A few days earlier.

A Giant Beetle had wandered into the Twilight Forest. The massive insect was drawn to this forest from the cave entrance that connected this cavern to the rest of the Maze. It didn’t have any reason to come, there was no food or mates just that it felt compelled to enter the forest after hearing a low rumbling bellow. Once the beetle had wandered a certain distance into the woods a figure stepped out from behind the trees. It was a large three meters tall deer lurking in the forest.

The imposing beast moved silently and stealthily, with an unnatural amount of grace for such a massive creature. With its black, beady eyes it stared at the Giant Beetle before making another deep, low pitched bellow, one that could be better described as feeling instead of heard. This bellow did something to the beetle because it seized up while twitching for a minute, once it recovered it quickly scurried over to the massive deer and fervently followed it as it walked deep into the forest.

The beetle’s primitive mind was overtaken by the bellowing commands of the massive, imposing beast just like the Giant Rat before it.

As the deer continued through the forest it would occasionally stop at certain trees. The trees it chose had seemingly nothing in common, only the inscrutable demands of the beast picking out these particular trees from the rest. With a single thump of the antlers against the trunk the large animal moved on. Soon after the trees that were tapped they began to warp as a bulging mass develop within the bark, then with a crack the wood splits with the mass separating and molding into a monstrous form.

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Dozens of previously hidden deer emerged from the Twilight Forest. Forming into ranks as they left the woods, building an imposing line of antlers pointed directly at Sigard. The gigantic deer who towered over everyone in sight, stood just behind this formation staring with it’s black beady eyes at Sigard with unnerving intensity.

“Who are you?” Sigard questioned rather calmly.

[The protector of the flock, master of this forest. For I am the Antlered Elk King and I will remove you interlopers from MY forest.] The massive deer spoke but didn’t truly speak. It used an almost telepathic voice that reverberated in ones head, giving an ominous and haunting tone to its words.

“Well I am the Dungeon Master, the rightful ruler of this entire Maze. My authority supersedes yours.” Sigard responded defiantly. He had no interest in bending to the command of this creature, he had finally tasted true freedom, power and he wasn’t going to meekly fold to the first thing to show up and challenge him.

[I do not care for your claims. You have invaded my realm, set your predators upon my subjects. Leave or be removed.] This Antlered Elk King finished with another deep bellow. Even more monsters headed the call, giant Beetles, grasshoppers, and monstrous chimeras made of wood, in the vague shape of malformed centaurs, came out from hiding and formed up at the flanks of the deer.

Now protected, the elk army advanced forward with obvious intent on reaching Sigard.

Quickly accessing his situation Sigard determined that he didn’t have enough time to the ruined fort, even if he did it was still in a dilapidated state with crumbling walls and gaping holes making it only of marginal utility. No, instead his troops will have to fight out in the open.

He needed to act decisively. “Form up! General organize your goblins!”

Hearing his orders the goblins and monsters came alive with movement, the Goblin General shouted his own orders to the brutes and boar-riders. The Mantis Queen and the Golden Thunder Tiger stayed back close to Sigard in a protective posture.

“This one suggests that Master withdraws back to the fort and leave the troops to their fight.” Mazia leaned in close to Sigard rather casually.

“That’s not a bad idea but do we have time to retreat?” Sigard quipped just as calmly.

The advancing force of deer increasingly picked up momentum till they were at a full charge, the wall of antlers were baring down at tremendous speed. All the while the other monsters began to fall behind leaving a gap in their armies formation.

Both sides collided with a crash, antlers smashing boars aside, hooves trampling goblins in a devastating charge. And yet the Elk Kings deer cavalry were the ones who really suffered. Several of the goblin brutes managed to grab onto the antlers of the deer, dragging them to the ground, nimble goblins dodging between the beasts and stabbing at them, boars also did their part skewering deer in the legs with their mighty tusks.

And this was to say nothing regarding the Dire Wolves who were unseen up until know. The wolves had hidden themselves till the column of deer had connected with Sigard’s goblins, then they dashed out and hit those on one of the exposed flanks, tearing grievous chunks out the animals. The injured deer made blaring cries of distress as the survivors retreated in a disordered panic.

Sigard quickly directed the Mantis Queen and the Golden Tiger to cover for either flank in order to deal with other monsters that where still approaching.

The short engagement had been brutal to both sides, dozens of corpses littered the area and almost all of the surviving monsters were dazed.

The Antlered Elk King gave another deep bellow causing the deer to reform their ranks and for the other monsters to pick up speed.

As the bugs and the wood monstrosities barreled ever closer, until they were stopped by the Mantis Queen and the Golden Tiger. Both of Sigard’s monsters held their own against superior numbers dealing savage, crippling strikes to the first few opponents before falling back into a more defensive postures once they began to lose momentum. The Elk King noticing this development lead it’s remaining forces on another charge straight for Sigard.

Giving one more cry, some of the monsters on the flanks peeled off to join the charge.

Unfortunately, there was little that Sigard could do to stop this second charge. He didn’t have the strength, training or equipment to be a frontline warrior, nor any unique abilities to alter the current flow of the battle. All he could do was depend on the goblins and the Goblin General to do the fighting. The only things he had in life was Mazia and this title of Dungeon-Master, a title that didn’t seem to matter much against the monsters actively trying to kill him.

With a sickening crack, once again antlers and hooves crashed into Sigard’s small army. Goblins were sent flying, boars trampled and the wood monsters made scything strikes with their disjointed arms. The massive Antlered Elk King came baring down straight for Sigard, blowing every goblin boar-rider out of its path.

The Goblin General did everything he could stop the beasts rampage. Luckily he had the Goblin Cavalier supporting him, to rally the goblins and pick off lone enemies. Mazia had grown nervous about the worsening situation, worry and fear actually began to show on her face.

The massive elk blasted through the last of the obstacles its antlers colliding with Sigard.

Despite being slammed by a high velocity projectile made of bone and muscle Sigard was able to respond well enough to grab ahold of the beast's head. The Elk King then tried to dislodge Sigard by shaking its head furiously. Sigard gripped the antlers firmly, he was in an immense amount of pain, but he held on through pure stubbornness.

[Leave my domain! This forest is the sanctuary for all deer from the predations of all hunters.] The Elk King irately communicated as it tried to kill Sigard. ‘To the detriment of everyone else,’ Sigard quipped to himself, not exactly having ability to talk while being flung around.

After a few minutes of being tossed around Sigard managed to prop his body into a section of the antlers so that he could free one arm. With the free hand he reached down for a bone knife at his waist. Getting a grip on the hilt Sigard quickly stabbed at the Elk King’s head.

And he struck straight in the eye.

The Elk King shrieked in mortified pain, now jerking its head aggressively. It finally got Sigard off its antlers by dragging them along the ground, further injuring Sigard.

Due to his injuries Sigard couldn’t move, Mazia, worried about his condition, came to his side to check on him.

Taking a step back to collect itself, the Elk King shook the knife out of its head as it watched Sigard.

It wanted to be rid of Sigard. To return to the peace and tranquility of when there were no intruders, no predators hunting its herd. Know finally, the one who kept bringing new monsters into the Twilight Forest was wounded, just one more time and he will be dead.

The Antlered Elk King huffed audibly, lowering its head while drawing its hoof through the dirt preparing for yet another charge.

A weight crashed into the Elk King, fangs sinking into its neck. A wolf, the one who’s mate had been killed, taking advantage of the elk’s distraction had snuck up on it and was now furiously tearing it apart. The Antlered Elk King shrieked one last time before falling over in death.