Watcher of Fate

"I accept your challenge, King Zogar," Elara declared, her voice strong and steady. “Assuming you can be trusted to uphold your end of the bargain.”

The Goblin King threw back his head and laughed, a deep, resonant sound that echoed across the field. The other adventurers exchanged wary glances, uneasy at Elara's boldness.

"Trust? In a goblin king?" Zogar said, his eyes gleaming with a mix of amusement and irony. "You misunderstand, human. It is not I who is untrustworthy, but the nature of your kind. I am bound by the dungeon's laws. Unlike you adventurers, I cannot break a sworn pact made under these conditions. It is the dungeon itself that enforces my word."

Elara took note of his awareness of the dungeon's control, realizing that his understanding of the dungeon's mechanics could be a valuable insight. King Zogar continued, his tone growing serious. "But let us not be naïve. If I win, I fully expect to be betrayed eventually. Perhaps not by you, but by the next wave of adventurers who will violate the accord. The cycle of betrayal is as inevitable as the tides."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the adventurers, bitterness lacing his words. "If I were not bound by the dungeon's rules, I would send all my troops at once, rather than in increasing waves. I would overwhelm any adventuring group, save for the most massive of raids, and wipe them out at will. But I am bound by these rules, while you are not. This is the reality of my existence."

The adventurers listened intently, the reality of the dungeon's constraints and the Goblin King's power settling heavily upon them. Zogar’s voice softened, becoming almost conciliatory. "If you accept this agreement, it will become dungeon law. I will be forced to honor it, even though you are not. There will be no loopholes for me, no escape. Do you understand?"

Elara nodded, her eyes locked on the Goblin King. "We understand."

"Good," Zogar said, a sly smile playing on his lips. "To formalize this, I offer you a quest, adventurers. It is not merely a duel. It is a binding contract within the dungeon’s framework."

The adventurers looked at each other, then back at Elara. She stood tall, her determination unwavering. "We accept your quest, Goblin King."

Zogar’s smile widened. "Then let it be known: the duel of champions will decide the fate of this field for the next three lunar cycles. May the best warrior win."

As the terms were set, the air seemed to hum with magical energy, the dungeon itself acknowledging the pact that had just been made. Elara could feel the weight of the agreement settle over her, the reality of the challenge ahead becoming crystal clear.

---

New Quest Alert!

Duel of Champions

Difficulty: S

Objective: Beat Goblin King's Champion in a duel to the death.

Reward: Control of the wheat field on 215B for 3 lunar cycles, Silver Chest, Variable Experience.

---

Several startled shouts came from the back of the field as the farmers also received the quest notification unexpectedly. They looked at each other with wide eyes, clearly taken aback. They had believed this was their break in the waves, a time when they were safe to continue planting the field. The sudden quest shattered their illusion of safety, bringing a strong sense of unease and surprise to their midst.

The Goblin King began yelling commands to his clan, his voice booming with authority. "Set up the dueling grounds! Clear the area! Prepare the ring!" Goblins scurried around, quickly sketching a makeshift ring in the dirt about 30 paces wide.

Elara took a moment to pull up her experience notifications and accept her progress.

You have seen 1,131 weak monster deaths: 11,310 exp

You have seen 7 strong monster deaths: 700 exp

Quill gains exp from killing 1,138 monsters: 1,095 exp

You have leveled to lvl 19.

Elara glanced at her stats, noting her almost 3,500 HP and 20 free points that she could allocate if she needed a boost during the fight. Feeling a surge of confidence, she closed the interface and prepared herself.

The Goblin King looked pleased with the makeshift ring that had been sketched out. "This will do nicely," he said, a satisfied grin on his face.

Elara stepped into the ring, her mind focused and her heart steady. Across from her, the [Lvl 34 Ogre Mage (Rare)] entered, removing its robe to reveal a heavy set of plate armor underneath. The sight of the armor was surprising, but what came next was even more so. The Ogre Mage summoned a kusarigama from its inventory. The sickle head was made of black metal, glowing slightly with red threads of magic. The chain, attached to the handle with a counterweight, fell to the ground in a large coiled loop, its weight evident from the deep impression it left in the dirt.

Quill, her spirit crow, perched on her shoulder, let out a low whistle. "That's the funniest-looking mage I've ever seen," he remarked, his voice tinged with amusement and surprise.

Elara smirked and spoke up, her voice carrying over the murmurs of the goblins gathered around the ring. "What's up with ogres always using weird weapons?" she asked, her tone deliberately mocking. "I've seen trolls with better taste in arms. At least trolls have the self-respect to use real weapons like clubs instead of flailing around with some random, unusable junk."

A ripple of laughter and approval spread through the goblin crowd, many of them armed with clubs themselves. They began thumping their weapons on the ground in agreement, a cacophony of support for Elara's words.

The Ogre Mage responded with a furious roar, his eyes blazing with anger. "I have killed an uncountable number of other champions before you, human! A silly [Lvl 19 Bard (Rare)] is not going to stop me!"

Elara noted that the ogre hadn't cast [Identify (Common)] to learn her level, which meant it had some form of sight ability. This worried her; if it could see through illusions, she would need to test that before relying on her tricks.

She met the ogre's gaze, pulling [Rhistlam (Flawless)] from her [Dimensional Link (Rare)] with a flourish. "When I am writing your epitaph in blood with my Quill," she said, waving the sword around, "I will make sure to note you never learned to count."

The ogre's anger deepened, his roar echoing across the field. The tension in the air was electric as the two opponents faced each other, the anticipation of the duel crackling around them. The goblins fell silent, their eyes glued to the ring, knowing that this fight would determine the control of the field for the next three lunar cycles. Elara and the Ogre Mage stood ready, each waiting for the signal to begin, every muscle tensed for the coming clash.

The Goblin King looked at the two champions and called out, "Braknar, are you ready?"

The Ogre Mage, Braknar, responded with a guttural, "Yes."

The Goblin King then turned to Elara. "And you, human, are you ready?"

Elara's grip tightened on [Rhistlam (Flawless)]. "Yes," she replied, her voice steady.

"Very well," the Goblin King declared. "Three... two... one... Go!"

As the signal was given, Elara quickly extended her hands, white threads of magic flowing from her fingertips. She deftly wove an intricate illusion, creating a solid wall that appeared to divide the area in half. The wall seemed to shimmer for a moment before solidifying, effectively blocking Braknar's view of her position. She moved swiftly to the side, her movements fluid and silent, ensuring the Ogre Mage had no knowledge of where she was. This was a test to see if Braknar could see through illusions, a crucial factor in her strategy.

Hidden behind the illusion, Elara watched Braknar through the translucent barrier, her [Awareness (Legendary)] skill keeping her alert. She studied him closely, looking for any sign that he could detect her despite her magic.

To her dismay, Braknar tracked her movements despite the illusion. He raised his kusarigama and hurled the scythe towards her with terrifying speed. The world seemed to slow as the scythe screamed through the air, its black metal head bursting into flames, trailing red threads of fire magic. Elara's sharp eyes caught sight of subtler green threads manipulating the flight of the scythe, weaving it through the air with deadly precision.

She ducked just in time as the flaming scythe flew over her head, missing by a hand's width. The weapon whipped back violently, jerked by the chain, and a loud boom followed as it crashed back towards Braknar. The ground shook with the impact, and Elara felt the heat of the flames on her skin. Her heart pounded in her chest, but she remained focused, her mind racing with strategies to outmaneuver her formidable opponent.

Realizing the illusionary wall was useless, Elara let it dissolve, the white threads unraveling into nothingness. Almost immediately, the chained scythe flew towards her again with terrifying speed. She tapped into her heightened perception, slowing the world around her to give herself time to react.

"Elara, watch out!" Quill squawked from her shoulder, his voice urgent. "It's coming back faster this time!"

As she prepared to dodge, the scythe changed direction mid-flight, retargeting her with deadly precision. "It's tracking you!" Quill warned.

Elara twisted her body, bringing [Rhistlam (Flawless)] up to block the incoming weapon. The scythe clashed against her sword, sparks flying from the impact. She braced herself as a powerful shockwave hit her, the force of it nearly knocking her off her feet. The chain whipped the scythe back with a sonic boom, the noise reverberating across the battlefield.

"Get ready for another strike!" Quill called out, his keen eyes tracking the movements of the scythe and chain.

Elara gritted her teeth, her muscles straining against the shockwave. She could feel the vibrations of the impact coursing through her body, but she held her ground, refusing to be thrown off balance. Her mind continued to race, evaluating her options as she faced the relentless assault of the Ogre Mage's enchanted weapon.

"He's using wind magic to control the chain!" Quill shouted. "You need to disrupt it!"

With Quill's warnings echoing in her ears, Elara's determination hardened. She adjusted her grip on [Rhistlam (Flawless)], ready to anticipate and counter the next move of the Ogre Mage.

As the chain retracted, Elara began to power up her [Technique: Poignant Criticism], channeling clear threads of mana into her sword. She watched the chain fly towards her in slow motion, her heightened perception giving her precious moments to prepare. The scythe's black metal head glinted ominously, trailing red threads of fire magic, as it zoomed toward her.

"You need to get out of there!" Quill squawked urgently from her shoulder.

Ignoring the frantic warnings for a moment, Elara continued to channel energy into her technique. The clear threads of mana wove tightly around [Rhistlam (Flawless)], making it glow with an intense light. Just as the scythe was about to hit her, she quickly pulled a weave of midnight blue threads over herself and poofed into a cloud of smoke, a trail of smoke trailing towards the [Ogre Mage (Rare)].

The Ogre Mage, Braknar, reacted swiftly. He wove a burst of green threads, manipulating the air around him, and released it at the trail of smoke. The burst of wind magic knocked the smoke trail off course, dispersing it in a chaotic swirl.

Elara emerged from her [Shadow Step (Uncommon)], swinging [Rhistlam (Flawless)] with the charged [Technique: Poignant Criticism]. To her dismay, she realized she was not where she had expected to be. The sudden disruption of her teleportation had thrown her off balance, and her strike cut through empty air, the powerful energy of her technique wasted.

She quickly regained her footing, her mind racing. Braknar’s ability to see through her illusions and disrupt her movement was a formidable challenge. Elara knew she would need to adapt her strategy quickly if she was to stand any chance against the Ogre Mage.