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Also, the two mons that chased Veera and go are swapped too? \n\nWhat is going oooon? And what does this have in store for Shia?\n\nFind out the latter at least next week.\n\n[url=https://inkbunny.net/submissionsviewall.php?rid=c6a9fd4348&mode=pool&pool_id=59838&page=1&orderby=pool_order&random=no&success=]Ironswap is a swap of Sands of Iron by InfinityDoom[/url]. All characters belong to them.\n", "description_bbcode_parsed": "So yeah, Rai is... good? Also, the two mons that chased Veera and go are swapped too?

What is going oooon? And what does this have in store for Shia?

Find out the latter at least next week.

Ironswap is a swap of Sands of Iron by InfinityDoom. All characters belong to them.
", "writing": "\"Well, here we are.\" Riley proudly announced to the group as they walked past the gate guard. \"Good old Sandstone.\" \n\nThe two formerly dungeon dwellers looked around. By the time the group of five had reached the 'Sandstone' city the guild trio, the sun had since risen. They had seen one side of the large wall from the outside, and had been quite impressed. Large, and imposing, well suited to keeping savages such as them out, as it was clearly intended. But now that they were inside, they stopped to see the sights: the mons walking around going about their daily lives, all with citizen and guild badges on, well more the former than the latter. They saw the sandstone and wooden dwellings, the wall that surrounded the town which was somehow even more imposing than from the outside, the depressing ruins of some buildings that had once stood. Shops with signs on them selling various goods and services. Shia could just make out what he thought to be some sort of guild hall off in the distance. There was some sort of announcement board with something written on it. And... not much else.\n\nIt... was not what they had expected at all. And, although they could not put a finger on why, it seemed... quite disappointing. Perhaps it was the stories they were told about civilization from rare non-hostile encounters from the outsiders, but from what they could see, it didn't seem to live up to the hype. But maybe they were...\n\nSuddenly, the sound of their guild escorts walking away from the two mons snapped them back to reality. \n\n\"What? You're just going to leave us here?\" Loona asked angrily.\n\n\"Well, yeah.\" Riley replied just as snidely. \"You really didn't expect much else, did you? Look, your citizens now, you're safe from the horrors of the maze. That's a start. We really can't afford to do much else right now, So I'm afraid on your own.\"\n\n\"Gee, thanks.\" Shia replied flatly.\n\n\"Well if you don't mind, we have to take our Guild Leader here back to the guild hall for treatment.\" She replied dismissively. \"Once you settle in, I suggest finding a job somewhere, getting some poke, and renting a place or something.\" \n\n\"But where do-\" Shia didn't even bother finishing the sentence as the trio of guilders left their sight. He sighed in frustration.\n\n\"Well, great.\" Loona said sarcastically. \"We're stuck here without a clue as to what to do.\"\n\n\"Well, maybe we can put in a rescue mission at the board here?!\" Shia suggested pointing to the large notice board they were currently standing next to. \"It's worth a try.\"\n\n\"Hmm...\" The two of them inspected it. Despite being raised in the dungeon, the two of them had at least learned just a little bit of basic reading skills here and there. The board read \"Rescue Missions: 200 Poke up front.\"\n\n\"How much is 200 poke anyway?\" Loona asked. As dungeon dwellers, they had never encountered money in their lives either. They never needed it. As such, they had no frame of reference on how much this was. Shia however, knew one thing.\n\n\"Too much.\" He huffed indignantly. \"No mon should have to pay for help!\"\n\nShia stomped off in an angry huff, alarming the Linoone.\n\n\"W-Where are you going, Shia?\" She yelled to him. Shia momentarily stopped and turned his head to partially face her.\n\n\"I'm going to try to join one of these guilds. If I can join up, maybe I can bend an ear or two to get us help! Or at least a place to stay. Or... something.\" Before she could stop or argue with him any further, he simply walked off into the distance and disappeared around a street corner. At this point, Loona was too tired to try chasing after him.\nIn truth, Loona had thought of the idea, possibly before he had, but since Shia had always been the self-proclaimed 'protector' of their little group, and the only one among them that had even tried to fight back that horrible night, she figured that he'd probably stand a better chance anyway. She had to admit, she was never much of a fighter, even after her evolution. Now that she thought about it, her odds of actually getting into a guild were... Not great, to say the least.\n\nShe just wish he'd not left so fast, so she could at least follow him. Though, she could tell even from here, he must have had his reasons. \n\n\"Poor guy, probably blames all this upon himself.\" She said to herself quietly.\n\n\"Ah, eh hem...\" Suddenly, she saw a Sandile, looking at her with an annoyed look.\n\n\"Oh. Can I he-\"\n\nBefore she could finish, the Sandile reached out his paw, and made a small waving movement off to the left, signaling her wordlessly to move aside.\n\"Oh, uh, sorry.\" The Linoone apologized quickly as she stepped out of the way. The sand crocodile paid her no further mind as they then stepped up to the board and began to read it.\n\n\"So, would you happen to know where I could get a job in this town?\" Loona asked. Only to be met with dead silence as the mon continued to stare at the billboard, which was clearly more interesting to this person than she was.\n\n\"... Anything? Anything at all?\" She asked. The disinterested ground type simply looked at her, gave her a shrug, and then left. \n\n\"Well screw you too, then.\" She muttered under her breath as she turned in the opposite direction, and started walking. \n\nShe lost track of how long and how far she walked ever since she went her way. She didn't know what exactly she was looking for. She'd lost track of Shia completely, and she couldn't read any of the signs to see what they said. The mons here were similarly unhelpful to the Sandile she encountered earlier, as those that didn't tell her to buzz off simply gave her the cold shoulder. And it didn't take long for her to feel like she was just wandering aimlessly in circles. \n\nLoona took a look to her left, and saw a rather large building with a large sign over a large entryway. She couldn't see inside due to the difference in light, but something seemed... familiar about it. Upon closer inspection, she realized why this was: She'd already passed this place. In fact, this was the third time she'd seen it!\n\n\"Lost ways, I really am just walking around in circles here.\" Loona grumbled. She looked at the sign. It had huge letters, only a few she could make out. \"'Bar... th...ol?' The what in the maze does that mean?\" She wondered. She looked towards the door once more and sighed. \"Well, might as well try to find a job here...\" At least it looked like someplace important, and not just someone's home. \"Well,\" she told herself. \"How bad could it be?\" She asked as she walked through the doors.\n\nAnd almost immediately regretted doing so. Her eyes hadn't even adjusted properly when the sounds of huffs and moans filled her Linoone ears, soon joined by the sights of male mons of many types sitting around tables and colored pillows, most with visible or buried erections inside female mons of various types. A buizel was getting a blowjob from a umbreon, another patron held onto a leash while he fucked a pikachu. Of course, said whores looked happy as they could be, though whether they were genuinely happy or were just faking it one couldn't tell, and it wasn't as if Loona wanted to find out.\n\n\"Oh great.\" Loona grumbled. Even as a dungeon dweller freshly turned citizen, she could still figure out what was going on here. In her frustrated desperation, she'd managed to walk straight into a whore house without even realizing it. She felt absolutely revolted by the sights around her, as it reminded her too much of that night in the dungeon. The night that took her virginity away to a creature she never wanted to give it to, the pain she endured. Every fiber of her being was telling her to get out of there. To head back out the door, to keep searching. But, whether it was the fear, the indecision, or something else, she just... couldn't. She couldn't do it.\n\nPart of her knew why though. She had to do it. She had to do it for Veera. Veera needed help, her help, she couldn't just quit now because of this place. She had to find someplace that would take her, to pay that 200 poke to get a rescue mission going. Or find someone to help her. Or at the very least, not be a vagrant. With that newfound revelation, she finally found the strength to move again. But not outside, like her mind was screaming at her to do, but forward. Forward to the bar, to where a Flygon barkeeper was situated. His mind was clearly on something else, and if his hands, and the slurping sounds coming from under the bar, well, she certainly didn't need to be psychic to figure out what was going on. \n\nShe reached the bar, and cleared her throat loudly. The flygon lazily drew his attention towards the newcomer. \"Eh?\" He groaned as he slowly found himself back to reality. As his eyes locked upon her form however, he quickly drew himself back to attention. \n\"Woah! A girl patron! I was not expecting that.\" He exclaimed as he focused his attention on the Linoone in front of her. \"Soo miss, what can I get ya for? If it's a drink or a bite to eat I can help, but if you're looking for our other service, well, we don't really get a lot of female patrons around here-\"\n\n\"I'm... not a patron.\" Loona cut him short, trying to sound as confident as possible. She was not succeeding, however. \"I was actually wondering if you had a job.\" She took a look around. \"Or even better, knew of someone else who would hire me.\"\n\nThe Flygon remained lost in thought for a moment, and Loona wondered if he was just going to get the cold shoulder like she had been all day. However, he quickly nodded in what appeared to be understanding. \"Ah, I see.\" He said as he tried to hide his pleasured huffs to sound like heavy breathing, with minimal success. \"Ahh, foreigner, much like myself. I fully understand, it's hard to find work for us outside of ... this.\" he paused as he looked around. \"Well, luckily ol' Igon can help a fine young lady like yourself out.\" He said with a smile that betrayed a little more than just friendliness. \"If you want a job, just get a shirt, pick a client, and go to town. No application or experience needed.\"\n\n\"Erm... actually, I was wondering if you had something a little more... hands off.\" Loona put a little more emphasis on that last part. She didn't really expect him to honor that request, and truth be told, she was just about ready to leave this place now, even if she'd just heard that job opportunities were rather bleak for her.\n\nSuddenly, he let out a loud, long moan. \"Ahhhhhh...\" He said as he tried to disguise his moan as simple understanding. It did not work. \"Not comfortable with that yet? Well, as luck would have it, I kinda had to fire our last cleaner. So uuuughhh yeah, that's up for grabs. Just give me a minute here and I'll take you in back and get your stuff.\"\n\n\"No funny business.\" Loona warned. Truth be told she didn't know what exactly she'd do, besides try to run, but she couldn't appear weak or anything in front of this guy.\n\n\"Of course. I wouldn't dream of it.\" Igon replied, raising his hands in supplication. Something he quickly realized was a mistake, as he eyed his left, which was dribbling with his own male fluids, earning him a disgusted look from Loona. It only took a second for him to look at said hand and realize his error, to which he tried to correct by putting it back down. \"Ahh, just ignore that. Excuse me for one sec.\"\n\nLoona watched as he leaned down under the table and whispered to someone down there. Unfortunately for him, his words weren't unnoticed by her ears. Not at this close range. \"Alright. That's enough. Back to work.\"\n\nAs soon as he said that, the slurping stopped, and a Poochyena girl rose from under the bar. Her mouth was covered in saliva, and it was obvious she had been sucking and licking on something down there, and it hardly took a genius to figure out what. Much like the other whores in this place, she had a smile on her lips. A warm smile was likewise on Igons lips as he told her, \"Don't worry sweetie, you'll get your extra tip as always. And I don't just mean that one. Heh heh.\"\n\nLoona could only roll her eyes at this exchange, the thought of backing out and leaving still fresh in her mind. But she had to admit, she really didn't have many options, if everyone's cold shoulder was any indication. \n\n\"Well, just follow me into the back room, and I'll set you up.\" He said as he turned, and motioned for him to follow him. Reluctantly, Loona followed him into what she assumed was the employee backrooms, still on her guard in case this pervy flygon tried anything. As she followed him through the door, she saw another mon, a Salandit tending the kitchen. He didn't seem to notice Loona, and she made no attempt to garner his attention. What did garner her attention was a small poster on a nearby wall, it read \"It never hurts to suck up to the boss.\" However, the 'up to' part was stricken out, and underneath it was a crudely written 'off', so it now read \"It never hurts to suck off the boss\" instead.\n\n\"Very funny.\" She commented. \n\n\"Hmm?\" Igon questioned, turning around to see what she was looking at. \"Oh, that. You can ignore that, it's just a little employee joke.\" He chuckled. \n\nLoona remained thoroughly unconvinced. \n\nHe led over to a small box, opened it, and pulled out a large, dark brown vest with light brown frills on the bottom. The same one Loona had seen the other girls wear. This one was a larger size, more appropriate to a mon like her. \n\n\"Fit alright?\" Igon asked as she tried it on. \"I have more that are bigger if-\"\n\n\"No, this is fine.\" She told him.\n\n\"Well, alright. Mop's over there.\" Igon pointed, with his non-cum filled hand, over to a mop and a bucket of water in the corner. \"I or someone else will call you if needed. Otherwise, I might have you tend the bar a bit too if there's nothing else to do. Otherwise, some customers have food you can take out. If they get a little rowdy, just tell them you're off limits and they'll leave you alone.\"\n\nLoona nodded.\n\n\"Well there you go. You're all set. Miss...\" It was at this point that Loona suddenly realized that her name never even came up. Part of her wondered if it ever would. Still, though, now that it had, there was no reason not to give it.\n\n\"Loona. My name's Loona.\" She replied.\n\n\"Ah. Well Loona. Welcome aboard.\" Igon replied warmly. \"That should be everything. So I'll leave you to it...\" He turned to leave, presumably heading back to the bar area. \"Oh...\" He stopped for just a moment. \"If you change your mind about the whole 'hands off' part... It's not as bad as it sounds. Good money too.\"\n\nLoona didn't bother to reply as he left, leaving her to her work. She groaned, wondering just what she'd gotten herself into. Still though, this 'Igon' did seem to respect her boundaries, at least for now. She just hoped it lasted long enough for her to either get enough money to buy a rescue mission, or at least long enough to find a different job somewhere else. If there was even a 'somewhere else' that was hiring.\n\nShe could only hope that Shia had found better luck in his pursuit.\n\n----\n\nLater in the day, Loona found herself mopping up a spilled drink by a very drunk customer, in the corner. Said customer was thankfully very long gone, but he'd also vomited on the floor. Thankfully, she had managed to mop that up, but holy Lost Ways did it reek. Well, more than the whole place did in fact.\n\nShe heard someone come up to her, and then could see a shadow on the floor that wasn't hers. It was still daytime, and it was close to a window, so the shadow was hard to make out. However, Loona could already garner a guess as to what the shadow was and what their owner wanted. With an annoyed sigh, she spoke the words Igon told her to say in this situation.\n\n\"No sir, I'm off limits. Go find one of the other girls if-\"\n\n\"Uh... hi?\"\n\nHer ears were greeted with a voice that did not sound male in the slightest. It would seem her initial thoughts had been wrong. That revelation was more than enough to get Loona to stop what she was doing for the moment, and, while still holding the mop in hand, turn around to meet the source of this voice and shadow.\n\nShe was greeted with the sight of the Poochyena from earlier, wearing a friendly smile along with her required employee vest. \n\n\"Can I... Help you?\" Loona asked curiously and cautiously, still not sure what she was intending.\n\n\"Oh, uh, no.\" The dark type working girl replied. \"I just wanted to welcome you to our little group here.\"\n\nAh, so it was small talk she was after. While Loona could have easily used the excuse of work to excuse herself, as was her first thought, she soon decided that perhaps just a little friendly chat between girls, coworkers would be good for her. If for no other reason than to pass the time.\n\nBesides, she was almost done anyway. In fact...\n\n\"One second.\" \n\nShe quickly turned around, and swept up the remaining puddle of spilled booze into the mop, and washed the mop in the bucket before once again turning to her coworker. \n\n\"Alright there we go. Sooo... uhhhh... Yeah. I'm Loona. And you are?\"\n\n\"Yena.\" She extended a paw out to her. Loona looked at it carefully, before cautiously shaking it. \n\n\"So... where're you from?\" Yena asked. \"I mean, maybe it's not really my business to ask, but... did you come from the dungeon?\"\n\nLoona froze, unsure of what to say. She already knew dungeon dwellers weren't well received. Heck, if it wasn't for the citizen badged given to her by that 'rescue' team they'd encountered, she wouldn't even be allowed to be in the city at all. But... that meant, if she said yes there really wasn't a whole lot she could do about it... could there?\n\n\"W... What makes you guess that?\" Loona wearily asked.\n\n\"Well, Igon said you were a 'foreigner'. Plus, you kinda smell like dungeon.\"\n\n\"I... Uh...\" Loona mentally slapped herself. She'd forgotten that the person talking to her was a canine. Canine mons were notoriously good for their sense of smell. Not that hers was any slouch either, though in this place she sort of wished it was. \"Y... Yeah.\" She finally relented. \"I am... was, I guess... from Dynamo Sands.\"\n\n\"Ah, I see!\" Luckily for Loona, Yena didn't seem repulsed by that fact. In fact, perhaps annoyingly so, it seemed to make her more curious. \"So, what's life like there? How'd you get here? What brought you to this plac-\"\n\n\"Woah woah!\" Loona yelled, though not too loudly, at her coworker's sudden enthusiastic burst of curiosity, raising her hands to chest level in front of her as she spoke. \"One question at a time!\"\n\n\"Oops, sorry. I got a little excited there. \" Yena apologized. \"I mean, I just never encountered a dungeon dweller, er, [i]ex[/i] dungeon dweller before. At least that I know of. Or at least, not a girl. Most people don't want to talk about it.\"\n\n\"I can see why.\" Loona deadpanned in response to that last part.\n\n\"But okay. What's your story?\"\n\nWhile Loona did somewhat enjoy the idea of making some smalltalk, she had to admit this girl's curiosity was starting to get on her nerves a little. She really did not want to recall the details of that night to her, a complete stranger. In fact, part of her wanted to tell her 'none of your own business, go away'. But... she knew that would just be rude. Especially when someone was just trying to be friendly. Loona wasn't stupid of course, she knew that doing that would just cause her to dislike her, even turn her into an enemy. And she also knew the last thing she needed right now was to make herself enemies in this place. \n\nBut still... well... Maybe she could...\n\n\"Well, it's like this...\" She began. She told the Poochyena of the events that led her here. Although, it wasn't the whole truth. She kept it condensed, and to the point, and kept the names out of it. It seemed to work, as Yena listened to it all with great interest. \"And that's about it really. I'm here to make the 200 poke necessary for a rescue mission to rescue my friend.\"\n\n\"Aww, that's so sad!\" Yena replied. \"Here, lemme give you a hug quick.\"\n\n\"I-\"\n\nBefore Loona could stop her, She felt the Poochyena hug her tightly and warmly. She was taken by surprise, and her initial thoughts were one of shock. But she had to admit, after everything she went through it felt kind of... nice? Like when Veera used to hug her whenever she had a bad day, back in the maze. The thought of Veera and what that beast could be doing to her, or had done to her already, soured the mood however, and quickly brought her back to reality.\n\n\"Alright alright.\" Loona said as she patted the head of the Poochyena, a tactile message to get her to stop. Luckily for her, Yena took the hint, and separated from her. \"Thanks though, I did need that.\" She added in.\n\n\"Aww, it's no problem hun.\" Yena cheerfully replied. \"And, well, I can't really blame you for not wanting to take any Johns in that case. I didn't want to either when I came here...\"\n\n\"When... You came here?\" Loona asked. \n\n\"Oh! Right. I asked yours, I should tell you mine.\"\n\n\"Alright.\" Loona had to admit, she was a bit curious.\n\n\"Well,\" She began. \"I was born a citizen. Not a dungeon dweller myself. But, didn't really have a happy childhood. Long story short, bad parents. Missing mother, dad never saw anything in me. I was... for a lack of better terms, 'sold' to a pimp when I became of age.\"\n\n\"That's awful!\" Loona exclaimed. \"I thought the slave trade was ended? Even we dungeon dwellers knew that.\"\n\n\"Well, [i]technically[/i] yes. The open air markets are gone. But, people started finding ways around it. Case in point: prostitution. Technically the anti-slavery laws don't cover it if your whore is paid. At least in theory. Truth is, my pimp didn't pay me much at all. In fact he 'paid' me more in yellings and beatings than he did in actual poke.\"\n\n\"Sounds like a complete asshole.\" Loona felt more than her fair share of sympathy for this girl now. She may have had ONE bad encounter one night, but it sounded like every night was a bad night for this poor girl in front of her now.\n\n\"That's an understatement. Bastard was drunk constantly and if I didn't bring him enough money, he'd take it out on me. Was that way for a long while...\" She raised a digit in the air. \"But, then one day that Raichu guild member with the sword noticed my pimp going off on one of his drunken beating fests. He beat the fuck out of my pimp, dragged his ass to the city gates, threw him out, and told him never to come back.\"\n\n\"Wait, the Guards didn't stop him?\" \n\n\"Pppht, no!\" Yena Laughed. \"Little advice newcomer: Don't bother going to the guards for [i]anything[/i]. They are useless. Unless someone important gets murdered right in front of them, or you piss a noble off or something, they won't do [i]shit[/i]. Especially if there's a guilder involved. They've got a higher rank than we citizens, you know? Guilders I mean. They can get away with a lot of stuff you and I couldn't. Like throwing pimps out of the city and telling them to fuck off, for example. Though, if I were you, I'd avoid the ones from the Sandstone Guild. They... aren't nice 'mons. At all.\"\n\n\"Hmm...\" That gave Loona quite a bit to think about. Before she could though...\n\n\"Oh! Sorry, I'm rambling.\"\n\n\"It's fine, It's good advice. I'll have to ask you about the Sandstone Guild, but later. Do go on.\" Loona was genuinely curious at this point, she really wanted to know how she ended up here of all places. \n\n\"Well, as you can imagine, I didn't really have a lot of skills. So, I came here. And Ara took me in.\"\n\n\"Don't you mean Igon?\" Loona raised an eyebrow at this discrepancy. \"Who's Ara?\"\n\n\"Oh, right. You don't know. My bad.\" The Poochyena quickly corrected herself. \"You see, back when I came, Ara the Abra was the one running the place. She was real nice too, yeah? I didn't have a whole lot of skills but... I really didn't want to touch johns for a while. Much like you. So she let me do... well, what you're doing now. I eventually went back to it.\"\n\n\"I saw that.\" Loona chuckled softly. \n\n\"Yeah. The break was nice, but it wasn't the same. Plus that pays more. Anyway, as I was saying, Ara ran this place up until like a few years ago. I don't exactly know what happened, but one day Ara just became... Really depressed. Like, VERY depressed. She held herself up in her room, rarely came out, and didn't talk to anyone. We feared she'd do something drastic, like close the place down.\"\n\n\"Oh dear.\"\n\n\"Yeah. Me and Umbie, we got nowhere else to go. So I don't know what would have happened if that had happened. But, luckly, Igon stepped in, and now he runs the place.\"\n\n\"Hmmph, Igon.\" Loona huffe. \"Look, I know it's a lot to ask, especially from someone I just met, but I need to know... should I be worried about him?\"\n\n\"About him? Like...\"\n\n\"Well, you know...\" The problem was, Loona knew what she wanted to say, but not exactly how to say it. Luckily, her new friend seemed to pick up on it before she even had to think on this problem any further.\n\n\"Oh!!\" She spoke with realization. \"Hahaha\" She giggled. \"No hun. You don't need to worry about Igon suddenly doing something. I can understand your caution. I mean, yeah, the guy is a perv.\"\n\n\"More than anyone else here?\" Loona asked half-jokingly.\n\n\"Eh, that's debatable. But, no. He won't make you do anything you don't want to do, nor will he force himself on you. He's a pretty good boss, all things considered.\" Yena told her reassuringly. \"He may be a perv, but he's a big softie deep down.\"\n\nTruth be told, her reassurances did seem to put Loona at ease a little bit. She had feared he might try something, but if Yena was to believe, then perhaps she had nothing to be afraid of from him after all.\n\n\"So uh, earlier, I saw you two... well... Uh...\"\n\n\"Yup. I suck his cock. Do other things too.\" Yena didn't even waste a second confirming it. Not that denying it would do her any good, but Loona was surprised just how forthcoming she was there. \"Again though, not because he makes me, but because I want to.\"\n\n\"So are you two... Is there something-\"\n\n\"No.\" A small blush was visible on the Poochyena's cheeks. \"We're not mated or anything like that. He pays me just like any other client. And quite well at that. Same with the other girls here.\"\n\n\"Oh. I see.\"\n\n\"Still though, I have to admit. Among all the guys I handle in the day...\" She took a deep breath and sighed deeply, before looking at Loona with that bright, though now more than a little lustful smile. \"...Igon's among the few I actually [i]like[/i] doing it with. No fake moans or nothin'. All real with him.\"\n\n\"Well, that's good. But I don't think I'll be doing that.\" Loona huffed. \n\n\"Understandable. But still, if you wanted to get into it, and get a bit more money, you could start with hi-\"\n\nA whistle from the other side of the bardello interrupted their conversation before it could continue any further. One of the customers was trying to wave one of them over. And Loona was sure, or at least she hoped, it wasn't her. \n\n\"Welp, sorry hun. Nice talking with you, but I gotta get back to it. Catch ya later!\" She said with a wave as she headed over to what could only be assumed to be her next clients. \n\n\"... Yeah.\" Loona mumbled under her breath. While she hadn't enjoyed the whole conversation, she did enjoy having it at least. And, it did bring her mind to ease somewhat that she had at least made her first friend in all of this.\n\n==\n\n\"Hey! Loona! We got another puker! You know what to do.\"\n\nLoona sighed at Igon's shout. She had switched over to serving before this came up. Which, while not great, and she had to refuse catcalls more than once. And... their poke along with it. She was equal parts amazed and disgusted (and while she would not admit it to herself, at least a little flattered) that so many male mons had wanted to fuck her in particular when there were so many, far more eager coworkers here. While said poke was tempting, she was firm in her resolution in not debasing herself any further than she absolutely needed to in pursuit of said poke. Even now, she could just barely make out one of the customers slur 'hey lookit they'sh gosh a new girl!' under his drunken breath.\nShe politely refused all off them, at least until this call came up, and now she was back to cleanup duty. On one hand, it'd mean not having to put up with any more hit-ons for a while. Though on the other... it was back to smellville. \nIt was what it was, and what it was was a job. So at least there was that.\n\nLoona had put the mop and broom in the back once she had been done the first time with it. So, she went down the hall, completely unaware of someone following her. She reached over, and bent down to pick up the bucket-\n\n\"Dat'sh some nish ass!\" A hard slap rang throughout the hall as her rear suddenly stung with the sharp jolt of pain. Almost immediately she dropped the mop, and whirled around, angrily.\n\n\"Hey! I am off limits!\" She yelled at the one responsible, whom she soon found to be a drunken Buizel. Her tone was more than a bit angry, as his demeaning slap had stung quite a bit. \"And even if I wasn't, I've got work to do. So go find Umbie or someone else!\"\n\nAt this point, she'd expected, or at least hoped, for this patron to take the message and back off. However, what she got instead was a growl.\n\n\"Fhhhucks you, bitch!\" He shoved her suddenly. She was taken off guard by the shove and lost her footing, slamming into the back wall. As she fell, the bucket was knocked over, getting water all over the floor and wettening part of her fur. However, that was the least of her problems, as now the dranged buizel was on top of her. He held her against the wall with one hand as he fumbled in between her legs with another, desperately trying to open them, a fact backed up by his shouts of 'Open yoursh damn legsh, Shlut!' \nLoona would not go through what she went through, not again! If he wanted her legs, that's what he was going to get.\n\"I said-\" She growled as she slid her legs up to his chest, and shoved him off of her. \"NO!\"\nIt worked. The buizel was sent back, onto the floor on his back. Loona rose to her feet and tried to make a break for it, tried to go for help. But only to find herself falling face on the floor. The slam made her face explode with pain, but the alarm of being on the floor quickly brought her to attention. \nShe looked back, seeing her want-to-be rapist holding onto her foot as hard as he could. He had grabbed it and tripped her, and was soon back on his own feet. She looked forward, quickly looking for a way out, only to find a newcomer blocking her path. A quilava. Did... did someone come to help her? Did someone hear her the ruckus and come running to get this creep off of her?\n\n\"Theresh ya is buddy, quick, helps me git her on her knees so we cans rape thish little whore!\" Her hopes died when she heard that fucking buizel greet his apparent friend. Contrary to her hopes, she was now the one being double teamed instead of him. She kicked the buizel off, and rose to her feet, only for the buizel to shove her and tackle her. The two cackled and laughed loudly as they both climbed on top of her.\n\n\"Ooosh look at her struggle!\" The Quilava jeered, his voice making it clear that he was just as drunk as his partner. \n\n Their cocks were all rearing to go, erect and throbbing in all their drunken glory, ready to ravage her holes the second she let up. This fact only made her more determined, as she fought and struggled against their drunken attempts to spread her. Despite her best efforts though, she was still two against one. It was a battle she would soon lose, as they had her backed against a wall, and she could only flail and kick in desperation. \n\nLoona's mind was racing. It was happening again. It was all happening again! She knew this place was a mistake, and now she was paying for it! And it was all she could do to stop it. Tears of rage and panic flowed from her eyes as she jerked and kicked to get out of their grasp.\n\nThey had now forced her down on her butt into the corner. She opened her mouth to scream out, to call for help, but the sight of the buizel's cock inches away from it prompted her to instead keep her mouth as tight as possible, it's revolting smell barely registering at the moment over the adrenaline of everything else. She knew if she opened her mouth to yell out, this pervert would shove it inside. She kept her legs as closed as possible.\n\n\"Get on your knees, slut!\" The Quilava demanded. \"Or we'll beat your slutty ass into it!\"\n\n\"Yeah!\" The buizel growled. \"You think you're too good for us, you bish? We'll show you where you belong. Sluts like you are-\"\n\nBefore he could finish his drunken tirade, the buizel suddenly yelled out in pain as his entire body was enveloped in electricity. The sparks lit up the hallway, blinding Looa who instinctively put her hands up in front of her face to filter out the sudden light. She heard the Buizel slump to the ground soon after, and slowly lowered her hand to see the Quilava, blocking her view from whoever or whatever was on the other side of it. What she could see what some larger figure in the back, enveloped by the darkness her eyes were registering.\n\n\"Woah whatthe?\" The Quilava growled. \"You asshole, I'll-\"\n\nHe didn't get the chance to finish either, as suddenly the flat side of a blade connected to the side of his face, sending him flying into the other wall and likewise knocking him out.\n\nLoona blinked, trying to process what just happened. As her vision began to clear up, she saw the newcomer, a large Raichu with a sword, standing in front of her. He had orange eyes, and wore a worried look on his face.\n\n\"You alright, miss?\" The stranger asked her. \"I heard a commotion back here and saw what happened.\"\n\n\"I...\" Loona stumbled to find words to respond with.\n\n \"Here, need a paw?\" He said he offered said paw. Loona looked at it, carefully.\n\n\"Don't worry, I won't hurt you.\" He reassured the Linoone. \"Lemmie help you up.\"\n\nCautiously, she reached out for the paw. He carefully and gently grabbed her arm, and with this Raichu's help, she rose to her feet once more.\n\n\"Name's Rai.\" He greeted warmly. \"Here, lemmie help you up and back over to the bar.\"\n\n\"But-but-\" She looked over to the almost forgotten mop and bucket, which was spilled and on the floor. \n\n\"Don't worry about that. You just went through a lot, and you need a rest.\" Rai reassured her.\n\n\"But Igon-\" She started.\n\n\"I'll handle him. He's a good friend after all. Don't worry, he'll understand.\" He carefully put his arm around her back, discouraging her form going back there, but also being a support in case she need it.\n\nNot that she did. They hadn't injured her in their attempted assault, they'd not been sober enough for that. Still though... \nShe didn't say anything as Rai lead her back to the bar area.\n\n===\n\nLoona now found herself being patted comfortingly on the back by Umbie, the local umbreon working girl, as Igon continued to apologize profusely to her. Loona hadn't known how Igon would react, she'd feared he'd throw her out for causing a scene, denying the patrons, or slacking off. But not this. She certainly did [i]not[/i] expect him to beat himself up for not paying better attention.\n\nRai meanwhile had left the bar, dragging her attempted rapists behind him. She didn't know what he intended to do with them though, and maybe it's better he didn't ask.\n\nBefore she could think on it further, Rai burst back through the Barthol doors, and quickly took a stool next to Loona.\n\n\"Ah, your back Rai. I trust you took care of them?\" Igon asked, his voice carrying a slight bit of malice, but clearly not towards anyone presently in the room.\n\n\"Yep. Let's just say they aren't coming back.\" Rai told him, a vindictive smirk present on his face. \n\n\"Well good.\" Igon replied. \"If I'd have to see either of them again, I'd have thrown them out myself.\"\n\nWith that conversation out of the way, the Raichu's attention turned back to their victim. \n\nHaving now gotten her bearings back, she was able to reply with \"I'll manage.\" She wasn't completely over it yet, and doubt she ever truly would be, but, she'd gotten over the initial shock at least. \"I still have to get back to-\"\n\n\"Here, you know what?\" Igon said as he stepped out from behind the bar. \"Why don't you just do bar work for a while? It's right here out in the open, no chance of getting attacked in the back.\"\n\n\"But the mess-\"\n\n\"I'll do it.\" Igon said as he walked away. \"It's the least I can do.\"\n\nBefore Loona could protest any further, he'd already gone into the back rooms, presumably to fetch a replacement mop and bucket. She looked over to Umbrie, and nodded. With that, she got up, and went back to her work, and Loona went behind the counter. Luckily for her, Igon had previously shown her what to do and where the bottles of what were, so when Rai requested a drink she had no problems in finding the bottle, or the glass to pour it in. She place it on the table and poured the liquid out of the bottle into the glass for him. \n\n\"Ahh. That's the stuff.\" He said after taking a sip. \n\nIt was at this moment that Loona noticed it: the guild badge on his sash. The fact had eluded her ... back there, but now that she had calmed down somewhat, the fact that this Raichu was a guilder was actually registering in her mind. In fact, he seemed to be somewhat familiar. A Raichu guildie, with a sword. She felt herself compelled to ask, partially out of her own curiosity, and partially out of the sudden need to make small talk with her savior:\n\n\"So... Are you the one that saved Yena from that pimp back when?\" \n\n\"Yup. That was me.\" Rai said as he took another sip of his cup. \n\n\"Does this happen often?\" Loona asked.\n\n\"What? Saving pretty women from bad 'mons? Eh, sorta?\" He answered somewhat dismissively \"It's not like I plan it. Just kind of happens.\"\n\nSo this was the very same one. It made Loona realize that she might have an opportunity here. Especially when he followed it up with a question of his own.\n\n\"Why do you ask?\"\n\n\"Well... uhh..\" Loona looked for the words to say as he drank some more. \"Well, I know you did quite a bit for me already back there-\"\n\n\"Don't mention it. It's what any decent 'mon should do.\" He said. Though he quickly added under his breath, \"although I'll admit those seem to be getting fewer and farther between these days.\"\n\n\"Yeah, I can attest to that.\" Loona admitted before continuing her original question. \"-But I... have another problem. If you'd listen...\"\n\n\"Hey, I'm all ears.\" Rai said as he put his cup down. It was now empty. \"As long as you keep 'em coming.\"\n\nLoona nodded and pulled the bottle back up from behind the counter, and set it down on said bar. She had a feeling she would be here for a while and it made no sense to keep putting it back only to take it back out again during this exchange. Rai gave an appreciative nod, both to his refilled glass and as a silent acknowledgement to continue her story.\"\n\n\"So... It's like this...\"\n\nTime passed, and the bottle grew emptier and emptier. Loona explained her story, but bent the truth a little to make it sound like she was always a citizen and not a dungeon dweller. She wasn't sure whether this 'Rai' was buying it, or what his reaction would be if he found out she was an ex-dweller, so she decided not to take the risk.\n\n\"... And if I want to post a rescue mission, I'd have to pay up 200 poke.\"\n\n\"Yeah, Fuckin' Sandstone Guild's bright idea.\" Rai scowled. \"Their guildmaster is a corrupt, money grubbing fuck who came up with that scheme to pilfer even more money out of this town. We Ashshells tried to prevent it, but somehow he got the other guilds around here on board. It doesn't help that our reputation got, unfairly mind you, tarnished after that whole incident with the Lord's brat. We were lucky enough to keep our Guild intact. Still though...\" He took another sip. \"I have some time in between jobs right now.\"\n\nLoona's hopes shot up. This almost seemed too good to be true. Maybe she didn't even have to earn that poke necessary after all! \n\n\"What did you say that kidnapper looked like again? Did they have a name?\" Rai asked as he took another drink.\n\n\"Yeah. They did. They called her 'Brene the Berserker-\"\n\nWithout warning, Rai's eyes went wide and he spat whatever drink he had out, soaking the Linoone in his drink!\n\n\"Aww, ew!\" \n\n\"S-Sorry!\" Rai apologized quickly. \"Didn't mean to do that! I swear! I can-\"\n\n\"No, no I got it.\" Loona grabbed a cloth from under the table, one used to clean up spilled drinks on the bar. She took a glass of water, usually for patrons, and wettened the cloth before patting herself down with it. \nIt wasn't perfect, but it would have to do for now. At least there wasn't too much of it on her.\n\n\"But anyway-\"\n\n\"Sorry, no can do there.\" Rai quickly replied. \"Not with Brene involved.\"\n\nHer heart sank, and her opinion of this Raichu likewise turned sour. She should have known this guy's attitude and interest was too good to be true.\n\n\"Hmph.\" She huffed to herself. \"Figures.\"\n\n\"Look, I would like to help but... Brene's... got something of a reputation. Sh-\"\n\nRai went on, trying to explain his reasoning, but Loona was having none of it. His 'explanations' simply became noise to her as she turned her attention to another patron at the bar. As far as she was concerned, it was simply cowardice. While she still served him drinks like a good employee, Loona gave him the cold shoulder through the rest of the day.\n\nThe only thing she learned from this was that getting help was going to be a lot harder than she thought. But she wouldn't be deterred. No matter what it took, no matter [i]who[/i] it took, no matter how long it took, she would save her friend from that bitch. \n\nThough, in the future, she knew she would do well not to mention Brene directly.\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": ""Well, here we are." Riley proudly announced to the group as they walked past the gate guard. "Good old Sandstone."

The two formerly dungeon dwellers looked around. By the time the group of five had reached the 'Sandstone' city the guild trio, the sun had since risen. They had seen one side of the large wall from the outside, and had been quite impressed. Large, and imposing, well suited to keeping savages such as them out, as it was clearly intended. But now that they were inside, they stopped to see the sights: the mons walking around going about their daily lives, all with citizen and guild badges on, well more the former than the latter. They saw the sandstone and wooden dwellings, the wall that surrounded the town which was somehow even more imposing than from the outside, the depressing ruins of some buildings that had once stood. Shops with signs on them selling various goods and services. Shia could just make out what he thought to be some sort of guild hall off in the distance. There was some sort of announcement board with something written on it. And... not much else.

It... was not what they had expected at all. And, although they could not put a finger on why, it seemed... quite disappointing. Perhaps it was the stories they were told about civilization from rare non-hostile encounters from the outsiders, but from what they could see, it didn't seem to live up to the hype. But maybe they were...

Suddenly, the sound of their guild escorts walking away from the two mons snapped them back to reality.

"What? You're just going to leave us here?" Loona asked angrily.

"Well, yeah." Riley replied just as snidely. "You really didn't expect much else, did you? Look, your citizens now, you're safe from the horrors of the maze. That's a start. We really can't afford to do much else right now, So I'm afraid on your own."

"Gee, thanks." Shia replied flatly.

"Well if you don't mind, we have to take our Guild Leader here back to the guild hall for treatment." She replied dismissively. "Once you settle in, I suggest finding a job somewhere, getting some poke, and renting a place or something."

"But where do-" Shia didn't even bother finishing the sentence as the trio of guilders left their sight. He sighed in frustration.

"Well, great." Loona said sarcastically. "We're stuck here without a clue as to what to do."

"Well, maybe we can put in a rescue mission at the board here?!" Shia suggested pointing to the large notice board they were currently standing next to. "It's worth a try."

"Hmm..." The two of them inspected it. Despite being raised in the dungeon, the two of them had at least learned just a little bit of basic reading skills here and there. The board read "Rescue Missions: 200 Poke up front."

"How much is 200 poke anyway?" Loona asked. As dungeon dwellers, they had never encountered money in their lives either. They never needed it. As such, they had no frame of reference on how much this was. Shia however, knew one thing.

"Too much." He huffed indignantly. "No mon should have to pay for help!"

Shia stomped off in an angry huff, alarming the Linoone.

"W-Where are you going, Shia?" She yelled to him. Shia momentarily stopped and turned his head to partially face her.

"I'm going to try to join one of these guilds. If I can join up, maybe I can bend an ear or two to get us help! Or at least a place to stay. Or... something." Before she could stop or argue with him any further, he simply walked off into the distance and disappeared around a street corner. At this point, Loona was too tired to try chasing after him.
In truth, Loona had thought of the idea, possibly before he had, but since Shia had always been the self-proclaimed 'protector' of their little group, and the only one among them that had even tried to fight back that horrible night, she figured that he'd probably stand a better chance anyway. She had to admit, she was never much of a fighter, even after her evolution. Now that she thought about it, her odds of actually getting into a guild were... Not great, to say the least.

She just wish he'd not left so fast, so she could at least follow him. Though, she could tell even from here, he must have had his reasons.

"Poor guy, probably blames all this upon himself." She said to herself quietly.

"Ah, eh hem..." Suddenly, she saw a Sandile, looking at her with an annoyed look.

"Oh. Can I he-"

Before she could finish, the Sandile reached out his paw, and made a small waving movement off to the left, signaling her wordlessly to move aside.
"Oh, uh, sorry." The Linoone apologized quickly as she stepped out of the way. The sand crocodile paid her no further mind as they then stepped up to the board and began to read it.

"So, would you happen to know where I could get a job in this town?" Loona asked. Only to be met with dead silence as the mon continued to stare at the billboard, which was clearly more interesting to this person than she was.

"... Anything? Anything at all?" She asked. The disinterested ground type simply looked at her, gave her a shrug, and then left.

"Well screw you too, then." She muttered under her breath as she turned in the opposite direction, and started walking.

She lost track of how long and how far she walked ever since she went her way. She didn't know what exactly she was looking for. She'd lost track of Shia completely, and she couldn't read any of the signs to see what they said. The mons here were similarly unhelpful to the Sandile she encountered earlier, as those that didn't tell her to buzz off simply gave her the cold shoulder. And it didn't take long for her to feel like she was just wandering aimlessly in circles.

Loona took a look to her left, and saw a rather large building with a large sign over a large entryway. She couldn't see inside due to the difference in light, but something seemed... familiar about it. Upon closer inspection, she realized why this was: She'd already passed this place. In fact, this was the third time she'd seen it!

"Lost ways, I really am just walking around in circles here." Loona grumbled. She looked at the sign. It had huge letters, only a few she could make out. "'Bar... th...ol?' The what in the maze does that mean?" She wondered. She looked towards the door once more and sighed. "Well, might as well try to find a job here..." At least it looked like someplace important, and not just someone's home. "Well," she told herself. "How bad could it be?" She asked as she walked through the doors.

And almost immediately regretted doing so. Her eyes hadn't even adjusted properly when the sounds of huffs and moans filled her Linoone ears, soon joined by the sights of male mons of many types sitting around tables and colored pillows, most with visible or buried erections inside female mons of various types. A buizel was getting a blowjob from a umbreon, another patron held onto a leash while he fucked a pikachu. Of course, said whores looked happy as they could be, though whether they were genuinely happy or were just faking it one couldn't tell, and it wasn't as if Loona wanted to find out.

"Oh great." Loona grumbled. Even as a dungeon dweller freshly turned citizen, she could still figure out what was going on here. In her frustrated desperation, she'd managed to walk straight into a whore house without even realizing it. She felt absolutely revolted by the sights around her, as it reminded her too much of that night in the dungeon. The night that took her virginity away to a creature she never wanted to give it to, the pain she endured. Every fiber of her being was telling her to get out of there. To head back out the door, to keep searching. But, whether it was the fear, the indecision, or something else, she just... couldn't. She couldn't do it.

Part of her knew why though. She had to do it. She had to do it for Veera. Veera needed help, her help, she couldn't just quit now because of this place. She had to find someplace that would take her, to pay that 200 poke to get a rescue mission going. Or find someone to help her. Or at the very least, not be a vagrant. With that newfound revelation, she finally found the strength to move again. But not outside, like her mind was screaming at her to do, but forward. Forward to the bar, to where a Flygon barkeeper was situated. His mind was clearly on something else, and if his hands, and the slurping sounds coming from under the bar, well, she certainly didn't need to be psychic to figure out what was going on.

She reached the bar, and cleared her throat loudly. The flygon lazily drew his attention towards the newcomer. "Eh?" He groaned as he slowly found himself back to reality. As his eyes locked upon her form however, he quickly drew himself back to attention.
"Woah! A girl patron! I was not expecting that." He exclaimed as he focused his attention on the Linoone in front of her. "Soo miss, what can I get ya for? If it's a drink or a bite to eat I can help, but if you're looking for our other service, well, we don't really get a lot of female patrons around here-"

"I'm... not a patron." Loona cut him short, trying to sound as confident as possible. She was not succeeding, however. "I was actually wondering if you had a job." She took a look around. "Or even better, knew of someone else who would hire me."

The Flygon remained lost in thought for a moment, and Loona wondered if he was just going to get the cold shoulder like she had been all day. However, he quickly nodded in what appeared to be understanding. "Ah, I see." He said as he tried to hide his pleasured huffs to sound like heavy breathing, with minimal success.  "Ahh, foreigner, much like myself. I fully understand, it's hard to find work for us outside of ... this." he paused as he looked around. "Well, luckily ol' Igon can help a fine young lady like yourself out." He said with a smile that betrayed a little more than just friendliness. "If you want a job, just get a shirt, pick a client, and go to town. No application or experience needed."

"Erm... actually, I was wondering if you had something a little more... hands off." Loona put a little more emphasis on that last part. She didn't really expect him to honor that request, and truth be told, she was just about ready to leave this place now, even if she'd just heard that job opportunities were rather bleak for her.

Suddenly, he let out a loud, long moan. "Ahhhhhh..." He said as he tried to disguise his moan as simple understanding. It did not work. "Not comfortable with that yet? Well, as luck would have it, I kinda had to fire our last cleaner. So uuuughhh yeah, that's up for grabs. Just give me a minute here and I'll take you in back and get your stuff."

"No funny business." Loona warned. Truth be told she didn't know what exactly she'd do, besides try to run, but she couldn't appear weak or anything in front of this guy.

"Of course. I wouldn't dream of it." Igon replied, raising his hands in supplication. Something he quickly realized was a mistake, as he eyed his left, which was dribbling with his own male fluids, earning him a disgusted look from Loona. It only took a second for him to look at said hand and realize his error, to which he tried to correct by putting it back down. "Ahh, just ignore that. Excuse me for one sec."

Loona watched as he leaned down under the table and whispered to someone down there. Unfortunately for him, his words weren't unnoticed by her ears. Not at this close range.  "Alright. That's enough. Back to work."

As soon as he said that, the slurping stopped, and a Poochyena girl rose from under the bar. Her mouth was covered in saliva, and it was obvious she had been sucking and licking on something down there, and it hardly took a genius to figure out what. Much like the other whores in this place, she had a smile on her lips. A warm smile was likewise on Igons lips as he told her, "Don't worry sweetie, you'll get your extra tip as always. And I don't just mean that one. Heh heh."

Loona could only roll her eyes at this exchange, the thought of backing out and leaving still fresh in her mind. But she had to admit, she really didn't have many options, if everyone's cold shoulder was any indication.

"Well, just follow me into the back room, and I'll set you up." He said as he turned, and motioned for him to follow him. Reluctantly, Loona followed him into what she assumed was the employee backrooms, still on her guard in case this pervy flygon tried anything. As she followed him through the door, she saw another mon, a Salandit tending the kitchen. He didn't seem to notice Loona, and she made no attempt to garner his attention. What did garner her attention was a small poster on a nearby wall, it read "It never hurts to suck up to the boss." However, the 'up to' part was stricken out, and underneath it was a crudely written 'off', so it now read "It never hurts to suck off the boss" instead.

"Very funny." She commented.

"Hmm?" Igon questioned, turning around to see what she was looking at. "Oh, that. You can ignore that, it's just a little employee joke." He chuckled.

Loona remained thoroughly unconvinced.

He led over to a small box, opened it, and pulled out a large, dark brown vest with light brown frills on the bottom. The same one Loona had seen the other girls wear. This one was a larger size, more appropriate to a mon like her.

"Fit alright?" Igon asked as she tried it on. "I have more that are bigger if-"

"No, this is fine." She told him.

"Well, alright. Mop's over there." Igon pointed, with his non-cum filled hand, over to a mop and a bucket of water in the corner. "I or someone else will call you if needed. Otherwise, I might have you tend the bar a bit too if there's nothing else to do. Otherwise, some customers have food you can take out. If they get a little rowdy, just tell them you're off limits and they'll leave you alone."

Loona nodded.

"Well there you go. You're all set. Miss..." It was at this point that Loona suddenly realized that her name never even came up. Part of her wondered if it ever would. Still, though, now that it had, there was no reason not to give it.

"Loona. My name's Loona." She replied.

"Ah. Well Loona. Welcome aboard." Igon replied warmly. "That should be everything. So I'll leave you to it..." He turned to leave, presumably heading back to the bar area. "Oh..." He stopped for just a moment. "If you change your mind about the whole 'hands off' part... It's not as bad as it sounds. Good money too."

Loona didn't bother to reply as he left, leaving her to her work. She groaned, wondering just what she'd gotten herself into. Still though, this 'Igon' did seem to respect her boundaries, at least for now. She just hoped it lasted long enough for her to either get enough money to buy a rescue mission, or at least long enough to find a different job somewhere else. If there was even a 'somewhere else' that was hiring.

She could only hope that Shia had found better luck in his pursuit.

----

Later in the day, Loona found herself mopping up a spilled drink by a very drunk customer, in the corner. Said customer was thankfully very long gone, but he'd also vomited on the floor. Thankfully, she had managed to mop that up, but holy Lost Ways did it reek. Well, more than the whole place did in fact.

She heard someone come up to her, and then could see a shadow on the floor that wasn't hers. It was still daytime, and it was close to a window, so the shadow was hard to make out. However, Loona could already garner a guess as to what the shadow was and what their owner wanted. With an annoyed sigh, she spoke the words Igon told her to say in this situation.

"No sir, I'm off limits. Go find one of the other girls if-"

"Uh... hi?"

Her ears were greeted with a voice that did not sound male in the slightest. It would seem her initial thoughts had been wrong. That revelation was more than enough to get Loona to stop what she was doing for the moment, and, while still holding the mop in hand, turn around to meet the source of this voice and shadow.

She was greeted with the sight of the Poochyena from earlier, wearing a friendly smile along with her required employee vest.

"Can I... Help you?" Loona asked curiously and cautiously, still not sure what she was intending.

"Oh, uh, no." The dark type working girl replied. "I just wanted to welcome you to our little group here."

Ah, so it was small talk she was after. While Loona could have easily used the excuse of work to excuse herself, as was her first thought, she soon decided that perhaps just a little friendly chat between girls, coworkers would be good for her. If for no other reason than to pass the time.

Besides, she was almost done anyway. In fact...

"One second."

She quickly turned around, and swept up the remaining puddle of spilled booze into the mop, and washed the mop in the bucket before once again turning to her coworker.

"Alright there we go. Sooo... uhhhh... Yeah. I'm Loona. And you are?"

"Yena." She extended a paw out to her. Loona looked at it carefully, before cautiously shaking it.

"So... where're you from?" Yena asked. "I mean, maybe it's not really my business to ask, but... did you come from the dungeon?"

Loona froze, unsure of what to say. She already knew dungeon dwellers weren't well received. Heck, if it wasn't for the citizen badged given to her by that 'rescue' team they'd encountered, she wouldn't even be allowed to be in the city at all. But... that meant, if she said yes there really wasn't a whole lot she could do about it... could there?

"W... What makes you guess that?" Loona wearily asked.

"Well, Igon said you were a 'foreigner'. Plus, you kinda smell like dungeon."

"I... Uh..." Loona mentally slapped herself. She'd forgotten that the person talking to her was a canine. Canine mons were notoriously good for their sense of smell. Not that hers was any slouch either, though in this place she sort of wished it was. "Y... Yeah." She finally relented. "I am... was, I guess... from Dynamo Sands."

"Ah, I see!" Luckily for Loona, Yena didn't seem repulsed by that fact. In fact, perhaps annoyingly so, it seemed to make her more curious. "So, what's life like there? How'd you get here? What brought you to this plac-"

"Woah woah!" Loona yelled, though not too loudly, at her coworker's sudden enthusiastic burst of curiosity, raising her hands to chest level in front of her as she spoke. "One question at a time!"

"Oops, sorry. I got a little excited there. " Yena apologized. "I mean, I just never encountered a dungeon dweller, er, ex dungeon dweller before. At least that I know of. Or at least, not a girl. Most people don't want to talk about it."

"I can see why." Loona deadpanned in response to that last part.

"But okay. What's your story?"

While Loona did somewhat enjoy the idea of making some smalltalk, she had to admit this girl's curiosity was starting to get on her nerves a little. She really did not want to recall the details of that night to her, a complete stranger. In fact, part of her wanted to tell her 'none of your own business, go away'. But... she knew that would just be rude. Especially when someone was just trying to be friendly. Loona wasn't stupid of course, she knew that doing that would just cause her to dislike her, even turn her into an enemy. And she also knew the last thing she needed right now was to make herself enemies in this place.

But still... well... Maybe she could...

"Well, it's like this..." She began. She told the Poochyena of the events that led her here. Although, it wasn't the whole truth. She kept it condensed, and to the point, and kept the names out of it. It seemed to work, as Yena listened to it all with great interest. "And that's about it really. I'm here to make the 200 poke necessary for a rescue mission to rescue my friend."

"Aww, that's so sad!" Yena replied. "Here, lemme give you a hug quick."

"I-"

Before Loona could stop her, She felt the Poochyena hug her tightly and warmly. She was taken by surprise, and her initial thoughts were one of shock. But she had to admit, after everything she went through it felt kind of... nice? Like when Veera used to hug her whenever she had a bad day, back in the maze. The thought of Veera and what that beast could be doing to her, or had done to her already, soured the mood however, and quickly brought her back to reality.

"Alright alright." Loona said as she patted the head of the Poochyena, a tactile message to get her to stop. Luckily for her, Yena took the hint, and separated from her. "Thanks though, I did need that." She added in.

"Aww, it's no problem hun." Yena cheerfully replied. "And, well, I can't really blame you for not wanting to take any Johns in that case. I didn't want to either when I came here..."

"When... You came here?" Loona asked.

"Oh! Right. I asked yours, I should tell you mine."

"Alright." Loona had to admit, she was a bit curious.

"Well," She began. "I was born a citizen. Not a dungeon dweller myself. But, didn't really have a happy childhood. Long story short, bad parents. Missing mother, dad never saw anything in me. I was... for a lack of better terms, 'sold' to a pimp when I became of age."

"That's awful!" Loona exclaimed. "I thought the slave trade was ended? Even we dungeon dwellers knew that."

"Well, technically yes. The open air markets are gone. But, people started finding ways around it. Case in point: prostitution. Technically the anti-slavery laws don't cover it if your whore is paid. At least in theory. Truth is, my pimp didn't pay me much at all. In fact he 'paid' me more in yellings and beatings than he did in actual poke."

"Sounds like a complete asshole." Loona felt more than her fair share of sympathy for this girl now. She may have had ONE bad encounter one night, but it sounded like every night was a bad night for this poor girl in front of her now.

"That's an understatement. Bastard was drunk constantly and if I didn't bring him enough money, he'd take it out on me. Was that way for a long while..." She raised a digit in the air. "But, then one day that Raichu guild member with the sword noticed my pimp going off on one of his drunken beating fests. He beat the fuck out of my pimp, dragged his ass to the city gates, threw him out, and told him never to come back."

"Wait, the Guards didn't stop him?"

"Pppht, no!" Yena Laughed. "Little advice newcomer: Don't bother going to the guards for anything. They are useless. Unless someone important gets murdered right in front of them, or you piss a noble off or something, they won't do shit. Especially if there's a guilder involved. They've got a higher rank than we citizens, you know? Guilders I mean. They can get away with a lot of stuff you and I couldn't. Like throwing pimps out of the city and telling them to fuck off, for example. Though, if I were you, I'd avoid the ones from the Sandstone Guild. They... aren't nice 'mons. At all."

"Hmm..." That gave Loona quite a bit to think about. Before she could though...

"Oh! Sorry, I'm rambling."

"It's fine, It's good advice. I'll have to ask you about the Sandstone Guild, but later. Do go on." Loona was genuinely curious at this point, she really wanted to know how she ended up here of all places.

"Well, as you can imagine, I didn't really have a lot of skills. So, I came here. And Ara took me in."

"Don't you mean Igon?" Loona raised an eyebrow at this discrepancy. "Who's Ara?"

"Oh, right. You don't know. My bad." The Poochyena quickly corrected herself. "You see, back when I came, Ara the Abra was the one running the place. She was real nice too, yeah? I didn't have a whole lot of skills but... I really didn't want to touch johns for a while. Much like you. So she let me do... well, what you're doing now. I eventually went back to it."

"I saw that." Loona chuckled softly.

"Yeah. The break was nice, but it wasn't the same. Plus that pays more. Anyway, as I was saying, Ara ran this place up until like a few years ago. I don't exactly know what happened, but one day Ara just became... Really depressed. Like, VERY depressed. She held herself up in her room, rarely came out, and didn't talk to anyone. We feared she'd do something drastic, like close the place down."

"Oh dear."

"Yeah. Me and Umbie, we got nowhere else to go. So I don't know what would have happened if that had happened. But, luckly, Igon stepped in, and now he runs the place."

"Hmmph, Igon." Loona huffe. "Look, I know it's a lot to ask, especially from someone I just met, but I need to know... should I be worried about him?"

"About him? Like..."

"Well, you know..." The problem was, Loona knew what she wanted to say, but not exactly how to say it. Luckily, her new friend seemed to pick up on it before she even had to think on this problem any further.

"Oh!!" She spoke with realization. "Hahaha" She giggled. "No hun. You don't need to worry about Igon suddenly doing something. I can understand your caution. I mean, yeah, the guy is a perv."

"More than anyone else here?" Loona asked half-jokingly.

"Eh, that's debatable. But, no. He won't make you do anything you don't want to do, nor will he force himself on you. He's a pretty good boss, all things considered." Yena told her reassuringly. "He may be a perv, but he's a big softie deep down."

Truth be told, her reassurances did seem to put Loona at ease a little bit. She had feared he might try something, but if Yena was to believe, then perhaps she had nothing to be afraid of from him after all.

"So uh, earlier, I saw you two... well... Uh..."

"Yup. I suck his cock. Do other things too." Yena didn't even waste a second confirming it. Not that denying it would do her any good, but Loona was surprised just how forthcoming she was there. "Again though, not because he makes me, but because I want to."

"So are you two... Is there something-"

"No." A small blush was visible on the Poochyena's cheeks. "We're not mated or anything like that. He pays me just like any other client. And quite well at that. Same with the other girls here."

"Oh. I see."

"Still though, I have to admit. Among all the guys I handle in the day..." She took a deep breath and sighed deeply, before looking at Loona with that bright, though now more than a little lustful smile. "...Igon's among the few I actually like doing it with. No fake moans or nothin'. All real with him."

"Well, that's good. But I don't think I'll be doing that." Loona huffed.

"Understandable. But still, if you wanted to get into it, and get a bit more money, you could start with hi-"

A whistle from the other side of the bardello interrupted their conversation before it could continue any further. One of the customers was trying to wave one of them over. And Loona was sure, or at least she hoped, it wasn't her.

"Welp, sorry hun. Nice talking with you, but I gotta get back to it. Catch ya later!" She said with a wave as she headed over to what could only be assumed to be her next clients.

"... Yeah." Loona mumbled under her breath. While she hadn't enjoyed the whole conversation, she did enjoy having it at least. And, it did bring her mind to ease somewhat that she had at least made her first friend in all of this.

==

"Hey! Loona! We got another puker! You know what to do."

Loona sighed at Igon's shout. She had switched over to serving before this came up. Which, while not great, and she had to refuse catcalls more than once. And... their poke along with it. She was equal parts amazed and disgusted (and while she would not admit it to herself, at least a little flattered) that so many male mons had wanted to fuck her in particular when there were so many, far more eager coworkers here. While said poke was tempting, she was firm in her resolution in not debasing herself any further than she absolutely needed to in pursuit of said poke. Even now, she could just barely make out one of the customers slur 'hey lookit they'sh gosh a new girl!' under his drunken breath.
She politely refused all off them, at least until this call came up, and now she was back to cleanup duty. On one hand, it'd mean not having to put up with any more hit-ons for a while. Though on the other... it was back to smellville.
It was what it was, and what it was was a job. So at least there was that.

Loona had put the mop and broom in the back once she had been done the first time with it. So, she went down the hall, completely unaware of someone following her. She reached over, and bent down to pick up the bucket-

"Dat'sh some nish ass!" A hard slap rang throughout the hall as her rear suddenly stung with the sharp jolt of pain. Almost immediately she dropped the mop, and whirled around, angrily.

"Hey! I am off limits!" She yelled at the one responsible, whom she soon found to be a drunken Buizel. Her tone was more than a bit angry, as his demeaning slap had stung quite a bit. "And even if I wasn't, I've got work to do. So go find Umbie or someone else!"

At this point, she'd expected, or at least hoped, for this patron to take the message and back off. However, what she got instead was a growl.

"Fhhhucks you, bitch!" He shoved her suddenly. She was taken off guard by the shove and lost her footing, slamming into the back wall. As she fell, the bucket was knocked over, getting water all over the floor and wettening part of her fur. However, that was the least of her problems, as now the dranged buizel was on top of her. He held her against the wall with one hand as he fumbled in between her legs with another, desperately trying to open them, a fact backed up by his shouts of 'Open yoursh damn legsh, Shlut!'
Loona would not go through what she went through, not again! If he wanted her legs, that's what he was going to get.
"I said-" She growled as she slid her legs up to his chest, and shoved him off of her. "NO!"
It worked. The buizel was sent back, onto the floor on his back. Loona rose to her feet and tried to make a break for it, tried to go for help. But only to find herself falling face on the floor. The slam made her face explode with pain, but the alarm of being on the floor quickly brought her to attention.
She looked back, seeing her want-to-be rapist holding onto her foot as hard as he could. He had grabbed it and tripped her, and was soon back on his own feet. She looked forward, quickly looking for a way out, only to find a newcomer blocking her path. A quilava. Did... did someone come to help her? Did someone hear her the ruckus and come running to get this creep off of her?

"Theresh ya is buddy, quick, helps me git her on her knees so we cans rape thish little whore!" Her hopes died when she heard that fucking buizel greet his apparent friend. Contrary to her hopes, she was now the one being double teamed instead of him. She kicked the buizel off, and rose to her feet, only for the buizel to shove her and tackle her. The two cackled and laughed loudly as they both climbed on top of her.

"Ooosh look at her struggle!" The Quilava jeered, his voice making it clear that he was just as drunk as his partner.

 Their cocks were all rearing to go, erect and throbbing in all their drunken glory, ready to ravage her holes the second she let up. This fact only made her more determined, as she fought and struggled against their drunken attempts to spread her. Despite her best efforts though, she was still two against one.  It was a battle she would soon lose, as they had her backed against a wall, and she could only flail and kick in desperation.

Loona's mind was racing. It was happening again. It was all happening again! She knew this place was a mistake, and now she was paying for it! And it was all she could do to stop it. Tears of rage and panic flowed from her eyes as she jerked and kicked to get out of their grasp.

They had now forced her down on her butt into the corner. She opened her mouth to scream out, to call for help, but the sight of the buizel's cock inches away from it prompted her to instead keep her mouth as tight as possible, it's revolting smell barely registering at the moment over the adrenaline of everything else. She knew if she opened her mouth to yell out, this pervert would shove it inside. She kept her legs as closed as possible.

"Get on your knees, slut!" The Quilava demanded. "Or we'll beat your slutty ass into it!"

"Yeah!" The buizel growled. "You think you're too good for us, you bish? We'll show you where you belong. Sluts like you are-"

Before he could finish his drunken tirade, the buizel suddenly yelled out in pain as his entire body was enveloped in electricity. The sparks lit up the hallway, blinding Looa who instinctively put her hands up in front of her face to filter out the sudden light. She heard the Buizel slump to the ground soon after, and slowly lowered her hand to see the Quilava, blocking her view from whoever or whatever was on the other side of it. What she could see what some larger figure in the back, enveloped by the darkness her eyes were registering.

"Woah whatthe?" The Quilava growled. "You asshole, I'll-"

He didn't get the chance to finish either, as suddenly the flat side of a blade connected to the side of his face, sending him flying into the other wall and likewise knocking him out.

Loona blinked, trying to process what just happened. As her vision began to clear up, she saw the newcomer, a large Raichu with a sword, standing in front of her. He had orange eyes, and wore a worried look on his face.

"You alright, miss?" The stranger asked her. "I heard a commotion back here and saw what happened."

"I..." Loona stumbled to find words to respond with.

 "Here, need a paw?" He said he offered said paw. Loona looked at it, carefully.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you." He reassured the Linoone. "Lemmie help you up."

Cautiously, she reached out for the paw. He carefully and gently grabbed her arm, and with this Raichu's help, she rose to her feet once more.

"Name's Rai." He greeted warmly. "Here, lemmie help you up and back over to the bar."

"But-but-" She looked over to the almost forgotten mop and bucket, which was spilled and on the floor.

"Don't worry about that. You just went through a lot, and you need a rest." Rai reassured her.

"But Igon-" She started.

"I'll handle him. He's a good friend after all. Don't worry, he'll understand." He carefully put his arm around her back, discouraging her form going back there, but also being a support in case she need it.

Not that she did. They hadn't injured her in their attempted assault, they'd not been sober enough for that. Still  though...
She didn't say anything as Rai lead her back to the bar area.

===

Loona now found herself being patted comfortingly on the back by Umbie, the local umbreon working girl, as Igon continued to apologize profusely to her. Loona hadn't known how Igon would react, she'd feared he'd throw her out for causing a scene, denying the patrons, or slacking off. But not this. She certainly did not expect him to beat himself up for not paying better attention.

Rai meanwhile had left the bar, dragging her attempted rapists behind him. She didn't know what he intended to do with them though, and maybe it's better he didn't ask.

Before she could think on it further, Rai burst back through the Barthol doors, and quickly took a stool next to Loona.

"Ah, your back Rai. I trust you took care of them?" Igon asked, his voice carrying a slight bit of malice, but clearly not towards anyone presently in the room.

"Yep. Let's just say they aren't coming back." Rai told him, a vindictive smirk present on his face.

"Well good." Igon replied. "If I'd have to see either of them again, I'd have thrown them out myself."

With that conversation out of the way, the Raichu's attention turned back to their victim.

Having now gotten her bearings back, she was able to reply with "I'll manage." She wasn't completely over it yet, and doubt she ever truly would be, but, she'd gotten over the initial shock at least. "I still have to get back to-"

"Here, you know what?" Igon said as he stepped out from behind the bar. "Why don't you just do bar work for a while? It's right here out in the open, no chance of getting attacked in the back."

"But the mess-"

"I'll do it." Igon said as he walked away. "It's the least I can do."

Before Loona could protest any further, he'd already gone into the back rooms, presumably to fetch a replacement mop and bucket. She looked over to Umbrie, and nodded. With that, she got up, and went back to her work, and Loona went behind the counter. Luckily for her, Igon had previously shown her what to do and where the bottles of what were, so when Rai requested a drink she had no problems in finding the bottle, or the glass to pour it in. She place it on the table and poured the liquid out of the bottle into the glass for him.

"Ahh. That's the stuff." He said after taking a sip.

It was at this moment that Loona noticed it: the guild badge on his sash. The fact had eluded her ... back there, but now that she had calmed down somewhat, the fact that this Raichu was a guilder was actually registering in her mind. In fact, he seemed to be somewhat familiar. A Raichu guildie, with a sword. She felt herself compelled to ask, partially out of her own curiosity, and partially out of the sudden need to make small talk with her savior:

"So... Are you the one that saved Yena from that pimp back when?"

"Yup. That was me." Rai said as he took another sip of his cup.

"Does this happen often?" Loona asked.

"What? Saving pretty women from bad 'mons? Eh, sorta?" He answered somewhat dismissively "It's not like I plan it. Just kind of happens."

So this was the very same one. It made Loona realize that she might have an opportunity here. Especially when he followed it up with a question of his own.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well... uhh.." Loona looked for the words to say as he drank some more. "Well, I know you did quite a bit for me already back there-"

"Don't mention it. It's what any decent 'mon should do." He said. Though he quickly added under his breath, "although I'll admit those seem to be getting fewer and farther between these days."

"Yeah, I can attest to that." Loona admitted before continuing her original question. "-But I... have another problem. If you'd listen..."

"Hey, I'm all ears." Rai said as he put his cup down. It was now empty. "As long as you keep 'em coming."

Loona nodded and pulled the bottle back up from behind the counter, and set it down on said bar. She had a feeling she would be here for a while and it made no sense to keep putting it back only to take it back out again during this exchange. Rai gave an appreciative nod, both to his refilled glass and as a silent acknowledgement to continue her story."

"So... It's like this..."

Time passed, and the bottle grew emptier and emptier. Loona explained her story, but bent the truth a little to make it sound like she was always a citizen and not a dungeon dweller. She wasn't sure whether this 'Rai' was buying it, or what his reaction would be if he found out she was an ex-dweller, so she decided not to take the risk.

"... And if I want to post a rescue mission, I'd have to pay up 200 poke."

"Yeah, Fuckin' Sandstone Guild's bright idea." Rai scowled. "Their guildmaster is a corrupt, money grubbing fuck who came up with that scheme to pilfer even more money out of this town. We Ashshells tried to prevent it, but somehow he got the other guilds around here on board. It doesn't help that our reputation got, unfairly mind you, tarnished after that whole incident with the Lord's brat. We were lucky enough to keep our Guild intact. Still though..." He took another sip. "I have some time in between jobs right now."

Loona's hopes shot up. This almost seemed too good to be true. Maybe she didn't even have to earn that poke necessary after all!

"What did you say that kidnapper looked like again? Did they have a name?" Rai asked as he took another drink.

"Yeah. They did. They called her 'Brene the Berserker-"

Without warning, Rai's eyes went wide and he spat whatever drink he had out, soaking the Linoone in his drink!

"Aww, ew!"

"S-Sorry!" Rai apologized quickly. "Didn't mean to do that! I swear! I can-"

"No, no I got it." Loona grabbed a cloth from under the table, one used to clean up spilled drinks on the bar. She took a glass of water, usually for patrons, and wettened the cloth before patting herself down with it.
It wasn't perfect, but it would have to do for now. At least there wasn't too much of it on her.

"But anyway-"

"Sorry, no can do there." Rai quickly replied. "Not with Brene involved."

Her heart sank, and her opinion of this Raichu likewise turned sour. She should have known this guy's attitude and interest was too good to be true.

"Hmph." She huffed to herself. "Figures."

"Look, I would like to help but... Brene's... got something of a reputation. Sh-"

Rai went on, trying to explain his reasoning, but Loona was having none of it. His 'explanations' simply became noise to her as she turned her attention to another patron at the bar. As far as she was concerned, it was simply cowardice. While she still served him drinks like a good employee, Loona gave him the cold shoulder through the rest of the day.

The only thing she learned from this was that getting help was going to be a lot harder than she thought. But she wouldn't be deterred. No matter what it took, no matter who it took, no matter how long it took, she would save her friend from that bitch.

Though, in the future, she knew she would do well not to mention Brene directly.
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