The scout and Sasha quickly moved up using the forests natural cover to ensure the ogre don't notice their approach. A couple of minutes later and they were both crouched low coming into the bush that hid Craig. The path had become severely torn up around 100m past the dead one. Whole bushes taller than a human tore up at the root was enough to show that the testers were well down on stats compared to them. Craig looked at the two arrivals and spoke softly, “I was about to head up, the Plateasaur started moving away again I was going to wait until the last of the ogres moved along. Two injured and three healers still out there.”

“The rest of the group is just behind, do you think they would give chase and let us and kite one or two back?” Sasha asked.

Craig looked deep into Sasha's eyes and pondered for several seconds before replying, “great idea, if only I hadn't been crouching for so long watching this lot and getting cramps, I would offer to gain their attention myself. However, I will have to retreat and leave that honor to one of you, I am sad about this but I will deal with it stoically.”

The other scout, snorted so loudly trying to stop from laughing one of the ogre healers stopped and looked around before going back to the healing incantation it was performing. The scout, mouth and nose cupped in hand then said, “sorry, clearly I don't have what it takes to perform this valiant task, I will leave it to you, leader, while I let the group know what your intentions are.” He then turned and crouch ran back the way they had come. Sasha sighed, Craig placed a hand on his shoulder and wished him good luck and followed his counterpart.

Sasha also crouch ran the same direction but after a short distance turned moved perpendicular to the team's location. He grabbed some damp leaf matter and dirt and rubbed it over his gear face and hair to hopefully look like he had experienced a rough time in the forest.

Group 3 INCOMING (posted by Sasha Skorokhodov)

I will say when.

>Group 3 INCOMING (posted by Peter Marks)

Give us 2 minutes to get sorted, we will form a reverse wedge.

>>Group 3 INCOMING (posted by Sasha Skorokhodov)

I am waiting for a couple more ogres to move out anyway, if they do and you lot are not ready you will have to make do.

Sasha slowly approached the remaining few ogres coming in behind the boles of the massive forest trees. Each time he would peak out and dart over and lose line of sight at the next nearest tree. Forty meters away he stopped and waited. Fortunately, the single ogre healer and patient moved off almost immediately leaving two healers and an injured warrior. Sasha prepared his next post.

>>>Group 3 INCOMING (posted by Sasha Skorokhodov)

INCOMING NOW...

He didn't post this message to the beta forum yet instead he ran at the ogre, skidding to a halt once he gained a clear line of sight to the trio. All three looked at him as startled as he hoped he looked. “Shit!” he yelled, fake limp running towards the main group looking over his shoulder to see if they would take the bait. They did, so he posted the forum message and continued to hobble while the ogres started to build up some speed so the hobble turned into a full blown sprint. They might look like short stubby legs but short and stubby on a 4m tall humanoid meant they went up to his chest and had a much higher top speed than him. Fortunately, the rest of group 4 were so close. Unfortunately, two of the three were healers and one of them noticed a limp that became an unimpeded sprint. Stopping and calling out to its companions the ogre turned and ran the other way. There was nothing that could be done, everyone was out of range to stop the healer's retreat.

>>>>Group 3 INCOMING (posted by Sasha Skorokhodov)

SHIT! I think this might have just gone very poorly. I hope groups 2 and 3 are getting close to bailing us out.

* * *

The healer had run hard chasing down the other healer and warrior that had left to join the fight against the Plateasaur, telling them quickly of the attack. The warrior immediately returned they way they had come at full sprint, the healer out of breath also headed back while trying to recover at the same time. The healer who had been traveling with the warrior sprinted towards the Plateasaur, the four ogres needed backup and fast.

The tanks of group three engaged the warrior and healer quickly separating and surrounding them. The ogre warrior had ridiculous strength, its power would unload on a single tank with his club almost like a golf swing since it stood so much taller than the humans. The results, devastating, launching the tank backward shattering shield, arm, ribs, stripping massive amounts of health or dropping them instantly. The momentum of the tank would knock over other melee fighters who were directly behind causing minor injuries to them.

The press of the tanks and other melee was sufficient however, the warrior could not break out of engagement and clear some room. With such a press of melee, the ogre lacking armor was taking numerous blows from hammers, swords, spears, and arrows. Despite these numerous blows, there was a significant problem that group three's tanks and damage focused melee were cursing at.

[You hit with Crushing Blow, dealing 1 Impact damage and 1 Crush damage]

[You hit with Savage Cut, dealing 1 Impact damage and 1 Slash Damage]

[You hit with Vicious Strike, dealing 1 Impact damage and 6 Pierce damage]

[You hit with Power Shot, dealing 1 impact damage and 1 Pierce damage]

That warrior didn't have heavy armor yet its resistance to physical attacks was scarily effective against such weak humans. Unfortunately for the humans, the healer was just as resistant to their hack and slash attacks, worse though it could heal itself with an instant cast heal over time spell.

The ogres stood tall and held strong, that height assisted group three in one way, they allowed the spellcasters to easily cast control, piloted, seeking or coordinate based spells. The ogres had some resistance to the spells also, yet far less than melee so most accept the weakest damage over time spells could break past them. Unfortunately, not every spell caster had spells with these conveyance methods for their spells. In fact considering the costs most had avoided such spells since they had groups to support them. Straight line casting was what was most common for damage and healing magics, effective and cheap for a small team working together. The archers and spellcasters were finding this experience utterly the opposite, trying to fire or cast from 30m away over the heads of 20 plus people conglomerating around the target.

Just over 70 casters were attached to each group, roughly 20% of these had spells that were perfectly accurate or controllable. Meaning that despite the situation being adverse to what the damage spell casters were used to, there was a massive amount of damage being release on the heads of the ogres.

Sasha called for the casters to focus on the ogre warrior, it did not seem as though the ogre healer had a ranged instant cast spell meaning that if they could keep the pair separated the healer could only heal itself while its ranged cast attempts would be interrupted by the attacks it was receiving from the melee. Others called out the order throughout the group assisting relaying the order to the casters among the cacophony of sound.

The damage poured onto the warrior, turning it from a proud strong warrior of the ogre race to a haggard and flailing creature being brought low by sheer weight of spells and accrued damage. It fell, after the initial engagement to that point nearly 4 minutes had passed. Most of the mages able to cast were low on mana, meanwhile, Sasha had cleared some of the melees back from the healer ogre. This allowed the spellcasters to have far fewer obstacles to worry about while firing off their regular direct line spells.

* * *

It had taken less than 30 seconds to set focused casting at the warrior after that was sorted Sasha's organised the repositioning of people around the healer, this took almost another minute. The healer, repeatedly healed itself while trying to break out of combat. It fell moments after the warrior, after receiving spell damage from many sources during battle.

It was at this time that the other warrior had appeared, seeing its tribesman fall to the humans made it desperately angry, clenching his jaw and fists tight. There were just too many of the humans, so he turned and retreated, along the way catching the healer and turning him back toward their tribe.

* * *

Minutes later the two, fortunately, met up with everyone, the entire tribe had broken from the battle with the Plateasaur with the humans so near and in such numbers, it would be too risky to continue attacking.

The tribe stopped and their war leader Nag'Feesa stepped forward looking at the two who had just arrived. “Report,” he demanded in a deep rumble of a voice. He brooked an imposing figure, looking much like any other ogre and 3.6m height, shorter than most of the male warrior ogres. Nag'Feesa didn't look much, yet he had the imposing weight of history behind him, more ogre had come back from close scrapes than should have from many, many hunts and battles because of the war leader. His command and combat skill were the best the tribe elders could recall, the always claimed it was because he was so much trouble as a youngling. As a 4-year-old he had snuck out to follow the hunting party, his inquisitive mind and sharp senses had given him [Trail Scenting] a year ago and [Tracking] two months prior to the hunt. Undiscovered he was inspired, coming up with his own ways to hunt soon after leaping him several years ahead of others his age. By the time he reached the blooding age, Nag'Feesa had hunted more than a hundred times giving him a huge boost to his development.

This flash of thought quickly refocused as Tam'Auvs responded still catching his breath from the run. “Many humans, weak but hundreds, killed Goo'Ciix, and Dew'Perhi.”

Nag'Feesa squinted appraisingly at Tam'Auvs, “you didn't assist?”

“No, Goo'Ciix was already dead, and Dew'Perhi fell, just a moment after, I got close enough, to see. Humans cast, many spells.”

Mec'Souh, the healer spoke up, “we took off, after them, when I caught, up to Tam. Went as fast, as we could, while sending word back, sorry leader, we failed, to save them. The humans, laid a trap, tricked them with one, running into us, as we finished, healing last few, it shouted, surprised, and went running away.”

Nag'Feesa nodded, “you did the right thing if there are hundreds as you say, and spellcasters too then even weak, what could a single warrior and healer do. Returning was right.” Raising his fist, “vengeance for Goo'Ciix and Dew'Perhi, and a boon for the tribe as we take all the humans items. It's a good thing they chose this day to attack. We who prepared to hunt the great Plateasaur, now get to crush weak humans instead.”

The ogre hunting party all raised their own hands silently in response.

“Three groups, mine is the vanguard, I will charge first, wait until I get deep or call out, then hit them from both sides and behind me. Be ready to throw some healing my way, make sure warriors keep in formation. Crush them, use our size and strength to give them no room. Make this fast and bloody.”

Looking at Tam'Auvs, “lead the way.”

Tam'Auvs nodded and began heading back the way he had just come jogging steadily, still catching his breath at the start. As he got closer, he slowed down and began to creep. Nag'Feesa waved back the rest of the vanguard as he approached low and silent, large ogre may be yet he required every ogre to have [Sneak] and [Hide] for hunting. Watching from a distance the humans showed they were no army, while they maintained a semblance of formation they were loud, spread out, disorganised.

Nag'Feesa waited and watched another minute to give the groups on either side to be ready to react to his charge. It looked like the humans were starting to get ready for scouts to disperse into the forest again. As he sent Tam'Auvs back he quietly spoke, “tell the others to be ready.” Waiting a few moments more it was time, slowly drawing his twin short swords, dwarven forged and rune carved, from his sides, time to charge.

* * *

It had taken a couple of minutes to get people to settle down from celebrating the victory. Why they were celebrating so much after fighting just two ogres was beyond him. Yet everyone had left the canyon with such high hopes of action and adventure that they overreacted when it finally came.

There were only 4 of the people that had healing skills that could use [Basic Resurrect] on fallen. The problem for those few was that it took a massive around 300 mana to perform the spell. The 4 could only perform the spell two times before they needed to drink a couple of [Standard Common Restore Over Time - Mana Potion]. These were far more efficient than instant potions, restoring around 200 mana each. The drawback was they worked over a period of 5 minutes but they all had the skill [Potion Skoler] allowing for stacking benefits of consumed potions with reduced side effects. With 18 fallen, it would take some time to get them all up, some were going to lose a few DP but what else could they do. During this wait, Sasha got the tanks to fan out around the group from the way the Plateasaur had gone, just in case. After the people had settled somewhat he called the scouts to begin ranging again. Unfortunately mere seconds after they began moving out a single ogre dual-wielding twin swords each as long as a 2-hander charged the front line.

The speed and brutality of the ogre were absurd, running between two of the tanks instantly piercing the tanks through armor, chest, impaling the sword out their backs and into the ground. Stopping this ogre casually stepped on each of the bodies pressing them so the bodies slid down the swords onto the ground.

With a mean smile, “you humans killed two ogres, big mistake weaklings.” Pulling the swords out the bodies he took a single step forward casually standing, looking at everyone. The entirety of group 3 was stunned and silent looking at this solo ogre. “If this is how many you have then it's not going to be enough, not even close.”