They do, eager and ready to go

"Say, fancy meeting you here." Amara steps out of the hall and into your throne room. The barbarian doesn't look much worse for wear despite the challenges she faced in your dungeon. Grungil files in next, then Tashila the paladin, then Selena, then Kiedan the bard, and finally Sam the cleric.

"Laddie, if I remember right ye spoke of numbers when last we fought, an' if my eyes don't deceive me yer the one wit' more this time around. What say ye leave one of these lasses aside and we fight evenly matched?" The dwarf wears a cheery smile as he leans on his crossbow.

"If I remember right we were the same level last we fought as well. Seems you've kept busy." The adventurers are nearly level 40, while your group is still only barely level 35. It isn't an insurmountable difference, but it's the first time a significant gap has formed between you.

"Well, some of us have better things to do than laze about in a dungeon." Tashila draws her own sword with a ring of steel. "On that subject, daemon, let's see what you can do!"

Both sides roar as you join the battle. You call down a golden light on the adventurers before they can disperse, illuminating all but the cleric and paladin with faerie fire. Before you can begin your next spell, the room is engulfed in a storm of arrows, spells, and swords from the other combatants: all manner of attacks and defences fill the area with sound and colour. As your melee champions meet the barbarian and paladin you find yourself with a clear path to Grungil. You begin channelling a flame strike above him—one which you quickly abandon to throw yourself to the floor when a bolt of crackling lightning leaves his bow. Sizzling and the smell of burnt hair overtakes your senses as the enhanced arrow soars just over your prone back. Another flame strike is interrupted by a hissing lance of acid, the magical projectile leaving a blackened trench where you were just moments ago.

A snap of your fingers freezes the dwarf in place, and your next attempt at a flame strike goes uninterrupted, burning away the adventurer's HP as he stands motionless in the blaze. Sam the cleric charges towards the flaming dwarf and lays his hands on his shorter companion; the glowing blessing mends some of Grungil's wounds and restores motion to his limbs. As soon as he's back in the action, the dwarf shoots a freezing lance of ice in your direction. The shard crashes into your chest too quickly for you to dodge, and you groan in pain. You dash backwards, launching firebolt after firebolt as you run, then dodge another electric arrow before leaping behind one of the large pillars in the room. The massive round stone structure gives you some respite: Grungil looses another two arrows, but they whizz harmlessly by the tall cylinder. With an annoyed grunt, the dwarf turns his attention to the duel going on between Selena, Mariel, and Celestina.

A harsh brightness engulfs the area around you and you dodge out from behind your cover. Tashila leaps forward, her dreadlocks flying behind her and her golden sword glows in front of her heavily-armoured form. A second swing nearly cuts your head off, the whooshing air ruffling your hair when you duck the blade, then you roll out of the way just before a third swing shatters a few of the tiles below you. The cone of fire you spray at her in response doesn't provoke any reaction: the paladin simply steps through it. Her body glows a slight reddish-golden hue as it's bathed in flames, and in the distance you hear the sound of a gem shattering through the din of battle. As the flames begin to abate, Tashila holds her sword high in the air and a cone of golden light slams down on the ground. The impact momentarily dazes you and a huge yellow rune materializes in a wide circle around her. Your next firebolt is simply blocked by her wide heater, the steel shield taking on a slight crimson hue as it absorbs the flames. When you leap backwards to get out of the circle you find your movements uncharacteristically sluggish, then you touch the edge and your body suddenly convulses and is thrown back inside. The paladin gives you a nasty slash as you fly past her, costing you nearly a third of your total health, and you groan as you push yourself to your feet.

Seeing no alternative, you extend your claws and tail and prepare for an ill-fated melee engagement with the paladin, but then a cool breeze starts to blow around you. Thick frost accumulates in your wounds and begins to seal them; meanwhile, the paladin's dark skin takes on a tinge of blue as she winces in pain from the sudden blizzard. She holds her shield in front of her and charges, but before she can take more than a few steps a robed priestess leaps in front of you. Her pale skin and curly hair provide a stark contrast to the paladin she's staring down. Tashila's sword comes crashing into Aethane's wrist, a thick block of ice forming to catch the blade. The three-tailed woman retaliates with a powerful swing from her frozen mace. There's a loud clang as it crashes into the paladin's shield, and she staggers back from the impact.

Tongues of flame rise up from the rune that traps you as you call a ring of fire atop its position, the round prison now working against the outnumbered paladin. The air within the blazing ring begins to spin faster and faster, both women's hair whipping around as snow and ice starts materializing in the frigid cyclone. Tashila parries a powerful blow from the priestess then raises her sword and shouts something to the ceiling, but the words are lost in the howl of the wind and the roar of the fire around you. Golden wings of pure light sprout from the paladin's back and she flies back, then the ceiling begins to rumble and bits of rock plummet towards you. A fist-size rock slams into your head, sending you reeling back, then you extend your own leathery wings and fly back into the air. This time the circle lets you past, and you leave the ring of fire, only Aethane still in the collapsing area. Larger and larger rocks crumble from the top of your lair, and just before you land you see a blue hemisphere of ice surround Aethane. It isn't a moment too soon: a huge slab of rock, more than a square metre, comes crashing down on top of her.

A high-pitched woodwind sound comes from behind you and you spin to see Kiedan the bard casually playing a frantic tune, his fingers moving at inhuman speeds across the flute's holes while his brown eyes track your movements. You leap forwards, claws extended from burning hands. The musician casually unclasps a rapier from his side and flicks it at you in response, halting your charge with a sharp and painful jab. He groans in turn as you catch him with your barbed tail, but then leaps away and begins his frantic tune once again. He seems to gracefully sway from side to side as you barrage him with firebolts, barely but consistently dodging each one, then is engulfed in a roar of flame as you launch a fireball directly at his feet. The attack drains the last of your mana and your veins burn with energy as you quaff one of your potions, restoring much of your reserves. Another torrent of flame from your hands engulfs the bard, then a lash of flame reaches into the blaze, pulling the wounded bard towards the battle between Sera and Tashila not far away. The angel gives a flick of her sword when the bard arrives, and the first of the adventurers vanishes into a pile of loot.

"Kiedan!" Sam the cleric rushes over to the loot pile and holds up his hands. A pillar of light burns your eyes and the recently-killed bard floats down from above, the loot vanishing as he lands. You groan in frustration but sling a fireball into the melee; three adventurers in close proximity is too good a target to pass up. Mariel arrives soon after, hot on the cleric's tail, and the area becomes a swirling vortex of ice and fire as the two of you unleash your strongest area spells on the tightly-packed adventurers. The chaos clears to show a golden bubble of light surrounding the paladin, her face strained in concentration but unharmed. The other are two badly scorched yet frostbitten from the dizzying array of searing heat and frigid cold. A snap of your fingers immobilizes the bard, and he vanishes once again as Mariel runs him through with her spear. A moment later the Darkspear pierces Sam as well, then Mariel swings it to parry a blow from Tashila with a flick of her wrist. In the end, all the cleric bought with his **** resurrection spell is a ticket back to town alongside his friend.

A massive roar echoes through the room and Ari goes flying past, the hulking barbarian following at a breakneck pace. At the last second she veers and before you can react her two-handed mace comes crunching into your side. The impact lifts you off the ground and tosses you away like a ragdoll. Amara gives a triumphant yell and leaps in pursuit, but Sera lets out a shout of her own that catches the barbarian's attention, the angel hopping out of the way just before the barbarian's huge hunk of metal smashes a pit in the floor. You groan and quaff your only healing potion then push yourself off the floor with your hands, stumbling slightly from the throbbing in your gut. An arc of lightning from Selena finishes off the warlock in the distance, and Celestina is nowhere to be found either. However, not all is lost: a pair of arrows from Tlax's bow send Grungil reeling, and before he can right himself another two finish him off.

The air begins to fog up as another swirling vortex of cold overtakes more and more of the room. Mariel whips her hands around above her head as if stirring the air itself. A golden bubble of light surrounds the cowering paladin, and Selena channels a blue sphere from a gem, but the barbarian's teeth chatter as rime begins to build up on her body. Tlax rushes over with four scimitars held around her, but with a last yell of defiance Amara launches herself at the marilith, the two tumbling to the floor from the impact. Tlax sinks her fangs into the barbarian's neck, and the barbarian gives her a powerful headbutt in turn, the snake woman vanishing from existence moments before the barbarian does.

Tinges of yellow, subtle at first, begin to appear in the fog, a woman's commanding voice chanting some sort of words which are lost to the storm. The glow expands until it fills the room, utterly blinding you, and when it fades Tashila stands clad in glowing golden armour and wielding an even brighter-shining sword. The light seems to command the air to still, the storm abating around her, and when Sera tries to block a swipe of the shining sword she's driven to the ground by the impact. Another blow brings Mariel to her knees as well, but Aethane manages to resist the third. All caution thrown to the wind, Tashila hammers away at the priestess' stalwart defence, but her initial energy seems to fade, and when you bring a pillar of flame down over her head the paladin breathes her last breath before expiring. The crackle of lightning arcs across the room as Selena unleashes a last **** ****, but seeing all of your remaining champions survive the impact she collapses to the ground.

"Alright, imp, well fought: you win this round. You mentioned you wanted to speak to me about something? I assume it has to do with summoning adventurers?" The invoker staggers to her feet, her hand clutching her side as the battle's wounds catch up with her.

"No rush, take your time. We can go over things tonight or maybe tomorrow morning when nobody is trying to trash this place. In the mean time, Sera, can you escort her to a guest room?" The angel nods and downs a viscous red potion before walking over to let the adventurer lean on her shoulder. "Actually, one moment, let me check on something first." You step up the stairs and through a portal, and a moment later you're greeted by the sight of a napping princess splayed across the bed.

"Kay?" The dragoness stirs slightly and groans.

"Wha?" She rubs her eyes and glares up at you.

"Would you mind stepping out for a bit? We'll be hosting an adventurer tonight, hopefully the one who we'll be working with, but I don't want to risk any information leaks until everything is set in stone."

"No." The dragoness closes her eyes again.

"No you won't or no you don't mind?"

"No I won't. I'm having a nap, go away." The rejection is accompanied by a dismissive wave as she lies with her eyes shut.

"Look, it's just the one—"

"If you and mom want to play this stupid secrecy game that's your prerogative, but I'm not sleeping in the dirt for some adventurer. Go do your deal thing or let her in for all I care, but I'm going back to sleep. Later." With that, the dragoness rolls over and grabs a pillow, letting out a breath before going still. You let out a sigh of your own and head back to the throne room: perhaps you'll need to get this over with now after all.