For three days, there was blackness, until Lust blinked. And again. And one final time, before opening his eyes and rubbing them. "Oh my. Where in the good name of God am I? Wait, huh? That's Lia, and we're naked- and I'm on top! This must mean we-" Lia then woke up, panicked. "H-hey!!! What the hell is this- Oh no! I'm naked! She rushed to cover up, before realizing Lust. "Hey, perv! What the hell were you doing, stripping me while I was out cold?! Don't tell me you did anything, or you're dead!" "Wait, I-I... can't explain. I don't know why I'm here either."
After the commotion, Kyoko woke up. Realizing her nakedness, she was able to hide in a bush. The only girl Lust hadn't umm... Inspected. The ensuing panic woke everyone else up, and they all realized their nakedness. Lust, in disgrace, walked off to get them all clothes, as he was able to make a grass skirt, of sorts. Once everyone had clothed themselves, they walked off to the nearest village.
Then, they look at whatever they have. "Oi, what the 'ell is bloody going on?" Peter the Scotsman woke up last. "Oh, well shite. It looks like we are in the world of my son's bloody cartoon porn book thing." "It's called manga, and it's not porn!" Lust protested. Wjedczie jumped in to defend Peter, and the whole thing broke down into a giant argument.
"Well, you are not wrong about this looking like some sort of manga-world, but before we assume anything much, we need to find out what type of manga this is? Adventure? Rom-com? There is still a lot we need to find out." Chamber interjected. "He's right, you know." Kyoko finally piped up. "Well, we've got one option, so let's just go I guess."
As they walked down the road, they spied on a village! As they get closer, some men in armor come towards the group. "Hello. Why are you here today?" "Well, we- "Shut up! Get out of my village. You guys do not have a thing." "Oh, well you have a thing…" Lia glared seductively. "Oh… Ok. Get through here, you all." He stepped out of the way, allowing everyone into the village.
They got some bread to eat for lunch, but then decided they needed to make money, so they checked the nearby tavern for guests. After analyzing all the quests, they could have done, they chose "Goblin Raid." It was what it sounded like- go to raid a goblin camp upstream. They promised 200 gold and a hearty meal. Yet, they did not have weapons, and decided to find some.
"Well, this will not do. What if we like, made them instead?" Elizabeth asked. "Oh, OK. We can do that too." And as such, they began making. Taboo and Lust got opposite swords, Kyoko got a bow, Peter got a spear, and finally, Lia insisted they make her a chain whip with 21 points of the metal they found. Finally, they made a fleet of small boats with crude oars to head upstream to the camp.
Whatever the camp was thought to be, it was not. It was fortified, on the water, and crawling with goblins. However, the sentry towers had only one guard in each. As such, a plan was devised. They used the nearby hillside, along with discovering Kyoko had the Athletics I skill, to get her up and kill the goblin in the tower.
Kyoko launched herself off the hillside and landed on the fourth rung from the top. She climbed, until she finally ascended above to the window. As the goblin looked the other way, she infiltrated the tower. As he was still distracted, she stabbed him in the main nerve and tossed him out the window, as his body made a small thud against the ground. Then, Lust climbed up, and using his Sword Skill, he launched a leaping attack against the next sentry, tucking and rolling before cutting the thing in half. Yet, it was too late. The little air left had produced a small horn-blow, and they were detected!
They had no mages, no help, until suddenly, a large vine crept up out the ground, wrapping the gate and pulverizing it. Out walked a beastman, specifically a cat beastman, who gripped a red dagger in his hand. With the gate broken, they charged through, cutting and stabbing. As they finished off the first line of defense, the party then charged through the gate.
"Oh, hello. It seems like you bastards have cut a sizable swath through my camp! You!" He pointed at Lust. "Listen up, ass. Lemme let you in on a little secret- your ass is dead. Yet, there are two ways you can die. With honor fighting me or dishonored by my idiots clubbing you and you foolish friends to death. Choose!" Lust though for a second. "I choose to duel you!"
And so, the battle began. Both parties took turns attacking each other, and neither side was able to land any significant blows. Each time either party was hurt, they lost stamina. Eventually, the goblin leader was forced to use his bow, and Lust was taking several arrows to the head before he could defend himself. As for the cat beastman...he slashed and thrust at the goblin leader and managed to injure him enough to knock his sword from his grip. He followed up with another swipe, catching Lust's leg by accident. At that point, Lust rolled forward and tripped the beastman, falling into the river and sinking. The goblin leader followed him, and an underwater fight ensued. Both of them fought furiously under the waves, trying to win. As they exchanged blows, they both noticed that one of them was taking damage while the other wasn't. Neither of them had realized it yet, but both of them were using healing potions. The cat beastman, who had been wounded repeatedly, found that he couldn't keep going without a potion. The goblin leader, on the other hand, found that he was completely unhurt.
Then, the cat beastman threw off the water, revealing a single arrow protruding from his shoulder. He gave it to Lust and nodded. Then, the goblin finally got a good hit in. He went flying up, but then landed on a branch, perfectly. On it, he saw a piece of string and a stick. Thinking fast, he tied the string and nocked the arrow. Finally, he leaped down and shot the arrow.
Time seemed to slow, but when the arrow's path was finally seen, it had a different angle than expected. It had become almost on fire and stuck in the goblin's eye socket. The goblin squirmed in pain, but soon collapsed. After picking up the goblin's blade and putting the throwing knife away, he pulled out a small bag filled with coins.
"Now then, you three have earned yourself a reward. Take these coins and buy yourselves some food and drink. After all, you helped save the village. You are free to stay here if you wish, but I understand you have somewhere else to be." The cat beastman then jumped back to his home, without a single word.
As they came to the tavern, they then had a dilemma. They still had about one hundred GP to spare and didn't know what to do with it. Finally, they decided to go to a blacksmith, as they would probably have the best range of options there. As they walked into the shop, they were greeted by a smoky air and the heat of the forge almost bouncing off the walls. Three men worked on the various metal scraps scattered around them. One of them wore a leather apron with a number "4" on it, the other two wore identical aprons with numbers "3" on them. All three appeared to be around their late twenties. "Well, what can I do for you today?" asked the one wearing the number "3".
"We're looking for some basic equipment, if you please," responded Kyoko. "Ah yes! I recall the name of your group, as well. You fellows were at the tavern, checking skills. I'm always willing to help out a new group, so tell you youngsters what: I'll give you the price of a Common item for an Uncommon one. How's that sound?"
"Well, we don't mind paying more if it's worth it." Elizabeth replied. "Well, I can make you three each a light leather armor for 50 GP, but you'll need to pay 1 per day upkeep for that." The blacksmith spoke up. "Ooh, that sounds great. That way, if you get hit, you won't be dying instantly. But what about weapons? I feel like those are important, seeing as how we need to protect ourselves." "Well, here's the thing, you know. Weapons are rather hard to fit perfectly, seeing as how you all need something different to protect yourselves. But, one of you can. How about Lust?"
Lust nodded. "Yeah, I'll take care of it. What do you have?"
The blacksmith explained everything to Lust, and he spent some time choosing. "Hmm, there's this longsword, this mace, and this short sword... Oh, and there's this shield that looks great. Can I choose the shield and longsword?" "Certainly, young master. Anything else?" Lust shook his head. "Very well. Good luck." The blacksmith turned to the others. "Well, now that's taken care of, let me see your other items." "Well, 90 GP." Kyoko handed over the value.
"Ok, well who should we give the armor to?" asked Lust. "Well, how about you, Kyoko, and Lia?" said Elizabeth. "Seems fair." Everyone gave a nod, but in private there was one man who wasn't particularly pleased with how the armor and weapons distribution went down. That person happened to be the one with the highest stats, none other than Kyoraku. In the depth of night, he along with lots of others went away to make their own camp.
It was a few days later, and the party was preparing for their journey north. They were gathering supplies and food, getting ready for the trip ahead. As they packed, they decided to visit the local inn. As they entered, they were greeted by a pleasant-looking woman. Her hair was tied in a long ponytail, and she wore a white shirt with a brown vest and skirt underneath. "Hello there! Welcome to the Red Rose Inn. What brings you boys here tonight?" "Well, we were just looking for low-level quests. All the tavern has today is dangerous things, and we're running rather low on GP. What have you got for us?" The innkeeper smiled. "Hmmm. Well, there's plenty of simple jobs out there. Just go on in and check the boards." Kyoko nodded. "Thanks for the information, ma'am."
Kyoko went inside, and as soon as the rest of them walked in, they found a small table for themselves. It was a round wooden table, with five chairs surrounding it. The room itself was dark, lit only by lanterns hanging on the walls. There was a fireplace in the corner, and other tables dotted the area, filled with people who looked like they were experienced warriors. Then, they marched toward the quest board. As they neared the board, Kyoko spotted a job she knew they could handle easily.
Kyoko read the description aloud. "Have you ever wanted to travel and see the country? Ever thought about being a merchant, only to find out it was too expensive? Well, we now offer the chance to become a traveling merchant. For a mere ten GP, you can purchase this map for the whole kingdom. Once you've obtained it, you will receive a certificate that allows you to carry goods across the borders." "Well, we don't have 10 GP. Read another." The innkeeper chuckled. "If you want to buy this map, then you must first work for it! Work for it!" Kyoko, Lust, Lia, and Elizabeth all stood up simultaneously. "How dare you speak to us like that! We come here to ask for a job, not to be treated like dirt!" The innkeeper moved closer to them. "I apologize, but it is the rules! If you cannot afford it, then you cannot play." Kyoko stepped back. "Fine, fine! What's a combat job that doesn't require money to start?"
"You mean, like training with swords? Or maybe you'd prefer to join me in my dungeon? Those of you who are strong enough might even earn your way through my labyrinth." Kyoko thought for a moment. "Yes, dungeons. Where do we sign up?" "What sort of dungeon do you want to fight in? There are many types, ranging from easy, to difficult, to deadly. Which one would you like?"
Kyoko thought for a second. "Easy is fine." "Alright. How about the Laxius Dungeon? It pays 300 GP, plus you get to keep any treasure you find inside." "Alright, will do." said Lust. The four companions gathered their belongings and left the inn. Soon, they were walking through the village. The villagers seemed to be going about their normal business.
At that point, Lust spoke up. "Well, did we manage to get that job, or what?"
"Indeed, we did. Let's head up there." "Good thinking, Kyoko. We need to get to that dungeon before anyone else does."
They arrived at the dungeon and paid the entrance fee. A goblin guard appeared. "Entrance fee? What idiots are you? Get them, boys!" And soon, a whole squad of goblins jumped out. Wjedczie, Peter, Lia, and Lust were battle-ready, as Kyoko, Elizabeth, and Chamber were still getting ready for combat.
Soon, the first wave of goblins was dealt with.
"That's one down, right?" Kyoko shouted. "Ten to go," added Peter. "Let's move on, boys."
The party continued fighting, and they managed to kill off the next ten waves of goblins. They reached a point where the adventurers had broken through a wall and were proceeding deeper. Suddenly, a tingling sensation ran up their arms. Something was coming their way.
Peter took out his iron sword and was immediately attacked by a swarm of bats. "Does someone have a light?" He asked. Lia ignited Mage's Lantern, and they soon saw what must have been an Elder Bat staring at them. Her sleep disturbed, she loudly shrieked and the battle begun. It was a fierce fight, but soon the bat monster fell. But not before a couple of the party members were bitten.
Kyoko, meanwhile, was fighting a spider web of some kind. She frantically tried to cut herself free, but nothing seemed to be working. "Help! Help!" she cried out. "Oh, what a pretty little lady. Don't worry, darling," Peter said, jumping into action. "Here you go, sweetheart." With that, he hacked away at the webbing. "Well, thanks, but please, I'm not interested. "Oh, well then. Very sorry about that, won't do it again." Peter responded.
However, the mage light zoomed right, and with-it Lia. A giant spider had tied her up, and the goblins were looking for a lady. Just when Lust and company realized, the entrance was blocked off. They had to find another way in, and Lust did find a crack, but it wasn't big enough. He then proceeded to find the right way forward from there.
As the party headed farther into the dungeon, they soon found the exit, near the cave where they had fought the Elder Bat. It was quite wide and tall, with two doors leading out. As they approached, they saw a figure standing by the door. "Ah, there you are. Now, I assume you already know why you're here?"
"Uh, no. Not really. Are you the boss of this dungeon?" Kyoko asked. "Indeed I am. Now, I'll let that girl free if you defeat me. If you die, I think she will do nicely." The spider monster came forth and landed between the two parties. Kyoko readied her sword, and so did everyone else except for Lust, who simply watched her. After a few seconds of jostling, Kyoko finally managed to land a blow on the spider monster, sending it flying backward. However, the creature managed to land on its feet, and in an instant, it was all over.
Kyoko fell to her knees after the battle was over. "Damn spiders... Damn spider monsters... I won't forgive them for what they did to Lia! That could have been me, my innocence taken... Unbelievable!" Lust held her hand, trying to calm her down. "Come on, Kyoko. You did fine."
"But there was that spiderweb…"
"It's ok. We all have our weaknesses. Mine happens to be cute, young girls with large busts. But this isn't a contest. I'm proud of you, though."
Kyoko looked up at him. "Thank you. Now, let's go get this girl."
All the while, Elizabeth was watching the whole thing.