“This is it.” Ethan, Leah, Miguel, Sam, David, and Alera stood in front of a massive granite door. 

They had successfully infiltrated the fortress, having only to take out small patrols of warriors on their way in. The party buffs from Ethan’s totem had helped tremendously. The passive move speed applied to everyone in the group, even the small bonus was enough to make up some time. 

Alera had also proven to be as capable a scout as Tae-Won or Sam had been, impressing Ethan more the longer they were in the dungeon. 

“Is there a reason this door doesn’t look anything like the rest of the building?” Alera asked, examining the massive granite frame and the glowing runes adorning it. “Everything else here is wood and spikes, this looks magical.”

“It’s the door to the floor boss.” Ethan said. “Every floor has the same entrance to the bosses room. Let’s the players know exactly where they need to be.”

“Ah.” She nodded, still examining the door. He had forgotten she’d said she hadn’t ever been in the Tower before. It made sense for her to be confused by the enormous door. “So what’s the plan? Stab him in the face and take his stuff?” She said with a smirk, her hands on her hips. 

“If you’ll come over here, I’ll explain it.” He answered somewhat impatiently. His inner control freak always came out in force before a pull. 

Miguel snickered as Alera stood between him and Leah. 

“You got called out by the boss.” He whispered to her. She responded with an elbow to his ribs. 

“Alright, quit messing around.” Ethan said seriously. His friends stood in a loose semi circle around him. With the exception of Alera, they had all done pulls together hundreds of times. Every single one of them, no matter if it was farm content or not started the same way. A long and detailed explanation of every mechanic they’d possibly encounter and how they would need to react. 

“The boss’ name is Warlord Loeg. And obviously, he’s going to be an Orc.” Ethan watched as his guildmates nodded in understanding, Sam rolled his eyes. . They’d beaten this boss a handful of times and knew the strategy Ethan wanted to use. 

“Phase one is the pull. He’ll start with a massive warg assisting him. David is going to tank both of them, give him a couple seconds to build threat and then unleash on the wolf. We want to burn it quickly so it doesn’t break off and target Miguel. Sam,” Ethan turned to the Warlock, “keep curses up on Loeg. Exhaustion and Weakness. If you’ve got damage over time spells, you can use those but no direct damage on him until the warg is down.”

Ethan paused to take a breath before continuing. 

“The warg is straightforward, big teeth and claws. Every attack will cause bleed damage until you’re healed up to full. On David it won’t be a big deal, but if one of us gets hit then Miguel has to refocus his heals and David will take more damage.” Ethan continued. “Leah, make sure you’re helping where you can.”

“If I see him get free, I’ll keep him crowd controlled until David can pick him back up.” Leah answered with a nod and a smile. Ethan hadn’t had a chance to talk to her very much since he’d gotten home, but she had seemed a little disconnected from the world. Must be from spending time with the Elves. She was like that when she came home after last Rez too. 

“Awesome.” Ethan nodded before continuing. “At 75, 50, and 25% Loeg will summon a random group of adds. Same tactic as the warg, burn them quickly and get back on the boss. After they all die he’ll have a quick 10 second enrage, so Leah, again, be ready to help Miguel.”

“What will the adds do?” Alera asked.

“They’re random.” David said. “We won’t know until they show up. Archers, Casters, wolves, brutes. It could be anything.”

“Right.” Ethan nodded. “Last phase is a hard engagement at 10% health. He’ll switch from his mace-“

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“Hammer.” Sam interjected. 

“What?” Ethan looked at him confused. 

“He uses a two handed hammer. Not a mace.” Sam said, shaking his head. “A hammer has a front and a back side. Maces don’t.”

“Okay, so nitpicking about weapons aside,” Ethan said, slightly frustrated by Sam's excessive attention to detail, “he’ll switch from his hammer to a pair of axes. His attack speed and damage will increase until he’s down.”

Ethan watched as his group nodded their understanding. 

“Any more questions?” He added, drawing his seaxes to prepare to enter the boss’ room. 

“Why do you think they picked Orcs for this floor?” Leah asked, her voice somewhat distant and flighty. “I mean, most modern games have moved away from ‘Orcs are just evil’ and given them a more rich backstory as a race.”

“He’s building an army and is in the process of gathering his strength.” Alera’s comment was completely unexpected. 

“How do you know that?” Sam asked, confused by her knowledge of the lore of this floor. 

“Most of the Orcs we killed had missives signed by Loeg himself.” She said, pulling a tattered piece of parchment from her inventory. “It’s a call to arms. Orcs, even if their racist, “evil” history has been changed, value strength. Loeg is building himself up as the strongest so more will follow him.”

Alera looked around at the blank faces of her group. 

“Don’t you guys read the little pieces of flair added to trash mobs?” She asked hesitantly. 

“Not usually, I just sell it for a few silver.” Miguel said with a shrug of his shoulders. 

“Yeah, I mean, I know the world outside is rich in lore, but I’ve always just looked at the Tower as a giant loot piñata that I need to bust.” Sam added, his familiar still chittering away on his shoulder. 

“Oh.” Alera said, her cheeks flushing red. 

“No it’s cool.” Leah said, trying to comfort their recruit. “Good insight. Shows you’re paying attention. And it answered my question about why these Orcs were like this.”

“Yeah.” Ethan nodded in agreement with her. “If that’s it, let’s knock on this door and see who answers.”

“You want me to let him monologue or just pull him?” David asked as he stepped closer to the granite door. 

“Nah, Alera hasn’t seen this before and she seems interested in the lore.” Ethan said with a shake of his head. “Let him give his speech and then pull him.”

Some bosses, like the dragon that had wiped them on the 26th floor, attacked once they’d been attacked first. Some had a short role playing monologue for flavor and would engage after they’d delivered it, unless they were interrupted. 

“Shiny, let’s go be good guys.” David said with a wide grin as he hefted his shield. 

Wooden columns lined the length of the room as Ethan and his group entered the boss’ chamber. Torches mounted on each pillar provided eerie lighting to the massive room. Long tables had been pushed against the columns, whatever meeting the orcish commander had been having with his troops had since ended. Weapons and skulls of defeated monsters and enemies served as decoration to the bloodthirst of Loeg. Alera’s attention to detail makes the whole aesthetic make more sense. This is clearly a seat of power. Ethan thought to himself as they entered the meeting hall. 

Ahead of them, Warlord Loeg sat on a throne of steel and bone. Amaz’zuk, his massive warg lay at his feet, gnawing a bone in a grotesque mockery of a dog at his masters chair. 

“Last chance to get ready.” Ethan announced to the group as he renewed the frozen enchantments on his seaxes. Ice crept over the blades, making his swords look like jagged icicles. With any luck, the slowing effect would help control the warg’s attacks and movement before it died. 

“Ready when you are.” Leah said, everyone nodding in agreement. 

“Go ahead Dav-“ 

“Wait! Shit shit shit.” Alera exclaimed as she hurriedly coated her katars in a silvery, shimmering potion. “Sorry, decided last minute to change my poison to Life Stealing.”

“You’re good.” Inwardly, Ethan was mildly annoyed at the last minute pause, but if she was using a poison that would heal herself, then it was worth the delay. “Go ahead, David.”

Slowly, David moved forward, his shield held in front of him as he readied himself for the first volley of the Orc’s attack. 

“Worthless mongrels, coming into my own home.” The orc warlord’s voice was guttural and gravely as David crossed an invisible threshold triggering its aggro radius. “Orcs are a strong people. We are rightful conquerors of this world.”

The massive Orc stood up from his throne when he finished speaking, gripping the haft of his colossal war hammer. Loeg’s size was made more daunting by the heavy full plate armor he wore. His pauldrons were fashioned into the heads of snarling wolves. A spiked gorget circled his neck. The sound of metal chains clanking lightly accompanied him as he moved forward, dragging the head of his war hammer on the ground. 

“I hope he drops those shoulders.” Ethan heard Miguel whisper behind him. “They would look amazing on Ethan.”

“You think so?” Alera whispered back to him. 

“Quiet!” Ethan snapped at the two of them without taking his eyes off the approaching Orc. He gripped the leather wrapped hilts of his frozen seaxes, his entire body tense in anticipation of battle. “Be ready!”

“I will unite my people,” Loeg gestured with one arm spread out. Behind him, Amaz’zuk watched hungrily for his master’s command. “We will take what is ours!”

Saliva flew from the warg's enormous mouth around teeth like daggers, as Loeg gripped his war hammer and charged at their group