They moved out and Val found himself alongside Aric, who had returned from his messenger task in time to join the relief effort. The young ranger looked haggard but determined, his quiver still half-full of arrows and his short sword clean and ready at his belt.


    "How are you holding up?" Val asked as they jogged through the village streets.


    "Still breathing," Aric replied with a tight smile. "Never thought I''d see action like this on my first patrol."


    Val snorted. "Not exactly what I planned to show you, either."


    They fell silent as they approached the southern quarter of Willow Creek. The sounds of battle grew louder; shouts, screams, and a deep, reverberating roar that made the hairs on Val''s neck stand up.


    "What in the name of the Oakspire was that?" Aric whispered.


    Val shook his head. "Nothing good."


    They rounded a corner and got their first view of the south gate, or what remained of it. The wooden structure had been completely demolished, leaving a gaping hole in the village''s defenses. Through it, Val could see Jorin''s forces engaged in desperate combat with a mass of undead, fighting to prevent them from flooding into the village proper.


    But it wasn''t the ghouls that drew Val''s eye. Towering above the chaotic melee was a massive figure, at least nine feet tall and broad in proportion. Even at this distance, Val could make out the creature''s unnatural posture, canted unnaturally to one side with bones protruding through rotting skin. One arm ended in an enormous, malformed claw, while the other clutched what appeared to be a massive club fashioned from a tree trunk.


    "Is that...?" Aric began.


    "An ogre from the deep mountains," Rhea confirmed grimly. "I''ve heard of them, but never seen one."


    The creature swept its club through a group of defenders, sending bodies flying. Those that survived the initial impact were immediately set upon by ghouls that swarmed around the ogre''s feet like remoras around a shark.


    "We need to take that thing down first," Val said, assessing the situation quickly. "Otherwise, we''re just feeding it more victims."


    Rhea nodded in agreement. "Archers target the ogre. Everyone else form up on me, we''ll cut through to support Jorin''s line."


    Val considered his options. His sword would be of limited use against something that size, which meant getting creative. His eyes fell on a nearby smithy, its forge cold but its tools still hanging on the walls.


    "Aric, with me," he said, breaking away from the main group. "I have an idea."


    They sprinted to the smithy, Val scanning the tools until he found what he was looking for, a massive sledgehammer used for shaping hot metal. The haft was nearly four feet long, the head a solid block of iron that must have weighed fifteen pounds.


    "That''s your plan?" Aric asked skeptically. "You can barely lift that thing."


    Val grinned grimly. "I''m not going to lift it. I''m going to drop it." He grabbed the hammer.


    Rejoining Rhea''s force, Val quickly explained his idea. The ranger listened, then nodded sharply. "Worth trying. We''ll create an opening for you."


    The plan was simple but dangerous. Rhea would lead them in a direct assault with Jorin''s remaining forces, drawing the ogre''s attention. Meanwhile, Val and Aric would circle around to the ruined gate, climb to an advantageous position, and attempt to disable the creature from above.


    "Ready?" Rhea asked, her spear at the ready.


    Val nodded, the sledgehammer heavy in his hands. "Ready."


    Rhea raised her voice to address the assembled fighters. "For Willow Creek! For the Oakspire!" She charged forward, her people surging after her with a ragged battle cry.


    The sudden attack from an unexpected direction had the desired effect, drawing the ogre''s attention away from Jorin''s beleaguered forces. The massive undead turned ponderously, its milky eyes fixing on the new threat.


    Val and Aric used the distraction to slip around the edge of the battlefield, keeping to the shadows as they approached the ruined gate. Up close, Val could see that the structure hadn''t simply been broken, it had been smashed with tremendous force, the heavy timbers splintered like kindling.


    Beside the gate stood the remains of a watchtower, its upper section partially collapsed but still offering a potential vantage point. Val indicated it with a nod, and they began to climb, picking their way carefully through the damaged structure.


    From the higher vantage, Val had a clearer view of the battle. Rhea''s force had engaged the ghouls surrounding the ogre, while the creature itself lumbered toward them, its club raised for a devastating swing. Jorin''s fighters, granted a moment''s respite, were regrouping under the captain''s direction, preparing to re-enter the fray.


    "There," Val pointed to a section of the battle where the ogre would likely pass. "We need to get directly above it."


    They maneuvered along a precarious ledge formed by the partially collapsed tower, positioning themselves above the expected path of the undead ogre. Aric uncoiled the chain, securing one end to a sturdy beam while Val prepared the sledgehammer.


    The plan relied on precision and timing. When the ogre passed beneath them, Val would drop the hammer. A direct hit from that height with that weight might be enough to disable or at least disorient the monster.


    "Ready?" Val asked, his hands white-knuckled around the hammer''s haft.


    Aric nodded, his expression tense but determined. "Ready."


    Below them, the battle flowed like a deadly tide. Rhea''s fighters held their own against the ghouls, but the ogre was a different matter entirely. It swung its massive club in wide arcs, forcing the defenders to scatter or be crushed. With each swing, it advanced further into the village.


    "It''s coming this way," Aric hissed, tracking the creature''s lumbering progress.


    Val judged distances, calculating the ogre''s path and speed. "A few more steps," he murmured, adjusting his grip on the hammer.


    The ogre took another ponderous step forward, its rotting head now directly beneath their position. Val didn''t hesitate. He pushed the sledgehammer over the edge.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    The hammer fell like a stone, picking up speed as it dropped the twenty feet to its target. Whether by skill or luck, it struck the ogre squarely on the crown of its skull with a sickening crunch that was audible even over the din of battle.


    The effect was immediate and dramatic. The ogre staggered, its club falling from nerveless fingers as it dropped to one knee. Dark ichor leaked from the impact point, running down its face in viscous streams.


    But it wasn''t dead, not again, at least. With a roar of pain and rage, it lurched back to its feet, its ruined head swiveling as it searched for the source of the attack.


    A shout from below drew Val''s attention. Jorin''s forces had used the ogre''s distraction to mount a coordinated attack, driving into the mass of ghouls from the opposite side. Caught between Jorin''s and Rhea''s forces, the undead were being cut down.


    The ogre, however, had identified the source of its pain. It turned its malevolent gaze upward, fixing on Val and Aric''s precarious perch. With a guttural roar, it charged toward the tower, its massive bulk slamming into the already damaged structure.


    "Jump!" Val shouted, releasing the chain as the tower shuddered beneath the impact. He and Aric leapt clear just as the remaining supports gave way, the upper section of the tower collapsing in a shower of debris.


    They landed hard on a sloped roof ten feet below, the impact driving the breath from Val''s lungs. For a moment, he lay stunned, fighting to recover. Beside him, Aric groaned, clutching his ankle.


    "Can you move?" Val gasped, pushing himself to his knees.


    The young ranger grimaced but nodded. "Think it''s just twisted."


    The ogre roared again, now directly beneath their new position. It reached up with its massive claw, talons scraping against the edge of the roof as it sought to pull itself up.


    Val scrambled backward, searching for a weapon, an escape route, anything. His sword was still in its sheath, but against something this size, it would be like stabbing a bear with a needle.


    The edge of the roof crumbled under the ogre''s weight, sending tiles clattering to the ground. The creature gained purchase, hauling its upper body onto the roof with a splintering of wood.


    "Val!" a voice called from below. "Catch!"


    Val looked down to see Rhea standing in the street, her arm cocked back. She hurled something upward, her spear, its head gleaming in the fading light. Val caught it reflexively, his hand closing around the shaft of the weapon.


    The ogre had almost pulled itself completely onto the roof now, its milky eyes fixed on Val with primal hatred. The sledgehammer had left a deep impression in its skull, dark fluid still oozing from the wound. But it wasn''t enough, the creature was driven by necromantic energy, not a living brain. It would keep coming until that energy was disrupted.


    Val took a deep breath, centered himself, and reached once more for the aether within. The familiar warmth flooded his system, heightening his senses and reflexes, lending supernatural strength to his muscles. Val pulled with everything he had, feeling his muscles bulge. A strange warmth flooded through him, both alike and not alike the normal sensation of surging aether. Val gasped at the incredible feeling.


    The ogre lunged forward, its claw grasping for him. Val stepped into the attack rather than away, enhanced reflexes allowing him to slip past the reaching talons. With all his strength, augmented by aether, he drove the spear upward through the underside of the ogre''s jaw, the steel point punching through rotting flesh and bone to penetrate deep into its skull.


    The ogre froze, impaled on the spear. Val maintained his grip, gritting his teeth as he channeled more aether into his arms, pushing the weapon deeper, twisting it to maximum damage. The creature shuddered, a tremor running through its massive frame. Then, slowly, the light in its milky eyes dimmed and went out.


    The massive body slumped forward, nearly crushing Val beneath its weight. He released the spear and rolled aside just in time, the corpse crashing onto the roof with enough force to crack the supporting beams.


    "We need to move," he said, huffing, to Aric, helping the younger ranger to his feet. "This roof won''t hold that weight for long."


    They scrambled to the edge of the roof as the structure began to give way beneath the ogre''s bulk. Dropping to street level, they clear just as the roof collapsed completely, burying the massive undead beneath a pile of timber and tiles.


    "That," Aric said between heaving breaths, "was too close."


    Val couldn''t disagree. He released his aether enhancement, the sudden absence of power leaving him trembling with fatigue. But there was no time to rest, the battle still raged around them, though with the ogre''s fall, the tide had definitively turned in favor of the defenders.


    Rhea approached, blood splattered across her leather armor but moving without apparent injury. "Nice work," she said, nodding toward the collapsed building. "Though the owner might have preferred a different solution."


    Val managed a tired smile and handed the burly squad leader her spear back. "Send them my apologies. And my bill for ogre removal."


    The jest was gallows humor, but it broke some of the tension. Around them, the defenders were pressing the advantage, driving the remaining ghouls back through the ruined gate. Without the ogre to anchor their attack, the undead were losing cohesion, their mindless aggression no match for coordinated resistance.


    "We should help finish this," Val said, drawing his sword despite the protest of his aching muscles.


    Together they rejoined the battle, adding their strength to the final push. The remaining ghouls were swiftly dispatched, cut down as they tried to retreat or cornered against the village walls. Within minutes, the south gate was secured, the immediate threat eliminated.


    As the fighting died down, Val found himself searching the crowd of defenders, looking for familiar faces. He spotted Kaelen first, the big ranger''s distinctive axe unmistakable even at a distance. And beside him, issuing orders to a mixed group of rangers and militia, was Captain Jorin.


    Relief washed over Val at the sight. He made his way through the aftermath of battle, stepping carefully around bodies both undead and tragically human. The cost had been high, too high. Villagers lay among the fallen, their faces frozen in final expressions of fear or determination. Each one represented a life cut short, a family shattered, a future erased.


    Val paused beside one such casualty, a young woman, barely out of her teens, her hands still clutched around a simple spear. He knelt beside her, gently closing her staring eyes.


    "Walk in peace," he murmured, an old prayer rising unbidden to his lips. "Oakspire, ancient and strong, shelter her in your shade."


    He remained there for a moment, head bowed. By all rights, he should be among the dead. How many times during the battle had death missed him by inches? How many others, no less deserving of life, had not been so fortunate?


    The questions had no answers, at least none that offered comfort. Val pushed himself back to his feet, his body protesting every movement. The battle was won, but the war, whatever this was, continued. There would be time for grief later. Now, there were wounded to tend, defenses to rebuild, and plans to make.


    He continued toward Jorin, noting with growing concern the captain''s haggard appearance. The older man''s left arm hung in a makeshift sling, and a hastily bandaged wound on his forehead had soaked through with blood.


    "Captain," Val called as he approached. "You look like hell."


    Jorin turned, his weathered face breaking into a tired smile at the sight of Val. "You''re one to talk. You look like you''ve been dragged behind a horse."


    "Feels like it, too," Val admitted, clasping the captain''s good arm in greeting. "We held"


    "We held," Jorin confirmed, his expression sobering as he surveyed the destruction around them. "At too high a price, but we held."


    Kaelen joined them, "Val," he rumbled in greeting. "Heard you took down the big one."


    "With help," Val replied, nodding toward Aric, who was organizing recovery efforts nearby. "And a convenient roof."


    Jorin shook his head, a hint of his usual dry humor returning. "Always did have a flair for the dramatic, Hearne."


    The brief moment of levity faded quickly as they took stock of the situation. The south gate was essentially destroyed, the defenses breached beyond quick repair. Bodies, both undead and defender, littered the ground. The wounded were being gathered in a makeshift aid station, where Elara and other healers worked frantically to save those they could.


    "We need to secure the perimeter," Jorin said, already focusing on immediate needs. "Set up a temporary barricade at the breach, double the guard rotations, and get patrols out beyond the walls. I want to know if another wave is coming."


    "The eastern wall is similarly compromised," Val reported. "We''ve established a fire line and barricade, but it won''t hold against a determined assault."


    Jorin absorbed this with a grim nod. "Then we prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Kaelen, organize the defense here. Val, check on the eastern sector, then report back. We''ll need to coordinate our limited resources carefully."


    As the rangers dispersed to their tasks, Val paused, looking back at the battlefield. The setting sun cast long shadows across the scene, painting the destruction in shades of red and gold.