36.3ᴘᴀᴛʀᴇᴏɴ.ᴄᴏᴍ/sᴛʀᴀᴛᴏᴛʜʀᴀx

This Human leveler had a fearsome aura about him, as though he could crush any who approached with ease, a dominating presence that made others hold their breath and mind their manners while around him, scared to even come under his gaze.

Lyra knew who this was.

It was the town Ranker.

The grumpy Centaur scowled. The figure on her back remained silent and still.

"Why are we out here Bane? I'm not even part of your town."

The Ranker stared at her silently, dark smoke curling from his mouth, spiralling lazily into the air.

"Because the long legged bitch demanded it." He gravelled, his voice like heavy dark stone. "Had it been anyone else I would not be here and I would have put them in the ground for trying to tell me what to do."

"Then she incited who she works for as a threat right away? Damn, what happened to make her go so far?"

"She hasn't said. Some monster, that was made clear enough by her commanding a lockdown of the dungeon."

"And now we're stuck here? I heard some talk of a multi-evolver, can't say I believe it, or maybe I just don't want to believe it."

"She's hiding something and she's new. No doubt she fucked up and lost her arm to one of the nastier regular monsters, a Panthara perhaps, and all this is just bratty revenge."

"A Panthara? Ugh great. I'd rather not spend the next few weeks hunting all over for one of those hateful fuckers."

"Feel free to take it up with her..."

The man lazed back in his throne, smoke curling through his beard.

"I'll pass thanks. She looks mad enough to bite my head off."

The Ranker raised an eyebrow but then looked away, disinterested. His gaze passed over where Lyra hid and for a fraction of a second she felt irrational panic. Had he seen her? But then, thankfully, his gaze moved on.

Lyra swallowed, her throat dry. She tugged on the Lamia's hand and they crept away.

The invisible procession slipped between a row of tents and came out in the small area that the Lamia had cordoned off as their own. The tents were markedly different from the others, mostly due to them being of much finer more ornate quality, far larger and all round in shape instead of the wild variety in the rest of the camp.

A pair of Lamia with coiled tails played cards outside one of the tents as another group sparred with spears in a small sandy clearing.

"Oh! It's my brother cavorting over there, he will be pleased to see me!"

"Please my Lady, I am to see you to my commissioner first of all."

"Yes, yes, let's be done with it then."

Lyra eyed the group then scanned the tents until she found the one she wanted, the largest and most expensive looking one.

She pulled at the Lamia's hand and the group followed. She approached the tent and looking around she surreptitiously pulled aside the tent flap. Inside was a large space containing a full sized four-poster bed as well as a full sized writing desk, absurd things to bring into a dungeon, but then Lyra's commissioner was quite wealthy.

He sat at the desk writing a letter, his black and red scaled tail draped and coiled around his seat.

Lyra made sure the last two Humans were inside and let the tent flap flop closed.

The male Lamia's head jerked at the sound of falling cloth and turned to look at the entrance. Of course there was nothing to be seen and he furrowed his brow, his chiselled jawline clenching slightly as suspicion rose. Then after a moment he seemed to realise something.

"It's you, isn't it? The Rescuer I sent out to save her."

Lyra let the invisibility drop and the four of them were revealed.

"Target acquired, service rendered my Lord, all in a day's work, I know, I am quite brilliant. Your Seers were correct as you surmised, your wife lived and survived despite the naysayers who declared her death. May I present your erstwhile captive wife, Lady Glyrieth!"

The Lamia, Lady Glyrieth, clapped her hands together and cheered.

The Lord only had a flat stare for Lyra. His gaze moved to Glyrieth's very clearly pregnant belly.

Lyra coughed lightly into her fist. "Uhm, is that okay?"

His emotionless gaze moved back to Lyra.

"What happened to the two I sent with you?"