Dungeon time (green text)

>Be part of a dungeon explorer group.
>Treated like a red shirt to take the fall for a asshole leader.
>Make a career out of dodging traps and monsters the despite asshole leader using you as a living test dummy.
>All the while other "red shirt" members meet a less fortunate fate.
>You become known as "The Immortal anon" for your success and gain fame across the land.

>Leader is starting to get annoyed at your fame despite gaining the majority of the riches.
>A beautiful woman hears of your group and requests to hire the team to recover for a pair of bracelets from a dungeon.
>She states that many have failed before, but she has faith the "Immortal Anon" will succeed where others failed.
>Before you can speak the leader claims he is the immortal anon, eagerly accepts mission and heads off to the guild to gather people for the exploration.
>The woman stares at you curiously before heading out the door. You follow her outside to tell her the truth, be she is nowhere to be seen.
>You decide to head to your house to prepare for tomorrow.

>By noon the next day you arrive at the dungeon.
>Leader has brought as many low ranked guild members as he could to bloat numbers.
>How he didn't get called out for the number of casualty's under his name is beyond you.
>Their must be about 25 guys here.
>Poor bastards don't know what their in for.
>Without wasting time, you all marched into the dungeon.

>As you expected, the numbers where thinned quickly.
>If the traps didn't take the men, the monsters in this place did the job.
>You get to see the fear in a few youth's eyes and as they were claimed by the Arachnes and dragged away with web over their mouths to cover their screams.
>Another unlucky victim fell in a pitfall trap. He shouted about about landing in something sticky and then shouted louder that it was alive.
>And then there was that one guy who the leader forced to go first into one room and was now fending off a rather enthusiastic soldier beetle.

>Now there are 3 of you left;
>You are battered around by the intensity of the dungeon.
>The leader, who has pretty much got here solely on the sacrifice of others.
>And Trainee Dave, who you have from being overrun by werewolves.
>You are now convinced that the leader is trying to get rid of you despite you being here is the main reason most of the group survived as long as they did.
>The last guy to go had caught the interest of a Lich who wanted to test something involving holy water her zombies got from the other guys.
>Dave says that your actions prove to him that you are the Immortal anon and asks if he gets out of here to you train him.
>You tell Him that you will think about it.
>You don't like the anger in the leaders face when you say that.

>Eventually you get to the final room.
>Its set up for a boss battle perfectly.
>To the point that it does the "lanterns self light as your approach the room's centre" thing that gives you a view of the entire room.
>On the other end of the room Is a gold bracelet lying on a stone alter.
>"Welcome, Immortal anon, I was right that you would make it this far." A voice spoke from the remaining darkness as someone emerged from the shadows.
>You recognise the voice as the woman who gave your team the request. But from your memory you were pretty sure her skin wasn't blue last time, nor was she part snake.
>Crap, this whole thing was a Echidna's Ploy.

>As lovely as it is to look at the Snake woman and her beauty you also know the strength she is packing if she runs this whole thing, so your mind raced to make a escape plan.
>"If you are having thoughts of escaping, this room was sealed after you entered making escape at this time is impossible."
>Nerves would of racked your brain if it wasn't for the confusion of feeling your wounds heal.
>"Do not worry Anon, you have mealy one more challenge ahead of you, one that you need to be at full strength for. after that, the bracelet is yours."
>The flames in the lanterns turned blue and glowed brighter.
>"Its quite simple really. All you have to do is fight me with all you've got!"

>Ignoring your two comrades the monster tosses several fireballs at you.
>You roll out the way and charge forward and attempt to slash the Echidna with your sword.
>Those nails must be tough as iron or something, as she swiped her hand and parried the blade.
>what followed next was a series of slashes from both you and the echidna. steel met reinforced nail as the the battle raged on.
>Staying In a deadlock was a bad choice at one point as the the snakes in her hair attempted to go for the eyes.
>Made worse was the fact that she used the new distance to shoot more fire.

>After a stale mate of trading and dodging blows that felt you were going at it for hours she caught you off balance and wrapped you in her coils with one arm free.
>Her mistake, as you planted a fist strait into her face before she could strangle you.
>Which you had to repeat several times before she got the message and let you go. Dam monster toughness.
>Freed from the coils and her being dazed by several blows to the head, you managed to leave a large cut on the echidna's exposed belly.
>Not enough to kill her but enough for her to feel it.
>The snake woman recoiled and backed away in pain while you prepared to lunge at her.
>That was before she bust out laughing.

>The echinda looked genuinely happy as she put a hand over her chest and healed her own wound. The lights regained their regular flame and the your comrades came back into view.
>"Marvelous! I've been waiting for a man like you, Immortal anon. please take the bracelet and wear it with pride."
>Questioning how you passed this challenge of her's you walk to the alter and pick up the bracelet. the thing is light as a feather.
>You take a minute to examine the jewelry. its a gold band with a what looks like it has a ruby in it.
>Its a shame you will probably be forced to give it to your leader as part of the spoils.
>"What are you waiting for anon? Put on the bracelet!"
>Why does she sound so eager for you to put on the bracelet? was it like proof you beat her or something? was it a curse?
>You decided to Ignore common sense, have a little faith in you title of "Immortal", listen to the monster you just spend god knows how long in a death battle fighting and put it on. It fits snugly on your wrist.
>Too snugly.
>In fact you can't move it.
>Uh oh.

>You look at the golden band and then back at the echidna and ask her how to take it off.
>"I don't know. but why would you want to remove it husband?."
>Oh I don't know maybe because you don't like random gold stuck on-
>Wait, did she just call you husband?
>Well that can't be right, you must have heard wrong.
>You ask her in a Nervous tone if you heard her right.
>"I did call you by husband, after all..." she held up her arm, showing of a gold bracelet like the one on your arm, only hers has a blue gem. "We are married." she finished with a smile.
>Well shit. Now you know why she said these things where a pair back at the bar.

>Due to your moment of idiocy you are now married to a echidna.
>Instead of panicking, you now put all you energy into correcting you mistake by getting the stupid bracer off.
>The echidna smiles as you try to pry the damn thing off.
>It's at that point a thought pops up.
>Where is Dave and the leader?
>Its also at that point a throwing knife makes its way into your arm.
>Turns out the leader thinks your new accessory is too good for you.
>Dave is knocked out on the ground, probably to stop him from helping you.

>You ignore the pain by shouting at the leader. Telling how trash he is to do this to his men.
>He laughs it off and says that with the deaths of you and Dave, no one can call bull on him escaping with the treasure, even if your arm is still in it.
>You tell him he needs a guy like him to cover is mistakes
>He simply says that with training, he could create another "Immortal Anon"

>A hiss of anger cuts your conversation as the echidna pounces at the leader probably to defend you.
>A new fight begins as the leader and echidna do battle
>Unlike yourself this battle is clearly in the echidna's favor.
>Not caring to see the victor. you pick up the unconscious Dave and flee the dungeon.
>Cursing your own stupidity, you head to the guild to tell them of the failed raid and the leaders greed.

~X~
>Its been a month since the events in the dungeon.
>The guild is now desperate for new recruits after that colossal failure.
>Some how Walter, your leader managed to escape, it doesn't matter if he shows up as the guild has banned him for life.
>You openly declared you wanted nothing more to do with him and used the events of that day to murder what little reputation he still had.
>Roads leading to the dungeon are now blocked off. The strength of the monsters being too much for the guild to handle.
>You still have the bracelet on your arm, a constant reminder of your foolishness and the "wife" you have.
>You now travel around the land for more dungeons to explore, though now your more paranoid about the missions you take.
>That and you now have a slight hate of jewelry.

>A request comes in for you and Dave (now a full explorer in his own right) to explore a dungeon that's rumored to have a staff that breaks cursed items.
>Wanting to be rid of the cured bracelet you almost jumped at the call, but it felt too good to be true.
>You told the guild to double check for anything suspicious.
>After it came up clean. you and Dave headed off to the dungeon.

>You sense of danger is having a seizure right as you and Dave reach the last floor enter the treasure room.
>You've just realized that even with your experience this was all way too easy.
>On a alter is what you assume is the slot for the staff but its not there.
>Before you can get it, you turn your attention the the crash as the door behind you slams shut.
>And turn back to the psychotic laughter of Walter as he come from behind the alter, holding the staff in his hands.
>Goddammit, at least the staff looks like it could work.
>Or it did, until your former commander brakes it over his knee it in front of your eyes.

>You brain is flooded with hatred and colorful ideas on how to kill the Ex-explorer in front of you.
>Mean while he rants about making you and Dave suffer for his humiliation.
>It didn't matter to you, he just ruined your chance of being rid of the cursed bracelet.
>Seeing red, you let out a furious yell and lunge at him blade drawn.
>Walter barely has time to defend himself from your angry strikes.
>Despite out ranking you, you are the better skilled fighter.
>You brutally beat him into the ground for what he's done, keeping alive to make sure he faces his crimes.

>Having tied Walter up, all that was left was to see if you find something of value so this trip wasn't a bust
>That is until Dave said one line you didn't want to hear right now.
>"This can't get any worse, can it?"
>As soon as he says this, the gem on you bracelet starts to glow.
>Oh no.
>One the walls implodes spreading dust and debris every where.
>A familiar voice fills the room.
>"From what I heard, running away is not the first thing you do when your married."
>The smoke clears to reveal a somewhat pissed echidna with a lizardgirl at her side.
>At that point you knew one thing: no matter what happens, you where going to set Dave on fire at some point.

>Taking a few seconds to calm down you tell the echidna that you were never married.
>She looked hurt my that. "We were married when you put on that bracelet."
>You tell her you will have no involvement in a marriage you where forced into.
>"Forced? you yourself put the bracelet on!"
>One again you mental kick yourself for doing that, and tell her it was a mistake and she should go for someone else.
>"No! You conquered my dungeon, I've chosen you, I love you and I shall have you!" she almost screamed as she lunged at you.
>While talking, the lizardgirl had made herself busy by attacking Dave. poor guy might no know how they work.
>But you've got bigger problems right now, namely the snake woman attacking you to prove her love.
>If that makes any sense.

>The battle plays out pretty much like last time.
>Dodging and blocking spells when far, clashing against nails with your sword and avoiding hair snakes when close.
>This time she is faster, and you taking a much more heavier beating, but on the plus side so is she as you remember some of patterns from the last fight.
>Eventually with your sword out of you hands and her tired from casting spells, the two of you just resorted to beat the other with your bare hands.
>It could be said about almost any thing but taking a fist to the face is not fun. Nor is it fun when she starts using the claws again.

>"Stop!" she shouts as she backs off.
>You stop if only to catch your breath and start looking around the room for your sword.
>That is until your opponent starts to cry.
>"Do you really hate me that much?" she sobs out.
>In a effort to stop this from getting any more awkward then it is, you tell her that you don't hate her, but you also don't love her.
>It seems to do the job as she lightens up a little but still looks somewhat hurt.
>"Can we get to know each other then? I could travel with you and the others."
>If it wasn't for the fact that she could track you down again using the bracelet you would have instantly refused.
>Also what did she mean by "others"? its just you and-
>The lizard girl has her arm clamped around Dave's arm and is looking at him adoringly
>Okay then
>You tell her that you still intend to get the bracelet off, but she can travel with you as long as she doesn't try to push the relationship.
>With the echidna using her human form the four of you leave the dungeon with the tied up Walter.

~X~
>Weeks go by as the Four of you start travelling the land for your goal.
>At first things didn't go so well.
>Talking about the bracelet would cause a argument with the echidna.
>And Dave was uncomfortable with the Lizard girl's somewhat clingy tendencies.
>Still you wanted to make it work, mostly out of paranoia that she would resort to forcing you.
>While you think you could take her, trying your luck is what got the bracelet on you in the first place.

>It has been a few months since you and Dave decided the Monsters were better off with you then stalking you
>Still no sign of a Item to remove the bracelet.
>At least the the arguments have stopped.
>And after being saved by her as he was about to fall in a trap, you've caught Dave watching the lizard girl when she's not looking.
>While you yourself admit that the echidna is good company.
<Even if you could do without the glares of barely contained lust at times.
>The team you have made has started to get famous with the locals.
>More and more jobs are sent your way, to your delight.

>More time passes.
>You have grown attached to the members of you odd group as comrades and friends.
>The echidna now is doing her best to help you lose the bracelet.
>Her reasoning being that they are the `remnant of a false marriage`
>It warmed your heart when you heard that.
>You hear about a dungeon said to contain a magic storehouse, filled with all sorts of tomes and artefacts
>After double checking all sources (you refuse to have and incident like one with Walter) you gather the others. to explore it.
>With all the time you've spent together, your group moves like a machine.
>Passing/disabling traps, fending off monsters, solving puzzles.
>There is next to nothing you cant solve with this team.

>you reach the library.
>the place looks wrecked, but there are still a few books about.
>Before you can take a look around you hear a crash behind you.
>A Lich has followed you in and says she's going to test this library's knowledge out on you.
>She then summons a variety of the undead to fight your group.

>Thankfully the undead don't fare well in combat.
>The only annoyance as your side takes out the zombies and skeletons is the random spell fingering from the witch
>The all out brawl between the lich's army and your group wrecks the library. destroying the tomes.
>In her rage at her army beaten and the tomes destroyed, the lich blasts the ceiling with her magic before, planning to bury the ruins with you in it.
>Dave manages to pull the lizard girl to away from harm.
>The echinda is not so lucky, have her snake half trapped under debris.
>Even with her magic, there wont be time for her to free herself alone before the room falls apart.

>She notices you helping to move the rubble in a attempt to get to her.
>She screams at you to get out while you can.
>You tell her if she has strength to scream then put that strength into clearing the way for her escape.
>Together you manage to free her and escape the whole dungeon before the place falls down.
>"Why save me? my death could have gotten the bracelet off." she ask with both gratefulness and curiosity in her voice.
>You tell her that if you wanted her dead to solve this thing you would have done it when you first met her, and that the removing the bracelet is not worth losing someone close to you.
>I took some time to get out of her coiling embrace.

>Its been 2 years since.
>Along with Dave and his lizardgirl wife, you make quite the team.
>Your journey to rid yourself of the bracelet saw your odd group though many dungeons.
>The guild has promoted you to a explorer captain for you success.
>Tales are told about your adventures across than and about the woman accompanying you in them.
>You never did find a way to remove the bracelet.
>But then you you look at your wife and the bundle in her arms.
>And your reminded of the reason you don't care any more.

FIN