Date: March 23? 2021 - 5:30 pm?

Location: Central Africa? (B-rank Dungeon)

Sierra Madrazo raced through the jungle-like Dungeon in search of the mid-boss. Due to a variety of circumstances, the raiding of this Dungeon had to be delayed until today, which meant there was less than four hours left until the Dungeon Outbreak. Now, Sierra wasn’t worried about the added difficulty of fighting monsters after an Outbreak, but her raiding partner was S. In the event of an Outbreak, Sierra might not even get the chance to fight the Boss. Although, despite being aware of the current difference in their strength, Sierra still challenged S to a race where they would each track down one of the mid-bosses and then proceed to where the Boss was. S may have an advantage in power, but with her instincts and speed, maybe she could still claim a victory.

As she ran through the jungle, she encountered many bizarrely yellow, panther-looking monsters. Despite being similar in size, they were much stronger than regular panthers and had amazing reflexes. Well, amazing compared to other common monsters. For a B-rank Dungeoneer of Sierra’s calibre, they could barely even slow her down. However little they did slow her down, though, Sierra was concerned if she was losing ground. Unlike S, Sierra didn’t have any Skills that let her deal with multiple monsters at the same time. As she had to spend her precious few seconds killing each panther, she wondered if S may have just exploded the entire area as they continued on their way.

There was nothing she could do about that, though. She was already using her Evasion II Skill (the upgraded Evasion Skill) to raise her speed and Dexterity, and her Instinct Skill was at the A-rank. She just had to keep searching for this mid-boss that even the scout could not locate. However, the scout’s time with the Dungeon was cut prematurely when he suddenly had to withdraw. This thought made Sierra smirk. She wondered what it was like outside the Dungeon for her manager, Juan, right now.

Sierra continued to run around killing panthers until her Instinct Skill suddenly gave her warning of something. She immediately scanned the area around her. Tropical trees and lush bushes were everywhere, and the last panther she just killed started disappearing into mist. Right as the mist was about to vanish completely, Sierra instinctively moved her head out of the way as something invisible shot past her. That something impacted a tree behind her and smashed right through it, causing the top half of the tree to come crashing down. This was an attack to be wary of, because Sierra had tried hitting some of those trees earlier and found that their bark was as tough as steel. Sierra judged the direction of the attack based on the tree and started rushing towards it. However, she didn’t rush in an exactly straight line. She moved a bit to the side and felt something quickly fly past her back towards the source of the attack.

This gave Sierra more information about the attacker, but she wasn’t completely sure what to expect. However, fearlessly, she continued to close in on where she thought the enemy was. As she was about to run past a couple trees, she noticed some rustling in the bushes just ahead of her. She dived into them, ready to beat down whatever was in there, but found nothing. Then, before she could get back up, something struck her hard on the right side of her head. The impact briefly lifted her off her feet and she was knocked over about five feet to the side, her own feet dragging along the soil for a second, causing her to not be knocked over quite as much.

It was a strong blow, but it wasn’t enough to deactivate her Layered Defense. The attack also gave Sierra more information again. Only slightly dazed, she got back up and looked to where the attack likely came from. Just before she could react, another invisible attack struck her square in the chest. This knocked Sierra off her feet again and she smashed into a tree behind her, causing it to break and fall over. However, this wasn’t as bad as getting hit in the head again. She hardly needed to shrug it off as she got back up again with a huge grin on her face.

She tucked in her chin and went racing towards the invisible attacker. She predicted the attack would come for her head this time, and she was right. Her Instinct Skill alerted her just before it made impact. The attack struck her on her forehead and made Sierra lose her footing mid-sprint. However, she was mentally prepared for it this time, and although the attack connected and was going to knock her back, she brought out both of her hands and clutched at something just in front of her face.

Her hands grasped onto something that felt somewhat rubbery and sticky as her body started to fly backwards from the blow. When she was sure she had grabbed onto something, she tightened her grip as much as possible. Sierra flew back about ten feet in the air, but refused to let go. She crashed onto the ground, but quickly recovered and started racing back towards the location of the attack with the invisible object still in her grasp. She felt the invisible object tugging against her as it tried to retract.

She let it do so. She jumped off the ground and let the object retract and she flew forwards in the air, her grip still tight. This flight didn't last long though. The retraction reached its end and Sierra felt an invisible maw clamp down on her hands. The force of the bite was quite strong, but it still wasn’t enough to break her Layered Defense. She still couldn’t see who her enemy was, but she knew that it was right in front of her now.

She stood her ground and readied a Power Strike. Sierra could feel the monster twist his mouth about to either get Sierra to let go or to bite off Sierra’s hands, but it was futile, and not just because the monster apparently had no teeth. Then, the monster started to thrash about more violently and this time, Sierra did lose her footing. She also suddenly felt a different invisible object lashing at her like a whip. It was unexpected, and Sierra could feel the damage start to accumulate, and although her clothes were reinforced with magic, she could tear them being gradually torn apart.. However, the Power Strike was ready, and she kicked at the invisible monster.

She had no idea what part of the monster she kicked, but she could tell it was a good hit and heard that something surely must have broken. The monster’s mouth also open and she could hear it make a gasping sound. Sierra then attempted to wrestle the invisible, wounded monster to the ground as she readied another Power Strike. The monster continued to resist and thrash about, but it did so much more frantically. For the next Power Strike, Sierra let go of the invisible object with her right hand, and then smashed it into what she imagined would be its head. It definitely hit something that felt bony, and this time black blood splashed out.

A few seconds later, the invisible monster was finally visible. It resembled a gigantic chameleon, but it had relatively small front arms and the abdominal section looked engorged, as if it had swallowed a panther whole. Most of its body was grey, or a pale white, but there were also several parts that were a mix of green and brown, as if parts of it were still trying to blend in with its surroundings. Well, whatever it truly looked like, Sierra didn’t care, and she continued to beat the monster to death.

B-rank Dungeon Mid-Boss defeated.

Defense increased by 10

Stamina increased by 10

Magic increased by 10

Skill upgraded: Layered Defense B to Layered Defense A

New Skill acquired: Stealth D

An upgrade on a Special Skill to A-rank? That’s a huge deal. However, Sierra had no time to waste and now had to find the Empowering Stone before continuing on to Boss Monster. Unlike the mid-bosses and Empowering Stones, the appearance and location of the Boss Monster was known. It resembled a manticore and stood about fifteen feet tall. It resided in the lake of a caldera located in the heart of the jungle.

After about ten minutes of searching through the area, Sierra finally found a yellow stone that was otherwise indistinguishable from a C-rank Empowering Stone. Just as she was preparing another Power Strike to destroy it, though, she received a notification.

B-rank Empowering Stone has been destroyed.

B-rank Boss will lose bonuses to all of its Stats.

She destroyed the Empowering Stone with a Power Strike and clicked her tongue with slight disappointment. Well, maybe she could at least convince S to let her have a go at the Boss first. She left the area and made a beeline for the caldera.

On the way there, the monsters changed from the yellow panthers to viper-like monsters. They were quick and stealthy, but Sierra was easily able to catch and crush them before they could bite her. Then, she heard the sound of something much larger than a snake closing in on her from the side. She wondered if there may have been a third, unknown type of monster in this Dungeon and made ready to intercept it. The unknown being also moved in closer and they were just about to clash when they both suddenly stopped in their tracks after recognizing each other. On the other side was a man wearing similar, military fatigues-like outfit, and had a chinstrap beard and moustache. He also had a sheathed sword at his hip. The man was prepared to then ignore Sierra and continued running ahead. Sierra ran after him.

“I’m guessing S already ran ahead, Abraham?” she asked.

“Of course. We don’t want to waste more time here than necessary,” he answered without even looking at her.

“We have plenty of time until the Outbreak.”

“That’s not why we need to hurry.” Sierra sighed.

“What’s the worst that could happen?”

“You may be able to avoid the situation, but at least think about the wellbeing of the Earth Alliance and its employees.” Sierra laughed at the response.

“I guess that’s all the more reason why I don’t want to officially work for you guys. Anyways, you didn’t help S out with mid-boss, did you? It was supposed to just be a competition between the two of us.”

“I don’t recall agreeing to abide by your silly contest.”

“What?!”

“Besides, if I remember your words correctly, the contest was only to find a mid-Boss, and then proceed to the Boss. S found the mid-boss by themself, and then moved on ahead.” Sierra was a bit taken aback by the response.

“Hey, wait a minute. Does that mean you fought the mid-boss by yourself?”

“Are there any other Dungeoneers with us?” Abraham finally looked back when he gave his answer. To Abraham’s surprise, Sierra didn’t look the least bit upset. She smiled and then started chuckling as they continued to run.

“Wow, I can’t even keep up with you anymore! Well, looks like you should be promoted to B-rank soon.”

“...It’s not like ranks really mean anything.” Abraham’s tone was a bit more subdued now.

“Yeah, a number system would probably be better. I mean, between S and most of the other B-ranks, it’s not even a fair comparison.” That wasn’t what Abraham was getting at, but he was done with the topic anyway. “Hey, how long ago exactly did S go ahead? Do you think we’ll even get there in time?” Abraham thought for a moment if he should even give a proper answer when they heard something quickly approach them from ahead.

*****

About fifteen feet away from the floating, yellow portal, were two people seated on folding chairs around a patio table. Further off in the distance were about a dozen men armed with assault rifles that were monitoring the perimeter. One person at the table was Juan Ramirez. Next to him was a woman in a tee shirt, vest,z, hiking shorts, and hiking boots. She had a glass of whiskey in one hand and a lit cigar in the other. For at least the tenth time today, Juan had thought to himself again why he was here.

When the B-rank Dungeon Portal was first discovered, it was reported to the Earth Alliance, and it was put on the schedule to be dealt with by the Emergency Dungeon Task Force. Pursuant to that, a scouting Dungoneer and EA officials were also dispatched to appraise the Dungeon and the surrounding area. However, before the scouting was completed, a coup took place in the capital. Revolutionary forces overwhelmed the troops in the capital and seized the city. The former government was then essentially toppled by the occupying forces, with only a few pro-government forces remaining throughout the outskirts.

Due to the incident, the EA immediately pulled out of the area and the scouting was left incomplete. The planned Dungeon Raid was also going to be cancelled. However, the pro-government forces pleaded with the EA to continue the Dungeon Raid and the revolutionary forces also publicly stated that they would not interfere with the EA if they still intended to raid the Dungeon. The higher-ups at the EA were still skeptical and still planned to terminate any plans for raiding, but three members were still insistent on raiding: S, Sierra Madrazo, and Abraham Pereira. Despite S’s pheonemal reputation and record, the raid was still going to be cancelled, but then even the chief of the EDTF, Michelle Lestrange, advocated on their behalf.

So, that is the situation today. With less than half a day to clear the Dungeon, Juan, the three Dungeoneers, and the EDTF chief flew to Central Africa to an area barely held on by, and loosely defended by, pro-government forces.

The woman next to Juan pushed a second glass over to him.

“Are you sure you don’t want a glass?” she asked as she took another puff of her cigar.

“I don’t drink much,” Juan replied. He kept his expression and tone as even as possible, suppressing his instincts to panic and curse at the absurdity that he was pulled into this situation. Damnit, Sierra! Gangsters are one thing, but you are making me sit at the edge of a war zone!

“I thought Madrazo said you drink for celebrations?” The woman refilled her own glass.

“Is there something to celebrate right now?” Juan asked. Please tell me that there is, because I could use some good news.

“Well, another B-rank Dungeon is about to be cleared. Is that not good enough for you? Or maybe, it kind of loses something now that it’s been the third one for the EDTF?” Juan wasn’t thinking about that at all, but now that she brings it up, this really is the third one now. Because Juan didn’t ever go inside the Dungeons, he hadn’t truly appreciated the dangers of the B-rank Dungeons until the news that covered the Outbreak that occurred off the coast of Merrick. Realizing that the team he was working for was somehow capable of fighting off monsters that could literally destroy warships did put things into an interesting perspective. Well, his perspective towards the Dungeoneers. He was still scared out of his mind being here.

“Working towards resolving this international crisis that we all face is but a matter of course for the Earth Alliance,” Juan responded cooly and quickly. “I do not mind if you see this as something worth celebrating as it is by no means an insignificant accomplishment. However, I must remain keenly aware that there is so much more to do.” The woman had sunglasses on, but she was clearly surprised by Juan’s words. However, she quickly laughed it off.

“Damn, after all this time with the team, and having to manage someone like Madrazo, you can still say those kinds of things without missing a beat.” Then, she suddenly spoke in a much more serious tone. “Perhaps I should take this to mean that you think your superior is acting incompetently.”

“Not at all, Madame Lestrange.” Juan’s words didn’t betray an ounce of fear, but he was truly concerned if he had just crossed a line. “Your efforts have been admirable and made a noticeable impact towards the Earth Alliance’s goals and objectives. I merely pause in my own celebration because I am so lacking in my contributions in comparison.” Lestrange laughed even louder now.

“Ramirez, you really are something!” Lestrange slapped him on the back as she continued to laugh. Juan kept his expression the same, but he was relieved. Well, relieved and a bit annoyed. Again, why did he need to be here? Because he was Sierra’s manager? Look at Lestrange. Surely someone like her would be better suited for that. Yeah, she’s the EDTF chief, but it’s not like anyone else in the EDTF has a manager. Also, does anyone else notice how similar the two of them are?

“Madame Lestrange, there is only about two hours left before the Dungeon Outbreak. Don’t you think we should issue an evacuation notice, just in case?” Yeah, and maybe we should plan to get out of here, too?

“Really, Ramirez? Did the last two times give you no confidence in our team?” Lestrange’s tone remained light-hearted in comparison to Juan’s seriousness.

“I, of course, have much confidence in the EDTF. However, we were only able to send three Dungeoneers this time, and they were given much less time to clear the Dungeon than usual. The scouting information on this Dungeon is also lacking. I think it is best to be cautious and take evacuation measures.” So, yeah. Can we just leave?

“Ramirez, I get what you are trying to say, but there really isn’t a point to it. Given the political situation, the people around here aren’t just going to clear out. And even if the Outbreak does occur, the EDTF would then have to start dealing with the monsters that escape the Dungeon.” Yeah, but I’m not a Dungeoneer! At least let me leave! “And, well, that kind of stuff is only in the worst case scenario.”

“The worst case scenario?” Juan asked. Isn’t the worst case scenario me getting killed by a giant monster the second the Outbreak occurs?

“Yeah, the worst case scenario where they don’t kill the Boss in time. But, we have S, so that’s obviously not going to be a problem. Maybe the time issue would matter here if we didn’t already know where the Boss is, but since that’s known, then everything will be fine.” Lestrange took a swig from her glass.

“But the location of the mid-bosses and Empowering Stones are unknown. There simply may not be enough time to locate them.”

“Well, I admit they might not be able to find them in the remaining time.” Then, we should get the hell out of here, right? Despite Juan’s initial thoughts about Lestrange’s statement, her expression still didn’t show the least bit of concern. “But, it’s not like that matters, either.”

“What do you mean by that?” Lestrange gave Ramirez a bit of a strange look, as if this was the first dumb thing he said all day.

“Well, obviously it’s because S will just kill the Boss anyway.” Juan repressed himself from putting on an incredulous expression. Just kill it anyway? The B-rank Boss that attacked Merrick easily destroyed a fleet of warships and barely survived a full on missile bombardment. Is defeating such a monster something one can do as simply as running an ordinary errand?

“I confess that I have never witnessed S’s abilities in Dungeon clearing, but I am aware of the threat level of the B-rank Dungeon, especially after thoroughly reading through the accounts of the Merrick Dungeon Outbreak.” Lestrange chuckled a bit.

“I’m glad I could finally find something to really shock you, then. Well, even if you don’t look that shocked,” Lestrange added, noticing Juan’s unchanged expression. “You are not around for this, but once in a while we run some tests around S’s powers. Same goes for the other EDTF members that volunteer for that. You know, we don’t just want to send out our members to die.” Juan thought he may have heard that before, but of course, Sierra didn’t want to have to do anything more for the EA than strictly necessary.

“So, S is powerful enough to defeat a B-rank Boss at full power even with only minimal support?” Well, if Lestrange is really that confident, then Juan should try to have some faith in that opinion as well. However, Lestrange looked like she had more to say than just that.

“That’s putting it lightly. Heck, that Boss was an aquatic one, too, right? Against a monster like that, if we knew beforehand, S would have killed it before it ever reached the shore.” Juan was confused by the statement but didn’t let it show.

“You mean that S can fight underwater?” Lestrange poured Juan a glass of whiskey and set it down in front of him.

“Here, drink that and let me tell you a story. A story about how I think the Dungeon raid is going.”

“I don’t really drink,” Juan said again, disregarding the mood Lestrange was trying to set up. However, she continued on.

“Madrazo is probably going to want to compete against S again and make some kind of bet against them. Doesn’t really matter what the details are and whether or not S really agrees. Madrozo will run off to kill one or both of the mid-bosses. Pereira, who doesn’t really care what Madrozo has to say, will convince S to ignore that, assuming S was even thinking of agreeing. Instead, Pereira will go after the mid-boss instead while S goes to fight the Boss to not waste time.”

“That seems highly impractical,” Juan commented.

“Just drink and let me continue,” Lestrange said, only a little bit annoyed. “S will go straight to the Boss, and maybe, just maybe, S will wait a little bit to see if the others have destroyed the Empowering Stones. I’d say, ten minutes or so at the most.”

“S should really wait much longer than that.” Lestrange didn’t even bother acknowledging Juan’s second interruption.

“And then, regardless of whether the others have found the Empowering Stones or not, S will fight the Boss. It is a manticore-like monster that resides in the lake in the caldera. It is unknown how deep the lake is, but since the manticore is there, and there is no indication that it is an aquatic monster, it probably is not too deep. There are also various stone platforms throughout the caldera for footing. Well, not that any of that matters.” Lestrange paused, as if expecting Juan to make another comment. He wasn’t planning to, but now he felt he had to.

“I see. And how do you think the fight will go?”

“The water really won’t be an impediment to S because of their Hydromancy Skill. They can glide over the lake’s surface, as well as giving plenty of resources in order to assault the Boss with pressurized water blasts. In combination with this, in addition to attacking the Boss from all directions and having full range of movement, S will use their Electromagnetism Skill. This Skill can be used in combination with the Hydromancy Skill to create an even more powerful, high energy water cannon attack. It can also be used to heat the water around the manticore to create a boiling environment. The temperatures will far exceed the boiling point of water, and even if the heat doesn’t do much damage, it will create a huge amount of steam to obscure S’s movements. Thanks to S’s Stealth Skill as well, they will be able to constantly move around and attack while evading or giving time to a more powerful attack.”

“That does sound very impressive, but we’ve already seen how B-rank Bosses can even withstand missiles to a large degree.”

“If this was still S from nine months ago, perhaps it would still be too much. But S’s Stats and Skill ranks have both risen significantly. And S also has another Skill that synergizes with their other Skills that raises their offensive power even more. Personally, even if they started fighting at the same time, I would not be surprised if S killed the Boss in less time than either Pereira or Madrazo could finish off either mid-boss. That manticore may have a body as heavily armoured as a bomb shelter, have the strength to smash through a mountain, or even the speed to hunt down race cars, but if they are fighting over water, S will be at another level in each category.”

Lestrange slammed down her glass right as she finished speaking, and Juan looked over to the portal, as if expecting something to happen right on cue. Something did, but it was something he was dreading. Gunshots could be heard nearby, and as Juan glanced around, trying to hide his panic, he saw one of the guards suddenly fall over as bullets riddled his body. The remaining guards returned fire, but they were quickly overwhelmed.

A minute later, more than thirty armed men appeared, and quickly swarmed around the table of the two calm-looking EA employees. The men aimed their guns at the two and ordered them to put their hands behind their heads and to go down on the ground. Neither complied. Juan was too afraid to make a move, but Lestrange just stared back at them. In the distance, more gunfire could be heard, meaning that this wasn’t even all of them. One of the men, most likely the leader, then motioned for the rest of them to put their guns down. They hesitantly complied.

“You are from the Earth Alliance, yes?”

“Yes. And would I be correct to assume you are from the revolutionary forces?” Lestrange answered.

“We represent the true voice of the people. Not those capitalist dogs.” Lestrange thought that was a funny thing to say, since the only problem they really had with the market was that they weren’t richer. As forward as Lestrange was, though, she kept that thought to herself.

“Right. So, may I ask why you have chosen to interfere with the Earth Alliance’s operations?”

“Do not mistake our actions,” he began. “We are not interfering with you. We are here to prevent the government dogs from stealing what belongs to the people.”

“So, are you saying we are stealing from the people, or that we are government dogs? Maybe, both?” Lestrange asked with a bit of sarcasm. Juan remained silent, but he was screaming internally despite his unchanged demeanour.

“Oh no, not at all. We are just here so that the right rules are followed!”

“And what exactly do you mean by that?”

“The country receives taxes from the Dungeon raids, yes? We are here to make sure those taxes go to the people, and not to those filthy government dogs.” Lestrange smiled.

“Yes, the matter of taxing Dungeons is covered in the Uniform Guidelines. However, your revolutionary forces, or at least, whatever body you represent, is not an Earth Alliance member.” Some of the men raised their guns again, a couple of them shouting out something that neither Juan nor Lestrange could understand. However, the intention was evident.

“Surely, the Earth Alliance would not rob our people of the resources that they deserve?” the leader asked, clearly looking more hardened now.

“Well, I don’t really know much about the taxes and finances part of things. Ramirez, why don’t you explain to these gentlemen what the likely outcome of the Dungeon resources will be?” With great difficulty, Juan hid the shock from his face.

“Of course, Madame Lestrange.” What the heck are you making me do right now? Oh my god, am I about to die? “However, anything I would say is merely my own interpretation of the matter. I do not have any authority relating to such things, either.”

“That’s fine. Just say it in a way we can all understand.”

“Well, the former government had recently become a provisional member of the Earth Alliance. A number of other matters were still pending, but they were soon expected to become a full member. Under the current situation, though, you could say that this is no longer that case. Now, had the change in power been enacted through the means within the country’s own laws, the member status would not be affected. However, it is the Earth Alliance’s opinion that such a change in power was not legitimate. Therefore, either the country is still a provisional member nation only to the extent in which the former government continues to hold legitimate power, or the entire nation is no longer a member nation at this moment. In either case, the current occupying forces would not be entitled to collect the mandated Dungeon taxes.” To Juan’s surprise, he was able to come up with an answer on the spot. None of the revolutionaries liked that answer, of course. The leader took a few steps closer to their table and the rest of his men raised their guns.

“If we are not a member nation, then what gives the Earth Alliance any right to take what is ours?” Yeah, good point! Just take whatever you want and let me go, alright!

“Oh, that’s a good point, isn’t it, Ramirez! Maybe we should just let these guys take whatever they want and leave!” Juan entirely agreed with her words, but he knew from her expression in tone that she meant the opposite. Juan himself thought he must have lost his mind when he still chose to keep to the Earth Alliance principles.

“The Dungeon taxes are intended to support those nations afflicted with these disasters, for we know it takes a great deal of resources to prepare against these threats and that Dungeons cannot always be safely cleared. Therefore, any funds that should be allocated to the nation, if they are not transferred to the former government for fear that they would be illegitimately seized or misused, will likely be held in a bank account held in trust by the Earth Alliance. They will remain there until such time when the funds can be withdrawn to be properly used to support the nation in dealing with Dungeons and supporting or training Dungeoneers. With interest accrued.” Why the heck, after digging himself so deep in a hole, did Juan feel the need to add that last point? Lestrange suddenly burst out laughing. Well, at least one of us will die with a smile on their face.

Then, with Lestrange still roaring with laughter, and the men looking ready to kill them both any second now, the portal glowed, and the three Dungeoneers exited. Most prominent among them was S who wore a helmet and a hooded raincoat over padded clothing that completely covered up their body, including gloves. The armed men quickly turned around to train their weapons on the new arrivals. The leader looked them over. Abraham and Sierra both looked a bit exhausted, and Sierra, in particular, looked like she had a bit of a rough time, judging by the torn state of the back of her clothes. The leader checked his watch before speaking.

“Looks like the three of you managed to clear the Dungeon. On behalf of my people and my country, I would like to thank you all. I would especially like to acknowledge the effort and sacrifice that must have taken.” At those words, Juan realized that the leader must have misunderstood the situation. He thought there were three of them because only three survived, and not because only three went in. Well, he couldn’t really blame him. The official roster wasn’t publicized, and who would really be crazy enough to send only three people into a thirty person raid? Juan turned his head to Lestrange, who had finally finished laughing. This person, I guess.

“Who the hell are these guys?” Sierra bluntly asked Juan.

“They are from the revolutionary forces. They have just recently arrived after killing our guards.” Juan bluntly answered.

“Oh, is that so?” Sierra smiled. From her eyes, Juan could feel her silently asking him if it would be okay to kill them. Sticking to his character, he did not say she could.

“We only took the actions needed to make sure our people receive what they need and deserve. Now, could you please leave our nation’s resources behind?” As he asked, he also motioned for some of the men to turn their guns towards Juan and Lestrange again. It seems the leader at least had the mind to think that sort of threat would work better on Dungeoneers. However, he still greatly underestimated them.

“S,” Lestrange began, “just in case it isn’t clear enough, these men here are threatening to shoot us.” It was impossible to tell whether the statement meant anything to them.

“Now, now! There is no need to worry about any of that. Just leave behind the Dungeon’s resources and you can all be on your way.” The truth was that even after giving up their Dungeon drops, he was planning to keep the two as hostages until all the Dungeoneers had left the continent. In fact, he was thinking he might even keep them longer than that, maybe up until the point where the former government was completely overthrown.

“Hey, is it okay if I just kill them?” Sierra asked aloud. He didn’t show it, but Juan was about to lose his mind. Are you crazy, Sierra! I didn’t signal anything to you earlier so now you just want to ask something like that right now? What if they kill me to send a message?!

“Hey, now, you know that I can’t just say it’s okay to kill people,” Lestrange answered. Thank god there is the least bit of rationality here. “Obviously, you can fight them, but don’t go telling people I told you that you can kill any of them.”

Sierra pounced the instant Lestrange was finished talking. Although the first man went down without any chance to react, and Juan thought he saw some faint sparks here and there among the men's guns. The ones who had their guns trained on Juan and Lestrange took their shot. However, nothing happened, and a second later, all the men were screaming in pain and dropping their guns. Juan could see something like steam coming off the guns and judging by the look of one of their hands, it seemed that the guns were suddenly overheated. S placed themself in between the no longer armed men and the two EA employees. Abraham promptly proceeded to join Sierra in knocking out the men. They tried scattering after seeing how disastrously things were going, but even with just two of them, Sierra and Abraham were much too fast and strong to escape from.

Some more reinforcements suddenly arrived, which worried Juan when they pointed their guns in his direction, but their guns failed as well. Very quickly, the situation was brought under control. The whole time, Juan and Lestrange were seated by their undisturbed table.

“Well, this will still be a bit of a hassle,” Lestrange said before finally getting up. “We have to hand these guys over to the government before we leave. Hey, now, don’t give me that look.” Lestrange was speaking to S. Juan wasn’t aware any sort of look was given. “This was only a matter of self-defense. We can’t go meddling in this situation any more than that.” Lestrange then looked over to Ramirez. “Madrazo’s got you down to a tee. You really do have quite the cajones. Hah, look at you. Still sitting down, same serious look on your face.” As if those words suddenly breathed life into his limbs once more, he got up as well.

“Let us promptly hand these men over to the government authorities and vacate the area. Given the current circumstances, we cannot stay here any longer than necessary, so I suggest the debriefing occur outside of the country.” This was the most openly urgent Juan had been today, but with his face and tone of voice, he still seemed to just be acting as the model official.

“Right, let’s get going.” Lestrange moved in closer and whispered something to S, but Juan couldn’t hear it. They packed up, contacted the nearest government forces, and then left.