The odd little quartet quickly searched the area for more treasure, then strove to make their way out of the underworld. No monsters rose up to bar their path, but no words passed between them, either. Footfalls echoed on dusty stone as they silently passed from corridor to corridor.

Scott eventually noticed Luau' Ra's eyes on him, but he ignored her. True, she was quite stunning, but he already has his relationship plate quite full. His bit of lewdness earlier was performed just as much to cause her to be confused into silence, as it was to plant a wedge between him and any ideas she might have toward him.

The last thing he needed right now was to drag yet another female companion back to his home point. Though, he readily admitted to himself that he was not actually with any of the women in his life. Sexy gunplay and Kitty cuddle sessions aside, very little romance had occurred. As far as he was concerned, he was mostly single. A single man was free to spend time with anyone he wanted, but a mostly single man had to remind himself on occasion that if he actually wanted to be more than single with his companions he would need to let them know that he was not a complete manslut.

Luau' Ra's introduction had made it easy to ignore her raw sex appeal. A shouting woman who tried to usurp his right to the loot, oh yes he could safely ignore her if she made any attempt at an advance.

Her occasional glance in his direction did cause him to feel concern, however. The possibility that his crudeness had backfired and actually garnered her interest was undeniable. The best he could do was to try not to bring his supposed offer up again.

Such thoughts filled Scott's head, meanwhile he did not know if she actually thought of him in that manner and thus his entire line of thought was little more than mental masturbation. Even so, it allowed the time to pass and soon they reached the entrance to the overworld.

"I am pleased to be free of that place," said Luau' Ra as she stood beyond the entrance.

Scott glanced over as she chose to stretch languidly, like a cat. Of course, the gills immediately made him wonder if her languid stretch would be more like a cat-fish, but that was merely a facet of how his mind worked and nothing more.

While the other three members of his little group began to chatter about their escape from the underworld, Scott noted that the world seemed to slow down. Soon it took on a familiar black and white tonality.

Side Mission Complete!

You located Luau' Ra within the time limit, and then successfully escaped from the underworld.

Reward: 400 EXP

Special Event Reward: Companion Item Dice Set

"Companion Item Dice Set?" Scott quickly took his reward when it appeared and he looked it over. There was nothing special about the dice set. It looked like two six-sided die. However, the blurb that appeared told him something interesting. He could assign his companions, up to six of them, to the numbers of the companion die. He would then roll that die, and then the other die. The first one would determine who would receive the reward. The second die would determine its rarity.

"So, my reward is that someone else on my team can get something good." Scott snorted lightly then shrugged. He had been showered with opportunities lately. This wasn't bad, even if it irritated him slightly.

The world remained in black and white for quite some time. He soon became concerned. "The hell?"

After a while, he shrugged and decided to check his loot. The vast majority of it was little crystals that would count as money in this world. He had his bow, of course, and the piece of a heart container. Sure, it was called something else but he knew what it was supposed to be.

All that was left was the spear that the big bastard had dropped. Scott had not wanted to look it over while the others were around, given how grabby Luau' Ra had seemed.

Scott looked at the spear that a boss monster dropped then snorted. "Is this some kind of joke?"

COMBAT ITEM

Underworld Bone Spear

Level: 1/3

EXP: 0/150

Damage: 37

Durability: 33/33

Special Options

Downward Spear – Leap into the air and strike downwards for 10% additional damage.

His new spear was a trash-tier weapon in comparison to what he could find normally! Sure, he could max it out easy enough but the damage would not even exceed his sword! Worse, the special option was just a small damage modifier. There were no special means to increase the damage, either.

"What self-respecting boss monster drops such a weak item?" asked Scott in annoyance. Of course, it would be the loot drop from a boss of the lowest difficulty rating. Were this his introductory mission back when the game had started, a maxed out bone spear would probably have been quite powerful. Now, he could literally punch harder than the spear could hit.

Still, it was loot! He could potentially find a use for it. If nothing else it might prove to be a decent trade item on Fear Rune, or be worth money in this world. Maxing it out might also improve the special option. In the end it would be a decent, if lackluster, spear.

Eventually, it was revealed that he would have to roll the dice set that he received before he would be able to return to normal space-time. Scott only had three official companions. He assigned numbers to each of them, two numbers per companion, and then rolled the dice.

"Five and three..." remarked Scott, "So, Samantha will get an item that rates a three according to these dice?"

Another blurb popped up that informed him of something peculiar. His companion would be granted access to her new item, but it would be delivered as part of her current solo story mission.

"She can go on missions without me?" He figured there were ways to make that happen, as the system seemed to allude to it. Still, he had thought he would have to send them on such.

"I wonder what mission she is on?" he asked rhetorically. He doubted that he would be told, and of course he was not informed of her current whereabouts and dealings.

The world began to move once more, even as the color returned to it. Scott rejoined his current companions mentally, as well as physically, and they continued on their way.

Along the way, they began to chat a little more. Scott was led back to the fairy pond where he met several more of the little mischievous creatures and suffered their playful desire for kisses. It was a hard job, but a hero's work was never done!

As time passed, he related his story through the power of the written word. He kept most of the details vague, but soon it was known that his purpose in the area was to deal with the skeletal drudges. Etragar seemed to think his presence to be something akin to overkill, but he was glad to have met him.

Luau' Ra kept her own counsel, while the fairy returned to her sisters at the pond. In time, Scott left them with the promise that he would visit with them again the next day. He returned to set up camp a short distance from the underworld entrance. Night would soon be upon him, and he wanted to get a little rest before his real job began.

A few hours later, as the moon arced high into the wheeling vault of the heavens, a rustle of bones echoed from the entrance. "Gyahahaha..."

Scott's lips quirked into a smile then parted in a feral manner. Slightly fanged teeth gleaming in the moonlight, his face took on a devilish expression of joy. It was time to get to work.