Not really?

"Wait wait wait. Let me get this straight."

"Ugh! Again?"

"What's so hard about this to understands?"

What seemed like hours had passed, with you lugging dead weight the whole way, well at least Melkar took your bag for you so you could ask questions better, but Sephora sounded the most exhausted, and with you.

"Heroes like to be imprisoned, **** and traded like slaves?"

"No! They like to keep prisoner, and to be rapists and slavers!" The two should be enemies, shouted in unison.

"But you said it's common courtesy to pretend–"

"RP!" They both shouted.

"Whatever! Why would anyone show common courtesy to anyone like that?"

"Well if you wanted to turn the tables you'd want to have fun too right?"

"Yeah, but, isn't it just normal to not... I just don't get.... You know what fuck it, I don't care anymore! I hear water anyway's were probably at this fucking pond or whatever!" You should've been excited, or at least nervous, but you couldn't help but be pissed.

Ever since you started lugging them along you've been going in circles with this whole "lawless world" thing, but none of it made sense. Heroes pretended to hate being abused in all sorts of way's to be nice to their abusers? Because of some bullshit social etiquette called RPing? You just didn't get it. It was easier to write off heroes as fucking crazy like you had always thought.

The only useful things that you had heard that even made a little sense was that imprisonment was a fate worse than ****, what with respawning being a thing after all. But apparently there were "Rebels" that went around freeing low level heroes from high level hero made prisons though.

And in passing you were able to pick up that there weren't really any NPC run anythings anymore. If it was a profession, it was done by heroes. That was news to you.

None of that mattered at the moment though. You were right, your destination was near. Though the sound of water was the least noticeable thing about the place.

In a huge open cavern was a giant murky blue lake, surrounded by crates upon crates of... stuff? There was rope everywhere, some shoddy docks thrown together, and lining the ceiling and walls were crystals, each giving off a faint blue glow, but given their sheer numbers they lit up every inch of the place.

"Well, this is it." Melkar, still playing his song stated the obvious, "Toss her in the drink and get this over with."

"W-wait!" Sephora finally started to react appropriately to her situation, "Maybe we can make a deal!"

"Bit late for that." You snorted, casually trying to shake her off.

"We kinda need to level up a bit before we can even fight a low level monster. What do you have that would make us pass up this chance?" Melkar added, deftly bounding from your back.

"Yeah, but if a level five and level two can't take down anything as you are, bumping up two or three levels each isn't going to help you." Sephora, now off your back but still under the effects of Melkar's spell simply sat there and stared at you.

She had a point, a few levels couldn't reasonably help you that much, but... hold up?

"You're level 18!" You were, of course, glaring directly at the blood red characters hovering over her head, you were too busy to really notice what didn't matter before, but now, "I beat a level 8 and she gave me two levels. What makes you think You'll only do the same?"

"Sound's like you've gotten lucky twice now–"

"Lucky!" The nerve of this girl...

Well she was right... but still...rude.

"Look, I'll be the first to say it, there's no wrong way to win a fight. But since you obviously don't seem to know, PvP gives garbage experiences."

"She mean's killing hero's." Melkar helpfully added.

"And once you get anywhere near level 10, leveling up slows down. Put those two thing's together, and they aren't going to do you any favors."

"She's got us there. Even if I spend my skill points wisely, I wouldn't have enough to do anything on my own." Melkar sighed, "What skills do you even have?"

It took you a moment to realize he was talking to you,

"Uh...Charge?"

"What does that do?"

"I...charge forwards..."

"..."

"And, uh, deal damage based on my strength and agility."

"You're level five right?"

"I'm also a sheep! And we just had a threesome! Anything else obvious you wanna talk about?"

"Look!" Sephora, cheeks going red, and brow knit interrupted, and looked to be doing the best she could to stay composed, "You guy's got lucky, and I'm not going to be a sore loser here, but even if you do finish me off, what then? My party members are still in this cave, and even if you can get lucky in yet another fight, there's three of them, and they're all around my level. Do you really think you can get that lucky?"

You really doubted it, but something compelled you to argue back, pride you suppose, been awhile since you had that,

"What makes you think we'd even have to fight them?"

"I know Belgor, he'd love to get **** if you offed me while he was so close by."

"The fuck is Bel– OH! Is he that guy you were making out with?" An epiphany struck you.

"You saw that!" Melkar giggled.

"No, but I heard it. Are you supposed to make that much noise when you kiss or–"

"Anyways!" Sephora interrupted forcefully, her entire face a bright pink now, "Sounds to me like killing me will do more harm than good for you, and I really don't want to respawn in that Anari owned town and get thrown in jail! So how about we come to a deal. You can even leave me tied up for my friends to find me so we don't have to have any doubts about each other, okay?"