Chapter 44: Ambush
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Jean came back from scouting the entrance of the dungeon. What he had seen worried him. Dorian looked at him and nodded, and Jean gave his report.

"There is an entire ogre tribe at the entrance. I have no idea how many are there inside the cave itself," Leander sucked in a breath. Ogres were notorious for being able to berserk even when deathly wounded.

"Huddle time," Dorian commanded, and they all came closer to each other. "So, we have to be tricky. To take out the tribe on our own turf. Jean, did you see a place suitable for an ambush?"

"There was something like a clearing with rocks hanging up above it. They looked unstable," Jean was beginning to figure out what Dorian would ask of them.

"Then, we lure the tribe to the clearing, and we make the rocks fall on them. Jean, I don't want to ask this of you, but seeing as you are the most nimble one in the party," Dorian let his words trail off and Jean nodded.

"I will go, do what I do best and get on their nerves, run like Hell, and get out of the way before you all bring the rocks down on their heads," Jean said with a grin. He had done this many times with Borik and Andors. The bait and retreat tactic was an adventurer's classic.

"Leander, how good is your quick heal spell?" Dorian turned to Leander, who smiled brightly.

"Valerie tested it and told me it is B rank — now. So, anything below missing limbs can be healed in seconds," Dorian nodded.

"Once we bring down the rock, you hit Jean with it. Just to be safe. If you are healing him as he takes damage, the adrenaline that will course through his system will help him get out. You can heal him with your A class spell later," Leander nodded, and Dorian turned to Morris.

"Morris, you and I will have to bring town the rocks. So, a joined running bash," Morris's eyes narrowed at that.

"What if we fall down the cliff?" The berserker was not liking the risk involved.

"We don't have explosives, so, we have to risk it. Leander can heal us, if we do end up with broken limbs. Remember, the quest is put forward by the Klorfiel family. We can't botch it up," Jean frowned at Dorian's words.

"That is a dangerous way of thinking, Dorian. It led me to where I am now," Jean reminded Dorian, and the tank looked down to the grass below.

"I don't like it either," Dorian began, looking uncertain. Being the leader was hard work. He knew that he would have argued with his own decisions, if he was not. But, he had to find a compromise. A way to complete the quest and to get his partners out of here alive. "But there is no alternative. This plan is better than a melee. Even with two archers."

He received nods and got more confident.

"And, we won't be leaping down with nothing. After all, Leander will be at the top and ready to levitate us down," Leander nodded, determined. He had never levitated two people at a time, but he could try. Use two spell slots from his staff, if he needed to.

Dorian placed his hand in the middle and hands piled on top of his. They rose their hands as one and turned to Jean.

"The clearing is up ahead. Follow the trees with tied ribbons to them. Make sure the ogres don't see you climbing," Jean then turned and left to prepare to lure the ogres to the clearing.

Dorian, Morris and Leander looked around and saw a white ribbon tied to a tree. There were a couple of others up ahead. Jean really was something, they had to admit. To figure out the plan before Dorian came up with it. Or, had he just covered all his bases?

They made it to the top of the cliff as quietly as possible. But, it had been a close call. Leander had gotten tired half way and had begun to breathe loudly. However, then, he had stopped breathing for as long as he could while climbing, only breathing in when the ogres were distracted.

They could see Jean from up above, crouched in a blueberry bush. Dorian then pulled out his whistle, and blew it twice. Now, more than ever, he could see that the gift had been practical.

Jean went out of the bush and walked calmly to the ogres. Then, he stopped just as an ogre pointed at him and showed them a two finger salute, before running off and laughing.

The three on the cliff shook their heads, but the ogres were coming closer to the rocks. Dorian pointed at the rocks, not daring to blow the whistle again, least the ogres found out that this was an ambush, and Morris took off his axe. Dorian and he made a couple of steps forward and Dorian blew the whistle twice, now that he was sure that the ogres were too close for it to matter if they noticed anything.

Leander clutched his staff and continued to look down, as Jean's back hit the cliff's wall.

"Any minute now," Jean yelled, and Leander turned to see that Dorian and Morris were running towards the rocks. An ogre laughed, but it would be the last thing it did. For the two warriors jumped two meters in the air and with shouts of:

"Axe whirlwind," from Morris.

"Shield charge," from Dorian.

They crashed on the rocks. The rocks fell, like snow during an avalanche, and Leander saw the two warriors try to leap back to the cliff, but falling instead.

Leander poured some of his own mana into the levitation spell, and did his best to catch them both. He felt like he had just a one-armed hold on Dorian, but Morris was in the air as if in a net.

The healer brought them closer to the cliff, careful not to drop them, and, thankfully, the two got the message and latched onto the stone surface and began to climb up. With the levitation spell acting like a safety rope.

"Jean?" Leander called, worried that the archer might not have gotten out in time.

"Down here, I will be up in a minute," Jean's voice brought relief to Leander, and he focused on keeping the levitation spell in place.

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