A creepy cult guarding some much-needed mana

A circle of cultists stand in the entrance hall, some of them drumming long wooden staves into the ground as they chant in some strange tongue. Several seductrixes stand with them or on their own, and a hulking horned daemon stands on his knuckles and feet, staring straight at the portal: the portal which your group has just exited.

"Slay them and offer their bodies to our dark master!" The staff-wielding cultists chant in unison and their knife-wielding brethren start running towards you with their daggers held in haphazard ways. The seductrixes crouch into ready positions while the lone elite daemon starts thumping his fists on the ground before charging.

"Well, that's officially a bit creepy." As much as the idea of a whole bunch of cultists appeals to you, you aren't quite sure about the sacrifices in your name. Sure, good old killing of invaders is one thing, but dark blood rituals just aren't really your style. An arrow flies from your bow and lodges into one of the knife-wielding cultists, who falls back and vanishes into a few gold pieces. Lucia charges the cluster of cultists while Sandra readies herself for the charging elite, and your ranged companions begin an onslaught of projectiles and magic as the cultist casters begin summoning imps and the seductrixes enter the fray.

The first battle is tense but straightforward: the entrance room is not especially well-defended, and although your party could be higher-level it's enough for the limited defences here. Thirty seconds later, only the horned daemon remains, and when Amara's group materializes in the midst of the action he's quickly dispatched. Your party takes a quick breather while the more experienced adventurers forge on ahead, pushing open the ornate ebony doors and proceeding down the hallway beyond.

A plume of fire shoots out of a statue depicting a sneering imp as the stout dwarf archer passes. "Oww, goddamn daemon!" Grungil shakes his singed hand and turns back to glare at you, but you shrug and he proceeds.

"Watch out for the red tiles, and be careful when you open the door on the left." No sense wasting your allies' resources getting blasted by the traps you've set. You'll have to change the patterns once you're back in control of the dungeon, but that's a problem for another day.

"Say, those 'seductrixes' were quite the daemons, and I noticed some of them had... extras. Can't keep it in your pants even when you're designing a dungeon, can you?" Lucia smirks as she loots some of the monsters you just killed.

"Hey, I didn't actually design them, although I'm not really complaining either." You shrug. "That being said, keep your panties on for now. They may look sexy, but that's part of their strength. They're actually reasonably powerful enemies."

"Didn't seem that bad to me," Becca the cleric shrugs and heals the wounds that Sandra received while fighting the elite daemon.

"Well, there are a lot more of them than there are of you, and Lilia—the one who runs this place—isn't to be trifled with. I expect most of them will be taken care of by Amara, Grungil and co, but there's no sense losing people just because you're too busy ogling the enemy to do your job."

"Okay, okay, message received, no fun allowed," Lucia rolls her eyes as she picks up another few coins.

"We'll see how worried you are when I'm just along for a few coins and you're the one whose livelihood is at stake," you snap back.

"Master?" Zalreanne rubs your shoulders and you turn to see a concerned expression on her face.

"Yeah, sorry pet, you're right: I need to relax." You let out a long breath. "I'm just used to things being on my own terms, you know." You lean back into her shoulder massage as you wait for your companions to finish their post-battle tasks. "Alright, let's go clear out another room. Can't let Amara's group carry you guys through everything." Everyone stands up and heads through the door, taking care to step over the small rivulets of blood running farther into the level.

The main room of the aptly-named Halls of Desire has been completely trashed. Tables and chairs lie smashed across the level, one of the statues is broken in half, coins lay scattered and abandoned across the floor, and the boss door at the far side already thrums with power, ready to unlock whenever you desire. An excited "RAAAAAGH" from the hall to the right announces the location of the barbarian and her group.

"Looks like they left the trapped door for us. Cindy, would you mind?" She hops over a smashed red tile then jogs to a closed door ahead of you and starts fiddling with the handle. A moment later she's engulfed in a ball of flame, and emerges coughing and scorched, soot covering her body.

"Damn it! Stupid cheating..." She swears and shakes her pink hand.

"Aren't you supposed to be an expert in disarming those?" You raise an eyebrow and smirk at the display.

"You're the one who has to be so goddamn high level," she leans against the door and winces as her burned arm touches it, then lets out a relieved sigh as your group's cleric bathes her in soothing light. "Oh, that's better. Thanks, Becca, you're alright." The gorgeous elf gives her a little smile and a nod, then struts back to the rest of the group, your eyes fixated on her breasts as they threaten to escape her dress. She looks up into your eyes and gives you a smirk, sticking out her chest before walking past you.

"Okay, so moving on from that little incident, let's go," she fiddles with the door for another moment and it swings open, then goes flying backwards as a huge horned daemon ploughs into her. "Jesus!"

Lucia and Sandra turn to help her, but seductrixes, cultists, and another horned daemon pour out of the door. Your arrow has little effect on the huge daemon, and it charges past the distracted warriors to smash through your back lines.

"I'll keep it busy, focus on the minions!" Annie shouts from behind you. "Hey, there, big guy, remember me?" What's she up to? Another one of your arrows flies forth, this one staggering a seductrix who glowers at you. If she wants to take on the elite, you aren't going to complain. A boulder smashes several cultists with a crunch, and after a panting Lucia dispatches the last seductrix the din of battle softens, replaced with wet smacking sounds.

The five of you turn to see Annie on her hands and knees, the well-endowed daemon pounding into her as her skirt flutters and her breasts bounce. Across the room, Cindy is kneeling and licking up and down the other elite's girth, the huge daemon grunting in satisfaction as it enjoys her ministrations. A hand strokes down your side and slides under your own pants, and you feel a pair of lightly armoured breasts press against your back. Someone nibbles on your ear, then Lucia's breathy voice whispers "mmm, I can see why you wanted them in your dungeon," as she starts to fondle your shaft.

"Ecgh-hem," Becca the cleric clears her throat next to you, and you snap back to your senses. "Right, we can worry about this later: for now, let's finish what we came here for." You leave the two adventurer-maids to keep the two elites busy while you move into the now-empty room, drinking a long draught from the mana fountain and then stepping back so that your companions can do the same. Fully restored, you turn to leave the room, not revealing the secret door in the corner: there's no sense giving away more loot than you have to, not to mention getting one of your companions wounded from the contact poison on the chest.

When you step back into the hallway, Cindy is in the process of standing up while she wipes off her mouth. "Now, big guy, can you go stand guard by the entrance?"

"Come back soon and I'll have another treat for you, cutie." The huge daemon gives her a grin and a clumsy pat with his hand, knocking her to the ground with misjudged ****, before trudging off to the portal by the level entrance. A yell of ecstasy announces that the other two have finished, and you look over to see Annie lying on the floor with a dazed expression as a white line trickles out of her skirt. The other daemon pulls out, a satisfied expression on his face, and walks off to join his friend.

"That's one way to deal with the mini-bosses." This time it's the pale cleric who grabs you from behind.

"Weren't you just telling off your friend for doing that a moment ago?" She gives you a little pout as you look at her over your shoulder, and then a swat rings out behind you.

"You know, I do believe she was," Lucia gives her party member a glare, and the black-haired elf gives a scowl as she steps away. You glance back and she sticks her index finger in her mouth and moves it in and out a few times, then blows you a kiss. This lich can't die soon enough.

Seeing as Annie and Cindy are somewhat spent by their recent activities, your group heads back to heal them up and give them a chance to regain their mana. When you return to the centre room, the boss door already lies open and the sounds of battle ring in the distance.

"Seductrixes, watch for mistakes and focus on the bard and cleric! Elites, keep the barbarian and paladin pinned down. Faithful, on the dwarf and invoker!" Lilia's voice rings out as she directs her minions in the battle ahead. Lucia and Sandra break out into a run, and the rest of you follow them, rushing towards the boss room to help your allies. "Newcomers! Cultists, keep them busy, you need to buy time for your superiors. Everyone else, as you were!"

The battle in front of you is chaotic, daemons and cultists running left and right as the huge seductrix summons more. Amara and Tashila try to take every opportunity to attack her as they fend off the elites, while the arrival of your group has left Grungil and Selena largely unhindered to barrage the boss with their spells. However, things aren't all great: Sam the cleric falls to five seductrixes as you enter, and Kiedan the bard tries to maintain his spells as four more of the female daemons pursue him. Your arrow strikes Lilia in the shoulder, and she turns with a scowl before raising her eyebrow as she sees you.

"New plan! Cultists, seductrixes, focus on the barbarian and the paladin: bring them down! Elites, I want you on that rogue and magus!" The battle lines shift as the boss' minions rush to carry out her orders. The new arrangement leads to a massive clump of cultists and daemons around the two hardy fighters, one that's soon exploited when Selena launches a huge bolt of chain lightning into the fray, and the stragglers are showered by sharp shards of rock summoned by Zalreanne. Meanwhile, Cindy and Lucia manage to delay the elites, dodging out of the way using their nimble fighting styles to mitigate their impact on the battle.

Kiedan the bard passes near the tall seductrix as he tries to get back to a safe position and she starts to swing at him with her long rapier before catching herself and turning to stab at the barbarian assaulting her from behind. You frown for a second, sure that she was going to dispatch the wounded bard, until you break into a smile. At first you were disappointed in your level bosses for accepting their resurrection under the lich, but you'll have to be sure to reward them once you defeat the undead mage. When, not if: with the way things are going you feel newfound confidence in the eventuality. Moments later, Lilia falls to the combined might of your groups, her minions demolished by their tight formation and the boss herself unable to stand up to two full groups of adventurers.

"Say, tha fight seemed a bit off, nae? Las' time she 'ad us by the ropes, an' this time she was stronger, even got Sam, but when you folks came in it was like she just... ahhhh," understanding dawns on Grungil's face and he gives a charming grin. "Yer a popular one there, aye laddie?"

"What can I say, there's a reason I got where I am," you grin back and lean back against the wall as you watch the adventurers loot the various items dropped by the dungeon's denizens. Seeing them ransack your dungeon is relaxing for a change, although you'll have to be sure to replenish your stores next time they come knocking. Wouldn't want the adventurers to get any ideas. Finally, both groups are ready to go, and you step through the second-last portal together to see what lies beyond.