With Venus's decision to check on Willow. She went into the living area to see if she's 'home', so to speak.

She wasn't paying attention when she bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry!" Venus slightly bowed her head.

"No, it's okay!" A man gestured, 'don't worry about it.' It was Luther, he seemed a little bit out of place or distraught.

"Hi, Luther, how are you today?" Venus asked.

"I'm-I'm fine…" Luther said with an anxious tone. "So, I guess you are doing okay, right?"

"I'm fine, have you slept yet?" Venus smiled.

"I have…"

The conversation was so dry and awkward. They just stood in the hallway. Luther wasn't really making eye contact. Venus never saw Luther as a shy person. So what was making him so nervous?

"Luther, I wanted to talk about what happened earlier…" Venus said.

"Why? I don't think that's necessary. As I said I completely understand. So it's no problem, you don't have to worry about it…" There was a long awkward pause, then he continued. "I guess I will get going."

She said, "No."

"No?" He repeated.

"That's right, no. I don't know what's going on with you, but we are going to talk about it. I am normally not a pushy girl. I will not get in someone's business. Especially when they are strangers. However, I feel that we have been through enough to say that we can be friends. As your friend I don't want you to avoid me. Just tell me what is on your mind. And don't tell me it's not a big deal because it's obviously something you're thinking about." Venus voiced.

"I-I just don't want to talk about it, okay? It's not... important." Luther said.

"Okay, I was trying to be fair... I didn't want to play this card, but I am not only your friend, I am now currently your boss. We will be working together very often. I don't want whatever you're going through to affect the lives of others. What if I want you to do something with me and you fail to do it. It can get someone killed which is not okay. You know, we don't have to talk about it today, but we DO need to talk about it. I need to know right now, can I depend on you in worst-case scenarios?" She said with authority.

"Of course, you can! And yes, I understand what is needed. You can depend on me... Just give me time to process my feelings about yo- my thoughts! About my thoughts…" Luther said. He was trying to look cool or something.

"Alright, that is fine. Now, come with me. I'm putting you to work right now."

"What? Right, right now? I thought you were going to give me time."

"Are you currently doing something for the bossman?"

"No…"

"And you said you went to sleep. I need your help now. So can I, or can't I depend on you?"

"Umm… Well, yes… It's just.."

"It's just nothing! Are you telling me that you're going to let your feelings stop you from working? I may be new at being a boss, but no job will hire you if you can't put aside your fucking feelings. I plan to assign you to something. You need to work! Are you going to run out on me?"

"I'm sorry, boss… What do you need?" Luther sighed.

"Well, after we see Willow, we are going to do something about the village. Maybe trade, who knows? Now, walk with me."

"Can't you get Bernard or someone?"

"As far as I know, he hasn't gone to bed yet. I do not want a tired person making decisions with me. As your boss, I'm asking you to walk with me, now, please…" Venus said.

She didn't want to be too hard on the guy. However, she has learned several things in her psychology class. The first step of dealing with the problem was confronting it.

She was still giving him time to talk on his own, but as she said, they will be working closely together. So it's best to not let whatever was bothering him fester.

Venus grabbed him by the hand then guided him to Willow's door, Venus knocked.

It took a moment, but from inside the room, Willow yelled. "Who is it?!"

"It's me, Venus! I want to see if you're okay!" She replied.

"I am fine… I want to be alone..."

"Can you please open the door? We are here to help!"

Although it took a little bit of time convincing her, she did open it.

The last time Venus saw her, her clothes got burnt. Fortunately, with the new arrival, clothes were provided for Willow. Venus hasn't met Margaret yet, but looking at Willow's clothing, she aims to please. Willow's new clothes were a very different style from that concealed Barbie doll outfit. This one showed her shoulders and belly button. She now had a really short skirt, it gave her big ass lots of room. The outfit she had before was really fancy, it didn't show anything at all. Because she was no longer under David, this gave her confidence to wear whatever the hell she wanted to wear.

"Can we please come in?" Venus asked.

"Do I have a choice?" Willow asked back.

"Of course you do! However, because David has been released, I wanted to see how you're holding up with him moving about."

"W-What?! He is free?!" Willow exclaimed. She looked around like someone's out to get her.

"Wait! Are you saying no one told you yet? It didn't just happen, it's been some time since Samuel called me. I thought you were told by now."

"No, no one told me! Is-is he here?!"

"I haven't seen him yet, so I don't know."

"You said... you were going to help me, right? He's going to do something to me if someone doesn't help me! What should I do?! I don't know what to do!" Willow was freaking out.

"Let us in, I don't want to stand out here."

"Yes, of course! Excuse my manners! Please come in!"

"Thank you," Venus said as both she and Luther took a seat inside the bedroom.

Willow locked the door then took a seat with them.

"Here is an option for you." Venus gestured to Luther. "I can assign someone to protect you. Luther here doesn't mind watching over you, isn't that right?"

"I don't mind. If she needs help, I will do it." He replied.

"See? You have nothing to worry about, just as long as he's here with you, he will help you." Venus reassured her.

"But what if Luther is not around? What if David comes while I'm sleeping or burns me alive somewhere?!" Willow was not reassured... 

*****

{Analyzing the situation}

Samuel did mention that Joshua and Robert will make some kind of machine to help stop David. Maybe the machine will be fire resistant or of that nature to fight him off.

Additionally, Luther doesn't seem to want to be with me. So it is probably better to fully assign Luther to Willow. I don't feel right forcing him to follow me everywhere if he doesn't want to...

{Conclusion: Find safety measures to prevent the group from hurting one another. For now, create a security team.}

*****

"Willow, as I said, Luther will watch you. If you want him to stay, he can stay here for as long as you need him. Of course, he would have to agree to that. If he does however choose to be your personal protector. You must personally give him a reward on your own. I don't think it's right for you to work him for free." Venus said.

"I'll do anything he wants! Whatever it is, I would do it with my best abilities! Please don't leave me alone!" Willow was holding onto Luther, she begged him.

"When you say it like that... It sounds kind of bad." Luther was kind of uncomfortable.

"Yeah! It sounds like you're suggesting sexual favors!" Venus laughed.

"Is that what he wants? I would do that too. I just don't want to be burned alive!" Willow was rubbing her face on his dick.

Luther was no stranger to sex. He has done it with several girls. But none of them were desperate. This kind of made him feel uncomfortable. Like he was taking advantage of her desperate needs.

"Oh my! Looks like she will suck your dick if you let her!" Venus teased.

"Can you please not add fuel to the fire! I know you're joking, but this is serious!" Luther yelled.

"From the looks of her, you are going to get a serious head, hahaha!" Venus seems to be enjoying herself.

"Look, Willow. You don't have to do anything like this... I will watch you if you want. No problem!" Luther pushed her head up because he was getting hard.

"But I want you to stay with me! Protect me! If doing those things would make you stay, I will do it!" She replied.

Venus got serious then analyzed Willow.

*****

{Conclusion: She shows no remorse for Luther's well-being.}

*****

"Are you only willing to do this to get David jealous? This way, he'll attack Luther and not you?" Venus narrowed her eyes.

"Ahh... I-.... Can you not say it like that? You make it sound so bad…." Willow backed up, her eyes nervously shifting.

"Well, it sounds bad, because it 'IS' bad! Luther is not a toy! All jokes aside, putting him in danger for your own selfish reasons, it's pretty damn bad!" Venus yelled.

Willow awkwardly sat between Luther's legs.

Venus rubs her head in annoyance, thinking of a solution.

"Okay… In order for me to protect you for a long period of time, I will need to leave and see what my options are. There's a possible chance that Joshua can make something for you, but I have no idea what he can do. In other words, I need time. However, like you said, David can do something during the time while I'm away. It is probably better if I leave Luther here until then." Venus said. She said it as if she was thinking out loud, weighing down her options. The other two looked at her to make a decision. "Luther, sit on her bed and let her suck your dick. I will come up with a real plan to keep her safe."

"What?! Are you going through with this?!" He asked.

"You'll get a free blowjob. I'll think of a way to get you out of your blowing situation. Does this sound like a good plan to you?" Venus asked.

"You have a way with words, don't you…? However, I agree..." Willow said.

Luther wanted to get some good head, but this made him feel like a bad guy. 

"Luther, I feel like this is a no-brainer for you, a win-win. She won't have to deal with her ex-boyfriend and you get your dick sucked! Just say yes! Don't worry, I won't take too long thinking of a solution. Unless you want me to!" Venus laughed.

"I just feel like I am using her if I say yes," Luther admitted.

"The way I see it, she's using you. She didn't care too much about using you, so why not fuck her back? Now, ram your dick into her mouth. Because your other option is to come with me. You will likely spend time walking with me all day. We both will be awkward with whatever thing that we had going on earlier. I can get someone else like Vernon to get his dick sucked. Does that sound better?"

"What? Vernon? No! Okay, I guess I'll do it…" He relented.

Luther has feelings for Venus, but it's kind of hard to do that when another girl was going to suck his dick. And what's worse, the girl he likes approves of it…

"Excellent! Willow! Do you take this man's cock? Love it, take good care of it in your mouth until I get back?" Venus asked.

"Ummm…. Yes?" Willow questioned.

"Luther! Do you take this woman's throat on your dick until I'm done?!"

"I do but-"

"GOOD! As the overseer of this deal, I pronounce you cocksucker and man who gets his cock sucked! Willow! You may slobber all over on that dick!" Venus yelled while confusing the other two.

"Hahaha…. You're funny…" Luther said dryly.

"Dude! You need to relax! Why do you look so down? You are about to get a sloppy head. You are the weirdest guy I know! Sure, her boyfriend can come in here and kill you both, he will be fucking pissed! But at least you will be happy when it happens!" Venus said. "Alright, well I will see you two later, have fun~!"

She left Willow and Luther in the room alone, they both looked worried for some reason.

'Now that's taken care of. I guess I can go to the server room then look at the cameras again.' Venus thought then noticed a note in her interface.

*****

{Samuel & Venus} Combine Skills Learned:

[Devil's Advocate]

During business sometimes you will need to play Devil's Advocate. You can choose a side of the argument to strengthen or weaken someone else's claim.

[Here's the deal]

You can set up a meeting then make a deal with your clients.

*****

'That's strange. How did Samuel and I make a combo skill? I'm nowhere near him. I would have to talk to Joshua about that. Also, our skills don't seem very useful. Sure he's a boss and I'm a boss in training, but I don't see how this can win against a fight.' Venus thought.

She went to ask about the combined skills. Joshua said that depending on the skill, it can go long distances. Then he told her he added new features like, showing who was combining skill with what. Venus saw that last bit. After checking with Joshua and his A.I, she went into the server room.

She proceeded to observe the village, see what their defenses were, and how she could approach them. She mainly was watching Randall's dog. There was a woman playing with it. She was the one who found it wandering from the forest. The woman stopped the guards from killing it. Venus figures that this woman had a good heart, maybe she can use this to her advantage.

'No, I cannot think like Samuel! I'm a boss, but I need to keep my beliefs. Although, the best way to handle this is to convince them that we are not a threat. Maybe I can bring her to us, but only safely.' Venus then devises a plan.

______

{In the village}

"Blaze! Here boy, time to eat!" A woman yelled at a dog.

Her name was Annika. Orange hair, hazel eyes, lean body, 27 years of age was her description. Her face had freckles. The dog she found had a white body with several black spots over it. She called the dog Blaze because she was called 'Freckles' her entire life. She didn't want to be cruel and call it something based on its appearance. She had never seen this breed of dog before, but it was a Dalmatian.

The dog ran to her to eat the little meat she did have. She didn't have a place of her own; she stayed with her brother, his wife, and their three children.

Her brother Redny walked in the room to see his family then he frowned at the dog.

"How long are you going to keep that stray?” Redny snarled at the dog his sister found.

“He doesn't have anywhere to go. You said you will let him stay for a while. It hasn't even been a day.” Annika said.

“I know what I said. It’s just that we don't have a lot of food here…”

“I thought you went hunting with the guys…” His wife asked, her name was Nabi.

"The Kierrex has been more violent today. They are usually like that but something must have upset them to become berserk. They nearly killed someone when we were hunting." Redny said.

This concerned the two women.

"Has there been any fatal casualties?" Nabi asked.

"I thought you said that they will leave us alone if we don't try to kill them. Are you saying someone angered them?" Annika asked.

"There was no death, the man will live. And as if someone would make them mad. We know to never go up against them. They're too powerful with their onslaughts of attacks. So, no. None likely from our village would. Especially in their Berserker mode." Redny said.

"In that case, there might be a chance they'll attack the village again. You need to tell the men to man the walls." Annika said.

"Maybe we should hide," Nabi said.

"I don't think it's going to come to a big fight just yet. They are still waiting out there. I don't even think they know who did it but there's obviously someone who killed them. For now, we'll wait. Because we do not know what the outcome will be." Redny said.

"You talk as if you have a handle on this. The last time they came they were relentless…" Nabi trembled.

Blaze, the dalmatian walked up to the man then spoke. "I'm sad to inform you of this… but my master and his group were responsible for killing those creatures. They had no idea that it would cause these problems. For that, we are sorry…"

The whole room looked at the dog like it was some kind of powerful spirit or something. It just scratched itself.

"It-it just talked… Right? Not a little, full sentences. Am I going mad?" Redny asked, unsure.

"Yes, I spoke. Hey, how ya doing?" Blaze nodded.

"Oh, wow! That's amazing! You can actually speak!" Annika hugged the dog.

"Aww! That's nice, I love hugs!" Blaze howled.

"Annika! Get away from that thing! It just spoke!" Redny yelled as he grabbed his nearby spear then pointed it at the dog.

"So what?! You speak to me all the time, what difference does it make?!" Annika yelled, body blocking to protect Blaze.

"I am pretty sure there's a difference between a human speaking, and a dog who shouldn't be able to speak! Am I the only one who's freaking out?!" Redny questioned his sanity.

"Honey, don't be rude to our guests! It has been showing us respect so far. Please, put that weapon away." Nabi said.

"No! I will not put this away!" Redny said as he spun his spear around. 

"If you swing it around in this small space. You're going to hurt someone!" Annika said.

"Wait, so, I'm the bad guy?! A creature dog is talking to us, and I'm the bad guy?" Redny spat.

"Which one of you has the weapon? Who out of the two of you is trying to kill the other? Hmm?" Annika questioned.

"It said something about his master killing the Kierrex!"

"As I said, they didn't know. Although, they are willing to talk to you. If you want." Blaze said.

"No! Like hell we'll talk to your Demon Lords! We are not interested!" Redny said.

Annika ignored her brother. "Where are your group?"

"We are located in a cave nearby." Blaze said.

"Are you referring to the Forgotten Gate?" Nabi gasps.

"We had no idea that was the name, but yes. My group is there." Blaze said.

"See?! I told you they are demons! They came from the outworlds! They would have the power to destroy us! Like the last ones done before! Anyone who comes out of the Gate is evil!" Redny yelled.

"What are you talking about, Redny? Eleanore came from the outworld! She wasn't evil." Annika said.

"That is because she has been tested and proven that she is not such!" Redny said.

"Then with that logic, our group should have the right to prove ourselves, right?" Blaze said.

The two women and the dog looked at him questionably. He just frowned at them.

"Okay, so what do your group want exactly?" Redny asked.

"We want to trade. We apologize for killing those creatures but they attacked us. We were only defending ourselves." Blaze said.

"Well, the creatures don't care about whether or not someone is defending themselves. They're going to attack whoever.” Redny said.

“Okay then, in that case, we are not sorry. If we are going to get killed by them anyway then why does it matter? Hmm?” Blaze asked.

“What?” Redny realized he was arguing with a dog, and it was winning! How the hell did this dog get intelligent? What kind of skill makes a creature talk and be intelligent?!

“What exactly do you have to trade?'' Annika wandered.

“We heard that you have food problems. Because we recently killed those creatures you called Kierrex. We are willing to share our bounty.” Blaze said.

“You want us to eat them?” Nabi asked.

“Why? Are they poisonous?” Blaze asked back.

“I don't know if they are poisonous but that would definitely upset them,” Nabi said.

“Would they eat you if given the chance?” Blaze asked.

“Likely yes…” Nabi replied.

“Then we feel no shame in what we did. If they did not want to get eaten by us, then they shouldn’t attack us in the first place. It's that simple.” The dog sat down to scratch its ear while talking.

It was still unnerving to Redny that he's talking to a dog.

"Do you accept our offer or don't you? If you don't want to eat those creatures then we will provide new food for your village. All you have to do is meet us.” Blaze continued.

“I don't think the village Elder will approve of this meeting. Especially if he doesn't know you.” Annika doubted.

“How about this? We bring food close to your village, we’ll have a nice talk.” Blaze said.

“If you all came from the outworld then you’ll have abilities. We will not let you get close to our town.” Redny said.

“Then meet us at the cave. We don't really care how we do it. You need food and we may need something from you. This is a very basic trade. Are you in or are you out? We don't have all day.” Blaze huffed.

Redny, Annika, and Nabi all looked upon each other for answers.

“I will travel to the cave. If they attack me, alert the village.” Annika said.

“Do you think I'm going to let my only sister go out there alone? No!” Redny said.

“Then you're free to send guards to aid her. We don't care about any precautions you have. We are only concerned if you attack us.” The dog stopped talking then went back to eating his food. The other people just stared at it.

“Honey, I know how you feel, but without being able to hunt, we will starve. Those creatures will be mad for days. I will not let my children go hungry." Nabi frowned.

“Also, what about the village? Not only you said that they are getting injured because of the creatures. You said that they don't have food either. Speaking of which, don't pretend like these creatures weren't a problem before these outworlders came.” Annika added.

“Alright, we will talk with the outworlders. Maybe we can figure out how to get food for everybody. But if we're going to do this, we're going to do it my way. First off, me and two others will join you up the mountain. Nabi, I want you to lock that dog into a cage and show it to the elders, explain the situation." Redny demanded.

“Lock it up, why?” Annika asked.

“Because it can kill us at any time, that's why!” He responded.

“I'm not locking it up. I'm sorry honey but I don't think it's dangerous. It has been playing with the kids and I’m fond of him too.” His wife said.

“From now on, you should keep it away from the kids,” Redny said.

“Okay, fine, if you really feel that strongly about it. You do it.” Nabi said.

“Okay, I will!” Redny went to get the rope. When he came back, his children were already playing with the dog. He didn't care; he approached it with the intent to capture it. His children were wondering what he was doing, but he didn't respond to their questions. As he lunged towards the dog, it jumped away from him. His children cried as he constantly tried, failed to capture the slippery dog. Eventually, his children thought it was a game so they cheered their father on. After a while, this got annoying. Blaze’s summoner decided to multiply several dalmatians. Them being in a small house, ten dogs were a lot in their living space. It wasn't a lot of wiggle room. The dogs pounced on him. He couldn’t even fight back. They didn’t bite him, they only laid on him for cuddles.

“Honey, maybe you should just let them be,” Nabi said.

“There's no fucking way you can capture all of them with your dinky rope anyway. Besides, what if more spawn? You can’t tie them all up, so it doesn't really matter.” Annika said.

“Husband, if this Atta User could do this. Don't you think that he could've killed our entire village a long time ago?” Nabi asked.

“They're obviously looking for trade as they said, not something malicious. Let's not judge them before we give them a chance. At least see what they have to say." Annika said.

Redny sighed. “Fine!"

________

{Hours later in front of the cave}

Venus waited for the village people to show up. She had a room made by Jenny. The room had tables and chairs for this dinner meeting. Venus was the only one there at the moment. Her boss waited in the server room. Joshua and Robert observed with the boss.

"I'm sending security back up for you," Samuel said over the speaker.

"Okay," was her response but she was confused.

'Everyone else like Randall and Bernard is secretly escorting the people in the forest.' She thought.

Venus had no idea who he would send when there were no more available people. Luther was still with Willow. Which was why she never expected David, himself, to show up as her bodyguard.

He smiled at her.

"Wait! Why did you choose him?!" Venus yelled.

"He's not a bad choice. If I assigned him as an escort, that would be bad. If anyone's under attack he would likely burn the forest so, this shall do." Samuel said through the speaker.

"I don't trust him!" Venus glared at David.

"I'll explain it later. All I can say is, we had a deal. He promised to be useful." Samuel said.

"Yeah, I will play nice. I was told that I will get something in return. Don't worry. I won't bother my ex and her new boyfriend. Besides, I have moved my goal to something else." David smiled.

She has no idea what that means. She still doesn't trust this guy. Venus realizes just because Samuel made this deal, doesn't mean he approves of David. This was just business.

Venus pushes her feelings down. She needs to get her mind on the task at hand.

'I have a psycho watching my back. What can possibly go wrong?!' Venus thought.

Four people walked in, three of the men had full armor on. The woman didn't seem to be bothered with strangers with powers, she sat near Venus while the men looked prepared to die.

"Hi, how is everyone doing? My name is Venus. I'm glad you all decided to come. Before we talk about anything else, we want to be clear. We are sorry for the confusion with the creatures. Hurting your people was not our intention. If you are okay with this, we have healers here. Just say the word, it is the least that we can do." She said cheerfully.

"Oh wow! You have healers? That is rare. We will definitely accept that offer. My name is Annika by the way." Annika replied.

"No! It can be a trick!" Redny said.

"Brother, don't be such a downer... Sit down, show our host some hospitality and respect, please..." Annika said.

Redny stayed where he was, frowning.

"Do not be alarmed by us. I plan to provide food and protection to the villagers." Venus said.

"At what cost?!" Redny growled.

"Brother, manners! Sorry, It's just that we have faced people with wrong intentions against us… Especially the ones who came from this cave..." Annika voiced.

"I understand. You obviously have an opinion about people like us. I am sorry that we were eavesdropping, you mentioned this before. I can't speak for everyone but I will make sure that no one would ever go that far." Venus said slightly looking at David who just shrugged. "We also heard that you have someone else that is like us. I would like to meet her if that is possible."

"How did you hear all of this?" Redny asked.

“We have been watching you through the dog you named, Blaze. She-I mean he belongs to a man named Randall. I’m the one who instructed Randall’s dog with my- guidance to teach the dog to speak with you.” Venus said. She still wasn't ready to tell everybody she has her thinking powers. Maybe she will eventually… The power she used on the dog was {Think For Yourself}. After that, she whispered what she wanted the dog to say. "The food will be here shortly. I want us to have a nice dinner before we discuss business."

When dinner was ready, they ate in silence. All Venus needed was to win their attention. Quickly pushing the matter was not a good idea. At least she got the warriors to sit down.

“How's the food?” Venus asked.

“It's nice, thank you...” Redny said.

“We never ate the Kierrex before… I can actually say, not bad. Better than I thought.” Annika added.

“Excellent! Now, let’s get down to business. The food we partook in could be spread amongst the village. The current thing we need from you in return is information. We know nothing of this world and we would like to collaborate our knowledge.” Venus said.

“That is all?” Redny asked.

“That’s all for now.” She clarified. “We have no intention of taking advantage of you. Only understanding and coexisting is our goal. We won’t attack you if you can promise the same.”

“Sure, if that is truly all you want. We have no issue with that. We will have to talk with the Elder… but I am sure he will understand.” Redny said.

This man still had his worry of Venus’s group attacking, but he had considerably let loose after the meal.

“Good. Explain these creatures.” Venus said.

Long story short they were local creatures who roamed the forest, which wasn’t really new information to the group.

“Alright, good! Thanks for the information. Would you like a tour of our facilities?” Venus said.

“Facilities? You made more houses like this around the area?” Annika asked.

“Yes, well this is the only building that is out of the cave. Inside the cave, we have a living area and necessary things for us to live comfortably.” Venus said.

“I highly doubt the church would approve though. The way they would see it, you guys are decimating our sacred grounds.” Annika said.

“Sacred grounds?” Venus questioned.

“Yes, this cave used to be sacred. Ever since the Demon Gate spawned inside, everyone feared that more monsters would flood out. Although, strangely they didn't. The only creatures we had were the ones in the dungeon, and the dangerous people who came out. Other than the bad outworlders messing things up, we have been peaceful. Also as I said, we don't believe in blaming you for their mistakes. At least, I don’t.” Annika said.

“I guess this would be a perfect opportunity to ask you about what you call, Demon Gates. Who made them and why were they made, and why do they look like elevators?” Venus asked.

“What is an elevator?” Annika asked.

“The doors we came out of. Isn’t that the Demon Gates you speak of?“ Venus was confused. “Please describe the doors you’re talking about.”

“It is an extremely large red door. It’s the entrance to the dungeon.” Annika said.

“Huh?” Venus looked at David, he wasn’t sure what she’s talking about either. They haven't seen it.

Annika continued. “As for who made it. A month ago a Lady teleports out of nowhere. She had an army. I was told that she had silver hair and wanted to make a dungeon, so she did… She called herself a Dungeon Emperor. Her name was Silver Coin. The church thought it was strange that this silver-haired woman was named Emperor and not Empress. As for why, we don’t know.”

“So this woman decided to make a dungeon without asking and then she left?” Venus said.

“Pretty much, yes. No one really was able to challenge her. One priest got the impression she did it because of boredom. The Church still visits their sacred grounds, but they have no intention of imposing someone who can just warp right in and do what they want…” Annika said.

“And you said that this was a month ago? Don’t you have kings to stop her?” Venus asked.

“The Silver Empire looked powerful, so, no… Emperor Silver did say that she will get rid of the dungeon if we defeat it. Unfortunately, after countless deaths, the king decided to not only give up on the cave, but our village as well…” Annika said.

“Wow, she sounds like a piece of work. I'm not sure if I want to meet her.” Venus said.

“Yes, so much has happened because of her ever since then. There may be a chance she’ll pop up again.” Redny said.

“I will speak with her if she does. Maybe I can convince her to take away the door. If she is doing this for fun and not hate. Maybe she's reasonable.” Venus said.

“I'd rather you not antagonize her… She’ll remove that damn dungeon if we can defeat it. Let’s do that instead.” Annika said.

“I will talk to my people about it. In any case, I'm a little confused. If she made a big dungeon door, who made the three elevator doors?” Venus said.

“I still have no idea what that is…” Annika said.

“Do you mind coming inside to see? I can show you.” Venus said.

“Sure, I don't mind,” Annika said.

“Sister, it’s not that I don’t trust these people. I think that we should talk with the Elder before doing anything dangerous.” Redny said.

“I understand. If that is all, then we can meet tomorrow. You can bring food with you for tonight.” Venus said.

“Before we go, can you explain your powers? I want to see how dangerous you are before I trust you.” Redny said.

Venus looked at David who was just casually standing there. He didn't say anything the entire time. “This guy has the ability to throw fire, what else can he do? I have no idea. We technically haven't been using our powers to their full potential, but I can understand why people would think that we were dangerous.”

“Okay, but what is your power?” Redny asked.

“I have the power to see through objects,” Venus said, still avoiding revealing her thinking abilities. It’s not all that special to be brought up…

“Okay, show me,” Redny said.

“Show you? How? I can only do it through my own eyes.” Venus scratched her head.

“There are some outworlders who can share powers. We are not sure, but we believe these outworlders were brought here to fight in the dungeon, and as a party.” Annika said.

“Really? We had no idea. We knew about combo skills, but not sharing. I don't know how to share it.” Venus said.

Annika walked over to Venus to touch her hands. "The first step is wanting me to see through your eyes, then we can share what you have.”

“Okay, I will try.”

Not really sure how to do this. Venus focuses on giving Annika access to the X-ray powers.

“Ekkk! Everyone's naked!” Annika covered her eyes. She still partially peaks at Venus’s chest.

“Alright, it’s my turn. I need to see this power for myself.” Redny said.

“Me too, I would like a turn.” David smiled.

Venus and Annika yelled, “No!”

“I don’t know about that guy, but sister, are you saying you can't trust your own brother? I will not use it for malicious behavior. I only want to see how her power works.” Redny explained.

“I am sorry brother. I just don’t feel comfortable with you having this power. What would your wife think of you wanting the power to see through clothing? She wouldn't be happy to hear that…” Annika said.

“She will understand that I need to make sure that the village is safe. I promise I won't look at a female body, I just need to understand her powers.” Redny said.

“Okay then look at those men while you do it,” Venus said.

“Huh?! Why the hell would I do that?!” Redny said incredulously.

“I thought you only wanna try my powers. Don’t worry, the dicks are soft.” Venus reinsured.

Redny had a look of disgust on his face. “I am not doing that!”

Venus shrugged.

When Redny saw she wasn’t going to share her powers, he turned to David. ”Okay, let me share your power then…”

David created a fireball in his hand. “As you can see, my power is fire. I don't need to share anything with you unless you want me to burn you. That way you can truly be one with my fire.”

Redny glared at David.

“Redny, I'm not sure what you're trying to accomplish here, but please don't antagonize these people who are offering food…” Annika said.

“I have a question. Do any of you have powers?” Venus asked.

“We do not…” Redny said.

“You can share with us but not have your own? Perhaps it's because you don't want to go into the dungeon. Have any of you tried to use powers?” Venus said.

“If we go into the dungeon. Would you help?” Redny asked.

“I would need to talk to the others. No promises. Although I’m not convinced you need to go and get the powers.” Venus said.

“But didn’t you all come from the Gate?” Annika asked.

“Since we're doing experiments. I wouldn't mind seeing if I could unlock your powers here and now. Assuming you have any." Venus said.

“I am willing to try…” Annika said.

Annika sat directly in front of Venus.

"Let's start this Interview with the basics. The questions will sound strange but I need you to answer truthfully.” Venus said.

Annika nodded.

“What do you do on a daily basis?” Venus asked.

“I normally fetch water, clean the house and play with the children,” Annika replied.

“Personality-wise, are you hopeful or cynical?”

“I would like to think I'm hopeful.”

“What are your bad habits? Do you fiddle with your thumb or things like that?”

“I don't think so…”

“Most people don't know their bad habits but it does help.”

Redny wasn't sure how any of these questions were helpful… How can someone get powers from this?

“What are your hobbies? Like what do you do for fun?” Venus continued.

“Recently, my favorite thing is playing with Blaze,” Annika said.

“I see, and what made you trust this dog you have never seen before? Why do you trust us for that matter? You have been very cooperative so far without really questioning me. I feel like your brother showed a normal response to a stranger. Yet you sit here with no fear, why?”

“I don't know… I just feel like I trust you and Blaze. I don't feel like you are bad. I always felt that deep down, I know when someone's lying or telling the truth. I just don't feel that your group is dangerous.”

“Well, from what you are saying. Your power revolves around trusting someone.”

“I don't think that is a power.” Annika frowned.

“Of course, it isn't! She's just pulling your leg!” Redny said.

“Am I pulling your leg? Annika, tell me. Be honest, do you think I am lying to you? I think the truth is your power, am I lying?” Venus asked.

“No, I don't think you're lying…”

“Have I lied to you once?”

“No, except for that moment you said your power. I felt something strange like you’re not telling me something else.” Annika wasn’t sure.

“Umm… That’s probably your imagination…” Venus said while covering her mouth.

“I feel it again. You are withholding information.”

“I am a guy, dick and all!” Venus yelled out of nowhere.

Annika shook her head. “You made me realize my power and now you’re disregarding it…”

“I could be a crossdresser for all you know!” Venus smiled.

Annika frowned.

“Okay how about this. So far there's a grand total of 42 people who came through the elevator after us.” Venus said.

“Please stop lying to me, it's making me angry…” Annika had a blank expression.

“This is still an interview. I need to see how far we can go, please?” Venus asked.

“Okay…” Annika said.

“In my entire life, I had five boyfriends. I dated 13 people in total. How many people were I romantically involved with?” Venus said.

Annika tilted her head to the strange question. “I see several numbers for some reason. That has never happened before…”

“Well, I would like the numbers to be kept a secret. Anyway, I think I am done narrowing down what your power is.”

“But how is this possible? We never had powers before…” Annika said in confusion.

"I think a lot of us have abilities that doesn't seem very special, but apparently are. I think it matters if it's special to us, that's all that matters." Venus explained.

"So what? She's a lie detector, who cares?" Redny shrugged.

Annika ignored him. She loved her power.

"I can see what your power is, if you like," Venus stated.

Redny hesitated, but he did want to see… In the end, he decided to take the interview.

Venus mostly started her first initial questions then worked her way to what she thought his power was.

"You say that you like to sharpen your spear every day? And you want to be always ready and prepared for enemy attack, right?" Venus asked.

"Yes, but what does that have to do with my power?" Redny asked.

"Patience, this may have everything to do with your powers. Without tools, try sharpening your spear." Venus said.

He looked oddly at her. After he did as she asked, right before his eyes, his held spear sharpened to a deadly blade!

"What?!" Redny explained.

"See? It is not just us who you consider outworlders have strange abilities. You all have it too! You just never really asked yourselves if you have it or not." Venus said.

"How?! No native on this entire planet has such things!" Redny said.

"Did you ever make contact with the Demon Gate?" Venus asked.

Both Annika and Redny shook their heads.

"I have never even been inside the cave…" Annika said.

"Maybe merely being near the gate, who knows?" Venus said.

"If I bring more people here, can you teach them as well?" Annika asked.

"We don't need her. Why can't we ask them those silly questions?" Redny said.

"Brother, you're being rude again!" Annika said.

"No, he's right. The truth is, we don't know. I think you two should go to your village and try to unlock their powers. Ask simple questions as I did. It's mainly a desire. Come back to me if it doesn't work." Venus said.

"Do you mind if I stay here? I trust you and I want to look at these facilities you speak of." Annika said.

"Talk to your Elder then come back. I will have a room for you tonight. We will talk about Dungeons, teaching your people how to defend themselves, everything you want. For now, I must talk to my boss about something else…" Venus said while looking at David. She really wanted to get that conversation out the way.

"Okay, I'll be back!" Annika said.

"Sure, it won't be too long of a meeting with my boss." Venus smiled.

"Until then." Annika smiled.

The meeting was adjourned. Venus went straight to her boss to see what deal was made with David.