I watched as my Goblins got ripped apart by the HEI rounds from the Gunner... one of my constricting vines are down, no. Destroyed would be a better word, but the other is still up along with the two man sized fly traps... that left the two Imps, the last Lesser Armored Slime and the Demonic Maw being the last bit of real resistance before my Core room...

I was unsure, "Snots." I shout and the Dungeon rumbled as if it too knew what I was about to order them. Not a moment later as if they came from the nooks and crannies, nearly a dozen show up, "Start making the second floor, and rush it, I want a floor and not it to be ready."

They nod and start digging.

"Adventurers, head into the Tavern and ready yourselves I will call you." They nodded and started to leave, "Gwyn hold back I have need of your archery." She remained and the rest left.

I hate this...

"Erika."

"Yes Mistress?"

"Hide my Core." Erika failed to hide a shocked expression and Gwyn glances over with concern in her eyes

"Mistress are you sure?" She asked back, "Do you know what that does?"

"Do it!" I order leaving no room for argument.

"As you wish Mistress." She said solemnly.

Erika flew over to my Core's pedestal and she looked back at me, I nodded firmly. Erika took it of the pedestal and a sudden loss of everything... A cold emptiness... "So cold." I mutter, as I rub my arms. 

I gasped for breath... The Core's removal from the pedestal, means that I myself as in my avatar has to support itself with it's own Mana collection. But since I'm really low level I don't have the best Mana absorption or more like I didn't once train myself to do so., "Follow... the Snots!" I command in a rough Common...

Erika does so and follows the Snots...

I checked my Mana and saw it was going down, with some rapid calculations I had just over two hours before I ran out of Mana.

I got a simple timer that said two hours in the top left corner of my vision...

Okay as long as I don't use spell I should be fine.

But with the Core's sudden remove from it's pedestal the lights within the Dungeon died slowly.

The Invaders reacted instantly and turned on personal light sources, it was all weapon based but the Gunner had a shoulder based light instead.

"Gwyn, aim to the right of the lights." I tell her, my Common still rough by coming out much clearer since I gotten time to take a breath, she nodded. I sensed Mana swirling, Gwyn leans out draws an arrow, her eyes shone a hint of blue and her hand moved with a prenticed ease.

"Hitting the guy with the big weapon." She says as her arrow losses.

"Argh! Fuck." The middle man shouted, "An arrow? Really?" Despite getting hit by an arrow, he asked confused. From the flashlights the arrow stuck out of the man's shoulder.

"What was that?" I asked her.

"After please." She asked back as she draws another arrow.

When the next arrow losses it hits something hard and shattered...

"Move up!" The Squad leader orders his squaddies, "Gunny watch yourself, we don't need you to kill yourself. Luke, Monroe, move up double time!"

The two lights move reluctantly ahead of the Gunner and the two women, along side that I whisper for Gwyn to hold fire and to wait for them to get attacked by the last vine trap and the man sized fly traps.

She nodded, but knocked another arrow.

The pair of privates advanced at a rapid pace with even their Sergeant telling them to slow down, but it was two late.

"Wha. ARH!"

"FUCK!"

I guessed from the sound and the what the torch light showed surprised me was the the last constricting vine, acted oddly... When it attacked, what it was meant to do was well do as it is called and constrict around their target... but here? 

The Vine snapped out and smashed one in the gut, sending him near to one of the mouths as it lashed out at the downed man, then the Vine moved to it's original target and wraped his arms and neck, pulling him harshly into the ground to subdue it's prey.

"Now!" I order Gwyn, as the two men's comrades tried to get close. with the range closer I was willing to tempt shots.

The private that was smacked to the maw of the waiting Plant as with what limited ability it had to move, "Sar-!" The soldier tried to speak but the planty maw snapped shut and started releasing it's acid.

Gwyn fired her arrow and nailed the gunner again but it seemed to bounce or shatter off his armor on his body, I aimed my crossbow and fired...

A rifle clattered to the ground and a pair of hands reached for the bolt that tore through the man's throat, the grunt didn't last long as his life force drained out of his neck.

I missed the Gunner but hit one of the grunts behind him, I glance down and see the Demonic Maw and then at the roof of the dungeon above the Maw, there I saw a slightly glimmering light, It was the Lesser Armored Slime and the two Lesser Imps. I lick my lips and draw my bow string back and ready another bolt, I took aim again.

"CONTACTS!" One of them shouted, it was male but who saw us?

"HIDE!" I order, as half a dozen rifle cracks at us and rounds bounce of the walls before entering the Core room, I took the brief chance and took a blind shot but it was foolish as I heard the bolt shatter off stone...

"Report?" Their Squad leader called.

"Barely saw a pair of people at the end of the hall." 

"Right, what happened to too the other one?" The Squad leader asked, most likely asking about the guy that was getting eaten.

"The fuck?" A female voice sspoke, I don't know if it was the soldier with white feathers or the one in the camo lab coat who spoke up.

Me and Gwyn take the lapse in fire to give the invaders a reminder, with myself being able to fire off a decent shot that wounds an enemy and Gwyn who fired two, but she only managed to wound the Squad leader.

Peaking out, the Squad leader ordered one of his grunts to cut open the trapped soldier, and the guy the Vine actual target, it and the Plant Maw it was attached too, but those two were gone, the Gunner burned it away...

The rest of the Squad with the Nora's white feather flattering around and Lucia's was aiming at me!?

I bring my head back around the corner as a few dozen shots hit the edge of my cover...

Gwyn was holding her bow close to her, I could barely hear her mutter a pray to Hknaneri; The God of the Huntress... "Hknaneri... may you give this young... and maybe foolish hunter... your strength to defend my and my parties new home."

I peak again, nearly halfway to the Demonic Maw and the Imps.

I bring my head back into cover... I follow Gwyn's example and pray to mom, "Mother please see that my Dungeon is safe and strong, see that it is able to defend herself from Invaders..." Fuck it...

"God of Heaven I have no idea if you are real or not... but it is somewhat comforting to pray to you... whatever you may think of a person who lives off violating your commandments... I ask for the safe passage of the souls of the Adventurers and Invaders that will fight and die, in my hallowed walls." I was sure why... but I felt as if it would help...

"Drunkards'!" I call. They almost instantly came running out of the Tavern. "On my say we are going to rush the invaders down... we don't need to kill them just drive 'em off." I was beyond the point to realistically think we could kill them all, but what mattered now was just trying to get them to withdraw so that I could fight another day.

"ARGH!" The scream was female, peaking again, It was Nora and judging from the confused look in her eyes the Imps must have made the floor look perfect just before poor Nora stepped into the Demonic Maw.

"Mother Fucker!" Nora Shouted as she fired full force into the Maw.

"NOW!" I shout and raise my mace, firing the last bolt I had set into my crossbow into the Squad's Corporal my steadier bolt having an effect both piercing his weak point were his hip was.

"Wha!" "The Fuck!"

Then the Imps drop the Slime.

"ARGH! This again!?" The Slime's life is short lived as it had missed everyone and landed near Lucia who found the weakness of the Slime race after sometime.

My Mace shimmered and I could tell the Imps casted an illusion over it and they did the same to Rok's weapon.

"IN THE NAME OF THE DUNGEON!" We Chorus as we charged.

"FIRE AT WILL!" The Sergeant called.

"Shepheard of the Humanoid Race Protect us; LESSER PROTECTION!" Oka chanted and followed up by casting a range damage spell, "In the Name of Hades, Burn the Heathens; LESSER FIREBOLT!"

The Firebolt flew over our heads and headed at the Sergeant, he raised his weapon and it half melted upon contact, and the Protection gave us a faint rainbow covering us. Checking the timer I had... fuck me!? It was half an hour?

I raise my Mace high, I myself have never chanted a spell. But unlike those that have Magic classes like Oka who have to memorizes the correct chant so that they don't need to even look at it, to see what to say, while I can cheat... and I just say them automatically or not since silent casting is something I can do... but that cost more Mana and I need my Mana.

I picked a Protection spell as well, "In the Name of the Game Master; LESSER PROTECTION!" This one over lapped with Oka's and now our rainbow color mixed and matched with my spell. Checking again. Fuck... that was nearly half my Mana? Oh fuck I don't have my Core placed FUCK!

"FIRE!" The Sergeant orders again, but his men seemed overwhelmed by what is happening.

"FUCK YOU!" Nora shouted, "This is my favorite leg!" She raised and went to fire but her weapon clicked, she changed Mag and fired.

Her first dozen rounds plinked off our Protections, but me and Oka both winced at the force the rounds were putting on us. Then Lucia joined in, and when Nora ran out of Ammo Lucia kept shooting.

"ROOAARR!" The Half-Orc roared behind me and I ducked behind him, as he has just used his racial trait along side his first skill as a Barbarian, both as based around being very angry...

His speed increased, and he was lost to reason. The only thing stopping him from attacking us was the System highlighting the enemies in bright red while we are drained of all color to make us less eye catching.

He swung his shield wide bashing away the Corporal I had shot and slashed down at the next person along who was a single feather, the blade digging into the man's body.

I picked the Sergeant since he had backed up and draw his knife and was in the process of attaching it to his weapon. 

The Soldier between me and him got a very chubby Dwarf tackle him and I was more then willing to use the Dwarf as a jumping off point as I plant one foot on his back and jump at the leading NCO.

I bring the Mace down, he intern raised his weapon horizontally as he blocks my attack, but my weight pushed him to the ground. He grits his teeth and following my momentum I roll off and whorl and attack again this time his weapon buckling as the Mace's head digs into the partially melted part of his weapon.

Before I could raise and swing again, I get something smashed over the back of my back causing me to lurch forward and I swing the Mace wildly out to my right.

I manage to turn and look at who had smashed me, it was the grunt that was smacked by the Vine since I could see slight acid burns on his right arm, I give him a smile, that he seems unnerved by when he takes a step back.

"HRUAH!" I burst forward swinging low, his block was sloppy and the second swing got loud crunching from his arm. The next strike gets his face and the Mace caves it in.

Gunfire rings out, looking left the two women managed to wait and got ignored by us... smart, I could use that... Nora from the look has the Demonic Corruption... while Lucia seems to one that will want to come back.

I pull my Mace out of the poor guys head and properly finished off the Leading NCO.

-BANG BANG-

Two rounds enter my body... The fucker drew is sidearm... both shots were at my heart... I stumble back... clutching my chest...

"In the Name of the Great Healer Seacole; Lesser Heal!" Oka cast on me, her staff shining a bright gold and I felt the light healing me but... it wasn't enough...

I collapsed breathing heavily...

"Boss!" Luke calls as he stabs two knives into the Sergeant's neck... Luke wasn't shimmering and that was noted by the two women who gunned him down...

I slumped against the wall of the Dungeon...

Next to fall was the Dwarf, Duran was shot in the head.

Rok from the look of the bodies around him he was fighting his fourth guy...

He opened his stance, but the man he was fighting was the Gunner... and when his shield wasn't covering him the Gunner fired ripping the poor Half-Orc apart...

Gwyn rushed to my side with Oka, Gwyn had her sword drawn her elegant elven blade curved akin to a saber... both were terrified...

The last men of the squad now aimed down at us, three visibly terrified people...

"Drop'em!" The Gunner ordered.

Gwyn and Oka didn't know what he said... Gwyn looked at me her face was asking what to do.

"We're surrendering." I groan out.

Gwyn looks at her blade, and she slowly takes her sword by the blade and presents the handle to the Squaddies... I reach for my Mace and ask Oka to present it on my behalf...

The Squad looked at us... we are not the enemy they were expecting.

"What should we do?" Lucia asked the Gunner...

"We should take'em" He replies, "Look at Nora's leg, they should know what that is."

"Our orders were to kill everything in here!" One of the last grunts protest...

A new voice makes everything worse, "Mistress?" Jasmine asked, her voice was full of concern...

She took slow steps towards me... when the soldiers shone their lights on her, they got more confused... "Mistress."

Her eyes shone the same way an animals does... she took more steps, her eyes hyper focused on my wounds and then onto those who had the ability to inflict such wounds... she was breathing heavily...

"Pet." I said, my English sounded worse then my Common, in a reassuring tone, "Come." I raise my left hand.

Jasmine rushed to my side... "Are you hurt?" She asked me.

"You... suck, something."

"Should I get... him?" She whispered into my ear.

Slightly surprised I look at her... "No."  I replied in a whisper, "I need him and the servant to protect the Core." 

She nodded. Thou her look was a tad blank about the Core.

Lucia slowly stepped towards us her weapon was raised, but slowly reached out and took both Gwyn's and my Mace from Oka.

"Can you understand us?" She asked me, most likely going by my title. Her voice had a mix of fear, awe and respect.

I nodded weakly, "Please, don't hurt her." I say while pointing at Oka, who took the hint and started healing me...

"In the Name of the Great Healer Seacole; Lesser Heal!" Oka repeated the chant, she was panting and held up one finger, I nodded.

The Squaddies looked at us with amazement.

With the last of my Mana I sent a message to Erika to return the Core and tell Sabastian to guard it with his life, but to return it after we left the Dungeon.

"Can you stand? Or walk?" She asked again, her curiosity peaked but she kept her professionalism, I nodded weakly. "Then we are leaving this 'Place'."

Oka and Jasmine helped me stand up, and Gwyn just remembered something, her own bow and my crossbow... Gwyn gets the attention of the Squaddies, who aimed at her, but she tapped her quiver and pointed at mine.

The Gunner nodded but pointed at himself then her. And after a few moments she came back with her bow slung and my crossbow in hand, she clipped it onto my belt... it seems that they are fine with us carrying our ranged weapons?