I racked my brain on how to solve this. I did claim I had an idea, but this was mostly a bluff because I already noticed how Anastelle seemed to have a short attention span. The idea she could lose faith in me seemed silly since I was now her Dungeon Core, but it remained a nagging piece of doubt in my mind.

Situation: 5 people (1 squad) had been picked clean off at the cost of a mere 6 Red Bats. 1 squad was outside, including who I assumed was the Commander of the whole group. 3 more squads (soon only 2) were on Floor 1 in smartly-chosen positions, but not close enough to directly support each other. Taking out any one of them before the others could react seemed an easy prospect. The scout squad had gone to Floor 2 and killed the 3 Goblins we had left over.

In other words it would have been good if we we were able capture this Commander too, but figured I'd be happy for the time being with just 10 kills to let them think they achieved victory against a respectable but not 'must destroy by any means necessary' foe. The victory condition being they would find the core and realise our tiny mine dungeon isn't worth killing. At least not yet.

"Mimissa, what do you think of Anastelle?"

She made a face I hadn't really seen before.

"She's so lewd and disrespectful! The way she eyes you is just all kinds of wrong!"

(...Lewd? I mean I guess she's half-a-succubus, but by the standards of lust demons from fiction she's positively decent.)

"I actually think she's being respectful and polite, especially how she talks."

"But she's not your Co-Admin. She should bow while talking to you!"

(Oh I get it. Mimissa wants a clearer display of the hierarchy we got going.)

"She's not a maid, you know? I don't expect anyone to bow to me. What about you, Mr. Imp? Do you like Anastelle?"

He made a thumbs down, then pointed at his neck. I got the slave collar reference. Stupid questions were asked. Stupid questions were answered.

"Czara, how about this? We lure the scouts to the forest and drop one or two into our traps? When they realise the traps are strong, they could learn to respect us."

"They do have tools that are essentially [Sense Trap], you know? That just won't work."

I really didn't understand why Mimissa suggested this, we had all seen that the traps on Floor 1 were useless. Yet she made a smug face, cutely, full of confidence.

"Something tells me it'll work. Just trust me. Rather, how about we bet one wish the loser has to fulfil?"

"Oh you're ON!"

~~~~~

Anastelle was happy for a change. Her boredom was really starting to get to her, her instincts telling her she had an obligation to fulfil: to defend the dungeon. She was strong and she wanted, or rather needed to show it. These foolish invaders should learn true fear. So when she got the order - or at least suggestion - to kill five of the fools, she gladly obliged.

"Hey guys. Who of you is ready to meet Lady Marena today?"

"Succubus ahead!"

The soldiers went prone on the spot and started firing. The scene was getting a little repetitive, so Anastelle changed it up by running forward and jumping at the walls, the ceiling, and while doing so contorted her body in ways more similar to a snake than a humanoid body should be capable of. All the bullets but one missed, which hit her in her upper left arm. The wound started oozing dark-red blood, but she did not seem caught by surprise.

The soldiers fired another barrage, none of the shots hitting, the sounds from a few ricocheting bullets quickly fading. Stone work behind her came undone and mortar dust became visible.

(A good attempt. But not good enough!)

Anastelle wasted no more time. She rushed forward, then jumped, her clawed legs striking one of the soldiers right in the face. She used his head as a springboard, turning it into mush in the process, and swiped a claw across the chest of another so deeply she cut several of his ribs, and part of his lungs, to shreds. The man gurgled and started drowning in his own blood.

The three remaining compatriots stepped back, then pulled at something and threw small objects. A loud noise rang out alongside a white glow, forcing Anastelle to momentarily shield her eyes and try to get the ringing out of her ears. Before she could, she felt something very strange: a blade had pierced her own chest, just barely under the heart!

"Wha-!? You would dare!?"

A minor wound like a blade to the lung did not bother her physically, but it certainly enraged her. She grabbed the head of the fool who did this and squished his head to nothing with only one hand, then collected fire in her throat and unleashed a dragon breath. The two soldiers still standing and charging were vaporised.

(Oh... oh dear me. Now we cannot gain any DP from their corpses! Czara will certainly be furious with me!)

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She ripped the bayonet out of her body and threw it away, then tried to heal herself. Keyword being 'tried'.

"[Healing Balm]... what? [Healing Balm]! What is this!?"

She checked her status, and what she saw did not ease her worries. Quite the opposite.

Status Effects: Cursed wound

Anastelle's eyes shot fully open for the first time as the realisation hit...

(These invaders are truly here to annihilate us! I-)

...And felt weak to the point she almost fell to the ground.

"Ugh... d-damned be their entire bloodlines!"

She knew she still needed to actually breathe to remain alive, hand pressed hard on the gaping wound. She pinged Czara and asked for an emergency placement back into the control room.

~~~~~

"Anastelle!!!"

When I saw the blood on Anastelle's body, I of course rushed to her.

"I am- I will be fine. I just require a little rest. Ah ha ha *Cough*, t-to think I was merely supposed to pretend being wounded..."

I thought of a medicine kit you'd find in any car and bought it for 300DP. The wound on her chest looked very bad and made no attempts at resealing itself, so despite my limited knowledge of medicinal procedures I did my best to wrap a big patch of material into place so Anastelle would at least not die from lack of air.

(A hole in the lung!? Is there a danger of blood blocking her breathing?)

"Why isn't it closing!?"

"*Cough, cough* Th-The wound is cursed according to my st-status. Healing magic does n-nothing... I will require rest and see if the curse will dissipate..."

A futon mattress and blanket set was available in the catalogue, so I bought one for 150DP. The bayonet had not pierced all the way through, so if Anastelle remained on her back it should be okay for the time being. I could only hope; there really wasn't anything I could do about a wound that actually resisted healing magic.

"Czara, I've retrieved all the corpses and their loot. One of these... bayonets feels terrible. It's also smeared with blood, this must be the one that hurt Anastelle."

I nodded.

"Good job. We have to check on that later."

We had run into a different problem. The scouts had found the forest without our prompting. With a rat we listened in.

"This forest does not match the documents."

"[Tracker], check for traps."

The same woman who had found the first treasure chest before went to the edge of the forest, her magic tool magnifying glass held in front. It shone again, but she nodded.

"Clear! Advance along path!"

Mimissa looked at me smugly.

"I win."

I threw my hands in the air in defeat.

"Fine, yes. But leave it for later, we aren't out of trouble yet!"

We kept listening, the cute ratsy observing from a hidden position. Next time I would use squirrels for this kind of observation work.

"Treasure chest ahead. Checking... It's safe!"

The woman stepped closer, and then-

*Krrrr* *Break*

"Wha- aaaahhhhh!!!"

She fell into the disguised trap hole.

"What happened!? Are you-"

"AGGHH! AAAAAAAGHGGHH IT BUUURNS!!! HELP- HELP ME- AAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

The sudden screams of agony accompanied by the vision on the monitor made my stomach roil. I couldn't help but snap my head in Mimissa's direction, eyes wide open.

"Mimissa, what the actual fuck kinda substance did you put in these traps!?"

"Acidic chocolate, as I said."

The struggling woman was buried to her torso in the chocolate, which started steaming as it dissolved her in a way so gruesome I momentarily forgot everything else. I couldn't avert my gaze from the scene. Her lifeless body fell over and sank into the dark mass, out of sight, her horrified screams having died in her throat already.

"Impressive, isn't it? Come on, praise me for a job well done!"

I vaguely heard Mimissa's voice. I looked at her again. She smiled at me like a child who got one of their most favourite sweets. A smile of someone who would most certainly not simply kill another intelligent being by literally melting them to death.

Yes, I was being totally hypocritical considering I had made monsters bite and gnaw those very same people to death myself. But in that moment? I was in genuine terror of the Mimic by my side.

~~~~~

"Report from Scout team: [Tracker] Olivia missed trap hole located in front of chest. [Tracker] Olivia perished in action."

"[Tracker] Olivia of Scout team perished, confirmed. 2 combat squads are not reporting, considered MIA until death-by-dungeon confirmed... *Sigh* Search the floor for anything out of the ordinary, then return to Floor 1. Follow-up orders in half an hour."

"Orders to search Floor 2, then return to Floor 1 confirmed. Will await further orders. Scout team leader out."

The Commander sighed again. 1 person confirmed dead, another 10 almost certainly dead. 'MIA' was basically just code for 'dead until proven otherwise' after all. Add to that the original 4 deaths, and...

"Adjutant, prepare two messages to the barracks. One for the case we will lose no more people and another for the case that we do. Subject matters respectively will be observation order of the dungeon and request for dungeon-extermination experts to be delivered post-haste."

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"Also, you are to personally bring the message in 2 hours. I will stay here until there is no other choice."

"...Yes, Ma'am..."

"Move it!"

~~~~~

We had heard the exchange. So this was it, we couldn't kill any more of them or they would bring the most powerful troops their army could muster.

"I hate doing this, but perhaps this can foster some goodwill."

"What do you have in mind, Czara?"

I started stripping and then put on the maid outfit.

"I think Feema has to go make a plea."