Chapter 28 - 27: D-Rank Dungeon Raid
"If you ask me, whoever killed the ARES Guild squad is a dead man walking. Especially if it was Tobias’s brother."
Gareth Stoneheart grips his sword tightly as their party ventures deeper into the Crimson Gate Dungeon. The veteran warrior’s scarred face bears the marks of decades spent surviving encounters that have claimed the lives of lesser hunters.
Leon tries to keep his voice casual, but a chill runs down his spine. "Just how strong were those ARES hunters, anyway?"
Gareth is about to respond when six scarred orcs erupt from the shadows. Massive, green-skinned brutes wield crude axes and spiked clubs, their yellow eyes blazing with predatory hunger. Battle roars echo off the cavern walls as they charge.
"Formation!" Gareth bellows.
The party snaps into action, their movements synchronized from countless battles. Gareth raises his tower shield, activating a taunt skill that magically compels the orcs to focus on him. His boots lock into a defensive stance as three orcs converge on his position.
Elise flanks left, her staff crackling with frost magic. She unleashes frost-bolts that strike two orcs squarely in the chest, ice crystals spreading across their bodies and slowing their charge. Steam rises where the superheated orc flesh meets the magical cold.
Leon positions his warrior zombie to intercept an orc attempting to break formation. Spectral hands lock around the creature’s throat, lifting it off the ground before slamming it down with bone-crushing force. The impact cracks the stone beneath the orc’s skull.
[XP +15]
[Zombie Combat Experience +8]
Leon takes his place behind the front line, drawing the Void-reaper. The weapon hums with contained power as he channels Dark Manna through its firing mechanisms. His first shot shatters an orc’s tusks, the creature reeling backward with green blood streaming from its mouth.