Maximus observed the two people before him, his first delvers, and found something himself analyzing the odd pair.

The woman was most certainly battle hardened, her eyes hard and focused and faded scars littered visible skin and her posture was relaxed yet ready to fight. She wore a plain cloth and metal armor in gray colors with no helmet, her hands were wrapped in some kind of leather with metal plate upon her knuckles and her head was free from any kind of accessory. As for her appearance her face was not exactly youthful but not really what one would call mature, she was more handsome than beautiful and her silver hair contrasted well with her steely eyes, more than that he could perceive her power and how it felt like: a weathered stone peak above the clouds in which the winds forever howled.

The boy behind the woman was the exact opposite; his eyes wandered and regarded his environment with naivety, he was shaking and standing in such a way that he would trip on his own feet if he had to move quickly. He wore no armor, his face betrayed an innocence and youthfulness that screamed inexperienced, his brown hair and eyes mixed with his unremarkable features would make him almost invisible if he stood in a crowd. When Maximus tried to see his power, what he found was something not even comparable to the more experienced delver, he felt like an empty field waiting to be used and given purpose.

Maximus and Gamaliel had been watching them since their entrance to judge the structure of their first floor, although this proved a fruitless endeavor thanks to the difference in power between the woman and the people meant to traverse it. It was honestly a novel experienced seeing a being far above another obliterate someone underneath them, though it got old quickly.

The woman walking towards him and starting to speak broke him off his ponderings.

//

Alex cautiously walked towards the dungeon lord in front of her, old instincts screaming the danger it presented and a perception developed through countless battles told her that the dungeon lord before her was something she needed to avoid serious conflict with.

Upon reaching a distance of approximately 8 meters she stopped and started speaking.

“I greet the dungeon lord.” as she gave her greetings she cupped her fist in front of her in a generic salute, she observed the being sat upon a throne made from countless weapons and waited for a response.

“I accept your greetings” the voice that spilled from the being covered in the crimson cloak was deep and rumbling, the sound of a fortress wall slowly crumbling and the last charge of its defenders. The power and concept infused voice told her the amount of power that this man, the voice confirmed the man’s gender, held.

Having confirmed the power of the dungeon lord and his lack of hostility, she knew that the next step that she had to take so without giving herself a chance to hesitate she issued a challenge.

“I wish to challenge you to a friendly duel” her words seemed to surprise the dungeon lord as his response took a little too long, but it came all the same.

“State your rules for this ‘friendly’ duel” the answer was brief and concise, there was no emotion that was betrayed in his tone.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“No lethal attacks nor ones with the intent to severely injure, the fight will continue until one side surrenders or one is moderately injured” her explanation was as to the point as she could get it and the response for it was just as quick.

“Then I accept”

//

Bellator got up from his throne and took a hold of his axe, he walked towards his opponent till he was about 4 meters away from her. Gamaliel had been in an incorporeal form throughout the conversation between himself and the delver, something about a deal the local pantheons and Heaven have not allowing her to appear in view of the realms locals, and conveying information through something akin to telepathy.

He was excited to be able to finally fight something since arriving and constructing the dungeon, though the power imbalance between the two was a thing plain to see and put a damp in his excitement. They started circling around each other waiting for the other to make the first move, Maximus would take this battle as seriously as any other but the rule set meant he needed a rough estimation on the true difference there was in terms of power to see how much strength he could put in his attacks.

While this thought occupied a very superficial level of his mind he still paid close attention to his challenger, and because of this focus he was able to notice exactly when the delver started to make her move.

//

Timmothy made sure to be as far back as he could when the shock at being in the presence of the dungeon lord, and boy was the being in front of him exemplary to the name, and was just in time to see Alex blur toward the gigantic figure and impact with a great shockwave that pushed him back and almost knocked him over. As he tried to regain focus he found that even with his full concentration the dueling forms of both combatants was simply too fast for him to see something of importance.

//

Alex felt extremely thankful for several things, the lord was friendly and so she did not have to worry about holding him down until a full guild of dungeon killers arrived, he seemed to hold at least some kind of honor as his aura and holding back demonstrated, and finally was powerful enough that she did not have to protect the dungeon till it posed a proper challenge to high rankers. On the other hand its strength meant that as she dodged and parried his deceptively fast axe Alex still was getting her ass kicked, oh sure she got her good hits in, ones that even some of the more powerful delvers of the kingdom would find a serious threat, but if they were not parried away the bastard would position in such a way that they were deflected by the armor.

The behemoth of a dungeon lord with his greataxe in a choked grip makes a swift swing that she ducks under and kicks the shaft of the axe, using her momentum she cocks back her fist and a concentrates power in it as she rotates her hip and extends her arm in a perfect and smooth movement, her hand sails across the air and at the last second before it collides her whole body hardens as her fist connects in her first true strike landed.

The clang and shockwave of the collision pushes her back and creates a dust cloud around her opponent leaving the result of her blow a mystery until the lord’s voice fills the chamber.

“A beautiful strike.” the sound of a hundred thousand feet charging that is his voice is tinged with respect “lets finish.” The finality in the remark is the command of a great general ordering a last charge.

Before she can react the axe is already swinging towards her and as she dodges with a roll Alex barely sees the leg when it collides and sends her to one of the walls, her whole body was hurting but not that injured.

“It is my loss” she declared as she got up, the dungeon lords simply remained silent for a moment and then went back towards his throne and sat upon it.

With nothing else but the want to just go laze around more in the village she made sure the kid was following her and they left to give a report to the elders.