Since the Orc Warlord closest to their location was Baronar, Lux didn't hesitate to tell Barca who his first target was.
The Half-Orc agreed and set out with them in their mission to deal with one of Orobak's loyal supporters.
After checking the details of the quest in the Elysium Compendium multiple times, Lux found out that Barca's role was just like an extra fighter in their party. Meaning, he would help them fight with the enemies in order to help ensure the success of the mission.
The Half-Elf was quite happy about having a Rank 4 Alpha Monster on their side. After all, it would greatly increase their fighting power.
However, there was a catch. If Barca died, the mission would automatically fail and Lux would gain a -1000 Reputation Points Penalty with the Riders of Norria, and -200 Reputation Points Penalty with the Kingdom of Gweliven.
He didn't know what would happen if his reputation points dropped into the negatives, so he consulted the Elysium Compendium about it. According to the compendium, if his reputation points became negative and went lower than -500 points, he would be treated as a criminal in the Gweliven Kingdom.
A reputation of -1000 Negative Points would mean that the Dwarf King would place a bounty on his head, and any Dwarves that he came across would automatically become hostile towards him.
When one gained a negative reputation points of -5000 Points, that was when things would take a nosedive. The King would order the High-Rankers of the Kingdom to hunt you down and kill you.
Even if you hid in the Beginner's Zone, the High Rankers would ignore the level requirement just to deal with you personally.
Lux took note of this matter seriously and decided to never allow himself to fall to that point, so he could avoid inviting trouble to his front door.
"We are here," Barca said as he gestured for Lux's group to not make any noise as they traveled the secret trail that he had discovered back when he was searching for ways to infiltrate Baronar's Camp.
Lux glanced at the Orc Encampment that was surrounded by a three-meter tall stone wall. Several tents, which were made of animal skins, could be seen inside, and there were at least a dozen guards manning the outposts and making sure that everything was in order.
With the features of Elysium Compendium, Lux was able to identify the ranks of the enemies, which made him frown.
'The Orc Captain as well as the Orc Guards are all Rank 3.' Lux rubbed his chin. 'And it seems that these Orc Warriors are merely the cannon fodder of their army. I guess this is the custom settings of the Nightmare Mode.'
Among the twelve Orcs that were guarding the perimeter of the encampment, there was one wearing a black armor. It was the Orc Captain and according to the data shown in the compendium, the Captain was at the peak of Rank 3.
An ordinary Rank 3 Monster might be weaker than an Alpha Beast, but its threat level was similar to the Kobold Sorcerer that Diablo had faced off against in the past. Of course, it was not a problem for Barca, but for them, it was a tough hurdle.
Not to mention, the Captain's subordinates were also Rank 3 monsters, making the situation very tricky.
'A direct fight is out of the question,' Lux thought. 'Although I don't know how strong Baronar is, there is a possibility that he is at Barca's level. If that is the case, our strongest fighter shouldn't waste his strength in fighting the other mobs.'
Boss Monsters usually had some goons protecting them, especially high-leveled ones. Lux was certain that aside from the twelve Orcs guarding the camp, Baronar would still have other subordinates who would aid him in battle. However, Lux didn't know how many there would be.
Fortunately, most of the warriors of the Stronghold were out patrolling their territory. This greatly reduced the number of Monsters that Lux's party had to fight, but it was still a very tricky situation.
"What is your plan, Lux?" Barca asked. "Should we charge and fight our way in?"
Lux shook his head. He knew that Barca was only testing him. The Half-Orc was keen on knowing what kind of warrior the Half-Elf was.
"A head-on battle is out of the question," Lux replied. "We are both outmatched in quantity and quality."
The Half-Elf then glanced at the sun on the horizon. It was almost sunset, so a night attack would be the ideal opportunity to create chaos in the camp.
"Tell me, Barca, do you know how strong Baronar is?" Lux asked as he glanced at the Half-Orc beside him.
The Half-Orc crossed his arm over his chest as he pondered.
"Baronar is an Orc Shaman," Barca replied after organizing his thoughts. "He specializes in curses and other spells. If I can get close to him, I will be able to subdue him. But if I can't, then my chances of defeating him are slim."
"Orc Shaman? That is indeed a troublesome opponent." Lux nodded his head in agreement. It was at that moment when Baronar's information appeared in his Mission Page.
—--
< Baronar >
– Orc Shaman
– Rank 4 Alpha Monster
Health: 160,000 / 160,000
Mana: 272,000 / 272,000
Strength: 50
Intelligence: 340
Vitality: 200
Agility: 100
Dexterity: 200
Skills: Summon Elite Orc Spirit Warriors, Envenom, Fear, Frostfire, Life Drain, Soul Shield, Dim Vision, Amplify Damage.
—-
Lux scratched his head. The Orc Shaman's Skills spelled trouble. According to the provided information, Baronar could summon two Elite Orc Spirit Warriors, which were peak Rank 3 Summons.
Although he was confident that Barca could deal with them just fine, the Orc Shaman's other skills would make things very difficult for the Half-Orc.
Especially Envenom, Dim Vision, Amplify Damage, and Life Drain.
Lux understood that this mission allowing Barca to accompany him in battle didn't mean that the mission would be smooth sailing. Just by looking at the current hurdle that they had to overcome made him finally understand why twelve people were needed to finish this mission.
It was at the level of difficulty in which the power of a single party was not enough to tip the balance in their favor.
'Fortunately I have my summons and Eiko with me,' Lux thought as he formulated a plan of action in his head.
The Half-Elf knew that if he wanted to defeat the first Orc Warlord in his list, he had to do some careful planning and designate positions to their limited forces in order to deal with the mission that would test their teamwork to its limits.