Outside of the Level 1 Dungeon, a fresh party of Adventurers was preparing to enter for the first time.
With an unusual team composition, the party relied on high damage output from three Mages and one agile swordsman to aggro the enemy. With their obvious lack of a tank or dedicated healer, their leader was currently handing over money to the Guild that managed the Dungeon.
“Okay, it's a deal, little lad....And with this, we will supply you with two shield bearers to go in first, just in case of an immediate attack.....That all okay with you?”
Stretching out his hand, the swordsman shook the Guild employee's hand to finalise the deal.
“Yeah, that's fine, thanks. It's a shame we have to do it this way until we get some more experience.....My dad said this Dungeon was perfect for beginners, but things have changed now apparently?”
Looking slightly uneasy at the question, the man started scratching at the back of his head and replied, all the while refusing to meet the swordsman's eyes.
“Ah yeah, well, about that, things often change on the battlefield....Think of it this way: this is a test of your leadership; you saw the gap in your ability, and you accommodated it by hiring mercenaries.....I'm impressed with your leadership skills, young man; you're incredible!”
His eyes lit up, receiving the Guild employee's praise, which filled him with pride.
Unfortunately, he didn't realise it was all false praise to placate a customer before he got angry over the mismanagement of the Dungeon.
The two mercenaries stood in front of the portal; the pair were nearly identical, if not for the different scars that peppered their bald heads. Cutting an imposing figure, the muscle-bound shield bearers held giant tower shields, with their only weapon being short daggers secured to the small of their backs.
With a resounding crunch, the duo looked into each other's eyes and headbutted one another before they charged through the portal.
Entering the Dungeon, the duo were greeted with the expected, but disappointing sight of several lizardmen charging them with spears and clubs.
Holding steady, they took on the initial charge and pushed on, driving the monsters backwards.
Behind them, the rest of the party emerged and were happy with the space that had been created for them.......That was the only happiness they received.
A second wave of attacking lizardmen came from behind them, emerging from around the portal and taking the Adventurers completely by surprise.
The mercenaries noticed quickly, with one of them retreating to the rear to shield the newbies.
That break in their defence was all that was needed for the attacking lizardmen to take advantage and land solid blows with their weapons, driving the shield bearers to their knees.
To the credit of the new Adventurers, the swordsman focused on defence and their Mages all cast Spells, not allowing the unexpected and horrendous situation to shatter their morale.
The fresh wave of monsters either had their attacks blocked by shield and sword, or were cut down by the same sword and an assault of Magic.
It was not long until the party of Adventurers and their mercenaries stood victorious, still in their defensive circle and panting for breath. Not a single one of them left unscathed, the mercenaries were highly surprised at just how tough the battle was against such weak monsters.
After the respawn of the lizardmen, the entire village stood before the portal, all of them in high spirits from their previous efforts.
Standing in front of them, flanked by Ted and Suzy, Bob addressed his kin.
“Everyone was brilliant! Even though we ultimately lost, we wounded them and managed to take them by surprise! In my eyes, that's a win!.... We will try the same tactic again now that we are used to it; sounds good?”
In answer to his question, a shout of agreement went up from the assembled crowd.
Lying in wait, the lizardmen were split between the front and rear of the portal, with even two of their number to the left and right of the portal. Their preparations were complete; now they just needed the fresh Adventurers to come through.
The expected time arrived, and the lizardmen's eyes glazed over and filled with red.
The portal activated and a solitary figure emerged.
Everyone charged towards their enemy; with no other humans entering the Dungeon, the sole Adventurer was easy prey.
That was what everyone thought, apart from Bob.
He recognised the robed woman; although hiding her features with a heavy hood, the strands of her red hair he could see and the predatory gaze that landed solely on him told him exactly who it was.
Before they could even thrust out their spears to attack, the woman became a whirlwind of motion; every graceful movement left another lizardman dead.
Only Bob remained, his animalistic senses driving him to fight and anger, yet his mind was actually smiling while he looked at her.
“Hello, my darling Red! Oh, how I've missed you!”
After uttering those words, her hand flashed out from beneath her cloak and launched a spinning wire towards Bob. In an instant, the wire wrapped around him, pinning his arms to his sides, constraining his legs and driving him to the ground.
In contrast to previous times, Henrietta was seemingly in a rush, as evidenced by her forgoing her usual display of what could only be called foreplay.
Sat atop Bob's restrained body, Henrietta leaned in close to him and began to talk.
“I'm sorry, my dear Red, I planned to take you away today, but those bastards outside have fucked me over!.....The inspector is due tomorrow, so they've bumped up security, and there's no way I can sneak you past them.....But don't worry, I'll definitely get you out before they destroy your Dungeon Core, even if it means killing a few random Mercs.”
Bob took in the information he was hearing, and internally it left him confused.
The woman currently straddling him, whom he had slowly begun to grow attached to, actually wanted to rescue him. Although that piece of information was indeed a revelation, the more immediate one was that the dreaded inspector was due tomorrow, the person who would doom his little world.
A sudden pain broke Bob out of his thoughts, but being bound, he was unable to look at what had caused it. In front of his eyes, he saw Henrietta holding one of his scales between her fingertips.
“Aww, thank you for the present, Red. This is a symbol of my pledge; you'll definitely be mine, no matter what!..... I need to go; I have no idea if things will change outside....See you soon, my love!”
Henrietta clutched the red scale tightly before she secured it within her top, her cleavage holding it fast.
With a final smile directed towards Bob, she clasped her hands together and raised them above her head, and with a single explosive motion she brought them down. Her fists hammered into Bob's face, his consciousness leaving him alone on the ground.
The next day, the darkness of Bob's world slowly started to dissipate; the feel of a person sitting atop him and their voice calling to him brought back his senses.
Opening his eyes, he immediately sat up and came face to face with Suzy.
“Hello Bob, you're finally awake! I know what you're thinking, and you'll be disappointed to know I didn't violate you in your sleep.... Seen as some people wouldn't let me!....Hmph!”
Slowly taking in his surroundings, Bob saw his brother Ted shaking his head disappointedly at Suzy.
In fact, it was not just Ted, but the entire village who were present and all looking at Suzy the same way. The memories of what the woman said to him came flooding back, filling him with a sense of urgency and making him call out.
“FUCK!”
Everyone looked at Bob in confusion, whereas Suzy looked at him and nodded in agreement.
“Yes, Bob, that was the plan, but your brother stopped me!”
Ignoring her ludicrous comment, Bob got to his feet and sent Suzy unceremoniously tumbling to the ground.
“Everyone listen! We need to act now; that human told me the inspector is coming today!... He's definitely going to either destroy our Dungeon Core, or tell others to do so!”
The lizardmen's reactions were far from what he had hoped for; uncertainty about their prospects reigned supreme.
Ted spoke to his brother, vocalising the people's concern.
“Bob, I don't think we're good enough yet to win....At this rate I think it might be better if we just dug a hole and hid.”
Ted's defeatist attitude was a shock to Bob, but with it came a ray of hope, a spark of an idea appearing within his mind.
Muttering under his breath, he quickly raised his voice and called out to everyone.
“Ted, you're a genius! I've got an idea, everyone come close, and I'll tell you the plan!”
Bob quickly regretted his choice of words as he looked down; Suzy had wrapped her arms around him and was looking up at him with her tail wagging. A look of pure bliss on her face.
“How's this, my darling Bob, or do you want me even closer?”
Bob was about to admonish the clinging Suzy, but thought better of it, the elation he felt taking precedence within his mind. Looking at the expectant eyes of the lizardmen around him, he began to tell them his plan.