OUTNUMBERED
"Let us now weed out the weak from the strong. So we may feast like kings," the same deep and raspy voice that organized the High Orc attack muttered to his cohorts, hidden from the Runners' view.
"Shit. Do we have to help!?" Kenzo nervously gripped his brand new dagger.
"We have to," Ren said calmly, already running toward the Level 2 entrance. "That alarm wasn't for Goblins."
They burst into Level 2. It was silent. Too silent. The usual sounds of mining and small monster skirmishes were gone.
The only light came from the shimmering Voltaic veins.
"Kenzo, isn't it weird there aren't any monsters around?" Ren asked, his eyes narrowed. "Something cleared this level out, and it seems organized."
ROOOAAR!!
The earth-shaking sound of a massive beast echoed through the dungeon.
"We're getting close," Ren confirmed grimly.
They rounded a final bend and peered into a vast cavern. The Level 3 entrance was visible ahead, but the space between was utter pandemonium. A massive horde of monsters was pressing against a single figure.
This lone fighter moved like a tank, tearing down everything in his sight. He was a young man with broad shoulders and a massive frame, clad in heavy armor, relying only on a shield and his powerful fists to fight and win against the overwhelming enemy forces with fluid, deadly grace.
"Damn, that's impressive," Ren said, a rare note of genuine respect in his voice. "Let's help him out."
Without waiting for a response, Ren darted forward, a flash of green mana, while Kenzo followed immediately, summoning his first clone.
These weren't regular goblins; these were cunning goblins, hunting and working in groups instead of mindlessly attacking.
Ren swiftly and precisely sliced through the goblins in his way; like an owl he moved without a sound, and like a fencer he glided through his opponents like butter.
Kenzo moved with his clone as a solitary unit, every move coordinated. The clone would quickly slide, knocking the goblins off their feet, and Kenzo would promptly slice their throats. Kenzo threw his dagger to the clone, which, while mid-air, fell upon a group of goblins. But then Kenzo felt a sharp pain in his back. A flanking goblin had slipped past, burying a makeshift spear into him.
The pain triggered an immediate reaction. Kenzo quickly formed a clone emerging out of his body and threw a punch that shattered the surprised goblin's face. He then grabbed the goblin's discarded sword and ended the creature's life.
The clones fought off the rest of the immediate goblin threat while Kenzo slumped onto the cavern floor, winded.
"Shit, shit, shit. I'm going to die to a goblin," he muttered, an embarrassed grimace forcing him to facepalm.
"Dude, get a grip! I'm a healer," Ren snapped, sprinting over, his sword still dripping with dark blood.
Ren knelt briefly, a pulse of green aura enveloping Kenzo, restoring his stamina and erasing the last sting of the shock. He didn't wait for a thank you. "You wanted me to teach you?" Ren demanded, already turning back toward the chaos. "First lesson: pay attention to your surroundings, dumbass!"
Ren plunged back into the horde, his silent speed overwhelming the goblins. Kenzo scrambled to his feet, fueled by shame and the sudden surge of healing energy. He had a job to finish.
"Alright, let's do this again!" He ran towards his clones locked in to the battle, his steps becoming more confident and fluid as he got closer to the fight.
Then, effortlessly, a clone threw the dagger back to him. Kenzo caught the dagger with his arms outstretched and spun around in the air, his blade extended, cutting his enemies down in a graceful, deadly arc.
DOOM!!
The sound was deafening. The left cavern wall disassembled instantly, as if done by a magician, revealing a massive hole. Through the gap, a huge beast stepped forward: A TITAN. A monstrous, humanoid creature typically encountered several levels deeper in the dungeon.
"What the hell is that doing down here?" Ren yelled. The Titan lumbered into the cavern. The wall quickly reassembled behind it, cutting off any exit.
"Wait a minute—" Kenzo started.
"Let's not focus on that, men!" The voice of the lone hero boomed, cutting through the chaos. It gave strength, commanding like a war general and resonating with the presence of a noble man. "We prevent these creatures from going any further!"
They nodded and went to work.
Kenzo took a moment, forcing his racing mind to process the Titan's mass. He wasn't the brute or the precision weapon, he was the analyst. He directed his four remaining clones to manage the straggling Goblins, freeing his mind to focus solely on the Titan.
The lone hero took his shield and put it on his back and made a stance to run towards the Titan.
His heavy body moved as if it had no weight, slamming into the monster but to no effect.
The Titan kicked him into the wall, destroying his burnished chest plate.
The lone hero, damaged and bruised, slowly tried to stand up. "I WILL NOT FALL."
He took off the broken chest plate and ran towards the enemy with fury in his eyes, dodging every attack that was thrown at him.
"Hey, you there, we need to work together instead of whatever you're doing right now!" Ren shouted, spotting Henry's desperate charge.
"You distract it, Kenzo you find its weak spot, and I'll kill it!" Ren commanded. The lone hero immediately shifted to a defensive posture, playing decoy while Ren waited for his moment to attack. Kenzo watched the monster guard everywhere but "HIS ARMPITS! Try to hit there!"
Ren, with no hesitation, flew straight in, and from the armpit, he tore off the Titan's arm, then destroyed the monster from the inside.
The monster collapsed, shaking the cavern. Ren burst out of the monster, taking a heavy breath. "I'm not doing that again!" he shouted, covered in dark blood.
"My name is Henry. Thank you both for the assist." Henry ignored the damage to his ribs, his voice still booming.
"Yeah, yeah," Ren interrupted, wiping blood from his cheek with the back of his hand. "Henry, what is your Power? You took a Titan kick to the chest plate."
"My Power is called Colossus. It grants high durability and strength."
"I knew it, because there is no way you're taking a hit like that and walking away..."
KRAK!
A deafening sound shattered the quiet. The wall they entered through exploded inward, revealing several figures backlit by the Level 2 light. A woman in heavy metal armor stumbled through the debris. "You three! Are you alright? We're part of the main Runner team. Took us too long to break that wall something was actively using mana to keep the mortar sealed" she said with stern voice
Then, a split second later, a much smaller, sharper CRACK came from the far side of the cavern. Another section of wall crumbled inward, but this time, the figures who stepped through were not survivors.
They were dead.