Irzen drew forth his sword and dropped into a battle stance as he waited for the ogre to stumble into their ambush.

"HEY! NO FAIRY SNACK GETS AWAY FROM ME!" The ogre stomped through clearing a path on the hill side. The creature swung his massive club downing a tree near the elementalist.

Alyson jumped back out of the way and in plain view of the ogre. She backed up several feet out the range of the pit trap she set up but kept the attention of the ogre. "Hey! Come and get me!"

The ogre pulled back his weapon up and over his head for another attack, when Caliaphy appeared in front of the ogre's face and blew fairy dust on him. The creature immediately began to sneeze like crazy loosing all concentration on his intended target.

Willow cut loose with an arrow and drilled the ogre in his right eye.

The ogre roared in pain grasping his head where the arrow lodged itself into. The creature pulled out the arrow with the eye attached to it, eye ball and all out completely. With the good eye, he swung the club across and down slamming into another tree forcing the ranger to move, or be crushed instantly. "PUNY ELF MAN! I CRUSH YOU NOW! I BRING YOUR HEAD TO GRUUMASHT! HE REWARD ME FOR ANOTHER KILL!"

Willow skillfully dived out of the way as the tree crashed just inches away from him.

"Caliaphy, can you get down here?" Irzen still in his battle crouch called out to the fairy, "I just had a delightfully mischievous idea that is tailor made for someone with your talents."

The fairy buzzed down to the swordsman with a mischievous grin, "What do you have in mind?"

"I want you to turn invisible, get really small, fly into the ogre's ear and shatter his eardrum," The Drow smiled back at the Fairy with an evil grin, "At the very most, the pain will knock him unconscious. At the very least, the shattering of his eardrum is going to take out his equilibrium causing him to fall like a ton of bricks. He won't be able to stand. And if you can't stand he can't fight. Can you do it?"

"I'm good but I'm not that good." Caliaphy shrugged, "Sorry, no can do. I can however, call up an insect swarm if you like. I haven't done that in really loooooooooooong time."

"Do it!" Irzen replied without protest, "A swarm of bees to sting him about the face and head would be perfect for our needs."

"ME KILL DARK ELF TOO! ME BRING TWO HEADS TO GRUUMASHT! FAIRY IS SNACK AND HUMAN IS PRIZE FOR GRUUMASHT!" The ogre boasted loudly enough for the entire hillside to hear.

"I don't think so!" The Prince regained his footing, nocked another arrow and took careful aim for the right nostril of the Ogre. Willow was determined to fire an arrow right up the creature's nose and directly into its brain killing it instantly. The Prince cut loose with another arrow hoping to strike his target.

Alyson didn't wait for the ogre to stumble into the hole in the ground instead she unleashed a torrent of loose gravel and rock shards into the mid section of the ogre knocking it prone. Glancing over at Caliaphy and Irzen chatting off to the side,"Hey, tweeledee and tweeledum, less talking and more helping!"

"That's what we're trying to do," Irzen snapped back at Alyson. Darting forward as he avoided the Elementalist's trap, the Swordsman slashed the Achilles tendon on the Ogre's left ankle in a skillful move-by attack with his sword, "Caliaphy and I were just coordinating our attack. Caliaphy, you're up!"

Caliaphy darted to and fro in a frantic manner mimicking the signal for a food source, or threat to the hive. From a nearby white oak tree, a swarm of yellow jackets heard the fairy's call for help and proceeded to attack the ogre up the nose, in the mouth and ears and anywhere else they could plant their stingers into with furious intent.

Alyson took cover from the angry swarm of yellow jackets being stung by them enough to give them a clear line of sight.

Willow nocked another arrow and took another devastating shot which nailed the Ogre in his remaining good eye.

Irzen got clear of both the swarm and the Ogre and stayed clear of it as he allowed both Willow and Caliaphy to do their work, "Alyson, got anything in your bag of magic tricks to finish this guy off?"

*****

Meanwhile, Serna began to make her way towards the Elves with Lazheros by her side, "Um, sir, if Willow's people cannot speak Common, can you please be the one to speak to them? I never learned any Elvish when I was coming up. Okay?"

"Of course, child." He said walking behind her through the thick brush between the trees.

"Thanks, you know, sir, I think we're going to make a pretty good team," Serna led the way towards the Elves as she used her shield to push through the thick brush, "That is, if all of this works out."

"Serna, you may call me, Laz if you like." The Bronze Man moved a low lying branch out of her way as they made their way to Willow's kin hiding up ahead of them.

The Shield Maiden giggled, "Thank you, sir, I mean Laz. That's very kind of you." The pair reached the spot where the Elves were hiding.

Upon coming out into the opening, a small elven girl popped out from behind a tree, "Are you here to help us?"

Serna jumped a little at the Elven girl's sudden appearance but quickly said, "Yes! Yes, we're hear to help you. My name is Serna the Shield Maiden and my friend here is," She looked a little uncertainly at the Bronze Man before she turned back to the child, "Laz the, uh, Priest. You must be really good at hiding. You gave me quite a jump there. What's your name? Who are you?"

"Laz is just fine, Serna. And to answer your question young one, I am a cleric of Bahamut, the platinum dragon. We have come to help upon hearing the plight from the invaders upon your homeland. How many are you, and who among you requires some healing?" Lazheros asked the elven girl.

"Twelve left. The ogre killed the others. My..my..my parents are hurt bad, Amandil." The girl started to cry a little.

"Don't cry," Serna walked over to the child and gave a comforting hug, "We're here to help."

"Show me, child," Lazheros followed the girl around behind one of the larger trees and accessed the wounded. He knelt down and quietly healed all of their wounds in as a whole. They were now fit to travel once more. He also cast the spell Create Food and Water for all of the survivors to which they graciously accepted it.

"See," Serna smiled, "I told you we're here to help. Say, you never told me your name. Who are you? And where are you from? And where we're you going?"