Hours blurred into a relentless cycle of combat. Goblins fell to Kael's erratic lightning, kobolds crumpled under Lyra's precise shots, and Tessa's vines became instruments of brutal efficiency. Zander, fueled by adrenaline and a desperate need to maintain his facade, barked orders, pointed vaguely, and took credit for any vaguely strategic-looking outcome. He even managed a few clumsy parries with his sheathed sword, attributing his near-misses to calculated dodges.
Each fallen foe was a small victory, each close call a jolt of terror he masked with forced bravado.
"Alright, that's the last of them," Lyra announced, ejecting an empty magazine and slapping in a fresh one.
The final kobold shaman had dissolved into dust after Tessa's vines crushed its totem, the strange magical objects flickering out of existence. A heavy silence descended upon the cavern, broken only by their ragged breathing.
"Onward!" Zander declared, gesturing towards a gaping archway at the far end of the chamber. "I sense… uh… the final strategic nexus lies beyond!" Internally, his gut churned with unease. The dungeon felt too easy, too straightforward for a 'D-Rank hole' as Lyra had so dismissively called it.
The archway opened into a vast chamber, the air thick with a palpable tension. Unlike the previous caverns, this space was unnaturally still. No glowing fungi illuminated the darkness; instead, an oppressive gloom clung to the rough-hewn walls.
In the center of the room, the "Boss Room" a raised dais of obsidian glinted faintly.
As they stepped fully into the chamber, the small, stolen badge on Zander's wrist began to vibrate erratically. A rapid series of beeps echoed in the oppressive silence, but it was Lyra's scanner, attached to her belt, that blared a warning. "[Anomaly detected!]," a robotic voice announced, emanating from the device. "[Energy signature fluctuating beyond designated parameters]."
Tessa's thorny vines instinctively bristled. "Something's… not right. The energy here…"
Lyra's head snapped towards the entrance portal, her eyes widening in disbelief. The familiar blue shimmer was fracturing, bleeding into a sickly yellow hue. "The portal! What in the world…?"
A deep tremor ran through the stone floor, a low growl building in the air, resonating in their very bones. The energy in the room pulsed, a tangible wave that made the hairs on their arms stand on end.
Before anyone could fully register the shift, a monstrous figure lumbered into view from the shadows beyond the dais. It was an Orc, but of a size and ferocity that defied comprehension. Towering at least ten feet tall, its green skin was scarred and weathered, adorned with crude iron plating.
A massive, bloodstained axe rested on its broad shoulder, and its tusks were like jagged swords protruding from its snarling maw. This was no mere Orc; an aura of raw power radiated from it, a palpable sense of lethal intent.
Lyra's scanner shrieked, the robotic voice now laced with alarm. "[B-Rank threat detected! Level 350! Orc King!]"
Zander's blood ran cold, but a desperate instinct for self-preservation kicked in. He puffed out his chest slightly, trying to project an air of calm he was far from feeling. "Ah," he said, his voice a little too loud and strained. "A… a strategic escalation, precisely as I anticipated. A more… robust guardian for the final objective."
'Robust? It looks like it could eat us for breakfast!' Zander internally cursed as he eat his own words.
Tessa gasped, her vines recoiling slightly as if struck.
Lyra's rifle clattered to the stone floor, her face a mask of disbelief. "A B-Rank? In a D-Rank dungeon? What in the nine hells…"
Kael stood frozen, his eyes wide and uncomprehending, the playful sparks that usually danced around his fingers completely absent.
"Captain…?" he whispered, his voice trembling.
The Orc King's guttural roar echoed through the chamber, a sound that promised pain and death. Its gaze, cruel and intelligent, swept over them, lingering for a fraction of a second on Zander before settling on the group with predatory hunger.
Zander swallowed hard, his mind racing.
'Think, Zander, think! Bluff! You've bluffed your way this far!'
He cleared his throat, trying for a confident tone that wavered precariously. "Standard… uh… advanced security measures. Perfectly manageable. We just need to… adjust our approach. Lyra, flank! Tessa, create a diversion! Sparkplug, you… you keep the big fella… occupied with your… uh… potent energies!" He punctuated his ridiculous instructions with a weak gesture, his hand shaking almost imperceptibly.
The sheer impossibility of the situation hung heavy in the air. Their D—C-Rank abilities that basically a made up were laughably inadequate against a Level 350 B-Rank monstrosity. Zander's forced bravado was a thin veil over the gaping chasm of their impending doom. They were trapped, hopelessly outmatched, and the Orc King's hungry gaze promised a swift and brutal end.