Maddy turned on the iron bars and tore into them, her crystalline growth turning her teeth impossibly sharp and unbreakable. Metal shrieked as the cage was shredded apart the same fangs that had ended the demonic twin made short work of the bars.
As the cage fell open, a red glow faded from the iron, unnoticed by Maddy. Her focus was already on the princess.
She slithered closer. Up close, the princess looked even more fragile. Her eyes were locked on nothing, her pupils wide, frozen in a shock deeper than fear.
"Hey… are you alright? It's over. They're gone. You're free now."
From the outside, it was nothing but a shrill, alien screech, worm sounds, not human words. Still the princess did not even blink… remained a statue of trauma, her skin was too pale and cold despite the divine aura humming deep within her.
Maddy nudged her gently, then used her weight to tackle her in a soft, grounding shove. She needed to break that stare, to bring her back to the present.
"Wake up! Look at me! Come on!"
Still, there was no response. Maddy's heart twisted as the princess stared into nothing, unblinking. Her eyes traced the dried bloods, the torn clothing, the unmistakable marks of a body used and broken... She knew that hollowness, she had lived it herself.
"I'm sorry you had to endure this. If only I'd been born here sooner… maybe I could have spared you these horrors."
The thought of the "firstborn" she had seen earlier the child with the violet hair made Maddy's blood turn to ice.
"That baby… damn it. They forced a miracle of biology just to build an army. They broken a woman's mind to secure a bloodline!"
Maddy coiled her body around the woman's hands in a protective, heavy embrace.
"I've got you now. I know what it's like to be valued only for what your body can produce. But I'm not letting them touch you again… I'll protect you now even from anything."
She looked toward the cave entrance, where the sounds of the distant ogre party still echoed. The guard outside was still snoring, but she knew that silence never lasted. Time was slipping away. Tightening her resolve, she redoubled her efforts to get the princess out before someone came.
"I'm going to get you out of here. Even if I have to carry you through the very crust of this world."
She coiled the end of her body more tighter at the princess hand and dragging her carefully out of the cage, down to the ground.
"I have to create large hole undeground so I can drag her—"
Her senses screamed in alarm. Something flew faster than a bullet straight at her. She barely had time to react before the spear struck.
KRAK!
The moment the tip of the blade touched her skin, it shattered, splintering instantly, the remaining shards bouncing harmlessly away.
"Oh…"
A deep voice rumbled through the cavern as the spear shattered.
"I've never seen a worm that hard. And no worm has ever slipped past my senses before especially not one abducting my lovely wife…"
Maddy froze. The chief ogre was already there. He had thrown the spear from that distance, casually and if not for her Physical Hardness trait, she would have been skewered. Diamond tough or not, the realization sent a jolt through her.
"What the f*ck? He throws a spear without a second thought, without even caring if it hit his so called wife?! What a scumbag!"
Her thoughts spiraled.
"Argh, how did he get here so fast? How did he even know? I killed those two ogres so quickly… nobody should have noticed. Even that snoring guard didn't wake… so why him? And that aura of might…"
Maddy shivered, but saving the princess was more important. The chief ogre's aura of might was terrifying.
The other ogres poured in through the entrance. The brown skinned ogre women screamed, while she held the remains of one of the twins, roaring in rage.
"W-who did this!? No… no, the twins. That… worm. I'll kill it!"
In an instant, the green skinned ogre stepped forward and unleashed a fire attack.
"I'll handle this! Let this flame burn bright with your curse! Flamegust!"
A stream of fire, like a flamethrower, shot straight from his hands toward Maddy.
"Scorched, you worm!"
He shouted, his ego practically radiating off him. Maddy stared, caught off guard her first time seeing magic in action left her stunned, six eyes shining as she watched fire hurtle toward them.
"Wha—Magic!? A flamethrower!"
She twisted her body, shielding the princess, who still didn't blink or respond. Locking eyes with her, Maddy snapped herself back to focus.
"Not the time to admire magic attacks. These monsters don't care if it hits the princess… damn them!"
The flame attack lasted half a minute, a blast meant to reduce anyone to ashes. But not Maddy. Her Elemental Resistance and Magic Nullification kicked in.
"Whew! That was hot… but I didn't feel a thing. Those mineral traits really saved me. I made the right choice feasting on them!"
The green skinned ogre became so shocked, jaw dropped, eyes wide that it looks getting pulled out.
"W-what!? How—how is this possible!? My flame… it… it didn't even leave a mark! Impossible!"
He stumbled back, fumbling with his hands as disbelief overtook his egotism. Sweat dripped down his green face as he stuttered,
"N-no… this can't be… it… it should burn!"