As much as the party wanted to get started on questing. They didn't really know where to start. Well, maybe it wasn't that they didn't know where to begin, since they figured getting a quest was the easy part. All they had to do was talk to the frog kin. However, their suspicions about how they got into the event in the lake were just that, suspicions. And they didn't want to complete a multitude of quests to gain renown, only to have it end up being useless. Luckily, there was one surefire way to find out how to get the event started. Sadly, they couldn't find any other adventurers. They had spotted a few when entering the town, but they had all seemingly left.

  In response to the lack of adventurers, the trio decided to spend some time swimming around the village. It would be beneficial to familiarize themselves with the village and the general culture of the frog folk.

  During their swim, they found the frog folks weren’t very talkative, but their voices were easily heard through the water when they did talk. An ability that the three of them imagined was an Innate Magic of sorts. Additionally, all frog folk seem to have a habit of ribbiting every now and then, but it was much more obvious when they talked.

  The other notable aspect that the party observed as they explored the village was that the frog kin were very family-oriented. Though it had been hard to tell at first, frog folks, like other species, shared similarities with familial ties. These similarities were hard to notice when first meeting a new people's. However, in a world full of diverse cultures and creatures, everyone quickly learns to see the differences between individuals. So, it wasn't long before the three friends started spotting certain similarities in shades of green or patterns on some of the frog people's skin. This standard was seen even more so in their size, webbed feet, and general color of their large eyes, tongues, etc.

  After noticing the similarities between family members, it wasn't difficult to identify when groups of them were working together. Usually, these family groups worked on jobs that required many people, which meant farmers or those who processed natural goods into other resources that the frog kin required. In fact, through observation of their work, the trio found that the frog people bartered and traded the resources each family or sometimes individuals gained. To that end, they didn't seem to have a currency, and everything was traded. Something that made the three friends wonder if taxes were collected. Would every frog person give some of their goods as payment, meaning the guards were also paid in goods? Thankfully, they didn't go down that route very much, as it wasn't worth thinking about, especially considering they remembered where they were. For all they knew, the dungeon did things differently.

  After about an hour of exploring the village, the trio finally saw some adventurers. A group of three was swimming into the town from its outer edge. As they drew closer to the three, they saw it was a trio of human men. They looked to be rather average, wearing some basic armor that wouldn't do too much underwater. Furthermore, whatever magic they were using wasn’t the best since they also looked very wet. And considering the three adventurers had yet to spot them, it was obvious that their visibility was hindered, so they didn’t spot the incredibly speedy mermaid until she was right next to them.

  Adriana had seen the three adventurers and had instantly noticed that they were males. At that moment, a war quickly started in her mind, a war that her sane mind lost. It was just too easy. They looked so helpless underwater. She could tell that their magic wasn't the greatest, and if she could get over there, they could have a good time, and then she could end them. So, she rushed forward using her full speed and made it there before they were even aware of her.

  Seeing Adriana rush forward, Arthur and Alexion moved after her with speed. Both of them were aware of the war she had just fought in her mind and had clearly lost. It's something that happened more than they liked, but something they were used to. Alexion wasn't even jealous or mad at his girlfriend for looking at the other men; he just felt bad for her. He couldn't imagine not being in control of his own urges.

  The three men stared at her, filling her with unbridled joy. Their eyes roamed her body, their gazes causing her to turn her attraction magic to the max and making them fall under her spell even more. Of course, they didn't even resist and were already moving towards her, arms outstretched as they clearly wanted to grab her large and barely covered breasts. In response, she used her hands to prop her breasts up, making them as alluring as possible. Sadly, before the three men got close enough to grab her, Arctur and Alexion appeared between them, causing the three adventurers to stop in place.

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  Adriana, seeing her two friends appear in front of her, though more importantly, seeing the person she recognized as her boyfriend, froze. There was another war in her mind, and this time she won and pushed her urges back down as disgust rolled through her. Her disgust was soon replaced by anger at herself, then shame, and finally sadness as she had put her friend and loved one through her nonsense again.

  “Sorry, I, I-” Arctur and Alexion heard Adriana begin to say shakily and with clear remorse, the emotions felt through their link. They, however, cut her off.

  “It's alright, I know it's not you,” Her boyfriend told her with understanding and acceptance.

  “All good, urges get the best of us, remember that time I almost did it with that incredibly sexy semi-divine bear?” Arctur stated jokingly, knowing he had stopped using that form for a reason.

  Adriana, hearing her friends, felt much better, and she was able to rein in her magical charm, causing the three adventurers to mostly come out of their trance. At the same time, she also made sure that they ignored her since she didn't want to have any more issues on hand.

  Arthur and Alexion saw intelligence return to the eyes of the three men. It wasn't their first time seeing her powers, and if it had been anybody else, they would have also fallen under her spell. However, their power and mental resilience were two key reasons why they ended up working together.

  “What the-” One of the guys began, but stopped as he shook his head like trying to shake away a dream.

  “Who are you guys!?” Another of the men yelled, his posture becoming aggressive.

  “Where did that mermaid go!?” The last one said, looking around manically, his hands still outstretched and making grasping motions.

  “Mermaid?” Alexion asked, confused, “What mermaid?” All the while also pretending to look around.

  “You guys okay? Maybe you've been underwater too much,” Arctur added calmly, his eyes moving from guy to guy.

  “No, I could have sworn…” The grasping guy said his arms returning to his sides before he went quiet, staring at his hands as he tried to piece together what he had been doing. Meanwhile, the man who had first spoken looked at the two friends with suspicion, while their other friend repeated his question, albeit much more calmly.

  “Again, who are you guys?”

  “We are adventurers, much like you. However, we are new to the dungeon and were wondering if you could help us out,” Alexion said while raising his hands, trying to show he and Arctur didn’t want any trouble.

  “Help with what? You guys should know the dungeon doesn’t let us share things so easily,” The first speaker said, narrowing his eyes a bit.

  “Nothing much, honestly. We know there is an event going on, we were just wondering if helping the frog folk and gathering renown is how we get in it,” Arctur told the man, his words seeming to put him at peace.

  “Yeah, that’s how you get into the event…” The man replied, but instead of remembering all he said, Arctur only registered the first few words, which the man noticed.

  “Uh, I am guessing you didn’t hear the rest of what I just said, right?” The same dude asked, his two buddies smiling stupidly, and Arctur shook his head.

  “Alright, well, do you guys need help with anything else? Cause we usually charge for our help, we are veterans of this place after all,” The man said, getting nods from the other two.

  “No, that’s all. Thanks, guys. Here is a gold piece for your troubles,” Alexion told the trio as he threw a gold piece at them. The trio, seeming happy with the offering, smiled and swam into the village.

  “Veterans, my ass,” Alexion and Adriana heard Arctur say telepathically, making them smile.

  “Well, they might be, could be one of the people that got here in the first month,” Alexion pointed out.

  “I guess, though they aren’t veterans in anything else. Honestly, not sure how they have survived underwater so far,” The green man said, watching the three struggling to move through the water at any speed.

  “Well, at least they told us how to get into the event, or at the very least confirmed it,” Adriana added, having been right there the whole time.

  “Yup, plus they got a good show,” Alex told her playfully, switching to actual speak as he swam to her.

  “Yeah, sorry about that.”

  “It's alright, though now I am a bit jealous, that guy almost fondled your goods,” Alexion told her, his playful smile letting her know he was joking.

  “Well, if I let you fondle them now, will that make you feel better?” She told him, her eyes sparkling while she smiled mischievously.

  “Don’t mind if I do,” Her elf said.

  Arctur looked away when the two began flirting and decided to give them a minute. This basically always happened after Adriana lost it. Somehow, Alexion was able to calm her down, his presence and touch grounding her mind. Meanwhile, at the same time, he knew she wanted to make it up to him. However, after a few minutes of pretending to be interested in plants, frogs, buildings, or otherwise, Arctur decided to stop the two.

  “Alright, you two, enough messing about, we've got quests to do,” He said telepathically.

  “Yup, sorry,” Alexion replied via the mind link a few seconds later.

  Then Arctur felt Adriana on his back as she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss of apology on his cheek.

  “I am sorry as well. I promise I will make sure to introduce you to another of my cousins one day soon so you can have some fun,” The mermaid told him, and he smiled.

  “Alright, I will hold you to that, and make sure she’s extra crazy, alright?”

  “You got it!” Adri told him cheerfully, having already removed herself from him.