*CRACK*
The ogre's immense fist came crashing down, cracking the ground where Ceren had stood moments before.
It was a moment before Ceren realized what he had done. Somehow, perhaps on instinct, he had flung himself to the side. But how had he known what the creature was about to do? He certain hadn't seen it.
Ceren skidded along the hard, rocky ground, his bare arms scraping against them. He breathed hard, threw his matted, grey hair away from his face and got to his feet. Then, something came hurdling toward him.
He ducked, just in time.
The limp, headless carcass of the man the ogre had crushed came flying past him. It tumbled across the ground like a ragdoll until it hit against a large rock formation, where it flopped to the ground.
If Ceren didn't do something soon, that would be him, next.
But he couldn't flee; Every time he had tried, something had thrown him back. It was too late to run now, anyway. This creature - this monster - was clearly much faster and much stronger than Ceren. It would catch up to him in an instant.
Glancing over at the corpse, Ceren noticed something strapped to the dead man's hip.
It was a sword.
A weapon.
Ceren threw himself out of the way as another of the ogre's fists came barreling down at him, then set off at a sprint. This time, his path was not blocked. Was it because he wasn't trying to run away
He could hear the ogre's thundering footsteps behind him.
He reached the lifeless corpse much faster than he had expected and ducked for the blade. Pulling it from its sheath, his already gaunt face seemed to harden. To call this a sword would be an overstatement. It was more like a long knife.
Still, it would have to do. Even "almost nothing" is better than nothing.
With a start, Ceren realized that he could not hear the steps of the ogre anymore. Spinning around, he only had a moment to register the blood-spattered face of the ogre above him, both of its fists raised to come crashing down on him.
He threw himself to the side once more, but something was different. The blade in his hand might be small, but the familiarity of its grip seemed to ground him in the otherwise foreign, nightmarish world. When Ceren wielded his blade, he was in control. It had always been that way, and it sure as hell wasn't going to change now.
Other world or not; He was still Ceren Pontifix.
Glimpsing the monster's arms coming down beside him, Cerne flung out the knife to his side. With the familiar thin sound of flesh being cut, the short blade penetrated the ogre's lizardy skin like it was softened butter.
"RAAAARHG!!!"
The ogre cried out in pain as Ceren pulled himself onto its arm, the blade splitting the creature's wrist as he dragged it behind him.
As though to spite his aged and fragile appearance, Ceren dashed up the monster's upper arm. Powerful though he had always been, he had never moved like this before.
Jumping up off the arm, Ceren sank the dagger into the ogre's shoulder, planted his feet on its torso, and leapt straight up at its head. His face spread into a grin much wider than even the ogre's. Human or not, Ceren Pontifix would always be superior.
*Thunk*
Partly inserted into the side of the creature's head, the knife came to a sudden stop. With a triumphant glint in his eye, Ceren raised his fist and hammered down on the knife grip.
The blade sunk in deep, all the way to the hilt.
Its brain having been split by Ceren's knife, the ogre's face twisted into a shocked grimace. Leaning in, he applied his weight to the hilt and twisted the knife hard.
*Snap*
"Tsk."
Ceren clicked his tongue in irritation. His own weapons had never been so weak. Suddenly, Ceren was thrown off balance, gravity seeming to shift under him.
The ogre keeled over, its massive body crashing onto the rocky ground. Though it was already dead, Ceren felt a dim satisfaction in hearing its skull cracking against a particularly large rock. He slid off of the fresh ogre corpse, and landed steadily on the ground.
Feeling the rush of the fight still seeping out of him, it took a second before he realized that his hands were shaking slightly. Irritated, he took a deep sigh, steadying them. It had been a technique his therapist had taught him. It was supposed to help control some of his more dangerous instincts, though he rarely used it.
"Y-You..."
Ceren glanced over. A small man, wider than he was tall, was looking hesitantly at him from some ways away. His legs seemed to be trembling. Probably one of the people the ogre had attacked.
"Yes, yes, you're welcome," Ceren sneered, offhandedly.
He was far too busy to waste his time listening to the pathetic stutters of some random guy. Besides, he had places to be and it seemed like more of those that had fled were approaching him. He looked away, back out over the horizon line where the path continued.
His best bet was probably to go to the capital. From what he could recall of his conversation with that supposed goddess, that's where he would find that man. She had called him a 'hero', hadn't she? What did that even mean?
It probably didn't matter anyway. That man was the only clue Ceren had, so he was going to follow it.
"You- You j- You're--"
Now, what was that guy's name again? Eron? Eric?
"--Ergo."
Instantly, Ceren's eyes flickered back over to the overweight man.
"What?" he growled.
"You're Ergo, a-aren't you? I r-recognize you from your statue. A-and no one else could have taken out an orcus like that."
Ceren raised an eyebrow. An orcus? Probably the ogre, from context clues.
More importantly, though, this fat little man thought Ceren was this Ergo person? He was supposed to be a rather important figure, wasn't he? A 'hero', even?
Hm.
Now that's not a bad look.
Ceren looked down at the small man and, twisting his face into a smile, opened his mouth to speak.
"That's right. I am Ergo."