Mira, Allie, Sophie, and Wren stepped into a large room.
After following the two succubi's directions, it led them down a hallway and to a pair of large doors. Beyond the doors was a large open room, but there was nothing inside. It was blank, without any features besides the stone bricks making up the walls.
"It seems like Brill isn't here," Sophie said. She glanced around the room, and Wren nodded in agreement.
"I can't sense any life signs," she said. Her long elf ears twitched, and she turned her head to listen closer. "It's completely silent."
"Perhaps we should go back and ask for directions again?" Allie asked.
"We're not going back." Mira shook her head. "Brill should be around here somewhere."
Demons weren't known to lie. They were tricksters and cheats, but not liars. If those two succubi said they could find Brill here, they would. Even if it appeared to be an empty room devoid of features, there had to be something special about the place.
They continued to look around the room, listening for any sounds. For minutes, it seemed futile, but just when Mira began to doubt her own sanity, a laugh echoed through the room.
"Hahaha... We're finally back together, it seems." Brill's voice echoed around the room, coming from nowhere and everywhere at once. "Us five, a party once more."
"Brill? Where are you?" Mira raised her voice, turning to look for the source of their final party member's voice, but she couldn't see their friend anywhere. The room was just as empty as when they entered.
There was something in Brill's voice, and the mysterious way it echoed around them that made the hairs on the back of Mira's neck raise. She couldn't shake the feeling that they were in a dangerous position. Despite finally reuniting their party, something was off.
"I'm right here." Brill appeared in front of them, and Mira whirled around to face her.
"There you are..." Mira let out a sigh of relief at the sight of her.
She had the same brown hair, freckles, and light armor. Even her sword was on her hip. Compared to the four of them, who were all barely clothed and in a mess from tentacle secretions, Brill looked much more put together. It was as if she looked the same as when they first entered the dungeon.
"Shall we make our way out now?" Wren asked.
"Now that we're together, we should be able to escape," Sophie said.
"Unfortunately, escaping this dungeon won't be so easy," Brill said. She stepped forward, coming closer to their group. "If we want to escape, we'll either have to fight through nine-hundred floors of monsters to get to the surface, or..."
"Or?" Allie asked, tilting her head at Brill. "Is there another way to escape?"
"If we play one more game, the dungeon will release us." Brill gave them a smile, looking between each of the other four's faces. "I negotiated with the dungeon master. If we can win her challenge, she'll teleport us to the surface."
"And what kind of game is this?" Mira's eyes narrowed at Brill. Something about her expression was too relaxed. They were nine-hundred floors deep in a dungeon. She shouldn't be this lackadaisical about their situation.
"It's simple." Brill reached forward and opened her hand, showing her palm to them. Four bead-like pills lay in her hand. They looked like crimson marbles glimmering in the dim dungeon light. "You four will swallow one of these seeds. If any of you can resist their influence, all five of us will be allowed to escape from the dungeon."
"You won't be taking part in this?" Mira asked.
"I have already played the game and won." Brill gave them a smile. "It's a simple challenge. All you need to do is resist reaching orgasm."
"And if we do come?" Mira tightened her lips, frowning at Brill. "What happens then?"
"A single orgasm isn't enough to lose the challenge. You will need to come multiple times before losing. Depending on how strong your will is, it could take dozens of orgasms. I'm sure one of you will hold out. I beat the game, after all."
It sounded too good to be true. If they just had to resist the urge to orgasm, they could do that. Between the four of them, it would be easy for at least one of them to hold out. From what Brill said, it sounded like the game was fairly easy to beat.
"If just one of us manages to hold out, we all go free?" Mira asked, making sure she understood the rules, and Brill nodded.
"That's right. Only one of you needs to pass the challenge, and all five of us will be free to leave the dungeon without fear of being attacked. However..." Brill's expression turned serious. "If all four of you succumb to the game, then we shall become subjects of the dungeon."
"We'll win," Mira said, and she hardened her expression. "I'll see us through this."
She took a red bead from Brill's hand and swallowed it. Allie, Sophie, and Wren followed suit. They each nodded and decided to take the challenge. Compared with climbing through nine-hundred floors of a dungeon, this sounded infinitely easier. It was their best bet to escape, or so each of them thought.
--
Wren swallowed the red bead, and her eyes widened in surprise.