A challenge.

By the time you finished talking to Lia, Mamma had given her farewell to the red-haired player that had been her captive for these past few days, and she now presented herself to you.

The girl firmly in her arms, eyes closed reflecting her **** state; it seems they had taken the time to groom her some: Her body (and hair) now clean of residues, and covered in a very fancy black negligée that reached to just above the knee. One thing was clear to you: The meat tool the völva had given her had disappeared by now, as something so light and short could never conceal that monster.

You were both escorted to the large front door of the Black Castle, alongside the snake you had playfully named Skippy, and it fell upon you to carry her the rest of the way, as none of the völva wanted to leave their fortress, despite your protest.

It was much difficult for you to carry the girl. Light as she was, your strength was nothing compared to the women who had imprisoned her, and the snake chastising you for naming him something so silly didn’t make your job any easier, but eventually you made your way down the hill.

“…Skippy is simply not a suitable name for an intelligent creature, it is not even a suitable name for a pet, and frankly-“

“Shhh” You attempted to silence him, with a little more insistence this time. The sight you were seeing giving urgency to the request.

“I am being serious, why can’t-“

“Shut up!” You whispered to the snake, starting to move towards some nearby bushes with some difficulty, the limp body of the player on your shoulders weighting you down.

They must have been some 200 feet away, so it’s unlikely they had seen you, especially occupied as they were attacking a few helpless slimes. Or trying to, at least.

There were three of them: One of them was wearing a brown cloak and carried a small dagger in his hand, the other one fully clad neck to toe in what appeared to be copper armor, his helmet clearly missing, he was carrying a large sword; and the last one wore leather pants and chainmail with a bow firmly held with both hands.

From their equipment and the fact that they were attacking slimes, it was obvious they were low level players. Very inept ones, you thought, as the one with the bow was failing most of his shots while the other two hacked away at the slimes, many of which tried to escape into the water and away from the players.

Inept or not, however, you had to be careful. There were three of them, and you were only one. They could become trouble if they were to attack you.

“You know, there was no reason for being rude.” You heard, the rather small snake crawling at your feet as you spoke. “We’re too far away either way.”

“Can’t you shut up for a minute? I’m trying to think here.” You said, annoyance very palpable in your voice.

“Oh my, yes, I would not want your brain to overheat while you realize those trees over there on the left would make for good cover.” He said, very snarkily “Or that we could go back up to the castle and wait for a bit.”

You were about to respond to this mockery when he continued.

“I mean, you’re a female and they’re all males. It would be even easier to just walk up to them and use your charms. This is not really the dilemma you are making it out to be.”

“I guess he’s right.”, you thought. All of those options were available to you, but choosing the right one would be the challenge. Sneaking away was by far the safer route, but you would be slow while carrying the fainted player, and there was no guarantee of succeeding.

Charming the players was also an option, but your battered, used body was tired, raw and dirty. You did not want to expose yourself again in this state. And there was also no assurance of success, as you would be unable to charm all three at once.

Finally, you could always turn back towards the castle. That would be by far the easiest option, but dealing with the völva women again might not be the wisest move, and the players might offer some needed experience points.

Once again, you would have to decide.