The Tree of Blood’s fortified enclosure came into sight. Vugar noticed it was heavily guarded today. There were about twice as many guards as usual. Rakugann bent down to speak to Vugar a low voice.

“A sign we are on the right track.”

The parties removed their helmets and Robert the polar bear beastman guard captain gave orders for a guard scribe to sign them in. Vugar gave him a warm smile.

“How are things, Captain Robert? You seem very busy today.”

“Hush hush, I’m afraid, Vugar. Top secret and all that,” Captain Robert replied tapping his nose as the scribe finished updating his records. “Okay, you can all go in. Good hunting!”

Vugar and Smithso waved goodbye as their parties headed inside the enclosure.

Smithso called out, his excitement clear.

“See you later, Captain!”

Inside the enclosure, the gigantic Blood Oak loomed over everything. Its crimson and chalk white bark unsettling to look at.

Redleaf bent down to look at the tracks near the entrance to the Tree of Blood.

“What do we have here?” he said out loud. “The party who just went in had a civilian with them.”

Vugar asked him, “Any idea which party?”

“Three in heavy armour, two in light armour and the civilian...”

Isolde leaned over to look at the tracks.

With a smile she said, “That sounds like it could be the Dawn's Arrows and Emiria.”

Vugar gave a sigh of relief.

“Emiria should be safe with them.”

Smithso nervously stepped from leg to leg.

“Should we go after them?”

Vugar nodded.

“Let’s go.”

The two parties entered the Tree of Blood cautiously.

Inside the Tree of Blood, a red artificial sun shone on a maze made of dense green leafed trees. Some of the trees were infested with Scarlet Constrictor Vines, a kind of mobile carnivorous plant that wrapped up adventurers and tried to crush them. Small red flags were planted in front of the infested trees as a warning for rookie adventurers. Vugar straightened one drooping, tilted flag, careful not to move in range of the vine.

The two parties strode carefully through the maze of trees toward the first wide open space, the Blue Slime Grove. Inside, they were greeted by the sight of F-Rank and E-Rank adventurers fighting wandering Blue Slimes. Sitting beneath a nearby group of Dungeon Plum Trees was the German Shepherd beastman and retired adventurer Old Hedge, keeping an eye on the rookies.

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He called out, glad to see them, “Vugar! Mildred! Isolde!”

The Friends of the Downtrodden and the Treasure Raptors approached Old Hedge to talk. Vugar spoke up first.

“It’s good to see you Old Hedge.”

Old Hedge replied joyfully, “Good to see you too, young man!”

Vugar shook his hand and said, “Sorry we can’t catch up right now but did the Dawn's Arrows come this way with an elf woman civilian in a straw hat?”

“Indeed, they did,” Old Hedge’s expression turned serious. “Is there anything I should know about?”

Just then there was a rumble from further in the dungeon. Vugar reacted first.

“Smithso, Susan and Billy,” he said addressing the Treasure Raptors, “go and warn the other rookies to take the day off. Old Hedge, we’d better see what’s going on. We’ll catch up later.”

Old Hedge replied, his voice tense, “Just so you know, Vugar, the Order of the Crimson Wyrm went past a little earlier today.”

Rakugann’s face twisted in disgust.

“Great!” he said sarcastically, “That’s all we need.”

The Order of the Crimson Wyrm were heated rivals of the Friends of the Downtrodden.

Vugar grimaced.

Keeping his emotions calm, he said, “Let’s go.”

***

The Green Slime grove near the stairs to Floor 2 was U-shaped. The artificial red sun shone down on a meadow filled with wandering green slimes. The friends of the downtrodden quickly cut down any green slimes that attacked them. Although quicker than blue slimes and able to hit harder, green slimes were still weak and easy for even rookie adventurers to defeat. Quick, efficient blows to the nuclei caused the slime bodies to fall still and congeal.

As the party travelled through the Green Slime Grove, they kept an eye out for any lower ranked adventurers, hoping to warn them to take the morning off but none were in sight.

They turned the corner and adventuring party came into sight. A red lizardman mage with a tribal staff tied with mana gems of various kinds in a geometric pattern. Dragontooth. A wild elf warrior similar to Rakugann but even taller hefting a huge hammer. Taeg. A figure in full steel plate armour holding a poleaxe with a mana gem in it. Sir Kindleman. An elf nobleman doctor in white leather armour. Oliver of Eastfield. Although Vugar couldn’t see her he knew Edith the shadow mage was nearby.

Dragontooth was the first to notice the Friends of the Downtrodden.

“What you doing here, Bugar!” he cried out irritably, in his broken Haraldian. “Bugar” meant ash in the lizardman tongue. An obvious insult.

Before Vugar could answer there was a rumble from deeper in the dungeon. The ground shuddered beneath their feet. Vugar managed to keep his footing.

“You must have seen The Dawn's Arrows come past here,” he said, meeting Dragontooth’s gaze.

“Me saw.”

“Then do you know about what they have with them?”

“Me know.”

Vugar frowned. Before he could continue Dragontooth snapped at him.

“Friends of Downtrodden must want it be lost in dungeon! Planning to stab in back! Order of Crimson Wyrm will not allow!”

Vugar held his annoyance at bay and tried to be diplomatic.

“We’re not trying to stab anyone in the back,” he said placatingly. “We just don’t want a monster rampage disaster.”

Vugar held out his open hands.

“We’re here to help,” he said.

“Bah!” Dragontooth replied. “How we supposed to trust you after Vugar take credit for all Sea Wraiths destroyed in Sea Caverns?”

Vugar felt a pang of anger. The Friends of the Downtrodden and The Order of the Crimson Wyrm had worked together to cull a huge number of monsters called Sea Wraiths in the Sea Caverns a few days ago. There hadn’t been a notice for it but everyone knew it needed doing to protect the rookie adventurers there. However, when Vugar and friends went to the Guildmaster to tell him what they had done he had told them Dragontooth had claimed credit for the whole thing. What was worse was that Dragontooth continuously blamed Vugar for doing the same thing. In the end no one received any reward. Vugar trusted the Guildmaster as a kind of father figure and so he was certain that Dragontooth was up to no good.

Vugar opened his mouth to contradict Dragontooth but before he could a group of adventurers came running out of the passage leading to the stairs to Floor 2. They stopped momentarily upon seeing the Order of the Crimson Wyrm and the Friends of the Downtrodden and their leader an elf woman in yellow and black sea serpent skin armour spoke.

She said in her distinctive accent, “Well, well. Ya’ll wouldn’t be plannin’ an ambush would ya?”

It was Frederique the leader of the Dawn's Arrows.