Chapter 86: Behemoth

The creatures native to this strange land had proven to be both abnormally large and sufficiently intelligent.

So it came as no surprise that Ra had to implement tactics to entrap the creature he wished to hunt.

Ra had dug a deep pit, numerous wooden spikes were embedded in the ground inside it and he now hid in the underbrush, quietly breathing through his nose. He caught a flash of movement in the corner of his eye and his neck snapped in its direction, "It's fast!" he held his breath, watching for any sign of movement. it moved again, the blue leaves covering the pile of dead branches gave way. There was a crash, and a high pitched squeal was emitted from the pit. Ra dashed over, the creature was in a pathetic state, rich blue blood gushed from its wounds like small geysers. Ra grabbed a sharpened branch and plunged it deep into the behemoth's chest, silence descended in the clearing once more.

Ra carefully retrieved the corpse of the behemoth from the pit, grabbing it by the fat gray fur around its neck, the rest of the fur was white and much shorter than the hair about its neck, as such this was the easiest spot to grab it by.

Ra more or less half dragged, half carried the creature back to the village, as it was so large, much bigger than he.

When he appeared before the Ogres he was immediately surrounded by a crowd of salivating Ogres, their tusks dripping in anticipation.

Ra wasted no time using the axe to skin the beast, taking care not to damage the gorgeous coat of fur as he extracted the meat.

Ra quickly dissected the undesirable parts of the beasts, burying it outside the village and covering it with dirt.

After a few hours he had the remains of the great beast speared on a stick roasting above a massive fire.

The Ogres kept close watch over the spit of meat, the flames flickering in their hungry eyes.

Ra spoke as he worked, rotating the spit, he knew they couldn't understand him but it seemed to have a calming effect.

He explained the process, why he removed the parts he did, and how to properly cook the meat.

Soon the meat was a beautiful golden brown, and a rich aroma filled the air.

The Ogres crowded around the spit even as Ra doused the fire.

There were at least 200 Ogres present, the beast was more than enough to feed them all.

Ra indicated to them to dig in. The scene that followed was remarkable, they were not savages, they didn't fight, Ra watched in astonishment as they came up one by one and removed a portion of meat for themselves before stepping away to eat quietly by themselves.

When they each had had their fill, most of them returning for seconds and thirds, they were in much greater spirits than when he had first arrived, they made their way to the river licking their fingers chatting in that strange language.

Ra rested on the ground beside the smoldering remains of the fire, The challenge this time was quite extensive, incorporating multiple elements.

For one, he knew this must be a test of leadership, but it was more than that. He recalled Mlewyn's words, "Teach them to rely on themselves..." on themselves...Ra's thoughts were interrupted as he sensed the presence of the 200 Ogres, they currently surrounded him.

Ra allowed himself a wry grin, "So this is it then? the true test?" but no, as one the Ogres dropped to their knees, their skin sagging and swinging in the wind.

"Kovergn..." one spoke, The other Ogres nodded and Ra heard them begin to repeat this strange word.

"Kovergn!" Their voices grew stronger, rising powerfully as more Ogres joined in the chant.

"Kovergn!"

The Ogres were in a huge crowd now but their ranks suddenly broke to allow a smaller, thinner Ogre to proceed unhindered, female, but old. All of the Ogres had straw yellow hair, but this one had hair like silken strands of gold which Ra found to be surprising as it was quite the anomaly.

The Ogres weren't an ugly race, in fact, most of them could be considered quite handsome, they bore distinct resemblances to High Humans apart from their greater size and protruding tusks, so when the old female laid her hands on his face, Ra did not flinch away.

She began to chant,

"Ellsnr ur plen oh Kovergn..." she intoned softly, and like a crash of thunder the Ogres repeated her chant,

"ELLSNR UR PLEN OH KOVERGN!"

"Ri Ao Na." she continued softly.

"RI AO NA!" The Ogres shouted and like a wave atop the ocean they surged forth to lift Ra to the sky.

"Kovergn, Kovergn, Kovergn!" they chanted roaring into the night.

Ra could not help his smile as their massive hands supported him in the air, He held no reservations for fear that they may drop him, and instead lost himself fully in the moment.

The next morning, Ra gathered a group of Ogres to inspect the surrounding land, his reasoning was simple, they could not hunt the beasts of the land to death, they would need to plant and grow their food. Also, he wished to discover any potential threats in the surrounding areas that may disrupt his plans.

He found two, in the south were Orcs, far more advanced in technology, already wielding spears and bows as well as having tamed several behemoths they could ride into battle, Ra counted at least four. However, he couldn't say for sure they did not have others, for now at least they seemed to be unaware of their presence. Ra made plans to establish deterrents to their invasion. The other threat he had found was more immediate, a blight horde, creatures of darkness that corrupted everything they touched. Ra witnessed with his own eyes as the ground crumbled to dust beneath their steps.

"This..." Ra was not yet ready to give up, personally, he could eradicate this horde with little effort, but Mlewyn's words had left a great impression on him, he knew there must be a good reason to cause him to say that.

"Teach them to rely on themselves." Ra nursed a small headache as he thought of this point, he couldn't allow those creatures within ten yards of the Ogres, otherwise, why even bother, they'll be destroyed before they get the chance to deliver an attack! Seeing no other path forward, Ra decided to teach them to fight, but first, they would need magic.

"This world must have a source," he thought reasonably as he racked his brains. The problem lay in the lack of a library or any means of communication between he and the Ogres.

Having no other alternative, he could only set out with his 200 Ogres for a quest to discover the root of magic in this land.

Before he left he placed a powerful barrier around the Ogre settlement, preventing any beast or creature from coming close.

Ra soon learned that this land was home to many residents of various species and many different races. Some were even so advanced that they made the Orcs look like a disorganized band of ruffians.

Suddenly, Ra held a concept in his mind that encompassed far more than what he had originally planned.

He stationed the Ogres outside, concealed beneath a barrier and entered the towering city alone.

Ra had hardly taken two steps into the city when upon seeing the race that inhabited it, he gasped as he shook his head unwilling to believe his eyes, "These are myths..." he whispered.