*Susan*

“An ogre!? Are you sure?” I ask Core, more than a little surprised at the fact that the goblins were able to get one of those brutes to work with them. Ogres do not generally serve anything other than even stronger ogres- and even then it was unwillingly and with only when under direct threat of force.

“Its status came up,” Core replied. “Which was somewhat surprise in itself, I did not even prompt it. I could tell it was somewhat of a threat by looking at it, but is it really so serious?”

I cannot help but frown, it is not so simple an answer. The short answer is, it is for us and the long answer is something along the lines of an explanation regarding the varying skill levels of adventurers. My late father and mother, had they been able to use their full ability, could handle such a beast alone. However, if Hailey and I worked with all of the people who we had rescued to fight it as a group I would say that the smart wager would be on the ogre.

While, on the whole, most ogres were less intelligent than goblins and not known for speed or agility, their brute strength could rival some giants. Furthermore, their generally lethargic movements and massive bulk belied their ability to have sudden bursts of speed when it suited them- though they lacked endurance. Combined with their thick, tough, hides and layers of fat that made them difficult to damage, ogres were some of the most dangerous monsters a person could run into. They had a reputation for killing the inexperienced, especially when utilizing those sudden bursts of speed. To make matters worse, the ogre was not alone, but working with the goblin horde- which already had several advanced goblin species in it! Though by the same token, I had the support of the dungeon’s undead.

I relayed this information to Core, who seemed rather unsurprised by my analysis. I could never really be sure what Core did and did not know, even with my new class his way of thinking and thoughts were not something I could see or understand.

“Having heard what you said,” Core seemed almost happy with your reply. “I am actually pretty relieved. It lined up with what I expected, for the most part anyway. If you would be so kind to bring Hailey over, I think we can deal with the beast with too much trouble.”

“I will bring her over, but what are you basing your conclusions on?” I had to admit I was a little surprised at how fast Core had dismissed the threat of the ogre. Based on what he had told me, I expected it to break through to the second floor sooner rather than later.

“It is quite simple really,” Core chuckled quietly. “For the most part, the undead do not do so well in a straight up fight against opponents. Their selling points are their ability to debuff their opponents and avoid many types of damage altogether. If we were to compare, a basic [flesh golem] is not a match for the average [ogre], though I do have some tests to run later regarding that… But I will leave that for now, the main point is that if we eliminate the supporting [goblin shamans] the ogre will not be able to do all that much damage to the [spectral warriors] or [spirits]. Plus, the liches can weaken it and then we can drag it down with sheer numbers.”

And Hailey’s expertise with the bow would allow us to take down the shamans easier. Core did not say that part, but I was able to understand it well enough. Honestly, it was a well thought out plan and I was impressed that Core had come up with it so quickly. Despite having a lack of common knowledge and sense, when given the appropriate information, he was able to come up with plans and ideas with the speed of a highly experienced adventurer!

Core suddenly seemed distracted and then started laughing hysterically. I gave him a quizical look and he eventually calmed down enough to explain.

“You said they are even less intelligent than goblins right? And further that they do not work well under others?” He was referring to ogres, of course. “Well I can confirm both of those as fact, the [ogre] is wandering around in circles in the labyrinth. It is entering the area for the third time now, even though the goblins are trying to guide it. At this rate we will not even need to fight it!”

Well that was a bit of good news, but I was not nearly as jovial as Core was. There was an unspoken flaw in Core’s plan after all, one that I knew he and I were aware of even without mentioning it directly. Simply put, even if the [ogre] is defeated, if it does enough damage to our defenses before it falls the [goblins] might be able to push through with their overwhelming numbers!

Still, there was nothing to do about it except to trust in Core’s defensive placements. Just looking around, I could feel that he had placed monsters and traps throughout the second floor already. If I focused, I could even see descriptions of what he had done. Using the roofs of houses as elevated ground for the undead archers, almost like watchtowers, was a very good idea and there were places that would spawn melee troops to block roads and chokepoints as well. Hell, there were even dungeon traps placed in certain areas to prevent the goblins from climbing up to bother the archers!

Hailey had been gathering what arrows she could and had been able to refill her quiver- albeit at the expense of most of the caravan’s guard’s remaining arrows. We both hurried back to the stairs and made it back just in time for Core to say that the goblins had finally managed to guide the ogre to the first floor boss room where it was fighting Ajax now. Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, it did not seem likely that Ajax would be able to win that battle.

Preparing for the inevitable battle that was going to occur, I realized that, aside from their infinite stamina, there was another massive advantage that undead had over mortal troops. They lacked the ability to feel fear or be nervous. Even though I would be in the back line, I was afraid.

Core disappeared up to the first floor to watch, and waiting with no idea of what was going on made me feel even worse. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and nearly fell over when an image appeared in my mind when my eyes were closed! Of course, the undead also lacked curiosity, so they did not ask me about why I stumbled- so at least I did not worry anyone else, I suppose.

Closing my eyes again, there was nothing but darkness this time. Come to think of it, last time I was wondering what was happening on the first floor. As that thought entered my mind, the image returned. I was seeing the boss room from a position floating above… Could this be Core’s point of view?

Ajax was fighting the [ogre] furiously while the goblins attempted to exploit the openings that the ogre created, though they often simply were crushed on accident by their careless ‘ally.’ But they still managed to deal some damage and limit Ajax’s movements.

The ogre roared, swinging its club overhand to take advantage of Ajax’s inability to dodge. He raised his shield to intercept, but the difference in strength was evident and Ajax was blasted backwards. It was amazing that the shield arm was not broken, and he was still able to bash away a [goblin warrior] that attempted to pounce on the off balance boss.

The shamans in the back line sent waves of magic missiles, so many that the streaks of silver-blue light could almost be described as beautiful. However, the combination of pressure from the ogre and warriors meant that Ajax was unable to move his shield in time to intercept them. The ogre rushed forward with another powerful strike and crushed Ajax’s skull. The first floor boss was defeated.

The image suddenly changed and the next thing I saw was… Myself? Core had shifted himself to right in front of me, and wow- I kind of looked like a mess.

“Ajax was defeated,” Core said. “They should be coming down the stairs soon. Remember, if push comes to shove, you can simply retreat to the palace. All we absolutely need to do is to bring the [ogre] down.”

I could hear the loud thumps from each of the monsters heavy footsteps as it made its way down the stairs. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes, resolving to talk to Core about this new discovery later. For now, I would have to focus my all on supporting the defenses.

The form of the [ogre] emerges from the stairs, and the battle on the second floor begins.