Reborn as the First Boss, Book 9 Prologue

Prologue – Caught

“[Triple Stab]!”

Syllia Zylgolor smiled as her skill went off without a hitch, piercing the Level 36 Kobold Warrior three times in quick succession, finishing it off. Her class was not typically a melee-oriented one. After all, when one thought of a Waterbender, they typically thought of someone who controlled water around them forming whips, shields, and other such constructs that definitively kept them back, away from the real threats. The name gave people the image of a graceful dancer, bending water to their will as they moved.

Most Waterbenders, however, did not have the Hunter profession, and they definitely did not use their ill-gotten gains on buying [Skill Orbs] and [Skill Scrolls] to easily gain the skills of other classes and professions. Syllia, however, was not like most Waterbenders. Thanks to her good looks, quick tongue, and quicker blade, she’d managed to obtain a wide array of skills from those available to Assassins, Bards, Rangers, Rogues, Swashbucklers, and Thieves. Oh, not all were combat-related, of course. More than a few were of the sort that allowed a woman to talk her way past defenses, and reach her target when their guard was at their lowest. After all, even without gear, she could conjure water and freeze it into a blade. It wouldn’t exactly be the greatest blade in the land, but it had never failed in slitting a target’s throat when they were asleep in bed under her.

Of course, she had always made certain to avoid taking a target in the midst of their ‘entertainment’. That would get you the Black Widow title, after all. The title was useful, certainly, but it came with its own share of problems, as well. There was only one way to get the title, and everyone knew what it was. Syllia had long decided that the fewer things she needed to conceal from her targets, the better. There was a reason she had Hunter as her profession, instead of Thief or Assassin, after all, even if she had more skills from those professions than her real one.

“Boss, we’ve cleaned up this group. Wirenth just hit level 43, as well.”

“Good,” she nodded. “And we’re almost to the entrance hall. Now that we have a feel for the first couple floors, we can prepare for a deeper delve.”

Every established adventurer knew that dungeons were dangerous. Most teams would go on a ‘test run’ of a new dungeon, only braving the first couple floors their first time. This let them learn the dungeon’s habits, and ensured that their tactics and gear were at an acceptable level before venturing into the more dangerous floors. It also gave them an idea of where they could find safe areas in the dungeon to rest. After all, most dungeons took several days to complete, especially ones that were higher leveled, like the Dragonskull Caves, with its twenty floors that ranged from level 35 monsters to the Firelord, a lesser dragon that was Level 10 in Tier 2. This was no place to take lightly, or go in unprepared.

Of course, preparation meant gathering gear and consumables. When talking about a group of seven, all in the early 40s, level-wise, that was not a cheap proposition. The Ichor Hollows dungeon was the only dungeon in Bikar that was suitable for the level 25-35 bracket, but the damn slimes only dropped ingredients. Mostly alchemical, but some for cooking and enchanting, as well. There were some chests in the dungeon, but the armor you could find in them was not terribly great, unless you were planning on fighting more slimes, or acid-themed enemies. The weapons, at least, were good, but you would have to do several runs through the dungeon to be sure of getting a single one of those.

That left a sizable gap between Level 25 gear, and the gear a Level 40 needed, and the Dragonskull Caves were not kind to those who came in undergeared. Worse, because Bikar actually had people going around and ensuring that monsters didn’t get too powerful, there were few easy ways to gain levels, and getting affordable gear was all but impossible, unless you had connections to one of the noble houses, or were willing to go into debt with the Adventurers Guild. But everyone knew that those loans were just indentured servitude with extra steps. You’d never get out from under them.

Fortunately, there were other ways around that, if you were willing to play the game. She’d made a deal with House Shasatra to undermine House Ianmenor. With her party’s help, she’d managed to attract the heir of Ianmenor’s attention, seducing her way into eventually becoming his fiancée. That had given her access to the House treasury. A few minutes was all she needed to steal enough gold and treasures to outfit her whole team with Level 40 gear. A nice haul for any job, even if she had to put up with the foolish heir’s fumbling attempts in bed.

More importantly, at least as far as Shasatra was concerned, she was able to get the Idol of Caeda Zinbella, the Elven Goddess of Love and Prosperity, which House Ianmenor used in rituals to bless their weddings and business ventures, and replace it with an Idol of Eroan Shaberos, the Elven Goddess of Misfortune and Infertility. Even better, the new idol was under a glamour that would hold up to visual inspection. It wouldn’t trick an [Appraise] check, but even if the idol was discovered before it was used in a ritual, the damage would be done, since each Idol of Caeda Zinbella had to be hand-made, and blessed with both the nectar of an unsullied elven maiden, and the seed of an elven man who had not yet tasted adulthood. Well, at least to make an idol that was on the same level as the one she’d stolen, that was what needed.

Without their rituals, there was a chance that House Ianmenor could lose Caeda’s favor. That would be unfortunate, but far from the worst case scenario. If they didn’t catch the switch in time, then Eroan might ‘bless’ their ventures, and their couplings, ensuring that House Ianmenor would go into decline.

She didn’t care about court politics. She just cared that she had been paid handsomely for the job, on top of what she stole from the Ianmenor vaults. Naturally, sticking around Inyomel would have been hazardous to their health after such a stunt, but the Shadow Vipers already had a plan for that. They’d slipped out of the city in the dead of night, and made their way to Hyletalos, to get the gear they needed. Then, they’d left as quickly as they could, heading to Eshiari. With their new gear, they could delve the Dragonskull Caves, break through to Tier 2, and then continue on to Crystalshield. From there, they could take ship, or hire a teleport, and venture across the seas, far beyond House Ianmenor’s reach.

They just needed to go back to town, stock up on supplies for a deeper delve, and they’d be set. As they moved into the entrance hall, she saw a group of mostly humans. Mostly, since a half-demon, hellhound, and angel rounded out the group. They looked as though they’d just taken down the first group of Kobolds in the dungeon.

As the woman in charge moved aside, she smiled, and said, “Good hunting in the dungeon?”

“Good enough,” Syllia replied, evenly. Causing trouble would draw attention, and they weren’t beyond Ianmenor’s reach yet. “We scouted things out, and are ready to head deeper once we resupply. You?”

“Oh, this is our first foray here. Oh, and [Daze].”

Syllia staggered as the spell hit her, despite her defenses. Her mind went blank. Vaguely, she heard more voices, in the difference. But she couldn’t concentrate on it, or make out what they were saying. As something was fastened around her neck, she heard that first voice, closer now, whispering in her ear.

“House Ianmenor sends their regards.”