"What?" Ann rolled her eyes and shrugged. She acted as if dyeing her hair blonde in the middle of a forest during an ogre attack was nothing out of the ordinary,

"Never seen hair dye before?"

The Tullus mercenaries and members of Orion's merchant group started whispering among themselves.

The show has continued. It was worth accepting a joint mission with the Nero mercenaries.

"What are you gawking at!" Chief Gallahan bellowed. He was annoyed by the immature behavior of his crew members.

"The Chief's angry. Let's go"

"I look forward to the next surprise"

The men scattered away, surprised by Gallahan's sudden outburst.

"Thank you" Ann whispered under her breath.

Gallahan waved his hand and dismissed her not to worry.

Though he was concerned for reasonable reasons. The camping site they were located in was one of the prime sites the Tullus mercenaries frequently used during their travels between Orion and Velven for years.

It was the safe site within the red zone. For ogres to breach into the compound in the middle of the night, it meant they were not as safe as they hoped to be.

More importantly, now that they have killed four, more would be on the way.

"ROAR!"

Right on cue, the ground began to shake. An estimate of ten or more ogres were headed towards the camp.

"How did they even find us? We were in a camp hidden from any animal tracks" Chief Gallahan grimaced.

Just when things were bad, they were about to turn worse.

Ann had never seen Gallahan so serious before. The usually friendly chatterbox personality was gone and in its place stood the Chief of the Tullus mercenaries weighing the situation at hand.

Five of his men were injured in the ambush and three needed immediate medical care. If more ogres were to attack at this time it would be harder to hold the attack while protecting merchantry.

The only option left would be to split the group into two, sending the merchants with one-half of the people to guard while the rest stayed to create a distraction.

"It's not like we are fairies or anything" Gallahan clicked his tongue, thinking of a strategic plan.

'Fairies...' Ann's eyes wavered.

Where do the fairies come in all of this? She wondered.

It was then she recalled hearing about fairies and ogres prior to their departure to Orion. It was part of the briefing Raeden conducted about Eldom.

"Ogres are attracted to fairy dust. Apparently, they could sniff off the scent a mile away"

She could hear Raeden's voice reverberate within her ears.

'And guess who was soaked in fairy dust from head to toe!' Ann facepalmed.

While playing with the adorable little ones, she had completely forgotten about the ogre infestations in Eldom.

"It's me. They're after me" She muttered under her breath.

If it weren't for her. The ogres wouldn't have tracked their camping site and attacked all those people.

"What's wrong?" Eugene frowned, seeing the color drain out of Ann's face.

But before he could inquire about it, Ann suddenly yelled at him,

"I can drive them away!"

Since the ogres were attracted to her scent she would be able to lead them away to the other part of the forest. This way, she could circle back after shaking them off her trail.

Right then, two ogres came bursting out through the trees.

"ROAR!"

They were twice the size of the other ogres with sharp teeth protruding out of their mouths.

Unlike the ones before, these ogres had armor made of animal bones covering their front and back, with a sharp axe held together by wood and animal skin.

*BANG*

Jade jumped away. The place where he had been standing seconds ago had a giant axe leave a deep impression on the ground.

They looked like an upgraded version of monsters that appeared after defeating the lower-level ones in dungeon quests.

They were alpha ogres.

"Everybody get back!" Raeden commanded and charged towards the ogre.

A fierce battle began under the moonlight.

"They're gonna keep coming" Ann took a step back.

While the twins and Eugene joined Jade and Raeden to fight with the giant ogres, they didn't notice one of their own slip through the woods.

The ogre swung its axe aiming for Raeden's head when an arrow pierced its skull entering through its eye socket.

"ROAR!" The ogre shrieked, blood spilling from its eyes.

Just as the ogre dropped the axe in its hands, Raeden caught it and swung it up the ogre's neck, decapitating it in a single swing.

*thud*

As the headless body of the ogre fell to the floor, behind it the Tullus mercenaries surrounded the second ogre, and Chief Gallahan's spear thrust through its mouth and out the skull.

*thud*

"Everybody okay?"

Raeden dropped the axe and wiped the blood on his face with his sleeve. His eyes scanned everyone in the camp to ensure no one was left out.

"Yeah..."

"We're fine"

Everybody was accounted for in the Orion merchants and the Tullus mercenaries. That was, except for one person.

"Where is Ann?" He asked, causing Eugene's face to pale.

Eugene had lost sight of her ever since the second batch of ogres attacked. He remembered her words from before she disappeared from the camp.

'I can drive them away!'

Eugene's head started spinning when Ezra's voice brought him out of his trance,

"Has anybody seen Sir Kalan?"

The only two members missing were Ann and Kalan.

"Why is it suddenly quiet?" Chief Gallahan noted. The surroundings were as serene as they were before the ogres ambushed the camp.

Instinctively, a bad premonition crept up Eugene's skin.

"Where did she go!?"











Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest, a pack of ogres was chasing after Ann moving at a fast pace.

"Hah... Hah..."

Ann panted, looking for a place to hide.

She had successfully intercepted the pack of ogres that were headed for the camp and lured them into following her inside the forest.

But no matter how strong a person can be, there is a limit to which they can withstand.

'The best defense is offense. If you ever find yourself in a tough spot. Always trust your instincts'

Maria's teaching was etched in Ann's soul.

'I can't waste my energy playing hooky' She searched for a vantage point and found an array of trees with branches closely intertwined with each other.

It was time to strategize.

Now that the camp was safe. She has to thin the crowd and take them out one by one.

According to her observations, there were a total of six ogres. Four were average and the last two were alpha ogres.

The only weapons in her possession were her sword and dagger. Ann rummaged through her pockets. Tucked in her boots was a small pouch with the sour candy Melina gifted her and a vial of Killium spice.

'Killium! Sweet!' An evil grin appeared on her face.

"Grrr... Grrr..."

Four ogres huddled together and sniffed the air. The alpha ogres were nowhere to be seen.

*sniff* *sniff*

There was a delicious scent of fairy dust lingering in the air.

The woods were dark as the moons slumbered behind the clouds. The ogres were barely able to see anything when there was a rustle on branches.

*rustle* *rustle*

Suddenly a dark figure leapt across the sky.

"Grr?"

The ogres looked up confused, as some kind of particles rained down from the sky.

"ROAR! ROAR!"

The ogres screamed in pain. Their eyes and nose were burning as if set on fire. They could no longer smell the delicious scent.

*rustle*

Feeling movement nearby, the ogres started swinging their weapons madly.

*bang* *bang* *thud*

"Oh... Ah... Ouch! That's gotta hurt"

Ann dropped the empty vial. She sympathized with the brainless ogres that were killing each other. With each hit, they were losing their stance and a lot of blood.

"There goes the second one. Where's the popcorn when you need them... tsk tsk"

Jade and the twins always complained when Ann added spices to their food. But it was the spices that became the ultimate weapon that helped her defeat the monsters with ease.

With only a few more hits, the remaining two ogres will be dead. They were tired and weakly taking swings.

"Time to work"

Ann tied her hair into a bun.

After she is done with these two, all that's left will be the alpha ogres.

"Huff... Huff..."

The remaining two ogres panted taking a break. Both were badly injured and bleeding. The burning sensation had subsided a little, but their vision was still distorted.

Without proper vision and smell, they couldn't identify the difference between a clan member and a foe.

One of the ogres was about to swing its club again when Ann dived from the branches onto the weapon using its own force to land a fatal blow.

*bang*

The ogre dropped to the floor lifeless.

'And then there was one'

Ann pulled out her sword, doused with Killium spice.

It was a trick she had learned about from Chief Gallahan. Members of the Ruir tribe used Killium as a lubricant on their weapons to maximize the fatality of attacks on their enemies.

The last ogre standing had a deep cut on its neck. Shaking its head, the ogre narrowed its eyes.

"Grr..." It grunted, finally facing its assailant.

In an instant, they charged at each other.

Using her small stature to her advantage, Ann catapulted above the ogre. As the ogre lifted its head following her trajectory, she came down driving her sword through its body slicing it into two on the way down.

*thud*

Ann stood up and took a deep breath.

The sky was clearing, illuminating her figure on top of the pile of monsters.

Earlier Ann had anticipated the alpha ogres to join the rest, but somehow they ominously vanished along the way. She had to get rid of them before returning to the camp.

'Eugene's gonna be so pissed' Ann sighed.

At that moment, a large axe attached to a metal chain sprung towards her from the darkness.

"!"

Ann jolted back using her sword as a shield.

*snap*

'My sword... broke?'

Ann's eyes widened at the sight of her sword snapping into two.

The axe connected to the chain reeled back as the missing alpha ogres revealed themselves for the first time.

Without a moment to rest, two axes came flying towards her at the same time aiming for her head and legs.

Having no time to dodge, she holstered herself up, twisting in the space between the two blades.

"Huh!" Ann landed on her feet.

Before they could attack again, she sprinted into the trees without looking back.

'My sword broke!'

She was panicking as she ran deeper into the forest. Something like this had never happened before.

The alpha ogres were smarter than the ordinary ones. They seemed to have waited till she exposed herself to ambush at the right moment.

Even though the fairy dust was masked with the Killium spice, the alpha ogres were still tracking her through movements.

'I need a place to hide'

In the distance, Ann spotted a cave covered by veins right in the direction she was running.

It may not be safe to be cornered in a cramped space, but depending on the structure of the interior there may be an opening or shaft for a sneak attack.

"Urgh!"

Ann fell to the ground. She was tripped by a force that pulled back her legs.

Tied around her feet was a metal chain connected to a large axe.

One of the ogres had caught up to her. It pulled on the chains, dragging her along with it.

"Grrr..." The ogre growled in a low voice.

Ann pulled out her dagger and threw it at the ogre.

The sharp blade jabbed into the ogre's mouth severing its tongue in half.

"ROAR!" The ogre writhed in pain, loosening its grip on the chain.

Seizing the opportunity, Ann freed herself and dashed into the cave without a second thought.

The entrance to the cave was covered in thick veins and roots from the trees above.

The passage was dark and moist with water droplets dripping from the ceiling.

Fortunately, the walls were covered with bioluminescent algae that provided enough lighting for her to reach the end of the pathway that split into two.

'I'm so gonna regret this'

Crossing her fingers, Ann ran towards the left tunnel that had the least algae covering its entrance.

After running for a while, Ann stopped and looked around.

"Wha... What is this place?"