Bignum blinked, staring at the man dangling from his arm.
"How you know my name, half-breed?"
Ruok coughed out water, still catching his breath.
"You…" He paused.
His eyes shifted past Bignum.
The battlefield.
The same chaos. The same smoke. The same towering shapes in the distance—
The mechanical giant clashing with the centipede.
Ruok went still for a second.
…Again?
A thought settled in his head, heavy and quiet.
I'm in a loop.
He looked back at Bignum and forced a small shrug.
"Just a guess."
Bignum frowned. "Guess?"
Ruok only smiled weakly.
The orc grunted, unconvinced, and set him down in the shallow water with a careless drop.
"Whatever. Stay alert, half-breed. Another wave coming. Be ready."
Ruok rolled his shoulder once, testing it. No pain.
Good.
"I'm always ready."
He scanned the ground quickly. A goblin corpse floated nearby, half-submerged. A pair of daggers still strapped to its side.
Ruok stepped over, pulled them free along with the sheath, and secured them around his waist.
He patted them lightly.
"That's where you belong. Not gonna throw you again, promise."
A piece of red cloth drifted past him. He caught it, wrung the water out, and tied it around his hair.
"That's better, now I can fight better."
Above, Minerva circled in her phoenix form, flames painting the sky gold and red.
Ruok didn't panic this time.
He waited.
Embers fell.
One touched his shoulder.
Warmth spread instantly through his body. He felt rejuvenated and stronger.
He exhaled.
"…There it is."
"Now," he started to move. "Time for the show."
Ruok charged into the incoming trods, not rushing blindly this time. His steps were measured, controlled. His blades moved with purpose.
He spotted his first victim.
Slashed at the neck.
Sidestepped as the jaw snapped towards him.
Then, stabbed in the eye.
One beast dropped. Then another. No wasted motion. No panic.
He pushed forward—
But stopped before going too far.
His eyes flicked to the distance.
Right on time.
A massive mechanical arm came crashing down where he would have been.
He didn't even look back.
"…It's easy to dodge when you remember."
Seconds later—
A violent explosion tore through the battlefield. Fire, smoke, and debris swallowed the mechanical giant and the centipede alike.
Ruok turned back.
"Time to help Bignum."
—
He ran back just in time.
The ground shook.
'BOOOOM'
A massive ape-like creature loomed over Bignum—four powerful arms slamming down, its crocodile-like tail whipping behind it. Its dark blue fur bristled, and the top of its head burned with eerie blue flame. Four eyes stretched across its face in a single line, all glaring with violent intent.
Two of its arms pressed down against Bignum's axe, forcing the orc to one knee.
Bignum growled, muscles bulging.
"Ugly beast… strong."
The ape roared and slammed down again.
Boom.
Then again. And again. And again.
Bignum's knee sank deeper into the mud.
Ruok dashed in from the side.
"Hey, big guy!" he shouted. "You miss me?"
The ape's eyes shifted.
That was enough.
Ruok leapt, daggers flashing—aiming straight for its face.
The ape reacted fast. One arm swung sideways.
Ruok twisted mid-air—barely avoiding the hit—and slashed across one of its eyes.
Blue blood sprayed.
The beast shrieked.
Bignum grinned.
"Good! Hit!"
"I noticed!" Ruok snapped as he landed and rolled.
The ape lashed its tail toward Ruok.
Too fast—
Ruok crossed his daggers.
Impact.
He was thrown back, skidding across the mud.
"Okay—still hurts," he muttered, pushing himself up.
The ape turned again—
Bignum moved.
With a roar, he forced the axe upward, breaking the pressure of the two arms. He stepped in close and slammed his shoulder into the beast's chest.
"Fight me!"
The ape answered with a barrage—four fists crashing down in rapid succession.
Bignum blocked one. Took another to the side. Mud exploded under each impact.
Ruok circled.
Four eyes. That's the weakness.
He darted in again—fast, controlled—not too fast, just enough.
He stabbed upward—another eye.
The beast howled.
Three left.
"Bignum!" Ruok shouted. "Hold it steady!"
"I try!" Bignum barked.
The orc grabbed one of the ape's arms mid-swing and yanked hard, dragging the creature slightly off balance.
The tail came again—
Ruok anticipated it this time.
He stepped in instead of back.
Close.
Inside its reach.
He drove a dagger into a third eye.
The ape shrieked wildly, flailing.
"Last one!" Ruok shouted.
Bignum didn't hesitate.
With a roar, he lifted his axe high and brought it down—not to kill, but to pin—burying it into the beast's shoulder, locking it in place.
"Now!"
Ruok sprinted straight forward.
The ape tried to bite, but this time, Ruok was ready. He twisted his body to avoid the massive maw.
He planted one foot on its chest and drove both daggers straight into its final eye.
The ape shrieked louder, its movements turning rough, less precise.
But more violent.
Its tail whipped wildly, striking the ground, sending mud flying everywhere.
"Then let's finish the job!"
Ruok rushed in again, ducking under a blind swing. He leapt and drove a dagger into a third eye.
The beast howled, now fully blind.
All four eyes—ruined.
But it didn't stop.
It went berserk.
Its four arms slammed down wildly, smashing the ground. Its tail whipped in all directions, unpredictable and dangerous.
Ruok barely rolled away from a crushing blow.
Bignum stepped forward instead of back.
"Now it panic!"
The ape lunged blindly toward him, sensing movement.
That's what Bignum wanted.
He planted his feet and raised his axe.
"Come!"
The beast charged—arms swinging, head lowered, mouth opened.
Ruok saw the opening.
"Bignum! Now!"
The orc didn't hesitate.
As the beast closed in, Bignum stepped forward and swung his axe with full force—
A heavy, brutal arc—
CRACK.
The blade struck the beast's head, right where the blue flames burned.
The impact echoed.
The ape staggered, its massive body shaking.
Ruok rushed in from the side, slashing at its legs to keep it off balance.
The beast tried to retaliate, but it couldn't see—its attacks were wild, unfocused.
Bignum roared and struck again.
Another heavy blow to the head.
The ape let out one final, broken roar—
Then collapsed, its body crashing into the mud.
Silence followed.
Ruok stood there, breathing hard, staring at the fallen beast.
"…Okay," he said. "That was a hard fight."
Bignum pulled his axe free and nodded.
"But we win."
Ruok wiped his face, smearing mud and blue blood together.
"…Yeah," he muttered. "We win."
Then he glanced at his shoulder, which was supposed to be injured.
"…Also, my shoulder is unharmed this time."