After a short training, when all were gathered once again in the tent, the chief watched how Dungeon Mistress, her husband, and Paoli talked casually with each other.

  “Good work, Paoli. You teach Dungeon Mistress properly. When she reaches master level, you will be able to call yourself a teacher.”

  “Dad, that is not possible. You are forgetting that you need to have real experience to reach that level. Dungeon Mistress can’t fight her monsters, or leave her dungeon.”

  “And I’m not a warrior, sir. I just want to understand you all better and know how to defend myself or others if things go wrong. However, I’m not sure if I will be able to do that anyway. Killing someone with my hands is unimaginable for me.”

  “Taking someone's life should never be easy. Sometimes it's just necessary. Like with cultists, for example. You protect the weak, and it’s a mercy for those madmen, because their souls stop being tormented by twisted gods. After the death, they could start their life anew.” The chief said.

  “And, also, Dungeon Mistress, you should be more confident in your skills. While you are just starting, you also have good instincts. Oh, and please call me by my name, I’m just a commoner, not a sir. I’m Gonaeg, and my wife's name is Jakuma.”

  “Nice to know you all.” Naomi smiled.

  “Dungeon Mistress, you wanted to talk about something.” Paoli decided to change the topic before her father did something embarrassing. Her mother silently thanked her for that.

  “Right. I almost forgot why I came here. Listnyn Paoli, I got this offer. I admit it’s tempting, but I don’t want to hurt your feelings. I consider you as my friend, and I don’t know how to say it.” Naomi started, but wasn't able to finish.”

  “Just say it, Dungeon Mistress. I’m a sturdy woman, and you will need to try hard to hurt me or my feelings.” Paoli smiled, but was a little worried about what had happened.

  “Ok. So, now you won’t have too much time for yourself, not to mention time for my training lessons. And that's good, because family should be a priority, no matter what. I decided to wait, and in a few years, we may start it again. No problem. But yesterday, Lady Itylara approached me and offered to find someone to replace you. But like I said. I don’t want to hurt your feelings, because it will look like I'm abandoning you for something more fancy, while I don’t need it.”

  Paoli’s eyes went wide.

  “Dungeon Mistress, please tell me you didn’t reject her proposal?” Paoli asked with a shaking voice.

  “No, just said I need to talk to you first before I decide.”

  “Uff.” Paoli sighed with relief. “Dungeon Mistress, I don’t want to be rude, but I must say it. Refusing that kind offer is very stupid. You should immediately find the Lady and accept her offer.”

  “But won’t it be a waste on me?”

  “Never.” Paoli shakes her head. “Dungeon Mistress, knowing how to defend yourself and others is always a good skill.”

  “Also, because you, Dungeon Mistress, can’t have real-life experience in how to fight, you need to substitute it with intensity to shape your reflexes and instincts.” Added her father.

  “Let’s stop this serious talk. As the Chief and head of this family, I invite you, Dungeon Mistress, to a meal.” Paoli’s mother decided to break the discussion. “Regretably, we can serve only simple dishes.”

  Naomi perked up.

  “Thank you. I’m looking forward to seeing what was prepared. The Chief Juntur treated me with fried scorpions. They were delicious.”

  Her comment and smile surprised the chief.

  “Then I think, we will also be able to please you, Dungeon Mistress.” Paoli’s mother smiled back.

  The same day, in the afternoon, Naomi was approached by Lady Itylara again. She wasn’t looking for her because, regardless of Paoli’s advice, she still wasn’t sure.

  “Good day, Dungeon Mistress.”

  “Good day, Lady.”

  “Were you able to talk with your adventurer friend?”

  “I did talk with her,” Naomi confirmed. “I still have some doubts, but I accept your proposal. She should concentrate on her family right now, and not babysitting a dungeon mistress.”

  “I assure you, it isn’t babysitting. It’s a great privilege and an important duty.”

  “But you, Lady, understood that I’m doing this out of curiosity, despite the practical aspect of knowing how to fight?”

  “I’m aware of that. However, that doesn’t mean it shouldn't be done properly.”

  “I guess. So when will I meet my new teacher?”

  “I will be your teacher. Dungeon Mistress.”

  “What? But this is too much. One of your regular instructors should suffice.”

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  “They have their work to do. For me, it will be just a warmup.”

  “I bet,” Naomi grumbled.

  “Let us start immediately. In an hour, my team will arrive for our next diving training. I need to know exactly how much you, Dungeon Mistress, learn so far.”

  Adventurers Guild Master Lucius arrived on the tenth floor shortly after Lady Itylara started training Naomi. Both of them were standing on the sandy beach, and not too far from them, under the shade of a canvas, rested a magnificent lioness. She was Lady Itylara's companion. Those adventurers who stayed to wait for the Dungeon Mistress and saw her performance were impressed. She was a novice, but her instincts were sharp. Most importantly, she wasn’t learning the regular way of fighting. Most likely, her skills were enough to fight any regular bandit.

  After a dozen minutes, when a few sun elves arrived on the tenth floor, Lady Itylara ended the training. Dungeon Mistress thanked her, and Lady Itylara and her team went to change into diving suits. Only then did the Guild Master approach Naomi.

  “Good day, Dungeon Mistress.”

  “Good day, Guild master. Can I assume those adventurers are candidates for my felpers?”

  “Yes, Dungeon Mistress. Let me introduce Pasy and Conor. Both are decent adventurers.”

  Both bowed and greeted Naomi, who smiled and welcomed them on the tenth floor.

  “Conor, we met before. You are a friend of Selphie. I heard you were planning to become guardsmen?”

  “Yes, Dungeon Mistress. However, after the sun elves' arrival, creating a guard was postponed until the town grows.” He answered.

  “Right. And you?” Naomi asked the satyr female.

  “My left arm was badly broken, Dungeon Mistress. But healers do a great job, and I can use it again.” She hastily added and stretched it.

  “But not good enough for adventuring, yes?” Naomi asked, seeing the girl wince in pain.

  “Yes, but I assure you, Dungeon Mistress, I can work.”

  “Don’t worry. The guild master is vouching for both of you, and work is easy. You just have to make sure people wear their suits properly. Come with me. After the sun elves leave, I will show you around.”

  They don’t need to wait long. Naomi first showed Connor how to put on the bottom half of the outfit. Then she entered the women's changing room with Pasy. When Naomi gave her helmet, she froze.

  “What happened?” Naomi asked worriedly.

  “The rumor is true.” She whispered, watching the helmet. It was a similar design to that given to the Grand Priest Jathur, just without an elongated front and just wider sides, because her horns were curled around her ears.

  “Rumors? What kind of rumors?” Naomi asked.

  “About custom-made helmets.”

  “Oh, this rumor. Don’t worry, Helmets are easy once I figured out the best way to fit them. Dungeon magic and all of that. Now let me help you put it on.”

  Later, Pasy and Conor, while resting after a dive, were approached by Naomi.

  “So how was it?”

  “I can’t describe it, Dungeon Mistress,” Conor said, and Pasy just nodded, still thinking she was dreaming.

  “Yeah, it’s one of these things where words are not enough.” Naomi nodded. “Anyway, both of you. Are you still waiting for this job?”

  “Yes, dungeon Mistress!” They almost shouted simultaneously.

  “Great. So for the next five days, I will teach you everything. Then, for the next five days, I will be watching how you do things. After that, you will start work without my supervision.”

  “What about guaiding people underwater?” Pansy asked.

  “It’s your bonus pay. So you decide whether you want it or not. And more importantly, for how much. I think you should go with newcomers anyway to be sure they don’t do something stupid. But if there will be someone experienced with them, just ask to be sure they don’t need help.”

  “Thank you, Dungeon Mistress, for your generosity.” Pansy bowed.

  “Don’t worry. It’s not an easy job, so the pay should be adequate. And you both know what is adequate. Oh, one more thing. Later, if you decide you need help, put a request in the Adventurers Guild for more helpers. Funds are prepared, and the guild is informed. They are just waiting for your decision.”

  “Understood, Dungeon Mistress. Depending on how many adventurers visit us each day, an extra pair of hands might come in handy.” Conor nodded.

  At the same time, the caravan going south was slowly approaching the border line between the desert and the green lands. This time, they were accompanied by a team of five paladins led by Sergeant Tirutur. They were escorting a cultist, captured by the sun elves.

  Between the lands of the sun elves and the lands of kingdoms next to the desert was a short stretch of land not fully controlled by anyone. Depending on whose patrol shows up first, this side will deal with the bandits. Borderlands were created as a buffer zone to prevent conflicts between the sun elves and neighboring kingdoms. But despite patrols from both sides, there was still a chance to be ambushed by bandits.

  That’s why Commander Arthuros met with Sergeant Tirutur a day before they would reach the border.

  “Sergeant, we will reach the borderlands tomorrow. We will need three days to cross it. This is one of the most likely places where an ambush could happen. I need to be sure if there wasn’t any change of orders regarding the prisoner.”

  “Bringing the cultist to justice is a secondary goal. Documents in the chest need to reach the nearest temple of the sun, at any cost, or be destroyed. This is the main goal.” The elven knight confirmed.

  “Can I use him as a bargaining chip or something similar if needed?”

  “I think that depends on the situation, but yes.”

  “Thank you for the confirmation of my orders, then. From tomorrow, we all should be on full alert until we reach the fort. The next opportunity for them will be the road between the fort and the town.”

  “Agree. I will instruct my men once again.”

  The attack happened three days later in the middle of the night. Cultists were planning an ambush, but adventurers spotted them easily. Also, a sudden change of wind, courtesy of the Lady, or goddess of mischief, brings to camp the stench of zombies. The fierce fight broke out immediately, but cultists didn’t have a chance. They had only two low-level necromancers with them and twenty zombies at best. Advnturers scouts sneak behind the lines without problem and kill both necromancers. This way, they destroy all the zombies.

  However, the whole skirmish took enough time for two cultists to sneak to the place where the prisoner was held.

  “I started thinking I will need to do everything myself.” The prisoner said to his rescuers.

  “Said the man who is sitting in chains.”

  “It’s a free ride. They even feed me properly.”

  “Stop talking, we need to run.” The second cultist interrupted them.

  “Sure thing.” The spy answered, and in the next moment, in his hand materialized a knife. Then he killed the second cultist.

  “Why do you do that? Are you nuts?” The first rescuer was shocked.

  “On the contrary. The talk with Dungeon Mistress was enlightening. It’s time for me to take what rightfully belongs to me. Regrettably, you will need to die too. Otherwise, I will never succeed.”