Chapter 404: Use Your Head

Nearly twenty minutes had passed, and Kael had done exactly what the challenge asked of him. He was still alive.

The Twin-Headed Ogre had spent that time trying very hard to change that.

Its attention shifted unpredictably between the remaining Climbers. Sometimes it chased Darin for several minutes before one head noticed movement elsewhere and dragged the entire creature toward another target. Other times, the two heads disagreed so fiercely that the ogre nearly stopped moving, with each roaring at someone on the opposite side of the arena.

Those arguments gave the Climbers occasional openings. Unfortunately, they also made it difficult to know whom the creature would chase next.

The arena continued changing around them. Stone barricades rose through the red dirt, followed by broken pillars, low walls, and scattered blocks. The Red Sun members initially treated each new obstacle as a blessing.

Kael preferred to keep moving. Putting something between himself and the ogre was useful, but he had no intention of trusting a wall to survive that club.

Vesk apparently felt differently.

The spear user had been fleeing across an open section of the arena when a large stone partition rose nearby. He darted behind it and disappeared from view, leaving several tons of masonry between himself and the creature.

The ogre stopped. One head examined the wall while the other sniffed the air. Then both grinned.

Halfway across the arena, Kael saw the club rise.

"Oh, shit, that’s gonna leave a mark."

Vesk was too far away to hear him.

The club swung, demonstrating both the limits of the arena’s masonry and the considerable advantages of applying leverage when you were nearly five meters tall. With several tons of monster muscles backing your blow.

The center of the wall exploded.

Vesk barely had time to turn before the club reached him through a shower of broken stone. His body flew across the remaining stretch of dirt and struck the outer wall hard enough to leave blood across it. He dropped at its base and did not move again.

The crowd erupted.

"Damn...That’s two," Kael muttered.

Halem had been reduced to paste. Vesk had become wall decoration. That left Darin, Roth, and himself beneath a timer that continued counting down without the slightest concern.

[41:32]

Darin looked from Vesk’s body toward Kael.

"Help us!"

"Keep running!"

"We need to bring it down!"

"No, you need to stop trying to bring it down!"

The ogre roared, cutting through whatever Darin shouted next.

Kael could see the frustration on the man’s face. During their preparations, the Red Sun members had discussed formations, supplies, and contingencies without once asking what their fifth member could contribute. Now that half their group was dead, he had suddenly become essential.

Funny how that worked.

Both heads snapped toward him.

Kael noticed the change before the ogre moved. Its knees bent, its grip shifted, and the enormous club lowered beside its leg.

Then it charged.

For a moment, Kael considered what he could do with his actual equipment. Fire, Frost, Anchor, Execrate, Exploit Weakness, Stone. Combined with the Nine Yang Destruction Body, the Malachor Rune Gauntlets would give him plenty of ways to test the limits of that Stone Skin. Darkness was already integrated into his coat, ready to obscure his movements and make the creature miss attacks it should otherwise land.

Could he kill it? Probably. With the right sequence, perhaps even quickly.

But Darin and Roth were still alive, both wore Red Sun emblems, and both had perfectly functional eyes. The moment he brought out the Malachor gauntlets and started manipulating Runes, he would give them exactly the sort of information he had been trying to conceal.

Revealing himself to kill something the challenge did not require him to kill would be unbelievably stupid.

Kael ran.

The club struck behind him, blasting red dirt across his coat. He changed direction without looking back, then ducked beneath the next swing. The weapon passed close enough for the displaced air to tug at his clothing.

One head roared while the other struggled to follow his sudden turn. The creature’s hearing and sense of smell were excellent, but its sight seemed less reliable when he moved sharply across its field of vision.

Useful.

The club swept horizontally. Kael accelerated toward a broken wall, planted one foot on its upper edge, and pushed himself over it.

The ogre ran straight through.

Stone burst outward behind him as he landed and kept moving.

The crowd loved that. Thousands of voices rose every time the club came close, and a chant spread through several sections of the stands. Kael could not tell whether they were cheering for his escape or eagerly anticipating the moment he became another stain.

Probably both.

A glance over his shoulder showed the ogre gaining ground. Kael turned toward another raised section of stone and waited until the creature committed to following him.

Then he planted a foot against the wall and drove himself upward.

The club fell beneath him as he twisted backward over the ogre’s shoulder. Its momentum carried it into the masonry, and the impact sent cracks racing through the stone.

Kael landed behind it and continued running.

One head screamed. The other stared at the damaged wall, apparently still trying to locate the man who had been standing there a moment earlier.

"Master would’ve made me do that ten times."

Probably while carrying rocks, too. Compared with some of the Fist King’s exercises, this was almost relaxing.

The ogre turned, spotted him, and charged again.

"Almost," Kael amended.

He led it through several more turns before reaching the enormous pit from which it had emerged. The opening remained uncovered, deep and wide enough that neither of them could casually cross it.

Kael followed the rim, using his lead to put the pit between them. When the ogre tried taking the shorter route around, he moved with it and preserved the distance.

Eventually, the creature stopped on the opposite side.

Both heads stared at him.

Kael waved.

The right head snarled, and the ogre started around the pit again. Kael moved along his side, keeping the opening between them. When it reversed direction, he reversed with it.

They repeated this several times.

"This is embarrassing," Kael said.

The ogre feinted.

It started left, halted, and tried to catch him moving the wrong way. Kael remained where he was, watching its feet.

The creature stopped again.

One head turned toward the other. A massive hand rose and slapped it across the face.

Kael stared.

"What?"

The struck head roared while its companion jerked its chin toward the far side of the arena. Darin and Roth were running there, both considerably easier to reach.

For a moment, the first head seemed to consider the suggestion.

Then the ogre abandoned the pit and sprinted after them.

"Huh."

Apparently even monsters could decide that certain prey was too annoying to pursue.

Kael walked over to a broken pillar and sat beside it. Laughter and outraged shouting rolled down from the stands as he rested his forearms on his knees.

[34:08]

Darin noticed almost immediately.

"You bastard!"

Kael raised a hand. "Keep moving!"

"Keep its attention!"

"Nope."