Chapter 23: The Ambush II

Once again, the ogre only winced in pain, but didn't make any sound to show that it was hurt. As soon as it tried to move, however, it found the mobility on that leg completely destroyed, collapsing to one knee. Rynne didn't contemplate anything as she lunged forward while his head was down to check the condition of his leg. She finished him with a swift thrust to the chest.

"Keep moving!" she yelled, her voice fierce. "Don't let them pin you down!"

…

Lance watched from his vantage point, his chest tight with frustration. He wanted to be out there, fighting alongside them, but he knew his limitations. He lacked the strength and agility for such battles, and his presence on the battlefield would only slow them down.

Instead of bothering himself with the thought, he focused on the bigger picture, scanning the battlefield for opportunities to tip the odds further in their favor. He spotted an ogre breaking away from the main group, heading toward a cluster of goblins who were setting up another trap to accommodate the changed on the battlefield.

"Zarra!" Lance hissed, pointing toward the lone ogre.

Zarra nodded, seemingly disappearing into the shadows and greens around. Moments later, she reappeared behind the ogre, her dagger flashing in the dim light. With a swift, calculated strike, she severed the tendons in his leg, sending him crashing to the ground. With little to no wasted motion, she wrapped her daggers around his throat, and in one strike, created a deep cut into his neck that gushed out blood.

"Nice work," Lance muttered, though he doubted Zarra could hear him. Once she did that, she stepped back into the bushes and disappeared again.

Kaeli, armed with a massive hammer she had forged herself, joined the fray, her powerful swings sending shockwaves through the air. She aimed for the ogres' weapons, smashing them apart with surprising efficiency.

Mira, though not a fighter, moved between the wounded goblins, her healing magic and concoctions keeping them in the fight. For those she could not reach, there was a dedicated team put in place to move the injured to her.

…

The battle raged on, the forest echoing with the clash of weapons and the roars of the ogres. One by one, the traps were sprung, further whittling down the enemy's numbers and weakening them as time went on. After several minutes of intense fighting, the poison had begun to take effect, and the ogres were becoming weaker, their movements and attacks sluggish, giving the less powerful goblins opportunities to deliver the finishing blows.

With more than half of the ogre forces killed, and the rest either poisoned or worn-down, Rynne faced off against the ogre leader. He towered over her, his scarred face twisted into a snarl as he swung his massive club.

"You finally stopped running, little goblin?" he growled.

Rynne grinned, her golden eyes gleaming. "I wasn't just running; I was being strategic."

Without wasting another breath, she darted forward, narrowly avoiding the ogre's spiked club as it crashed into the ground with enough force to shake the earth, completely crushing a large root that grew out. Before he could recover himself from the missed attack, Rynne drove her spear into his leg, the sharp tip piercing through his bare skin where there was no armour.

The leader roared, swinging his club wildly, but Rynne was already behind him. She had struck his knee with that strike, ensuring that the rest of their fight would be hard fought on his part more than hers.

Disregarding the pain and constant cracking of the joint, the leader didn't look immobilized as he charged towards Rynne, raining down a series of coordinated and practiced attacks that gave Rynne no room to escape. She managed to dodge and block to the best of her ability, but each block was as heavy as a log crashing into her body, the final one sending her flying into the trunk of a tree, spitting out a handful of blood.

The Ogre leader turned and moved towards her, but felt his leg give out a bit. Ignoring the signs, he stomped his leg into the ground and kept moving towards her to finish her off.

Out of the shadows and dense coverage, Rikka and Zarra rushed towards the ogre leader with all their speed. Rikka struck first, targeting the leader's head, but he effortlessly blocked her attack. Before he could counter, Zarra struck the same knee Rynne had attacked, completely taking away the mobility in it, but even then, the ogre refused to fall.

Swinging its arm in a wide arc, it managed to force the two goblins back before aiming its spiked club towards Rynne, throwing it with enough force to crush her skull on impact. Unluckily for him, Rynne was able to act fast, moving out of the club's trajectory and grabbing her spear again with renewed vigor.

Rikka and kaeli rushed to the ogres sides, grabbling onto its hands with all their might and pulling it, to hold it in place. Zarra even attacked its other leg, but even then, the ogre refused to fall.

Rynne moved behind the ogre, and with a powerful leap, climbed onto his back, driving her weapon into his shoulder.

The ogre staggered a bit, for the first time, his legs almost giving up as his injuries took their toll. Finally, with a final cry, using her entire body and strength, Rynne drove her spear deeper into the ogre's shoulder and through his chest, the force of the blow sending him crashing to the ground.

Even then, the ogre was still alive, but not interested in whatever it had to say, Zarra dug into its throat in a bloody manner, and took out a sizable chunk.

The remaining ogres fell one after the other, until there was nothing left.

"We've won." Lance said, watching the scene before his eyes, almost in disbelieve.

"VICTORY IS OURS!" Rynne called, her voice carrying over the clearing.

The goblins roared, their cries of victory echoing through the trees and savage battleground.

As the adrenaline began to fade from him, Lance climbed down from his perch, his legs trembling with relief.

"You did it," Lia said, approaching him with a rare smile.

"No," Lance replied, his gaze sweeping over the exhausted but victorious goblins. "I barely did anything, you all did this. You deserve this victory."

Though Lia looked with a somber gaze at Lance, she didn't say anymore.

Rynne approached, her spear resting on her shoulder. "Not bad for a bunch of goblins, huh?"

"Not bad at all," Lance said, his smile widening. "I saw you spit a huge pool of blood, go get checked by Mira."

Rynne's grin grew as she puffed out her chest, "that was nothing, a small reaction, nothing mo – bleh…" she coughed a bit of blood again.

"Rynne!" Lia panicked.

Lance smiled lightly as he left to bring Mira, "sureee. I'll call Mira myself."

As the tribe began to regroup, tending to their wounded and repairing their camp, Lance couldn't help but feel a bit of pride. They had faced a powerful enemy and emerged stronger. That alone, was a big achievement.