“So, you guys have a favorite food?” Bug randomly asks as she lazily lays on her belly, her legs lightly kicking in the air behind her as she holds a sleeping brick in two of her hands, close to her chest. The other two arms are propping up her head as she watches the bound humans walk in front of her.

This isn’t the first time she has asked them a question like this since they’ve started walking, and each time, it ends up being an entirely innocuous question of very little importance. Especially when compared to her earlier questions.

Gerald and the others have no idea what she is thinking, or what her objective is with all these questions, but not answering doesn’t seem like a good idea.

“I like… uh… My ma always made a really good shepherd’s pie.” Gerald eventually decides to answer with. He had considered a couple of other answers, but…

It’s been a while since I last visited; I haven’t seen them since that fight we had. I hope ma and pa are doing well… I hope I’ll get to eat ma’s cooking again.

Pulling on his wrists, he tested the bindings, but they are tight and sturdy, and the skeleton that is holding his leash has an iron grip on the rope.

Fel and Andrew give their own answers in turn; pasta, and garlic fried mushrooms. Bug just nods and smiles as she gets her answers, her attention shifting to Laz last.

The poor Hobbit is shuffling along like the dead, looking drained and close to passing out. His face coated in dried blood from his broken nose, and his broken arm is cradled to his chest, he slowly walks along with dule eyes that only look forward in so much as he is looking where he is going, but not really seeing anything. Bug hadn’t even bothered with tying his wrists together, instead just binding a rope tightly around his waist like a belt.

It takes a bit, and Fel is just about to nudge him, thinking he didn’t hear, but he does eventually respond.

“Cheeseburger…”

“Oh, nicenicenice! Cheeseburger! I… I have no idea what that is.”

Fel quickly speaks up for Laz and explains what the food is, Bug seemingly all too eager to learn all about something as mundane and normal as regular city food. Seriously, how it is that someone can seemingly be so interested in learning about cheeseburgers of all things. The Mad Dogs are starting to think that Bug wasn’t kidding when she said that she doesn’t get out much…

“Cool, I’ll have to try those in the future. So exciting! Cheeseburger…. Cheese~buuuurrrrrgerrr~ That’s fun to say. I haven’t had cheese yet, I wonder if I’ll like it… Anyways! My favorite food is cookies, I want to say, but I’m not sure if those count as a ‘food’ really, but more as a snack, sweets? I think I just like sweets in general. I have these honey candies I made with my friend, but they aren’t done hardening yet. I’ll have to let them sit out and finish later… Oh, favorite food… Hmm, if I had to pick a favorite food food, then, I think it would currently be soup. I like how it makes me feel warm as I drink it, ya know?” Bug rambles on toward the bound human’s backs.

“Ah, ahah, yes… Soup is rather nice. Uh, especially on cold days! That’s when it’s best, right?” Gerald comment and then nods to the others.

They all return affirmatives of their own on how great soup is, with Andrew saying. “Especially on snowy days.”

That gets a round of yes’s out of everyone, except Laz who just slowly nods his head along with the conversation, looking more and more like a little zombie with every step he takes.

“I’ve never seen snow before, what is that like?” Asks an excited Bug, her shark tail wagging excitedly behind her as another new subject about the outside world strikes her interest.

“We can tell you all about it. All of us probably have plenty of stories to tell about winter…” Gerald says as he keeps his attention on poor Laz, who is looking worse by the moment. “But, could I make a request?”

Bug’s excitement seems to deflate a little bit, shrugs and responds, “Sure, make all the requests you’d like. But I can’t promise that I will fulfill any of them.”

Gerald will take what he can get.

“We will keep answering all your questions and telling you whatever you want, but please, let us tend to our friend. Laz isn’t looking so good.”

“Hmm, no.” Bug answers simply after thinking for a second.

“Please! If we don’t do-”

Bug, feeling lazy and not wanting to use her arms which are occupied with her lounging or petting a stuffed and bulging brick, instead uses a hand on one of her wings to signal the human to be silent. Tilting her head to the side and looking off into the distance, she sighs.

“Look, it’s not like I’m trying to be mean or cruel here. I would actually be very happy if we could get along, you know? But I can’t trust you. It’s as simple as that. Right now, all I want is for you to guide me to the Safe Room. But I’m not going to take any chances of you all somehow escaping right now. You want your friend taken care of? How about this. If you get me to the Safe Room, I will heal him. Is that an acceptable deal?”

They stop walking, the skeletons all stopping a step later as the humans look back at the lounging Bug, her emerald eyes watching them curiously in turn like she is trying to read their minds or something.

“Can you actually heal him?” Gerald eventually asks, looking nervous.

“I promise that I can.” Bug lazily answers with a wave of her wing’s hand, like it’s an inconsequential thing. Which admittedly, for her, it is.

But the humans are more skeptical. After all, healers are a rare thing for commoners like them, so Bug being able to heal others is a big surprise. Especially, when considering that everything they know about her so far suggests that her magic is all about, well… Death. After all, even if they know very little about magic, a mage’s Field never lies. And Bug’s Field carried the promise of an icy cold end and the sickly-sweet taste of poison.

They have to hold their tongues from asking her again, their indecision causing them to flounder. But what Bug says next has them all quickly make up their minds.

“Regardless, you don’t have much of a choice in the matter anyways. You can either get me there, or I can start killing you one by one. After all, I only need one of you alive to guide me. Now, stop lollygagging and hurry it up. The sooner we get there, the sooner I’ll heal your friend.”

How she can switch from being sweet and happy to suddenly cold and dangerous is jarring, and the Mad Dog’s nerves quickly heighten as a cold sweat runs down their back.

Swallowing nervously, Gerald speaks for the group.

“It shouldn’t be much further now. We’ll arrive at the Safe Room shortly… ten, maybe fifteen minutes…”

Bug just looks up and to the corner as if she is checking something only she can see.

“Good, that should get us there before the restock happens. Cutting it close though, I would recommend hurrying unless you want to get hit by the mana wave.

Pushed forward by that warning and the possibility of Laz getting healed, they quicken their pace. The rest of the walk is an awkward and tense one, Bug having finally stopped asking questions so they can focus on getting there, but once the Safe Room comes into sight, they can’t help but to let out a sigh of relief, the tension already starting to slowly drain from their bodies as they walk in. Turning to watch Bug and her minions enter, the humans have to hold down some surprise, and plenty of disappointment, at the fact that she and her minions actually can enter the Safe Room.

After all, it’s supposed to be a safe place for humans to rest that monsters can’t enter. Unless of course that is just a lie designed to make people drop their guard… But the Dungeons would never do that, right?

“Ah, finally!” Bug cheers as her boney mount carries her into the large room after a very long day.

Much like every other Safe Room, this one is the same in that the center of the room is dominated by a large, forever burning hearth that keeps the place nice and toasty warm. Off to the side, built into the wall, is a big fountain that flows with sparkling clear fresh water, spilling out from the mouth of a stone lion head. In the back of the room is the raised steps of stone floor that make for seats and allow those in the back of the room a clear view of everything going on up front.

Bug only has eyes for that beautiful fountain right now, her every desire screaming at her to just strip off all her clothes and cannon ball into it at top speed. Her skin, scales, fur, hair, her EVERYTHING is just feeling disgusting right now! The desire to bathe in that crystal clear water and scrub herself down with so much soap and to work these damn tangles out of her hair, as the dirt and all sorts of nastiness falls off her body and she is finally left squeaky clean. Bug has never wanted for anything more in her life than she wants this, right now!

But unfortunately, she currently has company to entertain, and she has no intention of entertaining them with a private show. No matter how desperate she is to finally be clean.

No, she has to finish up with them first, and she still has some questions that need to be answered.

Ripping her longful gaze away from the fountain, Bug turns her attention back to her prisoners.

“Alright, I still have some questions for you, and then after-”

“Please, what about Laz!?” Fel quickly interrupts, her face going pale as she realizes that was probably a bad idea.

Thankfully, Bug doesn’t do anything for being interrupted and just shifts her attention to the wounded Hobbit with apparent disinterest. Almost like she had forgotten all about him.

“Oh, right. Gotta keep my promise. Give me a sec…”

Not wanting to let the humans see that she is injured, and quite frankly feeling too lazy to get up from her seat of blankets on her mount’s back, Bug directs her insectile horror to approach Laz. Reaching over with her wing, the long limb having more than twice the reach of her arms, she lays it on the little man’s shoulder.

Bug doesn’t bother with saying the words out loud, casting Become Weapon and Respiratory Mutation both. With Laz not being a mage, and not even much of a fighter for that matter, his body can’t resist her magic’s invasion of his flesh and bones for even a second, her spells taking hold nearly instantly. The things she could do to him right now…

But thankfully, while she may be evil, Bug isn’t a monster. She promised to heal him, and that is all she will do.

With a snap, his arm moves unnaturally back into pristine condition, the bones in his forearm mending as if time is running in reverse. Similarly, his broken nose straightens right up, leaving nothing but the bruise around the rest of his face and a mess of dried blood.

With a startled cry, he recoils as a burst of pain hits him, but that quickly passes, leaving just a startled, but healed, Hobbit looking down at himself.

The humans are similarly looking on in surprise, their expectations being blown out of the water after what they just witnessed. Similarly, their threat assessment of Bug has just skyrocketed in their heads. After all, if she can heal Laz’s injuries this fast, then just how hard would it be to kill her? As far as they know, and are concerned, Bug is someone that they can’t beat. As simple as that. But there is something important that they are realizing. She kept her promise. Even though she certainly didn't need to, she kept it.

It also takes them a moment to remember their current situation. They are prisoners. Their lives hanging by the whims of this mysterious person, who it should already be noted, had ‘accidentally’ killed one of them already. If they hadn’t run away and just stopped like she told them earlier, would Blane still be alive right now?

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

They get pulled out of their thoughts as Bug clears her throat.

“Ahem, well. Your friend is healed now, just as promised. Now, I have some final question for you all.”

They give her their full attention, with Laz being the last as he is still mentally recovering from everything that has happened. No one dares to ask what might happen after Bug runs out of questions, and they dread to learn the answer, though they do have hope.

“Alright, first is you, Fel. That Skill you used against me, Ricochet Shot. How did you do that, and no lies.”

Fel couldn’t lie right now even if she wanted to. She has no desire to find out what happens to liars around Bug, or if this demonic girl has some power to detect them. She tells the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

“I don’t know. I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, but I don’t know! I’ve never been able to pull it off until now. It always failed when I tried practicing it. That was the first time it ever actually worked. I swear!”

Bug watches her eyes, but determines that she isn’t lying.

But how could she use a Skill without the System? Unless that is something that can be done without it? How the heck would you make arrows acts like that without some kind of magic to guide them? And she’s no mage, so…

“If you didn’t know how to do it, then why did you try? Why were you practicing it? Where did you learn about it?”

“I… Do you know about how powerful warriors and fighters can do things that seem to defy reality? Like a swordsman cutting three times despite swinging once. Or, a rouge being able to jump twice, despite having no ground beneath their feet. Stuff like that?” Fel asks as she is starting to blush a little, looking embarrassed.

Bug thinks for a bit. She wants to answer with a no, but that wouldn't be entirely true, wouldn't it?

“I heard a story about a swordsman that could cut through Stone Golems with his sword. Is it like that?”

“Yes! Just like that. Humans doing supernatural things despite not being mages. Through nothing but the power of their own body!” Fel says excitedly before switching back to looking a little embarrassed.

“Ok, what about it?”

“Well… I heard a story about an archer that could do that… that could bounce arrows off of walls and have them all find their target without fail. She was famous… a hero… And I, well, I wanted to be like her…” Fel stammers out as her face grows redder with her blush. She then grows excited. “I never thought I would actually be able to pull it off, but then I did! I don’t know how, but it just finally… clicked! Like my body just knew how to move to make it work! And it did! I did it!”

“Mhm, yes, you did. Good job.” Bug congratulates her with a flat face and a slow clap.

Fel remembers where she is and the fact that she injured Bug with that move… She probably shouldn’t be getting too excited about that right now, right in front of her…

Fel deflates a bit.

“So that’s why you were always shooting arrows at brick walls…” Andrew says as he gives his girlfriend a side-eyed look.

Fel goes back to looking embarrassed. Almost enough so as to be able to forget her current situation.

“Hmm, so even without the S%$#3&, humans can use Skills… Is it just a matter of practice, or do they have to have a certain level of strength or power, potential? Maybe if their special in some way? Hmmm… I don’t know… Anyways, thank you, Fel. This has been a learning experience for me. I now know to be even more careful around humans in the future.”

Bug’s thanks are genuine, and it takes Fel by surprise, the girl blinking before all she can say is, “Thank you?”

“You’re welcome. Moving on, my next question is about the Dungeon. What is the Boss on the twentieth floor and how do people typically defeat it?”

Gerald answers this question.

“We’ve never been that far, but we have learned about it, should we ever decide to go that far. The Boss isn’t a typical fight, like in other Dungeons. In this one, it is a race.”

“A race?”

“Yes, you have to ride a raft to the end of a tunnel and the further you get, the more difficult it becomes. Enemies will attack from all sides and at the end, I heard that a giant alligator or something will try and eat your raft if you are too slow. We don’t have the specifics though, because that information would have cost us much more. Figured we would buy the rest if we ever decided to try and go that far…”

Gerald leaves the rest unsaid. Now that their team has lost a member, it will be a while before they ever even consider trying. And, that’s only if they manage to survive this encounter.

“Hmm… Ok, thanks for the info. So, it’s not something I can just brute force my way through then. I’ll have to think about a strategy for this one. Need to practice with the rafts more too… Hope I don’t get flushed again…” Bug says with a face like she just ate a bug.

Bug goes silent as she thinks for a while. Outside, the Dungeon shakes as the restock begins, a moment later a wave a mana so thick that can be seen is crashing through the halls and leaving the brick walls and floor glowing as the energy is absorbed like water into thirsty sand. Bug doesn’t even blink at all the noise going on outside. Eventually, it passes, and the Dungeon becomes safe to enter again. For as much as a monster filled hole in the ground can be considered safe, that is.

The humans don’t dare to interrupt her while she is thinking and just silently stand at attention while they wait for her next question. After a bit, they notice Bug looking over her shoulder with longing at the fountain.

“Ok, last thing then.” Bug says as her skeletons walk up behind them. With a snap of her finger which has the humans flinching, Laz especially, the skeletons cut the ropes binding them with a single swipe of their claws.

Surprised at being released from their bonds, they look up at Bug as they rub at their wrists.

“You have two choices, you can leave… or… you can hang out with me and head deeper into the Dungeon…”

…

“Are you serious?” Gerald has to ask after a long moment of stunned silence.

Bug just looks away like she is nervous or embarrassed, maybe some mix of both. Is she hopeful?

“I mean… we know so much about each other now… It could be fun…”

“We refuse. If you are letting us leave, then we going. Now.”

The others agree with him, not even willing to entertain the idea of hanging out with their friend’s killer any longer than they have to. Bug deflates a bit and looks sad, but doesn’t stop the humans from stepping away from her and her minions, carefully approaching the exit as if they expect Bug to stop them at any moment. Laz is holding his arm, scared that it might get broken again.

Tiptoeing their way towards the door, Gerald looks towards the two skeletons that are holding their gear and bags. Two weeks’ worth of loot, what’s left of their rations, and of course, their weapons.

Swallowing nervously, Gerald wets his lips and asks the question.

“Can we… please, have our stuff back?”

That was a mistake.

Bug looks up, her sad eyes moving from the humans, to their stuff, and then back to them again.

“You… want your stuff back?”

“… Yes. Yes, please.”

Bug thinks for a moment, her eyes going back to their stuff…

“No. If you want your stuff, you have to stay. But if your leaving, it will be without all of your possessions. Choose.” She says with finality as her eyes return to them, having lost their sadness and becoming serious, a hint of greed playing behind those green irises as an evil little smile starts to slowly grow on her face.

They all become worried. There is no way that they have any intention of staying, not when as far as they know, Bug might snap and murder them all at any moment. Does she seriously think that they are going to risk their lives for their stuff?

A quick glance towards each other is all they need to communicate their collective decision.

“We aren’t staying with you. We’re leaving.”

Bug just sits back on her mount and smiles even more, her entire deminer shifting.

“Fine, you can leave. But all of your stuff stays with me.”

“Ok, come on guys, let’s get out of her before she changes her mind.” Gerald says to his party as they all turn to leave.

“Nuhuhuh~ Not yet~” They hear Bug tease behind them as they grind to a halt.

They turn and find Bug looking down at them with an evil glint in her eyes, lording over them all despite the fact that she is still shorter than all of them, save Laz, even while sitting on her mount.

“I said, all of your stuff.”

“What?” Andrew nervously asks as Fel and Laz reflexively move to cover their pockets.

“You heard me, all of your stuff. You want to leave me? Fine. Go right on ahead. But you will leave with nothing.”

Reaching out into open air, Bug pulls an empty bag out of nothing and hands it off to a little skeleton that comes running out of the group of much bigger skeletons, the bottom of the old backpack flopping to the floor and kicking up some dust as the little skeleton opens it. They all take an involuntary step back as the little skeleton, probably from a Gremlin or a Goblin, walks up to them and holds open the bag. They all look like they are worried that it might try and bite them or something, the other skeletons in the room all taking a step to match them as they retreat, sending a clear message of what will happen if they run.

“Your stuff, put it in the bag.” She declares as the smile drops off her face and she becomes serious.

Should they run? They already saw how that worked out last time. No, if they want to live, then they have to do as she says…

“Or, you could always stay… Who knows, maybe we could become friends some day? In the future we could all look back on this moment and laugh, no? Wouldn’t that be nice?”

“We… We’re not staying with you. We need to leave. Please, just let-”

“Then put all your stuff in the bag, and then you can leave. It’s your choice.”

Gerald swallows his words, knowing full well that he can’t convince her. Hell, if she wanted to, she could just kill them or have her minions mug them and take everything by force. They don’t have a choice…

Slowly, starting with Gerald, they all start removing items from their pockets and belts and putting them in the bag. Little pocketknives, canteens of water, small rations of food, a pouch of delicate lock picking tools, bags of coins and all sorts of other things on their persons.

As they are working, Bug watches them and notices a hint of silver on Fel’s wrist, peeking ever-so-slightly out from beneath her sleeve.

“What is that, on your wrist, a bracelet?”

Fel freezes up, halting a motion to cover her wrist with her hand, before slowly nodding and pulling back her sleeve to reveal the shiny piece of jewelry.

“That’s a nice bracelet you got there. That silver?”

“Please, no, i-it was my grandmothers…”

“You wanna try me? I’ll turn you into a skeleton so fast, you won’t even know you were dead yet, punk! Now put it in the bag!”

Fel cries as she takes the bracelet off and drops it in the open bag, the silver links clicking as they land inside.

With all their stuff taken and Andrew consoling his crying girlfriend, Gerald speaks again.

“There, that’s everything! We’re leaving now. At least we still have our dignity…”

Bug just scoffs and smiles, her sharp teeth showing from behind cruel lips.

“Haha, no, I’ll be taking that too. When I said ‘Everything,’ I meant, everything. Your clothes, take them off and put them in the bag.”

“What!?”

“I said, your clothes. Put ‘em in the baaaaaaaaaaag~”

They don’t even have the words necessary to process their shock, just staring at Bug in despair. When they take too long to start undressing, the skeletons start to slowly stomp forward, pressing them to hurry.

Moving as quick as they can, belts are undone and pants are dropped. Leather armor and chainmail and shirts are quickly pulled over heads and shoulders, everything getting dumped in the bag as the little skeleton holds it open for them.

Reduced to their underwear and boots, Bug just shakes her head no as she looks at them, the word, everything, hanging unsaid in the air between them.

With tears in their eyes and much shame, the rest comes off and is placed in the bag, the little skeleton seeming to struggle to hold it all up. With a silent order, the little guy closes the bag and runs back to Bug’s side as she looks the naked humans over.

Hiding themselves with their hands and giving her wilting glares full of unspoken death wishes, Bug observes them, her eyes going over their naked bodies with open curiosity.

Huh, so that’s what they look like without their clothes on… I guess they look alright? Still don’t see what the appeal is yet though. I guess Fel looks nice? Is that the sort of thing Hannah is into? Can’t say I’m particularly interested in those things between the guys' legs though, they look weird and hairy. I don’t know. It’s not important right now anyways… That's for future me to figure out when I actually have the time to take interest in stuff like this...

Putting aside her thoughts on their bodies, Bug scoffs at her angry and embarrassed audience, the humans looking like they are two steps away from tossing everything aside to try and murder her.

“Well, looks like that is everything. It was your choice; you are free to go. Safe travels, and I hope you make it back to the teleporter safely.” She says with a wave of her hand like she is saying goodbye to a departing friend going on a trip.

Gerald, hiding his nuts with his hands, has to hold back his curses. Eventually, a thought hits him, and he speaks.

“I thought you said that you wouldn’t kill us? You made a promise!”

“Hmm?” Bug hums back with a raised eyebrow. “Yes, I promised not to kill you. And I have fulfilled that promise to the letter.”

“But you have killed us. If we go out there, like this. No armor, no weapons, no food or water. We are dead before we reach the teleporter! You’ve killed us. You’ve broken your promise!”

“The agreement was that I wouldn’t kill you. That has nothing to do with me after you leave my side. And let me remind you that I gave you a choice. Stay with me and keep your stuff, or leave and lose your stuff. You chose. After this, anything that happens to you, is on you. Not me. You can still change your minds, you know…” Bug offers with a tilt of her head and a gesture of her hands towards the bags full of all their stuff.

Standing there, naked as the day they were born, they look towards those bags and seriously weigh their options, sharing looks with each other as they cover themselves.

“Can I at least have my underwear back?” Tries Fel, desperately covering herself with her arms. She’s not doing a very good job at it though, and Bug can clearly see a nipple slipping over her arm. She quickly tries to hide it when she notices what Bug is looking at.

“No, I’m keeping them. I could use some spares...”

Stewing in embarrassment and despair, they all look toward each other and try to decide what to do. It takes a while, but they eventually come to a decision. One that they will probably regret.

“We aren’t going to stay with you. We can’t trust you. Plus... we just don't like you...” Gerald says for the group.

“So, you would rather try your luck, naked in the Dungeon, than stay with me?” Bug asks one last time, for final clarification. And the humans can tell that this is her closing the deal. Even if they were to change their decision later, she won't change her mind. They will be on their own.

“Yes.”

“Haaaaaaaah… Ok.” Bug sighs as she deflates.

With a gesture toward her skeletons that has the humans tensing, she silently gives them an order. Watching, they see the skeletons take out four daggers, canteens, and a few bags of food from their stolen goods.

With one of the skeletons depositing the items in Andrew's arms, Bug gives another sigh and speaks her final and last words to the Mad Dogs.

“I will be keeping everything else, but you are right. If I release you into the Dungeon with absolutely nothing, then I might as well have killed you myself. A dagger for each of you, for protection, and enough food and water to reach the next Safe Room. Now, if you die, it will not be because I left you with nothing, but because you failed. Now leave, and don’t come back.”

They obviously don’t thank her. Without a word, they take this chance to run away and leave the Safe Room, their pale naked butts being the last thing Bug ever sees of them.

Feeling an odd mix of emotions at them leaving, Bug turns away from the entrance and carefully dismounts the insect, her battered and bruised body protesting every little movement, though she doesn’t feel the pain, thankfully.

With a wave of her hand, and a sleeping Mimmie held tight to her chest, Bug issues her order.

“Guard the door, kill anything and anyone that tries to enter. I’m going to take a bath…”