Chapter 12

Kiting my way to Victory or Is kiting cheating?

Deep Fork Creek, OK

12 January

~11 am

Even with all the orcs running at me I paused for a moment to examine the leader.

You have examined an Orc Contender

Race

Orc

Class

Contender

Level

8

Faction

?

Title

?

Maximum HP

?

Mana Well

?

I growled in frustration. This is the third contender that I already met. How many of them were there? Additionally, I wanted more information from the Examine skill. I needed to start examining every enemy I meet just to level up the skill.

Because the orcs hadn’t arranged themselves for battle in a formation, they came at us in two haphazard lines, one from under each side of the underpass. They were also spread out about six to ten feet between them. The orcs were large, at least six feet tall, with dark green skin that looked almost as much black as it did green. They wore various pieces of armor, but none of them wore a complete set. There was not a variety of weapons among them as they all had a sword, but the metal was tarnished or dark as it didn’t gleam in the sunlight. All the orcs that I examined were level 5 or 6. Only the contender was a higher level. The orcs weren’t running fast. In fact, their run was more of a lumbering marathon runners’ jog than a sprint. However, I knew they would be on me soon.

With the contender’s command to attack me, all the aggro from the orcs was firmly centered on me. None of the orcs were not stopping to engage or even consider other targets or the effects that they were having. I could see several orcs were already down and not moving. Just then the first of the orcs reached me. I had been slightly distracted by examining the orcs. Leighann seeing my distraction stepped forward to engage him. There were two more immediately behind the first one and they both moved around the left side of Leighann and the orc she had engaged.

Without hesitation, I used a shield bash to knock the sword out of the way from the orc farthest to the left, while a lunged forward to stab with the tip of my sword. As it plunged into his chest, I felt a warm spray of blue blood soak me down from head to foot. I also noticed a new notification which I suspected was a critical strike. I could not pause though, knowing the orc in the middle would be attacking, I yanked my sword free with my right hand, at the same time twisting my torso to raise my shield high and across my body to intercept his overhead strike. As his sword was deflected down to the ground, I spun in the opposite direction slashing with my sword across his waist. The sword nearly severed him in two. The tip of the blade was just short of catching on his spine, just below his ribs, but just above his hip bone. It was a perfectly lucky, critical hit as his bowels flowed out of his body with a juicy splat as they landed on the pavement as hit feet.

I don’t know how I took out the two orcs with such ease, it wasn’t my battle strategy. I simply attacked where I felt like there was an opening. Even with the spin attack, I knew with the orc's sword on the ground behind me, its waist was undefended. For that matter, so was his head, but it felt like a harder target, so I had gone for clearer success. With both of my first two enemies down, I stepped back and hamstrung the orc that Leighann was engaged with. As his right leg collapsed and he fell to one knee, Leighann didn’t hesitate but delivered the finishing blow decapitating him.

You have leveled up and received 5 attribute points and 1 skill point.

I didn’t have time to deal with level-ups right now. I dismissed the notification so that I could concentrate on the game. No, this wasn’t a game, this was real life. I shook my head and tried to focus on the battle. In my head, the conversation continued as in some ways, this was vastly different from a video game. Critical hits seemed less based on a random generator but seemed to be based on the placement of the strike. On the other hand, it was very much like a video game, because with all the aggro on me, they were ignoring the other party members unless they were directly engaged by them.

With basically two football fields to maneuver between the bridge and the cows coming up the road behind us, I had plenty of room to get the orcs spread out and do a little barrel racing. If I kept changing directions rapidly after engaging each orc, I hoped, I could keep from getting cornered. Running back to Whiskey Chips, I slid onto his back as quickly as possible. Dashing to the right side as fast as Whiskey Chips could go, we created some room from lumbering orcs. Picking a couple of targets, we began our barrel race.

My goal was to keep them spread out and create maneuvering room between the orcs. Also, I didn’t try and strike the killing blow on the initial charge but waited as Whiskey Chips began her pivot turn behind them. With their guard up to block my initial charge, they lacked the agility to turn as quickly. This meant that their back and head were vulnerable as we came around them. I had taken out several of the orcs before I felt that I was starting to get pinned in. Wheeling, I raced to a far corner.

As I rode by, I see Leighann step in front of an orc as she bashed him in the head. The orc suffered a moment of confusion before he regained his footing and charged Leighann again, and he slammed her shield with an overhand slash from his long saber. While blocking his attack, Leighann slid her sword into the orc's belly. He yelled defiantly as he attempts to pull the shield from her body and pulls her closer to him. The sword sliding deeper into his intestine as his spittle flies in her face. With a defiant yell of her own, she knee’s him in the groin and throws him off of her. He landed on the ground with his guts pooling around him, Leighann continued with her signature finishing move and decapitated him.

Slim, who was also on horseback, helped me to clear the field. He followed behind a couple of orcs and separated their heads from their shoulders. With Whiskey Chips speed, it was only a few seconds before we reached the opposite end of the field. However, it felt like all of the sprinting was starting to take a toll on his stamina.

By this time there were only five orcs left and the contender standing in the middle of the road waiting. His rage had overwhelmed him and he just stood there fuming, waiting for the other orcs to die. The five orcs were still running, but spread out across the field of battle they were easy pickings. Feeling that Whiskey Chips was starting to get tired, I slowly directed him around the other orcs keeping them spread out and allowing my team to hit them with arrows or targets of opportunity as they ran by.

In no time at all the last five orcs were down and only the Contender was left. I rode to the middle of the road about thirty feet west of him, I dismounted. Walking slowly towards him, I called out to him, “Your ambush failed. Do you surrender?”

He looked confused for a minute, and then I could see the realization in his eyes when the translation was complete. “No, I don’t surrender,” He angrily spits out. “I cast my spell of rage on the soldiers. This worked perfectly on the other human contender. He tried to challenge them and was soon down with the other few humans he had with them. But not you, you run around and avoid my warriors letting them be picked off by your team before the countdown timer on the rage spell expired. Now it is up to me to avenge them and make up for my loss. I challenge you to a duel to the death.”

Some words just bring songs in music to my head. I begin to bounce on my feet jumping and bouncing to the song that his words brought to my head. There is a line in the song Jump Around by House of Pain about a duel to the death. Singing the song seemed to fill me with determination and I received a notification.

You have received a temporary increase of +2 towards your willpower.

Barely pausing to read the message, I continued the conversation with the orc. “Since you have challenged me, does this mean that I get to set the terms of the duel,” I inquired of the orc. I wondered if there were some rules in this new system that establishes how duels are fought. When I had fought the goblin contender we hadn’t established a duel, we had just had a solo fight.

“Yes, human, you may choose weapons, magic, or both,” the orc growled at me. “And hurry up, I have other humans to kill.” As he glanced around at my team with a menacing stare.

Duel Challenge Received

You have been challenged to a duel to the death by Bargulg, an Orc Contender. As the challenged, you decide if weapons, magic, or both are used in the combat. No other being may participate in the battle and you may not attack another being until the combat is over. Attempts to interfere in a Duel are punishable by death. Do you accept the challenge?

I decided to accept the challenge. Even though we could surround him and attack him, I was challenged and wouldn’t back down from a challenge unless I had a good reason.

You have accepted the challenge to the death. Select the form of combat. Weapons, Magic, or Both Weapons and Magic.

Before making my selection I walked back to Whiskey Chips and removed my double-bladed battle-ax from the saddle and left my sword and shield. The orc was taller than me by at least six inches and outweighed me by fifty pounds. Since the battle-ax would give me additional reach and I had more skill points handling this weapon, I decided it was a good idea to switch.

The orc was not very patient as I constantly heard him yell and curse at me. However, because I have accepted the challenge, but have not yet selected the type of combat, he was limited by the system and cannot attack me yet.

As I walk back towards him I select the “Both Weapons and Magic” option. I had not seen either of his capabilities yet. The only attack he has made was when he used the rage spell to get his warriors to attach me.

With my limited spells that I have practiced, I don’t feel that I have very many offensive spells yet in my repertoire to fight strictly with spells. Additionally, I don’t want to fight with weapons only as I want to be able to heal myself if I get seriously injured.

While I had just leveled, I hadn’t applied my points yet. Thinking quickly, I told Pansofia to add two points to Strength, two points to constitution, and one point to intelligence.

Also, I suspect based upon his size, that he has more strength than I do. From the other battles I have had since the release, and the way that hitpoints are calculated in this system, I am guessing that he has somewhere between eighty and one hundred hit points.

As I walked towards him I cast Flame Blade igniting both blades of the battle-ax. The Orc ignored the flame on my blade for a moment before casting Flame Blade on his saber as well. With a sudden lunge and a gust of wind, I felt the fire spread from his sword blade magically extending the length of his blade like a whip, with a flame blade as his blade started low and comes up across my body and face. The tip of the flame slashes at my chest armor and my face. I wince as I feel the magical flame blade slide into my cheek and across my nose.

Regaining my composure and wipe the tear from my watering eyes, before I step forward and start a spinning slash as I see his footwork beginning to go backward. I do not want him stepping inside of my spin and hitting me with his sword. However, as I completed my spin, I feel the blade of my battle-ax slow and feel the gust of wind come from him. My blade still connects with his torso, but the blade speed was reduced and greatly limited the damage he received.

For several rounds of combat, I do not force initiate, but block his swings while I am trying to gauge what other magical attacks he has. This was my first battle with a contender where they used more than just basic spells. Additionally, he seemed to be able to attack and defend by casting multiple successive spells using different spheres of magic. At this point, I was convinced that he knew at least fire and gas spheres of magic. Looking to slow down the combat and provide an additional moment for reflection, I jab him with the top of the battle-ax to get some space.

Unfortunately, this seemed to be exactly what he is waiting for. Immediately, he cast a flame spell with the flame as big as a large beach ball. As it hovers for a second in his hand I see him preparing a second spell. Instinctively, I tried a new spell and cast a Water Shield trying to put up a thick wall of water before the Fireball hits me. As the water shield spreads from my fingers getting larger the fireball slams into the water, most of the middle of the fireball was destroyed and only the outside of the flame continues towards me slamming into my shoulders, forehead, and belly.

Grasping the parts of my body that are burning, I concentrated before I cast healing on my skin and put out the flame. I glanced up at my health.

HP 38/72

MP 47/78

Chronic Conditions

My opponent did not pause or rest, instead he pulled out a knife and threw it at me. However, instead of the normal speed, he accelerated the speed of the knife with air power. The knife slammed into my belly and found a piece of the armor that was damaged when my car struck the minotaur. I stagger back not just from the force of the knife, but the pain as it feels like I got kicked by a mule.

The orc staggered towards me and slashed down at me with an overhead strike. The shaft of my battle-ax cracks and I felt it split into two pieces. The orc saw me laying down on the ground in front of him, smiled down as my end is near. The saber rose over his head again, I heard Leighann whimper in the background. However, before he brought the sword down, I cast a spell that sprayed him with a liquid. The liquid splashed on his face, chest, and torso before it dripped on the ground around him. He stepped back and laughed at me.

“What are you trying to do, freeze me with some water? Weak human, you may have defeated my warriors, but you cannot defeat me.” With one hand he wipes the liquid from his face. As his hand passed his nose, he paused for a moment before his confused comment, “This is not water.”

Without even bothering to rise, I said “Burn in hell” as my flame spell lit the kerosene on fire.

Slowly, I pushed myself to my feet knowing that the flames by themselves may not defeat this orc. I approached the burning orc as he writhed in pain, I raised the top half of my battle-ax over my head and chopped down ending his pain and suffering.

Glancing up at the notifications I had just received.

For killing a level 8 Orc Warrior you have been awarded 952 experience points

You have eliminated a Contender. For eliminating a Contender, you have been awarded 8000 experience points (1000 * 8 (due to the level of the contender).

For eliminating an Orc Contender your racial modifier has moved from Unfriendly to Hostile.