Diamondlot

Berserk

It caught all their attention and stopped all their bickering. The ogre came swinging at any human that came within its sight. Everyone dispersed to get out of range from the ogre’s devastating attacks, everyone except for Reina. Her left leg got stuck in the mud and she couldn’t pull her leg out. Seeing an easy target, the ogre approached Reina lifting its arm, readying to strike.

The hammer came slamming down on Reina but thankfully the attack was blocked by the combined efforts of Aaryav and Ranak. They placed their shields in front of the hammer to save Reina. As they were holding back the attack with all their strength, Nadya and Jiyah jumped in to help. Nadya grabbed her left arm and Jiyah the right arm, and together they pulled Reina out of the mud.

Right as the three girls escaped the line of battle, the ogre overpowered both Ranak and Aaryav, tossing them aside. The ogre turned towards them to finish them off but a rock was thrown right on its head, and once again the ogre redirected its focus on the person who provoked it, Jiyah. As the creature was charging towards Jiyah, Nadya came to the royal guards and asked them if they were still able to fight.

Ranak and Aaryav were shocked that the two girls were now helping them. Nadya replied, “You both just want to protect Reina, so do Jiyah and I. We can do this together.” Aaryav and Ranak pull themselves up and agree to fight alongside Nadya.

Although the ogre was strong, his movements were slow, which meant Jiyah was able to dodge all its attacks with ease. Once she stalled enough time, Nadya jumped into battle and swung her swords at the beast. Her swords clashed against its hammer knowing full well she wouldn’t be able to overpower her foe. Thankfully it was all part of the plan as she was distracting the beast long enough for Aaryav and Ranak to strike.

She was holding her own until she lost her footing on the slippery swamp. The ogre seeing this as an opportunity, gathered all its strength for one massive swing. Nadya couldn’t move but thankfully, Jiyah was quick enough to jump in and grab her out of harm’s way. The hammer slammed into the swampy ground but missed both Jiyah and Nadya.

As it was about to gather its weapon back, Aaryav and Ranak jumped out from hiding and drove their spears into the back of the Ogre’s legs, one on the right and the other on the left. The ogre cried out in pain, filled with immense anger. It swung its arm hitting both the royal guards and sending them falling on the ground. It then picked up its hammer with both its hands and slammed it on the ground causing a shockwave, knocking Jiyah and Nadya down.

It was preparing to repeat its attack until Ishaan threw a multitude of poison darts right at the neck of the beast, causing it to become dizzy before dropping its head on the ground and closing its eyes. Aaryav, Ranak, Nadya, and Jiyah were relieved as the ogre was no longer a threat but while they were busy battling the orge, Eshaan had captured Reina.

The Eishaans plan worked like a charm. They allowed the four warriors to waste their energy fighting the ogre and while they were distracted, Eshaan captured Reina with ease. They made sure the four warriors exhausted all their energy and Ishaan would save his poison needles to stop the ogre for an easy escape. Now the Eishaans could receive their reward from the king and queen. Eshaan’s mouth was beginning to water from thinking about all the junk food he could buy with the money they would claim.

Reina was tied up and struggling to break free but it was no use. The Eishaans were ready to depart but as they were about to leave, they heard a sound coming from the ogre. They were in disbelief as the brute began to pick itself up but this time, its eyes began to glow red, ready to go berserk.

The ogre stormed towards the Eishaans, preventing them from escaping. They had to change their plans, Eshaan directed Ishaan to take their captive away while he fought the angry ogre himself. Ishaan carried Reina away as Eshaan stuck around, drawing his halberd from his back, to fight his opponent.

Ishaan snuck into the ogre’s home, and threw Reina onto the ground while he looked out the window to see how Eshaan was fairing. Reina was still unable to break free but as she was struggling to break loose, she began to look around the home of the ogre. It was filled with a bunch of books throughout the room and tons of parchment with ink writing on them. It was nothing that she expected as she had always been told stories about how gruesome and smelly the ogre race was.

After she had a good look around in the room, she called out to Ishaan, “What are you doing? Aren’t you going to help your partner?” Ishaan laughed, “You don’t know mercenaries too well do you? We fight for money, and we don’t always get along with one another.” Sadness fell upon Reina’s face as she felt bad for Ishaan. “Besides, Eshaan has been in many fights against strong people, he can handle himself against that...” before he could finish his sentence, a loud impact was heard just outside from the hut. Ishaan looked out the opening and below the window he saw Eshaan lying on the ground heavily injured.

“Eshaan!” Ishaan rushed to his accomplice. Although he was very weak, he found the strength to speak, “We drastically underestimated this creature’s strength, he’s way too strong. Go, run! Save yourself!” The ogre came walking towards the two mercenaries. Normally, Ishaan would run as he had been trained his whole life to do. But something came about him this time that made him act against his normal impulse. He pulled out his poison darts, and began to throw them at the monstrous foe. The darts made direct contact against the ogre but its skin was way tougher than most humans and they had no effect.

Realizing scoundrel tactics weren’t going to work, Ishaan drew out his two maces and engaged the enemy with all his might. He ran and leaped towards his foe with fervor but the ogre swatted him aside with its left arm. It then picked up Ishaan and threw them on the ground near where Eshaan was lying. The two mercenaries that had once caused Nadya, Jiyah, and Reina so much trouble were easily defeated by this ogre. The ogre slowly advanced towards the defenseless mercenaries, ready to finish them off.

Back in the ogre’s home, Reina was still stuck in a bind but she could hear footsteps of the creature outside. She kept wriggling around to see if she could loosen the knot but to no avail. After tiring out, she heard a faint noise coming from the rooftops, slowly descending down to where she was. Nadya and Jiyah had appeared to break her free. Jiyah ran towards the door to see the situation outside while Nadya used one of her swords to cut Reina loose.

Jiyah and Nadya were ready to leave but Reina stood still. The two rescuers were confused but Reina wasn’t going to leave the mercenaries to die. Jiyah on the other hand was completely fine leaving the two goons behind. Nadya spoke up, “We are not strong enough to take that beast on. Even with the royal guards we didn’t stand a chance. I’m sorry Reina but I don’t think we can fight that thing.” Reina replied, “We don’t need to fight.” Nadya and Jiyah looked at her confused. “Just give me a chance to communicate with the creature.” The two girls' eyes blew wide open, looking at Reina as if she had gone mad. They were completely against the idea but Reina continued to plead to them.

“Sigh, fine. You get one try at this.” Jiyah told her. Reina leapt with joy and gave them a gigantic bear hug. “But as soon as we notice that it's not working, we are leaving right away!” Nadya demanded. Reina agreed to their terms and she turned toward the entrance to meet the ogre.

The ogre now stood before the Eishaans who were lying on the ground. It began to lift its maul, preparing to slam it down with all its might. As it breathed, Reina caught the attention of the ogre by calling out. The creature lowered its weapon and began to turn his attention to where Reina stood. It bent down on one knee and began to speak in a low voice, “What is a human doing in my home? You will be punished severely for your actions!” Nadya and Jiyah jumped to their feet ready to save Reina but she held out her hand, telling them to wait.

“They are good!” Reina complimented. The ogre was befuddled as it wasn’t sure what she was talking about. “Your writing, I saw some of them while I was thrown in here by one of the mercenaries.” she continued. “What does a feeble human know about writing?” questioned the ogre. Reina was nervous but she reached into her pockets to unfold some of the drawings she had been working on through her journey.

“I know drawing and writing aren’t the same but I can understand and appreciate the effort you put into your work.” The Ogre took a look at her drawings before continuing to move towards Reina with its weapon in hand. Nadya and Jiyah were once again ready to act but as they continued to watch, they saw the ogre walk right past Reina and into his home.

Immediately, Nadya and Jiyah got out of the way and hid behind whatever furniture they could find. Reina followed the ogre back inside and found that it had put aside its weapon. It’s red eyes had disappeared and he gathered up some of the papers from his table and brought it back for Reina to see. As Reina was reading some of the writing, the ogre began to share it’s story.

“My name is Birkaran and I am part of a race known as the ogres. We once roamed these lands in great numbers and with pride seeing other races are inferior to ours. That is, until the rise of Dragkonis. Seeing our tribe as a threat to his rule, he destroyed my brethren without remorse. I was the lone survivor among my entire clan. I tried to find shelter throughout the realm but everywhere I went I was rejected, mostly by humans. I was an outcast wherever I went until I found the swamps you are now in. It was dark times being alone with no one to relate to but thankfully I found solace in writing. That has kept me going this entire time.”

After hearing his story, Nadya and Jiyah finally began to understand the ogre. His berserk came from the hatred he harboured from all the years from losing his comrades mixed with the feeling of rejection from others. But Reina managed to subside the beast’s anger through her sincere heart.

Reina began to speak to Birkaran, “Dragkonis truly is a monster without a soul. My friends and I are looking to defeat him but we will require your assistance.” Birkaran was perplexed by what the girl had said, “I’m sorry I don’t think I can face Dragkonis.” Reina replied, “You don’t have to fight him. We just need safe passage through your swamp in order to reach the Barren Wastelands.”

The ogre walked around before answering her, “No one has ever been able to fully defeat Dragkonis before. He is a dangerous foe and feared by all creatures. Knowing this, you still wish to proceed and fight?” Thoughts began rushing to Reina’s head, she took a deep breath to clear her mind, before responding, “Yes, I have a friend who needs us, and I won’t let her down.” Birkaran looked down but he knew there was nothing he could say to change the girl’s mind. He granted passage for Reina and her friends to walk through his swamp in order to reach the Barren Wasteland. And before they parted ways, Birkaran thanked Reina for reading some of his work.