Dungeon Master (Karma System)

The Beast Master offered them a troll, an earth wyrm, and a manticore.

Rod chose the manticore. Their previous encounter with one had ended when its tail spikes tore through Lana and Dirk before the weapon Masters could reach it. But compared to the troll with its ridiculous regeneration abilities, and the earth wrym that had extremely sturdy scales and the ability to burrow, the manticore was a more straightforward fight.

Besides they were not the same party anymore. There was no need to fear a manticore.

The gate rose, and the beast stalked into the arena. Its body resembled an enormous lion covered in dark red fur. Wide leather wings rested against its sides, while a scorpion tail covered in long black spikes curled above its back.

Midnight climbed onto a broken pillar. Lana closed one eye as Shared Senses connected them.

The manticore roared and spread its wings.

”High!” Lana warned.

Everyone moved before the tail snapped forward. Black spikes cut through the places where they had been standing. Rod ducked behind a boulder. Cindy and Halbin moved beneath the manticore’s wings, while Dirk ran along the outer edge of the arena.

The manticore leaped into the air. Dirk fired at the joint of its right wing. His first arrow glanced off the thick bone, but the second sank into the thin leather beneath it.

Lana sent Ice Bolts into the other wing. Frost spread across the membrane and made it difficult for the creature to keep its wing fully extended. The manticore lost its balance and crashed into the arena floor.

Rod started forward.

”Turn!” Cindy shouted.

The tail whipped toward him from behind the creature. Rod stopped and dropped beneath it. A spike passed close enough to scrape the top of his helmet.

Halbin attacked the tail while Cindy struck the injured wing. The manticore rolled, forcing both of them to retreat before its claws could reach them. It then climbed back to its feet and faced the weapon masters.

Its wings spread and beat against the ground. Sand and stone fragments filled the air. Midnight’s view became a wall of dust, and Lana lost sight of the manticore from both directions.

She heard the tail move but could not tell where it was pointing. Dirk could.

”Break!”

The party scattered as another cluster of spikes passed through the dust. Halbin knocked one aside with his sword. A second cut across his upper arm, but he remained standing.

The manticore emerged from the dust and pounced toward Lana. Cindy moved to intercept, then stopped when Rod reached the creature first.

Rod caught one claw on the haft of his axe. The manticore’s weight drove him onto his back, but Cindy was now in position to cut across the creature’s unprotected side.

The manticore twisted toward her. Halbin attacked its other side. The beast could threaten any one of them, but it could no longer face all three at once.

Another volley of spikes rose from its tail.

Midnight saw the movement before Lana did. ”Close!”

Rod was nearest to Dirk. He stepped in front of the archer and used the broad head of his axe to intercept a spike headed towards the archer. Dirk shifted behind him and fired beneath Rod’s arm.

The arrow struck the manticore’s front knee.

Lana did not waste mana trying to freeze its entire body. She placed three Ice Bolts into the injured leg. When the manticore tried to leap, the joint buckled.

”Open!” she shouted.

Cindy moved first. Her saber cut across the creature’s throat, but she did not charge her empowered attack. Halbin struck the same wound before the manticore could pull away.

Rod activated Charge. His axe buried itself in the creature’s chest and knocked it onto its side. Dirk continued firing while Lana maintained the frost around its injured leg.

The manticore clawed at Rod. He abandoned his axe and rolled beneath the attack. Cindy and Halbin moved between him and the creature until he could recover his weapon.

They never gave the manticore enough space to take flight. Two minutes later, it stopped moving. The Orc crowd cheered, but Rod’s attention remained on his party.

Nobody had been defeated. Dirk had one shallow cut from a tail spike, and Rod had lost a small amount of health. Lana still had more than seventy percent of her mana. Cindy had not used her strongest attack, and Halbin had not needed Swift Blade.

For the first time, the first challenge felt like the beginning of the level instead of a desperate victory.

The Orc Chief rose from his throne. ”You have overcome the first challenge! You have ten minutes to tend your wounds. Then our hunters will test you!”

The dead manticore sank into the floor. Dirk recovered his arrows while the others drank water and rested. Lana ended Shared Senses to give herself and Midnight a break. The spell used little mana, but dividing her attention for too long left her with a growing headache.

Halbin used a small amount of healing potion on his arm. Rod offered him more, but he refused. ”Save it for the Chief.”

”We need to reach him first.” Rod said.

Cindy inspected the edge of her saber. ”We defeated the manticore without my heavy attack. If we can get through the hunters the same way, we will have a real chance.”

Nobody said what they were all thinking. They had defeated the Chief in the Orc Arena while at full strength. Even a successful second challenge could leave them weaker than they had been during practice.

Ten minutes later, the smaller gates opened.

Five Orcs and a warhound entered the arena.

The hunting party was not the same as the one they had defeated before. It still had a shield bearer, archer, shaman, and beast handler, but the spear fighter had been replaced by an Orc carrying a weighted net and two hand axes.

The Orcs formed up around the shield bearer.

Rod waited.

The net fighter moved first. He threw toward Lana, but the net opened wide enough to catch Dirk as well.

”Break!” Dirk shouted.

Lana moved left while he ran right. The net fell between them. The warhound attacked Lana the moment she separated from the group. Cindy was closest. She intercepted it without waiting for Rod. Her saber cut across its shoulder and forced it to retreat.

The Orc archer fired toward Cindy’s exposed side. Dirk’s arrow met the incoming shot and knocked it away. Rod smiled. None of it had required an order from him.

The shield bearer and axe fighter charged Halbin. Rod moved to help his father, but Midnight saw the shaman raising his staff behind them.

”Turn!” Lana warned.

Rod changed direction. He did not attack the shaman. The shield bearer was already moving to protect the caster. Rod struck the damaged edge of the Orc’s shield and immediately retreated.

Halbin understood. He allowed the axe fighter to push him backward, drawing the Orc away from the others.

”Open!” Halbin shouted.

Dirk ignored the shaman and fired at the isolated axe fighter. One arrow struck his leg. Cindy disengaged from the warhound and joined Halbin.

The axe fighter threw a second net at them. Halbin cut through one of the cords, but the weights wrapped the rest around his sword arm. The Orc rushed forward with both hand axes.

Cindy met him before he could reach her father. She caught one axe on her saber and kicked his wounded leg. When he stumbled, Halbin pulled the weighted net toward himself. The sudden resistance turned the Orc enough for Dirk to land another arrow.

Halbin tore his arm free while Cindy pressed the advantage. The axe fighter tried to retreat, but Halbin cut off his escape. Cindy’s saber ended the first hunter. The shaman completed his spell. Red light surrounded the warhound and beast handler. Both rushed toward Lana.

She saw them through Midnight’s eyes while keeping her staff aimed at the shield bearer. Her first instinct was to run. Instead, she trusted the others.

”Close!”

Rod activated Charge and struck the beast handler. The Orc was thrown sideways, separating him from the warhound.

Lana hit the animal with Ice Spark. It stumbled when the electricity caused its muscles to seize. Dirk’s arrow entered its chest. The beast handler climbed to his feet, but Cindy was already waiting. He blocked her first attack with his forearm guard. Her second slipped beneath it.

Three hunters remained. The shield bearer stopped protecting the shaman and attacked Rod. The shaman sent red bolts toward Cindy and Halbin while the archer continued pressuring Lana.

The old formation had broken, but the Orcs were still dangerous.

One of the shaman’s spells struck Halbin in the chest and forced him away from Cindy. The shield bearer used the opening to rush back toward the caster. Within seconds, the three remaining Orcs had formed a smaller version of their original defense.

Rod had wanted to call for everyone to surround them, but then stopped. The party was already moving. Dirk climbed for a clear angle, Lana sought cover from the Orc archer, and Cindy moved close enough to threaten the shaman without placing herself in front of Rod.

They did not need him to describe what all of them could see.

An arrow grazed Lana’s arm. She moved behind a pillar and sent Ice Bolts toward the shield bearer instead of firing back at the archer. Frost covered the Orc’s legs and slowed him enough for Rod to escape his short sword.

Dirk climbed a boulder and found the Orc archer. They exchanged shots until the Orc was forced away from his cover. Halbin was waiting below. His Swift Blade flashed, and the archer fell. Cindy pressured the shaman without using her empowered attack. Every time he tried to cast, her saber forced him to move. When the shield bearer turned to help, Rod struck him from behind. The Orc spun around.

”Open!” Rod shouted.

Lana’s Ice Spark struck the shield bearer’s sword arm. Halbin attacked his leg while Dirk’s arrow entered his shoulder. The shield dropped. Rod’s axe brought the Orc down. The shaman was the last hunter standing. He raised his staff, but Cindy knocked it from his hands. Her next strike ended the second challenge.

The crowd pounded their weapons against the stone stadium as they cheered.

Rod checked the party again. They were not unharmed, but none of the injuries were serious. Lana still had around half of her mana. Cindy was breathing heavily but had conserved her strongest attack. They were as ready as they could be.

The Orc Chief stepped onto the railing beside his throne. ”You have defeated our beast! You have survived our hunters!” He lifted his two-handed axe. ”Now prove you are worthy of freedom!” The Chief jumped into the arena.

They used the ten-minute break to drink the last of their potions and recover what energy they could. Midnight returned to the top of a pillar. The five adventurers spread out without settling into a fixed formation.

A drum sounded to signal the beginning of the fight while Rod tightened his grip on his axe.

Then the Orc Chief charged.