Through the red haze of pain clouding his vision, Bazil could see the ogress grinning happily...a nice tasty little treat for her, one that will tide her over at least untill dinner. Bazil tried to use his magic and toast the offending big ugly, but to no avail. There was some sort of block. He sensed a way through it...but it would take time...
    "Wait!!!" He yelled. The ogress pulled back, a shocked look on her face, then took a look at his waiting loins, smiled again and continued her advance.
    This is the end....I'm ogress fodder.  Baz thought. He felt a massive grimy paw caress his thigh and barely kept from hurling up his stomach. The ogress, attentive lover that she was, saw the digusted look on his face and sat back on her haunches. Her great beady eyes brimmed with tears and there was a heart-broken look on her face.
   "Wassamatta...doncha LOVE me?" the ogress rumbled, her lower lip trembling queruolously.
   Why....oh WHY should be surprised. This would just HAVE to happen to me! the prisoner thought. As he was about to reply with a resounding negative, he actually stopped for a second and looked at the ogress. She was really quite pretty, if you got around the grimy skin, the pestilent hair, and the stench. His heart softened somewhat, and he spoke softly.
   "Its not that...its just...well...we DIDN'T exactly get off to a good start." he said, looking pointedly at his foot that was still hanging limply out of the ogress' paw. She started guiltily and quickly hid the disembodied foot behind her back.
   "Thats ok though..." Baz continued, "If you could help me out of these chains, we could get out of here and go someplace and talk..."
    The ogress gave a deep rumble and settled down to think about his proposal. You see...the ogress was a prisoner herself. The cruel master of the castle had imprisoned her 5 years ago, and she'd been forced to live in this squalor ever since. It didn't sit well with her. She was an ogress used to the high society after all.  Just as Bazil began to grow impatient, the ogress nodded with finality and, in one fell motion, ripped the chains from the wall. Bazil smiled a promise at the ogress and levered                  himself up, leaning against the wall for support. The pain was blinding!
   Then a moment of lucidity hit him, and he managed to break through the block and access his magic.. He used a small bit to conjure robes around himself, then prepared grimly for his next task. He spied a steel boot in the corner, discarded from one of the ogresses previous meals. He staggered over to it, wincing each time his stump hit the floor, then sat down beside it. He fitted it to his leg, over the stump, and gritted his teeth to keep from screaming as he used the rest of his magical force to weld the boot to his gimp leg. when he finally was able to stand up, he used his final bit of power to explode the cell doors, then leaned on the ogress for support.
   It was time to pay a visit to the master of this castle.

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