Restart Round 1 part 1

John sat across from me sipping a beer he got with my some of my gold.  He continued to stare at me while the announcer talked about the groups and when Mr. Smiles invited both of us to the party John looked at me with that knowing look.  I can't really blame him, as much as I may hate to admit it I am shy and would go through the dungeon with only John.  He knows it's suicide and I know it's suicide, but I would have gone though with that plan if it hadn't been for him.  I accepted Mr. Smiles invitation.  I saw an elf and a Spider follow Mr. Smiles towards a man with a Gatling gun.  I lifted myself up and paused and let out a breath before stepping in sync with the small group.

“Hello, my name is Philosopher.”, I greeted trying to make my voice as cheerful as possible.  I found out later that it was still as monotone as it had been since I was six.
John then greeted them.  I tried without results to remember the names that I was given.  I did find that I could read their usernames since they floated in bright relief inducing colors above their heads.  I waited for someone to begin to get the group was organized.

When no one did I barked orders to everyone.  John raised his eyebrows in surprise at this, but didn't say a word.  I lead the group out of the tavern to the nearby forest.  I felt shame, fear, and regret at my actions, but my pride was too much to say sorry.  I thought about the situation and I think I just snapped.  I began to drift into my thoughts while my legs worked on autopilot.  The sound of growling woke me from my day nap.  I could see raised fur all around us.  Great, first day I lead anything and I get them into an ambush.

“John cover the rear!  Everyone keep alive and try to clear the rear!”

I threw a fireball at one of the fuzz balls as it came closer.  It didn't stop and I jumped back from the unnatural flaming wolf.  A lightning bolt followed by a slice finished it off.  In the distance I spotted my drone dancing around a wolf then thunder alerted me to the assault in the rear.  I wanted to flee, but with the wolves behind me and the three that now guarded the way forward.  The only way out was to fight our way out.  I really regret my cheap ways towards potions and elixirs now.  I'll get some when we get back to town.  Err, let me correct that; if we get back to town.

I felt something large and warm jump on my back pushing me to the ground.  I didn't land on my face, but my back even though I was falling face first towards the dirt.  This place sucks!  Craning my neck I could see a wolf staring at me with those black soulless eyes.  The head dropped out of sight and I felt as if a chunk of flesh had been torn from my thigh.  I heard several pings.  I was suddenly free from the paralysis.  I picked my self up and looked back at my savior.  I saw that the gunner, Nathan, had been the one to put the wolf down.

“Thank you.”, I said.

“Again, who put you in charge?”, I could tell there was something wrong with his emotions from his tone, but as to what I had to assume anger.

“I did.”, I felt my facial muscles pull my mouth into a smile.

He didn't smile and instead shook his head.  I apologized for earlier and asked them who wanted to be leader.  The only person to step forward was John Smith.

“Creations in the front; creators in the back!”,  John was met by various weary glances, but only myself, Nathan, and Yukina knew what he meant.  I only realized they realized when we went to the back of the group.  “Smiles, Brown, you're up front with me.”

Yukina healed me and I thanked her.  Then John had us head out.  We stopped when we came to a cliff with a river pouring down the rocks.  From this height I could see a small cottage I saw something white come from the forest and hover in front of the house.  Pointing it out to the others I heard Smith swear.

“We need to get down there now.  I can carry one person at a time.  Can anyone else get people down?”

“I can carry two people down the cliffs.”, Brown said.

“And I can ride my drone down.”, I chimed in.

John gave a small nod, “Smiles you're with me.  Now lets move!”

I jumped up and grabbed the little drone that followed me around.  It screamed how this was unprecedented and I told it how traditions have to have a beginning.  Halfway down I began to feel like  the metal fins dig into my hands.  I craned my head to see the spider man climbing down with Nathan and Yukina; my friend and Mr. Smiles were going down using a grappling hook.  The last two feet I let go and dropped to the thick grassy forest floor.  Even though my hands ached I didn't find anything wrong with them.  Up ahead of me in front of the cottage I could see an enormous wolf with arrow shafts protruding from its thick black messy fur.  The red eyes it possessed were also possessed by madness.
My, my, grandma, what big eyes you posses.  What big teeth you have.

“Positions!”, John yelled.

The colossus, Mr. Smiles stepped in front of me blocking my view.  John muttered about getting the job done as fast as possible and pulled out a rocket launcher.  A sound of a dragon hissing came from the tube along with a tongue of smoke.  I heard the explosion followed by a howl that will haunt me to my grave.  That was the sound of despair, pain, and death; my eyes were plagued by visions of a graveyard.  The cry of other wolves answered the call.  I peaked from behind Mr. Smiles and saw that the dire wolf was surrounded by friends.  I sent balls of fire and arcs of electricity from my fingers, but I did not scream power.  I saw Nathan nailing wolves with his gun.  A purple boomerang came out of nowhere and whacked one of the canines through the snout and returned to Yukina.  The attacks did not kill any of the attackers before they got to us.  Mr. Smiles picked up two of wolves and began to smile and look at them like I would look at a freshly cooked chicken.  What advantage the behemoth offered was quickly loss when a howl that tore through my insides like a saw came from the perpetrator of the fight.  The only thing I could move were my eyes which was not really good since I could see the drool dripping from their muzzles.  Everyone else was frozen in place as if someone had called out red light.  When all hoped was lost I saw blurry motion which turned out be Mr. Smith using a musket with a bayonet as close range weapon.  I felt hot breath on my calf then saliva and teeth and a burning sensation after it tore its ivory teeth free from my flesh.  I felt the creature take another taste before I was able to move and repay it in kind.  I paralyzed it with a small bolt.  Another one of the mutts decided this was the perfect time to see what flavor I was.  I yelped, but continued with opportunity to cut the wolf in front of me.  The wild dog took a bite of my arm I smiled as I turned the saber back on and the beam went through the animal's skull.

I saw a cascade of yellow waves then found my butt over my head, in the words of a smart man 'I know I'm in trouble when my butt is above my head', I landed on my back struggling to get my breath back.  I heard water dripping behind my and just out of my peripheral vision I could see a wet black nose that huffed in anticipation.  I closed my eyes as expecting to feel sharp teeth in my skull, but instead I heard a dull thud and opened my eyes to the elf using a purple shield with spikes to bat the wolf away.  She let the shield fade and began to feed the wolf's blood to her daggers and in a few strokes in the throat and in the flank the wolf vanished.  Yukina's eyes were huge with fear and made her look like an anime character.  I jumped to my feet and saw that four wolves including the huge ugly dire wolf were attacking us and behind them one of theirs' was being harassed by my drone.  Mr. Smiles didn't seem to take to being knocked around like a cat toy with much enthusiasm, or maybe I am misinterpreting what smashing two wolves with your fist like moles means.  A fireball and several machine gun bullets from Nathan we were down to the last wolf, the dire wolf.  I thought this was going to be the part were it became easy.  I was wrong, so very wrong.  First the wolf let out a horrible shriek that made my bone reverberate beneath my skin and Mr. Smiles seemed to shrink under the sound then it summoned more wolves, but instead of the standard forest wolf more dire wolves with red crazy eyes came charging out of the forest.  Nathan yelled something, but I didn't hear him over my heart.  I threw fireball after fireball at the newcomers, but without effect.  I heard Nathan this time shout that they weren't real.  I'm an idiot.  I turned to face our real opponent.  Before my eyes I saw the wolf vanish from sight, but not in the same way the other wolves had vanished when we bested them.  I heard Nathan shout and saw his health bar shrink.  Mr. Smiles was over there in an instant, but Mr. Brown was yelping now and clawing at the air.

“Nathan shoot around us, everyone else; down!”, I shouted realizing the situation at last.

I dropped to my belly as Nathan began to turn the area around us into a war zone.  A small -9 caught my attention.  I threw a fireball and smiled as the air took fire.  Yukina threw a purple blob at the flaming air that began to take on the vague shape of a giant wolf.  John shot the wolf with the musket and Mr. Smiles finished off the blasted creature with a punch that sent the wolf into a tree.  The boss dropped to the foot of the tree with its back bent at an unnatural angle.

“Go find the artifact.  I need something to eat.”, Mr. Smiles said eying the wolf's body at the foot of the tree.