You put your new unlock on hold, running to the stairs to see the result of your first proper raid.

You pause for a moment, nearly missing a step as the thought properly registers.

What made this the first 'proper' raid?

You shake the thought from you as you reach the base of the stairs. The false doorway is still up, as you expected – with no adventurer reaching the second floor it stands to reason that they did not complete the key.

A small amount of blood on the floor gives lie to something happening around the statue however, but it's already dissipating. It doesn't appear to be enough that a full fight happened here, so maybe someone was bleeding?

You circle the statue and flinch. The kobold's outstretched had is covered in gore, vanishing as you watch.

Maybe they didn't figure out the key at all. You make a note to give anyone who died in the raid an extra helping at the tavern tonight. A death like that can't have been pleasant.

You pause, unsure which direction to go next, when Sapphire emerges from the kobold village.

“It's over, then?”

You nod.

“So it would seem. Sorry for the lack of communication, I just suddenly realised that I should trust you to be floor bosses at some point.”

She nods. “We thought as much when the timer hit twenty, and scattered. I think it went well, sir. I caught them backing away from the goblin village, seemed like a stealth and ranged focused party and they wanted to scope the place out before they tried anything. I got one of them in the back from the tunnels then legged it back to my boss room. Not sure what happened after that.”

You nod, and after a moment's thought head into the grove. You hardly need to learn everything chronologically and Mercy is the most likely to have dealt with the three experience-less kills.

You enter the grove and stop. Mercy is leaning against the nearest tree, casually stripping her blood soaked warform off of her body.

“Hey Red. Heads up would have been nice but... yeah.”

You look around the pristine grove, and back to her. The red splashed across her body is fading, vanishing as all signs of death do, but she must have been coated head to toe in it at one point.

“You look... Messy.”

“Yeah, well, they figured out your key lock and that most of this floor is lots of lower level things. They were... not prepared for a level forty five ass-kicking.” she buffs her nails against her bare chest.

Stolen novel; please report.

“I got the drop on them from a tree – hey, did you know that the trees here are kinda linked?”

She leans backward, falling through the writhing bark of the demon tree and emerging a moment later from the next nearest tree.

“Got one when they were investigating Stumpy, they ran for the entrance, and I stepped out and... slightly into a second. Third one ran back into the grove so fast I don't think he noticed where he was going until Stumpy got him.”

She chews her lip.

“I think he might still be down there, actually. Stumpy has been very quiet.”

Sapphire snickers.

“Red, you know how I'm not allowed to name things?”

You turn on her, defensive. “I didn't name him that! He just... got named!”

The rusty kobold just hums, but her eyes are alight with mischief.

You shoulder on, looking at Mercy and ignoring the smirk pulling at her lips.

“Any idea what state the rest of the place is in?”

“Non whatsoever, Scaly.”

You groan and turn back to Sapphire.

“What do you want so that I never hear of this again?”

“Naming privileges re-invoked, a couple of ideas of the kobold village once we get some more of us, and a spa in the castle.”

You blink at the ease the answer passes her lips.

“How long have you been sitting on that one?”

“Since the second time I, whom you my have noticed is not the tallest of kobolds, had to wash myself in a ten foot deep swimming pool of cold water.”

You go to agree, but Mercy coughs.

“Red, as your lead negotiator, please do not agree to anything until I've had a chance to go over the terms.”

You back away slightly, wary as you ever are when Mercy and Sapphire butt heads, but the glares passing back and forth seem... mostly non hostile.

“Naming privileges partially re-invoked, under oversight, pending review, with possibility of full restoration after three successful naming.”

“One, I probably won't end up with many more pets.”

“Two, but oversight is replaced with a veto that you can argue against.”

“Done. The Village?”

Your head whips back and forth at the rapidfire negotiations.

“Only that any changes must be within budget – speak to Sith about that, she's the one planning all of Red's expansions, he can't spend without her say so.”

“Hey!” you feel the need to defend yourself, but Sapphire talks over you as if you aren't there.

“Reasonable. It's for the good of the dungeon. Side note, think he's going to fuck her?”

Mercy shakes her head. “She's only into girls. You might have a chance if you wanted, but she's a Mamonite – greed all the way down. She'll need a firm hand if you want to get physical satisfaction.”

Sapphire glares up at Mercy. “I've had brats before.”

The half-demon snorts. “Point. Finally, the spa.”

“Want it to be big enough for you too?”

Mercy shakes her head. “It's going in the castle, Red would never make it so that Amanda couldn't use it even if he were the type of guy who might forget a detail like me. No, my only challenge is to your justification.”

Sapphire crosses her arms, but a flicker of nervousness cracks her bravado for a second.

“I don't like deep, cold water.”

“I'm sure, but Red would heat it and add shelves if you wanted. No, I happen to have been walking around the other day because Amanda asked me, face as red as a cherry, if I happened to have seen a few of her personal affects,”

Sapphire opens her mouth, glances at you, and shuts her jaw with a click, before muttering,

“I was going to give them back.”

“Yes I'm sure. But if you wish to borrow any more of Amanda's smutty novels in the future, I'm sure she'd appreciate you asking. After all, Hot and Steamy in the Public Spa is one of her favourites and she was quite distraught when it went missing.”

You snort, and that breaks the two of them from their staring match. You raise a hand in surrender.

“Yeah OK, that all sounds reasonable. Mercy, thank you, but don't think I don't know that whole performance was just so you could drop that titbit in the most embarrassing way possible.”

She shrugs, unrepentant.

You sigh. “Come on. Lets go see what happened to the others.”