Dungeon Master (Karma System)

The ten-minute break passed quickly.

Halbin snapped the shaft of the arrow in his thigh and pulled the rest of it free. A health potion closed the wound, but it did nothing for the stiffness in his leg or the pain in his shoulder.

Dirk wrapped a bandage around his ribs while Cindy sat with her eyes closed, trying to recover some of the energy she had spent. Lana emptied what remained of her mana potion.

The health potions had restored part of their health, but the dungeon had not returned the strength they had spent. Rod could still feel the uncomfortable aftereffects of the shaman’s spell burning beneath his armor. Halbin’s wounds had closed without restoring his full movement, and Cindy’s empowered attacks had left her arms feeling as if weights had been tied to them.

Rod looked toward the Orc Chief. The enormous Orc had not moved since entering the arena. He stood with his axe resting across one shoulder while patiently watching them prepare.

”He saw everything,” Rod said. ”He knows our skills and how we used them.”

”Then we need to do something he hasn’t seen.” Cindy replied.

Rod nodded and lowered his voice. They did not have the strength for a long fight.

When time ran out, the Orc Chief lowered his axe from his shoulder. ”Come!” he roared.

The crowd answered him, but the Chief did not charge. He waited to see what the adventurers would do. Dirk released his first arrow.

The Chief tilted his axe and deflected it with the flat of the blade. A second arrow came after Dirk repositioned himself. He knocked that one aside with the haft.

Lana sent an Ice Bolt toward his leg. The spell struck, spreading frost over his knee. The Chief took a step forward while the frost barely slowed his movement.

”He is testing us.” Halbin said.

Rod, Cindy, and Halbin spread out. The Chief turned slightly to keep all three in view. He did not look toward Dirk, but his axe moved each time an arrow approached.

Rod rushed first without using Charge. The Chief met the Axe Master with his own axe. The impact numbed Rod’s hands. Before he could recover, the end of the Chief’s weapon struck him in the stomach.

Rod stumbled backward.

Cindy attacked from the left while Halbin came from the right. The Chief shortened his grip on his axe. He caught Cindy’s saber beneath the axe head, twisted it aside, and blocked Halbin with the lower half of the axe shaft.

He kicked Halbin’s injured leg causing the Sword Master to fall to one knee. The Chief could have brought his axe down and ended the fight for him. Instead, he stepped away letting an Ice Spark strike the ground where he previously stood.

”Good,” the Chief said. ”Again.”

He came forward before they could reset. His axe swept toward Rod’s chest, stopped halfway, and suddenly changed direction. Cindy barely caught the redirected strike with her saber. The force pushed her into Halbin and ruined both of their positions.

Dirk fired at the opening beneath the Chief’s arm. The Orc twisted, allowing the arrow to scrape across his armor instead of entering his side. He answered by striking the ground with his axe. Broken stone sprayed toward Dirk and forced the archer behind cover.

The Chief was not simply stronger than them. Every movement forced one party member to interfere with another. Even though he was the only enemy combatant, he had no issue controlling the tempo of the entire field.

Rod helped Halbin stand while Cindy moved between them and the Orc.

The Chief had already identified their weakest point. Halbin’s injuries made him slower, and Lana did not have enough mana to keep casting. If the fight continued at this pace, the Chief could dismantle them without taking any serious damage.

”Now,” Rod said.

White light began gathering along Cindy’s saber. The Chief immediately shifted his attention toward her. He had seen the attack twice. He knew how much damage it could cause and that Cindy would be unable to move after releasing it. He raised his axe to block.

Rod activated Charge. His speed doubled as he rushed directly at the Chief. The Orc stepped to the side, placing himself outside the path of the skill. That was what Rod had expected.

An Ice Spark struck the metal head of the Chief’s axe. Lightning raced down the weapon and into his hands. His fingers tightened, and his body became rigid for a fraction of a second.

Dirk’s arrow struck the back of his knee. Rod could not turn after activating Charge, but Halbin had positioned himself in Rod’s path. The Sword Master caught his son by the shoulder and redirected him slightly, but it was just enough.

Rod slammed into the Chief’s side. The enormous Orc staggered. Halbin activated Swift Blade. His sword cut across the Chief’s ribs twice before the Orc could regain his balance. Cindy released the attack she had prepared. The curved blade of white energy struck the Chief in the chest and threw him across the arena.

His large body smashed through the remains of a pillar. The crowd fell silent in surprise.

The Chief climbed out of the broken stone. Blood ran across his chest and down one leg. He looked at the five adventurers, then threw his head back and laughed. The Orcs in the stands erupted.

”Good!” the Chief roared. ”Now you are worth fighting!”

When the Orc suddenly moved there was no warning and no time to form another plan. The Chief crossed the arena far faster than something his size should have been able to move.

Rod raised his axe. The Chief did not attack him. He planted one foot, changed direction, and rushed past. Rod turned in time to see the flat of the massive axe strike Cindy. She had not recovered from her empowered attack. The blow sent her tumbling across the ground.

[Cindy Titters has been defeated.]

Halbin roared and attacked. The Chief stepped inside the reach of his sword. One hand caught Halbin’s wrist while the other drove the end of the axe haft into his injured shoulder. Halbin lost his grip on his weapon. The Chief swept Lord Titter’s wounded leg and brought him to the ground.

[Halbin Titters has been defeated.]

Two arrows flew toward the Chief’s face. He dragged Halbin’s fading body into their path. Both arrows struck the defeated Sword Master before he disappeared.

Dirk froze. The Chief kicked a loose piece of stone. It flew across the arena like a shot from a sling. Dirk tried to leap away, but his injured side slowed him. The stone struck him in the chest before he could reach cover.

[Dirk has been defeated.]

Lana sent three Ice Bolts toward him. The first struck his chest. The Chief shifted so the second hit his armored shoulder, then moved behind a boulder before the third could reach him.

Rod circled from the other direction. ”He is coming for you.” Rod warned.

The Chief heard him. Instead of moving around the boulder, the Orc kicked it. The stone rolled towards Lana. She threw herself aside, losing her grip on her staff.

Rod charged. The Chief had already started moving. He stepped around Lana and pulled her between them. The young adventurer tried to stop, but Charge had locked him onto his target. He released his axe and twisted his body. His shoulder clipped Lana and sent both of them to the ground.

The Chief’s axe descended.

[Lana Winters has been defeated.]

Rod rolled away before the next strike could reach him. His axe had fallen several meters away when he released it. He was alone and unarmed. The Chief did not rush to finish him.

”Your strength is good.” the Orc said. ”Your warriors are skilled. But every command tells me what you will do. Every attack prepares the next one. Your movements are predictable and basic.”

Rod pushed himself to his feet. He ran for his axe, and the Chief allowed him to reach it.

The Orc was already close when he got his hands back on his weapon. Rod swung for his chest, but the Chief stepped forward and caught the handle before the axe could build momentum.

For an instant, they struggled over the weapon. Then the Chief headbutted him. Rod’s vision went white. He felt his axe leave his hands before a heavy blow struck his chest.

[Rod Titters has been defeated.]

The last thing he heard was the crowd chanting the Orc Chief’s name. Rod woke in the hospital with a pounding headache. Cindy was already sitting on the edge of another bed. Dirk stared at the ceiling, while Lana had her face buried in Midnight’s fur. Halbin stood near the door, testing his healed leg.

”We got him pretty wounded.” Rod said.

”And then he defeated all five of us in less than a minute,” Cindy replied.

Halbin nodded. ”Our first plan worked because it was new. Once he understood what we were doing, he prevented us from forming another one.”

”He listened to Rod’s commands,” Lana said. ”He knew what our plan was before we attacked.”

”Then we need more than one plan,” he said. ”And I need to stop announcing every change loud enough for the enemy to hear.”

Dirk finally looked away from the ceiling. ”Hand signals will help, but not when we are on opposite sides of an enemy.”

Lana looked down at Midnight. ”My familiar trainer mentioned a skill called Shared Senses. If I learn it, Midnight can watch the entire battlefield from somewhere safe. I may be able to warn everyone before the Chief changes’ targets.”

She would have to pay for some lessons from the familiar trainer, but that was something she planned to do anyway. Learning the basics would allow her system to begin tracking her progress but mastering it well enough to use during combat would take practice. She wasn’t sure how long that would take.

Rod did not expect one new skill to solve everything. It would give them another way to gather information, and that would give him more choices.

”Good,” Rod said. ”We will work on that and develop commands that can change while we are fighting.”

Cindy sighed. ”How many times do you expect us to go through the first two challenges while practicing all of this?”

Rod smiled. ”We do not have to.”

They left the hospital and crossed the village square. Inside the Orc Arena, Rod opened the list of available opponents. A new name had appeared at the bottom.

[Orc Chief]

Rod highlighted it without confirming the challenge. ”As soon as everyone recovers we fight him again.”