The creature’s roar filled the night.
“Did you bring it?” Robert asked as I crouched down behind the car. “You have it?”
I held up the brick of C4. I barely noticed my hand shaking as the creature unleashed another blood-freezing roar.
“Got it right here,” I said, tossing him the brick of explosive. “Are you sure it will work against that thing?”
“Have I ever been wrong?”
I stared at him and he looked away with a short cough.
“Are we just talking about today, or just in general?”
“It will work, trust me,” Robert said, tracing a rune on the surface of the brick. “This is the perfect catalyst.”
“When Lucille said we were to investigate a minor disturbance downtown, this is not what I had in mind,” I said. “Maybe we should call them?”
Robert gave me a short glare.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “We may not be mages from the ‘Golden Circle’, but I am a mage and you…well, you’re a scrappy, ex-military, computer expert. We have this under control. Besides, it’s only an ogre.”
“Only…an…ogre?” I asked, incredulous. “Did you see how it tossed that car?”
“Yes. Quite impressive actually. Some real distance, although, if we’re being honest, it was a small car.”
“That was our small car.”
“Can’t be helped,” Robert said. “Once this is over, we’ll pay Cecil a visit. He said he has the perfect vehicle for us.”
“I thought he said he didn’t want to see your face anywhere near SuNaTran offices again for as long as you live?”
“That’s just his eccentric sense of humor,” Robert said, shaking his head. “Just to be safe, it may be better if you go alone. Once we deal with this ogre, that is.”
“How exactly do you suggest we do that?”
“Good question,” he said, rubbing his chin. “What happened when you shot it?”
“I emptied an entire magazine into it,” I said, peering over the top of our current cover. “It barely registered.”
“And you didn’t miss a shot?”
“Do you see the size of that thing? I could have closed my eyes and not missed a shot.”
“Hmm. Well done then. However, those are regular rounds. What we need is the serious firepower—like entropy rounds.”
“Entropy rounds are banned.”
“A problem to be dealt with later.”
“I think it’s coming this way,” I hissed. “Get ready.”
“I’m always ready,” Robert said, tracing one final rune on the brick of explosive. “That should do it.”
He gave me a quick thumbs up and stood, drawing the ogre’s attention.
“Oi, you there! This nonsense of yours must cease immediately!”
The ogre whirled in Robert’s direction.
