"You sure about this? I know you've got a high going from smashing a stone wall but that ogre is no joke" I said as I followed a few feet behind Ivar, not by choice but by the fact that he could take three steps while I took one with my bum leg.
"Just stay back and do your best to limit its movement, take out its mobility if you feel like you can" Ivar said as he dismissively waved his arm while his other held the Burned scimitar testing its weight
I held a blue bow as I did a few dry draws in an attempt to get used to the process.
Our strategy was simple, Ivar was the bait, well in theory. He was of the idea that he could take it on single-handedly but I managed to convince him it was stupid to do so when he had the option not to. Not to mention the fact I doubted I would find another willing companion anytime soon, so I valued Ivar enough not to just watch him get his ass kicked. God forbid both of us become injured and have to fend off a horde of Bullywugs.
"Oh and don't forget that you have to aim that bow differently than your crossbow, or even any other bow for that matter" Ivar said as he turned back to me, I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "The arrows are so fast that you don't need to account as much for movement, just shoot where the enemy is." I hummed at that as I decided to do a test shot just in case. I pulled an arrow from the lightning bolt-shaped quiver turned back towards the way we came and fired. With an almost silent crackle, it flew so fast I almost lost sight of it. Almost as if I was holding a rifle instead of a basic bow and arrow.
"Now that is badass..." I admitted with slight jealousy that I was only borrowing the weapon, it had nothing on the destructive power of my gauntlet but surely its piercing power had to be immense.
"I know….. This sword is a novel itself. Crafted in such a way? Blacksmiths of my time would be dumbfounded by the mere proposition" It was a rather comical scene watching Ivar repeatedly split the single sword into its dual-bladed version. I almost wanted to offer a trade but I haven't used the bow in actual combat nor did Ivar truly know the value of just the quiver.
The value came from the fact that the arrows the quiver infinitely produced were lightning enchanted wooden arrows. It was a match made in heaven due to how much value being able to produce a fire had in this dungeon.
It was important to remember that I could only carry enchant items in my storage bag. That amounted to what was left of the chair I gave Ivar and a decent sized table. Surely there would be multiple floors in the future where the process of finding fuel for a fire would be near or completely impossible.
"Woah, now that is something out of Jotunheim itself…....Ugly bastard." It seemed that Ivar finally understood my warnings. Even after blowing the monster's head off I still shook slightly at the sight of him standing proudly in its arena. It was almost as if my battle with it never happened.
"Still confident enough to go down there all by your lonesome" I asked as I leveled the bow's sight onto the beast, an arrow already knocked in waiting for the beast to twitch.
"Better than having to protect a cripple" Ivar said with a scoff and jumped straight down into the arena. 'What a crazy bastard' though I didn't let his craziness distract me. A moment after he touched down onto battlefield I let the string go with a crackle.
The arrow flew true and landed into the beast's knee. What was truly impressive was the fact that I couldn't even see the butt of the arrow. Either it passed completely through or jammed so deeply that it was stuck in bone or muscle.
Either way. 'Uragggggggg!'
'Yep, that hurt like hell.' I commented to myself as the beast screamed in pain, I was surprised that it slightly staggered. It was at that exact moment that Ivar made himself known.
A satisfying click was heard as the sword he held in both hands separated in a storm of sparks. What followed was something I couldn't hope to replicate with those swords.
The ogre's arm was the target and in a flurry it was a mangled piece of burnt meat. A dodge into a slash, a sidestep that made the giant ax merely graze Ivar's iron shoulder plate. Spinning from that beautiful dodge he managed to cut a rather large gash onto the beast's chest. But unlike before this slash didn't follow a gush of blood but a birth of flames as he seemed he managed to activate the Burned Scimitars enchantment.
Ivar again laughed maniacally as he watched his normal slash become a flaming one that caused the giant beast to stagger and groan in pain.
In the time it took for me to grab and knock another arrow, Ivar managed to do all of that. I would lie if I said I wasn't impressed but I knew that if we were ever to come to blows I could never allow it to happen in melee range.
He was a Viking, a man born only for war and battle.
But it seemed he wasn't inhumanly skilled as after he managed to complete those combinations of blows he was sent flying like a rocket. It was a slick movement on the ogres part. Fainting an underhanded slash to jump forward and slam a flying knee into Ivar's chest.
I was shocked to see him be sent flying but I sent the arrow all the same. Almost in sync the arrow entered the back of the ogres knee just as Ivar was comically implanted into the arena wall.
He needed time, if not to recover then at least a few seconds to shake off the blow. So instead of drawing another arrow my left palm was pushed forward not moment after did I let my mana loose into the 'Wrmlings Maw'.
"Fireball…" I whispered more to myself as a large ball of fire was sent flying at the beast, then another and another. Before the beast could even groan from the arrow in his knee he was bombarded from behind.
I expected the beast to just fall over dead after taking all of this damage in less than a minute. But much to my disbelief it turned around as it's back was still aflame. We locked eyes for a moment and I almost felt…. Shame? 'What an odd …' my thoughts were interrupted as Ivar showed a surprising amount of stealth.
In an impressive jump he landed on the monster's trapezoids and stabbed the scimitars hilt deep into the monster's brain.
The monster's eyes that still met mine lost their light and as if its strings were cut the beast fell face first as Ivar remained straddled on its neck laughing like a loon.
What interested me the most was when a large whisp of red Essence rose to the ceiling. As if guided by a judge it broke into two pieces and flew toward the monsters killers.
'God dammit, I don't think I'll ever get used to that' I thought with a sigh as I rose from my knees and wiped a layer of sweat from my forehead. I doubted I ever would, boss monster essence just felt so vile when it entered my body.
'Round two huh, definitely not as satisfying' I admitted to myself as I watched the monster's body become a small tornado of ash. In mere moments 'Orgnar The Undying' was whole again, patiently awaiting his next challenger.