While Kardenon causes as much noise as he can in his fight against the sentries, I fight in relative silence. Observing the tents, I wait until someone exits it. Once I am sure they are sufficiently distracted by Kardenon, I swing my sword mercilessly at them. I can feel the resistance in my blade, not that unlike a training dummy. I concentrate on pulling my blade out and either attack a second time or leave the corpse behind. I do my best to concentrate on my motions and technique.

It was almost too easy, even though one of my hands was occupied by the Vision Lantern. That is, until I swung at a particular gnome. He glared back at me with malevolent eyes as his dagger clashed with my sword. I push it out of the way and attempt a a kick at him, but the gnome is able to dodge by jumping back with incredible ability. With some distance between us, he smiles and even while holding a dagger in his right hand, he points at me. Why? What is he doing?

I soon discover as a fireball flies from his finger directly in my direction. I had forgotten that gnomes usually can cast without chanting. With no time left for dodging it, I have only one option: To resist it. I am engulfed by the flame as I step forward. I have to concentrate. The fire around me is not real fire, it will only burn as long as the mana igniting it lasts. While not exactly an illusion, it will only burn me if I let it. Although, even if I say that, the heat cannot be ignored and even if I have not received the fatal injuries that my enemy expected, I am not completely uninjured from the attack.

Still, the fact that I keep running at him despite taking a fireball head on is enough to unsettle my enemy. Again I swing, and again he parries, but this time I am more insistent and swing again. I use my superior physical strength to push him off balance even if he defends my attacks. Before he can adequately react, I step on his throat and run his heart with my sword. I pull my sword out with some difficulty and look for more enemies.

Eventually I find someone guarding a carriage. I wonder what's inside. It is intricately ornate and likely belonged to the people who had been attacked by the Broken Wheel. The person who guarded it looked like nobody I had ever seen before. The somewhat metallic color of their skin, their height. If I am not mistaken, I have found an ogre. What an unpleasant surprise. Fighting that guy alone might be too dangerous, but it seems like Kardenon isn't done with his part. As I step out of hiding, the ogre shows a toothy grin.

“Are you done observing me, human?” I do not answer him, I don't think he can see me yet, so better to give him an easier time figuring out where I am from my voice. “I can smell you, you know? I am very proud of my nose. I have cultivated it for all of those years, and it has helped me take all of the best sacrifices for our Lady!”

Sacrifices? Then that means there was someone inside that carriage. Sacrificing a person. The Broken Wheel truly is made of the worst heretics. Still, I had never heard before that ogres had a particular strong sense of smell. This was probably some kind of bluff. Or not.

When I approached him and prepared to charge he pounced directly at me. Before I could even react, he landed a strike directly at my chest with his fist. I don't think I have ever felt before such an impact from mere fists, like a shockwave spread through my body and caused pain. I was sent flying, both my sword and the Vision Lantern leaving my hands. I couldn't see anymore, the fog was the only thing around me and everything hurt, everything hurt so bad.

Am I going to die then? I may not be able to see, but I can feel the ogre charging in my preparing to take my life with a second, even more powerful attack. But instead of being killed, I hear a loud noise. I also hear a voice that brings me immense relief.

“Oh, hey, are you okay? You don't mind if I take over for my friend, do you?”

I can't see, but I can hear the ogre's amused reply.

“Of course not, by all means, I am not particular with the order that I prefer to kill the enemies of my Lord. It seems you had a fun time slaughtering my brothers, allow me to return the favor by making sure you do not survive this day.”

I cannot see, but by the constant and loud sounds of clashes, I know that the two of them are engaged in a fierce fight. Even as I wheeze and cough blood, I try to pull myself together. I'm pretty sure that Kardenon cannot take that ogre by himself. If I do not help him, I am sure that both of us will die. First the dungeon, now this fight... It seems that I am quite good at getting myself hurt. Well, at least I can fight the pain.

I let out a battle roar to help me ignore the pain. I cannot see around me, I can't hear it very well either, but I still have my instincts. I just know. I grip my sword with both hands and concentrate.

“Ah, shit. Give me some time, some time please!” I can hear constant blows against stone. The Ogre is probably overwhelming Kardenon. “Damn you! Take this!”

I don't know what Kardenon did, but I hear a loud sound, followed by a chuckle. Whatever he did didn't work that well. I run in a direction, I can feel that I am right, I can save Kardenon.

“Heh, that was surprising, so you're a dwarf, are you? Well, time to di...e?”

Before he can finish his sentence, I run the ogre through with my sword, despite not seeing anything. It must be Virtue's guidance.

“You're the one who is going to die, heretic.”