An ecletic mix of adventurers and monsters

An hour after Zalreanne has departed with the adventurers the scrying pool shows its first signs of activity. Four adventurers stand at the entrance to the fallen warrens, each one rummaging through their pack and looking at vials on their belt. An elf paladin who's barely discernible visible under her thick plate mail speaks up.

"Okay, everyone be careful. As far as I can tell this dungeon is nearly ten levels too high for us, although I don't know whether that's just the boss or it includes this level. Remember, kill fifty monsters and we each get an epic, one hundred and it's a unique instead. Quests like this don't come around every day. We need to bring our A-game, everyone—don't fuck this up. Let's stay humble, stay on the first level, and get it done. It expires today so we only have one shot: let's make it count." Her companions, a rogue, mage, and druid, nod and clap each other on the back. "The quest also mentioned there might be some undead and goblins attacking: it's a bit unusual, but keep your minds on the loot and this'll be the biggest boost we've had in-game thus far."

The adventurers walk down the tunnel and soon meet a small hunting party of fallen ones with a single hellhound. The canine daemon breathes fire then orders its subordinates to charge, and the battle is joined. You switch perspectives to see a gaunt human wearing a black robe and carrying a staff. He taps his staff on the ground and cackles as skeletons crawl out of the dirt. The moment he's out of frame, none other than Zigrag shows up, a few powerful goblins still following him. He gives an evil glare and licks one of his notched daggers, his companions bristling with steel. They walk out of frame and another group of adventurers walk in, these ones slightly higher level than the first.

"Okay, this isn't ideal. I know the whole idea of this new design was that we hang back and watch from the back lines unless any adventurers make it all the way to the throne room, but it looks like we might need to get our hands dirty." You dismiss your dreams of having two or three of your champions between your legs as you wait for adventurers to make it to the deepest part of your dungeon and stand up, walking with your entourage towards the portal. You emerge in the goblin village to shouts of alarm and the clash of steel echoing from caverns in the distance. Rishukan saunters up to you.

"Red guy! Why you come? We defend home, kill pink meanies, you rest with women in boss place."

"Hi Rishu. Sorry, but I'll be taking a personal hand in this invasion. You're still in command of all of your forces on this level, but my group and I will be fighting here as well." The women behind you draw their weapons as if in emphasis.

The giant fallen one's face falls. "Red guy no trust?"

"I trust you and your troops, but this is a serious threat that we can't afford to lose against so I won't be taking any chances. I'll try to stay out of your hair." The huge daemon nods and leaves to command her forces, while you and your champions cross the bridge and enter the sprawling cave system beyond. The din of battle draws nearer and you round a corner to see the four adventurers from earlier fighting several shappazus, the paladin glowing with a bright golden light that seems to inexorably draw in your gaze while her three companions slay the daemons and their slimy charges from a distance. You signal for your champions to stay back—the adventurers are of no real threat to you—then illuminate yourself in flames and enter the room.

"Adventurers! You trespass upon Azazel's Lair in service to a foul master. Leave at once or face my wrath." Tongues of flame lick at your form as you speak.

"Holy shit, is that the boss? What's he doing here? This is only the first level. I thought bosses at this rank usually stayed in the back." The rogue chatters and raises his daggers as you approach. His companions quiver, and the shappazus cease their ****.

"Matters beyond your comprehension demand that I intervene personally. Return another time and my dungeon will welcome you with challenges and treasure beyond your wildest dreams, but flee this place and tell all others that my Lair is not to be trespassed upon for the duration of this World Bounty." Your hands gesture as you speak, streaks of fire following them. "Your adventurer Quest has been perverted by a great evil, and the boons you are promised come with dire consequences."

"Why should we believe you, daemon? This is the best quest we've seen in ages: we aren't giving it up now." The paladin speaks up and bravely holds her sword up to you, her expression invisible under her full helm.

"Believe what you wish, but you will obey. Now go, and tell any others you see of my decree." The adventurers flinch as you toss a firebolt over their heads, the flaming sphere streaking towards the exit.

"Say, Alastra, maybe we should take this seriously? Monsters don't usually give warnings like this: they want us to come into their dungeons for some reason." The mage speaks up, his voice wavering as he looks at your imposing form

"Yeah, I think we should listen to him. Never thought I'd be concerned about the rewards in a game being too good to be true, but something about invading alongside a bunch of undead feels off and I don't really want to lose this character. I can only play once a week: it already took ages to get this far." the druid dismisses her roots entangling your minions and backs away.

"Then think about how far you can get if we just finish this! The daemon is alone, maybe we can take him?" The paladin swishes her sword through the air but flinches, her awkward movements not matching the confidence in her voice, but her companions shake their heads and continue to back away. "This isn't the last you've seen of us, fiend!" The paladin keeps her sword held high as she slowly backs away to rejoin her companions. They take one last look at you then head back the way they came.

"My lord, should we really have let them go? What if they just come back and keep killing our underlings? There's nothing stopping them." Sera, as usual, would have preferred a more violent solution.

"I wasn't lying to them when I said that this is too good to be true. Rewards like that have the potential to attract adventurers like nothing we've seen before, and this is only the first day! If even a few of them retreat and warn others away from here it may spare us a lot of grief over the course of the bounty." As you speak you listen for the sounds of battle, then pick a direction where you're likely to be of use.

Sera frowns. "Look, my lord, I know that you like your schemes, and maybe you'll even convince one or two of them, but I think letting that paladin go was a mistake. There's no way she'll listen."

"If she doesn't then we can come back and kill her." You shrug. "I doubt a few low-level adventurers will be the difference between victory and defeat. In any case, enough talk: what's done is done. Let's go find that necromancer." Your party follows you down the narrow cave until groans and clattering fill the air ahead, a pungent smell of rot palpable in the air. A fireball streaks out of your hands into the gloom: if it deals any collateral damage then so be it. Mariel follows it up with a blast of frigid wind and you rush towards the room, only to hear the ringing of steel behind you.

"That's the boss. What is he doing here?"

"Who cares? I've never even heard of an artifact weapon being offered at our level. Give it everything you've got!"

You turn to see three male adventurers behind you: a stocky dwarf berserker with fiery orange hair, a bald elementalist mage with flowing robes, and an inquisitor—a class you've never seen before—bearing a rapier and wearing a leather duster and wide-brimmed cap. The first two are the very same adventurers that were tossed off a cliff by Zalreanne during the last world bounty: they and their new friend must've been busy in the interim, and while they're a few levels below your group they're a threat to be taken seriously.

"Mariel, Sera, Tlax, deal with the necromancer. We'll handle this." The three monstrous champions nod and dash towards the approaching groans, while you engulf yourself in fire and wisps of pale blue and sickly green play along Ari's sword. Her fellow tiefling raises a polished ebony staff, and with the sound of an off note played on a violin the air near the mage begins to bubble and tear. The berserker leaps forward with a yell, as does the inquisitor, while the mage vanishes in a blue flash and appears far away from the opening portal. A lance of green energy shoots from Ari's sword and smashes into the inquisitor, who's knocked back just next to the portal. The air suddenly tears apart with a ripping sound as spiked tentacles reach from a red, glowing gap in reality and lash against your beleaguered foe.

All sound vanishes from the world other than a loud ringing sound, and you wince as you feel a lightning bolt burn your cheek. Your ears gradually regain their hearing, interpreting sounds they hear as incredibly deep and distorted at first. "Oy, daemon, are you just going to keep sightseeing?" The elementalist holds up his arms and rocks and stones start detaching from the walls and floor and gathering into a large sphere in front of him. The ground rushes up to meet you as you throw yourself down just before the massive boulder can slam into you, and there's a loud crunch as it instead explodes against the wall behind.

You take a quick glance to confirm that Ari has the berserker locked in one-on-one combat and Tina has now summoned several imps who surround the battered and bloodied inquisitor. No other melee threats in sight, you toss yourself into a run towards the mage, who's now tossing icicle after icicle towards you. You weave back and forth, throwing fireballs as you run, and although a few icicles meet their mark you throw yourself on top of the mage and bring him down to the floor, slashing with your claws, wings, and tail as he desperately begins chanting again. He's almost dispatched when another blinding blue flash is accompanied by the feeling of solid ground beneath you: the mage has teleported once again. A pleasant warmth tickles you from behind, and you turn to see him attempting to torch you with a huge jet of fire.

"I'm glad to see you've practiced somewhat since my maid single-handedly dispatched you and your companion last time," you sneer, "but you really ought to read something about daemons before wasting my time again." The air above him reels, and the surprised mage vanishes into a blazing inferno as you summon your most powerful spell down upon him.

BOOM. you're thrown into the ground by an incredible **** on your shoulder. You look down and see a small, round hole cut clean through your chest, something you've never had happen before, and spin to find the source. The inquisitor stands with the daemonologist's last imp skewered on his rapier, his other hand pointing a small, cylindrical metal object towards you. It has a larger, ridged cylinder near the back just above the handle, and a small trail of smoke leaks out of the top. What in the world is that? BANG: you're knocked to the floor again as you see fire erupt from the tip of the cylinder, and a projectile that you can't even see pierces through your chest.

"Daemon, feel Enileve's cleansing fire!" He steps towards you and flicks a switch atop the object, the ridged cylinder rotating and ejecting a small lump of red-hot metal. "I look forward to learning just how good artifacts are. He raises the object again, pointing it directly at your head, grinning. The air behind him begins to boil.

"Sorry buddy, I'm going to have to pass on that for now." You smirk and he cocks his head, then spins around at the tearing sound only to see a clawed hand reach out and grab him by the scalp. He gives a yell and is pulled towards the portal, then vanishes with a sickening crunch. Arialle stands panting, a third loot bag below her, and the sound of footsteps and slithering announce that your three other champions have finished with their task as well. You lean against the wall and take out a potion.

"Okay, oof, let's... let's not do that again." The holes on your chest begin to knit themselves shut as you guzzle the thick red liquid. "How did the rest of you make out?"

"That necromancer brought some friends. I think we should retreat for a while and monitor the situation while we recover." Mariel's voice is emotionless and analytical, in sharp contrast to her non-combat self.

"I need to ressst: that goblin was ssstrong," Tlax's usual terseness is accompanied by a loud, hissing yawn.

"Okay, anyone object? I could use the break as well." The rest of your champions nod and you begin a fighting retreat to the portal, dispatching several more adventurers, goblins, and undead as you go.

A half hour later you're back in your command centre. Despite only being around noon, the fighting seems to be slowing: a few groups make it all the way to the fallen ones' village, but Rishukan proves her worth as a level boss and not a single enemy manages to best her. By mid afternoon your underlings are re-spawning faster than they're dying, and the level begins to refill.

"Why are they ssso weak?" Tlax is somewhat confused at the display.

"All of the strongest ones would've come early to be the first ones to the best rewards." Mariel nods as Celestina explains her theory. "Most of the ones still trickling in are people like the paladin we met, low-level adventurers just aiming for the basic quest rewards: those rewards are still incredibly good, after all."

"Well, maybe our warning early on worked." Ari chimes in with a smile.

"Or maybe they're waiting to see what will be on offer for the rest of the event if these are just the day one rewards." Your expression is darker: today was too easy. "Let's go rest up for the next day. I want two people watching the scrying pool at all times: we'll take four hour shifts. Any volunteers?" The two angels stand at attention. "Thanks you two," you give them each a squeeze. "In four hours, one of you can come and wake up Tlax and I to take over for you. In the mean time, stay alert. This isn't the time to get arrogant and assume our enemy won't try anything at night." Everyone nods and the four of you not on watch head to the bedroom for some much-needed rest.