“BLIND DAMNIT! BLIND!”

The ogre stopped running, stumbling a few steps, and waved its swords randomly at nothing.

Max's options were limited, and He knew he had no choice. Fowl was going to die if he didn’t do something.

“AIR WALL IT! WAIT TILL BLIND DROPS! EARTH WALL IT! KEEP IT BLOCKED FROM FOWL! ”

Max wasn’t sure if the other casters would work together or even do what he asked, but there wasn’t a moment to lose.

Running up behind the boss, he activated Stealth and thrust the halberd at the ogre’s right hip. He prayed what he was attempting would work. Its back was covered by chainmail that hung down over its arse.

As the tip pierced through those links, Max felt a little bit of hope, watching the blade slide through the metal that protected the boss’s hip, driving into the tender flesh and feeling it touch the joint he was aiming for.

Max felt a sword coming for him as a crack filled the air.

A wall of earth appeared, but the blade smashed through it unimpaired and slammed into the shaft of his halberd.

The force of the blow yanked Max’s weapon free from the ogre’s leg while sending the halberd crashing against his chest.

Time seemed to stop, and the next thing Max recalled was the pain in his chest and lungs. His right arm hurt, and his left arm was broken.

Trying to move, Max realized most of his body wasn’t working.

[ Regeneration ]

Blood came up as he coughed. He felt the bones shifting in his arms and hands, letting him know he had broken more than he had initially thought.

During all this, Max could only watch Fowl’s health bar.

When Max could finally use his arms again, he wiped the blood from his face. He felt the chainmail against his eyes but didn't care as he frantically cleared his vision.

Fowl stood thirty yards away. Still alive somehow. The boss was under attack from every mage and archer, and a group of warriors were working together to keep it at bay.

Max took his first deep breath in a while since being struck and saw why they were winning.

The ogre’s right leg wasn’t working. It hadn’t shattered as he had hoped, but something must have been injured so that the ogre could no longer walk.

Scanning the area, Max searched for his halberd. It was time to end this, and he would be the one to do it.

That’s right… you want this kill… you need this kill…

Shut up! If you won’t help without some unreasonable request, just shut it!

He ran for his halberd, moving further away from Fowl and the others. Max almost dropped the weapon just as he picked it up when he heard the voice speak again.

Very well. Consider this a gift to show I can be generous when I wish to.

A cold sensation flowed through him, and Max blinked as a notification appeared.

[ Power Strike Available ]

“About damn time,” Max growled as he ran toward the fight.

Max looked at Tanila as he returned and raised his halberd, giving her the signal they had worked out before.

She raised both hands, and he saw a smile on her face.

Here, covered in sweat with everyone exhausted from the fight, she smiled, and it filled him with something he hadn’t believed was possible.

They could do this. They could hold back the horde.

His legs churned, every bit of his strength driving him toward the creature he needed to defeat.

When Max was ten yards away from the ogre, he saw a stone wall forming, angled as Tanila knew he needed it.

Fury flowed through him. Max wished he could attack this way from the front to see the ogre’s eyes as he killed it.

Every ounce of power he had flowed through his legs, hips, and arms as he swung his halberd and used the gift his skill had given him.

[ Power Strike ]

The placement was perfect. The blade glowed as it sliced just slightly above the ogre’s shoulder. When the axe connected with the ogre’s neck armor, the same power that had killed Brunhilde killed it.

Max stumbled and fell from the momentum of the swing. Tumbling off the stone platform, Max rolled and stood up in time to see the ogre’s head landing on the dirt in the field.

He saw something in its dead eyes staring at him and wide open jaw with massive teeth. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Shock.

Max realized he was staring into the eyes of something that believed it couldn’t be killed by the enemy it was facing.

In those fading dark eyes, he saw himself.

Do I walk that same line? Believing nothing can kill me? That everythi–

That last thought was interrupted when Max was knocked to the ground. It felt like a blizzard had encased him in ice as a cold far deeper than any he had ever felt roared through him.

[ 6 Strength Consumed ]

[ 6 Constitution Consumed ]

[ Consume has Consumed a Higher Rank Skill ]

[ Berserker - Common has been upgraded to Berserker - Uncommon ]

[ Consume has Consumed a Higher Rank Skill ]

[ Dual Wield- Common has been upgraded to Dual Wield- Rare ]

Max stumbled as he rose, his body betraying him as it struggled to handle the shock.

“Everyone to us!”

Max recognized Fowl’s voice as he shouted.

He heard and sensed everyone as they moved to where he was. He looked up and saw his dwarven friend moving past the creature that had just fallen to his weapon. Fowl snatched the head and deposited it into his storage.

“Get up! We've got to shift!” Fowl shouted at Max as he turned to check on the other groups approaching them.

Using his halberd for support, Max stood. He could see the looks the others were giving him. The healers looked tired, as did the mages.

Arrows continued to rain down upon the ogres that, chasing adventurers, moved from the circle that began flanking their rear.

“We need to stay! There isn’t a place to defend, and soon, another wave will come, pinning us between them!” Diagon yelled at Fowl. “You’re going to get us all killed!”

Finally, on his feet, Max saw that only half of those present when the six groups had joined up remained. Most of the warriors were gone. Besides Max, only Fowl, Asher, Nuala, and one other warrior remained.

Over ten ogres were coming at them, and Max could tell that the healers would soon run out of mana.

“Listen!” Max shouted, cutting off Fowl, who was about to respond to Diagon. “We have one chance! We cut a path and run! We can get to the city, fight there, and see if any others are able to help!”

As he yelled, Max pointed at Nuala and Fowl. “You two, outer edges. Me and the other two warriors will lead. I’ll drop back when we break through. Mages stop every ogre you can and then burn down the three in the middle. Archers, don’t leave any skills unused!”

Diagon was about to reply when an arrow flew past him from one of the archers near Max. A roar sounded behind him, and when Diagon spun around, he saw an arrow embedded in the eye of an ogre racing toward him.

“Go now!”

Max didn’t wait. As he ran, he smiled at Tanila. He could see she was exhausted, but her smile helped him press on.

Fowl and Nuala moved instantly, as did Asher, who came running on Max’s heels. The other warrior was only a few steps behind as everyone, but Diagon, obeyed the man who had just killed the ogre they all knew that would have slaughtered them all.

“Wait!” Diagon shouted as they all rushed past him, the mage seemingly confused at the change in leadership.

Max cursed as he ran past the man, who couldn’t seem to see there was only one option left. Running wasn’t foolish when it meant you could fight again.

His halberd swung, taking the ogre that had been shot in the eye's leg off below the knee.

“Cripple and move!” Max shouted as he dashed to the left, engaging another ogre approaching the group. “Freeze that advanced one!”

Max feinted. The ogre he faced was a standard elite, not one with a shield and sword. It swung its weapon, only to find its arm missing from the elbow after Max dodged and sliced in one go.

“You two get that one in the middle!” Max ordered Asher and the other warrior.

Spinning around, Max saw Fowl and Nuala.

“Mages bind or ensnare those four! Fowl and Nuala move up! Archers harass and move!”

Every ten seconds or so, Max issued new commands, his sonar keeping tabs on who was where and what was coming.

In under two minutes they had broken through the line of ogres, never staying in one location longer than twenty seconds when possible.

Everyone ran, sweat pouring down their bodies as the sun continued to shine, a bright light in such a dark moment.

Max moved back with Fowl, keeping tabs on what was coming up from behind while the other warriors and archers took down the few ogres between them and the city's outer edges.

“What do we do?” Fowl asked after Max returned from hacking the leg of an ogre running after them. “They are going to reach the outer city.”

“We fight in the street, keep falling back,” Max replied, pointing at an ogre with a shield and sword that had broken free from an ensnare.

Tanila nodded, and another set of roots rose, binding it.

“Keep going!” Max shouted as the group ahead slowed, making sure that Max and the others were not too far behind.

Tanila, Fowl, Batrire, and Max all ran to catch up, and Tanila started to chuckle.

“What’s funny?” Fowl asked.

“Did you see Diagon’s face?” Tanila replied. “That man is not happy he isn’t in charge and that Max’s plan worked. To think he was willing to die instead of run.”

“I was about to stick my foot up his arse if he didn’t move,” Max added. “People forget that levels aren’t everything.”

Batrire snorted, gaining everyone's attention. “You all noticed your level, right? We are level thirty-nine!”

Fowl started grunting, and Max rolled his eyes as the other two noticed their levels.

“Sorry, I was too busy trying not to let Fowl die back there,” Tanila teased. “Good thing Seth knows exactly how to stop a beserked ogre.”

“Shhhhh,” Batrire hushed her. “We can talk about that later. It looks like things got bad for the other groups as well!”

Looking where Batrire was pointing, they saw other groups engaged with a horde of ogres around the houses and shops at the outer edges of the city limits.

“Crap,” Fowl grunted as the four of them started to run faster. “There has to be at least thirty or more there!”

Max glanced behind them and saw the slim lead they had on the wall of ogres.

“We need to get deeper into the city,” he stated as they ran. “We can’t win the fight on the edges. All we can do is slow them down until they reach the walls.”

“What about the people that haven’t fled?”

Max shook his head at Tanila. “If they didn’t listen to the evacuation order, we can't help. If this is happening on all four sides of the city, other sections may be worse.”

Running ahead of the other three, Max raced to catch up to the groups they had fought with.

“We need to get in the streets and fight there! Give up ground as we must, but get to the streets!”

“What about those ahead?” Diagon shouted back. “We can help them!”

Frowning, Max felt every eye on him as the adventurers turned to see what he would say.

Being in charge sucks…