Mishal seemed to be ready for this question. “Simple. They want your help, all of our help, really, in establishing a point here that can be used to transfer matter back to Earth. To that end, we have to create a stable kingdom here, run by someone that we can trust. We will send in techs as players to build the necessary components, but we have no idea how long this is going to take. It could easily be years.”

  “And if I help with that, then what do I get out of it?”

  “Well as I said, if we gain more control here, we can make your life better.”

  “What about giving me a way to get back to Earth?”

  “I can commit the company to trying to make that work. Once we can transfer inorganic matter, we will have a better idea, but it should be possible. We just won’t be able to change you on that end.”

  Tauri asked, “Would you really want to go to Earth as an ogre?”

  I shrugged. “If it’s my only chance to be a real boy again, then why not? I’d like to see my sister again. She was the only family I had left. By the way, does the company have any idea what happened to my sister, Julie Rudd?”

  Mishal nodded. “I was briefed on that subject since it was deemed probable that you would want to know about it. She was compensated for your ‘accidental’ death in the VR pod. She subsequently met and is dating rather seriously a man named Damien Banks. He was not the one who killed you, as that was done remotely through the pod, but he is an employee of Quantum Games who was tasked with cleaning up your apartment. We surmise that is how he made contact with your sister.”

  “Wait, so the dude who helped bury my body is dating my sister?” I demanded.

  “Your body wasn’t buried…” Mishal began.

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Well, yes, then I guess he is.”

  “Then as part of any agreement I make with Quantum Games, I want appropriate compensation of course, but I also want a sit down with this Damien, here in Selmia. He and I have some things to talk about.” Then I let loose with my most wicked, ogre laugh.

  Chapter 20- Hunting

  The hour was almost up, and after I advised them about this, we agreed that Mishal would return to Earth and make arrangements for a deal. Part of it was that he would have to find enough other players for me to advance my quest. He would also have to supply me with the necessary wealth to start building up the town.

  He seemed confident that he would be able to meet most of my demands, but only time would tell. I also insisted that no one outside of this group would know what Ainsley and I were. That would keep things simpler, so that no one would say things that might cause the AI to come down on us. I didn’t know how long it would take for the FU points to regenerate, so I had to save them for critical moments.

  When the bubble dropped, there were no notifications waiting for me. I found that to be odd. Certainly, the AI had to be aware it had lost contact with us for an hour. But if it was, no mention of it was made, and life continued as normal. Or at least as normal as it could be as an ogre in Ghazban Village.

  The others were here to help me hunt. We had to clear the area to the south if the village was going to expand without immediate war against the humans of Belchor, and possibly the gray elves and dwarves. We formed a full party of six, with Elgar as the official leader; but since I was the only one who knew what all six members of the party were capable of, I was the de facto leader for now.

  The first order of business was to give some gifts away. I considered giving the cloak to Tauri, but whether it was ogre greed or what not, I didn’t want to give it up. We did offer them a few of the weapons we had found, but none were taken by the players, as they already had better. The one gift which was taken was the spell that I gave to Elgar.

  As soon as he learned the Electro-Aura spell, he cast it as a buff on the team. It would just be another type of damage for us to add in. Naturally, I cast Wolf Spirit and Talisman, then took a look at the party list.

  Elgar- Level 35

  Robert- Level 34

  Tauri- Level 34

  Oogliefrank- Level 40

  Violet- Level 29

  Ainsley- Level 36

  We agreed that Robert would be the primary tank, both because of his build and because of his level. Violet wasn’t happy about it, so I ceded the back-up tank spot to her, despite the fact that I could likely tank better than either of them. With the buffs on, I had nearly five thousand HP, but I didn’t point that out. No reason to rub their noses in it. I had definite advantages as a monster champion.

  Of course, I was the primary healer, although hopefully that wouldn’t be needed much. Ainsley’s pets, my new pet, along with Elgar and Tauri would be the primary damage. I would fill a bit of every role, adding more damage, as would Violet, and providing crowd control, as would Tauri. Of course, no plan actually stays the same once the action begins, but it was an ideal for us to strive for.

  I gave some instructions to the ogres. They were to form parties and start clearing the area close to the village. Each party had four melee and two shamans. Those selected for the parties all had to be over level twenty. The others were simply too weak, so we set them to working on other tasks. I wanted to do some more town- building, but we had to clear out these monsters and figure out what was driving them down from the mountains.

  Then we were off. We headed for the area wherein Ainsley and I had first encountered the troll shaman. So far there were no signs of respawn, but then again, it was likely that any monsters we killed would respawn back in the mountains. Sucks to be them, but not my problem. I had to look out for my people, not these monsters. The pressure to perform for Quantum simply added another layer to the entire situation. Still, with this group, killing a level thirty-eight was only worth 6 XP per kill, so it was going to take some work to level up.

  We started running across monsters fairy quickly, but all the fights were over before they began. The full party was simply too strong for them. I found myself yearning for a stronger challenge. Of course, I knew it was always a mistake to wish for things like that.

  After killing over fifty monsters in two hours, we came upon a clearing that rose into a small hill within the forest. Atop it was a giant -- and not a mere hill giant. This one had to be at least thirty feet tall and looked like he was carved from stone. I assessed him, and a grim expression crossed my face, which then filled with excitement.

  Stone Giant Level: 47

  HP: 4010 Highest Stat: Constitution

  We stopped near the bottom of the hill to strategize about how to take him, when all of a sudden, the ground under our feet erupted. Tiny dark dwarves swarmed out at our feet. We were immediately pushed back, and not just Robert but Violet and I were called upon to tank for the onslaught. There had to be a good three dozen of the creatures.

  They were nowhere near as well-equipped as their regular dwarven cousins, and no one was sure if they were truly related or not. They had oddly angled ears, ragged beards, and jagged teeth. Theirstubby fingers ended in grimy nails, which were thick enough to almost be called claws. They swung at us with claw and axe, but most of the blows didn’t get through my damage resistance. Those that did caused a few points, ten to fifteen points of damage at most.

  Even small blows can stack up, but then everyone else got to see exactly what I already knew about Ainsley. Don’t mess with a necromancer. All those monsters we had killed over the past two hours. They were just presents for her, and now she unleashed them on the dark dwarves. I would have almost felt sorry for the little buggers as they were knocked down and slowly bitten or chewed to pieces by zombie monsters.

  Holos back home might have made humanoid zombies seem terrifying. I suppose, in a way, they were, because of their similarity to people. But you haven’t seen truly nightmarish until you find your face being eaten by a massive bunny zombie. The worst part is their teeth aren’t sharp, so it takes longer for them to eat you, while you feel every exquisitely painful bite.

  I went around ending their suffering anytime it was possible. Death on the end of a spear was certainly easier to handle than being eaten alive. Ainsley didn’t seem to see the need, but the rest of us helped out. No sooner had we started this, though, than we heard a cackling sound up above.

  Surrounding the stone giant at the top were two dozen gnolls. The hyena heads were all tilted back in laughter. On the back side of the hill, I could see there were other monsters but wasn’t able to make any of them out.

  A zone-wide notification sprang up.

  Spontaneous Zone Event: King of the Hill.

  Your team has been challenged by Malleon, the Stone Giant. Right now, he and his minions hold control over the top of this hill. If you can defeat four rounds, then you will be given a chance to take on Malleon for control of this hill. If you win, then your party may designate one party member to become the king of the hill. That member will rule the entire Deep Forest Zone. Note: tThe king of the hill may be challenged up to once every thirty days, whether present on the hill or not.

  Defeat 1 round: Win 5 gold

  Defeat 2 rounds: Win 10 gold and 250 XP

  Defeat 3 rounds: Win 10 gold, 1 Magical Item, and 500 XP

  Defeat 4 rounds: Win 20 gold, 1 Magical or Set Item, and 1000 XP

  Defeat all rounds and Malleon: Win 20 gold, 1 Unique, Set, or Epic Item, and 1500 XP. Rewards are only for the highest round completed. XP rewards will be boosted based upon level.

  Titles will be awarded to the winning team.

  King of the Hill: +10% XP bonus (for designated captain)

  Guard of the Hill: +5% XP bonus (for all other party members)

  There will be no XP penalty for death after the 3rd round. The battle will be fought in a sealed arena. Survivors will have the opportunity to compete in a PvP round for a chance at a Set, Epic, or Mythic item in addition to other rewards.

  Do you wish to accept? The decision must be unanimous.

  No sooner had I read the notification than a sixty-second timer started counting down. Elgar asked, “I assume we are doing this?”

  “Uh, yeah the rewards are too good to pass up,” Tauri said.

  “I’m in, but I think we need to decide who is going to be king of the hill when we win,” I said.

  “You, of course, Master. And I will do whatever Master says.”

  This was the first time that Ainsley had spoken much since the others had joined. Robert laughed, “Is she calling you, Master, Oog?”

  “Yeah, it’s her thing.”

  Tauri frowned at me, “You should be ashamed. Here I was thinking better of you than this. You shouldn’t take advantage of her like that. She obviously isn’t well.”

  I lifted my hands to the heavens as I began to protest, but Violet stepped in for me. “I can vouch for him. He told her she didn’t have to, even argued with her for a bit.”

  Ainsley was rocking back and forth on her heels now. “Why wouldn’t I call him, Master. He has given mepurpose.”

  Tauri shook her head, Elgar laughed, and Robert didn’t seem to know what to say. Ainsley then said, “At least, I’m not his pet gnome.”

  In a second, Violetwas in her face. “I’m trying to be sympathetic. I really am, but if you keep saying that crap, I’m gonna pound you flat, and no bandage tricks will save you this time.”

  Ainsley just stared back blankly. If she was affected by Violet’s fury at all, then it didn’t show. I pulled the two of them apart. Neither of the girls resisted, which was a good thing. Elgar instructed us to refresh any buffs, and then he accepted the challenge. This was either going to be a great deal or a pain in the backside. Either way, I had a smile on my face.

  A large dome of yellow energy came up from around us on all sides. It covered the entire hill and an area of about three hundred feet in all directions. The gnolls started to increase the racket they were making. Beating weapons on shields and just getting crazy. A gong went off, and another zone-wide notification went off.

  King of the Hill: Round One Begins.

  Surprise: All monsters will go into a frenzy at 20% health, increasing their attack speed and damage by 50%.

  I groaned. Screw the AI. It always had a trick up its sleeve. This still wasn’t going to be enough, but then two dozen gnolls came streaming down at us, wielding spears and flails.

  Chapter 21- Ring of Fire

  Elgar shouted, “Work together and focus your damage on any that fall below 50% HP. We don’t want too many going berserk. Violet, we need you tanking some. Ainsley, send out your pets to try and keep them back.

  Violet leapt up and pulled a small orb out of her spatial pouch. “Take this, dog faces.”

  The golden sphere flew towards the onrushing gnolls. Just as it reached the first rank of them it exploded into three bands of golden metal. Each band encircled a single gnoll and brought them to the ground. They fell so hard and fast that the ones behind them tripped over them. This was when I wished that I still had my AoE spell loaded up, but wishes wouldn’t win the fight.

  I assessed one of the gnolls and was pleased.

  Gnoll Raider Level: 33

  HP: 370 Highest Stat: Strength

  Clearly, they were offensive-minded monsters. Their HP were low enough that I could one-shot them. The others must have realized that, because Elgar fired off a lightning bolt, and Violet charged up her bow for rapid shots. I cast Frostburn but I had to charge it to 150% damage to make sure they were insta-kills.

  The zombies started to slow them down, although the gnolls with flails started causing serious damage to the zombies, shattering bones and ripping flesh from their limbs. That simply gave Ainsley a chance to explode her pets. Within a few seconds, she had taken down six of the gnolls with her pets. I had killed three. Elgar had killed four, and Tauri had killed three. Robert had two of them attacking him, and Violet was bouncing around between another two. Even my spectral hell hound was taking care of one.

  Each gnoll which died disappeared into a cluster of sparkling lights before dissipating into nothingness. Oh well, I guess there wouldn’t be any loot from them besides the event prizes. I shrugged it off as easy come, easy go. A second later, I realized that any of Ainsley’s zombies which died also got pixilated. At the moment it didn’t seem like big deal, but I wasn’t thinking about one of the obvious ramifications.

  With the gnolls that Violet’s grenade, for lack of a better word, had trapped, I thought that meant they were all taken care of. So much for worrying this would be a challenge. Suddenly, Violet got knocked to the side by a heavy flail. I was confident her armor must have protected her, but I saw red and tackled the offending gnoll.

  Elgar took out the other one Violet had been fighting, while Tauri moved in with a dagger to assassinate the remaining gnolls. The one I had tackled, I held to the ground, growling in his face. I didn’t need magic for this one. All I knew was that he had attacked my friend -- and he was going to pay for it. Any gamer might feel that way, but combined with Ogre Rage, it was a fearsome thing.

  My powerful hands encircled his neck, and I squeezed. The gnoll’s health began to drain away, and in his desperation, he struck at me with a dagger. In the physical world, I would have had to protect myself from it, but now I just laughed, as my HP were too great to worry about losing a couple hundred.

  I felt his throat start to give way, and then Arctic Blast procced off of my choke attack. It was deeply satisfying to watch shards of ice blast though my foe’s skull and rip it to shreds. It was cathartic, and a great sigh escaped my lips. Elgar was standing next to me with a raised staff aimed at me. “Oog? You okay in there?”

  For a moment, his words were distant, but then I remembered, the ogre body was just a skin. It wasn’t the real me. I shook myself like a wet dog and then stood up. “I’m fine, just got angry. Did we kill the other three?”

  “Tauri is taking care of it now.” Elgar looked at me twice and then seemed satisfied. “No wonder the reward was only 5 gold for that round. It was easier than I expected.

  As soon as the final gnoll was dead, the notification sounded.

  First Round Completed. That seems to have been a bit too easy. Malleon gains 2 levels.

  You gained 60 XP. You have 1,341 XP. Do you wish to apply your XP?

  Round 2 begins in 60 seconds.

  Bonus effect: Enemy monsters will heal twice as well and quadruple if below 20% health.

  Fun, apparently something with regeneration. But then I put it out of my mind as Elgar and I both dropped down to meditate. I hadn’t spent more than 20% of my mana, but I still wanted to make sure I was full before the next round. I could hear the others moving and positioning themselves. The groan of the zombies was a bit disconcerting, but I blocked them out.