Chapter 15 – Wooden Blade and Ogre’s Eye

A pale sun filtered through the trees as Elizabeth Voss advanced into the clearing.

She gripped her wooden sword tightly, knuckles white beneath her gloves. The air smelled of moss and damp earth. Birds fell silent at her approach.

An ogre lumbered from behind a fallen log—a hulking mass of green skin and jagged tusks, club in hand.

Elizabeth squared her shoulders, cloak fluttering in a thin breeze.

“Prepare yourself, beast! (I call this… Crimson Moon Slash!)”

She lunged forward, sweeping the wooden blade in a wide arc.

The ogre roared, lifting its club to block the blow. Splinters flew as wood met bark-thick hide.

Elizabeth stumbled, then shook her head.

“No, wait—this is called… Twilight Fang Strike! (No, Dawn Fang? Dusk Fang? I’ll get it right next time.)”

She kicked off the forest floor and spun, delivering a second slash to the ogre’s thigh. A deep crack echoed as she bowed her wooden sword across its knee.

The ogre reeled backward, one leg buckling.

Elizabeth pressed her advantage, sprinting in low stance toward the ogre’s side.

“This next move is… Star Meteor Whirl! (Or Meteor Star Crosser? Comet Whirlwind… help me remember!)”

She whirled in a tight circle, cloak flaring, blade tip tracing circles in the air just inches from the ogre’s face. The creature swung its club, but her rapid turns kept her safe.

She swept upward, jabbing the pommel into its elbow. The ogre roared in pain.

Elizabeth hopped back, panting for breath.

“I think that was… Celestial Storm Breaker? (Actually, maybe Storm Celestial Cutter? Ugh.)”

The ogre shook its head, losing focus. It charged with surprising speed.

Elizabeth dashed to the side, sweeping her blade low in “The… um… Dragon’s Tail Sweep! (No—Tail Dragon Sweep? Dragon’s Whip? Someday I’ll remember!)”

Her wooden sword caught the ogre’s ankle. The creature tripped over a tree root and crashed belly-first into the soft ground, splattering mud.

Elizabeth didn’t pause. She leapt onto a mossy stump and called out her next strike name with dramatic flair.

“Now I unleash… Heaven’s Edge Judgment! (Edge of Heaven? Judgment Blade? I need a name chart!)”

She brought the sword down in a powerful diagonal slash that pinged off the ogre’s arm, driving it to drop its club.

The ogre scrambled to its knees, clutching its wounded limb.

Elizabeth landed beside it, wooden blade poised at its throat.

She leaned close, eyes burning with conviction.

“You dared threaten Eldoria’s light! (And you shall pay with your submission!)”

The ogre growled low, nostrils flaring. It reached toward a pouch at its waist—a last-ditch weapon, perhaps.

Elizabeth kicked its hand away.

“Any attempt at trickery is… um… Dawn of Justice? (I’m terrible at names!)”

She spun her sword overhead in a classic finishing move.

“Infinite Light Cleaver! (No wait—Light Infinite… ugh!)”

She brought the wooden blade down in one swift motion. The splash of green blood on wood sent splinters flying.

The ogre collapsed with a grunt, its great body thumping against the forest floor.

Elizabeth dropped to one knee, breathing hard, hand pressed to her chest as she surveyed her work.

“The… um… final strike was Pure Radiant… uh… Radiant Pure Slice? (I give up.)”

She stood and sheathed her wooden sword with exaggerated ceremony. The blade slid home with a muffled click.

Sunlight broke free from the trees, illuminating the fallen ogre’s still form.

Elizabeth dipped her head in silent respect.

“Your threat ends here. (Rest in inconvenient peace.)”

She knelt and reached toward the ogre’s face. With careful fingers, she plucked one single black eye from its socket.

“It will speak truth in the Guild. (Proof of my loyalty.)”

She wrapped the eye in a scrap of silk torn from her cloak and tucked it into her satchel.

Elizabeth rose and brushed off her knees. She turned to face the path leading back to Starfall Academy.

“I return to the Guild with evidence of my victory. (They will see my worth!)”

She marched forward, wooden sword strapped to her back, cloak swirling behind her.

The clearing fell silent except for the echo of her footsteps and the distant call of a passing hawk.

She kept her gaze straight ahead, heart alight with triumph.

“Alfred will know I am ready. (My right hand is sharpened and true.)”

A final glance over her shoulder at the fallen ogre brought a determined smile to her lips.

“I will prove myself… and remember every name next time.”