NOVEL NEXT Ogre Tyrant: Chapter 32 - One must fall - Part Two
Ogre Tyrant: Chapter 32 - One must fall - Part Two
The new dawn had brought two new faces to Stone Well. Apparently having arrived in Sanctuary slightly too late to accompany the Goblins and Serpent-Kin, Captain Gaile and Sergeant Drake had been forced to wait for the Stone Well gateway to recharge and accompany the scheduled delivery of relief supplies.
Sergeant Drake looked to be around fifty or sixty years old, although he showed no signs of letting it slow him down. Relatively short, Drake had a robust wide frame and ropy muscles. Armed and armoured as a rank and file soldier, bearing a shield, spear and shortsword in reserve, the Sergeant was also carrying a large pack practically stuffed full of additional equipment and supplies. The most defining feature of the grizzled old Sergeant was the claw-like scars running down his top lip to the bottom of his chin.
“SIR!” Sergeant Drake snapped a crisp salute and stood at attention once he became aware of my approach.
Alerted by the Sergeant’s cry, Captain Gaile left her own pack on the bench where she had been rearranging its contents and turned about-face to deliver a salute of her own. Although less fervent than Drake, Gaile’s salute had been accompanied by a great deal more curiosity.
Looking to be about forty, Captain Gaile was just about Sergeant Drake’s opposite. She was tall but incredibly lean, almost willowy and perhaps would be without her layers of armour. The only thing the pair had in common was that their hair was clipped short like most other Asrusian soldiers. Scouts like Kestrel and Rooke seemed to be allowed to grow their hair long or were otherwise less motivated in keeping it so.
Like Sergeant Drake, Gaile also carried a spear and had a shortsword as a backup weapon. However, Gaile’s spear was longer and the shaft was thicker, suggesting that it was intended for more distant engagement and being exclusively wielded two-handed.
Both officers had already been promoted to Underlords in preparation for promotion to Overseer. It was a smart move on the part of whoever had made the decision. With their Leadership Classes already active, they wouldn’t waste Exp that otherwise would have gone towards their previous Classes.
A quick inspection revealed they were both level three, something that would change very quickly in the ongoing conflict. Recognising the Sergeant’s Warden Class I almost skipped checking his Class Abilities since I had already seen them before on Lash. Against my better judgement, I spared a moment to check anyway and was profoundly surprised to see that the Retribution Ability had been replaced by Cohesion, an Ability I had not seen yet.
[(Class Ability: Cohesion): {Group} members within range fight with increased awareness of one another's actions regardless of mundane and magical obstructions. {Presence} increases the range of the effect.]
Captain Gaile’s Human Commander Class was a little more interesting. The absence of the Eminence Ability was an interesting development but not unique. On the whole, the Human Commander Class seemed relatively straightforward, and Gaile’s high Presence made the Abilities even more effective.
[(Class Ability: Commander’s Banner): Requires a suitable object to serve as a banner. The effect will end if the banner falls or is claimed by an enemy. The Commander’s Banner grants {Allies} additional Toughness while within range. Maximum number of {Banners} is determined by {Presence} (0:5)]
[(Class Ability: Field Promotion): {Faction} members within range can be awarded one or more {Class Abilities}. Maximum number of {Class Abilities} is determined by {Presence} (0:5).]
[(Class Ability: Brace!): Expend MP to empower nearby {Group} members to deal additional damage based on the enemy’s momentum. {Presence} increases the range and damage of the effect.]
[(Class Ability: Charge!): Expend MP to empower nearby {Group} members with additional momentum. {Presence} increases the range and momentum of the effect.]
“I would prefer to keep things informal outside of official duties,” I waved them both down and waited for them to return to a more casual stance. “I wasn’t expecting you both until we were ready to move on to the fifth floor,” I explained curiously, “What changed?”
“I felt it would be best to make ourselves useful,” Captain Gaile replied crisply, “If we are going to work together Sir, I believe it would be best if we were more familiar with one another’s capabilities.”
Sergeant Drake nodded, “We had orders to provide support, Sir,” he agreed in a gravelly tone, “If we get in the way, just know you can tell us where to go, Sir.”
Gaile briefly scowled at Drake’s final remark, suggesting that it was perhaps a form of military slang.
“Well, as I said, I prefer to keep things casual. While accompanying me, your rank does not entitle you to command others. You are all warriors and nothing more without my endorsement otherwise. Understood?” I demanded sternly. The last thing I wanted was for the officers to cause problems trying to assert and pull rank on one another and the locals.
Gaile and Drake both nodded solemnly.
“In my absence, Osa commands this floor. He is an Overseer and capable of stripping your titles, so be respectful,” I insisted, “However, Osa lacks knowledge of sophisticated military tactics and has limited experience deploying large numbers of warriors. I want you to seek Overseer Osa out in the staging grounds below the mesa and provide what advice you can in order to prepare for the Iron Hills tribe’s next assault.”
“Sir!” Both officers snapped salutes and after gathering their belongings headed for the elevator.
Slowly following along behind them, I planned on spending most of my day helping to construct the second elevator.
The Slavers wagons had been excavated from the moat during the night and repurposed mostly towards providing improvised mobile cover that could be deployed if the Iron Hills used slingers of their own. The most intact wagons had been set aside to serve as the cabs for the new elevators.
Mostly participating in a supervisory role, I was able to direct the work efficiently enough to have the second elevator completed by the early afternoon. Since no boars had been donated, I had to improvise a primitive locking mechanism that would hold the elevator in place while fully raised. Otherwise, the elevator was entirely reliant on manpower to raise and lower the second elevator.
Still very much preferring to use the first elevator, I descended to the staging grounds to review the scout reports. Somewhat unsurprisingly, a dense hedge of thorny briars now encircled the inner ring of the moat. Only a few feet tall, it was obviously intended to serve as an improvised source of cover and to disrupt enemy crossings.
The land bridge had been removed and was replaced by a gatehouse tree that had been grown over the nearest side of the moat and a makeshift drawbridge that could be lowered to allow access across the moat. The planks for the drawbridge had been recycled from a deconstructed wagon bed and were liberally lashed together by thick ropes.
The gatehouse wasn’t the only tree being grown beside the moat. From my vantage on the elevator, I could see at least four others roughly spaced along the moat to serve as watchtowers. I could also feel both Mors’ and Qreet’s mana emanating from beyond my line of sight, so there were likely more trees or other developments being made.
Reaching the bottom of the elevator, I made my way to Osa’s command tent and was surprised for the second time upon finding a number of maps now hanging from the tent walls and draped over a makeshift table. The maps were admittedly quite crude, but they were of a much larger scale than Kestrel’s and focused on the immediate area surrounding Stone Well and the rocky shelf the Iron Hills tribe was taking refuge in.
Assuming that the crude tokens made from carved wood or coloured stones arrayed on the map on the table were likely to depict troop locations, it was curious to see how securely hemmed in the Iron Hills they appeared to be.
“Overlord!” Osa smiled nervously and made his way around the table, “Iss there something I can do for you?”
Alongside Osa’s Lieutenants were Gaile and Drake. The Human officers had been quietly discussing something when I entered but had now grown silent alongside the others.
“Are there any signs of what the Iron Hills tribe are up to?” I asked bluntly.
Osa shook his head, “Sscoutss report only minimal efforts at defencsess, and enemy scouts die before they can be quesstioned.”
“They are using the Soulless as scouts?” I asked if only to confirm my assumptions.
Osa nodded.
“Urgent news!” Kestrel called out from a short distance away, a slight strain in her voice lending credence to her sense of urgency.
Opening the tent flaps, I found Kestrel dismounting her weirdly named bird and dragging off a bound prisoner.
Contrary to my expectations, Kestrel’s prisoner was a Variant. Thoroughly bound and gagged, the Mountain Orc could do nothing but cower in fear as he looked into the faces of the angry warriors gathering nearby.
Grabbing the prisoner by a rope handhold, I dragged him into the tent. After allowing Kestrel into the tent, I gave the warriors outside a displeased glare as a warning before closing the tent flaps. Depositing the prisoner against one of the large beams holding up the tent, I motioned to Kestrel to handle the rest.
Kestrel nodded and set about securely tying the prisoner to the beam. Once she was finished, Kestrel pulled out the prisoner’s gag, “Speak!” She commanded and lowered her right hand slowly towards her backup knife.
The Mountain Orc blanched, “No hurt! Bring message!” The Orc pleaded, “Gargant send message!” He looked insistently down at his rough vest and sash belt.
Without needing to be asked, Kestrel knelt down and patted the Orc down before reaching into his sash and pulling out a crumpled roll of paper. Unrolling the paper, Kestrel quickly scanned the contents before laying it out on the table. “It seems Gargant had one of his Guild prisoners write the message. There is a plea for help from the writer in the corner.”
“What does he want?” I asked sceptically. Best I could guess, Gargant was going to try and leverage his Slaves for some sort of benefit or ceasefire.
Kestrel cleared her throat and quickly read through the message again. “Gargant, undisputed Chief of Iron Hills tribe, offers greetings, great Chief of Stone Well. Strength is wasted in this conflict. Withdraw your warriors, and Gargant will leave your lands. Gargant offers Slaves and females as price. That’s all for that message,” she added before turning her attention to the second message scribbled in the corner. “Please! I beg of you! By all that is good and by all the gods! I don’t want to… And it cuts off there,” Kestrel explained with a grimace.
Drake and Gaile had similar expressions of disgust, but they quickly suppressed them.
I turned my attention to our prisoner, “Which Slaves is Gargant offering?” I asked with a stern expression.
The prisoner gulped, “Gargant have many Slaves. Give Chief many females!” He didn’t seem to understand the question and was just ad libbing from the message.
“Thiss iss a trap,” Osa declared dourly, “Gargant jusst wantss to lure you out! Ensslave you, Overlord!”
That seemed about right. I turned my attention to the bound messenger, “Will Gargant be making this trade himself?”
The messenger trembled and shrugged uncertainly, too scared to speak.
I took a couple of minutes to think things over before coming to a decision and turning my attention back to the messenger, “Tell your master Gargant that I will meet with him.” I expected this to be a trap of some kind, but it also presented an opportunity to eliminate the Iron Hills tribe’s leader. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gargant planned on challenging me for leadership of Stone Well, because I was planning on challenging him myself anyway.
Motioning for Kestrel to take the messenger away, I waited until they were well and truly gone before answering the questioning stares of those who remained. “He will try to kill me, I know that,” I admitted aloud, “The only real question is whether he will attempt it through a challenge for my position, or by ambush. In either case, this is an opportunity to deal with the Iron Hills threat for good. Either way, Gargant will die and the Iron Hills tribe will be left at our mercy.”
Osa nodded in understanding, but he still seemed incredibly nervous.
Gaile seemed much more reserved, “That you are so confident in victory, might be part of this, Gargant’s, trap,” she warned thoughtfully.
“I know,” I agreed, “He is up to something, and all I am sure of is the intended outcome.” I looked to Gaile and Drake for their opinions on the matter, a test of their commitment to my cause.
Drake nodded slowly in agreement, “It is definitely a trap, Sir. But this could work to our advantage,” he looked to Gaile to elaborate, apparently trusting her judgement
Gaile remained quiet for a few moments before nodding in agreement, “The potential gains justify the risks. Attending the negotiations on suitable mounts would be the best means of limiting the risk of being caught in an ambush. In a worst-case scenario, the scouts will be able to provide limited support as well as provide early warning of enemy troop movements. So long as your bodyguards can be trusted, the risks to your person should be quite low.”
”Are you confident of this?” I asked somewhat sceptically, wanting to provoke the Captain a little and test her mettle.
Gaile was quiet and contemplative for a few moments before she met my eyes and nodded determinedly, “As much as I can be with the information provided.” It sounded somewhat like the groundwork for an excuse for if things went wrong, but I had the impression that Gaile was only being honest.
“Alright,” I drummed my fingers on the table and carefully regarded the map, “Gargant, if he attends this meeting in person, will likely have bodyguards of his own. Perhaps even an entire band of Slaves intended to masquerade as part of a good faith ‘payment’ while actually serving as an ambush force…” I wrinkled my brow and tried to make a decision on who I would bring to the meeting.
Osa was out of the question. He was too important for maintaining order in Stone Well. There were a few Warriors that had gained a number of levels in the tournament, but in all likelihood, Gargant’s Taskmasters would be much higher level. Adding to the fact that the Mountain Orcs seemed to be broader and taller than the Desert Orcs, I didn’t particularly like the idea of such a one-sided showing. But then I had another idea.
Gargant would almost certainly look down on humans after enslaving them so easily, and there was no reason for him to be aware of the difference between the monsterfied Humans and those already enslaved. Dhizi would certainly be a welcome addition regardless, which meant bringing Clarice anyway. So why not deliberately tempt Gargant’s machinations with a seemingly weak showing?
“Drake, Gaile, Clarice and Kestrel will serve as my attending bodyguards,” I stated calmly, “If Gargant is planning a trap, he will likely be overconfident after confirming that I am being escorted by ‘humans’,” I air quoted the word to emphasize my meaning.
Osa’s expression immediately reflected his conflicted emotions, but he remained silent.
“We aint got the levels to compensate for much yet, Sir,” Drake advised somewhat cagily, although there was a burning gleam in his eyes that belied a fierce eagerness for the challenge.
“Synergies should help level the playing field, so to speak,” Gaile countered thoughtfully while tapping her chin, “yes, this could work quite well,” she agreed, “The Slaver and Taskmaster Classes are not offensively focused beyond the scope of acquiring and punishing Slaves. So the primary obstacle is the difference in raw physical ability, and they are not so high a tiered monster to have become impervious to skilled counters.”
Drake grunted in agreement.
Clarice wasn’t hard to find. After hearing of the captured prisoner, she had taken a vigil outside in the shade of a nearby tent.
Securing mounts for Drake and Gaile was more difficult and time-consuming. Where just about any of the warriors were eager to allow me to borrow a Hulking Boar for my own use, they were far more leary and downright mutinous over lending them to a Human. In the end, I settled on a compromise, borrowing two Hulking Boars and hitching them to a stripped-down wagon. The owners of the boars weren’t thrilled, but they would have their mounts back by late evening at the latest anyway.
Before setting out, I changed my mind and decided to have Nadine join us as well. There was always the off chance someone would be badly injured, and early treatment of the wounds could make the difference between life and death.
“You are sure about this, right?” Nadine called out from behind Clarice.
“As much as I can be,” I called back and made an effort not to shrug.
We were all dressed for battle and steadily approaching the scouts established perimeter. The general idea was that Gargant’s own scouts would spot our incursion and relay that information to their master.
“Shouldn’t talk,” Clarice warned seriously, “Could bite your tongue!”
Nadine frowned but held her tongue.
Unlike riding a horse, which would jostle the rider up and down, Dhizi predominantly swayed side to side because of her scrambling gait. The direction of the momentum was different, but I could still imagine someone biting their tongue if they weren’t careful.
Drake had insisted upon driving the wagon, so that left Gaile and I sitting in the bed of the wagon and staring off to the west and east respectively. The Sergeant seemed to enjoy the implacable, yet comparatively slow march of the boars. I made a mental note to try and make sure he would receive one of the tamed boars from the Iron Hills tribe after we defeated Gargant.
However, Gaile didn’t seem particularly impressed by the boars at all. In fact, she seemed somewhat queasy and was staring at a fixed point over my shoulder. I could only assume Captain Gaile was experiencing motion sickness, which was something of a surprise given her high rank in the Asrusian military. Historical dramas had me convinced that senior officers would be required to be proficient in riding in order to oversee their troops on the battlefield, so it was somewhat jarring to reconcile with.
As we approached the approximate perimeter maintained by Stone Well’s scouts, Kestrel joined our procession.
“They haven’t sent out anyone since the messenger was taken,” Kestrel reported tensely, “They are definitely up to something.”
“We figured as much,” I agreed and cast a wary eye towards the rocky shelf in the distance, “For all we know, this meeting might be a ploy to allow his forces to break out and assault Stone Well in our absence. But I still think that Gargant is trying to lure me out specifically…” It was a feeling that had grown since leaving the command tent. So far as I knew, Gargant had no true confirmations of my personal strength or intelligence, so it was entirely possible he was plotting under the assumption I was a brutish and stupid Ogre. I had to keep reminding myself not to underestimate him in turn, which only served to justify my mounting paranoia.
There was one thing I was certain of, Gargant was a Slave Master. Somehow the chief of the Iron Hills tribe had acquired the means of Enslaving others and unlocked the Slaver Class. He had then spread it amongst his people and accumulated enough Slaves to unlock the Master tier Class. The only clues I had regarding the Class Abilities of the Slave Master came from the two Abilities that had accompanied transitioning to the Ogre Slave-Breaker Leadership Class.
With that in mind, I assumed Gargant would specialize in massed assaults involving hordes of Slaves under his personal control. Or perhaps have lessened requirements or greater proficiency in Enslaving his targets. In all likelihood, it could even be both. I just had no way of knowing for certain.
“Is there a plan?” Kestrel asked optimistically.
Clarice snickered and adjusted her helmet but otherwise made no comment.
Kestrel sighed dejectedly and warily eyed the surrounding area.
I dismounted the wagon and Gaile followed shortly afterwards, breathing a nearly imperceptible sigh of relief as her feet made contact with the ground.
While we waited for some response to our presence, Nadine made sure everyone drank regularly to avoid overheating in their armour.
After waiting for about an hour, a small procession left the shelter of the rocky shelf and began heading in our direction.
“It’s Gargant,” Kestrel confirmed while looking through her spyglass, “And there are three other large Orcs with him besides.”
“Variants?” I asked, assuming it to be the case but wanting to be sure.
Kestrel frowned, “I think so?” She replied uncertainly, “It’s hard to tell. They all have a similar build and are wearing the same Iron Hills clothing.”
I sighed and decided not to make a big deal out of it. This was my idea, and besides, the silk head wraps and general clothing of the Orcs on this floor made it difficult to tell people apart I was already familiar with, so I couldn’t blame Kestrel for not being able to differentiate three strangers at this distance.
As they drew closer, it was impossible not to notice Gargant’s confidence. He alone sat astride a Hulking Boar while the three other Orcs followed behind him in a short ragged line. Gargant was taking his time, seemingly unconcerned by his earlier request to be allowed to leave in peace and now attempting to establish dominance through delaying our meeting as much as possible. This only further raised my suspicions regarding his motives, and I found I wasn’t the only one furtively checking the nearby surroundings for signs of a trap.
The fact that we had chosen the meeting ground was not as comforting as it should have been in the circumstances. The longer I watched Gargant, the more certain I became that he was deliberately delaying in order to allow for an unseen ally to move into position. Yet the only signs of movement on the horizon came from our own fast-moving scouts.
Dhizi gave the first warning, suddenly growing anxious and shifting her footing.
Feeling a faint vibration coming from the ground beneath my bare feet, I pulled out my club without hesitating. “FROM BELOW!” I roared.
The ground in front of the Hulking Boars erupted in a cascade of sand, dirt and stones, partially concealing the giant armoured lizard’s maw that darted forward to bite the boars.
Unfortunately for the giant lizard, the boars knew no fear and leapt forward in a counter-charge of their own, tusks and teeth ripping viciously into the lizard’s neck and jaw.
Bleeding profusely and stunned by the onslaught, the lizard reacted too slowly to defend itself and was quickly savaged into submission. However, two more giant lizards, each as large as the Hulking Boars, clambered over their shuddering kin to take their turn at pressing the attack.
Still seated on the wagon, Drake drove his spear into one of the lizard’s eyes, buying the left boar enough time to counter-attack.
A flash of mana from Gaile washed over our party and I felt an energizing effect settle into my body. Leaping forward, I brought my club crashing down the rightmost lizard’s neck.
*Crack*
The thick armoured scales cracked and shattered beneath the force of the blow while the giant lizard spasmed.
Feeling a number of familiar presences on the periphery of my senses, I brought my full will bearing down on them.
Gargant’s procession came to an abrupt halt as an intense pain took hold of my mind. Gargant had brought slaves for his ambush, and they seemed to be under his personal control.
As the pain settled on my mind, I stepped back towards the relative safety of the group.
While our battle of wills continued, another giant lizard climbed out of the hole and into the ongoing melee.
All at once, the pressure and pain in my mind evaporated and ten Slaves entered my control. Momentarily unbalanced, I sent a mental command demanding the Slaves halt their attack.
The giant lizards immediately grew still, providing only token ineffectual resistance to Drake and the pair of boar’s attacks.
Sections of ground on our other flanks gave way to more giant lizards that meekly grouped a short distance away. Shortly afterwards, disheveled human men and women climbed out of the holes. Their clothes were torn and filthy, and there was a telling haunted look in their eyes.
Not even waiting to confirm if it was safe to do so, Nadine hurriedly dismounted Dhizi and rushed towards the closest group so she could provide them aid.