Things were going well for the Mercenaries of Mayhem.
They had a real home, no one was actively trying to kill them, and they had successfully tricked a noble into believing they retrieved the Elixir of Youth from a dragon's nest—all without actually dying.
Which was why it was so concerning when a messenger arrived at their new mansion only a day later.
The young man bowed politely. "I bring a formal invitation from Mayor Joff of Border Town."
Bob took the letter and squinted at the fancy handwriting. "Huh. What does he want?"
The messenger grinned. "To celebrate your legendary achievement, of course!"
Jim, mid-drink, paused. "…What legendary achievement?"
The messenger beamed. "Why, slaying the fearsome dragon and retrieving the Elixir of Youth!"
The group froze.
Derek, rubbing his temples, muttered, "Oh. Gods."
The messenger continued, completely unaware of the panic in the room. "Mayor Joff has officially forgiven all past charges against you and wishes to honor you with a grand banquet at his mansion!"
Marcus whispered to Bam, "He said 'forgiven all past charges'—we had charges?"
Bam nodded. "Many."
Bob, suddenly grinning, turned to the group. "Alright, team. We're going to a party!"
Derek groaned. "Bob. We should be correcting him, not accepting a banquet based on a lie!"
Jim shrugged. "Look, for once, people like us. Do we really want to ruin that?"
Bob clapped Derek on the back. "See? Jim gets it! Time to enjoy our moment of glory!"
Derek muttered, "This is going to end terribly."
Bam smiled. "There are always exceptions."
Despite being absolute disasters, the mercenaries had standards—so they tried to look presentable for the banquet.
Bob polished his massive hammer and shield, declaring, "This is formal attire for warriors."
Derek reluctantly put on a clean tunic and cloak.
Marcus attempted to wear something respectable, but accidentally rigged his vest with an exploding button.
Jim just brought extra booze.
Bam showed up in his usual robes, except now they were slightly less burned.
They stood outside the mayor's mansion, staring at the massive building.
Jim adjusted his collar. "Alright, so we just… smile, nod, and take credit?"
Bob nodded. "Exactly. We play the role of humble heroes."
Derek sighed.
Bob grinned. "Of course! Now, let's go eat free food."
And with that, the Mercenaries of Mayhem stepped inside to face their greatest challenge yet:
A fancy party full of important people who believed they had killed a dragon.