The Infinite Bk. 02 Ch. 02

Several hours after leaving Took, a wordless snarl echoed from above, drawing all gazes to an ogre standing at the top of a nearby cliff. It glared at everyone on board with its single hate-filled eye, then put a horn to its mouth and released a thunderous bellow that swept across the landscape.

"Steven!" Pinot yelled.

"I know!" he replied, raising his crossbow and taking aim.

Before he could fire, an arrow was planted in the ogre's chest, and Noah turned to the stranger, armed with a bow like none he had ever seen before. It was made of a material he couldn't identify, forming web-like struts that gave it the shape of a compound bow. Two large monster talons extended from the ends like Karambit knives.

"More will be coming," the stranger said. It was the voice of a woman.

"Captain," said Noah, "if you have any tricks to make this ship move faster, now's the time to use them."

Still gripping the steering wheel with his knobby hands, the captain shouted to his men. "Extend the oars! Put the slaves to work!"

Below deck, the slaves lined up on benches with their hands bound to long oars extending out of the ship's sides. They began rowing with all their strength out of fear of getting beaten. Noah could hear shouts and roars from either side of the channel. Their enemies had the high ground.

Noah turned to the young woman and conjured his bow from within his ring. "You take port, and I'll take starboard. Steven, if any of them try to swim towards the ship, you deal with them. Can any among you use magic?"

"I can use water magic at medium range," said Jen.

"Then you, Pinot, and Jock will fight any that manage to get on board. Here they come."

Alongside the channel, the ogres appeared, chasing after the ship with weapons taken from their victims, and arrows soon began to rain down. "Water Shield!" Jen cast, producing a blue magic circle. A protective dome of water formed over her head for her and her friends to hide under.

Noah and the woman moved across the ship's deck with agile steps to keep from being targeted. Even with arrows falling, Noah's curiosity made him glance at the woman whenever he could. Her movements were light and trained, similar to his, but she was doing it spontaneously; there was no communication between them, and neither was imitating the other. Interesting.

They countered with arrows of their own, the two only taking a moment to focus each shot. Her speed and accuracy proved her to be the superior archer. She was pulling arrows out of her rucksack and firing them with a speed he had never seen before.

Up above, the ogres were taking hits and retreating from the banks. Anything short of an instant kill failed to stop them, and they had no trouble keeping up with the ship. The captain kept the ship sailing down the direct middle of the channel, his one eye swerving back and forth between the narrowing sides. They were passing through the roots of a mountain, where the bedrock was exposed. When the land cracked open, the areas with more soil widened with time because of erosion, but the cliffs were closing in here.

Now in range, the ogres began throwing spears and stones, each impact damaging the ship. The captain ordered his men to go below deck, though Noah and the others had to fend off these predators. It became all the more difficult when some ogre's lucky arrow struck Noah in the back of the leg.

"Goddamn arrows! Every fucking time!"

"Jock!" Pinot yelled, following a groan of pain from the man.

Noah looked over, seeing him lying in a pool of blood with a stone next to him. With no time to waste, Noah ripped the arrow out of his leg, loaded it into his bow, and fired it back at the ogres. Next, he pulled out a healing potion, emptied half of it onto his leg, and then tossed the bottle to Pinot. "Get him below deck and give him this!"

"Hey, I said—" The woman silenced the captain by sending an arrow flying past his head and leaving a small cut on his ear.

Up ahead, impatient ogres were starting to jump off the cliffs to try and swim over to the ship, and they'd soon be able to land directly on the deck. Noah looked over to Steven, downed by a thrown spear. Noah tossed him a healing potion and stole his arrows in exchange. As he moved back along the deck, the woman turned to him.

"I'll go high," she said, "you go low."

"On it."

He stepped onto the ship's bow and began firing at the ogres in the water, rendering them still or causing them to thrash in pain and panic. Despite their bulk, they were fast swimmers, and more were leaping off the cliffs. Behind him, the woman took aim, and her bow was shrouded in mana with runes appearing in the air.

"Scatter Shot!"

One arrow was loaded, and five were launched; the other four were made of condensed mana. As per the name, they spread like buckshot as they flew and took out two falling ogres like clay pigeons. She repeated the action with lightning reflexes, swiveling her focus to the left and right sides.

One ogre finally managed to land on the deck, causing the floorboards to buckle under its weight. It went to Pinot, the smallest defender, and swung at him with a wooden club. His shield saved him, but the swing tossed him into the air. The woman ended its life with an arrow to the back of the head. Before she could turn around, an ogre landed behind her and lunged. It managed to rip off her cloak and separate her from her bag.

Late teens, close to twenty years old, with porcelain skin, piercing eyes, and upswept golden hair. She was wearing a blue battle dress, a garment made of a strong fabric for wearing underneath armor. She spun around, her dress billowing with each movement, and slashed the ogre's throat with one of the talons at the ends of her bow.

Another ogre attacked her with a downswing of a sword, and she blocked with her bow. Her weapon should have snapped like a twig, but the material was resistant and coated with thick scales. Holding the spine of the bow with both hands, she swung at the ogre and slashed its wrist. The string, sharp and serrated like a wire saw, cut deep enough into the ogre's flesh to sever the vital arteries.

A third, charging towards her with a dagger in hand, was stopped when Noah stabbed it in the back. He grabbed the ogre's blade, turned, and threw it at one of its kin that had climbed onboard. He and the woman looked at each other and exchanged a nod. Neither knew anything about the other, but if there was one thing they could trust, it was each other's skill. Noah couldn't remember the last time he encountered someone like this with such professionalism and competence. He was starting to get excited.

The oars slowed as the slaves ran out of strength, and the sails started to slack. The slowing vessel allowed more ogres to climb onboard. They closed in on Noah and the woman, now standing back to back. With no fear or hesitation, they both went on the offensive in a storm of slashes and stabs.

Noah wielded his longsword, hacking off limbs and carving open flesh. Two ogres came at him from opposite directions like charging bulls. He swung at one, but it blocked with its shield. At the same time, Noah drew his short sword and stabbed the second in the chest. Thrust, key-turn, remove, and back in the sheath. The first tried to grab him, and he caught its wrist. Twisting its arm exposed its guard, jabbing it in the eye with the hilt of his sword stunned it, and a slash to the throat finished it off.

Two more were coming at him. Noah activated both spells briefly, leaving his clone where he stood and lunging forward. He slashed one across the stomach, spilling its guts, then beheaded the other from behind. He released the spells as another ogre charged and dispatched it with a brutal slash from shoulder to hip.

In the corner of his eye, he saw the woman spinning back and forth, slashing and hacking at any foe approaching her. The talons and string carved through flesh with ease, and she could block attacks by flipping the bow over in her hands. One such opponent came at her with a club, and she parried the downward swing.

She then pounced like a lioness, hitting the ogre in the chest with her knees and riding it down to the ground. As soon as its back hit the floor, she slit its throat, then immediately dodged the executioner's swing of a sword-wielding ogre. She rolled across the deck, grabbed an arrow embedded in the floorboards, loaded it, and fired.

"Cluster Shot!" Like her other spell, four mana arrows were launched along with the real arrow, and all found their mark in the ogre's chest.

She ducked down, avoiding a horizontal swing of another sword, then spun around and kicked her opponent in the temple. The blow disoriented it long enough for her to grab another arrow and plant it in the center of its eye.

Looking over, Noah saw Pinot's team trying to guard the captain. All of them were bloody and struggling to hold their enemies at bay. Despite the battle, he didn't miss the sound of wood smashing or the vibrations under his feet. He looked over the railing and saw a large hole in the hull's starboard side, with both ogres and water streaming in.

He turned to the woman and handed her his quiver. "I need to go below deck and try to buy us time before we sink."

"I'll handle things up here."

"Steven, Jen, come with me!"

He pulled them from the captain's side, and they followed him down below deck, where the slaves were supposed to be rowing. Three ogres had gotten in and were fighting with the crew. The water was at everyone's ankles and getting higher.

"I'll deal with the ogres. Steven, cut the slaves loose and get them to the stern, portside. We need to shift the weight of the ship. Jen, can you use your shield spell to try and block the hole?" The two stammered, barely holding it together with all that was going on. "Whatever, do it."

He didn't wait for a reply and attacked the three ogres. Minus small portholes to let in sunlight, only swinging lanterns pierced the darkness. Noah felt no need to conceal his magic with the commotion and unreliable light. He activated both spells, letting his foes focus on the oncoming illusion while attacking their unguarded sides. Blood sprayed with every slash and strike of his sword, mixing with the water pouring into the cabin.

While Noah dealt with the ogres, Steven moved the slaves toward the back of the ship. While struggling to maintain her mana output, Jen used the water pouring in to create a shield and plug the hole. It was only a temporary measure, but it would have to suffice. As more weight was moved towards the ship's opposite side, the hole rose above the water's surface.

Noah approached Steven and handed him an oar. "You guard Jen. Knock back any ogres that try to come through that shield." He didn't bother waiting for their replies, and they had already accepted that he was the one to listen to, so he left them there and went back above deck.

Outside, he found Pinot trying to steer the ship, with Jock guarding him and the woman shooting arrows. The captain was on the floor, either dead or knocked out.

"How are we looking?" he hollered.

Before he could receive a reply, explosions blossomed across the ship's bow, much of the front half now burning without limit. One of the ogres was launching fire spells, the last thing they needed.

"Any ideas?!" Pinot frantically shouted.

Noah looked around, focusing on every detail around him and coming up with a plan. "Keep the ship going and run it aground as soon as you see a place we can dismount. Jock, mash up these bodies and use them to put out the flames. I'll do what I can to keep the masts from catching."

"You can't be serious!" Jock yelled.

"When life gives you grapes, stomp them to make wine."

Noah worked on the rigging, unfastening and redoing knots on the deck and the masts. It wasn't a one-man job, and while he didn't have experience with this particular type of ship, he had spent enough years sailing to figure out the specifics. He had to pull the sails out of the reach of the flames, because if they caught fire, they'd be dead in the water.

As he worked, the archer continued shooting at the ogres. They had learned to fear her, and now those with magic abilities were stepping up. Beneath her flying arrows, Jock was using his mace to smash corpses into a bloody pulp and then toss them onto the flames. Minus the gristly sound and nauseating smell of burning innards, it was working perfectly, though the ship had about reached its limit.

"There's open land ahead!" Pinot shouted.

The rocky cliffs gave way to earthen banks and forest, where the ogres were waiting. The archer stepped onto the bow and cleared a spot, with the ship finally running aground. Noah and the archer dismounted, grateful to be on solid ground. The ogres came out of the woodwork, carrying shields to block the storm of arrows. Noah cast his first spell, seemingly disappearing into thin air as he closed in on his foes. The archer looked around to find him, soon cursing in the belief that he had abandoned them. If not for her, he probably would have.

Noah went to work hacking and slashing at his foes, and their screams and spraying blood confused the tribe and Pinot's team, coming to join the fight. Noah could only stem the flow; he couldn't deal with them all, nor was he safe. Blessed with blind luck, one ogre grabbed Noah's right arm and raised a hatchet. Noah couldn't draw his backup sword, so he punched the savage in the eye. It screamed in agony, and Noah winced. His finger was broken due to his ring. He tried to avoid punching with his left hand for this very reason.

He could still hold his sword, but he couldn't wear the ring on his broken finger, and he opened up some distance and pulled it off. The ogre blindly tackled him as soon as it was removed, knocking it from his hand as he was pinned to the ground. Its meaty hands tried to close around his invisible throat, and he pulled out his knife and stabbed it in the temple.

Looking back, the ring, no longer concealed by his mana, was in the hand of a female ogre. He assumed it was female due to one of her tits hanging out like a Neanderthal. She ran off, sending Noah's heart sinking into his stomach. Most of his equipment, money, and potions were in that ring, not to mention his letter of recommendation and bow.

Nearby, he heard shouts and screams and, looking over to the ship, saw the slaves trying to flee, only for several to be grabbed by the ogres and carried off. "Jen, Steven!" Pinot shouted as his friends were beaten into submission and hauled away like luggage. The ogres were fleeing back into the woods. The battle seemed over, though it couldn't be called a victory.

Pinot, about to chase after them, was stopped by the woman. "They'll kill you easily if you chase after them. Leave it to me."

"I'm coming with you," said Noah upon releasing his spell.

"I can handle this."

"One of them took my ring, and I'm not leaving without it."

"Very well, we leave in two minutes."

"I'm not letting you kids go off on your own," Jock said as the woman gathered arrows and stuffed them in her bag.

"The slaves have made their escape. The crew is still on board, and they're injured," she replied. "You need to look after them in case the ogres come back. We'll track them down to wherever they set up camp and exterminate them." She turned to Noah, mending his finger with a few drops of his last potion. "You ready?"

He shouldered his backpack, now lightened for easier travel. "Let's go."

They departed, diving into the forest with the heavy footprints of the ogres guiding their path. Their steps were fast and light, and they maintained a pace that would let them conserve their strength. No words were shared between them while they ran, and Noah liked it that way. This woman intrigued him the way few others ever had, and he wanted to savor the mystery. They worked well together, and the less they communicated, the more it impressed him.

After battling on the ship for so long, their stamina was low, and they finally had to stop. The sound of a creek and the dryness of their throats finally convinced them to stop, and neither of them could resist leaning on their knees and gasping for air.

"Break?"

"Break."

They moved down to the creek, taking turns filling their canteens while the other stood watch. They sat side by side on a flood-swept log and ate lunch silently. Travelers' rations were rarely appetizing, but hunger and fatigue were the best seasonings.

"That magic you used to disappear and reappear, what was it?" She spoke without looking at him.

"I'm not sure, really. I'm hoping I'll be able to find out in the capital. Right now, what I'm more curious about is why the daughter of a noble would do something like bait a pack of ogres to attack a ship on a channel."

"You're wrong on both counts."

"True, your dress and bow, despite their quality, don't guarantee your lineage, and you're clearly no stranger to the field, but everything else about you screams high society. From your skin and hair, I know you grew up with hot baths, soaps, and perfumes, rather than just a rough cloth and a rain barrel. And the way you move and your posture show not just combat experience. You learned noble etiquette and formal dancing. As for the ogres, I saw the blood you poured on the ship's deck. What was it, their favorite prey?" She looked at him with stoic eyes. "I'm not judging, just curious."

She leaned forward on her knees, looking out across the creek. "I've been following that tribe for the past four days after they destroyed two villages in my family's territory. The blood was from a pregnant female. Despite being ravenous beasts, the males furiously defend their mates and their young. They wouldn't have tried their luck against a town as large as Took, so I decided to lure them to the channel with that blood."

"And the fact that it was a slave ship had nothing to do with it?"

"I figured I could help them escape in the commotion."

"Isn't slavery the norm in these lands?"

"That is something I plan on changing. I fight for their freedom, and my own." She got to her feet. "You can call me Audrey. Are you ready?"

"You can call me Henry. You lead, I'll follow."

They set off once more, now at a quicker pace, with their breathing in sync. The ogre tracks were tantalizingly fresh, but they never saw the creatures themselves. They were a formidable race to keep running like this after chasing the ship so far. Eventually, the sun's proximity to the horizon was beyond ignoring.

"Ogres only take prisoners to pit them against their young as training, then cook and eat them. When the sun sets, and the fires are lit, we'll have lost them," Audrey said as she ran.

"Don't worry, I think we're getting close."

"What makes you so sure?"

"All of the largest trees around here were logged a while ago. There might be an abandoned settlement nearby where they're bedding down."

"These lands have been fought over for thousands of years. There are ruins and ghost towns everywhere!" She spoke with excitement in her voice, and while it wasn't a smile, her expression had brightened.

True to Noah's words, the forest gave way, exposing a derelict town built on the bank of a river that would join the channel. The wood had paled under the sun and rotted, and many buildings had even caved in as time passed. There was no telling when its original inhabitants disappeared, not that it mattered, as it had now become the temporary home of the ogre tribe. Noah could hear chanting and roaring in the center and metal on metal. The ogres had gathered by the light of a bonfire and formed a ring of their ranks. In the center, a slave fought for her life against an ogre whelp with a rusty sword.