Marcy, Vernon, Ricardo, and most of the new recruits reappeared at dawn. Marcy stretched and smiled, then noticed who else was there and put on her more serious expression as she looked at the rest of the newly-alive. None of them looked happy, and many glares were turned on Vernon. Even Ricardo looked annoyed with him. Marcy overheard bits of the story as they complained. Vern had led them deep into the Lair of the Under Rodent until they were completely lost and surrounded and subsequently wiped out.
"Did we have a few problems on our dungeon excursion?"
Vernon grumbled something about people not following orders.
"Speak up, Vernon. If you gave orders and they were disobeyed, let's get it out in the open. What was the order?"
Vernon was looking sullen and glared at the troops. "We were being nibbled to death by attacks from all sides, and an annoying high-pitched voice kept taunting us. When the boss finally appeared, I saw a way to cut the head off the enemy and leave their cannon fodder directionless. I ordered the troops to charge, but only half did, and the rest kept fighting the rabble. It took forever to pursue the boss and finally corner him in a cul-de-sac. People kept stepping on traps! And just when I claimed victory, they all deserted. Even my bearers."
Marceline could see in her mind how things had played out, but a second opinion was always good. "Perhaps Sgt. Thune can give his observations on the battle."
Thune splashed a last bit of water on his face, stood up, and saluted. "Happy to, Sir. We advanced into the dungeon and made short work of the small patrols. They are set up to harass a party of four to six players, not twenty soldiers. As we advanced, one of the higher-level bosses noticed us and began attacking from the rear and branch tunnels. Rather than stop and deal with the small groups, Commander Vernon ordered us ahead. This allowed the ratkin to form into a large group behind us. I moved Commander Vernon to the center where we could protect him and he could smite ahead and behind. I believe that with ten men facing each way in two ranks, we could have held them off while the artillery took its toll. That was when the boss appeared and began to insult Commander Vernon, and we were ordered to charge. The rear guard had to stay and hold off the horde attacking from our rear. The surge forward worked, and we pushed onward, but it was a minefield of traps, and the men went down or were immobilized while we kept charging past them. I went down just as we found the boss. He seemed surprised we'd kept after him so long and was pounding on a wall section." He shrugged. "And then four of them put spears in me."
Vernon looked victorious. "Just as I said. And then I bravely dealt with the horrifyingly powerful boss and his minions, only to be attacked from the rear by the ratkin the rearguard was supposedly dealing with. Doesn't matter, I got the Enhancement Points and my skills are going up.
Bravely, bravely did Sir Vernon pursue his foe, knowing his loyal troops would give up their lives to further his ambition.
Surprisingly, it took Weasletongue the Very Clever by surprise. (As did that 'stuck' hidden door.)
Brave but Lesser God-Emperor Vernon has earned 5 Enhancement Points plus 2 bonus Enhancement Points.
His support team is awarded 1 Enhancement point each.
Marcy shook her head. He'd done everything wrong, yet managed a boss kill. And building him up was the whole point.
"And where was your assistant during all of this?"
Ricky looked embarrassed, "I wasn't supposed to be fighting, but no one told the ratkin that. I got tangled up in some sort of net trap, and before I could get out, something was kicking me with what felt like a hundred feet..." He looked a little ill. "And then it tore my feet off. And if even one of you bastards makes some joke about being defeated, I'm turning you into a pincushion."
One of the recruits managed to keep a straight face. "When you get your knives back."
Ricky deflated, "Yes, when we trudge out to the dungeon and recover our graves. But I'll remember anyone who tells that joke."
The soldiers all nodded at him, seriously. Some might have even meant it.
"Look up the term 'Situational Awareness, ' Ricardo. Sounds like you need to acquire some. And no, it isn't a skill in the game. Commander Vernon, Sgt. Thune and Ricardo will meet with me at the tavern in fifteen minutes. Get a private room. The rest of you have the morning off, and I'm paying for a good breakfast and two beers each at the tavern. Looks like you need it. We'll revise our current tactics for the dungeon based on the feedback I've received and give it another go."
That part of her responsibilities done with, she noticed that Suzette, Rolly, and Ben were nearby and that Ozzy wasn't around.
She walked over, smiling. "Where's the Butcher? That was one hell of a fight, but he got me in the end. Do I get a rematch, or am I training with one of you tonight?"
Ben doffed his hat in a half-bow. "Ozzy is currently busy with things, meeting with some high-level person of some sort. You will have the pleasure of working with one of us tonight."
She grinned. "Awesome, we'll get some training in and finish up with a no-holds-barred death match. I knew Ozzy was holding back on some abilities, but had no idea it was crazy shit like..uh..stuff he did. Makes me wonder what tricks the rest of you are hiding."
Ben did his best 'innocent' look. "I assure you, madame, we will do our best to entertain and challenge you, but our minor parlour tricks pale in comparison to what Ozzy brings to a match."
She looked from one to the other, not buying Ben's bullshit, which greatly distressed him. "Sure. I guess we'll find out tonight. See you there." She turned and walked off.
Ben sighed, "Looks like you have a date with the Hellpit, Rolly."
"Yep, I'm going to have breakfast first, though. Maybe second and third breakfasts."
Suzette looked thoughtful. "Give it a few days, Rolly. I know what the two of you think: I'll be worried. And I am, but this is something we have to learn to deal with. Let's give him a couple of days to find his own way."
Ben gave Rolly a disappointed look. "And I was so looking forward to tossing you in the Pit and getting some free experience."
The Shepherd smiled at him. "I wonder what we're worth. Could we farm each other? But the walk gets longer each time. A case of diminishing returns. But that does bring up a question: Who's fighting Marcy tonight? She still owes us some training, and we owe her some fights."
"True, and we all need it. The more we work on weapon combinations, footwork, and tactics, the more it all comes back to me, and I feel like I'm pushing past the limits the system puts on us. Let me go next. That way, if I die, you can come get both of us."
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"That works for me. But I don't think she's going to beat you. Not if you commit to winning. Think about that, and take her seriously. She's beyond what we've seen in the rest of the players. Ozzy fought hard, but not as hard as he could have, and she was jacked up on enough combat drugs, potions, and sausage to take down a large squad of soldiers. She's had the benefit of training at all the mercenary and fighter guilds and has a lot of experience. She's a better melee fighter than you are, and you can't rely on dodging forever. So fight dirty. I'm sure a Franklin knows something about that."
Ben was thoughtful, thinking of a few options, some of which were even feasible.
Suzette saw him thinking, a little worried. "Ben, are you ready to take her on? To the death? Or do you need time to get ready?"
The Courier looked unsure. "I'm pretty sure I can take her out, but not with any style. I need some time to tinker."
The Barmaid smiled sweetly at him, "Take your time, then. I don't want another one of you falling to the terrible beast we have unleashed. I'll deal with Marcy tonight. But I'd best get over to the tavern. Breakfast isn't going to serve itself." She walked away, singing a tune that they couldn't catch the words to."
Rolly looked at Ben very seriously. "You know what this means?"
Ben thought hard, "I'm pretty sure I do, but where are we going to get that much popcorn and an inflatable chicken in time?
The second dungeon run went better from the standpoint of unit coherency and learning to slowly fight their way to each boss. Vern had grumbled the entire way. Thune had orders for each squad to tackle a boss separately, along with Vernon. They were successful on three of the minor bosses, earning each person an Enhancement Point and a minor loot item. When they made it to Weasletongue's Workshop, Vernon insisted on taking on the last boss by himself. "I killed him once, and I can do it again." He opened the door, advancing unsteadily on the surprised boss cowering in the corner. There was a small sound as he stepped on a tile. The entire squad held their breath. Vern didn't hear it, and didn't notice the stone pillar that slammed down, killing him instantly. Weasletongue cackled and did the Happy Weasle Dance. The door slammed shut, the corridor turned into a ramp, and Sgt. Thune and his squad took a deep breath as they saw the hundreds of undead rabbits facing them, arrayed in squads that mimicked their own. Necromancer-General BennyTBunny hissed and sent his army forward. It took far longer than he expected to wipe out the humans as they formed a tortoise formation and fought off his hordes for nearly half an hour. He let the last soldier live. "
"Go and tell your General that I await him, and to send more troops!" The recruit ran for his life. After that, Benny had them try to mimic that formation. It would take time; the undead learned very slowly. But they did learn.
Marcy spent a lot of time in the tavern, talking to Suzette, going over the information brought back by the recruit who lived, aptly nicknamed 'lucky' by his friends for his astounding streaks of good fortune while playing cards. She'd traded a worthless, lazy Vern for an overly enthusiastic and rabid Vern. That wasn't good unless she could control him. The sad part was that he was correct, and his skills were growing. They grew slower with Sgt. Thune in charge, but that's what they were going to have to do. She didn't want the new recruits to die every day just to give Vern a few extra experience points.
Suzette had an idea, though. "You can still train Vern solo, now that he's ascended to a second Tier. I'm sure some of the workers will help. They enjoyed training him. And you can send the squad into the dungeon on their own. Easy missions, squad-based at first, then as a company when they go lower. Gives them confidence as they gain experience and loot without Vern yelling at them." Much planning was done, and many Fizzy Maple sodas were drunk. Marcy left to train in the evening with her veterans and Varsil's group, promising to meet up at the corral later.
Marcy showed up at midnight, surprised to find Suzette in the corral and waiting for her. The barmaid waved to her and pointed to a barrel. "I brought along the Fizzy Maple drink you like. Help yourself."
She and Suzette trained with daggers and knives for three hours straight, aided by countless mugs of Apple Kickass. At some point, something clicked, and Suzette integrated acrobatics, dodges, and quick movement with the dagger combinations Marcy was drilling her in. Her leaps seemed to defy gravity at times, and Marcy swore her feet never touched the ground or made a sound.
After a break, she looked at the barmaid. "More training? I have a few tricks left to show you."
Suzette shook her head. "No, let's fight for real. The lessons learned in a fight like that teach you a lot."
Marcy walked to her end of the corral and juggled her daggers while grinning at Suzette. "Oh, I'm already learning a lot. I guess you thought that low-level poison you were putting in the Fizzy Maples all afternoon would slow me down some. All it did was give me half a level in Strong Poison Resistance. The notification tipped me off, and I took an antidote for whatever it was."
Suzette's face fell. "Damn. Well, it was worth a try. I can't get you drunk, after all. Let's do this anyway."
Marcy shrugged. "Not like it's a long walk from the fountain to the Tavern. I'll be waiting for you." She charged.
Suzetted snapped her fingers.
Marcy tripped as her muscles seized. She rose unsteadily to her feet. "WHAT THE FLAMING HELL!"
Suzette had moved away from her. "99% of the poison was dormant, and much too high a level for simple antidotes. I just told the rest of it to get started. In a minute, you'll be completely paralyzed. Best kill me fast."
Marcy threw two knives. Suzette dodged one, caught the other, and threw it back. Two shadowy hounds bit Marcy on her calves, tripped her, and dodged away. Marcy pursued, throwing knives, and vainly trying to catch the Barmaid. Even the small wounds she did were instantly healed. Eventually, she collapsed in the center of the corral. Suzette left her there for a moment, opened Marcy's mouth, and poured a thick, white potion down her throat, retreating after that. Marcy slowly recovered and sat, glaring at her.
"You call that a win?"
"Oh, no. I call that a lesson in insufficient Poison Resistance. Are you ready for a real fight now?"
The mercenary was grinning. "Oh, you bet." She rolled forward and charged. Suzette was ready and put two rays of sunlight into her face, doing a tremendous amount of damage and half-blinding Marcy. But it didn't stop her. She cornered Suzette and struck with both daggers, only to have her fade away. Marcy spun, but too late. She put a dagger into Suzette's shoulder, but took a wound of her own in the neck.
Suzette spun away, Triage healing her wound. Marcy looked at her, a question in her eyes.
"Another lesson in Poison Resistance. We play hard here in Sedgewick. I'll start your training tomorrow."
Macy died. Suzette put her hairsticks away.
Rolly looked at Ben, "I'm thinking that was a lesson to us, as well, and for Ozzy when he gets back."
Ben handed Rolly the popcorn. "I need to have a talk with my uncle, and do some reading at the Mages Guild."