"Right."

She walks back over to them.

"Hey. Like I said, we're new in town and looking to do a run, get familiar with the local dungeon. You two look like you're about to do the same. What level were you intending to go to?"

"Second. We're not confident about the second floor boss with just us two. But with four-"

"It's actually going to be Thorn's first dive."

"Ah, fresh meat," the other comments. "We're steadily working our way up to D, but not there yet. I guess we're the seniors today."

"Yeah. We'll appreciate your guidance. She's a decent fighter, though," Abyssia insists. "Just, not an adventurer until now. First floor, all four of us together, down to the second if we feel confident?"

They look at each other.

"I don't like splitting the loot that many ways," the blonde one comments.

"Safety in numbers," brunette counters.

"True. And the run can be a lot shorter with four."

"Alright, let's do it. Welcome to the party. We can get to know each other on the way over."

"Great," says Thorn. "I'm looking forwards to fighting with you all. I'm assuming you two will be taking the lead with your spears while the pair of us support with gunfire and the occasional stabbing?"

"We also have ranged weapons." She pats her crossbow. "On levels one and two we don't have to pay too much attention to party balance. You won't be making as much if you spend bullets on floor one monsters, though."

"And some of them aren't really the kind of thing that bullets work on. This dungeon has the most annoying frost slimes." She makes a face.

"I can do melee. I'm good with the harpoon. And you're right about bullets being expensive, but Thorn wants to level her shooting."

"I can do melee too, I know my knifework. Just no sense in taking unnecessary risks."

"Come on, let's get going. Sooner we start sooner we're done." She starts walking out the door to the Guild. "Introductions. I'm Jeanne, that's Kelsey. Abyssia can be frontline, I'll be backline, Kelsey front-mid and Thorn mid, sound good?"

"Sounds good," says Thorn. "I don't know the positions offhand but I'll follow your lead."

"Oh, right, sorry. It's a little complicated and more of a thing in serious delving groups, but basically, backline watches the sides and rear for anything sneaking up on us, maybe sneaks in a ranged attack or two. Frontline is the first to meet the enemy, to keep them busy and deal damage - do you have a shield?"

Abyssia nods and pulls out a buckler from her big backpack, then begins strapping it to her arm.

"Front-mid engages in melee or ranged attacks as necessary to support the frontline, damage dealer. Mid is a dedicated damage dealer with ranged attacks. Left and right guards specifically watch their flank and hold the line there. Support would be behind mid and include some magic users, casting buffs or areas of effect and the like, or someone we're escorting for whatever reason."

"Very sensible, would've shortened some of my conversations considerably. Lead on!"

They get to the dungeon. There is a checkpoint.

The dungeon's first floor monsters include, but are not limited to, Snow Bunnies ('vicious little bastards,' complain their guides), Frost Slimes (blobs of light blue translucent matter whose motion and attacks chill everything around them to a dangerous degree), Pine Needlers (animate miniature pine trees with legs, which shoot sharp needles at enemies), and Lesser Dark Crows, whose attacks mostly consist of pecking.

The loot is weird and not entirely related to the slain monsters, but most of it seems useful to someone, somehow.

Thorn is shooting in real conditions, close-in with friendlies mixed with enemies. It's good practice. 

"What's the first floor boss?" Abyssia asks after a while. "We can probably handle it, right? No injuries so far."

"It's an Icicle Boar. Strong melee combatant, slow aura, and a cone breath attack with a range of twenty feet or so. I'd say we should be good, yeah. Unless someone else has come through recently, it'll be spawned. Maybe one of us will take a hit, but that's the risk you take delving, neh?"

"I'm up for it. I'd like to see what a boss monster is like."

"It's just the first floor boss."

They head in a particular direction through the maze of chilly forest-themed caves. For some reason the dungeon's boss room has a bathroom just outside it. Their guides say to rest up a bit before continuing.

... She'll take the opportunity to go to the bathroom, assuming it's safe. What a convenience. And then it's time for the boss.

Dungeon bathrooms are always safe! If nobody could trust them, nobody would use them, and they'd stay in dungeons for much less time. The bigger dungeons have camping areas starting around level ten, and those you have to stand guard in.

The boss room is a large circular space, maybe a hundred feet across. When the party enters, the door slams heavily behind them.

The Icicle Boar stands as tall as a person, more the size of a bull than a pig. Its tusks do indeed look like giant icicles.

"Movement is going to be key, with no tank. We should spread out and keep dodging as much as you can, try to keep hitting it with ranged attacks."

The boar is now fully awake and glaring at them, snorting out clouds of frost.

Then it charges, and everyone moves.

Thorn dashes sideways, mindful of the place of the party, and unloads her double-barreled pistol as she goes. She follows the lead of the rest of the party while she reloads (bite off the top of the cartridge with her teeth, tip in the powder, seat the ball, stuff the paper in as wadding...) 

Three bullets and two crossbow bolts lance into the boss monster, but hardly slow it down. They just seem to make it angry, really, even as one bolt sticks out of its leg and the other from its flank.

It turns and charges Abyssia first. With a loud scream, she stands in a defensive stance, and she dodges sideways at the last moment, catching one ice-tusk on her buckler with a loud impact. Frost forms all over her shield and arm. She grunts in pain and strikes back, stabbing her harpoon into the same leg already hit by a crossbow bolt. Then she turns and runs, to stand clear enough for the others to shoot again.

She's on the run and not so confident about this, but she still snaps off a shot as soon as Abyssia's clear. Then again, reload - 

She hits. Reloading is a smooth and efficient motion, with her Skills helping.

It's Jeanne's turn to be the target next - she abandons her crossbow on the ground with a clatter to dodge and ready her spear, catching it across the tusks and breaking one before dodging away. Abyssia has gotten out her shotgun and unloads directly into its flank.

The boar is clearly wounded now, bleeding ice from holes in its side. The broken tusk is already reforming. If anything it's even angrier, stomping after and trying to trample the spear-holding Jeanne.

She fires again, watchful of the danger Jeanne could now be in. She could dart in and strike - no, she's mid. Trust the strategy!

Their group is more or less broken down in the chaos, but Abyssia moves forward again, loosing another shell and then demanding the boss's attention via harpoon, letting Jeanne escape and her partner to hit it with another crossbow bolt.

"We're doing great!" Jeanne shouts. "Just watch out for-"

"AUUGH!" Abyssia screams in pain as a wave of freezing energy washes over her.

Thorn grabs the boar with her telekinesis to keep it from following up, and ducks in towards Abyssia, ready to grab her if she needs assistance moving. She rakes her dagger down the side of the boar on the way.

"F-Fine- Stop-" She's still moving, but slowly, and she's shaking. Her harpoon sticks in one of its joints, locking up that leg. She shoves, and the boar falls on its side.

Another crossbow bolt thumps into the monster's back as it writhes, trying to free itself from telekinesis. Then Jeanne charges in with a roar, and carves out its throat, and it stops moving.

She lets go her TK, and seizes Abyssia in a hug. 

"Don't worry me like that." 

She turns to the fallen boar. "So, now what?"