AuthorShawnWilson

(Not So) Easy Mode - Beta - Chapters 4 - 6

Added 2024-10-29 11:25:16 +0000 UTC

4 - The Tutorial’s Tutorial

[ Welcome to the Tutorial Zone, Challenger! Would you like to learn more about how the Tutorial Zone works? ]

[ Yes ] [ No ]

Yes.

[ The Tutorial Zone is an extradimensional space containing 100 modular sections, known as “Floors” set up in order to give the Challenger progressively harder trials so that they may learn how to use their abilities. ]

I finish reading, then wait a few seconds until the window fades away, and another appears in its place.

[ You are currently on Floor 0, also known as the Introductory Floor. In this floor, you will learn more about the structure of floors, as well as the basics of your status window. In order to view your status window, please say or think the word “Status” ]

Status.

[ Calibrating Status Window… ]

[ Status Window set! Would you like to view it? ]

[Yes] [No]

Yes.

[ Name: Xavier Wilson ]

[ Floor: 0 ]

[ Points: 0 ]

[ Class: None ]

[ Titles: 0/3 ]

[ (empty title slot) ]

[ Mind ] [ Base: 18 ] [ Bonus: 0 ] [ Total: 18 ]

[ Body ] [ Base: 9 ] [ Bonus: 0 ] [ Total: 9 ]

[ Soul ] [ Base: 10 ] [ Bonus: 0 ] [ Total: 10 ]

[ Passive Skills: 0/4 ]

[ (empty skill slot) ] [ Tier: - ] [ Upgrade Cost: - ]

[ Active Skills: 0/8 ]

[ (empty skill slot) ] [ Tier: - ] [ Upgrade Cost: - ]

[ When you are ready to continue, please say or think “Continue” ]

I take a minute or so to look over the status window. It’s not at all what I expected, but it makes sense enough. I assume that I’ll get a better explanation of what exactly Mind, Body, and Soul do, but otherwise, it seems straightforward enough. Continue.

[ Upon completing Floor 0, you will be granted a class. Your class will determine which attribute(s) that you receive stat points in upon completing each floor. Stat points for Floor 0 will be retroactively granted upon class selection. ]

[ Completing Floors also grants Points, which can be used to buy items or skills in the Point Shop, or they can be used to upgrade skills that the user already owns. ]

[ Skills are preset applications of the three stats, Mind, Body, and Soul. Skills come in the form of books, and can be found hidden on Floors, or can be purchased from the Point Shop. Skills have tiers, and can be upgraded using points, or by combining them with duplicate copies of the same skill. ]

[ When a challenger selects a class, they will also be granted access to their Inventory and Equipment windows. ]

[ Additional Points can also be earned by completing bonus objectives, and hidden objectives on each floor. Floor 0 does not have any hidden objectives, but it does contain one bonus objective. ]

[ Please note that outside items are only allowed on Floor 0. Upon clearing Floor 0, all items not granted by the Interdimensional Council will be confiscated, and replaced by class-specific items. ]

[ The countdown for the beginning of the trial will now begin. After you finish reading this message, you will have 10 minutes to view the objectives and prepare yourself. You may not leave the starting area until the timer runs out. ]

As promised, as soon as I finish reading the final word, a small blue window containing a timer appears at the upper right corner of my vision. At the same time, two other windows appear in front of me.

[ Main objective: Enter the portal

Time limit: 15 minutes

Reward: 1000 Points ]

[ Bonus Objective: Slay Ogres

Quantity: 3

Reward: 1000 Points ]

“Ogres?” I say out loud.

I’ve read enough fantasy to know that ogres are not opponents that should be considered “Easy”. I did select Easy, right? I distinctly remember doing it. I don’t think there’s any way I could have messed it up. Does that mean that the Interdimensional Council was lying about the difficulties? Or that they just don’t understand what the average human is capable of?

No, that can’t be it. I’m probably just misunderstanding it. It says they’re ogres, but they’re probably not the ogres I’m thinking of. It’s probably something else. They wouldn’t put Easy mode people against standard fantasy ogres, right?

But what if they would. What about Mom? She has a gun, but only one. Will a single pistol be enough for 3 standard ogres? Maybe if she hits ever shot, but knowing her, she’ll panic and miss at least a few.

But it will be fine. Because there’s absolutely no way that these are going to be standard fantasy ogres. That would just be ridiculous. Even for Hard, that would probably be too much. They’re probably going to be some weird variation of the standard ogre, like that one movie where they took the regular monsters and made them tiny and also singers.

Still, it can’t hurt to be cautious. If I will need to fight or avoid ogres, I don’t want to be wearing this heavy bag. Especially if I can’t take any of it with me to the next Floor.

I set down the bag, and start rummaging through pulling out anything that might be immediately useful. I stuff the ammunition in my pockets, as well as one roll of gauze and an ace bandage. It makes the pockets bulge uncomfortably, but I don’t think it will affect my mobility too much.

I set the crowbar and sledgehammer aside. I don’t know if I’ll need them or not. The guns will probably be enough for my needs, especially with this much open space, but just in case, I’ll want them easily accessible.

That should be enough for now. There are still 6 minutes left on the timer, so I look closer at my hunting rifle. It’s been a while since I used it, so no doubt the scope is all off. I obviously didn’t have any time to sight it in. This valley isn’t very deep, so I probably don’t even need the scope. It will throw me off more than it will help.

I quickly unscrew it from the mount and set it on my bag. It’s a shame, since it is a pretty nice scope, but I’ll have to make do with the iron sights. That shouldn’t be a problem at this range, at least.

Nothing needs to be done about the shotgun or the pistol. I double check them all to make sure they’re properly loaded and ready to fire, but other than that, I don’t touch them.

And now, I wait. I keep my eyes and ears peeled, but there’s nothing. It’s eerily quiet and still. It’s starting to unnerve me. I know this place is obviously artificial, but the lack of birds and wind makes it feel too fake.

I can feel my heart rate climbing. I’m getting too worked up. I’ll be fine. I can’t panic here. Even if they are standard ogres, I probably won’t even have to fight them. I just have to make it to the portal. I can probably avoid them well enough to do that. And even if I can’t, I’ve got a 30 06 and a 12 gauge. No matter how strong they are, they can’t stop bullets.

As the timer reaches its final seconds, I feel like my heart is about to jump out of my chest. I have utterly failed at calming myself down. Mom said I was a lot like Dad, but it looks like I got some of her overthinking too.

The timer reaches 0, then changes to 15:00, and the faint blue barrier vanishes. At the same time, down in the valley, a giant blue swirling mass of something appears, and around it, 3 huge, hulking figures. It’s the ogres. And they look every bit as dangerous as I was worried they would be.

5 - First is the Worst

The ogres are all at least 10 feet tall, but their legs look shorter than mine. It would be funny if it wasn’t so terrifying. Their shoulders are twice as broad as their waists, and each of their arms looks thicker than any of the trees around, and they’re long enough that their knuckles are dragging on the ground as they walk.

It takes me a few seconds to realize that I am standing on top of a very exposed hill right next to them. They haven’t noticed me yet, so I fall to the ground, lying in a prone position. I can still just barely see them through the grass. They’re milling about the valley, seemingly going in circles around the portal.

What the fuck? How is this Easy? Those are clearly not something that any human would be able to beat without some serious firepower. Their skin looks like elephant hide, which makes me wonder if my guns will even work properly on them. Even for Death Wish difficulty this would be too much. What the fuck is going on?

It has to be a glitch, right? There’s no way that this is actually Easy difficulty. I can’t imagine more than a few thousand people on Earth being well-equipped and well-trained enough to make it through this. I doubt even I can make it through. My rifle only has a 4 round magazine, and the shotgun has 2 barrels. If they’re not enough to take these things down in a single shot, I might be screwed. I have a bit of extra ammo, but how long will it take me to reload?

Too long, most likely. In that case, I just need to not miss. I was going to look into ways of avoiding them, but they're practically guarding the portal. There’s no way I’m making it through with them there like that. I could try to lure them away and circle back around maybe, but I don’t have much space, and I don’t know how fast they are. I don’t know how tough their skin is either, but I do know that I have a powerful gun. I’ll take as many shots as I can, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll try running.

I raise my hunting rifle as quietly and calmly as I can. They don’t seem to have very good senses, since they haven’t noticed me yet, but I’m not taking any chances. I ready the rifle, aiming at the one nearest to me, but my hands are shaking. I won’t be able to get a clean shot like this.

I take a deep breath, then another, then another. The shaking has subsided mostly, but As I look down the sights, my target suddenly seems so small. I need to stay calm and wait for the perfect shot. Just like when I used to hunt with Dad. A hasty shot is a bad one. I need to wait until the right opportunity, when I know I’ll hit.

I follow the ogre with the barrel as it circles around the portal, and as it makes it to the edge and curves toward the far side of the valley, I realize that this is my chance. It’s walking straight away from me. It’s basically a stationary target at this point. I have a clean shot at the back of its head.

I double check my aim, then pull the trigger.

My ears are ringing. I forgot how loud this thing was. But that doesn’t matter right now. My shot hit. The ogre fell to the ground. I pull the bolt back and aim at the next one, but almost immediately, I have to get up. One of the other ogres had noticed my shot, and was charging up the side of the valley at me, with the second hot on its heels.

I leap to my feet and start sprinting away. I glance over my shoulder to see that not only are those two ogres gaining on me, but the one I hit is getting back up.

Why?! Why are they so fast? Why are they bulletproof?

I run a few more seconds, maintaining my lead on them, but I won’t be able to keep this speed up. Carrying 25 pounds of gun with me definitely isn’t helping either. I reach the edge of the area where the hexagonal dome meets the ground and turn to run alongside it. When I do, I look back again, and I see something that gives me hope. The third one is chasing as well, but it’s visibly slower.

They aren’t bulletproof. I can damage them. In that case…

I turn around, raising the hunting rifle at the closest oncoming one and firing. My shoulder explodes in pain. I wasn’t holding it properly. Still, I pull the bolt back and fire another. Two bloody holes appears in its chest, and it stumbles, and clutches at the wounds in pain, but it doesn’t stop. I fire the last shot, but I’m panicking too much. The shot goes wide.

There’s no way I’ll be able to reload it before they catch me, so I toss the rifle aside and turn to keep running, then I stop. The shots I did hit didn’t do any fatal damage, but they did make the front ogre slow down enough that the one right behind it crashed into it, sending them both tumbling to the ground.

For a split second, I hesitate, then I turn back and run toward them, raising my shotgun. I might never get another chance like this. I get within range right as the uninjured ogre gets up, and I immediately shoot it in the face. Its hands jump to its face as it staggered backward, howling in pain. I do the same to the other one as it stands up, then turn to run.

I get a few dozen feet away, then risk turning around. Both of the ogres who took shotgun shells to the face are stumbling around blindly, their faces more blood than skin.

I can do this. I can win. With two blind and one hobbled, I now have the advantage. I still have a dozen shotgun shells in my pocket, and if that’s not enough, I have my pistol, and if that’s not enough, I can go find my hunting rifle again. They won’t be able to stop me.

I fish two fresh shells out of my pocket and load them into the shotgun, as I watch the ogres. They definitely can’t see anything right now. The one in the back still can, but ever step it takes looks slower than the last. It looks like I hit its spinal cord. It wasn’t immediately fatal, but with every step it takes, the injury is jostled more and made worse. It might even die on its own without me needing to touch it again.

The two blind ogres are getting further and further apart from each other, so I decide to approach the closest one, now that my shotgun is reloaded. It doesn’t seem to hear me coming. Now that I think about it, I can’t really hear anything either. The ringing in my ears is too loud. Hopefully there won’t be any permanent damage. Or at least that I’ll be able to magically heal myself after this trial.

As I get within range of the blind ogre, I notice out of the corner of my eye that the limping ogre is opening its mouth. Roaring, maybe? Regardless, I need the blind one to turn around. I don’t think a shot to the back will be very effective. Maybe I can take out one of its knees though. That would make my job easier. It would be even easier though if it would turn around so I could hit its throat. If the shotgun could tear up its face that much, a clean shot to the neck would likely be fatal.

It’s turning now. I level the shotgun, aiming right at neck level. Right as I pull the trigger though, my eyes widen. I got too tunnel visioned. I didn’t notice it grabbing that tree. Even as its throat explodes in a red splatter, it rips the tree out of the ground, and swings it in a massive arc. I barely hit the ground in time to dodge the trunk, but the branches rake across my back, tearing my shirt and the skin beneath to shreds.

I scream in pain as I scramble to my feet and try to run away.

It hurts. It hurts so much. I’ve never been in this much pain before. I need to run. Is it chasing? Where’s the other?

I can barely tell what’s happening around me. All I can think about is getting as far from the tree-swinger as I can.

After some time, the pain subsides. Or perhaps that’s just the adrenaline kicking in. Either way, I’m able to think again. Fortunately, I didn’t drop my shotgun. That would have been disastrous. I can feel blood dripping down my back, and I’m scared of what I’ll see if I try to look, so I keep my eyes ahead.

The tree-swinger is on the ground. If it’s not dead already, it will be soon. The limper is still far away, but the other blind one is charging my direction.

“How?” I say, as I run to get out of its way.

It shouldn’t be able to see me right now. Maybe it’s not as blind as I thought it was.

It barrels past me, continuing on until it crashes violently with the barrier at the edge of the area. It’s definitely blind. So how is it chasing me? I look over at the limping one and see that its mouth is open again. Is it calling out directions?

The blind ogre staggers back from the barrier, then turns slowly until it’s facing roughly my direction again. I can’t hear what the other one might be saying, so I don’t know if they’re speaking a language I understand, but they’re definitely saying something. The blind ogre adjusts his angle until he’s facing almost straight at me, then charges again.

I run out of the way, and as it runs past me, I decide I need to take care of the limper. I can at least blind him, and then I’ll be able to move around mostly safely. I fumble around for two new shotgun shells as I run toward the limping ogre. I make sure to give the ogre I already killed a wide berth, just in case it’s not as dead as it looks, then make a beeline for my target.

This ogre has learned from its companion’s mistakes. Though it’s spine is clearly injured, it has enough control of its faculties to rip its own tree out of the ground and brandish it at me. I slow and come to a stop. The gun will probably still be effective from here. I aim roughly at his head, but the ogre is smarter than I thought it would be. It raises the tree in front of its face at the same moment, causing the pellets to hit mostly the wood, and not its face.

“Fuck!”

I can see the ogre’s mouth moving from between the tree branches, and though I can’t hear it, I can feel the ground rumbling as the blind ogre approaches me from behind. I turn to see it charging at me, so I jump to the side. This time though, instead of barreling past, it stops just a dozen feet away and turns to face me again.

I raise my gun to shoot it in the face, but it raises its hands to guard itself. I need to take care of one of them. If one of them was dead, I could handle the other no problem. Actually, they don’t need to be dead.

I lower my aim until the barrel is pointing at the blind ogre’s knee and pull the trigger. Its leg collapses and it falls to the ground, forcing its hands to come away from its face and neck. I aim at its neck and pull the trigger… and nothing happened.

Shit! I forgot I wasted a shot on the other ogre when it blocked with the tree. I’m getting light headed. I’m not thinking clearly. I stumble backward, trying to grab more shells from my pocket, but they keep slipping. I look down to see that my whole arm is covered from blood running down from my shoulder. I manage to get the shells into the gun, then look up just in time to see a tree flying at me.

It’s way too late to dodge. It’s too late to even try to turn to mitigate the damage. All I can do is watch as the foot-wide tree trunk slams into my chest. My vision goes black for a second, and when it comes back, I’m on the ground.

My chest isn’t punctured, but it looks oddly small. My ribs are shattered. I try to breathe, but end up coughing blood. It seems my lungs are punctured too.

Strangely enough though, I feel calm. It’s like there’s a wall between me and the pain. I look up to see the limping ogre grinning while the blind one struggles up onto its one working leg.

Fuck. I was so close. Maybe not, but I could have beaten the trial. If I just panicked less and fought smarter, I could have killed them more efficiently. But I didn’t. I failed, and now I’m going to die. It hasn’t even been an hour, and I’ve already broken my promise to Mom. Though if she had the same trial I did, she’s probably already dead…

…No, this won’t do. I can’t just die like this. I won’t be able to make it to the portal, but I might be able to at least kill them. My shotgun is loaded. If I can just hit those two last shells on target, the ogres will die. I’m already going to die anyway. I might as well go out with a bang. I can’t just give up like this.

I stand up, but it feels weird. I feel like a stranger in my own body. Like a puppeteer using strings to move my own limbs. I can feel the fragments of my ribs moving around, in my chest, but the pain is so far away, like it’s happening to someone else. And everything feels so slow. It’s like I’m in a different dimension.

I walk toward the blind ogre, raising my shotgun toward its face. It raises its hands to block again, so I shoot it in the groin. When it lowers its hands to cover the new wound, the second shell explodes on its neck. I don’t wait to watch it fall. I turn toward the other, and take a step, but my leg does move.

I fall forward, landing on my face. My body won’t listen to me. The odd, ethereal feeling disappears and the pain intensifies. I try to breathe, but when I exhale, all that comes out is blood. I force myself to tilt my head so I can see the last surviving ogre. It’s smiling.

Fuck that. My arm is barely listening to me anymore, but I somehow get it to reach down and pull the pistol from its holster. Torturously slowly, I lift my arm until the pistol is pointing at the ogre, then pull the trigger. I can’t lift my arm, so I have to try to angle the shots upward. I think my fingers broke with the first shot, but I keep firing until the gun is empty. I have no idea if any of the bullets hit.

As I lay dying, a new System window appears in front of me

[ So close. Better luck next time ;) ]

Well fuck you too. Here I am dying, and you’re making fun of me. Why is that the last thing I’m seeing? And wait. Why is it purple?

6 - Super Secret Special Skill

[ Welcome to the Tutorial Zone, Challenger! Would you like to learn more about how the Tutorial Zone works? ]

[ Yes ] [ No ]

“What the fuck?”

I’m back on the rim of the valley. What just happened? Didn’t I die? I definitely felt like I was dying. It hurt too much to be a dream. But now I’m back here? There is another window below the familiar blue one. It’s purple, and uses a different font from the blue ones.

[ Welcome back ]

“What’s going on?”

The purple window fades, and though I wait almost a full minute for a response, nothing happens.

“Hey! What’s going on? You didn’t say anything about having multiple tries.”

[ That’s because you’re only supposed to have one. I gave you a little present though. You’re welcome :3 ]

The new purple window fades out once I finish reading. What’s that supposed to mean? Obviously, I got another try at this trial, but the purple window said I wasn’t supposed to. Is the purple window not part of the regular System?

“Who are you?”

[ I am no one. I am also not here wink ]

“What?”

[ You’re smart. You can figure it out :) ]

I frown, but don’t respond. They said that they’re “not here.” They could have been literal, since I don’t see anyone else, but the wink makes it obvious that’s not what they’re trying to say. What they really mean is that they’re not supposed to be here, so I shouldn’t tell anyone. But I still have no idea who they are? Should I trust them? Do I have a choice? If they really brought me back from death, then they’re at least better than whoever thought that fighting 3 ogres was easy.

“I understand.”

[ I knew I made a good choice ]

[ Also, you should continue with the tutorial. There’s a hidden timer and the trial will start without giving you access to your status window if you don’t select anything ]

I look at the blue window, still hovering above the purple window, then think “Yes”, starting the tutorial spiel.

“Thanks,” I say. “And thanks for saving me. Or sending me back in time. Or whatever you did.”

[ Oh, you don’t have to thank me. I have ulterior motives >:) ]

That can’t be good. It’s better than dying though. Whatever they have in mind can’t be worse than what I just went through.

…That feels like a though I’m going to regret later. Oh well.

The tutorial windows have made it to the status window section, so I try to summon my status window again.

[ Calibrating Status Window… ]

[ Calibration failed! Attempting recalibration {1 of 5} ]

[ Calibration failed! Attempting recalibration {2 of 5} ]

[ Calibration failed! Attempting recalibration {3 of 5} ]

[ Calibration failed! Attempting recalibration {4 of 5} ]

[ Calibration failed! Attempting recalibration {5 of 5} ]

[ Recalibration failed! Contacting support. Please be patient as we work to resolve this issue. ]

“What’s going on?”

The purple window doesn’t give me an answer. I have no idea what’s wrong this time. Did going back in time mess with the calibration somehow? Well, obviously it must have, but how?

After a few minutes, the window containing the failed calibration message vanishes and is replaced by two others.

[ Thank you for your patience. The error has been resolved.

Error: Player’s actual stats did not match initial measurement.

Status: Resolved

Developer comments:

Resolved ]

[ Status Window set! Would you like to view it? ]

[ Yes ] [ No ]

Yes.

[ Name: Xavier Wilson ]

[ Floor: 0 ]

[ Points: 0 ]

[ Class: None ]

[ Titles: 0/3 ]

[ (empty title slot) ]

[ Mind ] [ Base: 18 ] [ Bonus: 0 ] [ Total: 18 ]

[ Body ] [ Base: 9 ] [ Bonus: 0 ] [ Total: 9 ]

[ Soul ] [ Base: 17 ] [ Bonus: 0 ] [ Total: 17 ]

[ Passive Skills: 0/4 ]

[ (empty skill slot) ] [ Tier: - ] [ Upgrade Cost: - ]

[ Active Skills: 0/8 ]

[ (empty skill slot) ] [ Tier: - ] [ Upgrade Cost: - ]

[ When you are ready to continue, please say or think “Continue” ]

Below my status window, another purple window appears.

[ Super Secret Special Skills: ]

[ Respawn (1 remaining) ] [ Tier: The highest one, duh ] [ Upgrade Cost: You can’t upgrade perfection ]

Obviously the Super Secret Special Skills window didn’t exist the first time, but as I look through my status window, I notice that it isn’t the same either. I think my Soul was 10 before, but now it’s 17. Did it go up because I died? Is that causing the calibration error?

That aside, what’s up with this “Super Secret Special Skill”? Is it really limited? I can’t really complain, since any extra lives at all is already more than I should have gotten, but I was kinda hoping for an unlimited time loop-type thing.

[ So? Whaddya think? ]

I stare at the purple window, wondering how to respond. Should I voice my disappointment? No, that would be rude.

“Thank you,” I say. “Can I ask you a question about it though?”

[ Yes, you can get more lives ]

“Oh… How?”

There is no response. I wait a full minute until another window appears, but it’s blue. Apparently, I’ve reached the limit of the System’s patience, and it’s gone ahead with the tutorial without me. I stop to read through every window again, just to make sure I haven’t missed anything, but the whole time, I keep an eye out for more purple windows.

Where did they go? Weren’t we having a conversation? Did they just not want to answer me? Or did something happen to them?

“Hello? Are you there?”

[ Yes, but if I send too many messages, they’ll notice me. You’re on your own now. Good luck! ]

Who is “they”, I want to ask, but it looks like I won’t be getting any answers right now. I have no idea what’s going on. Who is this person helping me, and why? Are they trying to keep secret from the Interdimensional Council? Who is the Interdimensional Council? Why did they set such a difficult Tutorial? Are they trying to kill all the humans? Is Mom…?

I shouldn’t think about that. It’s probably a glitch. It only happened to me. I’m sure that’s what happened. There’s no way they would just send all of humanity to their deaths like this. That would be ridiculous. What do they gain from that? Why bother take us all to a place like this if they were just going to kill us?

It’s clearly not for entertainment. If it was, whoever was behind the purple windows wouldn’t have been messaging me so freely. It would be immediately obvious what was happening if anyone decided to watch. So if not for entertainment, and not to slaughter humanity, what?

The only answer is that it’s a glitch. Or at least that’s the only answer I can or want to think about right now. Mom is fine. She’s probably blowing up some slimes while I’m here, accidentally tossed into Death Wish difficulty.

I need to focus on the task at hand. The timer is already down to 6 minutes. I’m pretty sure it hasn’t been 4 minutes since it started. The purple window must have been right about the hidden timer. Regardless, I need to set up.

I already know that I won’t need most of my equipment, so I drop everything but my guns. I try to sling the crowbar on my belt, but it’s too heavy, and there’s no way to secure it. If I have to run again, it will be a hindrance, so that goes to the ground as well.

I take the scope off my rifle again and toss it onto the discarded bag. I was more careful with it last time, but if I can’t take it with me to the next stage, there’s no point. It’s a shame, because my dad paid good money for that scope.

I lay down with the rifle aimed down into the valley. I take deep breaths trying to calm myself, but with every second the timer ticks down, my heart rate seems to climb higher. I already know what’s coming, and I already know how to defeat the ogres. I’ll be fine. As long as I don’t screw up badly, I’ll be fine. Even if I do screw up badly, I still have one more chance.

After what feels like forever, the timer finally reaches zero, and the portal and the ogres appear again, just as they did before. I take aim at the nearest one as he walks facing perpendicular to me. I start pointing at his head, but then lower my aim toward his legs. The clean headshot worked the first time, but I had gotten lucky. There was no guarantee that the bullet would hit the same way again. Maybe it would, or maybe it would even be a better shot and kill it instantly. More likely though, I would miss and it would bounce off it’s skull.

The legs are much softer targets, and as I discovered the first time, they’re much more vulnerable too. It was a shotgun, so aim mattered less, but still, ever shot to their legs gave me a significant advantage. If I can cripple all three in the beginning of the fight, I’ll be able to take a much slower, more methodical approach to killing them. They’re also all in the empty valley, which means there were no trees for them to swing at me.

I watch carefully as the ogre’s path curves and he starts to face away from me. I tunnel my vision toward it, feeling every step it takes. It’s walking slowly, and with a steady rhythm. Each time its foot hits the ground, its leg is planted for a full second. Plenty of time for me to react, and for the bullet to reach its mark. I’ve always been good at shooter games. This should be no problem. I wish I could convince my heart of that.

Soon, the perfect moment arrives. It’s facing directly away from me, presenting the back of its knee like a painted target. Even if I mistime it, its leg will be moving directly away, so the bullet should still hit.

I pull the trigger, and almost immediately, the ogre’s leg buckles. I can’t see exactly where I hit, but I know it did damage. I immediately shift my aim toward the next closest ogre. It’s looking my direction, but it’s still standing in place. I take aim and fire at its knee almost immediately. Hesitation means death, and I don’t want to die again.

The second ogre falls to the ground as well, and I aim up at the third one. By this time though, they’ve all located me, and the third is charging through the valley. It passes through the portal like it isn’t there, between both of its injured comrades toward me.

I aim at its legs as well, but I can’t get a clean shot. The stupid stubby stumps are moving too fast for me to get a clean shot. Should I just aim for its body? It slowed the ogre last time. Maybe that will be enough to get me a clean shot on one of its legs.

I lift my aim and fire at its torso, but I was too hasty. I didn’t line up my shot. I moved the barrel too much. I don’t know where the bullet hit, but it didn’t hit the ogre.

This is bad. I pull the bolt back to chamber the last round, but it’s already a quarter of the way up the side of the valley. I can see the other two getting up again in the background. I need to stop it now. If I don’t, I’ll die again.

Should I just run away? I still have the shotgun, and this is the only one that can move fast. I should be able to take it out in the woods. No, that’s a bad idea. If I let it make it to the woods it has weapons. It could throw more trees at me. I need to stop it here. I can still use the shotgun, but I have the rifle out right now.

I aim at its legs again. It’s running straight toward me. Even as fast as its legs are moving, they’re mostly just moving forward and back. I should still hit it. I hesitate for a split second, then pull the trigger. The ogre crashes to the ground.

I did it! I hit its leg! It’s too early to celebrate, but I am already feeling better. The other two ogres are getting up, and while they’re not as slow as I’d like them to be, they’re still limping a lot.

I stand up, leaving the hunting rifle on the ground as I grab the shotgun. The ogre on the hill is still getting up from its faceplant. With both hands on the ground to push its body up, its neck is exposed. I run toward it, raising the gun. It doesn’t realize what’s happening until I pull the trigger and its throat turns into a mess of blood.

It pulls its hand to its neck to cover up the wounds, so I fire the other shell into its face. Blinded, gimped, and suffocating, it won’t be a problem anymore. The other ones are approaching, so I back away as I reload the shotgun. With their injured legs, they’re slow enough that I can stay away from them backpedaling.

I realize that I’m getting closer to the forest, which is where I don’t want to be, so I change course and circle around back toward the valley. This has the added bonus of getting me further away from one of the two remaining ogres, letting me deal with just one at a time.

Once I get to the point that they’re in line with each other, I make my next move. I charge up to the closest one, gun raised. It saw what happened to its comrade, and wisely raises its hands up to protect its face and neck, so I lower my aim and blow out its other leg. It puts its hands down on the ground to catch itself from the fall, and I take that opportunity to fire the second shot into its neck. Around this same time, I hear a ding, and look up at the Bonus Quest window.

[ Slay Ogres: 1/3 ]

A quick glance confirms that the first one I dealt with has stopped moving entirely. I back away from the second, confident it’s no longer a threat as I reload the shotgun again. Just two more shots and I win. I might have to reload, but I have 8 extra shells still, and two more guns. Once I’m at what I determine to be a safe distance, I stop and wait for the final one to approach. If I were in its shoes, I wouldn’t be charging me so blindly after seeing what the shotgun could do, but thankfully, the ogre isn’t me. It’s just moving in a straight line.

“Yeah, keep on coming, you retard,” I say.

Wait, why is it stopping? Did it understand me?

It slows as it approaches the second one I dealt with. Its comrade is spasming on the ground, unable to bleed as blood pours from its neck and mouth. The last remaining one reaches down to touch the dying one. Is it checking on its friend? Is it sad? Do these creatures have intelligence?

It grabs the arm of the dying one, and before I even realize what’s happening, it’s lifted it into the air and swung it in an arc.

“Oh, f-!”