The Ogre

"Please! I'll take anything! Anything you have to offer, I'll take!"

The man looked Aurelie over like livestock, weighing the value of his scraps.

"You think food comes free? Why would I give a washed up whore like you scraps that I can fatten my hogs with? Now do as I said and get!"

Her eyes stayed glued to the morsels of stringy chewed fat and bread crumbs on the man's plate, ignoring the man's insult. When was the last time she'd had anything in her stomach besides grass and water? It had taken all her courage to enter the man's shack after seeing the door open. A moment of reckless desperation.

"Y-You… I'll do anything. Just please…"

A glint in the man's eye sent a chill colder than the northern air up Aurelie's spine. She hadn't meant it THAT way. She was just so hungry…

"Hmph. Who would want a scraggly thing like you," the man huffed. The conflict within the man was palpable. Maybe he wasn't as awful as he acted.

"Then—"

The wooden plate soared past Aurelie's head and hit the door, sending the remnants of the man's meal across the floor. No. He was just awful.

"You have ten seconds to lick it up before I throw you out."

My stomach was a twisted dishrag. Another dream, this time closer to the present. Memories of everything the once pampered Lady Scelerat had endured after her exile. I tried to swallow it down. I hated having to relive her memories, to feel emotionally and physically everything she had.

Even though I know it's not real, it's still the worst. She tried so hard, and for what? Why was she trying to reach Purga? Because it was the only place she would be free of the empire? Between the monsters and bandits… and it wasn't like the Exiled would have any reason to help her.

I shook my head, trying to make sense of it when the house began to shake around me.

"Yahime?" My blood raced. An earthquake?

"kyomi… trouble outside…"

Of course there was. I threw my blanket off of me and slipped on my boots before reaching into Yahime to retrieve one of my last spears. If the trouble was enough to shake an entire house, I doubted it was something benign.

"Let's go."

***

"Playtime's over, beasties!"

Ajax's voice boomed in the morning twilight and the ground shook again. I joined the group of villagers gathering around the wooden gate, readying my weapon beside them. Some of the logs had already splintered, a jaw breaking feat given it was made of trees Stonewood got its name from. Petrified trees frozen by the below freezing temperatures and as hard as stone. Even Yahime had difficulty cutting through them.

"What's going on?" I asked Lucinda and Taro at the front of the crowd.

"That brute, Ajax, is trying to break down the gate alone," Taro growled. "We tried to push him back with arrows, but they just bounced off!"

"The gate won't hold forever," Lucinda said. "And we've gathered everyone who can fight. What about you and Lady Yahime?"

"Lady?"

The deafening crack of wood stopped Lucinda from answering and we all stared as mammoth arm reached through the damaged segment.

"Yahime!"

Growing to her natural size, Yahime flitted forward, slashing at the man's arm. Blood dripped onto the ground from the gash her strike created, but it didn't do anything to dissuade the man. On the contrary, he used the opportunity to grab Yahime's arm and a moment later he was pulling her against the damaged gate like a reverse battering ram. I thrust my spear into his wounds to try and stop him and it stuck. Only to be broken when he yanked Yahime forward again.

What the hell is this guy made of?!

I tried to formulate a plan —any plan— while the wood creaked against the Yahime jackhammer Ajax had created. Yahime was trying to free herself, but every time she tried to strike, she was thrown against the gate again, creating a loop that was slowly but surely bringing the gate down. For the first time, the same was true of Yahime's health bar.

"Just destroy the gate!" I ordered.

"You can't!" Taro protested. "If he gets in, he'll kill us all!"

"The gate is going to fall either way! Getting Yahime free so she can help fight is more important."

I gave Lucinda a pleading stare and she nodded.

"Everyone help cut the lashings! We're no match for that ogre and our best chance at survival is trusting Lady Yahime and Kyomi!"

The villagers jumped into action at the elder's orders, sawing at the thick ropes binding the logs of the gate together. They didn't need to try hard; each weakened rope snapped when Yahime slammed against the gate until it finally gave way.

Heavy logs collapsed forward, battering and crushing down on Ajax. A single piece was enough to crush the average person into a wet stain. Ajax merely shrugged them off. The only positive was that he released Yahime.

With her arm free, she stumbled backward to my side and I clenched my teeth when I saw her arm. It was hanging on by a thread and though it was healing, it was healing at a snail's pace.

"Fire!"

Lucinda's aged voice boomed in the morning air as a dozen arrows flew over my head. They peppered Ajax. They didn't do much, if anything. If anything they seemed to empower him.

I don't stand a chance, but if I don't do anything to buy Yahime time, we'll die. She's already lost a quarter of her health. Wait!

It was idiotic. How had I forgotten that I wasn't just another average person?

[HEALING TOUCH]!

A soft glow covered my hands and I pressed them against Yahime's injured arm. As her health climbed, the wound healed. Enough that when the giant battle axe bore down on me, Yahime could swat it away.

The parry caught Ajax off guard, and I used the moment to pull another spear from Yahime and stab at the man's face. Even if he was tough, his eyes were still vulnerable.

"Nice try, girly."

Ajax grinned, opening his mouth wide in the moment my spear came into range. His teeth clamped down on the tip of my spear, shattering it.

"You think you can kill me like that?" He spit out the shards of metal and let out a roaring laugh that rattled me to my bones. "Just wait your turn. You'll join this thing in a moment."

His hand clamped around Yahime's neck and despite the fact she was taller than he was, he lifted into the air. She didn't kick or struggle beyond digging her dagger claws into his skin. She'd already shredded the skin on his arm enough to expose muscle and bone, yet he acted like he didn't notice.

"You're a curious one. Maybe I'll keep you rather than kill you."

Swiping my status menu open at a frantic pace, I opened Yahime's tab, hoping and praying to find anything that could help.

"Use [BESTIAL TRANSFORMATION]!"

It had never worked before and I had no reason to think it would work this time. But we had to try anything and everything.

White halo eyes flickered at my command and a spark of hope ignited in my chest when Yahime's black skin pulsed. Even Ajax was caught off guard and he threw Yahime away when black spikes pierced his hand.

Shadowy flames engulfed the Dusk once she hit the ground, thawing the frosted ground around her. Large spines grew and shrank on her hunched back and though she didn't stand on all fours, she leaned forward enough that her hands brushed the ground.

A primal, hissing scream rang through the air as Yahime reeled back, her body bulging while massive tumors spread over her. It was beautifully grotesque; perfect for fighting a monster.