The naga queen slumped in the middle of a sea of corpses, a mix of rage and anguish warring within her as she struggled to understand how everything had gone so wrong. It all started when she felt hundreds of her people die at once. She'd known there was an enemy hunting them, patrols going missing over the past week, but this attack had happened in her own home, and in her rage she'd led her people to war, swarming through the jungle to bring the murderers to justice. Then- then she'd suddenly been surrounded by the enemy! She tore into them, unleashing the ferocity of her wrath upon them, but everywhere she looked, all she saw were the corpses of her own people! The more she killed, the more of her people died! She called down the horde upon these enemies, struggling to defeat them before they could kill any more, but it was in vain. The enemies were gone, but so were her people. Everyone she knew and loved, dead, torn apart as if ravaged by some fearsome beast. Sobs wracked her body as she curled up in the midst of the devastation, waiting for death to come for her too.

"I feel sick." Thomas groaned as they spied on the sobbing boss.

"You should feel sick." Andrew replied, his expression twisting.

"Man, even I don't feel good about this." Greg shook his head. It was like looking at an abandoned puppy with a broken leg. No matter how heartless you were, you had to feel something for the pathetic thing.

"So do we kill her now?" Chris asked, proving that you really didn't have to feel anything.

"Dude!" Andrew glared at him. "Thomas literally just forced the woman to kill everyone she cares about! How can you even think about killing her right now?!?"

"Because that's why we're here? To kill everything in this dungeon and destroy it?" Chris frowned, before turning to Frank. "That is why we're here, right?"

"Yeah, but… not like this, man." Frank shook his head, shuddering slightly at the sight before him. This was why noble dungeons were so difficult. At the end of the day, the people here weren't monsters, even if they acted like it, and just because killing them all was necessary didn't mean it was easy.

Chris scratched his head, genuinely confused. "Okay… do you guys want to try and shove her in my world then? Or just break the dungeon and let her loose? Those are really our only options here."

Frank shook his head again. "No, we need to kill her, just- man, this is some fucked up shit."

Thomas grimaced, withdrawing into himself slightly. This was why he didn't like to explore the mental aspect of his ability! It always led to some fucked up shit like this! Ugh, better to just leave it as the system and forget about it.

Chris nodded. "Alright then. Do you need any help, or-"

"No, I think you guys have done enough." Frank sighed, not even sure himself what exactly he meant by that. On the one hand, this was absolutely freaking horrible, but on the other, he and his team had barely done anything in this dungeon! They needed to at least take down the boss themselves, or this entire dungeon would feel like a waste.

"If you say so." Chris shrugged.

Frank and the rest of his party began to make their way closer to the naga queen, preparing for the battle. "Are you all ready for this?" Frank asked. There wasn't much of a plan to be had at this point. Marcus would lead the way, keeping the naga's attention on him while he absorbed her blows. Kara and Winston would focus on dealing damage up close, while Frank and Val would do what they could to slow the naga down.

"I don't think I've been ready for any of this." Marcus muttered. "But I'm ready to fight the boss and get out of here, that's for sure. And with any luck, we'll never see those people again." He shuddered.

"Really? Say what you will about them, but this dungeon run has been remarkably efficient." Val commented. "Particularly for a dungeon like this, which was simply designed to be a long, arduous slog. I should think you would be grateful for their assistance, for without it, we would still be stuck roaming the jungle hunting small groups of naga with no end in sight."

Marcus shook his head. "I can handle the grind. Fuck, I live for the grind! But using poison to suffocate them to death, turning the boss against her own people… that isn't how you're supposed to run a dungeon! No one even got any experience for any of that! This isn't a dungeon run, it's- it's an extermination!"

Val shook her head. "You're right. This is an extermination. That's why we're here, not to level up, but to take this dungeon out before it becomes a bigger problem. It isn't like any of us particularly need the levels. We're here to do a job, and thanks to those men, our job has become quite simple. I believe we should thank them for that. I know I will."

"We're definitely going to need to go on a real dungeon run after this, though." Kara commented. "We should have enough money to buy into the one fifty up by Jenecho after this. Wouldn't it be nice to spend a month or so hunting werebears and leveling?"

"I am more than down for that." Marcus nodded.

"Definitely." Winston agreed.

"I suppose my experiments can wait." Val sighed. "I had already planned on a few months away."

"Sounds like a plan." Frank grinned, before turning serious. "But first we gotta take out this boss."

"Right." Marcus rolled his shoulders, loosening up for the fight. "Ready whenever you are."

Kara and Winston pulled out their weapons. "She's going to go into a rage the moment she sees us." Winston commented.

"I'll lay down some ice so she can't charge us." Val nodded.

"I'll try to blind her." Frank added. "Alright, everyone in position… three, two, one, go!"

Marcus charged towards the naga queen, shouting and banging on his shield to get her attention. The queen roared in response, her eyes practically glowing red as she found an outlet for her rage, charging towards this new enemy. A beam of Energy shot out, coating the area between the two in ice causing the naga queen to slip and slide, unable to control her charge as she barrelled into Marcus's barrier. Kara, on the other hand, had no issue sliding on the ice as she slipped by the naga, delivering a few quick slashes to her side as she passed. The naga whipped around to pursue her, but instead found herself slipping backwards as Winston drew her in to deliver a heavy blow to her lower half, rending her scales as she screamed in pain. She whirled to face him, only to find Marcus's barrier in her way as bullets whizzed past her face, barely deflected by her Domain.

Another roar ripped from her throat as she slammed the ground with her tail, plants erupting from the ice and lashing out at the party. Kara stumbled as a plant caught her foot, crying out as the naga's tail whipped into her, sending her flying. "Kara!" Frank yelled, only to curse as vines wrapped around him, attempting to tie him down. "Fuck, Val, do something!"

"I'm trying!" Val panicked, struggling to resist the naga's manipulations with her Domain, struggling just to keep the plants from entangling her, let alone the others. "It's like she's gotten stronger or-" She cut off, her eyes widening as she turned to the naga queen and analyzed her. "No, no, no, no! She's level one fifty-six!" She cried. Stupid! They'd seen her kill all the other naga! Of course she'd have leveled up after killing thousands of other creatures!

Suddenly the plants began to wither and die, as if the life was being literally sucked out of them. "Hey, so, you guys looked like you were struggling a bit, so Andrew is killing these plants for you. That okay?" A fairy Greg asked, flitting over near Frank. "Also, Chris healed Kara. She, uh… wasn't looking too good."

Frank blinked as vines continually formed and died around him and the others. "That- shit!" He cursed as the naga queen broke through Marcus's barrier, sending him to his knees with a bloody cough. "Do whatever you want!" He cried, raising his gun and firing at the naga, struggling to get through her Domain.

Winston slashed at the naga queen, drawing her attention away from Marcus as he used his Domain to keep her at bay. It wasn't as effective as Marcus's shield, but it was better than nothing as he jumped and flipped, the naga's own strikes pushing him away as long as he kept on his feet. A moment later, Kara rushed back into the battle, leaping onto the naga's back and stabbing into it with her daggers, only to be blown back by a blast of water as the naga roared again. This time Marcus caught her, setting her down gently before rushing at the naga himself, slamming into her with his shield and sending her tumbling. Val weaved furiously as ice began to cover the downed naga, sticking her to the ground as Winston, Marcus, and Kara did everything they could to keep her there, Frank adding in a veritable swarm of bullets to pin her down. As the wounds began to pile up, the naga queen began to falter, and bullets began to land, tearing chunks out of her as they did, until a shot pierced her head and she collapsed. Her body glowed brightly for a moment, before she poofed into dust, leaving behind a large staff made of vines.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Frank immediately dropped his gun and rushed up to Kara, pulling her into a crushing hug. "I almost thought I lost you." He wheezed, holding her tight.

Kara smiled sadly, squeezing him back. "You almost did." She whispered. That blow had crushed her chest, leaving her gasping for air. If Chris hadn't gotten to her when he did… Kara squeezed Frank even tighter.

"So…" Greg began. "That looked rougher than it was supposed to. What happened?"

"What happened was the boss getting twelve fucking levels because of your bullshit!" Marcus roared. "That's seven levels higher than us! It's not smart to challenge a boss that's even one level higher than you! Fuck, I don't even know how we're alive right now!"

"We wouldn't be if they hadn't handled those vines." Val shuddered. "There was nothing I could do about them. We would have been trapped as she killed all of us one by one. I- thank you. Just- thank you.

"You're welcome." Andrew replied as he arrived with Thomas and Greg's main body. He was just glad he could actually help with something. Killing plants was pretty easy for him, since they didn't have any will to resist.

"I would have helped, but they were practically made of Energy." Greg sighed, shaking his head. "I probably could have helped with the ice, though, now that I think about it… crap."

Frank shook his head. "Forget it. We're all alive, and the boss is dead. That's what matters." Marcus grunted, shooting another glare their way. "Val, you want to check the loot?" Frank asked. It was a staff, so the odds were she'd be using it anyway.

Val nodded, grabbing the staff and examining it, before letting out a gasp.

[Nature's Grasp - Grants the user a Plant Domain.]

"This- this- this-" Val stammered, her eyes wide as she stared at the staff in shock.

"What's it do?" Greg asked curiously, peeking at the staff.

Val pulled the staff close, turning away from him. "Stay back!" She snapped.

Greg backed off, raising his hands. "Whoa, hey, I was just curious, no need to bite my head off. Not like I could take it from you even if I wanted to."

Val flushed. "S-sorry, just… this wouldn't be the first time I've seen a group fall apart over some dungeon loot."

"Val… what is it?" Frank asked seriously, frowning at the staff.

Val hesitated for a moment, before handing it over. "Here. See for yourself."

Frank hesitated for a moment before taking the staff and examining it. "Fuck!" He cursed, tossing the thing away like it was poison, Val yelping in protest as she scrambled to snatch it back up.

"I'm thinking it's a good staff." Chris commented.

"Or a cursed one." Thomas shrugged.

"It might as well be!" Frank growled. "Fuck, people- no, nations would kill for that thing!"

"Okay, now I'm really curious." Greg muttered.

"Frank?" Kara turned to him, giving him the puppy dog eyes as curiosity began to itch at her as well.

Frank sighed, shaking his head. "It gives you a Plant Domain."

Chris cocked his head. "That's it?"

Frank sputtered. "What do you mean 'that's it'?!? It's all it needs! It will make anyone who holds it instantly powerful!"

"Well, sure, but a Domain is still based on attributes, isn't it?" Chris cocked his head. "I mean, it should still be useful, but I couldn't see killing anyone over it."

Frank rolled his eyes, grabbing the staff from Val, who gave it up after only a minor struggle, and tossing it to him. "See for yourself."

Chris caught the staff, raising an eyebrow at Frank as Val watched him nervously, before focusing on the staff. As soon as he did, he immediately became aware of all the plants around him, as if they were an extension of his body. He cocked his head, focusing on a nearby plant as he attempted to control it, making it grow and twist like it was his own limb. He pursed his lips as he took control of all the plants, their surroundings erupting in vegetation, before it all shriveled back down. "Okay, yeah, that's neat." Chris shrugged, handing the staff back to Val. "Still don't think I'd kill for it though."

Val blinked, surprised that he'd simply handed the staff back to her. Not that she expected him to keep it, but the complete lack of hesitation… her expression twisted in chagrin. It was completely on brand for Chris. She shook her head, feeling foolish for worrying at all, and even more for latching onto the staff so tightly. It was a useful tool, a very useful tool, but it wasn't worth causing trouble over. Val hesitated, before pushing the staff back at Chris. "You- you should keep it. See- see if you can copy it like your bow."

Frank threw up his hands. "Because that's just what we need! Multiple of these things being tossed around!"

"Hold on a second, we are not just handing the most valuable item in this entire dungeon over to these people!" Marcus protested at the same time. "Even if we don't want to use it ourselves, do you know what we could sell something like that for?!? We'd never have to work again!"

"The type of people who could afford that price would sooner kill us!" Frank retorted. "What we should do is toss the damn thing into the deepest hole we can find and forget about it! The trouble it brings just isn't worth it!"

"I would like to point out that even if the staff is connected to my world, there's no reason you can't keep it as well." Chris commented. "Plus, I can keep it hidden in my world until you need it, which will reduce the chance that anyone will figure out you have it."

"Which would still mean we would beholden to you for our staff!" Marcus retorted.

Chris paused, before shrugging. "Well, that's fair."

Frank groaned, covering his face with his hands. "Look, Marcus, we can't keep the staff. If anyone sees we have it, we're screwed! Even if Chris doesn't see why anyone would kill over it, there's more than enough people out there who would that even being vaguely associated with it would paint a target on our backs! If we take it, there's no way we could keep it hidden forever. Giving it to Chris and being able to even use it part time is probably our best option."

Marcus's expression twisted, knowing Frank was right, but not wanting to admit it. "Fine! Do what you want!" He threw up his hands in frustration.

Chris glanced at Frank. "I can just toss it in my world for now and you all can decide what you want to do with it later. This seems like a decision that should be made with a bit more thought."

Frank hesitated, before nodding. "That sounds good." He sighed. "Let's just finish this dungeon."

Chris tossed the staff into his world as they made their way back to the hive, where Chris let everyone stay in his world while Greg flew through the tunnels as a fairy with a portal connected to him, quickly reaching the dungeon core. "Alright, people with quests, just touch the core and you'll get your rewards." Frank announced.

Allison went first, receiving a scaled armor that covered her in an Energy barrier, while the blind soldier got a ring that gave him a sphere of awareness. Thomas received two blades named Feast and Famine. Feast converted any damage he did into healing for himself, while Famine's damage drained his opponents' Energy. Finally it was Andrew's turn to place his hand on the core. A bright light shone from the core as a female naga formed in front of him.

[Congratulations! You've received a Bonded Naga Priestess Companion!]

Andrew's eyes widened as the naga blinked awake, immediately focusing on him and bowing. "Master." She greeted him, looking at him with eyes full of admiration.

Andrew's expression twisted as he felt a very familiar connection form between the two of them. "Cathryn is going to be pissed." He groaned.

"Ha! The dungeon gave you a girlfriend!" Greg cackled.

"This isn't funny!" Andrew snapped.

"Oh no, believe me, it's hilarious." Greg snickered.

Andrew glared at him. "You're an ass."

"Yes I am." Greg smirked.

"Have I done something wrong?" The naga asked, looking between Andrew and Greg in concern.

Andrew let out a groan. "No, you're fine… fuck, why does this keep happening to me?" Not that twice was exactly a lot, but it was more than he was comfortable with.

Frank gave Andrew a weird look. "I honestly can't tell if you're lucky or not. A companion quest reward is incredibly rare, but for it to happen in a noble dungeon… oof."

Kara poked Andrew in the chest. "You better watch how you treat her." She warned seriously. "I don't care how immortal you are, I'll fuck you up if you abuse her."

Andrew's expression twisted. "Yeah, I get that."

"Good." Kara nodded. "So…" she turned to the naga. "What are you going to name her?"

"Uh…" Andrew blinked, struggling to get the idea of Cathryn 2.0 out of his head. "Lizzy?"

"Ha!" Greg laughed.

"Yeah, make her name a pun. That'll go over well." Thomas rolled his eyes.

"You could go for Elizabeth." Chris offered. "That's a good name."

"Plus, we could still call her Liz." Greg snickered.

"Fine, Elizabeth then." Andrew sighed, turning to the naga. "Your name is Elizabeth."

The naga bowed. "Yes, Master."

Andrew groaned. "And please don't call me Master. Just call me Andrew."

Elizabeth smiled. "Yes, Andrew."

"Fucking hell this dungeon has been a mess." Frank shook his head. "Someone break the core and let's get out of here."

"Oh, Andrew, you can max out your race levels!" Greg pointed out. "He's like rank eight or something, so it's a bitch for him to do otherwise."

"Rank eight?!?" Val asked incredulously. "How!?!"

"It's complicated." Andrew sighed. "But yeah, this would help me, big time."

"Go for it then." Frank shrugged. "None of us particularly need it." Andrew nodded, hesitating for a moment, hoping nothing was going to go wrong, before giving the core a tap, and the whole thing cracked, before splintering to pieces. "Alright, we're done here." Frank sighed. "Let's go."