Dungeon Master (Karma System)

The Orc Chief charged directly at Rod.

Rod raised his axe and prepared for the collision. At the last moment, the Chief changed direction and rushed toward Dirk.

”Turn!” Lana shouted.

Dirk was already moving. Cindy stepped into the Chief’s path while Halbin attacked from the side. The Chief blocked Cindy’s saber and twisted his axe to catch Halbin’s sword on the haft.

Rod struck before the Orc could use either of them against the other.

The Chief released both weapons and retreated. An Ice Bolt hit his shoulder, followed by an arrow that cut across his cheek.

The party did not chase.

The Chief smiled. ”Better.”

He attacked again. The first several minutes were nothing like their practices in the Orc Arena. The Chief had the same strength and skill, but the broken pillars and frozen patches left by the previous fights changed how he moved.

He used every part of the arena. The Chief kicked sand into Cindy’s face, struck a boulder hard enough to send fragments toward Lana, and forced Rod onto one of the frozen patches before attacking his legs.

Dirk warned Rod about the ice. Halbin protected Cindy while she cleared her eyes. Midnight saw the flying stone before it struck Lana. Nobody waited for Rod to give an order.

The Chief’s health slowly fell. He caught Halbin’s sword beneath the head of his axe and pulled the Sword Master forward. Cindy began to help her father, then saw the Chief shift his weight toward her.

She recognized that it was a trap and didn’t press towards the Orc. Rod attacked instead. The Chief released Halbin and blocked the axe, but Dirk’s arrow entered his thigh.

”Open!” Dirk called.

Lana struck the same leg with Ice Spark. The Chief avoided the worst of the spell, but frost spread around the arrow and slowed his movement. Halbin cut across the Chief’s arm before retreating.

The Orc roared and swept his axe through the space around him. Everyone moved out of reach. He did not follow them. His eyes rose toward Midnight. The Chief kicked a loose stone at the top of the pillar.

Lana saw it through Midnight’s eyes. The cat jumped as the stone shattered against the pillar. He landed on a lower ledge and scrambled to safety.

The sudden movement broke Shared Senses, but Lana did not freeze. She kept her attention on the Chief and sent an Ice Bolt toward his face.

He raised one arm to block it. Dirk’s arrow struck beneath that arm. The Chief charged the archer.

”Close!” Dirk shouted.

Rod was nearest, but he did not run directly between them. The Chief expected that. Rod circled toward the Orc’s injured side instead.

The Chief slowed and turned toward Rod, giving Dirk time to reach cover. The call had protected him without forcing anyone into a specific response.

The Chief’s health continued to be whittled down. The Orc crowd grew louder. Thousands of fists and weapons pounded against stone as their Chief fought the adventurers.

White light gathered along Cindy’s saber. The Chief immediately charged her. Cindy released the energy before it reached full strength. The smaller curved blade struck the Orc’s chest but did not stop him. He raised his axe to bring it down on her.

Halbin struck the weapon’s shaft and changed its path. The axe slammed into the ground beside Cindy. She kicked away from the Chief while Rod attacked his back. The Orc turned and caught Rod across the chest with one arm. Rod was thrown into a broken pillar and lost nearly half his remaining health.

The Chief rushed to finish him.

”Turn!” Halbin warned.

Lana had reconnected with Midnight. She saw the Chief’s path from above and froze the ground ahead of him. The Orc recognized the spell and shortened his stride. He did not slip, but the delay allowed Cindy to reach Rod. She pulled her brother away as the axe shattered the pillar.

Dirk fired at the Chief’s hands. The Orc blocked one arrow, but the second buried itself in his forearm.

Halbin activated Swift Blade. The Chief met the rapid attacks with his axe. His weapon moved between them in a blur of wood and steel. Halbin’s first two strikes were blocked. His third cut the Chief’s shoulder.

The Orc responded with a kick that sent Halbin across the arena. The Chief turned toward Lana instead pursuing Lord Titters.

This time, nobody was close enough to protect her. Lana backed toward a boulder while firing Ice Bolts. The Chief ignored the frost collecting on his armor and raised his axe.

Midnight leaped from the pillar onto his back. The black cat’s claws did almost no damage, but the Chief jerked in surprise. His axe struck the boulder instead of Lana. She dismissed Midnight before the Orc could grab him.

Rod activated Charge. His shoulder struck the Chief and drove him away from Lana. The Orc remained standing and brought the handle of his axe down across Rod’s back, causing the Axe Master to fall to one knee.

Cindy and Halbin attacked from opposite sides. The Chief blocked Cindy and struck Halbin in the chest, but doing so allowed Rod to crawl out of reach. Dirk continued firing whenever the weapon masters created an opening. Lana conserved what little mana she had left.

The Chief’s health fell even lower. His next roar silenced the crowd. The Orc gripped his axe with both hands and began a series of heavy swings. There were no more feints or careful attacks. Every blow threatened to defeat whoever tried to block it.

The party gave ground. Halbin’s sword was knocked from his hands. Cindy took a glancing hit that dropped her health dangerously low. Dirk ran out of clear space as the Chief forced him toward the arena wall. Rod saw the party beginning to separate. He almost called for them to gather.

”Open!” Cindy shouted before she charged the white energy around her saber again.

The Chief turned toward her. He had interrupted that attack during nearly every practice fight. Cindy released the energy early. The weak blade of light struck his axe instead of his body. The weapon was knocked away from Dirk, giving the archer room to escape.

Dirk fired while running. His arrow entered the Chief’s wrist. Halbin recovered his sword and cut the Orc’s injured leg. The Chief dropped to one knee while Lana used the last of her mana.

Ice Spark struck the arrow in the Chief’s wrist. Electricity passed through the metal while frost made it difficult to unclench his hand around the axe.

Rod’s Charge had recovered. He did not need anyone to tell him what to do. Rod crossed the arena and brought his axe into the Chief’s chest.

[Orc Chief has been defeated.]

The arena became silent. The Chief remained on one knee. He looked at the five exhausted adventurers surrounding him and released his axe. Then he laughed.

”You fought as individuals when you entered my arena.” He said. ”Now you move as a warband.” The Chief rose and pounded one fist against his chest. ”The Chrysus Orcs recognize your strength. You have earned your freedom and our respect!”

The stands erupted.

[Level 2: Orc Highlands has been completed.]

A portal formed at the edge of the arena.

Max stood in the observation room beneath the village with Anna and Quin. The projection continued showing the Orc crowd celebrating while a notification appeared before him.

[First normal completion of Level 2 has been confirmed.]

[Level 3 entrance is available for activation.]

Max selected the notification.

[Activate Level 3: Dwarven Airship?]

[Yes/No]

He chose yes.

”Finally,” Max said. ”I was starting to wonder how long the Chief would keep them there.”

”They needed the time,” Quin replied. ”If they had defeated him during that first attempt, they would have believed one strong combination could solve every fight.”

Anna looked over the Arena records on her clipboard. ”They challenged his copy eight times. The Chief has also paid for a respectable portion of his own upkeep.”

Max smiled. ”I knew I liked him.”

The new entrance would activate after the clearing party claimed their rewards. Max opened a portal so the three of them could wait in the village square.

The party stepped through the portal and entered the village square. Adventurers who saw them step out of the second portal realized that this group of adventurers cleared the second level. Magic gathered beside the entrance to Orc Highlands and formed a new plaque.

{First run completed on normal}

{Rod Titters — Axe Master}

{Dirk — Archer}

{Lana Winters — Mage}

{Cindy Titters — Saber Master}

{Halbin Titters — Sword Master}

After escaping the crowd, the party went to the redemption center. Ruby calculated their rewards.

”First challenge completed, +5 Dungeon Coins for each party member. Second challenge completed, +5 Dungeon Coins for each party member. Boss challenge completed, +10 Dungeon Coins for each party member.”

”Captured beast, manticore, defeated. +25 Dungeon Coins. Orc hunting party, five Orcs and one warhound, defeated. +30 Dungeon Coins. Orc Chief defeated. +50 Dungeon Coins. Total earnings: 205 Dungeon Coins.”

A bundle of black spikes, an Orc shaman’s focus, and five heavy iron bands appeared on the counter.

”Twelve manticore tail spikes recovered. One uncommon Orc shaman’s focus recovered. All arrows and thrown weapons belonging to the party have been returned.”

”First normal-clear bonus: Chrysus Warband Set. When registered to one party, each wearer can sense the direction and general condition of the other wearers within one hundred meters.”

Rod picked up one of the iron bands.

”The dungeon rewarded us for learning to watch each other.”

”By making it easier,” Cindy said as she claimed one. ”I am not going to complain.”

The ground rumbled before the remaining rewards could be divided.

They hurried outside with their rewards. Max, Anna, and Quin were waiting as the archway beside the entrance to Orc Highlands began to fill with magic as the portal to the third level became active. A stone plaque formed above it.

{Dwarven Airship}

{Suggested Level: 20}

The magical surface inside the archway cleared. Beyond it was the wooden deck of an airship suspended above a sea of clouds. Dwarves moved between ropes and brass machinery while enormous sails strained in the wind.

Lana stepped closer.

Rod caught her shoulder before she could enter. ”Not today.”

Lana looked at the exhausted party and nodded, she hadn’t planned on entering. She merely wanted to take a closer look at what was to come.

Together, they stood before the portal and watched the airship sail above the clouds. More and more adventures came to take a glance into the third level even though they themselves couldn’t enter.

Seeing an airship high in the sky was something most of these people have never even imagined.