2 A Party!

"Wooow~" Etsuko opened her mouth in awe as she and Tadao made their way into the town. Everything felt like it was straight out of a fantasy RPG. Men, women, and children of many different races went about their day. There were rows of victorian styled buildings with reddish-orange roofs. Most of these buildings were shops, selling a variety of items. A large, white fountain was in the middle of the street, and behind that, was a building towering all over the others. It was around three stories and had white pillars. Near the entrance was a community board, full of papers.

"That must be the guild hall." Tadao said, looking upwards at the building with hands on his hips.

"It's amazing!" Etsuko chimed in, "Come on Tadao, let's go inside!"

The two then opened the wooden doors and were greeted with a massive hall full with the comradery of adventurers. Groups of people from diverse classes sat together on tables. Some were laughing together after a successful quest, while others had stern faces while planning their mission. At the end of the hall was a row of cute receptionists, greeting adventurers and taking care of monetary business. The two walked up to one with short brown hair and a blue beret, who noticed their arrival.

"Welcome to the Guild Hall!" She said with a cheery tone, "Hmm, I haven't seen you guys before…would you like to sign up with our guild? Oh! I almost forgot! My name is Celia."

"She's so cute isn't she Tadao?" Etsuko cooed, grabbing Celia's hands.

"Aww thanks ma'am" Celia nervously laughed.

Tadao pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, "Look, we're gonna kill the demon lord, and we need to raid this dungeon to find the pieces for a powerful sword." Tadao rolled out Baelz's map on the table, "There's a powerful monster guarding it, so we need the strongest party you have to help us, okay?"

"T-the demon lord?"

"Yeah." Tadao then made his mother pull up her status menu, as he pulled up his. Celia examined the numbers on both, and her eyes went wide.

"Gods, she is really strong. Are you guys the summoned heroes?"

Etsuko raised a fist. "Yes we-"

"So can you set us up or nah?" Tadao said, cutting his mother off.

"Oh! Can do! Our strongest party is Excelsior, but they're very pricey…how much money do you have?

Tadao's face went cold, "M-Money?"

"Sorry Celia," Etsuko said, with a nervous smile, "We…don't have anything."

"It's all because of that stupid god," Tadao murmured, "bitch forgot to give us money." Just then, two large men approached the mother and son duo from behind. Tadao, sensing their presence, turned to face them. They both looked similar to each other, with dark skin and defined muscles, highlighted by being shirtless. They both wore dark green pants and had a large sword around their waist. The only difference between the two was the hair, one was bald with a strong beard, while the other had dreadlocks and a black mask covering his mouth. Both stood towering over Tadao and Etsuko.

"G'afternoon Celia." said the bald one.

"Yo." said the one with dreadlocks.

"Ah! Mikael! Jakson! Perfect timing. You see, these new adventures need a party to help them raid but…they're broke."

"Couldn't you word that a bit nicer?" Tadao crossed his arms.

"They're off to a dungeon here on this map. I know you guys like killing powerful monsters so…could you help them?"

Mikael crossed his own massive arms in thought and sighed. He then looked at Etsuko, who smiled back at him with a cute wave. Jakson also eyed the woman, though appearing to stare down her mature curves. "Yeah, we're down."

"Ye." Jakson added.

"I was SO scared we would have to fight the monster alone! Mikael and Jakson was it? Thank you~" Etsuko giggled, "Oh by the way, is there any inn or something to stay at in the city?"

Mikael chuckled, stroking his beard. "Well Miss, you could stay with us. We got an extra room. Ain't that right bro?"

"Ye." Jakson added.

Tadao grabbed his mom's arm and leaned into her ear, "Mom, I don't think that's a good idea. These guys look like bad news."

"It's okay!" Etsuko whispered back, "If these men go out of their way to do this for us, I think we can trust them. Besides, if anything happens, I have my little Tadao to protect me!" She teased, sticking her tongue out. Tadao cringed at the remarks, and eyed the men waiting for an answer. Their gazes were both on his mother, but he did not notice.

"Fine, they look pretty strong anyways." Tadao side.

"Oh, how could we ever repay you guys?" Etsuko asked, turning towards the brothers.

"We can discuss that and how we tackle the dungeon at our place." Mikael smiled, "Let's get both of y'all settled first, aight?"

"Okay!" Etsuko said, shaking the hand of Mikael. Tadao went for a handshake on Jakson, but was again ignored.

"Stay safe you four!" Celia remarked.

"Don't worry Celia dear, we'll be fine!" Etsuko smiled, waving as she and Tadao followed the men out of the guild hall.

—

Mikael and Jakson lived in a wood house that looked similar to the other houses in town. The interior was humble with a quiet kitchen and classic living room. The guest room was at the second floor, and this was where the heroes would stay. The room was very simple. One queen sized bed with white bed sheets, a small closet, and a desk with a chair. Etsuko and Tadao stepped inside and looked around.

"It's very nice, Mikael!" She said with a comforting smile.

"Glad ya like it miss" Mikael said, walking up beside her. Suddenly, he wrapped an arm around Etsuko and placed his large hand on one of her breasts, which sent a chill down her spine.

"Mikael?…" she said, surprised. Tadao sensed some malice and immediately pulled out his cutlass. However, Jakson, who was standing quietly behind them, easily apprehended him and lifted him into the air

"LEMME GO YOU BASTARDS!" Tadao yelled, squirming in Jakson's grip. Jakson simply plopped him on the chair, and tied him to it using a rope he had in his inventory. He also wrapped a cloth around Tadao's mouth making him unable to talk.

"Stay." Commanded Jakson.

"T-tadao?!" Etsuko said, shocked. Tadao tried his best to signal his mother to pull out her sword, but she simply stood there in Mikael's presence. Mikael himself leaned into Etsuko's ear with a sinister smile.

"Now then. Etsuko, was it? About this…payment."