An old rival comes back to play

When Rea's ministrations bring you back to life the next morning, a floating popup announcing the last day of the world bounty is already awaiting you. Seeing no reason to delay, you open it up, and can't help but let out a groan.

World Bounty: Avenge Mannfred's Mansion
Mannfred von Brennenburg, noble of Fairweather Bay, has had his house sacked by a dungeon boss and his cohorts. The city guard has issued bounties for the return of a large mana crystal stolen this way and for retributive actions against the daemon. Teach Azazel to keep the peace in the crossroads city!
Notable Living Monsters: 11/11
Day 3 of 3
All rewards from regular monsters are doubled.
Azazel and his champions and level bosses will not respawn for the rest of the event. At the end of the event, parties will be rewarded based on the number of notable monsters killed, potentially up to level 50 artifacts.
Bonus (no clears on day 1 & 2): Day 1 & 2 rewards also apply.

Well, this is the what you signed up for when you intentionally triggered a world bounty: a major headache due to the ever-increasing rewards. Worst of all, now that you've located and recruited both Selena and Lucia's group there isn't even anything more you're looking to get out of the event. You give Rea a treat, wiggle out from under the still-sleeping champions above you, and make your way down to the throne room.

"Morning Aze," Mariel looks up from her seat, a book in hand.

"Morning Mary. Anything new?" Inconvenient though world bounties may be, you have to admit that they do a good job of bringing the dungeon together. The day-to-day assaults from adventurers aren't nearly enough to keep your champions focused long-term.

"Just a few low-level adventurers so far: nobody has even gotten past Rishu yet." With that, the angel returns her attention to her latest tome, a crinkle and a puff of dust breaking the silence whenever she turns a yellowed page.

"Morning Mary," the sleepy voice of the older angel drifts across the room from behind you. "Morning Aze." The black-feathered angel steps into view from behind you, then climbs onto your lap when she sees it's available, letting out a moan as she impales herself on your waiting shaft. "Mmm, nice way to start the day. Anyone need killing?" She presses her bust into you as she rides you, chin resting on your shoulder.

"Apparently just a bunch of weaklings," you run your hands across the angel's brown skin and through her night-black hair as you speak. "There are some serious rewards today, though, so maybe we'll see someone relevant for a change."

"Here's to that! In the mean time, luckily the entertainment here isn't bad." She pauses to moan as she moves her hips up and down. "Say, Mary, care to put that book down and join us?"

"Maybe later, it's just so interesting!"

"Morning Luce, morning Red, morning Blue, what's up?" Ikaria's perky voice emanates from the stairwell.

"This really is a den of debauchery, isn't it?" The fox-woman's voice bears amused resignation at the scene she's arrived to. "I'm not sure why I expected anything different." She pauses for a second, and you and Sera let out a few exaggerated grunts and moans for her benefit. "Say, who's the paladin? She looks at least half-competent."

Sera suddenly gets up and spins around before sinking back down, now facing the scrying pool: the mention of a potential challenger is too tempting for her to resist. Over her shoulder you can make out the heavy plate worn by Alastra, the paladin who got her start during Akserrak's invasion of your dungeon some time ago. Three other women accompany her, the group cutting through your fallen warriors like butter.

"Well, that's just great..." you groan once again, this time not from the pleasurable sensations coming from your lower body.

"Why so worried? We beat her last time." Sera doesn't seem to share your fear: her excited voice betrays her enthusiasm at the prospect of fighting the holy warrior. "So what if she's brought friends?"

"I'm not totally confident that we didn't win on her terms last time we met, and if her friends are anything like her we're about to get crushed. Well, I'm sure Kay would be fine, but having her fight an adventurer actively involved in the hunt for the Radiant Soul would be about the clearest violation of my deal with the wyrm that I can think of."

"Well, this is going to be fun." The dragoness in question casually toys with a piece of string while she speaks. "After all, doesn't this quest you triggered have a clause that encourages the heroes to hunt down every last one of your champions? Not that I'm complaining at the opportunity to incinerate some arrogant brats."

"Say, Kay—"

The princess groans as you address her. "I have a feeling that I'm not going to like whatever you're about to say."

"How do you feel about letting Selena and her party kill you? That would knock you off of the world bounty list for the whole day and solve our problem."

The tall woman glowers at you and crosses her arms, tapping her left hand's fingers against her opposite arm. After a minute of relative silence, only the familiar wet slapping of flesh against flesh still filling the room, she takes in a long breath followed by letting out an exaggerated sigh. "Fine. I know this is important to you, but you owe me one."

"And what exactly does that mean?"

"I don't know, I'll decide later. Now get your cumdumps down here before I regret what I just agreed to." Kay lets out another sigh and throws herself back on a large cushion, laying with her arms splayed out to her sides and her eyes closed. You signal to Zalreanne: the maid curtsies and moves to fetch your new allies.

Alastra has already made it past Rishukan by the time Rea disappears up the stairs, and her party is in the process of efficiently cutting their way through the Halls of Desire in front of you. The ease with which they're progressing leaves you little doubt that you've made the right decision. "Annie," the junior maid perks up. "Could you fetch one of those summoning books the abishai have altered? Now might be as good a time as any to drop one as a 'reward'."

"Yes, master." The maid curtsies and walks off. You daydream as you watch her enticing rear sway: if all goes well, perhaps the paladin might one day join her.

"Morning daemon." When Selena steps forward and sees the scene in front of her, she merely shakes her head and gives a wry grin. "Your maid said you needed something?"

"Yes. We're about to lose to a group of adventurers, and would prefer if Kay here wasn't around for it." The dragoness gives a lazy nod from her seat. "If you wouldn't mind killing her and collecting the bounty reward..."

"Oh, already given up? That isn't like you." Selena smirks and glances over to the scrying pool, where her eyes widen a little. "Okay, I see your point."

"Just head back up to the tower after that. She'll have no reason to stick around once she's cleared all of the bounty conditions. Let's try not to make this more complicated than it has to be."

Kay lets out another dramatic sigh. "Let's get this over with already, shall we?" The group of them file out of the room, and moments later Annie returns with the edited summoning book. Anticipating the likely defeat and hoping to make the most of it, you move the book to part of your inventory which drops on ****. Seeing that Alastra's group is already working their way through Baelzann's 'Shattered Elysium' you make your way to the boss arena along with your champions. It isn't long before the crunch of mailed feet announces the paladin's approach, and moments later her group starts to file into the room.

The paladin herself is concealed entirely behind her thick silvery full plate, a purplish greatsword held in her gauntlets. An elf witch walks behind her, straight black hair with an dyed ribbon of alabaster cascading down a plain black robe that drags along the floor. A brown-skinned woman with a short black ponytail strolls in next: her leather outfit is lined with glass vials full of strange liquids which clink together, and her skin is dirty with grease and grime. Finally, a tall elf carrying a longbow brings up the rear, her long wavy blonde hair cascading over her green cape and the two daggers at her waist.

"Azazel." Alastra gives you a stiff nod and holds her sword at the ready, the others taking a formation behind her. For a moment your group simply stares at the enemy party and they stare back, the tension in the air so thick you could cut it with a knife. Neither side exchanges any words, simply eyeing the other. Finally, an arrow pulsating with greenish light leaves the archer's bow, and as the thrum of the string cuts through the silence both sides leap into action.

Scarcely a second later, a glass vial smashes on the ground in front of you. Your vision swims as noxious fumes fill the air in your vicinity. You leap back, coughing as droplets of the chemical burn at your airways, and bring down faerie fire on the alchemist who threw it: unfortunately, the high-level adventurer simply shrugs off the curse. Her head turns to your four-armed snake woman charging at her with a scimitar in each hand, but instead of dodging away she casually pops off the lid of another roiling mixture. After gulping down the green concoction with a slight grimace, she draws a simple staff from her back. When Tlax arrives, the wooden stick swings impossibly fast and crashes into the marilith's side. You launch a fireball at the alchemist, but she dodges effortlessly out of the way and then leaps towards the snake woman, the staff crashing past all four blades and catching Tlax in the arm.

A blinding flash of light fills the room, and when it returns into Alastra's body the fight has stabilized, Sera and Mariel holding back the paladin while Tlax and Celestina duel the alchemist and Ari and Aethane pursue the archer. The last elf, the plain-robed witch, turns towards you, her pale face sending a chill down your spine. You call down a flame strike on the enemy caster which she receives without flinching, bits of her hair and robe smoking from the blaze and burns evident on her body, but the sound of rushing air begins to fill the room as she channels a spell of her own. Soon after, a cacophony of caws replaces it. Crows and ravens fly through every door, swirling around you in a mass of dark feathers and sharp beaks.

Fire sputters in your hand as you try to immolate yourself to incinerate the relentless birds, but their constant pecks and jabs keep you from concentrating long enough to cast the spell. Your health quickly drains away from the ****, and by the time frost begins to collect on their wings from a chill wind you've nearly fallen. The respite is fleeting, however: as the birds vanish into puffs of feathers you make out the witch preparing another spell, her robes and hair billowing in some unseen wind as she holds her arms up and out to either side.

A searing pain shoots through your torso as your heart seizes in your chest, and you fall to your knees. A thin stream of essence leaks out of your body and trails towards the witch, and from the corner of your eye you can see most of your companions have suffered much the same fate: only Aethane and Celestina remain standing. Sera falls first and Mary soon after, cut down one after the other by Alastra's powerful swings. Tlax and Ari find their weapons bounce off the archer's cloak it glows along with some sort of chant, then fall as the seemingly-invulnerable archer slashes with her two shining daggers. Although your paralysis ends a moment later, your formation is in chaos and your muscles scream as you stand. Alastra charges towards you as you stand back up, and when her blade finds you it's almost merciful.

You have died during a world bounty. Cannot respawn until the bounty ends.