Dry Greed

Miguel: "How about this one?"

He points to a mission on the billboard.

Miguel: "It says we have to go to this place and talk to the recruiter."

Slinger: "Rather suspicious, I might add."

Sun: "Is it worth it?"

Miguel: "It's a B-rank mission. It promises tons of gold."

Sun: "I'm in. How about you guys?"

Nebula: "As Slinger said, it's suspicious... why can't they specify any details beyond the rewards?"

D: "Probably because it's shady work."

Nebula: "How about we split up?"

We go to the location. It's a luxury hotel.

Sun: "Hello, we're looking for... Biggus Dingus...?"

— Are you here for the mission request?

Sun: "I guess so... I mean, there aren't many people with a name like that, right?"

Slinger: "Are you serious? That's clearly a code name for this specific kind of situation."

Sun: "That doesn't make it any less funny."

The receptionist giggles and stands up.

— Come with me.

We follow her and stop in front of a room.

— I must warn you, adventurers: he's a bit... unpleasant.

Sun: "Thank you, lass. Don't worry, we got this."

— Then, good luck.

She bows and walks away.

Nebula: "I think I should go with you, brother. Then D, Slinger, and Miguel will wait here in case anything happens."

D: "I'm sorry to disagree, my master, but I insist on accompanying you."

Slinger: "He might be racist, you know? I don't think having a dragon would make a good first impression."

D: "That's all the more reason. If my presence bothers him so much, this deal isn't worth it. But my masters' word is final. I won't force my way through against your will."

Sun: "You can come with us, D, don't worry. And I agree with you. Slinger, remember the conversation we had about assessing the worth of our enemies? If he's worse than the ice queen, we should kill him on the spot."

Slinger: "And jeopardize your future again? I came after you precisely because of your carelessness."

Nebula: "She's right, brother... killing him would cause a lot of trouble for us and many other people."

I hadn't thought that far... ending an evil stops it from spreading, right? Unless that evil keeps innocent people on a leash... cutting off the leash without taking care of them would be disastrous.

Sun: "Okay, I'll try not to show aggression. Shall we?"

D and Nebula nod. I knock on the door.

— Who is it?! Cleaning service? I'm busy right now!

Sun: "No, it's... the mission you requested... are you Biggus Dingus?"

I have an urge to laugh, but I hold back my voice.

— Oh, that's why you came! Come in, the door is unlocked!

I hesitantly open the door. A fat man lies on a double bed, completely disheveled. His elegant clothes are wrinkled, his hair and mustache unkempt. He's eating expensive food.

— I don't have many chairs, so you can sit on the bed if you want.

Sun: "No, I'm good."

— You may have noticed, but my real name is not Biggus Dingus.

Sun: "What is it, then?"

— What makes you think I would reveal my identity?

Sun: "Intimacy, you know? We can be good friends."

— I can see right through your facade, boy. I'm smarter than I look.

D closes the door.

Biggus: "Is that a dragon I see?"

Sun: "Yeah. Do you have a problem with him?"

Biggus: "I thought I specifically asked for adventurers."

Sun: "He's from our guild. So, what's the mission?"

Biggus: "Calm down there, buddy. You come at me with a monster and expect me to answer your questions?"

Sun: "What does the fact that he's a monster have to do with it? We came for your mission. That's all."

Biggus: "Yeah, but I can't risk my reputation by letting an inferior species take all the credit."

Sun: "He's not taking all the credit. We're a guild. And we're more qualified than you think."

Biggus: "There's only one way to prove it. Results."

Sun: "We're C-rankers. Is that not enough?"

Biggus: "This is mission if for B-rankers."

Sun: "We completed two C-rank missions to be here. We were E-rank before that."

Biggus: "Did I stutter?"

Nebula: "I'm sorry about my brother's behavior, sir. If you don't mind, could you give us details about the mission?"

Biggus: "Sure, honey. I want you to steal relics from an underground pyramid."

Sun: "Proceed."

Biggus: "Now you've learned to listen, boy. It's a desert. The pyramid is full of traps, but there's a much bigger problem. That's why I didn't specify any details in that request."

Nebula: "We are ready for anything."

Biggus: "You better, because you're on a time limit. Goblins are invading the pyramid daily to try to steal the artifacts. They're protected by ancient spells, but time is running out as we speak."

Nebula: "If you don't mind me saying, is anyone doing this mission right now?"

Biggus: "You're the first to come to me. But if anyone finishes first, they'll get all the rewards."

Nebula: "Then... how do you know about the goblins?"

Biggus: "Oh, is that what you're worried about? I have my contacts. There's a village near the pyramid. You can ask them to guide you if you feel the need. They're no longer necessary to me."

Sun: "What? A village?"

Biggus: "Yeah, I asked them to watch the pyramid every day, looking for possible invaders. I just had to offer water in exchange. Easy people, huh?"

The hell he's keeping his end of the deal... he's full of empty promises to hold vulnerable people hostage...

I grit my teeth, unable to contain my contempt. Nebula places her hand on my shoulder.

Nebula: "Understood, Mr. Biggus Dingus. Can you show us a map of where the pyramid is?"

Biggus: "Sure thing, darling. But you'll have to be quick. You might run into some competition there."

We go to the desert.

Nebula: "Do you think he's keeping his promise? He doesn't seem against betraying people."

Sun: "He's already betrayed the village. Do you see water anywhere? This place is too dry to support any life!"

Nebula: "I knew you'd want to visit them first, brother."

Sun: "So did you. We're saving them. And if he doesn't reward us after all this, we'll interrogate him and find every community he has on a leash. And then kill him."

Slinger: "I like your way of thinking."

Miguel: "But we need to be discreet. If he disappears, the city will be on alert."

Sun: "He may be rich, but nobody knows his real name. No one will miss him, I can assure you that. And even if they notice, we'll find a way to finish his business. Are you guys with me?"

They smile and nod at me.

D: "That's why you're our leader, Sun."

We walk through the desert, searching for the village on the map. We finally find it. It's small and has few houses. 

A woman shields her child behind her, afraid of us.

Sun: "We mean no harm. We're here to help you."

— Are you with Biggus? Where is he? He hasn't shown up since we reported the pyramid attack! We don't even know how he looks like!

Sun: "We're doing a mission for him, but we're not on his side. If we didn't want to help you, we'd head to the pyramid right away."

— That may be true, but actions speak louder than words! We're not falling for empty promises again!

Nebula approaches them and takes an item from her Stocker. The woman recoils, startled. The item is the water spellbook. It floats in the air, water seeping out and forming droplets.

Nebula: "I can summon water. I promise it's not poisoned. You can taste it if you want."

She also takes out her new ice staff, crafted by Barik and William. She summons a cup of ice and stores water inside, cooling it. She hands it to the woman, who hesitantly grabs it and takes a sip.

— It has no taste... but not in a bad way... it's clean, pure water!

She drinks half the cup and gives the rest to her daughter.

— You're not... trying to get us into debt, are you?

Nebula: "Of course not. I expect nothing in return."

Sun: "My sister is telling the truth. She was dying to help you guys. So was I."

We smile at the family. Other people start coming out of their houses to see what's going on.

— People, it's water! Clean water!

They run towards us, intrigued.

Nebula: "Do you guys have a tank where I can store water? I can summon a huge amount before I get mana sickness."

— Yes! We have several reserves to store rainwater, which never arrives.

I smile at Nebula.

Sun: "Thank you, Nebula, for your effort. None of us would be able to help them like you."

Nebula: "Don't say that, brother! We all have our specialties."