazed at the ogres. The monsters trembled, their confidence wavering under my intense stare. Despite the danger, I remained resolute, my will to reach the throne driving me forward.
As the battle raged on, the air was filled with the acrid smell of smoke and sweat. My sword flashed in the room's light, striking time on time again. The ogres, however, notice the distance closing between us, increasing the power of their fire magic with each passing moment.
I was leading the assault, as I sliced through the dual fireballs hurled by the ogres. The magic parted like brittle silk under my blade's edge, heat washing over me, but I didn't falter. My gaze locked onto the ogres as I emerged through the flames' aftermath, and shock rippled through their ugly faces - they felt my stare piercing their bodies like a judgment.
"You won't block me," I growled. This word is my promise to you. Remember to carve that into your soul," I shouted. I had seen it: the stronger the spell, the higher the time lag. Now I waited, poised like a predator sensing prey, for the moment after their big blast—the vulnerability following their guttural roar and distorted smirk.
The ogres exchanged a glance, perhaps sensing their rhythm was broken. As they struggled to ready another attack, the lag I'd observed gave me the opening. I moved in swift silence, sword arcing to the first ogre's exposed flank as the other tried belatedly to swing a blocking arm…
Vivian's eyes were on me, her magic still constraining the lesser foes around the throne room's edges for Astra. "Is this calculated aggression enough to topple the ogre guardians," Vivian thought staring at me.
The second ogre managed a weak flame spell, more of a reflexive twitch than a true threat, as if it knew its partner's magic was failing. The pathetic flame burst dissipated inches from me. I dodged sideways almost contemptuously and countered with a devastating strike to his shoulder. My bone sword sank deep, roaring in pain, and shock mingled in its brutish mind.
The first ogre, enraged by its partner's hurt attempted a huge fire column spell, flames meant to incinerate me where I stood. But I'd anticipated the move - recognizing the telltale tension in his posture, the narrowing of his eyes - and with the observed time lag in mind, I timed a leap backward perfectly, avoiding the bulk of the blast. Heat roared past me like a living tempest, scorching stone and blackening nearby tapestries.
Now in my striking range, I dashed toward him speedily and unleashed a flurry of attacks on the wounded ogre pressing my advantage as he struggled to recover from the spell aftermath and the burn it sustained. The second stumbled forward blindly, trying to aid its partner but hampered by Vivian's lingering restrictions on the lesser creatures elsewhere - focus stayed on me and the kill as I slay both ogres.
The clash between me and the mage ogre had shaped the entire room with marks of burnt walls, dented pillars, and the acrid stench of spent magic hanging heavy. The ogres stumbled, their huge bodies crashing towards the floor cold stone…what would the leader do next?
Vivian watched intently, her eyes flicking from me to the throne - did she sense the leader's breaking point?
I stood panting, bone sword still gripped tightly in my hand, my gaze locked onto the throne itself - imposing, silent, waiting. "Your head is mine," I whispered, words of promise are meant to be kept. Vivian's eyes met mine, her expression unreadable but her magic still humming guardedly around the periphery, constraining the lesser ogres that were being dealt with by Astra.
The ogres leader sat imposingly on the ancient throne, its malevolent eyes gleaming with an unreadable intent as I moved closer, unguarded now the ogres lay down at my feet. "What does it want?" Vivian murmured, her voice low.
The throne itself seemed to loom larger, carved from a single block of black stone veined with crimson streaks like dried blood, it's back rising like a jagged mountain peak adorned with cryptic symbols that whispered secrets to shadow. An eerie silence clung to it - the leader's glaze unnerving, like being sized up for some dark purpose beyond this fight.
Vivian shifted subtly, perhaps sensing the uneasiness creeping up my spine. The ogres' leader eyes didn't blink - were they waiting for something? A move? Or a claim?
My bone sword still gripped tight in my hand, I halted before the throne's steps. Was it any of my action… or provocation? The leader's posture hinted at aggression - yet - more like dominance and anticipation.
What did the ogre leader's see in us?