With Jared's departure and three less adventurers

The last dungeon level is illuminated with a warm yellow glow, plumes of smoke and eerie red lights marring the landscape. A statue of a tall angel holds a sword extended ahead and to the left, her flowing robes and hair giving the impression of a harsh wind. The statue on the other side of the path shows a male angel who holds a huge tower shield out in front of him, staring forward confidently as if daring you to attack. His shield, however, is rather unusual: it depicts a woman chained by her wrists and ankles to its four corners, and she seems to squirm slightly in the light.

No, wait, that's an actual person chained to the shield. Your eyes focus and you recognize the long red hair, small lips, and pointed nose of Elena, the mage-turned-necromancer from Shadowdagger's group. Jared glances around to confirm that there are no enemies in the immediate vicinity, then runs up to the statue, looking up at his estranged lover.

"Lana! Are you alright? Why haven't you been returning any of my texts or calls?" She squirms and a muffled sound comes down: a gag is stuffed into her mouth. Selena pulls out a pale blue gem and aims it at the elf.

"Wait, are you sure we should be taking her down? Isn't she the enemy?" Amara holds out a hand to stop her party member, who nods and lowers the hand that holds her gem.

"Please, help her out! She needs us." Jared turns around and begs the group, not able to get to her as a melee character.

"Dude, every single time we've run into her she's tried to kill us. She ran with PKers and then willingly joined some sort of megalomaniac lich. Half of that describes you, but I've at least been told there was a time when you weren't just trying to PK every adventurer you saw," Tashila glares at the bare-chested brute. "Why should we risk our quest to free the enemy? We can always just come back later."

"Imp, you promised!" Jared turns to you, a pleading look in his eyes.

"Fine... just knock her down before I regret it. But if she attacks us you're the one dealing with it." He nods and gives you a clap on the shoulder when you agree. Selena gives you a doubtful look, but you nod and she shrugs, then blasts the chains with a thick shard of ice. One chain after another snaps, and the elf falls to the ground in a heap.

"Lana!" Jared runs over to her and removes the gag.

"Jay? Urgh, wha..." He bends down and wraps her in a hug, then removes an ornate hair band from her head and throws it into a nearby pit. The item begins to reduce to goo as it flies away, presumably the source of her unnatural powers. "Huh? I'm so thirsty..."

"Lana, when was the last time you logged off? I've been messaging you for days and they aren't even marked as seen."

"I wanted to play more... having such a good time."

"You were literally chained to a statue!"

"Yeah, it seems strange now, doesn't it?" She groans and flops on the floor.

"Okay, you two lovebirds sort things out: we've got a dungeon to conquer." Not wanting to waste any more time, you signal the rest of your group to keep moving. While you're somewhat curious how the lich achieved the die-hard loyalty his minions give him, you're much more interested in actually killing him and making sure he doesn't recruit any more adventurers to his cause. Questioning his soon to be ex-minions can come later, and worst case if they all clam up or leave it's a mystery that won't really need a solution.

The level in front of you stretches out into a long bridge, huge chasms lying to either side. Looking down, they seem to be filled with a glowing yellow light, although you know from constructing the level that they really just lead to rock surfaces. Anyone who falls in will send people who fall in back to the top with some damage, part of the level's theme of a burning palace built high in the sky. Angels and tieflings clash on the platform ahead, imps flying around and cackling while setting anything available on fire. However, as you approach the battles the combatants turn to reveal twisted angels with burning halos and red eyes, and both sides roar and charge in unity at your group. Magic-wielding fallen angels and imps unleash a barrage of fire and light from bridges far to the sides, and Selena uses a particularly bright topaz to channel a wide shield that protects your group from the daemonic artillery.

The first few battles go smoothly, nothing but low-level enemies in your way, and the bridge opens up ahead into a wide, circular platform. The far side contains a gate which blocks off the lair of Baelzann, the boss of this level. Bridges lead off to platforms on either side which eventually end in keys for the boss door ahead. "We'll take the left side: you guys go right. Meet up back here and we'll take on the boss together. And wait this time: I don't want to lose because you couldn't resist showing off." Amara nods at this and leads her group to the bridge on the far side. With the shield gone, your group charges ahead, the occasional firebolt or holy bolt striking the adventurers as they close the distance to the casters. The seraphs and imps aren't much use in melee: Lucia and Sandra quickly dispatch them once they're within reach of the twin beauties' sharp swords.

"Okay, now's the time to use your potions and healing spells. We only have a few more fights between now and the boss and I'm hoping we won't need too many resources for him." Both melee adventurers down potions at your suggestion, and Becca the cleric starts to touch up any burns or scrapes Annie, Cindy, and Zalreanne took from the onslaught. Mostly restored, your group advances to the first key platform.

A huge suit of armour stands ahead, metallic wings extending from its back and a massive hammer in its right hand, head sitting against the ground in a watchful pose. The key hangs on a ring from its belt. Lucia runs up to the platform, arm outstretched. "Careful girl, that isn't a statue!"

"Huh?" The magus gives a questioning glance at you in response and is sent flying as an armoured fist meets her side. Red light emanates from the huge construct and it stands up, taking its hammer in both hands and widening its feet into a battle stance. The magus plummets into one of the glowing pits and Sandra the warrior adopts a defensive stance. One of your arrows deflects off the thick plate, not much use against a fully armoured opponent, while Zal's barrage of stones leaves various dents and chinks in the armour. "Urgh..." you look behind you to see a wounded Lucia, returned from the pitfall, steadying herself and clutching her stomach. She takes another healing potion out of her enchanted pack, which she apparently keeps in her cleavage. Seeing as your aren't much use against the heavily-armoured opponent, you appreciate the view for a moment before she charges back into battle, then turn to watch her nearly-bare backside sway until she fully rejoins the fight.

"Oy, a little help here?" Cindy tosses her enchanted dagger, its magically sharp tip carving off a piece of armour, then catches it as it returns. Another of your arrows bounces off the armour: you aren't quite sure what she expected, but hopefully it's at least good for morale. Lucia ducks under the huge hammer's swings while hacking away at the construct's legs, surprisingly nimble now that she's aware of the danger, while her party member maintains most of the enemy's focus as she parries or dodges its blows. After another minute of combat the powerful enemy falls, the joints finally too damaged to maintain the armour's weight, and with a massive clang the pieces hit the ground one after another. Lucia bends over, giving you a delicious view of her assets, and picks up the key from its key ring.

"Okay, one more to go, then back to the boss." Your group makes their way to the other end of the left part of the level, and after the underlevelled adventurers' practice taking down the first enemy the second one goes down without too many issues: they receive only a few cuts and bruises which Becca can heal without spending much mana. Ten minutes later and you're back on your way to the centre of the complex: Grungil gives a cheery wave from the boss door, his party already having cleared their side and healed up in preparation.

The huge doors swing open to reveal that the final room is empty other than a handful of imps: evidently Baelzann chose not to reclaim his position as the boss of this level. The portal to the final level swirls ahead and you casually let loose arrows at the minute tricksters while your party advances. Suddenly, a shadow begins to take place in the swirling red door, then another, and then another. Shadowdagger, Orin, and Alex, the last of the lich's enthralled adventurers, step down the stairs one after another and gaze at your allies with disdain.

"Grungil and Amara, eh? And you've brought some wimps with you?" You duck behind a broken statue of an angel: you'd rather the rogue not identify you if you can avoid it, two soft mounds pressing into your back. "Hah, look, two of them are too scared to even face me!" Zalreanne has joined you behind the rubble, cowering out of sight while you enjoy the feeling of her twin assets. "Don't worry, I won't bite..." the glint of his dagger challenges his statement and he leaps into action, disappearing in a puff of smoke and materializing behind Cindy the rogue. His companions barrage the other ranged adventurers in your group with a wave of arrows and spells.

"Hah, already given up, lads?" Grungil shoots a dripping bolt at the archer, who winces as it cuts a smoking groove in their side. "Come pick on a 'hero' yer own size, if ye kin e'en call yerselves tha' by now!" Amara roars and charges at Orin the ex-druid while Tashila moves to defend her allies against the teleporting rogue. Annie and Becca channel defensive spells which absorb some of the blows coming their way, while Cindy winces as she moves to block dagger after dagger from her higher-levelled counterpart, each blow that gets through bringing her one step closer to defeat. Finally, the rogue teleports away as the paladin reaches him, his offensive capabilities now hamstrung by the need to keep his distance from the equal-level melee specialist who pursues him.

Although the lich's three minions put up a brave fight they're drastically outnumbered, in many cases by adventurers more experienced than they are. The druid falls first, a boulder of ice from the invoker slamming into him as he does his best to parry the magus's ****. Alex the archer goes down soon after, unable to out-shoot Grungil while also under **** from the lower-level warrior, mage, and rogue. Shadowdagger proves much more resilient than usual, this time unhindered by Tlax's stacking debuff, but when his companions have fallen there's only so much he can do to dodge the combined onslaught of ten adventurers; after a few mistakes too many he falls to the ground with a groan. "Hah, I look forward to my pay when my master flattens you all." He lets out one last bitter laugh before Grungil puts a mundane bolt into him, sending the rogue back to town, hopefully for the last time—at least in service of the lich.

With no more risk of being recognized, you lead your maid back out of cover, walking over to the adventurers busy collecting what few coins the scattered imps had dropped. "Ransacking the dungeon can wait. Everyone ready to move on to the final area? Remember, let Zal and I take the lead." The adventurers ignore you, continuing to grab any stray coins. "Hey, you all, I'm talking to you!"

"Stuff it, laddie. Ye can lead us all ta yer grand victory once we've had our loot." You roll your eyes: adventurers. Toss a coin in front of them and they'll stop at everything to grab it. After a few minutes of unnecessary cash-grubbing, the combined group of 11 adventurers and yourself stand in front of the portal. Your hand plunges into your pocket and takes out the cursed necklace, rearranging it so that the blue gem hangs conspicuously out of your pants, then you step through the swirling red circle and lick your lips as you anticipate your victory.