Other than the Orc Chief, its companions behind it were all over level ten as well. If their robust and savage appearance wasn’t enough for Hazel to know this.
“Hazel!” Astrid called out to the mage.
Hazel turned around to see the dark elf still dealing with the other orcs. A few arrows were sticking out of their bodies, none of them lethal. But that was the least of the novice mage’s concerns right now.
Turning back, Hazel watched as one of the Orcs swung their weapons down on her. There wasn’t enough time to cast a mana shield, so she resorted to her next best option.
The mage whirled her staff at the monster and sent a barrage of mana bolts in its direction. Surprised by the sudden assault, the Orc canceled its attack and tried to block the spell. Its body was pelted with mana bolts as it stumbled back from the force.
Hazel then scrambled away from the Orc chief and its posse, making her way over to Astrid. Just before she got far away from the Chief, she decided to give the boss a little surprise. With her staff in hand, she cast the Decay spell at her target.
Ethereal purple wisps came out of the staff before blurring toward the Orc Chief. But what happened next surprised Hazel.
As soon as the violet tendrils of decay slithered their way toward its target as if sensing them, the Chief immediately grabbed one of its men and pulled them in front of it. Just as the decay spell phased through the lackey orc, purple cracks began to fester at the spot.
Hazel watched with wide eyes. Did that Chief sense her decay spell? Was that even possible?
The description of the beast did say that its intellect was exceptional but seeing it in person diminished Hazel’s confidence quite a bit. That was one of her best spells and now she had to wait a little less than thirty seconds to use it again.
If the Chief won’t kill her before that happens. And if she could successfully cast the spell on it.
Although she failed to inflict the Chief with her decay spell, the Orcs were distracted long enough for her to return to Astrid. Just in time too as she just got done finishing off the other Orcs from before.
“Sorry I couldn’t help you with those Orcs,” Hazel apologized.
“It looked like you had your hands full over there, so it’s fine.” Astrid turned her gaze over to the other Orcs that made their sudden appearance. She especially kept a close eye on the chief.
The Orc Chief returned the gaze with a snort.
“Those must be what the other Orcs were waiting for,” The dark elf noted.
“Oh yeah, you mentioned before that they looked like they were waiting for somebody.”
Hazel wished that Astrid’s previous statement was nothing more than a guess, but reality was often cruel. Especially to her.
To think that those Orcs were waiting for their chief. Perhaps Hazel should’ve waited for the Chief to show up so they could take them down at the start. It was too late to worry about what-ifs, so the mage dismissed those thoughts and focused on the task at hand.
“The Chief seemed to have noticed my decay spell when I cast it. The bastard even used one of its own men to take its place.”
“So, it’s perceptive and clever. That’s troublesome…” Astrid grumbled, glaring at the Orc chief with a newfound disdain.
Right now, the Orc Chief was going to be the player pair’s biggest problem. How it reacted to Hazel’s decay spell before proved that. If it could easily perceive Hazel’s spell like that and react just as fast, something told the mage that this fight wasn’t going to be so simple.
“We need to take down its lackeys first,” Astrid said. “Going after the Chief first in this situation would be too risky.”
“Sounds about right. So how do we-?”
Before Hazel could ask what their plan was, the chief let out a roar while thrusting its hand toward the player duo. It was pointing its finger at them, ordering the other Orcs to attack.
Two of its lackeys acted first and charged at the pair. Instead of charging head-on, the orcs spread out while closing in. It looked like they were attempting a pincer maneuver.
Without saying anything, Hazel and Astrid took action. The novice mage dealt with her Orc by spraying several mana bolts in its direction.
The monster raised its arms and weapon to block the barrage. Several of her bolts were then lodged into its forearms, but none of them struck any vital areas. Only receiving a flesh wound, the Orc continued its charge, growling as it got closer to Hazel.
Getting a closer look at the Orc, Hazel saw that the wounds she inflicted were cracking at an alarming rate. This should only happen if she used Decay or Baneful sickle on a Fractured. So how come its cracks were festering like that?
That was when the mage noticed that this Orc was the same one the Chief used to shield itself from her Decay spell. Realizing this, it made sense why Hazel’s mana bolts were affecting the Orc-like day. Its body was deteriorating from Decay.
Although she held the upper hand in their fight, Hazel couldn’t help but feel a bit suspicious. Was it really a coincidence that this Orc out of the rest of them chose to attack her? Or…was it the Chief’s doing?
Hazel spared a glance at the Chief, curious of what it was doing. That was when she saw the Orc Chief calmly watching the battle unfold. Its eyes were glued on the mage as it cautiously observed her. As if…it was expecting something.
A chill crawled down Hazel’s spine at this. There was no doubt about it now. The chief was observing the effects of her decay spell. It wanted to know what was going to happen to it if she successfully cast it.
This chief…was a lot more dangerous than she thought.
The slowly decaying Orc swung its weapon at Hazel, threatening to cut her head in one go. She crouched to the ground, letting the monster miss its target. While prone, Hazel whirled her staff at its legs, hurling another barrage of mana bolts.
The Orc couldn’t react in time, not even to shift to the side, and its legs were completely obliterated. Several of her mana bolts that passed through made their way over to the rest of the Orcs.
Sadly, they were prepared and effortlessly blocked the spell with their weapons. Hazel clicked her tongue when she watched them destroy her bolts so easily. It didn’t help that the Orc chief just stood there like a statue, carefully monitoring the mage’s battle.
Ignoring the Chief for a moment, Hazel turned to Astrid just as she mortally wounded her Orc, carving out a piece of its neck. It clutched the wound while stumbling away, but before it could move any further, a Mana Bolt appeared and pierced right through its skull.
[Level 12 Fractured Orc has been defeated!]
Astrid whirled out in surprise, staring at the culprit. Hazel simply shrugged her shoulders with a sly grin. Just then, the dark elf pulled out her bow and loosed an arrow in her direction. Instead of hitting Hazel, the arrow zipped past her and struck the Orc behind her instead.
Hazel turned to face the Orc, a bit bewildered and relieved. She didn’t expect her own partner to kill her in such a situation, but the sight of Astrid drawing a bow on her did make her blood turn cold for a moment.
With the two Orcs dead, Hazel and Astrid turned their sights on the remaining ones. To their surprise, all of them were simply watching the fight, not even attempting to engage with their brethren.
It was almost as if…
“That Chief’s testing us…” Astrid growled, glaring at the Orc Chief. “It sent only two of its men to see how we fought. It wanted to know just how strong we were before attempting to attack us as well.”
That certainly explained why the other Orcs weren’t helping in the previous fight. They were merely test subjects for the Chief to learn about the pair’s power and combat capability.
This was beyond what Hazel expected the Orc Chief to be capable of. This thing wasn’t acting like a Fractured that behaved savagely and reacted on pure instinct. Its behavior was that of a logical and clever monster with years of combat experience.
Not even the Fractured Rogue and Warrior could compare to the monster standing before them. And that deeply terrified the novice mage.
“We need to kill that chief now…” Hazel declared.
Even though Hazel agreed that dealing with the Orcs following the chief was a priority, she decided that it would be best for them to get rid of the boss now before it was too late. And thankfully, Astrid agreed.
She didn’t even say anything but gave Hazel a firm nod, realizing her train of thought. The two players then readied their weapons and faced the remaining Orcs, including the chief.
“Can you still cast your spells?”
“Yeah, but I can feel that I’m nearing my limit…” Hazel muttered with a couple of beads of sweat trailing down her face.
She could feel a slight pounding in her skull. It was a dull pain but persistently lingered, signaling Hazel that she was running low on mana. If it was possible, she would like to wait a little so her mana could replenish itself, but she knew that wasn’t going to happen.
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Which meant she needed to deal with these Orcs now before her mana was completely depleted.
Before the pair could continue their conversation, the Chief let out a fierce roar that caused Hazel’s body to shudder. A moment later, the Orcs following it disbursed and rushed at the players.
“We need to get them in a single line…” Hazel stated.
“Got it…!”
Taking action, Astrid moved in front of the mage, acting as the vanguard. And with her bow, she fired several arrows at the charging Orcs. None of her projectiles hit any vital areas, but the sudden barrage caught them off guard.
But they still weren’t in a single line…at least from Hazel’s current angle.
Not wasting this opportunity, the novice mage moved from behind the dark elf, circling the Orcs and attacking them. Getting in position, she saw all of the Orcs in a straight line, which meant she could finish them off in one go.
Hazel whipped her staff toward them, prepared to hurl a devastating baneful sickle spell. Then this happened…
“Hazel, watch out!”
The mage noticed that her partner was drawing an arrow at her once again, but she knew there had to be a reason. And that reason why towering next to Hazel.
Turning to her left, Hazel saw the chief right in front of her, waiting for its massive battle axe in the air. But how did it get so close to her so quickly?
No, she shouldn’t be worried about something like that. What she needed to focus on was…
Dodge!
She reacted in an instant, as if her instincts took hold of her. Hazel’s legs tensed as she leaped back, just as the Orc swung its axe at her. Despite her quick reflexes, it still wasn’t enough. While jumping back, the axe still managed to make contact with Hazel, cutting through the fabric of her robe and tearing into her flesh.
Hazel hissed in pain, feeling her wound burn as if someone placed a hot iron on it. Due to the pain, the mage tumbled across the ground, scraping her body against the rough dirt.
She let out a groan after her body crashed onto the solid soil. It felt like her insides were rattling from the collision, making the experience even more uncomfortable for her.
Hazel's mind was in a daze from the searing pain in her stomach. When she raised her head to look up at the Chief, her vision was slightly blurry, making it difficult to see clearly. She still managed to find the chief, but only because she could still make out color which allowed her to see a hulking body-builder of a monster standing near her.
As her sight began to clear, Hazel watched as the Chief was getting attacked by Astrid. A volley of arrows pelted the monster’s skin but barely managed to even penetrate it due to the tribal armor protecting it.
Unlike before, the other Orcs were standing on the sidelines and assisting their chief against the dark elf. They surrounded Hazel’s partner, closing off any escape route as they attacked her all at once.
Despite getting tag-teamed, Astrid maintained her composure while maneuvering around her enemies. With each step and leap she made; the Orcs struggled to even lay a hand on her.
But Hazel knew that her partner wouldn’t last for long. She needed to lighten her burden or the chief could do the same thing to Astrid.
Hazel struggled to pull herself up, feeling her wound sting intensely. Despite that, she pushed down the pain and focused on the monsters.
Reaching for the staff that was lying right next to her, she readied her spell. But before she tried to cast it, she needed Astrid to avoid getting caught in her attack.
[Hazel Thatcher: Move now!]
While fighting the Orcs, the dark elf abruptly stopped, signaling that she just now read the message. And without even looking at the mage, Astrid did as she was told; and jumped out of the way.
The Orcs were surprised by this, their gaze following the fleeing dark elf. Except for the chief, who instead set its eyes on Hazel.
Although the mage was a bit taken aback by its gaze, she didn’t stop her spell and soon fired her baneful sickle at the monsters. The spinning scythe blurred toward its targets, determined to kill them.
The orcs could do nothing as they were severed in one go. Some of them were lucky, only losing an arm or leg, while a couple weren’t and lost their lives instead of a limb.
As for the Orc Chief, that beast moved away before it could get caught up in Hazel’s attack. Though, to her surprise, it didn’t attempt to warn its subordinates of the attack. And just avoided the spell in silence, leaving its own to die.
That was rather cold. Then again, this was a monster, so that was likely inevitable.
Free from the encirclement of Orcs, Astrid rushed over to Hazel’s side, keeping a close eye on the remaining enemies that weren’t killed by the Baneful Sickle spell.
“How are you holding up?” The dark elf asked with concern, her eyes now glued to Hazel’s wound.
“It’s not as bad as it looks, thankfully,” Hazel grunted, her complexion a little paler than before.
Despite her injury, the pain wasn’t nearly as bad as she thought it would be. This was thanks to her Durability stat being high enough to mitigate the pain. Still, it wasn’t like the burning sensation was completely gone, so she wasn’t completely fine.
“More importantly,” Hazel continued. “That chief evaded my spell. It’s not even injured, unlike the rest of its brethren.”
Looking back at the Orcs that were caught up in her spell, she watched as the survivors slowly began to deteriorate from the Curse effect. None of them were even able to stand properly as they all fell to their knees.
And despite this scene unfolding…the Chief simply stood there and watched. Not a single ounce of emotion was shown. No anger, sadness, or fear. It just looked…indifferent toward the demise of its brethren.
Once again, Hazel couldn’t help but shudder at the Chief’s behavior. Just what in the world did the corruption do to this thing?
“Hazel, I think you should run while you can.”
“…huh?”
Surprised by Astrid’s words, the novice mage stared at her with widened eyes. Just before she could say anything else, the Orc chief appeared in front of them in a flash. It raised its weapon in the air and slammed down like a comet.
Hazel and Astrid dove out of the way as the ground they stood on turned into a massive crater from the impact. Both they and the Chief were assaulted by dirt and pebbles hitting them.
The Orc chief wasn’t finished though, and quickly set its sights on Hazel. Its menacing purple eyes flashed brightly as it charged. Hazel prepared herself for the sudden attack, praying to find the right moment to strike.
Just then, Astrid stepped in and drove her dagger into the Chief’s shoulder. It looked like the dark elf attempted to pierce its skull, but the Orc seemed to have noticed her presence and shifted its body, avoiding a fatal attack.
She pulled her dagger out and attempted to stab its neck, only for the monster to shift its body forward, sending the mage flying to the ground. Instead of tumbling, the dark elf used her momentum to readjust herself, getting into a kneeling position while facing the Orc.
“Your wounds will only get worse if you continue to fight! I’ll hold the bastard off! Just run away while you can!” Astrid urged the novice mage.
The Chief attacked once more, swinging its battle axe at her. Astrid stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding its attack. Before she could retaliate, the orc chief then slammed its arm against her, sending her flying backward from the force.
Unlike before, Astrid tumbled across the dirt field before catching herself and landing on her feet. She heaved, clutching onto her chest in pain. The Orc’s smack from before must’ve damaged one or a few of her ribs.
The chief continued its pursuit, rushing at the dark elf like a bull seeing red. It slammed its foot on the ground, causing a slight tremor. Astrid tried to steady herself, leaving her open for the monster to grab her in an instant.
The dark elf screamed in pain, likely feeling the chief, tighten its grip around her. Yet, despite the pain, she turned over to Hazel.
“Just run already, dammit!” She begged with a pleading gaze, desperate to get Hazel away from here.
Instead of listening, all Hazel could do was stand there for a moment, as if her words didn’t register. While deep down, something began to stir within her. A strong emotion that was slowly reaching its boiling point, threatening to explode at any moment.
Just then, Hazel instinctively fired a barrage of mana bolts at the Orc chief. The assault startled the beast enough to where its grip loosened around Astrid, allowing her to escape from its grasp.
She hastily landed on the ground before putting some distance between herself and the Chief.
“Don’t fuck with me…” Hazel muttered, shifting her attention toward her partner. “You think I’m going to back out after getting hit once by this bastard? Like hell! This isn’t my first time fighting a strong enemy like this guy.”
She took down a giant Cyclops and an Alpha Dire Wolf. And both of them were several levels higher than Hazel, just like this Orc.
While she was appreciative of the dark elf’s concern, asking her to run away in this situation only offended the mage. She wasn’t going to back down from a fight after coming this far. Not like this.
“If you want to run away, then go away,” Hazel declared with a look of disdain. “But don’t expect me to do the same like I’m some weakling. I’m taking this bastard down one way or another. So, either step aside or help me fight it.”
Hazel didn’t come this far to just run away from her enemy. She didn’t do so with the cyclopes or the Alpha. So why start with some damn Orc chief?
No, Hazel was going to see this fight to the end. And she was determined to be the last one standing.
Making her declaration, the novice mage readied another spell. The chief was faster though and blurred toward her at an alarming speed. It closed the distance in an instant while bringing its weapon down on Hazel.
The mage shifted gears and jumped out of the way. While in the air, though, she fired another mana bolt spell. With insane reflexes, the chief leaned its head to the side, barely avoiding the spell.
Its cheek was still grazed as cracks began to form on the wound. She wanted to use Baneful sickle on the Orc but knew that she couldn’t waste a spell like that. If it missed without even grazing the monster, it would take her ten seconds to cast it again, and she couldn’t afford to wait that long.
She needed to wait until the right moment was shown to her. When that moment came, that was when Hazel would strike.
To ensure her chances, Hazel needed to get close. But that in itself held several problems for her. If she couldn’t cast her spell fast enough, the chief could easily swat her away, or worse, cut her in half with one swing of its axe.
So, what should she do…?
Out of nowhere, multiple arrows were hurled at the chief, forcing it to raise its arms in a defensive stance against the volley of projectiles. Hazel looked over at the source and saw Astrid using her [Quick Shot] skill, assaulting the monster with her arrows.
Then a message panel appeared.
[Astrid Skogr: You won’t be able to take it down from a distance because of its reflexes, right? Then we’ll close the distance and prevent it from evading us! Move closer and get ready!]
As if on cue, Astrid continued firing more arrows while moving closer to the Chief. Her momentum with her stride and using her bow was amazingly consistent, to the point where it seemed like she was on autopilot.
Instead of standing around like a deer staring at headlights, Hazel followed along and closed the distance between herself and the chief. She didn’t want to waste any more mana, since she was extremely close to her limit, and simply made a beeline for her target.
Meanwhile, Astrid changed weapons and pulled out her daggers. Together, the two players attacked the chief.
Astrid was the first to strike and lunged at the beast, plunging her daggers into the Orc’s back. The chief roared while struggling to get the dark elf off. With its attention pulled away, Hazel used the opportunity to cast a couple of mana bolts at one of the Chief’s legs.
She carved out a good portion of its flesh, leaving fractured bits in its wake. Unable to support its weight, the Chief soon took a knee, nearly threatening to completely collapse on the ground.
The monster then turned its sights on Hazel while growling. The mage was intimidated and prepared to finish the job. Just as the chief was about to swing its weapon at Hazel, Astrid jumped in and stabbed the beast in the eyes, blinding it in the process.
“Do it!” Astrid shouted.
Hazel wasted no time and quickly cast a spell. A malicious purple sickle was formed and then hurled at the Chief. Once again, as if by instinct, the beast raised its weapon to block the attack, only for the baneful sickle to go right through the shaft of the axe before tearing into the Chief’s torso.
Getting hit; the Orc chief paused. Not a single word or noise was uttered by the beast, but its expression said it all. It knew its time had come. And in that moment, the upper torso of the beast slumped over, landing on the ground with a loud thud.
[Level 17 Orc Chief has been defeated!]
[You have leveled up! You are now Level 12!]
[Baneful Sickle is now Rank 5!]
[Mana Bolt is now Rank 6!]
[Dungeon Challenge has been completed!]
[You have been rewarded five stat points!]
[You have been rewarded an Uncommon Loot Box!]
Seeing the stream of messages, Hazel released a heavy sigh as she fell on her back. Astrid did the same but sat on her rear as soon as she got off the Chief.
While on the ground, the players enjoyed the blissful silence that befell them. Then Hazel was the first to break the silence.
“I…told you so…” She huffed, feeling proud of herself.
“Yeah…you did,” Astrid muttered with a chuckle.
Instead of checking out their rewards, the pair stayed still for a little while longer. Taking full advantage of the peace, they were also gifted after killing all of the Orcs.