Garden Of The Abyss

"I couldn't figure out if destroying your brain or heart would put you down," he spoke calmly, "so I decided to try both."

No response was released from Cajo as his functions were instantly seized by the merciless assault--his eyes rolling back as his breathing stopped only seconds after the attack.

"Die, you piece of shit! Die! Die! Die!" Buljin roared.

Though the angered orc's retaliation for his comrade was silenced as the lengthy, blade-studded whip was stopped dead in its tracks as the young man swiftly withdrew his blades from the fallen orc's husk, catching the whip with his steel.

He stood up, flicking the whip away with his blades as he began to approach Buljin, "Are you mad that I killed your friend? I wonder how many people you slaughtered, or better yet: how many people who begged for their lives? Not that I care; I just don't like hypocrites."

An immutable malice veiled his eyes as he watched Buljin without so much as flinching as he repelled the flurry of whips.

"...So you better not cry when my blade is right in front of you," he warned calmly.

Fear clung to the orc's skin as he backed away; the speed of his attacks lessening the closer the snowy-haired human drew closer without any emotion displayed on his face.

The moment he dashed forward with both of his eyes aiming at the jugular of the beefy brute, a sudden smirk wiped itself across his enemy's face as the orc's eyes glanced to the side.

"Got you," Buljin taunted.

As he looked to the side amidst a step in a moment that seemed to be dragged to a halt, he saw a tiny, thin creature less than half his height, shrouded in black leather. By the salivating, high-pitched shriek of a laugh the tiny, olive-skinned creature unleashed, he knew something was off.

​ But even that realization wasn't the end of it; he noticed with open eyes that there were multiple of the same, small creatures stationed around the deck, all facing him. They all stood with war-horns equipped to the belts at their hips, also standing near the drums attached to the edges of the ships.

Goblins? He thought.

In their hands, he noticed they held crossbows--click.

Just as he recognized its existence, the bolts were released from the holds of the weapons, shooting towards him as he was still within the range of the orc's whips.

His immediate instinct was to dodge backward, but he knew not only would that movement be slow--it was likely expected.

...Fine, you win. I guess I have no choice, he thought.

Begrudgingly, he held a contempt within his eyes as he opted for a mystical approach to the coffin of lethality around him; with a brisk step, his form vanished into darkness.

"What?!--Where did--?!" Buljin gasped.

As the orc lost sight of the young man, the immediate reaction of the savage brute was to command the child-sized goblins, "Find--"

Before his command could be released, a squelch interrupted his slurred utterance as blood mixed with the saliva that drooled from the orc's lips.

Belus stuck out from Buljin's broad abdomen, dripping with the fiend's blood at the very tip of the blade before it was pulled back with a hiss of death and steel.

As the orc's body dropped with a heavy thud, the goblins froze at the sight of the snowy-haired human that was revealed to be behind the orc.

"Stay down," He muttered, swiping his blade that was slick with the blood of the fallen orc.

Turning his attention to the goblins, they shuddered, scrambling to reload the crossbows that were far too large for their small, feeble bodies.

After taking down the towering orcs, it was child's play; with a single slash against each of them, he brought down the goblins with impunity. They were lacking in readiness for his swift, unhesitant assault as a single lap around the left edge of the boat allowed him to cut through each of the small, yellow-eyed fiends.

Catching his slightly-off breath, he flicked the fresh, arterial fluid from his blade as the dark temperament faded from his mind.

I wonder how the others are doing, he thought.

Turning to look back, he was relieved that Jae-Seong and Fedrin seemed completely unharmed--still amidst combat.

Perhaps not surprising was the fact that Jae-Seong seemed to relish the magic-less battle he put himself into, fist fighting with an orc that dwarfed him--yet he was the one laughing with glee.

On the other hand, Fedrin seemed to be using reinforcement to make up for his natural lack of close-quarters finesse, having to dance around the orcs and goblins, using his staff as a blunt weapon.

"Looks like I was the first to finish," He smiled, "I should help them--"

As such a thought fell from his lips, it was stamped out by a thunderous stomp that vibrated through the ship.

It originated from the colossal, fully-armored entity ascending from the lower deck, who arrived with a flowing, sable cape behind him as he stood tall with a horned helmet.

What the hell is that? He thought.

Everyone on the deck froze in the presence of the ungodly-looking being; Jae-Seong and Fedrin came to a halt as even the enemies they fought did the same--all bringing their eyes to the newly arrived entity.

"You miserable, weak sacks of shit!" The being roared with a voice as deep as a chasm, "You can't even handle a couple measly humans and an elf?! I brought you onto my crew, and for what? For you to be incompetent? No!"

Carrying a colossal, stygian club studded with silver, blood-stained spikes, the being that towered even the orcs stomped forward, stopping in front of one of the orcs.

"...No! Captain...it's not like that, we just--"

Before the orc could make any such excuses, the being clad in black-armor plummeted his mighty club down atop the orc without a word--splitting the burly giant in two and squashing whatever was left.

The flooring below was obliterated in the process, leaving a smoke of the shattered, rotted wood to traverse the dank air.

...Huh? He thought.

Only a mess of crushed steel and crimson chunks was left in spot of the orc as the captain of the ship lifted his club that was now dripping with fresh crimson.

Before he could even decipher what was truly going on, his two companions quickly rendezvous with him, taking to his sides as they raised their guards.

"We're shit out of luck," Jae-Seong smirked wryly.

Fedrin nodded with a gulp,"Perhaps the worst case scenario…"

He was left confused at what their words fully entailed, looking between them before asking,"What?...Do you guys know what that thing is?"

The black armor the colossal juggernaut wore was devoid of any beauty; layered in scratches and dents from the battles it lived through. A curtain of charred bones entangled like a mortifying trophy was laced around his waist like a kilt. In the centermost section of his breastplate was an engraving of the skeletal symbol of his ship; presenting an air of death.

It was the high elf who answered, keeping his staff readied and pointed directly at the colossal, heavily-armored captain, "...It is an incredibly rare evolution of ogres--it can only be achieved by living a life of war and triumph for decades; a rare feat for ones that live in a constant state of warfare. That one there is an 'Ogre Tyrant'--it is something of vast strength."

As if listening to its identity be uttered, the Ogre Tyrant roared out with a booming voice that vibrated the large ship, "All of you will be me sustenance! Failure is not permitted! I shall feast on your feeble flesh and find myself a new cry!"