Well shit…I hurt all over, but at least the ogres are dead. We rested and futzed around camp. We were determined to go back to the cave and try to get our revenge on these ogres. It was about a mine claim anymore…it was revenge.
My companions were talking during our journey, but I was pretty lost in my own thoughts. Its not everyday you almost die. I constantly asked myself what the hell am I doing? but I know I’m about 38 gold from paying off my debt to Ghemel. Hopefully I will live long enough to be debt free.
We finally get to the cave and we send Izzy and Talon up to scout again. They were gone for a loooong time. We must be about 100 yards from the cave…surely there can’t be many more ogres!
Eventually Talon came back. He started mumbling that Izzy had been discovered and sure enough, we heard the banging of the shield and some faint shrieks and howls.
I looked at my companions raising up a finger to represent an idea. “Hey boys! Let’s do the fire trick!” Just like those ogres did to us the other night, we could get a raging fire going and hide on the outskirts. I mean surely, there can’t be too many ogres left…this could be our stand and then claim the mine for the miner. I quickly gathered some wood along with the others and soon enough we had a fire going…..and we waited….and waited. Still no Izzy.
Izzy was having his own adventure inside the cave. Stirring up trouble no doubt….
Finally, sick of waiting, I cursed and grabbed a torch. I bellowed into the sky, raising a torch in front of the fire…a battle cry. A cry of defiance and challenge. I roared to the heavens!
Ok…I get it…probably not as epic as this:
But I was trying damn it!
A few moments, it worked! Several ogres rushed through the woods and the battle was on! Or…the race was on..as most everyone was running and shooting their bows. I stayed back as long as possible, shooting my trusty crossbow. I was no dummy…I was sticking close to Veggiepeal because he was an ogre slayer extraordinaire! we are all pretty spread out at this point with all the running and shooting.
I could of been imagining things, but it looked like Yurin…bah, whatever his name is…was shooting better than Talon! I snorted a bit, but didnt really have time to enjoy it as the leader seemed to lock eyes with me and was heading my way–throwing head sized rocks at me while he approached.
Veggie screamed in pain and get got gashed real good from his opponent. I started making my way towards him to get closer for a strategic healing spell, but the leader was going to be on me at any moment. I finally shot my last bolt, dropped my crossbow and yelled “here I come!” as I barreled into the ogre fighting Veggiepeal. I gave him a few good hits but then the leader was upon us.
Meanwhile, Ulden had feathered several ogres with his arrows, but wasn’t quick enough to escape the clutches of two of them and he went down. Ghemel was holding his own against two of them, eventually slaying one. I mean…of course he did! he is a dwarf!
Yurin and Talon kept running further into the brush. When Yurin shot his bow, I heard a resounding ‘THUD’ as arrow hit flesh and the ogre grunting in pain. But when Talon shot….I heard nothing.
WHAM!! hooo boy, I got my clock cleaned by the ogre leader. I was as bloody as Veggiepeal at this point. And the ogre didn’t stop! I tried to call to my god quickly to heal my wounds, but the ogre was too fast. His moose antlered club came crashing down on me once more and I went down…vision going fast and blood everywhere. I laid there, unable to move, watching the half-dead Veggiepeal face off on the ogre leader by himself.
Veggiepe…no…I think his name is Vlastimeer or something! Funny, the ogre must of knocked some sense into me. Yeah, Vlastimeer held his ground and there was a series of brutal attacks. The ogre leader fell down. My eyes were closing and my body started to feel cold….I barely watched Vlastimeer kneel down by the ogre…and then he too collapsed into a bloody heap. I smiled weakly, mumbling “that will do lad…that will do…” and as I lost consciousness once more, my last thought was to take Vlastimeer with me to build some new dwarven war machines in heaven….it would…..be….grand.
The Merciless Merchants 
A battle well fought and still raging, Khazriks timely attack probably saved Vlatismeel, who gave a skillful strike to the ogre leaders throat, which didn’t quite finish him but damn near did. But in the end blind rage couldn’t defeat skilled fury and the ogre fell. Beyond the fire Ghemel continues to hold his ground against a remaining ogre. Even though Jarn was a better shot than Talon he went down under a thrown limb by the ogres chasing them, but one fell to after being shot previously by Ulden, then Jarn and finally Talon. The last ogre, had to cover allot of ground to crush the ranger but he too had several arrows sticking out of him and chose to hide behind a large tree. There has been no trace of the gnome Izzul, he may be a bloody smear on a wall somewhere in the ogre den..