As the group was exiting the dungeon boss room, something strange happened. The door from which they had entered remained closed. Normally, this would indicate that the dungeon boss was still alive, but the group was certain they had killed the boss already.
Boran frowned, turning to the black orc. "Open the gate," he ordered. The orc moved to obey, placing its massive hands on the door and pushing with all its might. However, even with the black orc's enormous strength, the door didn't budge at all.
"What's going on?" Kael muttered, a hint of unease creeping into his voice.
Suddenly, two ominous red portals materialized in the room, their presence immediately making the atmosphere more sinister. A few seconds later, monsters began to emerge from the portals, one by one.
"Another low-calamity!" Arin shouted, eyes wide with shock.
"Another Crimson Brute Goblin!" Selene added, her voice tense.
"And there's more of them coming!" Kael's voice echoed the growing dread.
The atmosphere grew even deadlier as more monsters poured out of the portals. Boran quickly assessed their situation. His group comprised eleven low-transcendents and himself, a mid-transcendent. They were an elite team, but they were exhausted from their previous battle.
He glanced at the combat slaves: six low calamities and the rest high-ranking monsters, with only the black orc matching his rank as a mid-calamity.
Boran's mind raced as he formulated a plan. They could either try to destroy a part of the dungeon wall to escape or hold their ground against the oncoming wave of monsters. Unfortunately, he wasn't given enough time to think.
The monsters charged at them, their eyes gleaming with malice. The group quickly formed a defensive perimeter, weapons at the ready.
"Hold your ground!" Boran commanded, his voice cutting through the chaos. "Protect the mages and ranged fighters!"
Arin's ice magic continued to weaken the wall, the cracks spreading wider with each blast. "It's almost there!" he shouted, his voice strained from the effort.
"Keep pushing!" Boran urged, his voice filled with determination. "We're almost through!"
The black orc delivered a final, powerful blow to the wall, and with a resounding crash, a section of the dungeon wall crumbled, revealing a narrow passage.
"Go! Now! I'll use the remaining combat slaves to hold them off!" Boran commanded, leading the way through the breach.
The group hurried through the passage, their hearts pounding as they left the monsters behind. The black orc brought up the rear, ensuring everyone made it through before following.
As they emerged into a quieter section of the dungeon, the group paused to catch their breath. They had escaped the immediate danger, but the looming threat of the dungeon's deeper levels remained.
Boran gazed at his weary team, his expression a mix of pride and concern. "We escaped, but this isn't the way back to the surface. For now, we need to find a safe spot to regroup and devise a new plan before continuing. We still ha-
However, before Boran could continue, he saw the black orc's weapon falling towards Kael's head.
Fearing the worst, he quickly grabbed his glove to order the orc to stop, but the swing was too fast. When Boran heard the sound of metal striking metal, his eyes widened in shock.
"It's a monster! It can camouflage! Defensive stance, now!"
His mind raced. If this monster had remained undetected even by him at the height of battle, it could only mean one thing. "It's a great-calamity! Ready your shields!"
A figure holding a sword soon materialized out of thin air, blocking the black orc's blow.
It was a four-eyed creature with long arms and scaly legs. Soon, a fierce clash between the black orc and the great-calamity monster began.