Passing through the gate caused a shudder to run through the world. Morgan heard a sharp clang and turned to see the gate closed behind him. Looking to the peak, Morgan saw a large minotaur silhouette looking down at him. It turned, disappearing from view, and strange multicolored lights started flickering along the ceiling of the cavern. From an alcove slightly up the ramp leading off and twisting around the pyramid, a group of three orcs and five hobgoblins charged toward Morgan.

  Summoning Broken Fang, he gracefully wove through them, lashing out and distributing death with each precise stroke. He noticed as he severed limbs that the monsters didn't spout fountains of blood, but wisps of gray acrid-smelling smoke drifted from the wounds before the bodies dissolved into clouds and drifted away. Morgan was surprised to find only a small alcove in the wall when he arrived there. He had expected a small room, not a closet barely large enough for him to stand in.

  Fifty feet up the ramp, a similar group of monsters to the last pushed their way onto the walkway and charged. Morgan stood his ground, meeting their charge and dispatching them with the same ease as before. The same smoky shapes remained and then faded.

  “What’s with the smoke corpses?” He asked Sophia.

  “They are summoned creatures, presumably from the minotaur at the top of the ziggurat.”

  Another group of enemies exited the same alcove as the last group, interrupting their brief conversation. This group had a minotaur beside the orcs and hobgoblins.

  “I assess a high probability that they will continue to advance until you defeat the summoner. It also appears the groups are getting stronger with every iteration. Best not delay.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I will hurry.”

  Morgan tried to make himself lighter and jump 40 feet to the next ledge going around, but there was an invisible barrier just below the ledge that he slammed into. As he floated down to the advancing monsters he groaned as his neck and shoulders knit back together. The now familiar agony of torn ligaments and muscles washed in waves over his body.

  “Guess the shortcut is out,” he hissed through clenched teeth.

  He landed, weapon materializing in his hands. The enemies were too close for him to gain a benefit from charging, so he let them come to him. He dodged the minotaur’s charge, lunging face to face with the lead orc, Broken Fang impaling it through the chest. Pirouetting to avoid an attack, he used Kinetic Burst to appear behind the minotaur as it slowed its missed charge. With a stroke, he hamstrung the beast. Collapsing onto its misshapen knees, it bellowed a howl of pain before Morgan removed its head. He then easily dispatched the remaining monsters.

  He then sprinted, using Kinetic Burst and Leap to move as fast as he could. Ahead of him, another group of monsters spawned. Nothing from behind, so that was one bit of good news. Each group got stronger or more numerous as he wound his way up to the top. He was peppered with crossbow bolts, arrows, and javelins. He was cut with swords, knives, axes, and spears. His armor helped, and with the glamor enchant, it reformed around the punctures and cuts that made it through.

  As he approached the summit, Morgan heard low murmuring in a deep guttural language. This time the wave of monsters came to the edge in front of him. This wave spread out. Nine heavily armored orcs placed large shields down, creating a shield wall. They did not advance, only eyed him uneasily, Spears bristling from the phalanx. They were not summons.

  ::Threat Scan Complete - Invader - Elite Orc Defender::

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Approaching, Morgan could see past the guards to the large minotaur over a glowing blue circle on the ground. It waved a gnarled staff over the circle, tossing powder from a satchel on its hip. As the powder burst into the circle, it flashed red, and an ominous tendril whipped out to the nearest orc defender. The orc gained a red aura and grew about 10% larger than the others as it absorbed the red power. The minotaur nodded once, then bent down, chanting again.

  The glowing red orc bellowed a command, causing the others to advance. As the wall of spears pressed forward, Morgan lightened himself and leaped over the line, using Kinetic Burst in the air as he skimmed over the large shields. Landing, he swirled into Bladestorm, lashing out multiple times as the orcs attempted to reorient to him behind them. The large orc stepped forward and blocked Morgan’s momentum with his shield and then lashed out with a kick, slamming Morgan into the turning orcs behind him.

  As he stood from the tangled mess of bodies, Broken Fang moved rapidly, blocking a thrown spear from the red orc. Using the damage buff from blocking the attack, he immediately did another Bladestorm, standing amid the jumbled orcs. They had no chance. Broken Fang swirled through them like a blender. Morgan also heard the swooshing noise of Godslayer’s blade activating as a red rain of blood and chunks of flesh thudded around him.

  Two of the orcs were far enough outside the pile that they were unhurt, as well as the red orc, reaching down to pick up a fallen comrade’s spear. The large minotaur threw another handful of dust into the symbol, which flashed and turned another of the orcs into a larger red version. The minotaur then shuffled away farther from the guards and Morgan.

  The two red orcs now looked at each other, then with some unspoken agreement pushed the smaller orc in front of them towards Morgan. They framed the smaller orc on either side with spears and advanced with purposeful, cautious steps. Deciding to get the buff from charging, Morgan advanced on them before they could get closer. The smaller orc raised his shield, cowering, as the larger orcs each stepped outward and attacked from either side. Morgan dodged to the left, avoiding the right spear, and blocked the left, but felt a sharp stinging sensation as the small orc stabbed him in the thigh.

  The large orcs reset their positioning and slashed out again. Cursing, Morgan lightened his body and leaped backwards, ripping the spear from the small orc’s hands as it lodged in something in his thigh. He landed awkwardly, stumbling as his leg protested taking his weight. He looked down at the spear. It had a barbed and serrated back, which was now stuck on something in his thigh. He grunted as he slashed down on the handle, severing it just behind the head of the spear. Then screamed and collapsed as he pushed the spearhead through his thigh.

  The orcs advanced, not giving Morgan a moment longer to recover. He lay on his back, watching the advancing group. With a thought, he lightened himself and pushed off his elbows, practically floating into a standing position. Morgan assumed a ready guard position, his sword held in front of him, point toward the ground. As the orcs closed the last ten feet, his leg was back to new.

  This time he didn’t wait. He leaped to the left, attacking with a long-reaching horizontal slash as he did. He blocked the spear from the nearest red orc and then riposted into the neck of the small orc as he looked around his shield for an opening. Spinning, Morgan dropped and lashed out, hamstringing the nearest red orc as it stepped back from the fountain of blackish ichor spraying from its wounded ally.

  With a one-handed shove, he righted himself and leaped upward but directly into the shield of the uninjured red orc. As the orc attempted to redirect Morgan over his head along his jump, Morgan made himself as heavy as he could. The stone of the platform cracked and buckled under the bone-splitting weight of Morgan. As he lessened his weight and recovered, a quickly widening blood puddle was all that remained of the red orc under the deformed shield.

  Rising, Morgan regarded the last remaining Defender. It was stumbling on its one good leg, shield discarded. It faced him, a spear held loosely in its hands. Morgan gave a small salute and flourish of his sword, then lunged to the side of the orc and disemboweled him the same way he had the orc champion.

  After ensuring each of the creatures was dead, Morgan looted all the gear. None of it was useful to him, but it only took a second to put it into storage. Taking stock, he readied himself to attack the minotaur.

  ::Title Progress 20 of 100 - Kill more elite invaders to unlock this title.::

  ::Title Progress 314 of 1000 - Kill more dungeon invaders to unlock this title.::

  Blood drinker was at 25 out of 100, and his wallet contained 9421CT, 422UT, 214RT, 102ET, and 14LT.