The woman taps her head, causing a mix of black and platinum-blonde-dyed hair to shake in front of her eyes. "Right, right, point remains though. Like, fine, gimme the text shit if you got a stat block or something to dump on me, but I ain''t gonna pause to fuckin'' read shit every twenty seconds if we''re just having a normal conversation, you know?"
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...I''m pretty sure I''m supposed to avoid expressing a personality for this role, but I suppose we''re past that. ...One moment.
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A new section appears on the floating screen, a smaller box taking up the bottom quarter or so with an image of tiny holes in a circular pattern, like a kind of two-dimensional speaker. "Grgng. Gng. Can - Can you hear me?" At first the voice sounds like it''s coming from a vent clogged with twenty years of dust, but it eventually clears up into a rather understandable, if gender-less sound. Xenia claps.
"Bit of a rough start there, Guy, but not bad! You need a cough drop or something?"
The voice grinds a bit more before responding. "Sorry, I literally did not have a voice box until I tried that. Had to borrow some functionality from - well, never mind that. Can we get down to business, now? Ideally you should have killed something already."
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The newly appointed dungeon core rolls her virtual eyes. "Geeze Guy, I stabbed people for a living for my last gig and you''re still coming off a bit bloodthirsty, you know? But sure, now that I ain''t gotta read any boring shit, hit me - how''s this murderhole work?"
The box sputters. "I didn''t mean - okay, allow me to start off with the ''why'' rather than the ''how'', shall I? Perhaps that will clarify things somewhat." Xenia shrugs, and Guy continues. "You have been transported to a world where the gods greatly value their Paragons and Champions. They provide gifts of power, experience and magic to those of great skill and who have proven themselves, allowing them to reach supernatural levels. A weaponsmith is blessed by the God of Forges to create weapons that can crack castle walls, a singer is granted the ability to literally mesmerize with their songs by the Goddess of Music, and so on. Nothing''s for free - this is only granted to those who have already achieved great progress on their own, you understand."
"Soooo what, you want me to put on rock concerts in here for the musicians to do like, battle of the bands or something with? Actually that might be kinda cool." Guy''s display shakes itself from side to side, in a rough approximation of a head.
"Dungeons serve a more niche purpose. A fair number of deities have a focus in combat prowess to one extent or another. There''s three different Gods of War, a God of Physical Perfection, more Gods of Magic than you can shake a stick at, and so on. To prove themselves to these gods, mortals - whether particularly personally religious or not - must prove themselves in combat with monsters, other mortals, or whatever else they may find. Starting a few hundred years ago however, this came to cause...a bit of a problem."
Xenia walks around the cavern, already a bit bored and kicking at dust. "What, like, religious wars?"
"Well, no, that''s pretty much always a given. Rather it was more one of, shall we say, ecological preservation. The mortals drove most of the monster species to extinction or close to it, and whenever a god created a new monster species in a new region, mortals would just move in and repeat the process. Meaning the only way for combat-focused mortals to prove themselves was to attack other mortals, and at that point the population of the world itself begins to come into question."
The woman taps her foot. "So what does this make me, then? A monster nature reserve? I was never much for hippy shit, y''know?"
Guy continues. "You...could look at it like that, I suppose. A dungeon exists to create a place where monsters exist but mortals can''t - at least not in the sense of moving in and hunting the creatures out. The dungeon system was created to give the would-be champions a place to prove their skills, gain experience, earn blessings from their patron deities and so on, with a source of monsters that would never run out."
"Okay..." Xenia waves her hands at the dark stone walls around her, which are more visible due to some sort of magic than any actual light. "So why the hell am I just a dirty little hole?" She pauses for a moment, her eyes apparently staring at nothing before snapping back to Guy. "Mind out of the gutter!"
Guy''s screen rotates in place, as if checking to see if there was someone else in the cave with them. "...Really not sure what you mean, but to answer the question, the gods felt it was best to not just simply design some massive, thousand-floor gauntlets of death and then leave it to the mortals for a millennia or two. They have better things to do than work on dungeon updates themselves, but they know that even the best-designed dungeon will simply stop being a challenge eventually if it never adapts to the people challenging it. Therefore, dungeons are guided by sapient ''cores'' who must also work to constantly improve themselves, ever-motivated to keep the mortals on their toes in case the mortals might capture or destroy them."
Xenia groans. "Eh? I haven''t even murdered anyone yet, and apparently I can''t just wander out and stab a dude for funsies or anything, so why would anyone wanna destroy me?"
"Well, it''s one of the motivations to even attempt a dungeon, of course. Braving a dungeon at all means some experience, material rewards and so on, but destroying a dungeon core is like receiving the equivalent of a hundred dungeon dives at once. It''s guaranteed Paragonhood...granted, you would probably piss off anyone else using the dungeon, but for many that''s quite worth it."
Doing her best to look out of the cave entrance for potential dungeon-killers, Xenia finds it''s getting a bit too dark outside to see much of anything. "Okay, great. So dudes are just gonna wander into my home and try to smash me every day..." Her voice fades out again for a moment. "...I mean, crack me open for the tasty Paragon-goo inside or whatever, but what the hell do I get out of it?"
Guy bobs up and down, in an impression of a shrug. "Well, how does minor god-like power sound to you? Like the mortals, you also gain a bit of power and experience from every fight within your walls. You can absorb materials and items left behind, and when a mortal dies, you can absorb essentially everything they are as well. The closer the mortal was to Paragonhood, the more you gain yourself. You can''t leave, but within the constraints of making the place into a deathtrap, you''re pretty much free to create whatever little bloody paradise you can dream of."
Xenia thinks to herself. "So basically this is like playing a game of the Sims, huh?"
"...I don''t know what that is. As long as it involves determining who is worthy of power and divine favor, then I suppose so?"
The dungeon master grins and crosses her arms. "Well you''re in luck, because my middle name is Worthy!"
Guy stares at Xenia, which is impressive for a construct without eyes.
"...And my last name is Worthy. Shut up!"
"Is your middle name really - " Guy is interrupted as their frame is grabbed by the woman who may or may not be named Worthy twice.
"Shut up! Now, tell me how to murder shit! Momma''s got some redecorating to do!"
Chapter 3: Unlucky Rabbit
It''s the next morning, and Xenia Worthy, Reincarnator Extraordinaire, is finally seeing the payoff for an evening''s worth of ''mana exercises''. She apparently no longer needs to sleep, which is nice, but that doesn''t mean she wasn''t bored out of her non-existent skull. With instructions from Guy, the new dungeon has been learning the use of ''mana bait''. By focusing her efforts on expelling a certain amount of mana outside of her dungeon, with a certain kind of ''intent'', it can be used as a sort of siren''s call for people or creatures. Depending on the strength of her mana and the form of her intent, the stronger the effect would be, but it seems that at the moment Xenia has barely any mana at all - which is a good thing, frankly, as accidentally summoning a city''s worth of people to her cave would probably end very badly for her.
Instead, with her barely-existent mana reserves and an intent of, at Guy''s suggestion, ''vegetables'', Xenia has managed to successfully attract...a bunny. Or a mountain hare, or something of the like - just because she has a new life as a nature reserve doesn''t mean Xenia intends to start learning boring things like that, after all, a bunny is just a bunny. Seeing that the small creature has fully entered her cavern, sniffing around for non-existent plantlife, Xenia hops to her feet with a shout of success. "Whoo! Come into my parlor, said the sword to the bunny! Momma''s gonna make herself a new fur coat!"
Guy, as usual, hovers forward to add some more clarifying information. "Remember, you can''t just stomp the thing to bits. And all we currently have in the ''inventory'' is stone. So, you need to - " Xenia shushes the floating screen.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it. I remember the shaping exercises from last night, this will be easy." Reaching up to the ceiling with one hand, Xenia focuses on a square spot of rock above the rabbit, carving it out into a heavy hammer to smush the animal flat. "Haha, take this! ...This! ...Guy, why is my smashy-rock stuck to the ceiling?"
Guy sighs, a sound Xenia seems to be hearing a lot of lately. "As I was going to say, you can''t simply reshape the cave into big ''smashy rocks'' to kill things with. It would be too easy - a dungeon core could simply collapse itself onto anyone that comes inside and that would be that. Instead, to keep things fair, while a dungeon can be smart its traps must be dumb - to an extent. The more powerful you are, the more complex or even ''alive'' you can make your traps. But at the moment - your trap options are dumb. Generally speaking, you may use mana to create a trap trigger, and then create a mana link to the trap itself. As you can see here." Guy''s display shifts into a short construction menu.
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PRESSURE PLATE - 1 MANA
PITFALL - 1 MANA
TRIPWIRE - 1 MANA
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"Ugh, fine." Xenia points at the pressure plate option, and a construction spell forms in her mind, allowing her to place it where she desires. She does so, putting it almost right in front of the bunny, creating a very obvious square-shaped pressure plate near the cave''s entrance. Fortunately, bunnies aren''t very good at recognizing deathtraps, and it simply sniffs at it curiously as her spell changes into a ''link'' spell, which she does to connect the plate to her previously-created ''smashy rock'' dug out of the ceiling. A moment later the animal hops onto the plate, setting it off and causing a hundred pounds of stone to loudly smash to the floor. Xenia whoops in victory...until she notices the rock completely missed the rabbit, which scampered deeper into her cave.
"You, ah. May want to ensure your triggers and traps actually line up when you link them. Little hint."
"Whatever! Dammit! Pitfall!" Xenia readies another construction spell and, unable to simply place it under the hopping animal, settles for placing it down a foot ahead of its path. The bold bunny, again fearless of strange stone squares, hops directly on top of it - before falling out of sight into a hole. "Ha! Gotcha this time!" Xenia raises her arms in victory...only to freeze in place as the bunny sticks its head out of the hole. "...The hell? Guy, this thing''s only eight friggin'' inches deep!"
"Yes, well, higher level trap skills will increase the depth, or you could stack multiple in one location. Of course, adding stone spikes or something would also be a recommended step. As it is, well...it could perhaps break an ankle?"
Xenia growls and moves over to the intruding rabbit, which as if by some instinct decides now would be a good time to climb out of the hole and move on. "Shit! It''s getting out! Tripwire! Plate! Plate! Plate!" Xenia hurls one construction spell after another in front of the now-panicking animal, making the chamber shake as rock after rock collapses to the ground. Finally, with one last crack and a squeak, the invader is finally laid low. "Gah! Fucking finally! Alright, let''s see what that gives us, then let''s clean up this friggin'' mess before - " The dungeon master''s thoughts are interrupted by a new sound coming from the cavern entrance.
Turning around, she spots a muscular young man in simple farmer''s clothes peering inside, a torch held to one side. He says something in a language that Xenia''s never heard before, but the intention seems fairly clear: a "Hello, is anyone in here?" With a gasp, Xenia turns to find Guy''s screen.
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"It''s a hunk! Look at him! I thought that bait spell was only suppose to attract animals? We''re not ready for company!" Guy seems to consider the situation.
"It''s not specifically an animal-based spell. It''s just that the required mana level corresponds to the level of soul ''complexity''. Which is to say, only the most simple-minded of creatures would have been drawn in by it."
Xenia squeals and runs over to the newcomer, who plainly doesn''t see her virtual form. "Aaahhhh! Just like I like em! Big, strong, and dumb as an ox! Ahh, I need to clean up!" She turns to bring up her construction menu, but notices a disturbing message instead.
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0 MANA REMAINING. NEXT MANA RECHARGE IN: 13 HOURS AND 23 MINUTES.
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Xenia stares at the message, and takes a deep breath. "...Aw, shit."
Lundsen the Trapper is a simple man who leads a simple life. Living on the outskirts of the local village, he spends his day wandering the woods and mountains, laying traps to collect fur and meat, doing some fishing, and then checking his traps again in the evening. His life is made even more simple by the fact that his traps never catch anything, saving him the work of needing to actually skin or butcher any animals. Instead he mostly makes a living thanks to a generous helping of good luck, wherein he often finds items of value during his wandering - lost jewelry, ancient weapons, the occasional nugget of gold in the river by his usual fishing spot.
Today though, he''s drawn by the scent of a different kind of treasure. The scent of...carrots. To be honest, he''s not exactly sure what a carrot is supposed to smell like, but when he picked up the scent on his hike lower down the mountain, he knew there were some good ones up here. And Lundsen''s not the type to pass up free food, after all, even fish get boring after a while. Fortunately the trail upward wasn''t too difficult - certainly a bit out of the way of any of the usual paths, but not too far up the mountain, and without any overly treacherous paths required to reach it. There were even signs that someone had carved stairs into a few points long ago, though Lundsen didn''t know anyone who would have done so.
That mystery however is set aside once he actually finds the cave entrance. Lighting a torch he carries for those times when he ends up hiking a little too late into the evening, he peers inside and finds a curious sight. A stone has collapsed to the floor not far ahead of him, but it has an oddly square shape to it, not the sort of thing he would expect from a cave-in. He did hear some noises on the way up, perhaps this had just collapsed? Could it be there was someone in here who was in trouble? "Hello? Is anyone in here? Do you need help?"
Carefully stepping into the cavern, Lundsen waves his torch up in the direction of the ceiling. Other than the oddly square holes the ceiling seems solid enough, and he turns his attention downward to see where the others landed. To his shock one is marked by a splatter of red blood, but as he rushes over to it, he notices a single rabbit''s foot sticking out from underneath. Gingerly leaning over and pulling at it, the limb easily comes loose in his hand. "...Well, lucky rabbit''s foot, huh? Not so lucky for the rabbit, I suppose. But what is this place?" Turning around again, he finally notices the over-sized pearl sitting in the center of the room. "...Well, that''s better than a carrot..."
"Shit! Is he gonna crack me like an egg or something? Guy, what do I do? I''ve got no mana!" For their part Guy attempts to put on a calmer front, but ultimately doesn''t come up with much in the way of helpful advice.
"Well, he doesn''t have much in the way of tools on him, so I imagine he''ll just loot you. Not that that''s much better, of course - your mana won''t regenerate outside of the dungeon borders, and I suppose eventually you''re likely to get sold on to someone who will make use of your stored experience. A brand-new core like yourself wouldn''t go for as much as most, of course, but you should still be worth quite the price."
"That''s not really making me feel better, Guy! How do I stop him? The door''s only - " As the man leans down and takes the core into his hands, a sudden sensation surges through Xenia''s body. Her legs go weak, and she finds her virtual form faceplanted onto the rocky floor. As the man turns the core one way and the other, tossing it from hand to hand, Xenia feels as if she were aboard a boat in the middle of the mother of all hurricanes - her body rolls one way and the next, her sense of balance gone to the winds. As a representation of her mind and not an actual physical construct, this lack of balance seems to have very real effects as she briefly flies several feet to the left and then to the right. "...Dude. Don''t...don''t just yank a girl''s pearl like that..."
Eventually the motion dies down a bit, but Xenia looks up in her horror to see that the man''s apparently decided it''s time to leave with his new prize. "No...wait, I just started this one, dammit, come back..."
The man doesn''t notice, of course. Nor does he notice the bit of rocky debris in the way of his foot as he makes his way out, chipped from one of the many fallen stones. He does notice when his ankle suddenly gives out, causing him to plummet face-first towards the first heavy stone dug into the floor near the entrance. But soon after that, the man never notices anything again.
Climbing back to her unsteady feet, Xenia takes a moment to take a look at what happened. Blood marks the corner of the cracked stone, with the man''s eyes left gazing at nothing from his even-more cracked skull. Awkwardly, a quiet voice escapes from her lips. "...Yay? We...did it?"
Instead of responding, Guy''s screen shifts to a new message as the two corpses and the assorted stone wreckage melt into the dungeon floor.
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INTRUSION DEFEATED!
TABULATING REWARDS...
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Chapter 4: Unlucky Prizes
As a still-unsteady Xenia watches, a number of pop-up screens appear before her from Guy''s direction.
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INTRUSION SCORE:
ANIMALS SLAIN: 1
MORTALS SLAIN: 1
NEW RESOURCE PATTERNS GATHERED:
RABBIT FUR
FABRIC (LOW QUALITY)
LEATHER (STANDARD QUALITY)
WOOD (LOW QUALITY)
IRON (LOW QUALITY)
COPPER (STANDARD QUALITY)
BONE (SMALL ANIMAL)
BONE (HUMAN)
STRING
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
LAGOMORPHS: F
CLOTHING: D-
FUR CONSTRUCTS: F
WOOD CONSTRUCTS: F
IRON CONSTRUCTS: F
ROPE CONSTRUCTS: F
UNDEAD (ANIMALS): F
UNDEAD (MORTAL): F
TORCHES: D-
CURRENCY (RAINLANDS): D-
SOUL-BASED SCHEMAS UNLOCKED
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 1
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 4 TO 10
MANA ACQUIRED: 5, CURRENT AMOUNT: 5/10
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
LANGUAGES: RAINLANDER
GEOGRAPHY: TRIPLE PEAK FOOTHILLS
SKILLS: FISHING (AMATEUR)
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Xenia does her best to take it all in, eyes wide, but before she can fully process the information it''s pushed out of the way by a number of smaller screens.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: BEASTSLAYER 1
YOU HAVE SLAIN YOUR FIRST ANIMAL. DAMAGE TO ANIMALS INCREASED BY 10%.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: DEATHBRINGER 1
YOU HAVE SLAIN YOUR FIRST MORTAL. DAMAGE TO MORTALS INCREASED BY 10%.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: MANSLAUGHTER 1
YOU HAVE SLAIN YOUR FIRST HUMAN. MANA SPELL EFFECTIVENESS ON HUMANS INCREASED BY 25%.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: TRAPMASTER 1
YOU HAVE SCORED YOUR FIRST KILL WITH A TRAP. TRAPS UPGRADED TO LEVEL 2.
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Waving those new screens out of her face, the dungeon master is finally able to take a moment to read in full the information on the original display. "Uh, Guy? What''s all this stuff I got, and why does this thing look like my high school report card? And uh...I''m...collecting souls now? The hell is all this?"
Guy pauses for a moment before responding, as if they need to consider exactly how to present their answer. "...Right. There are codex and tutorial entries for each of these, if you were to press on the associated entries on the screen, but I suppose I can give you the quick summary in a verbal format. First off, a dungeon starts life with only a very small ''library'' of materials to work with, based on their starting location. A sea cove dungeon may have water and sand, a forest dungeon may have trees and flowers, and we here in a traditional cave-based dungeon start with the classic of ''stone''. When an intrusion is defeated, via death or retreat, any materials left behind are added to the library to be created from your mana stockpile. This encourages you to draw in more dungeon delvers from a wider area, so that they can bring in a wider variety of materials to work with, not to mention higher-quality ones."
Xenia considers her list of prizes, not exactly thrilled by what she sees there. "Soooo...I can build shit out of rabbit fur and shitty wood?"
Guy ''nods'', with a tilt of their screen. "Shitty indeed. The ''grades'' you see there are mostly a matter of quantity leading to quality. The more of a material you absorb, the higher grades you unlock, while absorbing higher-quality materials increases your grade faster. So for example, right now you could summon a basic rabbit equivalent to the one you, ah, ''slew''. If you do that a few dozen more times, you could begin to summon tougher, more monstrous rabbits. ...If that was a path you were inclined to take."
Xenia, of course, does this immediately. "I cast - BUNNY!" With a glow of black and white mana, a rabbit quite like the unlucky fellow from before appears before her and falls to the floor. It begins to hop away, but doesn''t get far before Xenia scoops it up and cuddles it closely. "BUNNY! Alright, this was totally worth almost getting looted for. But uh, right. The soul thing. What am I, some kinda reaper-gal now?"
"Nnnnot exactly. More like...you get ''first dibs''. When a normal mortal dies, which is to say, someone who''s not a ''Reincarnator Extraordinaire'', some of that mortal''s basic personality and core experiences are imprinted onto the soul, the actual memories are washed away, and the soul returns to the Well of Souls to await rebirth in a new form. However, when a mortal dies in a dungeon, they pass into something like a smaller version of the Well, which belongs specifically to that dungeon. Those souls can then be used to create constructs and denizens with some level of sapience, who are both more intelligent and inherently more powerful. A ''boss monster'' is a common example. You need to have a proper soul-qualified schema unlocked however, an F-grade rabbit would not be able to contain a mortal soul."
The woman grimaces, only slightly mollified by the cute bundle of fluff in her arms. "Isn''t that kinda fucked up, though? Like, that beautiful, stupid hunk never agreed to get sucked into my Soul Bucket and become part of a dungeon for their next life, y''know?"
A sound almost like chuckling comes from Guy''s screen. "Did you? Do parents ask for permission before conceiving a child and drawing a soul from the Well? I''m afraid that''s just not part of the System. The upside is that, other than the rare ''glitch'' like yourself, souls don''t retain their memories and are easily shaped by their new forms. Whether the man''s next life were to be as another man, a bird, an enchanted object, or a dungeon monster, he would likely be as equally content with any of them. Or discontent, if that were the nature of his soul."
Xenia sighs. "...Well, I guess being a talking sword mighta been more fun if I didn''t remember having...y''know, more bits most of the time." She stares down at her core, mentally willing it to drag itself back onto its pedestal as if she were pulling it with a magnet. "That was way too close though. I really ain''t ready for company, yeah? I need more than some shitty little traps...this might be kind of a rough neighborhood, I really ought to at least get a door."
As if waiting for this, Guy produces a new construction menu. "As it so happens, we just unlocked some new options in that arena. Including a soul-powered option!"
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CONSTRUCTION SUB-MENU: DOORS & GATES
BASIC DOOR (LOW QUALITY WOOD) - 2 MANA
FUR CURTAINS (LOW QUALITY ANIMAL FURS) - 1 MANA
METAL GATE (LOW QUALITY IRON) - 2 MANA
INTERNAL/EXTERNAL SECURITY UPGRADE OPTIONS:
PUZZLE LOCK - 1 MANA
RIDDLE DOOR - 1 MANA, 1 SOUL
INTERNAL SECURITY UPGRADE OPTIONS:
HIDDEN KEY - 1 MANA
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Xenia snorts, slightly disturbing her new pet. "Really? I can turn the dude into a friggin'' door? Isn''t there a better option for him than that?"
"Eventually I''m sure, but that seems to be it for the moment - all our schemas are far too low-grade. And if I might say, judging by my impression of the man''s intelligence, being a door might just be the perfect job for him. Oh! And I should mention, souls you collect are bound to you, as are the things you bind those souls to. Meaning if a soul-monster is slain or a door destroyed, you can respawn it for a much lower cost in mana. And of course, anything you create can be upgraded as you unlock new materials."
The avatar rolls her eyes. "Rude, but...maybe. A puzzle lock''s really only good once, right? Then someone posts the answer on the internet and the whole world knows how to walk into yer living room! A dude making up riddles can switch it up every time, so...eh, fuck it. I kinda feel weird sitting on a soul anyways, so let''s do it." Freeing one hand from her cuddle-pet, Xenia jabs the option for the basic door and the riddle option, then casts the spell at the cave''s entrance. While she can feel that she could have directed the form of the new construct in a more hands-on way, without guidance it basically works on its own - the cave entrance smooths itself out into a more regular form, a wooden frame is built, and then finally a solid-looking wooden door fills the space. The ''low quality'' part is fairly obvious, as the wood already looks worn and aged, a good battering ram could probably knock it off its hinges with a few decent blows. The ''soul'' part however seems not so obvious.
"Hey, door? Can you uh...hear me?"
The door swings open, a carved face appearing on the front side, facing the exterior of the cave. While the face doesn''t really resemble the deceased man in any particular respect, Xenia has to admit...it''s still a pretty handsome door, given the poor materials. "Great Dungeon Master! How might this humble door serve you?"
The flattered dungeon master grins to herself for a moment before remembering to answer. "...Ah! Right, well...you''re a door! Welcome to the dungeon! Worthy Dungeon, that is! And I believe I shall dub thee...Doorman!"
The door swings a bit, in a manner Xenia assumes is happiness. "I am honored to guard the Worthy Dungeon! None shall pass without mastering the test of my riddles!"
"Awesome! Hey, how about you hit me with one, just to test?"
The door nods, as best as it can. "Of course. Riddle me this: what is...a bird?"
Xenia scratches her head, before breaking out into a grin. "Oh man, this is some like, high-level philosophical shit, right? Like what''s the meaning of birdness or whatever? Sweet, no one''s gonna get in here without my say-so! Alright Doorman, you''ve got the job! Now lock up, I''ve got...2 mana to spend and fix this place up before anyone else comes by!" The door nods again and closes, and for a moment...just a brief moment...Xenia considers whether or not she could, or should, carve an ass onto the back side of it. "...Maybe later. Gotta conserve my energy!"
Before she can start making further plans however, Guy makes a chiming sound. "Oh! Hold on, we seem to have a delayed...notification...lot of bizarre energy clogging this one up, one moment..." Like a cat hacking up a hairball, Guy shakes its screen a few times before disgorging yet another notification screen. Unlike the emerald green of those others however, this one comes in a frame of black and white that seems almost...goopy. It reads:
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HIDDEN DUNGEON ATTRIBUTE DISCOVERED:
TRIPLE CURSED DUNGEON
BOTH HIGH AND LOW LUCK INDIVIDUALS SHALL HAVE THEIR LUCK REVERSED WHILE WITHIN THE BOUNDS OF THIS DUNGEON
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Xenia reads it, taking a moment to take it in and consider its meaning. Then, she shrugs. "Yeah, that sounds about right!"
Chapter 5: Camp Shieldstrong
WEST OF THE SHIELD MOUNTAINS
TWO DAYS LATER
Tassa stirs as someone knocks at the door to her office. Which is what she likes to call it, despite the fact that her ''office'' is a small tent, and the ''door'' is just one of the trees being used to support it, as she feels it''s important to establish a proper workplace for yourself. She doesn''t need to look to see who it is knocking at her tree, given that she only has one coworker. "What''s up, Ragrush? Thanks for actually remembering to knock this time."
The orcish man grins as he leans inside the tent flap, his pale-green skin a poor contrast to his black beard and long hair. "Who knows, maybe I can be taught manners? Are you decent, Tassa?"
The minotaur grins back as she stands up from her portable chair and desk - a move that would cause problems for most minotaurs, but given that she was a positively puny six feet tall, it was something she could do without knocking the tent down around her. A minor benefit of having a dwarven grandparent, she supposed. "For you Ragrush? Never." She shakes her hips briefly in his direction with a smile on her face, but assuming he didn''t actually go through the trouble of knocking for a social call, she keeps the flirting short. "We got a problem?"
The man sighs. "Must be. We''ve got a drider out at the camp entrance with two guards, says he needs to speak to us." At that, Tassa finds herself quickly wishing it had just been a social call. The two rangers were posted out practically in the middle of nowhere, in the thick woods bordering the nearby nations for little more purpose than to be tripwires in case someone came knocking without the proper travel visa. It was rare to get any visitors other than the scheduled relief teams, and driders in particular hated spending time outdoors. If one was here, something bad had to be up.
Checking that she was more or less presentable, and that she had a few axes holstered for appearances sake, the minotaur settles herself and follows as Ragrush returns to the camp entrance - really just a faint walking trail leading to the clearing where they had set up their tents and supplies. The drider''s bulky form was obvious as soon as she stepped outside, at least as large as both of his orc guards put together. He looked a bit young to be an important messenger, but then Tassa had to remind herself that the spider-folk grew up relatively quickly compared to most. Still, with his almost-nude form broken only by the sash at his mid-section, his lithe human torso looked more like a boy''s than a man''s, his smooth ebon-dark skin and tussled white hair not showing a mark of age on them.
Still, whoever he might be, it couldn''t hurt to be polite. "Welcome to Camp Shieldstrong. We''re the Rangers of the camp, Tassa Stoutheart and Ragrush of Tash''narc. How might we help you all today?"
The drider nods, accepting his turn to make introductions. "I am Grizza, and I have with me Laksha, also of Tash''narc, and Pusht of Niad''osh. I''m afraid we''re going to have to re-assign you from your camp duties for the next week or so, as I bring an urgent mission from Mana Weaver Oloaza." Hearing the title ''Mana Weaver'', Tassa and Ragrush share a look between the two of them, but neither of them have any immediate idea what it could mean.
"A mission from a Mana Weaver? I can''t say we''ve noticed any magical disturbances at all in our region since taking our rotation two weeks ago."
Unsurprised, the drider points to the mountain range behind them. "Yes, that''s true. The disturbance she detected wasn''t in our woods, but in the vicinity of High Eligor, the so-called ''Triple Peak'' mountain. I know it''s a bit out of your usual jurisdiction, but your camp is the closest posted to it, and so we request your assistance as we make our investigation."
Turning around, Tassa takes a moment to judge the distance of the Shield Mountains behind her. The mountain range loomed large, but she knew the distance could be deceptive. "Triple Peak, huh? I know officially it''s disputed, but most direct approach to the mountain is on the Rainlander side. What did they sense that makes it worth risking a border incursion? Are the Rainlanders trying something?"
Grizza shakes his head. "Uncertain, but...that''s not the most likely scenario. The Mana Weaver felt that the magical energy was low, but persistent...and more importantly, wrong in some way. The signature wasn''t like anything she''d felt before." Tassa and Ragrush share another look, this time with Ragrush responding.
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"...The Dragonlord, then."
"That is the most likely theory, yes. It could be that this is a move against the Rainlanders and not us - likely, even - but knowing our enemy''s moves is why we post these camps, after all. Our mission is to discover what''s occurring on the mountain, and if necessary, interrupt it."
Tassa narrows her eyes at that last part. "So we''re a party then, huh? What are we working with? We''re both Rangers as I mentioned, level 5 here, Ragrush is 4."
Grizza points at himself and then his guards. "I am a level 6 Mage, while Laksha is a level 4 Fighter and Pusht is a level 5 Cleric." Ragrush gives the Cleric an appraising look.
"Cleric, huh? Which god are you with?"
"...Piesta." The orc gives a weak smile, surely knowing what''s coming next as Tassa barely stops a laugh.
"The...the God of Fish? No shit?" The Cleric shrugs.
"...Niad''osh is a fishing town. My folks were fishers. It''s...paid off a few times." Tassa decides not to pursue that any further, but then realizes a more pressing issue.
"Wait, hold on. The highest one here is a level 6? We''re doing this without a single Advanced Class member? What if it is a Dragonlord incursion - what will we do against that but get slaughtered? A single Scorchwhip Mistress could probably take us all on!"
The drider sighs. "I know, I know. But as you said yourself, the Rainlanders have the best claim to the mountain on practical accessibility reasons if for nothing else. We don''t want to investigate a possible incursion just to trigger one of our own. If we get discovered and it turns out to be nothing major, then we''re just lost scouts, not an invasion force."
Tassa begins to tap one of her hooves, until Ragrush reaches a hand out to her shoulder to give a gentle massage and calm her down. "It''s probably nothing, Tassa. We''ll be over the mountain and back in a week, no one will notice a thing."
The woman takes a deep breath, allowing herself to believe him. "...Perhaps so. In any case, orders are orders. Let''s pack up some supplies, we''ll move out in two hours."
Miles to the east, Xenia Worthy, Reincarnator Extraordinaire, is growing frustrated with her new clam.
As it turned out, creating new empty space within her cave system was practically free, at least as long as she remained within her current ''floor limit''. Therefore one of the first things she''d done was create two more rooms and push her pearl-like core into the deepest one, to at least buy herself some time to act if nothing else. The core still needed some actual security though, and given the way it looked, Xenia had decided placing it within a decorative clam-shaped pedestal was only logical. There was just one problem through - the stone clam refused to close down and guard its treasure. "Guy, help me with this thing? I can get it to fold down but as soon as it gets to like, six inches from sealing it''s just spreading open again! It''s like I''m showing myself off to visitors now even more than before!"
The green guide screen hovers over to Xenia''s right side. "Ah, yes, you''ve encountered the ''accessibility'' limitation. To keep things fair, a dungeon core must be accessible to adventurers of its approximate level, so for example, no sealing yourself into a deep chamber that could only be accessed via high-level teleportation magics. Sealing yourself within a stone decoration seems to be triggering that, at least at your current level...though perhaps a wooden chest might be acceptable? Many lower-level adventurers could break one open." Xenia growls.
"C''mon, Guy, you know how shitty my wood is! I don''t wanna have a nasty-looking clam! How about if, like...it opened and closed some of the time, so it only opened for people I like?"
"I don''t think the gods really care about whether or not you like the adventurers...although..." Guy hums in thought and hovers over a far wall. "A trigger mechanism could perhaps work? You press the wall here, and the clam opens? It would certainly keep you safe from animals, and solo adventurers would be annoyed by it, though clever ones could probably find a solution. Enough of a leeway for the gods, I think."
"Huh, yeah, I could go for that." Pulling up her construction menu, Xenia tosses a pressure plate spell at the wall next to Guy, then uses a link spell to connect it to her new pedestal, with the intent of causing the clam to open when pressed and close when released. Once finished, the structure immediately closes, marking it as a success - after all, even if it broke and didn''t open up again, that would be fine with her. "Nice! Sealed up tight! Alright, let''s test it out - hit my button, Guy."
The screen turns to the plate and back to her. "I''m not actually sure if I can do that?"
"Never tried it before, huh? Guess I am your first dungeon, right? Well, no worries, I believe in you. Now show some confidence and smash my button!" Guy clearly doesn''t seem convinced, but there doesn''t seem to be anything to lose by trying, so with a bit of a wind-up, the guide speeds into the button face first. To their very apparent surprise, the plate actually recedes and the clam pops back open - at least for a while, before it begins to slowly close again. "You did it! Good work Guy, I dub you a level 1 button-masher!"
"I suppose I have more interactive capability with dungeon constructs than I thought. Interesting...well, with passive defenses sorted for the time being, perhaps its time again to look at our active ones? Shall we discuss the birds?"
Xenia''s eyes narrow, and she taps her fingers together. "...Yes...the birds..."
Chapter 6: For The Birds
Before focusing too much on redecorating, Xenia and Guy had been doing what they could to increase their arsenal. Level two traps were barely better than level one - the triggers were only slightly more hidden, the pitfalls were only a little deeper, and the response time was only a little faster. Xenia could cover her rooms in traps and it was unlikely they''d hurt anyone who actually knew what they were doing. And so, they''d gone after some birds. For one, aerial combatants could certainly be useful, but also it meant that Xenia could focus her mana bait efforts in an upward direction, leaving them less likely to attract other local residents down in the foothills.
With Doorman left open, attracting the first few sparrows and robins and so on with the lure of ''birdseed'' was a simple task. Unfortunately, it turned out sparrows were effectively invincible against her. They were far too light to set off any of the traps, and the bunnies were...not exactly great hunters. Xenia could have tried locking the door and waiting for them to starve to death, but that would have taken days, and in the end they were only just sparrows. Therefore Guy was attempting to convince Xenia to set her targets...a little higher.
"Xenia. Put the bunny on the trap, Xenia." Xenia responds by clutching the rabbit to her chest tighter.
"Not Sir Flopsy! What good would a smushed bunny be, anyhow!?" Guy''s emerald screen does a slight side-to-side roll that seemed to be their version of an eyeroll.
"Dungeon creatures don''t set off traps, of course, unless you want them to. But we could use the actual physical bait if we want to catch ourselves a bird of prey. Hawks and eagles are a bit smarter, and they''re not going to land on a trap if they don''t see anything there, bait spell or no bait spell. Not unless we level up its animal effectiveness a fair bit, anyhow. You can just summon more rabbits afterward, anyhow!"
Xenia feels unconvinced by the necessity of it, still. "Could a bird actually eat one of my rabbits? I mean, aren''t they made of like, mana or whatever?"
"Dungeon creatures can be consumed like anything else, although the more of a creature that''s removed from a dungeon as loot, the less mana we can recycle from it. It''s why most body-part loot tends to be smaller pieces like teeth and claws, and not very many dungeons focus on making cow monsters that make tasty steaks."
The dungeon master hems and haws for a bit, but eventually uses a bit more mana to spawn a new bunny on top of a pressure plate. "...Alright! But not Sir Flopsy! Now, you just stay there little guy, and I promise to respawn you after a bird eats you! Try and look tasty, okay?"
The bunny sniffs around a little but seems to find this acceptable, settling in on the center of the trap. With that set there''s little else for the pair to do but take a break and focus on spreading out the mana bait spell once again, this time with a hint of ''tasty bunny''. After an hour or two this attempt scores fruit - or at least comes one step closer. A brown-colored hawk with a wingspan of almost two feet soars in through the open door, finding and taking a perch on a rocky outcrop near the ceiling. It eyes the bunny, but doesn''t make any immediate moves to seize it.
Xenia tries to wave the bird down. "C''mon, birdbrain, I made this feast just for you! Eat the bunny already!" The bird actually seems to look at her, but it doesn''t make a move. "...Guy, is the bird embarrassed? Should we like, leave and let it eat in peace or something?"
Guy''s screen shakes back and forth. "No, no non-magical animal would be able to detect you, let alone me. ...Except..." They turn to look at Sir Flopsy. "...They might just be able to notice that there''s a strange rabbit hovering in mid-air somehow. To be honest, I''m slightly surprised you can actually pick the thing up at all, but I guess it''s just a form of dungeon creation manipulation...in any case, that could be throwing the hawk off a bit."
Xenia stands up from her stony seat and turns towards the hallway to the next room. "Well, he''s not getting Flopsy! I guess we''ll just wait in the back until - ahhh!" The motion seems to be enough to trigger the hawk''s hunting instincts, with a fleeing - and somehow hovering - rabbit being more attractive than one calmly sitting in the middle of the room. This leads to the bird soaring in the direction of Sir Flopsy, and by extension, Xenia herself. "Ahhh! The damn bird''s chasing me, Guy! Get it off!"
"It can''t touch you, let alone hurt you! Just - no, don''t go into the back, see if you can get it onto the trap!" Xenia does her best to shield Flopsy from the hawk''s diving attacks, and while she doesn''t actually serve much purpose as a physical or even visual shield, the somewhat-random movements seem to be enough to ensure that the bird continues to miss its target on each swoop.
"Get it off! Get it out of here!"
"Just calm down, would you? This is actually a good - oh, hold on. We ah...seem to have more company." Guy turns to face the door where a new visitor arrives, this one not a bird at all. Instead a small canine seems to have been attracted by the lure of a free meal - certainly not a wolf, but perhaps a breed of mountain coyote or the like. "Oh! Xenia, do you think perhaps you could set a second trap, this one could be useful as well!"
"GUUUUUUUUUYYY! MAKE THEM STOP!" As Xenia runs around the room, the coyote seems to agree with the hawk that a flying rabbit is less strange than one sitting quietly in the open, and joins in on the chase. The two do start to interfere a bit with each other, trying to scare the other hunter off from their meal, but the bait spell seems to be enough to ensure that neither are easily frightened away. "THEY''RE GONNA EAT FLOPSY!"
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"Just - Xenia! Just go to the trap, would you!?" Finally focusing a bit, Xenia turns toward the center of the room and the bunny-bearing pressure plate. In her duress, however, she seems to be leaning a bit more on the ''solid'' side of things than perhaps she was intending - as she steps onto the plate, she actually kicks the bait rabbit halfway across the chamber, but not before causing the animal to trigger the trap itself. Xenia shrieks as a rock begins to fall right through her virtual upper body, but manages to step forward just before it can crush the strangely-calm Sir Flopsy in her arms. Rolling to the ground, she continues both shrieking and shielding her furry friend until she notices that she''s not actually being chased any further. "Xenia! XENIA! ...You pulled it off, Xenia."
Standing up, Xenia looks behind her to spot a heavy stone dug into the floor, a hawk wing sticking out of one side while a ragged tail sticks out of another. Unharmed, the bait bunny hops over to sniff at the carnage. "...I meant to do that."
"All according to plan, I''m sure. Well - ah, here we go." Intruders defeated, the animal mess begins to dissolve into the dungeon floor as the trap resets itself. As they fade out, new notifications pop up from Guy''s screen.
|
-------------------------------
INTRUSION SCORE:
ANIMALS SLAIN: 2
NEW RESOURCE PATTERNS GATHERED:
CANINE FUR
FEATHERS
BONE (CANINE)
BONE (AVIAN)
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
CANINES: D-
AVIANS: D-
FUR CONSTRUCTS: D-
FEATHER ACCESSORIES: F
BONE ACCESSORIES: F
ARROWS/DARTS: F
ANIMAL CROSSBREEDING UNLOCKED
MANA ACQUIRED: 3, CURRENT AMOUNT: 10/10
-------------------------------
|
Guy whistles, or attempts to, as the pair look over the screen. "Crossbreeding already! I thought we''d need a good deal more rabbits or something before we got that one!" Xenia raises an eyebrow.
"Uh, how''s that supposed to work. Like, do a doggy and a bird even, like...y''know?" She waves her hands at each other, not sure how to express her concerns, but Guy guesses at them anyhow.
"Magical crossbreeding, of course. It unlocks once you have two creature ranks at D- or better, and allows you to attempt to create new monster species from your existing schemas. For example, a hawk with fangs, or a dog with wings. You''ll need to upgrade your rabbits further to add them to the pool, but as you can imagine the combinations scale very quickly. And the higher grade your creature schemas are, the more you''ll be able to direct the process, and the more traits you may be able to cross over."
"Bird dogs, huh? I guess that could be fun to play around with...or horrible and monstrous, one of those. Looking forward to it! How about those accessories, we getting into the fashion industry or something?"
Guy nods. "Yes, actually. With your low-grade rope and iron I imagine you''ll be able to make necklaces, rings, perhaps earrings. At F grade they''ll be practically mundane - perhaps a one point attribute bonus at most, but it''s not nothing." Seeing Xenia''s blank look, Guy continues. "...It''s for rewards, you see. For the adventurers. If a dungeon provides high-quality rewards, not only does it attract more adventurers, but it''s effectively a bribe to keep them from killing you. ''Don''t destroy me, look at all this cool stuff I can make for you!'', or whatnot. You may recall we already have some low-quality currency options as well, which allows us to produce perhaps a small coin purse at the moment. Once our other materials improve we''ll be able to do clothing, armor, weapons and so on."
Xenia scratches Sir Flopsy in thought and nods. "Greasing the wheels, eh? I can work with that...had a bit of a hobby in jewelry design for a bit once, I think, could actually be a bit fun. Still though, home defense first! C''mon Guy, lets make us some abominations!"
WESTERN APPROACH TO TRIPLE PEAK MOUNTAIN
36 HOURS LATER
As night begins to fall, Tassa Stoutheart directs the scouting party to set up camp. They could make a little more distance today if they tried, but soon they''ll have to actually start scaling the mountain somewhat, and camping out on an actual mountain isn''t worth the trouble of an extra hour or two''s worth of distance gained. Fortunately they won''t have to do too much climbing overall - they''re aiming to work their way around the mountain, not climb the summit, but even that won''t be the easiest task. Ragrush steps up to her side, following her gaze up the mountain.
"Think we''ll be able to get there tomorrow?"
Tassa shakes her head. "We could, but probably not til almost nightfall, and I don''t want to be running into danger in the dark. Unless something looks urgent, I think we''ll need to find a spot to camp for a night then aim to reach our destination fresh the next morning." Ragrush nods in agreement, then grins as he checks to see that the others are occupied with their own tents.
"Slow and steady wins the race, hrm? We probably have some extra time before we need to get some rest for the night...how about you and I head into your tent for a bit and...plan our next move, yes?" His hands begin to slip their way onto Tassa''s waist, not that she needed the extra help to guess his intentions.
"Sounds like a good idea, Ranger Ragrush...after all, never hurts to be fully prepared..."
Chapter 7: Party Bonding - Explicit
The Ranger pair weren''t the best at hiding their intentions as they made their way back to Tassa''s tent - the party was already out of the main tree line, and Laksha at the least got a pretty clear view of how the two were behaving. But the Fighter just gave them a wink, and Tassa couldn''t help giving a bit of a giggle as she closed the tent flap behind her. "Haha! I''ve been getting spoiled by all of our solitude lately, I haven''t had a feeling like I was trying to ''sneak off'' somewhere in...well, years, probably!"
Ragrush gives a deep chuckle as he leans back on Tassa''s bedroll. "Hey now, that time at the training yard was only, what, four months ago? Though I suppose I am somehow a little nostalgic, now that you mention it. Remember the good old days, when my father would have to go hunting in the woods for us because we''d stayed out too late?" Tassa releases a full laugh at the thought.
"Pffft, and we would wander out of the bushes acting like we just got lost or forgot the time or something?" As she retells the story, the minotaur is already on her knees, pulling Ragrush''s pants loose. The two have done this on such a regular basis that they barely need to discuss each other''s desires anymore, and can get straight to the action. Primarily, they both know that they like it better when Tassa is running the show. "Gods, and we thought we were actually getting away with it, too! Do you think he bought it even once?"
"Probably not even a single time, no." Ragrush''s voice trails off for a moment as Tassa''s vest is pulled loose, revealing her impressive brown-tipped chest. Despite the minotaur''s diminutive height - even Ragrush was taller than her at his six and a half feet - her quarter-dwarven genetics hadn''t cost her anything in the curves department. Hells, it may have even helped, dwarven women didn''t do too badly for themselves either when you considered their proportions. "...You know, it just occurred to me that a few of the times, he was the one signing us up for the evening training sessions, the ones no one else wanted to share. And to think I thought he was being hard on us."
"Instead, it was just you being hard on me, hehe." Tassa leans down and begins to get Ragrush ready for his next mission, using another of her fortunate assets - as it turns out, the snout of a minotaur contains room for a whole lot of tongue. They joked that her tongue was actually what had brought them together - they had met in the Ranger training program, Ragrush had made a joking comment about her height, and she had stuck out her tongue at him in response. It had shocked the young orc into silence immediately, and ever since Tassa would kid that Ragrush loved her tongue more than her. That relationship proved strong again tonight, with Ragrush quickly brought to full attention as Tessa bathed him clean of the day''s sweat - or at least a not-inconsiderable portion of him, in any case.
"Hnnggg...you taste awful tonight, Ragrush." The orc has trouble arguing the fact, considering how far they are from a bath, but the twinkle in Tassa''s eyes as she makes sure to reach every nook and cranny of his manhood means he doesn''t feel particularly offended.
"Is that so? Well, why don''t you come up here and give me a chance to see how you compare yourself, then?" Tassa smirks, but doesn''t actually agree to the challenge for a few minutes more - freshly bathed or fresh from three weeks in the woods, the minotaur always seems to find herself having trouble pulling herself away from her favorite treat. Eventually though, she does work to remove the rest of her leather armor and climb her way up Ragrush''s reclined body. The moment they''re within reach the orc latches on to one prominent nipple with his teeth, gently, as his hands tease and pull at the other...rather less gently. Tassa groans, but focuses her own efforts on guiding Ragrush inside of her. As often as they''ve practiced the move, her own curves and Ragrush''s hesitation to let her go always means it takes a bit of effort, not that Tassa has ever minded.
Eventually though the two are joined, and Tassa redirects the orc''s hands down to her waist, letting her focus on staring into his eyes as she begins to lift herself up and down. As good as it feels, it''s always the looks on his face that she enjoys the most - even years later, at moments like these he still looks just like the teenage orc from the training program, experiencing bliss for the first time. The wild-eyed wonder...and the way he has so much trouble looking away from her generous chest...those will never get old for her. "Hrng! You know, for a while there I was worried we wouldn''t have time tonight to - "
"Ranger Tassa, I was won - OH!" Tassa''s thoughts are interrupted by a voice from behind her, and the pair snap their attention to the tent''s flap. Standing there is the drider Mage, Grizza, his eyes clearly locked on to Tassa''s curvaceous rear end, though considering how much of the tent is taken up by the view from his perspective, there''s not much else the man could be looking at. "I''m - I''m sorry, I just...I''ll leave - " This time, Grizza is the one interrupted by a curt suggestion from Ragrush.
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"Hold on now, Mage. Don''t go just yet." Tassa looks down at her partner, but when she sees him grin and tilt his head in the drider''s direction, she turns back for a second look. Driders aren''t known for being big on fashion - their anatomical layout means traditional pants are out of the question, and many settle for a simple sash, belt or loincloth around the bottom of their humanoid torso where it meets their more spiderlike half. As it happens though, sashes aren''t particularly good at hiding the signs of burgeoning arousal, and Tassa quickly sees what Ragrush did. "Wouldn''t want to turn a party member away, now. Care to join us?"
Grizza''s blushing is apparent even through his pitch dark skin, making him perhaps the cutest spider Tassa''s ever seen, and the image isn''t hurt by his stammering. "No, I mean - not that I wouldn''t, or that I''m not - you...wouldn''t mind that?" The minotaur leans back and spreads a cheek with one hand, doing her part to convince the young mage.
"Ragrush and I aren''t exactly a vowed pair, for...personal reasons. But we know how to relax the stresses of a long day together. Shall we show you?" Grizza turns away, and for more than half a moment, Tassa believes she pushed the embarrassed drider too far, and that he would skitter away as fast as he arrived. But instead she can see the moment he decides the other way, and he gingerly steps one long leg into the tent.
"If...if you don''t mind, then?" Ragrush decides to help out, pulling Tassa down to his torso with one arm while pulling at her other cheek with the second, fully presenting the minotaur to the Mage.
"To the contrary - we insist." The drider hesitantly makes his way further into the tent, as much as he can, which to be honest is probably something of a comical look from the outside. By time he''s reached the pair his rear two legs are still sticking out of the opening of the tent, and it''s doubtful the other party members would mistake what''s about to happen were they to glance in the tent''s direction. But if they do, they can settle matters between themselves if they care to do so - this tent is now full. At the least, it takes very little time for the Mage to strip himself, with the sash quickly falling to the floor.
It''s not the first time Tassa''s seen a drider''s manhood, but they always manage to surprise her. While minotaurs and orcs both tend towards thick, gnarled things, driders are strangely smooth and curved, a rare bit of pink flesh in an otherwise black or gray body. While as long as Ragrush''s, it''s quite thinner at the tip, but leads to a girthy base where it meets his humanoid and spider halves. Tassa relaxes herself, expecting him to aim himself at her rear end, but is surprised to find him gliding his way up Ragrush''s partially-buried member. "Would it be okay if I...here? Or is that, ah, too much?" Ragrush laughs at the question.
"Too much? My friend, Tassa here is part dwarf, you know?" The blank look on Grizza''s face says he doesn''t get it, and Tassa can feel herself flush as she has to explain.
"...It means I can take a lot more than it looks. So...yeah, if you want, help yourself." Grizza nods, his hands joining Ragrush''s on her sides, and slowly he tests that statement by pushing forward. The thin tip does help, but Tassa can feel it widen out faster than she expected, and she gasps a bit once she experiences both party members halfway inside. Sensing that Grizza''s about to pull back however, she quickly turns back to him. "Keep going! I want to...I want you to show me what you''ve got, okay?" Grizza nods once again, and this time he gives the minotaur a full thrust, making her gasp once again.
Grinning, Ragrush waits for Grizza to set the tempo before resuming at an alternate pace, making sure that Tassa always has one of the two pressing deep inside her. While she surely could handle both at once, it allows her the rare experience of being able to feel fucked while also always feeling filled - something the pair know from experience that the woman enjoys. The trio keep it up for a while, but after a few minutes Tassa can feel Grizza''s slender torso resting against her fur-covered back. It''s not surprising, she supposes, the drider is hardly built for long days of hiking, and the man was probably almost exhausted before he even came in here. He never stops thrusting though, and Tassa and Ragrush share another smirk as the Mage wraps his arms around her, clinging to her like a lost sailor clinging to a lifeline.
Whether it''s despite the exhaustion or because of it, Grizza is the one who finishes first, filling Tassa with a thin cum. It somehow always surprises her that driders don''t produce something more sticky, but as far as she''s concerned she''s just here to enjoy biology, not understand it. It does however act as an excellent lubricant, allowing Ragrush to speed up further which drives Tassa to her climax not long after. Only then - having long learned how to control himself until Tassa got her share - does Ragrush finally unleash, a veritable flood in comparison to Grizza''s issue. Not that Tassa minds either sort, after all, variety is the spice of life.
When all are spent, Tassa finally allows herself to relax against Ragrush''s chest. "Gods, that was a good one. Definitely worth the mission and having to hike all the way out here, I''d say."
"Agreed. ...Except for one part." Ragrush nods at the Mage''s head hanging over Tassa''s right shoulder. "Any idea how to drag a sleeping drider back to his tent?"
Chapter 8: SlipnSlide
Xenia Worthy, Reincarnator Extraordinaire, glares at the large basin of water she''d added to her core chamber. There was nothing wrong with the basin itself, of course. It had rained a little that morning, and with a bit of reshaping around the doorway they''d been able to let enough in to absorb it and add ''WATER'' to her list of resource patterns. Experimenting with monster spawns drained her limited mana pool pretty quickly, but reshaping the cave stone was free, so she''d been able to spend time working on perfecting a design - another clamshell to go with the core pedestal, ignoring how off-brand it might be for a mountain-based dungeon. The problem was that it didn''t actually serve its purpose for what she''d been aiming for - the dungeon master could look into the basin but no reflection looked back. "Dammit! I''m like a ghost! Or a vampire, without the supernatural sexiness."
Guy hovers alongside, also finding no reflection in the water. "Oh, I wouldn''t put myself down so much. You''re certainly supernatural enough, and by my extremely low pool of comparison subjects, I''d say you''re certainly in the top five sexiest dungeon cores."
Xenia scoffs as she pulls at her drab gray robe. "Please. Ain''t no one that could pull off this fashion train wreck. Hell, given that you''re the only one who can see me, I''m this close to just walking around in the buff instead. I don''t get it, it kept my hairstyle like I had it back in my first go-around, but it gives me this for fashion? Not even a nosering or nothing?" Guy slides around to the center of her line of sight, and pops open a construction menu.
"First off, allow me to encourage your steadfastness in not doing your job naked. Second, you recall that we do have some crafting schemas unlocked now, yes? Low ranked ones, but they are there. And given we''re talking about your virtual avatar and not actual physical objects, there would be no mana cost involved." At the words ''no cost'', Xenia immediately perks up.
"Shit, I could''ve been playing dress-up all this time? Forget making abominations, why wasn''t I doing this for the past day?" She immediately dives into the crafting menu, which she had only briefly glanced at before due to the lack of funds to make anything with, but is quickly disappointed. "Tattered Rags (F)? Soiled Underthings (F)? Simple Peasant Garb (D-)? What am I, a free-to-play player in a world of cosmetic unlocks? How many microtransactions til we get to something not utter shit, huh?"
Guy hovers a little lower, clearly put out that their suggestion didn''t land well. "Something might be worth a shot? And yes, we are only at a ''D-'' rank in clothing options currently. The more style examples and materials we absorb, the more options you''ll have." Xenia taps the Peasant Garb option just to see what comes up, and finds herself in a drab brown and yellow dress, complete with muddy stains from a day working in the fields. She quickly returns to the old robe.
"Just edged one step closer to work-at-home Nudist Xenia there, Guy. New priority! Anyone who comes in, we''re taking their clothes. Especially anything that looks good. Think they got fishnets out here yet?"
"In the sense of literal fishnets, yes. If you''ve spent enough time playing home decorator though, perhaps we should take another look at the second room?"
Xenia sighs. "Yeah, fine. I still got like, 6 points left today, maybe we''ll find something that ties it all together." The pair had spent most of the previous day on the first room, and had things decently prepared given the tools they had at hand. The ceiling had been lifted up to a point, as if it were the inside of a pyramid, each of the four walls containing several of the new dart traps that had been unlocked by the ability to craft arrows. While the triggers still weren''t well hidden, Guy had suggested that the angled surfaces might at least make it harder to guess what direction the darts would fire from. Torches lit up every room as well now, magically-powered of course so they burned without need of fuel. Meanwhile Xenia had run a few tries at crossbreeding avians and canines, coming up with a few results that were definitely worse than either, but had eventually come out with hawks with snouts full of fangs, a D- ranked schema that Xenia had dubbed ''Barkbirds''. It wasn''t actually clear if fangs were any more dangerous than normal hawk beaks, but they were at least monsters of a sort, which felt more suiting. They had also at least proven adept at swooping down from the angled walls to pick off the trickle of rabbits Xenia had continued to bait inside, eventually increasing her Lagomorphs tier to D-, but any bunny crossbreeds would have to wait for another day.
Starting from the front then, Xenia next moved on to the hallway between the first and second room, pausing halfway through. "Alright, let''s step up the traps a little bit, but keep with the classics, yeah? How about a pressure plate that makes a giant sawblade pop out and take off a dude''s head, right? Classic!"
Guy tilts for a moment, but then pops up a construction screen with a ''Giant Sawblade'' trap available. "As we have metal materials unlocked and you seem to have a solid idea in your mind of how it should look and how it should work, an option has been unlocked for you. But remember, our only metal construct option right now is F-grade iron. That design may be a little too complex for our resources."
Xenia shrugs, spending the points for a pressure plate and a large sawblade capable of reaching across the hallway at neck level. "If it''s letting me pick the options, then it''s gotta work at least a little, right? Not a lot of points left for today, though...we gotta be efficient for the next room, at least til we can upgrade it." She walks into the second chamber, currently little more than an empty square-ish cavern, populated by a few stray dungeon bunnies. While Xenia''s spawns don''t attack each other, it still seems like they prefer to avoid the birds of prey living in the first room. "Hmmm...what if I don''t go for official traps, and just abuse the decorative options? I can make water, right, how about I just flood a room and make everyone hold their breath the whole way through, or something?"
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"Unfortunately, magical fluids and gases don''t tend to last very long...technically, even the stone will begin to evaporate after a few decades if not maintained, but a low-level poison gas trap for example only lasts about a minute. To flood a large chamber, you''d need to either access a natural water source, or have a large mana cap that you''d be willing to reserve towards keeping it filled."
"But I can fill a basin''s worth, yeah? Hmm, hrrmmm...okay, I think I got something here." Xenia begins to make an inverse of the first room, with the floor angling downwards to a central point. It''s not quite as steep, only going down a story or so in height compared to the two or three floors the ceiling in room one reaches to, but enough to make the footing a bit awkward. But of course, that''s only step one. "Alright, we don''t have copper constructs, but we do have it as a decorative pattern, for whatever that''s worth. So...copper flooring!" With that, that downward-sloped floors turn from stone to slightly-polished metal.
"Hmm, I suppose that is a little more slippery than stone, but - " Guy is interrupted by a shushing motion from Xenia.
"But wait, there''s more!" When Xenia filled the water basin, she spawned a water source at the bottom of the clamshell, raising the water level until the magical evaporation balanced out with the magical generation at the right level to reach the top of the basin. It was small so no mana cost had been charged, but in this case she''s willing to push just a little further. This time, she spawns a trickle of water generation all around the walls of the room, coating the metal floor in a very thin stream until it gathers at the center of the room. There it builds up a little, but less than an inch or so before it reaches equilibrium. "Welcome to the Slip''n''Slide room! And for our finisher..." Switching to her traps, Xenia spends the rest of her mana filling the center with pressure plates, linking them to ''smashy rocks'' in the ceiling above. Fortunately, like with dungeon creatures, it seems that dungeon water doesn''t automatically set off the traps either. "Ta-da! ...Hmm, making the water didn''t cost me anything, but my cap is down to 9 now? To keep it flowing, I guess? Well, whatever. If we need more later I can just turn it off, and hey, we don''t even need to worry about drainage or plumbing!"
Guy looks at the room a bit uncertainly, as the rabbits hop their way into the dryer core chamber. "Hard to say if this will actually cause any slips, but I suppose with a limited mana reserve, it''s not a bad idea. Suppose we''ll just have to see..."
LATER THAT EVENING
The five members of the scouting party sit from their perch higher atop the mountain, looking down at the strange door carved into its side, finally happy to have something to talk about. Unsurprisingly, Laksha and Pusht had been very aware of what had transpired in Tassa''s tent the night before, and while no one had said anything, the way they couldn''t stop smirking at Grizza''s constantly flushed expressions had made casual conversations a bit awkward. Neither Tassa or Ragrush were much bothered though, the drider just needed to get more used to a concept the Rangers were quite familiar with - never pass up a warm bunk on a cold wildlands night. In any case, it seemed Grizza now had finally found something to discuss.
"...Well, shit."
Ragrush snorts. "Is that your official determination of the situation, Mage?"
Grizza skitters back a bit to rest against a rock while he thinks. "I have to admit, I was really hoping we''d just find a succubus leading a pack of kobolds and slimes and that that would be it. It wouldn''t really matter then what they were doing, we could just report that they were doing something, and that would probably be enough. But an entrance like that in the middle of a mountain? Far from any dwarven settlements? It has to be a dungeon."
Tassa can''t really say that she sees a problem with that. "Isn''t that even easier then? A dungeon is a dungeon, we just tell the Mana Weavers a new one popped up, end of story." The drider shakes his head at that, however.
"You think the Weavers don''t know what a dungeon looks like? They said this felt ''wrong'' somehow. If we want to say we didn''t just half-ass our mission, we''re going to have to scout it out, no other way around it."
Laksha speaks up from a nearby rock where she''s keeping watch on the foothills below. "Is that a problem? I''m no dungeon newbie - cleared floor two in the Rotwood Dungeon once." At that, the others begin to volunteer their experience.
The Cleric, Pusht, raises a hand. "I''ve only done one floor, in the Highlight Mountain."
Tassa goes next. "Ragrush and I both went to floor two in the Spider Swamp. That''s as far as the Ranger program goes for those of us aiming for wildlands assignments."
Grizza finishes it off. "Typically our Mage training program in the Undervalley encourages a floor in Longdrop for every level or two we achieve in rank, but I''ve been busy and only had time for up to floor three. It''s good that we all have some experience at least, but normally every party would have someone experienced with up to floor five somewhere, and none of those are brand new, unexplored dungeons. ...There''s also the problem in that, as I''ve never seen a dungeon core before, I doubt I''m qualified to determine if one is ''right'' or ''wrong''. Unless it''s very obvious it may be a waste of time."
Tassa shrugs. "Well remember, unless something weird happened this dungeon is only a week old. I''d be surprised if it has two floors let alone five. But no matter for tonight. Let''s go back a bit and set up camp. First thing tomorrow, we''ll see what this is all about..."
Chapter 9: Noise and Silence
The scouting party gathers in front of the odd door, Tassa and Grizza standing in front. As they look at the door, so does the door look back at them. "Greetings, brave souls! If you wish to proceed, you must solve my riddle!"
Grizza sighs. "Well, that''s not a great sign." Tassa raises an eyebrow in his direction.
"Not good with riddles?"
"No, it''s just that Riddle Locks are a sapient construct. Which means this dungeon''s already killed at least one person." He pauses, and looks at the designs on the doorframe. "...Weird style choices. Rabbits and seashells? Not only do they not really go together, but the ocean''s nowhere near here! Or even a big lake, really."
Doorman repeats himself. "...If you wish to proceed, you must solve my riddle!"
Laksha, the Fighter, snaps at him a bit. "Shut it, door. Gods, sapient constructs creep me the fuck out. Imagine dying in one of these places and becoming fucking furniture."
Doorman''s handsome, if somewhat chipped face frowns. "That''s rude. I take pride in my work."
Tassa gives a sigh of her own. "Don''t antagonize the dungeon furniture, Laksha." She runs a hand along her holstered axes. "Not a lot in the way of specialized dungeon gear here. Anyone have any prep they need to do?" Grizza merely gestures at his vest and satchel, the rare case of him wearing actual clothing due to the need for pockets to contain his utility equipment. The Cleric Pusht raises a hand.
"I can offer us the Blessing of the Bountiful Catch. It''s the equivalent of an Expert-tier luck enchantment, which lasts for an hour." Laksha whistles at that.
"Expert-tier!? Damn, you could beat a one-floor dungeon naked and skipping the whole way with luck like that. I take back everything bad I ever said about the Fish God." Pusht gives the Fighter a look, and she sheepishly backpeddles. "...Not that I''ve ever said anything bad about the mighty Lord of All Fish, of course."
Not entirely convinced, the Cleric invokes his blessing nevertheless, and a moment later the group is feeling quite a bit luckier...and slightly smelling of fish, though none of them bring it up. Tassa takes a step forward, and properly addresses the door. "Alright, door, give us the riddle."
Doorman clears his throat. "A-hum! What is...a tree?" The drider Mage groans.
"Oh no, this is one of those philosophical ones, isn''t it? Alright...a tree is...life, ever enduring, ever reaching, ambition and stability combined, a shelter to all those around them?"
The door raises a wooden eyebrow. "Not even close." Without further warning, the face spits in Grizza''s direction.
"Gah! Did you just...spit a splinter at me? That actually hurt!" The Mage looks around at the group, somewhat sheepishly. "...I mean, not that much. But still!"
Doorman looks a bit sheepish as well. "I''m still low level, okay? Come back next month and I''ll really do you in."
Finally breaking his silence, Ragrush steps forward. "A tree''s a big plant made of wood and covered in leaves. Squirrels live in em." Doorman nods.
"Now there''s a man who knows a thing or two. Good luck inside!" With that the door swings open, as the rest of the party stares at Ragrush.
"...What? It''s a door made out of a man who died in a dungeon a couple days old, what did you expect? ...Whatever, let''s head on in."
Inside, Xenia bites her virtual thumbnail. "Aw, dammit, we''re still not ready for more! We haven''t even finished a whole floor yet!" As the quintet step into the entry area one by one, she runs an examining eye over each of them. "Orcs, huh? A minotaur...and - ohshit is that a spider dude!? Fuck...and why the fuck is the spider dude so cute!? That''s gotta be illegal or something."
Guy hovers nearby. "I won''t comment on that last bit, but we really better hope they''re happy with the handful of coins we tossed into your ''wishing shell''. They all have at least a few levels on them, and honestly I doubt we could take down a group of five in even the best case. But if you are looted or shattered, allow me to say that it has been an honor to serve with you, ma''am."
Xenia bites down a little harder. "Shush, you. Start thinking positive thoughts, okay? Maybe they''ll be nice adventurers!"
Ragrush eyes the mutated bird waiting above. "So just to confirm, we''re smashing this core, right?" Grizza nods.
"Unless there''s something obviously valuable about it. I don''t have the skills to analyze a dungeon core, and I''m not taking something that''s ''wrong'' back to the Mana Weavers."
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"Right, just checking." The orc Ranger lifts his crossbow and plucks a mutant hawk out of the air as he steps into the room. "Watch yourself, there''s pressure plates around." The rest of the group follows, weapons at the ready as the remainder of the flock leave their roosts and begin to divebomb the group. Ragrush and Grizza are the only members of the team with much ranged capacity, as Tassa would rather not waste any of her throwing axes on such low-threat creatures, but she and Laksha do an excellent job of slicing away any who come too close, while Pusht keeps a healing spell at the ready.
Unfortunately, the need for one comes much earlier than any of them might have expected. A barkbird shot out of the air by Ragrush manages to hit Laksha in the back as she''s looking in the other direction, causing the Fighter to stumble forward...somehow triggering three different pressure plates on the way. One dart bounces uselessly off of a stronger portion of Grizza''s exoskeleton, while Tassa is able to bat another out of the air. Pusht, however, takes a solid hit to the left shoulder. Once the remaining birds have been eliminated, Tassa turns to Lakhsa with a growl. "The hells was that!? Did you try to step on every plate on your way through the room!?" Laksha herself has an angry look, but it seems to be aimed at herself.
"I don''t know what happened! It was like...I saw the plates were there, and I told my feet not to step on them, and then they did anyways! That''s never happened to me before!"
Ragrush tightens his grip on his crossbow. "I''d like to say it was just you being an idiot, but we have to assume there''s no coincidences in a dungeon. There could be perception or spatial distortions in here." Grizza scoffs.
"In a one floor dungeon? I can definitely feel it now, this dungeon is new. Where would it even get those kinds of spells this early?"
Tassa considers the options. "What if the Dragonlord was feeding the dungeon somehow? Making it more powerful than people would expect, so it gets easy kills? That could make it ''wrong'', perhaps? ...I don''t know. But just...stay cautious."
Ragrush takes the lead as the group moves into the hallway to the next room, while Laksha watches over Pusht as he uses his prepared healing spell on his own shoulder. The Ranger doesn''t get far, though. "Obvious pressure plate ahead, and look at that long slit open on the wall ahead of it. Probably some sort of swinging blade trap or the like." Tassa looks down the hallway and nods.
"We could hop over it, but given what just happened, maybe we should activate it prematurely instead?"
"Agreed." The pair duck down, just to be safe, as Ragrush prods the plate with his crossbow. With a loud clanking noise, a heavy, giant disk of raw metal and serrated edges pushes its way out of the wall, spinning up to a high speed and moving in their direction - fortunately, they''re positioned past where the blade has room to move. Ragrush turns back to look at his fellow Ranger. "A spinning blade, huh? New to me. Guess we can wait for it to - "
Before he can finish his sentence, there''s a loud cracking sound. The blade shifts, as if its support within the wall had given out, and when the blade hits the edge of the gap the low-quality metal shatters. Tassa quickly turns away to shield her face from shrapnel, but when she turns back she sees there were far worse things than metal splinters. Ragrush''s eyes look at her, but Ragrush himself is already gone, a two foot long piece of jagged metal extending from the back of his skull. The minotaur screams.
"RAGRUSH! NO! CLERIC! GET THE GODSDAMN CLERIC UP HERE!" Pusht and Grizza both move forward to take a look, ignoring their own shrapnel cuts, but the Cleric''s face quickly falls.
"Ranger...Tassa, I''m sorry, but...this is far beyond the talents of a Cleric. A blow to the head like this..." Tassa responds only with another scream.
"NO! Not like this! We can''t - " She cradles the body for a moment, but only a moment, before pulling back with a changed expression on her face. "We can''t let the dungeon have him. We have to shatter it NOW!" Grabbing again at her axes, the woman picks herself up to her feet and begins to sprint into the next room, ignoring Grizza and Pusht as they grab at her. The drider Mage does his best to play the voice of reason, unheard as he might be.
"TASSA! Slow down, damn it! You''re just going to run right into something else!" Unfortunately it seems the man is also playing the role of unheeded prophet, as the raging minotaur only gets three steps into the next room before her hoof gives out on the unexpectedly slippery metal floor. Grizza and Pusht grab at her as she grabs back, but her momentum and bulky frame only serve to drag them with her, Grizza''s slender legs finding little purchase with which to anchor his own large form. As the trio land in the center of the room, the Mage recognizes the noises of multiple pressure plates being set off at once, a look to the ceiling quickly identifying the threat. "Falling rocks! Cover!"
With no time to find their feet, the three can only roll and dodge as hundreds of pounds of stone collapse around them. By some grace they all manage to survive unharmed, and with no other apparent threats in the room, Grizza tries again to calm Tassa. "...Tassa. I understand, but look! We almost just..." His voice trails off as he begins to hear a cracking noise coming from around them. Too late, he realizes it''s coming from beneath. "...The floor! We have to - "
With one sudden crash the floor gives way, and the three scouts fall into darkness.
Laksha isn''t sure how long she stands there, half-collapsed in the doorway to the second chamber. A minute? An hour? She''s sure she''s shouted each of their names a dozen times at least, but no voice returns from the dark pit that opened in the middle of the chamber. There''s no sound at all, beyond the trickle of the water as it forms a new waterfall down to the unknown. Eventually though, she finds the strength to return her feet and give one final shout. "Cursed! This dungeon is cursed! ...I have...I have to report..." As the Fighter turns and makes her way from the dungeon, no other noise joins her footsteps. Even the Doorman says nothing as she returns to the mountain outside.
Left standing in the hallway where Ragrush''s body is dissolving, there of course remains Xenia. Her ''successfully failed'' sawblade trap repairs itself and slides back inside the wall, and even the surprise entrance to the deep cavern below heals itself like a scar, soon covered by a fresh layer of regenerating water. Seeing their mistress in an unusually quiet mood, Guy takes it upon themselves to break the silence.
"Well, all things considered, that could have gone far worse! Ah, and it looks like the Intrusion report is finished tabulating! Let''s take - " The floating screen finds itself shushed by a waving hand.
"Shut it, Guy."
"...I''m sorry?"
Xenia sighs, making her way back to her core chamber. "Just...we''ll look over it later, okay? Not right now."
"...Understood, ma''am."
Chapter 10: Adjustments
It''s surprisingly easy to kill someone, especially once your body count reaches the triple digits. Although Xenia''s never been the type to keep count, across her many lifetimes she still knows for a fact that her own count reaches well into the five figures, without even counting unintentional knock-on effects. Many of them deserved it, probably even most - although ''most'' is still a very, very far cry from ''all''. Though she hates to admit it, even that becomes easy enough to deal with after enough time. Hell, it''s not even the first time she''s watched as someone cradled the body of a loved one at her feet, screaming to the heavens.
That part, though. That part has never gotten easy.
The unusually quiet dungeon master shifts on the chair she made out of stone, rabbit fur and leather. It''s a shitty chair, but it feels well suited for a shitty mood. Feeling the need to break the silence though, she speaks out to Guy, halfway across the room.
"I was a Demon Lord once, you know?"
Turning at the sound of her voice, Guy hovers their way closer. "A demon lord, eh? Not sure this world has a title like that, though there''s perhaps something similar. Demons, certainly. How was it?"
Xenia chuckles. "Shitty. Or I should say, I was a shitty Demon Lord. Only made it two months on that life. Y''know why?"
"I imagine some plucky young hero came and put a stop to your wicked ways?" A slight smile reaches Xenia''s lips.
"Think y''know by now my wicked ways never stop. Nah, I never even met a hero, not on that run anyhow. I started out with a goblin tribe, right? Decent starter minions, worshiped me as a god and all that. And it was good for a while! We rolled our way across every other tribe in the area, absorbing most of them into the new Demon Lord Army and killing the ones that wouldn''t sign up. Problem is...every Phase 1 is followed by a Phase 2. And Phase 2 of being a Demon Lord with a Goblin Army is going after peasant villages. Goblin armies don''t feed themselves, y''know? And you gotta keep building up, get some practice in before the ''civilized'' armies can try to respond."
"I see. Wasn''t your line of work, then?" Sir Flopsy hops his way over to Xenia''s chair, and she scoops him up and begins to pet him absentmindedly.
"I actually got swept up with it for a bit, you know? Goblins are a lot of fun when you get to know them! Wish I could say I kept it under control, but...nah, we hit at least three villages directly, and who knows how many got hit by scouting parties. I mostly kept to the heaviest fighting myself, right, crushing the morale of the local militias with my whole ''The Demon Lord has returned!'' speech and all that. Wasn''t til the third one that I really walked through in the middle of the ''pillaging the village'' stage, and just..." The woman trails off, eyes looking at nothing in particular. "Anyways, I just kinda shut down for a while after that. Stopped giving the army orders and we just kinda sat there for like three weeks. The goblins hated it, of course, and eventually one of them blatantly poisoned one of my meals just to try and stir me up."
After a moment of no follow-up, Guy decides to prod. "...And what did you do?"
Xenia sighs. "I ate the fuckin'' poison. And onto the next round."
Unsure how to respond, Guy takes a while to answer. "...There are alternatives to lethality, I should say. There are dungeons who have established ''merciful'' modes, where those who prove their good intent towards the dungeon face lowered or nonexistent lethal threats. It limits their ability to grow drastically, but the option does exist." Xenia only scowls at the suggestion though.
"Well and good for them, Guy, but I have three rooms! Three. Fucking. Rooms! I don''t have the luxury of establishing ''intent'' or shit like that, someone could get from the door to my core in less than a minute with some fancy footwork! You gotta be strong before you can go just, offering people the rope to hang themselves with...and we''re not strong. Not even close."
"...And becoming strong requires the occasional fallen adventurer."
Xenia scratches between Flopsy''s ears. "Fuckin'' Catch-22 right there. But I''m not giving up, Guy, not this time. I hate dying, you know? It really, really fucking sucks. So for now...we do what we gotta do. Someone walks in here, they take their chances. Someone tries to kill me, I''m trying twice as hard right back. Maybe one day...but I dunno. Probably pointless worrying about the far future right now. So, whatever...hit me, Guy."
The floating screen seems unsure how to react. "...Should I fly at you, or...?" Xenia rolls her eyes.
"Nah, dude. The report or whatever. What''s our blood earnings for the day?"
"Ah, of course! One moment..." Pulling back into their logs, Guy generates a new screen.
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INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS SLAIN: 2 (1 OUTSIDE DUNGEON BOUNDS, MANA AWARDED, SOULS AND KNOWLEDGE NOT RECOVERED)
MORTALS ESCAPED: 3
NEW RESOURCE PATTERNS GATHERED:
BONE (ORC)
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
ARMOR: F
RANGED WEAPONS: F
KNIVES: F
IRON CONSTRUCTS: D-
STEEL CONSTRUCTS: F
UNDEAD (MORTAL): D-
CURRENCY (VALLEYLANDS): D
ARROWS/DARTS: D
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 1
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 6 TO 16
MANA ACQUIRED: 20, CURRENT AMOUNT: 15/15 (1 CONSUMED BY CONSTRUCT)
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
LANGUAGES: VALLEYLANDER
GEOGRAPHY: SOUTHERN VALLEYLANDS, TOWN OF TASH''NARC
SKILLS: RANGER SKILLS (INITIATE LEVEL)
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: ORC CRUSHER
YOU HAVE SLAIN YOUR FIRST ORC. MANA SPELL EFFECTIVENESS ON ORCS INCREASED BY 25%.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: FULL PARTY CHALLENGE
YOU HAVE DEFEATED AN INTRUSION CONTAINING AT LEAST FOUR MORTALS. ADDITIONAL FLOOR UNLOCKED.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: OUT OF BOUNDS
YOU HAVE SLAIN AN INTRUDER OUTSIDE OF YOUR DUNGEON BOUNDS. TRAPS CAN NOW BE CONSTRUCTED A SHORT RANGE OUTSIDE OF YOUR NORMAL BOUNDS.
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Xenia halfheartedly reads through the list before her attention snaps back to the top, causing her to dump Flopsy onto the ground as she jumps to her feet. "GUY! We''ve got adventurers living in our basement!?"
SEVERAL HOURS LATER
On a nearby mountain peak, not far to the north, a gnoll watches a curious sight through a well-worn spyglass. Partway up Triple Peak Mountain, it appears as if an orc woman is hastily packing up supplies from a camp - a camp far too large for one woman.
"Little orc, little orc...running home you are, certainly, definitely. But where did you come from? Curious indeed..."
Chapter 11: Deep Down
Xenia Worthy, Reincarnator Extraordinaire, stares down at the center of her ''Slip''n''Slide'' chamber, now much less slippery as she''s turned off the magical water faucets. "So...you think they''re still alive down there, somewhere?"
Guy''s emerald screen floats out of the core chamber to follow. "As of right this moment, almost certainly. That''s not to say that they might not die of their injuries any moment now, of course. And only two of them I should say, given that the last orc appears to have left in one piece, we can reasonably assume that one of those who fell was our ''out of bounds'' mortal."
Xenia carefully treads around the center of the room, as if her non-existent physical form might still somehow crack the floor open. "Soooo...how do we get them out?"
"I''m...rather afraid we don''t, is the answer. Neither you or I or your creations can leave the bounds of the dungeon. If we were to re-open the hole and drop a rope construct, it would begin to dissolve within a few meters of our border unless you spent mana to make it a permanent ''loot'' type object, and from what I saw...it would need a dreadful amount of rope. And I somewhat doubt anyone down there would be in shape to climb up it. The only way to truly expand our reach is through the creation of more floors."
Xenia slams a fist into an open palm. "Let''s do it then! Bust out the shovels!" Before she can actually open any construction menus however, Guy quickly flies in front of her.
"Actually...I would recommend we not do that. You saw what lay beneath the floor, yes? And by that I mean, the complete lack of anything at all beneath the floor?" Xenia''s head tilts.
"Yeah, but uh...so? I can just like, magic up some stone or whatever, yeah?"
Guy''s screen does a slow side-to-side roll. "Yes...and no. Dungeons don''t exactly obey the normal laws of physics, thanks to your high density of mana and divine purpose. But there are limits. We''re probably approaching those limits now, having built ourselves on top of such a chasm...and even the existence of such a chasm in the middle of a mountain is probably also the result of some other past or present magical concentration. But my point is, you can only support so many tons of stone without any actual supports to a certain extent. As you gain access to spells like ''levitation'' or more magical materials, or simply increase your mana levels, your ability to break physics will increase. But if you attempt to build directly downward right now, I suspect everything you create will eventually collapse sooner or later."
The dungeon master growls. "Grah! So I got a second floor unlock but I can''t even use it? ...Wait, fuck, am I totally screwed now? Stuck at one floor forever?"
The guide quickly interjects on this line of thought. "Not at all! ''Floor'' is more of a...generic term for a semi-self-contained system, providing stability to a certain amount of magical energy which is used to sustain constructs, creatures, challenges and so on. There is no physical core to a floor, but you could imagine that on a more, say, metaphysical plane, unlocking a floor means you''ve received a new sub-core to stabilize your magical energies. Floors can be horizontal, vertical, or with spatial magics they can even overlap. I don''t know the details, but I''ve heard something about one dungeon with temporal magics actually managing to make a single physical space act as half a dozen different floors at the same time..."
Xenia taps a finger against her chin. "Well, we''re not at the peak of the mountain, so I could go up for sure...maybe sideways a bit, but I''m not even sure how wide I can push this floor yet. ...But that doesn''t solve the question of, how the hell do I get the adventurers out of our basement?"
Guy sighs. "To be honest, I think the answer is...we don''t. Either they''ll find their own way out, down below, or they''ll starve to death or die of their wounds or whatnot. I wouldn''t give them more than a week, and honestly I don''t see how we could dig that deep in that amount of time even if adventurers were lining up to fall to our traps."
Xenia gives a sigh of her own as she returns to her core chamber and the bunny-petting-and-brooding chair contained within. "Thanks, Guy. I can always count on you for your depressing realism."
"It''s what I''m here for."
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ONE HOUR EARLIER
Driders do fairly well for themselves in the dark, indeed they''re rather notorious for it. Their darkvision is excellent, and they''re remarkably good at judging slight cavern drafts and echoes to determine the shape of the space around them. But there are limits, and plummeting through complete darkness with two screaming companions at your side is very much beyond them. Grizza tries his best to orient himself as the trio fall, but the light from above failed quickly and the only thought that really comes to mind is ''we should have died by now''. Given that they aren''t dead yet, the Mage does what he can.
Like spiders, driders are capable of spinning strands of web. It''s not a great amount, particularly given their body size, but right now Grizza is willing to take whatever he can get. Focusing his body to try and produce a strand, he hooks part of it into a slight parachute form and tosses it as far to one side as he can, hoping it will catch on something, anything. Next he turns to see to his companions - Tassa is the easiest to reach, though in her panic she almost manages to kick him off as he moves to hold on to her. "Tassa! Hold still! We need to keep together!" She doesn''t answer, but does at least stop moving so much, and Grizza is able to more or less tuck her in under the legs and arm on his right side. Then he turns to grab in the direction of Pusht''s yelling.
The next thing Grizza knows, his mind is blanked out by the sensation of burning, tearing, and screaming from the rear third of his body. His web did indeed catch on something, halting the combined momentum of both himself and Tassa with a speed and force far beyond anything he was prepared for. Immediately they swing away from the sounds of Pusht, and within moments the pair slam into a rocky wall. Grizza''s body spasms against his will, releasing more web strands for another dozen feet or so, but then with another wave of pain his body releases the strand entirely, dropping the two down the side of the cavern. It seems to Grizza that they spend almost as much time falling as they did before, but it''s broken up this time by periods of bouncing and sliding across the rock, trading momentum for new flashes of pain every few seconds.
At last though they finally come to stop, rolling down onto some more-or-less even patch of floor. Expending a bit of his remaining strength to check that Tassa is still breathing, the Mage finally allows himself to relax, and soon his mind is filled by a darkness to match that around him.
Some time later, Grizza jolts back into wakefulness. The pain seems to have subsided somewhat, but only a little, and the moment the man tries to move again he finds himself yelling out. "Ahhh! Fuck!" Within moments, he feels Tassa''s large hands grasping for him in the dark.
"Easy! Stay still! You''ve been injured, I don''t know the extent. I forced a healing potion down your throat earlier, and I bandaged what I could and used First Aid, but there''s some sort of...crack in your shell, and I don''t really know how to treat that."
Grizza releases a breath. "Cracked, shit. That''s going to be a pain." He stops for a moment and allows his mind to catch up to his circumstances. "...Pusht. Is he..."
He can''t see Tassa''s face, even his darksight failing him in this complete darkness, but he can guess her expression. "...I found him about twenty feet in that direction. He...didn''t survive the landing." Grizza sighs.
"If only I''d had another second or two...though perhaps I would have snapped in half had I actually reached him."
Tassa is silent for a moment before responding. "...No, this is on me. You tried to stop me, physically even, you tried. I lost my head, I didn''t listen, and now I''ve doomed our entire party." Grizza reaches out, giving a reassuring pat on whichever part of her arm it is he finds.
"Don''t write us off just yet, now. And Laksha surely survived."
"Do you think she...finished the job? Could the dungeon already be dead?"
The drider shakes his head, then remembers to verbalize his answer. "It''s possible, but probably not. For a recon or scouting party, standard procedure in a sole survivor situation is to immediately fall back and report. She couldn''t risk her information being lost if something else unexpected happened." He can tell it''s not the answer Tassa wanted to hear, but she just changes the topic instead.
"I don''t suppose you have any torches or the like on you, by any chance? I should have thought to prepare some."
"I can do even better than that." Grizza lifts a hand, and soon a pale blue glow emanates from his palm, slowly drifting until it''s foot or two above him. It''s a minuscule amount of light, but compared to the pitch black of before it feels like being under a new sun in comparison. A quick look at Tassa''s kneeling form shows some slight wounds, already bandaged, and a look on her face that he suspects will be far harder to heal. For the time being though, her concern is for him.
"A magic light? How long can your mana sustain that?"
Grizza smirks, and feels happy to have something to smile about, at least. "Forever. It''s the first spell any drider learns, when we''re children. A lot of people theorize that the reason we''re so good at magic is because we tend to use it constantly. Builds magic muscle, you know."
"Heh. Good to know...make sure you rest a little though, okay? I''ll scout out what I can for now and see if there''s anything here we can use."
The Mage nods, and despite the discomfort he finds himself in, with his satchel as a pillow he quickly finds himself returning to sleep.
Chapter 12: Unlife Lessons
With the core chamber pushed back again, a new third room opens up within the dungeon, the hallways placed to create something of a zig-zag pattern where intruders have to cross from one corner of a square chamber to the opposite corner. There''s nothing much for them to cross at the moment though, as Xenia is currently considering her monster inventory. "Hey, Guy. Tell me about...undead."
The guide comes over to join her in the center of the empty space. "Ah, Undead. The first ''humanoid'' creature virtually every dungeon unlocks. Actually a misnomer on multiple levels, really. For one, they were never originally alive to begin with - at ''F'' rank for example we begin with the ability to create skeletons, but these are merely bone constructs that are then animated with mana. You may note that the Undead categories are simply classified as ''Animal'' and ''Mortal'', while our Bone resources are more specific types. You could, for example, attempt to build a minotaur skeleton warrior, but it would actually be made of orc or canine bones or whatnot, until we acquire an actual minotaur. Furthermore, a skeleton creature could range from being as small as a single limb, to a ''boss''-level creature such as a giant spider or snake made out of hundreds of skeletons. The possibilities are quite endless, really!"
Xenia smirks. "Makes it a little less creepy, I guess. Kinda like those Halloween decorations that pop out to scare ya...except then after they scare ya they actually do try and stab you to death or whatever. You said multiple levels though? What else is weird about em?"
Guy continues. "Well, ''Undead'' could also be said to simply mean...''resembling life, but not actually alive''. At higher tiers, dungeon creatures who resemble actual people become available, and these are qualified as ''undead'' even though by most physical measurements they would appear alive. They lack true sapience though, and only serve to fulfill whatever theme the dungeon is attempting to create. I believe the first open up around ''B'' rank, with creatures that only appear mortal without a close look, while at ''A'' rank they are essentially physically mortal, aside from the dependence on dungeon mana."
Xenia''s brow furrows. "Right, we need to burn a soul to make something that''s ''real'', yeah?" She pauses to consider her soul inventory...one soul currently available. "Are you saying at A-rank undead, I could recreate someone''s body, stick their soul in it, and essentially bring them back to life?" The guide hesitates to answer, which tells her it''s not that simple.
"...In a manner of speaking? We only capture souls, with some informative knowledge being shaved off and added to our own. We don''t capture memories or feelings or the like...a recreated individual would not only remember nothing of their previous life, but even their personality would be somewhat different - only the most core, strongest traits get imprinted onto a soul long-term. And they would still be bound to the dungeon, as I understand it only certain exceptions exist to allow existence outside a dungeon, and those generally require a high rank and a great deal of power."
"Right." Xenia claps her hands together and refocuses herself. "We''re only at what, D- undead rank right now, which looks like...slightly tougher skeletons and zombies? No offense, but I''m not putting gross zombies right outside my bedroom, so...let''s try some skeletons." She grimaces a bit. "I feel like I''m completely fucking up any attempt at a theme here or whatever, but fuck it, first floor''s the practice floor. We''ll get artistic later." With that she begins to resculpt the room, filling it with stone hallways and turns to maximize the potential of jump scares. To be followed of course by stabbings.
Tassa had explored what she could of the space around them, but the range of Grizza''s light was extremely limited, and she didn''t want to risk falling into another deep hole. By the time the drider re-awoke, all she really had to report was that after sliding down a small hill of broken stone, there appeared to be some sort of exit out of their current location, a large pathway she was unable to see into. As for the immediate area, there was nothing to find other than rocks and Pusht''s body.
Given their current situation, the two salvaged everything they could. The magically-enchanted potion bottles in the Cleric''s satchel had survived the fall, improving their supply of healing, stamina and mana potions as the Cleric had been the party member carrying the most of those items. There were more mundane medical items as well such as bandages and medicine, which Tassa had mostly already used treating her own and Grizza''s injuries. There was Pusht''s water skin and two days of emergency rations, though the potions could also be used as hydration and as light snacks if it came to it.
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As for the Cleric''s staff, that went to Grizza. Although the Mage''s particular brand of magic required no physical focus, it would serve well as a potential tool. Unlike most, orcish staves tended to be solid metal constructs, more than sufficient to serve as a melee weapon in a pinch - not to mention Grizza would probably need its assistance as a walking stick given the cracked plating on the back of his abdomen. Both survivors had access to the low-rank First Aid spell, a common part of Valleylander military training, but drider exoskeletons were notoriously slow to heal, and Grizza would need to keep to a slow pace for some time. Meanwhile Tassa had kept or recovered her full set of axes after the fall - two small hand axes for short-range melee combat, a multitude of smaller throwing axes, and a larger double-sided one she kept strapped to her back.
They also took some spare clothing items as potential bandage material and a few other odds and ends, but it didn''t take long to determine that there was no secret item in Pusht''s pockets that would somehow magic them out of this situation. They did what they could then to provide him with a grave, covering him with loose stones and a humble stone marker on which Tassa carved his name, but as they say farewell to the man that neither of them had known particularly well, Grizza can''t help but feel like something is missing.
Gently putting a hand on the minotaur''s shoulder, he turns to look at her in the pale blue light conjured by his magic. "Tassa...would you like to create a memorial marker for Ragrush as well? We could...say a few words." The woman shakes her head roughly.
"He...he deserves better than a stone in a dark hole! He needs a proper funeral, and his body..." She trails off as she realizes the dungeon would have absorbed his body hours ago, and that there would be no ''proper'' funeral no matter where it was held. Still, it doesn''t change her mind. "...I''m not ready for that, Grizza, but...thanks for the thought. We need to get out, and...I need to tell his father what happened. Then maybe we can arrange something that would serve him better."
The Mage nods, testing his staff-assisted walking as he turns to head down the rocky slope. "Seems like it''s time we started on step one of that plan, then! You said you saw a way out down here, yes?" Tassa follows, pointing the way to the dark pathway she''d found before, this time slightly better illuminated as Grizza''s sphere of light follows alongside him. The slope soon steadies out into a more even floor and the pair walk down the expansive path, a good thirty feet wide and fifteen or so tall. It doesn''t take long before both of them begin to feel like something is wrong, though.
"Grizza...not to assume, but you probably know a lot about underground caverns and passageways and all that, yes?"
The drider nods. "That would be correct, Ranger. Spent most of my life underground." The woman points upward, to where the walls meet the ceiling.
"Does that seem like a normal cave shape to you?" Grizza makes his way closer to the side of the passage, and shakes his head.
"There is definitely something very weird going on here. You see how there''s an almost straight line where the wall meets the ceiling? The angle seems fairly even in both directions...this doesn''t look like natural erosion at all. But it''s definitely not carved, either. The stone is far too rough, there''s no sign of tool use that I can see. And there''s magical stone-shaping spells, but those tend to have much smoother results...if someone isn''t trying to make perfectly flat surfaces and straight lines, then it will come out looking...fluid, like a river that froze over into ice. I suppose if you really tried, you could shape something into a rougher shape, but I don''t see why someone would do that here."
Tassa pulls one of her smaller axes from its holster, mostly for self-reassurance purposes as much as any other reason. "So what options does that leave for how this space was created?"
"None that I know of. Almost forgot to mention, but even the amount of distance we fell earlier doesn''t seem entirely possible for mountains like this. They are, as I''m sure you know, quite heavy things. Drider and dwarven cities and mineshafts can sometimes have similar amounts of open space, but that''s only with hefty amounts of structural supports along the walls, including magical support. I haven''t seen any signs of that from here."
The Ranger grips her axe a little tighter. "I really don''t like being without even a single theory as to what we''re dealing with. But I doubt we''re going to solve any mysteries standing around here. Seems we may as well continue." Grizza nods, and the pair make their way down the passageway, now at a very cautious pace.
Chapter 13: Being Sharp
The ''Bone Maze'' had been completed, though calling it a maze was perhaps overstating it. Xenia had turned the third room into a two-story affair, with the first floor filled with winding stone hallways eventually leading to the exit, filled with orc skeletons armed with knives. Meanwhile the second floor was a completely open level, but its only connection to the lower story was iron bar windows in the floor. From here, human skeletons with bows could fire arrows down onto intruders walking the maze, which seemed like a large improvement over simple dart traps. It seemed a bit odd that the dungeon had absorbed a crossbow and yet Xenia''s best ranged weapon option was standard archery bows, but she was at least glad that she didn''t have to start off with thrown rocks. On top of that, with the feeling that the ''Slip''n''Slide'' room needed a little something extra to it, Xenia had tossed up a locked door with a stone-colored key hidden in the low water in the center of the chamber''s pressure plate traps. Perhaps with any luck the room would collapse every time and the key would be lost, though Xenia doubted things would be that easy.
Now she was sitting in her new fourth chamber, ''researching''. She and Guy had continued to lure in rabbits and the occasional coyote, raising her ''Lagomorphs'' tier to D and then D+, and trickling in enough mana to stock up the Bone Maze with skeleton warriors and still leave her enough to work with. As for what that project was, Xenia had declared that it was time for a Boss Room, and was currently trying to use Crossbreeding to create a Boss Bunny worthy of the position. Unfortunately it was a slow process which tied up most of the mana she currently had available, and the pair were left without much else to keep them occupied. Somewhat to Xenia''s surprise though, it was Guy who finally broke the silence with some personal chat.
"So, I may have to admit to looking a little unprofessional here perhaps, but I''m not actually that familiar with the details of sapient weapons outside of their use in dungeons. You say this is your first dungeon, so might I ask how you found yourself in the position of being a magical sword exactly?"
Xenia grins, happy that Guy''s found an interest in something other than perfecting their latest murder machine. "Well, I couldn''t tell you how souls get assigned or whatever, but I did learn a few things on that run. Apparently, there''s two ways for a thinking, talking weapon to be created. The first is probably pretty much like what it would be if I did it here - some wizard or god or whatever takes a weapon and then they cram some life force into it. Don''t think I''ll be doing that though...unless it could fly or something. Being a talking, flying magical sword woulda been way sweeter than just the boring ol'' kind that needs to be carried everywhere. But anyhow, that wasn''t me, I was a natural birth."
Guy takes a moment to try and process that. "You were...born as a sword?"
The dungeon master cackles. "And momma never let me forget it, haha! ...But naw, the other way is a high quality item or whatever just sits around soaking up magic for a long-ass time and then one day, bam! Living magic item! Me personally, I was born in a dragon''s hoard."
The guide hums at the thought. "You must have made for quite the prized treasure, then." Xenia turns away from her work to give Guy a grin - not that she was technically looking at much to start with, the magical crossbreeding results being more of a foggy mental picture in her mind until a viable product is found.
"Aw, flatterer. I guess I kinda was for like a day or so, but maybe unsurprisingly I really ticked that bastard off pretty fierce before long. Dragons spend most of their time sleeping on their hoards, y''know, and they don''t really like it when their beds try to talk to em. Not that I was having much fun of it either. After a month of that the dude actually did something dragons never do, and threw me out, can you believe it!? Flung me as far from his cave as he could get, which turns out to be way further than you''d think. Must be all in the neck."
"Ah, and I imagine after that you were found by some Hero and your true adventure began, hm?"
This time Xenia slips into a far-away look, but with a soft smile on her lips. "...Yeah, I was. And not one of those capital-H Hero douchebags, either, but the real deal. Blacksmith''s daughter named Beatrice. Turned out she had a grudge against the dragon, dude fried up her sister when they were kids, and she made it her life''s quest to slay the dick. She had a long-ass way to go before trying some shit like that though, and I managed to talk her into working her way up. Stab a giant rat or two before you slay a dragon, right?"
Guy gives a contented noise as Sir Flopsy slowly chases them around the empty chamber. "Sounds like you two became quite close, then."
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Xenia doesn''t respond at first, clearly lost in a memory. At least until she drops an apparently random line of thought. "Did you know talking swords can vibrate if they hum just right? Don''t need to stop to breathe, either."
Guy pauses. "What?"
Xenia snaps back to attention. "I didn''t say shit!"
Deciding a change of subject would be best, the guide tries another topic. "...So, did you ever slay that dragon?"
Again, Xenia takes a moment before answering, sucking in a deep breath first. "...Was the last thing I ever did. Found a whole party of friends over the years, real A-class dudes and ladies, y''know? Eventually the dragon hit another town and we decided it was time to make our move. ...We thought we were good, but it was a bare thing. I know at least two of em didn''t make it, Beatrice was the last one standing. I told her to throw me down the asshole''s throat, and that she did. Guess he melted me down before he went, but at least I know he choked on me in the process. And the look on his face..."
Guy gives her a moment of silence. "...Sounds like quite a woman. I''m sure she''ll never forget your sacrifice."
"Sure was..." If she was going to say anything further, it''s distracted by a system ping. "Aw, sweet! Boss Bunny''s got fangs!"
Outside the village of Grassbrook, the gnoll Scout Tafyaf considers his options. To the west lies the village itself - population approximately five hundred including all of the nearby farms, almost entirely populated by humans, and built around an economic foundation of ''what''s an economic?''. Having been to the village before he knows what he''ll find inside - a small blacksmithy, a standard pan-deity temple, and a combined general store-slash-tavern, where the family running the store swaps to serving beers and meals around dinner time. As the day''s light was beginning to fade, odds are the more active citizens would already be gathered together to discuss the day''s latest non-events over a drink or two.
Meanwhile to the east sits The Fort - not worthy of an actual name and barely even worthy of being called a fort at all. The place had a garrison of about two dozen, although with a far more diverse makeup - a few gnolls and elves Tafyaf knew, and at least one dwarf for the fort''s own smithy. Small as it was, it was still far more defenders than a village this size would normally be worth - but then, most villages weren''t this close to the borders of the Dragonlord''s Domain. Technically, the Alpine Scout knew he was supposed to report his findings to the commander of the local garrison and then obey the following orders. But he hadn''t joined the scouts because he liked having micro-managing commanders giving him orders all the time. And technically his investigation was still underway up until he actually reported in, which meant as long as he was still looking into matters, he wasn''t doing anything incorrectly.
Decision made, the gnoll makes his way into town, heading directly towards the The General - the name of both the store and the tavern - where he''s spotted first by the fourteen-year-old daughter of the family who runs the place. "Taffy! You''re back!" The gnoll gives her a grin, thinking about how a few years ago she would have run up to give him a hug, though now she''s too busy being employed serving drinks to show quite that level of enthusiasm.
"Ah, it is Em, if my senses are correct, yes! You''ve grown again, almost I would not recognize you!" The young barmaid gives him a smile, waving him inside.
"Only because you hardly come by anymore! Come on in, I''ll tell da you stopped in!" Tafyaf nods and makes his way to the counter, making friendly greetings with those he passes on the way yet not joining in with any ongoing conversations just yet. By time he''s taken a seat the owner of the establishment''s made his way out of the kitchen, a large man with a bald head who makes up for it with a terribly bushy red beard.
"Well if it isn''t our favorite gnoll! Been a few, heard you got your Advanced since the last time you came by!" He''s already pouring a drink as he talks, which is perhaps a small part of the reason Tafyaf came here and not to the Fort.
"Yes, yes, Alpine Scout of course. And good to see you it is, Mister Plit, though I wish I could say I was not on duty still." Barkeep Plit smirks as he slides the mug Tafyaf''s way, knowing that''s not about to stop the gnoll from enjoying the drink.
"What''s that? Don''t tell me you''re being sent on your way down south or some foolishness?" The Scout takes a long gulp before shaking his head.
"Far more local it is, I am afraid. Tell me, Mister Plit - have you seen signs of orcs around your village? Perhaps near the mountains?" Plit frowns and shakes his head, but a nearby man catches the conversation and joins in - exactly the sort of result Tafyaf was hoping for when he came in here. He doesn''t know the other man, but there was bound to be someone here who had some idea of local events.
"Valleylanders? Fuck! That''s gotta be why no one''s seen Lundsen back in town, yet! Man always did like to work around the mountain, didn''t he?" The barkeep''s frown doubles at the mention.
"Man still hasn''t turned up? I know the poor sod''s been lost in the woods for a night before, but if there''s orcs around...I don''t like the sounds of that. You''re looking into this, Taffy?" The gnoll sighs, as he decides this probably is still his responsibility until he actually does make his official report.
"Am still looking into, yes I am. Though tonight I am not, in the morning I shall investigate the Peak and see what there is to see." That mostly settles the topic for the moment, as no one else has anything to add to the discussion other than wild theories. But as Tafyaf slips into his rented room later that night the conversation continues without him, and he would perhaps come to regret not visiting the Fort instead.
Chapter 14: Late Night Expeditions
It was well past dark, and four people found themselves far too high up on the side of a cold mountain when they should have been warm in their beds. Each of them were residents of Grassbrook: Hensley the Farmer, Idora the Farmer, Gras the Carpenter, and Ulas...also the Farmer. They were a pretty poor lot as far as orc-hunting parties go, through about as good as you could expect from such a small village: Hensley and Idora carried old family swords, Gras had himself a light crossbow, and Ulas had a pretty hefty, if simple spear. Grassbrook didn''t have a proper village militia, the existence of the Fort''s garrison removing the main need for one, but if it had these four would have been prime candidates: healthy, brave, and not ones to wait around for someone else to help them defend their own neighbors.
Unfortunately, the scarce details Tafyaf had let slip in the tavern earlier that evening had prepared for them to perhaps find a small outpost of orcish Ranger scouts. With the element of surprise, they might have actually stood a chance of fighting such a group off, or at least rescuing a human hostage had they had one, or at least that''s what they had convinced themselves of back when they were in the tavern with their drinks. Now they were far more sober, and staring at something that was very much not an orc camp, slightly lit by the flickering of the two torches they''d lit.
Hensley spoke the obvious. "Well. Someone went and put a damn door in the side of the mountain. Valleylanders? How''d they carry something so big all the way over the mountain? And...why?"
Ulas shakes his head. "Hen, I hate to say it, but I think this is way bigger than Taffy knew...or at least what he said. ...Let''s see what happens." Keeping his spear raised, the man approaches the door, and as he reaches close enough to get a good look at its carved face in the dim light, the door also gets a good look at him.
"Hey, wow. It''s like, really late out, but if you wanna take a stab at things, I guess we''re a 24-7 operation."
Gras barely keeps himself from firing off one of his handful of bolts right there. "The door just fuckin'' talked! The hell kind of spider-magic is that!?" Idora catches on first, and gently lowers her companion''s crossbow.
"Guys...I think this is a new dungeon door. And if what I heard was right, about parts of dungeons that can talk...I think we just found Lundsen." The four pause in silence for a while, broken finally by Hensley who speaks for them all.
"...Fuck."
Olas peers at the hinges. "Should we...take the door down? Bring it back to town?" Idora gives him an incredulous look.
"Seriously? Are you thick? For one, dungeon creatures can''t live without dungeon mana. Second, we start hacking apart a dungeon for prizes, every monster inside is going to swarm us!"
Doorman looks down at the four. "Do I get a say in this? I rather like my door where it is..."
Hensley sighs. "There''s nothing we can do for the lad now. Only question is, do we head back to town...or do we take a look inside?" This time it''s Gras''s turn to look incredulous.
"Go into a dungeon? Us?" Hensley chuckles at the question.
"Aye, it''s a leap, but let''s be honest - who here''s never dreamed of braving a dungeon before? And now there''s one in our own damn town? It''s new, there''s no prissy Challengers camping the place, not even any special regulations or shit. When''s going to be a better time than now?"
The group look at each other, and finally Idora answers. "This is the stupidest fucking thing I''ve ever done, but you''re right too, dammit. I don''t wanna be an old lady one day wondering if I could''ve beaten a dungeon when I had the chance." The others nod, and Ulas steps forward again. Once again, Doorman speaks.
"If you wish to brave the challenges of Worthy Dungeon, you must pass my riddle. What is...a river?" The group shares another look, more confused this time, until Ulas answers.
"It''s a lot of moving water, with fish in it and stuff." Doorman nods.
"You got it! Have fun! I''d wish you luck, but..."
Hensley seems suspicious as the door swings open. "The hells was that?" Ulas shrugs.
"Look, Hen, I tried playing a riddle game with Lundsen once. The man doesn''t even know what a proper riddle is. ...Didn''t. Whatever." With a shrug the man cautiously steps inside, and the others follow.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
AN INDETERMINATE DISTANCE BELOW
Deep below the mountain, Tassa and Grizza are doing what they can to set up camp for the night - both of them having agreed that it was probably nighttime by now. They''d found a small patch of water, more puddle than pond, but Tassa''s Ranger training included a Purify Water spell that worked on small amounts so they could at least drink their fill and replenish their water skins. For a campfire Grizza had produced an extra pair of magical lights, grouping them together in one spot between the two of them. Running multiple at once did drain his mana slightly, but he hadn''t been casting much in the way of spells today, so he reasoned they could afford the luxury. Unfortunately they didn''t provide any heat, but in any case their emergency rations weren''t the kind that required much cooking.
Getting to this point had been bizarrely difficult. If their path had been a straight line they would have certainly walked right out of the mountain hours ago, but their paths forward had kept turning left and right, and up and down as well. They occasionally found ramps that looked suspiciously like some sort of half-formed natural stairs, while in other cases they found more caverns full of collapsed stone, climbing the rubble to find other paths out. They always went upward when they could, but at times they had no choice but to go back down, and at this point neither of them could hazard a guess as to how much absolute distance they had traveled from their starting point.
They hadn''t spared much energy for conversation up to this point, but now that they''d had a moment to rest, Tassa couldn''t hold in the thought that had been on both of their minds any longer. "...Okay, this is absolutely not a fucking cave. What the fuck is this? Outside of the spots that are clearly collapsed, there''s hallways and stairwells all through this mountain, and yet not a single carving, or piece of furniture or machinery...who would make a place like this?"
Grizza rubs his chin. "My first assumption was some sort of lost civilization. We have our legends you know, of other subterranean species, who dug deep into the world until no one remembered them anymore. But you''re right - if these were proper ruins there''d be carvings, statues, indications of living spaces or work spaces. No one digs out all this space just to have empty space."
Tassa falls back onto her ''bed'' of a thin blanket and satchel with a sigh. "Don''t suppose you''ve got a spell to help figure this out? All I can tell you is there''s definitely no animal tracks so far - which is good for safety and bad for food."
Grizza shakes his head, and then stops. "...Not exactly, but there could be something I could try. Give me a few minutes." Settling into a meditative pose, the Mage''s hands begin to slowly draw shapes into the air as he chants words the minotaur doesn''t recognize. This goes on for at least ten minutes, leading Tassa to almost start dozing off until Grizza jolts her awake with a shout. "The wall! There''s some in the wall!"
The Ranger instantly hops to her feet, axes in her hands before she even knows what she''s doing. "What!? Who''s in the walls!?"
Easing himself out of his meditation with a groan, partly due to the pose and partly due to his still-wounded abdomen, Grizza motions for her to calm down. "Sorry, sorry, I was just surprised to actually find anything. I was doing a Sense Mana spell, in case there could be some magical mechanisms left behind. And there''s...well, something, behind the wall in that direction. Not too far behind, though here''s hoping it''s not solid stone." Following the direction the drider is pointing, Tassa cautiously approaches the far wall with one of his magic lights following behind.
"I''m not seeing signs of anything behind it, but there is a crack in the stone. Mmm...I''m not sure about my axes, but...could you lend me the staff?" Catching up, Grizza tosses Pusht''s heavy staff over to her, and she begins working it into a crack as a lever. It takes a bit of effort to find a workable angle, but after another fifteen minutes the combination of minotaur strength and orcish weapon crafting manage to succeed in pulling down a section of the rock wall. As the dust clears Tassa takes a look and realizes they opened up not one, but two chambers on the other side. The smaller one catches their attention first - despite the fact that it would be barely big enough for Tassa to stand in on her own, it contains a dimly glowing blue orb within, producing light much like the magic lamps produced by Grizza.
The other is another large, empty space much like the one they''re standing in now. With one exception - sitting on the floor next to the wall, no more than five feet from the orb in the smaller chamber, sits a pristine-looking treasure chest, inlaid with silver and gold. As Tassa begins to reach for the chest the Mage quickly grabs her arm and pulls it back. "Don''t touch it! It''s trapped!"
The Ranger looks at him and the chest in confusion. "You have some sort of Detect Traps spell?" Grizza shakes his head.
"Well...no, not exactly, though I might be able to detect magical traps if I spent some time on it. But it''s the only reason a mana core would be here, located so closely to it. Mana cores are used to generate stable, long-term sources of mana for nearby magical constructs, in order to ensure they continue to operate even if the normal ambient mana is unable to supply it. For a single object to have an entire mana core devoted to it, that chest must have a doozy of an active spell waiting to go off."
"That would be what the orb is, then? I don''t think I''ve ever heard of one."
Grizza''s face grows grim. "They can be created, but only at great effort, to the point that it''s basically never a good solution for whatever your problem is. The only place you really see them is places that can generate them easily. ...Dungeons."
He pauses for emphasis. "High level dungeons."
Chapter 15: Consolation Prize
The Farmers Party stands outside the entrance to the Bone Maze, slightly scratched but generally in high spirits. The first room with the Barkbirds had barely been a threat - regardless of whether they had fangs or beaks, a hawk would have an extremely hard time killing an armed adult human, and none of them had been clumsy enough to get knocked into one of the obvious traps. They''d each carefully hopped over the trap in the following hallway, and the Slip''N''Slide room had gone even easier. Only Ulas had been unlucky enough to slip on the soaked metal flooring, but not only had he avoided all of the traps waiting in the center of the chamber, he''d immediately found the stone key hiding in the water among the pressure plates.
At the start of this third chamber though, they felt a note of hesitation enter their minds. The hallway ahead was cramped, and although it was well-lit by dungeon torches, a sharp turn meant they couldn''t see very far inside. What they could hear though was the sound of odd, shuffling, clacking footsteps. Gras spoke up first.
"If something''s walking around in there, then we''re probably talking some for-real monsters now. Difficulty''s probably going up a bit."
Hensley grips his sword. "I''m not turning back cause we heard some spooky noises. C''mon already." Taking the lead, the others soon follow, though with barely enough room to stand side-by-side they find themselves forced to spread out a little more. The first turn reveals no surprises but the second brings them to a long path, at the end of which stands an oversized skeleton, silently staring at the group with a knife in its hand.
Gras eyes the creature blocking their way. "I''m no expert, but that looks like an orc skeleton to me. Guess Taffy was right about Valleylanders coming around here after all. Dinky-looking knife, though."
Hensley grins. "Pretty sure I can take it on...there''s not room enough for us to all go in swinging weapons though, so stay back unless I need help, alright?" The others nod, after which Hensley raises his sword and charges the orc with a shout. The skeleton watches without any reactions or emotions whatsoever, let alone fear, but the same can''t be said for the rest of the party when an arrow suddenly appears in the top of the Farmer''s skull, dropping him to the floor instantly.
"Hen! Fuck!" Idora cries out, even as she finds herself pulling the others back to prevent them from charging into the same fate. "Stop! We need to - look!" Once Gras and Ulas are corralled a bit, she points up at the ceiling where Hensley died. "There''s an opening to another level in the ceiling...are those feet? I think there''s more skeletons up there waiting for us!"
Ulas groans. "Well, now fucking what? We can''t just leave Hen there!"
Idora thinks, thankful that the orc skeleton isn''t attacking them, even as she realizes now that it was just the bait for a trap. "...Okay, look, I don''t have the range to deal with anything up there, but you two do. Gras, shoot out its leg or something as soon as you get a shot, Ulas, you spear anything within reach, and I''ll handle the orc. Got it?" The others nod, and she slaps Gras on the back to send him forward first. Fortunately it seems as if the skeleton archers waiting above aren''t built for crouching or kneeling, meaning that as long as the crossbow-wielding Carpenter stays out of view of its bow, he appears to be safe. Once the skeleton''s pelvis comes into view he launches a bolt, shattering it easily and causing the skeleton to crumble atop its arrowslit. Ulas quickly steps forward to jab his spear into the thing''s skull, finally triggering the orc to step forward - only to find Idora weaving her way forward and swinging her sword.
While the Farmer''s blade-handling skills are amateur at best, the low-grade, poorly-armed skeleton makes her look like an expert swordswoman in comparison. It tries to block her sword with an arm, which crumbles to pieces for the trouble, and when it moves in to stab her she finds the attack easy to dodge even in such cramped quarters. A second swing fully disarms the monster, making a third attack to remove the creature''s skull a matter of child''s play. That threat defeated, she looks back to see the others nervously watching the barred hole in the ceiling. "You good there?"
Gras responds, a fresh bolt already loaded into his weapon which remains aimed upwards. "For now, pretty sure there''s more up there though. ...What do we do about Hen? He''s...well. At least it was quick..." Idora swallows, suddenly regretting that she ever agreed with this decision, one that she knew was stupid the moment she made it.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"We''ll have to bring him back on our way out. For now we need to keep moving - you''re right, there''s still more of them in here." Taking the lead, Idora crawls forward with a great deal of newly-found caution. At two turns she finds more knife-wielding orc skeletons waiting to surprise her, but with her careful approach the surprise fails and she finds them as easy to dismantle as the first. A second arrowslit is defeated in the same manner as the first, with Gras disabling the waiting archer and Ulas finishing it off, but the third brings disaster.
"Ha! Got ''em! Ain''t so hard when you know what you''re dooing - !" Ulas, jabbing at the remains of the third archer, is taken by surprise as his spear is grabbed and pulled up into the ceiling. Not wanting to lose his only weapon, he holds on, a move which turns out to be a fatal mistake when his face is pressed against the bars. When he suddenly goes limp and releases the weapon, an arrow in his eye socket makes it clear why.
"Gods! Dammit! Dammit, fuckin'', shit!" Gras quickly fires a bolt to destroy the skeleton who had grabbed on to Ulas''s spear, and with a quick reload and some very careful maneuvering, he eventually manages to track and take out the final opponent who must have launched the lethal arrow. For a long moment afterwards he and Idora both crouch quietly, on full alert for noises indicating more attackers, but this time all they can hear is their own hearts and heavy breathing. "...Dammit! Three of them at one window? Fucking bullshit!"
"...Dungeons aren''t exactly known for playing nice." Taking a quick look around the next turn, Idora feels a bit of relief. "Think the door out of here''s next...and looks like a chest, too." The pair both give Ulas''s body a long look, but uncertain what to say, they move on. What they find waiting for them however is an entirely different kind of surprise. Though the doorway they can see another open cave cavern, with...what appears to be the entrance to an entirely different, darker cave at the far end. Surrounding this entrance are scattered bones and skulls...and a very calm-looking bunny. Taking a look at the chest sitting on a pedestal near to the door then, they notice a sign on the wall above it with words written in both Rainlander and Valleylander.
"Make your choice, adventurers," Gras reads. "If you feel worthy enough to face the monsters within, you may continue, but if not, take your consolation prize and go, knowing that the way forward will be blocked to you." He frowns. "Can''t we do both?" Idora shakes her head, pointing at the pedestal the chest is sitting on.
"Look, there''s a pressure plate. I''d wager if we take anything from the chest, the weight will change and a door will close here. I heard dungeons can''t close themselves off, but maybe that doesn''t mean adventurers can''t choose on their own to close it off? Or uh, maybe we could try breaking the door down, but I''m not chopping down a door with a sword. ...Or we clear the place and loot it on the way out." Judging their choices, the two take another look into the room where the bunny continues to stare at them without expression.
"...It''s just a fucking bunny."
Idora sighs. "You wanna wager your life on that, because you literally would be. Fuck it, Gras. I knew this was stupid, you knew it was stupid, and look where we are. Forget old-lady-Idora regrets, I think I''d be a lot happier just getting to be an old lady now."
Gras grimaces, hand running along his crossbow, before finally he breaks. "Dammit! Fine! Let''s...take the fuckin'' consolation prize and get the others out of here before the damn dungeon eats them." Nodding, Idora opens the chest. Inside they find a sum of coinage matching up to perhaps a year''s earnings for an average Grassbrook Farmer, and two amulet necklaces - both made of simple string, one with a stone in the shape of a bunny, the other in the shape of a seashell. While neither have the appraisal skills required to exactly judge their value, Idora notes that holding the rabbit gives her a feeling of speed, while the shell makes her skin feel...tingly? Tougher? The effect is weak, but any magical item is a fortune for a Farmer.
Prizes in hand, the door to the final chambers slides shut as Idora had guessed it would, and the pair make their way backwards to recover their fallen friends and make the long trek back home. Unseen, a woman''s hands scoop the waiting bunny into her arms.
"Good work, Sir Flopsy! You really pulled it off!" Xenia grins as she scratches the animal between the ears, but the smile fades as she looks at a nearby window.
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0 MANA REMAINING. NEXT MANA RECHARGE IN: 47 MINUTES.
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"Stupid Boss Bunnies costing me a full fifteen mana. Thank god the damn bribe worked, but if only they''d gotten here an hour later..."
Chapter 16: On The Rocks
Xenia watches from a distance as the surviving members of the latest intrusion slowly make their way through the dungeon''s door and into the darkness of the night outside. She has to admit, she''s pretty impressed at their dedication to carrying their friends'' bodies back through the dungeon''s traps and all, though it does raise a question in her mind. "Hey Guy, not that I''m getting into the whole ''collecting corpses'' thing, but did we just get robbed? ...I mean, aside from the part where a bunch of people broke into my home in the middle of the night, wrecked a bunch of my stuff and then walked out with a bag full of my money."
Guy follows up behind her, joining her in watching the survivors make their escape. "Mmm, well, to an extent I suppose. Souls and mana are awarded regardless of the final state of the actual bodies. We did lose out on their clothing and whatever pocket items they may have had, but considering the poor saps didn''t even have armor, I doubt we actually lost anything of importance. They were forced to leave the fallen weapons behind, and those were probably the most valuable possessions they brought with them in any case. ...Ah, and now that they''ve officially exited the dungeon, our intrusion report has been tallied. Would you like to see the results?" Xenia nods, and Guy spits out a new screen in her direction.
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INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS SLAIN: 2
MORTALS ESCAPED: 2
NEW RESOURCE PATTERNS GATHERED:
STEEL (LOW QUALITY)
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
SWORDS: F
SPEARS: F
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 2
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 8 TO 24
MANA ACQUIRED: 10, CURRENT AMOUNT: 10/23 (1 CONSUMED BY CONSTRUCTS)
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
SKILLS: FARMING (ADVANCED)
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: DEATHBRINGER 2
YOU HAVE SLAIN FIVE MORTALS. DAMAGE TO MORTALS INCREASED BY 20%.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: NECROMANCER 1
YOU HAVE SCORED YOUR FIRST KILL WITH UNDEAD CREATURES. UNDEAD GAIN 10% MORE HEALTH.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: NO WAY OUT (NOT) 1
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
FIVE MORTALS HAVE ESCAPED FROM YOUR DUNGEON ALIVE. VOLUNTARY-USE PORTALS TO DUNGEON EXIT UNLOCKED.
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While the list of materials absorbed from the latest party is pretty minor, Xenia feels pretty pleased by some of the achievements. "Huh, portals out could definitely help make sure the place doesn''t get clogged up with adventurers. Would help encourage people to take the easy way out too, which is fine by me. And swords are pretty cool, I should upgrade my bone boys before the daily mana reset. ...Though really, farming skills? Are any of these skills we''re picking up actually like, useful? At all?"
The guide chuckles. "The feature in general is extremely useful, at least. Should a magic-user die in the dungeon, it would be our main method of learning magic spells. Combat skills meanwhile could be applied to bosses, or higher-level mundane creatures. But as for what we''ve actually collected so far? Fishing and farming could perhaps be useful in a very elaborate sort of puzzle floor I suppose, as for the Ranger skillset, there''s a handful of decent ranged combat skills in there but it mostly seems to consist of survivalist training. Still, it all adds up, so anything is potentially useful one day."
The dungeon master tilts her head, mentally tapping into her ''library'' and seeing new spells to help make plants grow or encourage cows to give more milk. "...Well, if we ever want to break into the untapped market of dungeon dairy, we''ll be prepared. If a cow ever wanders in here for me to crush, at least. Anyhow, I got ten mana to burn and like, twenty more minutes before reset, so lets get in some upgrades!" As she heads back to the Bone Maze to re-equip her skeletons, Guy follows along, reasonably confident that at least for the rest of the night, things should be quiet from here on.
THE NEXT MORNING
Tassa sits and watches from a safe distance as her drider companion appears to stare blankly at the treasure chest they''d found the night before. They''d removed the mana core from the vicinity, but the trap spell could potentially still have enough charge to stay dangerous for months or even years, so Grizza had requested that they at least get in a night''s sleep before he attempted to do anything further with it. Now though, Tassa is wondering if even a week''s rest would help. "So...you have any idea what you''re doing there, Mage?"
He doesn''t answer at first, but eventually has to admit it. "Not really, no! In case you haven''t noticed, I''m not a Rogue, and the spellcrafting on this is well beyond mine. I do have one idea, but it has tradeoffs."
The Ranger stirs, glad to at least hear an option exists. "Life is all about tradeoffs. What''s this one going to be?"
Grizza looks over at the core, which they''d deposited on the far side of their current chamber. "I know a method to reverse how a mana core functions - to make it draw in mana instead of emit it. It would suck the magic right out of this trap spell and leave us with a mundane treasure chest. There''s two main downsides. One, mana cores don''t actually have a lot of excess capacity - this chest has enough charge in it to cause the core to overload and crack in half. Second, it would also draw out my mana, which means I wouldn''t be able to do more than keep a light running for most of the day, unless I wanted to use some of our potions."
Tassa can''t help but chuckle. "So we have the option of losing the prize we have, for the chance of gaining something completely unknown to us. ...Well, let''s be honest, Grizza. Even with the mana core keeping you fully charged up, do you have any spells that would get us out of this damned mountain?" She can tell the Mage wants to say yes, but after thinking it over he can only shake his head negatively. "Then we may as well make the trade. Even if it''s just somebody''s preserved lunchbox, it could save our lives in the long run."
"Suppose I can''t argue with that. Alright, bring it over here, and then back away." She follows his instructions, and with the mana core in hand, the Mage enters another meditative pose. After a few minutes the light from the core begins to flicker, and a minute after that it develops into a full-on strobing effect. Suddenly there''s a cracking sound and the light from the core vanishes entirely, causing Tassa to think for a moment that the cavern''s gone completely dark - though mostly that was just an effect of the flashing lights ruining her night vision, and soon the dim light from Grizza''s remaining magic lamp recovers. Blinking, Grizza inspects the chest. "The trap spell''s gone poof. Ready to find out what we just traded for?"
The minotaur rushes over, and nods for Grizza to open the box. Doing so, they find inside a round stone, a mix of gray and brown with a symbol carved into it that Tassa doesn''t recognize. "Ah, godsdamn it. I hope this wasn''t some sort of magic key to a door that doesn''t even exist anymore." Grizza though begins to shake with excitement.
"No, no, not a key - but just the sort of thing we might need! This, my Ranger friend, is an earth elemental core! Just place it on a pile of stone, charge it up with mana, and boom, instant elemental! As a dungeon reward it would become part of our party, and it could help dig us out! ...Okay, maybe not through an entire mountain, but if we find a thin spot, or a collapsed tunnel we need to get through, then this is exactly what we''d need! It might even be able to tell us directions..."
Tassa grins, unable to prevent the feeling of hope from entering her heart. "Okay, this is definitely worth burning a mana potion for. Juice this baby up, and let''s get moving, huh?" Grizza eagerly rushes back to their modest camp, guzzling a potion as quickly as he can manage before placing the core on top of a pile of fallen stones. Directing his mana into the core doesn''t take long, and soon the lifeless stones in the area are beginning to tremble and shake, until the smaller pebbles and fragments start to actually fly onto the core itself, sticking to it like iron filings to a magnet. As Grizza continues to charge it up, larger and larger fragments join in, until the core itself starts to hover into the air, allowing space for more stones to join in.
Gradually, a form begins to take shape, with legs and arms being built piece by piece, followed by a head. Once the ''skeleton'' of the body is in place, the empty space between the larger stones is filled up by rock dust sucked in from across the cavern, solidifying like concrete before their eyes. At last the core reaches full charge, and the seven-foot-tall creature slams back to earth with a thunderous impact. Looking around, two coal-black stones that seem to serve as eyes find Grizza and Tassa standing before it. "...Hey there! How''s it going?"
Tassa''s never met an earth elemental before, or any kind of elemental at all, but she''d rather always assumed one would sound more...masculine than the bubbly voice coming from this one. "...I wish I could say it''s going great, but it''s not so much. I''m Tassa, and this is Grizza. Do you have a name?"
The elemental nods, then pauses. "...Uh. ...Rocksy? Is that a good name?" Grizza has trouble keeping himself silent.
"Rocksy? Really?"
The elemental rubs its, or perhaps her, chin. "...Roxxy?"
Tassa smirks. "You know what? That''s a great name. Welcome to the team, Roxxy."
Chapter 17: Trouble
Tafyaf, Alpine Scout gnoll, groans as someone bangs at the door to his rented room at The General. As someone who''d spent the last few weeks roughing it in the wilds around the Shield Mountains it had been his intention to get every single coin''s worth out of the bed he''d paid for, but apparently the room came with an unrequested wakeup service. Slowly dragging himself from his blankets, he makes his way to the door and opens it to find The General''s owner on the other side.
"Taffy, there''s - dammit, Taffy, couldn''t you at least put some pants on before answering the door?" Ope Plit averts his eyes as Tafyaf looks down at his uncovered gnollhood.
"Consider it punishment for waking me so rudely, heh heh. But my apologies Mister Plit. Is there some sort of problem in the inn?"
Plit shakes his head, while still keeping his view turned away. "Naw, it''s about you, actually. Soldier came by, said Commander Paulados needed to speak with you at the Fort. Urgently." At the sound of the name, any good cheer leaves Tafyaf instantly. While it wasn''t particularly surprising that the Commander knew he was in town, there shouldn''t be any reason for the Commander to be summoning him...unless something had gone wrong.
"...I see, yes. Very well, will be going very soon then. Thank you for the message, Mister Plit." Plit nods and leaves, after which Tafyaf dresses himself and packs up his things far more quickly than he had been planning to when he stopped in. For all he knew, the Commander was immediately going to order him off to distant parts, so he couldn''t plan on coming back to collect his things later. Or...perhaps he was in some sort of actual trouble personally? Tafyaf couldn''t imagine what he''d done so wrong, though.
The walk through the small town to the nearby fort was a short one, and the guards didn''t give him any trouble on the way inside. But nor were they their usually cheerful selves, which Tafyaf took as a sign that something was wrong. There was no, ''Hey Taffy, how ya been'', merely a short ''The Commander is expecting you'', which raised his fears that he was in trouble somehow. The mystery deepened when he arrived at the waiting room outside the Commander''s office, where a local man and woman were sitting in two of the chairs. The scout didn''t know either of them exactly, just a vague recollection of them as being townsfolk, but he could tell they both looked like they hadn''t slept a wink all night. They were also both wearing crude necklaces of stone and string, which didn''t seem like local fashion, but that line of thought was interrupted by a shout from inside. "Scout Tafyaf! Get in here, and close the door behind you!"
The gnoll quickly slips inside the office to find Commander Paulados glaring at him from the other side of a heavy wooden desk. The human wasn''t wearing his armor at the moment - who would, for desk work? But he genuinely didn''t need it to look intimidating, his thick muscles clear and straining against his shirt as he rested his arms on the desk before him. His blonde hair was only just beginning to show hints of grey, and his immaculate mustache was kept trimmed in a style popular in Anchorfest, the capital city from which he himself originated. He tilts his head towards a seat on Tafyaf''s side of the desk and begins. "Alpine Scout Tafyaf. Would you mind explaining to me just what exactly you told the local civilians last night about activity around the mountain, and why you didn''t make that report to me first?"
Tafyaf swallows, preparing his best spin. "Ah? Investigation still in progress, it is, I did consult with the locals yes, to see if any information could be gained. One orc I did see, making a hasty return to the west, two days ago. Locals suggested a man could be missing, perhaps, in either case I was planning to scout the area myself later today."
The statement does seem to relax the Commander a little, as he takes in a deep breath before responding. "One orc is all you saw, then? No large raiding party? Nothing...more unusual than that?"
Tafyaf scratches behind an ear. "Saw one orc I did, but leaving a camp meant for more they were. Trouble befell them, I would suspect, yes."
Paulados leans back in his chair, making it creak under his weight. "Well, they weren''t the only ones. Apparently after hearing your story last night, four locals took it upon themselves to check out the mountain personally. And so it seems that while all four did come back down, two of them were no longer breathing when they did. Unless they''re complete fools, and to be honest I can''t entirely rule that out...there is apparently a newly formed dungeon up on Triple Peak Mountain now."
The scout''s eyebrows rise - he''d had some vague theories on what trouble a Valleylander scouting party could have run into, but that had certainly not been on his list. "A dungeon! And...defeated a Valleylander party, it must? Surprising, if the dungeon is newly born."
The large soldier nods as he stands up, making his way to the map pinned to his wall. "We haven''t had a Valleylander incursion around here in years, but their usual scouting party size is what, four to eight? So the thing managed to take down at least three trained professionals, plus three locals - the survivors say they think the missing man from before was turned into the thing''s damned front door. That''s unusual for something so new...and I''m worried about how in hells the Valleylanders knew about the thing before we did. In any case, that''s the least of our worries now."
"Sir?" Tafyaf can''t help but feel like he''s not actually qualified for this level of conversation, but he suspects the officer just needs someone to blow off steam to. "Is a dungeon not potentially a good thing, no?"
"Almost anywhere else, it would be. But here?" He jabs the mountain on his map with one finger. "We claim the mountain of course, but so do the Valleylanders, and obviously the Dragonlord doesn''t respect borders in the least. Up til now, it didn''t matter - the mountain has no known resources, no dwarves or driders live there, so its only real use to any of us was as a buffer against the rest. I don''t expect anyone to make a full-on assault for the mountain any time soon, of course, but the Valleylanders are definitely going to start pressing their claim harder politically, and I''d bet you a month''s wages that the Dragonlord is going to try something underhanded when they find out. I''ve already sent word to the capital, we''re going to need more troops to secure the region. And the mountain specifically, of course. But we still need more information...you have dungeon experience yourself, I would assume?"
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
The scout grimaces. "Several floors in the Lost Woods of Jand, yes. Also attempted the entry floor of Fire Sands once, I did, but...neither water nor fire agree with me."
"Can''t blame you there." Paulados considers his next statement before issuing his orders. "A few others in the garrison have some experience, but our training is mostly focused on defense and large-scale battle tactics. I''d like you to put together a team to investigate the place, as you have the most experience with small-unit engagements. Recruit who you want from the garrison, and take what time you need to prepare yourselves, but not more than a few days. I want to have a better idea what we''re dealing with by time our reinforcements arrive - and certainly before any other interested parties have time to respond."
The gnoll rises from his seat, trying his best to hide his nervousness. "Yes, sir. I will begin talking with the soldiers immediately, yes, and the survivors as well. I''ll let you know when we are ready." As he exits the room and casts another look at the local pair in the waiting room, he gulps. Why couldn''t it have just been a raiding party?
Satisfied with her new Boss Bunny, Xenia makes her way back to her core chamber to plan her next move. She''d filed away the new creation as ''Bitebunnies'' - rabbits crossbred with canines giving them fangs, enough leaping distance to cover practically an entire chamber in a single jump, and improved strength. Boss Bunny was an improvement on that, as by basically overloading an example with mana she was able to triple its size, not to mention the threat level it presented. There was one more upgrade she could have provided it with but she hesitated on that one. By improving the bunny so significantly, it would now be capable of being bound with a soul, making it stronger, smarter, and perhaps most economically, meant it could respawn automatically without her needing to burn mana on upgrading a new replacement every time one died.
Still, even an upgraded Bitebunny wouldn''t be capable of speech, or normal sapient-level thought, and something rubbed her the wrong way about ''downgrading'' a person''s soul into an animal. It maybe wasn''t a logical thought, as that seemed to be the normal system of reincarnation in the universe in general, but if she was the one making the decisions around here, then she''d hold on to her soul stockpile until better materials came along. Or at least until she got more souls than she knew what to do with. In the meanwhile though she still had some of the day''s mana left over to play with, and she knew what she wanted to start on next. "Okay Guy, step back! Or...hover back, or whatever. It''s time to open up Floor Two!"
Guy makes a pleased sound as they catch up. "Oh? Decided on your next direction then? Shall we try going upwards? It''s a little unusual for a dungeon, and things that unsettle adventurers are always useful."
Xenia grins widely. "Nope! We''re going down! Way down!"
The guide''s pleasant mood quickly flees. "...Not to question your judgment, but you do recall our earlier conversation about that, yes? To our best knowledge, the mountain doesn''t have the structural support to handle a floor below our current one. Perhaps if we went out horizontally a bit further and found a stronger foundation..."
The dungeon master raises a finger. "Ah! But while I may be making a Floor, I ain''t making a ''floor'', if you catch my drift. It''s time for..." Xenia waves her hands around as if to the sound of an imaginary drumroll. " - An elevator level!"
The guide doesn''t quite know how to respond to that. "...Forgive me, ma''am, but...what in the world is an elevator level?"
"Simple! Instead of making a big, wide floor, we''re just gonna make one big shaft, going straight down! We''ll hit ground level somewhere, or at least get close enough to anchor it to something, which will keep it supported. There''ll just be one ''room'', like a big open platform type''a deal, and it will go up and down and stop at certain spots, where we do the normal room thing of traps and monster ambushes. With a nice added bonus - if there''s only one platform, parties will have to line up to take their turn for it to come back up, which should help keep us from getting overwhelmed! We''ve got steel for chains now, and given we can already break physics at least a little, I think it should work!"
She stops to think for a moment. "Or it will snap and kill entire parties instantly. Which...win-win?" Xenia gives a lopsided grin.
Guy processes, trying to consider how this could actually work. "...Physically, I think we could make a structure like you suggest, though not in one go today for sure. But the main issue is that a construct of this scale - essentially running an entire Floor - is going to require a reserved amount of mana far larger than your waterslide room."
Xenia sighs as she waves an arm, instantly pushing the entire core chamber fifty feet to one side to make room for her new shaft behind the Boss Bunny''s chamber. "Yeah, I figured. But it''s gonna be totally worth it! You''ll see! Now...construction menus, Floor menu, Floor 2, Floor Entrance...go!" A new room appears empty and bare as usual, but this nevertheless triggers a sudden achievement from Guy.
|
-------------------------------------
FLOOR 2 CREATED
ADDING NEW BASE ''CAVE'' MATERIALS:
GEMSTONES (LOW QUALITY)
CAVE MOSS
TIN (STANDARD QUALITY)
SPIDER WEBS (LOW QUALITY)
NEW BASE ''CAVE'' CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED:
BATS: F
ARACHNIDS: F
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 6 TO 30
-------------------------------------
|
Clapping fills the room as Xenia giggles. "Woo, freebies! Things are really looking up! ...Or shall I say...down!"
Chapter 18: Ways Forward
It had been a full day since Grizza and Tassa had taken on Roxxy as their new ''guide'', and the group was currently taking a break to enjoy a small feast of mushrooms for their breakfast. They were down to only a day''s worth of proper rations remaining at this point, so stumbling across the small side cavern and its collection of bioluminescent fungus was a godsend. Tassa''s Ranger skills were able to confirm that they were non-poisonous, with the worst side effect being that their shit would probably glow blue for the next few days. Which, frankly, was the least of their concerns for the moment. Still, with their satchels filled and their waterskins replenished at another minuscule pond, the group felt relaxed enough to talk a bit more and consider their options.
They had of course questioned Roxxy on a number of topics soon after she''d formed, but the elemental almost uniformly answered everything with a cheerful "I dunno!" or "Beats me!". If she had any memories from before her core was placed in that treasure chest, she didn''t seem to have access to them now. Still, perhaps wandering around for a day had jogged something loose, or at least Tassa could hope. "So, Roxxy, don''t suppose anything around here looks familiar in any way?"
The elemental turns back towards the pair from where she''d been standing guard. "You sure ask that a lot! Like I said, I''m as new to this as you are! ...Or even a few days newer from what you told me!"
Grizza pinches his nose. "I''ve been thinking of every possible method I know of, but I just can''t imagine how an elemental would be formed with just a core. Elementals are born from a high concentration of element-aspected mana, but there also needs to be enough raw materials around to form the basis of the body. All the fire element mana in the world won''t get you a fire elemental core forming underwater. Cores have to be extracted from elementals who have had their previous bodies destroyed...maybe if someone were to do so at the moment an elemental finished forming, they could do so before the elemental had time to become fully conscious, but it seems like the timing would have to be very precise. Perhaps a dungeon could have the precision to do that, but, why? The odds say you must have had some form of existence before your core was removed and turned into loot."
"Don''t know what to tell you, Dad. Pretty sure I wasn''t ever aware of anything until you charged me up." Grizza''s head jerks in her direction at the terminology.
"Dad? What? I must have misheard you."
Roxxy shakes her head. "Nope! Been thinking about it, and since you guys were there when I was born, I figure that makes you my mom and dad! I can feel that normally elementals don''t really do the whole ''family'' thing, but normally we don''t just spawn around a couple of mortals. So I wanna fit in! Make ourselves a little family!"
The drider chuckles. "I don''t know about you, Tassa, but I''m not sure I''m ready for children." When the minotaur doesn''t respond, he takes a second look and notices a faraway look in her eyes. "Tassa? Your mushrooms not agreeing with you?"
Tassa looks up and stirs herself, sucking in a breath. "...No, they''re fine. It''s just...you remember when I told you Ragrush and I weren''t a vowed pair? That was why."
Grizza squints for a moment, trying to determine the logic before it strikes him. "...Oh, right. You said you were part dwarf?" The Ranger nods, and he can work out the rest from there. Centuries ago, the Goddess of Love had decreed that differing species should be no barrier to relationships, and cast a massive blessing that allowed the mortal races to intermix. But, only up to a point. A mortal''s blood could only sustain the essences of two species at once, and one had to diminish to less than a quarter strength before it could be replaced by another. Tassa would only be able to have children with other minotaurs or dwarves, and if Ragrush had been a fullblood orc, then he was out of the running.
"Neither of us really wanted to rule out the option of children one day, and while there''s alternatives...well, it was a complication." Uncertain of what''s going on between the two, Roxxy looks back and forth in some confusion.
"Uhhhh, did I make things awkward? I''m sorry! Should I uh, not do the mom and dad thing, then?"
Tassa chuckles as she tosses her current mushroom into her satchel, and climbs to her feet. "I think we''re definitely far too early to be talking about adoption. How about we work on getting out of this hole first, and then we can talk about what comes after? Honestly, it''s hard to plan anything past that point right now." She stretches, groaning. "So, even if you don''t know anything yet about where we are or how this place was made, do you have any ideas on which way to go next?"
Roxxy looks upwards, though Tassa can''t see anything in particular that she would be looking at. "Actually, it''s kind of funny. When you asked me to find a way out yesterday, I just had this kind of feeling that we were totally sealed in, you know? I mean, I thought that was just the normal feeling for things at the time. But I was thinking maybe we could find someplace close enough to dig out like you said, right? But ever since last night, and I can definitely feel it now, I think maybe there actually is a way out now? It feels kind of far away, but it''d be faster than digging through a thousand feet of solid stone, I bet you that."
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Grizza shares a look with Tassa. "Laksha might not even be reporting in until today. We can''t entirely rule out that the Rainlanders might be digging into the mountain for some reason, or that a rockslide opened something up, but most likely..."
Tassa nods. "...The dungeon''s moving down to us." A hand slips onto the handle of one of her axes, gripping it tightly. "That''s fine by me. I still have a complaint to file with that thing."
The Mage sighs. "Tassa...we are in no shape to try and take on a dungeon, just the two...the three of us. Please promise me you won''t do anything stupid if we actually find a way back up there."
The minotaur grits her teeth, but eventually nods. "...Right. I was stupid once and it got us into this situation. But one day, Grizza. One day..."
Xenia Worthy, Reincarnator Extraordinaire, does something new for this lifetime and stares out the window. It''s a little odd, having a set of windows when you''re a minimum of a dozen stories underground, but since it turned out the mountain''s internal geography allowed for it she wasn''t about to turn it down. As it had turned out, her new elevator shaft had only needed to go down through about three or four stories worth of empty air before hitting a new layer of stone. This wasn''t the ground level of the chasm by a long shot, but the side of the impossibly large space sloped downwards in this area, and it would make a good foundation for an eventual Floor Three. For now her core chamber had been moved once again to the bottom of the shaft, pressed up against the chasm wall allowing her to carve windows into one side. No glass yet, but it was a start.
Not that there was much to see at the moment. Xenia''s ability to see without actual light only really seemed to work inside of her own dungeon caves, and the torches she''d stuck onto the outside of the enclosed elevator shaft didn''t even come close to illuminating the bottom. She''d tossed one out the window which had given her a rough idea of how deep it was, but the magical torch had evaporated within seconds of hitting the ground. Still, she looked out onto the foreboding space and chose to view it as an opportunity rather than an obstacle. "You know, I think this could actually really work for us, Guy."
"I''m glad you''re feeling positive, but I''m not sure how we can work with literally nothing, from what I see."
Xenia chuckles. "That''s what we''ve got that no one else does! Empty space! Think about it...we could do fights alongside sheer cliff walls! Bridges crossing into the darkness! Oooh, do you think we''ll get lava at some point? We could do bridges over lava, and plant a big-ass demon guy on it, and the wizard adventurers will need to be all ''fly, you dumbass hobbits''! It''ll be great!"
The guide does their best to follow along. "I don''t know what a hobbit is, but I believe lava is an eventual cave unlock if we don''t come across some sooner, yes. And I suppose I can see what you mean. It could take quite some time to properly absorb this entire chasm, but once we can get the proper thematic lighting and such going across the other sides...it could be quite something, indeed. A multitude of floors crossing back and forth across the same space? That does seem relatively unique."
Xenia slaps Guide on the back, almost knocking them out the open stone window. "That''s the spirit! Man, I got so many cool trap ideas for how to mess people up, too."
Recovering themselves, Guide gets back on task. "That''s good to know, but before we get to that, remember that Floor 2 is entirely empty right now beyond the mechanism. And dear gods, 12 out of your 30 mana cap to keep the thing running? Are you entirely sure about this? Especially since the accessibility requirements aren''t allowing you to turn the thing off now that you''ve moved down here."
"It''s called investing in the future, Guy, once word gets out everyone''s gonna want one. And if we get really dry, I can always just move back upstairs for a little while. Just thank god you and I can teleport, riding that thing is slow as balls and I ain''t even installed the floor traps and ambushes yet. Though speaking of, I wanna show you something I figured out!" She rushes over to the elevator which, for the moment at least, opens directly into her core chamber, at least until there''s time to set up a second floor boss room. The giant elevator platform is currently sunk into the ground level, and Xenia points out a tripwire crossing the entire room at a height of about five feet. "You see that wire there?"
Guy nods. "More of a garrote wire than a trip wire, but yes. What does it do?"
"Nothing particularly special, just a dart trap, but watch this." Xenia presses the pressure plate used to send the elevator platform back up, which it does slowly with the sound of clanging metal chains and shifting stone counterweights groaning in the background. Eventually the platform reaches the tripwire...and passes right through it, without disturbing the wire. "You know how I can keep dungeon creatures from setting off traps? I can also do that with dungeon constructs! Which means when the elevator comes down to the ambush levels, there can be a mess of tripwires waiting to go off! They might look like wires, but they''re as good as lasers for something like this."
"I''m impressed. If someone happens to be standing on a spot where a tripwire emerges, they''d set it off before they even knew it was there. Tripwires do become more and more invisible as traps level up, but this would be as good as skipping several levels at least! Did you have anything else planned?"
Xenia gives a thumbs up. "I''ve already got some rooms and platforms looped around the outside of the shaft at a few spots, where monsters can hang out until it''s ambush time. Each pressure plate will only move the elevator down like, a fifth of the distance or so, they they gotta fight and all that and find the next button to keep going. But you know what I really want? We gotta get some better spiders! I want lil dudes who can dangle down from the ceiling while the thing''s going down, ambush from above and all that. But right now all we''ve got is shit that would only work for scaring old ladies."
"Well, we can definitely work on that. There may not be any Giant Forest Spiders nearby for us to scoop up, but we can always try to make it up with quantity instead. For something as small as spiders though, it may take quite a few to improve our tiers."
Xenia sighs. "Yaaaaay, infesting my home with hundreds of pests, just what I always wanted..." She takes a breath, and cracks her virtual knuckles. "Alright! Let''s head upstairs and catch some bugs!"
Chapter 19: Rainlander Intrusion
Tafyaf stood in the Fort''s courtyard, double-checking his supplies as he kept an appraising eye on his new dungeon-delving team. He had talked to the surviving villagers the day before to find out what they knew, but they hadn''t volunteered to join the second team and he wouldn''t have taken them if they had. The fools had gone into a dungeon without so much as a shield or a helmet! Frankly, the scout was surprised any of them had gotten out alive, but he chalked that up to their sudden good sense in turning around and leaving halfway though.
Though as his thoughts crossed that point, he found something about it curious. Dungeons always had loot, of course, and core chambers were often full of the stuff. That could be seen as encouragement to not harm the core, and it probably was. But within the dungeon floors, large sources of loot usually came after the challenging fights, not before them. The dungeon clearly wasn''t going for a fully non-lethal approach, very few did, but literally paying delvers in order to convince them not to risk their lives seems like a new wrinkle. Something about it amuses him, though he can''t exactly say why. Shaking his head, the gnoll attempts to refocus his attention on the here and now as his team finishes gathering before him.
The first was an elven woman, Combat Medic Grayana Goldleaf, who actually outranked him in level reckoning at 14. She was the Fort''s primary healer, and Tafyaf felt a little bad about depriving them of an essential resource, but he was certainly not about to go into a dungeon without a healer. Unlike the soft robes of more religious or nature-derived healer classes, the Combat Medic wore the same armor as the other light troops of the garrison, which Tafyaf felt was much more appropriate for a dungeon dive. Unfortunately the woman apparently had no dungeon experience at all, the only newbie on the team despite her relatively high level. Next was a human, Gilliam Erado, who at level eight was still only an Initiate-level Soldier like many others in the garrison. However, the man was clearly angling for a shield-based Advanced class soon, which made him a decent tank for their party. Additionally, he had cleared four floors across two dungeons over the past few years, which made him more experienced than most others Tafyaf had available to choose from.
The last member was another gnoll, Perfyew Drass, a level seven Archer with two floors of experience in a single dungeon. Tafyaf had his own shortbow which meant that they had some overlap, but with a specialist handling the ranged issues he could focus on scouting. And besides, the garrison only had one combat mage qualified for the job, and Commander Paulados wasn''t about to let him take both the garrison''s best healer and their best mage at the same time. Though all that paled before the real reason Tafyaf had picked her over the garrison''s other archers - she was almost unbearably cute, and Tafyaf was only a simple gnoll, after all.
With the full group assembled, Tafyaf stands straight and delivers his little speech. "Morning! Spoken with you each, I have, but so that we may all review together: I am Alpine Scout Tafyaf Srooll, and ordered we have been by Commander Paulados to investigate the new dungeon on Triple Peak Mountain, yes. Local villagers say it has named itself with ''The Worthy Dungeon'', and saw the first four rooms, they claim. Two focused on light traps, a beginner''s labyrinth, and, ah..." Tafyaf honestly rather doubted this next part of the story, but he felt obliged to share the information at least. "Villagers say the first floor boss is a rabbit. Ask me not why. Soldier Erado, you and I will be taking the lead, yes, with Combat Medic Goldleaf and Archer Drass providing support. Important to note, so I must: this mission is for scouting, not destroying! Aim to reach the core, we will, but leave it intact we should. It will take two hours to reach the dungeon, perhaps, any questions before we leave?"
Grayana raises a hand. "This is my first dungeon intrusion, as I mentioned earlier, and I must ask...what exactly is the military''s policy on loot recovered on a mission like this?"
The gnoll chuckles, this was the sort of vital question he could appreciate. He found himself liking her more and more - from the way she kept her short black hair tucked under her medic''s cap, to her piercing dark brown eyes, she gave every impression of a woman focused on practical and pragmatic concerns. Despite her lack of dungeon experience, he expected her to do well. "We shall share among the party and keep for ourselves, equally yes. If some dangerous artifact or important source of information we find, submit it to authorities we should, but this dungeon is new, small. Unlikely to find any such artifacts here."
The Soldier raises a hand next. "You said there were Valleylanders checking the place out, right? What do we do if we run into some?"
At that question, Tafyaf sighs - this sounded like politics and that was far out of his wheelhouse. So, he decides to go with a conservative approach. "We should avoid provoking an incident, yes. If we can arrange matters peacefully, we should. If they start a fight, kill them all, yes." The group actually seems to brighten up at the possibility, making Tafyaf think they would be much more comfortable fighting a squad of minotaurs than dealing with an unknown dungeon. Still, doing both at the same time sounded like bad business, so hopefully it wouldn''t come to that. "You have your lists of required supplies, so one more check and then we shall begin our hike."
Even as dead Barkbirds fall down around her, pincushioned by arrows, Xenia can''t seem to stop squealing. "Dog boys! Oh wait...is that one a dog girl? Look at her little Robin Hood hat! It''s so cute I could die!" The dungeon master can''t, or at least shouldn''t, carry Sir Flopsy around with her while adventurers are in the dungeon, which means her hands are free to try and hug the gnoll Archer currently massacring her first room defenders. To try and fail, given that she passes right through the woman, but she gives it multiple tries just in case she can make it work.
"Xenia, please! Be professional! They certainly are...look at that armor they''re wearing, wouldn''t you say it looks like uniforms? This is certainly no random band of lost townsfolk." Guy hovers in between the group as they move in a tight formation - a chainmail-wearing human covering the group with a heavy shield and sword as two bow-wielding gnolls pluck birds from the sky, backed up by a tall woman - perhaps an elf, going by the pointed ears. Other than the vanguard Xenia has to agree, the other three are all wearing almost-identical light armor, mostly made up of what seems to be padded leather with metal reinforcement over small parts. Looking closer they do seem to have small patches attached to various places, reminding Xenia more of military unit designations rather than national flags, though in this case they don''t seem to all be wearing the same thing.
"That first big group that came here seemed kinda professional, but they weren''t kitted out like this. Hell, that spider guy was practically naked. Not that I was complaining. But yeah, either this is a very thematic bunch of adventurers or...military? Does the military have dungeon diving squads?" Once all the birds have been slain, the male gnoll starts shouting out orders even as he takes the lead in scouting out the first hall, which seems to confirm things. "No debate or anything, they''re just doing what that one says...yeah, these guys have to be military. I wonder if that''s a good thing or a bad thing..."
The Slip''N''Slide room was only a minor hazard, with Perfyew being the only one to slip at all on the wet floor, and Tafyaf grabbed her before she hit the bottom. The door lock puzzled them for a minute, but Tafyaf''s sharp eyes caught the key in the water, and Grayana proved graceful enough to retrieve it without slipping or setting off any traps. The Bone Maze slowed them down a little longer, but it proved far less threatening to them than it had to the Farmers. Between the forewarning about the arrowslits and their superior ranged capabilities, not to mention their actual armor, they were able to reach the end without a scratch. Xenia huffed a bit, but if they could upgrade their undead another tier or two the design still had potential, she was pretty sure. The swords at least made the orc skeletons more dangerous than the knives had been.
As they reach the door to the boss room the group pauses to read the sign over the treasure chest, but Tafyaf waves them down before anyone can even consider opening it. "We wish to continue, and unless someone packed a battering ram, breaching the door would be difficult, hehe. We may consider picking it up on the way back." If anyone''s disappointed they hide it well, and they move on to peek into the room itself.
The actual Boss Bunny is much more clearly a threat than the bluffing Sir Flopsy was. Not only is it several times larger than a normal rabbit, but there''s clear signs of muscle under its fur, which just doesn''t seem right for a rabbit at all. Still, ''several times larger than a rabbit'' is still a relatively small creature as far as dungeon monsters go.
Soldier Gilliam scratches his chin. "You don''t think it''s poisonous, do you? Small monsters are usually only dangerous if they''re poisonous."
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Grayana sighs. "You mean venomous, not poisonous. And if it was crossbred with something small and venomous, wouldn''t it be even smaller than a normal rabbit?"
"Dungeon is still young, so threat level is probably low, yes. Still, approach if it were a dragon, we ought to do. Gilliam, hold its attention while we strike from afar."
The Soldier nods and steps into the room, shield raised. Once the monster''s attention seems to be focused on him the others follow, Tafyaf and Perfyew raising their bows, but in between them firing their first shots and the arrows landing the rabbit is already gone. It takes a moment for pair to catch up with its leap, but soon they realize the thing actually latched itself onto Gilliam''s shield and appears to be gnawing at the metal. "Gah! It''s on my...well, honestly this isn''t so bad. Thing barely weighs anything and it sure as hell can''t eat a shield." Gilliam adjusts his sword to try and stab the creature hanging on to him, but the moment he lines the weapon up the monster moves again - this time in Perfyew''s direction.
"Ahhhh! Get it off! Get it off!" Tafyaf briefly aims his bow in her direction before thinking better and drawing a dagger instead. As soon as he gets close to the Archer the monster is gone again, though he takes that as at least a partial win. Perfyew bears a number of scratch and claw marks but nothing immediately dangerous, well within healing spell tolerances. Still, that will need to wait until the monster is actually dead.
From there the fight becomes almost comedically drawn out, to the point where Tafyaf wonders if the whole point of the encounter is to exhaust a party. The group is able to adjust with Gilliam and Tafyaf protecting the others, with the oversized bunny being unable to get by Gilliam''s shield, and being slashed by Tafyaf''s dagger any time it comes too close. At the same time, Gilliam and Perfyew both prove too slow to actually hit the thing, and Tafyaf''s own slashes are barely more dangerous than the animal''s own scratches. The fight is suddenly brought to a close when the rabbit''s rear leg appears to spontaneously break just as it''s preparing another leap, an opening Perfyew and Gilliam quickly exploit to finish it off.
Looking around for the source of their good luck, Tafyaf notices Grayana standing by the door holding a small metal combat wand, a simple device barely larger than a quill. Noticing Tafyaf''s curious look, the elf scoffs. "What? I''m a Combat Medic, not some soft Fountain Priestess or something. It costs a little extra mana, but bodies can be manipulated in all sorts of ways."
Tafyaf laughs. "Not complaining, no no! A healer defeating a boss is new to me, though! Well done!" The group finds another loot chest inside the cave facade the boss was guarding, this time with no signs on it about closing doors or such, so the party dives in. In addition to the usual amount of currency they find four necklaces bearing rabbit''s feet - while none of the team has the skill to properly appraise them, the theory of them being luck charms is generally agreed.
Gilliam holds one up and peers at it. "Not unusual for boss loot to be thematic, like, but four copies of the same item is unusual. Heh, hey Perfyew, you wanna hold on to these for us until we finish? Seems like so far you need it."
Perfyew sniffs from where Grayana is patching up her minor wounds. "I am not doing that badly, no. But...I could hold on to them, yes, perhaps."
As the group heads on into the next room and starts puzzling over the workings of the elevator platform, Guy poses Xenia with a question. "Not that I''m complaining, but don''t you think it''s perhaps...against the spirit of the thing to abuse our, ah, ''special status'' in this way? They''re effectively eagerly making use of cursed items now."
Xenia''s face is stony. "Hmmmm....naw. I gave em a way out, and they killed Boss Bunny, they deserve what they get. Fuck, that''s gonna set me back almost a full day''s worth of mana...maybe I see the appeal of upgrading bosses with souls after all. Ugh."
While none of the members of Tafyaf''s party are at all familiar with elevators, the very obvious pressure plate attached to a pedestal on the platform with a clearly marked down arrow eventually cries out for pressing. Tafyaf presses it himself, and the entire group immediately goes on alert the moment the platform begins to move. After nothing attacks for a minute or so they ease up a little, but are still rather unnerved. "The dungeon takes us where it wants us to go. This does not seem ideal, no."
"Well, I guess it beats using stairs - ahh!" Perfyew shrieks as a number of objects suddenly fall onto her head and shoulders. Others land elsewhere on the platform, and it takes a moment for Tafyaf to figure out what they are - large spiders, perhaps tarantula-sized. The ones who actually land on the platform seem to be rather unlucky, as several of their exoskeletons crack like eggshells when they land, but those landing on people experience a far softer outcome. Gilliam raises his shield to block one or two who bounce off, but by far the majority seem to be raining on Perfyew alone. "Why! Why is this happening!?"
With very careful swipes of his dagger Tafyaf is able to remove most of them, but without warning the platform shudders to a stop, and as Perfyew stumbles she steps into a tripwire that Tafyaf was sure had not been there before. A line of darts fires from the wall, one landing every three feet or so along the course of the wire, and one of those lands in Perfyew''s right thigh. The poor Archer shrieks again even as she finally tosses the last spider off of her shoulder, falling to the platform floor. Again, Tafyaf calls for their medic. "Dammit! Goldleaf! And watch your step, all!"
Grayana sighs as she rushes over to the fallen gnoll. "You are putting me to far too much work for one day, young lady. ...I''m detecting a very minor venom effect from the spider bites, a minor slow perhaps. I doubt it could add up to a paralyze at this strength, but when the dungeon gets stronger...as for the leg, let''s keep you from bleeding out, shall we?"
As the Combat Medic patches up the gnoll yet again, the other pair scout out the area where they stopped. Other than the dart traps, all they find is another downward-pointing pressure plate on the wall, which eventually Gilliam presses to continue their trip down. As they proceed the platform stops three more times. On the second, orc skeletons hop out from hidden alcoves along the sides of the shaft, triggering a brief sword fight. Grayana works to defend Perfyew using both her combat wand and a long dagger, but the gnoll is slightly injured once again when one of the orcs leaping onto the platform lands on her wounded leg. At the third stop, bats fly in through windows carved into what appears to be a totally black abyss outside the shaft, apparently with the goal of forcing the party into triggering another set of tripwires. This level they pass without incident, but on the fourth and final stop before the end, a pair of orc skeletons are joined by a swarm of spiders rushing around the platform, obscuring yet another layer of tripwires. Gilliam accidentally triggers a few while fighting the orcs, and Perfyew ends up with another dart stuck into her shoulder and at least four more spider bites for her trouble. By time the platform finally reaches the bottom floor, the poor Archer is a sobbing mess on the floor, being awkwardly comforted by Grayana.
Breathing hard, Tafyaf looks around for the next threat. "Is this the bottom? Are we...oh." Turning around, Tafyaf notices a large entrance on one side leading directly to what must be the core chamber. The core itself isn''t visible, but a large pedestal with a statue of a stone clamshell is apparent, as is a treasure chest sitting on the floor next to it. "...Second floor boss room still under construction, perhaps. Goldleaf, can you watch over Archer Drass?" The medic nods, and Tafyaf and Gilliam cautiously enter the core room. As core chambers go it''s rather modestly decorated compared to others they''ve heard of - next to the pedestal they spot an exit portal on the floor, but otherwise the decor is limited to some very simple stone and fur furniture, a basin of water, and an apparently mundane rabbit who seems to offer the pair no threat. The oddest part is more of the dark windows which show nothing but emptiness outside, which Tafyaf takes as some sort of dungeon trick, though he''s not sure he''s heard of a dungeon making fake windows of that sort before.
It doesn''t take long for the pair to find the trick button to open the clamshell, and soon the presence of the core is confirmed. Gilliam stares at the large pearl-shaped object for some time, but Tafyaf grabs his arm as the shell once again begins to close. "Remember orders. Not here for that, no. We take loot, we take notes, and then we take portal, yes."
The Soldier sighs. "You got it, boss. And hey, a full clear - bet you they''ll promote me to Advanced for this, so not for nothing, right?" Behind him, Perfyew sobs.
"I am never going into a dungeon again, no!"
Looking at the poor woman, Gilliam leans over to Tafyaf. "Maybe we should let her keep the luck charms from upstairs? Never seen anyone who''d need them more." Tafyaf considers this, and nods.
After the group empties out the final chest and exits through the portal to the dungeon exit, Xenia looks down at her own only loot from the encounter and sighs, as the gnoll''s lost bow and ''Robin Hood'' hat melt away. "Well, least that counts as one satisfied customer. Here''s hoping for a ''zero stars, never raid this dungeon!'' rating."
Guy nods along. "Always a silver lining, ma''am."
|
-------------------------------------
INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS ESCAPED: 4
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
RANGED WEAPONS: D-
LEATHER ARMOR: F
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MANA ACQUIRED: 4, CURRENT AMOUNT: 6/17 (13 CONSUMED BY CONSTRUCTS)
-------------------------------------
|
Chapter 20: Good Advice
With a final distant groan and clank, the elevator finishes returning to the first floor, leaving the Worthy Dungeon once again in silence. At least, until it''s followed by a groan from Xenia. "Definitely gonna need that third floor soon to put in some distance, or at least some soundproofing. That''s gonna get real annoying if people end up using that thing a couple times a day."
Her guide hovers around the area, watching as the elevator shaft''s traps and ambushes reset themselves. "Improved materials would probably help with that. To be honest, I am actually surprised it held together, especially considering the...incident with the sawblade trap the other day."
"I bet the Big Dungeon Rulebook wouldn''t have let us get away with it if it was actually gonna one-shot every party that comes in here. Though, you''ve gotta have access to that thing, or whatever it is, right? I mean your tips and all have been nice, but how about something specific? How do I get a third floor rolling?"
Guy chuckles as they return to the core chamber. "As you are apparently aware, I am in service to the SGA department - Spiritual Guides and Advisors. Emphasis on ''guidance'' and ''advice''. Have any of your previously assigned guides been so detailed with you?"
Xenia leans back in her seat, staring at the ceiling as she tries to recall. "...Nah, though if I gotta be honest, I kinda figured I''d just pissed off most of them. Or they pissed me off. God, the one I had the first time I was a Hero - called herself my Guardian Angel, think her actual name was Rachel? Oooooh, I hated her. Barely ever showed up, and when she did it was just to give the vaguest instructions. ''Thou must arrive at the battlefield in two days. Bring the goat.'' and that kind of shit. Guess I mostly just cussed her out when she did show up, so maybe she was avoiding me."
The guide hums. "A Hero, eh? I believe I have heard that department does go for more, ah...''prophetic messages'' in their theming? How did that round turn out for you?"
There''s a marked moment of silence before Xenia responds. "...I don''t want to talk about being a Hero. Anyways, you''re changing the subject. How do I get a third floor?"
"Ah, well, you see, even though a core''s Guide is meant to be more hands-on, we can''t provide you with specific steps to take. Otherwise there''s too much concern that we would be the ones actually designing the dungeons, particularly given that most dungeon cores don''t come to the job with...an extensive resume like your own. As we are divine agents, it would lack the unpredictable and creative flourishes that make a mortal-driven dungeon unique. Which is to say, I do not actually know how to go about achieving more floors in a specific sense. If you were to become stuck for a particularly long time, more information may become available to me, but in general I can only give you, well, general advice."
The dungeon master summons a virtual mug of water into her virtual hand, while mumbling something about needing to lure a bartender into the dungeon. "...Weird, I can actually feel myself taste the water, but it''s like it vanishes right on my tongue. Creepy. Anyhow, what''s your general advice then?"
"Simply put, the most direct method is to kill more adventurers. I am quite confident that there''s a number of additional unlocks waiting behind higher killcounts just in broad terms, but you are also likely to get some by using more unique methods. For example, defeating adventurers with your boss monsters. Convincing adventurers to turn on each other with illusions or mind-altering effects. Probably for using environmental hazards, like lava, were we to have some. And so on."
"I do kinda hope there''s some that don''t involve killing. I mean, they''re nice, don''t get me wrong, but you gotta have some variety to keep things interesting, you know? Like...making the coolest monster, or scaring someone real good, or making a really sweet piece of loot or something." Xenia glances over at Guy. "So you just kinda...vaguely know stuff then, huh? What''s it like for you, really? Are all you guides just working cubical office jobs in some ring of hell, picking up the phone whenever I call for customer support? I''ve never gotten a straight answer on that."
This time, it''s Guy''s turn to hesitate before answering. "...I really can''t talk about it. But suffice it to say that I am here, with you, just as I seem. My awareness, in any case, I will admit that we live in a more, ah...metaphysical plane of existence than this one."
Xenia frowns. "But you''ve been here with me like, 24-7. That''s not normal. Like I said with Rachel, she barely ever showed up, sometimes she went months between appearances even when I was actually asking for her!"
Guy bobs up and down in a shrug. "Different systems, different rules. I believe part of it has to do with the more constant dangers a dungeon may face. A Hero, as I understand it, may very well go for months without major battles, beyond casual encounters with minor monsters. A well-known dungeon meanwhile could end up fighting half a dozen adventurer parties at a time, for months at a stretch. It would become impossible to both expand the dungeon and keep track of intruders at the same time."
Xenia rubs her forehead at the thought. "God, people in my house all day long? I''m not that much of an introvert but that''s a bit much." She pauses to stretch a bit, then summons a stone table next to her seat. "Well, I''m nearly tapped on mana, and it''s a long while yet til the midnight recharge. If we''re stuck hanging out together, wanna play some cards? I can teach you poker...with...cards made of wood?" A grimace crosses her face. "Maybe a dice game? I bet I can make some cool bone dice."
Guy slides on over with a curious air. "A gambling game? I suppose we could make all the currency we need, though that perhaps degrades the stakes."
Xenia grins. "Then we''ll just have to find something more interesting to bet..."
FAR TO THE SOUTH
Within the Domain of the Dragonlord there exists a large number of geologically active areas, one of which is known in particular for its colorful chemical pools. The noxious gasses they produce would be quickly fatal for most mortals, let alone the acidity and heat if one were to fall into them, but there is one race in particular which thrives in this environment. However, despite the populated nature of the region, there are remarkably few structures of any kind. Few...but not none. At just around noon, a red-skinned bat flies up to one of the largest of those in the region - a rocky mesa containing a giant door in one side, guarding entrance to the massive facility within.
Stolen novel; please report.
As it lands on the road leading up to the door, the bat changes into the form of an equally red-skinned woman. Her long black hair matches the color of her showy dress, a garment that would look more at place at a formal evening event than out in such a toxic environment, but if the atmosphere disagrees with her she manages not to show it. As the bat wings melt into her bare back, horns begin to emerge from her forehead, sitting just above her golden yellow eyes. Turning those eyes towards the massive gate before her, she announces herself in a regal tone of voice. "Salutations, Caustic Cavern. I am here to meet with the ambassadorial candidates, if they are ready."
A figure carved into the gate, that of a golden cobra''s head, responds in a hissing and feminine voice. "Greetings to you, Lady Darktouched. It has been some time since you have intruded us, has it not? The candidates are in Assembly Room B, if you remember the way."
The succubus nods her head. "It has been some time, but I do remember the way, thank you." The cobra nods in return and the gate swings open, allowing the woman to step inside. This place, Caustic Cavern, is the primary military facility of the region, although its primary usage is for training rather than combat. It''s a form of training that Lady Cerise Darktouched has to participate in even now as she walks the dungeon''s halls, altering her path to not step on invisible traps, tossing out treats from a bag at her hip to placate boss-level monsters, and solving a math-based puzzle before she can actually enter the assembly hall wing. It''s unusual for a military structure to have traps that primarily work against its own defenders, but the occasional loss of a careless garrison soldier is simply the cost of doing business - even Collaborator Dungeons don''t work for free, after all. In any case, if the traps are occasionally fatal to the staff who live in the place, their usefulness against an actual ''intruder'' would be far more devastating.
Eventually she makes it to Assembly Room B, where she finds a dozen of the local residents standing around and conversing while awaiting her arrival. Each of them a slime, although in quite the variety of colors - yellow, green, red, orange, purple, and pink are all represented. Each of them turns and gives Cerise a slight bow as they notice her arrival, and a pink one takes charge of welcoming her. "Welcome, Emissary Darktouched! All of the candidates have gathered, as the Dragonlord requested. Can we offer you some refreshments or...other treats before we begin?"
Cerise eyes the pink slime, a humanoid figure around five and a half feet tall like the others, but with a form far more aggressively feminine than even those others in the room with similar presentations. As none of the others in the room are wearing much more than the occasional hat, vest or other random piece of equipment, the comparison is an easy one to make. "...Perhaps just some water if you would, I don''t believe we have time for more than that, sadly. Speaking of, while you do that I''ll need to go right ahead and begin."
The slime nods, and as a drink is procured, Cerise starts her speech. "As you know, you have been called here for the chance to serve as ambassadors. Our agents have informed us that a new dungeon has recently been born - on Mount Faralis." At that, surprised whispers break out across the room, and Cerise allows them to continue for a moment before resuming. "A dungeon which has apparently already claimed the majority of a Valleylander scouting party. The Rainlanders have only recently become aware of the dungeon, and have not yet been able to fully secure it. That allows us a very brief window of opportunity to move undetected, by which I mean I will be heading out this very night. The first objective of this mission is simple intelligence-gathering - confirm that the dungeon indeed exists, what form it has taken so far, and what sort of personality it may have. The second objective is to try and open diplomatic relations. Its location means that Collaborator status is not currently in the cards, but the Dragonlord believes it can still serve of use to us."
She steps forward and places three cloth sacks on the table in the center of the room. "I require three of you to join me on this mission. I am looking for a varied skill base, but you are all the best of your kind in your given specialties, so I know you are all qualified for the task. Before I proceed with the test, are there any present who do not wish to take on an assignment of this sort?"
The slimes look around at reach other, but a red-colored woman seems to answer for the group. "Pretty sure there isn''t another opportunity coming along like this in our lifetimes, haha! Let''s get on with it!"
Cerise smiles, though in a somewhat sad fashion. "Very well. Ullussus, would you do the honors?" At the question, the form of an ideal draconic male suddenly materializes in the room. Eight feet tall and solidly built with muscle, the main detail marking him different from a true draconic is the wild coloring of his scales, which matches the bright blots of the chemical pools outside. That, and the fact that his well-proportioned body is very unproportioned in a particular respect, one made more obvious by the fact that the man is wearing even less clothing than the slimes. He gives Cerise a grin full of sharp and shiny teeth, even as she finds herself blushing and looking towards a fireplace on the opposite side of the room.
"As you request, Lady Darktouched." The slimes line up along one side of the room, and one by one the man steps before each one of them, placing an open palm on their chests - or even within their chests, really, as he pushes with enough pressure to indent into their volatile forms. As he does so the slimes react as if they were caught in an electric current, their bodies going rigid and twitchy, vibrations rippling along their skins. Each test last for only ten seconds or so before he moves on to the next, so within a few minutes it''s done. At the end, he points to three slimes, a red, a yellow and a green. "These three are the weakest souls of the assembled."
Cerise eyes them to confirm that each is of a different class, providing the assortment she requires. "Very well, I agree with the selections. You three, you have two hours to make what arrangements you require. The rest of you are dismissed and may return to your homes." The selected trio cheer and hug each other to the congratulations of the rest of the group, and there''s mentions of a very quick celebration at the dungeon tavern as the crowd files out. Eventually, only Cerise and Ullussus remain.
"I definitely remember you wearing more clothing than this, Dungeon Master."
The still-grinning draconic walks closer to her before leaning against the heavy conference table. "What can I say? Perhaps my immodest slime residents are rubbing off on me. Or perhaps I was just hoping to impress an old friend. Brings back memories, doesn''t it? I recall when you made such a trip down to my own core chamber, once."
Cerise chuckles. "I was only a mere Dark Agent at the time, and you weren''t capable of your own avatar creation. I see you''ve spent quite a bit of time practicing since gaining that skill. Sadly, if you''re hoping to reminiscence, I''m afraid as I told the other, I simply don''t have time today."
"I recall you telling the winners they had two hours before they needed to return...?" He makes the comment with a question on his face, but the answer is equally plain on Cerise''s. "...Well, that''s a shame. I do hope you have time for a social visit in the future, in the meantime, I find myself quite jealous of the newly-born."
Cerise smiles but shakes her head. "Do not become too jealous yet, Ullussus. We still have to see how reasonable this new dungeon can be..."
Chapter 21: Deal With A Demon
Well after midnight following the day of Tafyaf''s intrusion, a red-skinned bat flies a circuit around the Triple Peak Mountain. Coming up along the southeast side first, it makes note of a small camp of Rainlander guards posted at the foot of the mountain, just before the half-natural and half-artificial path that leads up the mountainside. Finding the guards to be far below, the bat pays them no mind and makes its way around the northern path through the mountains. There it spots a second camp, a little busier and more heavily-armed, but with their attention focused on the west. Unnoticed, the bat is able to make its way back south to where the dungeon entrance was discovered, landing on the flat patch of stone without a single witness around to notice it.
For the second time that day, Lady Cerise Darktouched emerges from her shapeshifted form in front of a dungeon door. As soon as her transformation is complete, the succubus does a final scan for observers before reaching for three of the satchels tied to her waist. Although apparently woven of cloth, they handle in her palm as if they were full of water, and as she opens them up and turns them upside down three large blobs of slime plop onto the rocky ground. Red, yellow, and green, they begin to reform themselves as Cerise pulls items of clothing and weapons out of yet another small bag on her hip, casually discarding them into the three blobs of goo.
Eventually each of the three reach their full heights at a little over five feet, and as they take on more humanoid forms the clothing and equipment partially embedded into their bodies shifts to fit them properly - clothes drift onto their shoulders, while equipment is taken into hand. The yellow blob grows into a feminine form, wearing only a steel breastplate, and wielding a sword in one hand and a small round shield in the other. Green takes on a masculine shape, draped under a white robe with a wooden staff in one hand, while the red slime takes the shape of another woman, a pointed hat on her head and a potion-strapped vest around her chest, with only a small wand in her hand. As the three catch their bearings and finish recreating themselves, the yellow warrior-slime turns to their transporter.
"Nice, we''re here! One last adventure...gods, I hope I''m not too stiff, I remember being able to put myself back together in half the time."
The green slime responds. "Well as long as you''re not likely to split open halfway through the job, I think you''ll do just fine. Thanks for carrying us all this way, Lady Cerise. Are we ready to proceed?"
The succubus grins, bright white teeth showing between dark red lips. "Indeed. The Rainlanders look like they''re only on watch for more Valleyland scouts from the west, or their own curious sightseers from the east. For tonight at least, I don''t think we''ll have to worry about any interruptions. As for us, it looks like we have a riddle door to start with - charming, I always loved playing with those. Let us see what this one has to offer, shall we?" The quartet make their way over to the dungeon''s door, eventually triggering the usual response when they get to within a close enough range.
"Wow, you''re even later than that last bunch of night owls. S''all good though, probably. Are you ready to prove yourselves worthy of entering the Worthy Dungeon by solving my riddle?"
The leader answers. "Indeed, I''m looking forward to it."
Doorman nods. "...What are you?" This was apparently not what Cerise was expecting, but before she can come up with something the yellow slime answers.
"We''re slimes! Except for Lady Cerise, she''s a succubus! My name''s Tulupp!"
Cerise hisses Tulupp''s name, but the guardian door seems oddly satisfied. "Yeah, sure, I''ll buy that. You look like a cute bunch, I bet the boss will love you! Good luck!"
As the door swings open, Cerise stares into the darkness with a look of disbelief. "...I truly hope we didn''t misjudge this situation. ...Nevermind, onward!"
Inside, Xenia sighs to herself and Guy. "Y''know, I''m kinda thinking now maybe I should''ve done more of an interview process for that gig. ...Those slimes are kind of adorable though. Look, one of them''s even got a cute hat!"
Unfortunately, Xenia''s mood quickly shifts into ''anguished screaming'' as the group quickly sets out to essentially annihilate her entire first floor. The Barkbirds drop dead within seconds of them stepping inside, due to spells from the succubus and the red slime, and the slimes pass through the Slip''N''Slide chamber as if the water wasn''t even there at all - and with the succubus simply taking a gliding leap from one door to the other. The Bone Maze turns into a complete joke, as the slimes don''t even need to dodge the arrows being fired from above, the low-quality missiles simply sinking into their bodies and dissolving without doing any apparent damage whatsoever, while the yellow slime turns each of the orcish skeletons into dust with a single swing of her simple-looking blade.
Even the Boss Bunny, so recently recreated from scratch, is blown up with a single homing fireball tossed by the red slime.
Xenia despairs. "Are you kidding me!? I JUST summoned that one! Why do I even bother..."
The elevator level does at least slow the group down somewhat, due to the fact that by its very nature it limits parties to a set speed. Still, the nuisance swarms of spiders and bats do absolutely nothing to the group, and the handful of skeleton warriors are once again destroyed in single blows by the red and yellow slimes. The succubus leader barely even moves at all for the entire trip, apparently interested in the design of the floor but utterly unthreatened by it.
And at last, the elevator reaches the ground floor, with nothing left in between them and the core chamber. Xenia sinks down into the furs on her chair, despairing. "Well, Guy. It was a good run while it lasted. Think maybe you could put in a good word for me with the bosses up there? Get me something where I can at least go out for a drink before I go?"
But before Guy can answer, the succubus steps forward and announces in a clear voice, if in somewhat accented Rainlander. "Attention, master of the Worthy Dungeon. I am Lady Cerise Darktouched, Enigmatic Emissary, and I have been sent here to treat with you on behalf of the Dragonlord. I imagine you have not yet grown powerful enough to summon an avatar, so we may communicate via writing if you wish, although I have knowledge of a spell which can temporarily give spirits corporeal form. Do I have your consent to perform this spell?" Xenia raises an eyebrow, and after a quick glance at Guy, carves out a response on the chamber floor.
SURE, GO FOR IT.
The woman nods and begins chanting, causing a ritual circle to form on the ground in glowing blue light. Xenia finds herself pulled out of her chair and into the circle, straightened out into a standing position, but the pull feels gentle and comfortable and the dungeon master feels no need to fight against it. After a solid minute of chanting the circle flashes and disappears, leaving Xenia returned to the mortal plane...although not unchanged. Looking down at herself, she finds that she''s now black and white - not in the grayscale meaning of an old TV show, but literally only in the colors of pitch black and pure white. As she looks at her hands, moving them around, the creases in her skin fade in and out as black lines, apparently crossing some threshold of shadow and flipping from one state to another. Looking up at her summoner, she smirks.
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
"Nice trick. Do colors cost me extra?" The Emissary looks on in some surprise at Xenia''s appearance, however. Although at least part of that appears to be due to the amateurishly-made rabbit-ears headband Xenia is wearing, crafted together out of leather, iron wire, and actual rabbit fur. Realizing it was summoned along with her, Xenia quickly tears it off and tosses it into a corner of the room. "Haha, never mind that...lost a bet earlier. Where were we? Ah, and you can call me Xenia."
The Emissary takes a moment to control the smile beginning to appear at her lips. "Actually, this particular style is new to me - not that there''s anything unusual about the unusual when spirits are concerned. It''s a good look on you, though. An interesting contrast."
Xenia sniffs. "Thanks for the complement. Your style''s not bad either, although it kind of rubs it in that you creamed my monsters while wearing something that looks like it''d blow away in a light wind. Not saying that I don''t like it. It definitely, uh...emphasizes whatcha got pretty well."
Cerise laughs. "Thank you for the complement, and don''t feel bad. I''m level 36, my Lady, you would have needed quite a few more floors for me to even begin to get serious. Even my companions are all nearing Expert classes at 20...if they make it that far. But, shall we proceed to why we came here?"
"Go for it. Gonna admit, I don''t really know shit about the world outside right now. I''ve picked up a few factoids about the area...a vague impression of there being a ''Domain'' to the south? That''s you, right? What brings you all the way out to my humble mountain?"
The woman grins and begins to pace the room, even as her three assistants stay lined up where they first entered behind her. She takes a moment to admire the view out of the windows, or the lack thereof, before starting her pitch. "The knowledge you obtained may disagree, but we are within the Domain of the Dragonlord even now. We have never accepted the claims of the Rainlanders and Valleylanders, and even by their standards Mount Faralis, the Center of the World is considered ''disputed''. Hence the common name of ''Triple Peak'' - the Mountain with Three Names. But, no worries - we are not here to claim our domain over you, specifically."
Xenia returns to her chair, finding it slightly less comfortable now that her body has real mass. "Gee, how generous. But ''Center of the World'', huh, sounds like I sure lucked into some prime property here then."
Cerise nods. "You very much did. And because of your...extremely useful position, we would like to offer you a deal. One which involves us giving you a great many gifts, and you being required to do nothing more than you were already doing anyways."
At this Xenia leans forward, a dangerous smirk on her face. "A deal with a devil, huh? I love those! Lay it out then, what''s on offer and what''s the price?"
The succubus returns to standing before Xenia, answering as she pulls a cloth bag from her waist. "The price is simple. We want you to kill Rainlanders, as many as you can. And Valleylanders, if more of them should manage to make their way to you. But of course we understand that doing so would increase your own risks of being destroyed in turn, and that you may lack the strength to do so more than you already have been in any case. And so we are prepared to provide you with the tools to both perform this task and to defend yourself. Power to shortcut potentially years of slow, incremental progress."
Before she can begin her demonstration, Xenia interrupts with a question. "Hold on, I''ve been told that beating a tough dungeon is how people get like, god powers or whatever around here. Isn''t helping me out good for the locals, not bad?"
The Emissary smirks. "In the long run, perhaps. But people have certain expectations when it comes to dungeons. Which floors are safe for which level of experience, which dungeons go easier on delvers than others. No one close to Paragon or Champion status would ever bother visiting a dungeon newly-born, it would be a waste of their time. It will be some time before the higher tiers change their habits, and in the meanwhile you would have the opportunity to cut a great many careers...rather short. Now! Let us show you what we have to offer. We bring with us gifts approximately equivalent to what you might recover from a full party destruction of those on the verge of Expert level skills."
First, she brings out a small, polished but unadorned wooden box. "A collection of mana crystals, enough to likely double your current capacity." A steel breastplate and shield, somehow stretching their way out of the small sack. "Unenchanted but high-quality steel armor." Another wooden box. "A sampling of various potion and poison types, which, in addition to providing possible adventurer rewards, can enhance mid-tier and higher dungeon monsters." A short stick with a heavy-looking blue crystal implanted in one end of it. "A Force Wand, possessing spells for both barriers and non-elemental attacks." A small pile of fabrics, as if a sampler collection was put together from a crafts store. "Clothing material suitable for both magical robes and civilian fashions. The bottomless bag itself is also yours to keep, which will provide you with access to an abstract Dungeon Inventory - and! A unique item, crafted specifically for dungeons such as yourself." She finishes by pulling out two small crystal balls, each ringed by a metal band covered in runes. "Two single-use equivalents to the spell I have just cast on you, sufficient to generate a physical avatar for you for one hour each."
Xenia grows a bit wide-eyed like a child on Christmas, but before she can ask any questions Cerise brings up one more offer as she approaches her slime support. "Additionally, you may choose one of my slime companions to join you. Tulupp in yellow is a level 19 Slime Sentinel, an expert in defense and short-range melee. Pullyp, in green, is a level 18 Slime Regenerator - a healer, with additional self-regeneration spells and healing-over-time capabilities. And finally, in red here is Lollyp, a level 19 Slime Elementalist, a combat mage specializing in elemental attacks, although I believe Lollyp here likes fire particularly."
Lollyp grins widely. "I do!" Xenia is a bit confused by this final offer, however.
"Hold on, hold on. Like, one of em will move in here? Like a roommate? We''re not big on amenities or anything like that..." Cerise gives a light laugh.
"Oh, no, of course not. I will ''retire'' the slime of your choice before we go, allowing you to absorb their knowledge, equipment, and of course, soul. Any one would grant you mid-tier non-sapient slime summons immediately as well, as dungeon classifications treat them as relatives."
The dungeon master blanches at this, which casts the rest of the deal in a new light. "Whoa, whoa, now that''s a little fucked up. ...Why do you three all look so cheerful, did she like, put a Charm spell on you or something?"
Pullyp, the healer, shakes his blobby head. "No, no, we volunteered. Ah...you see, we slimes on average only live to be about twenty. Tulupp and I are both 22, Lollyp here''s 23...personally, I might be able to stretch things out a bit longer, being a Regenerator, but the fact is, we''re old. We dry out faster than we used to, shapes are harder to hold. One way or another, this trip is probably gonna be the last mission any of us ever take. Hells, this job would probably qualify us for Expert classes but odds are we''d never finish the training period."
The red slime Lollyp adds her two cents. "And hey, even if we lose our memories, at least we''re getting to choose what our next life is gonna be! And if it''s in service to our country, then that seems like a win. I mean, who knows what we might get if we roll the dice, right?"
The hard look on Xenia''s face softens. "I...I can actually kinda get that sentiment, yeah." She sighs. "Look, I don''t really know you, I definitely don''t trust you, but...you''re probably right in that you''re not really asking me to do anything I''m not going to be doing anyways. I mean, I don''t like killing idiots, I don''t mind giving them plenty of chances to back out, but if they''re determined to get down here I''d definitely wanna use this stuff. So...I guess I don''t see any reason to turn you down?"
Cerise claps her hands. "Wonderful! I''m glad you''re such a reasonable sort of dungeon."
Xenia Worthy, Reasonable Dungeon rolls her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. To be honest, and I''m sorry if this was a bad stereotype or anything, but I was half-expecting you to throw in a night with you as part of the bargain, heh. Given that I''ve actually got a real body for the night and all." At that, a different look enters Cerise''s eyes. A very...sultry look.
"Very few dungeons are interested in that sort of thing...although you''re not the first, either. You''re right, it''s not part of the bargain, but in the interests of good relations I wouldn''t be opposed to making the offer anyhow. We certainly have plenty of time to...get to know each other better before we conclude our business." A finger traces its way down her very deep cleavage, pulling ever so slightly at the loose fabric of her dress, causing a nipple to nearly break free of its confinement. Xenia stares and, almost unbidden, a low-quality but large bed suddenly shoots up from the floor behind her, made of a mix of stone, wood, and many, many furs.
"...Anyone who''s not a sexy-ass succubus, please give us the room." As the slimes, and a mostly-invisible Guy, turn to make their way to the elevator, Xenia rethinks and adds an addendum. "...Actually. Wait." She sighs. "The red one, Lollyp...no pressure or anything, but would you want, y''know...one last roll in the furs before you go?"
Lollyp''s smile reaches sizes impossible for most mortal races. "Fuck yeah!"
Chapter 22: Roll in the Fur - Explicit
With the ''lucky winner'' having been selected, Tulupp and Pullyp take the exit portal to the dungeon''s entrance, giving sloppy high-fives to the Elementalist Lollyp on their way out. Guy does hesitate a little about making their own way to the first floor, but Xenia quickly waves them on, perhaps hoping to avoid any chance of being talked out of what''s about to happen. Cerise ignores the way the dungeon master appears to be waving at thin air, instead moving towards the simple table Xenia set up and pulling a bottle of wine and a pair of glasses from her Bottomless Bag. "I always keep an emergency bottle or two on hand in the event that a meeting goes particularly well, and although it seems our business for the night isn''t yet concluded, I''d say I have a good feeling about things."
Xenia turns around with her eyes going wide at the sight of alcohol, although that doesn''t compare to the look on her face as Cerise makes an almost imperceptible gesture at one shoulder, causing her dress to fall to the floor around her feet. As she begins to pour out a round she stands by the table in nothing more than a pair of black high-waisted thong panties and her high heels, her proud breasts doing much to capture the dungeon master''s attention. For Lollyp''s part, the slime just seems to maintain the same wide grin she''s had for a while now, though it''s hard to say if she''s perhaps immune to the succubi''s charms or simply more used to them.
"If you''ve got an extra bottle to throw in with the rest of the deal, I promise to do in a whole adventurer party in your honor. But uh...damn, you don''t mess around, do you? I don''t want to make too many assumptions about how things work in this world, but is this, y''know, a you thing, or a succubus thing?"
Cerise grins as she hands a glass to Xenia before heading in the direction of the bed. "Both, perhaps. We succubi do recharge our magical energies by consuming released emotional energy, but not in the life-draining way that I''ve heard of in some rumors. Any strong emotion will do, although perhaps the easiest to generate on command are pleasure and pain. Personally, I''ve always much preferred the former."
Lollyp giggles. "Us slimes don''t really feel as much pain as most mortals do, but we can go really strong in the other direction, so we get a lot of visits from succubi like Lady Cerise, hehe."
Xenia swallows some of the wine from her glass, taking a moment to enjoy the feeling of swallowing anything at all as much as the taste of the wine itself. She sets the rest aside though, not wanting to get too distracted. "So...how do you want to do this? I gotta admit, it''s been a while for me, so I''m just trying real hard not to like...tackle you to the bed right now."
The emissary raises an eyebrow. "Rather surprised that you have any experience at all, to be honest. But, I wouldn''t want to make such an eager partner wait. Lollyp, would you help, ah...warm up our client while I prepare myself?"
"On it!" The removal of clothing from Lollyp''s form isn''t nearly as elegant as it was from Cerise''s, but almost as fast, the hat and vest simply sliding off the slime''s body onto the ground. With those out of the way, Lollyp makes her own way to the bed while wrapping a tentacle-like arm around Xenia''s wrist to pull her along. Cerise steps aside to recover yet another item from her bag, but before Xenia can take a look to see what it is, the slime''s pulled the woman into an embrace, appendages forming and shifting to explore her body and tug at her robe. There''s a brief kiss, although it mostly serves to confuse Xenia given that a slime''s mouth feels like nothing else she''s ever encountered. To confuse, and to distract, as by time the kiss is over she finds her robe already being pulled up over her head. "This black and white thing you''ve got going on is so weird! Looks like you''ve got all the fun bits, though..."
Xenia bites her lip as a blobby hand grabs on to her right breast, pulling and tweaking at it, apparently particularly amused by the pitch-black nipple marking its center. "Yeah, I...I gotta figure out''s up with that...I swear I don''t look like this normally...but, later though." Wrapping Lollyp in an embrace she rolls herself onto the bed, dragging the slime with her, even if it''s ironically not as fluid a motion as it would be with a more solid partner. Still, she manages to find her way on top, hands ready to explore her new friend though not entirely sure of herself as she does so. Grabbing hold of one of Lollyp''s modest breasts, she plays with it experimentally, watching as it stretches under her grip. At one point she squeezes a bit too tightly, causing a thumb to actually penetrate inside of Lollyp''s body, but the sound the Elementalist makes is a moan rather than a yell. "That...that felt good for you?"
Lollyp smirks. "We can practically rewire our nervous system on the fly. When we wanna have fun, almost anything can feel good! Not that that''s an excuse to get lazy, mind you..." Xenia nods in agreement and begins to move her other hand further down, exploring for the woman''s thighs, though as she turns her head she catches sight of what Cerise has been up to behind her.
"Is that a...slime strap-on? Just how much shit did you put in your purse there ''just in case''? ...And uh, do you have any spares of those, too?"
Cerise grins down at the pair, now wearing only a leather-reinforced pair of panties with a smooth, pink phallus shape attached to their front, which somehow appears similar to the texture of a slime yet definitely far more rigid. "Simply one of the tools of the trade. And yes, I do have a few spare items I may leave behind...if you leave me in a good mood before I go."
"Mission heard an'' accepted. But first, don''t wanna forget about the one I''ve already got in front of me here..." Turning back towards Lollyp, Xenia licks her way across one breast as her hand resumes its journey between the slime''s thighs. To her surprise, the elderly slime actually tastes something like strawberries, and Xenia has to wonder if it''s real or if her mind is simply playing tricks on her, given the many years it''s been since she last tasted anything at all. To confirm her findings she begins to suckle on the slime''s tit in earnest, and in even further surprise she finds fluids trickling their way into her mouth. "Ha, uh, is it just me or are you kinda, y''know...juicy? Not that I''m complaining, but it''s a bit of a surprise."
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Lollyp gives a bit of an embarrassed grin, her hands pressing against her cheeks. "It''s, ah...well, when we start to get a bit older, we can kind of, um...leak, a bit, when squeezed. But it''s fine! All my acid-y juices are safely contained, and I could replenish the rest with a good drink later. Do you, uh...like it?"
Xenia answers by giving a very long suck at the slime''s nipple, pulling the modest breast several inches away from the slime''s body and causing a slow stream of fluid to begin spilling from her lips. "Mmm! Honestly? This shit''s better than the wine. I could just drink you alllll up." In the meanwhile, her hand finally finds its way to Lollyp''s smooth slit, and Xenia begins to penetrate her partner in a more traditional way as her fingers slip their way inside, finding things to be already generously lubricated. Almost at the same time she can feel the bed shift as Cerise climbs up behind her, and there''s soon a pair of fingers rubbing along her own pussy.
"It is quite a taste, isn''t it? But how about you? I find that dungeon avatars are almost always quite...unique." Xenia releases her suction on the elastic tit in her mouth, but before she can look back in Cerise''s direction, she twitches at the feel of the succubi''s narrow tongue licking its way across all of her most intimate parts. "...Interesting. A taste like cream, mixed in with something...darker. I wonder what that could be."
The dungeon master puts on an awkward smirk. "Aw shucks, can''t say I''ve done anything special. Though how about we move on to something a little less embarrassing, huh?"
Cerise adjusts her position between Xenia''s legs. "Apologies, I didn''t mean to make you uncomfortable. How about I demonstrate to you the benefits of slime-derived materials, shall I?" With a slight nod from Xenia, the tip of Cerise''s strap begins to push its way between her folds, and almost immediately Xenia can tell it has a texture unlike anything she''s used before. It feels almost as if it''s lubricated, yet not in a way that rubs off as the succubus begins to slowly drive the shaft further inside. Instead it''s a consistent smoothness on every thrust, the friction largely provided by the girth of the thing as it begins to spread her apart. Before Cerise has barely even begin, Xenia already finds herself trembling in a very, very long-delayed orgasm.
"Ah! Fuck! It''s been so long! God, you''ve got no idea how long I''ve been waiting for that!"
Cerise raises an eyebrow, though she doesn''t entirely stop her hip motions. "Again, I wonder what you mean. Are you perhaps older than you appear?"
Xenia picks her head up from where it was beginning to press into Lollyp''s chest. "Sorry, confidential information. But please, don''t stop. I want as much as you can give me until this avatar spell breaks, or until I do!" Turning back to Lollyp, she gets a bit of an apologetic look on her face. "...An'' sorry, I might not be real good at focusing on you much right now..."
The slime gives an understanding nod. "No probs, just happy to be here, really! ...Although...Lady Cerise, would it be alright if I, you know...?"
Cerise chuckles. "Very well. After all, we''re here at the service of our client, after all, it wouldn''t do to make her work too much." Xenia isn''t quite sure what they''re referring to, but a moment later she feels the appearance of a new slimy appendage growing between her legs. Cerise shifts a bit, and when Xenia looks back, she finds that an obscene tentacle form has worked its way through the gaps in Cerise''s strap-on harness to penetrate the succubus. The red-skinned woman takes a moment to adjust, but after a slight gasp she returns her gaze to the dungeon master. "Slime companions do have so many benefits, do they not? Now...how about we really get things going?"
Unable to find her words, Xenia simply nods, and the succubus resumes her earlier pace of thrusting, only to soon increase it to new heights. At the same time Lollyp begins to squirm as she works her groin-based tentacle in and out of Cerise''s cunt, and Xenia finds herself unable to resist making out with the adorable woman beneath her. After a while Cerise leans over the both of them, resting her hands on the bed to improve the strength of her assault, and the part Xenia finds most notable about the position is the sheer heat of the woman. Her breasts begin to drape across Xenia''s back, erect nipples tracing lines along her shoulder blades, but the body temperature they give off is beyond anything the woman expects. Whether it''s an artifact of the avatar body or a genuine furnace driving the succubus mounting her, Xenia finds herself pressing back against Cerise''s chest and stomach, taking pleasure in every inch of skin contact she can find. At the same time she doesn''t give up on the trail of lip-marks she leaves along Lollyp''s cheeks and neck, greedily taking everything she can get from both of her partners.
They continue on like this for some time, Cerise''s experienced motions driving Xenia''s pleasure-starved body to two more orgasms before Xenia finds herself fed up by the imbalance of the situation. "...Okay, okay, I appreciate all the attention, but I did promise to leave you two in a good mood, too. How about you two swap positions? Lady, you can drop the strap, though uh...you can keep whatever it is you''ve got going on there, Lolly."
"Hehe. As you insist, Lady Xenia." The succubus removes the sex toy and lies down on the bed as Lollyp moves to a kneeling position, but rather than resume the makeout session with her new partner, this time Xenia plants her face down between the succubi''s thighs. She soon finds a familiar taste there from Lollyp''s efforts earlier, but something new as well.
"Oh, man, that''s...almost spicy. Ain''t complaining, though." As Cerise grins at her, leaning back on a pillow made entirely of fur, Xenia proves how well she likes the new flavor by diving in with gusto. Not for long however, as it''s soon interrupted by a movement that makes her spasm. "Oh, god! Was that...a slime tentacle? Jesus fuck, that''s even better than the strap...no offense."
Lollyp giggles, taking her turn to mount the dungeon master. "I''ve gotten lots and lots of practice. And if you give me a new slime body after this is over, I bet you the new me would be totally up for learning how all over again..."
Xenia sighs. "Don''t suppose you''ve got any more of those avatar generator things to trade out, do you?" The succubus smiles, and leans forward to whisper in Xenia''s ear.
"In the future, if we continue this arrangement perhaps. But...I do hear that dungeon spirits can physically interact with their own creations, can they not?" The whisper is soon matched by another in her other ear from Lollyp.
"We''re going to have a whole lot of fun, aren''t we, Lady Xenia?"
The imbalance on Xenia''s score sheet once again goes up by one. And while things aren''t quite so one-sided by time the night ends, the dungeon master still finds herself with quite a debt to repay if there''s ever a future engagement...
Chapter 23: A Deal Struck
Much, much later that evening, following multiple re-applications of Cerise''s avatar-summoning spell, the trio finally find themselves back to dealing with the final matter of business awaiting them. Xenia and Cerise stand near to Xenia''s bed, a sleeping Lollyp resting on a fresh set of furs that were summoned in lieu of a laundry service. Even in sleep the slime woman has a smile on her face, and Xenia finds her heartstrings being tugged by what''s about to occur. "So...she''s under a sleeping spell, you said? Totally out of it?"
Cerise nods. "The method I''m about to use is quite painless, but even so...well, even those prepared for it can often have a hard time finally facing their own mortality." Xenia nods along.
"Amen. Even if you know what''s coming next, it''s hard to jump off that cliff sometimes." Once again, Cerise finds herself giving the dungeon master a questioning stare. "...I really need to work on shutting up more. Ignore me. How''s this work?"
Sighing, Cerise takes a seat on a stool Xenia summoned for her and begins to move her hands over Lollyp''s chest. "The easiest way to describe it would be as...soul surgery. The spell has little use in combat, as it''s almost impossible to use on someone who''s resisting the process, but it can be useful to treat various soul-based afflictions. Or...to sever it from the body. As forms of death go, it''s as peaceful an option as you''ll find."
Nodding, Xenia finds herself taking the slime''s hand in her own as Cerise works. It''s odd, given how little she really knows about the spellcaster, but the sacrifice Lollyp is willing to make for her feels like something the dungeon master has to answer with at least a token show of appreciation. It doesn''t last for long, however - with a slight flick of Cerise''s wrist, a gasp escapes the slime''s mouth, and soon after her body seems to halfway deflate into the fur blankets. "...It''s done." Xenia''s comment is more of a statement than a question, but the succubus answers regardless.
"It is." Cerise takes a moment to collect herself before rising back to her feet, and turning to face Xenia. "...You know, I''ve gotten to know many dungeon spirits over the years. Some are cruel, some can be fun...there''s even a small number who I would say it''s been a pleasure to work with. But among those, you seem to be your own special kind of unique. I do truly wish you success, and I hope we can renew our...relationship in the future."
Xenia gives an awkward smirk. "Gee, shucks. It''s been the highlight of my career having you here, too. Anything I can do to guarantee I see you again one of these days?"
Cerise raises a finger to Xenia''s chin, looking deeply into the woman''s black and white eyes. "...Will you kill for me?"
The breath catches in Xenia''s chest, but she finds herself nodding. "...I will. As fucked up a basis as that might be for a second date, I''m gonna think of you every time one of those gifts saves my ass from some adventurer asshole. And I''ll make sure to make good use of...whoever Lollyp ends up becoming."
A faint smile crosses Cerise''s lips. "Again, I wish you every possible success." Collecting herself yet again, she shifts to a more formal tone. "I''ve left our gifts on the table there, including the...''special'' items you requested earlier. I daresay you did earn them, in the end." Xenia blushes, or as much as she can in her monochrome state, but Cerise continues. "I''ll make my exit and rejoin the others upstairs, which will close off this ''intrusion'' and allow you to absorb your new capabilities. Farewell, Master of Worthy Dungeon. May we meet again soon."
"Likewise...Lady Cerise Darktouched." Xenia feels herself fluster as she uses the formal-sounding title, but somehow it just wouldn''t feel right to settle for her usual ''yeah, it''s been fun, now get the fuck out of my house.'' Without further words the succubus makes her way to the chamber''s exit portal, mentally activates the spell ring on the floor, and vanishes in a glow of blue light. Before long the items she left behind begin to dissolve into the dungeon furniture, including the corpse of Lollyp left on her bed, as well as Lollyp''s personal effects where they were left on the floor. Soon after she hears the voice of Guy calling from the elevator shaft.
"I see we have an Intrusion Report waiting for us! Are you...decent, ma''am?"
Xenia scoffs. "Well I got the robe back on, that''s as good as you''re gonna get! C''mon, let''s see what this all added up to." Permission granted, the guide''s screen leaves the shaft and enters the core chamber, spawning notification screens as they go.
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INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS SLAIN: 1
MORTALS ESCAPED: 3
NEW RESOURCE PATTERNS GATHERED:
FABRIC (HIGH QUALITY)
STEEL (HIGH QUALITY)
MANA STORAGE CRYSTALS
GLASS
SLIME FABRIC (RARE MATERIAL)
WOOD (AVERAGE QUALITY)
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
SLIMES, NON-SAPIENT: C
CLOTHING: C+
METAL ARMOR: C
SHIELDS: D+
WOOD CONSTRUCTS: D
STEEL CONSTRUCTS: D+
SLIME MATERIAL ACCESSORIES: D+
FOOD AND DRINK: D
CURRENCY (DOMAIN): D+
WANDS: D
POTIONS: C-
POISONS: C
DUNGEON META-INVENTORY UNLOCKED
ADVANCED ITEM ENCHANTING UNLOCKED
BARRIERS UNLOCKED
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 1 - LOLLYP, SLIME
2 UNABSORBABLE ITEMS ADDED TO INVENTORY: 2 RUNESPELL ORBS
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 30 TO 60
MANA ACQUIRED: 100, CURRENT AMOUNT: 47 (13 CONSUMED BY CONSTRUCTS)
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
LANGUAGES: DRACONIC
GEOGRAPHY: DEEPCOLOR MESA
SKILLS: MAGE (INITIATE), SLIME ELEMENTALIST (ADVANCED)
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: ONCE UPON A SLIME 1
YOU HAVE SLAIN YOUR FIRST MORTAL SLIME. MANA SPELL EFFECTIVENESS ON SLIMES INCREASED BY 25%.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: FIRE AND ICE 1
YOU HAVE LEARNED AT LEAST TWO OFFENSIVE MAGIC SPELLS. MAGIC PROJECTILE TRAPS UNLOCKED. TRAP LEVEL INCREASED BY ONE.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: FIRE AND ICE 2
YOU HAVE LEARNED AT LEAST FIVE OFFENSIVE MAGIC SPELLS. MAGIC PROJECTILE TRAP COST DECREASED BY 30%. TRAP LEVEL INCREASED BY ONE.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: SHIELD FORMATION 1
YOU HAVE LEARNED AT LEAST TWO DEFENSIVE MAGIC SPELLS. ''ACCESSIBILITY'' DIFFICULTY ALLOWANCES INCREASED BY ONE LEVEL.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: SLEEP TIGHT 1
YOU HAVE SLAIN A SLEEPING MORTAL. TRAPS WHICH CAUSE SLEEPINESS OR DRAIN STAMINA ARE 25% MORE EFFECTIVE.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE 1
YOU HAVE MANIPULATED A MORTAL INTO SLAYING A PARTY MEMBER. TRAPS WHICH CAUSE MIND-ALTERING EFFECTS ARE 25% MORE EFFECTIVE.
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Xenia reads through the screens, generally pleased at what she sees. "''Slime accessories'', huh? Better than having to rank up a category just for sex toys I guess, if dudes are coming in here equipped with dildos I don''t think I wanna know about it. ...Huhhh..." She pauses as she notices one thing that seems a little different than usual. "Hey, Guy, does this thing usually display the names of the souls we collected? Honestly I don''t think I even know the names of a couple of those guys."
Guy, however, doesn''t respond right away. "Hrrk...ah...you ah...recall that earlier...''unusual'' attribute you unlocked? I, ah...think there''s another one - agh!" With a sound that comes far too close to vomiting, one more window appears - another one in black and white, with an oddly fluid form to its frame. Hesitantly, Xenia pulls it forward.
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HIDDEN DUNGEON ATTRIBUTE DISCOVERED:
TRIPLE CURSED DUNGEON
MORTALS WHO WILLINGLY SURRENDER THEIR SOUL TO THIS DUNGEON SHALL PASS ON TO ITS WELL WITH ALL MEMORIES, SKILLS, PERSONALITY, AND WILL INTACT
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For once, the dungeon master''s jaw drops. "...Oooooh, fuck. Why do I have to find that one out now?"
The next several minutes consist largely of Xenia pacing her way back and forth across the room, mumbling to herself, an activity only briefly interrupted by the disruption of her avatar spell finally wearing off for the last time. For a while Guy is content to allow their charge to work out her thoughts in her own way, but eventually it seems like someone needs to step in to break her train of thought. "Ma''am! If you keep at it much longer, you''ll find a way for a virtual avatar to somehow wear a track into stone. Now, I understand that was a rather unusual message just then, but perhaps if we discuss our thoughts together we would be better able to solve the issue plaguing your mind?"
Glancing in Guy''s direction, Xenia slows down a bit and catches a deep breath. "Guy...would it be fucked up if we actually use Lollyp''s soul for something now?"
Guy''s screen tilts. "I''m afraid I don''t follow your thinking. To be honest, this seems like a potential windfall for us, if anything!"
Xenia shakes her head, however. "Not saying I would give it up myself, but...being a reincarnator''s not always a good thing. Like we were saying the other day, being born into a form, fresh and shiny and all that, helps adapt you to it. Imagine taking a normal-ass dude though and sticking him into a door like we did with the guy upstairs? I bet you even Doorman would be way less cheerful if he remembered having a family or whatever, you know?"
"Ah, I see. Well, in at least this case we''re fortunate, as I believe we can in fact restore Lollyp to her original body. Or better, even!"
Going by her raised eyebrow, Xenia seems unconvinced. "You mean like, long-term, right? Weren''t you saying we don''t get bodies that even look alive until we tier up a bunch more times?"
"For most mortals, that would be correct. However, Lollyp is a slime, a rare case of a mortal race with a monster cousin. As you may have noticed, absorbing even a single mortal slime immediately put us at ''C'' tier in monster slimes. And while that rank would normally be a step down from an average mortal''s body, if you were to mana-enhance one to ''Boss''-level quality, it would be effectively at least as good as any average mortal slime, given their ability to reshape their form as they see fit."
Eyes wide, Xenia raises a hand to her lips. "I...I can do it? I can, totally, for real, bring Lollyp back to life?"
"As a dungeon monster dependent on your mana to live, yes. But there are certainly worse fates."
Firming her will, Xenia brings up her construction spells and spawns a new empty chamber between the elevator shaft and her own chamber, pushing it deeper into the mountain once again. "Alright. Alright! Let''s do it! Floor two needs a boss, and Lollyp''s got the job. Let''s just hope she doesn''t mind the slight change in plans..."
Going through her slime monster options, Xenia finds there''s quite a few different kinds, specialized in various different ways. There''s also a wide variety of color options, although they don''t appear to have any effect beyond appearance. Deciding to go with the form most similar to Lollyp''s original body, Xenia selects a ''basic'' red slime at her maximum tier and summons it into the currently-empty boss chamber. Before it has time to wander off, she then immediately charges it up with her freshly-acquired mana, overloading it until the body grows larger and stronger, becoming a Boss Slime. Then, finally, Xenia goes into the menu describing her soul inventory, noting the special entry for ''LOLLYP, SLIME''. "...Alright. Here we go. Bringing back the dead!"
Almost imperceptibly, a soft glow emanates from the dungeon master''s palm and into the slime. Nearly immediately the behavior of the Boss Slime begins to change, with the large protrusion on the top of the blobby form pointing one way and then the other as if it were looking around the room. After a few moments it then points straight upwards, forming the basis of a humanoid body as it stretches itself out, turning its mass into recognizable arms, legs, and a head. Finally a face appears, and Lollyp''s wide eyes and wide smile turn to face Xenia...with a bit of an embarrassed look.
"Oh, wow! That must have been really something, I can''t remember the last time I just totally lost my form like that! Feels like I really slept in, too...oh, dang, did I miss something? Where''s Lady Cerise? Don''t tell me she just left me here as I am!?"
Xenia does her best to plaster a smile on her face. "No, no, everything went well! So uh...welcome, Boss of Floor Two Lollyp! Today begins the first day of your second life!"
Lollyp gasps. "Oh, sweet! This is better than I expected, I feel more flexible already...wait." The slime tilts her head, the smile slowly fading from her lips. "Uh. How come I can, you know. Remember things?"
The dungeon master chuckles uneasily. "...Did I forget to mention the part where this dungeon is cursed?"
Chapter 24: Curse You
Lollyp narrows her eyes as she glares at her new boss. "No. No, I''m pretty sure I would''ve remembered you mentioning something like ''the dungeon is cursed''. Please, tell me more. Now that I''m in, you know, a very long-term binding contract and all that."
Xenia looks to Guy, but finds no help there - quite the opposite in fact. "I have to admit, I do have some questions along those lines myself. The first time a message like that popped up, you didn''t seem terribly surprised. I assumed you were just referring to your personal bad luck, but there''s more to it, isn''t there?" They do at least manage to distract Lollyp briefly, however.
"Oh! Oh, is that a dungeon guide!? ...I kinda thought they would look, uh...fancier? Oh, but yeah, back to the cursed thing - what the fuck?" The slime once again narrows her eyes.
Caught with nowhere to run, Xenia sighs. "Yeah. Yeah, there''s more to it. C''mon, grab a seat because this might take a few, but if this is gonna keep happening I guess I gotta get into it." Leading the way back into her core chamber, she summons a chair for Lollyp to use before sinking into her own. "Alright, so first bit, and Guy you know this one already - I''m a reincarnator. Reincarnator Extraordinaire, actually, gotta keep the branding up, important to have a brand, you know? I suck at keeping my dumbass mouth shut so you mighta noticed me almost giving it away a few times last night, but when I die, I keep my memories and all that other shit."
Lollyp gasps, already seeming to have lost her earlier irritation. "So you''ve been around since like, the dawn of time?" Xenia chuckles.
"Nah, not that old at least. Probably done at least twenty rounds by now, kinda lost count, and I definitely don''t remember how many years it''s been but I don''t think I''ve hit four digits yet. Assuming there''s not much downtime between rounds, I pretty much always end up in places with different calendars and all that crap, so who knows. But...it''s been a while. But it''s the curses that kicked off this whole thing."
Guy swivels around the table where Lollyp and Xenia are sitting. "Sorry, did you say curses, plural? Was one to spend eternity reincarnating?"
The dungeon master shakes her head. "Naw, as far as I can tell it was just a weird combination effect in play. Some of it was my fault, the rest of it I pieced together afterwards from a lot of visits to like, witches and fortune tellers and that sort of thing. So, it all started off with my two friends, Rebecca and Becky."
Lollyp tilts her head. "Aren''t those names the - "
"Don''t ask. Anyways, the two of em were getting into this big witchcraft kick, and you gotta understand, in the world I originally came from, none of that shit was ever supposed to actually work, you know? It was just, superstition and shit, no mana or monsters or any of that. So the two of them said they wanted to practice out some curses they read about and I, uh...volunteered to be the target."
Guy scoffs. "A choice you''ve come to regret since, I imagine." Xenia actually has to think and consider her response, though.
"...Honestly, I''ve pretty much come to terms with it. There''s been good times and bad, but given the choice I''d probably let it happen again. Probably would''ve lived longer that round if I hadn''t, though. So, right, each of them tried out a curse on me. Rebecca gave me a curse to ''turn my luck around''. Which kinda sounded like a good thing at the time really, given I didn''t exactly feel very lucky, but I guess on balance it probably set up the first of the dominoes for what came after."
Guy tilts in their version of a nod. "That would fit in with the first ''attribute'', yes, to swap the good and bad luck of our intruders. A true curse for some, but perhaps a benefit to others."
"Pretty much. Then Becky hit me with a ''never to settle down''. Which at the time I assumed was gonna be about, like, the course of my actual singular life, and that didn''t really sound so bad either. I moved around a lot, never had a steady relationship, so it all just sounded like more of the same. But I think that was the domino that really kicked off the reincarnation effect, since I guess it means like, my soul will never settle down? Always bouncing from one life to the next, or whatever."
Lollyp tilts her head. "I guess I can see it. Just the two dominoes, then?"
Xenia shakes her head. "Just the two on me. But I think that bad luck brought in the third one, cause in that life I got run over by a cursed truck."
The slime raises an imitation eyebrow. "...What?"
Xenia exhales a short breath. "Ah, a big heavy vehicle for carrying freight. Anyways, this was what I had to piece together afterwards, but apparently I was killed by a truck that was cursed to be ''attracted to danger''. I don''t know who cursed a truck or why, it''s really fuckin'' difficult to investigate a curse from another dimension and years later. But I think it''s why I was, A, kicked out of my safe, comfy little life, and B, almost always end up getting reincarnated into some super-violent shit. Like, statistically, most of my lives should just be as bugs or something, right? But that only happened once! ...And it was kinda violent, as things go, I guess."
Her guide pauses. "...You''ve been a bug?"
"Not in my top ten, I''ll tell you that."
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Guy pauses again, this time in thought. "So...going by the notifications, we still have one more hidden attribute to discover. Something about danger?" Xenia shrugs.
"Beats me, Guy, I''m just rollin'' with the punches. Sounds like being a dungeon comes with danger as a default, though. Though uh, speaking of being a dungeon...hope this doesn''t inspire any regrets, Lolly? If I can call ya that. Believe me, if I''d known this was gonna be a thing last night I totally would have mentioned it. If you''re uncomfortable, I could...well, at the least I could probably put you back to sleep in the Well, might be an option in there somewhere to release you on to...y''know, whatever."
Lollyp shrugs. "Lolly''s fine, I guess. As for the other thing..." The slime hops out of her chair, and appears to go through some stretching motions. After settling out, she reaches out an arm - and then suddenly stretches it out far enough to reach the opposite wall, albeit as a rather stretched out tentacle rather than a recognizable hand. Then she pulls it back, but reforms the end into a spiked mace shape. Testing her strength out, she slams it into the ground, actually causing a bit of a vibration to ripple through Xenia''s chair and the water in the room''s basin, before returning it to a traditional five-fingered hand. As a final test, she wiggles her fingers, causing small balls of elemental energy to form around each - Xenia can make out hints of fire, ice, and electricity before she extinguishes them. Finally Lollyp turns back to face Xenia, a wide smirk on her face.
"I haven''t felt this limber in ten years, and even then I don''t think I could stretch out that far. And I''ve still got all my magic! I think my mana reserves might be a bit lower, like back when I first trained up to Elementalist, but I''m guessing that''s something we might be able to upgrade, especially if you could set up a wand or something for me. And I don''t feel like I''m gonna rip open and spill my guts out anymore, so y''know, physically, top marks, would sacrifice my soul again. As for the rest...well, I guess it''s gonna suck a little having to live in here from now on, but I feel like I''m gonna be a lot more useful than I would''ve been without my memories. I mean, I still got all my magic! I don''t know if you know slimes, but the monster kind can''t shoot elemental blasts, I can tell you that. So I''m...hesitantly positive?"
Lollyp pauses for a moment, and then as if testing something, she points a finger at Xenia and then stretches it out until it''s gently poking the dungeon master in the arm. "Physical contact confirmed, good to know." She narrows her eyes again, but this time with a devious smirk on her face. "Don''t suppose you were looking forward to a re-occurrence of last night, huh?"
"Ha ha..." Xenia laughs awkwardly, while side-eyeing Guy. "Maybe we should...talk about that later, yeah? But hey, if you''re good, then welcome to Team Worthy! That room over there''s gonna be your Boss arena, but I guess also kind of your living quarters for now? Maybe when we expand we can make some sort of like...special residential floor or some shit, especially if we somehow get more folks ''intact'', but how''d you like to take over the design of the room yourself? I honestly don''t know shit about how slimes like to live or fight, and you''re gonna have to do both in one space, for now at least."
Lollyp raises her fists in excitement. "Woo! Dungeon Apprentice Lollyp! Mind if I can burn some mana on traps? I know there''s some shit that''s fine for us slimes but other mortals just haaaaate it." Xenia turns to Guy with a questioning look.
"Can you make dungeon changes yourself, without me pushin'' buttons? We''ve got a lot of dungeon upgrades to do right now, thinking I give you and Lollyp an allowance of like, half our mana to do what she likes while I fix things up upstairs."
Guy responds affirmatively. "I can be given temporary control of a small percentage of the dungeon, indeed. More a concern for when a dungeon has more floors than a mortal mind can easily manage, but it would work well for this situation as well."
Xenia stands up and claps her hands. "Alright! No telling when we''re gonna get more guests, so let''s get busy! I''ve got a Boss Bunny to respawn...again...and some designs to update, so good luck with your Boss Slime room. Will check in when the mana is dry!"
Fortunately, many of the trap upgrades appeared to have happened automatically when the dungeon''s trap level upgraded. Now at ''level four'', the tripwires and pressure plates were still visible, but only if an intruder was actually putting effort into looking for them. Their reaction speed had also increased, although it seemed that the darts in the dart traps wouldn''t improve until Xenia''s separate dart quality went up as well. There was still plenty of other work to do, though - Xenia started at the front, upgrading Doorman to a higher quality of wood exterior, while hiding steel plate reinforcements between layers of wood. Using more steel in the exterior would have probably improved his endurance as well, but Xenia didn''t want to give away the presence of their new upgrades too quickly. Likewise, the Barkbirds'' room was left alone. The birds were unable to fly with any notable armor strapped to them, and it somehow felt unfair to go too hard on what was basically the dungeon''s entrance room.
The Slip''N''Slide room did get one notable upgrade, though - a ''water'' slime, placed in the center of the room directly over the chamber''s exit key. Water slimes were apparently virtually invisible while sitting motionless in water, and if the monster could grab on to intruders and hold them in place, the stone traps would likely prove much more effective. The water layer was still shallow, but fortunately wide enough for the slime to stretch out and hide itself in.
The Bone Maze got even more upgrades. For starters, the orc skeletons got low-quality steel armor and reinforced wood shields to go along with their swords, significantly increasing their combat ability, or at the least decreasing the odds of them being destroyed in a single sword stroke. Additionally, ''acid'' slimes were added alongside the skeleton archers in the upper level, ready to drop down onto the heads of unsuspecting intruders. It would probably be a grisly death, if it worked, but Xenia was willing to give it a try and adjust if it proved too much even for her.
Unfortunately, with the cost of resurrecting the Boss Bunny and half her current mana donated to Lollyp, Xenia was unable to add in any new features beyond that for today at least. She did however go back down and set up some doorways on both sides of Lollyp''s new room - not with any special tricks to them yet, but merely for privacy''s sake.
As she settles down into her core chamber and confirms that there''s still a lengthy amount of time left before the next mana recharge, the dungeon master is just about to head next door and check on her new resident before an odd sound catches her attention. She first looks outside her windows to the abyss, but all remains as empty and quiet out there as it ever had been. Heading to the opposite side of the room then, it suddenly becomes clearer.
"Uhhhhhh, guys? I think there''s something in the fuckin'' wall..."
Chapter 25: Return From the Depths
As Xenia watches in a mixture of curiosity and fear, a section of the wall on one side of her core chamber begins to disintegrate. It begins with the shaking of dust and flakes from the stone surface, but soon turns into the formation of cracks. Pieces of the wall begin to break off, but while some fall to the floor, others almost seem to evaporate into powder in the air the moment they detach from the rock. Then all at once, a hole forms at about waist level, quickly expanding to a size wide enough to install a doorway into. Xenia steps forward to take a look inside, but before she can get much closer, a golem-like creature steps out - followed by a vaguely-familiar minotaur woman. The dungeon master gasps as the recognition hits her.
"Oh, shit! The adventurers are still alive!" She pauses then, glancing at the core pedestal behind her and then back at the mere twenty feet or so between it and the new tunnel.
"...Oh, shit! The adventurers are still alive!"
"We''re here! I think?" Roxxy''s cheerful voice burbles as Tassa makes her own way into the new space, needing a moment to adjust to the light of actual torches and the sight of actual furniture and other objects. After days spent in nothing but the pale blue glow of Grizza''s magical lights, she''d almost forgotten that other shades of light existed. Sensing that they''re back in the dungeon, the minotaur quickly draws her main heavy axe and scans the room for traps, but as dungeon rooms go, it seems very...unusual. There''s a bed, a table, chairs...the construction of the furniture is very odd, but the space looks more like a bedroom than a dungeon room. There''s even a rabbit hopping around in a far corner, like someone''s lost pet. Then she takes another look at the clamshell statue in the center of the room, and the realization strikes her.
"The core chamber...we came out right in the core chamber!"
Grizza''s voice calls out behind her. "Does the dungeon have exit portals yet? If we can skip fighting our way back out, that''d be much appreciated." Tassa does spot one, but shakes her head.
"Don''t you get it, Grizza? It''s here...it''s right here." She steps forward, but Grizza reaches out to grab hold of her arm.
"Tassa, focus. We agreed to just focus on getting out, right? No more mistakes. We''re all exhausted, hungry and injured, we don''t have time for this."
The minotaur shakes him off and growls in response. "I agreed not to fight our way through the dungeon in our current condition, yes. But it''s right there! Just give me a minute, and we can settle this for good!" She steps forward, her strong legs quickly covering the distance between the new tunnel and the pedestal, but as she reaches out to try and find a way to open it a slimy red tentacle suddenly wraps itself around her forearm. In shock, the trio all turn to look towards the chamber''s proper doorway, where a red slime woman is speaking to them in Draconic...a language none of them happen to know.
Still, Grizza makes an attempt to respond. "Uh, hello! Are you an adventurer? Do you have a party? Perhaps we can team up and finish the dungeon together?"
Lollyp sighs. "Figures, I went with Rainlander for my secondary language training. Oh well, whatever. Eat lightning, adventurer scum!" Releasing her hold on the minotaur, she pulls her hand back and quickly begins generating an aura of electricity around it. As she releases that lightning in a bolt towards the woman, however, the elemental steps between the two just in time to block it with their own massive body. Lollyp keeps the bolt zapping for as long as she can, but it doesn''t seem to do much more than shake off a few loose flakes from the elemental''s form, and before long the bolt fizzles out. Lollyp''s eyes go wide. "Shit! Fuck! I''m out of mana already!"
With no more said, the elemental and the minotaur move to take the fight into melee range. The slime and the elemental seem to be rather evenly matched - Roxxy''s slow, telegraphed moves are easy for Lollyp to dodge, while even her hardest blows with hammer-like appendages seem to do nothing to the elemental. Once Tassa gets into range with her large two-handed axe though, the balance shifts significantly. Lollyp switches to more of a grappling style, turning her body into a mass of tentacles, but she''s unable to pin down both at once, and tying herself to one leaves her open to counter attacks from the other. The smashing attacks by the elemental don''t do much damage to her elastic form, but the sharp blade of the axe slicing through her membrane is much more painful.
Through it all Xenia watches on, almost paralyzed. Lollyp has a lot of potential as a boss monster, she knows this. But it''s not realized potential yet. She has no equipment still, and is literally fighting three-to-one unarmed and naked. She doesn''t have the benefit of her boss arena. She''s barely had time to practice using the strength of her new, more physically-oriented body. And on top of that the third intruder, the drider, hasn''t even entered the fray yet, simply watching on and waiting to see if he''s needed. Which he won''t be. As Xenia watches, tear after tear opens in Lollyp''s skin, and Xenia knows the slime is going to lose this fight. And while Lollyp can be revived if the dungeon survives, she remembers the look of the hatred on the minotaur''s face before she fell into darkness all those days ago.
Hand slightly shaking, she reaches into her metaphysical inventory and removes one of the avatar-generating orbs she''d received from Cerise. "Can''t fuckin'' believe I''m using one of these up the first fuckin'' day I get ''em." Guy quickly calls out to interrupt her before she can use it, however.
"Xenia! Dungeon avatars aren''t designed for combat! Even with the proper version, if you get hit by a weapon even once, you''ll pop like a bubble!"
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Xenia, Reincarnator Extraordinaire, takes a deep breath and steadies herself. Nerves calmed, she looks up at Guy and smirks. "Then I guess I''ll just need to make sure I don''t get hit, huh?" With a wink, she crushes the orb in her palm.
Tassa is very, very confused. How did a slime adventurer get out here? Why is she alone? Why did she attack them so quickly? ...Why is she in a dungeon entirely naked? But ultimately those questions don''t really matter. The slime picked a fight, and Tassa has a very large deal of pent-up aggression from the past week that needs an outlet. It''s extremely difficult to land a fatal blow on a slime with an edged weapon, she knows, but over time every cut and slash will add up and cause the woman to spill out onto the floor. Just a few good hits more...
As she raises her axe for another blow, she freezes at the sound of someone calling her name from behind her. Not Grizza - a woman. "TASSA!" Turning around in surprise, she finds a strange sight. A human woman, somehow existing only in the colors of black and white, is glaring at her from the center of the chamber. At first she wears only a simple robe, but in an instant it''s replaced by a set of light metal armor - a breastplate covering her chest, and greaves and bracers appearing to protect the limbs with a leather underlayer. Her right arm stretches out and a simple, unadorned sword appears from nowhere to fill her hand. "I believe your fight is with me."
Grizza gasps. "It''s a dungeon avatar!"
Tassa shakes her head, as she steps aside to give herself some space. "An avatar? Already? But...it is you, isn''t it. You killed Ragrush, and Pusht. Ha! I''m glad you came out to fight me, spirit. That''s going to make this much more personal. Do you have a name, spirit? You seem to know mine."
The avatar smirks. "...Do I have a name?" In almost a blur of motion, the woman''s closed the distance between the two of them, with a wide swing forcing Tassa to hop backwards in surprise. "I''m the Chosen of Ulthor!" Tassa attempts to bring her heavy axe down on the woman''s head, but a sudden slash on her hand causes her to drop the weapon before she even realizes she''s been struck. "The Hero of Seven Cities!" The minotaur quickly swaps to her smaller one-handed axes, pulling them from their holsters, but finds herself continually pushed back to buy herself time. "Dreaded Lord of the Broken Mountain Tribes!" Tassa yells, stepping forward with a trio of quick swings, only to find herself hitting nothing but air as the avatar dodges each, grinning as if her attacks weren''t even a threat. "Guardian of the Eternal Forest! Devourer of the Black Bog!" Another slash on her other hand, and Tassa finds herself dropping a second axe to the floor. She blocks a sword swing with the other, but the already-injured limb lacks the strength to hold the woman back, and that weapon is flung from her grip entirely. Retreating again, the minotaur finds herself reduced to grabbing for her smaller throwing axes.
"Master of the Easthall Guild! Prince of the Fallen Tower! Blade of Beatrice the Monster Slayer!" With each bizarre title shouted out, the woman advances again, slashing at each of Tassa''s limbs, knocking every weapon from her grasp the moment she draws it. Before she even truly knows what''s going on, the minotaur finds herself kneeling on the floor, disarmed, with a sword to her throat. "...Xenia Worthy, Master of Worthy Dungeon. And you...fucked up." Tassa looks around but everyone else in the room seems stunned, even the wounded slime woman, and with a weapon at her throat it''s now too late for Roxxy or Grizza to step in without putting her at risk. Realizing that no one can help her, and she can no longer even help herself, Tassa finds an odd moment of...peace.
"I don''t understand what you are, spirit. But me...it seems I am cursed to always be a fool. Fine then...I surrender. Take me for your collection, if you must. I suppose then at least I''ll see Ragrush again, in some way."
Xenia freezes, as thoughts race through her mind unbidden. FUCK! Why did she have to say that!? Now she''ll reincarnate as she is! Why couldn''t she have just died in the fight? If she''d been ''collected'' as a normal soul, she and her boyfriend could''ve been reincarnated together on equal terms, which would''ve been like...poetic, if in a fucked up, sad way. But with Tassa remembering everything and Ragrush starting fresh as a, whatever, it''ll just fuck her up even more! But she''s tried to kill me twice now, I can''t just let her -
Suddenly, her thoughts are interrupted by a cry from behind her. "DON''T HURT HER! PLEASE!" Xenia turns her head to find the oddly child-like voice coming from the rocky golem who dug the tunnel into her chamber, a golem showing an unusual amount of fear as she stares at Xenia. And Xenia knows...she can''t do it. Not like this.
Turning back to Tassa, she grips the woman by her collar and pulls her to her feet. Xenia can tell her avatar wouldn''t be strong enough to lift a woman Tassa''s size like this normally, but it seems as if all the fight truly has gone out of the minotaur, and she doesn''t resist the movement. Pulling her to eye level, Xenia stares into Tassa''s eyes with all the seriousness her pitch-black irises can generate. "Get this, Tassa. I ain''t sorry for what happened. I don''t regret how shit played out. If I could do it again, I would. You walked into my house looking for a fight, and you got one." With that said, Xenia''s eyes soften. "But even though I don''t know shit about your boyfriend, I know this isn''t what he''d want for you. I could take your life, and I probably should...but I think I''ve taken enough from you already."
Turning around, she begins to half-drag the woman to the exit portal. "Go home. Get therapy. Become an alcoholic. I don''t really give a shit." Stopping, she pushes the minotaur into the center of the ring. "If you really wanna come back and try this again, that''s on you. Next time, I promise I''ll try and kill you, whether you want it or not. But for today? It''s been fun, but now get the fuck out of my house." Tassa looks down at the portal ring, and almost without thinking, activates it and vanishes from the room. One intruder gone, Xenia turns to face the others. "You two too. Get the fuck out."
The golem needs no more encouragement, immediately rushing to the portal to catch up with her friend. The drider, on the other hand, seems to approach much more slowly, as if he''s thinking something over. Finally, as he reaches the dungeon master''s side, he seems to come to a decision and speaks.
"Thank you. For not killing her."
Unsure how to respond, Xenia nods. "I don''t blame her. But try and keep a better leash on your pal, okay? Kind of sensing a theme with that lady." The drider nods in response, before continuing.
"As thanks, I feel like I should let you know. We''ve spent the last...however many days wandering around in what is, to our best guess, some sort of...abandoned or lost dungeon beneath your own. A massive one, though empty."
Xenia stares at the drider. "...What?"
"We were sent here to investigate the region, because our Mana Weavers felt there was something ''wrong'' in the energy signature of your...birth. But I suspect now that perhaps that had something more to do with it."
Xenia chuckles. "Ah, really? Could be. More likely it''s all the curses, though."
This time it''s the drider''s turn to stare. "...What?"
Chapter 26: Out of the Frying Pan
Xenia matches the drider''s stare. "...I really need to start shutting up more."
"Wait, what do you mean the cur-" Grizza''s question is cut short by Xenia grabbing on to his arm and marching him over to the portal.
"Sorry! Question time is over, time to get the..." She trails off for a moment, then sighs. "You know what, I don''t want to go getting a rep as an utter asshole dungeon or nothin''. One min. Lollyp, I gotta borrow back some of your allowance for today." Reaching out an arm, she summons a new item into her hand. It''s an odd construct of leather, wire, and fur, but Grizza can''t for the life of him imagine what it''s supposed to be. He can sense as the dungeon avatar focuses her mana into it for a moment, before she turns around and places it onto the man''s head, where it holds fast by gently squeezing the sides of his scalp. "There, your dungeon loot. Alright, now get the fuck out of my house."
Bewildered, the drider Mage can only think to do as she asks, and activates the portal to the exit.
Despite the fact that the entire encounter lasted less than five minutes, when quiet returns to the room it feels as if it''s returning for the first time in days. Or perhaps that''s just the feeling Xenia is getting from the way Guy and Lollyp are staring at her, shocked, in their own respective ways. Lollyp finally pulls herself back to her pseudo-feet, willing her wounds closed, before shouting out a question to her new boss. "...The hells was that!?"
Xenia shrugs, tossing the sword in her hands. Then, experimentally, she summons two more and begins to juggle them. "...Like riding a bicycle...anyways, what was what? Toldya I been doing this shit for a couple hundred years now, at least. You think I been around the block this many times and ain''t learned a few tricks? There''s more to Xenia Worthy, Reincarnator Extraordinaire, than sitting around playing home decorator." Though as if that reminds her, she unsummons the swords mid-air and then turns around, pointing a thumb at the tunnel leading downward from her core chamber. "Speaking of home repairs though...any thoughts on what that''s all about?"
Grizza reappears in something of a natural alcove on the exterior of the mountain face, not far from Doorman''s position, where he''s immediately greeted by Tassa and Roxxy. Tassa nearly grabs up the man in a hug before she stops herself, looking a bit awkward in the process. "Grizza! You took so long, we were worried she was doing something to you! ...What the hells are those leather ears on your head, and why do they make you look so handsome?"
"...They make me what?" Grizza pulls off the odd headpiece, and Tassa frowns.
"...Put them back on." The Mage does so, and she frowns again. "...Don''t take this the wrong way, Grizza, but you are remarkably better looking with that bizarre thing on your head."
Grizza sighs, and shrugs, and leaves the rabbit ears where they are. "I think I may need to consider the fact that everything I''ve ever heard about dungeon spirit behavior is wildly incorrect in some way. But hold on now, are you okay?"
As if reminded of her own behavior, Tassa goes silent for a moment before responding. "I used First Aid a few times, I''ll be fine. But...I did it again. I fucked up again. Grizza, Roxxy, I am so sorry. I could have gotten us all killed. The dungeon avatar, the way she moved, the way she fought...I was totally helpless. I''ve never seen anyone move like that before..." Grizza shakes his head though, and pats her on the arm.
"If that were any other dungeon, at least one of this age, that would have worked. There''s no way we could have predicted that the dungeon would somehow have an avatar already, and that some random adventurer would...wait." Grizza''s gaze drifts off, and Tassa shifts to catch his attention again.
"Grizza, what is it?"
Concerned, he looks back at her. "Tassa, I don''t think that was an adventurer. I think that slime was a dungeon Boss." At that, the minotaur scoffs.
"Grizza, she spoke, casted magic, came on her own to the core chamber and fought wildly better than any boss monster a dungeon this size could hope to spawn. I don''t even think slime monsters can cast magic like that, though I''m no expert." The drider shakes his head, however.
"There''s more. After you left, the avatar spoke to her, said she needed to borrow the slime''s...''allowance'' before she crafted that...whatever it is. She and the slime were sharing mana in some way." Tassa and Grizza both fade into silence, considering the possibilities, until Roxxy speaks up.
"So like, what does that mean, exactly?"
Grizza looks up. "I think that wild guess from the other day was actually correct. I think the Dragonlord is doing something here. It''s utterly impossible for a dungeon with only a handful of floors to have advanced so quickly, if at all. ...Also, don''t ask me how, but I think the dungeon might actually be cursed in some way."
Tassa sighs. "Well, we can theorize later. We''ve got a long hike back home...I really hope some of our supplies are still where we left them, though if not then at least we can try some hunting and foraging out here. Come on."
The group agrees and sets out, making their way around the north side of the mountain, but when they reach their old campsite an hour later they find a problem. While there is still a campsite there, it''s now staffed by at least eight armed Rainlanders. Worse, one of the guards spots them as they make a turn around the mountain face, and even as they duck back behind the turn they can hear the guard shouting. Tassa yells in frustration. "Shit! Shit! There''s too many of them, and...fuck! My axes!" Looking around at herself, she realizes suddenly that she''s down to only a pair of throwing axes and her hunting knife, having completely forgotten the fate of the others while she was lost in her thoughts on the hike.
Realizing they have no chance of fighting off the Rainlander patrol, Grizza turns to Roxxy. "Roxxy! You can hide within the mountain stone, right?"
The elemental is a bit confused, but nods. "Pretty much, yeah, but just me! If I try to dig something out for you two, they''ll see you, putting stone back takes a lot longer than digging it out!"
Grizza shakes his head, though. "Just worry about yourself. We''ll...we''ll have to surrender, but someone needs to get our report back to our commanders. Once we''re gone, you''ll need to head west for a few days, until you find Camp Shieldstrong, or any other Valleylander settlement. Can you do that?" Roxxy begins to shake her head, but Tassa backs Grizza up.
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"We''re relying on you, Roxxy! Please...don''t let this all be for nothing."
Defeated, Roxxy nods. "...Alright. I''ll make sure they come back for you two, though! I won''t forget you!" With that she presses her back into the cliff, merging into the mountain and losing her humanoid form. While traces of her different coloring can still be seen, unless one was specifically looking for a hiding elemental they would never notice she was there. And just in the nick of time, as moments later half a dozen rushing Rainlander soldiers come racing around the mountain, weapons drawn. One of them, apparently an elf commander, approaches closer with a spear held ready.
"Well, well, a minotaur and a...ridiculously handsome drider." There''s some chuckling from the group, but another agrees.
"They make driders like that?"
Embarrassed, Grizza attempts to change the topic to something more comfortable, like the immediate risk to their lives as he practices his rusty Rainlander. "Thank you for the compliments. We, ah...we surrender?"
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INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS ESCAPED: 3
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
AXES: D+
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MANA ACQUIRED: 7, CURRENT AMOUNT: 10 (13 CONSUMED BY CONSTRUCTS)
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: NO WAY OUT (NOT) 2
FIFTEEN MORTALS HAVE ESCAPED FROM YOUR DUNGEON ALIVE. VOLUNTARY-USE EXIT PORTALS NOW RESTORE A QUARTER OF A MORTAL''S HEALTH AND MANA WHEN USED.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: REPEAT CUSTOMER 1
AT LEAST ONE MORTAL HAS SURVIVED TWO DUNGEON INTRUSIONS. DUNGEON LOOT IS IMPROVED 15% WHEN COLLECTED BY MORTALS WHO HAVE VISITED THE DUNGEON PREVIOUSLY.
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Xenia chuckles as she inspects the very short intrusion report. "That lady really liked her axes, huh? Hope she won''t be missing ''em." With those notifications out of the way, she turns back to the tunnel entrance the others are peering into. It had closed up again when the intrusion ended, but out of curiosity she''d manually opened it back up for at least the time being. "Man, it''s way too dark to see shit down there. Annoying that none of us can just, fuckin'', walk down there and check it out." On hearing this, Lollyp gives her a smirk.
"Actually, you can! For like, at least another half hour or so. Those runespell orb avatars run off of their own mana supply. It''s not enough to like, go down to the nearest pub for a drink or anything, but if you wanted to hop on down there real quick, it''d work for that."
The dungeon master raises an eyebrow as she summons herself a torch. "Well, how about that. I''d hate to waste any of this thing''s charge, so let''s see what we got then." She heads on down into the darkness, not finding much of note at first. The tunnel is rough and cramped, carved out by the earth elemental merely as a temporary passage. Eventually though, after a long downward climb, she does come out into a much wider space. Space which is filled by...absolutely nothing. It appears to be something of a very wide hallway, but once she starts going down in one direction her summoned torch suddenly evaporates. A bit of light remains from the way she came in, but very little.
"Guh. Guess I shoulda splurged on a permanent one, though we are still pretty low on mana for the day..." Xenia peers into the darkness as best as she can, but there simply seems to be...nothing. Failing that she makes her way over to one of the hallway walls and runs her hand alongside it, somewhat confused by its regular yet imperfect shape. "I''ve gone into a deepway or two before, but they usually at least got like, runes, and spots for magical lamps and torches even if they''re all dead. The hell kind of empty-ass dungeon is this supposed to be?"
Before she can continue talking to herself, Xenia hears the sound of Lollyp calling for her from back up the tunnel. Rushing back, after stumbling once or twice in the darkness, she finally makes her way into the core chamber. "What''s up?" Lollyp simply points at Guy.
"I think there''s...another...gods, I hope this is the last one..." One more time, Guy uncomfortably produces a black and white notification screen for Xenia to review.
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HIDDEN DUNGEON ATTRIBUTE DISCOVERED:
TRIPLE CURSED DUNGEON
THIS DUNGEON INTERSECTS THE LOST GREAT DUNGEON OF MOUNT FARALIS, CENTER OF THE WORLD. FLOORS MAY BE ADDED WITHOUT UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS IF THE OLD ENERGIES OF THE GREAT DUNGEON CAN BE SUBDUED AND HARNESSED.
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Xenia sighs, and collapses into her old chair while summoning up a mug of D-tier beer while she can still enjoy the full experience of drinking it. "Annnnnd there''s the fuckin'' ''attracted to danger''. Lucky fuckin'' us indeed..."
Chapter 27: Weekend Break (Arc 2: The Initiates)
Two days had passed since the extremely busy 24-hour period where the dungeon had been forced to deal with visits by Rainlanders, Domain denizens, and Valleylanders one after the other. No one else had come to visit in that time, and Xenia had taken the opportunity to focus almost entirely on upgrading Lollyp''s equipment and her boss room. Watching her traps and skeletons get defeated was one thing, but the dungeon master did not want to put her best employee into an unwinnable fight a second time if she had any choice in the matter.
Given that the Slime Elementalist would have to both live and fight in the same chamber, they''d gone with a split-level setup like in the Bone Maze, although with a significantly different theme. The bottom floor, where the intruders would pass, was set up like a blistering underground vent. Four acid pools had been set up around the room, classified as a form of ''poison trap'' although the only trigger they required was to fall into them - or of course, to be pushed in. At their current strength they were harmless to Lollyp herself, making them ideal decorations for the area. Of course, they didn''t stop there. To make the pools even more dangerous, new flame traps had been put underneath them and set to run continuously, heating the acid to boiling levels. This caused a constant drain on Xenia''s mana reserves like her other complex constructs, but only one per pool, which seemed worth the price for now. On top of that, melee weapons had been hidden around the chamber for Lollyp to recover when required, so that she had access to something tougher than her own slime-body constructs.
The second level, hidden above a false cave ceiling, was strictly a residential area. There were thin cracks between the two floors that could fit Lollyp''s flexible body and her equipment, but which would be impossible for anyone to climb up through, allowing her to both ambush parties from above and maintain her privacy. Unless someone tried to explosively blow the ceiling apart, it was unlikely anyone would be getting into her personal apartment. As for the contents of the apartment, well, those were still spartan. She no longer required sleep, but a hammock was made for her to rest in if she wished it. A simple alchemy workshop had been set up, as a test to see if the dungeon could advance its own potion and poison tiers, and without books to read or other forms of entertainment it seemed that Lollyp was likely to spend much of her time playing with the dungeon''s materials there. She also no longer required food, being a creature of mana, but Xenia had granted her a housewarming gift containing the best D-tier foods and drinks she could put together.
There was also a small training area, as Lollyp needed to get used to a new form of combat. Xenia''s best wands and enchanted magical clothing were still far weaker than Lollyp''s old gear had been, and her new body was still more oriented towards strength than magic. She''d taken a wand, robe and hat anyhow, but she was also experimenting with other forms of armor and weapons against wooden practice dummies. However, none of that equipment was currently in use as Lollyp and Xenia were taking a moment to enjoy their favorite part of the new boss room - a fifth bubbling pool in the lower level that contained not acid, but simple mineral water. With the heat turned down somewhat while the dungeon wasn''t being invaded, it actually made for a great hot tub. And with Guy ''seeing to other matters'' while the women tested it out, it made an excellent opportunity for some girl chat.
"Ahhhhhh!" The dungeon master moans, letting her head slip beneath the water. "I''m so thankful I can at least play around with dungeon shit - if I couldn''t experience this myself and just had to watch you play around, I would''ve been so fuckin'' jealous."
Lollyp giggles. "Didn''t even think to make a bathtub before I came along? My, you were really letting yourself go!" The slime woman reclines on the other side of the ''tub'', although in a bit of an odd form. Being so low-density, a human-sized Lollyp would simply float to the top of the pool normally, and so she''d actually had to compress the lower half of her body into a blob beneath her torso to actually become dense enough to ''sit'' on the hot tub''s seats.
"Well, I don''t sweat or pick up dirt, and we didn''t have heat...well, unless I wanted to stick a hundred torches in there or something...but yeah, shoulda gone for this sooner. Gotta say, I really like what you''ve done with the place. How''re you feeling about it?"
The slime rests her head back on the edge of the pool, and thinks. "Well, it''s pretty good for what we''ve got on hand. But I think what we really need next is some paper."
Xenia tilts her head. "Paper? What for?"
"Well, books are kind of a weird thing for dungeons. If someone brings in a spellbook and ''drops'' it, you could toss it in your inventory before it''s absorbed and still have the book. But if you want to add the spells to your arsenal you need to absorb it. But if you absorb it, I can''t read it, and I think we can both agree that my entertainment is the main concern here."
The dungeon master chuckles. "Maybe, maybe. But how does paper help?"
"Well, paper allows you to make paper-based loot items, like spell scrolls and tomes. You could grant me ''Ranger'' skills, and I would just automatically learn them, like you giving me access to the languages you know. But you could also use the skills you''ve picked up and create a ''Ranger Training Manual'', which I could then read, and then learn a lot more from than just the skills themselves. I could learn about, like, geography, or famous Rangers, whatever random info you''ve picked up from Rangers you''ve eaten and might fit into a manual about them. Which equals entertainment."
Xenia grins. "Oh? And what if someone brings in their smut collection they keep around for lonely nights? Could I make copies of that too?"
"Heh, that..." Lollyp stops to think. "...Actually, I think that while you can''t just exactly duplicate a book you ate, you can make a book out of anything you know? So if you''ve got any smut in that head of yours, you could just mana up a brand new smut book as a dungeon reward."
"Haha! Now that would be a hell of a reputation to get as a dungeon. Come down to Worthy Dungeon and Erotica Library! I''d make a few extra copies for you, of course."
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The slime gets a devious look. "And I certainly know you don''t need any new ideas in your head for that kind of content. You never did answer my question from the other day, by the way."
At this, Xenia gets a nervous look. "Ah, that? Yeah, I did actually wanna talk about that. Like, I know when we were first...gettin'' acquainted, you said it''d be cool if we maybe picked things up after you were uh, reborn. But I just wanna be really clear on things, right? Like...workplace relationships can go pretty bad, and I especially don''t want you feeling like you, y''know, have to do anything to stay on my good side. I''m not gonna take away your shit or anything if you don''t wanna play around."
In response, Lollyp scoffs, looking unimpressed. "You humans really overthink stuff sometimes, you know? I mean, I appreciate it, I do. But all I''m saying is, we''re both living down here for the rest of forever together, and when we don''t have anyone to kill, there''s probably gonna be a lot of downtime. I''d actually be offended if you didn''t want to play around. Not to mention ultra-bored, and you don''t wanna see me when I get ultra-bored, hehe. By the way...have I mentioned that you''re a lot cuter in full color?"
Xenia laughs, a bit awkwardly. "Haha, thanks. I...still don''t have any idea what''s up with that. But yeah, if you''re cool, then I''m cool. Once we get our mana cap up some more, we can probably spend a lot of time doing some upgrades, but at this point it''s like...a couple of hours of work a day and then sitting on my ass til the next daily recharge. So I definitely hear you on the boredom thing. Not that I''m only interested because of that, of course!"
"Of course! So with that said...wanna help me test out some more of the limits on my new body?"
Xenia doesn''t answer, but grins as the slime pushes her way across the pool to land in Xenia''s lap. And both the Boss and the new dungeon upgrades get a great deal of testing done the rest of the day.
Later that evening, Alpine Scout Tafyaf and Combat Medic Grayana find themselves settling down for a drink together at The General. They''d been too busy seeing to reports and Perfyew''s healing the past few days to properly celebrate their successful dungeon clear and promotions, and Gilliam had already been sent north for his Advanced class training, as he''d been promoted to level ten for his part in the mission. Tafyaf himself had been promoted from 12 to 14, with Grayana keeping ahead at 15, so the pair had plenty to celebrate, even if neither of them had many other friends around to celebrate with. And so the two found themselves sharing a table together, and having the first chance to actually catch up since they''d returned several days ago.
Once they get their drinks, Tafyaf is the first to offer his congratulations. "Well done on 15, Combat Medic! Halfway to Expert qualification, yes, and might I add, hard to believe it is that that was your first trip to a dungeon!"
The black-haired elf scoffs slightly at the compliment, said hair now let down to her shoulders, yet with her stony professional attitude remaining. "As a Medic, you don''t actually have to go into a dungeon for training, you know. There''s more than enough hard-headed fools coming back out of them with injuries that you can get all the practice you need from the comfort of home."
The gnoll shakes his head. "The healing was well done, but that was not what impressed, no. Kept your cool, yes, and also very quick on your feet, yes yes. In thinking, I mean, like how you disabled that monster rabbit, but also good with avoiding the traps as well, I suppose."
For this point, at least, Grayana accepts the compliment. "And you served quite well as leader, particularly for someone who doesn''t normally work in command. If it wasn''t for Perfyew''s misfortune, it would have been perhaps an ideal run."
Tafyaf frowns a bit at the mention of the other gnoll from their party. "Yes, how is her recovery going? I misjudged, perhaps, should not have taken her on the mission, maybe."
The elf scoffs again at this comment. "Her skills should have been sufficient, I just don''t think she handles herself well under fire. Physically she''s fine now, but she''s staying in the barracks on rest leave for as long as she can stretch it out. If she didn''t have at least a few more months left in her service I think she would have quit already."
"Hrmm. Perhaps. I probably should have - " Tafyaf''s self-reflection is interrupted at that moment by the arrival of a group of strangers walking up to their table, all of them armed and armored, though not elaborately so. At the lead is an elvish man in heavy armor, flanked nearby by an elvish woman with a longbow. Behind them follow a human man with dark robes and a staff, a gnoll woman wearing white, and a particularly short human woman wearing a number of daggers, who Tafyaf would guess was part dwarf to some extent. Looking up to meet the elvish man''s eyes, he waits to see what this is all about.
"Excuse me, pardon for interrupting, but are you Alpine Scout Tafyaf? We were told that, given the current lack of a Challenger''s office in the town, you were the local expert on the new dungeon in the area."
The scout shares a look with Grayana before answering. "Challengers, yes? So it begins, so it begins. I am Alpine Scout Tafyaf, yes, and the Combat Medic and I here did clear that dungeon most recently, yes. And you would be?"
The elf nods and begins introductions. "I am Jacylyn Roughbark, and this is my wife Raelanna. With me here are Dama, Raylayf, and, ah, ''Punchy''." He rolls his eyes a bit at the nickname, but the shorter woman gives a wink and a thumbs up at the mention of herself. "We''re planning to challenge the dungeon tomorrow, and were hoping you could give us some advice? We''d be willing to buy the next round, of course."
Tafyaf grins. "Well then, sit, sit!" The group needs to shuffle some chairs from other tables to fit the size of the party, but once they''re settled and drinks are ordered, he gets to business. "So, first, might I ask your levels?"
Jacylyn nods and goes around in the same order. "Seven and seven, four, five, and six. We''re a new party, but given that this is a new dungeon, we were hoping it would be a good fit."
Tafyaf shrugs. "Maybe, maybe. First floor combat, should be sufficient. Mainly need to watch for traps, especially in the maze section, many skeletons hide above and fire arrows. Second floor...would be wary, yes. Still under construction, there was no second floor boss yet, no. Also, the floor moves itself, the adventurers do not move, very strange I think. Watch for ambushes, traps, yes. I would suggest at your level, first floor yes, second floor no. Not until the dangers are fully known."
The likely Mage of the party doesn''t seem to like that suggestion. "Heh, I don''t know about that. This town is pretty out of the way, you know? I''d hate if we came all the way out here just for one floor." Grayana answers him this time.
"Well, lucky you, you''re the first, so there''s not exactly a waiting line. You can clear the first floor as many times as you want, and maybe earn some levels before you go further than you can handle. Getting surprised once is all it takes, most of the time."
The Mage is about to retort, until his leader waves him down. "We''ll use the utmost caution, of course. Now, tell me more about this...floor that moves itself...?" The group spends another twenty minutes asking questions, Punchy drawing out a rough map as they go, before they feel satisfied and make their farewells. As they leave to get themselves some rooms for the night, Grayana leans over to Tafyaf.
"So...think any of em will come back?"
Tafyaf rolls his eyes. "Be fine, they will. Am sure the Challengers know their business, yes."
Chapter 28: Leveling Up
"Stop, wait! NOO-" The screaming of the elvish Archer was cut short as Lollyp''s heavy steel axe dug itself into the floor, making its way through her skull as it did so. The room was silent then for a moment, but not for long as Lollyp turned to the sound of clapping coming from the dungeon master behind her.
"Hot damn, girl! Look at you fucking go! If I was paying you, you''d be able to count on a raise, believe me." Xenia gestures at the boss chamber, and Lollyp spares herself a grin as she looks at her handiwork. Not far from the door was the steaming corpse of an elf in heavy armor. He''d been the first to go, with Lollyp swinging her way out of the ceiling and knocking him into one of the pools of boiling acid. He''d managed to pull himself out, but with his armor full of acid, it''s unlikely he would have survived even if he''d received immediate healing. In the center of the room sits the still-burning corpse of a small woman in black, where Lollyp had quickly turned around and hit her with a five-second wand-powered flamethrower attack. The elvish woman had been unable to put out the flames on her companion, but the fact that she''d tried had given Lollyp the chance to recover one of the heavy weapons hidden around the room, and from there it was all over - the Archer''s mundane arrows did virtually no damage to the slime woman, and she could only dodge so many times before her luck had run out.
Of course, Lollyp couldn''t claim the entire party herself. The Mage had fallen first, with the new slime in the Slip''N''Slide room working exactly as Xenia had hoped - he had overconfidently rushed into the pool to get the room''s key, been caught by the hidden slime, and crushed soon after by falling rock traps. It had thrown the intruder party off early, though they had managed to make their way through the rest of the floor without too much trouble. That ended when they took the elevator down, when their gnoll Cleric had the misfortune to have two ambushing orc skeletons land right next to her, cutting her down before her party could react. Xenia expected them to call the attempt off after that, but apparently they sensed that the final boss room was all that stood between them and a full dungeon clear and decided to take the risk. Sadly for them that final boss was a now fully upgraded Lollyp, or at least as fully upgraded as their current tiers would allow.
Lollyp smiles at the praise, but loses it as she finds a nearby decorative rock to take a seat on. "Thanks, and it was a good workout, but thinking about it now I think I might''ve messed up. Maybe I should''ve taken a fall?"
Xenia tilts her head. "Why would you wanna do that? On your first real boss fight, even?"
Lollyp stretches, then lifts her hands. "Ten percent." She raises her fingers, stops to count them, and grows a few more to get to the required ten.
"You want...what? A ten percent cut?"
The slime shakes her head. "Ten percent is the average fatality or career-ending casualty rate of a dungeon intrusion. It''s not evenly distributed, of course. Half of that is Initiates in their first year of challenging, and a lot of the rest are full-party wipes from groups who get in over their heads. The average professional who makes it to their Advanced training can usually have a pretty steady career. But when Lady Cerise asked us to kill Rainlanders, I don''t think she really meant all of them. If more parties are like this one, we might wanna figure out a number somewhere between ten percent and...well, a hundred."
The dungeon master shrugs. "Eh, not too worried about it right now. For all we know, this was just one of those really unlucky parties. I mean, they lost half their team and just kept on going? The elevator has an up button! They extremely brought this on themselves. And I don''t want you holding back just to find out that someone is actually a match for you, you know."
Lollyp smirks at that. "I don''t know. I think we established that I can take on a lot. Maybe even too much." Xenia blushes a bit, remembering their ''tests'' the previous day. They''d discovered that there were some truly...interesting side benefits to being part of a dungeon. Xenia herself no longer suffered from physical tiredness, only perhaps the mental kind, and while Lollyp could grow tired her Boss status allowed her to catch her breath and pick back up within minutes. They had eventually ended their testing not because they grew exhausted from it, but because they mutually agreed that if they didn''t find something else to do, it would be the only thing the two of them would do. And as they saw today, the dungeon was still far from forgotten by the outside world.
Xenia looks around for a distraction, and finds one in the vanishing corpses. "Oh, look at that, we officially won. Guy! What''s our prizes?"
The guide joins the pair from the core chamber, popping up their intrusion report as they arrive.
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INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS SLAIN: 5
NEW RESOURCE PATTERNS GATHERED:
BONE (GNOLL)
BONE (ELF)
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
LEATHER ARMOR: D
UNDEAD (MORTAL): D+
TORCHES: D
CURRENCY (RAINLANDS): D
BONE ACCESSORIES: D
KNIVES: D-
SWORDS: D-
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 5
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 14 TO 74
MANA ACQUIRED: 18, CURRENT AMOUNT: 25/56 (18 CONSUMED BY CONSTRUCTS)
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
GEOGRAPHY: TOWN OF GREENBOROUGH
SKILLS: ARCHER (INITIATE), ROGUE (INITIATE), GUARD (INITIATE), CLERIC (INITIATE)
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: LAST LAUGH 1
YOU HAVE SLAIN YOUR FIRST GNOLL. MANA SPELL EFFECTIVENESS ON GNOLLS INCREASED BY 25%.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: TREE CUTTER 1
YOU HAVE SLAIN YOUR FIRST ELF. MANA SPELL EFFECTIVENESS ON ELVES INCREASED BY 25%.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: MANSLAUGHTER 2
YOU HAVE SLAIN FIVE HUMANS. MANA SPELL EFFECTIVENESS ON HUMANS INCREASED BY 40%.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: STICKY SITUATION 1
YOU HAVE SCORED YOUR FIRST KILL WITH SLIME MONSTERS. SLIMES GAIN 10% MORE HEALTH.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: LIKE A BOSS 1
YOU HAVE SLAIN YOUR FIRST MORTAL WITH A BOSS MONSTER. UNSOULED BOSSES ARE 25% CHEAPER TO RESPAWN.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: MOMENTUM 1
YOU HAVE SLAIN THREE MORTALS WITHIN TWO MINUTES. SLAYING A MORTAL NOW HAS A LOW CHANCE OF APPLYING A 1-MINUTE FEAR EFFECT ON NEARBY MORTALS.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: DEATHBRINGER 3
YOU HAVE SLAIN TEN MORTALS. ADDITIONAL FLOOR UNLOCKED.
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Guy produces their own best simulation of a clapping effect. "Very well done, to the both of you! An excellent use of traps and ambushes, and fine footwork on Lollyp''s part. I would never have guessed you were trained as a Mage, and not as a Warrior!"
Xenia mumbles to herself as she reads through it. "Mrmmm...good for the killcounts, and a new floor, nice, but the equipment they were carrying must''ve been absolute shit. I mean, damn, the only new thing they had on them was their bones. How''s that for a legacy? Though speaking of, how do classes work around here? We got ''Mage'' skills from you, so I''m guessing that dude upstairs was just another basic Mage, is that shit standardized and all that?"
Lollyp stands up to return her axe to its hidden nook. "Mostly, at the Initiate level. Every military training program may have a few slight differences, and while the Challengers Association is present in every nation, their training programs might vary a bit from branch to branch as well. But only off by perhaps a spell or a skill or two, since an Initiate only has time to learn so many things. If a training program goes way off the beaten trail then it''s probably gonna get called something different, only the Domain trains Lashers for example."
The dungeon master raises an eyebrow. "But if a Mage might have different spells depending on where they''re from, how does that affect leveling up? Do they get different upgrade options or something?"
The slime''s only response is confusion. "Upgrade...options?"
"Like, when a Mage hits level five, do they choose something to get more powerful, or is it just whatever they were first trained in?" Lollyp only seems even more confused, so Xenia decides to try and backtrack. "...Uh, alright. Tell me what levels mean here, cause I think I''m misunderstanding something."
Lollyp shrugs. "Gaining a level doesn''t, uh, ''do'' anything. It''s a promotion. If you clear a dungeon, you may get approved for a level or two, or more if it''s a big one. If you accomplish a minor training program or an important mission, that could be a level. Going on a long military campaign might be like, five. Your pay goes up a bit, and every ten levels you qualify to go to a more in-depth training program where you learn a more specialized class. All the militaries on the continent have the same sort of system, and the Challengers picked up something similar, though exactly what qualifies for a promotion could vary from organization to organization. What did you think levels meant?"
Xenia scratches her chin awkwardly. "So like...you don''t earn experience from killing shit, and then when you hit a certain amount you get tougher and smarter?"
"...You must''ve come from a really weird world. Like, just having the gods automatically hand out power to everyone or something? No, I trained as a Mage when I signed up, and when I was promoted to level ten I took on Slime Elementalist training for my Advanced class. If I''d wanted to spend my golden years going back to school, I probably would''ve taken on Slime Sorcerer for my Expert, but almost no slimes ever actually go up to Expert. The Domain doesn''t even have specialized Slime training programs for Master classes, let alone Supreme ones."
"Suppose there''s a chance for you now, if anyone''s got a dungeon-based homeschool program. Supreme''s the top of the rank, then?"
The slime nods. "As far as paperwork goes, yeah. Theoretically there''s no upper limit to power, Champions and Paragons are almost always higher than that, but there''s no one to train you at classes higher than Supreme, so at that point you''re basically making up your own class, if you''d even still think of yourself in terms of classes."
Xenia sighs, rubbing her forehead. "One question''s always gotta lead to another fuckin'' question, doesn''t it. Okay, Champions and Paragons. Those are god-things?"
Guy takes over, giving Lollyp a bit of a lecture break. "I can handle this one. Yes, both represent a chosen of the gods, or at least, a singular god. Champions are usually individuals chosen to accomplish some sort of quest, or task. For example, a nature goddess may choose a Champion to purify a forest overrun by corruption. Paragonhood meanwhile is usually more of an outright reward, either for a successful Championship, great success in dungeons, or whatever other accomplishments a god considers important. It doesn''t always mean improved combat ability, for example, the Goddess of Fertility usually chooses people who have had a large number of children to be her Paragons. To inspire the people to follow their examples."
Xenia leans forward, interested. "Oooh? And what does being a Paragon of Fertility actually get you?"
The guide doesn''t appear to actually have that detailed level of information, but Lollyp gets an embarrassed grin. "Last one I heard of, it was a dude who could knock up consenting ladies just by making out with them. And if he did it the old fashioned way, it was like, always at least triplets. That''s the story I heard, anyhow. I think when she picks ladies, they get like...an aura of increased fertility for all the women who hang around with them, or something. I think they usually end up starting entirely new villages or something like that."
"Heh. Well, here''s hoping we don''t get any Supremes down here anytime soon, though if a Love Paragon shows up, send em...hold on." Xenia tilts her head, then scowls. "God, fuckin'', dammit. Sensing a new party at the door, and it''s the worst fuckin'' kind. You two have fun, I''ll handle this one personally." With that Xenia fades out, teleporting upstairs and leaving two confused dungeon assistants behind her.
Chapter 29: Challenges of Youth
"I am sorry, but the Master of the Dungeon has barred you entry." Doorman''s face is unusually stern as he passes on the messages relayed to him from the other side of his door. Around him, cries of annoyance ring out at the announcement.
"What!? You can''t do that! Dungeons are supposed to be open!"
Doorman stares down at the boy who''d spoken. "How old are you? Who''s even the oldest one in your party?"
The brown-haired boy wielding a shortsword and a small wooden shield stutters uncomfortably. "Uh...Elyss here''s 27, you know?"
Doorman''s gaze swings towards the girl mentioned. "You? You''re Elyss? You''re an elf." The girl nods shyly, clutching her discount-store wand. "That''s like, flippin'' 14 by human standards. Are you nuts!? This is officially an adults-only dungeon! No teenagers allowed!"
A young red-haired girl leaning on a staff that looks like she carved it herself just yesterday yells back at the door. "Hey, fuck you! Lots of Champions start out as teenagers! And we''re going to slay the Dragonlord one day, so we need to learn how to fight!"
Doorman gasps. "What!? Language, young lady! And that''s teenage Champions in stories, the real ones usually just die, you know. Where are your parents, do they know about this?"
The elf girl answers quietly. "All our parents died, in...various unrelated tragedies."
"Ah, sheesh, all of you? Well, doesn''t matter, you''d still die. The Master of the Dungeon would like to tell you that you should be ashamed of yourselves, for attempting to burden them with the trauma of murdering children."
The final party member, a young gnoll boy with a shortbow, raises a point. "They could just not kill us, perhaps, maybe?"
Instead of answering with words, Doorman opens his mouth as widely as possible, shocking the youngsters as a skull suddenly falls out and rolls across the stone walkway. It''s an artificial skull, although made of real (dungeon-made) elf bone and shaped in the form of a male elf skull. "You see that? That''s the leader of the party who just came in here before you. He was an elf so he was probably at least twenty years older than any of you, probably more. He had real armor and everything."
The group looks genuinely shaken at this, though the first boy''s still not quite ready to give in. "Y-you still can''t just not let us in! You''re a riddle door! You''ve gotta give us a chance to answer a question!"
Doorman rolls his eyes. "Fine. When filing taxes on self-generated income, how many chickens are you allowed to own before you''re qualified as a business and not as a hobbyist farmer?"
This time the redhead shouts out. "What!? That''s not a riddle at all!"
"It''s a riddle for adults. Now, are you going to answer, or are you going to go home?"
The gnoll is the first to hazard a guess. "...Is it twenty, perhaps?"
Doorman stares at him. "Nope. You lose. No second chances. Bye-bye." The group begins to complain, but he quickly cuts them off. "You want in, you gotta break me down. Or you can try again in five years. Better yet, make it ten." Seeing that they have nothing at hand that could knock down a door his size, the teenagers grumble and complain some more, but finally begin to make their way back down the mountain.
Leaning against Doorman on the other side, Xenia sighs in relief. "Goddamn fucking heroic teenagers. Seriously, where do the brats keep coming from..."
Later that night Commander Paulados is interrupted in his work by his chief of staff, an elf named Harnriel who is twenty years his senior, but quite a few ranks his subordinate by military reckoning. Giving a quick salute, the elf proceeds with his report. "We''ve received notice that Association''s agent will arrive tomorrow. Their construction and support staff will be here the day after."
Paulados nods. "Good. Including our shipment of supplies I hope, our own expansion plans can''t proceed much further without them. Before you go, though, what''s the word from that first Challengers party that left this morning? I know they don''t report to us, but if they''re not drinking and boasting already, I might send out that Tafyaf to chat them up. I''m sure being the first ''official'' clear has them in high spirits."
Harnriel shifts a bit awkwardly. "Actually, about that, sir. I was about to mention, our eastern approach patrol just came in with a number of...young adventurers in tow, teenagers. Apparently they snuck up the mountain but were caught on the way back down."
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The commander''s eyes go wide. "They actually got in? Damn teens. How many didn''t make it?"
"That''s the interesting part, or, one of them anyhow. Apparently the dungeon refused to let them in. Said it was an adults-only dungeon, and tested them on...tax forms?"
At that, the soldier gives out a laugh. "Nice! Well, there''s a reasonable dungeon for you! Any other one I can think of would''ve taken the kids as free snacks. Surprisingly decent of it."
"Yes, well, there''s another reason they were convinced to leave. Apparently the dungeon showed them an elf''s skull, and claimed it was the leader of the party that left this morning."
Once again, the commander''s mood shifts on the spot. "...Harnriel. Has the Challengers party returned yet?"
The elf shakes his head. "No sir. I even had someone check at the General to be sure, and the guard patrol reports they never came back down."
Paulados becomes lost in thought. "...They left at first light this morning, and the light''s fading now. It''s only a couple hours each way, a two floor dungeon...even at three...no. They should have been back hours ago. ...It would appear then that the entire party was lost?"
The chief of staff nods. "That would be my assumption as well, sir. Survivors can sometimes be trapped in a dungeon for some days, but that''s usually a matter of dungeons with at least...well, five floors at the absolute minimum, but usually ten or more."
Paulados sighs. "Is this dungeon a softy or a hardass? Well, not our concern for now, but we''ll need to make sure the Association is aware of this tomorrow..."
When Harnriel announces the agent''s arrival the next morning, it doesn''t do much to improve the commander''s sour mood. "Sir, Challengers Association Field Agent Alizz has arrived, and she requests a meeting with you."
"Alizz? That would be a drider name, wouldn''t it?"
The man nods. "It is, and she is, sir."
Paulados sighs. "Rubbing their vaunted neutrality in our faces as always, of course. Probably put a Valleylander in charge just to try and rub us the wrong way. At least it''s not a draconic, I suppose."
At that, the elf smirks. "No, but her second in command is a kobold."
The officer rolls his eyes. "Of course they are. Well, no matter, we can play nice. Send her in, then."
By time the agent arrives, Paulados has already gone the effort to move some chairs out of the way to make room for her. There''s nowhere for her to sit, of course, but given drider-sized sofas are a rare thing in the Rainlands, it would surely be something she''s used to. Sure enough, as the woman carefully makes her way through the office door one leg at a time, she seems pleased enough simply to find enough space to stand in. The commander finds himself surprised a bit by her bookish-appearing nature, her traveling garb could perhaps be that of a low-ranking Mage, but her glasses, simple pulled-back hairstyle and scribe''s hat make her look more like an accountant than the high-level Challenger she surely is.
As she enters, the drider begins with the introductions. "Hello, Commander. I am Field Agent Alizz, here on behalf of the Challengers Association. Given that the village seems to lack much in the way of a town government, it seemed to me that you were the man to talk to, in regards to getting the lay of the place and ensuring there''s no issues with the establishment of our temporary camp."
Paulados shakes her hand, doing an excellent job of hiding his distaste for dealing with driders. "Thank you for the consideration, and you would be correct. Grassbrook is poorly equipped for what''s coming its way - my own garrison has doubled in size in recent days, with men camping out in tents until we can get new barracks made, and I predict more will be arriving soon."
The woman nods in agreement. "I did do a short pass through town, and it seems as if we''ll be essentially starting from scratch. The partial inn barely has room for two parties, and the multi-faith chapel is only just large enough for the local residents. And not a single special-purpose item shop! No magical crafters...I daresay over the next few months we''ll be more than doubling the village''s infrastructure, if not its population."
The commander raises an eyebrow. "All that on the Association''s behalf? I expected an office and temporary residences, perhaps a crafting facility or two, but it sounds as if you plan to build an entire town of your own!"
Alizz grins at his expression. "Technically, the other establishments are independently operated, but we''ve done this sort of thing enough times now to have favored merchants, established contracts and so on. There may be other businesses who come of their own accord, but the Association has already made arrangements with many of the essential services Challengers require."
"Well, I have no head for business, but I''m sure the troops will appreciate having more places to spend their pay. How you use the land you''ve purchased from the Crown is up to you, of course, so how about we move on to the subject at hand - the dungeon. Worthy Dungeon, I should say."
The agent nods in agreement. "I understand a Challenger party came in a day or two before us. I didn''t run into them this morning, did they have any news to report?"
Paulados grows serious. "No, nor do I expect them to. The party is missing and presumed dead."
Alizz''s eyes grow wide. "...What? On last report, the dungeon hadn''t yet finished a second floor. Is that still the case?"
"To the best of our knowledge, it is. My assumption though would be that the second floor is now complete and the party ran into something they weren''t prepared for."
The agent looks out the office window, taking a moment to think. "...I''ve also heard that you''ve captured survivors of a Valleylander scouting party who presumably entered the dungeon. Is that correct?"
The information wasn''t particularly secret, so the soldier isn''t too surprised that a well-informed woman like Alizz is aware of it. "It is. We currently have a minotaur Ranger and a drider Mage locked up until we find a better use for them. We haven''t been able to get much out of them so far, particularly in regards to the dungeon, though I suspect they had a bad time of it."
Alizz turns her gaze back to the commander. "If I may, Commander Paulados, I would very much like to speak to them. Perhaps there is something they know which we have so far missed..."
Chapter 30: Bigger Bunny
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: BEASTSLAYER 2
YOU HAVE SLAIN THIRTY ANIMALS. DAMAGE TO ANIMALS INCREASED BY 20%. ANIMAL CONSTRUCT UPGRADE REQUIREMENTS LOWERED.
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"Fucking finally!" Xenia had gone back to the task of attempting to lure local wildlife into the dungeon, but was finding it harder and harder. Either she had already lured in most of what was in the immediate area, or the patrols Lollyp had mentioned were scaring animals away from the mountain. Still, she had finally upgraded her ''Lagomorphs'' tier to C-, and was now standing in the Boss Bunny chamber considering her next action. She''d gone back and forth a few times on whether or not to ''ensoul'' the creature, though all of the pragmatic evidence said that she should. Even with the discount she''d earned on resummoning the monster, it still wasn''t going to be enough if it was going to be slain multiple times a day. And it probably would be, given that it was the first floor boss. Even the worst parties would probably get at least this far.
Furthermore, she was now up to eight souls in her stockpile and didn''t have much else to use them for at the moment. She felt a little bad about putting souls into animals, but even if she could put everyone into slimes and then teach them how to be humanoid like Lollyp, then adventurers would just prepare everything that they needed for slime-slaughtering and cut through her dungeon bosses with ease. So, she''d first pushed ahead into getting C-tier rabbit-based summons, which unlocked something...at least getting somewhere close to humanoid. The preview given by the upgrade menu reminded her somewhat of a werewolf, if it were much shorter, had far fewer muscles and possessed bunny ears. Though at least it would have fangs thanks to her earlier experiments, which...didn''t help make it any cuter. Still, it was getting closer to a human, and she suspected B-tier might give her some sort of actual bunny-person if she could get that far.
Lollyp and Guy, watching her work from the sidelines, were getting a bit bored by all this consideration however. Or at least Lollyp was. "C''mon, boss! Buff up that bunny already!"
Xenia rolls her eyes. "I''m getting there! I just...gotta figure out which soul to use."
"None of them have memories like I do, right? What difference does it make?" The slime pauses to feed a summoned carrot to Sir Flopsy, having taken over as caretaker while Xenia was working. "Just pick one at random."
The dungeon master shakes her head. "No, they''re not entirely the same. When I focus on em in the inventory screen, I can get some like...vague impressions. Their general attitude, or vibes or whatever. Professional, angry, brave...ah, you know what? Think I got it." She starts to upgrade the current Boss Bunny to the new tier, and the others come closer to watch.
Guy checks through the soul inventory themselves. "Did one of these strike you as particularly...bunny-like?"
"Close enough. I''m going with the tiny Rogue lady from that last party. She liked flipping around and stabbing stuff, which fits with the BB''s attack style pretty well, and I''m definitely picking up a, like...mischievous vibe from her, which feels right to me. ...Should I start calling the boss ''Bugs''? ...Nah. Can pick her own name if she gets that far." As the boss upgrades, the body becomes more slender but also much, much taller - only about four feet tall or so without counting the ears, but still a significant growth. The limbs become near-humanoid legs and arms, though the paw-like hands look like they''d have trouble doing fine motor-control tasks. And while the body remains covered in fur, the form develops a more noticeable manhood, which the dungeon master quickly covers up with some simple leather armor. "On one hand, distracting folks might help in a fight, but uh...let''s say the armor will help keep him alive longer and leave it at that."
Lollyp giggles. "Giving her a turn as a boy, huh?"
Xenia shrugs. "Everyone oughtta try it once, if you ask me. Done a few rounds as guys myself. Pretty sure the Well of Souls doesn''t track that kind of shit." Upgrade finally complete, Xenia taps the selection on her soul inventory and begins the transfer process into the new Boss Bunny. It doesn''t take long, and after just a few moments Xenia can sense a new intelligence behind his eyes as he begins to scan the room. "...Hey there. Can you understand me?"
The lagomorph tilts his head at Xenia, but without any look of understanding. "Mrraw?"
Guy sighs. "I believe he will understand commands you give him, but that will be more a matter of your intent as a dungeon core and not as a matter of language. Without the benefit of old memories and personality, we will likely need more upgrades before we can acquire more conversation partners, outside of specialized options like talking doors."
"Well, was worth a shot. Think we can do a little more for him though, how about some weapons? Think he can hold stuff now. Hrmm...hey BB, which one do you like more?" Opening her palms, in one hand she summons a spear, while in the other she creates a clawed gauntlet - an option from her knives schemas. The boss looks first at the spear, but then turns and grabs for the gauntlet. "Yeah, I kinda figured you''d want some claws. How about we go with a...Slow enchantment, to make your speed seem even speedier, eh? You like that?"
Although it''s still unclear if the boss understands, he does nod eagerly, and looks quite excited as Xenia finishes summoning the gauntlet pair and shows him how to strap them on to his paw-hands. With those in place, the rabbit-man begins to dash around the room, testing out the strength of his new limbs and slashing at imaginary foes. "Well, looks like he''s happy! Alright, moving on..." She pauses and looks down at her gray robe. "...Well, okay, first thing is I need some pants. I''ve got clothes now, why the hell am I still in this thing? But also, before we open a new floor I want something to put in it. It''s time to start breeding some slimes and rabbits!"
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Lollyp grows a bit nervous. "Slimes and what now!?"
Grizza waits nervously in the bare room, occupied only by himself and a simple wooden table. It''s no dank dungeon from dark tales, as the Fort isn''t nearly large enough for a structure of that sort. The walls are solid wood, not stone, and there''s no special protection spells wrapping the room to prevent escape. Merely a locked door, bars on the window, and of course the mana-draining collar placed around his neck. Still, escape isn''t particularly high on the drider''s mind at the moment.
He and Tassa had been treated well enough, all things considered. Their only crime was trespass after all, and they had surrendered without a fight. If they''d been civilians they probably would have been handed a fine and that would be the end of it. But of course they weren''t, and so the local garrison had to at least hold them until it was determined whether or not they were spies, and whether or not they held any sort of political or diplomatic value. Until then they had been questioned once or twice but had otherwise been left alone in separate cells, in what passed for a small prison inside the Fort''s walls.
Expecting more of the same, Grizza was quite surprised then when another drider was the one to enter the room and take position on the other side of the table. She was dressed rather formally, and not in a military uniform, and so the Mage allowed himself to get his hopes up. "Ah, hello there! I don''t suppose you''re some sort of ambassador?" Slipping back into Valleylander feels comfortable for the man, after several days of awkwardly talking through rusty Rainlander when translators weren''t available. Unfortunately the woman shakes her head, although she does at least respond back in the same tongue.
"Sadly for you, I am not. I am Field Agent Alizz, here on behalf of the Challengers Association. I have no particular power over your current position, but if you agree to help me I may be able to improve your condition. I can say one thing, to the best of my knowledge the Valleylands currently do not hold any minor Rainlander agents of their own, so I would not foresee a prisoner swap happening anytime soon. Not that it''s my area of expertise, of course."
Grizza''s brow furrows. "Your area of expertise being dungeons, yes? I''m certain you know far more on that topic than I do."
"In general, yes." The woman reaches into a bag at her waist, and pulls out an item Grizza thought he''d seen the last of - the amateurishly constructed rabbit ears the dungeon avatar had granted him as, as far as he could tell, a joke. "I purchased this from one of the guards outside who ''confiscated'' it from you at your capture. Would you mind putting it on? I''m curious to see if the description was accurate."
The Mage sighs, but reaches for it. "This is humiliating..." As the ears latch on to his scalp, his chin suddenly becomes more pronounced, his eyes more piercing, and his hair becomes just the perfect level of tousled.
Alizz raises an eyebrow. "So it''s like they said. Enchanted to enhance charisma, particularly physical appearance...not entirely unusual, but usually such items are more discrete, to keep the focus on the user."
"Can I take it off now?"
"No." The woman doesn''t elaborate on her reasons on that point. "Hard to work that into any particular trend, but this dungeon does seem to be rather unpredictable. We''re quite certain you spent some time in the dungeons - days, as far as it seems. Care to tell us about your time inside?"
"No." Grizza also feels no need to elaborate. After all, there''s no benefit to him to make things easier on local adventurers.
"You have confirmed the deaths of two of your compatriots though, yes? A Ranger and a Cleric?" Grizza nods. This info at least they were willing to share, as perhaps it would speed along the possibility of notifying the families of the fallen. "At a time when the dungeon would have almost certainly been only a single floor - maybe not even a full floor. You should know, the first ''official'' Challengers party left for the dungeon yesterday morning. Five members, Initiates but not entirely inexperienced. At this time the entire party is missing and presumed dead."
Grizza''s eyes go wide. "An entire party, just yesterday?"
Alizz folds her hands on the table. "Yes, so you can see why I''m concerned. I intend to take my own party in before we allow any others, but while I''m confident in our skills I don''t enjoy the lethally unknown. Advice you can share with us will go towards saving the lives of others, including fellow Valleylanders, and would certainly encourage me to speak on your behalf in regards to your future fates, you and your companion. To begin with, how did you spend so long in the dungeon, and what was its state when you left?"
Grizza taps a finger in thought. While he would have been more than happy to allow a legion of Rainlander scouting parties march in to their doom, he holds no particular animosity towards Challengers, at least not in general. Finally, he sighs. "To answer the first question, we...accidentally broke in to a natural cave system by triggering too many traps at once, and became separated from the dungeon itself. It took a long time to find a place to break back through, and even that was shortcut by the dungeon expanding downwards in the meanwhile."
Alizz nods. "Yes, I''ve heard the second floor is...unusually vertical. I''ve heard of stairwell or tower levels, but nothing like the odd contraption this one seems to have." This mention confuses the Mage a bit, having not seen it himself, but the Field Agent fails to notice. "Once back in, how did the two of you manage to get out? Did you happen upon an exit portal? Did you see anything unusual before you left?"
The Mage nods slowly. "We did come out very close to a portal, yes. But...if I had to wager odds on what happened to that missing party, assuming they didn''t repeat our misadventure, it would be the second floor boss, or what I assume must have been the floor boss. I don''t think the dungeon had time to finish...upgrading it before we arrived, but it fought...unusually well for a second floor boss as it was. And, ah...the boss was a slime."
At that, Alizz narrows her eyes. "A slime? Am I mistaken in my understanding that slimes are not a locally available form of wildlife?"
"That would be my understanding as well, yes."
Alizz leans forward. "So where then did this dungeon find enough slimes to make one into a boss that could actually pose a threat?"
Grizza meets her gaze. "That, I believe, is an excellent question."
The interview went on a little longer, with Alizz trying every angle she could think of, but either the captive Mage had little more to tell about the current state of the dungeon, or there was more he was unwilling to tell even to her. Still, the details gleaned gave her a hint of an idea as to what may be going on. As thanks she allowed him to keep his special dungeon loot, as it had originally been his after all, even though he tried to give it back. It was unlikely to help him in escaping, so this time at least the guards were convinced to let him keep it. Or perhaps they just found it amusing for the time being.
In either case, she was more convinced than ever that she needed to visit the dungeon herself before allowing any more parties to challenge it. Exiting the Fort, she met up with her second-in-command, the kobold Warrior of Flame who had been forced to wait outside. "Kelsey, didn''t keep you bored for too long, I hope?" The kobold shakes his head.
"Naw, naw, wouldn''ta wanted to go in even if they''d have me. You find anything useful, though?"
Alizz also shakes her head in a no. "Nothing to confirm anything on its own. But I''m more convinced than ever that we need to check this dungeon out first-hand. Tell the others - we go out at first light."
Chapter 31: Self-Destructive
It was early the next morning, and Alizz and her personally chosen team of dungeon delvers found themselves standing outside the door to Worthy Dungeon. Alizz herself was equipped with a pair of short wands, each ending in two long prongs like a pair of very unwieldy forks. Next to her was the party frontliner, Kelsey the kobold, while behind them stood a pair of human women; Sely and Taly of Highfalls. And of those four, it''s no question as to which members of the party Doorman found most interesting.
"Well, well, well. Am I wrong, or do we have a pair of twins visiting us here today?"
Sadly this only brings exasperated sighs from both of them and a screech from Sely, marked by her white leather and chainmail, although with oddly bare, muscular arms. "We''re not godsdamn twins! I''m a whole year older! All the hells, even the damn doors now are making that mistake."
Doorman reconsiders his next question, but plows on ahead anyhow. "...So would it be a bad idea if I were to ask if you two wanted to, you know, hang out later?"
Taly, the sister equipped entirely in dark black from her armor, to her masked hood, to her bow, laughs merrily before answering the question. "Hahaha! ...Yes, it would be a bad idea."
Doorman scoffs. "Sorry, wrong answer. You have failed the riddle, good bye."
Feeling that it''s time to try and make this encounter professional, Alizz rolls her eyes and attempts to take charge. "That was not the riddle, door. Ask us the proper question, please."
"I''m the riddle door, here. I think that gets to be the question if I want it to be the question."
The drider narrows her eyes. "Fine, we''ll do it the hard way then." Aiming her right wand at the door''s handle, she stares at it intensely for a few moments before suddenly twisting her wrist. And with a sudden click, the handle turns and Doorman swings open, much to his own surprise.
"Wait, what? You can''t do that! Only I get to decide when to open up!"
Alizz grins and blows on the tip of her wand, where a buildup of heat was causing small distortions in the air. "Sounds like somebody needs some better locks."
The next few rooms pose no challenge to the party, even with the recent upgrades. Alizz very much takes notice of those upgrades however, and brings them up to the group before moving on to the first boss chamber. "Alright, so let''s review. First room, minimal challenge, traps upgraded but not yet invisible. Pretty standard for a low level dungeon, yes?"
Kelsey nods. "A-yup. Monsters made from local wildlife, nothin'' special there."
Alizz continues. "Room two, interesting design, also has a very low level of resources required...except for the water slime in the center. This is our first confirmed slime in the dungeon, there was no mention of it in the Commander''s scout report. Also notable, water slimes are not a bottom-tier slime option."
Sely chuckles. "Got a pretty good grip on him, too. With that being the only monster in the room, it''s not too bad for newbies, y''know, as long as they know it''s there. If the surprise works that setup could easily kill an Initiate."
"Quite. Third room, the skeletons. Fairly traditional, though the skeletons are using multiple kinds of equipment, so they''re being continuously upgraded. But more notable is the use of acid slime ambushes. That makes at least two slime variants here, which guarantees a random wild slime did not just wander in here and get eaten."
The archer growls. "You think some sicko is feeding the place?"
Alizz shrugs. "Can''t rule it out, but it sounds like Floor Two is where the place really takes a turn, so we''ll see in a bit. First though...the ''consolation prize'' loot." The group looks at the small chest by the door, then at Alizz. Preparing both wands, the drider points one at the pedestal where the chest sits, then raises the other towards the top of the nearby doorway. She spends some time gesturing and adjusting the wands one way and another, looking less like she''s casting a spell and more like she''s performing surgery. In less than a minute she finishes, and turns back to the party. "Mana link disconnected, we can take the loot now." Taly nods, reaching inside and scooping up a handful of loose change and low-tier necklaces while an inaudible woman shouts about robbery in the background.
With that Kelsey takes the lead into the next room, while Alizz prepares the team. "Alright, so, as we mentioned, the Floor One boss is supposedly an oversized rabbit, so just keep your...what...the?" She pauses as a laughing sound begins to emerge from the false cave entrance on the opposite side of the room. Or at least, something roughly approximating the sound of a laugh, although it clearly seems just a little off from human.
"Mrraaah aaah, mraah haha!" The group gets a brief glimpse of a short humanoid figure in the darkness of the cave before suddenly it dashes into the room in a blur of light gray. Taly launches a triple-shot of bolts made of pure shadow from her bow, but none even come close to hitting the figure. The being leaps and lands on Kelsey''s heavy shield with both feet, kicking back off of it before he can react in order to knock the kobold to the ground. Far too late the kobold shouts out the activation word that lights his shield and sword on fire, but if anything it only makes it harder for him to climb back to his feet.
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With the Warrior temporarily disabled, the monster moves next for Alizz - the largest target in the room. Scratches and claw marks begin to appear on her abdomen, not deep ones thanks to her natural armor, but worrying in that they form at all given the spellcaster spent a lot of time and mana improving her own exoskeleton. More worrying is that Alizz is the slowest member of the team in combat, her spells requiring attention and focus to work, and in this case she can barely even catch glimpse of the monster...in fact, is it getting faster over time? As she realizes the others are speeding up as well, the cause becomes more clear. "...Ssssllloooow ennnnchannnntmennnnt. Donnnn''t leeee..."
The rest of the warning isn''t needed, as Taly drops her bow and tackles the monster with daggers in hand. From there the fight disappears from view as Taly suddenly pitches the entire chamber into the the darkness of a moonless night, but wet stabbing noises and inhuman laughs continue. Finally the light returns, and Taly sits straddling the corpse of the most bizarre rabbit monster Alizz has ever seen. "Whhhhhhaaaaaat thhhheeee heeeeelll..."
Once again Alizz is interrupted, this time by Sely placing a hand on Alizz''s back. "Okay, just chill a second, I gooooot yooooooouuuu..." She pauses as scratches appear on her arms at the same rate they vanish from Alizz''s exoskeleton, and with her actions slowing down even as Alizz returns to normal speed. She tenses for a moment, closing her eyes before the newly formed wounds disappear from her own body. Finally, she shivers in a pleasure that Alizz has long learned not to question. "Ahhhh! Good stuff! Thanks for being such a good target, boss."
Alizz sighs. "I do it for you, Sely. But...what in the world, seriously? A rabbit boss monster? I''ve never seen a dungeon upgrade a rabbit to this level before. And that must have been ensouled, wouldn''t you agree?"
Taly inspects the boss''s gauntlets, though she doesn''t bother taking them - if they''re not mana-charged to the level of being loot items, they''d just vanish after she left the dungeon. "Yeah, though not actually that highly tiered. Still mid-level at best. Still, y''know...who invests this much in rabbits? I guess I gotta give em points for being unpredictable. That bastard was fast."
Kelsey turns off his flames, looking a bit embarrassed at how little he was able to contribute in that fight. "Yeah, no shit, last time I had to deal with a monster that fast was...fuck, I don''t know? Some of em got quick attacks, but zippin'' around the entire damn room like that? Definitely gotta write that one down."
Alizz collects herself before leading the team onward. "And from what I''m told, the second floor boss will likely be worse. But first...time to see what this ''moving floor'' is all about."
Like Cerise''s team before them, the party finds themselves quite impressed at the mechanical design of the elevator level, but not particularly threatened by it. The skeleton monsters are simply too weak even with their latest upgrades, the nuisance monsters are no threat, and the dart traps are unable to penetrate their armor if they even hit at all. Still, Alizz finds herself making a few notes before opening the door to the boss chamber. "I find myself particularly curious about what the effects will be of moving an entire floor, once the dungeon becomes more popular. If parties have to line up and wait for the platform to arrive, will they still go through the dungeon one by one? Or will they group up and end up doing the rest of the dungeon as a raid?"
Kelsey laughs at the thought. "Did you hear the way that shit was groaning every time it had to stop? I daresay that thing''s got a weight tolerance on it, boss...maybe two parties at once, but three or four? I''d just wait for the next trip down."
"True, noted. Perhaps there''s a way to shortcut with climbing or flying items...? But that would be a more high-level consideration. In any case, are we ready? We should expect the next boss to be more dangerous than the last." Again, the party nods, and again Kelsey leads the way forward, with Alizz close behind. As they step into the room, acrid chemical smells from the burning pools seem quite familiar to the drider. "Ah, yes...this does seem like a slime''s natural - ahh!"
Her observations are cut short as said slime suddenly swings in her direction from a crack in the ceiling, yet it suddenly twists in-mid air to avoid an impact, slamming to the floor and rolling away from her. It recovers to its feet quicker than the team can attack, however, and a face turns in the drider''s direction. "ALIZZ?!"
The named woman gasps. "Lollyp? What in the world are you doing here?"
"What are you doing - wait, no, this is your job. Dumb question. Forget I asked." The slime gives a crooked grin as a wand dances between her fingers. "Oh hey, Kelsey! And...you two must be the not-twin sisters?"
Sely steps forward angrily. "WE''RE NOT...oh, wait, you said not-twins. Yeah, that''s us."
With no actual answer given, Alizz tries again. "Lollyp, what in the world are you doing? Are you...living in a dungeon? I mean, I know you did half the time before anyways, but this dungeon?"
The slime woman eyes the group slowly, clearly taking her time to consider her response. Finally she raises her wand in their direction, but as emphasis, not in an attack stance. "You didn''t see nothing. You didn''t hear nothing. You beat a normal slime boss and got some sweet loot. Not a word of this." Her look grows serious.
Alizz has trouble finding a response. "I...if that''s...but...what!?"
Instead of answering, Lollyp''s eyes once again turn mischievous. "Oh no, you got me!" With nothing further said, the slime suddenly jams her wand into her own chest - literally sinking several inches deep - and seconds later the woman explodes into a fireball. The team can only watch, dumbstruck as fragments of slime splatter across the room, including some across their own chests.
Shocked, Alizz wipes off her vest, staring down at the remains of Lollyp in her hand. "...Lollyp...what the fuck."
An hour later Lollyp feels herself wake up in her hammock, even as half of her body is still reforming from ambient mana. She is at least aware enough to see Xenia staring down at her, confusion and irritation in her face. "Oh! Hey boss...guess they got me pretty good, huh?"
Xenia sighs. "Lollyp...you are my MVP. I was watching, obviously." She leans in closer. "Lollyp...what the fuck."
Chapter 32: Assembling the Pieces
Lollyp cries out. "I''m sorry! I panicked!"
Xenia leans back and sucks in a breath. "Panicked how? You are like, literally immortal now. Who was that woman, how did you know her?"
The slime takes a moment to consciously attempt to calm herself. "...Right, right, so uh...that was Alizz. She works for the Challengers Association...not like, super high up, but high up enough to basically run things out in the field. That was probably her doing her inspection run of a new dungeon...and, uh, probably checking in to see what happened to that other party we wiped out earlier."
Xenia forms herself a chair and takes a seat, as Lollyp continues to reconstruct herself in her hammock. "Pretty powerful? In a physical sense, like. The way her team handled themselves reminded me a lot of you and Cerise''s party. By which I mean, way too fucking overleveled for what I''ve got to work with."
Lollyp nods. "She''s a Master like Lady Cerise, yeah. A Mana Wrecker, it''s a class that specializes in things like, undoing enchantments, counterspells, things like that. A really magical creature like an elemental or massive skeleton would fall apart like a toy to her, though she doesn''t do a lot of direct combat. The rest of the team are Experts, the last I knew. Kelsey''s a Warrior of Flame, basically a heavy armor class with fire spells. I never met the other two, but I think the one in black was a Midnight Shadow, a Rogue class, and the other was a, um...a Divine Masochist."
The dungeon master snorts. "A divine what?"
"Ah-heheh. It''s a special Cleric class from those who worship the God of Pain. They absorb pain and wounds, and can either convert them to other forms of energy or redirect them via a, like, Pain Touch I think it is. Not real common outside of some demons, as far as I know."
"A God of Pain exists. Nice. Wonderful. Okay, so that''s who Alizz is at work. Who''s Alizz to you?"
Lollyp takes another deep breath. "Right, so. The Challengers Association is a neutral party, given that they''re, uh...alllmost like a church in a way, given that their stated goal is to help Challengers reach divine favor, even if the majority of them are just doing it as a day job and never expect to get that far. Even the Dragonlord lets them do their thing, if with a bit of extra paperwork and restrictions. Y''see, one thing we have down south is a lot of dungeons we''ve worked out deals with, kind of like you, Collaborator Dungeons we call them. They let us carve out space for our own uses, I lived in one myself. But it''s not free, the dungeons need Challengers as much as Challengers need dungeons, so there''s times and places where outsiders can come in. And like, almost a decade ago now, Alizz was the one doing the annual inspection of the dungeon I lived at."
"Hrmm. And you met and became best friends?"
The slime shakes her head. "No, actually, I didn''t even meet her that time. But uh...my older brother sure did. They really hit it off, and met up every time she was in town for the next while, and eventually they went and got themselves vowed. So, to make a really long story short, Alizz is my sister-in-law."
At that, Xenia raises an eyebrow. "Really? That''s an...interesting pair. Your brother, is he still...?"
Lollyp sighs. "No, he died of old age four years ago. They were only married about four years, and slimes and kids are...kind of complicated, so they never managed any. Still, they knew that going into it, and felt it was worth it. Since then we''ve still kept in touch, letters and all that, and met up maybe once or twice a year when she was in the region. I met Kelsey that way too, the kobold, though the others weren''t part of her team yet the last time she was in town."
"Okay." Xenia takes a moment to process the new information. "So what does that mean for us? And for you?"
The slime scrunches up her face in thought. "Well, she knows how the Dragonlord works, and she''s not stupid, so she''s obviously going to know you made a deal for upgrades of some sort. Me being here, as myself, is gonna throw her a bit, none of our other dungeons can do anything like this. But I don''t think that changes the big picture any. I''m hoping she won''t tell anyone about my situation, but she''s definitely going to start warning people to be more careful in here. I don''t know if that means she''ll put a level restriction on the dungeon, probably not though...a level restriction on a two-floor dungeon would be like, unheard of. Still, she might make our job harder."
"Guess we''ll just have to up our game again, then. ...Lollyp, I want to be mad at you for throwing a fight like that, but...I get it. But please, for the love of god, don''t do it like that again. I don''t know how it felt but watching it was awful. I think you might''a slightly traumatized your sis-in-law, for that matter."
Lollyp grimaces. "Shit. Right. Didn''t...really think that part through. Sorry!"
"All slime gore under the bridge. Though speaking of upping our game, it''s really time for me to start on opening up that third floor. I finished my new monster creation while you were out, I''m callin'' em ''Hippity Blobbities!''"
"...You really need more oversight, boss."
Stolen novel; please report.
For the several hours it took to get back to the temporary Challengers camp, Alizz had been in a daze, moving almost on automatic. When Lollyp exploded it was as if the emotional part of her mind cut out, and the analytical part took over. Without regard for the rest of the dungeon she''d taken the scraps of Lollyp in her hand and began a ritual on the spot, because she had to know. She needed to know. Was that really Lollyp? The analysis ritual did confirm one thing at least: whoever or whatever that slime had been, she''d been created entirely from dungeon mana. She was indeed an actual dungeon boss.
But that didn''t explain anything. The group had awkwardly claimed their prizes from the core chamber and left - some coins, a pair of healing potions, and an unusual pair of slime-material gloves that Alizz was able to identify as being water, fire, and acid-resistant - but for the entire walk home the same cycle of questions just kept running through her head. How could a dungeon boss look and act like Lollyp? There''s illusion and shapeshifting spells, those could perhaps be used to make a dungeon boss look like a real person, but why would it look like her specifically? And how could a dungeon of this tier have a boss smart enough to act like her? She knew that it was common for older slimes living in the Domain to give their lives to the Dragonlord''s dungeons, and she knew Lollyp was getting old...a tinge of regret strikes her there, she''d been meaning to make at least one last visit at some point, but it had slipped her mind and she only realizes now that it might have been too late for that.
Had the Dragonlord figured out a way to bind people directly to a dungeon, without killing them in the process? But that didn''t make sense either - something like that would be tested in the Domain''s friendly dungeons, and probably would have been noticed by now if they''d been doing it for a while. Testing it in an unproven dungeon in hostile territory wouldn''t make any sense. Certainly the Dragonlord was involved somehow, there was almost no other way Lollyp could have gotten here, but what exactly were they up to? Or...had Lollyp somehow figured out a way to bind herself to a dungeon and done this on her own? Alizz shook her head at that thought - Lollyp was good for her level, but a new magic like that would be way beyond Advanced tier. Unless she found an ancient magical artifact, or...
Alizz screams. "Ahhhhhh! What the fuck is going on!?" Feeling the pat of Kelsey''s hand on her back, she looks around and realizes finally that they did actually make it back to camp. She also realizes that there''s at least two dozen construction workers and other support staff giving her odd looks, but Kelsey begins leading her to their main tent.
"C''mon, boss, let''s, y''know...have a sit and clear our heads, yeah? You two, check in on the staff and make sure shit''s goin'' good here, alright?"
The sisters nod, uneasily. They were a bit put off by the experience themselves, but they could tell that Alizz was affected the most heavily, and hadn''t been sure how to bring up the topic on the way back. Sely takes a look around at the forming camp. "I''ll check in on the medical tent. Taly, you wanna check in with the hunters and kitchen?"
With the sisters wandering off, Alizz and Kelsey make their way to the most expensive tent in the camp, and Alizz nearly collapses onto her sofa-slash-bed. "Kelsey. I''m not going crazy, right? That was Lollyp. She was a dungeon boss, but it was also still Lollyp."
Kelsey nods, pulling at one of the whisker-like growths dangling from his snout. "Don''t see how I can say that it wasn''t. In my experience most slimes are a little crazy like that, but if it weren''t her then it was definitely at least some other slime girl doing a really fuckin'' good impression. And a dungeon slime wouldn''t be able to pull off even that. So I think, y''know, workin''-assumption-like, we should probably assume for the moment it was really the girl, yeah. Which leads us to the next question - we gonna do like she asked and not tell anyone?"
Alizz sighs. "We can''t say nothing. Let me ask you this: given that party that vanished two days ago, how many of them do you think were due to her?"
The kobold scoffs. "Girl was almost Expert, wasn''t she? And that party was mid-Initiate? I don''t know what her fighting ability''s like now, but until she recognized ya, I think think she was seriously planning to try and take on the four of us on her own the best she could. I can''t rule out the chance she could''ve taken out that entire party of newbies all on her own, though the dungeon did have enough surprises it coulda thinned ''em out some first."
"Right. We send in more parties like that without a warning and we''re sending them to their deaths. I think...we at least need to warn people the dungeon has a unique, magic-casting slime boss and to use extreme caution on Floor Two. We can keep her name out of it for now, at least until I''m more sure about what exactly is going on."
The kobold groans as he begins to move his weapons and armor to a nearby storage rack. "Do you think we need to put on a restriction?"
The field agent vigorously shakes her head. "People would go nuts if we tried. You know who new dungeons attract - beginners and Firsters, those people who want to set first-time records and that sort of nonsense. If we put on a restriction, that would leave only the Firsters who could use the place, at least until it was confirmed strong enough to attract the higher class parties. I think for now we have to stick to a strong warning on the second floor...and if we do lose any more parties to it, at least people would understand then why a restriction was needed."
Kelsey sighs and walks over to the tent''s open flap, examining the camp outside. "Yeah, guess that makes sense. What does that make our next move, then?"
Alizz climbs off of her sofa and finds her way to the trunk containing most of her reading material. "I need to do some more research on...I don''t know, more esoteric dungeon magic I suppose, though I doubt I have anything with me that will shed much light on our situation. After that, I think I need to go back there and, well...actually talk to her, or whatever she actually is. And try and convince her not to explode next time."
The kobold laughs. "Heh, yeah, sometimes the direct method is the best one." He pauses, then narrows his eyes at something outside. "...Hey boss...you know those Firsters you mentioned? Guess who just wandered into camp."
Alizz makes her way over to his side and feels her mood drop yet again, as she spies a dwarvish woman walking alongside a pair of elvish men. "No. Those three? Seriously? How do those weirdos always get around so fucking fast? Is one of them a secret Space Mage?"
Kelsey laughs again. "Well, what can I say, boss. Sometimes Challengers can do anything if they''ve got the right motivation..."
Chapter 33: Slime Time
While Xenia was returning to something more traditionally horizontal for her Floor Three layout, she was also trying a different approach as well. Her current goal was to set up four basic chambers in a square pattern, but each down a short flight of stairs from the previous. This would hopefully get the end of the floor to line up more or less with the empty hallway she''d discovered before, at which point she could consider attempting to ''subdue'' the abandoned dungeon, whatever that was about. Unlike with her first floor though, she didn''t want to work on things one room at a time, creating a patchwork design and possibly having Challengers wandering through half-completed areas. No, this time the floor would be entirely blocked off behind a hidden door in her core chamber until it was completed. If nothing else, it would help hide the true threat level of the dungeon a bit longer, until one day someone came down and discovered an entirely new floor waiting for them.
Of course, as soon as she''d started on opening the new construction area, a floor achievement had been waiting for her.
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FLOOR 3 CREATED
ADDING NEW BASE ''CAVE'' MATERIALS:
DECORATIVE/CONSTRUCTION STONE (MEDIUM QUALITY)
HEALING POOLS AND FOUNTAINS (LOW QUALITY)
AMBIENT UNDERGROUND NOISES (LOW QUALITY)
NEW BASE ''CAVE'' CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED:
RODENTS: F
ARACHNIDS: D-
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 6 TO 80
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With Guy and Lollyp in tow, Xenia leads a tour through the partially-blocked out floor. "Alright, so! General floor theme is gonna be slime time! They''re still our highest ranked monster type, so my plan is to mix ''em up with everything we''ve got and see how many varieties we can come up with. I''ve already got rabbit-slimes for the first room, and I''ve got some skeletal slimes cooking right now, I hope."
Lollyp chuckles. "Since you got slimes from me, does that make them my grandkids now? ...Scratch that, I don''t wanna have any claim on whatever bizarre shit you''re putting together. Although I do feel a little weird now about not being the boss of the slime level."
"Well, we can always swap you out later...not sure yet what our third boss is gonna be, not that far yet. But anyways, the first room! The whole floor is going to be on a general downward incline, but this room is going to be the steepest. Gonna be like the Slip''N''Slide room but cranked to eleven, so I guess we can claim that room is the Challenger training room for it, if anyone asks. The whole room is gonna be a grid of squares, each row going down level by level like a giant set''a stairs until you get to the other side. But! The squares don''t stay still!" As a demonstration, she hops onto a stone square about seven feet wide on a side, at which point it tilts sideways and dumps her down to a lower level, an eight foot drop that could be bad if her virtual avatar actually obeyed the laws of physics. "Some of em will toss you around like that if they lose balance, some will move up and down at random times, which means if you want to get to the proper stairwells at the end of each row yer path is going to change or get blocked if you''re too slow about it. And if you just hop down from level to level, you''ll find that the easiest jumps are all trap triggers."
Guy gives a hum of approval. "And you said this will be like the waterslide chamber? Are we adding water here as well?"
Xenia grins. "Nope, cause we''ve got better! That last achievement gave us polished stone, and more importantly, we''ve got ''Slime Fabric'' now! Which was definitely not intended as a form of carpet, cause that shit is really low friction if you stretch it out. Plus it doesn''t cost mana to keep flowing, though the moving platforms are gonna drain some of that anyhow. And for the coup-de-grace..." She hops down to a lower level, where the previous row is now her wall on one side. Batting the fabric-coated stone, she reveals that there''s a slit in the fabric leading to a hidden space inside. Reaching in, she pulls out a pink slime blob...with slime bunny ears. "Meet the Hippity Blobbity! Like the skeleton archers are better than dumb dart traps, these boys will be their own kind of trap. When someone walks by they''ll launch themselves outwards, knocking people off the current level. After which they''ve got the good ol'' acidy juices to play around with, and enough hopping distance to land on someone''s face from the floor."
Lollyp seems impressed. "That''s...actually not a bad improvement. One of the main weaknesses of slime monsters is their slow speed, so if these can hop around that well, it''ll definitely take people by surprise."
Hopping down from level to level, a relatively safe endeavor for those who live in the dungeon, the tour group quickly makes their way to the second room. "This next room I was able to cook up pretty quickly because the monsters are still low-tier - I was able to put together some Slime Spiders. The spiders themselves look normal, if a bit uh...candy-colored, but check it out." Opening the door, a narrow stone hallway is revealed, with the way partially blocked off by a series of brightly colored spiderwebs. "They weave slime! Isn''t that cool?"
Lollyp whistles, or attempts to, as it comes out as more of a ''blrph-blrph-blrph'' sound from her fluid lips. "Okay, how have I not seen this one before? Everybody''s got spiders, and everybody down south''s got slimes! I guess the normal slime tiers have enough variety types in them that most dungeons don''t bother trying the crossbreed options on em? If we get mail access I need to write a few letters."
Xenia pushes a hand through a web, which gives some resistance but does eventually fall apart. "Sadly, like I said, it''s still pretty low tier. So the plan for now is to not dump anything on em for a few hallways except for a whole lotta webs they gotta push through. Then once they and their weapons are all sticky and slimy, start triggering spider ambushes when they hit the webs. They''ll hit em with even more sticky slime, and then finally...well, I''d like to put some giant slime spiders at the end of the labyrinth, but we ain''t got any yet, so uh...for the time being I''m just putting in a bunch''a orc skeletons to stab em to death. But a theme is planned!"
Guy nods. "In the end, it is the result that matters most. From there?" The group makes its way down a flight of stairs into a very unimpressive empty square cavern.
"Well, I''m still working on the back half, alright? I''m thinking this will be the Undead Slime room, but I still wanna see how they turn out. I''m aiming for like, skeletal slimes like I said, something bigger than a normal slime that can still move around pretty well, cause they''d have a skeleton and all, right? Then we can take advantage of slimes being mostly invulnerable to your usual pointy sticks and all that. Fourth room, I''m thinking we finally make use of those barriers and magic traps we unlocked a while back. It looks like running a lot of magic stuff at once would be expensive, but I think we can work around it by making it kind of a puzzle room. We''ll have some Hippity Blobbities hopping around from trap trigger to trap trigger, turning barriers on and off, setting off flamethrowers and zappers and that sort of thing, and adventurers can try and kill the slimes to make em stop."
Lollyp sighs. "Are you really going to keep calling them Hippity Blobbities?"
The dungeon master grins. "Obviously! After that, boss room and then maybe a rest stop with one of those new healing puddles we apparently unlocked. No idea on the boss yet, maybe something will come to me by time we get that far."
The slime boss nods, pleased at least with the general plan. "Well, I''m glad you''ve accepted the general utility and awesomeness of slimes. What''re we doing for our next floor theme, then?"
Xenia rolls her eyes. "Please, let me at least finish one before I gotta go planning more. We''ll get there when we get there..."
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Hours later, though not so late that the light''s begun to fade, Doorman finds himself under an assault of flirty comments that he''s not sure he''ll be able to withstand for long.
"Wow, look at that woodwork, Nallond. I daresay a master craftsman put this together, have you ever seen a more alluring door?"
Doorman looks down at the two elvish men and their dwarvish friend, not sure how to respond. "Who, me? Why, I''m nothing special. I did get a bit of a makeover the other day though, do you like it?"
The second elf smirks. "Renriel, look at you, you''ve got the door blushing! But indeed, you look good, my friend. And I must say, those rabbit decorations are quite interesting! And the clams? I hope I''m not reading into things too much, but I like the way things are looking..."
Doorman clears his throat, and attempts to remain professional. "Well, they may represent one or two challenges you''ll find inside, yes. But if you want to get inside, first you must pass the challenge of my riddles!"
The dwarf woman, who''d spent the time quietly slipping up to the door, begins lightly stroking the wood around the handle area. "Aww, riddles are such a bore. It''s a shame we don''t have a proper rogue in our party, because we''d really love to...pick your lock, you know?"
The guardian begins to stammer a little at this unusual approach. "What? I don''t even have a key! The keyhole is, ah, purely decorative, you know? Now, about that riddle..."
"Decorative? Why, I can think of all kinds of things I could do with a nice keyhole like this..." The woman traces a finger around the edge of the lock, leans further in, and begins gently whispering into the metal orifice.
"What? That''s nonsense, I don''t even...really? You think that?" The door gasps in surprise. "That''s...you really have an amazing voice, you know. But I can''t...oh...well...oh my." After a minute of gentle strokes and soft whispers goes by, there''s a sudden clicking noise and the door swings open. It seems to take Doorman himself by surprise, but he attempts to recover and take control of the situation. "I, ah...yes! You have solved my riddle to satisfaction. I mean. W-welcome to the dungeon. Enjoy your stay! And...come again?"
The dwarf gives a smile to her companions, and the three step inside. A moment later they''re engaged with killing ambushing birds, but Nallond takes a moment to lean in and whisper to the dwarf. "You know, Tolla, I heard the door''s riddles aren''t even really very tough."
Tolla gives a laugh in response. "Oh, I know. But this way is so much more fun!"
While the party is small at only three members, they give every indication of being yet another overleveled group as they rampage through the first floor. The dwarf with her axe seems to pick up a literal sort of momentum as she goes, running through the Bone Maze at top speed and annihilating the last few skeletons by simply running through them, the elves cleaning up behind her as they follow. She even rushes into the boss room without waiting for them to catch up, and when BB attempts to slam into her with a jump, he finds himself bounced off into a wall with more than a few injuries for his trouble. She does at least have to take a stop there, seeing as she runs out of running space left on the floor, but Renriel''s magic and Nallond''s arrows prove quite adept at finishing the boss off. The spellcaster''s magic seems to simply take effect with no need to actually fly to hit the target, while Nallond''s form almost blurs out of reality even as he stands in place, making it impossible to judge where he''s aiming at any given time.
Unlike the other high-leveled parties however, they don''t even take the time to properly appreciate the mechanical nature of the second floor, as every time they clear out an ambush point they seem to grow more focused on each other than the space around them. It mostly seems to be a matter of the elves flirting with each other, occasionally punctuating a joke with a butt slap, while the dwarf watches on and bites her lip. Riding down with them in a virtual sense, Xenia finds herself a bit confused by their casual attitude to the dungeon, but when she zaps forward to meet up with Lollyp it seems the slime knows exactly what''s going on.
"Man, this party doesn''t seem to be taking shit seriously at all! I get the message already, that Expert dudes and higher can just prance through the damn place apparently, but most of em still have a bit more respect for my attempted murdering of em, you know?" Xenia finds herself talking to Lollyp''s back, as the slime keeps her eye glued to a crack in the wall between her ''apartment'' and the elevator shaft she''d recently added in.
"It could be they''re just...oh. Oh. It''s this party." The boss turns around and gives Xenia a wide grin that she honestly finds a little creepy.
"...Lolly. Why are you giving me a weird smile, Lolly?"
"Okay, giving you fair warning. I''ll put on a better show this time, but you have to tell me all the juicy details when I respawn, alright?"
As she moves over to one of her ambush points, Xenia follows. "What? Details on what, Lolly?"
The slime just gives her another grin. "Sorry, it''s showtime! But I''ll say this - they''re not here for the ~looooooot~."
With that she slides her way down to the lower level. She doesn''t aim to knock anyone into an acid bath this time, simply landing on Nallond''s head and disorienting him for a moment before leaping off into the center of the chamber. The trio quickly ready themselves for battle, though they take the time for some important pre-fight banter.
"Hey, what do you know - a slime monster with mage gear, guess this dungeon really does have a unique slime boss. A cutie, too." Nallond brings up his bow, charging up his arrows with elemental energy that may actually wound the woman. Rather than act concerned however, Lollyp responds with a flirt.
"You think I look good with the gear, you should see how I look without it." She turns sideways, pumping extra juice into her ass as she does so, and spanks one cheek in a way that leaves a hypnotic series of ripples. Watching, the trio quickly go from ''ready to attack'' to ''ready to drool'', going by the looks on their faces.
Tolla the dwarf recovers first. "Alright, it''s already official - this is the best dungeon I''ve seen in months! Don''t suppose you''ve got any...alternate challenge modes, slimy?"
To Xenia''s confusion, Lollyp actually puts a finger to her chin and seems to think about it for a moment. "...That seems like a very tempting idea. Buuuut I really oughtta stop slacking off so much. Beat me if you can!" With a sudden twist she points her wand in Tolla''s direction, firing off a bolt of electricity, but Renriel quickly supplies her with a barrier spell that blocks it. Meanwhile Nallond shoots off a series of ice-aspected arrows, one of which lands and causes Lollyp to lose some of her fluidity. So it is that when Tolla charges her a moment later, axe swinging, the slime is barely able to dodge and ends up losing half her mass in a single blow. "Ah! You''re so rough."
"Sorry, slimy! Just can''t stay away from a beautiful woman!" The dwarf turns for another charge, but is taken by surprise when Lollyp grabs up one of her own former body chunks and tosses it at Tolla''s head, splattering across her face and blocking her breathing for a moment.
"Oh, sorry for the surprise facial! I just make a mess of myself sometimes..."
Across the room, Nallond leans over to Renriel. "You know, is it just me or this slime is trying to wind us up?" His friend chuckles back.
"I''d say so, and I''d say it''s working..." The spellcaster sends a boost of power to his archer friend, and the next time he launches a volley of ice arrows, it turns into a horizontal hailstorm that blasts more pieces off of Lollyp and nearly freezes solid the rest. It gives Tolla all the time she needs to wipe off her face and return to the slime, axe held high.
"Thanks for all the foreplay, slimy. But it''s time we brought this to a climax!" Lollyp attempts to respond, but finds her mouth frozen shut, and so she simply raises a thumbs up with one appendage as the axe swings down.
After a brief moment of cleanup the trio make their way into the core chamber, and this time they do actually take a moment to appreciate the surroundings - in particular, the bed, which they notice before they even glance at the treasure chest. Tolla raises her arms in excitement. "Awesome! So awesome. We won''t have to pull out that crappy camp mattress this time..."
Renriel chuckles. "Easy, girl. We still gotta do the offering, remember?" He reaches for a bag at his waist, but Tolla snatches it up.
"Ooh, ooh, let me!" As the elves shrug and move to check out the bed, Tolla makes her way to the empty table and puts on a slightly more formal tone to her voice. "Oh, great dungeon spirit! We Challengers have a humble request to make of you. We - Renriel, Nallond, and myself, Tolla, are a group with a sacred mission. Which is, to put it simply - to fuck in every dungeon in the land, and if at all possible, to be the first to do so! They, heheh...they call us the Dungeon Fuckers! Haha!"
Nearby, an invisible Xenia cringes. Are they serious? It''s bad enough adventurers gotta come in here and wreck my shit, but now they''re gonna try and fuck on my bed, too? Gross! ...Also they''re a bit late on that ''first'' part...
Tolla continues however, pulling items out from the bottomless bag. "As thanks for your mercy and understanding, we bring you gifts! First, some of the finest pornographic broadsheets from Anchorfest." She pulls out a number of paper items, somewhere between a cheap magazine and a small newspaper, displaying drawn images of erotic acts, each copy apparently focusing on a different species. "A scroll, for the spell Illusionary Demon - I hear for dungeons they can make a monster look like a succubus or incubus, and while they may not be as smart as one, sometimes the eye candy is all you need, eh?"
Xenia considers the items added to her table. Well, Lollyp was asking for some paper, and an illusion spell does sound potentially useful...but still! These creeps are weird! And it''s my bedroom!
Tolla steps away from the table with a grin. "And of course...you''re welcome to watch." She gestures towards the two elvish men, who almost on cue begin to make out. Nallond''s tight pants soon reveal a noticeable bulge, although it''s quickly concealed when Renriel''s hand slips inside those pants to massage it.
Xenia stands still, stupefied. Stand strong, Xenia. You can resist the...hot elf boys...making out in your bedroom. And the dwarf who''s pulling off her...oh my god, what cup size are those even? Where was she hiding those!?
Without warning a new table suddenly rises out of the ground next to the bed, and on it sits a glass potion bottle filled with a thick pink liquid. The trio stare at it for a moment, until Nallond begins to laugh. "Is that...oh, ho. If I''m not mistaken, isn''t that a bottle of slime-based lube? Doesn''t that go for a gold coin per bottle back in the capital?"
Tolla grins widely. "Sometimes a lot more than that when trade relations get bad. I think we just got permission, boys."
Invisibly, Xenia begins to slap her virtual face. BAD SUBCONSCIOUS! BAD SUBCONSCIOUS! ...But it''d be rude to try and kick them out now...maybe I should just...see how this goes...?
Chapter 34: Setting Records - Explicit
Tolla the dwarf wastes no time, working her way out of her armor and the rest of her clothing before her elvish companions have hardly even started. That could be mostly due to the fact that they can barely seem to part their lips or hands from each others'' bodies, although it could also simply be a matter of Tolla rushing her way into everything, both in combat and in bed. Nallond''s leather vest has come off, leaving his undershirt behind, while Renriel is topless after having removed his spellcaster robes, but has yet to approach anything below the belt. The two have very similar builds, though Nallond the archer has a notably more muscular frame, and blonde hair compared to Renriel''s black. They both wear it in the same style, loosely falling down to their shoulders, often being brushed aside as their hands caress each other.
Tolla pulls a brown bottle from her supplies and entertains herself for a short time while watching and pulling drinks from the heavy-looking container, but her apparently limited patience runs out quickly. "Gah! I can see you''re nearly popping out of those pants''a yours already, how the hells have you not taken them off yet!? I swear to the gods, you only do this to torture me."
Nallond gives her a knowing grin. "To torture you...and because we know what you''ll do to end that torture."
"Yeah, yeah, I''m a predictable dwarven slut. Now let''s get those cocks out already!" Setting the bottle aside on the closest table she moves towards the pair, first grabbing at Renriel to fish his elfhood out from the fly of his trousers. Once that''s accomplished she turns to the other, and apparently lacking that convenience on his armored pants, settles for undoing his belt and pulling the clothing down to his knees entirely. Their cocks do indeed pop out to full attention as Tolla predicted, and she quickly takes one in each hand. The dicks seem similar to that of elven bodies in general, slender but long, and Tolla''s small hands have a lot of room to work with as they begin to slide up and down their shafts.
The trio are interrupted for a moment when the room''s center chair suddenly rotates to face them, followed by it moving several feet closer, causing each of them to grin. Tolla makes sure to stick her ass out in the chair''s direction, while making sure there''s still an unobstructed view of the show. "Looks like we do got ourselves an audience for this one! Gods, I love the horny dungeons...knowing they''re watching us, even when we can''t see em back..." Tolla ends her commentary by popping Nallond''s lower head into her mouth, and the elf pauses to groan.
Xenia Worthy, Horny Dungeon, wants to complain about her latest title but finds it hard to argue given that her latest fashion experiment has been returned to the ether, and she''s now sitting in her chair with one leg over an armrest and one hand between her thighs. As she begins to warm herself up to the show the odd thought occurs to her that this is the first time she''s masturbated in the better part of a decade. While she''d definitely had the itch ever since she''d arrived here, she''d been with Guy and busy for pretty much the entire duration. And of course after Lollyp arrived, there hadn''t seemed to be much need for that. Now that she understands what Lollyp was referring to about these three she does feel a little bad that the slime woman is missing out, and resolves to make it up to her later. But for now...the show continues.
Having given Nallond his share of attention the dwarf turns to Renriel, but somewhat to the dungeon master''s surprise Nallond finishes removing his clothing and then gets down on his knees to join her. It''s an odd pair, Tolla being at ideal cocksucking height simply standing next to the bed while the elf needs to kneel on the stone, but the two line up well as Tolla licks her way across one side of Renriel while Nallond takes the other. In a briefly coherent moment of consideration, Xenia summons up a fur rug to spare Nallond''s knees, and the group shares another grin.
"Now this is a dungeon who knows how to be a good host!" Nallond takes a break from Renriel''s manhood to laugh and adjust his legs. "Normally with new dungeons we set our record and leave, but...perhaps we should extend our stay and visit a few more times before we move on?" A dozen different responses fly through Xenia''s mind with her desperately catching and strangling them before they can get out, and she finally settles for carving a short message on the chamber wall.
DON''T PUSH IT...
Renriel laughs, the message not doing much to break his good mood, though the pair of tongues working their way across his dick at the moment may have something to do with that as well. "Fair enough, fair enough. Guess we''ll just have to make this one count, then." With a hand on the back of each party member''s head he begins to direct their efforts, bringing Tolla to his tip and Nallond towards his balls. With virtually no effort the dwarf practically inhales him, taking his cock well down her throat and pressing her nose to his stomach, and leaving Nallond almost no room to work with. "Ah! Tolla, you''re always so...greedy..."
Tolla pops off and resumes stroking, while Nallond leans down to suck one of Renriel''s smoothly-shaven balls into his mouth. "Hey, c''mon! You know how horny fightin'' gets me! I almost didn''t make it off that weird movin'' platform thingie! And gods, that slime...did you see her ass!? I think I fell in love!"
The standing elf laughs again. "You fall in love every time we enter a tavern...sometimes two or three times, at that. But I can see how excited you''re getting, all over the brand new rug, too. So how about we take care of you, hrmm?" Leaning over, he grabs up the short woman under her arms and tosses her onto the bed where she lands on her back with a laugh.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"Hey, what did I tell ya about tossing a dwarf?"
Nallond makes a show of giving the question careful thought. "That it''s a crime that can only be satisfied by following it up with a good, hard dicking?"
"Damn right! Now, who wants to be the meat in this sandwich?" The dwarf spreads her legs wide, showing off a a trimmed yet still hairy bush that stands in marked contrast to the sleek, bare forms of her elven companions, and looks between the two to see who will take the bait.
Renriel climbs up onto the bed first. "I think I will, if you don''t mind."
His partner slaps him on the ass as he gets into position. "Go for it. Meanwhile, I think I''ll try out this lovely gift from our host..." As Renriel climbs between Tolla''s legs, Nallond moves over to the bedside table and takes up the pink jar Xenia left for them. Opening it and letting a bit of the fluid drizzle onto his hand, he then uses it to stroke himself back to full hardness. "Ooh, it''s been too long since we''ve had the good stuff. Dear dungeon master, if you''re feeling generous, feel free to remove any loot you may have left in that chest there and replace it with more bottles of this, it''s always so hard to find..." He''s interrupted by a gasp from the bed, as much like with her zero-to-full speed deepthroating earlier, Tolla''s elf partner impales her with such suddenness that there''s a slight amount of backsplash left on his thighs and the bed as result.
"Fuck! Fuck! Rightthererightthere..."
"Haha, oh Tolla. There''s no secrets with you. It''s always as deep as we can get, as hard as we can get, am I right?"
Tolla gasps again before responding. "Well then how about you stop talking about it and do it, then!?" Renriel smiles and starts up a gentle series of thrusts as Nallond climbs onto the bed behind him, though he has to pause for a moment as Nallond slips a newly-pink middle finger into his ass.
"Oh, that is the good stuff. Hope you didn''t use up too much of it?"
Nallond grins as he carefully lines himself up. "Juuuust enough. Now...nrgg, tight as ever, Renny." The elf answers only with a nod as he waits for a moment for Nallond to work his way in, but once Nallond begins his own thrusting movements, he resumes his work with Tolla. The two elves begin to gasp a little with their efforts, their breathing becoming heavier, but beneath them Tolla seems to be managing the verbal output for all three of them.
"Yeah! Fuck him good, Nallond! The way he, urng, twitches whenever you get deep in there, gods I love it." The dwarf begins playing with her own heavy breasts and extremely erect nipples, massaging and pulling at them while she watches the elves above her, and focuses on holding her legs spread as wide as possible as if it could perhaps draw Renriel inside a few inches deeper.
It''s not only the elves who watch her play, though. No longer satisfied with watching from her chair, Xenia''s walked over to the side of the bed herself, one hand desperately rubbing at her pussy while the other supports her virtual form against the wall. Standing here like this, only feet away from the trio yet totally invisible, all manner of thoughts run through her head. God, this is so hot. It''s like voyeurism to a whole new level...I can''t interact, but they''re real, right in front of me, like a wet dream holodeck...I wonder...could...could I get closer?
Figuring they''ll never know just how close she was watching them from, the dungeon master climbs up onto the bed herself and straddles Tolla''s head. The bizarre sensations of the scenario seem almost unreal. Tolla''s tits jiggle below her, and Nallond and Renriel gasp just inches away, yet they have no idea she''s there. She can almost imagine the dwarf was licking at her...wait, no, it''s not entirely in her imagination. Although the feeling of pressure is light, she can actually feel the warmth and humidity of Tolla''s breath upon her lower lips, as if the dwarf was indeed preparing to eat her out. Just the thought of it begins to make her drip, and she fails to notice for a moment that she''s not as invisible as she thinks she is.
Renriel is the first to notice. "Is it just me, or...do those look like the impressions of someone''s legs in the fur blankets there, on either side of dear Tolla''s head?"
Xenia freezes. Shit! I got too distracted, I''m interacting with the furniture constructs still! I''ve gotta -
Her thoughts are interrupted by an excited shout from Tolla. "Oh my gods, is the dungeon trying to sit on my face!? That''s so fucking hot! Yessss, let Tolla take care of you!" The dwarf sticks her tongue out as far as she can manage, and although it can''t physically interact with Xenia at all, the image of her trying is more than enough for Xenia to decide to keep rolling with the situation. "Oh my gods! Oh my gods! First foursome with a dungeon spirit! New record! I love this place!" Whether it''s the thought of a dungeon master riding her tongue, the feel of the cock plundering her depths, or the possibility of having set a new perverted world record, the dwarf climaxes on the spot, drenching the rabbit fur blanket with her juices.
The sight of it brings Xenia to her own orgasm, her finger vigorously rubbing at her clit as she trembles above the dwarf, and she finds herself tremendously relieved that at least her ''construct interaction'' abilities don''t extend to staining the blanket with her own virtual fluids. Neither woman slows down though, with Tolla only encouraging Renriel to keep it up and Xenia pushing herself to keep at it for as long as her guests do. Renriel does indeed seem to be putting a great deal of effort into pleasing the insatiable woman, and so it''s Nallond who finishes next a few minutes later. Gasping over Renriel''s shoulder, he thrusts deep before pulling out, leaving a trail of pink and white to escape from the man''s well-used ass.
With Nallond collapsing on the other side of the bed, Renriel''s free then to focus further on Tolla as she rides through her second climax. "Ah! Gods! I''m getting close, Tolla...where!?" He''s unable to fully finish his question, but the dwarf answers it boldly.
"All over me! I want to feel it!" With a final gasp Renriel pulls himself from Tolla''s dripping cunt, aiming himself upwards...and Xenia just can''t control herself. Leaning over, she practically dives onto the elf''s cock, doing her best to line it up with her intangible lips. As the man shoots off his cum it passes right through her, yet she could swear she still manages to experience just the briefest of tastes as it shoots across her tongue. So it is that Tolla is drenched by two partners in that moment, even if one of them leaves no sign of it on her body.
When that moment passes all four of them collapse onto the bed, three of them visible and one leaving only the indented outline of her body on the fur. Looking to her side and laughing at the sight of the impression, Tolla shouts to the ceiling. "Yes! Yes, we are definitely coming back here again!"
Chapter 35: When Life Gives You Slimes
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INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS ESCAPED: 3
NEW RESOURCE PATTERNS GATHERED:
PAPER (STANDARD QUALITY)
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
FOOD AND DRINK: D+
SPELL SCROLLS & MAGIC TOMES: F
PRINTED GOODS: D-
MANA ACQUIRED: 7, CURRENT AMOUNT: 56/56 (24 CONSUMED BY CONSTRUCTS)
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
UNCLASSED SPELLS: ILLUSIONARY DEMON
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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When Lollyp wakes up in her hammock early the next morning, this time she finds a very happy-looking Xenia waiting for her. Respawning from death is a little more disorienting than simply getting up after a good night''s sleep, so it takes her a moment to restore her last thoughts. "Morning, boss. ...Ohhh, hey. Looks like someone''s in a good mood. Things go well, I take it? ...What time is it, even?"
Xenia gives a somewhat embarrassed laugh. "Uh, next day technically, don''t think it''s dawn yet. It uh...took a little while longer for the party to leave compared to last time. But hey, I made you some presents while you were out!" She points at the wall behind her with her thumb, and Lollyp rolls herself out of the hammock to go take a look. As she does so she finds three new pinups gracing her wall - the paper they''re drawn on isn''t of particularly great quality, but the likenesses seem to be drawn quite well. On one a nude male elf stands, modesty provided only by his longbow, on the second, another nude elf lies down on the floor with an open spellbook placed in his lap, and the third features a naked dwarf woman, a double-sided axe held before her to hide her generous assets. "I woulda asked for their autographs, but I didn''t have the paper until after they left. Though uh...let''s just say there''s a non-zero chance they could make a return visit. I assume you''re a fan, given you seemed to recognize em."
Lollyp almost drools as she looks at the pinups, a trail of slime hanging from her lip. "Holy shit. Things went really well, didn''t they? And yeah, the Dungeon Fuckers are kind of notorious. We were never introduced but I did see em in person once. They''ve got a reputation for being caught fucking in dungeon safe rooms, you''d think every third party has a story of catching them at it. And maybe half of those have a story of joining in, though if you ask me there''s probably more that just don''t admit it. I mean, it''s not like it''s just them. Adventurers are a horny people."
"No kidding. I put together a special gift box just for them - did you know that slime lube goes for more on the market than most of the enchanted gear I can make!? It''s cheaper for me, mana-wise, but a couple bottles in there probably made it my biggest loot box yet." She grimaces. "Part of me really, really does not want to get a reputation, you know? But the capitalist in me is having a hard time ignoring the untapped market, if you get me."
"I can tell how much you wanna tap that market, alright! Did you really just give em a box full of slime?"
Xenia turns away, blushing. "Maybe one or two of Cerise''s toys too, and..." Xenia mumbles quietly. "...maybe I might''ve given em a non-transferable pass to head directly down to the core chamber on their next visit." Lollyp raises an eyebrow, then the other for good measure. "Hey, if they don''t have to fight, then that means you can stick around next time! I did this for you, obviously."
Lollyp grins. "Obviously. My boss being an insatiable thirst monster has nothing to do with it."
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Xenia Worthy, Insatiable Thirst Monster rolls her eyes. "Pfft, I''ve got nothing on that dwarf. Really surprised me, honestly."
"Really? Everyone knows dwarves are the biggest sluts. Which I say in the most respectful and, indeed, impressed manner possible."
Xenia seems unconvinced. "Really? Dwarves are number one? Where do slimes rank?"
"They were born from a god who fucked rocks. So, you know where they get it from." She raises a hand and starts counting off on her fingers. "But I''d say dwarves number one, slimes second, succubi and incubi third. Probably gets competitive after that. On this continent, anyhow...you hear stories about some of the folks elsewhere, wouldn''t wanna repeat hearsay though."
Xenia snorts. "Succubi are third? What is this horny world?"
"Hey, you''re the one who watched three strangers who broke into your house fuck and then gave me pictures of them. Though I do have room for a fourth pinup here...could even sign it yourself, hehe."
"Hrmph. I may have your precious paper now, but I think I better be careful about how much smut I start making for you. Wouldn''t want to ruin an impressionable mind..."
"Hey, representative of the world''s second best sluts, here. Better be nice or I''ll start telling you more about how slimes get things done..."
Xenia covers her ears and makes her way out of the chamber. "I''ve got work to dooooo..."
LATER THAT EVENING
Xenia stares morosely at her very-much-not-Skeletal-Slimes as she sits in the third chamber of the new Floor Three. From what she''s seen and Guy''s told her, monster crossbreeding is very much a game of random chance in the early stages. Once the source monsters are higher tier, or the spell''s run enough times on a certain set, she''ll apparently be able to specifically force together certain combinations or traits. For the moment however, the spell has simply been running on the very broad categories of ''Slime'' and ''Undead''. And so it wasn''t skeletons the spell found a combination for first.
It was ghosts.
As she watches a blobby, half-transparent green form pass through a stone wall, leaving a large mess of sticky residue behind it, Xenia holds her head in her palms. "Slimers! I''ve reinvented Slimers! Guy, we''ve created a comedy relief monster!"
Guy watches the floating monsters with a bit of confusion. "Comedic? That''s certainly the first time I''ve heard ghosts referred to as being funny."
"I mean, look at em! They''re just floating blobs of goo! Yeah, they can make someone a real mess, but I already set up that whole thing with the slime webs. Doubling up on that isn''t going to be earning me any ''Most Creative Dungeon of the Year'' awards, Guy."
Guy considers for a moment. "...I wonder if there is such a contest...? But ah, for the immediate concern, well, let''s look at their potential attributes, shall we? Hrmm...at higher tiers, ghosts gain the ability to Possess adventurers, which is certainly a very powerful tool. At their current level however, they''re more known for their intangibility and their Fear powers."
Xenia tilts her head. "Fear powers? You make that sound like more than just being real scary."
"At F tier, that would be about the extent of it, yes. But we have at least progressed far enough to make it an actual form of Mind magic, if perhaps still a weaker version of what it could be. Now, while slimes are perhaps also somewhat intangible compared to most monster types, the combination appears to be somewhere between the two - still able to pass through solid objects, but also still leaving a residue behind. So what we have to work with involves: fear, high resistance to physical attacks, although a low physical strength, and perhaps an ambushing style, what with passing through walls and whatnot."
The dungeon master sits in consideration for a few minutes. "Scary slime ambushes..." She sighs. "You know Guy, I was really, really trying to avoid this one. But I think it just works too well for what we''ve got."
Guy bobs in anticipation. "Avoid what, exactly?"
Xenia sighs again. "Slime tentacles! Or, wait, hold on - Terror Tentacles! We can get the boys to hide in the walls of another labyrinth here, and try to latch on to anyone who walks by. They grab someone, inject em full of panic, and then they start runnin''...I don''t think these guys could hold on tight for long, too easy to break free of, so we gotta use that. If they run backwards, fine, if they run forwards, we give em the ol'' spike-filled pit traps down the hall. Ruin their ability to watch for the deadlier traps, and probably fuck em up a bit too for the next puzzle room if the effect lasts long enough. And...oh God, forgive me, I just realized we''ve got the perfect horny bait now."
"I''m almost afraid to ask."
Xenia reaches out and casts Illusionary Demon on the nearest blobby ghost. It instantly takes the form of a succubus wearing a tight black outfit that shows more skin than it conceals, with the main hints to her true identity being her slightly transparent nature and her yellow skin, given the color of the original slime she cast the spell on. "...Hrmm, maybe oughtta use a red slime for that. But we can set up a, like, small succubus BDSM dungeon in the center of the maze, have her there lookin'' all fine and shit, and a whole bunch of tentacle boys waiting to strike at the doorway. Since they''re not officially traps and they can hide inside the walls, it''d be a total surprise!"
Guy pauses. "Are you sure this isn''t just your excuse to finally try making the ''other'' kind of dungeon down here?"
Xenia huffs. "I promise I''ll be chaining up half-naked demon ladies to the wall for purely professional reasons. You know me, Guy, I take pride in my professionalism."
"Indeed, you are a Paragon of such among Dungeons. ...Oh, one moment, it seems we have another guest."
Xenia takes a moment to tap into her wider dungeon senses. "...Oh boy. Guy, go tell Lollyp not to do anything stupid this time. I''m going upstairs."
Outside, wincing at a momentary cold breeze, Field Agent Alizz walks up to the dungeon door alone. "Greetings, Worthy Dungeon. I request permission to enter and safely traverse your challenges. I am willing to fight if required, but I am also willing to provide payment in the form of gifts if you will allow me safe passage." She swallows. "...I need to speak to Lollyp."
Chapter 36: Reunion
"One moment...the Master of the dungeon is considering your request."
As Alizz looks up at the carved face set into the massive dungeon door, she does her best to hide her nervousness. She''s gone into dozens of dungeons over the years, and is likely in a fairly high percentile of Challengers who have set such a record. But she''s never gone into one solo before, not once in her thirty years in the field. And while she has communicated with dungeon spirits on a few occasions, this is the first time she''s ever explicitly sought out a meeting. It''s been done before, of course. Some dungeon spirits are nearly feral animals, but most can at least be bribed into a chat if you''re lucky, and of course the Dragonlord has a notoriously complex set of ''dungeon diplomatic relations'' running under their rule. But sometimes dungeons will take the bribe and just kill the adventurer anyways, so it''s not exactly without risk.
These thoughts are interrupted when the door speaks again. "The Master of Worthy Dungeon is willing to allow a one-time special safe passage, given the unique situation. The traps and monsters have been made safe, and...the Boss of Floor Two has promised to be less dramatic today. Your gifts will be appreciated, of course."
Alizz bows respectfully as the door begins to open. "Of course, thank you." The drider makes her way into the first room, eyeing the monstrous birds perched above, and carefully poking a pressure plate with one leg just to ensure it''s been disabled. She''s been in ''safed'' dungeons before, down south in the Domain, but again this is her first time doing so alone, and it''s difficult to not be a little paranoid. She doesn''t take any risks as she proceeds through the dungeon, avoiding traps as much as possible and giving the monsters wide berth. The Rabbit Boss of Floor One sits atop the cave fa?ade in its boss arena, making creepy laughing noises as she makes her way through and sharpening the blades on its gauntlets, but otherwise makes no moves as she reaches the Floor Two elevator.
The ride down is calm at least, if still not particularly quiet. With the traps and ambushes disabled the shaft appears entirely peaceful, and Alizz is even able to make the entire trip without needing to search out additional trigger buttons at each stop. She takes the time to prepare the questions in her mind, though she knows ultimately there''s only really one or two she truly needs to know the answers to. Finally the elevator comes to a stop, and only a single door remains between her and the next boss arena. Taking a deep breath, Alizz opens the door and steps through.
The slime woman stands on the opposite side of the room, once again wearing her vest and pointy hat, although her wand seems to be hidden away for the moment. The two lock eyes for a while, neither able to speak, but ultimately it''s Alizz who breaks the silence. "Lollyp...is...is it really you?"
The woman takes a deep breath before nodding. "It...it''s really me. And...I''m sorry! For the other day! I just...in my head that felt like it''d be really cool and mysterious, and I wasn''t ready to answer any questions or anything, so, y''know...quick way out! But I didn''t really think about what it would look like from the outside. I''ve promised the boss I wouldn''t do it anymore..."
With that brief statement, Alizz''s first question at least is answered without any doubt in her mind. The follow-ups however slip from her thoughts as almost on her own the drider feels herself crossing the arena and taking the slime woman into her arms. "Oh, Lollyp! I didn''t know what to think! I was sure even you wouldn''t be so crazy to do something like that without, without a plan or something, but I worried so much!"
Lollyp accepts the hug, her arms wrapping around Alizz in turn. "Yeah, it''s...I work for the dungeon, now. I guess it''s been a week now?"
The drider pulls back, looking into Lollyp''s eyes. "So the spell said, but...can we talk? Are we...alone...?"
"Uh, one minute." Lollyp turns to her right and tilts her head towards the door, before turning back to Alizz. "Boss is heading back to her core chamber now, yeah. She''s a pretty chill boss, really, but...yeah, we can talk." She points the way to a few nearby rocks that can serve as seats. "I''d invite you to my room, but uh, it''s not really designed for company. Especially for driders, you know how it is."
Alizz forces a small laugh. "I''m used to it. So um...is this one of the Dragonlord''s programs? It didn''t even occur to me until afterwards...I''d been meaning to pay you a visit, but it wasn''t until the other day that I realized how long it''d been since last time."
Lollyp makes a sort-of nod. "Kind of? And, don''t worry about it...I actually sent you out a letter before coming here, but y''know, given international mail times and you not having a fixed address, it could still be a couple weeks away. Feel free to toss it if you want, heh, I was uh...really not expecting a conversation like this to ever be possible."
Stolen story; please report.
Alizz leans forward. "And...how is this possible? I double-checked everything I had, but I''ve never heard of anything like this. At best there''s illusions, pulling thoughts from a Challenger''s mind, but I''m confident enough in my ability to see through that."
"Yeah. This isn''t anything the Dragonlord cooked up. We didn''t even know until after the, uh, ambassador team left, so they still probably don''t know either. It''s just this dungeon, Alizz. It''s special."
Alizz''s eyes narrow. "Special how, Lollyp?"
Lollyp considers her words. "It''s, how''d I wanna say it...a reincarnator dungeon? There''s a special rule here. If someone dies in the dungeon and willingly gives their soul to it, they stay intact. There''s still a question of like, getting a good body to put them back into, but I''m chilling out in a monster slime body right now and feelin'' pretty good, to be honest."
The mage''s head spins at the revelation. Grasping for a more immediate question to put forward, Alizz asks the first that comes to mind. "So you did actually...die then? That''s...wow, I don''t know what to say."
Lollyp chuckles. "Died two more times since then, so I''m already on life four now. Gets easier every time, haha..."
"Lollyp! Don''t joke...I mean, sorry, this is probably a weird situation for you too, I suppose." Her mind catches up and supplies her with her next question. "...Lollyp, not that I''d blame you for anything, but...the Challenger party that vanished in here some days ago. Was that you?"
The slime sucks in a breath, apparently not ready for this one. "Oof! Uh, yeah. I mean, not all of em. Three though, all that made it this far."
Alizz considers the confession. "...Lollyp, I''m...I''m really, really glad you''re alright. But when you asked me the other day not to tell anyone about this...you know I can''t do that. You know what a new dungeon means to Challengers. Initiates are going to be arriving soon from all over the continent, and you''re clearly in...well, top form. I can''t just let them come in here to get slaughtered. I have a responsibility to them too."
The slime nods. "I''ve been thinking about that a bit too. We''re definitely not aiming to kill everybody, of course. I mean, hells, that DF team came in here the other day and from what I hear had a pretty good time of it, though I missed the show myself."
Alizz snorts. "Don''t mention it. One of them was talking in the camp this morning, saying they didn''t just...do it in the dungeon, but that they did it with the dungeon. Like their reputation isn''t bad enough already." She laughs, but Lollyp''s eyes go wide before she turns and shouts to the door at the back of the chamber.
"...BOSS, YOU DIDN''T!? YOU DIDN''T MENTION THAT PART!" She pauses, as if to an inaudible response. "...INSATIABLE THIRST MONSTER!" Suddenly remembering her company, Lollyp turns back and gives an awkward chuckle. "Aha...the uh...the boss here''s kinda free-spirited, you could say."
The drider stares for a moment, looking down at Lollyp over her glass frames, before apparently deciding not to get put off track. "...So, as I was saying. I...I don''t think I''ll tell people about the ''reincarnator'' part. Oh gods, I can''t even imagine the chaos that might cause. A lot of people view dungeons as divine instruments, you know, the faithful could end up lining up here to take part. Not to mention the old, the infirm...is that all it takes? Someone walks through the door, says ''I give myself to the dungeon'' and steps on the first trap, and they become part of the dungeon?"
Lollyp grimaces. "Oh gods, I didn''t even think that far ahead. It''s not like an immediate thing, souls go into storage until they get a body...and it might be possible to release souls, I''m not sure on that part. But yeah, I don''t think we''d be happy with a bunch of god-botherers trying to move in here."
"Right, so...I will have to at least put a solid danger warning on the place, though. I talked to one of the local scouts earlier, he said they''d even warned the party not to try the second floor, and apparently they did anyways. Perhaps now at least others will take it more seriously. I''m sorry if I''m ruining any...schemes or anything, but the life of a Challenger is meant to be risky, not suicidal."
The slime sighs. "I guess that''s to be expected, whether you recognized me or not. I am glad I got to see you again, though. That reincarnator thing is supposed to be a curse or something, but it doesn''t feel like it to me." Lollyp wraps an arm around Alizz in a hug, which the drider returns.
"Me too. I ah...promised gifts for safe passage, but the fact is I brought gifts for you, not the dungeon, if it really was you here. One moment." She reaches into a bottomless bag at her waist, and pulls out a small stack of half a dozen tomes. "I brought some of your favorite books. And...one of Bullyp''s old wands. It might be stupid, bringing sentimental items to give to a dungeon, but..." She trails off as Lollyp''s eyes go wide.
"No, they''re great! I mean, we have an inventory now, so we can hold on to stuff...and I can''t really use the wand to fight with, or some asshole will just loot it from me, but...it means a lot to me that you''d be willing to share one."
Alizz smirks. "Hey, family''s got to stick together, right?"
The two continue on for another few hours, catching up on the gossip and stories they''d missed from their too-long-delayed reunion, but eventually it''s time for Alizz to go. After another round of hugs she makes her way to the core chamber, but she pauses for a moment before stepping onto the exit portal.
"...Dungeon Master. I know the relationship between Challengers and dungeons can be...complex. Some see you as enemies, some as necessary tools, some as partners. For me, my first responsibility is to the Challengers who come to me for safety and advice. I don''t want any harm to come to Lollyp, but I can''t neglect that either. So...we''ll both do the best we can, shall we? To protect those we care about?"
A message is marked on the floor before her, and the drider reads it and nods. As she steps through the portal and exits, the words remain for a short while before being wiped away.
I PROMISE.
Chapter 37: New Challenges
A number of days had passed since Alizz''s visit, and it had generally been the longest calm period in Xenia''s short current life. Down at Grassbrook the Challengers camp was putting the finishing touches on the temporary facilities they would need to prepare for a wave of Initiates, although building the permanent infrastructure they needed would require months more. Few had yet arrived though, and the only ''intrusion'' in recent days had been the DF team using up their free pass before moving on from the region. Xenia had let Lollyp play host on that go-around, and the slime had successfully managed to actually get the team''s autographs on her pinups, while receiving more than her share of other attention as well. If any of the trio found anything odd about her behavior or intelligence, her constant stream of flirts and innuendos apparently served well at keeping them too distracted to ask questions.
Xenia didn''t mind the opportunity to continue working on her new floor uninterrupted, though it did begin to feel a little odd going entire days without life or death struggles being a regular occurrence. Before she could get too bored however, Guy came by just after midnight one evening to present her with a number of new achievements.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: SURVIVOR 1
YOU HAVE SURVIVED TWENTY-FIVE DAYS. ONE ''CHALLENGE MODE'' USAGE UNLOCKED, PLUS ONE PER FIVE FLOORS CONSTRUCTED.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: BLOODTHIRSTY
YOU HAVE SLAIN AT LEAST TEN MORTALS IN YOUR FIRST TWENTY-FIVE DAYS. NON-DUNGEON HEALING SPELLS, POTIONS AND OTHER HEALING EFFECTS ARE 20% LESS EFFECTIVE WHILE WITHIN DUNGEON BOUNDS.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: GOOD FIRST IMPRESSIONS
AT LEAST TWENTY MORTALS HAVE ESCAPED YOUR BOUNDS WITHIN YOUR FIRST TWENTY-FIVE DAYS. MANA GAINED FROM ESCAPED MORTALS IS INCREASED BY 50%.
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Xenia looks over the list in a bit of surprise. "Hey, hold up now. It sounds like some of these are bonuses we could''ve missed out on if we hadn''t turned out to be so dang popular. Guy, why didn''t you warn me we might be missing out on stuff?"
Guy does their usual shrug-bobbing motion. "Well, for one, I wasn''t actually aware of them until they came up. But mostly I believe this ties into the logic I mentioned earlier - if I were to specifically say, ''oh Dungeon Master, we must achieve this specific objective'', then it would be considered undue influence on your behavior and design priorities."
The dungeon master is a bit unconvinced. "Well duh, obviously it''s an influence on my design priorities. Why would they even have these things if they didn''t want me to do be doin'' the shit they talk about?"
"Well, I think it''s important to not get too caught up in trying to earn every possible achievement there might be. Instead, you should consider these to be rewards and encouragements along the paths you''ve chosen to walk on your own. If there was, as an example, an achievement for rewarding fifty gold coins worth of dungeon rewards within twenty-five days, it would probably be something to further progress a strategy of being very generous. That isn''t something we''ve aimed for though, and apparently our focus has been on being rather high-traffic - at least by the standards of a very young dungeon, anyhow."
Xenia hrmms. "I guess...I hate thinking that there could be some, like, super-overpowered bonus I missed out on just because I didn''t do some stupid random shit, though. Maybe if I''d made more monster types, or got more floors real fast...ugh, guess we''ll never know. So, me bitching aside then, what''s this challenge mode one about?"
Guy seems to grow more animated when moving to this topic. "Ah, yes, Challenge Modes! It''s a particular type of spell with a specific ingredient - a reward item of decent quality, at least for the floor you place the challenge on. You then cast the spell on a floor or some portion of a floor, with some special requirement adventurers must achieve, and if they do so then the reward appears for only them. You aren''t required to tell them what the challenge is, but it would ruin most of the purpose if you don''t. Which is, the purpose is generally to encourage adventurers to take more risks and thus have a higher chance of being slain."
Xenia thinks for a moment before shouting down the hall. "Hey Lolly Pop! Design question, get your ''dungeon apprentice'' butt in here!"
The slime wanders in a minute later, looking a little grumpy. "What? I know we don''t need to sleep anymore, but I feel like work hours end after midnight, y''know? Also, I''m Lolly Pop now?"
"Sorry, the gig comes with bad working hours and bad nicknames. Anyhow, we unlocked challenge modes. Didn''t the pervs ask if you had one of those the other day? What kinda thing would that be for a boss?"
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Lollyp sighs, and stares at her boss. "...Xe, they were pervs. They were probably asking if there''d be a bonus reward if they could get me to juice, or something."
Xenia stares back. "...Do ya want there to be a bonus reward if Challengers can do that?"
She sucks in a breath, and grits her non-existent teeth. "Please, please don''t tempt me. I''m already worried a little now that both of us are gonna get a reputation, and I am honestly scared about how little that scares me. A more serious answer though, for a Boss Arena challenge, would usually include an activated challenge mode."
"Eh? Activated challenges?"
Guy steps in. "Ah, yes, a special version. A normal, passive challenge would simply be something like ''beat the boss in five minutes''. But Lollyp has a point, a challenge mode for a boss would generally be something the adventurers specifically activate, by triggering something or actively issuing the challenge to the boss verbally. A stored amount of mana may then be released towards a particular pre-set purpose, significantly increasing the difficulty of the battle - or at least, it will if the challenge is properly designed."
Xenia thinks. "Huh. Well...Floor Three is still untested, which means you''re still our star player, Lolly. Maybe it''d be putting all our eggs in one basket to set it on your arena, but at the same time, a buffed-up you is probably our best shot at handling all those goddamn Experts and Masters who keep fuckin'' wandering around in here. Want the perk?"
A glow shines in the slime''s eyes. "Can I design it myself? I''ve got some ideas..."
The dungeon master grins. "That''s a terrifying fuckin'' statement. Go for it."
Alpine Scout Tafyaf patrolled the Challenger camp yards for the second time today, wondering again if his luck was good or bad. He had really expected to be released back to his scouting duties days ago, or at the least assigned to the western patrol camp to help keep watch for Valleylanders. Unfortunately, or fortunately, Commander Paulados seemed to find his ''unattached'' status too valuable for his own purposes. Even with the Fort''s recent reinforcements the officer still had barely enough men to do the usual tasks that the garrison was generally assigned to perform. So it was that Tafyaf made an ideal candidate for ''extra'' duties that needed to be performed...like playing the part of military liaison to the Challengers.
As much as the gnoll enjoyed roaming the wilds, he didn''t entirely mind getting such an easy assignment, at least for a while. He got to enjoy a warm meal at The General every night, with Grayana joining him for company as often as not. He was actually a little surprised the elf was interested in spending so much time with him, but he got the impression that she too was taking advantage of his special status. Over their conversations it had seemed apparent that she didn''t care much for most of the Fort''s garrison, but she also had little in common with the local townsfolk, which made Tafyaf the most agreeable local dinner companion by default. Still, he had no complaints over her motivations, as found himself starting to warm up to her caustic wit the more time they spent together himself. Which isn''t to say they were spending those meals as anything like a couple''s dates, either, as they were often joined by a third recent acquaintance...one that Tafyaf noticed walking up to him now.
"Ah, Mister Kelsey, good afternoon. Camp seems to be in good order today, as it does every day, yes." Tafyaf pauses in his patrol to allow the kobold to catch up, not that he was really patrolling for anything in particular. For the most part he was just making himself visible in case anyone needed to talk to him, or if anything happened that needed reporting to the commander, and it seems at least one of those is the case now.
The kobold snorts. "C''mon kid, I told ya like four times already, I don''t need any of that ''mister'' or ''sir'' stuff. Hells, I''m more used to folks callin'' me ''flamebrain'' or ''shitlizard'' or whatever than being all respectful or whatnot. But eh, not the point. How''d you like to make some extra money?"
The gnoll considers for all of a second, maybe, before nodding. "That would be much appreciated, yes." A part of his brain tells him he should probably at least make sure it wasn''t some sort of bribe offer before saying yes, though odds are the only difference it would make would be in the volume of his response.
Kelsey grins. "You''re a smart guy. So, I was thinkin''. You''re here to assist the Challengers with local issues and all of that, yeah? And, as it happens, you''re still the only person around the camp to successfully lead a team through the dungeon, other than Alizz herself. Which, I don''t know if you know this, but that makes you a pretty valuable kinda guy."
Tafyaf scratches at an ear. "Does it, perhaps? I have already told many what we encountered in the dungeon, yes, and your visit is more recent than mine. Out of date, my scouting report is now, yes."
The Challenger officer nods. "Yeah, that''s true. But there''s more you can do than just give tips and draw shitty napkin maps. We''ve started getting some Initiates wandering in, and they''re not real happy about us tellin'' em to stay away from the second floor. Lot of em spent a lot of time and money getting here, and if they''re just gonna do one floor of a dungeon they could''ve done that almost anywhere. Even a lot of the old ones keep their top floor pretty basic, y''know?"
"So...you want me to help you convince them to not visit the second floor, maybe?"
This time the kolbold shakes his head. "Naw. There''s a team gettin'' themselves ready for a try, but they''re willing to hire you on for a ''guide''. Our team, Alizz''s team, can''t be goin'' around babysitting every batch of fresh-hatched Initiate kids who wanna take a tour, but there''s still literally no one else here hangin'' around higher than Initiate right now. Not since the freak trio left the other day, anyhow. You''re Advanced though, and a local expert. So, the team''s willin'' to hire you on. Bit up front, plus a double share of the loot. Interested?"
Tafyaf takes a moment to consider. It''s possible the commander wouldn''t be happy about him moonlighting on the job, but then as Kelsey had said, ''assisting the local Challengers'' was his job, so he technically had some cover. And it would be nice to stretch his legs a bit. "Hrm. Yes, maybe, willing to consider at least. Shall have to talk to the team, ensure they are up to the task, yes."
"No problem, I''ll take you to them." The kobold pauses and leans in. "But remember, like I told you the other night...the second floor boss is no joke, especially with only you at Advanced. If the team''s taken a beating, forget the pay and hightail it out of there, right? And if you move on, remember the slime-killin'' tricks, yeah? Energy-based shit, death by a thousand cuts, and all that."
The gnoll nods. "Trust me, more interested in the pay than the glory I am, yes."
Kelsey chuckles and slaps Tafyaf on the shoulder. "Smart guy, like I said. Alright, come on, they''ve got their tent set up this way."
The pair of them arrive at a tent in the ''residential'' area of the camp which is markedly different from the others that have been set up. So far, most of those in the camp have a certain uniformity to them, Challengers Association standard issue, aside from a handful of contractors who brought their own. The one Kelsey leads Tafyaf to however has a distinct ''second-hand discount'' appearance to it, with a number of patches and old stains, although it was certainly larger than the average traveling tent an adventurer might carry around. And it apparently needed to be, as the two step inside to find a half-dozen armed men and women inside waiting for them. Tafyaf did a quick scan noting the diversity of the group: two humans, a dwarf, an orc, a gnoll, and some form of demon in a full cloak.
Kelsey takes charge of the introductions. "Everyone, this is Alpine Scout Tafyaf, local dungeon expert. Tafyaf, this lot is - and let me see if I remember all of y''all - Taslush of Bug''kurc, Tane, Sincere, Kilari, Pipyif, and Winfrey, is that right?" The group nods along, the kobold apparently having a good memory for names.
"Very large, this group is. Six Initiates, you all are, yes?"
Taslush, the orcish woman, answers for them. "Didn''t start out as one group, actually. My party was me, Kilari here, and Tane." She points to the dwarvish and human men in the tent. "Pipyif and Winfrey were a duo, and the demon here came on his own." She points next to the two other women in the tent, the gnoll and the second human, before shrugging in the demon''s direction. "Weren''t really planning on all teamin'' up at once like this, but the Agent in charge keeps drillin'' it into our damn ears that the place is more dangerous than we''re expecting. Idea came up of hiring on a guide, and if we''re doin'' that, may as well all chip in and spread the costs, eh?"
Tafyaf eyes the group, not particularly liking what he sees. Initiates can be bad enough, but a group that''s never worked together before could be disastrous. Plus, if the group is this large, then his cut of the loot could be much smaller than he was expecting. Still, a cut of something is better than the nothing he''d get if he turns them down. "Hrmm, hrmm. May be willing to agree to the job, perhaps. I''ll need to hear a little more..."
Chapter 38: In Memory Of Monster Slayers
Late that evening, Lollyp and Guy found themselves summoned down to Xenia''s core chamber. It''s a bit more of a walk than usual for Lollyp, as the dungeon master''s finally moved herself down beyond the new Floor Three, and unfortunately for her the floor boss has so far failed to talk Xenia into making a secret tunnel that goes directly to her bedroom. When she arrives though, she does at least find a few bottles set out for the occasion - summoned ones for her, and virtual refreshments for Xenia. The woman herself is waiting for them in her chair, one hand petting Sir Flopsy as he rests in her lap.
"Hey, boss. How about a secret pipe? Adventurers can''t slide down a pipe, can they?"
Xenia smirks as she leans back in her chair. "Slime adventurers could. And how would you get back up it?"
Lollyp sighs. "It''d uh...be a bit of a workout, I guess. Maybe we just need to unlock more portal types already then. So, what the occasion? The official launch of Floor Three? Decided on a boss yet?"
"A bit of that, but nah. Thought I''d let you two in on a bit of a Reincarnator Extraordinaire tradition. See, most of the time when I die and move on, I figure I''m leaving behind some friends and loved ones who''ll miss me, right? ...Okay, some of the time. Once in a while, it might happen. I''m an optimist, so sue me."
Guy chuckles. "Chin up, ma''am, from what you''ve talked about, I''m sure you''ve left a positive impact on more than your share of people you''ve met."
Xenia gasps. "Hey, your job is being the depressing realist, not the cheer-upper! I''ll take it though, thanks. So, anyways, I figure odds are, I''m probably getting a funeral or a wake or memorial or whatever at the world I just left, where folks can say goodbye to me. But it occurred to me at some point that...hey, I need my chance to say goodbye to them too. So whenever a new life has settled down enough for me to grab a drink somewhere and make a toast, I like to take an evening to remember the ones I left behind. Even the folks that, I''d hope anyhow, are still walkin'' around somewhere alive and well. Hope y''don''t mind watching me be all depressing for an hour or so."
Lollyp smiles as she settles into her seat. "I think that sounds sweet! I''d actually like to hear more about them, from the bit I heard your last group sounded...interesting."
"That they were." Xenia pops open a brown bottle, and lifts it into the air. "So! To the monster slayers! And first and fuckin'' foremost, to Beatrice the Monster Slayer herself. One of the smartest, strongest, and bravest women I''ve ever known, and when I''m saying it, it fuckin'' means something, because I''ve known a fair fuckin'' few." She takes a drink, letting the taste rush onto her tongue before it evaporates, while Lollyp drinks in a more traditional manner. By slime standards, anyhow, the brown fluid flowing visibly down her neck and pooling to a random point inside her chest. Guy meanwhile hovers about the table, providing moral support in this test to see if a virtual dungeon avatar can get drunk.
Toast finished, Xenia continues. "She found me half-buried in a field, covered in mud and screaming. I was the one screaming, to be clear, getting tossed a couple miles is pretty disorienting even if you ain''t got a stomach. God, she was so worried about me, asked if there was some sort of...sword medicine or something she could give me. Then when I told her the local dragon tossed me, I almost thought she was about to climb up and stab him with me right then and there. Talked her out of that, but mostly by talking her into using me to stab other dudes instead. Damn, I was inside so many people and monsters and animals last round..."
Lollyp sighs. "Do you really gotta phrase it like that?"
"Slimes too, actually, especially early on, though I don''t think there were any smart ones on that world. But yeah, moving on." She stops to think for a moment, before toasting again. "To those who fell in the battle against Yalrog the Despoiler: Faleen, the Ice Mage, and Yates, the Beastman. Faleen, you were a goddamn goddess with frozen water, those ice sculptures of yours were absolutely breathtaking. And without you to bring Yalrog out of the air and down to the ground, we never would have had a chance. And Yates, you scaly motherfucker...I always joked you could heal from anything, even if you lost your head. I really, really wish that had been accurate..."
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Lollyp and Guy pause for a moment, before joining the toast. "To Faleen and Yates."
Xenia nods and continues. "And to those who I really hope made it outta there. To Paladin Tarry. You always gave me and Beatrice so much shit...okay, lets be honest, mostly me, but I know you loved us like we were your own kids. Even when I kept insisting I was way older than you. If it hadn''t been for your training, we would have never made it half as far as we did. I know you lost a leg in that last one, but honestly, I bet you can still kick ass without it. And to Ipis, girl, you sneaky little shit. You could hit a bullseye in the middle of a hurricane, and I know you took out at least one of that bastard''s eyes before I went. Lost sight of you before the end, but I''m sure you were around there somewhere, lining up a shot on the other one. To you let me say, just one last time, with all of the emotion I can stir inside my shriveled black heart...your name still absolutely sounds like ''I piss'' and it''s absolutely hilarious."
Lollyp almost chokes on her drink at the last part, or the slime equivalent of choking at least, bubbles forming inside the last gulp of fluid flowing through her. "Wow. They sound amazing, I only wish we got to hear the version they said about you."
"Yeah, that makes two of us. ...So, I don''t always get to do this with company, but I don''t want to leave anyone out. Anyone have any names they''d like to toast, while I''ve got the mood all somber and shit?"
Lollyp considers for a moment, then nods. "...I have a few, yeah. I''ve done this for them already, more or less, but I wouldn''t mind sharing a story or two I suppose. ...To Fillyp, my first boyfriend, you taught me so much about the world. Even though I was only four and you were seventeen - "
This time Xenia chokes despite being unable to swallow anything in her current form. "Lollyp! What the hell!?"
The slime sighs like she was expecting this. "Always like this with you rigids. Slimes reach maturity when we''re barely even two, you know! It''s not weird! I mean, a little, but mostly it''s just weird cause the older one''s usually only got a few years left at that point, so it''s, y''know...a short relationship. I can give you the complicated talk about slime biology and reproduction when we''re not drinking, okay, it''s just...very complicated. Okay? So, as I was saying...?"
Xenia raises her hands. "Sorry, sorry. I will...try to restrain my ignorant, rigid-based biases for the evening."
"Thank you. So, to Fillyp. You were the best teacher I had for learning about getting around in society. How to play dice, how to cheat at dice, how to swear in Rainlander, where the demons threw their secret orgies at - "
"Jesus Christ, Lollyp!"
"Fine! Moving on then. Prude." She takes a breath and starts over. "...To my brother, Bullyp. For being totally chill about me dating Fillyp, even though you were dating him too - "
Xenia starts summoning bottle after bottle on the table. "Drunk. Drunk. One of these has to be able to get me drunk." Meanwhile, Lollyp leans back and laughs her head off.
"Hahahaha! Okay, that time I was fucking with you. Ahhh...but, for real though. To my brother Bullyp, and my role model. You showed me how awesome it was to be a mage, and practically raised me. There''s not a chance in the world I''d have gotten this gig without you. You were the best, bro."
Waiting for a moment to make sure Lollyp wasn''t about to tack on anything else, Xenia eventually joins the toast. "To a good brother."
Lollyp continues. "Let''s see...to Lessupp, my first girlfriend. You were the one to teach me how to..." She pauses as Xenia half-collapses onto the table.
"Please, I can''t take any more, Lolly Pop. My virgin ears aren''t meant to know this much about slimes."
The slime boss rolls her eyes. "Fine, fine. I can probably cut it off there, to be honest. Like I mentioned before...I am an old-ass lady these days. Probably like, four out of five people I''ve ever known are dead at this point, so I could be going at it all night. ...How about you, Guy? Anyone to add to the list?"
The guide shakes in a no. "Fortunately not, I suppose. As it happens, you and Xenia are literally the first friends I''ve ever had. And given that dungeons have no natural age limit, it could well be thousands of years before we find ourselves separated, if things go well."
Lollyp grins. "Well, that''s worth a drink too, I''d say. To good friends, and immortality."
Xenia raises one of her many bottles. "Why not, I wouldn''t say no to settling down for at least a little while, for once. To immortality."
Miles away in the Challengers camp, a figure sitting alone in their tent reads through an ancient tome and smiles to themselves. "So close to immortality..."
Chapter 39: The Newbies
As the team of Initiates made their way up the mountain, Tafyaf kept them more or less in their combat formation in order to get them used to the positioning they''d be using later. The orc Taslush and the human Winfrey took the lead as a Fighter and a Guard, with Pipyif the gnoll Rogue and Tane the human Archer next. Finally in the rear came Kilari the dwarven Cleric, and Sincere the demon Mage...although Tafyaf kept the last man a bit further behind mostly so he could ask the demon a few additional questions. Although the demon kept them covered, Sincere clearly had a large set of wings on his back, and most of the examples of demonkind Tafyaf had seen didn''t usually have such things, or at least not all the time.
"Tell me, Mister Sincere...exactly what breed of demon are you, hrm?"
If the man takes any offense to the blunt question, he doesn''t show it. "Me? Well, I''m not surprised you''re curious. I''m an arcane demon. That''s not ''arcane'' in the common sense of ''magical'', mind you, though we are that. But rather in the meaning of, ah...''knowledge known to very few''. We gain our spiritual energies from the consumption of knowledge, whether it''s of new discoveries, or ancient secrets unburied." He smirks. "For some reason, we were never as popular to summon as my succubi and incubi kin."
Tafyaf taps his chin. "A new one to me, yes. Perhaps makes more sense for dungeon delving though, maybe? Do you expect to, ah...''feed'' from the discovery of new dungeon floors?"
"I could, yes. Anything not seen by many other people contains a certain buildup of energy we can absorb, and something never seen before by anyone will have even more. It''s a more difficult diet than those who can make their meals anywhere they like with a simple whip, but it can be more...nourishing."
"I see, I see. Not very popular in the Rainlands, demons, I am sure you know, yes. How many types are there, exactly? Never had the chance to ask one before, no."
Sincere scans the trail with his gold-colored eyes before answering, though if there''s something in particular he''s watching out for, it''s not clear. "Well, it''s not quite so simple as that, my Scout friend. Very powerful demons are essentially unique types of their own, which would be almost like a gnoll evolving into an ogre after having a large enough breakfast, heheh. The general classifications apply more to the lower ranks, and even that may not be an exact description. But to give a more useful answer, perhaps a score or so of general kinds, though most are rarely seen on this world. Imps draw their energy from mischief and mirth. Gremlins from shock, surprise and disappointment. There''s of course the behemoths, who gain strength from combat, and were popularly summoned to bolster armies. Fury demons gain power from the righting of karmic scales, and made for popular hunters of criminals. But, let''s be honest, eh? For any one of those that were summoned in bygone days, there must have been ten, if not twenty of those fueled by sex and sadism. I suppose there were worse choices."
The gnoll searches his memory for the scraps of demonic history he''s picked up over the years. "Does the preference in summoning still much matter, these days? Surely you are not all original summons, no? Hear tale of occasional summons still, I do, but very rare it seems to be these days."
The demon shrugs. "The difference isn''t so much in the grand scheme of things. For those summoned from the planes of hell, we were mostly influenced by our home plane, yes. If you live in a universe of constant orgies, you''d be foolish not to focus your energies on drawing power from carnal methods. For those born here, the descendants of those from the Age of Summons, or Age of Warlocks or whatever term you prefer, centuries ago, there may be more freedom of choice...but you''d still be foolish to ignore the aspects of your parents, since they can greatly aid in a young demon''s development. And so the original proportions of demonkind do not change very much."
Tafyaf nods, before spotting their destination. "Interesting...ah! The Riddle Door is ahead. I ah...must ask that you refrain from attempting to answer the door''s riddle, Mister Sincere, yes."
The demon frowns. "Oh? To be honest, I was rather looking forward to it. I''m fairly good at riddles, if I might say so myself."
Tafyaf nods again. "That would be the problem, yes."
Following a childish argument with the door about whether a nearby cloud looked more like a rabbit or a duck, the team eventually made their way into the dungeon. The start was a little rough, as such a large group had trouble getting through the first room without triggering a few of the dart traps which were now quite hard to see, but fortunately none hit their marks. Once the barkbirds had been cleared out it then became a rather tedious exercise of Tafyaf leading the group through the following rooms and hallways, ensuring that no one moved so quickly that they got in over their heads. When moving through the Bone Maze Tafyaf allowed pairs of Initiates to take turns, with one melee fighter engaging the orc skeletons while a ranged expert managed the attacks from above. The acid slimes did manage to cause a few bad burns, but with Kilari''s healing it was easily managed.
Eventually it was time to face the upgraded Boss of Floor One, a fight Tafyaf wasn''t particularly looking forward to. He''d heard of the creature''s latest upgrades, and even the previous version had been rather annoying to fight. Still, they did have numbers on their side today. "Alright! Area denial would be the aim of the game, yes. Taslush, Winfrey, keep the rabbit from reaching the rear area and the rest of the party. Kilari, you will be support, and the rest of us will reserve our ranged attacks for when the creature is in the midst of a redirection. Kilari, do you have any useful spells before we begin, perhaps?"
The dwarf nods. "Aye, Thadush, God of Charity has a blessing that may aid here, though not without a cost. A member of the party may choose to donate the power of one of their spiritual attributes to others for a time, in this case, sharing their insightfulness with the ranged party members would greatly increase the accuracy of their attacks, as they''d know better when and where to shoot, and such."
The gnoll Pipyif raises her hand. "I will agree, yes. Better suited I am for melee than ranged, yet my daggers will do little to block the monster, from what we have been told, perhaps."
Tafyaf mulls it over in his mind. He isn''t thrilled with the idea of weakening a member of the team, but if it strengthens a larger number, the math seems to work out beneficially. "Very well. Perform your blessing, yes."
The dwarf nods and calls upon his god, and Tafyaf sends the party in, once again with Taslush and Winfrey in the lead. As soon as everyone''s inside the monster begins its creepy, inhuman laughter the boss is already beginning to become infamous for down in the camp, causing a few shivers to run down various spines. Abruptly it stops and the boss dashes from its hidden location near the room''s exit, being clever enough to attempt to bypass the women in the frontline and attack the support members of the group directly. Tafyaf expected this might happen, though, and is already in place to slice at it with his daggers, quickly forcing the oversized man-rabbit back. The team''s initial counterattacks all fail, as even with the warnings they still find themselves unprepared for the speed and agility of their opponent, but once the frontliners in particular begin to adapt the fight becomes much more manageable. The rabbit attacks the pair a few times but is unable to get through their armor and defensive skills, and the few times he does get into the rear of the party, he never has time for more than a few shallow cuts before being forced away again.
Eventually Tane lands an arrow in the boss''s hip, and from there it simply becomes a matter of wearing him down. Every leap becomes a little slower and a little less forceful, and more and more of the team''s attacks begin to land. Gasping for breath and bleeding from a dozen slices and arrow wounds across its body, the monster gives one final laugh before leaping in Kilari''s direction, only to be decapitated mid-air thanks to a swing of Taslush''s two-handed sword.
Quickly confirming the boss is dead, Tafyaf turns to the group and claps twice. "Well done! We have defeated the first floor, yes! No serious injuries? You have all done better than some before you, hehe."
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While the group does congratulate each other on their victory, some of them clearly don''t feel done for the day. Winfrey speaks up first. "So...we are going to at least try the second floor, yeah?" There''s mutters of agreement from around the room, but Tafyaf frowns.
"I myself have not fought the boss of the second floor, but we have all heard the stories, hrm? I understand the desire to test yourselves, yes, but if we proceed past this point, guarantee your lives I will not, no."
Pipyif chuckles at that. "I don''t think you were guaranteeing our lives for the first floor either, exactly, hehe. We can at least try a little further, hrmm?"
Seeing the group nodding in agreement, Tafyaf shrugs. "Let us try the platform, then."
The platform section of Floor Two was, like the barkbirds chamber, a little messier than Tafyaf would have liked. There were just too many people in one spot to avoid all of the surprise tripwires, and probably at least half of the traps ended up being fired. While the monsters were defeated without too much trouble due to their numerical advantage, both Tane and Taslush took hits from darts that weren''t blocked by their armor or deflected by weapons. They did keep to a slow and steady pace however, healing up at each stop down the shaft before resuming the trip via the next pressure plate trigger. For the most part the scout was just happy the dungeon hadn''t started poisoning the darts yet, as that could well be beyond an Initiate''s ability to heal.
At last though they reached the bottom, and the group had to make one final decision to continue or turn back. Once again Tafyaf turned to the Initiates. "We all still seem to be in good condition, but it would not be wise to become overconfident because of that, no. One final vote - shall we proceed? I admit I am curious to see this unique boss for myself..."
Once again the party nods, with Kilari speaking for them. "That Kelsey said they figured that other group got thinned down a bit before they got to the boss, even, and they started out with less people than us. If we can''t take the boss, I doubt anyone else could til the higher levels start taking an interest. I''d say we owe it to the community to at least give it a try."
"Very well. I shall lead, this time." Tafyaf opens the door leading out of the shaft, which takes him to a very short hallway before revealing the boss chamber. On the wall before the chamber however, he notices a new sign posted up. "...''If ye think ye be badasses, cry out for a true challenge''? The writing seems a little odd..."
The group eyes the sign as they pass on by, filtering out into the arena. They eye the acid pools warily as well, but there''s no sign of the boss themselves in sight. Pipyif speaks up after a moment goes by with no threat revealing itself. "I guess we must summon the boss manually? Hello, we cry out for a true challenge!" Tafyaf and Sincere both quickly turn to try and shush the gnoll Rogue, but they''re far too late.
Sincere hisses. "Idiot! That was a challenge mode trigger, not a boss call!"
Pipyif gives a nervous chuckle. "Ah-heheh. I uh...I knew that!" Before more of the party can turn on her however, a rumble shakes the ground, and sounds of fire and steam begin to fill the arena. Without further warning each of the room''s acid pools explodes, geysers of lethal liquid shooting into the air, with globs occasionally splashing outward far from their normal bounds. A woman''s voice echoes around the room, coming from somewhere above.
"...You''re gonna regret thaaaaaat..." With that a red blob wrapped up in bits of fabric suddenly drops from a crack in the ceiling and swings into Taslush. The large orc woman is only somewhat staggered by the attack, but as she swings her arms to steady herself, a glob of boiling acid falls onto her left arm, causing her to drop her blade and scream in pain. As the group moves to cover her, the blob rolls out onto the floor in the center of the arena, pulling itself to an approximation of feet as it takes the form of a slime mage. "You will now face...THE ULTIMATE SLIME CHALLENGE!" With that she fires off a bolt of lightning from a wand in her hand in Kilari''s direction, but Tafyaf quickly intercepts with his own body, taking most of the damage on his light, but well-made armor.
"Watch the acid! Sincere, your energy spells! Tane, switch to your blade!" The Archer nods, slinging his bow aside as he draws a short sword, while Winfrey steps forward to cover the group with her shield. It only buys the party a moment though, as the slime quickly swaps to ice, blasting the Guard''s feet and locking her in place for at least a short while. Tane and Pipyif move in from either side, at which point the slime shoots off a burst of flame to both push them back and conceal her own movements. Rolling to the right side of the room, she fires off another lightning bolt at Sincere - only to be taken rather by surprise as it''s harmlessly absorbed by a barrier spell.
That surprise costs her, and Sincere launches an ice bolt of his own at her, literally disarming the slime as the appendage holding her wand is knocked away. Tafyaf spares a moment to give the Mage a confused look. "Such a defensive spell...is that not more of an Expert''s arsenal, or perhaps at least Advanced?"
The demon just grunts. "I had a...good teacher. Perhaps we should concentrate on the battle at hand right now?" He fires off three more ice shards, but the slime is already on the move, pulling a sword from a hidden nook inside a rock. Keeping on the move, she rushes through the center of the room, launching stretchy tentacle punches at Pipyif and Winfrey while swinging a low slash at Tane which takes off the Archer''s right leg. She''s halted in her charge as Taslush''s heavy sword impacts the ground in front of her, but with only one working arm the orc Fighter is at a notable disadvantage. A short swordfight ensues, with the orc launching several slow swings that come nowhere close to the slime, after which the slime ends the fight by stretching out her arm and impaling her sword directly into the orc''s face.
"Kilari! Get to healing!" Tafyaf motions the Cleric forwards, but when he notices the recognition on the slime''s face at the identification of the party''s healer, he realizes he''s made a mistake. He quickly moves to put himself between the slime and the dwarf, but the slime simply leaps above his short stature, slamming into the Cleric and knocking the both of them into an acid pool. Moments later only one figure emerges, the now-naked slime quickly pulling a dagger from yet another hiding place. Deciding he''s let this go too far, the gnoll charges in, confident in his knife-fighting skills as his own dagger swings for the boss.
While the slime''s body is flexible, it does become apparent that the boss has no actual training or technique when it comes to using the weapon, and the gnoll manages to score hit after hit. After dodging one quick attack, Tafyaf sees his opportunity to go for a killing blow, potentially decapitating the monster...only to notice after he''s committed to the attack that the slime''s dagger arm now has an extra elbow, and is swinging back at him. Time seems to slow down for a moment, as the gnoll helplessly watches his blade approach the slime''s neck as hers aims for his...except at the last moment, he would swear the slime winks, and her blade only lightly scratches through his fur. At the same time his long dagger cuts through most of the boss''s throat, knocking her head back and causing fluids to spray around the area.
Quickly hopping backwards to avoid any acidic spray, Tafyaf finds that the acid geysers are now dying down as well. The party, however, is in shambles. Pipyif is doing her best to help Tane stop the bleeding of his amputated leg, while Sincere steps in to provide some minor healing assistance. Winfrey finally manages to free her feet from the magical ice, apparently unharmed, but the same can''t be said for the slain Taslush...and Kilari is nowhere to be seen at all, with no remains left to be found in the pool where he fell. Focusing first on the wounded Archer, the gnoll moves to assist with his first aid kit until the bleeding is under control.
Finally, he sighs. "That...was not ideal, no." Next to him, Pipyif begins to shake.
"It...it must have been the effects of the blessing, yes...yes? I...I couldn''t have been so stupid, could I? Could I?" Tafyaf pulls her to her feet, as Winfrey helps with Tane.
"Mistakes happen all the time, they do. Important thing is, we here are still alive, yes." Even as he attempts to console the other gnoll, however, Tafyaf can''t escape the feeling that the slime let him win their fight, at the end. Just how much danger had they really put themselves into? But...perhaps that was just a trick of his imagination? Something to worry about later. "Let''s use the exit portal in the core chamber and be on our way, now."
Unfortunately, as they open the door leading out of the boss arena, the core chamber Tafyaf was expecting is nowhere to be seen. There''s only a small dark cavern, containing a pair of treasure chests, the exit portal, and another exit tunnel leading off to the right. "...A new floor. The dungeon has created a third floor!"
Behind him, Tane chuckles weakly. "Shall we vote for taking the exit portal out of here? All in favor? Looks like we''re out of here, then." Despite him not actually waiting for a vote, there''s no disagreement, and after looting the chests for their coins, equipment, and an odd bottle of pink fluid, the group makes their way through the portal. Tafyaf takes on the duty of carrying out Taslush''s remains, while Winfrey assists Tane through the exit, followed by Pipyif.
Until only Sincere remains. Sighing, the demon turns around and walks back into the boss arena. "Hells below, that was an absolute shitshow. A third floor already isn''t ideal either, but perhaps there''s a quicker way...?" Continuing on back into the elevator shaft, the man looks up and grins as he finds what he''s looking for. "Hrm, I suspect that will do just fine." Shrugging at his cloak to reveal his wings, he spreads the appendages wide as he shoots back up the shaft. Eventually he reaches his target - one of the windows to the abyss Xenia carved into the shaft walls as an entrance point for her bats. Perching on the windowsill for a moment the demon grins again, before leaping into the darkness of the mountain, and beyond the dungeon bounds.
Below, Xenia and Guy stare upwards in confusion. "...That can''t be a good thing, right Guy?"
"I have trouble seeing how it could be, ma''am..."
Chapter 40: Bargains
Xenia swears under her breath as she stares up at the empty window above, then swears above her breath a few times more for good measure. "God, like it wasn''t bad enough having adventurers in my basement the first time. Now we''ve got a dude who went in there on purpose? It''s like a vermin infestation or something!"
Guy watches alongside her. "It is quite confusing. Given that the first party had to dig their way back to us, there doesn''t seem to be any other way out of the mountain. But we haven''t seen indications of there being anything below to find beyond empty space, either."
The dungeon master sighs. "And we still don''t have any way of going down there and digging the asshole out. Well, guess I can close the barn door, at least." She waves a hand, summoning iron bars to block off the windows to anything larger than a flying rodent, then looks back at Guy. "Him going down there does close off the intrusion, right?"
Guy bobs. "Indeed. I''ll go ahead and display our results, shall I?" With that, a number of new screens appear.
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INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS SLAIN: 2
MORTALS ESCAPED: 5
NEW RESOURCE PATTERNS GATHERED:
BONE (DWARF)
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
SWORDS: D
STAFFS: F
BONE ACCESSORIES: D+
METAL ACCESSORIES: D-
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 2
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 9 TO 89
MANA ACQUIRED: 25, CURRENT AMOUNT: 33 (24 CONSUMED BY CONSTRUCTS)
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
GEOGRAPHY: TOWN OF BUG''KURC, SUNSTONE HOLD
SKILLS: FIGHTER (INITIATE), MINING (AMATEUR), GAMBLING (AMATUER)
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: SOUL COLLECTOR
YOU HAVE COLLECTED AT LEAST A DOZEN MORTAL SOULS. SOUL STORE ACCESS UNLOCKED.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: BURIED DEEP 1
YOU HAVE SLAIN YOUR FIRST DWARF. MANA SPELL EFFECTIVENESS ON DWARVES INCREASED BY 25%.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: STICKY SITUATION 2
YOU HAVE SLAIN AT LEAST FIVE MORTALS WITH SLIME MONSTERS. SLIMES DEAL 10% MORE DAMAGE.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: LIKE A BOSS 2
YOU HAVE SLAIN AT LEAST FIVE MORTALS WITH A BOSS MONSTER. ENSOULED BOSSES CAN NOW IMMEDIATELY RESPAWN WITHOUT COOLDOWN UPON EXIT OF THE INTRUSION PARTY WITHOUT ADDITIONAL MANA COST.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: NO WAY OUT (NOT) 3
TWENTY-FIVE MORTALS HAVE ESCAPED FROM YOUR DUNGEON ALIVE. SHORTCUT PORTALS ALLOWING RETURN VISITORS TO SKIP PREVIOUSLY-CLEARED FLOORS UNLOCKED.
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Xenia reads through the displays. "God, I''m really seeing now how we get motivated to draw in more powerful assholes. These lowbies aren''t bringing us hardly anything we didn''t have already, really almost makes me feel bad for ''em. Maybe. Tiny little bit." She pauses when she moves on to the achievements. "Whoa, hold on now, hold on now...Soul Store? The hell is this, Guy?"
The guide turns to face her with a sudden shiver of excitement. "Ah! The Soul Store! I remember this now...if remembering is the correct term, I suppose. But this is perhaps one of the most powerful tools a dungeon can gain access to. In addition to using souls to empower various dungeon creatures or constructs, you may also choose to release them to the primary Well of Souls, in exchange for dungeon upgrades!"
"Huh...I guess I was kinda wondering what to do with all these guys, other than just randomly buffing shit up just to use them. Kinda woulda liked to have known about this before, but eh, let''s take a look." Going through her menus, Xenia finds the new Soul Store option and brings it up.
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SOUL STORE
UPGRADE RANDOM RESOURCE PATTERN: 2 SOULS
UPGRADE SELECTED RESOURCE PATTERN: 5 SOULS
UNLOCK NEW RANDOM RESOURCE PATTERN: 5 SOULS
UNLOCK SPECIFIC RESOURCE PATTERN: VARIABLE [OPEN SHOP SUBMENU]
UPGRADE RANDOM CONSTRUCT PATTERN: 2 SOULS
UPGRADE SELECTED CONSTRUCT PATTERN: 5 SOULS
UNLOCK NEW RANDOM CONSTRUCT PATTERN: 5 SOULS
UNLOCK SPECIFIC CONSTRUCT PATTERN: VARIABLE [OPEN SHOP SUBMENU]
UNLOCK NEW FLOOR: 5 SOULS (COST INCREASES)
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Reading through the options, she sucks in a breath through her teeth. "Shiiiit, random gambling options? This thing''s gonna have me burning through souls way faster than I can earn em if I ain''t careful. Buying specific stuff might be good though, let''s see what we''ve got here..." As she goes through the first shop menu, Xenia begins mumbling a song quietly. "St. Peter, don''t you call me ''cause I can''t go, I owe my soul to the company store...oh, c''mon, what the fuck? Everything in here''s crazy expensive! The cheapest shit is ten souls, and that''s like...''Ferns, Low Quality''! And constructs...god, same thing, even F-tier dragons would take me a year! Really pushing me towards a gambling addiction here, Guy."
"I take no responsibility for the content of the store stock, I''m afraid. Ah, though with our new reduced cooldowns, I sense Lollyp has already recovered herself. We could consult if you want shopping advice, perhaps?"
Xenia nods. "Yeah, that''s a nice buff, should save us a lot of time waiting around. Let''s drop in." Snapping her fingers, the pair of virtual forms teleport into Lollyp''s apartment, where the slime woman has just finished putting on a new robe from the set Xenia had prepared for her. "Hey, Lolly Pop! Good work there, you got yourself a speed-respawn achievement."
Lollyp looks up at their surprise entrance. "Oh, nice! It''s really hard to judge time when you''re out, but that did feel a little faster somehow. How''d I look? To be honest I kinda felt like Challenge Mode coulda justified taking out a couple more of them, but hot on the heels of that other party it felt like maybe a bit much. Two full wipes almost in a row might kinda hurt the reputation a lil."
"Eh, two out of seven ain''t a bad rate going forward. Though one of em took an alternate exit out...we''ll get to that later. Right now, check this. I get Guy''s ''convenient'' lapses in memory, but I''m surprised you never mentioned this either." Xenia opens up a store menu screen and tosses it over in Lollyp''s direction. Taking a look, the slime''s brow furrows.
"A...soul store? This isn''t one of your oddities, is it? ...Huh. Never heard about this bit, though I guess it could explain some things. There''s enough other ways for dungeons to get stuff that I never really thought there''d be something like this."
"A trade secret, huh? Well, the specific unlocks are all way out of our price range right now, I''m guessing they''re not really gonna be an option til we''ve got like, just a constant stream of idiots coming in here and falling into traps or whatever. Any thoughts on the other options, though?"
The slime takes a few minutes to flip through the various screens. "...You ask me, I''d say the way to go is specific upgrades for what we''ve already got. We oughtta focus on our core competencies, y''know? Then once we''ve maxed out the stuff we''re actually using, maybe then try some random unlocks and hope we get something good. Y''know...start with stuff like upgrading slimes?"
Xenia chuckles. "Nice try. I mean, I buy the idea generally, but I''m a lil worried about getting too over-dependent on one thing as it is, y''know? I would like to keep bumping up rabbits a bit more, though we''re still two steps away from the B tiers...hrm. Gonna think on this a bit and get back to it. For now, how about a post-murder round of brews, eh?"
Lollyp grins. "That I can definitely agree with."
That afternoon, Field Agent Alizz groans as she collapses onto her paperwork. "What a fuckin'' shitshow, Kelsey."
The kobold chuckles from the other side of the tent. "Maybe, but if ya ask me, we got lucky."
The drider looks at him incredulously. "Three more Challengers lost is lucky!? I just...I was really hoping Lollyp would ease up a little more, you know?"
Kelsey grins. "As a matter of fact, y''ask me, she actually was. I mean, accidentally triggering a challenge mode on an already difficult boss fight? That''s some insanely bad luck, boss, that shit could seriously wipe out a party. Especially one that had never even worked together before. On top of that, Tafyaf said he thought the girl was actually going softer on''m than she could have, though he said he wasn''t sure about it."
Alizz takes a moment to consider his point. "...I guess that''s true. But gods, what a look. Eight out of eleven Initiates killed in about a week, and another with a probably career-ending injury." While the Archer Tane would survive the unplanned amputation of his leg, healing that could replace a limb was rarely cheap and generally beyond an Initiate''s earning power. He could perhaps earn enough in another year or two at a different job and pick things back up later, but the statistics said he probably wouldn''t. "But maybe worse is the demon vanishing from an apparently safe rest area. I don''t understand what happened there...the dungeon master could have sent in a monster to pick off stragglers, but that wasn''t the impression I got of her style."
"Yeah, that one I''m blaming on the dude himself. Arcane demons, y''know? My money says, he saw that shiny new floor, was all, ''ooh, look at this brand new thing I can discover just for me'', and dashed on alone and lost his head to the first trap he found. I ain''t pinning that on Tafyaf or the dungeon. No accounting for idiots."
Alizz''s eyes narrow. "Hrmm...you know, he''s the only one of the three with no surviving kin listed for me to send letters to. Granted, demons don''t usually have very large families. Still...I mean, really, between that and this new third floor, I''m getting really tempted to just go pay another visit ourselves and see what''s up."
At this, Kelsey shakes his head. "Wouldn''t recommend it, boss. It''s already weird-lookin'' that you went into the place solo and came out fine, we start making weekly trips to the place and people are gonna start askin'' questions, you know? You know the routine, we put a bonus bounty, an extra level promotion or whatever, up on whoever can chart out the new floor and let the Challengers handle it themselves."
The agent sighs. "But right now we don''t even have any Challengers who can do it. A few more Initiates wandered in today, but after the last run, they seem to be wisely waiting until some Advanced classes start to show. If only we had some high-level Firsters hanging around - " Before Alizz can finish her thought, she''s interrupted by the sound of thunder from somewhere within the camp. "Shit! Kelsey! Some drunk idiot''s probably started a fight out there!"
The two quickly grab up their weapons and rush towards the sound, but when they arrive at the source they find only a single figure, standing in the center of a scorched ring of grass. The unknown person is dressed in a style of full plate armor neither have seen before, with the only hints to their identity being that they''re humanoid, tall, and most likely female. Raising his shield, Kelsey takes charge of the task of identification. "Hey! Hold there, stranger! Mind tellin'' us who y''all are!?"
The figure turns in his direction, their face entirely covered by their helmet''s visor, but a woman''s voice answers him back. "Just a tourist. Don''t suppose you can tell me where I am?"
Kelsey and Alizz share a look. Teleportation spells aren''t entirely uncommon, but they are expensive, and not the sort of thing you use without knowing what your destination is. But then, given the strange fashion of the woman''s armor, for all they know she came from a continent on the other side of the planet. There is a touch of something being off about the woman''s voice as well, a possible sign of a magical translation enchantment being built into her armor or accessories. Cautiously, Kelsey answers. "Challenger''s Association camp, just outside Grassbrook. Just set up pretty recently...where''d you think you were hopping into, girl?"
The warrior chuckles at his description of her, apparently finding it amusing as she makes no motion towards the obviously-enchanted blade at her waist. For that matter, as the pair examine her further, their eyes almost begin to water at the sheer magical energy washing off of the woman like a wave. Some of it is the after-effects of the teleportation, most likely, but every single piece of her armor and equipment has the feel of top-tier goods, the kind neither of them possesses even a single example of themselves. Alizz whispers to Kelsey. "Careful! If she''s not at least Master-tier I''d eat my hat, probably more like Supreme!"
The woman laughs again, though. "Don''t worry, I''m not here for a fight. Just sight-seeing. Not really going anywhere in particular, really. Tell me about Grassbrook...what''s this camp of yours about?"
Alizz takes over for the discussion at this point. "This is the, ah...the temporary camp to administrate Challenger intrusions on the new dungeon in the area, up on Triple Peak Mountain. Worthy Dungeon, it''s called."
The warrior looks up at the nearby mountain. "A dungeon, huh? Now that does sound interesting...tell me more."
Chapter 41: Brute Force
Early the next morning, Doorman opened his eyes to find an odd warrior standing before him. Not that the door was sleeping, of course, but he did like to rest his eyes during the long periods of nothingness between intrusions, and given that he could sense the arrival of guests it was hardly like he was going to be caught napping. Until now, at least. It was if the walkway leading to the dungeon had been empty one moment, he had blinked, and then there she was. Well, no matter, she was here now, so it was time to get to work. "Welcome to Worthy Dungeon, challenger! Are you prepared to face the test of my riddles for entrance?"
The warrior tilts her armored head up at him and watches for a moment before responding. "I''m not a Challenger, but yeah, I''d like to see the place. Hit me, I guess."
"Very well." Doorman clears his throat, or his magical equivalent of such a thing. "What is...the Moon?"
The woman takes a few moments before answering. "...What''s a moon?"
Doorman raises an eyebrow. "Not a moon. The Moon. Come on now, a child could get this one."
"Sorry, dude, I''m from out of town. Never heard of the Moon. Can I get a hint?"
At this, the door sputters. "What difference does that make!? It''s the Moon! Every town can see the Moon! It''s gigantic!"
The woman turns around, scanning the horizon from the mountain''s excellent viewpoint. "Is the Moon here now?"
"What? No, it mostly comes out at night! Mostly. That''s your last hint!"
With a hint of certainty, the woman nods. "Ah, gigantic and only comes out at night. The Moon''s a monster, then?"
Doorman looks down at her incredulously. "Absolutely not. ...I hope. But you have failed the test of my riddles. Begone! You may try again tomorrow."
Rather than leaving, the woman shakes her head. "Hrmmm...nah. Think I''ll just use my key."
The door sighs. "The keyhole is just decorative! I don''t actually have keys, sorry."
The warrior chuckles as she walks up to the door. "Oh, I''ve got one. It''s right here, in the shape of my boot!" With that she launches a kick at the door, immediately breaking it open and spinning it hard enough to slam against the wall, nearly tearing it from its hinges in the process.
"Ahhhh! Ah! That hurt! What the hell!?"
At the door''s screams, the woman pauses again. "...Uh, sorry. I didn''t think you''d actually like...hurt from that."
"Well, I do! How''d you like it if I kicked you like that, eh!?"
"Sorry, sorry! I''ll uh...help fix you up later?"
Doorman sighs. "Whatever, I''ll repair when you''re done. Go on then, I hope the slime melts you."
The woman takes a moment to bisect a few attacking barkbirds with her sword before answering. "...Right. Sorry. Moving on!"
The rest of the first floor was dismantled with more or less the same tactics, or lack thereof. The warrior went to collect the key in the water slime''s puddle, was caught, and the falling rocks simply cracked into pieces against her back. Upon reaching the first arrowslit in the Bone Maze the woman grabbed hold of one of the iron bars built into the opening, pulled it off to tear a hole into the upper level, and used it as a shortcut to the end of the chamber after massacring all the ambush monsters waiting on the top side of the labyrinth. Even BB was cut in half on his first leaping assault against her, earning only a brief comment before the woman moved on.
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"Wow. That is the ugliest fuckin'' rabbit I''ve seen in my life. They''ve got some weird shit around here for sure."
The elevator trip down Floor Two turned into little more than target practice for her. While the orc skeletons were easily dismantled by her blade, the warrior was able to generate a form of telekinetic force attack from her gauntlets, and she apparently made a bit of a game out of using it to shoot every spider and bat that showed itself, each of the low-level monsters splattering into gore on contact. It wasn''t until she reached the sign outside Lollyp''s boss arena that she showed any real interest in things. "Ah, this is that challenge mode, right? And the boss that kept killing all those newbies? Alright, this one might be fun. Hey, boss! I cry out for a true challenge!"
As the acid pool geysers begin to fire up, a voice echoes around the room. "Thanks! I was really hoping you''d say that!"
Skipping her usual attempt of trying to knock the woman into a nearby pool, given her apparently very heavy armor, Lollyp drops down in the center of the room instead and immediately fires off two blasts of magic. A lightning bolt from her wand and a blast of flame from her left hand race towards the woman, but in the blink of an eye a shield appears on the warrior''s arm to block both attacks. "What? Where the hell you''d get that from!?"
The warrior chuckles. "Item Box, never leave home without it!" With that she charges the slime, sword swinging, but Lollyp compresses herself down to little more than a puddle to dodge the attack. As she begins to turn around the warrior steps into a spray of acid, and pauses to look down at the smoke and steam that sizzles off of her boot. "Huh, that''s some nasty shit, ain''t it? Suppose that does make this a little more interesting." She starts to move again in Lollyp''s direction, swinging her sword as she goes to shatter a trio of ice bolts the slime sends her way. She is taken slightly by surprise when the slime follows it up by punching her in the chest with a tentacle, but mostly due to the fact that the impact does no damage to her whatsoever. When a splash of acid falls down around her, she realizes what the boss was up to - she was simply pushing her back a step to line her up with the environmental hazard. "Gah, this stinks like rotten eggs! Okay, getting serious now!"
She charges again, blocking several more elemental attacks with her shield and finally getting close enough to the boss to slice her in half with a single swing. Kicking the top half into a nearby pool, she pauses to watch as Lollyp''s bottom half dissolves on the cavern floor. "One hit, huh? Guess this is still something of a newbie gauntlet." As she examines the remains on the floor however, she fails to notice as the next explosion of the geyser launches a fluid glob into the air which twists itself in her direction. When her helmet is suddenly encased in red slime, the warrior stumbles back. "Whab? Fub...geb...off!" The woman tears at her face, fingers simply sinking into Lollyp''s remaining mass without any success at pulling her off. At the same time, the slime finds herself unable to slip into the woman''s armor, the apparent slits in the visor being blocked off by additional magical reinforcement.
A second feature of that magical reinforcement reveals itself a moment later when the woman''s armor electrifies itself briefly, sending Lollyp splattering to the floor. It doesn''t kill her, but it takes her long enough to reform that the warrior has plenty of time to have her sword pointed at Lollyp''s face when it emerges from her blob. "Gotcha."
Lollyp closes her eyes, waiting for the killing blow...but it never comes. Finally opening one back up and peering at her opponent, she hazards a question. "...Waiting for something?"
Oddly, the warrior sheaths her sword and stores away her shield once again. "Well, you know, honestly I''d usually kill something like you, especially with a body count like yours. But from what I hear, you''d just respawn after I left anyways. And the spider-lady down the mountain made me promise not to wreck the core, so, y''know...don''t really see the point? It''s kinda cool that you can talk actually...wanna join me for the rest of the dungeon? I could use the company."
As Lollyp reforms as much of her body as she can, she tries to use the time to formulate a response to the odd request. "You talked to Alizz? I, uh...that''s not normally how it works? I mean, even if you''re not gonna mess with the core, I''m definitely not gonna help you out with the traps or anything, you know?"
The warrior steps aside to dodge a splash of acid from the still-firing geysers. "Sure, I get it. But you seem interesting, and I''d like to hear more about the place. And you know Alizz too, huh? Things definitely work differently around here." As Lollyp watches her through narrowed eyes, the warrior chuckles. "And tell you what, you can even try and wait til I''m distracted to try and stab me in the back, huh? Should keep things interesting!"
Not really seeing any reason to turn down the opportunity, Lollyp cautiously nods. "...Sure?" With a bit of concentration the boss turns off the arena''s challenge mode manually, something she wasn''t actually ever expecting to have to do.
"Great! Looking forward to seeing what else you''ve been up to down here!"
Chapter 42: Third Floor Tour
Matters settled and the slime boss back on her feet, the warrior heads on to the next room, stopping to check out the two treasure chests inside. The first contains a handful of coins, a healing potion, and an enchanted iron necklace, all of which vanish into the warrior''s ''Item Box''. She opens the second, and cautiously pulls out a bottle of pink fluid. "Is this...a potion?"
Lollyp smirks and gives an awkward chuckle. "That''s the uh, challenge mode bonus. Slime lube, haha! Goes for a high price on the market if you don''t want it."
The item vanishes as well, with the warrior muttering a barely-audible "Nice." as she takes it. Standing up, she turns towards the hallway out. "Third floor, huh? Heard no one''s been here yet."
"No spoilers! Gotta see for yourself."
Nodding, the woman proceeds on to the floor''s first chamber which Xenia had taken to calling the ''Step Room'', as each row of giant tiles gave the appearance of being a gigantic set of steps. The warrior looks first at the proper stairwell down at the end of her current row, then at the drop to the next row immediately to her right.
"This isn''t that big a jump? Why would someone keep going back and forth down all these rows when it''s like ten times faster just to hop down?" The slime simply smiles and shrugs, to which the warrior shrugs back and jumps down to the next row. Upon landing, the tile below immediately shatters, causing her to fall an additional five feet onto a row of steel spikes. Once again though, brute force wins the day as the spikes simply bend where they impact her armor. "...Oh, that''s why. Well, whatever, I''m not that patient." Climbing out, she immediately hops down to the row after that, at which point a blobby slime suddenly slams into her back, knocking her down yet another ''step'' and into yet another spike trap. The rabbit-eared slime hops down after her, but is cleanly bisected with a slice of her sword before it lands. A groan drifts up to Lollyp, still several rows above. "...Okay, I see how this is going."
From there, the woman continues to shortcut her way through the room, but with just enough caution to avoid falling into more traps, or get slammed by more Blobbities. Ten minutes later she finally reaches the end, with Lollyp quickly catching up thanks to her trap-immune status. The slime is also a foot taller by then, thanks to her Boss-level regeneration. "So, what''d you think?"
The warrior looks back up at where she started. "Hated it. Which I guess means you did good? The slimes with the rabbit ears are real cute though...do you guys offer pets as loot?"
Lollyp has to stop and think on that one. "...Ummm...no, I don''t think we can do that right now. There are monster-taming and summoning spells, but we don''t have those yet. Feel free to send one our way if you find a scroll or a Summoner you don''t like very much, though!"
"Heh, will keep that in mind." The warrior makes her way into the next chamber, pausing at the first green-colored, slightly-oozing spiderweb blocking the path of the narrow hallway. She pokes it with her sword, watching as it grips onto the surface of the blade. "...Not acidic or anything, not picking up any debuff effects from it. Is this just supposed to make a mess?"
Lollyp''s eyes go wide. "Oooh, shit, I should write those down!"
"...Right, shutting up now." The delver makes her way down the hall, avoiding the webs where she can, but with only limited success. In several cases they block nearly the entire passageway, giving her little option but to push right through them. Eventually she reaches the first Slime Spider ambush, and steps back as the creatures scurry over her armor. "Gah! More spiders, y''just trying to, heheh, bug me to death?" She easily smashes the creatures flat with her fist and boots, but each one she kills only makes a further mess, splattering her with brightly-colored goo. With some of it now on the bottom of her feet, it makes her steps noticeably slower, or at least for a bit. Once the warrior adjusts and starts putting more strength into her movements, she''s able to resume her normal pace.
"I guess this sort of counts as a ''slow'' debuff, huh? Gods, I hope there''s somewhere to clean this off later."
Her slime ''tour guide'' considers her response. "I probably shouldn''t spoil it, but we do have a healing fountain at the end of the floor. Guess we haven''t really tested its effects on slime-cleaning much, but it''s something."
"A healing fountain, huh? That you put in all on your own? Yeah, that''s a twist. The monster lairs I''m used to would just put all their effort towards, y''know, more monsters." As she reaches the end of the chamber, the warrior is interrupted as a quartet of orc skeletons attack her in the final room. The copious amounts of slime do little to hinder her strength, and the main effect caused by all that goo is simply to make orc bones stick to her blade as she annihilates the creatures one by one. "...Not that you''re going light on the monsters, either."
"First dungeon, huh? Though I''m definitely confused where you got all that fancy gear and upgrades if you''ve never been to one before. Like, even if you bought them from crafters, you definitely learned how to fight from somewhere."
The warrior shrugs. "Just a bit different where I''m from, I gue - whoa!" As she walks down the next set of passageways, the woman is taken by surprise as a transparent, yet gooey red tentacle snaps out of the stone wall and wraps itself around her sword arm. "Gah! Gah! Get it - get it off!" She waves her arm fiercely, easily ripping the the ghostly limb to shreds, but has to take a moment to catch her breath as the portion holding on to her arm slowly dissolves. "...That...that was a mental effect, right? That was...fuck."
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Seeing the more-or-less desired response, Lollyp chuckles. "Was it? Or maybe the big, badass knight lady is just afraid of a little tentacle?"
The knight lady chuckles in response, however. "Nah. That''s how I can tell, actually. Normally every time I see a tentacle monster I have a hard time not giggling about it instead."
"...Guess there''s no accounting for pervs, huh."
The woman straightens her back. "No! They''re just...funny, okay? Ugh, movin'' on." She continues to make her way down the labyrinth, but it becomes more and more clear that the warrior''s build is certainly aimed towards brute strength and not agility. She fails to dodge even a single tentacle ambush, and has to pause for a number of seconds after each one to collect herself. She is at least clearheaded enough to not continue rushing down the hall, setting off traps, but neither is she resistant enough to mental attacks to simply shrug off the effects of the ghostly monsters. Eventually she reaches the crossroads at the center of the chamber, standing opposite of a wooden door which is emitting faint sounds of moaning.
"...Oh gods, I''m going to regret this, aren''t I?" The woman opens the door gingerly, sword at the ready, and is faced with the sight of a true dungeon. Pinned to the wall directly opposite her in an ''X'' position is a nearly-nude succubus, squirming at her bindings. To the left sits another, strapped in a straddling position to the top of a triangular-shaped bench, which she for some reason moves around on as if it were a bucking mount. Finally, to the right an incubus half-stands inside a pillory, his bare ass and dangling demonhood turned to face anyone walking through the door. Just as gingerly, the woman closes the door. "Nope. Nope. Unh-huh."
Lollyp pouts. "What!? You can''t just not check it out! There''s probably some cool loot in there! Not to mention the booty..."
"I am immediately performing a self-amnesia on the last thirty seconds. What were we doing? Oh, let''s go this way!" With a forced cheerfulness the warrior picks another direction and steadily marches on, this time barely even reacting at all to the next few fear-inspiring tentacles that latch on to her.
Eventually she makes it to the last standard room of the floor. A simple square chamber in shape, but with the floor divided up into many more squares where each grid section is separated from the others by bright blue barrier spells turning on and off. As she watches, hopping slimes around the room leap from pressure plate to pressure plate, sometimes causing barriers to activate or deactivate, sometimes triggering flamethrower and lightning traps to go off, filling a blocked-off section with magical death. "What in unholy heavens is this supposed to be?"
Lollyp waves her arms. "Puzzle room! Can you figure out the patterns to...uh...what''s that?" As she watches, the warrior apparently pulls out a new bracer from her Item Box and straps it to her left arm. Placing a hand on the nearest barrier, the woman utters a single word.
"Dispell." The bracer glows blue, and the barrier cracks into nothing, opening the way to the next square. "Good, that works. Hope you don''t mind me shortcutting, this one looks really annoying."
"What!? No! You have any idea how long it took to train the Hippity Blobbities to get the timings right!?"
"The Hippity...? Uh, sure, sorry. It does look really fun, if you''re into that kind of thing? Not really for me, though." With that she continues her pattern, busting down barrier after barrier with a single word, avoiding those grid squares with active-firing traps. In all it takes her only about two minutes to cross the room, all without needing to slay a single slime. "Glad I had that thing fully charged. Ah, and hey, the fountain! Isn''t there supposed to be another floor boss or something first?"
A much-grumpier Lollyp sighs. "Still in progress...we are really close, though! Um, not that I think we''ve got much that could really slow you down, considering. Honestly you might be one of the highest-leveled people I''ve ever seen. You realize no one''s ever soloed this dungeon before, right? Even before we had a third floor!"
"Eh, I do alright. Won''t deny I really geared myself to the max for this trip, though." The woman takes her time at the modestly-sized fountain, wiping the slime from her armor. At this tier the healing it provides is minimal, but the warrior wouldn''t be likely to notice that, given that she''s received absolutely no injuries throughout the entire dungeon. "Alright! Core time! This is what it''s all about!"
Her tour guide suddenly grows nervous. "Uh, wait! I thought you said you weren''t gonna mess with the core!"
"Easy, slime-stuff, I just wanna take a look." Opening the final doors into the core chamber, the warrior takes her time to examine the surroundings. The furniture layout is much the same as it was since before the chamber was moved down to this floor, and the room was even re-aligned to still fit the old windows into the walls of the mountain''s internal abyss, although iron bars do now fill them just in case a certain demon were to consider using them to hop into the dungeon master''s bedroom. The warrior however is more taken by the obvious clamshell statue, and makes her way over to it. "Let''s see, there was supposed to be a trick to this, right?" She scans the rest of the room, and soon spots the nearly-invisible pressure plate hidden on one wall. Utilizing the same telekinetic force spell she used against the bats and spiders in the elevator shaft, the warrior presses down on it from a distance, holding the spell long enough for the clamshell to open.
"Well, well, well. So there you are, Xenia. Rather beautiful, I suppose, though I always admired craftsmanship more practical than gemstones and whatnot myself."
Lollyp''s head tilts. "You know her name? ...Well, I guess she did spill it once or twice. Still, why did you want to see her core so much?"
Rather than answering, the warrior begins to work on removing her helmet. It''s not a simple task, as at least three different enchantments on her armor noticeably extinguish before she gets to the point of actually removing it from her head. Underneath is revealed a woman rather past the prime of an adventuring life, well into her forties at least, and heavily scarred. A mass of burn scars cover the right side of her face, while a trio of claw marks trace their way down her left cheek. Her short dirty-blonde hair, clearly trimmed to fit the requirements of the heavy helmet, allows Lollyp to spy even more minor scars and wounds tracing along her neck. Still, despite all those marks of an extremely hard life, a genuinely bright smile graces her face as she gazes down on the core with her clear green eyes. "What can I say? Wouldn''t be right to pass through the neighborhood and not check in on an old friend, would it?"
"Old...friend...?" Lollyp trails off as her eyes dart elsewhere in the room, as if she were listening to someone only she could see. "Eh? What do you mean? Wait, what? That''s..."
The slime turns back to the woman now glancing in her direction, her eyes growing wide. "...BEATRICE?"
Poll: New Direction
Hey all! The story''s been going pretty good so far, if I do say so myself. However, it''s become apparent that Xenia Worthy is actually kind of dumb, and really doesn''t deserve to be the main character anymore. That said, I haven''t decided yet who should be the one to take center stage in her place. I''ve been workshopping a few new titles and covers, what do you think?
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Let me know in the poll and/or comments who you''d like to see take charge!
Chapter 43: The Old Warrior
The armored woman turns her bright smile in Lollyp''s direction. "Oh, you''ve heard of me, eh? Can...can you talk to Xenia now? Is that what''s going on here?"
The slime''s mouth opens and closes a few times as her eyes dart back and forth, as if she''s unable to choose between conversations to join. Finally, she looks back at the warrior. "It''s...dungeons have an avatar, or a spirit. Eventually there''s a way to make them visible, if they tier up enough, but til then only dungeon creatures can see them. You uh...really are Beatrice then? The monster slayer?"
"That''s me! And a spirit, huh? I think I got something for that, one minute." Shaking her head, she slides the helmet back in place. After mumbling a chant under her breath the helmet briefly glows in an orange light, and Beatrice''s head suddenly turns - directly in Xenia''s direction. "Whoa! It''s...is that really you, Xen? Gods, it must be! I remember you talking about liking nose piercings, I don''t recall the striped hair coming up though. You look good, if a little blurry!" Through her visor, the woman sees the form of an orange-tinted ghost. In particular, the ghost is wearing a pair of leather pants, a black shirt ripped at the midriff and sleeves, a simple stud nose piercing, and a completely shocked look on her face. With a bit of a tinny echo, even the ghost''s voice eventually begins to manifest within her enchanted helmet''s senses.
"-did you get here! Oh my god! It''s so incredible to see you, but what the hell happened to you!? You look like you got chewed up and spit out Beat, no offense, doesn''t seem to have stopped you from being a total badass, though!"
Beatrice laughs and tries to wave the eager dungeon master down a bit. "Hold on, hold on, I think I missed half of that. But uh, yeah, it''s a pretty long story. Got time to chat?"
Lollyp answers with a grin. "We''re not that busy, so yeah, pretty sure we''ve got all the time we - whoop!" She pauses as Xenia suddenly rushes Beatrice for a hug, only to pass right through the warrior woman. Beatrice turns herself around, chuckling but shaking her head.
"Sorry, Xen." She raps her knuckles against her helmet. "This thing''s enchanted to, well...to track down your soul, actually. Nothing in my bag of tricks to go for a ghost hug though, sadly."
At that, Xenia gasps. "You...you actually came here after me? I mean, first off, wow, but second off...why!? Not that I''m not super flattered and impressed, and all, but...I don''t think I can go back with you."
Hearing that, Beatrice smirks under her helmet. "Hey, don''t go getting too big an ego on me. I did want to see you, really, but the actual honest truth is...I came here for myself. Don''t suppose we could pull up a seat, have a drink or two, or something like that? Cause like I said, it''s a long story."
Xenia quickly sets up a trio of chairs around her main table, and summons a few nondescript bottles for Beatrice and Lollyp. "Can''t really drink it myself, but feel free. All we got on tap is shit-tier booze at the moment, so I''m sure you''ll love it."
The warrior sits down and lifts her helmet''s visor enough for a pull at the bottle. "Ah, damn straight! Nothing like a good drink after a nice fight or two. So...where should I start?"
Xenia takes a seat of her own. "Well...obviously I wanna know how that fight went down after I uh, checked out, but um. I''m guessing it''s been longer for you than it has for me? I woke up here like a month back, but, no offense Trish, you look like you''ve gone through a bit more than that."
"No kidding. But yeah, good place to start. I assume you remember what happened to Faleen and Yates?" As Xenia nods, she continues. "Right, so...your suggestion, tossing you down his throat, that is, that was the final blow. We pulled it off, thanks to you, I don''t know if it was internal wounds or you melting down and choking the bastard, but we took down ol'' Yalrog the Dickface, may he rest in piss. Twenty years ago or so now it was, for me. And in no small way, it was the end of a lot of things."
Xenia can''t help feeling a bit sad to hear that. "Oh? I''m guessin'' the team didn''t exactly, ah...pick up after that, huh?"
Beatrice shakes her head. "Too many reasons for it not to. For one, we were all utterly, stinking, filthy rich. Between the dragon''s hoard and the bounties, even after setting aside shares for Faleen and Yates''s kin, the rest of us were still suddenly some of the richest bastards in the kingdom. And the others, well...Tarry was injured, and he decided to ''retire'' from the wandering life after that. Took a job training new church recruits though, kept it up til really retiring about five years ago. Old man finally passed on two years after that."
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"Shit. Though honestly, not bad for the geezer. Probably couldn''t have asked for a better retirement, knowin'' him. And how about ol'' Pisser? She come through alright?"
At that, Beatrice laughs. "More than fuckin'' alright. You''ll never fuckin'' guess this one, Xen. The day we fought Dickface? Ipis was three months pregnant at the time!"
Xenia gasps as her eyes go wide. "What? No! Who? When!? I don''t remember her ever liking...anybody!"
Beatrice continues laughing. "It was the fucking bard! You remember the guy, Weston? The one where every time we met somewhere, he''d flirt with Ipis and she''d insult him, or threaten his nuts or whatever back? It was all some kinda fucked up roleplay, turned out they''d been sleeping together the past three years!"
"No! No! You''re a specter of lies from my past, here to fool me! Ipis and Weston!?"
"No shit! Haha! And after, well, after everything, they came out and made it official and all that. Became a traveling duo, if you can believe or not, she actually took up singing. Singing and making babies, actually, and was surprisingly good at both of em. Seven kids now between the two of em, five girls and two boys." As the pair talk Lollyp watches on, soaking in every bit of the interactions between the two old friends. While she doesn''t know much of the details of the history of the two women, she can''t deny, it''s at least the third most entertaining thing she''s seen in weeks.
"Ipis...a mom...and a singer...everything I know about the universe is lies. But what about you, then? You don''t look settled down at all."
The warrior shakes her head as she takes another drink. "Nope, and therein lies my problem. Me? I kept right at it, you know? I''m not just Beatrice, a monster slayer, I''m Beatrice the Monster Slayer. Well, technically I''m usually ''Lady Beatrice the Dragon Slayer'' now, did get a little promotion or two, obviously. Anyways, after I healed up, I got right back to it. Wandered the land, took every bounty, saved every village, helped every minor noble with their fucked up curses, and all of that. And eventually...well. I got them all, Xen."
Xenia''s eyes narrow. "All? What do you mean by that?"
"Every monster in the kingdom. And the kingdom to the south. And the one to the north. Every goblin, dire wolf, banshee, you name it. The continent is one hundred percent monster free."
The dungeon master sits back in her seat. "Wow, I didn''t even know that was a thing you could do. I remember Terraros not being as uh, monstery as some places I''ve been, but still. ...So what happened after that?"
"Self-imposed retirement. To be honest, I wasn''t really sure what to do next. Thing is, and I''m sure this isn''t gonna be a surprise to you, but I''ve come to admit something about myself. I...am an utter adrenaline addict. The fighting, the struggle, that''s where I come alive. But without monsters to slay, what else is there? Join the fuckin'' army? Not a chance. I didn''t get where I am just to turn myself into a political pawn. I thought about sailing the seas for a bit, maybe finding some far off place that needed me. But going through all that, just so that maybe I could kill a few more redcaps in the ass end of nowhere, it didn''t seem worth the trouble. But...I did have one other option."
At this, Xenia leans forward again. "And what was that?"
In response, Beatrice reaches into the collar of her breastplate and pulls out a necklace. Made with a simple gold chain, her armor eventually reveals an impressively-sized black gem. "You remember this?"
"That''s...that''s one of the gems from my hilt, isn''t it?"
Beatrice nods. "Most of the rest of your hilt there too, actually, reforged for the chain and setting. See...there was a court magician who owed me more than a few favors, and he knew himself a few interesting spells. For example, one that can teleport you to anyone you want, provided you have an object closely linked to their soul. Well, and of course, that the person is alive. He could tell that this thing was linked to someone dead, but I knew that wasn''t gonna last - I mean, we''re talking about you, here. So I semi-retired for a couple years, checked in every other month or so, and what do you know...two weeks ago, we got a response. A live link. Normally the spell wouldn''t work across realms, but given that we were working with your actual body as the source, or the closest thing you had to it, the link was strong. Strong enough to send me here."
Xenia takes a moment to soak that in before responding. "You really left everything behind, to come to a world you knew nothing about?"
The warrior chuckles. "Didn''t leave as much as you might think, I did pack enough gear with me to equip a small army. And besides, I knew one thing. I knew that you were here, and that meant that some shit was gonna go down, sooner or later. I know all your stories, Xen! It might not be today, might not be next year, but odds are this world''s gonna get real interesting, and I knew I wanted to see it happen, one more time." She leans back, gesturing at the room around her. "And look at this! Dungeons? This shit''s amazing already! I love this place! And, don''t get me wrong, Xen. I am...happier than I can put into words that I get to see you again. And not only that, but to see the real you for once. No words at all. But, like I said. Ultimately, I''m here for selfish reasons. I don''t wanna die an old lady, Xen. I wanna die with a monster''s jaw in my gut and my sword in its eye."
Xenia sighs and smiles, as if it''s the most beautiful thing she''s ever heard. "You haven''t changed in the least, Trish. But hey, guess what? If you''re looking for quests, I think I got one for you."
This time Beatrice leans in, a grin on her face. "Oh? And what''s that?"
"Well...I''ve got myself a small demon problem..."
Chapter 44: Diplomatic Overtures
Two days after the mysterious warrior had gone up to Worthy Dungeon (and incidentally, never come back down), the Grassbrook Challengers camp was in the midst of setting up an entirely new and unplanned set of tents and other support structures. Messages had come in the day before from the capital to both Field Agent Alizz and Commander Paulados to inform them that the camp would be required for a rather unusual purpose - a small diplomatic summit. In fact, a Valleylander party had already arrived at the border, and the patrol''s reports on their presence had arrived only minutes after the official notification.
Neither of them were particularly happy about it, as it wasn''t exactly part of either of their job descriptions. The Challengers Association had agreed to play the role of neutral ground for the summit as a favor to the Crown, but it fell to Alizz to actually have to do the work of hosting it with almost no warning or preparation time. Meanwhile Paulados was now responsible for negotiating on behalf of the Rainlands, despite having no diplomatic experience and not really having been given any explicit authority on what matters he could negotiate on. In fact the actual purpose of the summit wasn''t even made explicitly clear, although it didn''t require a lot of guessing to assume the new dungeon would be at the core of the matter.
So it was that Alizz and Paulados found themselves standing at the entrance to the Association camp with their second-in-commands by their sides, and a large tent intended for holiday festivals hastily erected behind them. Before them, escorted by a Rainlander patrol, came a group of a dozen orcs, minotaurs, and oddly enough one earth elemental, the party clearly made up mostly of soldiers going by their weapons and equipment. It wasn''t a large enough group to pose a real military threat, but they were certainly capable of putting up more than their share of a fight were they to be attacked. Paulados was uneasy about the fact that there was no clear ambassadorial figure in the approaching group, but given that he didn''t want to look bad to his own superiors he was willing to put up with the task of at least listening to whatever his opposite numbers had to say.
Rather than any sort of political figure, the one who steps forward to greet the pair is an elder orc warrior, a man wearing exceptional-quality leather armor and whose dark hair already had a number of streaks of gray running through it. Halting a dozen paces away from the entrance, he slams his right fist against his chest and greets the waiting officials in a strong voice. "Greetings! I am Darrosh of Tash''Narc, Thornwood Commando, and I thank you for offering us your hospitality on such short notice. I come to represent the interests of the Valleylands on a number of, ha, local matters of importance."
Commander Paulados nods in response. If there''s a more formal, official way for him to answer a diplomatic request like that the soldier doesn''t know it, so instead he decides to go with what feels natural. "Welcome, Darrosh of Tash''Narc. I am Commander Paulados, officer in charge of the local garrison, and with me here is Field Agent Alizz, local representative of the Challengers Association. I must admit, I''m surprised to see a soldier of your rank leading this little gathering, rather than some drider sorceress or whatnot. I hope if you''ll forgive me if I''m not the most polished on all of this diplomatic business, but I am curious to hear what brought you out here."
The orc gives a wry chuckle. "We have that lack of polish in common, and I''m afraid the abrupt nature of all this is my own fault. I pushed to call this meeting as soon as possible, and given my close posting to the border and my own, shall I say, personal reasons for wanting to see this through, I was able to talk those over-thinkers into committing to action." Noting Alizz giving him a look, he turns to address her directly. "Don''t take my comments the wrong way, Field Agent. I hold the Challengers in high regard, and although we haven''t met, I do know you by reputation. I''m told you''re one of the best in the business, and I consider myself fortunate that you''re the one posted here at this time."
Alizz smiles, deciding it''s time for her to start playing host. "I suppose I know what you mean, as there is a reason I went into Challenging and traveling abroad myself. Do you and your people need some time to rest? We do have some refreshments prepared in the large tent directly behind us, if you would wish."
"If you could direct our porters as to where we can set up our own tents for the night, it would be appreciated, but otherwise I''m ready to begin the talks now, if that suits you and the Commander."
With a nod from Paulados, Alizz gives a slight bow to Darrosh. "Of course. If you''ll follow me."
A few minutes later, six seats had been taken around a large table inside the festival tent: Alizz and Kelsey for the Association, Paulados and Harnriel for the Rainlanders, with Darrosh and a minotaur introduced as ''Yarro Tossrock, Warrior Mason'' for the Valleylanders. As Association staff move about to serve drinks and snacks, Paulados decides to get matters going. "So, Darrosh. I''m afraid I was not notified of any specific agenda for this meeting, and while I can certainly make some guesses as to what this is all about, I''d rather hear it from you instead of making assumptions. So, what brings you to my neck of the woods, eh?"
Darrosh leans forward, hands clasped in front of him. "There are two main items on my ''agenda'', Commander, and yes, you can probably guess what they are: the new dungeon on Triple Peak Mountain, and the two Valleylander soldiers you''re currently holding prisoner. Now, I am not a diplomat by training, but I do know for a fact that any trained diplomat would probably want my head for what I''m about to say: I recognize that the Valleylands are currently in, shall we say, a very weak position on both of these issues."
Paulados can''t keep himself from grinning. While he is astute enough to recognize that such a frank admission is a diplomatic blunder, he still feels a bit of kinship for the orc across from him who has simply chosen to ignore diplomatic traditions. "I have to say that was my take on the situation as well. Not that I have any interest in extorting you for ransoms for your people or anything as crude as that, but they were very certainly in violation of the accepted diplomatic agreements between our nations."
The orc grunts slightly. "The agreements are not quite so clear-cut as that, Commander. While there were agreements to not base military encampments in the mountains, the question of individual scouts is more...ambiguous. But whatever the case may be, I''m hoping to resolve the matter today." He pauses to clear his throat, before fixing the Commander with a renewed gaze. "Let me get to the point. While the Challengers Accord allows for Valleylander civilians, registered with the Challengers Association, to have access to dungeons within Rainlander territory, in regards to this ''Worthy Dungeon'' we wish for more. We would like to arrange for an agreement for serving military officers to use the dungeon for training, just as both of our organizations do with other dungeons within our respective borders."
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At this, both the Rainlander and Challenger officials share looks of slight surprise between each other. Paulados responds first. "While I was somewhat expecting for you to demand control of the dungeon, it sounds as if you''re accepting that the mountain falls within our territory, if you''re asking for our permission."
Darrosh''s face darkens. "That is what our higher officials would surely do if they were in my place. But I am not interested in drawing this out for months or years only to have no conclusion. Frankly, I personally don''t give a damn on which side of the line on a map the dungeon falls. I care about the pragmatic issue: getting access to the dungeon for my soldiers. I''m prepared to offer concessions to make that happen."
While Paulados and Alizz likely share similar questions, it''s Alizz''s curiosity that comes to the fore first. "Forgive me for asking, Commando, but we both know the Valleylands contains numerous dungeons suitable for military training. Why are you so intent on gaining access to this one?"
The soldier nods, as if he''s glad Alizz brought the question up. "Because this is not an ordinary dungeon. In fact, we didn''t even know it was a dungeon when we sent our scouts out to take a look at the place. What this is, is a godsdamned Dragonlord plot. I don''t know if it''s taken seriously here in the Rainlands, but those of us in the Valleylands recall from our time in the bastard''s ''service'' that the mountain is considered, at least in their reckoning, spiritually important to the draconics. And if our reports aren''t mistaken, there appears to be clear signs of Domain meddling in the development of the place. I for one am not comfortable with such a thing taking place right on our doorstep. I know our nations don''t get along, Commander, but I think we can both agree the Dragonlord''s schemes are not something we wish to have pass unchallenged."
In response to all that, Paulados shrugs. "I''ve also heard the theories presented, but the Dragonlord is always up to mischief of one sort or another. Not that I''m turning down any offers, but I''m not sure I see any reason to leap to any extreme conclusions."
Alizz has another concern, however. "Allow me to clarify one point, Commando. If you consider this dungeon a threat, I hope you don''t intend to destroy it?"
Darrosh shakes his head. "Merely to monitor it, to prevent the Dragonlord from twisting it further, and perhaps neutering any unusual threat it already poses. If we destroy it, we can''t learn anything from it, and I''m aware that destroying a dungeon you consider to be within your territory would be...diplomatically upsetting. Even I''m not willing to step on that many toes."
Paulados nods along. "That is a good point, thank you for bringing that up, Field Agent. I think it''s safe to say any agreement for access would have to include harsh penalties should a Valleylander soldier damage the place. Aside from that, what''s your offer, Commando?"
"In exchange for access, and the safe release of our two scouts, I am prepared to make some concessions. First, to help cover the costs of...''providing security'' to the site, we are willing to pay an on-going rate, for as long as the deal is active. Additionally, I brought a few rare items from my own personal collection to cover the release of our soldiers. For example, from my personal forays into Spider Swamp, an Exoshield, and a pair of Spider Slicers." Motioning to his minotaur officer, the man begins pulling items out of a bottomless bag. The ''Exoshield'' was a shield shaped as, and perhaps made from, the abdomen exoskeleton of a Giant Spider. The Slicers, meanwhile, were a pair of daggers with hilts shaped like pointy spider legs, suitable for stabbing from either direction. Of course that was secondary to the toxic enchantment they both held, inflicting a magical poisoning on anyone cut by them.
The Rainlander officer raises an eyebrow at the offer. "Offering personal gear, even high-tier items, seems like an unusual move for a diplomatic exchange. Beyond currency, my understanding is political or trade concessions or the like would be more traditional fare."
Darrosh grins. "Not the sort of trade items I keep in my personal armory, I''m afraid. If you''re saying you''re not interested in these sorts of goods..." He trails off, unsurprised when Paulados interrupts him.
"No, no, I''m willing to keep an open mind. Please, continue." As the military officers get back to it, it''s only the beginning of a long chain of negotiations and offers that would go on well past the fading of the light.
Hours later, an exhausted Alizz returns to her tent. The smaller issue of the two prisoners had been agreed to, while the larger issue of dungeon access would probably have to be finalized the next day. The deal was quite in favor of the Rainlanders, an unusually generous olive branch from the Valleylander side, but Paulados had still requested that matters wait until at least the next day to be formally concluded. For now they all needed a break, and Alizz needed a good cup of tea. Unfortunately that would have to wait a little longer, as a sudden voice from the tent''s flap startles the drider woman.
"Hey, Alizz! Now a good time? Don''t mean to bother you." As the drider spins around, she sees a figure she''d almost managed to forget about - almost. The warrior woman from the other day stands before her, her voice as fresh and cheerful as if it were still in the early morning.
"Ah! You''re back! I, ah, I must confess I''d rather assumed you were...unsuccessful in your attempt on the dungeon when you never returned. Or did I just miss you earlier?"
The tall woman waves away her concerns. "Nah, nah, it''s all good. Spent a couple nights camping out in the place. Pretty friendly host, y''know, if you know how to approach em just right, eh?"
Alizz''s face goes blank. "Oh, no. Not more of you."
The warrior''s face is unreadable inside her helmet, but the tilt of it indicates confusion. "Huh, what? There''s more of me?"
The drider sighs. "As if those three Dungeon Perverts weren''t enough! Has this place gotten such a reputation already, that you''re coming from so far away? ''Pretty friendly'', my eight-legged ass. Please don''t tell me that you have some network inside the Challengers I haven''t heard of, talking about which dungeons enjoy the...the physical acts you lot display beyond just your combat skills!"
The warrior pauses for a moment before suddenly stepping back and waving her arms. "Huh? ...OH! Whoa, whoa, not like that! The dungeon and I are just, good friends! Honestly! Trust me, that''s not happening." She pauses to mumble under her breath. "...Unless I get really, really drunk again..." Clearing her throat, she tries again. "But, because we got off to such a good start...as friends..I actually had something I wanted to ask you, on the dungeon''s behalf."
Alizz narrows her eyes, but does feel a bit curious about what in the world a dungeon might possibly want. "...One way or another, you''re definitely one of the odder people I''ve seen come through one of my camps. But, alright, I''ll humor you. What is it you, or rather, Worthy Dungeon needs?"
Back on track, the woman''s voice regains some of its earlier cheer. "I''m looking to perhaps hire a few talented folks..."
Chapter 45: New Goals
Early the next morning, before the diplomatic negotiations could resume for their second day, Darrosh took a moment to greet a pair of visitors who had just been escorted to his tent by a group of Rainlander guards. With the prisoner release portion of the exchange already completed, Tassa and Grizza had finally been processed and returned to the Valleylander ambassadors. Neither of them actually made it inside the tent however, as the elder orc immediately stepped outside himself to greet them. "Ranger Tassa! Mage Grizza! I hope your imprisonment has not mistreated you?"
Tassa seems to be uncertain in her response, so Grizza takes over for the two of them. "No, no, everything was quite professional, I would say. I feel I must apologize for our capture and putting you in the position of needing to negotiate for our release, but I''m afraid the mission turned out to be rather more complicated than I anticipated."
Darrosh nods. "I don''t blame you, in fact I believe you did well to survive the ordeal that you experienced. After all, I heard all about it from your friend here." He gestures behind them, where an earth elemental is rushing over with steps that shake the ground around her.
"Tassa! Grizza! You''re alright!"
Tassa gasps. "Roxxy!? You actually made it? Not that I doubted you, I mean, but, well...I suppose I''ve been something of a pessimist the past week or two."
"I said I wouldn''t forget you, and I meant it! Though uh, I think the old man here has some stuff to say before we catch up and all that."
Darrosh chuckles at his description. "Indeed, the old man does have a thing or two to say." Before he can proceed however, Tassa steps forward.
"I - sorry, sir, Commando Darrosh, but...I have something to say first. I must apologize for...for the loss of your son, Ragrush, under my command. I was unprepared for the dangers of the dungeon, and Ragrush, and Cleric Pusht, suffered for it."
Grunting, the orc shakes his head before stepping closer and placing a strong hand on the minotaur''s shoulder. "Do not blame yourself, Tassa. For starters, while you may have technically been Ragrush''s superior, Grizza was the one in charge of the mission, so there''s no need to play the martyr and take the responsibility for things that are not your fault. And secondly, I know how much the two of you cared for each other. As much as my heart grieved to hear of his loss, I am certain it affected you no less, and I am equally certain you did not treat his life casually. This is the life of a soldier, and the price we must sometimes pay."
Tassa nods, though there''s a look on her face as if she has more to say but is struggling to find the words with which to say it. Not wanting to stand around, the Commando turns back towards the tent. "Come in, both of you. We do have more to discuss, as your elemental friend said."
Once the three of them are inside, standing around the tent''s center table, Darrosh''s face grows serious. "Now, both of you deserve a long leave after everything you''ve went through. I do have another mission to ask of you, but please, feel free to let me know if you need some time before returning to active duty." Once again, Tassa steps forward to speak up.
"I''m sorry, sir, but I''m afraid I need to request something rather more than a week of leave. Losing Ragrush, the time spent underground, our captivity...I''ve had a lot of time to think, and much to think about. To be honest, I''m not sure I can return to duty at all, as I am now. I''ve been thinking a lot, since the dungeon and...I would like to submit my resignation from the Rangers."
At this, both Darrosh and Grizza turn to her with looks of surprise in their faces, with Grizza speaking first. "Tassa! Please, it''s exactly at the Commando said - it''s not your fault how things went on the mission! You don''t need to take it as, as some sort of personal failure!" Darrosh nods in agreement, but Tassa shakes her head, even showing signs of a slight smirk.
"It''s not because of that. It''s because of what I saw in the dungeon. Sir, I assume Roxxy told you of our...the battle with the dungeon spirit?"
"Yes, it''s very much one of the things that concerns me. Obviously, a dungeon this size should not have access to an avatar already. Dragonlord influence, I am certain of it."
"True, but it''s more than that. The dungeon spirit is...special, beyond her abilities like that. I don''t know if Roxxy would have an eye for it, given her lack of combat training, but...sir, the way the spirit fought...it was beautiful."
Darrosh is surprised again - whatever analysis he was expecting of the dungeon, that was definitely not it. "...Explain your meaning, Ranger."
"I mean it literally, sir. Her weapon and armor, even as dungeon-summoned items, were barely better than what you''d see at a raw recruit''s training yard. But she used them perfectly. Every motion, every attack, every dodge. I''ve had the honor of seeing a Supreme-class swordsman display his skills once, at an exhibition. While I may not be expert enough myself to accurately compare the two...I''d say she was better."
The orc takes a moment to let that sink in. "That''s...very unusual. When Roxxy made her report, I looked for cases of dungeon avatars engaging in combat before. In every case, it was a last-ditch effort to prevent a dungeon core from being destroyed. But no matter how powerful the dungeon was, no matter how good their weaponry may have been, any avatar who''s ever engaged in combat has been defeated easily, at least to our knowledge. Which isn''t a surprise - even if they can absorb the skills of those they consume, it means nothing if they can never practice those skills personally, yes? Even if you are but an Initiate, Tassa, I''ve witnessed your training personally, and I was quite confident that your loss couldn''t simply be a matter of fault on your end. I could guess from the report that this dungeon wasn''t like those others in some way, but if it''s as you say, this one is on an entirely different level." That said, he pauses for a moment and switches tracks. "...But Tassa, why would this make you choose to resign?"
The minotaur leans closer with a new fire shining in her eyes. "Because I know now how weak I am! I was - am - proud of my status in the Rangers, of my placement in our training programs. I understand the role of a soldier is not to seek glory, or personal advancement, and that my personal career track was likely to result with myself one day retiring in perhaps the mid-Expert levels, decades from now. A month ago, I was fine with that. But not now! I have...I have seen something beautiful, and I understand now how far I am from it. That is why I wish to resign my status as a Ranger, and take up a career as a Challenger instead."
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Darrosh sucks in a breath, forcing himself to wait before immediately responding. "...You have more than served your required term of service. Normally it would still take some time to process a resignation, but given that your last mission was, technically, something of a diplomatic failure, I doubt there would be much red tape holding up your exit. But Tassa! I know you! Your entire life, you have worked towards your career in the military! Once thrown away, it is not easily picked back up. Are you absolutely certain about this?"
Tassa gives a firm nod. "I''ve given it a lot of thought, sir. If I do one day return to the service, I want it to be in a condition, in a form that I can be proud of."
The orc sighs, but nods. "I cannot accept your resignation myself, right now, but once we are returned home I will help you see to it. For now...if you are indeed certain, then I must request that you leave the command tent so that I may speak with your colleague concerning official matters."
"Understood, sir. We can speak further later." The minotaur nods and makes her exit, and Grizza turns back to Darrosh.
"...I was not aware that she was shaken so thoroughly by our encounter in the dungeon, sir."
Darrosh takes a moment to answer, but when he does, it''s with a chuckle. "You know...in a way, I actually envy the poor woman."
Grizza raises an eyebrow. "Sir?"
"I''ve known many Challengers in my time. Most do it for the baser reasons - fortune, glory, and so on, not that I hold it against them of course. Some do it out of genuine divine fervor, though most of those, frankly, never seemed quite right in the head to me. But Tassa...I''m still not sure I entirely understand it, but I do believe that is now a woman with a genuine calling, one to improve herself, to become her best self. Which is what the dungeons are supposedly all about, or so they say. I envy her the goal she''s placed for herself. I just hope she lives to see it through."
"...I suppose that is a good way of looking at it, sir. As for myself, how can I be of service?"
The orc chuckles again. "Ironically, what I need is for you to pretend to be a Challenger. I wish I could still involve Tassa in this, but if she is genuinely no longer in my chain of command, then I cannot make her a part. Besides which, I''ve been informed that the dungeon personally threatened to kill her if it saw her again, which would make this very difficult. Perhaps it is best that it will only be you and Roxxy taking part."
"Roxxy and I? But Roxxy isn''t a part of the military either."
Darrosh laughs. "She certainly isn''t! Another oddity, an earth elemental who wanders about on her own, rather than being tied down to the place where she was born. Physically, of course, an elemental can go where they please, but in pragmatic terms? No elemental has ever willingly signed up for the service to my knowledge, because most of them refuse to acknowledge that there even is a world, or a government, a mile away from their home turf. But Roxxy seems bound to either you and Tassa, or both, in some way, and so for this mission I''m willing to grant her a special exemption. In any case, she, and you, are exactly the kind of subject matter experts we require."
Grizz''s brow furrows. "Sir? I''m not sure I really have that much more intelligence to provide on the area."
"I do still need to cover your debriefing, but if you''re willing to delay your well-deserved leave we have a mission for you here. Let me be plain, Mage: a lot of people are very concerned about this ''lost dungeon'' beneath the mountain. I understand you didn''t find much of note during your stay, but obviously survival was your first priority. Take some time, equip yourself properly, see if you can''t find some some local Challengers to party up with, and then we need to see if you can''t infiltrate the dungeon and take a longer, more thorough look at the place. There must be something down there, some clues as to its origins, and you and Roxxy know the place best."
He pauses, glancing at a draft of the diplomatic agreement on his desk that was written up the day before. "Now, we are on the cusp of arranging for Rainlander permission to send active-duty soldiers into the place, but even with me moving things along as quickly as possible, I have my doubts that we''ll be getting a team in there any time soon. And even once we do, they''re likely to be closely watched. We need someone with the freedom of a Challenger, and I''m not keen to rely on trying to bribe any of the newbies around here to do it for us. Maybe as support, but certainly not to lead such a mission. Therefore I''ll need to ask that you temporarily ''resign'' and take on a change in career, much as Tassa is doing herself."
The drider needs a moment to process the order, certainly his dreams for the past week or so had been to return to a warm bed and his studies, not to return to the dark hellhole they had barely escaped from. Still, if they were actually prepared for an expedition like that before trying again, he had to admit he did still have some curious questions to answer about the place. Like Tassa, he''d had a lot of time to think, but unlike the minotaur his questions had mostly only led to more questions. "...I believe I can handle such an assignment, sir. I will need some rest, and Roxxy and I will need to discuss how to best go about it."
Darrosh nods. "Of course, I wouldn''t dream of immediately throwing you back into such a place. However, it looks like it''s about time for me to return to my own diplomatic duties for the day, so I''ll leave you to it. Get a good meal, spend some time with your friends, and we''ll talk more later."
"Yes, sir."
Thirty minutes later, alone in a tent with Roxxy, Grizza''s confidence is proving itself to be increasingly temporary. "Ahhh! Why did I say I could handle it! I''m a Mage, I don''t even have Advanced training! This matter is years beyond me!"
Roxxy does her best to console him, very gently patting a shoulder with a rocky palm. "Hey, hey, chin up! You did great your first time! Hells, you even found me and woke me up! If there''s some terrible secret thing hiding out down there, I''m sure we can find it together!"
The drider sighs. "As if that would be a good thing. Well, it''s not going to be just the two of us. Even if Tassa wasn''t resigning, a Ranger''s skills aren''t well suited for that environment either. We need to find a party, not just to get into the dungeon with, but we need to find someone who can help us actually survive down there for a week, maybe even more. But where are we going to find Challengers that crazy?"
Before Roxxy can answer, a strange woman appears at the tent''s entrance. Her form seems human, although tall by human female standards, and the shadow she casts is notably enlarged by the unusual full plate armor she''s wearing even in the middle of camp. Despite her intimidating appearance however, her voice is bright and cheerful. "Hey, you''re Grizza the Handsome Spider, right?"
A wave of emotions cross Grizza''s face. "I...um...perhaps? I am Grizza, yes?"
The woman pauses before answering. "...Hmm, was expecting a little something more, honestly. Uh, not why I''m here, though. I heard you''ve been down under the new dungeon, and that you just got let out of jail, yeah?"
"...Something like that, yes. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I''m putting together a party to go explore the place. Got Worthy Dungeon-approval and everything, so won''t even need to fight our way down there. You looking for a job?"
Grizza turns to Roxxy, trying and failing to entirely hide the incredulous look on his face. The elemental gives him a shrug, and so he turns back to the strange warrior. "...I think we may be available, yes."
Chapter 46: Costs of the Soul
Sitting in the still-empty Floor Three boss arena, a very bored Lollyp makes her displeasure known. "C''mmmmmoooon, Xen, how long are you gonna keep this floor without its boss?" The slime yawns and leans backwards so far that she collapses to the rocky ground with a plop, a position from which she doesn''t seem inclined to move. Meanwhile Xenia stands in the middle of the room, staring at the same menu screens she has been off and on for several days now.
"It''s just a really big upgrade, you know? And hey, you''re doing the ''Xen'' thing now too, huh?"
"What, you don''t like it? If you can call me ''Lolly Pop'' I think I get to call you something."
The dungeon master shakes her head. "It''s fine, it''s just...weird hearing that one from someone else. But yeah, sure, I think I settled on the plan."
Lollyp slowly works her way back to her feet. "Doing the Undead upgrade, then? You know that''s like, the easiest category to score upgrades in, right? Every mortal you kill adds to that one."
"Yeah, but I wanna have the boss ready before the next big party comes by, and besides, that seems to be the category with the most high-end, whatcha-callit, ''sapient'' options. The faster we can max it out, the better. Not that there''s anything wrong with mindless maneaters, but I''d rather have some chill roomies to hang with, you know?"
Lollyp snorts. "As long as they''re not so chill they mind murdering the guests, of course."
Xenia exhales as she selects options from her soul inventory. "Okay...I think these ones I picked are those farmers, that Ragrush guy, and the Mage and Cleric from that party we wiped. Hope that minotaur lady doesn''t come back again looking for her ex-boyfriend or something, cause that boy is moving on! Soul purchase...selected...confirmed...go!"
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOUL STORE PURCHASE CONFIRMATION
UNDEAD (MORTAL) CONSTRUCT CATEGORY UPGRADED TO: C-
FIVE SOULS REMOVED FROM INVENTORY
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
Xenia pumps her fists. "Woo! C-tier undead, baby! And that means...ghosts now have ''Possess Inanimate Object!''"
"Wait, you''re doing ghosts for the boss? I thought you were going for a giant skeleton or something. ...Wait, why are you excited about possessing objects? For a boss? That shit is usually like...nuisance-tier tactics. Maybe ambushes, but people are on the watch for ambushes in boss arenas." Saying that, Lollyp takes a moment to consider her own body count. "...Okay, non-Initiates are usually on the watch for ambushes in boss arenas."
A wide smirk grows on Xenia''s face. "Because the inanimate objects they''re gonna be using are these bad boys." Raising both her hands, Xenia begins to summon a pair of giant suits of armor. They aren''t particularly bulky, but quite tall, each reaching to eight or nine feet with their helmets on. Each of them take on Xenia''s thematic colors with reversed palettes, the one on the left primarily black with silver trim, and the one on the right taking a silver color and ebon trim. The two also differ in a few other notable details: while the left-side armor takes a masculine form, the slimmer armor on the right comes out as more feminine, and with the left-side armor soon being equipped with a giant axe and heavy shield while the other gains a sword and a set of throwing javelins on its back.
"Oh, big upgrade after all! You''re doing two bosses at once? Isn''t that super expensive? ...Also, are those bunny head designs on their shield and armor?"
Hovering on into the room to check on things, Guy handles the first question. "For unsouled bosses, it certainly would be. Especially as you''d need to resummon both the armor and the animating spirits every time they were felled. But I assume that isn''t the plan in this case? Also, what Lollyp said: are these...bunny knights?"
Xenia chuckles. "Hey, it''s a symbol of...strength and boldness from my world. And nope, not gonna be regularly resummoning these two, it''s a real big spending day today. When we were watching that one party I got the definite impression those two elves were a couple, and I''d hate to miss an opportunity like that for a tagteam pair. I can bind souls to these armors, right?"
Guy answers with an up-and-down bob. "Once a C-tier ghost possesses an object, it temporarily takes on a new construct class identified as a ''Possessed Whatever-it-was''. That pattern can then be saved much like with monster crossbreeding, so that you could, say, automatically set up a library room to repopulate itself with haunted books and whatnot. They do become more expensive than simple ghosts, but it means for boss upgrades, you would be ensouling ''Possessed Armor'', and not simply a pair of ghosts. Provided you make sure they''re actually in the armor first, of course."
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"Course. I ain''t that dumb. Probably." With that said, Xenia begins the boss-generating process. She first generates a pair of basic ghosts, and then goes through the mana-expensive process of upgrading both to boss-tier strength. Next the two are ordered into their respective armors, and once they begin to move about Xenia finally goes back into her soul inventory. "Okay. I''m like...seventy percent sure this one was the dude, so - lefty first!" With one hand reaching out towards the armor, she confirms her selection and the soul''s energy fills the armor. As soon as it''s completed she repeats the process with the second, and before long both suits of armor are looking at each other and their new boss. "Alright! You guys hear me in there?"
The suits share another look before the masculine frame answers in an echoey voice. "Yeesssss, Dungeon Masterrrr..."
The second completes the statement, in a similar but certainly more feminine tone. "Weeee serrrrrrve."
Xenia gasps. "Oh shit! You two can talk?" Guy answers before they can, however.
"Ghosts are a relatively intelligent form of undead, and mimicking the living is an important trait for ghostly tricks and ambushes. However, I wouldn''t read too much into it just yet. At C-tier, they are capable of answering questions and following commands, but I would hesitate to call them, well, fully self-aware. A few more upgrades would do the trick, though!"
"I guess that does help with the creep factor a bit, yeah. Hmm, need names...can do a re-name when you upgrade maybe, but for now let''s go with...Tank and Dips!"
The heavier set of armor nods, though the lighter one seems less certain. "...Diiiiiips?"
"It means, uh...highly lethal! Anyways, for environmental hazards I figure I''ll fill the place with more of those Terror Tentacles, but for now my mana needs a recharge. You guys can feel free to, y''know, chill, or spar or whatever. Sound good?"
The pair nod. "Weeee will be readddddyyy..."
Xenia gives a thumbs up and makes her way back to her core chamber, now safely guarded by the ghostly bouncers.
After taking a moment to lean back in one of the room''s seats, Lollyp strikes up a new topic of conversation. "So...Beatrice, huh?"
Xenia was standing near one of the chamber''s windows, staring out into the abyss as usual, but glances back at her slime boss. "Yeah? What about her, you two getting along alright?"
"She''s...interesting, I''ll give her that. Very single-minded, in more ways than one. Even most Challengers I''ve met aren''t that thirsty for combat and adventure and all that."
Xenia chuckles. "Yeah, she...well, I was gonna say she hasn''t changed, but actually I think she has. She always needed talking down, y''know? And given that was coming from me, you can get an idea for how headstrong she was. But now...shit, I guess that''s what happens after twenty years of working on her own, no one to try and hold her back anymore. Seems to have worked out for her, at least."
Guy adds in their thoughts. "Do you think it was a good idea to send her after that wandering demon? She seems like the ''stab first, ask questions later'' sort of woman, to me."
"Hey, she gave Lollyp a shot, didn''t she? But that''s half the reason I told her to go hire some backup, if I''m gonna be honest. Yeah, she needs someone who knows the local magic, since I don''t think the rules are all the same here. And yeah, she could use someone who knows local culture and history and shit, in case she actually finds something down there. But mostly...yeah, the woman needs a team. Even if she''s the biggest ass-kicker in town, she needs someone to tell her when she''s being an idiot. And I love her, but that ain''t a zero amount of the time."
Lollyp pipes back up. "Speaking of well-thought out moves, can you really believe that she hopped across the realms just for kicks? There''s legends of realmwalkers but I don''t think any of them were ever like her."
"Yeah, that..." Xenia sighs. "God, this feels like a bitchy thing to say, and don''t you dare repeat it, but part of me kinda wishes she hadn''t."
The slime takes a moment to consider a response. "You...didn''t want to see her again? The two of you were chatting nearly non-stop for like, a day and a half, it looked like you were really happy she was here?"
Xenia clenches a fist. "I was! And I am! It''s just...this has never happened to me before, y''know? I''ve never met someone two lives in a row, and it''s just...I just...ugh. Let me put it this way. Like with the whole memorial tradition we did just the other day, right? I''ve just gotten real used to the idea that every time I''m reborn, I gotta let some shit go. Some of my lives have been real shit, but some of em...but I can''t spend my time thinkin'' about it. The folks I leave behind. The list of people I''d miss would be longer than both my arms an'' one''a my legs. An'' the damn list just keeps getting longer every fuckin'' time. I gotta move on. I gotta move on. And now..."
Xenia trails off, and Lollyp prods her to continue. "And now?"
Xenia scowls. "Now I gotta fuckin'' wonder if I fucked up. What if I could have gone back? What if all this fuckin'' time, there was...if there was someone I wanted to go back to, and I could have? And I don''t...I don''t blame Beatrice for it. I am really glad to see her again. But it kinda fucks with the whole system I set up for myself, you know? It was...comfortable." Pausing for a breath, she sighs. "I thought I''d gotten used to this shit."
Lollyp slides out of her chair and over to the dungeon master, wrapping her in a sticky embrace. "Hey, yeah, I can get it. Like, if Bullyp walked into the room right now...I''d be happy out of my mind, but it''d probably tear open all sorts of wounds that I thought were healed up, right? But it''s not your fault, or Beatrice''s, or anybody''s. Moving on is the healthy thing to do, it''s not a fuckup. Just gotta be happy for what you''ve got, and not worry so much about what could''ve been, yeah?"
Xenia smirks as she pats the shorter woman''s head. "Damn, Lolly Pop, now I gotta feel bad about being dumb compared to someone like, five percent of my age. That''s a good way of looking at it. Focus on the here-and-now. Yeah...yeah! The fuck am I doin'', moping about seeing one of my best friends again? Hell, I should be celebrating! In fact, you know what, Lolly Pop?"
Lollyp pulls back and looks up into Xenia''s smiling face. "What''s that, boss?"
Xenia cracks her knuckles. "Beatrice is doing us a solid favor right now, so it''s only fair that I do one back, ''specially now that I''m ready for her. Time to put together a little present..."
Chapter 47: New Digs
Between the time it took for Beatrice to gather up the supplies required for a proper expedition, and for Grizza to officially ''resign'' and register as a Challenger, three days had passed since the woman had made her way back down the mountain. When she finally returns one early afternoon with her new party in tow, Doorman is greeted with the sight of a rather eclectic group of individuals, including a few he was hoping to see again. Behind Beatrice follows Grizza and Roxxy, but behind those two trails Sely and Taly from Alizz''s field team. The sisters had come specifically on Alizz''s recommendation, both because the Field Agent was very curious herself as to what a demon could be doing under the mountain, and also because the pair provided exactly the sort of healing and ranged capabilities the team was otherwise lacking. Well, that, and because there were still almost no other Challengers in the camp yet other than Initiates, and Alizz certainly wasn''t keen to recommend sending any of them down into the unknown.
"Well, well, good to see you again Lady Beatrice. Everything go well down in the town?" Doorman gives Beatrice a smile as she steps up, and she nods back.
"Think we should be pretty well set, yeah! Miss anything while I was gone?"
The door chuckles. "No intrusions, as it happens, although the master of the dungeon has a particular surprise for you, I''m told. And what''s this, it seems we have some familiar faces returning..."
Grizza sighs. "Yes, I ah, hope our presence isn''t an...issue..." The drider trails off as he realizes the door is looking over his head and ignoring him entirely.
"If it isn''t our lovely Challenger sisters! I was hoping you''d grace us with another visit!"
Sely snorts at the attention, but Taly gives a light laugh. "Well, what can we say? We''ve taken lots of jobs in dungeons before, but we''ve never gotten one from a dungeon! We don''t usually merc out these days, but how could we say no?"
"An excellent attitude! And in further good news, it appears as if everyone here has cleared up to at least Floor Two!" As he speaks, a portal ring appears on the ground not far away. "Therefore, you''re all welcome to take one of our new shortcut portals to the safe room at the end of the second floor, which, incidentally, is where the Boss of Floor Two will be waiting to greet you. Good luck on your quest!"
Beatrice, having tested out the shortcut portals before, steps into the ring without hesitation and vanishes. The rest of the group is slightly more hesitant for a variety of reasons, but one by one each of the party steps inside and makes the jarring transition from a clear sunny afternoon to the darkness of a second floor cavern. As they arrive they find that the small square chamber behind the boss arena currently contains a healing fountain in the center, an emergency portal back upstairs, and three different doorways out, one of which frames a slime woman wearing mage equipment. A number of hanging tapestries have been added to the room''s walls as well, mostly showing bunnies and slimes frolicking on grassy fields under starry nights.
"Welcome back, Beatrice! And...oh, hey, it''s...you guys." Lollyp''s eyes pass over the drider and the earth elemental, and then land on the sisters. "...And you guys too! Wow! This is uh...you really found an...interesting bunch, Beatrice."
Although Grizza had heard of further confirmation that the slime was indeed the second floor boss, actually having the woman standing before him again - and speaking in a language he can recognize, this time - still causes the Mage to boggle a bit. "So we''re not all crazy, then? This dungeon really does have an intelligent slime as a floor boss?"
Sely has more pragmatic concerns to address. "Hey, slimy, you''re not gonna blow yourself up this time, yeah?"
Lollyp rolls her eyes. "Yes, I know, I promised not to do that anymore, okay!? And as for the other question - that''s classified. You''re here for pest control, and if you''re lucky Xenia won''t kick your double-sized spider-ass just for wandering back in here, yeah? Though I gotta give you credit for having the balls to do it...and the brains for leaving your pal behind this time."
Beatrice watches the exchange in a bit of confusion. "Uh, was there a problem? I knew the spider and the rock came by before, but that wasn''t anything personal, right? Like, people challenge dungeons all the time, yeah?"
Roxxy handles this one. "Uh, our friend Tassa was like, kinda upset that her boyfriend died in here and maybe sorta tried to crack open the core the last time we came by here? But she and uh, Xenia had a good, like, heart-to-heart conversation and I think they really sorted out their issues, you know? Anyways, Grizza and I are good! We one-hundred percent, absolutely positively do not have any ulterior motives regarding the dungeon core!"
Grizza groans. "Thanks, Roxxy." The golem gives him a thumbs up. Convinced, Beatrice also gives Lollyp a thumbs up. For her part, Lollyp decides to join the ''groan'' side of the conversation.
"Whatever, I guess. We''ve carved out a special, mundane kinda shortcut for you guys, if you take the staircase there you can skip around the outside of Floor Three and come out closer to the ''lost dungeon'' down there. If you guys wanna head on down, we''ll give you the briefing there, but Beatrice, mind hanging back for a few?"
"Sure thing, slime-stuff." The rest of the group turns and takes the stairs out, only to find to their surprise that when they''re going around the outside of Floor Three, they''re really going outside - the stairway is built directly onto the wall of the mountain''s internal canyon, with just enough torches on the side of it to be able to give an idea of how little is really visible in the darkness. The group only gets a few steps before they have to stop and gawk for a bit.
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Sely speaks first. "...When you guys said there was a lot of empty space under the dungeon, I wasn''t expecting this."
Grizza replies with a rueful shake of his head. "Didn''t exactly get a good look at this part of it the first time. But yes, I''d say pretty much any of it really needs to be seen to be believed. ...Speaking of, standing out here is making me a little uneasy. Shall we move on?"
Back on Floor Two, Beatrice turns back to Lollyp. "So, what''s up? Something happen?" The Elementalist shakes her head and grins, however.
"Nah, nothing bad, anyhow. We - okay, mostly Xenia - went and made you a present!" Reaching into her vest, the slime pulls out a key and hands it over. "This has been juiced up to loot status, so you''ll be able to take it outside the dungeon."
Beatrice takes a look at the key and its bunny-head-shaped grip. "I assume this is for something?"
"Yup! Ah, hand it back for a sec and I''ll show you. Our ability to hide doors is based on our traps level, which still isn''t that high compared to a lot of folks who might come out here, so we''ve added a few security layers to this one." Taking the key back, she moves to the fountain. It''s not particularly well-sculpted, but a number of carved clamshells and bunnies trickle out streams of water to keep the healing waters flowing. Ignoring the water, Lollyp sticks the key into one of the rabbit''s mouths and twists it, causing a click to sound from behind one of the hanging tapestries. Moving over and pushing it aside, Lollyp uses the key a second time on a keyhole built into the wall, causing another doorway to open in the room. "This keyhole''s hidden until you use the first one, so folks scanning the walls are slightly less likely to find it. There are special skills and spells for detecting hidden doors, but the higher we tier up the safer this path will be. Anyways, head on up!"
Curious, the warrior makes her way through the door and up a short flight of stairs, coming out onto another long balcony facing the empty void in the mountain. With the ledge of the balcony on her right, to the left there''s a hallway leading back into the core of the mountain, followed by a doorway leading into some sort of room, going by the glass and iron-bar-covered windows lined up behind it. Lollyp points at the door. "You''ll need to use your key again there - sorry for all the redundancies, but the more times some Rogue''s gotta pick locks, the more likely it is we can do something to, y''know...discourage them."
"Oookay, let''s see what we got here then." Unlocking the door and pushing it open, Beatrice is met with the sight of what seems to be a small apartment - there''s a living/dining space with a table, other furniture and a basic kitchen, as well as a few other doors to other rooms, including at least one leading to a small bedroom.
"Surprise! Oh, and Xenia''s here, if you wanna turn on your helmet or whatever."
"Ah, right!" Triggering the enchantment with a brief orange glow, Beatrice looks up to see Xenia''s hazy form take shape in the middle of the living room. "Hey, Xen! This is for me, I take it?"
The dungeon master grins. "You got it! I know y''ain''t got time to settle in right now, but I wanted you to know you''ve got a place here whenever you''re not out doing big adventure shit. It''s a bit basic right now, but we''ll keep it upgraded as we go, and hey, we even managed working plumbing in the bathroom there! Just uh...don''t ask where it goes."
"Definitely wasn''t going to." Beatrice takes a minute to check out each room, and while the furniture is indeed of a pretty rough craftsmanship, it''s certainly a massive improvement over the camping gear she''d been using the past few days. There''s even some food and water stored in the kitchen area, and thanks to dungeon pressure plate technology, the sinks even dispense water when she experiments with them. Perhaps best of all, the bathroom includes its own bathtub. "Oh gods, that does looks nice. Really do wish I could spend a day trying this out, but it wouldn''t be fair to the team I suppose. You could dungeon-magic all this up?"
Xenia follows along, growing excited every time Beatrice checks out something new. "Yeah, technically this is part of Floor Two. It''s really close to its floor capacity, but since this room doesn''t have any monsters in it and with the plumbing barely counting as traps, it''s practically free. Could add some actual traps if we need more security, but figured I''d check with you before putting something lethal outside your front door. Oh, important note though - if ya wanna store anything here, you gotta let me know so I can tag it with my inventory system first. Otherwise it''ll kind of, uh...melt when you leave."
Lollyp speaks up. "Also, if you take the other hallway back there, it''ll take you to my room. Not that I''ve got much to show off to guests at the moment or anything."
"Wow, thanks, you guys." Beatrice gives Xenia a false hug, wrapping her arms around where the dungeon master is standing, before pulling back. "Gods, what a mailing address. Beatrice, Apartment Two, Floor Two, Worthy Dungeon. I love it!"
"Glad you like it! Feel free to check it out a lil longer if you want, I''ll go on ahead and make sure the team you found isn''t poking into anything they shouldn''t." The ghostly form blinks out, and Beatrice resumes checking out the mostly-empty cabinets and containers while Lollyp watches on.
"While I did bring enough gold with me to buy a place somewhere if I had to, I definitely wasn''t expecting to have a place to live this soon after hopping over. I am glad I ran into you guys like this, I was a little worried I might come over and find a little baby Xenia waiting for me or something, heh."
Lollyp giggles at the thought. "Hehe. To be honest, I think Xenia was half doing this to distract herself. Apparently finding out that it''s actually possible to travel between realms on purpose kind of shook her, actually."
Beatrice pauses, putting a piece of fruit back into its bowl before turning to Lollyp. "...Eh? I mean, I figured I''d surprise her, but what do you mean?"
"Uh...just something about how she''s gotten used to always moving forward and not looking back, you know? I guess she''d kinda written off that it would even be an option."
Beatrice stands in silence for a moment before nodding her head and half-mumbling a name. "...Sarah." The name only confuses Lollyp, though.
"Sarah? Was that another of your friends?"
The warrior shakes her head and begins moving towards the door. "Not someone I knew, no. And...probably not someone I should talk about. Can ask Xenia if you like but...it''s a touchy subject. Anyhow, I better catch up to the team myself. I''m the team leader, wouldn''t do to abandon them in a strange dungeon, now would it?"
Lollyp perks up and moves to catch up. "Ah, right! Let''s get this quest going!"
Chapter 48: Mission Planning
Beatrice and Lollyp made their way down into the Floor Three safe room, finding the rest of the party killing time around the healing fountain in the center of the chamber. The doors to both the puzzle room and the boss arena had been closed and locked off, both to keep the party safe and to help ''avoid spoilers'', given that Beatrice was still the only one to have gotten down this far normally. Beatrice notices Xenia''s orange-tinted form waiting for her as she arrives with a vaguely amused look on her face. "Really, Trish? You have any idea how hard it was to get this spider out of here the first time?"
"Sounds to me like exactly the kind of expert we need then, doesn''t it?" The waiting party all turn to her with looks of confusion as the warrior apparently talks to thin air, but they catch on fairly quickly.
Sely chuckles a little uneasily. "Heheh, so uh...you really can talk to the dungeon then, huh? Not that I was doubting it, but...y''know...how?"
Beatrice taps her helmet. "Modified an enchantment I used for a ghost hunting mission once. Well, got it modified, that is. Don''t ask me how it works, I just stab shit." She pauses for a bit, but after realizing everyone is still watching her, suddenly remembers that she''s the official leader of this party and should probably be organizing things somewhat. "Ah, right! So, I explained some of this to the boss-spider down in the camp earlier, but I''m not sure how much she passed on to you two, and it''s probably a good idea to review what the job actually is. Slime-stuff and I here can interpret for the uh...dungeon master if anyone''s got questions, but keep it limited to job-relevant shit, yeah? But first, the rundown."
Beatrice makes her way to the opposite side of the room, where an outline of a door has been carved into the wall. "It was what, almost a week ago now? A party of supposed Initiates raided the place, took a few casualties including one missing-in-action, an ''arcane'' demon named Sincere. Contrary to what the Association assumed however, the demon was not killed by the dungeon. Rather, he intentionally broke off from the party, found an exit from the place, and flew off into that big dark yonder you all saw earlier. After talking it over a bit with Alizz, we''re pretty sure the dude was actually way over Initiate level, but that''s what his paperwork said so we''re not really sure on his actual details."
Grizza raises a hand, but Beatrice ignores him and continues. "I''m gonna guess you''re asking the question, ''why would he do that?'' And that''s exactly one of the things we want to find out. However, our working assumption for now is ''nothing good.'' We don''t really have any details to work on, but it appears that Worthy Dungeon is built above an older, bigger, and deader dungeon. It certainly looks as if there''s not much shit to find down there, but it''s definitely not nothing, given that Roxxy here was apparently...''born'', if that''s the right word? From a loot chest that managed to survive the rest of the place."
The elemental nods. "As good a way of putting it as any, sure!"
Beatrice continues. "Therefore, the quest objectives are as follows." She begins counting off on her fingers. "One, locate Sincere and determine his motivations. Two, if his motivations are a risk to Worthy Dungeon or the locals, put a stop to him by any means necessary. And three, as a bonus, if we can find out anything about this older dungeon down here, then we should do what we can. Now, an important note about the place is that, according to Grizza here, there''s not much to survive on other than a handful of mushrooms. However, I''m also told that demons don''t need a lot of food or water, and if the guy brought a bottomless bag or two with him, the creep could probably survive down here for months. For now though, I''m putting a planned cap on the expedition of two weeks. Grizza''s team spent a week down here and didn''t explore the whole place, so there''s no telling how long it could take to fully check out. If we don''t find him in ten days, we turn around and check back here in case there''s any updates, plus make sure our supplies are all good and that."
Taly laughs at the mention of supplies. "You really went all out on stocking up for this one, so I think we could probably be fine for months ourselves if it came to it. We''ve all got what, three or four bags each now? And you practically bought out half the camp''s kitchen stockpile. And you''ve got your...box? Whatever it was you called it."
"Item Box, kinda like your bottomless bags but a little quicker, I guess. And I don''t just have the one, I''ve got uh...sixteen."
The party stares at her, but it''s Xenia who asks first. "Sixteen? What did you pack, the entire fuckin'' Royal Museum?"
Beatrice snorts. "Hey, I didn''t know if I was ever going back, so obviously I brought my whole collection. And uh, I figured the minor currency reserves wouldn''t be worth anything here, so I might''ve spent all that on more equipment, too...look, I''m just being prepared, alright?" She turns back to the rest of the group. "So, here''s the plan. I''m the leader, both metaphorically and literally. My armor could go toe-to-toe with a dragon, at least for as long as all these enchantments hold, so I''ll be in front and taking the hits. Roxxy here''s our main scout, letting us know what''s coming up, leaving marks so we don''t backtrack, and that sort of thing. Grizza, you''re our magic expert, we find any weird dungeon shit, or we need to figure out what this demon is up to, that''s on you."
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Grizza looks a bit awkward at the assignment. "I''ll do my best, although there''s a good chance all I''ll be able to do is say ''we need to take this to an expert'', if we do find something particularly unusual."
"Anything you can give us will definitely be a help. Like I said, I just stab shit for a living, so you''re better off than me. Sely, surprise surprise, you''re on healing duty, and I''m also making you in charge of tracking supplies. Taly, you''re ranged support in combat, additional scouting when required, and I''m told you''re good at mapping?"
The dark-cloaked archer nods. "Brought a ton of paper with me! I can see in the dark just fine, too, which should come in handy."
"Cool! Reminds me, we should review our uh...classes. Alizz wrote down a list for me...Roxxy, you''re just an ''Earth Elemental?''"
Roxxy nods again. "I don''t have any training, but us elementals are usually born with most of our knowledge. I''d guess that maybe there aren''t even any elementals with trained classes, but I guess I don''t know that one. But if you''re looking for my skill set, I''m tough, can do stone-shaping, and have a sense of the stone around me. Is that good?"
Beatrice grins under her helmet. "For this job, it''s perfect. Grizza, you''re a ''Mage''...sounds kind of basic compared to some of the other ones I''ve heard, but still good enough for me."
"Yes...I qualified for Initiate level eight following our recent experiences here and my transfer to the Challengers'' system, which means I''m probably still half a year away from earning and finishing any Advanced training, going by usual advancement rates."
"Well, maybe we''ll get you qualified up to it with this gig, so that''s something to look forward to. Taly, you''re a Midnight Shadow, I don''t know what that is but it sounds super cool. And Sely, you''re a...Divine Masochist."
Sely grins, crossing her arms in a way to show off her bare biceps. "Some of us don''t need all that fancy armor to take a hit, what can I say."
"If you say so. I ain''t gonna ask further questions."
Sely has one of her own, though. "So, what are you then? A Fighter or Guard-derived class, I''m guessing?"
Beatrice freezes for a moment. "...Dragon Slayer."
The party chuckles at the response, and Taly speaks up. "Definitely a bold one to be claiming around these parts. Never heard of it, but it does sound ''super cool'' too."
"It is, actually. Though to give the details, I''m mainly your basic swordswoman, but with a bag of tricks that comes from twenty-five years in the business. Unfortunately, the magic used to make a lot of em apparently isn''t a hundred percent compatible with the uh, local ambient mana, so a lot of it''s gonna end up degrading eventually but it should be good for this job at the least. So, any questions before we head out?"
Roxxy raises her hand. "How do you know the dungeon?"
"Not a job-related question. Anyone else?"
Taly raises hers next. "If we find any cool stuff down there, is the dungeon gonna be mad if we keep it?"
"Fair question." Beatrice turns her head towards the invisible dungeon master for a moment before refocusing on Taly. "As long as it''s not a risk to the dungeon somehow, it''s cool to keep."
Sely goes next. "We got half the pay up front, which I appreciate, but you said something about there being a special bonus if we catch the guy? Mind tellin'' us what that''ll be?"
Lollyp handles this one. "The dungeon is willing to make each of you at least one special enchanted item each of your own request, at the maximum quality level we can currently produce."
Sely whistles at that, alongside impressed looks from the rest of the party. "We get to request our own dungeon loot? That does sound good."
Beatrice looks around the room, but no further hands are raised. "That everything? Alright, everyone got their bags, their gear, and their kick-ass attitude? Yes? Great! Oh mighty dungeon spirit, mind opening the door for us?" As Beatrice steps aside, the carved-out door melts away into a tunnel, connecting into the abandoned dungeon hallway only a mere fifteen feet away. "Dang, that is fun to watch. Alright, Team Demon Hunters, move out!"
Taking the lead, Beatrice takes the team down the tunnel in single file, each of them turning on magically-enchanted lanterns of various kinds as they go with the exception of Taly. It doesn''t take long for the group to disappear from view, the light fading as they move deeper into the empty hallway. As it fades away, Xenia turns to Lollyp. "I really do hope they find the guy. Even if he''s not doin'' something weird down there, not knowing would be keeping me up at night if I could still sleep. Think they''ll be alright?"
Lollyp scoffs. "C''mon, what''s the worst that could possibly - hrmph!" The slime is interrupted by a hand that covers her mouth so quickly, it actually manages to partially embed itself inside her face.
"C''mon, Lollyp! You know better than to say shit like that!"
"Blrph! Uh, good point. I''m...sure they''ll face only modestly-challenging obstacles for their skill levels and return with minimal injuries?"
Xenia nods, satisfied. "That''s more like it. Alright, now lets get this shortcut packed back up. Somehow I doubt we''ll go two weeks without someone paying a visit..."
Chapter 49: The Miserables
The day after Beatrice''s party made their departure a new group arrived in front of the dungeon door. Four individuals, all in their early twenties though the similarities largely ended there. In the lead was a human male clad in heavy leather armor and equipped with a modest shield and sword, while next to him walked a drider woman, equipped with little more than a few modesty-preserving sashes across her torso, a satchel and a wooden staff. Bringing up the rear were something of an odd pair, a man and a woman each standing about four feet tall with the pointed ears found on elves but the stocky frame common to dwarves. The man was equipped with the robes and staff of a cleric, while the woman carried the twin daggers and light crossbow often found with rogues. Through if the group''s equipment had perhaps one thing in common, it''s that all of it looked like it would barely survive the week. The leader''s shield had gouges torn out of its wood, the cleric''s robe was dirty and torn, the rogue''s crossbow looked as if it would snap after a few more bolts, and the drider needed to constantly adjust her sashes to ensure they actually stayed as modesty-preserving as they were intended to be, given their threadbare nature.
Taking in all of this, Doorman gives the group a pitying glance as they walk up to him. "Morning there. Welcome to Worthy Dungeon, although I must say, do you feel ready for the challenges you''ll meet inside? I''ll be honest, it looks like you lot could use a trip to a tailor first. And a trip to a weaponsmith. And a bath."
The man in front rolls his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, we know. That''s us, The Godsdamn Fuckin'' Miserables, sorriest party in the southern Rainlands. Continuing our usual streak of bad luck to come all the way out here, just to find out the new dungeon is already so tough it''ll probably eat the lot of us if we go past the first floor."
Doorman isn''t usually one for extended conversations, but the guardian finds himself with an odd bit of morbid curiosity following the man''s attitude. "You bunch really call yourselves that?"
The drider sighs. "We don''t usually include the middle adjectives, but it more or less fits. We''ve challenged six dungeons across the country so far and have yet to successfully complete a single floor in any of them. We''ve managed to earn a few levels anyhow, but if it weren''t for the fact that the twins here have rich parents, we''d be short almost as many limbs for the trouble."
"You sure you want to go through with this, then? Not to question your career choice, but it doesn''t sound like this is the one for you." The four share glances between each other, but the shorter man answers for them.
"We''ve all got our reasons. And til we''re dead, we''ll keep trying, damn it."
Doorman sighs. "Very well. Then answer me this riddle: how many steps did it take to climb here from the bottom of the mountain?"
The drider groans. "Way too fucking many..."
Doorman nods. "That answer is correct."
The eyes of the party collectively widen, but a smile crosses the drider''s face as she whoops and raises her staff into the air. "Woo! I got the riddle! Go me!" Her cheering halts as the lifting of her arms is followed by the falling of her sashes, giving Doorman quite the consolation prize for having his riddle defeated. " - Gods, damn, fuckin'', shit - " The rest of the party blushes and turns aside as the drider fixes her wardrobe malfunction, and the man in front clears his throat.
"A-hum...good work, Slinz. Maybe the rest of the floor will go as quick, huh?"
FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER
The man yells as his sword is driven into the heart of the monstrous rabbit at his feet, ending its inhuman laughter for good. He stabs it a few more times for good measure before looking around in confusion. "Was...was that it? Was that the entire floor?"
The shorter woman points to a newly-appeared treasure chest on the far side of the chamber. "You tell me, Bank. I''d ask if that was a boss''s loot chest, but then I guess none of us have actually seen one before, huh?"
Her fraternal twin chuckles. "Heh, guess we finally broke the streak, huh Nalaney?" He pauses for a moment before laughing again. "Oh my gods! It''s so obvious in hindsight!"
Bank looks back at him as he wipes off his sword. "What is, Nalaff?"
"We were pranked! All that shit down in the camp about how this brand-new dungeon was an Initiate-eater and all that shit! They were fucking pranking us, man! Obviously a month-old dungeon ain''t gonna be that tough! Though I gotta say, this was still even easier than I''d expect for that."
Slinz rubs her chin. "It honestly is pretty odd. We walk in, set off a few dart traps, and the flying monster-birds just dive right in front of all of the darts for us. Then we get to the next room and that blobby thing in the center sets off its own trap and kills itself? Actually, I could maybe see why they''re not telling anyone about that. If everyone knew how easy the dungeon was, there''d be parties lining up all the way down the mountain."
Nalaff nods and continues. "And the skeletons in the maze were all turned around and watching the wrong fuckin'' way! Then this here freaky rabbit thing taking a jump at us and tripping so bad it almost cuts it own throat? This is...man, I don''t know. Is it possible, y''think, for a dungeon to have like...brain damage?"
He''s quickly shushed by his sister. "Don''t insult the freakin'' dungeon, numbnuts! It''s probably just giving us an easy mode because it''s taking pity on us or something!"
Bank walks into the cavern at the far side of the chamber and glances at the infamous moving platform beyond it. "So...does anyone want to see if they were bullshitting about the second floor, too?"
FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER
"What the hells!?" The slime boss shouts in surprise as her right arm is blown off by her own fireball attack. It''s the third time so far this fight where one of her attacks has backfired on her, the first knocking her wand from her grasp, while a lightning attack somehow gravitated towards the potion bottles on her own vest and destroyed most of them. "What did you lot do to me!?"
The Guard shouts in some surprise of his own as he swings at the slime. "How did you do that, Slinz?"
"I didn''t do that! But I am ready now, step back!" The drider aims her staff at the boss, firing off a Light Beam, a laser-like attack that does circular damage with around a two-inch radius. That is, most of the time. To the drider''s shock, a four-foot-wide blast of light emerges from her staff, instantly disintegrating the slime and leaving a scorched circle on the cavern wall behind where she was standing. "I...what?"
The group has no answers, standing around her with similarly dropped jaws. Nalaff looks at his own staff with a bit of newly-found caution. "...Okay, the dungeon doing weird things to its own monsters is one thing. But how could the dungeon have powered up one of us?"
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Nalaney''s eyes light up with a sudden jolt of recognition. "Wait! That was a Double Crit! Slinz just got a Double Crit!"
The drider doesn''t seem to be any less confused by the information. "A what, now?"
The woman rolls her eyes. "C''mon, you''re a Mage, you know about crits, right? That about one in a hundred times, a spell might come out extra powerful, cause of random fluctuations in the local mana or whatever it is they say does it?"
"Yeah, duh. I don''t think I''ve ever gotten one of those, though..."
"Well, I''ve heard that there''s Double Crits too. One in ten thousand chance."
Slinz''s eyes go wide. "I got a one in ten thousand chance? And friggin'' one-shot a dungeon boss? Holy shit!" The drider whoops and gives each of her companions a high-five in turn, while carefully holding on to her outfit with the other hand. Once they finish they move on to the floor safe room and its treasure chest, and find themselves presented with a choice.
The leader Bank is the one to ask the question out loud. "So...do we want to try out that third floor?" Most of the party''s enthusiasm melts away at that point, however.
Nalaff shakes his head. "Word is no one''s even seen the third floor yet. The Association might''ve been pranking us on the difficulty, but they wouldn''t fuck around with info like that. We''ve already gotten way further today than we should''ve hoped for, we should probably stop here. Hells, we run the first two floors a few times and we''ll probably be qualified for Advanced by the end of the week. Especially if the Association is still claiming this is supposed to be hard."
Bank nods in agreement. "Yeah, sounds good. Let''s head out, take a break, divvy up the loot we got on this run, and try a second run this afternoon, huh?"
The rest of the group nods along. "Agreed."
SIX HOURS LATER
Nalaney gasps as she grabs at the wounds on her left arm, blood drenching her outfit. "Dammit, Nalaff, get over here already!" As Bank stabs the corpse of the rabbit boss once more for good measure, her brother rushes over.
"Sorry, sorry, it''s just...do you think Slinz is alright?" He gestures at the drider behind him as he begins to summon his healing energies for the badly-sliced arm.
"Whhhhhhhhyyyyyy aaaaaaarrrrreeeee yyyoooooouuuuu alllllll soooooo fassssssstttt nooooooww..." Nalaney sighs as the Mage very slowly tilts her head.
"It''s a damn weapon effect, it will wear off eventually. You''re the Mage, why am I the one explaining - ow!"
"Sorry, it''s just - you gotta keep the cloth out of the wound before it heals, remember? Ugh, that run was so much worse."
Bank nods as he moves to check on the treasure chest. "Yeah, the whole floor was. Stuff was actually fighting like you''d expect now, and that boss seemed a lot faster this time, right? If the dungeon really was going Easy Mode, it seems to have taken off that handicap. ...Though we did still clear the floor, which is better than usual, anyhow."
"-ooorrrr vooooiiiicccesss sooooouunndd alllllll fuuunn - ah! Fuck!" Slinz nearly stumbles as the slow enchantment from her injuries wears off, though at least the boss was unable to draw blood from her thick skin. "Dammit! Okay, that was kind of funny after the fight was over, but that coulda been really damn lethal. After that thing hit me I could barely even see it move anymore, let alone hit it. Ugh. So what did we get, Bank?"
The Guard narrows his eyes as he holds up another quartet of necklaces. "More luck charms, one for each of us. Really one-note, this one. Can we even use multiple?"
Slinz nods. "As long as the accessories are compatible, yeah. Like, if you tried wearing a necklace that improved your muscles and one that improved your mind, the mana flows would entangle and send the energy to the wrong organs, which can get you sick. Wearing multiple of the same kind is fine, though I''ve heard that two items don''t work as well as a single one that''s rated as twice as good."
"Better than nothing. ...Well, I hate to say it, but maybe we should write off the second floor on this run. Either the dungeon toughened up or we''re still tired from this morning or something. Want to go do some shopping, then try again tomorrow morning and see how it goes?" As he passes out the necklaces, the group nods in agreement.
THE NEXT MORNING
"AHHHHH! DIE! DIE! DIE!" Bank swings relentlessly at the monstrous rabbit, blood splattering against his brand new shield. He''s hardly the only one covered in blood, as all four members of the team are sporting a number of claw marks across their bodies, and both Slinz and Nalaff are nearly paralyzed by slow effects. Fortunately, with a lucky shot from Nalaney''s recently-repaired crossbow, the boss was temporarily pinned down allowing the Guard to finish it off for a third time. Still, despite their victory, no one finds anything to laugh about on this run. "I...how...how did this floor get so much harder?"
Checking that Slinz and her brother are in no immediate danger, Nalaney falls to the ground and attempts to catch her breath. "I don''t know. I don''t know. It doesn''t make sense! We''ve all got better gear now! We all got better armor, Slinz hasn''t popped out a tit the entire morning, your sword is like twice as good at the old one! Yet everything''s like three times tougher to kill!"
Nalaff finally emerges from his slowdown, and gets to healing the rest of the party. "There''s gotta be a trick to this dungeon, or something. You saw how everyone looked at us last night when we said they were pranking us, right? I''m getting the feeling it really wasn''t like that when everyone else ran the place. The dungeon is pretty new, still...did we somehow trigger something to swing things one way or the other?"
Bank sighs. "Hells if I know. ...Oh, look, more rabbit''s feet charms. Gods, if this is how it''s getting with us being twice as lucky, imagine how bad it''d be if we didn''t have the stuff we looted and bought yesterday? Do we wanna try one more run this afternoon, see if, uh...the third charm''s the charm?"
The group collectively winces at their most recent injuries, but still riding rather high on the successes of the previous day, they agree for one more round.
EIGHT HOURS LATER
"...Fuck. This. Shit." Bank stares morosely at the boss arena before them, bloodied by the wounds he''d taken even getting this far. His brand-new shield was sliced in half due to the giant blade trap in the first hallway, and most of his hair was missing thanks to an acid slime that had gotten into his helmet - though honestly, he was supremely lucky it hadn''t gone for his eyes or mouth. Nalaney''s crossbow was broken from all the bolts she''d fired at ambushing skeletons, and Nalaff was exhausted from having to heal the two broken legs Slinz had received when the water slime managed to pull her into the path of a falling rock trap. And those were only the worst of the troubles they''d faced so far - almost every minor monster they''d fought on the floor had extracted at least one minor wound or bit of equipment damage before falling.
Slinz agrees. "...Yeah. I gotta be honest, guys. If we go in there this time I don''t think all of us are coming back out."
The twins nod along, and Nalaff grumbles. "Ugh. We really need to check in with the Field Agent and figure out what the hells is going on here. Cause it sure as fuck ain''t normal."
Nalaney meanwhile grabs for the coins in the consolation prize box, triggering the closure of the door to the boss arena. "Least the dungeon''s nice enough to give us something for the trouble. On the bright side, maybe these last few runs will be enough to qualify Nalaff and I for Advanced? Maybe by time we come back here, shit will make more sense."
Bank grunts, shaking his head. "Somehow I doubt it. But yeah, let''s get the fuck out of here."
As Xenia and Guy watch the party leave for the fourth time, the dungeon master poses a question. "So...do you think the Challengers are ever gonna figure out the whole luck thing?"
"Well, I''m sure eventually. Luck is a rather abstract, rarely-modified trait, however. An individual can improve their strength and agility through training, and their intelligence and wisdom through study and experience. But by default all mortals are born with the same luck, and generally only have it modified through the influence of powerful entities such as the gods. A curse may diminish luck, a blessing may increase it. As dungeons are created by the gods, you have the ability to create luck-increasing enchanted objects, but as I understand it that''s actually a rather rare ability. It''s quite difficult for a mortal enchanter to reproduce even a relatively minor effect through similar means, which I''m sure means most of the time they would rather focus on something with more concrete benefits."
Xenia considers the implications of that for a moment. "So it''s not something they''ve got a lot of experience with modifying and playing around with, huh? But those guys had to have had the worst luck in the world for their first run to go like it did, right? So, y''know...how?"
The guide considers the options. "Well, we have no way of detecting for certain. But my guess would be is that the group was cursed - either collectively, or one of them badly enough to impact the entire party."
"Huh, sucks to be them, then. Wonder if they''ll come back for a fifth run sometime?"
"If they do, we can only hope that they do so with their entire collection of good-luck charms equipped, I''d say. Otherwise, who knows how unstoppable they could be inside here after they improve their skills?"
Xenia sucks in a breath. "Yeah, let''s hope..."
Chapter 50: Hot on the Trail
Beatrice''s party had been exploring the dead dungeon for three days now, and were both making good progress and also getting absolutely nowhere. Roxxy and Taly had set up a very efficient marking and mapping system between the two of them thanks to Roxxy''s ability to easily carve writing into the stone walls. Taly had established a three-character identifier for each portion of the dungeon: the first character was a digit for how many levels deeper than Worthy Dungeon the section was, based on average dungeon floor heights, while the second and third characters used letters and numbers to identify how far away it was from their entry point in north/south or east/west directions, counting by the size of a ''standard'' dungeon chamber. Thus they had started their expedition in Hallway 1-0-0, they had camped out for the first night in Chamber 3-4-5, northeast of their starting point, and were currently in Hallway 5-A-B, slightly southwest of where they started.
Other than consuming ridiculous amounts of Taly''s paper supplies however, the group had nothing at all to show for their efforts so far. They had reached at least seven different distinct ''floors'', but it was impossible to tell how deep the place ultimately went, or how wide it spread horizontally. Like with Grizza and Roxxy''s earlier escape from the place they were constantly going back up and down and backtracking due to collapsed sections, and exploring the place was taking far too long despite the lack of any real obstacles to slow them down. For the party members not engaged in map-making activities, it was all starting to get far too boring.
Beatrice groans. "Ugggggh! Okay, I know you said this place was empty, but I didn''t think it''d also be just this dull! There''s an ancient deepway below the kingdom I come from which is mostly as abandoned as this place is, but it''s at least got neat shit to look at. Ruined statues, ruined great halls, the occasional pile of skeletons...Xe - uh, the dungeon''s really gonna owe us for this one, more than I was thinking."
Grizza snorts. "You can just call her Xenia, you know. She told Roxxy and I her name, you can stop pretending you''re not on first-name basis with the spirit yourself. And you''re the team leader, aren''t you? Shouldn''t you be the one trying to keep the rest of us motivated?"
The warrior sighs. "Yeah, you''re right. I''m not actually used to working in a party these days, you know, guess I sort of got a bad habit of just wandering around and bitching to, uh...my sword, actually. To keep my head clear."
Sely laughs at that. "Hah, why your sword, specifically? It''s better at working out your frustrations with? Or are you expecting it to talk back to you one of these days?"
"Hey, you never know, it happens sometimes." Checking to see that Taly and Roxxy are still keeping the map-making under control, she turns to Grizza. "So...you''re a spider-dude, huh? You and Alizz are the first ones of your sort I''ve met. What are your people like?"
The Mage needs a moment to collect himself before answering, a bit surprised at suddenly becoming the topic of conversation. "Ah, drider, is the term. Like most of the races that colonized the New Continent, our original origins are a bit spotty, but here at least most of us live in the Valleylands. ...The northwestern third of the continent, if you''re not familiar with the geography. We tend to live underground, the Undervalley is our largest settlement. We do quite a bit of mining, as you might imagine, though those of us in the military are mostly known for our affinity for magic. Our Mana Weavers are the premier spellcasters of the Valleylands, you know."
Beatrice nods along. "And the Valleylands...don''t like the Rainlands? Which is where we''re at now? What even are those generic-ass names?"
Sely raises an eyebrow at the question. "Just how far away did you come from? The New Continent isn''t that new anymore."
The warrior sighs again. "Just...really far, you wouldn''t have heard of it. So, I almost hate to ask, but what is the history here, then? The super-short version, if you could."
Grizza and Sely share a look, but Sely motions for Grizza to take the lead. "Well...many centuries ago, the entire continent belonged to the Dragonlord. However, no one from outside the continent knew that, because not only was the continent barely populated, but most of that population was focused in the south of the continent, which is by most standards the least habitable territory. The good farmlands and such were largely unsettled, given that the native races, uh, aren''t exactly what you''d describe as being big fans of traditional agriculture. After the devastation of the Age of Warlocks, though...which I''m definitely going to skip over today...most races were eager to set up colonies in such fertile lands. The humans, dwarves, elves, gnolls, driders, orcs, demons and minotaurs all established city-states around the coastline."
Beatrice groans. "That is way too many city-states. Please tell me this isn''t going to involve learning all of their little politics and wars and shit."
Sely chuckles as she takes over the story. "Well, it does kinda simplify after that. See, eventually the Dragonlord got super pissed-off about all these people moving onto ''their'' territory, and gave everyone the ol'' ''join me or die'' ultimatum. Only the demons signed on, probably because everyone else treated em like shit anyhow and it was the first time anyone ever wanted them in their country. After everyone else told''m to shove off, an invasion was launched and pretty much rolled up the whole west coast before anyone was really able to do anything about it. The east coast settlements were able to join up together in the ''Rainlands Alliance'' before their turn came around though, and were able to fight the invasion off. Became an actual nation and all that a few years later."
The warrior nods along. "So the Valleylands were part of the Dragonlord''s Domain, then?"
Grizza picks up. "For that, we can skip ahead a few centuries. You see, because our ancestors resisted, they were enslaved. Driders, orcs, and minotaurs, that is. In particular, slaves were used to bolster the armed forces, and had to join in on campaigns that happened every decade or two, for a long time. Until around a hundred years ago we launched a revolt, and won back our freedom. Unfortunately by then there was far too much bad blood between us and the Rainlanders, and so we ended up forming our own nation rather than joining together with them."
Sely gives a rueful chuckle. "Yeah, it''s a shitty situation, and I''m not the kind to hold it against anyone personally. I mean, hells, my bosses are a kobold and a drider, and they''re great at their jobs. But every town and village has a memorial to a time some orcish raiding band burned the place down once, or some noble family remembers a time a drider cursed their highborn great-great-great-grandfather, and they''re still pissy about it. Doesn''t help that some folks, like the elves, actually remember it first-hand. So it is what it is. We both watch each other, and we both watch the south."
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"Yeesh. Glad I''m only here to stab monsters, and not fix politics or prejudice. That shit is - hold up." Beatrice suddenly stops and raises a hand, bringing the party to a stop - for the most part. Roxxy continues on for a few more steps before noticing everyone else''s frozen positions.
Sely leans in. "Uh...what''s up?"
Instead of answering the healer, Beatrice calls out to her sister. "Taly? Stash the maps and eyes ahead, would you?" The rogue quickly puts her papers away into a bottomless bag and catches up with her leader as ordered. Looking down the darkened hallway, she suddenly gasps.
"Light! Multiple moving lights at that, torches I''d guess. Someone''s coming our way!"
Beatrice turns her head left and right, scanning their current hallway, but doesn''t find what she''s looking for. "There''s zero cover here. I don''t want to run back to the last intersection and expose our backs to whoever''s approaching. Roxxy, you''re up front with me, and everyone douse your lanterns. We''ll move forward and meet them halfway...hold your fire though, we don''t know if they''re hostile." The group is quickly covered in darkness, first due to the extinguishing of their magical light sources, and then by a supporting spell cast by Taly. Fortunately, the magical darkness only hides the group without ruining their own vision, allowing them to see as three figures engulfed in flame enter the hallway at a junction up ahead.
Or rather, not engulfed in flame, but made of it. As the group quietly approaches it becomes more apparent that there''s nothing solid about the human-shaped trio up ahead, with the occasional flickers of flame allowing them to be seen right through. Despite their transient forms, it does eventually seem as if one of the three is a more feminine shape, while the others take on a masculine form. More surprisingly, they have the voices to match. A loud, jovial-sounding voice rings out down the hallway. "Oh, wow, look at this! More nothing! Though at least we have the option of turning left or right this time. It''s that kind of variety that really spices up this gig, don''t you think?"
The feminine voice answers his. "Hey, I''ve got a bright idea. How about we split up? You go that way, we go this way, and then we never have to listen to your whining again?"
The third joins in, even as he starts to turn in the direction of Beatrice''s group. "I wish, but orders are...wait, hold on. There''s something weird about the...nothing down in that direction."
Seeing that their cover of darkness was perhaps a bit too dark to blend in properly, Beatrice whispers to the rest of the party. "You wait here under the cover, I''ll step out and say hello. If they get feisty, back me up." Sheathing her sword, the warrior stands up straight and marches ahead of Taly''s mystical cloak. "Hey there! Didn''t mean to interrupt your walk, but I seem to have gotten a little lost. Think you could give me directions?"
The trio of fire elementals look at each other for a second, then without a word they each turn back toward Beatrice and fire off a fireball in her direction. Dodging them with a roll, the bolts vanish into the darkness behind her, barely illuminating the space concealed by the party''s rogue. Quickly re-drawing her sword, Beatrice shouts out orders. "Alright, getting mean then! Roxxy, help me pin em down, support, douse em with whatever you got!" With thunderous footsteps the earth elemental emerges from the cloak, charging her opposite numbers at a pace Beatrice has to rush to keep up with. Two of the firestarters turn their attention on the approaching boulder, while the third fires off a shot that gets dispersed by an enchanted shield that suddenly takes form on Beatrice''s left arm.
The enemy trio at least doesn''t seem to be thrilled by this assault. "Shit, they got an earther! Focus fire on that one, we gotta melt it down!" Roxxy reaches her first target but finds that one on one, earth and fire elementals are nearly immune to each other in a melee fight. Each of her heavy swings simply passes through her opponent, while the flamethrower burst the torch responds with does nothing to her stony frame. Still, Beatrice is concerned by the suggestion that the three of them could potentially melt her down, and steps in to ensure that doesn''t happen. Shield raised, she charges directly into the nearest elemental only to be surprised by the sound of a clang when a small solid object actually bounces off of her shield. She doesn''t get the chance to see what it was, but the elemental is thrown to the floor next to her, indicating that there is at least something in there she can attempt to stab. Or to kick, or smash, Beatrice isn''t feeling particularly picky today.
A second elemental is pulled away from Roxxy by attacks from the party''s ranged members, with shadow-coated arrows and bolts of light flying through its form. The dark arrows have a slight chilling effect to them, but they''re no ice arrows, and the holes they punch in the living flame are quickly healed over. Grizza''s magic bolts meanwhile only serve to distract the creature, but they do at least accomplish that much as it shouts out. "Shit, there''s more of them! I''ll take care of the squishies, you two hold on!" Rushing towards Taly''s cloak, the elemental stretches out both hands and blasts the entire region with a pair of flamethrower bursts. It manages to miss its targets, falling short of where the ''squishies'' were actually standing, but having to pull back and attack at the same time causes Taly''s mystical shadow to disperse, revealing the remaining three members of the party. The elemental spots Grizza first, and laughs. "Gotcha!"
He launches a fireball at the Mage, but to Grizza''s immediate relief and then horror, the drider is saved when Sely jumps in front of him, taking the hit. Only to be engulfed in flames herself, screaming in pain as she drops to her knees. "Sely! They got Sely! We need to - " Grizza''s cry is interrupted as someone pulls at his arm to get his attention - as it turns out, Sely, entirely unscorched.
"Don''t get all dramatic, handsome! It was just a temporary copy popped out by Wish Fulfillment."
Distracted by the battle as he is, Grizza''s mind needs a moment to process the name of the spell. "That''s what you call ''wish fulfillment''!?"
Sely grins wildly. "Sucked up a lot of good burn wound energy from that one! Can only use it once a day though, so next time dodge, yeah!? As for you, smokey...lets see how you like it when I convert that energy to frostbite, shall we?" To the elemental''s surprise the Masochist charges him, sticking her own hand into his chest. For a moment he laughs, thinking the healer is sacrificing herself for real, but that attitude doesn''t last long.
"Pfft, you like getting burned that much, huh? Well then...wait. Why do I feel...is this...cold? Is this what cold feels like?" Flickering in a way that reminds Grizza of a shiver, the elemental tries to step back, but stumbles as he realizes Sely is holding on directly to his scorching-hot core. Though not scorching-hot for long, as second by second the living flames seem to die down, until the process is suddenly halted by the explosion of the glowing sphere. Sely shouts as she draws her arm back, her bare bicep covered in burns and her gloved hand bleeding from shrapnel wounds.
"Ah! Dammit, right...shit explodes when you fuck with temperature like that, don''t it! Hahaha! Who''s next!?" She turns to Roxxy, but is a bit too late to join in. After enough swings the giant had also found the rough position of the core hidden inside the fiery woman, knocking the elemental around every time she struck it. Eventually she switched to overhead blows, turning herself into a hammer and the dungeon floor into an anvil. The elemental attempted to dodge backward as best she could, but the third time she was struck against the floor her core shattered, dissipating her flames immediately. That left the third, who was finding that Beatrice''s enchanted armor was nearly as fireproof as Roxxy''s own body. Unfortunately, her sword wasn''t nearly as good at damaging her opponent''s core, but that wasn''t an issue - the warrior had more tricks up her sleeves than one could fit in a mid-size barn, after all.
Sheathing her sword and pulling a small blue crystal from one of her Item Boxes, Beatrice shouts out an activation phrase. "Freeze my foes - Ice Prison!" She slams the crystal onto the dungeon floor, shattering it beneath the feet of her opponent, and within an instant the fiery figure is replaced by a giant ice crystal. Roxxy immediately rushes over, ready to smash.
"The core''s still intact - he''ll melt his way out eventually! Want me to break it?"
Beatrice shakes her head. "No, this is perfect. I think we''ve got some questions we need answered..."
Chapter 51: Naked Truths
Doorman blinks his eyes, certain that he must be seeing things. Then he does it again, just for good measure, but it doesn''t seem to help. Try as he might, as he looks out at the walkway before him he finds four Challengers equipped in nothing but their weapons and their underclothes. Two men, a dwarf and a human, alongside two women, an elf and a kobold, all looking as if they''d arrived expecting to find a spa waiting for them. Clearing his throat, Doorman tries and fails to be professional. "Ah, Welcome to Worthy Dungeon, prepare to...okay, no, I really have to ask. Just where in the world are your clothes?"
Grinning, the elvish woman looks up at him. "We figured it out, you bastard!"
An affronted look passes Doorman''s face. "What? What did I do?"
"Not you, the dungeon! We figured out your secret, after hearing about what The Miserables went through up here."
The door raises an eyebrow. "Our secret, you say."
The dwarf nods along. "Oh yeah, it''s obvious now. The dungeon scales its difficulty based on the quality of the equipment a party brings in! That''s why the Field Agent''s team all said the place was bloody difficult, and a team of Initiates wearing rust and hand-me-down robes said it was easy as pie! And then when they bought some upgrades for their second day, all of a sudden it''s way tougher? So yeah, we know the trick now. Just toss out all the equipment that ain''t entirely essential, and it''ll be a cakewalk!"
Doorman sighs. "Seriously? Well, at least you''re wearing something." His comment only causes the kobold to narrow her eyes at him, though.
"Ah, see that! He''s glad we''re still wearin'' something, cause that means we still take a penalty for it! Toldya it would be even better to go in buckass!"
The human sighs. "Well it''s not like we were gonna hike up a mountain completely naked, now were we? But yeah, fuck it, not like there''s anyone here to watch us now, right?" The group shares a look and nods, and to Doorman''s shock they get to stripping down everything they still have on, other than what''s required to keep their weapons and the bottomless bag the elf carries strapped on.
"You...you''re really serious about this? Fine, your riddle. ...Is there anything I can say to convince you this is a bad idea?"
The elf chuckles. "Nope."
Doorman sighs. "Well...I tried."
Xenia grimaces as she watches an eyeball drip its way down the rocky wall of BB''s arena. "What the hell were they thinking? Like...okay, it''s a theory, but test it a little by taking off a bracer or a helmet or something first and work your way down! Ain''t no one here heard of the scientific method? I guess I shouldn''t complain, but - BB! No! Put that - get that thing out of your mouth!" Rushing over to her rabbit boss, she scolds the monster as it raises a meaty dwarf leg to its mouth.
"Mraw?"
"At what tier does a rabbit start eating meat!? No, BB, this is - this is super unsanitary, and also very bad for our public image! We don''t eat the Challengers literally, okay?" Sighing, the boss drops the leg to the ground and returns to his usual nest at the rear of the arena. Xenia grimaces again as she looks over the blood-and-body-part-splattered chamber, but fortunately the image doesn''t stay for long as the dungeon ''eats'' the remains in the more traditional method, dissolving them away.
As it finishes, Guy hovers over to provide the report. "Well, it was something of a windfall for us, at least. They weren''t actually unequipped, as that bottomless bag of theirs seemed to be holding their normal gear. But let''s take a look, shall we?"
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INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS SLAIN: 4
NEW RESOURCE PATTERNS GATHERED:
BONE (KOBOLD)
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
UNDEAD (MORTAL): C
CURRENCY (RAINLANDS): D+
ARROWS/DARTS: D+
SPEARS: D-
STAFFS: D-
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 4
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 12 TO 101
MANA ACQUIRED: 18, CURRENT AMOUNT: 70/77 (24 CONSUMED BY CONSTRUCTS)
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
GEOGRAPHY: SOUTHERN RAINLANDS
SKILLS: SINGING (AMATEUR)
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: TAIL-PULLER 1
YOU HAVE SLAIN YOUR FIRST KOBOLD. MANA SPELL EFFECTIVENESS ON KOBOLDS INCREASED BY 25%.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: FOUL, CRUEL, AND BAD-TEMPERED RODENTS 1
YOU HAVE SCORED YOUR FIRST KILL WITH LAGOMORPH MONSTERS. LAGOMORPHS GAIN 10% MORE HEALTH.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: SHAMELESS 1
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
YOU HAVE SLAIN FIVE UNCLOTHED MORTALS. EQUIPMENT-STEALING TRAPS UNLOCKED AT A VERY LOW SUCCESS RATE.
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Xenia''s eyes continue to widen a bit as she looks through the achievements. "All this time and that was our first kill with a rabbit? ...Well, I guess they start at a pretty low effectiveness...wait, hold the fuckin'' phone. ''Shameless''!? And there were only four of...oh, wait, I guess Lollyp was kinda nude when she uh, did her thing, wasn''t she? But, okay, help me out here Guy, what''s this new trap type about?"
Guy thinks for a moment before responding. "It appears to be a special kind of magic projectile trap, which upon hitting, has a chance to remove the equipment it strikes and teleporting it into the next boss chest. If the party leaves or falls, we would then have the choice of leaving it as a reward for the next party, inventorying it, or consuming it as usual. ''Very low success'' rate would probably be at about one in twenty chance of working, but given that stealing the right piece of equipment could entirely neutralize an adventurer, it could potentially change the outcome of a delve."
The dungeon master considers the possibilities. "Would also probably provoke em into being reckless too, if we manage to steal something they really want back. ...Might fit in with the succu-dungeon, y''know, thematically, but I''ll have to think on that one. So, heh, you think any more parties are gonna try that little trick? Cause while I ain''t really aimin'' for that one hundred percent kill ratio or anything, I really can''t feel bad when they''re this stupid."
"One can hope, but I doubt we''d be that lucky."
Xenia sighs. "Yeah, probably. Speakin'' of luck, I wonder how ''Team Demon Hunter'' is doin'' down there..."
Grizza cautiously eyes the arrangement of rune-covered metal shards Beatrice had arranged around the melting ice prison in a roughly hexagonal pattern. "You think this thing will be able to hold a fire elemental?"
Beatrice steps back and looks over her work. "Should do the trick. It''s a containment field specifically designed for beasties with energy-based powers. Granted, this is a portable version, so it''s not gonna be as long-lasting, but we should at least be able to get in a question-and-answer session. I could use a mana crystal to charge it up, but since you''re here wizard-boy, mind doing the honors? Just gotta, like, feed your mana into that rune over there."
"None of these runes make any sense to me, but I suppose I can give it a try..." Tapping the rune with one pointy leg, Grizza closes his eyes and focuses on working his mana into the strange device. "The mana flow is a little rougher than I''m used to, but I think it''s working." It takes around five minutes for the object to fully charge up, spawning an orange-tinted energy field that closes up around the frozen crystal in a form shaped like a gem with a shaved-off top. As slow as it was to turn on, the group still has to wait another fifteen minutes more before the elemental finally breaks free of the ice.
Reforming his humanoid shape, the prisoner presses against his new, barely-larger cell before attempting to communicate. "Dammit! What kind of toy is this?"
Beatrice leans forward, her grin hidden by her visor. "We''re the one asking questions here, hot stuff. What were you and your friends doing down here, and why did you attack us on sight?"
The elemental moves to cross his arms, though the effect is ruined a bit by the way the arms pass through each other. "Orders. You definitely don''t belong down here, so we were just cleaning up the pests."
"That''s hardly a good way to treat your neighbors. And these orders of yours - they wouldn''t happen to be from a demon named ''Sincere'' now, would they?"
The hothead nods, his orders apparently not including anything along the lines of discretion. "You know of the boss then. Then I don''t need to tell you - this is his territory now, and you oughtta vacate if you don''t want to run into more trouble."
"Should we, now? Why, how many more of you are there down here?"
The elemental seems to smirk, though with a head made out of flickering flame it''s hard to be sure. "More every day. An army eventually, at this rate. But hey, he hasn''t said anything about invading you top-siders, so I''m sure if you stay out of our way you''ll be just fine."
Stepping back to confer with her party, Beatrice sighs. "I think this qualifies as ''a threat to the dungeon and the locals'' now, doesn''t it? Nobody makes an army of walking disaster zones for fun."
Taly nods. "Yeah, and we need to find out where he''s finding all these elemental cores at, if there''s as many as this guy''s saying. Grizza here was down here for a week and only found one? Even if sparky''s bluffing, that was still at least three in not much more time than that."
Beatrice turns back to the prisoner. "Yeah, good question. Where''s Sincere finding the cores?"
Instead of answering, the elemental laughs and begins to glow brighter. "Haha, idiots! You gave me time to recover my energy, and now you''ll see that no little toy can hold the essence of flame!" He begins to blast the energy cell with flames from both hands, ignoring Beatrice as she begins to shout at him.
"No, stop! If you overload the containment, you won''t get out! It''ll just - " She''s interrupted as the glowing runes on the metal shards begin to spark and die, causing the spell to fail. But the prison cell neither shatters nor fades, but instead - compresses. A look of surprise is apparent on the elemental''s face as he''s suddenly shrunk to half his size, but as it keeps going he quickly loses the ability to speak. It shrinks further and further, finally wrapping itself around his core, but only for a few seconds. Even that solid object eventually cracks, and only then does the containment spell finally disperse. Beatrice sighs. "...it''ll do that. Designed to be fail-safe...for the people on the outside of the containment, that is." She takes a moment to scoop up the core fragments in one hand, and takes one of the rune shards in the other. "Welp, this one''s fried. And for the core...Roxxy, I don''t suppose these can be like...glued back together, or something?"
The earth elemental shakes her head. "Our energies disperse when a core is damaged that badly. ''Fraid he''s a goner."
Taly rubs her chin as she looks at the still-slightly-glowing fragments. "I bet if you fed them to your friend upstairs though, they could still get fire spirits out of them or something." The rogue pauses, her eyes going slightly wide. "Shit! I mean, not that we''re trying to make the dungeon harder or anything! Can you uh, just forget I said that?"
Beatrice chuckles as the fragments vanish into her Item Box. "Heheh. Sorry, too late." The warrior looks around, checking out the current status of her group, but with Sely finishing up her self-healing routine it seems as if everyone''s back in top shape. "Everyone good? Then let''s head down the way they came from. Maybe somewhere down there we''ll find a source..."
Later that evening the group had set up camp, having covered quite a bit of ground but not yet having found anything particularly noteworthy. Tents had been set up, more for privacy than any need for protection from the environment, and a campfire provides light and heat for their rations. As usual for the past few nights, the five party members are discussing rather mundane matters to pass the time, but tonight''s topic is one that''s sure to fluster the party''s drider more than a little.
Sely laughs. "C''mon, if you don''t like using it, then why did you pack it?"
Grizza attempts to defend himself. "It''s dungeon loot! It''s one of the most valuable items I own...like it or not, I can''t just throw it out!"
The healer scoffs. "So you''ll carry it but you won''t let us see what you look like with it on, huh?"
"It''s embarrassing, is all. I''m not used to, well...thinking much about what other people think about how I look."
Taly raises a finger, and a proposal. "How about we all go around and wear it for a minute to see what it does? I''ll go first."
The drider sighs. "Fine, if you really want to." Rummaging around in one of his bags, he eventually finds and hands the topic of discussion over to the rogue - the charisma-boosting pair of rabbit ears. Brushing aside her hood, she places it above her raven-black-dyed hair and looks around. Already a fairly attractive woman, the enchanted object mostly seems to do something about her eyes - they grow clearer and more piercing, any tiredness from the past few days of underground hiking vanishing immediately. She smirks, showing off perfectly white teeth.
"So? How do I look?"
While most of the group provides a scattering of compliments, her sister seems less impressed. "I dunno sis, y''look pretty much the same to me."
Taly scoffs, then hands it over. "Is that so? Well let''s see what it can do with you, then." Shrugging, Sely puts it on her head, and despite the fact that the sisters look quite similar normally, the effect it provides is rather different. Her muscled biceps grow even more defined, and somehow her grin grows more crooked in some way, her face hinting at an untamed spirit lurking just inside. Beatrice leans back, chuckling.
"Haha, honestly, it makes you look a little scarier Sely, but I guess I can see how folks might be into that. Some folks, anyhow."
"Heh, I''ll take it. How about you, Dragon Slayer?" The healer passes it around, and Beatrice removes her helmet to don it herself. As she puts it on her changes are perhaps the most pronounced of them all so far - the significant scarring covering her face almost entirely fades away, with only a few marks left almost as beauty accents. The years seem to slip away as well, making her look decades younger. Sely whistles. "Wow, all those scars gone in an instant! I bet you there''s folks who''d pay a lot for that, if only the hat wasn''t so ridiculous looking." Beatrice seems less happy, however.
"My scars? No! I earned those things, dammit! I don''t care if they lose me some points in a beauty contest, I''m proud of each and every one of em." She pulls the ears off, and then with a questioning look, passes it over to Roxxy. "You uh...want a try?"
"Sure, why not?" The elemental carefully fits the band onto the rock that passes for her head, and her changes outshine even Beatrice''s, and not by a small margin either. The raw rock of her body suddenly transforms into sculpted marble, and her previously only vaguely-humanoid form shifts into something very definitely feminine. While lacking in a few details - her new eyes are blank, and she lacks the more embarrassing shapes of the anatomically correct - Roxxy now has the body of a seven-foot statuary goddess. As the others look on in near shock, Roxxy looks down and reacts with a different form of surprise.
"Why do I have boobs!? Elementals don''t need boobs!"
Sely laughs a bit awkwardly. "Well, beauty''s all in the eye of the beholder, ain''t it? Could be it''s adjusting for what the audience wants...and it seems that on average, the audience here likes tits. Or that''s my theory, anyways."
"Gah!" Roxxy pulls it off, and quickly passes it on to Grizza. "Please, keep it!"
"Fine, fine." Fulfilling his part of the bargain, Grizza once again equips the cursed ears, with his chin, hair, and bare chest once again shifting to what his ''audience'' wants to see. While Roxxy doesn''t seem particularly interested, Grizza becomes incredibly aware of the stares from all three human women around the campfire, and chuckles quietly. "I may not be sculpted marble, but..."
Sely interrupts him. "No, no, this is good. Real good. You should keep it on more often, you know?"
The Mage chuckles again, pulling the band from his head and slipping it back into its bag. "Maybe under the proper circumstances, if there are any such things."
The others laugh, and soon the conversation moves on to other topics. But it''s not long before Sely catches her sister''s eye, passing her a silent message only a sibling would receive. Mumbling to herself as the others begin the shift rotations, Sely gets to work on preparing her tent for the night. "Proper circumstances, huh? Bet we can arrange something like that..."
Chapter 52: The Proper Circumstances - Explicit
After the evening chat had run down and people took to their bedrolls for the night, Grizza was doing his best to find some rest. Beatrice and Roxxy had taken first shift on watch, although technically the elemental was on every shift, given that she couldn''t sleep if she wanted to without going into an extended rock-like hibernation. The drider was on second shift so it was important to catch as much sleep as he could, but it wasn''t an easy task considering that their bedrolls could only do so much to make up for the hard stone flooring. Any progress he did make towards that task however was ruined when Taly slipped into his tent and tapped the man on the shoulder.
"Hey there, handsome. Not fallen asleep already, I hope?"
Given that it doesn''t sound like there''s any danger, the Mage is half tempted to pretend that he had, but instead with a groan he pulls himself back up. "Not so much, no. Is there something I can help you with?"
The roguish woman grins. "As a matter of fact, there is. So, I''m sure you''ve noticed by now that my sister has a...pretty unique class, yeah?"
Grizza has to chuckle at the question. "That''s putting it mildly. In my experience most Cleric-derived classes don''t vary much aside from a unique spell or two. Sely''s meanwhile does seem to be one of those with more of, how should I put it...a complete lifestyle adjustment?"
Taly chuckles along. "That''s one way of putting it. And part of that is what we need your help with. You see, a Masochist requires a special kind of...ah, ''training'' in order to fully recharge its most powerful abilities. She can do some on her own, typical pain-tolerance exercises and the like, and I help her out with those from time to time, but we were hoping maybe you''d be willing to lend a hand tonight? With a bit of a more...advanced exercise routine."
Grizza narrows his eyes, feeling a bit cautious about where exactly this is going. "What sort of help does this involve, exactly?"
Taly rests a finger on her lips. "Well, let me put it this way." Her grin turns devious. "I asked Beatrice for a bit of privacy tonight, so she and Roxxy are keeping watch a hallway away for a few hours. And..." This time she leans closer, almost whispering in the drider''s ear. "We''d really appreciate it if you''d wear the ears for this."
Grizza hesitates for a moment, seriously considering turning the odd sisters down. Even with her intentions more clear, engaging in masochism on either side isn''t exactly a road down which his interests have ever traveled before. Still, he can''t deny a certain curiosity about where exactly the night might go. And it''s possible the rogue isn''t actually bluffing about this being useful for Sely''s combat abilities, as some Cleric functions are known to be rather esoteric depending on how unusual their patron deities might be. "...One moment, I''ll just need to find them."
A minute of bag-searching later, Taly is leading Grizza over to the sisters'' tent and he finds himself wondering a little about how he''ll actually fit inside to ''help'' Sely, in whatever method they have planned. Grizza''s tent is three times the size of any of the others given his naturally over-sized form, and he doubts he''d manage to work his way into the smaller model without bringing the whole thing down around him. Taly is a step ahead of him, though - she quickly undoes the anchor points holding down the closer side of the tent, and folds back the entire thing, leaving it as more of a hanging blanket. The new configuration also makes it a good backdrop to the sight that takes Grizza''s breath from him for a moment, as sitting on the ground, trussed up like a festival feast, is a Divine Masochist wearing nothing but a very complex-looking set of ropes and knots. She''s sitting on her legs in something of a fetal position, but with her arms tied behind her back as she faces towards him. Her long blond hair, usually left to hang loose, has been done up in a tight braid extending down between her bare shoulder blades. Meanwhile a particularly knotted piece of rope is wrapped around her face as an improvised gag, but the look in her eyes as she gazes Grizza''s way makes it clear she''s glad to see him.
For his part, Grizza''s not entirely sure how to respond. "This is ah...a very impressive bit of ropework. Part of the training, is it?"
Taly laughs. "I''ve picked up a few tricks over the years. I can tell that you''re perhaps not quite familiar with this sort of fun, so if you like I can start things off and set the mood? I''ve gotten some practice at that, as well." She leans in closer, whispering again. "I''ll take out the gag in a moment. Her safe word is ''dragon''s balls'', f-y-i. And before you go getting too excited, handsome, I''m just playing support. Tonight''s about Sely...and you, of course." Grizza nods, but before he can respond further he finds Taly half-wrapped around him, one arm around his back and stroking his side, while the other begins to slip into his sash. She then starts to pull at the knot keeping it tied around his waist, but first looks up into his eyes. "May I?" Again, Grizza can only find it in himself to nod.
With a single swift motion the sash is pulled away, and Grizza''s manhood is revealed. It''s not yet fully erect, but getting there, the long piece of pink flesh twitching and rising further second by second. The drider wonders for a moment if Taly is about to take it in hand despite her earlier words, but instead she moves to her sister. Grabbing hold of the blonde''s braid, she roughly pulls Sely to her knees and brings her Grizza''s way, showing off how the Masochist''s already-impressive tits have been further emphasized by the ropes wrapped closely around them. Taly begins to speak again then, and the voice that comes from her lips sounds entirely unlike the cheerful, quick-to-laugh woman Grizza''s been traveling with these past few days. "Are you ready to get to work, whore?"
Sely nods, her eyes fixed on Taly''s, but not for long as the raven-haired sister presses Sely''s face into Grizza''s groin. The drider''s rapidly-engorging cock rubs itself against Sely''s left cheek, and Taly continues to slightly pull Sely''s hair back and forth, using her sister''s face to arouse the drider further. "This is the instrument that will punish you tonight, slut. It will gag you, strike you, and stretch you. Prepare yourself." Taking Grizza''s hand, she passes the braid to him, motioning for him to hold it tightly. "Keep a tight grip on the slut, sir, while I make her ready." As she kneels down to begin loosening Sely''s gag, Grizza can''t help but feel like he should be a little more in control of the situation. As it is, he wonders if he really is nothing more than a handsome ''instrument'' for the sisters - or at least one of them - to get themselves off with.
As odd as the feeling is, though, he can''t say he feels exactly upset about that.
Once the healer''s gag is removed, Taly leans in close and begins to slip a pair of fingers into Sely''s mouth. She presses them in firmly, deeply, and at first Grizza wonders if it''s merely an act of simulated fellatio. As slight gagging sounds emanate from her mouth, however, he realizes it''s a little more practical than that - Taly is testing her sister''s gag reflex. Apparently satisfied, she pulls her fingers back from Sely''s lips and wipes them off on the healer''s cheek, before taking back hold of her braid from Grizza. Looking up at the Mage, she asks another question. "This slut is ready to offer her first hole to you. May I guide her? The training of a Divine Masochist requires a...firm hand."
Now fully, painfully erect, Grizza nods back. "I, ah...defer to your expertise. Please, do." Turning back to Sely, Taly begins to push her face towards Grizza''s rigid flesh, but aims for the side of the shaft rather than directly at it.
"Taste what has been offered to you, cockwhore. Appreciate this fine meal before it goes down your gullet." Sticking out her tongue, Sely runs her way along the bottom and side of Grizza''s shaft as Taly pushes her back and forth alongside it. Sely''s own face becomes nearly as messy as the sleek phallus in the process, with Taly intentionally making sure the quickly-lubricating cock brushes against her cheek as often as possible. After a dozen or so repetitions Taly pulls her sister back, and this time lines her up properly. On the next push, Grizza''s cock slides directly through her wide-open lips, the thin pink tip pressing its way into her throat almost immediately. While the wide-flared base of the drider''s manhood is perhaps a bit much for her jaw, the length is sufficient to reach the full way regardless, and a sadistic smile crosses Taly''s face as Sely begins to choke.
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"Now...it''s time to really test your limits." Once again she begins to push Sely''s head back and forth, providing the force as Grizza facefucks her sister, and each time pressing her just a little bit closer to Grizza''s stomach. Sely never does manage to wrap her mouth around the entire thing, but once Taly sees she''s gone as far as she can, she swaps from back-and-forth motions to simply holding her down against Grizza for as long as possible. Even with the loss of motion, Grizza finds himself no less stimulated thanks to the efforts Sely''s tongue begins to make alongside the bottom of his shaft, and the twitches her throat makes as she works for air are at the same time both a little concerning and also rather arousing. ''Testing'' or not, Taly seems to have a good grasp of Sely''s actual limits, and allows her sister to pull back from time to time to just barely catch her breath before pushing her forward again. New routine established, she then gets to working on Grizza in her own way - verbally.
"Are you enjoying the little slut, handsome? Look at the drool running down her chin as she takes your cock. This is what she''s best for, you know, playing the role of cock holster. It''s so hard for her, spending all those nights on the road, alone, no dick to fill her holes. Will you help her out? Will you give her the cum she spends her evenings dreaming of?" While a small part of Grizza''s mind is more than a little distracted wondering about how the two women became so open about their sex lives, a much larger part finds a strong interest in doing exactly what she says, and almost unbidden his hands reach out to take over Taly''s work. Gripping Sely''s head in both palms, he begins to direct her movements himself, and with a mere half dozen thrusts more he finds himself unloading directly down her throat. A grin again crosses Taly''s face as Sely''s eyes roll back, and she works to swallow the Mage''s seed.
Spent, the drider is about to pull himself back out when he suddenly notices a brand new sensation tingling in his cock. Already slightly beginning to soften, his cock suddenly surges back to life again, and Grizza feels ready for another round if not two. Looking down at Sely, the Masochist gives him a quick wink, and he realizes what just occurred - the woman used one of her Cleric abilities to restore his stamina, directly via her throat to his dick. He''s not sure if he''s ever heard of a stamina recharge being used for a purpose like this, or if it''s just another oddity of her class, but either way he doesn''t see much reason to complain. Before he can begin that second round however, Taly pulls her sister back.
"Good work, slut. But now it''s time to move on, shall we?" Grabbing a tight hold of Sely''s hair, Taly turns her around before stepping on the back of her head, pressing her down to the ground. Grabbing one of the ropes binding Sely''s waist she then pulls upward, lifting Sely''s ass and displaying her round curves to Grizza. "Which hole pleases you more, handsome? I assure you, she''s ready in either."
Considering his options, Grizza is about to step forward when a new thought enters his mind. For the first time since this started, the Mage decides to offer his own suggestion. "Both are tempting, but I think I''ll need to get a better view, first. May I?" Raising an eyebrow, Taly steps back, releasing her foothold on Sely''s head and watching to see what Grizza has in mind. Rather than moving towards her sister though, Grizza steps around her, approaching the framework holding up the half-dismantled tent. Stretching his abdomen forward while reaching back with one hand, the drider pulls back with a strand of web silk, wrapping it around the tent frame before grabbing on to Sely with one leg and bringing her closer. It''s the work of a solid minute or two, but by time he''s done the healer is trussed up, slightly swinging a few feet in the air with her rope bondage reinforced by silk, and her rear still fully displayed to her captor.
Taly laughs, examining his work. "I should have known a drider would know a thing or two about bindings. Perhaps next time we should involve you from the start."
Grizza can''t help chuckling as he grabs on to Sely''s hips with both hands. "I wouldn''t have any complaints about there being a next time myself, actually. But, that said, I believe I''ve made my choice." As he was wrapping the healer up he''d noticed the signs of lubricant dripping from her ass, Taly''s comments about her being ''ready'' clearly backed up by action, and he can''t see a good reason to let that effort go to waste. Lining her up, he carefully pulls Sely against him, stretching out her ass as his pink flesh presses its way inside. This time Sely''s flexibility truly gets to display itself, as unlike with her jaw her anus seems more than happy to accept even the widest parts of his girth, and it doesn''t take long for Grizza to find himself fully buried inside. As he gives her a moment to adjust, Taly leans down towards her sister''s face, clearly looking to not miss out on her part of the fun.
"Do you like that? I could see how easily he filled you out, ass-slut. How many evenings have you spent with your toys, readying yourself for a night like this? Is it everything you hoped for? Can your hungry little ass be satisfied with a real cock anymore?"
Ungagged by either rope or dick this time, Sely finally gets a chance to respond to her sister''s taunts. "Ah, it''s so much better! It''s so hot, and smooth, and long...oh Holy Jaaleni, I think I can feel it in my stomach!"
"Good. Then lets see how much more we can make you feel." Grabbing hold of the web-reinforced bindings, Taly begins to start Sely on a swinging motion, sliding her off of Grizza''s cock and then pushing her back before she has time to entirely free herself. While it''s not as forceful a motion as it would be were Grizza doing the work himself, the novelty of the situation means he''s happy to enjoy the sight of Taly slamming her sister into his cock ass-first, over and over. Once the general rhythm''s been established Taly shifts her focus slightly, half-whispering degrading words into Sely''s ears and occasionally slapping her lightly on the face, but to be honest after a few minutes the drider loses the ability to pay much attention to the details.
With the stamina boost from earlier Grizza feels almost as if he''d never cum at all, and is more than ready to pump the healer full a second time. Taking back control of Sely''s hips he begins to direct her down against himself more forcefully, allowing Taly to focus fully on insulting her ''cum-guzzling ass-pervert'' sibling as he works to make as many of those labels true as possible. Even now most of the talk washes over him though, and all he can think about is the heat he feels from the Masochist''s insides - a heat that suddenly intensifies as his orgasm takes him, a load of cum as large as the first throbbing its way through him and into the healer''s bowels. This time he doesn''t cum alone, either, as he can feel the woman trembling against him, followed soon after by the wet traces of bodily fluids splashing against his long legs.
Just as he''s about to pull back, he once again feels the strange tingling sensation at the tip of his suddenly-resurgent cock, and looks up to see Taly smirking at him in a devilish fashion. "Think you''re up to go three-for-three, handsome?" Grizza mentally gulps, but puts his best face forward.
"I''m always happy to help a party member in need..."
A very, very tiring hour later, Taly is helping Grizza to make his way back to his tent on unsteady legs. Letting her mask slip for a moment, she leans in toward him with a more genuine smile. "Thanks for playing along with all that, handsome. I''ll take care of the cleanup and all that, I can tell you''re about ready to pass out. Five recharge jolts is, admittedly, a little higher than the recommended dose, but you kept it going like a champ!"
Grizza takes a deep breath. "There''s a recommended dose!? So that''s why my heart felt like it might give out at the end there...still, I suppose there''s worse ways to go. Though I have to ask...was any of that really about training for her class?"
Taly shakes her head. "Ah, all that stuff? Not really so much, no."
Grizza chuckles. "Ah, I thought not." The rogue continues, however.
"All that stuff tonight was really just more of a, well, think of it as a trial run. She graduated past that routine way back at the start of her Advanced with some of the other guys in her training class. If you''re really up for more, we''ve got, well, let''s say a very specialized toolset to really make her yell. Granted, I''m not sure how well suited our current environment is for exploring it, but if you think you''d be interested in it, there may be a few more things we could try in a night or two." She gives Grizza another sly smirk, watching the drider to see how he''ll react.
Steadying himself, Grizza quickly comes to an answer. "I may need more than a night to recover myself. But I think I''d like to see more..."
Chapter 53: Elements of an Ambush
The next morning for Team Demon Hunters was rather awkward for most of the group, excepting the two sisters. Although Beatrice and Roxxy had set up their watch as far away from the camp as they felt was safe, in an enclosed environment like these caverns there was still the matter of...echoes. Aside from that, Grizza was noticeably sluggish on his feet for most of the morning, and Beatrice was forced to take each of them aside and gently inform them that, given the real risk of death around every corner, they would need to wait until they were at least on their way back up before indulging in any more ''training sessions''. Taly retained her usual pleasant mood regardless though, while Sely was perhaps the most cheerful person in the party for most of the day, despite Beatrice''s talking-to.
By the late afternoon however things had largely returned to their previous drudgery, as hours went by with no further trace of anything out of the ordinary. It wasn''t until just before the group was planning a rest for dinner that they picked up the sound of voices coming from ahead, and Taly was sent forward to scout things out. Twenty minutes later she returned, a mobile shadow that eventually lifted to reveal the woman inside. As usual, the rogue gave her report with a smile. "The bad news is, there''s more elementals up ahead. The good news is, we''ve got the drop on them, if we want to, anyhow."
Encased in her armor, Beatrice''s response betrays no emotion, only a professional interest in the challenge ahead. "Do we? What''s the situation?"
"It''s one of those collapsed sections up ahead, and we''ve got the high ground. There''s four of them down on the lower level; two earth elementals, a fire, and a water. Get this, though, the water one is riding around inside one of the rocks like it was a giant teacup or something, hehe."
The team leader considers their options. "I''d hate to just attack without warning, but if they''d turn on us as quickly as that other group did, it''d be stupid to give them the initiative. Hmm...Roxxy, do you think there''s any chance they''d be more likely to listen to you?"
The elemental gives a shrug. "Not like I know them, but it''s not as if elementals are just the type to automatically try and kill everyone they meet, you know? Well, us earth elementals aren''t, I guess I can''t really speak for fire-types. But I''m guessing they were hostile cause that was their orders, and not just cause they really hated you or something, right?"
The warrior taps her foot as she thinks. "If we send you out alone, one versus four, that''s a lot of risk even with us hanging out close by. On the other hand, I do hate to kill four people just because they''re in the way. Um." She pauses for a moment, trying to consider her next question. "Just to check, elementals are like...people, right? Not just dungeon monsters or something? Not that I think that you''re not, I''m just...not familiar much with your species?"
Roxxy seems unoffended as she responds in her usual cheerful tone. "Oh, definitely! We''ve got hopes and dreams, and deep inner lives of our own! For example, I think it''d be really cool to start a gemstone collection when things settle down a bit, yeah?"
"Right...you don''t mind fighting other elementals though, right?"
Roxxy nods. "Not a problem! Smashing people to bits can be fun too, and it''s even better when they''re not made of gooey, messy insides like you are! Cleaning up can be a real pain sometimes."
The rest of the group goes silent for a beat, until Beatrice pats Roxxy on one shoulder. "Glad to know you''re so enthusiastic. Alright then, we''ll go with Plan A: Smash First, and Plan B will be: Ask Questions Later. It''s a bit of a rough matchup, but I think we''ve got a good shot. Here''s what I''m thinking..." Huddling the group together, Beatrice begins to outline a plan.
A hallway ahead and a rockslide down, two earth elementals are continuing an old argument. "I''m just saying, it feels like you''re not stepping up to do your part." A gruff tone makes its way from one of the pair, accompanied by sloshing sounds from the watery passenger he carries in the open portion of his stony back, jostled as he shifts in place.
An unimpressed woman''s tone answers him from the other rocky figure, nearly identically shaped save for the lack of an add-on compartment. Arms crossed, she almost seems to mock her partner. "I am doing my part. You''re the one who''s trying to decide that the part you volunteered for is also my part."
"Well I didn''t know it was going to be permanent, now did I? I thought I''d only have to carry her for few minutes, not that she''d be literally moving in!"
The woman laughs. "C''mon, reforming a body is a major pain in the ass and you know it. I''m not doing all that just so you can saddle me with her, literally."
Another woman''s voice joins in, sourced from the headlike shape emerging from the watery pocket the first elemental carries. "I''m sorry, I''m not trying to be a burden, you know! There''s just, like, not any water down here for me to set up in! I bet if we explored some more, we could probably find some?"
Finally the fourth member voices his opinion, as the fire elemental leaning against the entrance to a nearby hall speaks up. "Wish we could, puddles, but the boss said this is where we need to set up a security post. I don''t know what he''d do if he found out we wandered off, but...hey. You hear something?"
The first earth elemental grumbles. "How can I hear anything with all this damned sloshing every time I turn around!" The other shushes him though, and this time only partially out of irritation.
"No, I feel some vibrations, I think - gah!" Before she can finish her thought, a quintet of arrows sink into the ground around her, all of them joined together by a thick net of spider webbing. "Some kinda...net? Ugh, what a joke!" She pulls at the webs, expecting the arrows to easily pry loose from the floor, but is surprised when they hold firm. Taking a closer look, the arrows seem to be made of a darkness that matches the shadows present all around the chamber, almost appearing to be stuck in the elemental''s own shadow more than they are the stone.
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The fire elemental begins to close the distance between them as she struggles. "Don''t worry, I''ll burn that shit off! You two, watch the - oh, now what?" As a loud rumbling sound begins to build up from above, vibrations shudder through the ground to such a level that even the nearly-immaterial fire elemental can sense them. Looking to his right, the torch has just enough time to spot a rolling boulder coming at him from the nearby hill of collapsed stone. "...Aw, crap."
As the man is knocked aside by several hundred pounds of rolled-up earth elemental, the passenger-vehicle pair are surprised by a small stone being tossed into the pocket containing the watery guard. The rockman holding her tries to turn his head around. "What was that? Did someone throw something into me?"
The woman in his back starts to panic. "Yeah, I''m not sure what, but it''s cold! Wait - agh!" In a sudden flash, half of the water elemental''s form crystallizes into solid ice, while a smaller portion of her still-liquid mass is ejected from her seat. Her ride doesn''t fare much better, as the sudden expansion sends cracks throughout his torso. As the water elemental tries to slip away, a mere fraction of her original size, a silvery knight emerges from the darkness to attack her friend. Although there''s a sword at her waist it remains sheathed, and shockingly, she moves in close to begin brawling with the man of stone instead. As the fight begins, it turns out to not be as suicidal as it first appeared: despite her armor she''s able to dodge most of the swings the elemental throws at her, while every blow she lands on his center of mass with her plate-covered fists expands the cracks even further.
Eventually a counterattack does land, though, and knocks the woman off her feet, rolling her across the floor. As the rocky combatant moves forward, aiming to stomp on her skull and end the match, the warrior sighs. "Guess I''m burning some more of the charge on these babies..." Rolling back a little further to place herself into a crouch, the warrior aims both her fists at her opponent moments before barely-visible blue-white waves of energy begin to shoot out, directly into the elemental''s chest. Every impact of the telekinetic waves hits as hard as her own fists did, and in an attempt to cover his cracking form, the elemental turns away to take the blows on his back. A fatal mistake, as it turns out. Having been weakened the most by the ice bomb, the blows first destroy the outer shell of his passenger seat, followed by the frozen crystals within, and finally the relatively unprotected skin covering his core. Almost without warning, a final blast penetrates just deeply enough, shattering the sphere at the center of the sentinel, and the former giant soon collapses into gravel and dust.
The fire elemental barely lasted any longer, the rolling-boulder-turned-woman apparently knowing exactly how to pin down and destroy a burning elemental''s core, and the cavern enters a new level of darkness as the flames go out. Despite that, the second earth elemental shouts with some success as she finally frees herself from her webby prison, though those cries soon take a different turn. "Alright, now you done it! Fuckin'' light, as soon as I can find one of you, I''m smashing you to bits! ...Pfft, is one of you trying to stab me? Blades can''t do shit to rock, idiot, I''ll get - agh! Did that actually cut - fuck!" Her shouts turn to wordless expressions of rage and pain, broken by the sound of metal scraping against stone, until finally the silence is broken only by the sound of another rocky form crumbling to pieces. As the cavern grows quiet, magical lights re-illuminate the chamber, summoned by a drider at the top of the nearby rockslide. Standing where the earth elemental once stood is now only a woman garbed only in black, wielding two short daggers, glinting in the blue light.
Beatrice laughs out loud as she climbs back to her feet. "Wow, Taly, you actually did it? I was sure you were joking when you said you could cut through granite with those little things."
The rogue in question scoffs as she sheaths her weapons. "And you let me try it anyways? I had to wait for the right moment, is all. The darker it is, the deadlier my weapons get, and you don''t get much darker than the inside of a mountain with no lights for miles around. Though we didn''t get all of them - Roxxy, watch your feet."
"What? Oh!" Roxxy half-jumps in surprise as she realizes a water elemental was attempting to hide behind her leg. It almost pulled it off, given that despite the fact that it has the proportions of an adult woman, the elemental is currently no more than a foot and a half tall. "I can handle this one!"
"Wait!" Beatrice raises a hand, rushing over. "Time for Plan B. You there, squirt - you surrender?"
The elemental looks around, counting the remains of her three fellow guards, and the five adventurers now closing in on her from all sides. "Um...yes?"
Taly leans down to look at her a little closer to eye-level, pulling back her hood and giving the toddler-sized elemental a bright grin. "Good to hear! So, first off - we''re looking for a demon named Sincere. Can you point us to him?"
The watery figure turns to point down the hallway the group had been guarding. "That way, maybe an hour or so walk! Uh, there''s some turns and stuff, but no branches or anything, he posted us here cause cause this chamber''s the first one in this direction with multiple ways in and out."
Taly continues. "Cool! Good start! Next: what''s he ordering you guys to do? Other than guarding places, that is?"
Her interrogator''s roguish grin aside, the elemental still seems rather nervous as the rest of the group gathers around her. "Well, uh, he told some groups to go and patrol for ''pests'' and stuff! I think he was worried about, like, wildlife or something, but I don''t think anyone''s actually seen anything yet!"
Beatrice frowns. "He didn''t say anything about attacking random adventurers or other people?"
The elemental needs to consider the question for a bit. "...I dunno. Are adventurers pests?"
Sely chuckles. "Sometimes, heheh. So, could be he didn''t actually mean to tell the flamebrains to try and cook us, but not entirely sure I''m gonna give him the benefit of the doubt. So what''s he up to down there, that he''s got you all setting up security for?"
The liquid woman spreads her arms wide. "He''s doing something with a big magic core! And making elemental cores from it! I don''t really know more than that, though."
Grizza finally speaks up, this having caught his attention. "Making elemental cores? Including water cores, even though there''s no water source present? I wasn''t entirely sure even a dungeon could do that, but seems I was mistaken. I wonder if that''s just a side effect of something he found here, or his primary purpose..."
Beatrice pulls out a large helmet from one of her Item Boxes, and flips it upside-down before presenting it to the elemental. "Closest thing I''ve got to a bucket, if you need something to get around in. You promise not to start any trouble if we take you with us?" The elemental nods eagerly, and Beatrice continues. "Good to hear it. Alright, folks - rest and eat up, cause tonight, we''re catching ourselves a demon."
Chapter 54: Legacy of the Eternal Forest
Up in Worthy Dungeon, events had reached a new peak level of boredom. No one had visited since the ''nudists'', which wasn''t particularly surprising given that another missing party would always be likely to scare off the rest of the Initiates for a little while longer. Xenia wasn''t interested in working on a new fourth floor yet either, both because she wanted to know more first about what was going on down in her basement, plus the fact that no one had even attempted her third floor yet other than Beatrice. While she could have gone back and made her existing floors more deadly, she was a little worried about over-tuning things, and besides, if anything her fatality rate was probably already on the high side as it was. Therefore, she''d simply been spending her mana allowance for the past few days building up her stockpile of enchanted loot items.
As for Lollyp, her planned side-hobby of working on alchemy had ultimately turned into something of a bust. There simply weren''t enough materials to work with, the handful of reagents she could make from bone, fur, or chemicals didn''t even really match up to the default options already available in the dungeon''s potion and poison schemas. It wasn''t something to write off forever, but it would probably require higher-level adventurers to bring in odder materials to amount to anything. So in the absence of other activities to engage in, the pair had been doing their favorite pastime instead - which is to say, each other.
After one particularly ''juicy'' round, Lollyp rolls her way off of Xenia''s back and collapses onto the bed beside her, body jiggling with the motion as she settles. "Woof. I gotta say, you''re way more fun than the master of the last dungeon I lived in. Granted, I might just be saying that because you let me be on top more often, but still." Groaning, Xenia gives Lollyp an odd look as she tenderly rolls herself over.
"Wait, hold up. You slept with the master of your old dungeon too? I don''t remember you ever mentioning that before!"
Lollyp raises a finger to her lips. "Didn''t I? ...Huh, I guess not. It wasn''t anything as personal as like we are, though, I''m pretty sure ol'' Ullussus didn''t even know my name. Just, y''know, the occasional slime orgy to blow off steam."
Xenia''s face goes through waves of emotions as she begins to imagine the scene, stops herself, then does it again. "But wait, you weren''t a dungeon monster back then!"
Lollyp nods. "Yeah, Ullussus unlocked the proper avatar spell, not just the rune orb version. It had its limitations, I''m not sure what, but he usually spent time ''getting to know the troops'' at least once or twice a week with it, hehe. Think I managed to get some, um...three times? Which isn''t really a lot considering how long I lived there, there was a lot of competition."
Xenia snorts. "That popular a guy, huh? What''s - what was the name? Ullussus? What was he like?"
Rolling back and staring at the ceiling, Lollyp recollects. "Well, physically, he was a draconic, not a human. Big too, and I''m not just talking about the height. Like, I think he maybe got a little too used to being with slimes, cause I''m pretty sure he''d seriously hurt anyone else with that thing. Well, maybe not some of the succubi. Or a dwarf, if we ever got any down there."
Laughing, the dungeon master at Lollyp''s side attempts to shush her with one hand. "Haha, I don''t need to know that much! I mean like, y''know, professionally! As a dungeon master!"
"Oh, that. Well, his themes were chemicals, poisons, and heat, which all worked pretty well with being host to a legion of slimes and all that. He was pretty traditional though, I''d say. Like, aside from the space set aside for the Dragonlord''s forces, it was mostly just a lot of acid traps, the occasional monster, mostly reptilians I think, then a big boss arena with something giant-sized. His floors almost all had the same layout, just with the specific traps and monsters tiered up a bit as you went down."
"Huh. Guess I could see that happening eventually, but I''d like to do something unique with each floor. Still no idea what to put on the list next, though. Even with crossbreeding I''m not sure I can get enough mileage out of rabbits for an entire floor, y''know?"
"Mmm." Lollyp lies back, thinking for a few minutes before she breaks the silence again. "Hey Xe...tell me a story."
"Pfft. What is this, naptime?"
Lollyp rolls back onto her side to look Xenia in the eyes. "I mean like, of one of your past lives. I still don''t know hardly anything about any of them!"
Xenia looks away, needing a moment to think about it. "Well...alright. How about my run as the Guardian of the Eternal Forest? It was my longest run of them all, yet ironically enough the shortest story to tell, cause almost nothing happened in it."
"Oh? How did that happen?"
"Well, easy - I was a tree. Or a...tree lady, or something. I don''t know if I''d classify as a dryad, or a nymph, or an ent or whatever else, cause really I was pretty unique. As a matter of fact, I''m pretty sure I was the only sapient person on the whole dang continent. Maybe the planet, for all I knew."
Lollyp''s brow furrows. "How did you end up with a whole planet to yourself?"
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"Divine conscription. As far as I can tell, it was the personal garden of some goddess - I don''t know the name, she never told me, or even really talked to me directly. I was assigned to be uh, basically top gardener of the place. There were plenty of other servants of various types, none of em really people-level, but I could order them around. The only really exciting bits were when the Pestilence came around." Seeing Lollyp''s interest, the storyteller continues without waiting for a question. "They were these weird corrupted bug things, a lot of slugs, some other giant insects and stuff, would drip this gooey black stuff everywhere they went. I think they hibernated in swamps or something, but every twenty years or so a wave would pop up and I''d need to rally the troops to smash em all. My theory was that it was some sort of prank from an opposing god, they usually like doing petty shit like that, but not like anyone ever bothered to tell me. ...Pretty boring the rest of the time, though."
"Huh, weird. So how''d you go, then? Pests get you?"
Xenia shakes her head. "Astronomical bad luck. A meteor shower came down almost right on top of my home grove, a big one. Ended up getting caught in the forest fire it caused. Almost certain I was over a hundred at the time, but I didn''t exactly have a calendar."
Lollyp sits and imagines being a tree for a minute or two. "...It must have been a pretty lonely life."
"...I''ve had better, but I''ve had a lot worse, too. Job came with some neat perks, though. Not dungeon mastering, but I could do stuff like make trees grow from nothing just by singing."
The slime''s eyes go wide. "Really!? You sing? I wanna hear it!"
Xenia laughs. "Never had to do it for an audience, thankfully. ...I did pick up that ''amateur''-level singing skill here from someone the other day, though honestly I''d hope I''d be at least that good without it anyhow. Kinda funny now that I think about it, though. I didn''t have to learn the spellsongs exactly, they just sort of got burned into my brain as I grew up, and...wow, they''re all really still there. I probably haven''t sung any of em for a century, but it''s like I just used em yesterday."
Lollyp sits up in the bed and claps her hands a few times. "Well then!? Sing! Sing! Show off those pipes!"
"Haha, alright, alright...don''t get too excited though, I''m pretty sure it''s in some sort of weird divine language or something. Alright...here we go." Sitting up herself, Xenia takes a deep breath and begins to sing in a language Lollyp''s never heard before.
"Hail, er lon dwin stah
Emmit er bloom atime lon eivn riveksz
Si delt ven ban nevt vensh hanch hase af aifern
Oen hase lon dawnri vi lon bryp vi vensh lyiksz..."
Xenia pauses there, not because the song was over, but because something strange was clearly beginning to happen around her by the third line. Her voice had taken on a noticeably deeper timbre, and as Lollyp looks on with a slightly concerned look, Xenia realizes something else. "...Oh, man. That song was actually doing something to the dungeon mana. Like...I can normally feel it move through me when I cast a construction spell, or empower a loot item, but that wasn''t moving through me. It was moving around me, somehow..."
An excited look grows on Lollyp''s face. "Well, don''t stop now! Do the whole thing! See what happens!"
"Heh...I don''t see how that attitude ever led to anything bad. Alright, from the top." Taking another deep breath, she starts again.
"Hail, er lon dwin stah
Emmit er bloom atime lon eivn riveksz
Si delt ven ban nevt vensh hanch hase af aifern
Oen hase lon dawnri vi lon bryp vi vensh lyiksz.
Freysk fayp, er lon domie
Zayfv, er lon resh
Karg, er lon eveyr
Ta ferm, ailn yover vensh adar bresh."
By time she got into the second verse, something magical was clearly happening. A green glow began to emit from the dungeon master''s eyes, and a soft, warm wind somehow managed to pick up within the dungeon chamber. When she finished, the room was still again for a moment - a very brief moment. Then suddenly, with a crack of stone, the floor in the center of the room broke near Xenia''s core pedestal, allowing room for a birch tree to emerge. It was a good nine feet tall when it finished growing, its branches not quite reaching to the ceiling, but every branch was covered in leaves as if spring had just arrived. From the bed, Xenia and Lollyp gawp.
"You...you just grew a tree in your bedroom, Xe."
As she recovers, Xenia starts to swear. "Are you fucking kidding me? I could have still been doing that all this time!? Why didn''t I ever try singing - wait, now what!?" As the pair watch, the tree suddenly dissolves away, followed shortly after by the floor repairing itself, as if the leafy arrival had never been. "...Well, that was maybe a little anticlimactic, then."
Before Lollyp can respond, Guy makes their way in from the front door. "Ma''am, ma''am - oh, apologies! I''ll ah, give you two a moment to get decent, shall I?"
Xenia shakes her head and waves them in. "Get over it, odds are you''re gonna be seeing plenty more where this came from eventually. Something happen on your end, Guy?"
"Well, I''m not entirely sure. It would seem we were just intruded by a...tree?"
"Yeah, sort of - wait, how''d you know about it?"
Guy pops up a new screen. "Well, take a look!"
|
------------------------
INTRUSION SCORE:
NEW RESOURCE PATTERNS GATHERED:
TREES, TEMPERATE DECIDUOUS (LOW QUALITY)
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MANA ACQUIRED: 2, CURRENT AMOUNT: 73/77
------------------------
|
The women stare at it for a bit, with Lollyp speaking up first. "Xenia...did you just spend dungeon mana to unlock a brand new resource, and then get some of that mana back, even?"
Xenia slowly nods. "That...would be what it looks like, Lolly Pop."
"...How many more of those spellsongs do you know, Xe?"
Xenia turns to her companion with a grin. "Hundreds."
Chapter 55: Sparking a Fight
Team Demon Hunters had followed the trail to their quarry, and fittingly enough found him inside of what was probably once a boss''s arena. Unfortunately, the state of the dungeon had actually made it somewhat more difficult to quietly assault - whatever doors had once secured the arena had long since vanished, meaning it was impossible to closely approach the chamber without giving themselves away. Instead, as soon as they had seen signs of light and their captive water elemental ''Slooshy'' had confirmed it was their destination, they had once again hung back and let Taly do her roguish duties.
Huddling at the next hallway intersection back, the group alerts when the woman-sized shadow again returns. After resting her prisoner''s bucket on the floor, Beatrice turns to debrief the scout. "So, what we got? Demon, I hope."
Taly nods. "Yup. He''s got some sort of whole camp set up, he must have been carrying an assload of bottomless bags when he came down here. He''s also working on...something in the middle of the chamber, I''m not sure what, but it''s not a dungeon core. It looked like a big ball of blue light, bigger than a core, and not exactly solid either."
Sely leans down to question the prisoner. "So what''s he working on there, squirt?"
The elemental lifts a pair of shoulders out of the upside-down helmet to shrug with. "Um, magic stuff?"
Beatrice grunts. "Definitely gonna need to try for live capture, to be sure we can ask some questions about all this afterwards. Anything else?"
This time, the rogue frowns. "Yeah, some more elementals...and this time, they''re lightning. Three of em. Think I saw a few more cores on a table, too."
Speaking up, Grizza offers some hopeful advice. "Well, those at least shouldn''t be a concern. It takes full concentration to awaken an elemental core, so it''s not really something to do in the middle of a fight."
The leader nods, and considers their options. "Lightning...shit. My armor can probably handle a jolt or two, but I don''t think I really have any special tricks for taking those out. Only thing I can think of is how Roxxy''s been handling the fires - just get in there and smash em before they can hurt us too much. Or, well, maybe we won''t have to worry about that? Might be worth trying to talk first this time, just in case it was all just a question of bad wording with his orders to his patrols." She thinks for a moment, then gets to the specific orders. "Okay, here''s the plan. Roxxy and I go in, show of strength, but try and see if we can talk things out peacefully. The rest of you follow up behind in one of Taly''s shadow cloaks - if shit goes bad, Roxxy and I handle the elementals, you three try and pin down the demon - but alive, got it? Slooshy, you stay put here and don''t say a word. If you make trouble, we''ll be using you for bathwater, got it?"
The elemental makes an ''eep'' sound and nods eagerly. As the rest of the group agrees, Beatrice leads Roxxy out towards the arena while Taly re-establishes her cloak. Given Roxxy''s extremely unstealthy footsteps the group ahead notices their arrival before they even enter the room, and the trio of elemental guards move to block the way. Even more so than the immaterial fire elementals, the lightning elementals rarely seem to have a humanoid form at all - most of the time they seem to exist only as a larger ball of energy centered around their hovering cores, with only brief flashes of lightning bolts outlining the form of a limb or head. Noticing the movement, Sincere himself steps towards the center of the room and Beatrice spies something Taly failed to either notice or mention: the demon is entirely naked. With his red skin illuminated by the blue light in the center of the chamber and the occasional yellow flashes from the guards, everything is on display - his thin tail, notable wings, slight horns, and a final appendage which is frankly perhaps even more impressive than the rest.
Beatrice freezes in her tracks, muttering under her breath. "...Holy shit, that man is armed and dangerous."
Roxxy looks at her in confusion. "Huh? He looks unarmed to me!"
Before Beatrice can answer, the owner of said weapon calls out to them. "Who''s there? Present yourselves properly, now, if you don''t want to become target practice."
Collecting herself, Beatrice finishes passing through the chamber entrance. "Lady Beatrice, and my companion Roxxy. I assume you''re the one who goes by ''Sincere'', yes?"
The demon nods, clearly surprised. "I am. Don''t tell me the Challengers actually organized a rescue operation on my behalf? It''s entirely unwarranted, I assure you."
"That wasn''t exactly our concern, no." Beatrice points towards the sphere in the center of the room. "Mind telling us what you''re doing down here?"
Seeing the focus of her interest, the demon''s expression now turns to one of scorn. "Oh, so that''s what this is all about, then. More mercenaries, sent by someone who thinks they understand my research? Well, I''m afraid that once again, your paymasters have wasted their coin. Guards? Kill them."
Disappointed but not surprised to see that ''negotiations'' have collapsed so quickly, the pair immediately rush towards the elemental trio. No signal is required for the rest of the team, as the others await only for the guards to be fully occupied before revealing themselves. Roxxy takes the vanguard - as the party member most resistant to lightning attacks, she moves to try and hold the focus of two of the sparking sentinels while Beatrice goes for the third. As jolts of lightning are traded with swinging sword and fists, their supporting cloud of darkness pushes its way into the arena after them.
Half a dozen shadow-aspected arrows fly towards non-vital parts of the demon, escorted by a pair of magical Light Bolts, but all are deflected or absorbed by the barrier spell that appears around their target before they can land. Scoffing, Sincere turns his attention towards the backup group. "Light Bolts? Seriously, Light Bolts? I feel as if I should be offended. Surely I deserve higher-class assassins than that!" Seeing that the direct approach is failing, Taly decides to shift to blinding the spellcaster first, summoning a cloud of darkness around him. Which works...briefly. Within seconds the cloud vanishes, shrinking away in a reversal of how it had grown around him, having accomplished little more than allowing Sely to get a little bit closer with her mace at the ready. Sincere nearly seems to ignore the cleric though, mostly keeping his focus on her sister as he smirks. "You must be a Midnight Shadow, yes? An invocation-heavy focus for a Rogue-derived skillset, impressive. But far out of your element here, skulker." With a wave of his hand, Sely goes into reverse almost in the same fashion the cloak of darkness had, running backwards until she''s back at the entrance to the chamber.
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The heavy hitters were having slightly more luck, but only slightly. Roxxy had repeated her now-tested strategy of using overhead swings to smash the elemental cores into the ground, successfully shattering one of them. The others learned from their fellow''s mistake however, and soon swapped to keeping their distance, focusing on engaging the pair at range using lightning bolts. Beatrice managed to shelter behind her shield for the first few shots, but before long she found herself sheltering behind the better-grounded earth elemental for cover instead. "Gah! Shit! Think my left arm''s growing a little numb...how''re you holding up, Roxxy?"
Two more bolts hit her before she can answer. "Nng! It - it tickles, mostly, except it''s hard for me to move after I get hit! And then they hit me some more!"
"Hmm...okay, I got an idea, just cover me as best as you can for a little longer, okay?" Thinking about the prisoner they had left behind in the hallway, Beatrice pulls out yet another spare helmet from her Item Boxes, along with a number of waterskins. Fortunately their search was a little ahead of schedule so she could afford to use up a few of their supplies for this long-shot maneuver, but the monster hunter is mostly just wildly hoping at the moment that this will pan out. Pouring out the water into the improvised bucket, Beatrice sheathes her sword and takes it in hand. "Okay! I''m gonna try and go for the one on the left, if this works, smash them as soon as you can, got it?"
Roxxy nods, and with that Beatrice dashes out, helmet in hand. Dodging lightning bolts was exactly as hard as she expected it would be and the warrior takes a hit before getting far, but her enchanted armor allows her to mostly shrug off at least the one shot. Swinging her arms forward, the bucket releases its watery payload onto one of her elemental opponents, and fortunately has more-or-less the response Beatrice was hoping for. Sizzling, the lightning elemental finds itself unable to fire off more bolts for a short time, or even to move very well, its immaterial legs almost being pulled back towards the puddle at its feet as it tries to move away. It''s a short-lived effect, but with Roxxy having conserved her strength for this moment, she''s able to charge ahead and catch the floating core before it escapes, crushing it in one hand.
The trio facing Sincere meanwhile find nothing but reversals and frustration for their efforts. Every ranged attack they make is either entirely ignored or easily blocked by the demon''s barrier, and every time one of the group tries to move into melee range, a moment later they find themselves exactly back where they started. Taly growls. "Is this...time magic? Shit, that''s gotta be at least a Master-level spell, right?"
Sincere chuckles. "And this is why you always do your research first, children. Hmm, but speaking of children, it appears as if I''m losing some of mine. Forgive me, but I''ll need a moment to acquire a few more. Please hold, and I''ll see to your slaying shortly." With a larger burst of power the arcane demon reverts all three of his opponents back to the chamber''s doorway, then summons a barrier to keep them outside. Seeing that Beatrice and Roxxy are still distracted, having trouble repeating their water-fight technique with the final lightning elemental, Sincere makes his way to the sphere at the center of the room.
Working quickly, Grizza does his best to analyze the barrier trapping them outside of the fight. "Gods, this barrier must be twenty feet wide! The good news is, that means it''s weaker, the bad news is, I''m not sure it''s weak enough for us to break through in time for whatever he has planned." Watching Sincere, the drider takes notice as a flow of mana begins to emerge from the central light, making its way to the spare elemental cores placed on a nearby table. "Shit, he''s going to be able to awaken the others! Beatrice! You need to interrupt the awakening ritual!"
Catching up on the events occurring on the other side of the room, Beatrice makes a few quick calculations. "Shit, shit. Okay...this is going to hurt, but I think I got something. Roxxy, on my signal, throw me at that electric bastard, okay?" Again sheathing her sword, Beatrice this time pulls a different weapon from her Item Box storage - a warpick, pointed on one end and hammer-shaped on the other. Grasping it firmly in hand, she takes a deep breath. "...Okay, go for it!"
Turning around and picking up the warrior in both hands, Roxxy waits for another bolt to splash mostly-harmlessly off her back before swinging back around and launching the slayer through the air. Unable to charge a second shot in time, the elemental fails to react before Beatrice is on it, smashing the core with the flat end of her new weapon of choice. While it cracks the core, the damage is only a secondary objective. More importantly the core, and its attached elemental, gets launched through the air - up until it passes through the glowing sphere Sincere is currently drawing his mana from.
The effects are immediate - the core becomes stuck in the mass of magical energy as if it had landed in solid muck, and the elemental''s electrical energies begin to drain away along with the raw mana Sincere was directing into his spare cores. Which would be bad enough to start with - except as it happens, the unused cores were of the water elemental variety. The conflicting elemental energies quickly destabilize and Sincere''s eyes go wide. "What! Do you know what you just - I have to - " Presumably about to attempt another time reversal trick, on this occasion the demon is too slow. With a bright flash the blue sphere detonates in a blast of magical energy, destroying the elemental trapped within and plunging the chamber into darkness, save for a handful of torches scattered around the walls. Sincere himself is knocked back, landing a good ten feet away and with the wind knocked out of him, though with no apparent wounds on his body.
Before he can even begin to think of climbing to his feet, the demon soon finds a rogue''s dagger pressed against his neck. Taly looks down on the man, her grin once again returned. "Think you can cast a spell faster than I can cut an artery, troublemaker?"
Sincere almost seems to be considering it, but eventually sighs and lets his body relax back on the floor. "So this is how it ends, does it? I was so close...so close! And to think now I''ll just become another part of these ruins..."
Groaning, Beatrice dusts off her armor as she makes her way over. "Stop being so dramatic. We''ve just got a few questions, okay? I mean, I won''t entirely rule out stabbing you if your answers are bad enough, but honestly I''d say your odds are still pretty good, considering all the trouble you''ve put us through."
Sincere scoffs. "Will you at least tell me which third-rate mage is trying to steal my research this time? I ought to at least know what intelligence level I''m dealing with."
Taly rolls her eyes. "We''re not working for any mage, idiot. We took this job from the dungeon! Y''know, the one upstairs?"
This, Sincere was clearly not expecting. "The...the dungeon? Explain your meaning."
Beatrice leans in. "Meaning the master of Worthy Dungeon knows how to play nice when needed, and when to play hard. She - they want to know if you''re a hazard to the folks around here, and they don''t mind hiring in experts to see just what in the hells you''re up to down here."
The prisoner doesn''t respond at first, and when he does begin to speak, it''s more of a mumble to himself. "...already making outside dealings? Intelligent enough to hire mercenaries, at barely over a month old? Unprecedented..." Refocusing on Beatrice, his tone again grows strong and defiant. "I may be willing to answer questions - but only if I''m allowed to speak to the spirit of the dungeon myself!"
Beatrice sighs. "Fine, was planning to take you back upstairs anyways. Although, I''ve got one question I''ve definitely got to ask right now."
She takes a moment to look the man up and down before continuing. "Where in the hells are your pants!?"
Chapter 56: Arcane Nature
Sincere scoffs at Beatrice''s question, even as she helps him back to his feet. "Now what? Were you also hired to pursue me for crimes against fashion?"
Sely tries to contain a laugh, and fails. "I think calling it ''fashion'' requires at least an attempt, bucko. Seriously, even incubi wear something."
The demon attempts to look unaffected by the laughter. "It''s simply unimportant. There''s not exactly a lot of inclement weather down here to be concerned about, and it''s not as if elementals have any complaints about what I wear. But certainly, if you insist, I will find something to put on for our return journey."
Beatrice puts a hand on his chest before he can make a move towards his camp. "Hold on, there, we''ll find something for you. Sely, find the man some pants, will you? In the meanwhile, what''s the rest of all this you''ve got set up here? What were you trying to do, anyways?"
Sincere crosses his arms, putting on a show of stonewalling the questioning. "I said I would be willing to talk to your ''employer'', not answer the questions of hirelings." From his confident, if not arrogant attitude, it seems clear he wasn''t lying about finding clothing unimportant at least. Despite standing in the center of the group completely bare to the world, the demon still manages to give the impression that the adventuring party is more than a little beneath him.
"You''ll get your chat, but I''m not letting you anywhere near her, or packing up any of this shit until I know it''s not a threat. So you can either answer at least a few of our questions now, or we smash all this and see if you can manage a multi-day hike while trussed up."
Sighing, Sincere gives in, at least somewhat. "Nothing I have here is of any danger to you. I carry no weapons, as you may have noticed earlier, and the remaining elemental cores are now yours to do with as you will. With the floor core now destroyed, there''s nothing else of value here save my books and other research materials."
Beatrice looks around, but the rather sparse camp supplies seem to confirm the claim. "Floor core, huh? You''ll have to explain that one. Hrm, though lemme check something real quick." Raising her left hand, the warrior triggers her Item Box and fills her empty palm with a small sundial. Despite being an unknown distance beneath the surface, light and shadow play across the surface as if it were still within the dying rays of the setting sun. "Hmm, getting pretty late in the day, suppose we may as well make camp here. Which means you get to tell me all of your stories while my team secures the place. So, next question: do we need to worry about any more elemental patrols coming back here and messing with us?"
Sincere shakes his head. "As elementals don''t require food, I simply told them their orders and to come back in a week with their findings, unless they came across something urgent. I set up three defensive chokepoints, and three wandering patrols, though I don''t know how many of those might remain given your presence here. There''d be about, oh, four days now before I''d expect them back."
The warrior sighs. "Well, we''re not going to go wandering around in here for a couple more days trying to track them all down. Guess we can leave them a note or something, let em decide to stay down here or come find us, if they want to be friendly. Taly, you help your sis with securing this guy''s shit, make sure there aren''t any surprises, Roxxy, get Slooshy down here and see if the two of you can start setting up our own camp. Grizza, you stick by me, I''m going to need a magical advisor with this one, I think."
As Grizza steps forward, Sincere eyes him and snorts. "You were the one flinging those Light Bolts, weren''t you? Do you even have Advanced training yet?"
Standing up straight, the drider does his best to seem unbothered by the comment. "I have not, but I am curious to learn more about what your goal was. For example, floor cores - we know this is a lost dungeon, yes, but dungeon floors don''t have individual cores. What was that thing you were studying?"
"Ha!" The demon rolls his golden eyes. "Of course dungeon floors have their own cores! They simply reside on the metaphysical plane, is all! Certainly, it''s not easy to coax one into showing any of itself on the material plane, and it was even harder finding one down here still in good enough condition to be of any use at all. So much wasted effort..."
Glad at least that he can apparently use his own ignorance to provoke Sincere into answering, Grizza continues. "And the elementals? Did you bring those all down here just to use the floor core to charge them up?"
"What a waste of effort that would have been. No, the elemental cores are one of the unique features of this dead dungeon. The only dungeon that could spawn fully-sapient elementals, rather than just nature sprites. That alone would be worth my attention, for you see, this former dungeon is where elementals were invented."
At that, Roxxy looks up from where she was setting up some tents a short distance away. "What? How do you invent a species?"
Grizza has his own followup. "That''s nonsense. Elementals are found all over the world, at least as far as I know. Elemental cores are naturally-occurring."
Sincere grins, showing bright, slightly-pointy teeth. "They''re naturally-occurring now. But only after the gods were so impressed by their design that they took the idea and scattered them across the realm. As for the first question, how do you invent a species, that''s one of the questions I came here to find the answer to myself. It took time and effort, I know that, but the details are still unknown to me."
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Beatrice speaks up, asking her own question. "You said that was one of the unique features of this place. What were the others?"
This time, the demon doesn''t seem so forthcoming. "For the rest of my secrets, I''ll have to hold on to those until I speak to your employer. I need to ensure I retain at least some value alive, after all."
"Ugh, fine. I have a feeling most of this would be over my head anyways. One last question for now, though. You understand if you try to escape, or fuck with us, we''re not taking prisoners the second time?"
Sincere grimaces a little, but nods. "To be expected."
Beatrice nods. "Good. I''ll refrain from tying you up then, given that we''ve got a long few days ahead of us, but make sure you stay on your best behavior. Alright folks, let''s set some shifts and get some rest - tomorrow we''re heading home!"
Once the camp was fully established and secured, Beatrice took it upon herself to volunteer for the bulk of ''watching the prisoner'' duty. Despite a general feeling of caution around the camp she approached the task in a casual manner, simply sitting nearby at the campfire, keeping one eye on the demon while snacking from a bag of nuts and berries she''d packed. As for Slooshy, the water elemental had proven to be more or less harmless to the group in both intentions and capability, so she''d been left in Roxxy''s care for the time being. As Beatrice pops another nut into her mouth though, she notices that Sincere is keeping an eye on her as much as she''s watching him.
"You''re really paranoid, aren''t you?"
Sincere snorts. "As they say, it''s not paranoia if they really are out to get you. I''ve been accosted by mercenaries, ones specifically hired to assault me, mind you, at least three times in the past decade alone."
The warrior grins. "Well, as a friend of mine once told me, if you run into one asshole, you ran into an asshole, but if you run into assholes all day, you''re the asshole. I don''t suppose you''ve done something to deserve all that attention?"
"Greed and jealousy, some of the most common mortal sins. ...Granted, there may have been perhaps some minor trespassing and theft involved for at least one of those cases, but that was a mere trifling offense."
"I''ve noticed this before, but you seem to have a real ego about you. Seriously, what makes you so important?"
Sincere studies Beatrice for a while, looking her up and down, before sighing. "As you might know, arcane demons are typically known for our esoteric knowledge of the world, and the mysteries it contains. I, however, am not typical. I was not born here - I was summoned. One of the few remaining ''original'' demons from the Age of Warlocks. The knowledge I''ve collected over the years is, if I can be so humble to say, extensive."
Beatrice whistles. "Whoo, so that makes you, uh...pretty old, right? When was that again?"
This time, Sincere studies Beatrice with a different look in his eye. "...You have the air of a world-traveled adventurer to you, but you don''t even know that much about our history?"
Beatrice sighs, falling into her usual excuse. "No, it''s just that I''m from pretty far afield of here, so - " She stops as she notices a green glow to Sincere''s eyes, and quickly pulls a knife from her Item Box. "Stop what you''re doing, unless you want this thing sticking out of your glowy peepers there."
Sincere blinks, and the glow fades. "Apologies, just confirming a theory. You weren''t born here either, I see."
"...It''s that obvious?" Though still a little uncertain, Beatrice stashes the knife away once again.
The demon gives a half smile. "To me, very, but few practice my particular branch of mysticism. And don''t worry, your secret is safe with me - I am a master of secrets, after all. Not to mention finding that out was a delightful little snack, so I owe you that much." He gives Beatrice a third looking-over, this time with yet another attitude on his face - one of appreciation. "As a matter of fact, allow me to formally apologize. Both for putting you through all this trouble, with the journey and the elementals, but primarily for my assumption that you were simply a common sellsword. I can see now that you are quite a deal more than that."
The warrior scoffs, trying to brush away the flattery. "Yeah, I''m a sellsword with a king''s ransom in magical gear. It''s probably putting sparkles in your magic eyes."
Sincere shakes his head. "Not at all. In case you''re unaware, arcane demons feed from the spiritual energy of knowledge being discovered, and secrets revealed. And you, my dear, look delectable. A visitor from a world unknown? A single story from you would make my week, at the least. I would give a great deal to know you better, in whatever manner you might allow."
Beatrice rolls her eyes, again trying to look unimpressed. "Pfft, what is this? I thought it was the incubi demons who were supposed to be the seductive ones."
At that, Sincere laughs out loud. "I wasn''t necessarily intending to be seductive, but I wouldn''t be opposed, either. You know, society misunderstands and misrepresents the effects of our spiritual diets in a number of ways. People often assume that succubi and incubi are always on the prowl for new conquests, but all they truly require is pleasure, which they can find much more easily from a devoted, monogamous partner. If they were more familiar with my sort, they''d understand that it''s we arcane demons who are more driven to become, shall we say...widely experienced, and inventive in our forms of lovemaking. It''s learning the ins and outs of a new companion and their interests that feeds us, after all."
Slowly chewing on another berry, Beatrice gives the demon a new look of her own. "You really are trying to put the moves on me, now? After we came in here and wrecked your shit? Hells, I''ve even got the helmet off now, most men I''ve met change their mind the instant they see my face."
"It''s their loss, if so. And as I said, I can see now the fault was my own. So...why not allow me to begin to make matters up to you, in whatever manner you feel is best?"
The Dragon Slayer takes a moment to consider. Despite her heroic reputation back home, she hadn''t been lying about how most men react to the scars she wears with pride, and given that she''s no longer the youthful girl she once was...well, she''d spent more than her share of nights alone these past few years. And she had already seen everything the demon had to offer, at least in physical terms, and it wasn''t exactly anything to laugh at. Thinking further, she recalls there was a small side-chamber down the hallway not far from here...
Mind made up, she climbs to her feet and makes her voice heard across the room. "Roxxy, Slooshy, keep an eye on things down at the last junction, yeah? Sely...feel free to do some more of your training tonight, if you want. The demon here and I are going to be stepping out for some...private interrogations. If there''s no complaints?"
The sisters both grin, and though Grizza tries to remain stonefaced, it''s hard not to notice the sudden look of anticipation that crosses his face. For his part, Sincere looks up with a smirk. "Oh, my. Well, it seems I am at your mercy, oh captor of mine."
Beatrice tries not to blush as Taly gives her a knowing look. "You got that right. Now let''s see what it takes to make a demon squeal..."
Chapter 57: Demonic Temptations - Explicit
Beatrice led Sincere back to the small side chamber they''d passed earlier which had probably once been some sort of dungeon safe room, a place to rest and recover before facing the nearby boss arena. Now though, Beatrice has to sigh as she steps inside. It''s literally nothing more than a bare, barren space; no lights, no door, not even so much as a carving or mural on the walls. "I wish I could say I''ve managed in environments less romantic than this, but that would be a lie. Dead dungeons suck."
Sincere chuckles alongside her. "As much as I appreciate their research value, for these matters, I would have to agree. If you''d rather delay my ''interrogation'' until we''re in a more suitable location, I wouldn''t complain."
The warrior shakes her head, though. "Uh-huh. You ain''t winding me up and then backing out that easily. Besides, I''ve always got options." Pulling from her Item Boxes, Beatrice produces a set of spare bedrolls and blankets, and after placing them somewhat away from the doorway, next brings out a collection of glowing crystals. Orange and flickering, the light they produce is almost like that of torches, and as Beatrice scatters them around the chamber the room at least feels a little bit cozier. Looking the room over, she sets her hands on her hips and nods. "Well, that''s something, at least. I think I got some wine in there too, if you''re the sort to need a drink or two to get in the mood." She eyes the demon, somewhat cautiously. "...You uh, are in the mood, right? If this is all just because you feel like you gotta stay on my good side cause we captured you or whatever, I''m gonna feel like shit for dragging you out here. That''s not what I''m about."
Sincere smirks as he smoothly removes the loose linen shirt they made him put on earlier, the slits in the back making way for his wings. "I wish I were that good an actor. No, trust me, if I regret anything it''s that we met here and not somewhere more fitting for a woman of your quality. You can spare the wine - perhaps we can enjoy it later when we do find a place worthy of such pastimes."
Beatrice laughs, blushing only slightly. "Already assuming there''s going to be a second date? You really do have a healthy level of self-confidence going on there, demon." She takes a moment to walk around the man, admiring his chest and back muscles as she does so. Despite his apparent occupation as a magical researcher, he has a physique of someone who travels long distances by foot for a living, spending his nights in the wilds more often than in a warm bed. He''s lean, but well-toned, though notably also entirely hairless below the neck. "You were talking about novelty before, but you know, this is something new for me, too. Demon summonings were a thing on my world, but they were always more monstrous, more...animal. Even if they could speak, it wasn''t ever anything you could hold a real conversation with."
Sincere raises an eyebrow. "Is that so? There are perhaps a few demon breeds like that, but if it was a consistent matter on your world, then I assume you had your own planes of Hell to go along with it. I wonder what that says about their relationship to the mundane realms...but you''ll have to forgive me, I do tend to get lost on tangents easily. Back to the matter at hand...well, I''d be interested in seeing as much of you as you''re seeing of me, but I have to admit I''m not familiar with your armor design."
The warrior grins as she steps back in front of the man. "I don''t blame you for being intimidated, it''s a pain in the ass for me to put on and off too, and I practically live in the stuff. Fortunately, magic again saves the day." With a snap of her fingers, all of Beatrice''s heavy armor plating suddenly vanishes into an Item Box. Remaining are only her underclothes and a rather extensive collection of jewelry, the enchanted items providing the storage space she relies on so heavily. Almost every finger bears a ring, three different necklaces sit between her cleavage, and a loose chain belt wraps around her waist, dotted by large magical gems every few inches. The jewelry is only the second most notable thing that comes into view however, given how much of her skin is now exposed. Her lower garment barely qualifies as shorts, while her shirt leaves her muscled abs plain to see. And on almost every square inch of skin lies a scar.
Tracing up the right side of her body, starting on the outside of her thigh and going up to her shoulder and bicep, is a massive burn scar. An old one, by the looks of it, as parts of it have been re-scarred by later damage on top of that. All around her torso, legs, and arms, Sincere can spot claw marks, bite marks, the slashes of swords, the smaller penetrative marks of arrows and spears, and even a brand in the form of an unknown symbol on the left side of her stomach. As Sincere takes it in, Beatrice studies him in turn. "So...if you like stories, my body''s got an anthology of em. And I hate to admit it, but even a lot of the guys that don''t mind my face don''t get past this point. If it bothers you, it won''t hurt my feelings if you change your mind."
At that, the demon seems almost insulted. "I''d almost say I don''t believe you on that point, I certainly think most people would feel more than a little rejected if someone were that rude, but then you genuinely are proud of them, aren''t you? Having seen the equipment you possess, I have no doubt your home realm also possesses the magic that would be required to heal these marks, if that''s what you wanted. But if you want them to be seen, and I think you do, then I am more than happy to be the one to see them." Despite the expression, Sincere briefly closes his eyes and sucks in a deep breath, before slowly re-opening them. "...I''m the first one on this world to see you like this, aren''t I? I consider myself doubly lucky, then."
"Aw, charming, I think. But yeah, you''re right on both counts. Every single one of these was earned, by blood and sweat and tears...and lives. I know they make a lot of people uneasy, but I wouldn''t give them up for the world. Now, I''m not so prideful as to be stupid, mind you. I''ve had my eyes healed every time I''ve lost one, made sure my muscle and bones are in as good a shape as a lady can be at my age, anything I need to be at full effectiveness in a fight. But aesthetically? Yeah, I like how I look."
"And so do I. And now, if I might move on to that matter of redeeming myself to you..." Sincere steps forward, moving to place his hands on her hips, but Beatrice rests a strong hand on his shoulder before he gets too close.
"Now, now. You''re my captive, if you''ll recall. That means you move as I say so. Unless you disagree, you should get down on your knees, prisoner."
Trying not to smile too widely, Sincere agrees, kneeling down on the nearest bedroll. "As you command, my captor."
Although she leaves her various jewelry and accessories in place, Beatrice easily slides her undershorts to her feet before pulling her loose shirt off and tossing it aside. She paces slightly, back and forth in front of her ''prisoner'', and it''s not exactly subtle what she''s doing. As she moves and turns, the various lights around the still-dim chamber reflect off of her body in various ways, highlighting the muscles on her abs, her thighs, her ass. Her dark-haired mound shows off its trimmed form to Sincere for a brief moment before being turned away, only to be revealed again a moment or two later. While Beatrice makes a show of acting as if she''s trying to decide how to punish the man, the true show is in her physical form. Despite the scars, despite her faded youth, the warrior''s body is one that would make nearly anyone either jealous or lustful. Going by the tent erecting in Sincere''s pants, the demon is certainly at least one of those.
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Chuckling, Beatrice stands before the man and looks down at it. "Seems someone''s smuggling a weapon down there after all. Take off those pants, let''s see what we''re dealing with."
"But of course." Easily pulling off the clothing before returning to his previous kneeling position, Sincere''s manhood makes quite an impression. When Beatrice saw it earlier, it was from across a room and in a much more passive state. But now...the warrior bites her lip as she gives it a look. She''s more than a little relieved to find that it follows the human model, as she''d been a little concerned about the possibility of, say, spikes, but it is certainly more than the human standard. It was a good inch or two above average in length, but quite thick the entire way, and she''s briefly concerned about how long it''d been since she''d had anything similar to work with. But it wasn''t too much of a concern for the moment - she had something else in mind for starting off with.
"You know, I''ve been told demons don''t need as much to survive as most folks. Eat less, sleep less...and that you can even hold your breath for pretty impressive amounts of time. How about you demonstrate that for me?" Putting one hand on Sincere''s head, she steps forward and presses her hips towards him, nearly rubbing her pussy directly in his face, but leaving him just the slightest amount of movement that he would need to take on his own. Rather than answering with words, the demon does just that, leaning forward to press his lips against her almost in a kiss. He works his way around her from there, brushing her with his lips, licking at her groin and thighs, but still avoiding the parts most clearly aching for contact. Watching him, Beatrice does actually feel a brief moment of self-consciousness - after all, she''s been on the march for several days now, wearing heavy armor, and hasn''t exactly had a lot of opportunities for a bath. Sincere doesn''t seem to mind in the least however, and actually takes her by surprise when a very long tongue whips its way across her skin, touching more of her than she had expected.
Firming her grip on him, she pulls him slightly closer. "Fun, but enough teasing, eh? I wanna see what you can really do with that thing." Sincere''s golden eyes look up at her, mischief twinkling in them even as his nose is pressed into her short curls. Soon after the warrior lets out a squeak as the demon shows her all at once, slipping that nimble tongue between her folds and probing deeper inside than she''s ever felt such an organ before. She soon finds that it''s so nimble, in fact, that its wider base can press and grind against her clit even as several inches of it remain inside her, darting in and out, tasting her as it searches for her more sensitive spots. The woman gasps. "Holy fuck. That''s...oh. If...if you''d told me you were an incubus, I''d totally believe it. This is definitely inhuman...but that sure ain''t a complaint."
The arcane demon''s horns aren''t particularly long, but Beatrice takes hold of them as best she can, ensuring that the man stays focused on his task. Indeed, the claim about demonic endurance proves true as minute after minute goes by without a single halt in the assault, merely variations in its forms. At times Sincere focuses entirely on his length, occasionally managing to barely tickle the entrance to her womb, while at other times pulling back to tease at her nub from multiple angles at once. It''s during one of those former stages, the man''s nose grinding against her, that the warrior''s endurance falters first and with a tremble she floods that thirsty tongue with everything it could ask for.
Smiling even as she falls back onto one of the bedrolls, Beatrice lets out a laugh. "Holy fuck. Holy fuck. I''ll give you this, Sincere: I am extremely glad I didn''t have to stab you earlier."
Sincere has to share in the laugh. "I think that makes two of us, for certain. But if there''s any further way I might ingratiate myself..."
The woman nods as she shifts herself and spreads her legs. "You''re damn right there is. You''re not waving that thing in my face and then not letting me give it a try. Y''know, I actually had a few things in mind for all that ''interrogation'' roleplay, but now? Fuck it. You damn near turned my legs to jelly, so this round''s all on you, big guy. Show me what you got."
"You certainly won''t need to ask me twice." Crawling up between her thighs, Sincere slides his tip up and down her more-than-drenched slit, mixing it with the fluids his own arousal produced during the earlier display. Soon after he begins to press his way inside, provoking a groan from Beatrice, but certainly one of pleasure rather than discomfort. As he works his way further, he does occasionally need to give his partner some time to adjust to his girth, but for the most part his impressive oral organ had already done much to pave the way. It''s a few minutes of relatively slow back-and-forth thrusts, but eventually Sincere is fully hilted within her, and the thought that stands out most in Beatrice''s mind is just how hot her partner is, in an extremely literal way. Not so much to be painful, but with what seems to be almost a muscle-relaxing effect, allowing her body to mold itself around him.
Beatrice can''t help but force out a question between moans. "Gods, is...is this what pussy-melting is supposed to be like? Because up til now people have definitely been doing it wrong."
"It could be so. Allow me to demonstrate further, and help you decide for yourself." With that the demon begins in earnest, thrusting with a strength that fills the chamber with the sound of their bodies meeting together. While the straightforward missionary position may not quite be the ''inventive lovemaking'' he''d promised earlier, Beatrice has to admit to being at least a little exhausted from all the walking and fighting of the past few days, and she can''t find anything to complain about in the simple pleasures the demonic cock is currently providing her. Sincere doesn''t rely on just that, of course, allowing his standout tongue to tease at her breasts, flicking across her nipples. The rough scar tissue on the monster slayer''s right side does limit her sensitivity to a degree, but as he pulls and sucks at her left, the woman rewards his efforts with an arched back and another loud moan.
A moan which soon seems to echo through the door of the chamber. At first both wonder if Beatrice''s own expressions were just that loud, but as it repeats, the pair realize it''s a sound from a different performance, back from the larger chamber they just left. Sincere gives his partner a curious glance. "...Just what was that training you told the others to take part in, earlier?"
"Questions later, horn-boy. Now get back to business and - ahhh!" Another well-timed pull at her chest combined with a particularly deep thrust causes the woman to arch her back again, and to reach her second climax of the night. As it passes she lies back on the bedroll again, all of the tension and strength gone from her body, with the exception of the legs that wrap around Sincere and pull him forward again. "C''mon, c''mon. If your cock is this hot, I have to know what your cum feels like..." With that encouragement to drop any restraint acquired the man eagerly takes to his task, redoubling his efforts to reach every bit of Beatrice that he can. With a few minutes more his own growl fills the room, his wings spread to fill the space above the pair, and his seed fills her body. It''s everything she hopes for, a deliciously hot fluid that makes it feel as if the demon was melting his way right through her, a melt into bliss and pleasure.
Looking up at him, Beatice gives a tired but appreciative smile. "Not bad, not bad. You''re definitely going to have to show me some more of your tricks later...though...Sincere?" Her happiness is soon replaced by concern, as the look on Sincere''s face mimics that of a man going through a heart attack. "Sincere? Sincere, what''s wrong?"
"I...I don''t know..." If he was going to say anything more, it fades into a gasp as the man suddenly collapses on top of her.
"Sincere? Sincere!" After a brief moment of panic, Beatrice forces herself to find calm, and quickly begins searching her Item Box inventory for medical supplies. "C''mon, man...I''ll get you okay...just hold on..."
Chapter 58: Smashed
After a bit of a break, Xenia, Lollyp, and Guy were once again at work in the new chamber attached to Xenia''s bedroom they''d taken to calling ''The Garden''. It was something of a temporary facility, a Floor Three room expressly for the purpose of growing plants, re-absorbing them, and then seeing what they''d actually unlocked. For the past day Xenia had been running through the hundreds of ''spellsongs'' that had been ingrained within her several lives previously, but found that fortunately she didn''t actually need to use all of them. She had a song in her arsenal for every kind of plant that had grown in the Eternal Forest, and some of them had variations in their verses that could guide their growth more specifically, but the dungeon system didn''t actually care about all that. Every type of tree simply added into the ''Temperate'' tree schemas, every bush was simply a Temperate Bush, and so on.
With a bit of help from Guy Xenia was able to collapse the entire biome into a single ''FOREST, TEMPERATE (LOW QUALITY)'' entry in her menus once she''d done enough kinds of flora. ''Low Quality'' in this case seemed to mean that the resulting plantlife was either lively but young and small, or large but dying or dead when she attempted to resummon them. Which would perhaps be useful for a spooky forest if she wanted to go in that direction, but for now it seemed as if just the matter of pushing an entire biome schema to High Quality would consume entire days if not weeks of mana recharge, despite the small refunds she got back on every plant. In the meanwhile though, there was one smaller subset of songs that Xenia finally wanted to try.
Hands at the ready, Lollyp stops to confirm what the next step is. "Okay, so: bugs. What are our options, again?"
Eyes closed, Xenia does her best to recall her previous career as a gardener. "I didn''t need to use em real often, but as I recall there''s only a few kinds of bugs I could sing up. Basically, just the ones that were key to plant lifecycles, I think. Bees and butterflies to pollinate, worms to help break down the soil, that kind of thing. Whatcha want me to call up?"
Lollyp grunts. "I think smashing butterflies would make me feel bad, so how about some...bees? Gods, I feel so weird asking someone for bees. Whatever, I''m good, go for it."
Taking in a deep breath, Xenia starts her song.
"Buzz, defrinz stolk,
Oen''sz hanch er teln lon laev,
Seach freed comint lon tradairsz,
Ailn daiy er comint nevt abd ta vaev.
Swate er monn vensh wings,
Ailn lon pollnan nevt linim swate,
Yevin linm ven''ll derst vensh honey,
Ailn esell lek comint seva roy er fwate."
With that, fifteen small honeybees form not far away, already buzzing in the air in a small clump. Before they have time to scatter, Lollyp''s somewhat-inflated hands smash the insects together. "Gotcha! Sorry, little buddies...wait. Hold on...oh! Ugh! This is bad!" Pulling back her hands, Lollyp realizes that most of the bees are still alive, only trapped within her slimy palms and unable to escape - not they''re not trying, buzzing and squirming as best as they can. "Dammit! Get them out, get them out!"
Xenia looks on, grimacing. "What the hell, Lollyp! Haven''t you ever smashed a bug before?"
"We don''t get a lot of flying bugs back at the Cavern! And usually I''d only be trying to focus on one at a time! C''mon already, this is gross!"
Considering her options, Xenia eventually pulls a short axe out of her loot inventory, one with a flattened side opposite the blade. Carefully approaching Lollyp''s outstretched hands, she gingerly scrapes the bugs off onto the floor alongside a bit of the slime''s outer membrane. Eventually the insects are left still trapped within a slimy goo, but at least now they''re no longer squirming around within Lollyp''s own body. "There, ya crybaby. Can''t believe you''ve got trouble with bees. You''ve taken on dudes like three times your size!"
"I just wasn''t ready for that, alright? Now, gimme that." Taking the axe from her boss, Lollyp repositions herself and uses the flat side to hammer the bugs into submission with a few short swings. "...Okay, that''s all of em. Guy?"
The hovering screen glides forward. "Yes, one moment...here we are."
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INTRUSION SCORE:
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
INSECTS: F
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Xenia cheers. "Alright, new mob class! Separate from the spiders, I guess, but at least we don''t need to make every kind of bug for that one. ...Crap, no mana refund at all, though. Maxing it out''s gonna take ages, even if we hold off on the plants and don''t start a new floor anytime soon."
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Guy injects some positivity. "Still, a remarkable way forward! We''ll never again need to worry about ending a day with wasted mana, and while F-tier insects are mostly, how should I put it...available for thematic purposes, I probably don''t need to tell you of all the options they''ll eventually unlock."
The dungeon master grins. "Oh yeah, I can imagine it. Giant shit, venomous shit, creepy shit. Honestly, I feel bad for whoever we end up springing them on." Thinking for a moment, she prods Guy with a question. "Hey Guy, at higher tiers, are there like...bug-people?"
The screen bobs affirmatively. "Indeed. For arachnids, actually, I believe there''s monsters not much unlike the mortal driders. For insects, there''s options for, say, soldier ants and wasps, or queens for bosses. ...I seem to recall the common fairy is a form of insect crossbreed, although I''m uncertain what the other schemas involved might be."
"...Fairies are part bug, here? ...Okay, yeah, actually I can kind of see that. Still, damn, this is gonna keep us busy for a while. You up for more bug-smashing, Lollyp? I should be able to do like twenty more sets of those today."
Lollyp squeezes the handle of the axe tighter. "Yeah, yeah, I''m ready this time. At least we don''t need to worry about the cleanup, still, kinda wishing I coulda gone with Beatrice''s team right now. Bet she''s having way more fun."
"Gaaaaaahhg!" Sincere chokes and sputters as he suddenly revives, remnants of stamina potion flinging from his lips as he attempts to rise up. A failed attempt, as he only makes it a few inches before his head falls back to the bedroll beneath him. Still, his companion takes it as at least a minor victory.
"Sincere! Thank the gods, are you alright? I tried a healing potion first, but that didn''t seem to do anything...you''re alright, right?" Beatrice leans over the demon, fear still in her eyes, only slightly softened by the relief of seeing him move again.
Coughing a few more times to settle the potion mixture caught in his throat, Sincere eventually recovers enough to speak actual words. "Ah, aghem! Ah...I am...terribly sorry, for that. I genuinely mean this, but that...that''s never happened to me before."
"Don''t worry about it. No known medical conditions or anything? It kind of looked like a heart attack, not that I''ve ever seen one in the middle of...all that, before. I''ve got to be honest, Sincere, I''ve killed a lot of people in a lot of different ways in my time, but if I''d managed to actually fuck someone to death I think I''d probably consider retiring from the gig." The warrior smiles, attempting to bring some humor to the situation, and Sincere rewards her with a chuckle. "Are you alright, though? I can try and get Sely in here, though I uh, kinda think it might take her a few minutes."
Sincere shakes his head. "I do know some basic healing spells of my own, just...help me up, would you? I should at least be able to determine the cause myself. It didn''t feel like a heart attack, not that I''ve ever had one to compare it to." Wrapping an arm around Sincere''s shoulders, Beatrice half-lifts the man to a sitting position, and he begins to gesture at his chest with his right hand, a blue glow appearing as he activates his magic. After a few minutes of this though, he frowns.
"That''s...odd. Healing spells tend to not work very well against long-term concerns, like heart disease or cancer, unless you have the right spell, but at least you should be able to feel something when they work. As far as I can tell, my body seems to be in perfect health. Not that demons are very prone to any of those sorts of concerns."
Beatrice tries to think. "How about...poisons? I''ve heard there''s some weird mushrooms down here?"
"Had none of those, and my supplies should have been in good condition...oh no. Let me check something..." Making a slow blink, a green glow returns to Sincere''s eyes similar to when he had analyzed Beatrice previously. Looking down over his chest, he slumps a little in Beatrice''s arms. "...So that''s it, then. That''s how I die."
"What!? Sincere, what''s wrong?" Trying to keep herself from shaking him, Beatrice settles for raising her voice instead.
"The damage is...metaphysical. When the floor core was destroyed, it returned fully to the metaphysical realm, but still had quite the, ah, explosive punch to it. Having been standing next to it at the time, it appears that I''ve been...somewhat riddled with core shrapnel. In my soul, that is. Hmm...I suppose that must be what triggered the attack. Even in a casual encounter, a moment of intimacy can''t help but temporarily entangle souls together for a short time, and it would seem my soul was in no shape for it at the present moment."
Beatrice''s face screws up a little, despite her best efforts. "Your...soul? Sincere, what are you talking about? How can a soul get injured?"
"In only extremely rare cases, as it happens. I suppose that''s one highlight, at least I get an unusual death."
Closing her eyes, Beatrice takes a deep breath and consciously calms herself before continuing. "Sincere. Please stop writing your own obituary already, alright? What exactly is wrong, and what do we need to do to fix it? I can have Sely here in a few minutes, like I said."
Sadly, Sincere shakes his head. "Only a very few Cleric specialties go into soul manipulation, and generally only at a high tier at that. It''s more of an arcane study, and I myself am only talented enough to see the damage, not to fix it. Remove some of the more lightly-embedded fragments, perhaps...enough to buy myself a few more days. The only true specialists are in the Dragonlord''s Domain, and even if we could reach them in time from here, they''d have no reason to help me." Thinking for a moment, Sincere gives a bitter laugh. "The ironic thing is, it''s the soul''s natural healing that will kill me. Unable to remove the shrapnel, a soul will attempt to heal by removing itself from the damaging fragments instead, dissipating and reforming elsewhere. I''ll be fine in the next life, but this one will have to end in the process."
Beatrice sighs. "Sincere, Gods, I am so sorry. This is my fault."
The demon chuckles. "Not at all. I was the one who leapt to conclusions when you came to talk. And you did at least give me a pleasant farewell to make up for it."
"Ass. There''s gotta be...wait." Beatrice stares off into the distance for a moment, before returning to Sincere''s gaze. "Okay, so first off, we will get a second opinion from Sely on this first, alright? It doesn''t hurt to try. But if that doesn''t work...can you hold out two or three days? Long enough to get back to the dungeon upstairs?"
Sincere cautiously nods. "I''m no expert, but based on the damage I can see, and what I should be able to do, I''d give myself a good four or five. Maybe longer, but it would be exceptionally unpleasant. Also, I''m afraid we would have to restrain our base lusts for the full period, or you might just finish me off." A slight grin finds its way to his lips, and Beatrice can''t help but match it despite herself.
"Again, ass. I uh...I think there''s another option for you, but there''s a real good chance you''re not going to like it."
Sincere chuckles once again. "As old as I am, I''m still in no rush to die. Tell me, what option could such a young dungeon possibly offer?"
"Sincere...how would you feel about living in a dungeon?"
Chapter 59: A Hard Sell
Two more days had gone by and, in what was probably a positive turn of events, both days had been marked by Challenger intrusions which could only be described as ''mundane''. Both parties were made up entirely of Initiates who had cleared only the first floor and then gone home. The most notable event from either party was when a Guard in the first party lost three fingers to BB, which they had taken back with them on the possibility that a healer back at the camp could still re-attach them. Unfortunately, this meant that neither day was exactly profitable for the dungeon in terms of unlocks or souls harvested, but as Guy reminded Xenia, this was the sort of thing that was supposed to make up the majority of a dungeon''s activities. Xenia lost a bit of mana overall on the loot taken, but even modestly successful parties would attract more adventurers, which is what the dungeon needed in the long run.
In between intrusions, Xenia and Lollyp were continuing their work in the Garden. While Xenia was passing the time singing and summoning new plant life, Lollyp had begun putting more focus into examining what exactly they were unlocking on the dungeon schema side of things. What they were getting out of the forest biome was not exactly the same as what the spellsongs were putting into it, but more importantly, the new plant life finally provided Lollyp with the opportunities she needed to get her alchemy project truly kicked off. While she lacked the training of a true alchemist, and had never spent any time of note in a temperate forest before, the flowers, fungus, roots, fruits, and so on which the Garden provided meant she now had enough experimental components to keep her busy for months.
That came to a halt however when Guy suddenly flew into the room. "Ma''am! And Lollyp - Lady Beatrice''s team is returning, I can feel them approaching the edge of my senses now! The full party, with...two guests, I believe?"
Xenia halts her fifth rendition of fern-summoning for the day to raise an eyebrow. "Two? I hope demons don''t respawn by uh, mitosis or whatever it''s called, that''d be kinda weird. Uh, right, the important thing, though! Lolly, where''s that house-warming gift we set up!?"
Smiling, Lollyp picks up a large potted plant by the door - a bush, a small one, but already sprouting a few tasty red berries which would hopefully add a bit of life to Beatrice''s apartment. The pair had already added a smattering of greenery here and there to the place, but this item in particular was to be their main surprise for the returning hero. "Right here, boss. Let''s go give em a hero''s welcome, eh?"
Returning to the core chamber, Xenia unseals the hidden door she''d set up leading to the lost dungeon hallway and waits. The glow of mystical lamps driving away the darkness announces the group before they come into sight themselves, but the first arrivals do eventually make their way inside - Roxxy and Taly entering first. The elemental takes charge of saying hello. "Hey! Uh...Lollyp, right? How''s things, doing good? Good! Cause we''ve had a, um, pretty interesting week, let me tell you!"
Lollyp gives an awkward smile as she plants the bush down near the center of the room. "Why don''t I like the way you used ''interesting'', there? Is everyone okay?"
Taly relaxes a bit, having been focused on scanning the room for threats out of habit when she came in. "Well, the party''s fine, no problems there. As for the ''package'', well...I''ll let Beatrice explain. Is it alright if we use the bed?"
After glancing at Xenia, the slime nods. "Uh, sure. I''d ask you not to let the demon bleed on the thing, if you had to get stabby, but I guess dungeon cleaning is pretty easy."
Beatrice''s voice answers her from the tunnel. "No blood at least, but this guy lost the strength to walk on his own two feet this morning. Make way, coming through." Beatrice and Sely are the next two into the room, carrying a half-conscious demon between them on an improvised stretcher made out of tent materials. Grizza brings up the rear, for some reason carrying an upside-down helmet full of water. As her enchanted helmet activates, the team leader looks up at Xenia. "Hey, Xen! The good news is, we found your guy."
Xenia grins, though with a raised eyebrow. "Well, congrats! I kind of hate how that''s the good news though, and the good news wasn''t ''he was opening a puppies and chocolate factory'' or something down there. What happened?" As the two adventurers transfer the man over to the bed, the dungeon master steps forward to take a look for herself. While intact, the demon seems almost feverish, and while conscious, his eyes dart around, apparently unable to focus on much for long.
Beatrice sighs. "Long story short, he wasn''t really a threat to the dungeon I think, he just...didn''t really take you into consideration much, I guess. But there was a bit of miscommunication, and a fight, and...well. Details on that aren''t really important, but I think you should probably talk to him on the rest. Here, one minute." Pulling out a stamina potion, she brings it to Sincere''s lips as she looks at the rest of the team. "Mind hanging around outside for a few, guys? We should probably keep the distractions to a minimum for a while."
Nodding, the rest of the group makes their way back down the tunnel as Sincere''s eyes seem to regain focus. Realizing where he is, the demon takes a breath. "Ah, we''ve arrived, have we? One...one moment." Sincere closes his eyes, and when they reopen they briefly glow green as his attention focuses on Xenia. "Ah...so there we are. My apologies, dungeon master. I regretfully much underestimated what a dungeon of your age would be capable of, to my own detriment."
Xenia tilts her head. "He can see me?"
Beatrice answers for him. "Apparently that''s his specialty. He''s a Seeker of Eternity class, whatever that means, from what he told me there''s a bit of time magic in there but it''s mostly about seeing like, the hidden constructs of magic and whatnot." Xenia nods along, but Lollyp''s jaw drops.
"A Seeker of Eternity!? That''s a Supreme-tier Mage class! I''ve never even met someone who''s met one of those! If I remember right, it''s not real combat-focused, but still amazingly powerful! And he came to our dungeon!?"
Sincere chuckles. "I''m glad my reputation can impress, even if I''m not at my best myself. Unfortunately, it''s exactly those skills that caused my undoing. In attempting to manipulate the metaphysical powers of the lost dungeon, with a bit of help from our friend here, I managed to mortally injure my soul."
Xenia grimaces. "Well, that sounds...not great. Is there anything we can do? We''ve got healing potions, some magic spring water..."
Beatrice shakes her head. "Physically, there''s nothing wrong with him. Apparently there''s only a few specialists on the continent who could fix this, and even if we could find one before it''s too late, they''re not exactly the kind of doctors you pay for in coin. So, we talked, and the ultimate decision''s up to you, but we were kind of hoping for, well...the Xenia Option."
Xenia sucks in a deep breath. "...Aw, Trish..."
Sincere speaks up, adding his thoughts. "I understand this isn''t a simple matter, and that both of us have concerns we need answered before agreeing to such a long-term relationship. Am I right?"
Looking down at him, Xenia nods. "...Yeah, that''s probably understating it. I hate to interrogate a sick man, but you''re right. Now that I know what happens, I''m not lettin'' anyone off themselves in here unless I''m a hundred percent sure they''re the sort I want hanging around. I lucked out with Lollyp here, but I gotta be honest, you didn''t make a great first impression."
The demon nods. "Entirely fair. Allow me to properly introduce myself then, and inform you as to what I can offer in my service. My name is Sincere, arcane demon, and I am currently now four hundred and twenty-five years old. I was born on the Viridian Twilight plane of Hell, and summoned to this realm in the midst of the Age of Warlocks. I was one of the original colonists to this continent following that turbulent age, and have wandered the land ever since. While I am an expert in many fields of magic, my particular interest in recent times happens to be dungeons, and not to put too fine a point on it, but I know many things about your ''lost dungeon'' in particular I''m certain you would like to know."
While Xenia raises an eyebrow, Lollyp straight out gasps. "An original Warlock summon? Holy fuckballs!" She turns to her boss. "Xenia, I''m not sure there''s even a hundred of those left on the continent, and I''ve heard estimates that there''s not even a thousand left in the world. This guy is an incredible find."
"That''s, uh, pretty impressive, sure, but that doesn''t mean I want to practically marry the dude for the next millennia, you know? How about you tell me a bit about what makes this place so mysterious, for a start?"
Sincere clears his throat before grinning. "Well, there is one fact I''ve already told your friend Beatrice here: the dungeon below is in fact the birthplace of the elemental race, a fact the gods themselves later covered up and yet even now its remaining systems can still be coaxed into creating elementals from naught but base mana. As for the rest..." Trailing off, he sighs. "I understand you wish to extend your particular flavor of immortality only to those you trust, but there is nothing I can currently do to properly earn that from you right now. While I may survive a few days yet, the condition is more...taxing than I first hoped, and I''m uncertain if I''ll be even able to remain conscious past the day. Therefore I feel I have little option but to hold on to what leverage I have. If you will save me, I will tell you more, but I can tell you this right now: while many on the continent are aware that this mountain is somewhat important to the Dragonlord, nearly all underestimate the importance, and very few understand why. That is knowledge which I possess, and will tell you, should you provide me with a new, healthy body."
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Unimpressed, Xenia gives a pouting look. "Sincere, dude, you''re going about this all wrong. First off, you need to know: this ain''t no get-out-of-the-Well-of-Souls-free card. I can''t offer you a body like you''ve got right now, best I''ve got for you is slimes and monster rabbits. Living space and amenities are at a premium, and you are never going to be able to leave. Those wandering days of yours are over. Second...yeah, okay, I''m a little bit curious about all that shit you said, but spots here aren''t exactly up for being bought and sold. I need to know that we can get along alright well after you spill all the deets, and that you''re not just gonna be doing your own thing all the time. Trish, you spent some time with him...anything about the guy that tells you we''d get along alright?"
Beatrice looks off to the side, somehow clearly blushing even as she mumbles through her helmet. "Well...he''s not bad in bed..." Cautiously catching Xenia''s eyes, she groans. "What? Look, okay, the guy''s got an ego a valley wide and trust issues up the wazoo, but there is an actual decent human being...uh, demon being in there underneath all that. And he''s a legit expert in dungeons, I believe him on that. I wouldn''t have even mentioned the option to him if I didn''t think the two of you could make it work. Like Lollyp said, where else are you gonna find an opportunity like this?"
Xenia narrows her eyes at her friend, before pointing fingers at her. "Okay, one...good on you for getting some, that was barely even a week, I''m impressed. Two, I am insulted that you thought that would be the first thing to sway me. Three, I am embarrassed and mortified that it''s not even entirely wrong. Sidenote, Sincere, man, please ignore Trish. As I made clear to Lollyp, sleeping with the dungeon master is not a floor boss obligation."
Lollyp interjects. "It''s a really good job perk, though!"
Xenia buries her face in her hand. "Oh my god, I do have a reputation." Following the exchange, Sincere breaks out in laughter.
"Haha, oh, you truly are unlike the other dungeons I''ve spoken to. For the record, well, I am admittedly not much in the state of mind for such matters right now, but perhaps that is a matter we could revisit at a later date. And you make a fair point. While I will trade you my knowledge of this mountain and its history for whatever form you can provide me with, I am not proposing a simple one-off exchange. It''s not how I might have imagined my retirement, but I have no concerns about providing my services to you and this dungeon on a continual basis. Whether it be as a floor boss, an advisor in dungeon design, or simply as a magical expert, I am at your disposal. Including, if you wish, spending me in your ''soul store'' when you''re tired of me, if you''ve gained access to that tool. At this point, I''ll take every extra day I can earn for myself."
Staring at the man in her bed, Xenia eventually sighs. "Well, you know about the store, and even Lollyp and Guy couldn''t warn me about that one. So you''re the real deal." She looks off at nothing for a minute, before taking a breath and returning her gaze. "I guess it''d be pretty stupid of me to turn you down. I would like to get to know you better, but I guess we''ll have time for that after, and I can tell you''re not doing so hot right now. So...fine, I''ll take you in. Do you have anything you uh, need to do first?"
Sincere shakes his head. "I have no farewells to write, and I know your friend has my research secured outside. Even more than my own life, that is my legacy. So as much as any man could be, I suppose I am ready."
Holding out her hand, Xenia generates a vial of green liquid. "This is heartrend poison, supposedly the deadliest in my list. I don''t really know how it feels to use, I haven''t actually added in poisons to any of my traps yet. I could give you a sleeping potion first, if you like?"
"Heartrend? A full vial of the stuff at once should be sufficient to do the job quickly. I can put up with the moment of pain, thank you."
Xenia hands the vial over, feeling like she should be doing something more in a moment like this, but unable to think of anything sufficient. "Here you go. I''ll do my best to set you up with something nice, and, uh...I wish we could have met under better circumstances?"
"Likewise." The demon takes the vial and drinks it down in a single gulp, gritting his teeth afterwards. The death that follows isn''t nearly as quiet or clean as Lollyp''s - his chest spasms, groans forcing their way from his throat. His hands clench at the furs beneath him, twisting and tearing...but not for long. With such a large dose, it''s not much more than twenty seconds before the spasms halt and the man''s body goes slack.
It''s Lollyp who breaks the silence first. "...Why does it feel harder to watch when the dude''s actually asking us to kill him? Back when we were flinging magic at each other, trying to kill him was actually kind of fun."
"Wish I knew, Lolly Pop, wish I knew. God, I hope this works out. And I really, really hope this doesn''t become a trend. Hear me, Trish?"
Beatrice raises her hands. "Totally, I absolutely get it. I really do hope he helps you out."
"Yeah..." Xenia turns to Beatrice once again. "Not bad in bed, huh?"
"He never did get to show me his supposed fancy tricks...uh, right, I need to leave before the ''intrusion'' or whatever closes off, right? How about I just do that, yeah?" Pausing on her way back to the tunnels, Beatrice reaches out to the room''s main table and spawns a few items from her Item Box; a number of blue-tinted spheres, as well as a pile of rocky fragments. "This is some elemental core stuff we scooped up, maybe you can use it? Anyways, we can chat more after, I''ll just...make my way out now."
The two watch the embarrassed warrior leave down the tunnel, and a moment later both Sincere and the elemental leavings melt away. Hovering forward from where they were watching in the corner, Guy produces a report. "Here we are, ma''am. And...my, this is interesting."
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INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS SLAIN: 1
NEW RESOURCE PATTERNS GATHERED:
BONE (DEMON)
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
UNDEAD (MORTAL): B-
SPRITES (FIRE): D-
SPRITES (EARTH): D-
SPRITES (LIGHTNING): D-
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 1 - SINCERELY FUCKED, ARCANE DEMON
WATER ELEMENTAL CORES: 3
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 20 TO 121 (24 CONSUMED BY CONSTRUCTS)
MANA ACQUIRED: 60, CURRENT AMOUNT: 97/97
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
LANGUAGES: HIGHER DEMONIC, GOBLESE, WEST MERCHANT, HORDE COMMON, SIMPLIFIED BEASTKIN
GEOGRAPHY: NEW CONTINENT, WEST MERCHANT SHORES, HORDELANDS, UNTAMED REACHES
SKILLS: ARCANIST (ADVANCED), REVEALER (EXPERT), REVERTER (MASTER), SEEKER OF ETERNITY (SUPREME), ACADEMIC WRITING (EXPERT), RESEARCH (MASTER), DIPLOMACY (AMATEUR), SAILING (AMATEUR), ARCHEOLOGY (MASTER)
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: HEAVEN''S WRATH 1
YOU HAVE SLAIN YOUR FIRST DEMON. MANA SPELL EFFECTIVENESS ON DEMONS INCREASED BY 25%.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: POISONER 1
YOU HAVE SCORED YOUR FIRST KILL WITH POISON. POISONS ARE 10% MORE EFFECTIVE.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: ALL HOPE IS LOST 1
YOU HAVE CAUSED A MORTAL TO TAKE THEIR OWN LIFE. SELF-INFLICTED INJURIES (INTENTIONAL OR ACCIDENTAL) ARE 25% MORE DIFFICULT TO HEAL WITHIN DUNGEON BOUNDS.
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Reeling, Xenia falls back into her seat as greater knowledge of the world floods into her mind. Not just bits and pieces of the nearby continent this time, not merely flashes of villages and cities, but everything from the mountain to the oceans and beyond, with coastal capitals, endless steppe lands and steamy jungles tearing through her mind at a record pace. That''s followed up by more knowledge of life in academia than Xenia ever wanted to know, and between it all she''s only just barely able to note that her ''Undead (Mortal)'' schema shot up into the B ranks with just a single life. As Lollyp moves to try and comfort her, the dungeon master makes out a few halting sentences. "Holy shit, this guy was powerful. And holy shit...what a nerd."
Chapter 60: Settling Up
As much as the dungeon trio would have liked to have started digging further into what Sincere had unlocked for them, and what exactly they should do with the man''s soul, following a bit of conversation it was agreed that they should probably hold those thoughts until after the team waiting outside had been sent on home. After taking a moment to collect herself, Lollyp gave a shout down the tunnel and the returning party once again made their way back into the dungeon. Unsurprisingly, most of them were rather confused about the sudden disappearance of their demon captive, a question voiced by Sely.
"Uh...oh, come on! Don''t tell me we spent the last two days dragging that bastard all the way up here just so the dungeon could get dibs on killing him! I thought you were gonna patch the fucker up?"
Lollyp shakes her head, trying to placate the healer. "It''s, um...not what it looks like. He''ll recover, we just moved him to a more secure location."
Sely eyes the slime, clearly not believing a word of it. "Right. Cause your month-old dungeon has ways to heal soul damage and just happens to have some whole secret wing for stashing injured adventurers. I knew this sounded sketchy."
Stepping in, Beatrice backs Lollyp up. "Whoa, hold on now. Trust me, I would not have dragged the guy here myself just to kill him, alright? I won''t lie, the dungeon has some unusual tricks - but you probably gathered that much as soon as I told you we were bringing him up, right? The important thing is, the quest is done, all mission objectives fulfilled, and no one - well, none of us - got injured. I''d rate this a complete success. So, how about we relax and enjoy the moment, shall we?"
"I wouldn''t mind moving on to the part where we settle up, personally." Taly walks over to the room''s center table and drops off a pair of bottomless bags. "These hold all of the demon''s research and whatnot, I take it we don''t get to claim it as loot? Not that I''m much for notes on magical research, but it''s probably worth something to somebody."
Lollyp waves a finger at her. "As it happens, those still belong to Sincere, so we''ll be holding on to them until he''s recovered. Which he''s definitely going to be doing. I think we''re fine with moving on to payment though, and I think you did earn those bonus prizes we talked about. You folks all know what you want? Actually, first, I''ll make a few suggestions. Our armor quality still isn''t great, and a lot of our weapons just kind of straight up suck. My recommendation would be accessories, since while that''s still pretty low tier too, it''s hard to go wrong with enchanted accessories." As she speaks, four bags of coins spawn across the table, and Beatrice takes charge of handing them out to the members of the party. As for the bonuses, Taly steps forward with a request first.
"Could I get an eye mask? I''ve always wanted one to go with my outfit, but dungeons hardly ever make those. Something with, ah...well, a perception enhancement obviously, but whatever you can do best, I suppose."
"Sure, we can probably do that. Dungeon master?" Lollyp looks off to her side, listening to a response for a moment, before her eyes suddenly go wide. "We can do what now!? Would that be too much...no, we did promise the best quality we can make, didn''t we? Alright then...well, good choice, Taly." As the rogue watches on in a bit of confusion, Lollyp holds out her hand as a face mask spawns in her palm. Black with a silver trim, the accessory looks fairly plain for the most part with the exception of a small bunny-head emblem in one corner. "Tap the emblem to activate the enchantment, apparently...put it on and we''ll see how it works."
Pulling back her hood, Taly slips the mask onto her face and taps the corner as suggested. Looking around the chamber, she seems fairly unaffected until suddenly she staggers, having to grab hold of a nearby chair for support. "Holy shit!" Looking around some more, she catches a glimpse of Roxxy and staggers again. "Holy shit!"
Sely rushes forward, helping her sister steady herself. "Are you alright? It ain''t cursed or anything, is it?"
"No!" Taly begins to laugh a little wildly. "I can...I can see fuckin'' magic! Roxxy''s lit up like a lantern and - and I think I can see the dungeon spirit! Not clearly, but her form''s standing right there, right?" She points at an empty part of the room, and Lollyp has to nod.
"Well...apparently that works, then. Good to know." While Taly continues to enjoy her prize, Sely begins to grow suspicious.
"That''d be the kind of trick a Seeker of Eternity could pull, right? And you''re tellin'' me the dungeon didn''t eat the poor bastard?"
Lollyp sighs. "It really isn''t like that, honestly. How about we move on, anything you want, Sely?"
Not entirely mollified, but seeing she''s not getting much further with that line of questioning, the healer crosses her arms and thinks. "Heard once about a dungeon that made enchanted, re-usable bandages. Could just slap em on and heal a wound...a set of those would be nice, could hand em out before a delve in case I get split up from folks."
"Let''s see...basic cloth with a built-in healing spell, sounds like we can do that, though probably not as good as your own healing magic." Holding out her hand, a set of half a dozen bandages appear, each with another bunny-head emblem. Sely takes them, chuckling as she notices.
"More bunnies, huh? Got a theme, do ya?"
"The dungeon master feels that branding is very important. Next?" Scanning the group, Lollyp spots Roxxy stepping forward.
"Could I get something crystal-based, that''d let me hit folks from a distance? I''m not really much for wearing or carrying stuff, a crystal I could integrate into my body, though."
Lollyp listens to her dungeon master for a minute before answering. "Sounds like we can improvise something. Attacks are weapons, not accessories, but sounds like we can play around with wand crystals and make something a little less powerful than a normal wand, but good enough for an ace-up-your-sleeve sort of deal." Holding out her hand, two yellow crystals form one after the another. "Here you go - definitely weaker than a normal wand, so we''ll give you two for the price of one. Enjoy!"
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Taking them, Roxxy shifts the stone of her body to create settings for both, one on the back of each hand. Snapping them into place, she feeds a bit of mana through them and generates a crackling sound of electricity. "Oooh, lightning bolts! Thanks!"
"No problem! And last up, what''ll it be for the Mage?"
Stepping forward, Grizza rubs his chin in thought before responding. "Does the dungeon have the ability to produce books, yet?"
"That it does. Interested in something from the library, so to speak?"
Grizza nods. "If you did just learn Seeker of Eternity knowledge from Sincere in some way, I would like some books containing that knowledge. It''s a very rare path, which I''d like to know more about...that''s something a dungeon can put together, right?"
Lollyp nods, if a little hesitantly. "It''s not a substitute for actual class training - you won''t be able to read them and then go shooting off Supreme-tier spells or anything. But it''ll give you a good foundation, maybe speed things up if you do go down that line of training yourself later. Sound good?" As Grizza confirms his choice, four small tomes appear in Lollyp''s hand. "Alright, here we go, all the classes Sincere took on the way from Mage to Seeker. Not the only path you can take, of course, but one of em anyhow. Have fun with your reading."
Before Sely can again ask just how the dungeon absorbed Sincere''s knowledge, Beatrice claps once. "Alright! Everyone settled up and satisfied? Sounds like quest complete, then! It''s been fun! I''ll be hanging around here for a bit, I assume you all can make your way back to the camp from here, yeah? Although that does leave one last question...Slooshy." Perking up from the helmet-bucket where Grizza left it placed on a nearby chair, the elemental turns her diminutive head in Beatrice''s direction.
"Ah, yup? That''s me!"
"Do you want to head out with the others? I know there''s a river not far from here, where you''d be able to recharge and...I don''t know, live? I don''t know how water elementals work. If you want to stay behind, maybe we could sort something out. We can definitely get you some more water now, but it may not be the most hospitable living area overall."
The elemental doesn''t need long to answer. "You gave those other water cores to the dungeon, right? Any idea what you''re going to be doing with them?"
Lollyp handles this one. "Not yet, no. Did you have thoughts on that?"
"Not exactly...but I think I wanna do whatever they do. I don''t mind hanging around a little while if the dungeon needs to sort something out with them, but going out on my own sounds like it''d get pretty boring."
"Fair enough, we''ll get something temporary at least sorted out for you in a bit. In the meanwhile, to the rest of you, it''s been fun, and give Alizz my regards. I''ll probably swing by sometime in the next few days to check in myself." Giving each of the other members of the party a firm handshake, one by one the adventurers make their way to the room''s exit portal and return to the mountain''s surface. As Grizza leaves, taking up the rear, Beatrice takes a deep breath and turns back towards the elemental. "Alright, Sloosh! I''ll show you my place, we can be roomies for a bit, you might like the bathtub. Xen, Lolly, I''ll be back in a bit, yeah? Still curious how we''re following up with, well...we''ll chat in a bit, yeah?" With that, Beatrice takes up Slooshy''s bucket and makes her way out of the core chamber.
After giving Beatrice half an hour to settle in Slooshy and grab a snack, the four members of ''The Dungeon Council'' regathered in the core chamber. Once Lollyp and Beatrice had taken seats, Xenia started things off. "Alright! So, first off, great job again Trish, you''re now officially an adventurer in two worlds. How''d everything work out with the group, by the way?"
"Not bad, not bad. Most of the trip was pretty dang dull, to be honest, but the company was decent. The sisters are definite professionals, and Roxxy''s skills were essential. Grizza...probably needs some more experience, to build up his confidence, but to be fair we did make him fight a Supreme-tier opponent while barely out of his rookie days. If Sincere had been a combat specialist, that might have been a really bad fight."
"Good to have some reliable contacts, I suppose. Moving on to the topic of Sincere, then. The most important question I gotta ask is - what the hell is up with the guy''s name? Did you guys see that? ''Sincerely Fucked''? What on Earth?" Xenia brings up her soul inventory screen and points at it for emphasis, though it''s a gesture partially lost on Beatrice.
"Wait, that''s his full name? Sorry, he never mentioned it. Guessing I can see why he wouldn''t, though..." Beatrice chuckles before refocusing. "I don''t think that''s actually the most important thing, though."
Xenia sighs. "Fine, fine, I guess we gotta set the guy up first before we can actually answer that one. Luckily enough, the bastard got us up to B-rank undead all on his own, and Guy, didn''t you say we can basically start making like, actual people at B-rank a while back?"
The guide floats a little closer. "Yes, but they''re not generally a good fit for a boss-level individual. The ''people'' you can make at B-rank are essentially background characters, often used for when a dungeon wishes to make an entire simulated village or battlefield or the like. For one thing, if you get too close to them, they look rather...well, wrong. Too identical, too perfect, clearly not real mortals. It could be rather distressing for an actual mortal to find themselves within such a shell."
Lollyp chimes in. "Well, you''ve got that Illusionary Demon spell! You could give Sincere a body that has the rough shape of his old one, and put on an illusion to fill in the details. A little funny, casting Illusionary Demon on an actual demon, but hey, if it works?"
Before Xenia can respond, Guy continues. "The other issue is that, since they are largely for decorative purposes, they are the weakest form of B-rank undead and in many ways weaker than some C or even D-tier monsters. Even assuming his mystical skills transfer over as Lollyp''s did, it would be sacrificing some of his use in combat, and don''t forget that Lollyp still has much lower mana reserves than she originally possessed."
Beatrice adds in a question of her own. "Do we care about combat capability right now? I mean, all your floors already have bosses, unless you were thinking of shelving some, or something?"
At that, Xenia raises a finger. "Oh, I got an answer for that one! I do actually have a slot open without overloading a floor, cause I''ve got an option for a ''core guardian'', basically like a last line of defense I guess. Actually that''s been Sir Flopsy for a bit, it started out with like...a really low power cap, but the more our mana cap''s gone up, the more mana I can pump into that slot without it becoming a drain. Being a low-power undead might be a good thing, making him one of the new vampire or ghoul types we unlocked would be a mana drain for sure. I think."
Lollyp thinks about that for a moment. "Does...making him a core guardian mean he''s gotta live in this room with you?"
"Nah, he can move around like you, but..." Xenia pauses as she thinks that through. "Right. So. Setting up Sincere''s body is officially on hold. First up - we gotta make a new apartment. ...Anyone know what demons like in their living style?"
Chapter 61: Debriefing
After a few hours of group effort, Floor Two, Apartment Three was more or less complete. The basic layout and furniture setup had been directly copied over from Beatrice''s apartment, saving some time, and Sincere''s research and other stored items had been largely unpacked and moved into bookshelves, chests and the like. The main difference between the two apartments had been on Lollyp''s advice, with a corner set up with a writing desk and as much of a magical research laboratory as could be reproduced with Xenia''s construction materials and Lollyp''s knowledge of the field. Any further refinements would probably need advice from the demon himself, and so the time had finally come to install the dungeon''s latest occupant.
Gathered together in the apartment''s bedroom, the Council takes a moment to confirm their earlier discussion. Turning towards the bed from where she''d been straightening out some furniture, Beatrice brings up the topic first. "So, you''re sure about doing that not-person person thing, Xen?"
Xenia nods. "Yeah, the more I think about it, the more it seems like the only option right now. My only serious options really are undead or slimes, and making the dude a slime would probably be a really weird adjustment. And as for undead...yeah, as far as I can tell almost any other B-tier boss monster would be too much for me to support without a new floor, and making the dude a lower-ranked ghost or a skeleton feels mean. I mean, I''m practically a ghost but at least I can still pick up the stuff I make myself, it''d probably drive another dude nuts."
The warrior nods. "Guess that sounds fair. Let''s see how this goes, then."
Lifting a hand over the bed, Xenia begins by summoning a monster identified in Guy''s menus as ''False Mortal, Demon, Male'', and the body that appears on the mattress is exactly as generic as the description implies. The creature has short, smooth horns, no hair save eyebrows, a thin, pointed tail, and no apparent wings, although they don''t turn him over to check. Its height comes in at nearly a foot less than Sincere''s original body, although the limbs seem rather more muscular. Lollyp chuckles as the body takes shape.
"Yeah, that''s a ''Demon, Male'', alright. It''s like it averaged out every kind of demon there is, and given how many weird kinds there are, we''re probably lucky it fits on the bed. Can you get him any closer than that?"
"One minute, I''m still workin'' on it." Focusing, Xenia pictures Sincere''s form in her mind, and is slowly able to bring the creature closer to an arcane demon template. Large wings spread from its back, the body grows taller and leaner, and the horns on its head gain an extra inch. Looking it over, Xenia stares particularly strongly at its scalp until hair begins to sprout, black locks springing forward in an uncombed mess. "I...eh, trying to get any finer than that''s giving me a fuckin'' headache. I think this might be as close as I can get."
Beatrice blushes as she clears her throat. "He was, um. Packing a little more than that. If that''s an option."
Narrowing her eyes, Xenia gives her friend a look. "...Suppose I can give it a shot. Since it''s apparently a defining character trait of the guy and all that." Turning her focus downward, the dungeon master finds to some amusement that she can indeed gift the creature a few more inches to play with, although even that portion of its anatomy somehow manages to appear generic and featureless, as if it had been sculpted by a technically talented but entirely unimaginative artist.
Lollyp smiles. "Nice."
Beatrice nods in agreement, still blushing under her helmet. "...Nice, yeah."
"Alright, pervs, lets give the man some respect and privacy, alright?" With another wave of her hand, Xenia clothes the creature in a basic set of mage''s robes. "There, now you can have all the fun of unwrapping him later, if that''s what yer into. And now...for the coat of paint." Pulling up her Illusionary Demon spell, Xenia pictures Sincere as clearly in her mind as possible and casts it at the dungeon monster. The effect is immediate - lines appear on its face, calluses form on its hands, the perfect symmetry of its form is subtly lost, and a hint of a curve appears on its lips, as if it were dreaming a very slightly amusing dream. "Alright, how''s he look now?"
Beatrice nods. "I''d say that''s pretty good. Anything more exact than that, he''d have to tell you - if he even cares about every skin blemish or whatever."
"Cool. Now for the big finale!" Focusing her mana reserves, Xenia charges the creature up to boss-level status before pulling open her soul inventory. With a quick confirmation Sincere''s soul is selected, and soon emerges from her outstretched hand and into the creation, finally bring it to life. Xenia begins to cackle. "Now, rise! Rise from your grave! Mwahahahaha!"
Her friend grimaces. "Is that part required?"
"C''mon, I''m bringing back a demon from the friggin'' dead, here! Y''gotta let me have at least a little fun, or what''s the point?"
Her question is answered by the demon in question, still lying on the bed with his eyes closed. "Evil laughter, suggestions of ''fun''. I''m certainly not in one of the Heavens, so either the deal worked or I ended up in one of the more amusing planes of Hell."
"If I ever gotta go to Hell, I hope I get to go to one of the fun ones. How are you feeling, buddy?" Xenia leans closer, giving the man a smile as he cautiously cracks open his eyes.
"...A bit odd, if I think about it. Interesting, I can see you quite clearly now, so I take it I am fully a part of your retinue. Other than that, I feel...weaker, but well enough, I suppose. Ah, one moment, allow me to check something." Leaning up a bit, Sincere''s eyes glow green for a moment before he examines his own body. "Well, well. Soul fully intact, without a trace of shrapnel, but with notable traces of your own energy. This certainly opens up new avenues, I''ve never had the opportunity to so closely examine the link between a dungeon and its monsters before."
Xenia chuckles. "Slow your roll, nerd boy. We''ve still got a few matters to discuss, don''t we...Mr. Fucked?"
Sincere eyes his new boss before sighing. "I suppose we''ll have to start there then, won''t we?"
Miles away in the Challengers'' camp, Sely and Taly were enjoying a well-deserved round of drinks in Alizz''s tent. Leaning back in her chair, Sely sighs after a long pull at her bottle. "Ahhhh. Gotta say, even if it''s already night out, it''s nice having a sky up there again. I''ve spent a few days down in dungeons before but never one so blasted dark all the damn time."
Nearby, Alizz smiles as she puts away some of her paperwork for the evening. "If that''s the biggest thing you have to complain about after a job, things must have gone pretty well."
Sely starts to nod, then stops. "Well...the job went well enough. But damn if I don''t have an assload of questions that no one seemed particularly eager to answer. Not to us, anyhow."
Picking up her teacup and moving to the tent''s main table, Alizz settles in. "So just what was that demon up to, anyhow?"
Taly answers that question. "The only thing he was up front about was that he found a way to make the old dungeon spit out elemental cores. He was using them, too - we had to break almost ten of em to get to him, and it sounds like there''s still as many wandering around down there now. But there was more to it than that."
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Alizz frowns. "Making elementals? I know they''re not like other mortals exactly, but they do have souls. Dungeons can make bodies from mana, but I''ve never heard of one making elemental bodies...and even trickier, the souls would have to come from somewhere. When a dungeon is destroyed their captured souls are released and allowed to move on. Or so the literature says, anyhow."
Taly continues. "There''s more to it than that. The demon said the place was special to the draconics, and in a way that ran deeper than just being an elemental workshop. Unfortunately, he''d only agree to tell that bit of detail to the dungeon itself - or herself, apparently - and given what the dungeon did to the dude when we dragged him up there, we didn''t exactly get to listen in on it."
Grabbing his own bottle, Kelsey steps forward from where he''d been listening and takes a seat of his own. "Almost afraid to ask, now. What in hells did the dungeon do to the bastard?"
Sely scoffs. "Well, you see, the job went a bit sideways when Beatrice damn near fucked the poor man to death after we caught him."
Spittle flies from both Alizz and Kelsey as they cough on their drinks. Alizz recovers first, shaking her head. "She did what!?"
Taly laughs. "Before you go getting too much of the wrong idea, I''m pretty sure it was his idea. I mean, the fucking part, not the almost dying part. That part was apparently a delayed reaction to the man''s research project blowing up in his face when we finally found him. The man was...a little feisty before we calmed him down. I don''t really understand the details, but it hurt him in a way Sely couldn''t heal."
"So, what does that have to do with Worthy...Dungeon..." Alizz trails off partway through her sentence, gathering confused look from her colleagues as they notice. "...Shit. Did Beatrice have you take Sincere back to Worthy Dungeon? Where is he now?"
Sely shares a look with her sister before answering. "Well, that''s the weird thing now, ain''t it. She did have us take him up, yeah, took about two days and we were carrying him for most of one of those. Then we left him and her alone in the dungeon for a few minutes, then when we went back in slimey told us they''d ''moved him to a secure location''. But in the process they learned enough from his skills to make Taly here a mask that can see fuckin'' magic, and a whole set of class tomes for the handsome spider. So, y''know. Dungeon ate him, but for some reason they were being real cagey about it."
Watching Alizz, Kelsey gets a hint that there''s a bit more to it than that. "Alizz...this have something to do with how Lollyp ended up working for the dungeon? You said not to worry about it, and that was fine at the time, but I''m starting to feel like this ain''t a one-off thing."
Alizz stares at the table for a little while, considering her thoughts before answering. "...It''s not. Listen, you have to promise not to spread this around to the other Challengers, understood?" Waiting for the rest of the group to nod, Alizz eventually continues. "Lollyp told me the dungeon has a special curse on it, or something to that effect. If...if anyone enters the dungeon and willingly surrenders their soul to it, the dungeon gets them intact. And can re-body them, as dungeon monsters."
The group goes silent for a breath before bursting into noise. Sely, not unusually, is the loudest of those. "Are you telling me we just gave the freakin'' dungeon a Supreme-class mage? Not just the spells, but the know-how to go with it? You know what a dungeon could do with that kind of power!?"
The drider raises her hands as she defends herself. "I didn''t want the news getting out! Think about it! Think about all the oddball Challengers you''ve met over the years! Imagine telling them there was a way for them to live forever, fighting every day, killing every day? There''d be no shortage of volunteers, and they''re not all the sort of people you would want to give that kind of power to. But...shit. You''re saying Sincere was Supreme? I was expecting Master, hoping for Expert. This...fuck." She runs a hand through her hair as her eyes lose focus. "Fuck. This could get really bad."
Kelsey watches her for a moment before speaking up. "What''s done is done. Question is, what we do next. I...I ain''t disagreeing, about not making the word public. But Lollyp''s been notching up kills and she was only a high-level Advanced mage. A Supreme, even if it''s in some knock-off body...we might need to reconsider a level restriction."
The Field Agent shakes her head. "A Supreme dying in a dungeon isn''t enough of a justification for that. People will ask questions and then this will all get out. For now...we''ve just gotta hope that the dungeon master is either smart enough or kind enough to keep her new resident buried deep, away from the Initiates. As soon as a party catches sight of him though, we''ll have to reconsider. Until then, can I have your word? That no one here will speak of the dungeon''s curse?"
The other three look around the table before slowly nodding, Sely answering for the group. "...Yeah, we''ll keep a lid on it. For now. Ain''t no one gonna know of this except us."
Grizza was enjoying a nice warm meal at The General and enjoying the company almost as much. Not that he was sharing the meal with anyone, as Roxxy didn''t need to eat and had stayed behind at the Challengers camp, and Grizza was far too much of an introvert to share a table with strangers. But the simple fact that there were people around him came as something of a comfort. Between his two adventures under the mountain and his imprisonment in between them, it had been far too long since he had been able to enjoy the simple comfort of living in normal society. Granted, he was getting a few odd looks as the only drider in the room, but the locals seemed to be slowly getting used to non-humans visiting their town.
He had unexpected company of a personal sort before long though, as a bulky minotaur man walked up to the table and then helped himself to the seat opposite him. He had the classic appearance of a military minotaur, standing at well over eight feet tall, and all of it filled with solid muscle. His loose tabard showed off his bulging biceps and a hint of the chest below, and Grizza had to consciously force his vision upwards to take a look at the man''s face. It took him a long moment to recall the name of his guest before he realized it was Commando Darrosh''s second in command, Yarro Tossrock the Warrior Mason, who he had met only in passing days before.
"Ah...Mason Tossrock, yes? How can I help you this evening, sir?"
The minotaur grins as he settles in on his creaking, human-designed chair. "No need for ''Sir''s anymore Mage, after all, you''re not in the military now, are you?"
"I suppose not. I suppose you are here to receive my report on our expedition, however?"
The officer waves the suggestion off, and Grizza can''t help but notice how each of his fingers seems to be as thick as Grizza''s wrist. "Let''s not be so formal about it, boy, after all, you''re just a Challenger friend of mine, not a subordinate or anything of the sort. So how about we start with some pleasantries? How are you, holding up alright from your little trip?"
Never a man who had a great many friends, let alone one he''d never actually spoken to before, Grizza takes a bit to adjust the conversation in his mind. "Ah! Well, I''m fine enough. Didn''t take so much as a scratch in the fighting, though it turned out to be rather riskier than anticipated. It seems our missing demon was a Supreme-class mage, and if his focus had been combat rather than research...well, our party leader was no slouch herself, so I expect we would have still come through more or less intact. And actually that part seems to have worked out for me - I spoke to Field Agent Alizz just before coming here, and she told me that facing off with an opponent like that was enough to qualify me for a level ten ranking! Not quite official yet, but it seems I''ll be able to move on to Advanced training much earlier than I was expecting."
Tossrock leans over the table and claps the drider on the shoulder, an easy task given the length of his arms. "Well done, well done! As it happens, I brought something along in case you''d managed it." Reaching into his satchel, the minotaur tosses a bag of coins onto the table. "Your ''scholarship fund'', in appreciation of your prior service to the Valleylands. We wouldn''t want any delays in your training, now would we?"
Eagerly taking the coinpurse, Grizza nods his head in thanks. "Much appreciated. Actually, given what we encountered down there, I was thinking of taking up Arcanist class training, which could prove useful if I were to, ah...make another expedition at some point."
At that, the minotaur leans forward and lowers his voice slightly. "And what did you find down there, Mage?"
"Well, the demon was doing something to create elemental cores from nothing but base mana, which was certainly odd. But odder still is what happened after we fought him, and the man was, ah...metaphysically injured. Our party leader had us return him to Worthy Dungeon for healing, supposedly, but I''m pretty sure that''s not the actual reason we did it."
Tossrock''s eyes narrow, and he leans even closer forward. "What reason did that lady warrior of yours have for taking him to the dungeon, then?"
Grizza hesitates briefly before answering, running through the facts in his mind one more time. "...It''s not a complete pattern, from what I''ve seen. But given that the dungeon appears to have a fully-sapient Domain-trained slime mage on its staff, and both our leader and the slime were insistent that the dungeon did not, ah, ''eat'' Sincere after we left him with them, well." Forcing himself to meet the minotaur''s gaze, Grizza continues. "I find myself forced to conclude that Worthy Dungeon has a way of recruiting people into becoming dungeon monsters."
Chapter 62: Questions Without Answers (Arc 3: The Advanced)
The party had moved from the bedroom to Sincere''s new kitchen dining table once it was confirmed that the new boss monster had spawned in perfect health, both physically and metaphysically. Before taking a seat of her own Xenia paused to take in the sight, as a slime, a demon, and a fully-armored warrior sat down as if they were preparing for their evening dinner, while a glowing screen floated around in the background. Looking them over, Xenia can''t keep a grin off her face. "Man, wish I could paint right now. This is way better than dogs playing cards."
The group collectively turns to look at her, with Lollyp asking the question. "You''ve been to a world where dogs play cards?"
"No, no, it''s just a picture of...never mind." Noticing a green tint to Sincere''s eyes, Xenia turns to him as she finally takes her seat. "Getting peepy again, Mr. Demon? You seem to like using that trick a lot."
"Just confirming something. So you, like Beatrice here, are from another world as well? The same one, I assume? That would perhaps explain a few things, though not how you ended up as a dungeon master and she did not..."
Xenia shakes her head. "I''ll catch you up on the Life and Times of Xenia Worthy, but another time. Tonight, we got a deal to settle up on. I believe you have a few answers for us?"
Sincere sighs. "And apparently the matter of my name is one of them?"
Beatrice tries not to chuckle. "I mean...you can''t blame us for being curious."
The man nods. "To be honest, it is rather amusing from a certain angle, just perhaps a tale I''ve gotten a bit tired of after so many years. But...if you are newcomers to this world, I assume you perhaps need a primer on how exactly demons came to this world to begin with?"
The dungeon master shrugs. "People summoned you? That seems to be the typical method."
"In a general sense, yes. I suppose I''ll try and keep the history lesson brief. There was a time in this world''s history, a period a few centuries long, known as the Age of Warlocks. It began when people first learned to summon demons to this realm, although in the early days those summonings were quite brief...especially the very early ones, given that the demons usually killed their summoners and returned home quite quickly. Over time though, mortals learned to bind demons as part of their rituals, both to stay for longer periods, and to be forced to obey commands, and so on. One of these rituals involved providing the demon with a new Name. Such names are quite real, not merely a nickname or a legal fiction, but something that becomes ingrained on our soul."
Lollyp grimaces. "And a Warlock named you Sincerely Fucked? I heard those assholes were pieces of work, but that sounds like, obscenely petty."
At that, Sincere actually chuckles, just a little. "It was, in fact, an accident. You see, with the exception of rituals designed to summon specific powerful beings, most summonings merely picked a plane of Hell and selected a random demon from it. Given that demons from a given plane tend to be fairly uniform in powers and skills, it was generally ''good enough'' most of the time. So one day a certain Warlock, looking for aides in his research project, opened a portal to the Viridian Twilight plane of Hell and brought forth an arcane demon. Myself. Who was, at the time, approximately three years old." The demon pauses before continuing. "I suppose I should note for reference, that arcane demon children age at more or less the same rates as human ones. In other words, the Warlock found himself with a demon toddler sitting in his ritual circle."
Slight gasps and surprised noises fill the room, and a look of anger crosses Xenia''s face. "Wait, what? They were just kidnapping...literal kids!? That''s pretty fucked up, man. I''m sorry you had to go through that."
Sincere nods. "It''s not exactly a great comfort to know it''s not what the Warlock intended, given that he had after all, intended to enslave someone, even if it were not me specifically. But, well...when he looked down at me, and realized that I, a demon child, would now have to make it on the mortal plane, he looked at me and said: ''Well, now...you''re sincerely fucked.'' Quite forgetting that he was in the part of the ritual where he was supposed to be binding me with my Name."
"Ffffffuck." Beatrice leans back in her seat. "Wish I could wallop that asshole for you, seriously."
"It could have been worse, I suppose. He did at least accept the responsibility of raising me, even at times seemed to consider it an interesting project. But it never changed the fact that I was a slave, something none of us ever forgot, and well...I suppose the full history of the Age of Warlocks is perhaps a bit off the trail of the matters you truly wanted me to discuss."
Xenia summons up a round of cheap wine, figuring a conversation like this could use a few drinks. "Might wanna chip at that sometime later, but yeah, suppose we should move on to the more relevant shit. So, tell me, Sincere. What the hell is so special about my mountain?"
Enjoying the moment, Sincere leans back and sips his drink with a smile before answering. "Well, it''s quite simple, really. Triple Peak Mountain, or Mount Faralis, the Center of the World, just so happens to be the ancient capital of the Dragonlord''s Domain." The smile fades a bit as he licks his lips. "...Is this the quality of food and drink you currently have access to? I suppose improvement is one thing to look forward to..."
The group freezes for a moment at the first part of that statement, before Lollyp contradicts him. "Uh, no it ain''t. The capital is Dragon''s Jaw, I''ve been there. Bunch of mountains with the continent''s biggest canyon in between them, real distinctive."
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Sincere shakes his head, still slightly smirking. "Dragon''s Jaw is and ever has been the most populated city in the Domain, well, unless you count certain points when vassal Valleylands cities took the top rank. But it was not always the seat of power. That did not become the case until only months before the conquest of the Valleylands began."
Beatrice grunts, unconvinced. "I''ve been to more than a few capital cities in my time, and a king having a vacation home in the mountains does not a capital make. You''d need residences, administrators, roads...all of that would leave a mark behind, even centuries later, and all we got is an empty dungeon."
"You judge by human standards, not draconic ones. Dragons have ever lived solitary lives in remote caves and the like, and what need do you have for roads when the top ranks of your citizenry can fly? You are aware, I assume, of the Dragonlord''s affinity for deal-making with dungeon spirits, and what better fortress than the world''s most dangerous dungeon? Not that it was a difficult title to achieve, given the third great secret of the dead place below our feet. For you see, the Center of the World was also the world''s first dungeon. The place where the gods tested their design, against the most powerful of the mortal races."
Xenia grimaces. "Great, just figures I get plopped down into a cultural heritage site. But how come the place died, and how come no one knows about it but you?"
The demon takes another drink, considering his response. "I can only answer part of those questions. When it comes to why the seat of power was moved, I believe it has to do with military necessity. The mountain was in the center of the Domain geographically, but the Dragonlord''s military strength was focused far south of here. Not that the Domain had ever needed an organized military in those days in any case. Before the influx of refugees began settling the coasts, the continent had no masters save the Dragonlord themself. But after they were settled, by time the Dragonlord was ready to fight the colonial states they were already far too close, the mountain was too vulnerable. As regards to the erasure of history, well, that was a matter of military secrecy. The draconics didn''t want their enemies to know that this had been a center of power, that there could be secrets or artifacts hidden away here for the taking. So any external signs of civilization were dismantled, and the place quietly abandoned. Very few denizens are old enough to remember those days personally, so keeping the secret now is as simple as keeping it out of the history books."
Lollyp stares at her own drink, looking a little uncomfortable. "And so they just...killed the dungeon on their way out? To keep anyone from finding it, or what it knew about the Dragonlord?"
At that, Sincere smirks. "That is one theory. I have another, one which I was hoping to confirm here if I could. Everyone knows that dungeon cores can be removed from their dungeon, at the expense of the dungeon''s health. The core stops regenerating mana, the monsters and traps cease respawning, eventually magical constructs cease to function, and over a long enough period of time, even solid constructs begin to dissolve. I wonder though...if perhaps the Dragonlord didn''t uncover a way for dungeons to be relocated. And if perhaps the Center of the World still lives today, in Dragon''s Jaw or some other place."
The group considers the implications and possibilities of that statement for a while, before Xenia speaks up. "Might be interesting to know. I''m guessing your little research project is on hold indefinitely now, though? Sorry to ruin that for you."
Sincere shrugs. "It''s a better fate than death, and although one door may have closed, actually becoming part of a dungeon opens up entire new avenues I''d never considered before. It is a shame I can''t take even a brief stroll outside though, knowing that the dungeon is so close and yet beyond my reach."
Having remained silent up til now, Guy floats forward and makes a suggestion. "About that. Might I remind you of your third curse, ma''am? The part about, may I quote, ''Floors may be added without unlock requirements, if the old energies of the great dungeon can be subdued and harnessed''. I know we''ve been putting off investigating that until after Lady Beatrice''s adventure was concluded, but the truth is, I still have little idea about what that actually means, or how we might go about it. It''s quite beyond my repository of dungeon knowledge, yet it presumably involves interacting with the old dungeon in some manner."
Leaning forward, a new light shines in Sincere''s eyes - metaphorically, this time. "Subduing the energies of the old dungeon, you say? That is - that is perfect! If we cannot go to the old dungeon, then we shall bring the old dungeon to us!"
Xenia scoffs. "Great idea, big guy. So, y''know. How?"
The demon claps his hands together in excitement. "With thorough research and careful study!"
As he looks around the table, he slowly displays a growing level of disappointment as he notices the lack of an enthusiastic response. Standing up from the table, Beatrice speaks for the group. "Well! You have fun with that! I...need to go to bed and sleep for a week."
The next morning, Grizza and Roxxy were starting to make their way out of the Challengers camp when they were hailed by the minotaur Grizza had shared dinner with the night before. Walking up to the pair, the giant man takes note of the baggage the two are carrying - or at least which Roxxy is carrying, the elemental doing the bulk of the heavy lifting. "Morning, friends! Heading out early, are we?"
Grizza nods, remembering at the last minute not to salute. "Yes sir, Mason Tossrock. My level promotion''s been confirmed, and we were planning to make our way to Highfalls so that I could get the required training for my Advanced class. After all, the sooner I get started, the sooner I can return...although if you require my presence here, I can put those plans on hold?"
The minotaur shakes his head. "No, by all means, you have the right of it. I look forward to seeing your progress. And how about you, Roxxy? Signing up for the life of an official Challenger as well?"
The elemental shifts as she turns to face Tossrock, moving a heavy pack as if it were weighed down by feathers as she does so. "Nah, didn''t see much point! I''d only be like, level two if I signed up, and it all seems like way too much paperwork just to prove I know how to smash things real good, you know? But I figured I''d keep Grizza company, given that he kind of has a hard time making friends, unless he''s wearing his sexy rabbit ears but he doesn''t seem to like doing that for some reason?"
The minotaur and the drider stare at each other for a moment, until finally Tossrock breaks the silence. "Well, I...suppose that''s very kind of you, to support your friend like that, Roxxy."
Trying very hard to control his expression, Grizza takes a few deep breaths. "Yes, I greatly appreciate your help. Particularly in social matters. How about you, Mason? Are you staying around long?"
Pleased by the change of topic, the minotaur grins widely, showing off his teeth. "More than that - our first official batch of ''trainees'' has finally received permission to cross the border, according to the terms of our deal with the Rainlanders. Tomorrow I''ll be leading a team in myself. No worries, Mage, we''ll be keeping a close eye on the place in your absence. I believe you were right - this dungeon has questions aplenty, and I''ll see if I can''t pry out a few answers by time you return..."
Chapter 63: The Next Phase
Having mostly checked out of the remaining conversation the night before after Sincere, Lollyp, and Guy had starting delving into theoretical topics of dungeon construction and expansion that largely went over Xenia''s head, the dungeon master had decided to start the new day fresh with a few things that she could handle. The first of those matters was the that of a pair of promotions. While she had upgraded monsters before, and had even once upgraded the Floor Three bosses from C- to C tier, today was likely to be rather different. Today she would be pushing them forward into the B tier of Undead, and that promised to have much greater significance to it - or at least, so she hoped.
Standing before the two possessed armors with Guy hovering behind her, Xenia claps her hands. "Alright! Tank, Dips, today''s a big day! You two ready to kick it up a notch?"
As usual, the two bosses share a look before one of them responds. "Weeee seeerrrve, dungeon maaaaster."
"...Right. Well, here''s hoping we start getting a little more personality in our conversations, no offense. Hold on to your iron britches, cause here comes the juice." Holding out a hand towards each suit of armor, mana flows out of the dungeon master and into the pair. While the armors themselves don''t physically change in the process, that aspect of their forms being limited by Xenia''s armor schemas, a pale otherworldly glow does begin to emit from the armors'' various joints. As she finishes, soft lights begin to appear behind the visors of their respective helmets, where eyes ought to be, and something shifts in the rigid postures of the two. The next time they exchange a look their movements flow more organically, with perhaps even a hint of...well, not ''life'', certainly, but perhaps extra undeath to them.
Dips, the more feminine swordswoman of the pair, is the first to speak. "Innnteresting. My thoughts seeeeeeem....clearer."
Tank, the masculine axe-wielding suit of armor, nods in agreement. "Yeeeeees. I feeeeeel...angry!"
Xenia steps back with a slight grimace. "Wait, what? Okay now big guy, I''m sure we can hash out whatever the issue is!"
The armor clenches a fist before continuing. "We have been practicing, annnnnnd protecting. Yeeeeetttt...we have not haaaaad the chance to slay a single moooortal."
"Ooooh, is that the issue? Well, sorry, Tank, but not a whole lot I can do there. We just haven''t had any adventurers with the balls to get this far! Not that I''ve exactly been encouraging it, but I gotta be honest, my guess is there''s gonna be a lot of boredom involved with this gig. At least for a while, anyhow." Xenia rubs her chin. "Is there anything I could do to help you out? I don''t really know what ghosts do for fun."
Dips seems to consider the question before answering. "Could we staaaaaab the slime a little? I dooooouubbt she would care, she seems veeeeeeery stabbable." The ghost makes a few stabbing motions at the air, in order to demonstrate for her boss.
Xenia stares at the armor. "...Spar. You mean...sparring with the slime, right?"
"...Suurrrrree."
"I can see if she''s up for it, though we probably wanna make that an evening thing, don''t wanna make her have to rush all the way back up if some Challengers come by or nothin''. Oh, I could ask Beatrice if she wants to try a few rounds? You gotta promise not to break her though, she doesn''t respawn, you know?"
Tank answers for the pair. "...Suuurrrrre."
"Will do then. Hey, how about names, you two still good with Tank and Dips?"
Tank nods, but Dips needs a little longer to answer. "It will seeeeeerrrve. For now."
"Cool! Well, if you need me, I''m right next door. Don''t be strangers, alright?"
The pair nod again. "Of course, dungeon maaaaaster."
For the second meeting on Xenia''s agenda the dungeon master popped up to Sincere''s apartment to give him an invite before swinging over next door to Beatrice''s place. After politely knocking on the door and being invited in, Xenia gave a wave to the new-and-improved Slooshy, who was now human-sized and helping to wash Beatrice''s breakfast plates in the kitchen. Then, realizing the water elemental couldn''t actually see or hear her, had Beatrice pass on a greeting in her place. While the water elemental was now about as tall as Xenia''s form, it was difficult to call her humanoid, as she mostly had the appearance of a semi-solid blob of water with two thick appendages for arms and only occasional impressions of individual legs. Still, Xenia was able to get a vague impression of her being in a good mood as she worked.
Looking a little odd in her enchanted helmet but without much more of her usual heavy armor, Beatrice gets her roommate''s attention. "Hey Slooshy, Xenia''s here. Says she''s glad you''re up and about, though a little surprised you can actually walk around."
The elemental nods, probably, her head only being vaguely distinct from her torso. "Now that I''ve added on more water, I can compress myself together enough to get around a bit on dry land." She holds up a mitten-shaped hand, and with some concentration slowly forms individual fingers. "I can only do so much at once, though. Having to put so much energy into standing up means it''s hard to shape the rest of my body very well."
"Well, progress is progress." As Beatrice translates again, Xenia''s lips frown slightly. "Ugh, having to repeat everything twice is a pain. Hold on, let me try something." Summoning a sheet of parchment into her hand, Xenia experimentally forms words on it in printed ink. "Nice, I can mark stuff down on paper as I go, that''s way fancier than carving stone." The dungeon master creates another sheet which she places down in front of the elemental before continuing, speaking and magically writing down her words at the same time. "So, Slooshy...actually, how''d you get that name anyhow?"
"Oh, my friend Ride named me that! And I named him Ride. He grumbled a little about it but I think he liked it!"
"Ride? Is he one of the ones who''s still down there...or..." Xenia trails off as she notices Beatrice doing a neck-cutting motion, but Slooshy responds cheerfully.
"Oh, no, Beatrice killed him! It''s a little sad, but that''s the way it goes sometimes, right?"
"Oh...uh, well, I''m...glad to see you''re settling in alright, then. I wanted to talk about you and like, elementals in general though, and I brought Sincere in since I figure he''s a bit of an expert?"
Sincere raises an eyebrow at the suggestion. "I know a thing or two, I suppose, but it''s not exactly my specialty."
"Well, it''s more of a dungeon question really." Xenia settles in at one of the kitchen table chairs before continuing. "So, explain this to me. Elementals are classified here as ''mortals'', not as ''monsters'', yes?"
The demon nods. "The gods make those distinctions, which can be determined by how various magics affect various creatures. But essentially, if something has a soul, and is sapient, it is called ''mortal''. A wolf has a soul but is not sapient, so it is an animal, while the skeletons you produce have neither qualification, and are monsters. Dungeon creatures like Lollyp and myself are something of a hybrid, a mortal soul temporarily bound to a monster''s body."
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"Right, so, here''s my issue. Beatrice and Slooshy living in here counts as like, one big ongoing ''dungeon intrusion'' to my senses, which isn''t too big a deal as long as they don''t break anything that needs respawning, but does give me this like...constant little buzz in the back of my head, you know? I noticed it before with Beatrice, and it''s a little stronger now with Slooshy here too. I had some ideas for how I could help out Sloosh and those other water cores you had, but I''m worried about having so many ''mortals'' living in here full time. It''s not a big deal at the moment, but if it gets worse...so my question is, if the dead dungeon was making elementals, what was it planning to do with them all?"
Sincere stares off for a moment, considering the question. "I have some theories on that. From what I have heard of Roxxy''s tale, it appears the dungeon was using some as ''loot'' rewards, which seems a bit odd, but we know the Dragonlord is not one to exactly take a moral stance against the concept of slavery or treating individuals as possessions. That is certainly one reason I didn''t follow most of my kin into Domain service...but that''s besides the point. My main suspicion is that the Dragonlord, or the dungeon they resided in, was attempting to find a way to create ''dungeon monsters'' who could leave the bounds of the dungeon itself. Certainly we have seen that elementals can do that, however, they are not bound to the dungeon in any way. And that is the issue you''re facing, yes? How to register an elemental as part of the dungeon and not as an intruder to it?"
Xenia slowly nods along. "...Right. That sounds like it''s what I''m looking for, yeah."
"Well, this is only a theory, but I believe for the three cores you have taken possession of, the issue is already settled. I don''t know if you noticed this, but while you were able to take elemental cores into your inventory, that''s not something you would be able to do to a normal mortal adventurer. Would be quite the trick, if you could. The reason for this is that elemental cores are themselves inanimate objects, only physical links for the metaphysical, elemental spark which is the true ''body'' of the elemental. So, my wager would be that if you were to birth the elementals from those cores within your dungeon, they would be registered as parts of it, much like the books I have on my shelves. However, like my books could not be repaired if found and burned, your elementals would not be able to respawn if destroyed, as if they were dungeon monsters."
"Can''t use them as floor bosses, got it. But how can I register Slooshy as part of the dungeon, then?"
Sincere looks at Slooshy, who looks back at him. "Well, simple. We would merely need to destroy her body and allow your inventory to take possession of her core."
Slooshy frowns, or at least gives the slight impression of doing so on her largely formless face. "Hey! Rude! How about we de-body you and see how you like it!"
"I believe I''ve already done that once, actually. And please, it''s not as if losing one''s form is an unusual part of an elemental''s lifecycle."
"Pretty sure losing our body means we fucked up somewhere! Just because we can survive it doesn''t mean it''s fun."
Xenia waves a hand to try and halt the argument. "Don''t worry, I''m not gonna, uh, ''de-body'' anyone without their permission. It''s not an urgent thing, anyhow, I don''t think I''ll be waking up the others til we''ve got a Floor Four going. Just something to keep in mind, I guess."
"...I guess." Slooshy turns back to the sink, while Sincere refocuses on Xenia.
"I was thinking more about that floor expansion problem, by the way. I''ve had some ideas..."
Some miles away, another meeting was taking place within the Challengers camp. While most of the Valleylands delegation had left with their tents some time ago, a few still stood, and in one of those Warrior Mason Tossrock was examining his team - perhaps the first of many, depending on their success and what they discovered. The Valleylands had not sent their best, intentionally. After all, these soldiers were supposedly here for training, and had a full team of Masters appeared to challenge a month-old dungeon diplomatic complaints would surely have been raised. Still, each of the new arrivals was fairly high into their Advanced levels, and were considered promising troops by their commanders. Perhaps most importantly, all of them had already cleared at least five floors in one of the nation''s more familiar dungeons, and that experience would be vital for the mission.
Yarro Tossrock himself had come up through the ranks of the military''s combat engineers, his stone-shaping powers essential for the quick construction of defenses, bridges, and other earthworks. His experience in small-unit combat tactics was rather lacking, and that was hardly a unique problem. While many soldiers went through dungeons for training, their true purpose was to fight armies of other soldiers, not to defeat clever traps and giant boss monsters. Those he had before him had shown particular skill towards those ends, however, and would hopefully prove to have a better fate awaiting them than what had occurred to the first team of Valleylanders to enter the Worthy Dungeon. Deciding it was time to get to business, the Mason began with roll call.
"Welcome to the Grassbrook Challengers Association camp, all of you. I hope you''re feeling well rested from your long days of travel, because today is when things will begin to get truly, hrmm, interesting. None of you have served with me before, and I understand that each of you come from different units, so bear with me as I go through introductions. As you know, the role of every individual is key in a dungeon-delving party, and it is important that we all be clear what those roles are."
Tossrock turns first to the other minotaur in the tent, mostly only because he was so difficult to miss. The eight-foot tall man was draped in the robes of a cleric, though not the plain white cotton fashion that many paths wore, but rather ones dotted with sapphires and shining blue threads, making him one of the most eye-catching people in the entire camp. "You would be Tanno Longpull, Cleric of Frost, is that correct?"
The other minotaur bows his head. "Indeed I am, Mason. I serve my goddess Lisst and our nation in equal measure, and I am prepared to bring...cold comfort to our party as required." There''s a glint in Tanno''s eyes as he speaks, and Tossrock is uncertain if the man is reciting religious terminology or simply making puns.
Deciding not to wade into it either way, he turns to the next member of the group: an orc woman wearing not one but two crossbows, a special heavy model strapped against her back, and a smaller single-handed model holstered at her thigh. There''s a professional but stony expression on her face, which somewhat relieves the Mason. In his experience, those who make a living dealing death at a distance either become detached and cold, or far too prone to making light of sudden demise, and the former are at least easier for the taciturn soldier to work with. "Kalasha of Bug''kurc, Sniper, yes?"
The orc nods. "If I can see it, I can hit it. Range certainly won''t be an issue in a dungeon, and I can handle myself in a melee scrap if it comes to it."
"Good to know. And you...Mesht of Niad''osh, Vanguard?" To Kalasha''s side stands another orc, a man equipped in heavy plate armor. The common advancement of the Guard class, Vanguards made up the heavy infantry of both the Valleylands and the Rainlands, their thick shields covering those behind them as they closed ranks with the enemy. Certainly much stronger when within a shield formation with others of their class, but also an essential role when fighting monstrous beasts. Mesht nods, less coldly than Kalasha but in a professional, well-trained manner, as to be expected of a man who''s surely spent hundreds of hours drilling formations.
"That would be me, Mason. Eager to see the worst the dungeon can throw at us be broken on my shield!"
Tossrock nods back, rewarding the man''s eagerness with a grin. With that he comes to the final and most unusual member of the party. Despite being a mere four feet tall, he would not describe the woman wrapped in black and brown leathers as being mousy even were it not likely to get him in trouble for using insensitive terminology for his soldiers. "Tinsel Hansliss, Sapper?"
"That''s me! Ready to blow some shit up!" The woman grins widely, her voice carrying the high pitch and excitability common to mousekin, though in this case Tossrock is more inclined to attribute her attitude to her profession. Although the minotaur''s met very few beastkin in his years of service in general, let alone mousekin specifically, as an engineer he''s more than familiar with Sappers and their...particular take on life. Which is to say, they all seem to be at least a little bit mad and far too fond of things that are liable to explode in their hands. A Scout-derived career path, Sapper alchemical-based explosives tended to be the military''s preferred alternative to the more sedate lockpicks equipped by Challenger Rogues. Hopefully, that decision wouldn''t result in the dungeon coming down around their heads at any point in the coming days. As he watches, the woman''s large, thin ears twitch in excitement, and the short white fur covering her face remains broken by the pink of her nose and the wide-stretched lips of her eager smile.
"All are present and accounted for, then. Ready your supplies and be prepared to move out in five minutes, soldiers. The walk ahead is a few hours long, so I will be briefing you on the known facts and intelligence on the way. And when we arrive, we shall see what this Worthy Dungeon truly has to throw at us."
Chapter 64: Training Mission
When the Valleylander party arrived at Worthy Dungeon''s front door, it was already a few hours into the afternoon. Yet, they were still the first party to take a crack at the dungeon so far today. Word had spread around the camp that the Valleylanders were finally going to crack, or at least scout the mysterious third floor, and so the remaining Initiates were waiting to see what the soldiers would make of it. Not that Tossrock was particularly inclined to give away free intelligence to the Challengers, but if his party never returned from this visit that would certainly tell the Challengers something about the place regardless. Still, despite the odd stories going around about the new dungeon the minotaur felt rather confident in their chances, and in fact his biggest concern for the moment was the one right in front of him.
"Greetings, guardian of Worthy Dungeon. We come seeking to challenge your hazards." As he speaks, Tossrock taps the base of his staff against the ground, if staff was even the technically correct term for the weapon. Made of magically-hardened granite and topped with a heavy stone block, the tool could easily be taken for an oddly-shaped warhammer at first glance. Certainly, it had caved in the skulls of more than a few monsters and mortals over the years, and he certainly wouldn''t rule out that it would happen again today. For now though at least, the difficulty the man faced was one of polite conversation.
"Welcome, adventurers! I see you''re all - hold on now, just what in the world is that!?" Doorman''s eyes widen as he looks over the group, and Tossrock looks behind himself in a bit of confusion.
"What is what, guardian?"
"That tiny, hairy little child you''ve brought with you! I need to remind you, children are strictly forbidden from entry into Worthy Dungeon."
Before Tossrock can respond, Tinsel does it for him. "Hey! What the hells!? I''m not a kid! I''m 24! Mousekin are just short, okay!?"
Doorman gasps in response. "Oh my gods, that squeaky little voice! And that angry little face! Is this what beastkin look like, because wow, she is adorable."
Before Tinsel can tell the door what she thinks of that description, Tossrock waves at her for silence. "We...thank you for the complement, guardian. Now, we are prepared for your riddle."
"Oh, yes, of course. Now tell me...who''s the most adorable little mouse girl? Who''s adorable?"
The group turns to look at Tinsel, who hesitantly answers the question. "...Is...is it me? I''m adorable?"
"Yes you are! Yes you are! Congratulations, you have passed my riddle! Happy challenging...I wish you luck inside."
The first floor went extremely smoothly for the party, aside from the continual griping about patronizing doors coming from one notably adorable corner of it. The Bone Maze was defeated particularly trivially after Tossrock simply sealed shut the ceiling''s arrowslits, neutering more than half of the chamber''s monsters without a fight. BB did put up a bit of a fight before going down, causing no end of grief to the party''s ranged members before they managed to start landing hits, yet he never managed to land a single one of his own. When trying to attack the larger members of the party Mesht was there to block him, and on the occasions where he leapt for Tinsel the mousegirl was actually nimble enough to avoid him all on her own. After Kalasha finally scored a hit, further crossbow bolts, ice bolts, and stone traps eventually managed to wear the boss down to his defeat.
The infamous elevator of Floor Two following the monstrous rabbit proved a curiosity, but Tossrock had to agree with the general impression that had been going around the Challengers camp: anyone who could get past the Floor One boss at its current tier would find the platform''s ambushes easy by comparison. Regardless, he was aware that it was the second floor''s boss that posed the true threat, and so he made sure to issue another warning before the party exited the platform. "Now, remember. We are about to face a sapient-intelligent slime mage, unusually competent with Domain elementalist magics. Do not trigger the challenge mode, perhaps we might on another run, but today our goal is to breach the third floor. Understood?"
As the party responds affirmatively, Tossrock nods for Mesht to lead the way. Everyone''s eyes turned to the ceiling, the slime''s proclivities towards ambushes from above now being common knowledge among the camp residents, but as luck would have it today the ambush came from another direction. It was only after the entire group had entered the chamber that Tanno, the Cleric of Frost shouted out from the formation''s rear. "Gah! My leg - I think it was hiding in one of the pools! It''s - hrng!"
As the party quickly turns around, they note with some alarm that the minotaur cleric is grabbing at his robes and other clothing, fabric which bulges before their eyes in a rather unseemly fashion. Growling out an order, Tossrock motions for the group to spread out. "Cleric! Strip off your garments, your safety is more important than your pride! We cannot strike at it like this!"
Kalasha chuckles. "Stay calm, Tanno. It''s a common slime trick, I doubt it can eat a side of beef so massive as you. We''ll have it peeled off in no time."
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Shaking his head, Tossrock''s voice grows more urgent. "No, did you forget already? This is no common - " He''s interrupted when his point is made as the cleric suddenly bursts into flames - the fire starting from beneath his light armor. Tossrock''s about to step forward and begin stripping the cleric himself before Tanno shouts out a cry of his own.
"Lisst! I call upon your blessing, grant me a core of frost!" As he speaks the words the minotaur''s fur turns a frost-tipped white, and even his eyes become glazed over. The flames do die out, at the disturbing expense of making the minotaur look as if he''s become a mobile, frozen cadaver. Despite his appearance he grins, but it''s a short-lived relief as a woman''s voice speaks up from somewhere on his back.
"Oooh, an elemental cleric, huh? How about we try this one, then!" The statement is punctuated by the crackling sound of electricity, and though the minotaur cries out, attempting to endure it, the electrification doesn''t seem to end. Tossrock attempts to lay a hand on the man anyhow, but finds himself unable to stop his arm from jolting away at the contact. So it is that a few moments later, as the party watches on in horror, the cleric''s now-sizzling corpse falls to the ground. The bulge in his robes continues to move despite this, and eventually a blobby face pokes its way out of the dead man''s collar. "Whoo, that really took it out of me. Maybe I shoulda started with the orcs?"
"Bastard! You''ll pay for that!" Kalasha raises her crossbow and fires off a bolt, but it hits nothing other than the body of the fallen minotaur, the slime already on the move. Not stopping to reform a humanoid shape, the red puddle glides its way across the floor, dodging the short stone walls Tossrock summons out of the floor before it. Not that they were designed to hit the slime, merely to herd it, successfully directing the lethal puddle in Mesht''s direction. Unfortunately the Vanguard has little with which to combat the slime when it arrives, smashing it with his shield to little effect other than slowing the boss monster down, and only briefly at that. Rather than counter-attacking the heavily-armed orc the puddle simply slips between his legs, heading towards an easier target.
"Ah! It''s after me! All good, though!" Tinsel''s voice almost chirps as she hops her way through the room, moving backwards as Tossrock continues to throw up stony obstacles in front of the slime. The boss is adaptable though, finding its way around, over, and between walls and spikes on its way towards its target. Only to arrive too late. "Ah, this one should do the trick!" Pulling a potion bottle containing a cloudy mixture from her armor, the mousekin throws it down at the boss, smashing it on the rocks just ahead of the slime. As the chemical mixture soaks into the monster its membrane begins to bubble, and the slime barely has time to reform a head and shout before an internal explosion splatters it across a quarter of the room - including Tinsel, who only laughs at the mess. "Hahahaha! Score one for Tinsel!"
After a brief moment of watchfulness to ensure the monster is truly dead, the party first moves to check on their fallen cleric before offering any congratulations. With a lowered voice, Tossrock confirms what they all suspected. "No pulse...from the marks of blood, I wouldn''t be surprised if his heart wasn''t merely stopped but destroyed by that attack. There''s nothing we can do for him now. Go in the arms of your goddess, Tanno Longpull." There''s a moment of silence after that, first broken by Kalasha.
"That...the stories were true, that was no normal dungeon slime, not even a boss. Faster than a mortal slime, but with the magical powers of a trained Mage. Does this confirm the reports then, that this dungeon recruits its slain into servants, at the fullness of their strength?"
Tossrock shakes his head. "That was just one of the theories, and I do not believe it to be correct - or at least not the full story. The first floor boss was almost certainly ensouled but clearly not with the intelligence of a Challenger. And at this point the dungeon has claimed enough lives to fill entire chambers with slain Challengers, if that were an option it had available to it. More information is still required." Standing up, he turns towards the party''s smallest member. "Well done on your kill, Sapper Hansliss. What was that weapon you used there? I''m not very familiar with alchemy."
Tinsel grins. "Special thing I put together after all that talk about a badass slime boss. Slimes are super-acidic, and people always think about acids when they think about, y''know, super-corrosive shit. Everybody forgets about the bases! Those will fuck you up too, and if you mix em together...well, you saw how that went."
The leader nods along. "I''ll take your word on that." Eyeing the safe room ahead and its emergency portal out, Tossrock sighs. "Forging ahead without a healer is risky, but the next batch of trainees isn''t due to arrive for another two or three days. We must be cautious, but we must at least attempt the third floor, if only to scout it for the next intrusion. I''m sure I don''t need to remind everyone to be particularly careful, however. While you have all been deeper than three floors in a dungeon before, none of you have ever had to face an unscouted floor. We must assume it will be all the deadlier for it."
Mesht takes a deep breath before asking a respectful question. "It''s a risk, but one floor should be doable. But...what about Tanno, sir?"
"We cannot take him with us, nor can a body be sent through a portal alone. We shall collect his potions and any personal items, but I''m afraid we must leave his remains to the dungeon. While distasteful, sometimes a dungeon must be allowed its due." The party goes a bit silent at that, but none disagree. Not wanting to linger on the moment too long, the minotaur urges them forward. "Onward, party. See to the chest and heal from the fountain ahead if you need it. It''s time for someone to finally lay eyes on the third floor of this cursed place."
As the party moves ahead, Xenia watches them go with narrowed eyes. "Hmm, don''t like that, Guy, I think they''re on to us. Do you think we should have been telling Lollyp to play dumber, maybe?"
Guy wobbles negatively. "Even if we had her physically seal her mouth shut, the magic would have likely given her away eventually, and we certainly couldn''t handicap her so much as to tell her not to use it. Of course, if we''re worried about our secrets, we could always try and ensure that the rest don''t leave alive?"
"Maybe." Xenia taps her lips in thought. "...That mousegirl is pretty fuckin'' adorable though, I can barely even get mad at her for blowing up Lollyp. Even for an achievement I''d feel at least a lil bad doing her in. We''ll leave it up to fate, I guess. Are the residents out of the way?"
"Beatrice and Slooshy are currently in their apartment, ma''am. Sincere was down in your core chamber examining the link to the dead dungeon, however."
"Hmm, dang. Well, won''t be an issue if they don''t get that far..."
Chapter 65: Terrors and Tribulations
After a few minutes to secure the floor''s loot, rest up at the healing fountain, and say a final farewell to their fallen cleric, the Valleylands ''training squad'' made their way down to the dungeon''s bottom floor. Although the mood was much more somber, it didn''t take long for it to be replaced by a new emotion as they reached the floor''s first chamber - namely, confusion. Still taking the lead, Vanguard Mesht eyes the long series of staggered rows of the Step Room warily, and carefully peers down the eight-foot drop to the next row just to his right. "I don''t like the looks of this. Seems the entire chamber''s open, the exit''s right over there. But I''m not seeing a single monster or obvious trap. And all this pink fabric covering everything is, well...certainly an odd design choice, but suspicious as well."
Tinsel comes up alongside and chuckles a little uneasily. "...Yeah, this one''s definitely a trap room for sure. Let''s see, we could climb or drop down each of these rows and go right to the exit, or we could go back and forth to the stairs at each end and take like eight times longer. Obviously the quick option''s gonna kill us." Leaning over for a moment, she rubs the fabric-coated stone with a few fingers. "Pretty slick, like, literally. Definitely a setup for traps."
Tossrock nods in agreement. "Not that the long way is likely to be safe either. Still, right now we need to use caution. Tinsel, you''re taking the lead for this chamber."
The mousekin grumbles, but moves on ahead. "Pfft, so this is what I get for taking a Scout class, huh? I mean, uh...yes, sir!" Getting down on all fours, the woman moves forward almost as easily as she did standing on two, and carefully eyes each tile ahead before she puts any weight on it. Following her lead, the group gets about two-thirds of the way through the first row before she stops them with a raised hand. "Oop! This part of the row seems a little uneven...let me try something." Gently pushing down on one edge of the large tile, and then putting a little extra weight into it when that fails to do anything, the Sapper hops back as the tile suddenly tilts. "Ah! There''s your first trick, then. Drops you down onto the row below, and I betcha the tile downstairs has a way nastier trick waiting for us."
Kalasha eyes the tile section from the group''s rear. "Hop over it, then? Might be a little rough in armor but not too bad."
Tossrock rubs his chin, then shakes his head. "And if the tile beyond that has a trap, then you''re jumping right into it. I think one way or another, a shortcut needs to be risked...but fortunately, I do have ways of making my own. Stand back, each of you." Going down to one knee, the Warrior Mason places both hands on the floor and begins to feed mana into the stone beneath himself. Slowly a ramp begins to form, opening a safe passage to the next row. By the end of the spell however the Mason finds himself groaning with exertion. "Hrnng. The floor of this chamber has been heavily reshaped by the dungeon, taking hold of its stone is far more difficult than usual. Making a ramp all the way down would exhaust my energies...Sapper, continue onward and find us the next hazard."
Tinsel does so, scurrying down the ramp and onto the second row before stopping a few more tiles down. Putting an ear down to the ground, she taps at the floor. "Hmm...pitfall for certain, bet you there''d be spikes or something else nasty down at the bottom."
"Disarming the traps should hopefully be a simpler task. Allow me." Again kneeling, the Mason feeds more energy into the floor, although this time there''s no visible effect. "...There. I have placed a support beam beneath the false floor, bridging the gap. Cross carefully, and only directly across the center of the tile." The group begins to do so, Tinsel in the lead and Mesht following after, making their way across without issue. Once Mesht reaches the next tile however, a new surprise strikes out. Without warning a pink blob shoots its way out of the wall next to him, slamming into the Vanguard''s side and knocking the orc off balance. The strange smooth fabric coating the dungeon''s floor actually does him a slight favor in this though, as when the man falls his legs slide out from beneath him, providing something of a counter-balance to the momentum threatening to knock him off onto the row below. Even so the man still nearly tumbles over, only finally saved as Tossrock rushes forward and grabs the man''s ankle, pulling him back. "What was that!?"
The party''s Sniper leans over the edge and fires off a crossbow bolt before responding. "Slime, sir, small one. With...bunny ears? Shit, it''s still moving, I''m gonna need to switch to my special ammo." Loading up a bolt tipped with an arrowhead made of red crystal, the orc again leans over the edge and fires. As the group looks on a small hopping slime suddenly bursts into flames, shuddering for a few seconds before its membrane bursts open and the creature dissolves. "Was that slime jumping? I''ve never seen a slime move like that before."
"A dungeon creation, no doubt. So, lesson well learned. Tinsel, you keep an eye and ear on the floor, Mesht, you check the walls for more hidden monsters or other traps from the side, yes?" The group confirms the Mason''s orders, and slowly they continue their way down the long series of giant steps. By time they''ve reached the bottom level, Tossrock had needed to put together three more ramps and bridges, and four more hopping slimes had been revealed and needed putting down. None of the party had actually fallen for any of the traps however, largely thanks to Tinsel''s excellent senses, and though they arrived at the exit a little tired they did at least arrive in full health.
As they open the door to the second chamber, Tinsel shudders. "Ugh, creepy-looking spiderwebs. I''m not going first in this one, wouldn''t be surprised if the dungeon''s got spiders that could eat a lady like me."
The party leader eyes the gooey webbing and sighs. "Dropping the stone to collapse the webs would only block the path further. Were Tanno still with us, we could perhaps freeze the slime solid, but as it is...Mesht, it seems we have no choice but to go forward with brute force. Take the lead, but try your best to avoid the webbing as much as possible, yes?"
The orc nods and moves forward, shield raised and sword at the ready, pushing through the webs whenever the bulky-armored soldier is unable to avoid them. His path leaves plenty of room for Tinsel and even Kalasha to follow behind him without much incident, but the even-larger framed minotaur can''t avoid getting some of the sticky substance on his own head and shoulders. As they move through multiple twists and turns of the chamber hall the group holds their breath, waiting for the trap or ambush that seems certain to arrive, and when the brightly-colored spiders do eventually spring their attack the soldiers actually feel almost relieved. Even more so when the spiders prove easy to kill, not even attempting to bite their opponents, though the messy aftermath dampens their spirits somewhat.
Tinsel groans, having been finally unable to avoid being splashed by some of the slime herself. "Ugh, those are the grossest spiders I''ve ever seen! Getting this out of my fur is gonna take a week!"
"If our appearance is the worst of our worries, then it will be a lucky outcome. Forward, party." Chuckling despite himself at the mousekin''s attempts to scrape the orange and pink spider-slime from her cheeks, Tossrock continues to keep an eye open for more dangerous opponents as they move forward. Spiders do ambush the group several more times, but it''s not until the final room in the chamber that a true threat emerges. The moment Mesht steps from the hallway into the somewhat more open space, a quartet of skeletons falls on him with swords and axes.
Fortunately this is exactly the sort of fight a Vanguard is meant for, and the orc''s heavy shield and armor blocks the undeads'' crude weapons with ease. His own counter-attacks find no success, due to the heavy masses of slime slowing his limbs down, but that''s the sort of business the rest of the party is there for. Flooding through the entrance, each member takes a target, with Tossrock smashing one skeleton with his staff, Kalasha firing a bolt through another''s skull, and Tinsel climbing up an exposed ribcage as if it were a ladder to stuff a glowing vial into one''s eye socket and hopping off as its head explodes into bone fragments a moment later. With Mesht proving sufficient at taking down a single opponent of his own, the chamber is cleared in short order.
Kalasha grins as the last skeleton falls. "Ah, thank the gods they finally gave us something normal to fight! I''m starting to think the entire purpose of this floor is just to tire us out...oh, but how I hate trap floors."
Sighing, Tossrock opens the door to the next chamber, revealing yet another sequence of relatively narrow hallways. "You know, Kalasha. They say dungeon spirits can listen in and use an intruder''s complaints against them."
The Sniper grimaces. "I mean, trap floors are fun! And easy! I''m so glad the dungeon has decided to use traps today!"
Tinsel chuckles "Good work, Kally. I''m sure you''ve got the dungeon fooled now."
After taking a few minutes to scrape off as much of the slime as possible Mesht once again takes the lead, with the party forced to move in single-file down the hall. Things are quiet, almost eerily so, but that changes when ghostly forms suddenly whip out of the walls to grab hold of the orc and cause the man to scream loudly. Before anyone else has time to move forward and help free the Vanguard, he''s already freed himself, taking off at a run down the hall and tearing himself loose from the gooey tentacles in the process. Tossrock and Tinsel both yell for the man to stop, to get ahold of himself, but the only thing that actually succeeds in bringing his flight to an end is a pitfall revealed a further ten feet down the hall. The man''s continued, or indeed increased screams tell the party that their heavy survived the trap, but not without injury in the process.
Carefully but quickly making his way forward, Tossrock peers down into the pitfall. Its depth isn''t more than four feet, allowing a man Mesht''s size to easily climb out of it if required, but the steel spikes now jutting through the man''s feet and legs make it clear that that would be much more of a challenge than it otherwise would be. "Vanguard! Calm yourself! I will attempt to pull you up, but you must remain as still as possible!"
Mesht groans. "Argh, I''m - ugh, I''m such an idiot! I, hrng, when those things grabbed me, all I felt was this, this certainty that something terrible was about to eat me in a single bite. Gods, take me for a fool!" The groaning only intensifies as the minotaur grips the man under his arms and carefully pulls him upwards, leaving dark red stains on more than a few spikes as he does so. Eventually Mesht is rescued from the trap, and as Kalasha hands him a healing potion, Tossrock considers their next move.
"The potions should help stop the bleeding and prevent infection, but you''ll need support to walk the rest of the dungeon. We seem to be dealing with a two-part trap design here, part terror and part traditional. The latter I know we can handle, but the former...hrng. I am best suited to support Mesht while still remaining combat-capable, and Tinsel, you are the best at sniffing out traps. Do you think you can handle the, well...I don''t know what to call them, exactly, but those ambushing monstrosities if they strike at you?"
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The mousekin sighs, very clearly working her way up to putting on a cheerful front. "Yes sir! I can handle anything those tentacles want to throw at me!"
"Good. Kalasha, you take second, you have permission to take hold of the Sapper''s tail if it''s required to keep her from dashing off."
"Hey!" Tinsel grumbles a bit, and a little further when she catches Kalasha''s smirk, but soon gets to work leading the way forward. As the party moves on it''s revealed that she makes an excellent scout for this chamber, not merely for her trap-detecting skills, but for her diminutive size. Although the tentacles seem to have no traditional trap ''trigger'' and unavoidably whip out into the hallway as the party passes by, with Tinsel moving about on all fours most of them are unable to reach her, and even the ones more lowly placed fail to grab hold as the mousekin quickly leaps backwards. So it is that the next few hallways pass without incident, until eventually the group reaches a crossroads, including a wooden door from which moaning emanates. "Well, that''s never a good sound. Pass it by?"
Tossrock considers, then shakes his head. "There may be a key or other required item inside, we need to at least check it out. Kalasha, take the door."
Nodding, the woman cautiously takes hold of the door handle and pulls it open. Inside is a truly terrible sight: a trio of demons strapped to various instruments of torture - or more likely, pleasure, going by the particular forms of moans coming from their lips. Chuckling, the Sniper steps forward, and Tossrock''s shout of warning comes too late. The moment the woman steps through the doorway the door slams itself shut once again, and this time the sounds coming through its wooden frame are undeniably that of pure terror rather than bliss. Tossrock begins to lift his staff-slash-warhammer towards the door, but thinks twice and targets the stone around it instead. "Sapper! I am going to take the door off at its hinges, be prepared to rescue Kalasha as soon as you''re able!"
As the stone around the door warps, it takes perhaps no more than ten seconds for the metal hinges to fall loose, and when Tinsel pulls again at the door handle the door itself merely falls outward onto the floor, forcing the nimble woman to duck out of the way as it does so. The weight of the construct is increased by Kalasha''s own form falling backwards with it, apparently physically unharmed but screaming and entirely covered in colored slime. As Tossrock looks into the room beyond, he finds that all trace of the demons inside has now vanished. "Kalasha? Sniper! Are you injured? What happened in there?"
In between gasping breaths, the orc woman slowly manages to restore a thin level of discipline to herself. "I was - I was held down and, and, they were all over me! The demons turned into monsters and they, hng, hng, they slimed me!" As she slowly recovers herself, she sits up and looks around in a new form of panic. "My crossbow! My heavy crossbow, where is it!?"
Very carefully, Tinsel looks around the now-abandoned terror dungeon. "...I don''t know how, but it''s gone. Guess you''re down to your sidearm, Kally, but are you alright?"
Working her way back to her feet, the orc nods. "I...I will recover. It was just a, a trick. But - argh! Damnation! I loved that weapon! You know how many kills I made with that thing?"
Tossrock places a large hand on the woman''s shoulder. "The weapon can be replaced, a warrior can not. Take a few minutes if you need, but then we must proceed."
Kalasha nods and leans against a wall, pulling her smaller crossbow from her side and making a show of inspecting it, as if to imply that it''s the weapon that needs time to get ready to move on rather than her own frayed nerves. Ten minutes later though the party is once again moving forward, and as before, Tinsel''s scouting skills prove sufficient at dodging the remaining tentacles and pitfalls placed in their way. So it is that before long they reach the fourth chamber of the floor, and they all pause at the sight. A square chamber divided up into large tiles, much like the Step Room from before, but rather than divided by height the tiles here are separated by magical barriers, elemental traps, and hopping slimes. As Tossrock peers at the exit on the far side, blocked by numerous blue barriers, he sighs.
"If we were in better condition, I would say that we ought to move as the dungeon intends, dealing with the traps one by one and conserving our strength. But my patience for this floor has run thin, and I do not know if we have the endurance to deal with so many obstacles as we are right now. So...I shall provide us with a Plan B." Leaving Mesht to lean against a wall, the minotaur opens a mana potion and swallows it down before raising his hands to the ceiling. Even at his height his fingers only barely brush the surface, but it proves sufficient for the task. As Tossrock closes his eyes and grunts in frustration, cracks begin to run the entire length of the ceiling from their current position to the far exit, and after a few minutes of this a three-foot-wide section of the stone collapses along the path he made. The channel dug is no more than six inches deep, but the heavy rock proves to be enough to crush the barriers in their way, break the assorted traps, and splatter a handful of rabbit-eared slimes.
Breathing heavily before once again helping Mesht to his feet, Tossrock motions for Tinsel to take the lead once again. "Manipulating so much dungeon stone is...tiring, but with any luck this will be the end of the floor. Check that I''ve not missed anything, would you, Sapper?"
Tinsel cautiously moves ahead, hopping above and around the collapsed stone, and at one point needing to toss an explosive vial at a hopping slime that was freed by the destruction of its enclosing barriers, but eventually makes it to the far end without encountering any further obstacles. Following behind, the group opens the door to find exactly what they need: a safe zone with a healing fountain. As Tossrock helps Mesht over to the flowing waters, Kalasha eyes the emergency exit portal on the nearby floor and the large door on the opposite wall.
"That''s surely the floor boss behind those, and the core chamber beyond that, assuming there''s not yet another floor already added to this hellhole. Do we proceed, Mason?"
Tossrock stares at the door for a time, but eventually shakes his head. "We have not yet quite learned as much as I was hoping to on today''s expedition. Particularly, I was hoping to find out the nature of the boss ahead, and if it might be anything like the one on the floor above. But in our current condition, even a boss that was only its equal would surely cost us further casualties, let alone if it were any stronger. And given that it is entirely unknown to us, we have to assume it would have hidden tricks to use. So no. Today I must give this victory to the dungeon; we shall return in a few days with reinforcements. Mesht, as soon as you''re healed enough to walk, we shall be on our way through the exit portal."
Given the relative weakness of the healing fountain and the extensive damage to Mesht''s lower limbs, it''s almost a solid thirty minutes of sipping at fountain water before the Vanguard is up to the task of hiking his way back down the mountain. Eventually though the party is ready and makes their exit, Tinsel being the last to leave. Before she steps on through, the mousekin turns to face the door to the boss chamber, and shakes a small fist in the air in its direction. "You haven''t seen the last of us, dungeon! We''ll be baaaaaaaac - "
As her voice abruptly cuts off with the activation of the portal, Xenia turns to Guy, hovering beside her. "So! First official evaluation of Floor Three, Guy, or a partial one at least, how you think we did? Definitely seems like we fucked em up pretty good, but goddammit, another shortcut through Blobbity trap chamber!? Was that whole thing just a waste of time?"
"Adventurers with shortcut skills like that ''Mason'' or Beatrice ought to be the exception, rather than the rule, I would think. In a way it may be a good thing that they took a shortcut, as it means the solution is still an unknown, and that''s one secret at least that won''t be spread around. The other chambers meanwhile may prove less effective against future parties."
"Yeah, especially if they can shortcut down and start off fresh...although if they do wanna bring in a new healer next time they''ll have to start from scratch, heheh." The dungeon master smirks. "And yeah, that mousegirl, still adorable, don''t you think?"
"The most adorable mousegirl I''ve seen so far, ma''am. Ah, and our intrusion report is ready."
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INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS SLAIN: 1
NEW RESOURCE PATTERNS GATHERED:
BONE (MINOTAUR)
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
LEATHER ARMOR: D+
METAL ACCESSORIES: D
RANGED WEAPONS: D
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 1
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 6 TO 127 (24 CONSUMED BY CONSTRUCTS)
MANA ACQUIRED: 8, CURRENT AMOUNT: 34/103
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
SKILLS: CLERIC OF FROST (ADVANCED)
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: CULLING THE HERD 1
YOU HAVE SLAIN YOUR FIRST MINOTAUR. MANA SPELL EFFECTIVENESS ON MINOTAURS INCREASED BY 25%.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: LIKE A BOSS 3
YOU HAVE SLAIN AT LEAST TEN MORTALS WITH A BOSS MONSTER. ENSOULED BOSSES NOW FIGHT AT ONE PARTIAL TIER HIGHER WHEN CHALLENGED BY PARTIES OF SIX INTRUDERS OR MORE.
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Xenia cheers. "Woo, more achievements! And I believe that makes the score Worthy Dungeon two, Valleylands military zero! Now let''s pop on upstairs, Guy, cause I do believe Lollyp just earned herself a round on the house."
"Every round is on the house, ma''am."
"Shush."
Chapter 66: Digging Deeper
After congratulating Lollyp on her latest kill and boss upgrade, Xenia returned to her core chamber and fell into her favorite chair with a sigh. Turning first to her original core guardian Sir Flopsy, the dungeon master scoops him up and begins to stroke his back before turning next to the current holder of the title. At the wall closest to the dead dungeon stood Sincere, not far from a small writing desk where the man had been leaving scraps of dungeon-summoned paper covered in notes. "Well, I got good news and bad news, Sin-man."
The demon smirks as he sets aside the scrap of parchment currently in his hand. "Let me guess. The good news is that the intrusion has been defeated, and so I will not need to go ''hide under the bed'' as you suggested I do earlier?"
"Hey, you are smart. The bad news is I don''t think I can let you take notes, or at least not down here. I get the serious impression the folks out there are starting to catch on to our tricks, and I don''t want anyone snatching up any more secrets as dungeon loot or something."
Smiling still, Sincere picks the parchment back up and brings it over to Xenia. "A wise and cautious move, but unnecessary. For one, as you did not sufficiently empower these writing materials, they would dissolve were anyone to try and remove them from the dungeon. And secondly, well, take a look." Xenia does so, peering at the man''s handwriting with a frown.
"What language is this? I ought to know all the ones you knew, now."
"None. It is a personal code I alone know. In any case these are only partial notes, even were the cipher to be cracked, it would likely be meaningless to anyone who read it."
Xenia shrugs and leans back into her sheet as she tosses the parchment on the nearby table. "Fine, fine. So, that theory you were hinting at before, you get anywhere on that?"
Taking the seat opposite her, Sincere nods. "It is as I suspected. Before I explain, how much do you understand of the workings of your floor cores? The ones you cannot see, not the one you hide away in that...tasteful statuary there."
"Uh, let''s see...they exist in a metaphysical dimension, and they manage the mana flows of each individual floor, something like that?"
Sincere raises a finger. "That is one of their two functions. Yes, they act as, well, let''s call them mana distribution nodes. Rather than every construct in your dungeon having a direct link to your primary core, only the floor cores do so, and the constructs of each floor then receive their mana from there. That is where your ''floor capacity'' comes in, how much mana you can push through one without risking an overload. The second function of a floor core however is to make use of a record of its floor, how it is supposed to exist in an ideal state. Every trap, monster, door, and so on is recorded by a floor, and when an intrusion is reset, the floor is restored according to that record."
Xenia nods along. "Like a data backup, sure. Store your shit in the cloud in case of corruption and all that."
Sincere raises an eyebrow at that. "You know of spells to store things in clouds? That seems like a very unreliable sort of vault."
"It''s metaphysical clouds, you know? Anyhow, carry on, how''s this relate to taking over dead dungeon floors?"
"Right, well. When a dungeon dies, the floor cores lose most of this functionality. They still have some use as mana nodes, but of course there''s no longer any mana flowing through them. More notably, while the cores still have the ability to restore things to their original state, not only does it no longer have the mana to do it with, but the actual records themselves are lost. It''s possible the records are actually stored in the primary dungeon core and only sent to the floors at the time of reset, I have not ruled that out, but either way I am certain that dead floor cores no longer have that information. It''s why I was able to feed mana into one to produce elemental cores - it still had the capacity to produce them, as that floor had once done so, but it no longer had the instructions telling it when or exactly how it ought to do so until I forced it to, in a rather direct manner."
Xenia again nods along, though she can already feel this was threatening to turn into another Intro to Dungeon Theory 101 lecture. Having already sat through several of those in the short time she''s known the man, she attempts to hurry him along. "So how can we actually get any use out of them, then?"
Sincere grows excited at the question. "Because your little ''curse'' has several components to it, including the ability to open a window through time, and the ability to create pocket dimensions. It''s quite frankly an absolutely absurd level of power for such a curse, and I tremble to imagine who in the world would conceive of wasting it on a vehicle like you described. Almost certainly a deity, perhaps a whole group of them...but that''s getting off track. Sadly, we cannot control this window through time, but I believe that when used it will be directed onto a dead floor core at which point it will retrieve the records of the dead floor from the last time such a thing existed. It will then use that record to recreate the floor within a pocket dimension."
The dungeon master groans as she sinks further into her seat. "And let me guess, ''subduing and harnessing'' the energies of the Great Dungeon means someone''s gotta go in there and beat the floor."
"That would be the obvious assessment, yes."
"Wonderful. Well, guess I''ll go tell Beatrice to scrounge up another group of mercs sometime this week, then."
Xenia begins to stir from her seat, but before she can finish Sincere quickly motions for her to sit back down. "I''m afraid this time that won''t be an option. The pocket dimension would only be accessible to those bound to the curse. That means you, your dungeon monsters, and possibly elementals bound to you in the manner we discussed yesterday, although I am uncertain on that last part."
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Xenia stares at the man. "You''re telling me we''ve gotta make an adventuring party out of friggin'' boss monsters?"
"It wouldn''t necessarily have to be floor bosses, however I suspect the pocket would only be able to support a certain amount of magical energies, and bosses would be more effective in most cases than a horde of hopping slimes."
Xenia sighs as she resumes her focus on petting Sir Flopsy. "Right. Well. Can''t just rush off and do that, cause I really do not wanna leave the place empty in case someone comes knocking. Midnight raid then, sometime. We''ll do a group meet about it tonight I think, see what Lollyp and Trish think. Good work, though."
"No problem at all. I''m sure you would have figured it out yourself eventually, through brute force if nothing else. I believe actually triggering the curse will simply be a matter of you deciding you want to do it hard enough."
"Brute force is our usual MO, but I''m glad we''ve got a geek like you on the team now to help give us a heads up before we dive in, Sin-man."
Sincere pauses before answering. "...Always happy to be of service, dungeon master."
Later that evening the Dungeon Council, plus Slooshy, once again met in Beatrice''s apartment. Sincere explained his findings to the group with Xenia helpfully contributing the dumbed-down version for Beatrice, who then passed along an even dumber version for Slooshy. As the lecture reached its end with the demon only slightly irritated from constant interruptions and re-phrasings, Xenia clapped once to open the ''discussion'' phase of the meeting. "So, we''re gonna need an adventuring party if we wanna do this. Beatrice, you can''t come, but you are our resident expert adventurer, so advice would be handy. First question I wanna put out there: do we even give a shit about any of this?"
The confusion on Lollyp''s face is apparent. "Why wouldn''t we? If it''s a chance to unlock floors for, well, not for free, but almost for free, what''s the downside?"
Xenia grimaces. "Well, for one, even if they do work to our advantage sometimes, these are friggin'' curses, remember. I don''t like leaning into the things so much if we don''t have to, and we don''t have to. Dungeons expand without a cheat option like this through achievements, and it''s not like we need more floors right now. If we do end up expanding into a bunch of the old dungeon, I don''t know that it''ll necessarily be a good thing for us."
Beatrice shakes her head. "You''ve seen the maps we made, I''m pretty sure the place had dozens of floors at least. Just because you grab one floor of the place doesn''t mean you gotta do the whole thing, so why not see how it works then go from there?"
The dungeon master raises a finger and an objection. "You''re forgetting an important part, Trish. Dungeons are designed for killing people. This isn''t exactly risk free...probably? Actually, I don''t know. Sincere? Are these floor recreations gonna kill us? Like, if we die in the dungeon we die in real life, sort of thing?"
As befitting a man of his wisdom and experience, the researcher thinks over the question for nearly a solid minute before giving a well-reasoned response. "Probably not."
"...Probably?" Xenia narrows her eyes. "I ain''t liking the sound of ''probably''."
Sincere sighs. "Well, this is only a hypothesis. But I believe that the pocket dimension will be considered a part of your dungeon, and not part of the Great Dungeon, which means your souls will still be within the collection net of the dungeon''s individual Well of Souls. However, pocket dimensions are fragile things at the best of times, and I suspect you will not be able to just re-attack a floor endlessly if you fail. It may depend on the stability of the floor core in question: more damaged ones may break entirely if you attempt them too many times, while even stronger ones will probably still require a recovery period before another attempt."
"Well, that helps. Guess it''s worth at least one try, then." Xenia eyes the folks at the table. "Second point of order: who''s going? I can, apparently, but Beatrice and Slooshy are out. That leaves Lolly Pop and Sincere here, BB, and the stabby ghosts."
Beatrice shrugs. "Why not the whole gang, then? And however many more monsters you can take, if you can?"
Lollyp frowns at the suggestion. "I think we need to leave BB behind. Even if we do this in the middle of the night, we can''t rule out that a party might swing by anyways. And if BB''s gone folks are gonna notice that right away. A dungeon with no bosses is super vulnerable, and we have to assume that Guy''s not gonna be able to pull people out in time if we need them. Maybe if we try the floor and it turns out to be super-suited for BB''s skills or something, but otherwise I think we need him to hold the fort while we''re gone."
Xenia nods. "Makes sense. Hmm, hey Trish, you thinking of heading down the mountain anytime soon? Maybe you could let us know when a party might be swinging by again."
Beatrice hesitates for a moment before answering. "Actually...I did want to bring this up tonight. It''s not gonna be tomorrow, maybe after another week or so, but I was thinking of striking out. Long-term, like."
That catches Xenia''s attention quickly, and the woman leans forward. "Wait, what? But you just got here!"
Beatrice chuckles a little uneasily as she tries to calm her friend. "I''m not talking about going all the way back home or anything. I just - I wanna see what this world has to offer, right? The dungeon is fun, the apartment is great, but I want to see more than this. I was thinking of heading down at some point to find Alizz, and seeing what it takes to sign up as a real Challenger. Then, y''know, go around and do Challenger shit, try out the other dungeons, see the local cities, that sort of thing. I''ll come back to visit, obviously!"
Though Xenia still seems uncertain, Guy hovers forward and adds their support. "Having a scout to visit other dungeons could be quite useful! My knowledge of dungeons is only in the general sense, not the specific, so seeing how other dungeon masters ply their trade could be valuable information. Not to mention, learning more about how Challengers work when they''re not in the middle of an intrusion. Learn the enemy''s weaknesses, and whatnot."
Thinking it through a little, Xenia eventually sighs and nods. "Yeah, yeah, that all makes sense. But Trish, promise me something, yeah? Find yourself a team. And I don''t mean so that you can find their secrets so we can kill em easier, that might be a little messed up even for me. But no one can do shit like this alone, even you, so...I wanna be sure you''re doing it right, you know?"
The warrior nods. "I suppose you''re right. I guess I have missed working with other people, but after our last band broke up, well...trying to form a new one just always felt wrong, somehow. Working with the Challengers the past week or so, though, it did feel more right than it ever did back home...is it just cause I''m out of the old rut? New place, new faces? I dunno, but yeah, I''ll see about making some new friends before getting in over my head, no worries."
"Cool, cool. Well, for what we do know, I don''t think those Valleylanders are coming back for at least a few more days, if nothing else they need a new healer. So we''ll let Sincere poke around at the dungeon a little more, Lolly Pop and Trish, you can help make sure the dead elves are in fighting condition, and maybe in two nights we''ll give it a run?"
The group, minus Slooshy who was having something of a hard time following half a conversation, looks around the table at each other and nods. Speaking for the Council, Lollyp grins. "Watch out, Great Dungeon! Worthy Dungeon''s coming for ya!"
Chapter 67: Above and Below - Explicit
After Xenia and Lollyp made their exit from Beatrice''s apartment for the evening and Sincere was in the process of doing the same, the demon was a little surprised to find himself followed out the door by the Dragon Slayer herself. Stopping on the abyssal balcony and turning around with a slight smirk, the man raises a questioning eyebrow. "Stepping outside to get some fresh air, are we? I do enjoy how cool it is, although it could perhaps use a few more stars to make for a proper nighttime view."
Beatrice grins, a sight clearly visible now that the warrior''s left her enchanted helmet behind. "Lacking the romance of a moonlit night, huh? I had a thing or two I wanted to talk to you about, and given that you might be busy soon with that floor raiding thing, and I probably won''t be around for too much longer, seemed like I ought to bring it up while I can."
Sensing a serious topic is at hand, Sincere''s face grows more intent. "Certainly. A personal matter, I assume?"
"Oh, very." Stepping closer, Beatrice''s grin widens slightly. "For starters, I was hoping we didn''t ruin things too badly given how our playtime ended the other day. I mean, I''m not looking for anything serious, and I very much got the impression from your little speech that arcane demons are not particularly monogamous, but I don''t want to burn any bridges or anything either."
Sincere waves a hand to dismiss the thought. "Absolutely none of that was your fault, and you did indeed save...well, perhaps not my life, but at least my soul, so if there was any fault you''ve more than made up for it. Admittedly, it did rather ruin the mood at the time, but I''d hardly say it did so permanently. After all, I did say that you were someone I''d like to get to know more, and even now I''d say I''ve barely scratched the surface on that particular topic."
Stepping forward again and running a finger down the demon''s chest, Beatrice bites her lip before asking a question. "In that case...would you mind if I came over to your place and we, heheh, got to know each other a little better? Perhaps pick up where we left off?"
Sincere responds with a grin of his own. "I would like that very much."
As Xenia and Lollyp make their way through Floor Three, Xenia voices a question that she''s been wondering about for the past few minutes. "...Sooooo..."
Lollyp chuckles as she looks up. "So?"
"So I can''t help but notice that we passed the turn to your apartment like ten minutes back. Almost immediately after we left Trish''s place, actually. Hoping to find a little action in the core chamber tonight, are we Lolly Pop?" From the smile on the woman''s face, it''s clear that it wouldn''t exactly be an unjustified hope on Lollyp''s part if so.
"Half right! I am looking forward to some action, but not in the core chamber. Assuming you''re willing to be as bold as your reputation claims to be, Ms. Dungeon Master."
Xenia gasps. "I am super bold! Uh, but wait, what did you have in mind, then? I ain''t doing it in front of the creepy ghost knights, so what...oh." As Lollyp halts, Xenia realizes the two of them are now standing before a certain wooden door at the center of the Terror Tentacle maze.
"C''moooon, Xe. You can''t tell me you built this room and didn''t plan on actually making use of it at some point. It''s been begging for some use for like, weeks now!"
Staring at the door, Xenia takes a deep breath before smiling down at the slime. "Sure, why not? Let''s tell the Slimers to take a hike first, though, I''m pretty sure they are not as fun as they look..."
Beatrice falls against the bed, her chest bare but her pants still mostly clinging to her hips. "Alright, alright, you know your way around a kiss, I''ll grant you that. But I''m still not seeing any of these inventive tricks you promised you had up your sleeves. What''s it gonna be, some vertical sixty-nine? Maybe some tail tricks?"
Sincere scoffs as he stands next to the bed, already nude. "Oh, please. Now, if those were requests, I''d certainly be happy to fulfill them to the best of my ability. But I''ll have you know that I have a few personally-developed techniques that are not nearly so insultingly mundane as that. Would you care for a demonstration, Slayer?"
"I''m hearing talk, I ain''t seeing action."
"Then action you shall have." Sincere leans over her, licking at her nearest nipple while teasing the other with his right hand. Beatrice moans in anticipation for a moment, then stops as she realizes something is wrong.
"That''s...uh, what? I didn''t feel any of that. Was your trick turning my tits numb or something?"
Returning to his standing position, Sincere grins. "Quite the opposite. Observe." The man snaps his fingers, and then all of a sudden sensation floods the woman before him, causing her to moan for real as she writhes on the blankets. "That, is a little something I like to call ''Delayed Gratification.''"
Giggling as she regains control of herself, Beatrice tries her best to respond. "Was that...did you just use time magic on my tits? It was like everything you did to me finally caught up to me out of nowhere!"
"And that was just one example. How about another?" Leaning forward and repeating his actions from before, Beatrice is slightly relieved to find that this time she can actually feel it, and that it feels as nice as expected. She''s a little more surprised however when Sincere stands back up and the sensations don''t stop. "And this one I call ''Extended Pleasure.'' The effects will continue until the spell runs out, or I cancel it. Enjoying yourself?"
Beatrice runs her hands along her chest, experimenting with the feeling of rubbing her breasts while also at the same time experiencing Sincere''s mouth and hand teasing at them. "Mmm, that is...interesting. I hope you''re not just planning to keep things running like that so you can wander off and enjoy a book or something, though."
"Of course not." Finally climbing onto the bed, the demon grabs hold of her pants, easily sliding them off of her as she lifts her hips to help him out. "It merely leaves my hands - and mouth, and other such parts - free to engage in, mmm...other areas of interest."
As Sincere lowers his head between her thighs, Beatrice gasps out. "Nnh! Okay, I''m up for seeing how this, mmm, plays out..."
"You know, if you wanted to play with one of these, I could''ve just set some up in your bedroom." Xenia squirms slightly as she tests the seals on the pillory, finding her neck and wrists completely locked in. As Lollyp walks behind her she attempts to turn her head to look, but can''t even manage that, leading to quite a bit of surprise when a gooey palm spanks her bare asscheek. "Ah! Meany!"
Completing her walk around the restrained woman, Lollyp again ends up within Xenia''s field of view while sporting quite the grin. "Now now, atmosphere is very important when it comes to setting the mood. As is having the right attitude. Now, who''s the Dungeon Master tonight?"
"What? This is mutiny! Treason! I - ah!" Xenia''s mockery is cut short as her face is slapped, not by a palm this time but by a short slimy tentacle taking the place of Lollyp''s left hand. "Hey, what sort of dungeon master would need me to summon up a stepping stool just for - ah! I mean...you are, Dungeon Mistress Lollyp?"
"Wow, you do learn quickly, maybe you''re not so dumb, eh? But just to be on the safe side, I think we should probably gag that mouth before it has the opportunity to get you into any more trouble." Xenia half-expects Lollyp to dig up an actual gag from the assorted sex toys that had been set up around the BDSM dungeon as decorations, but instead the slime drags the not-to-be-mentioned stepping stool before the bound dungeon spirit. As the slime climbs up it, Xenia''s vision is filled by the sight of a new, much more phallic tentacle growing between Lollyp''s legs, one which gently slaps itself against Xenia''s cheek under its own power. "Now, open wide...good human."
As Xenia stretches her jaw, her mouth is soon filled with several inches of red pseudo-cock. In many ways it''s a very different experience from sucking on a normal dick, something that Xenia''s learned from experience over the past few weeks. The slime is able to tighten her outer membrane when desired, keeping the appendage from literally melting in her mouth, but it''s also far smoother and oddly flavorful than a human cock would be. Also far more flexible, as Xenia is reminded when Lollyp easily pushes her way into the spirit''s throat. Lollyp pauses there more for her own adjustment than Xenia''s sake, as it always takes her a moment to properly rewire her pleasure centers with a new limb. Once she''s ready though she looks down at Xenia with a devious grin. "Now, are you ready to properly worship your Dungeon Master?"
Xenia groans around the phallus, nodding her head as best as she''s able, and Lollyp''s grin increases to beyond-human lengths. "Good. Let''s get started!" Returning her left tentacle to a hand-like shape, Lollyp grabs hold of Xenia''s scalp and begins to thrust. The motion doesn''t come entirely from her fluid hips though, as her slime cock undergoes variations of its own within Xenia''s mouth and throat. Expanding, stretching, and throbbing, the appendage takes on shapes that Xenia once took for some sort of sexual technique but eventually figured out were almost involuntary on Lollyp''s part, the limb almost taking on a mind of its own and searching for whatever pleasure it can find inside its new home. The slime mistress doesn''t give Xenia much of a break, but then the woman doesn''t need one. After all, spirits are like swords in one respect - they don''t need to breathe.
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As Sincere finally drives his cock inside her, Beatrice gasps out loud. The demon''s mana reserves weren''t nearly what they used to be, but the man could still maintain three different usages of his time-looped sensations at once without draining himself too much, and he was currently using all three to full effect. Her left nipple, more sensitive than her right, was still enjoying the pleasant sensation of being teased even as Sincere''s arms were occupied holding the man up while he drove into her in a missionary position. Her ass was experiencing the sinful proddings of a phantom, slime-lubed finger, and all the while her clit was being licked at by a demonic tongue even as her pussy was filled with Sincere''s dick.
Beatrice had to admit. Sincere''s ego was maybe a little deserved. "Holy gods, Sincere! And you said you used to be able to do more of this!?"
The man grins as he looks down at her. "I believe my record was thirteen, and we only stopped there because any more would have been simply overwhelming. But from the look on your face I think it''s safe to say that even three is sufficient, if used properly."
"Yeah, I''d say they''re being used prooaaah!" Beatrice''s voice becomes unintelligible as Sincere''s groin grinds against her nub at the same time a phantom tongue comes on particularly strongly, and the combination nearly rips a climax from the woman right there. While she would have to admit that the demon''s body feels slightly different than she recalls from their previous encounter, with the illusion spell affecting his appearance only, the way that things are going so far would seem to be good evidence that experience and skill trumps raw physicality. Not that Sincere is lacking much in that respect either, thanks to Xenia''s ''improvements'' on his base form. "Shit, Sincere, I don''t know how I''m gonna keep up with you if you keep going like this!"
"It''s hardly a competition, my dear. In fact, I rather enjoy seeing my partners turned to putty by my actions. The look of a man or woman in their rawest form, utterly helpless before my ministrations. I find it quite flattering, really."
Beatrice rolls her eyes, both at the words themselves and the way he can manage to sound long-winded even in the middle of pounding the daylights out of her. "And to think I was about to compliment that pride of yours - ah! Oh...okay, keep that up and I''ll keep flattering you all that you want..."
Xenia licks up another glob of ejected slime from her lips as her ears are filled with the sound of the stepping stool being dragged across the stone floor. "God, I never will get it, Lolly - I mean, um, Dungeon Mistress. How is it that a blob of sentient acid can taste so good?"
The first response to her question is the sound and pain of a tentacle whipping itself against her bare ass, making the spirit squeak and causing a few more dribbles of slime to finally escape her chin. The second comes in a tone that doesn''t seem to be able to choose between being flattered or being insulted. "You rigids, always thinking you''re so fancy with your ''internal organs'' and your complete inability to manually control your body chemistry. You think we''d be able to work if we were really just made of one thing? We can remix our fluids as we need - and I was giving you an extra-sweet treat earlier, too, so I think I deserve a little more gratitude."
Xenia giggles. "Thank you for having such sweet-tasting cum, Dungeon Mistress. If I''m nice, will you take it out on my disrespectful, inferior internal organs?" She grins, but gives out another yelp as Lollyp unceremoniously grabs hold of one of her tits before moving on.
"You and your needy internal organs. ''Grow a bigger dick, Lolly'' this and ''can I have another tentacle, Lollyp'' that." Lollyp steps up onto the small stool as she speaks, punctuating each sentence with another spank on alternating cheeks. "I''m starting to think it''s time we figure out just how much punishment a dungeon spirit can really take, don''t you?"
"Ummm..." Xenia grimaces for a moment, wondering about the question herself. Certainly, at any point she could turn herself intangible to interactions with the pillory, Lollyp, or both, so she''s never truly in danger from anything made by the dungeon. She can also feel at least some pain from those same sources when she''s willing to, as the repeated spanks provide evidence for. But could Lollyp actually hurt her, even if she really tried? Perhaps now is as good a time as any to find out, she supposes. "Y''know what, Dungeon Mistress? Go for it! Fuck me up! Throw whatever you''ve got at me!"
Even without being able to turn her head, Xenia is somehow able to sense the smile on Lollyp''s face when she answers. "This...is gonna be fun." A thick shaft of slime glides its way up Xenia''s slit, which she was already expecting and prepared for, but a moment later a second one begins to press itself against her pucker. With barely time for a breath in between, both press their way inside, stretching the spirit wide as Lollyp''s hips thrust forward. Fortunately there''s never truly any issues with lubrication where slimes are concerned, the shafts themselves providing all they need, but the girth is still enough to steal the voice from Xenia''s throat as they fill her out.
Once Lollyp''s hips slap against Xenia''s ass with a slight ripple, Xenia expects the fucking to begin in earnest, but apparently Lollyp isn''t ready quite yet. Even as she''s buried fully within the dungeon spirit, taking up every bit of available space, the slime pumps yet more fluid into her appendages growing them yet wider. Xenia gasps again as she feels herself stretched to new limits, but finds that while there is perhaps a bit of pain, it''s not nearly as much as she would expect from intruders of such size in any of her old human forms. Indeed, as she feels herself trembling around Lollyp''s juicy pseudo-phalli, she''d have to say the tradeoff is more than worth it.
Behind her, Lollyp chuckles as she slowly begins her first proper round of thrusts. "Unngh, I don''t know about you but this is definitely a record for me. Now let''s see how much it takes to break you, shall we?"
Beatrice screams as her second orgasm hits her, the sound muffled by the pillow her face is currently buried in. After switching over to doggy-style Sincere had also swapped his magical focus, setting ''Delayed Gratification'' pressure points all over her body. At apparently random times sensations would appear out of nowhere, attacking the warrior in ways she couldn''t predict: nibbles at her ear, spanks on her ass, and even occasionally the tip of a tongue inside her rear. It was as if she was being attended to by an entire room full of partners at once, without all of the logistical issues such a feat would normally impose. "Gods, Sincere! This is...this is too much!"
Sincere slows down the movement of his hips as he holds himself above her. "Oh? Shall I take it easier on you for a while? Do you need a break?" As he speaks the magical sensations already begin to diminish, although they don''t quite stop.
Beatrice pauses before answering, holding the pillow to her face rather than turn to look him in the eye. "Have you even gotten off once yet?"
The demon laughs. "I am a patient man, my dear, I''m not the sort to want to rush towards a finish line." Beatrice can tell he has more to say and waits for it, and a moment later he shifts to a somewhat more embarrassed tone. "Also, I suppose I have to admit to myself that I''m not quite the man I used to be. While I''m thankful that this new form is, ah, as functional as it is, even with my status as a ''boss'' I''m uncertain that I have the staying or recovery power I once did. I wouldn''t want to disappoint you given that my reputation as a lover is on the line, after all."
Beatrice snorts. "Consider your reputation well-fuckin'' locked in, Sincere. I haven''t had it this good in years. So pick the pace back up already, I wanna see what it''s like getting you off when it doesn''t kill you in the process."
Smirking, the man resumes his thrusts. "It is more enjoyable that way, I''d have to say." The magical pressure points don''t all immediately return at once, still giving the beleaguered woman a bit of a break, but do slowly increase their tempo over time to match Sincere himself. Despite her instructions however the man still doesn''t rush himself too greatly, enjoying the experience far too much himself. While the woman is a sight to behold from the front, scars and all, he finds the shape of her backside even more enchanting. Not just the well-formed curves of her ass, bouncing as he impacts against them, but her muscled shoulders, her toned thighs, the way her arms squeeze the pillow to her face. Over the years the demon''s been with soldiers and Challengers on occasion, but he''s not sure he''s ever seen someone who had made a weapon of their own body to quite this extent.
As impressed as his eyes and his mind might be however, they still fail to keep pace with the pleasures felt by his manhood, encased in the iron-clad grip of a pussy provided by those same muscles. The generous supplies of slime-based lubricant someone had placed among his things also serve their purpose well, and as he reaches her depths one time too many he feels himself reach his edge. "Ah! I''m cumming, Beatrice!"
The woman turns so that the pillow doesn''t muffle her voice too much. "Do it! Let me feel - ah!" She doesn''t even have time to finish her sentence before Sincere loses the ability to hold back any further and releases inside her, something she can feel even amidst all of the other sensations currently assaulting her body. It does seem to lack quite the level of heat, or volume for that matter, that she recalls from their earlier encounter, but it''s more than made up for by the fact that this time Sincere is able to slow down and take hold of her in a cuddle afterwards without passing out.
As he nuzzles her neck, Beatrice murmurs contentedly. "Mmm...you know, I was thinking earlier about how much I''ll miss Xenia when I strike out, but this is definitely coming up as a close second place on my list. I doubt I''ll be able to find anything like this out on the road."
Sincere chuckles as he answers. "Well, you did say you were giving yourself a week before saying your farewells, yes?" As she nods, he continues. "Then we''ll have to see if we can''t spend that time moving myself up to first place, shan''t we?"
Xenia had experienced a lot over her many lifetimes including, she''s proud to say, a wide variety of ways in which to fuck and be fucked. She''d fucked as a woman, as a man, and at times as things not even human. But she''d have to admit: never has she been fucked in any way at all like this. After half an hour of trying to find Xenia''s limits, Lollyp had now converted as much of her body mass as she could get away with into phallic tentacles - multiple plugging their way into each of her holes, and even a long red cock reaching its way over her back like a lewd scorpion''s tail in order to stuff her mouth and throat yet again. Lollyp''s upper limbs, barely even well-formed enough to be called arms at this point, grope at her tits as the slime thrusts as much for the purpose of hanging on to the restrained woman as for stimulating her.
Yet despite all this, it''s Lollyp who''s gasping. "Are...are you serious? Gods, I thought Ullussus was insatiable, but even he didn''t do...ah...didn''t usually do more than like, one or two things at once! How are you still - oh gods!" Shuddering to an extent that ripples spread across her entire skin, Lollyp reaches yet another climax in an uncounted series of the same, this time firing off another wave of sticky slime into her boss''s ass. "Gods, Xe! If we keep this up there''s gonna be more of my slime in your body than mine! Are you not tired out yet?"
Grinning though Lollyp can''t see it, the dungeon spirit answers by shaking her ass against her captor''s vague mimicry of hips. Xenia''d had her own share of climaxes over the evening, of course, but found herself recovering far faster than her friend and if anything only more eager for another round each time. The abuse she was taking was beyond human limits, a truly inhuman level of fuckery, and she only ever wanted more. As the tentacle in her mouth begins to withdraw she finds herself actually biting down on it out of reflex, holding it in place, and to the surprise of both of them that actually triggers yet another release of sweet slime cum into what passes for her stomach.
It''s finally too much for Lollyp though, who finds herself tapping out on Xenia''s ass rather than spanking it for once. "I...I give. I surrender. I feel like my heart''s gonna give out if we keep this up much longer and I don''t even have one of those things." Mercifully, Xenia relaxes her jaw and lets the tentacle slide out, followed shortly after by the others filling her as Lollyp collapses from her stool and onto the ground. As she does thick globs of red, sticky fluid follow after her, evidence of her hard-won efforts across the evening. "Unbelievable. I''ve been through entire orgies that didn''t drain me like that, Xe."
Finally able to speak, Xenia giggles, feeling victorious despite her compromising position within the locked pillory. "What can I say? If you got it, you got it. Now, remind me again...who''s the Dungeon Master around here?"
As another trail of slime cum trickles back down onto her, Lollyp gives an exhausted laugh. "Guess you keep the title, boss. All hail Xenia Worthy, Master of Worthy Dungeon."
"Damn straight. Now next time, maybe we''ll see about locking you up in one of these things..."
Chapter 68: The Wrong Foot
The next two days at Worthy Dungeon passed by in relative quiet. Another Initiate party came by, attempting only the first floor and leaving without showing off any particularly fancy (or suicidal) tricks. Lollyp and Beatrice both did a bit of sparring practice with the Possessed Armor bosses, but on the second day Beatrice left to pay a visit to the Challenger''s camp. Officially she was heading down to see about getting the paperwork started on a Challenger''s membership, if it was an option, but with the secondary goal of checking to see if any parties were planning a late-night intrusion for that evening. Given that Beatrice hadn''t rushed back up the mountain with a warning it was taken as safe to assume that none was forthcoming. So it was that after dark fell that night, Xenia''s core chamber was filled with both dungeon monsters and an air of excitement.
Xenia and Guy were present of course, as were Lollyp and Sincere who were holding a spirited conversation in one corner about the advantages and disadvantages of wand-based magic. Tank and Dips meanwhile were standing together in the center of the room and somehow managing to look awkward as they did so. It was the first time since their ''birth'' that either of them had left their boss arena, and it was the first time either of them had seen wonders such as chairs or bunnies. In fact, Xenia was delaying the start of their expedition almost entirely so that she could amuse herself by watching them, particularly the way they seemed to grow nervous whenever Sir Flopsy hopped closer to sniff at their boots.
Eventually though it seemed like it was time to get down to business. With a snap of the dungeon master''s fingers, the black-dyed fabric she''d been wearing for most of the past few weeks was replaced with what she''d been calling her ''battle rattle''. The base of it was light leather armor, but with scale metal reinforcement over the most vital spots along with an open-faced steel helmet to go with it. On her hip was sheathed a longsword, while a bandoleer of throwing knives crossed her right shoulder followed by another holding potion bottles over her left. In truth it was all extremely basic gear - the C and D-tier armors that the dungeon had unlocked only seemed to match up to what a low-ranking soldier would be equipped with. Despite that, the fact that it was custom-tailored to Xenia to such an exacting degree combined with her apparent practiced ease at moving around in the equipment meant that she somehow managed to look far more dangerous than any raw recruit could ever hope to match.
The impression was strongly backed up by her first words to the gathering. "Alright, think I''m ready to go! Hey Sin-man, I''m not gonna die to the first thing that pokes me in there, am I? I''m a fragile little soap bubble these days, you know?"
Sincere shrugs in response. "I have absolutely no idea. My suggestion would be: don''t get poked." The man himself seemed to be wearing little more than a simple fabric robe, but such looks were deceiving. It had been enchanted to boost the demon''s magical reserves as much as possible, and although he came down on the ''wands are a crutch used by second-rate sorcerers'' side of the fence he still had a few mystical toys and accessories hidden away under there.
Xenia sighs. "Thanks, Sin-man. Good universal strategy." Clearing her throat and standing a little straighter, Xenia starts again. "Alright, so it''s been a few lifetimes, but as it happens I have actually led an adventuring party once or twice in my time. So as Master of Worthy Dungeon, I appoint myself team leader. Aside from that, my personal preference is the blade, but since we apparently can''t risk me taking like...any hits whatsoever, I can''t be our frontliner. Tank, that''s gonna be you. If something comes at us, make sure it hits that massive-ass shield of yours, alright? Dips, you and I will be backing him up, covering the flanks and flinging pointy metal at anything just out of reach." The two ghostly armors nod, and Xenia turns next to her magicians.
For her part, Lollyp had arrived to the party mostly equipped in her usual combat gear - a magic wizard''s hat, a vest strapped with glass bottles, and a wand. She''d broken out the prize of her collection for the job though, bringing along the wand that had once belonged to her brother rather than the mere D-tier weapons Xenia usually made for her. She''s holding it in her hands when Xenia calls her name, apparently lost in thought until she jolts to attention. "Lollyp, you''re our primary ranged support. If you run dry on mana you can try and mix it up, but otherwise keep to the back ranks, got it?"
"Got it, boss! Honestly that''s how I was trained to fight anyhow, so it''ll be good to go back to basics for a while." As she slips the wand into her vest the slime gives a devious grin, presumably at the thought of getting to burn something alive tonight.
"And Sincere, you''re basic support, including healing. Not your specialty, but other than potions you''re all we''ve got for that. Otherwise, y''know...shields, time shit, big fancy words, toss around whatever you think will be helpful without draining yourself too much. Good?"
"Of course, Dungeon Master. If it comes down to it, I suppose I do have a few lectures on ritual circles that could potentially put our enemies to sleep."
Before Xenia can respond to that, Lollyp asks a question. "So, just to confirm, we''ve still got no idea what we''re heading into, yeah?"
Xenia waggles a hand. "Sort of. We can say this: it might be the closest floor to us, but it sure wasn''t the first floor of the Great Dungeon, wherever the fuckin'' entrance was supposed to have been at. So don''t expect it to be easy. Second, the halls we''ve seen have all been wide and empty...it''s possible there was more to it that melted away, but that kind of implies a lot of combat to me, rather than traps. You wanna bunch people into narrow corridors for that stuff after all, right? But do keep your eyes open anyhow, obviously. And third...well, this is just a wild-ass guess on my part, but I''m gonna assume there''s gonna be a lot of dragon and lizard-type shit in there. The other mortal races weren''t anywhere around when the Great Dungeon was in operation, so we shouldn''t be seeing any undead from those groups, at least. But other than that, your guess is as good as mine."
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"Yeah, that makes sense. Last question then: you know how to actually trigger this?"
"Yeah! Probably. I mean, if I think about it I kinda get this feeling, right? Just didn''t want to test it until we were all ready, you know? Which we are now. Right?" The dungeon master scans the group one more time, and when no one disagrees, she nods. "Right! So...here we go, then."
Guy chimes in with his support. "Best of luck to you, ma''am! Show that dungeon what for, eh!"
"You got it!" Bringing up a menu screen, Xenia finds the third curse in her list of achievements, and focuses on it. As she closes her eyes words begin to form in her mind, and almost unbidden her voice speaks them out loud. "Great Dungeon of Mount Faralis, Center of the World! Lost and ruined, quiet and barren! Let your secrets be bared, your energies subdued! Breathe now your last, and open your gate!"
When Xenia opens her eyes, she realizes that something''s gone wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong. Her sword is already in her hands, although she can''t recall having drawn it, but there''s no grim dungeon around her. No swarm of monsters comes to meet her.
She''s in a house. A simple wooden kitchen table sits to her left, and as she looks across the sitting room to her right she can see the beams of a morning sun pouring in through the windows. Her eyes flicker across all of it, the cushioned chairs, the blue-green rug, the white lace drapes - "No." The word escapes her lips without it meaning to, and she can feel a tremble begin to take hold of her sword hand. "No, this is...this is a dungeon trick. One of those mind control traps, that''s what this is."
She closes her eyes and counts to ten, and when the house remains afterwards, she begins to shout. "Lollyp! Sincere? Are you here!? Can anyone hear me?" A voice answers her a moment later from outside, drifting in through an open window, but it''s not one she was expecting.
"Xen? Are you in there? What are you shouting about?"
Xenia''s eyes widen. "No. Nononono, this isn''t real. It''s not real." She begins to move through the house, hoping perhaps one of the doors will be an exit from the illusion, but they only lead to more peaceful scenes of a pleasant spring day. The kitchen, the master bedroom, the guest room that used to be - "No! This isn''t real! You''re not fooling me!" Turning quickly as if a wall might attack her, Xenia''s sword swings left and right at the air. "I''m on to you!"
"Xenon? What in the world are you doing in there?" The voice is closer to the house now, the - the doorknob to the front door is turning.
Xenia''s vision begins to go dark, not because of any change in the room''s lighting, but because she can feel the blood draining from her. "No! Take me back! No! No - "
"NO!" Xenia feels hands grabbing at her as she shouts and realizes her head is practically between her knees, crouched as she is on a stone floor. A voice comes to her, although it takes her a moment to place it.
"Xenia!? What''s wrong? Are you okay!?" Lollyp''s face meets hers as she kneels down, her worry written all over it. "We all got here fine, Xenia. Did something happen to you?"
Again Xenia closes her eyes and begins to count, but this time stops at five - this is potentially hostile territory, after all. "I was...there was an illusion trap, or something? Did it just hit me?"
Sincere and Lollyp share a look, and Lollyp answers. "No? You finished your little poem, the lights went out and then we were here and you were screaming. What did you see? Are you sure you''re alright?"
Forcing her body to her feet and a grin to her face, Xenia gives the slime a thumbs up. "Never - never better, Lolly Pop! Now how about we show this dungeon - "
"DUCK!" Sincere shouts out a warning, but it comes too late as an arrow suddenly appears in Xenia''s right shoulder. If anything though the impact only seems to make the woman calmer, her gaze drifting down to the wooden shaft as if it were nothing more than a gnat that had landed on her.
"Oh, hey, look at that. Got hit and I didn''t die right away! That''s good to - " Her sentence is interrupted as another arrow suddenly sprouts from her right leg, and her eyes narrow. "...Ow. ...OW! Fuck, that hurts!" Finally looking up, she spots a trio of skeletal kobolds heading their way, their white bones illuminated by the flickering of torches along the sides of a wide stone tunnel. One carries a sword while the others wield the bows responsible for Xenia''s new appendages, and Lollyp begins shouting at Tank to do something about them.
"Tank! Do your thing! The big shield thing! Stop them from shooting us already!"
The possessed armor nods, as if the idea hadn''t occurred to him until just then, and the lumbering hulk begins to put himself in between the archers and the party. Far too late, as it happens. As Xenia looks back down at the arrow sticking out of her shoulder a third plants itself right between her eyes, nailing the gap in her helmet, and everything goes black once again.
The next time Xenia opens her eyes she finds herself lying back on her bed, Lollyp once again leaning over her, but Xenia finds her expressions hard to read despite the close distance. "...Well, boss, I''ve got good news and bad news."
Blinking, the dungeon master takes a second to check her apparently arrow-free shoulder before answering. "...Good news?"
"The good news is, apparently if you die in the pocket dimension we don''t all immediately die for real, which was, y''know, a slight concern. So we''ve settled that at least! Though it did kick us all back out with you. Guess you''re kinda key to the whole pocket dimension thing or whatever. The bad news is...Xenia! What happened to you!? I''ve seen you in a fight before, it was nothing like...like that!"
Standing a little further away, Sincere nods in agreement. "Frankly, that performance would have been appalling even by Initiate standards. Just what did the dungeon do to you?"
Taking a deep breath, Xenia closes her eyes and rubs them before responding. "I just...I don''t want to talk about it."
This time the look on Lollyp''s face is definitely one of concern. "Xenia...c''mon, let us help."
"Maybe...maybe later. But tonight''s a bust, sorry guys. We can talk...tomorrow, I guess. Just, mind heading out? I think I need to rest. Takes some time to recover from an arrow in the head, am I right?" She gives a raw-looking grin, but Lollyp has a hard time arguing against her.
"...Sure thing, Xe. We''ll talk tomorrow, okay? So get some rest, and we''ll sort everything out later." Sincere nods in agreement, and leads the two ghostly armors out of the core chamber when they seem uncertain as to what they should be doing next. Lollyp leaves last, following Guy and closing the door behind her as she goes, but the sound she hears as she does so seems to remain with her even afterwards. She stands there for a minute, and then another, before finally opening the door again and stepping back inside.
Xenia doesn''t notice her until she''s standing by the bed, and although she quickly wipes her face, the tears are impossible to hide. "Lolly, really, I just need - "
"Shh." Shushing her as she climbs into the bed, the woman doesn''t say a word until she''s lying down next to Xenia, an arm wrapped around her waist. "We can talk about it later, that''s fine. But for now...I''m here."
Chapter 69: Concerning Epilogues
Very late the next morning Xenia found herself busy setting up something of a brunch in her core chamber. Although neither Lollyp or Sincere actually required food these days, it could still be enjoyed, and she felt the need to make some sort of an apology to the pair. While they hadn''t known what to expect in the Great Dungeon, ''getting the party kicked back out before they got ten feet in'' felt like a particularly egregious misstep. Also, although she had trouble putting it into words the woman definitely felt like she ought to thank Lollyp in some way for staying behind for a few hours the night before.
Even so Xenia is a little surprised when she sends Guy to go invite the pair downstairs and only Lollyp arrives. Looking up as she finishes dishing out some bacon, Xenia gives the floor boss her best smile. "Mornin'', Lollyp! Sincere got the invite too, yeah? He coming down later? And how about Guy? Hell, the ghost buckets are welcome to swing by too if they want to hang out, though I''m guessing trying to eat would just mess up their armor or something."
Lollyp gives a slight smile in response but sighs a bit as she takes a seat. "Thanks for the food, Xe, it looks great. But uh, they''re not coming."
Xenia''s brow furrows. "No? Are...oh, crap. Sincere isn''t pissed that I fucked up the expedition, is he? I set all this up to try and make up for that, you know?"
The slime quickly shakes her head. "No, no, it''s nothing like that. It''s just...I think we need to talk about what happened, and I figured maybe it was one of those kinds of things you wouldn''t want to talk about in front of a bunch of people. Especially since you still barely know Sincere, not that he''s a bad guy or anything."
Xenia takes a seat of her own, nibbling at a piece of bacon that she can taste but not truly consume. "Um, thanks, but there''s nothing to talk about. The dungeon hit me with an illusion and I wasn''t ready for it. Next time I will be. We''ll give the floor a few days to recharge and try again, and next time we''ll kick its ass, no problem."
Lollyp sighs again. "Xenia."
Looking down at the table, Xenia finds herself having trouble meeting Lollyp''s eyes. "...Yeah?"
"Setting aside whatever it was that actually triggered it - I know Sincere''s got some theories, but it''s not really important right now - I think you need to talk about it. Whatever it was happened in an instant, and it totally shut you down. Not just for the intrusion, but for hours." Lollyp pauses, looking away herself before finishing her statement. "I...I don''t like seeing you like that, Xe. I want to help."
Xenia closes her eyes, and for a moment Lollyp is afraid that her friend is going to snap at her, or tell her to get out. Instead, after a long series of deep breaths, her eyes finally open and find Lollyp''s. "...Yeah. Okay. To start at the beginning, I guess...let me tell you a story about being a Hero."
Leaving the breakfast table behind, Xenia had paced the room for a few minutes before finally leaning against one of the chamber''s windows, staring out into the dark abyss of the mountain. As eager to listen as Lollyp was she managed to hold her silence until her friend was ready to speak, and after another minute or two of window-gazing, that patience was rewarded.
"...The first time I was a Hero was also my first go-around at this whole reincarnation thing. As you might imagine, I was as confused as fuck. One minute I''m walking across the street, gettin'' turned into a pancake by a speeding white truck, and then next minute I''m in some sort of temple surrounded by priests and nobles and shit. Oh, and also I was a guy for some reason, barely more than a teenager at that, so you know. Really fuckin'' confused. Then the priests tell me this story. They say that I was summoned to be their great hero, the Chosen of the kingdom of Ulthor, and that I was gonna save them from the Dreaded Tyrant who threatened their borders."
Lollyp doesn''t interrupt, but she watches closely, and notices Xenia''s fingers as they tighten their grip on the windowsill. Frowning slightly, Xenia continues. "Now, it was never really my thing back on Earth, but I knew enough to know the basics. Fantasy, swords, magic, chosen heroes, all that shit, it wasn''t hard to figure out my role. And even if it had been, I had a bunch of people willing to tell me what it was. I had a spirit guide, a king throwing me feasts, a knight captain to teach me swordplay, handpicked adventurers to be my companions. And it''s not like I had any idea what else I could fuckin'' do, so I went along for the ride."
Her fingers tap against the stone. "Seven months. Six months of training, feasting, and...well, let''s just say some of those adventurers were pretty damn good looking and I had some experimenting to do, and leave it at that, yeah? Then one month to defeat the Dreaded Tyrant. Slipped across the border with almost no issues, infiltrated the capital, then all of an hour to break into the palace, find the throne room, and stab the fucker in the chest." Xenia''s mouth turns into a grimace before she takes on a mocking tone. "Hooray! The tyrant is dead, long live freedom!"
At that, Lollyp finally hazards a question. "Guessing it wasn''t that easy?"
"That''s just it, Lollyp. It was too easy. I didn''t figure it out until like an hour after I did the deed, but...the dude was just a king. Oh, sure, perhaps marginally worse in some respects, but from the way the townspeople reacted to the news, he was probably better in others. Did have a good evil cackle though, I will give him that. But all in all?" Xenia shakes her head. "I was no Hero, Lollyp. I was a summoned assassin. I got the heroes'' welcome and all that when I got back - more feasts, more charming adventurers, but I finally started to catch on to just how much of a setup it all fuckin'' was. My companions weren''t my friends, they were my minders. The spiritual guide was teaching me how to use my powers but never said anything about if I should. And the king just wanted me to knock off a rival so he could set a puppet on the throne. Still, I sucked it up, sat on it for a year after that."
"What happened after that?"
The woman snorts. "Turns out, having a Hero in your back pocket gives people really itchy trigger fingers. I lived on the kingdom''s dime for a year, clearing out a few bandits, slaying a few minor monsters, and all that good stuff, but keeping a Hero and his party around is damn expensive, so obviously eventually the King goes...''well, why shouldn''t I put this investment to use, hrmm?'' But since I was around this time, I was able to see how it all got started. The propaganda, the made-up political insults. Over the course of like three months, a nearby leader who''d been an ally like twenty years before suddenly transformed into a Wicked Empress. Then I started getting hints going, hey, Hero, maybe you should go fix things for the good of the kingdom eh, wink wink, nudge nudge? Except with it becoming less of a hint and more of an order every time."
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Lollyp''s mouth turns into a bit of a sneer of her own. "Ugh, what a prick. What did you do then?"
Chuckling, Xenia continues. "Did something right, and stupid. Made a public announcement that I wasn''t doing any more political shit: I''d slay monsters, defend if someone else attacked, but that was it. Imagine my surprise when I caught word one evening that the King''d announced that I had been mind-controlled by the enemy, and that it was only further proof of her wickedness." Closing her eyes, Xenia sighs before she continues. "Sadly, I heard that news while I was in the middle of dinner. My apparently very poisoned dinner, given that my kitchen staff all worked for the King. I''m sure the Empress got the blame for that, too. Either way, I was off to my next run and my slot was freed up for them to probably summon some other poor sap who''d ask fewer questions."
Lollyp nods along. "So the illusion or whatever it was, was the first time you got betrayed or something? That does sound really bad."
Xenia shakes her head. "Oh, I wish. Nah, I told you that story to, like, set a baseline. Sort of establish a trend for my kind of luck, you know? Because to actually get to the point...let me tell you about the second time I was a Hero."
Although she needs another few minutes to collect her thoughts, this time when she finally settles down Xenia is back at the breakfast table, again doing her best to nibble at some bacon. "Seriously, the way food and drink just melts on my tongue is really freaking weird. Least I don''t need to worry about a diet."
"Hey, you''re stalling!" Lollyp starts to wag a finger, and then halts. "Uh, I mean...whenever you''re ready. I know this is tough to talk about."
Xenia smirks, but continues without further prompting. "The second time I was a Hero was, I don''t know, my sixth or seventh run I guess. Started off pretty similarly - I got summoned, for some reason I was a dude again, cause seriously I think whatever god is in charge of summoned heroes is some sort of misogynist or something, and I was standing in a temple full of important people. The second someone called me a Hero - which I think took about seven seconds - I was like, ''well, fuck...here we go with this bullshit again.''"
"Oof." Lollyp gives a pained expression. "How bad was it this time?"
"That''s just it, Lolly Pop. That time it went exactly like it does in all the fairy tales. There was a dragon, an actual evil overlord that time, and a whole gang of princesses that needed to be rescued - seven of em, actually, that was what they called me that round. The Hero of Seven Cities! Had adventurer buddies who were actually my friends that round, and we did some actual good together. We went around, slew the seven evil lieutenants and the dragon, eventually brought the evil overlord''s tower down around his head, and once again returned home to a Hero''s welcome. Happily ever after."
"And...what happened to you this time?"
A faint smile passes Xenia''s lips. "Exactly that. My party, they were all great, but there was this one...there was Sarah." Lollyp leans forward at the mention of the name, but Xenia doesn''t seem to notice, lost in the memory. "Our healer. During all that, we kind of fell for each other. Priestess in the streets, demon in the sheets, my kinda gal if you catch my meaning, eh? After we settled down - no king-funded mansion that time, just a simple house in a quiet village, we got married and, well...we worked on that ever after."
There''s a long pause, but this time Lollyp refrains from prompting, and Xenia eventually picks back up. "Six kids together. Four girls, two boys. There uh...was also another half-bro with one of the princesses, but Sarah didn''t mind considering that not only was she there at the time, but she was the one telling me to...uh...well, demon in the sheets, like I said." Xenia blushes a bit and hastily continues before Lollyp can say anything. "Anyways, we...we really made it work. There were so many good days, but there was this one day in particular. It was after the kids were all grown and gone and starting families of their own, and it was just the two of us. And it was such a perfect, quiet little spring day and I remember stopping at one point, and just burning that day into my memory, as hard as I could. I said to myself, Xenia...this day is perfect. You''re not going to get a day better than this one no matter how many lives you live."
She pauses again, setting aside her half-finished bacon. "And it must have been burned in there real good, because that was the day I saw when I went into that dungeon."
Lollyp''s confusion becomes apparent. "Oh? But...Xenia, when you went over there, you looked...well, you didn''t look like someone who''d just had their best day, you know?"
The dungeon master nods. "Sarah passed away when she was seventy-three. The funeral gathering was so big it practically out-populated the village we lived in. All the kids, seventeen grandkids, already some great-grandkids, and so many friends, and folks we''d saved at one point or another who wanted to pay their respects. I missed her, but it still felt right, you know? I knew that we''d done it right. Whatever happened after that, I could go knowing that we''d done the best that we could. I went myself about five years later, in my sleep. Just...went to bed one night, and..."
At that, Xenia''s face suddenly turns into a scowl. "And then when I woke up the next morning I was a goddamn fucking bug. In a goddamn fucking swamp."
The slime sucks in a breath. "That sounds...um. Jarring?"
"Would have cried, woulda screamed, if I fuckin'' could have. And it wasn''t even the ''being a bug'' thing that hurt, you know? It''s just...can you imagine what it''s like, knowing that you had your perfect moment, your perfect life, and it was all behind you now? And it was, too. In all the lives I''ve had since then, I''ve never had it that good. Some good times, sure, but...but never like it was then. But that''s why I never look back. If I...if I let myself get lost in it, to think about it, then everything else just feels like ashes in comparison. I''ve literally lost years to it already, I know. So that''s why I always live in the present these days, and why the thing that scares me most more than anything else in the universe is a perfect fuckin'' day."
She glances at Lollyp for a moment, but then glances away again before finishing the statement, unable to meet her eyes. "Because the thing about bad times is they don''t last forever. And the thing about good times is...they don''t last forever, either."
For a while, Lollyp just looks at Xenia, before finally finding the words to say. "Xenia. That...that''s kind of fucked up."
The woman smirks. "It kind of is, ain''t it?"
"Xenia, you need to - " Whatever Lollyp was about to say is interrupted, as Guy suddenly flies in through the closed door.
"Ma''am, sorry to interrupt, but I believe Lollyp needs to return to her arena. The Valleylanders are back, and I do believe they mean business!"
Lollyp seems to want to continue the conversation, but the walk back up to Floor Two isn''t quick, and after a brief hesitation she hops from her seat and starts to make her way to the door. "Alright, I''ll take care of it...but we''ll talk more later, alright Xe?"
Xenia gives her a sad smile as she heads out. "Sure thing, Lolly Pop. Kill one for me, will ya?"
"...Sure thing, boss." Lollyp opens the door and heads out, but hears one last thing before she goes.
"Oh, but not the mouse girl! That one''s too adorable to die!"
Chapter 70: Hard to Swallow
After once again fighting their way through the relatively easy trials of the first floor and the Worthy Dungeon''s moving platform, Warrior Mason Yarro Tossrock paused to take a final stock of his current team. It was a mixture of two different squads who had come over the mountain in recent days, with Sapper Tinsel and Sniper Kalasha representing the remainder of the first team and rejoining for their second attempt on the dungeon. The fallen Cleric of Frost Tanno had been replaced by Haylizt, a drider Priestess of Night in service of the god Ol. While filling the necessary role of the group''s healer, the Priestess was quite different from the Cleric in pretty much every other respect. Rather than flashy, gem-studded robes, the woman was garbed in a cloak of deep purple made of a fabric which seemed to meld into shadows much better than the color alone would imply. Her face was painted in black as well, feathered wings crossing each of her eyes, representations of the dark god''s spiritual messengers.
Meanwhile Vanguard Mesht, who had received severe injuries to his legs and still needed more time to properly heal, had been replaced by Jantana Breakstone, a minotaur Rampager. Rather than make use of the heavy armor worn by Vanguards, Rampagers learned a form of self-healing regeneration magic which allowed them to shed the extra weight and focus more on speed and offense. Tossrock personally wasn''t terribly convinced of the wisdom of the tradeoff, having always been a big believer in strong defenses himself, but given that Jantana''s ''uniform'' involved showing quite a bit of skin including her bulging muscles he had a hard time complaining. She had certainly served well enough against the skeletons and the rabbit monster they had faced so far, but he only hoped her strong offense would still see them through when they finally faced the still-unknown third floor boss.
Yarro had stacked the deck with an extra card just in case however, and also brought on Nash of Tash''Narc, an Elementalist who could hopefully provide the team with a bit of additional magical expertise. Garbed in robes of green, the man carried a short wand crafted of dark orcish steel and capped by a rainbow gem, its colors shifting with the light. Six members was starting to get a little larger than the Mason would have preferred for a dungeon party, but after the first attempt was crippled by a single casualty, he didn''t want to take any chances on their second.
Looking over the group he saw that they were in good spirits, and he felt it was time to disabuse them of that, at least in moderation. "You have all done excellent work so far! I give special credit to you, Jantana, the way you dismantled that monster upstairs was quite the piece of work." The minotaur smiles, but he moves on before she can get too proud. "That said, what we have done so far is the easy part! To our knowledge, the boss ahead is responsible for more deaths than any other part of this dungeon, including that of Cleric Tanno Longpull just a few days ago. Beware of ambushes, both from above and below! Sapper, Elementalist, you two are our best suited for disposing of the slime, the rest of you, provide cover and ensure that no one wanders too close to the acid pools! Now, are you ready!?"
The party shouts out their response, and the minotaur leads the group forward with Jantana at his side. When he enters the chamber however he finds the slime managed to surprise them once again, this time by not attempting an ambush at all. Standing before the door at the far end of the acidic cavern, the boss twirls a wand before shouting out to the group. "Hey! I got a deal for ya!"
Extremely wary, but not willing to lose the opportunity to potentially learn something about the dungeon and its unusual bosses, Tossrock responds. "A...deal, monster? I doubt we would be interested, but we will hear it."
The slime grins. "The mousekin gets a free pass. If she wants to head on through and wait on the other side, I won''t fight her."
Tinsel steps out from behind the Rampager, an angry look on her face. "What!? Is this just cause I killed you last time, slime?"
The boss pauses. "...No?"
Tossrock snorts. "Whatever the reason is, we will not be so foolish as to split up our party. Team, forward!" At his command, Jantana begins to charge up the chamber center while Tossrock flanks to the right, leaving the left to Kalasha and Nash. Rather than running away or casting magic however, the slime simply pulls a bottle from her vest.
"Let''s see how this one handles in action, shall we?" Smashing the glass vial onto the ground before the Rampager, an oil-like fluid spreads across the floor, almost eagerly so, covering more area than would seem natural for the force of the toss. Jantana attempts to stop herself before getting too deep into it, but that perhaps only makes it worse - the fluid seems to turn even the rough stony floor frictionless and the minotaur slides off her feet, her large double-sided axe swinging wildly as she flails for balance.
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As the slime dodges a crossbow bolt from Kalasha and an ice shard from Nash, Tinsel attempts to strike with the power of trash talk. "Ha, you call that alchemy!? What was that, Potion of Soapwater?"
In response the boss displays a devious grin. "No, the slipperiness was a side effect. Mainly I made it to do this." With a snap of her fingers - or at least, an attempt at one, with her lack of bones apparently diminishing the effect to a large extent - a spark of flame shoots into the oily pool and sets the entire area on fire. Including of course, Jantana, who was not only still in the middle of the puddle but now partially covered in oil as well following her attempts to climb to her feet. Yelling in pain, the woman leaps away, casting her healing magics as she goes. Seeing the minotaur''s escape, the slime sighs. "Ugh, you hornheads are just too damn hard to kill!"
"Harder than you are, for sure!" Kalasha taunts her as she fires off another fire-crystal-tipped bolt, missing again, but distracting the slime while Haylizt steps forward.
Raising a staff tipped by an obsidian crow''s skull, the Priestess begins to chant. "Oh Ol, show us your anger and smother the light!" Waving the staff in a circle three times, a cloud of darkness covers the part of the chamber lit aflame, including Jantana, and within moments the flames are extinguished. The effect seems to piss off the slime even more than the direct taunts had done.
"Out already? Jeeze, tough crowd!" As crossbow bolts and blasts of elemental energy continue to hound the boss, she grows increasingly frustrated. "C''mon! I gotta kill at least one of you!"
Tossrock growls out a response. "Blasted slime! If only we could put you down for good, we would - " The leader''s statement is cut off as a thrown glob of slime manages to lodge itself into his open mouth, making his eyes go wide and causing his breath to grow short.
"Ha! Suck on that, lung-haver! Now for - ah!" The slime''s own taunting is put on hold when one of Nash''s fireballs impacts her side, slowing her down long enough for an enchanted crossbow bolt to blow off one of her arms. She attempts to escape, but having been caught off-balance once she''s now an easy target for followup strikes, destroying or separating her from more of her own body mass with every blow. Finally Tinsel dashes by, and in a repeat of their last engagement tosses in a chemical vial that reacts explosively with the boss''s fluids, finishing the battle.
Tinsel waves her hands in victory. "Ha! Two-for-two! Suck it, slime! You just got Tinseled! Now, how about that chest, where''s - " As the mousekin turns around, her gloating is interrupted by a shout from Haylizt.
"Help! The Mason, he''s - he''s not breathing!" As the party turns around they spot the drider leaning over the collapsed minotaur, whose lips are turning a rather concerning shade of blue. The Priestess is frantically digging into the man''s mouth with her fingers, but apparently having little luck at her revival attempts. "I think he swallowed some of the slime, and it''s in his throat or lungs! I can''t get it out!"
Kalasha runs over and kneels down, quickly beginning chest compressions. "So heal the man already, Priestess!" The orc practically growls at Haylizt, and the woman quickly snaps back in an angry tone of her own.
"''Healing'' doesn''t work like that! If it''s doing acid damage to his lungs, I can repair the damage, but I can''t ''heal'' the slime out of his throat, or ''heal'' air into his arteries!"
"Dammit!" The Sniper continues her compressions while Haylizt does her best to scoop out any slime she can reach, but as one minute goes by followed by another, it eventually becomes clear that there''s nothing more they can do: Warrior Mason Yarro Tossrock, the leader of their party, is dead. The group falls into silence for a moment, even Jantana, her own harsh burn wounds slowly stitching closed under her own power without a whimper.
Finally, as the healer on the scene, Haylizt takes charge of speaking the obvious. "The Mason is dead. Who...who here has seniority?"
The group looks around at each other for a bit, but eventually Kalasha points at Tinsel. "Sapper. You''re level eighteen, yes?"
The mousekin nods. "Yeah, why? ...Wait, you''re all what, fifteen to seventeen? But that doesn''t mean anything though! Being the highest leveled member doesn''t make me an officer!"
Haylizt shakes her head, agreeing with Kalasha. "This isn''t a normal unit, there hasn''t been a chain of command established. In light of that, basic seniority makes you the party leader until we finish or abandon the mission. Which I believe would be your first call. Do we abandon the mission, Sapper?"
"Gah!" Tinsel almost squeaks in frustration. "Stupid Mason, choking to death on a boss monster, whoever heard of...a..." The woman trails off as she starts to notice the glares from the rest of the team, and attempts to settle herself. "...Okay, one minute, let me think. We, ehh, we don''t have any other high-ranking officers planning to swing by anytime soon, do we?"
Jantana groans as she adjusts her partially-burned clothing, ensuring it stays in place. "There''s supposed to be a third squad following a few days behind us, but I didn''t hear anything about anyone of the Mason''s rank being included with it."
"Dammit! Okay, so that means by time we get word back and they find a replacement, it''s probably gonna be at least like almost two weeks before one gets out here. And they''re not gonna want us to just sit around on our asses at the local tavern for a couple weeks, so...fuck. I guess I gotta keep the mission running, don''t I?" She sighs, coming to a conclusion. "Which I suppose starts now. Guess we know the drill by his own order by now...collect the Mason''s potions and any personal effects, heal up at the fountain ahead, and...get ready to proceed to the third floor."
As the team follows her orders and collects the boss loot, Tinsel finds herself glaring at Tossrock''s remains, her small hands balling into fists. "...And this time, we''re finishing the mission."
Chapter 71: Return to the Third
Sapper Tinsel had already been angry when the group made their way back down to Floor Three, but by time they''d completed the first chamber the mousekin was absolutely furious. Now that the team already knew about the pitfalls, hidden slime monsters and other tricks the giant rows of steps used, there wasn''t a great deal of risk to be found as long as they used caution. However, caution meant slow going, and it was even worse now that they didn''t have Mason Tossrock along to help. Without his occasional stone ramps and bridges they had little choice but to cautiously climb or edge their way around trapped tiles, meaning clearing the room actually took longer than it did the first time they''d been here. Somehow, it was all made worse by the fact that the chamber''s exit door was clearly visible the entire time on the other side of the room, almost taunting them into hurrying along.
Sapper Tinsel had been described as many different things over the years. Clever, scrappy, and very-difficult-to-maim were some of her favorites. But no one had ever accused her of being patient. So it was that when the party finally made it to the hallway full of slimy spider-webbing, the tiny woman was finally boiling over. "Agggggghhhh! I hate this dungeon so freaking much! This entire floor is just designed around slowing people down! Why can''t it give us something to stab or blow up!?"
Very carefully leaning down, Rampager Jantana gently pats her on the shoulder. "Easy now, Sapper. I understand what you''re feeling - we''re all taking the loss of Mason Tossrock hard."
The beastkin looks up at the minotaur and growls. "No, I hate him too! This is his fault! I can''t believe the idiot up and died on us! It''s even worse considering this whole stupid dungeon investigation mission is supposed to be his project. I bet there''s probably some sort of super secret magic dungeon bullshit we''re supposed to be watching out for, and we don''t even know what it is now. Gods, I hope this whole thing isn''t a huge waste of time."
Behind them, Kalasha grits her teeth as she rubs her head. "I''m sure you don''t mean that, yes, Sapper? We''re all under a lot of stress right now. Which loudly griping about will not help. Even if we don''t know everything about the place that the Mason did, we at least know that the third floor boss is still an unknown, and for that matter no one knows yet if the place has a fourth floor yet. So we can at least find out that much for when we make our report, yes?"
Tinsel sighs, not particularly mollified but at least recognizing that pissing off her entire team for her first act as commanding officer won''t look good, if anyone chooses to report it. "Yes, yes, we''ll at least clear the dungeon today. I can promise you that much. Now, for the slime webs - any of you newbies got something for that?"
Nash, the orc Elementalist steps forward. "Doesn''t look like anything a little fire can''t fix up!" The man aims his wand towards the nearest green-colored web and douses it in a flamethrower blast, quickly drying it out and then eventually turning the strands to ash. "If it''s as long a hallway as you''ve said, I may need a mana potion by the end of it, but shouldn''t be anything challenging."
This at least cheers the new team captain up significantly. "Oh, sweet! You''re my new favorite orc, Nash! Jantana, you take the lead with him and sweep away the spider ambushes, got it?" The minotaur nods and together the group proceeds down the winding stone hall. In this case the group does actually move significantly faster than they had on the first run, with the only difficulty being that Jantana''s massive two-handed axe wasn''t particularly well suited for fighting the dinner-plate-sized slime spiders when they dashed out of the cracks in the wall to make their ambushes. Nonetheless, the spiders themselves still proved to be almost entirely harmless, simply another delivery system for sticky slime, and the Elementalist himself was able to disable most of them with lightning blasts when they got too close.
When the group reached the maze exit though and the four orc skeletons attempted to close in on the group, Jantana more than proved her worth by clearing out the entire room on her own. With wide swings of her axe the monsters were tossed back, giving her the space she needed to smash each of them one by one, and the few light wounds they did manage to deliver in return were easily handled by her own regeneration spells. Peeking her head in and examining the carnage, Tinsel''s mood improves yet again. "Hot damn, big girl, you are a one-woman wrecking crew! Nice work! Which means it''s time for the big question: who here doesn''t have a problem with scary tentacles? Because that''s what''s coming up in the next hallway. The things only seem to snap at the first person in, but if they''re the kinda person to freak out, you''re gonna end up with holes in your legs like Mesht did."
Rather than answer verbally, Jantana and Nash both turn around to stare at their Priestess of Night, Haylizt. Even under her hooded cloak, the drider''s grimace is visible. "...What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Nash snorts. "Come now, Priestess. Did you think that just because the camp was dark and your constructs are made of solid night, no one would notice how you spent your evenings on the trip here?"
Haylizt sputters. "That - that was summoning practice! I don''t know what you''re implying!"
Before a debate can start, Tinsel steps in. "Don''t care, and ain''t judgin''. The important thing is - hey, you''re a Priestess of Night, ain''t ya? A few minor ghost terrors probably ain''t shit to you, and you got those nimble legs to suss out pitfalls with, right? As team leader, I''m volunteering you for taking point on this one."
"...Well, if it is an order, then I suppose I can give it an attempt." Clearing her throat and attempting to take a dignified stance, staff at the ready, the drider begins to lead the way down the hall. When the first set of ghostly tentacles do suddenly snap out of the stone-block walls, the woman has virtually no chance of dodging them - given the size of the passageway and her own oversized bulk, there''s simply no room for her to maneuver in. Despite that, when the transparent limbs latch on to her various legs, the woman moans in a way that doesn''t seem at all reminiscent of terror. "Ooooaaah! That''s...oh my, that is...refreshing."
A safe distance behind, Tinsel looks up at Nash, who simply looks back down with a shrug. "Night priestesses, what can I say?"
Trying to suppress a giggle, the mousekin turns it into a shout of support. "Good work, Haylizt! Keep it up, and watch for the pit traps!" Firmly keeping her attention focused forward so as to not have to look her teammates in the eye, Haylizt does as commanded, and carefully leads the group through the maze. With her sensitive drider legs the woman is easily able to tap out the difference in the trapped floor tiles, and not once do the tentacles do more to her than slow her down. The group does pause once they reach the moaning wooden door at the center of the chamber, and when Kalasha turns pale, Tinsel keeps the group moving. "Ignoring that! Keep going! If anyone wants to risk it for treasure or...other goodies, come back down on your own time!"
Eventually reaching the floor''s fourth chamber without incident, Tinsel sighs at the sight of the assortment of magical traps, barriers, and hopping slimes. "Ugh, right. Last time Tossrock had a shortcut to wreck this place, anyone got something similar this time?" When no one in the group gives a positive response, the woman sighs again. "Alright, guess we gotta do this the hard way then...no one do anything, I wanna watch this for a minute."
With focused attention the temporary team captain stares at the moving slimes while one minute becomes five, and eventually ten. Just as the others were about to start audibly complaining about the wait, Tinsel suddenly perks up with a high-pitched shout. "Oh! So that''s the way it goes! Alright, you lot just stay here, alright, you''ll cramp my style if you start charging in there."
Kalasha seems unconvinced. "Wait, what? You want to take on the entire chamber? There''s at least eight different monsters, and - and she''s gone." Ignoring the Sniper, Tinsel steps ahead onto the next tile during a brief window while the magical barrier was down, and then quickly onto the next one. She waits a little longer there, and the next time a barrier goes down, she doesn''t leave her current position, instead simply tossing one of her anti-slime vials at a newly-exposed hopping slime, quickly killing it. She then takes the next open window instead, quickly tossing a vial at a second slime several tiles away before the barriers snap back shut as she moves.
Tinsel continues on like that for the next fifteen minutes, crossing seven more tiles and killing two more slimes before she reaches the wall on the far side of the room. After finding a final sequence of three pressure plates on the floor the beastkin first hops on the first, then the third, and finally the second - deactivating all of the room''s barriers and magical traps, although not before a final burst of magical energy from several of those traps kills the remaining slimes. Turning back to the group, the mousekin poses on one leg with her hands in the air. "Ta-da!"
The team responds only with silence for a moment, before Nash speaks for the group. "Did...did you actually know all that was gonna work?"
Tinsel snorts. "Well, duh! You think I woulda done all that if I didn''t?"
"No, no, of course not. So, ah...do you think you could write down all those steps for the next party to come in here?"
"Sure!" The woman pauses, then scratches her chin. "...Actually, no. Think I forgot the first half already."
Kalasha sighs. "Should''ve seen that coming. Alright, let''s catch up, then."
It''s not long before the full group is reunited in the safe area beyond the next door, refreshing themselves with drinks from the quiet room''s central fountain. Despite the loss of their team leader the group was generally in a much better condition than the last time they reached this point - no one in the party has notable injuries, and if anything the party''s Priestess only seems more reinvigorated by her experience with the terrifying tentacles. So it is that when Tinsel gives her next orders, no one disagrees. "Alright, suckers! It''s time to finally find out who the floor boss is - probably slimes or ghosts, going by the floor themes. I''ve still got a handful of my Base Bombs if it''s a slime, if it''s a ghost, I''m guessing that''s mostly gonna come down to Haylizt and Nash, yeah? Til we sort it out, Jantana, you''re taking point. Everyone ready?"
As everyone nods and readies their weapons, Tinsel''s face grows a devious grin. "Then let''s finish this shit."
Chapter 72: Ghost Busting
Once everyone was ready to take on the dungeon''s final boss, Tinsel signaled for Jantana to open the boss arena doors and head on through. As they stepped inside the bosses were plain to see - a pair of massive armors standing in the center of an otherwise empty chamber. Lit only by pale, eerie torches, the dim light reflected off of opponents comparable in size to the minotaur Rampager herself. The one on her left lifted a heavy shield in one arm and an axe in the other, while the armor on the right twirled a sword - perhaps a basic longsword by the monster''s standards, but rather oversized compared to what such a weapon would be to most mortals. Behind the minotaur, Tinsel shouts. "Whoo, something we can smash! Wreck it, Rampager!"
Jantana charges forward to do just that, only to come to a sudden halt as a ghostly tentacle snaps out of the floor and grabs on to her leg. It''s too flimsy to entirely trip her up, but it does cause her to stumble, and the woman is left open for an early counterattack as the heavier armor smashes her across the room with a blow from his shield. As the minotaur tumbles, Tinsel shouts out yet again. "Crap, there''s more of those tentacle traps in here! Watch yourself, and - whoa!" The woman drops down to all fours as a javelin flung by the lighter armor flies over her head. "Shit, they''re fast! Buy us some time so Jantana can get back on her feet!"
While Kalasha and Nash fire shots at the heavy armor, forcing it to hunker down in place, Haylizt steps forward with a wave of her obsidian staff. "Ol, the night holds much, but not from your blessed children! Bless us with the sight of things unseen!" As the blessing finishes the color seems to drain from the chamber, the world becoming a mix of blacks and grays to her fellow team members. Somehow in the process they find themselves not only seeing things in a much clearer view than they had before in the pale torchlight, but glowing stone tiles on the floor suddenly make the locations of the hidden tentacles much more apparent. Even the armors now seem to glow, streams of light escaping from the cracks in their joints and helmets.
"Sweet! Weird, but sweet! Okay, Haylizt, back me up on the javelin-flinger, the rest of you take the big one!" Tinsel dashes forward, nimbly dodging a pair of tentacle traps before tossing a milky-white potion vial at her target. It scores a hit on the armor''s shoulder, splashing it with a sticky fluid, and while it does little to limit the boss''s range of movement it does manage to seal shut the quiver of javelins on the armor''s back. It does little for the weapon it already had in hand, however, and that missile soon finds itself shot in Haylizt''s direction - finding purchase deep within her large spider-like abdomen a split-second later.
"Ah!" The drider gasps, but quickly shakes her head as she inspects the damage. "It - it''s not hit anything vital, I''ll live! But perhaps some of their own medicine would be helpful here..." Waving her staff again, a new form of tentacle begins to rise from the floor, but unlike the dungeon''s creations hers are made entirely of solid darkness itself. As they latch on to the sword-swinging armor they prove more durable than their ghostly cousins as well, though not invincible. With a few quick swings of its sword the boss begins to slice several of them through, freeing itself within a few moments. More disturbingly, however, the attack finally provokes the armor to speak.
"Ahhhhh, fun! Thank you, spider! I will make sssssssure you stay alive until after I have had the pleasure of removing each of your limbs!" The threat manages to make the Priestess blanch almost as much as the wound did, but to her relief the monster is driven back a few feet when Tinsel tosses a trio of exploding vials at its feet.
At the same time the other members of the party are finding their own target more difficult to smash than they had perhaps originally expected. The heavy armor''s shield does an excellent job of intercepting most of their attacks, and the armor itself seems to protect the ghostly spirit within from most of the worst effects of the Elementalist''s magics. Even when hits are scored, the damage done seems to have almost no effect, the scorches, tears, and punctures in its metal shell appearing to cause the monster no pain whatsoever. Jantana on the other hand is very much feeling the effects of her opponent''s axe every time it manages to gouge its way through her skin. Regeneration magics or not, the minotaur finds herself worrying that a test of endurance will not come out in her favor.
"Nash, I''m flanking it! Once its back is exposed, hit it with everything you got!" Quickly dashing to the side, the Rampager moves to put the monster into a pincher with her on one side and the team''s ranged members on the other. As the closer target, she expects the armor to keep its focus on her but feels a shiver as the boss begins to laugh instead, a booming voice that echoes around the chamber.
"Do not announce your plaaaaannnns in front of your enemy, fool!" With that the armor instead turns toward the more vulnerable orcs, dashing towards them at top speed. Eyes wide, Jantana chases after it, desperately tackling the monster in a leap before it can reach them. Despite her success in tripping up the creature''s legs, the monster''s axe is already flying towards the pair as he falls, an assault a panicking Nash attempts to block with an outstretched hand. A moment later that hand is on the ground, and the Elementalist soon follows, moaning as he grabs at a bloody stump.
"Shit, shit!" Kalasha reaches for another of her enchanted crossbow bolts, but staring at the armor lying on the ground less than ten feet from her, she suddenly decides she doesn''t quite have time for reloading. Instead the orc grabs up half a dozen bolts into her fist at once before leaping forward, plunging each and every one of them into the monster''s back with all of the strength she can muster. Some ignite into flame, some coat the metal in a layer of frost, but all together the random assortment seems to have the desired effect. As a large hole suddenly blasts itself in the steel plate, the monster''s glowing energy begins to dissipate and the creature goes still. "I think - I think we got one!"
"Good work! Now maybe a hand over here!?" Tinsel''s voice is growing ragged even as she shouts out her orders, her constant efforts to dodge the swordswoman''s swings quickly exhausting her. For her part the armor is now painted in a variety of colors, with chemicals, oils, and all manner of other substances covering most of the exposed metal. Despite this little of it appears to have had any effect, as even when an acid, explosive or burning oil manages to damage the armor, it only seems to entertain the monster further. For her part Haylizt is finding little success with her own tricks, as the possessed armor seems to have no trouble seeing through her divine darkness, and her summoned constructs of solid Night only serve to slow the beast down.
Sadly, they don''t quite do a decent job of even that. Freeing itself from another black tentacle, the armor makes a sudden leap in Tinsel''s direction and although the mousekin rolls away, she doesn''t entirely make it. With a sudden squeal of pain, blood splatters the stony floor and a good half-foot of Tinsel''s white-furred tail goes rolling into a corner. "Gaaaaah! My tail! Not my tail!" The small captain nearly goes into shock right then and there, grabbing for her injured appendage, but as she sees the rest of her party rush to her defense she forces herself to finish the fight first. "Hold on, stay back! I''ll take care of this!"
With a new flame of determination burning in her eyes, this time Tinsel dashes directly towards the remaining boss, ducking low under a swipe of the enemy''s blade. Latching on to its boots she then climbs up the monster''s back, dodging left and right as it attempts to grab at her. As Tinsel finally reaches its shoulders it laughs at her one last time. "It''s been a pleasure, tiiiiiiny adventurer! But now you get squashed!" Ignoring the others charging in her direction the monster begins a partial backflip, attempting to slam Tinsel in between itself and the ground, but Tinsel makes a leap of her own.
Pulling herself over its shoulder and cramming several small vials into the helmet''s visor gaps, the beastkin gives the armor one last grin before pushing off its chest plate and jumping away. "Eat this!" Shaken by its own impact as it slams into the ground, the ghostly construct doesn''t even have time to reach for its face before the vials explode, taking the helmet and a good chunk of its chest plate with it. Although the hands flail around for a second or two more, eventually the monster finally grows still. Breathing heavily, Tinsel laughs before transitioning into a serious of curses.
"Eat this!? What sort of generic, lame-ass catch phrase is that! Shoulda gone with...''die, again!'' Or, ''how about a headache!'' Dammit, no, those suck too, I need to write these down ahead of time..."
Taking a moment to catch her own breath, Jantana looks at Tinsel with a newfound sense of respect. "That was well-done, Sapper. It would appear that we''ve managed to clear the floor."
In response, Tinsel begins to wail. "Yeah, but...but my taaaaaaaillll!" Picking up the severed body part, she barely even notices as Nash does the same with his own left arm, but Haylizt offers what consolation she can to both.
"I am sorry, but I cannot reattach a severed limb. I can store the lost parts within the Night, where they will not decay, and that may allow us to take them to the Challenger''s camp. But I do not believe the camp yet has a healer of that caliber either." As she speaks the drider carefully removes the javelin still implanted in her own exoskeleton, grimacing before casting a healing spell and then moving on to Nash.
"That''s...well, we might as well try it. How am I ever gonna find a boyfriend with a hacked up tail, though!?"
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
While the party attempts to console her, some of it comes off as a little half-hearted. Jantana simply shrugs for her part. "Lots of men like scars, you know."
"Sure, if I was gonna date an orc! As if! ...Uh, no offense to any orcs." Sheepish, the woman hands the bloody flesh over to Haylizt, who carefully sinks it into a small portal of darkness. Once both she and Nash have had their wounds seen to, it''s finally time to move on to the final room of the dungeon. "Alright, core chamber ahead, let''s check it out and see if there''s any weird shit going on down here, or whatever..."
With Jantana once again leading the way, the party steps into the next room, finding it rather homey in comparison to the rest of the floor. Not only does a large bed take up most of one corner, but a large breakfast meal covers the room''s main table. Carefully stepping forward, the minotaur picks up a piece of bacon and bites into it. "...Cold. Not great either, not too bad, though."
"Don''t eat random dungeon food! That shit could be poisoned! Ooh, there''s the chest, though!" Carefully opening it up, Tinsel looks inside the box almost as large as she is and begins digging around. "Let''s see...coins, some necklaces we''ll probably need to get identified...huh, here''s a couple of books. ''Diplomatic Methods of the Goblin States?'' Boring. And...''Bound and Gagging: Adventures in a Lewd - ''" Tinsel hastily clears her throat. "I better confiscate that one, definitely...suspicious material. And last up, we got a potion bottle with a note attached?"
Pulling out the bottle of red fluid, the mousekin reads over the note with a disbelieving stare. "Potion of...Tail Reattachment? There''s no fuckin'' way that''s a thing!"
Haylizt looks over her shoulder and chuckles. "I don''t think there''s anything that specific. But there are healing potions that can reattach limbs in general, the higher quality they are, the longer they can be used after the injury. Considering yours just happened, I think it should work for you. Seems like the dungeon really does like you."
"Well, this one time I''ll take it." As Tinsel reaches for the bottle''s cap however, she spots Nash standing nearby, carefully cradling the bandaged stump of his arm. Although he doesn''t say anything, the look in the orc''s eyes as he stares at the bottle is obvious. "...Crap. Sorry, Nash, I uh...guess you probably need this more than I do."
Conflict written on his face, the orc takes a deep breath before shaking his head. "No, the dungeon clearly intended it to be a prize for you. And you did lead us to victory. I cannot lay claim to it."
The woman gives a short, high-pitched growl in response. "No! You know what, fuck what the dungeon wants! Hells, I''m tired of all this coddling bullshit! It''s bad enough that I had to take that shit back in the training yards, but from a godsdamn dungeon!? You need an arm more than I need a few more inches of tail so take it, Nash, drink up."
His ability to turn down the gift having exhausted itself, the orc gratefully takes the potion and drinks it down, while Haylizt retrieves his limb from her divine storage and helps him re-attach it. "It''ll feel numb for the next few hours, and weak for the next few days. But if you don''t do anything dumb with it, it should recover just fine, Elementalist."
While the Priestess does her work, the rest of the group spreads out across the rest of the chamber and searches for anything unusual. They take note of the windows to the abyss, and the fact that the tunnel to the Great Dungeon was resealed following Grizza''s visit, but the only other particular oddity seems to be the rabbit they find hiding under the bed. Tinsel briefly considers killing it, dungeon monster that it is, but quickly decides there''s a better way to work out her frustrations than animal murder. "Hhhmmm, hey, Kalasha, hit that button on the wall! I wanna take a look at the core real quick."
The Sniper does so, though she gives her captain a cautious look. "You''re not gonna break it, are you? The Mason was very clear about that."
"Nah, I got an even better idea." Once the clam is open and the black-and-white-swirled stone is exposed, the Sapper begins to cackle as she pulls out another white-colored vial from her stash. Shaking it vigorously, she then opens it up and quickly shakes it over the pedestal, splattering both the statue and the gem in a sticky fluid. "Mwahahaha! Take that, ya dumb dungeon!"
"Tinsel! Don''t damage the core!" Kalasha removes her hand from the pedestal''s trigger, her look now one of alarm, but Tinsel waves her back.
"I ain''t, I ain''t, just a lil ol'' fashioned vandalism. Or...a prank! Yeah, a prank. Just a little extra glue I had left over, is all. That''ll teach it to kill our boss and make me have to take command!"
The rest of the party doesn''t seem to share in her mirth, but it doesn''t seem to stop the mousekin''s evil laughter in the least. Finally, Jantana speaks for the group. "Well...if you''re feeling better, Sapper, perhaps it''s time we made our exit?"
"Yeah, yeah, I guess. See ya next time, you deathtrap!"
As the group files out through the exit portal, Xenia grows distraught. "Why won''t the adorable mouse girl love me, Guy? Was it the tail thing? I do feel bad about that, all I told the guys was not to kill her. But she didn''t have to go and make my clam all sticky! Look at the thing, it''s dripping right onto the floor!"
Guy does their best not to sigh as part of their response. "Some adventurers just have prickly personalities, I suppose, I wouldn''t take it personally. As for the glue, it will vanish along with everything else they left behind in a moment."
"I guess. Maybe I should try extra hard to kill her next time, maybe she likes playing rough? Sounds like they might not be back for a week or two though if they gotta go find a new officer."
"That might be nice, but there''s no call to grow complacent. Until then, let''s enjoy the spoils we''ve received so far, shall we?"
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INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS SLAIN: 1
MORTALS ESCAPED: 5
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
FOOD AND DRINK: C-
STAFFS: D
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 1
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 7 TO 134 (24 CONSUMED BY CONSTRUCTS)
MANA ACQUIRED: 10, CURRENT AMOUNT: 89/110
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
SKILLS: STONEWORKER (ADVANCED), WARRIOR MASON (EXPERT)
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: NO WAY OUT (NOT) 4
FIFTY MORTALS HAVE ESCAPED FROM YOUR DUNGEON ALIVE. SHORTCUT PORTALS BETWEEN DIFFERENT DUNGEON LOCATIONS UNLOCKED.
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Though it''s a short list, it does cheer Xenia up enough to cause her to briefly clap. "Oooh, better food, everyone''s gonna like that. And shortcuts! Finally, no more bitching about the walk down from Floor Two, huh? Alright Guy, let''s spruce the place up!"
Outside, the Valleylander party stops to collect themselves before setting off on the multi-hour hike back to the Challenger''s camp. After stretching, Tinsel begins to count off findings on her fingers. "Alright, so...extra confirmation that the slime boss is really freaky, though I think everyone knew that already. Confirmation of no fourth floor so far. No confirmation of what might''ve happened to that missing demon...unless maybe one of those giant armors was him? Didn''t sound like stabbing things was his style, though. Anything I missed?"
Kalasha nods. "No sign of where that weirdo knight lady spends all her time at. I know she''s down at the camp right now, but there''s no way she''s been living in that core chamber for a couple of weeks, even if it is bothering to summon up food. There has to be some sort of secret section somewhere we missed. Maybe next time, if we don''t bring any newbies, we can take the starting shortcut to the end of the second floor and start searching for it."
Tinsel narrows her eyes. "Yeah...and come to think of it, she probably knows a lot of the shit we''re trying to figure out. Sure would save us a lot of trouble if we could get those answers out of her...guess we can''t go kidnapping Challengers though, at least not without orders. Oh well...let''s head on back, then see about getting a message back to command about our current clusterfuck. This fake little ''training program'' idea of theirs is gonna need a few adjustments, if I got anything to say about it."
As the group heads back on down the trail, Doorman watches them go in silence, having noted that parties can be a little touchy when they leave with fewer members than they came in with. Once they go out of view around the corner however, he speaks up. "You know, it''s generally considered quite rude to eavesdrop on other''s conversations, don''t you think?"
Chuckling, a gnoll pokes his head out from behind a rocky outcrop, a good twenty feet up the mountain from where Doorman tries to peer at him. "Not rude, no! Is my job, yes!"
The door considers that for a moment before nodding. "I guess it can''t be rude to just be doing your job, true. But...why is it your job?"
Tafyaf gives the door a smirk before beginning to climb his way down. "Because you are interesting, yes! And interesting things cannot be left to only a single party, no..."
Chapter 73: Dinner Discussions
When Xenia finished setting things up for a large dinner that evening, she was feeling much more confident about things than she had been for breakfast. For starters, thanks to the rations left behind on the Mason''s body her food and drink quality had finally upgraded to the C tiers, qualifying it as ''average''. Which didn''t sound like much, but in comparison to D tier''s ''mostly edible'' rating, it was a significant improvement. Her fruits and veggies were fresher, her bread wasn''t partially stale, and her meats were choicer cuts. Not to mention her booze was much less likely to share traits in common with her poison schemas now.
Secondly, her core chamber was now far more accessible to her guests and residents. The shortcut portals she''d unlocked had a number of functionality options to them, and she''d hooked up a pair between her core chamber and the Floor Two apartments with a usage requirement of ''has visited both chambers''. The one in her room was currently covered by a rug, which didn''t appear to interfere with how it worked, but even if a Challenger did come across it they wouldn''t be able to use the thing unless they''d already found the dungeon''s apartment block. If anyone ever actually did that and lived to tell the tale afterwards, Xenia could always swap it out with a puzzle lock or something of the like later, but for now it would serve to make dungeon meetings much less troublesome.
To cap it off Beatrice had finally returned from her recent trip down to the Challenger''s camp. That meant the group would have something to talk about other than how Xenia had gone nearly catatonic in their first inter-dungeon expedition, which was still a topic she wasn''t too eager to get into. So it was that when Beatrice arrived through the new shortcut, waving to the already-present Lollyp and Sincere, Xenia''s mood was genuinely much improved compared to how things had been that morning. "Hey, Trish! How was the road?"
"Partially existing, surprisingly." The woman pauses to sniff at the warm meal through her helmet before continuing. "Ah, that''s a lot better than field rations, alright. Doorman told me you got a few upgrades! ...Also I heard that the Valleylanders lost their officer, which has them in a bit of a rough situation. Probably unrelated facts, I''m sure."
"Probably." Xenia kicks back in a seat of her own, trying out one of her new slightly-less-cheap wines for flavor. "What was that about a surprising road?"
"Well, the camp''s construction efforts are coming along pretty well now, it looks like. Maybe two more weeks and their offices will be in an actual building rather than a tent, and a basic barracks for Challengers is probably gonna be done any day now. They''re still working on a proper inn, I guess the barracks will become a warehouse or something once that''s ready. Oh, but for the road, yeah, they''re building one of those too. They finished making a spur off the main road to the camp, and they started on one heading towards the mountain. Nothing too big, but good enough to get a wagon down. My guess is you''re about a week away from getting a party visiting almost every day, though most of that''ll still be one-floor newbies."
Lollyp slurps the meat off of a rib, before tossing the bone itself down her mouth after it and turning towards Beatrice. "Feeling a bit conflicted about that. It''s good to have stuff to do, but I always hate having to sit around in case they decide to try the second floor, just for them to end up deciding not to after all and turning around. How about the business you went down there for? You got your Challenger paperwork started?"
Beatrice nods, though she seems a bit distracted as she does so. "Yeah...I''m in their system as an applicant, I''ll have to head to one of their established offices though and get tested to find out what level I should qualify for. Apparently it''s not gonna be as easy as I was thinking, though. Like, Alizz was saying that based on my experience and gear, I should easily qualify as a Master, maybe even a Supreme in some sort of melee fighter class...except there''s this one thing. It hadn''t really struck me before, but apparently practically everyone past Advanced here, and even a lot of people at that level, knows some magic. Healing, elemental, boosts, and so on. And I, well...I don''t know jack shit. That was specialized knowledge back home, you know? But when they test me they''re not gonna let me use my own gear."
Sincere frowns as he considers the implications. "That policy does make sense in regards to the Initiates it usually applies to. After all, no one wants to grant some whelp the title of Expert just because he carries his father''s magic sword, yes? But in your case that seems like it could cause quite a bit of confusion - if you officially rank as, say, Expert, but you fight like a Supreme, it could make joining parties rather awkward."
Beatrice leans forward, resting her chin on her hand with a sigh. "Yeah, but honestly, I''m not sure how long I''ll be able to keep that up, either. My enchanted items are barely recharging, and some of the fancier stuff I''ve got is outright decaying over here. My Forceblast Bracers have like, a half dozen charges left in em, which makes me wish maybe I hadn''t spent so many playing around with those spiders when I first got here, heh. At least the Item Boxes are stable, those things are designed to last a good ten thousand years under ideal conditions. But in maybe a year from now most of my fancy tricks are gonna be gone, and I won''t be any better than a local Expert."
Xenia gives her friend a smile, attempting to cheer her up. "Well, you don''t gotta worry too much. In a year I''ll probably be able to make some pretty good shit, and you''re welcome to free samples. Hell, don''t forget to grab some luck charms before you go, I''ve got like fifty of the things stockpiled now. Just uh...don''t put em on til you''re outside, yeah?"
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"Heh, thanks. I''m thinking some actual Challenger training could come in useful though, maybe I should learn some of those fancy tricks everyone else here''s got. Just a little weird, I guess...there''s so many more adventurer-types here than there were back home, it seems like I''ve gone from the biggest fish in the pond to just another guppy. Enough about me, though - I asked Doorman and apparently you haven''t unlocked a new floor yet, so, y''know...how''d the dungeon raid thing go?"
The table goes silent at that, until eventually Xenia answers. "Well...long story short, the dungeon fucked me up, and then I fucked the whole thing up. I uh...saw some stuff before I actually got into the dungeon, and then I was so out of it I took an arrow to the dome before I got a few feet in. We''ll need to do another try later, but before we get to that, Sincere here was checking me out before you got here. So speaking of, Sin-man, what''s your diagnosis?"
The demon clears his throat briefly before answering. "Well, to clarify for Beatrice''s sake, the ''stuff'' Xenia saw was apparently an emotionally-charged moment from one of her past lives. In respect for her privacy I haven''t inquired as to the details, but they aren''t particularly important in regards to the overall situation. First off, allow me to say this for certain: Xenia did not time travel to the past, despite the fact that her vision appeared to take no time at all to the rest of the party. While actually traveling to the past is possible, the further back you go the more difficult it is and the more dangerous. Even if the fact that it was a life in another realm had no impact on things, which I''m sure it would have to, traveling to a time that was at a minimum several centuries ago would have required an entire coven of experts and caused the entire mountain to glow. With, I would wager, an eighty percent chance of making the mountain explode in the process. Suffice it to say, it''s not something Xenia could have done on accident or without leaving obvious traces of."
Xenia closes her eyes, breathing a short sigh of relief. "Honestly, that does actually make me feel better. I think. Probably. ...Yeah, definitely for sure probably. So what was it then? I feel like we''ve ruled out it being some sort of illusion trap the dungeon had."
Sincere nods in agreement. "Yes, there were no signs of that, and I have doubts the ritual would have placed us directly into such a trap even if the dungeon had such things. After a close examination of your soul, I would say that I would have to blame it on your ''baggage'', to put it simply."
The dungeon master gives the man a bit of a side-eye. "My what, now?"
"Well, let me put it like this. Long-lived individuals are not particularly rare, I myself am, if not as old as you, certainly a sizable percentage of your own lived experience. But within a single lifetime, the experiences and marks that a soul acquires are, hrmm, integrated into the soul in a more or less uniform way. Your past lives, however, are often quite disjointed from each other and don''t fully integrate with each other, probably because most of those experiences would normally be removed on a return to the Well of Souls and yours are not. Instead they gather up in something similar to growths, and I imagine if I were to study them closely enough I could perhaps even identify some with specific past lives of yours."
Xenia grimaces. "Wait, hold on now. Are you saying I''ve got, like, soul cancer? That sounds bad."
Sincere waves his hands. "Not at all. It''s entirely a superficial thing, like say, growing a benign mole. Perhaps a little unsightly, but how often does one look at a soul, yes? I do believe it had some impact in what happened the other day, however."
"How so?"
"While the interface you used to access the Great Dungeon was one of your dungeon tools, the curse which drives the entire thing is part of your soul. So, your soul is a key part of the entire process, which is why we were all removed from the pocket dimension when you were ''killed''. You could say that your soul is sort of the bridge that linked our dungeon with the pocket, and which we all traveled across. Except you were traveling on your own soul, which sort of...to describe it inaccurately, let us say it turned your soul inside out for a brief moment. Which meant that you had to travel through part of your soul to complete the connection, which I believe ended up creating an entirely different pocket dimension in the process. As time often passes differently in different dimensions, the rest of us didn''t register your disappearance before you rejoined us."
"One moment." After taking several large gulps and finishing off her goblet of wine, Xenia turns back to Sincere. "So are you saying I''m gonna have to go back through that every time we try this shit?"
The man shakes his head. "Not every time - or at least, not the exact experience you had before. I do suspect you may encounter more of your highly emotionally-charged experiences on each attempt, but it may be somewhat random as to which ones they are."
"Great. Wonderful. So, when can we try again?"
Sincere considers for a moment before responding. "To be safe, perhaps tomorrow night. Since our ''visit'' was so short last time, we could probably have gone back tonight without risking the core''s stability, but another day should be sufficient for the old floor core to have re-stabilized."
The dungeon master nods. "Tomorrow night, then. Lollyp, make sure to train the armors on how to react to monsters before someone has to order them to, yeah? How about you, Beatrice? Got any plans before you go out to see the world?"
The warrior finishes off a rib she stole from Lollyp''s plate before wiping her mouth and answering. "I think I''m gonna wanna do an inventory of all the magical crap I brought with me. Anything that won''t last me more than a month or two I suppose I may as well leave with you, in trade for whatever you can make me. It''s a lot so it might take me like, two days maybe? So might be three days from now I''ll be heading out."
"I''ll be sure to print up some maps and travel guides for you, at the least." Xenia claps her hands. "Alright! Tomorrow night, folks, we do this dungeon raid shit for real!"
Chapter 74: Morning in Easthall
The next day started off with something that was perhaps a bit overdue in coming: an Initiate party had grown overconfident and gotten in over their heads. The group of five was led by a pair of co-leaders, a human brother and sister, and after putting down BB relatively easily they managed to talk the rest of the party into giving the second floor a try. After Lollyp blew up the sister''s head with a lightning bolt and the brother''s with a fireball however, the survivors had a sudden change of heart and fled the room without even finishing the fight.
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------------------------
INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS SLAIN: 2
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
ROPE CONSTRUCTS: D-
BONE ACCESSORIES: C-
KNIVES: D
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 2
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 6 TO 140 (24 CONSUMED BY CONSTRUCTS)
MANA ACQUIRED: 8, CURRENT AMOUNT: 80/116
------------------------
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Otherwise the day had gone rather quietly, and Lollyp and Beatrice both had a bit of time to train the ghostly armors in proper group tactics, rather than the boss arena tactics they were familiar with and which mostly consisted of ''wait for your enemy to come to you and then stab them''. Before the light faded for the day Beatrice had gone upstairs to poke her head outside, and with no signs of more parties scaling the mountain climb, everything seemed prepared for the second attempt at raiding the Great Dungeon. So it was that once again Xenia found herself garbed for battle and with her companions around her, including Beatrice who had come to see them off. "Alright! Everyone ready? I am. Trust me, whatever bullshit my soul throws at me, I promise I am not going to look that stupid twice in a row."
Sincere gives her a slight bow, and responds in an only slightly condescending tone of voice. "I am certain that when it comes to defeating yourself, you are the expert."
Xenia glares at the demon and points a finger at him, but finds herself having a very hard time coming up with a counterargument. "...I will choose to take that as a compliment. Because yes, I am gonna kick my soul''s ass if that''s what I gotta do, and then we''re gonna kick some dungeon ass. So, again, everyone ready?" As the group nods or shouts out their agreement, Xenia once again pulls up her curse menu and speaks the words. "Alright, me...I''m coming for me."
Xenia opens her eyes, feeling oddly groggy. After having to sit up she realizes she was lying down, probably sleeping, on some sort of...couch? With too much wood and not enough cushion, it wasn''t exactly the most comfortable bed. As she lifts a hand and it comes into view, things start to become much more clear. Feminine, dark brown skin, fingernails painted white. "Actually swapped my body this time, huh? With this skin tone, then that makes me Xenia of Khaloom, and this must be...the Easthall Guild office, eh?" After standing up the woman looks down at herself, noting a form-fitting but fashionable green blouse with golden trim, and a complete lack of any other clothing. Eyes a little wider, she quickly turns her head to a second couch in the opposite corner of the room, this one hosting a sleeping man without any clothing at all, plainly displaying his yellow skin, red hair tied into a high ponytail, and very notable muscle definition.
"Annnnd that would be Reglas, the ol'' half-djinn. Which means this is the day after my promotion to guild master, huh? Surprised it didn''t pop me out into the actual party the night before..." Tapping her chin in thought, Xenia steps over to consider the man in more detail. "This is all just a fake dimension, right? Sooooo wouldn''t be any harm in waking the dude up for another round, would there? If I remember right, ol'' Reglas wasn''t as good in the sack as his brother, but wasn''t anything to complain about...oh, right, shit. Dude was out for like two days straight after the party, wasn''t he? Told him not to get into the old master''s special stash...guess I may as well find my pants and take a wander, then."
Eventually finding her remaining clothes from where she had dropped them several centuries prior, Xenia exited the large office and made her way down the stairs to the ground floor of the guild hall. The main tavern area was mostly empty, as it usually was in the mornings, although there were more than a handful of other people who had also taken to sleeping off the night before in whatever location they happened to pass out in. Across one wall a banner reading ''Congratulations Xenia, Master of the Easthall Guild'' still hung, bringing a smile to her face though not as much as the sight of some of the dozing faces do. "Ah, man, I haven''t thought of some of these dudes in ages. Let''s see, that there''s Zurlp the Frog at the counter, of course. Sandmancer Kalell, Broken Tusk Fost, Shy Anliese..." She pauses as she stops at a booth holding a sleeping figure whose long, dark hair obscures most of their face, and squints in thought. "...Prince Aller! That''s right, though we didn''t know you were royalty til like three years from now, did we? Actually, we didn''t even know you were a dude at the time I got the promotion, no wonder I didn''t recognize you."
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Before she can wander much further however, Xenia''s thoughts are interrupted by the noise of footsteps, probably someone returning from the privy by the sound of it. Turning around to say hello, the words freeze in her throat once the individual in question comes into view around the corner. The arrival is well-dressed, considering the man probably slept in those clothes the previous night, including a black cape and boots that cost as much as Xenia''s annual salary even with her new gig. Not to mention the goatee...god, that evil goatee. How had she not seen it? She knew all the man''s tricks now, however, and whatever wistfulness Xenia may have been feeling a moment ago suddenly transforms into rage. "Lancer Poleri! You''ve got some friggin'' nerve, coming in here and joining the fuckin'' party."
The man''s eyes grow wide as Xenia stomps over to him, a mix of fear and confusion. "I - excuse me? I seemed quite welcome last night, wasn''t I?"
Xenia scoffs as she grabs onto the man''s expensive tailored vest. "Yeah, cause last night I didn''t know you were the one who killed ol'' Master Depthys! God, what an actor! You even led the memorial speech and everything!"
"That - that''s ridiculous! Excuse me? Help! I think the new Master of the Guild perhaps got into something too heavy last night and has lost track of her senses!" Despite the early hour and the hangovers, the adventurers scattered around the room hadn''t earned their reputations for nothing, and slowly figures begin to stir to life in response to the shouting.
"Nah, Lancer, today I''m seeing really fuckin'' clear. Ooh, this is gonna be sweet, getting to kill you for a second time." With her left hand still holding onto the man, her right draws her blade, thin but magically sharpened, and presses its point against his chest. "To think I was worried about where it''d send me this time - maybe this whole soul bridge thing ain''t so bad after all."
"Help!? I think she might have gone literally insane!" Lancer''s cries are about to be ended for good, when suddenly a heavy orc hand grabs on to Xenia''s arm. Broken Tusk Fost leans down to look into Xenia''s eyes.
"This is misunderstanding, yes? Heard rumor Master Depthys kept strong powders hidden in office...perhaps new Master needs to sleep a little longer, yes?"
Finding herself having some trouble shaking the orc off, Xenia looks around and notices the others beginning to gather around them. "I''m not insane, I just know more shit now! Lancer Poleri poisoned Depthys cause he found out Lancer was lying about his contract completions! He never slew that two-headed dragon, he just tricked it into attacking a town over the mountains instead!"
Lancer''s voice grows calmer as Xenia lays her accusation. "Oh? And you have proof of that, do you?"
"Yeah! Your partner in crime Anliese spilled all the beans! Tell em, Anliese!"
Startled by all the faces turning towards her, a pale-looking mage near the rear of the group takes a step back. "What? No I didn''t! I mean, there''s nothing to spill beans about!"
Xenia shakes her head. "...Fuck, right, you didn''t have that change of heart until you tried to make a move on the shit and he called you an ugly piece of gutter refuse. Which was like...shit, a year and a half from now?"
The mage''s eyes grow wider at that. "He said what!? ...We didn''t kill Depthys though, or that other stuff! Xenia''s crazy!"
As the crowd begins to close in on her, Xenia rolls her eyes. "Fuck this, it''s not real anyhow. Ether Sword!" While her right arm remains firmly held in the orc''s grip, her left pulls back and generates a copy of her blade constructed of solid mana. Short-lived, but effective enough at this range - until Zurlp''s long tongue suddenly wraps itself around her wrist, and Kalell leaps in to tackle her to the ground. "What? Hey! I''m the boss here, just let me stab the fucker a little! He''s got it coming!"
Kalell shouts into her ear, as if volume will make him more convincing. "Guild Master, drop your arms and surrender! This is all a misunderstanding!"
"Misunderstanding my ass! Get off me!" She tries to squirm, but she''s now fully pinned down, and as the others lean over her Xenia can just make out the smirk on Lancer''s face as he begins to slip away. Something about the sight of it makes her blood begin to boil, and the fact that none of this is real doesn''t seem to matter any longer. "Hey, don''t you go anywhere, fucker! I''m gonna gut you! You hear me!? COME BACK HERE AND - "
"LET ME STAB YOU!" Xenia''s arms swing wildly as she finds herself once again on her feet and unrestrained, although the sudden transition nearly makes her fall to her knees. "What the fuck!? Is shouting the thing that gets me through, or what?"
Lollyp once again closes in, concern on her face. "Xenia, are you alright? How bad was it this time?"
Taking a deep breath, the dungeon master manages to steady her nerves, although she can tell that her rage over the ancient betrayal is still fueling her. It''s ridiculous, she knows - she''s had her revenge, and everyone involved died ages ago, and yet suddenly she finds herself struggling to think about anything other than her hatred for a man she''d barely thought about at all in multiple lifetimes. "I''m fine, Lollyp Pop. Just really in a mood to fuckin'' kill something right now."
"Well, it''s good that you''re amped up, because kobold bones are incoming now!" Looking up at the torch-lit chamber they''d found themselves in, Xenia once again spots a pair of skeleton archers taking aim at her, with a third charging in their direction with a sword and shield. Tank actually performs his team role this time, bashing the first two arrows out of the air with his shield before engaging the melee combatant, but Xenia''s finds herself with no interest in letting Tank have all the fun.
"Alright, boys and slimes, it''s finally time to cut loose!" Dashing forward and ignoring the combatant being pounded into bone dust by Tank, Xenia charges the pair of archers with her sword drawn. After ducking low under another volley, the woman leaps and spins through the air, her blade severing one skull from its spinal column while her boot finds the other''s snout, collapsing its face into fragments. By time she turns back the sword-wielding skeleton is down as well, with Sincere and Lollyp barely having had time to prepare their spells before the fight was over. Adrenaline rushing through her veins - Oh shit, I have veins now, she pauses to think - a wild grin begins to spread across Xenia''s face.
"Alright, now this is more like it. Kids...we''re gonna have some fun today."
Chapter 75: Feedback is Appreciated
Lollyp briefly grins at the sight of her boss back in action, but the pleasant mood doesn''t stay for long. "Wait, so what happened this time? You seemed kinda, uh, furious about something?"
"Nothing to worry about, just saw a guy I killed a long time ago and really wanted to again, but the pocket dimension or whatever didn''t really play out in my favor this time. I can tell you the story later, maybe." Squinting, Xenia points at the wall behind the slime with her sword. "Hey, where''s that door go?"
Turning around, Sincere and Lollyp spy a heavy wooden door set into a stone wall, not far from where they arrived. Sincere moves to pull at the metal ring serving as a handle, but nothing seems to happen. "False door, I believe, it''s like pulling at the wall itself. I believe this may have been the entrance to the floor long ago, but here it represents one edge of our current reality. If we want to get out, we''ll either need to subdue the floor, die, or...well, perhaps the Dungeon Master could pull us out at will, but we should perhaps test that another time."
"Right." Turning around again, Xenia finds another door on the opposite wall, but pauses to examine their current chamber before approaching it. "So...this chamber seems about as wide as the big fuckin'' hallways we were seeing before, but the walls and doors are new. I guess originally they weren''t hallways at all, but just...really linear floors? And now all the walls splitting it up have evaporated? Feels a little uninspired."
Lollyp smirks. "We might wanna see more than one room first before we go passing any judgments, yeah? Hrmm...three skeletons, didn''t seem to be equipped with anything fancy, but then if this place is like three hundred years old or whatever, weapons and armor might''ve just been shittier back then. Still, doesn''t feel like the difficultly level of this floor should be too bad."
"Yeah, unless it starts off the floors with something easy. Anyhow, back to the formation we planned. Tank, take the lead, Dips, you and I hold the flanks, Sincere and Lollyp, handle ranged and support? Good? Then Tank, take us through."
"As you commmaaaaaaannnd." With a brief nod the armor steps towards the next door and then considers it, the shield it holds in one hand, and the giant axe it holds in the other. Rather than put something aside and attempting to open the door normally, instead the armor chooses to smash the wooden door with his weapon before charging into it shield-first, splintering it into kindling and running into the room ahead. Watching, Xenia can''t decide whether to laugh or grimace.
"Well, that''s one way to do it, at least. Keep up!" Following Dips into the next chamber, Xenia finds another space of about the same size but with large stone blocks set up as obstacles throughout. A foot high or so each, some are little more than trip hazards, but others are stacked several high into being partial walls. They do little to hide the threat ahead however, as seven kobold archers poke their snouts above walls of their own and fire shots in the party''s direction. Xenia quickly ducks behind a stack of blocks while attempting to get a better read on the room.
"Really? Some sort of paintball course with chest-high walls and shit? Where''s the artistry? The spirit of adventure? You can''t make a dungeon and then just plop some monsters in a room!"
Lollyp quickly blasts a skeleton with a bolt of lightning before taking cover of her own. "Why are you complaining? I''d figure ''a bunch of monsters in a room'' would be exactly your sort of thing!"
"Should make for a decent workout, I''ll give it that!" With a laugh the woman hops over her cover, as a thrown javelin from Dips reduces the enemy count to five. Most of the fire is directed at Tank to no effect, as not only do the arrows bounce harmlessly off his shield, but even if they hit his armor directly it seems unlikely they''d be able to damage the monster. Even so Sincere waves a hand and reduces their rate of fire to zero, forcing several of the undead kobold to reverse their movements and place their arrows back into their quivers rather than firing them at the approaching warriors. Once Xenia and Dips reach the final row of blocks and get to work the slaughter proceeds quickly, with a half dozen swings of their swords proving sufficient to destroy the rest of the enemy squad.
Looking down at her final kill, Xenia feels a pouting expressing begin to form on her face. "Okay, I take it back. This isn''t even a workout! God, now I feel extra dumb for dying to these idiots so quickly last time. Sincere, any ideas on the dungeon design going on here?"
The demon tries and fails to keep a smirk from his face. "Well before I analyze the dungeon, I might first look at ourselves. I am Supreme-ranked, Lollyp here would likely qualify as Expert at this point, and while our armored friends are perhaps only Advanced in skill level, their durability compared to mortals likely qualifies them as Expert-level combatants themselves. And then there''s you: although you may be lacking in magical skills or equipment, from what I''ve been told and have seen so far your swordsmanship may well be Supreme-level as well. In other words, if our first foray into the Great Dungeon actually did pose us with a serious challenge, I would be very concerned about our ability to proceed further."
"...Alright, that''s true. Suppose I''ll check out a few more rooms before passing too much judgment, I guess." The swordswoman does pause to mumble a bit under her breath. "I could totally make this way cooler, though. Oh, uh, Dips. How about you get the door for Tank this time, huh?"
Nodding, the sword-wielding armor steps forward and opens the next door, with Tank once again charging through the moment it''s clear. Dips goes in after, followed by Xenia, who this time shouts with a bit of cheer. "Whoo! Got some beasties this time!" While the room itself is much the same as the previous two, the occupants are entirely new. The floor is clear but the ceiling swarms with what seems to be a crossbreed of small, red reptiles and bats. Leathery wings sprout from their backs as if they were very tiny dragons, the unusual ears growing from their heads the only clear sign of their mammalian genetics. As they scurry across the ceiling surface on all four legs they don''t look to be much of a threat, being no more than a foot long apiece including the tail, but before long they begin to take to the air.
That''s when their true danger reveals itself. Dodging the first swings of Tank''s axe, several of the ''batiles'' open their mouths and begin to spit globs of corrosive fluid at the team, several landing on Tank himself while Xenia dodges a few others with a roll. "Ugh, they were kinda cute before they started doing that! Eh...this isn''t the dungeon trying to invent dragons like it did elementals, is it, cause that would make things even weirder."
Lollyp laughs as she glides in, blasting a flier with a lightning bolt from her wand before answering. "No way. I mean, how would the Dragonlord invent themselves, right? And there are other dragons out there, too, not even counting the draconics."
Xenia steps to the side to avoid another volley before flicking out a pair of throwing knives, bringing two enemies to the ground. "So the Dragonlord is an actual dragon, then? I feel like I''ve been maybe assuming that but never actually asked."
"Oh yeah, for sure. Ancient dragons can shapeshift though, so they''re almost always a draconic in their public appearances. A really fancy one, though." Lollyp takes a hit from a glob of spit, then decides to stop dodging when she realizes it''s actually less corrosive than she is. "I''m not actually sure what they look like in their natural form. You hear rumors, but I''m not sure they''ve really used it in the open since the first wars for the continent."
Hopping through the room, Xenia quickly sweeps away several more of the critters, their flying ability not doing them much good considering the relatively low ceiling. "And uh, is the Dragonlord a boy or a girl dragon? Been kind of ambiguous on that too."
Lollyp gives a bit of an embarrassed cough. "Uh, well...from how I hear it, no one''s...no one''s ever had the balls to ask ''em."
Sincere gives a light laugh. "The shapeshifting does tend to lead towards ambiguity. Also, the Dragonlord earned their title by either killing or driving off any other dragons who attempted to live here, so there haven''t exactly been, well...mates to compare against, either. Not that I''ve ever met the individual, of course, but I rather get the impression that the constant wondering amuses them in some way."
At last the final squeaking batile is zapped or swatted out of the air, with no injuries to show for it beyond a few burned pockmarks on Tank''s frame. Taking a moment to recover her thrown blades, Xenia considers this new insight. "A bit mischievous, huh? I''ll take that as a good sign, better when a leader gets their kicks out of trolling folks than by torturing them."
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Sincere shakes his head at that analysis. "I''m not sure where trolls come into the equation, but I should point out that the Dragonlord does keep a staff of slaves even to this day. Inherited-class slavery was banned a bit after the Valleylands rebellion, but criminals in general and enemies of the Dragonlord in particular can still find themselves with the sort of employment that involves a large number of chains and whips. Not exactly the most lighthearted ruler one might imagine."
"Guess I''ll keep that in mind, in case I ever happen to be playing tourist down in the Domain somehow. Alright Tank, you know the drill - next room!"
With his orders given, Tank and Dips once again lead the way through the next door. The room beyond is quite unlike the ones so far, however - at least three times larger in each dimension and rounded off, the chamber screams ''boss arena'' even before Xenia sees the monsters inside. Those at least are somewhat familiar in form if not in size, as on half a dozen square perches up around the ceiling there stirs a larger cousin of the reptile bats, each the size of a lion before accounting for the wings. Xenia curses as she readies more of her throwing knives. "Shit, the boss fight already? After just three rooms? That''s some first floor shit!"
Lollyp shouts out a response as she begins tossing fireballs up towards the ceiling. "Hey, I''ve seen dungeon floors where the entire floor is just one big room! That was a bit straightforward, though...no traps or anything?" As the party gets to work, the six flying beasts begin to take something of a formation. Three of them remain up near the ceiling, lobbing spitballs the size of Xenia''s head, while the other three begin to swoop down at the party, attempting to gore them with both their fore and hind claws before leaping back up into the air. The latter group has little luck, as between the armors'' thick shells and the barrier spells Sincere can provide to the rest of the team, even when they aren''t immediately driven away the monsters find themselves unable to do much damage.
As for the ones remaining in the air, while they prove a bit too large for Xenia''s blades to seriously hurt, the same isn''t true for Dips'' javelins. Impressively, her hurled bits of steel-tipped wood are even faster and more difficult to dodge than Lollyp''s elemental blasts are, and two of the fliers are down within the first twenty seconds of the fight, impaled through the chest or neck. While Sincere is focusing on safeguarding Xenia and Lollyp however, the remaining flier decides to engage Tank with its corrosive fluids, and this time a hit scores much more damaging than a simple armor blemish. As a blob hits Tank directly on his helmet, the metal begins to steam, and then drip, pieces of it slowly wearing through. Although he shows no signs of pain, the ghost does shout out a warning. "Agh! My shell, it...it weakens! Nooooor can I see our enemies!"
Dropping his axe for a moment, the armor lifts a hand to try and wipe some of the fluid from its face, but that proves to be a terrible idea. Weakened by the attack, as soon as his heavy gauntlet impacts the helmet an entire piece of it breaks off. That causes the monster to flail even more, and within moments the entire thing''s fallen to pieces, destroyed by the ill-advised wiping motions. A loud clang follows after that as Tank himself falls to the floor, an eerie glow drifting from the now-exposed collar and indicating his elimination from the dungeon raid. Xenia grimaces, even as she finishes hacking through the neck of one of the dive-bombers. "Fuck! Okay, that spit''s no joke! Dips, make sure you dodge that shit!"
The advice is well-heeded, and the group faces little difficulty from that point on. While Dips and Lollyp eventually manage to bring down the final high-flier, Sincere manages to use his temporal magics to pin the others in place long enough for Xenia to finish them off with some old-fashioned stabbing. As the last one falls, the team leader whoops in victory. "Woo! Score one for Team Worthy! Uh...Tank probably could''ve done a little better with his shield work at the end there, but he''ll respawn when we get back...right? Yeah, right, definitely. So..." Sheathing her sword, Xenia looks around in a bit of confusion. "That it, then? Do we...get a chest? Or some sort of popup? Fuck, I hope we don''t need Guy in here for the dungeon interface to work or something."
Shrugging, Sincere lifts a hand to point out the door at the other end of the arena. "Perhaps we should see what awaits us further on, shall we?"
"...Yeah, suppose we should do that. Shit, if that wasn''t the boss fight then the actual one might be really tough. I''ll take lead this time." Grabbing the handle, Xenia opens the door to find a smaller chamber, the same width as the previous rooms but much shorter. In the center of that chamber, patiently awaiting the raiding party is an earth elemental. It looks up at Xenia from behind the desk it''s sitting at, quill in its rocky hand and parchment placed out in front of it. A grumbling masculine voice emits from it, speaking in accented Draconic.
"Come in, come in. Sooner we fill out the survey, the sooner you can get your payment and move on to the next one."
Sword kept at the ready, Xenia cautiously steps into the room as the others follow. "The survey, you say. This like...gonna involve any stabbing or fireballs or something?"
Though the elemental''s face isn''t the most expressive, it still seems a little confused. "Surely they didn''t require combat demonstrations on the other floors or something of that nature? No, no, just a few basic questions." As Xenia cautiously sheathes her sword and the rest of the group finishes stepping inside, the elemental nods and begins reading a prepared statement. "Alright, then. Congratulations on completion of Experimental Floor 17, Crossbreeding Division. I regret wasting your time on the kobold skeletons, we haven''t finished enough variants yet to populate all of the rooms, I''m surprised you were sent in here at this stage to be honest. But in any case, you have now encountered and defeated two variants of the Spitscales-Cave Bat crossbreed which we are currently calling ''Spitflaps''. Any general impressions on the monster type to start off with?"
Xenia stares at the elemental for a moment before blurting out the first thing to come to mind. "Yeah, that name really, really sucks. Please don''t call it that."
The elemental grumbles as it makes a note. "I''ll mark down the suggestion. How about the performance? The boss-type did eliminate a party member, I note, but it did take half a dozen of them, which isn''t ideal. My condolences by the way, rest assured their kin will receive their full pay."
"Noted - but hold on, hold up. The final boss of this floor is a survey taker? What the frick''s going on here?" As soon as the words exit her mouth however, the entire room seems to go into a brief rewind, and the next thing she knows Sincere is whispering into her ear.
"If I might suggest something, we should probably play along. We''ll probably learn more that way than from a fight - and no worries, I used a stronger version of my reversion spell, only you and I recall your last statement."
Xenia eyes the demon briefly before trying a different approach. "Uh...noted, thanks. But uh, nothing wrong with using multiple monsters as a boss, I guess? The little ones were just nuisances though, twenty''s not really any more effective than like, five."
Lollyp speaks up with a suggestion. "Also, I think slimes are basically totally immune to them. The spit didn''t do anything and I doubt the claws would have much effect either, you know?"
The elemental nods. "True, given that Spitscales do originate from the same locales as slimes, I suppose that''s to be expected. Perhaps we should try for something with an elemental breath. Anything else to add?"
The party leader scratches her head. "Well, uh...the floor layout was a little bland, I guess?"
To that point, the elemental just stares at her. "Well we''re not in the Traps or Arcane Physics divisions, now are we? I mean about the monsters, of course."
Dips raises a hand. "I liked the noises they made when they were impaaaaallled by my weaponry."
This time the elemental just sighs. "Right, noted. Well, if that''s all then, here''s your pay." Leaning over, the elemental picks up a small treasure chest and plants it on the desk, facing Xenia. Taking the invitation, she steps forward and opens it up, reaching inside to pull out a number of slips of paper.
"Eh? This is...payment vouchers?"
"To be redeemed back at the division central office, of course. Thanks again for your contributions to our work here at Mount Faralis, I hope we''ll see you again." The elemental''s tone of voice doesn''t quite match his words on the last part, but before Xenia can ask further questions her vision begins to blur.
"Wait, what? The hell is all - "
After a brief flash of light, the group finds themselves once again in Xenia''s core chamber, Guy flitting around and Xenia''s hand empty of any payment vouchers. "Well...not exactly what I expected, I guess. And I suppose it would''ve been too much to hope that we''d get actual dungeon rewards out of that, huh?"
Guy answers her first, with a rough sound to their voice. "I''m not quite sure what you saw in there, ma''am, but I think - ahem, I think there may be a reward of some sort coming just now." With a few hacking noises, an organic, black-colored screen suddenly emerges from his own.
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TRIPLE CURSED DUNGEON:
YOU HAVE SUBDUED THE ENERGIES OF THE LOST GREAT DUNGEON OF MOUNT FARALIS, CENTER OF THE WORLD: EXPERIMENTAL FLOOR 17. ADDITIONAL FLOOR UNLOCKED.
UNIQUE MONSTER CROSSBREED UNLOCKED: SPITFLAPS(SPITSCALES/CAVE BAT) - C
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As she reads the message, Xenia''s mood improves significantly. "Well! That''s sure something, at least!"
"...But Guy, please tell me we can change that name."
Chapter 76: The Great Indoors
As it turned out, renaming monster crossbreed results was quite simple with Guy''s help, and so Xenia''s newest monsters were entered into her system as ''Spitwings''. That was about all the work Xenia felt like doing for the rest of the evening though, given that it was the middle of the night by time they''d returned from the Great Dungeon and everyone needed some rest. While neither Xenia nor her floor bosses actually slept as such, she had found that trying to keep active all day long had a tendency to make her a bit irritable and unfocused, or at least more so than usual. Each member of the dungeon found their own ways to relax on their off-hours: Xenia herself practiced some meditative forms she''d picked up over the years, Sincere liked to read, and Lollyp had started having a lot more fun with her alchemy practice now that she had so many ingredients to try.
There were also the more physical forms of stress relief Xenia and Lollyp both enjoyed, but they were still trying to ensure that they had at least some other hobbies to spend their time on. Just because the dungeon was already starting to get a reputation didn''t mean they had to lean into it, after all.
So it wasn''t until the next morning that Xenia, Sincere, Lollyp and Guy regathered in the core chamber to discuss the previous night''s events, and to lay out the plans for the unlocked Floor Four they could finally start working on. Starting things off, Xenia turned to Sincere with an amused look on her face. "So, you''ve gotten to see what the old place looked like when it was still in action, now! Anything like you expected?"
The demon shakes his head. "Not at all, to be honest. I did believe the Dragonlord or their dungeon had been experimenting with constructs, like the elementals, in an attempt to push the boundaries of what a dungeon could do. But I didn''t expect it to be so formalized. I mean, keep in mind: not only was this hundreds of years ago, but to my knowledge the Dragonlord''s Domain has never had a tradition of formal research programs, or even educational ones. The Valleylands did have some, particularly under the driders, but even nowadays most magical research and learning in the Domain happens under individual experts and their apprentices. To have potentially dozens of floors devoted to developing monsters, traps, and other forms of magic? I haven''t seen anything like that elsewhere in the Domain."
Lollyp nods. "I learned how to do my thing in the military''s training programs, but that''s all basic shit that''s been known for centuries for the most part. Making new discoveries? ...Honestly, most of that work these days is done by demons, and the Dragonlord didn''t have any of those back when the Great Dungeon was active. Makes me wonder if it was the dungeon''s idea, not the Dragonlord''s."
Xenia''s lip curls. "Suppose that''s a mark against the idea that the Dragonlord somehow relocated the core when they moved out of the place. Does kind of encourage me to want to take on more of the place, though. If every floor was just doing like, one thing at a time, then that''s probably relatively low risk, and it means there might be more unique shit we could steal...I mean, learn. I mean, that floor was clearly not designed to actually keep folks out, so I''m thinking the old dungeon was getting kind of complacent when it came to actual intruders." She pauses, then shakes her head. "That said, I don''t wanna rush things and unlock a bunch of floors just cause we can. We oughtta handle our new one first and get things set up there."
Lollyp grins and rubs her hands together. "So what have you got in mind? We''re gonna be using some of those plants this time, right?"
Xenia nods, summoning up an extra-large piece of parchment, then using her inscription abilities to draw an outline directly onto the magical map. "Oh yeah, I''m betting we can have the forest biome up to Medium Quality pretty soon. Also, I was thinking about what you said last night, about floors that were just one big room? I think I want to do a proper forest, something people will have to explore rather than go from one room to the next in. Mostly focusing on monster ambushes from the trees and foliage. And! I wanna do something for those water elementals we''ve got stashed away." With a wave of her hand a round river appears on the map, carving out an island in the center of the floor, and tendrilling out into smaller branches that reach into other corners of the space. Looking at it, Guy makes a concerned hum.
"You do recall the costs of creating so much water, yes, ma''am? As we''ve not found a natural spring or the like, the entire river will need to be generated magically, and something of this scale could cost you as much mana upkeep as the elevator does."
"I know, but we''ve got enough to burn, and I want to give Slooshy and her pals room to breathe. Especially since they can''t respawn if someone kills them, which means they need room to retreat if someone''s being too aggressive. I was actually thinking maybe a little underwater cave somewhere, even."
Lollyp considers the layout and nods. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. How about the monster ambushes? Going to use those new bat-lizards?"
"Yeah, I want something up in the trees, and the Barkbirds are still only D-minus tier, way too low for a fourth floor. There''s insects, eventually, but I wanna get the forest to Medium before I even start on those. We''ll do the decorative ones to start off with at least though. But for the ground level I think I''m gonna do some shopping and upgrade our bunnies."
Guy bobs up and down. "We do currently have ten souls in the inventory, which is enough for a boost to ''C'' tier and still have some left over for the boss, or bosses. Any ideas in that regard?"
Rather than answering, Xenia shoots Sincere a look. "How about you, wanna get your own floor? You''d have to actually take part in combat anytime someone made it down that far."
The man considers the option for a moment before shaking his head. "I don''t believe a forest environment would particularly suit my combat abilities. Something good at ambushes and stealthily moving about the terrain would be your best bet, I think. Undead are currently your highest tier monsters, yes? I don''t know that any ''normal'' undead would be particularly thematic for a forest environment, but my recommendation would be to crossbreed some more undead monster types. Arachnids, perhaps, or your bunnies, as humorous as that may seem."
The dungeon master taps her fingers against each other. "Undead bunnies...yeah, that might be worth a shot. Alright, I''ll start up a crossbreeding program right away. And now...let''s see if we get any freebies, shall we?" Bringing up her floor menus, Xenia presses and confirms the option to officially unlock her fourth floor. Soon after the window closes, a new popup appears from Guy.
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FLOOR 4 CREATED
ADDING NEW BASE ''CAVE'' MATERIALS:
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.STEAM VENTS
BIOLUMINESCENT FUNGI
COAL (LOW QUALITY)
IRON (STANDARD QUALITY)
NEW BASE ''CAVE'' CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED:
BATS: D-
RODENTS: D-
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 6 TO 146 (24 CONSUMED BY CONSTRUCTS)
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"Whoo!" Xenia claps before standing up from her seat. "Alright, let''s clear out that boring-ass hallway and get some landscaping done. Time to bring in some green!"
Down at the Fort, Commander Paulados looks up as one of his newest junior officers enters his office. As he looks over the elf he notes that although the man''s been in the region for a few weeks now, the two of them have barely spent twenty minutes in the same room together in all that time. His tunic remains clean and well-tailored, but his boots give the truer indication of the officer''s duties since his arrival: scuffed and dirty, the result of spending his days out in the wilds rather than overseeing the expansion of the Fort as Paulados himself has been doing. Motioning for the elf to take a seat, the Commander decides to start with a bit of casual chat before getting down to business.
"Welcome back, Lieutenant Willowbranch. I hope watching the new border crossing hasn''t been too tiresome a task for you?"
The elf shakes his head, and Paulados is reminded of on how most elves that would cause a cascade of silky-smooth hair to flow around their shoulders. Not so for Yalonn Willowbranch, whose brown locks were cut unusually short by elvish standards, even for those within the military. He would assume it was a matter of practicality, given the difficulties of hair-care during long expeditions into the woods, but somehow that never seemed to bother most of the elves the commander had known. "Not personally, no. The men at the mountain camp don''t particularly enjoy the duty, I''ll admit, but as for myself I''ve been focusing on scouting out the more difficult paths between the mountains. I''ve seen no signs of the Valleylanders attempting other crossings, but I do prefer to be on the move, not to mention the hunting is much better down there."
"I can imagine. Unfortunately, I''m afraid I''m going to need to re-assign you, at least briefly. The Valleylanders as you know have begun their ''training missions'' in the dungeon, with their secondary objective of keeping an eye out for ''Dragonlord mischief'', or whatever it is they''re expecting to find down there. I think they''re jumping at shadows personally, you know. Certainly, the Dragonlord is a schemer, but you know how those Valleylanders can get. A couple of them mix up their drinks in the tavern and they''ll be swearing it''s a Dragonlord plan to poison them all or some foolishness. Still, they paid well enough to waste their time, so I wasn''t going to worry too much about it."
The elf tilts his head at the last statement. "Your intentions have changed, Commander?"
The man nods. "I''ve been keeping track of their movements and communications, obviously, and they seem to believe they''ve found something. You''ve probably heard already, that they finally cleared the third floor and lost their commanding officer for the trouble. Tossrock seemed like a fine officer, but I have to admit, I won''t mourn the confusion it''s stirred into their little project. More to the point, however, they appear to sincerely believe that Challengers can somehow join the dungeon as permanent residents...pun not intended."
Willowbranch raises an eyebrow. "I''m not sure I follow."
Paulados chuckles at his slip of the tongue. "A demon fellow, Sincere, vanished into the dungeon some time ago. Originally assumed killed, but apparently a mercenary Challenger party was able to find and recover the man - only for the dungeon to do something to the horned one after that. The Valleylanders are actively attempting to find him again in there, and appear to believe the dungeon may have some sort of secret wing it''s hiding him away in. For what purpose? Hells if I know." Paulados scoffs and leans back, gesturing at a stack of tomes on one side of his desk. "The details may not particularly matter much. The important part to me is, this dungeon is still barely more than a month and a half old! I''ve been looking through the records of newly-discovered dungeons, and I''ll tell you something, Willowbranch - most dungeons under a year old think they''re clever if they can manage to hide a godsdamn pitfall."
"I''ve never been in such a new dungeon myself, but that''s about what I''ve heard as well. Usually it''s several years before they try anything particularly original at all, isn''t that the case? So you are worried now that the Dragonlord did do something to Worthy Dungeon?"
"Dragonlord, the gods, a secret Warlock, I''m not going to leap to any conclusions. The important thing is, this is a dungeon in Rainlands territory and our intelligence on the place is now falling behind the Challengers and the Valleylanders. We''ve sent parties in before, but the place is bigger and tougher now, and we need our own first-hand reports. Therefore I''d like you to take charge of a team to delve the place yourself."
The elf rubs his chin. "Been a while since I''ve been in a dungeon, but it could be interesting. Do you have a team in mind?"
Paulados nods. "Partially. Alpine Scout Tafyaf and Combat Medic Goldleaf are both available and have personal experience in the place, and better yet, are halfway through their Advanced levels and so have a decent shot of surviving whatever it''s got now. You''re a Wild Sentinel, yes? Mix of melee and ranged training? I''d recommend you find yourself a heavy and someone who can toss spells, we''ve got more of their like around here now than we did a few weeks ago. I''ll let you pick your team, however. Tafyaf wanders a fair bit here and there, but you can usually find Goldleaf down in the infirmary, and better than even odds she''ll know where the gnoll''s spending his time. The pair seem thick as thieves of late, which surprises me. That Goldleaf was always a cold one, not that I have a word to say against her actual skills or performance, of course."
"I''ll do that, sir. May take a day to put a party together, and another to make sure we''re prepared for the delve, but I''ll let you know before we head out."
"Good. Best of luck to you, Lieutenant."
Ten minutes later, after following several well-marked signs, the Sentinel found his way to the Fort''s infirmary. While the facility was still undersized compared to the planned capacity of the Fort once the expansion project was complete, for the moment at least the room was quiet. With no active combat operations the worst injuries to come up were the occasional training accidents, and going by the number of empty beds the local garrison weren''t being particularly clumsy this week.
In fact, as Willowbranch passed more empty stations he began to wonder if Combat Medic Goldleaf was even on duty at the moment at all - but given that leaving the infirmary unstaffed would be a notable offense, that didn''t seem particularly likely. The mystery was finally solved when the man stepped past a final curtain at the end of the room, finding the woman giving a medical examination to a male gnoll. A very excited male gnoll, as was apparent by his complete lack of pants. Turning red, Willowbranch immediately turns around and takes a few steps back in the direction from which he came.
"Ahum, ah...Medic Goldleaf, yes? ...And I don''t suppose that would be Scout Tafyaf with you, by any chance?"
It takes a moment for the woman to respond, but when she does Goldleaf manages to sound both professional and dismissive. "I am Combat Medic Goldleaf, yes. I hope you''ve learned a lesson about respecting patient confidentiality and privacy while you''ve been stomping your way through my infirmary?"
"Ah, well, yes...my apologies. I''m Lieutenant Willowbranch, and I''ve been given a task requiring your skills - and those of Scout Tafyaf, if you would happen to know his location. Could you plan on stopping by my tent after your duty shift has ended?"
"...I''ll pass on your message, Lieutenant. You may go, now."
As the officer beats a hasty retreat, Tafyaf tries and fails to stifle an embarrassed laugh. "Getting caught, not as exciting in practice as in theory, yes? Perhaps we should find a better location, maybe?"
Goldleaf narrows her eyes as she pushes her ''patient'' back on the bed. "After causing me that much trouble? No, Scout - you''re staying right here..."
Chapter 77: Getting Wet
Xenia and her ''construction crew'' had spent several hours working out just how much space they had to work with when it came to making their new indoor forest. While clearing out a massive amount of space (and shoring up the roof so it wouldn''t collapse) did consume some mana, the main limiting factor was the other voids in the mountain getting in the way. On the southeastern side of the newly claimed space was the large abyssal cavern, which Xenia didn''t want to go digging into just yet, and to the north was Floor Three. To the west was another Great Dungeon hallway, and while Xenia could dig a connecting tunnel to it, she found that she couldn''t outright take over and use the space - at least not until they did another ''raid'' into the old dungeon to claim it. Going down would mean running into a whole hive of Great Dungeon hallways and caverns, which could perhaps be avoided with a more narrow floor design, but not the expansive space Xenia was aiming for.
They could, however, go up. There didn''t appear to be any old hallways in that direction, and as long as they stayed south of Floor Three there was plenty of room to work with. After making that discovery, Xenia tweaked her original forest design somewhat. From a top-down view the floor would still be circular, several hundred yards in diameter with an island in the center, but the area where people would enter the floor would be lower than the rest of it. A cliff would then cut off that third of the space, with a waterfall near the center and a number of spots where the cliff could be climbed, some being easier than others. With the ones that looked easier being more trapped, of course.
The higher-elevation portion of the floor would then be elevated over the old Great Dungeon hallways, avoiding that obstacle. Even then, there would still be a few hidden depths. An underwater cavern had been dug out for the water elementals, reachable only by those who could not only breathe but dig underwater, given the narrow and twisty path it took to reach it. More importantly, Xenia''s core chamber was now hidden underneath the center island, where of course the eventual boss fight would take place.
For the moment however it still all looked fairly unimpressive. Not so much as a shrub had yet been planted, only the space cleared out, although the cavern ceiling had been coated with bioluminescent moss to provide a level of light similar to a moonlit night. The self-replenishing river and waterfall had been filled with water to see just how expensive such a decoration could be, and came out to a sizable drain of fifteen mana, even more than the twelve it took to put the majority of Floor Two on a moving platform. Still, Xenia was insistent on its importance to tying the whole floor design together, and now that it was in place, it was time to finally meet the dungeon''s newest residents.
Leaning down over part of the river around the central island, Lollyp peers for signs of Slooshy. "You still in there, Sloosh? You didn''t like, fall down the waterfall or something, didja?"
Ten feet further down the shore, a face appears along with an arm to wave with. "I''m down here! Hehe, we''re pretty much invisible once we get deep, aren''t we? All you''d be able to spot is our core, and given how dark it still is down here..."
Xenia nods. "No kiddin''. Setting up torches might ruin the vibe, but I might need to set up a bunch of those glowy mushrooms along the floor, too, or maybe spraypaint some trees with the moss or something. So, how''s the first review? Space seem big enough for you and three more Slooshies to live in?"
After Lollyp translates for the dungeon spirit, the elemental drifts a little closer and nods. "Definitely. I''d put in another underground connection between our cavern and the lower part of the river if I could, though. Going back up the waterfall the hard way might be possible, but a real pain in the ass. Decor''s a lil dull, too, but I know you''re still working on that part. It should be real nice when it''s all set up! And maybe if you could find some fish or something to play with..."
"Water monsters would definitely be real nice to have." As Xenia says that Beatrice suddenly perks up from where she was still drying out on the shore, after testing the difficulty of swimming to the island. The warrior looks a bit odd in soaked underclothes and her enchanted helmet, but at this point Xenia''s grown rather used to not actually being able to see her friend''s face.
"Oh, hey! You just absorb dead stuff, right, you don''t necessarily need to have killed it yourself? Cause when I was doing inventory I still had a ton of leftover rations from the Sincere expedition, and that includes some dried fish. Being stored in an Item Box slows down decay a fair bit, but I was still thinking of dumping some of that before I left. You can feel free to keep a share or two of rations along with my trash gear."
"Sweet." Xenia''s head tilts in a moment of confusion. "I know I''ve absorbed at least some meat with people''s food, but it''s not like I can make cows or pigs. Or wheat, for that matter. Guess maybe I need to absorb a whole example of a thing and not just a slice? I bet a dried fish would be enough for that, though. Anyhow, getting distracted. Sin-man, any special water magic I need to do to liven up these elemental cores?" Reaching into her metaphysical inventory, Xenia dumps the three spare cores onto the ground in front of her as the demon approaches.
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"Fortunately not. While it generally takes specially-aspected mana to create an elemental core, once the core has been formed, any sort of mana is sufficient to awaken the creatures. Note that waking up a water elemental only generates a small amount of water along with it, but given that there''s plenty more here for them to absorb, that won''t be a concern in this case."
"Cool. Here we go, then!" Pressing her mana into the cores, much as she does when upgrading her monsters to a new tier, Xenia finds that she actually experiences a sensation of the cores being thirsty for her magic. Rather than feeling the need to apply some pressure to force her mana into them, they suck it up like dry soil does rain, and it doesn''t take long for them to reach their full capacity. Slightly swelling, cracks begin to form along the surface of the stony spheres, which first emit small droplets of water but quickly expand into flowing rivulets of fluid. Puddles grow around each of them, but that doesn''t seem to be enough as soon tendrils of water start being sucked out of the nearby river, drenching each of them with buckets worth of magical dungeon water.
Finally, having drunk their fill, each of the cores rises on a pedestal of fluid which slowly develops into more-or-less humanoid forms. Arms and faces eventually become visible, although it''s almost impossible for Xenia to distinguish any particular identifying characteristics. The first time one speaks however the voice is clearly much more masculine than Slooshy''s feminine tone. "Hi!" The speaker''s head turns one way and then the next before continuing. "Is this the ocean?"
The elemental on his right answers him, this one speaking in a girl''s tone, although still notably different from Slooshy''s. "No, dummy! This is too small for that! This is a sea."
Waving her hands, Xenia decides to step in before any larger scale confusion sets in. "Ah, heh, hold on now, let me explain...wait. Shit." As the elementals ignore her, Xenia droops. "Dammit, even if the cores are registered to me or whatever, they still can''t see me? This is bullshit! I really need that goddamn avatar spell already, dammit. Lollyp, you wanna take this?"
Lollyp nods as she steps in. "Hey there! Actually, this is way smaller than even that. This is sort of an artificial river we set up in a dungeon, so uh, welcome to Worthy Dungeon! I''m Lollyp, floor boss of Floor Two, oh, and this here is Slooshy! We were wondering if you might want to live down here? Granted we''re still working on the place, so it''s not real fancy yet, but if you have any suggestions now''s a good time to make them!"
Slooshy rises from the river, giving a wave of her own. "Heya! I''ve been living here for a bit now, in a bathtub, and while that wasn''t bad the river is way better! I''ve heard there''s a bigger river outside, a real one, but I''ve been kinda wanting to see what a dungeon river''s like. Also, if we live here we''ve got official permission to drown people!"
The eyes on the third elemental widen as a boy''s voice comes out. "Whoa, really!? You mean people like that lady with the metal head, there?"
Lollyp quickly steps in to divert that train of thought. "Whoa, whoa, only people who invade the dungeon, not the ones who live here! ...Also, seriously, you consider that a job perk? Who even brought that up?"
Beatrice gives a slightly embarrassed cough. "I might have been talking with Slooshy once or twice, y''know, extolling the virtues of staying here and helping out with the, um...chores, haha..."
"Ah, right. Um, thanks, I guess? Though, Xenia here wants me to note a few things - she''s the boss, by the way. Dungeons are kind of designed to test and occasionally kill people who intrude them, but mostly that''s done by monsters and bosses, like me and Sincere here. You''re not dungeon monsters though, which means you won''t revive if a Challenger kills you. So, just putting that out there, we''re not actually expecting or requiring you to fight anyone if you don''t want to."
The first elemental raises his hand. "But we can drown folks if we want to and they''re intruders, then?"
"...Right, yes. If you want to."
"Sweet! Then yeah, living here sounds way better than some other river where you can''t even have fun."
Lollyp shrugs, deciding to take that as a win. "So, you three have names, or do you need some?"
The elemental in front speaks first. "I''ll be Slooshy!" At the sound of that, the Slooshy standing in the river seems to get angry to the point that Lollyp would almost think she was beginning to give off steam.
"You can''t be Slooshy! I''m Slooshy! You can be Junior Slooshy!"
The elemental considers that for a moment before making a counter offer. "What if I shorten it to Jooshy?"
"Juicy? I guess that works." Lollyp turns to the other two. "How about you? Preferably not Slooshy Three and Four, I''m thinking."
The new girl speaks up next. "Oooh, can I be Squirt? And my bro here can be...Spurt!" The other elemental shrugs, apparently not having an issue with being assigned a name by his ''sister''.
"...Juicy, Squirt, and Spurt." Lollyp turns to give Xenia a bit of a side-eye. "This is your fault, somehow. You''re a bad influence on your kids!"
Xenia mock-gasps. "Me!? I ain''t got nothin'' to do with it, Lolly Pop. That being said, they all sound good to me! Now, let''s let the drippy kids go and play for a bit, and make us some bushes. ''Medium Quality'' forests are real close, I can almost taste it, and I wanna get that unlocked before we waste a lot of time decorating shit. Probably gonna burn most of today''s mana, but by tomorrow, this place is gonna get interesting..."
Chapter 78: Spring Cleaning
The following day Beatrice was dropping off crate after crate of goods in Xenia''s core chamber, while the dungeon master herself was upstairs adding in some additional greenery. The room hadn''t changed much during the move, except that the windows that had once displayed the mountain''s secret abyss were now open to the back side of the fourth floor''s waterfall, only dimly lit by some hidden fungus. They''d been carefully crafted to be hard to see even if someone did go looking behind the waterfall - what self-respecting adventurer didn''t check for secrets behind waterfalls, after all - but they did still manage to do their job of making the room feel less stuffy. A little more humid, perhaps, but at least there weren''t going to need to be any concerns about uncontrolled mold growths inside the dungeon or problems like that.
As Beatrice was setting up the last crate though, she was interrupted by Xenia drifting her way down the spiral staircase that now connected her core chamber door to the island surface above. "Ah, hey Trish! Was just gonna take a break and double check our design layout." She pauses and takes in the sight of the small pile of wooden boxes Beatrice is currently standing next to. "Ah, looks like you''re getting ready to move out, then? You uh, know I can absorb stuff from anywhere, right? You didn''t need to move all that down here. Where''d you even get the crates from anyways?"
Beatrice chuckles. "Had the entire boxes worth of stuff in the Item Boxes, obviously, not like I was gonna spend the time adding in every little ration one by one. And I know, but separating out and moving the stuff around helps me double-check what I''m dumping and what I''m keeping. I went through a fair bit of effort to get some of this stuff, and some of it I was holding on to for years in case it became useful, so it stings a little to find out it''s turning into trash so suddenly. But hey, if it helps you out, then at least it''s not a total waste."
Xenia nods. "I totally appreciate it, definitely. So what sort of cool, worthless trash are you dumping off in my dungeon?"
Beatrice scoffs before pointing first at a pair of stacked crates. "These are the extra rations and food stuffs, should still all be good, but I don''t think I''ll have any trouble stocking up on more down at the Challenger''s camp, so I may as well let you have some. Honestly I feel like kind of an idiot for not giving them to you earlier. I figure the quantity alone should probably boost your food tier a fair bit, which means we could''ve all been eating better the past week, yeah? As for the specifics, I was looking through and I''m not sure it''ll do much for you aside from the fish we were talking about yesterday. Like, there''s nuts and seeds and fruits in there, but it''s all local temperate plants, so odds are you''ve already got access to those by now. And if sausage won''t let you get pigs, then other animals are probably out."
"Even the fish alone would be nice to unlock." Rubbing her hands together, Xenia gets an evil grin. "Oh, sure, they might start as decorative little F-tier fishies, but if I can crossbreed in waterbreathing with some of my other stuff? I''ll be able to turn that river out there into a proper moat."
"Like...aquatic bunnies? How''s that undead bunny program working out so far, by the way?"
Xenia frowns a little as she sits back into her favorite chair. "Well, we got Vampire Bunnies, which will make a decent swarm monster, I think. As a boss monster though, I dunno, not really feeling it, so I''m running it some more to see what else we might get."
Beatrice laughs a little before shivering at the thought of a swarm of bloodthirsty lagomorphs. "Cute but deadly, eesh. Uh, anyhow - box three. This one''s mostly just bulky utility gear that doesn''t really have any utility anymore. Fireproof armor that''s almost lost its enchantments, a sword of sharpness that''s basically just a normal sword at this point, and so on. To be honest it was mostly all just random quest rewards I picked up along the years and brought along because hey, why not, most of it I never actually used. So, like the food, it''s all grist for your quantity-driven upgrades more than anything else."
"I''ll take what I can get. The Initiates that come in here are still barely geared up at all, so that crate''s probably worth at least a couple team wipes in upgrades. And the last box?"
The warrior pats her hand on the lid of the fourth container. "These are charged items that are losing their charges. Like, I had a fireball wand that anyone could use even without knowing magic, good for twenty blasts, right? Well, after checking it with an inspection tool, it''s already down to more like five. It''s honestly draining way faster than I would have expected, Sincere was telling me that the local mana fields might be not just incompatible but outright hostile to some of my gear, and might be actively sapping it. Fortunately craftsmanship matters, so my top-tier shit will still last a lot longer. So anyhow, this one''s more magical stuff: wands, accessories, some scrolls that may or may not be just paper at this point. Hope it helps!"
"I''m sure it will!" Xenia''s smile grows a little more devious after that statement, and the dungeon master changes the topic. "So you''ve been spending a lot of time chatting with Sincere, huh? Learning more about magic wands, eh, eh?"
Beatrice chuckles as she claims a seat for herself. "I don''t know what you''re talking about. He''s been very thoughtfully teaching me about the local geography and cultures before I start my big tour, that''s all."
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"Oh really?" Xenia''s grin doesn''t fade in the least. "Didn''t want to mention this earlier, but you do realize I have at least a vague sense of all the mortals in my dungeon at all times, right? I mean, I can try and block it out, but sometimes things are really hard to ignore."
The dragon slayer''s face grows hot under her helmet. "Xen! Don''t tell me you''ve been peeking!"
"Hey, I had to make sure my craftsmanship was working up to spec, after all! So, any complaints? Any tweaks I oughtta get in before your next visit?" Xenia leans forward eagerly, enjoying putting the screws to her friend.
Clearing her throat, Beatrice does her best to keep her voice even. "No complaints, thank you. Hells, I''ll even give the man my recommendation. If you and Lollyp ever need to take a break from each other, ask the man about his Delayed Gratification spell, you might enjoy it. Honestly, given how constantly horny you were back when you were my friggin'' sword, I''m surprised you haven''t slipped into the man''s room already yourself. Uh, unless you have?"
This time it''s Xenia''s turn to lean back with a slight blush. "Hey, being a hunk of metal for seven years was extremely frustrating! I mean, it had its moments, but you know, as a woman...sword, there were needs that were hard to fill! Uh, y''know...other than that one time."
Beatrice pauses for a moment. "Yeah, that...one time. Which we''re definitely never speaking of again. I mean, wasn''t complaining, but, uh. Yeah."
"Yeeeah. So, right, Sincere. I mean, the man''s got all the right bits in the right places, as you''ve so generously tested out, but he is such a nerd. Honestly I''m surprised you went for him so quick, I didn''t think that was your type either."
The warrior chuckles, feeling a little bolder about the topic of conversation now. "Yeah, he''s a nerd, but he''s a confident nerd, and I think you said yourself once that confidence is sexy, right? Also, he''s apparently a gigantic manslut and I very much respect and appreciate that. Seriously, I''m probably gonna be coming back here for him more than you at this point, no offense."
"Shit, maybe I should give him a try...but no, I don''t wanna pressure the staff or nothin''. If he wants to make a move maybe we''ll see. Anyhow, you heading out tomorrow then? Anything we can do before you go? Big farewell party? Hmm, already burned most of my mana for today, but I can make you some parting gifts tomorrow morning. Or do you just want a quiet evening in with the ol'' lover-boy?"
"A small party might be nice. Followed up by a quiet evening in, if a certain nosy someone can promise not to peep."
"I promise to try."
That evening a different form of party found itself gathering down at the Fort - which some were now calling Worthy Fort, though the name was still far from official. Walking in front of his selected troops, Lieutenant Willowbranch inspected each of them in turn. In a credit to their professionalism neither Willowbranch, Combat Medic Goldleaf, or Alpine Scout Tafyaf Srooll showed any indications of how they had been introduced to each other in front of the rest of the team...or at least, the two elves didn''t. The Scout did have a bit of a smirk on his face but given that the man was a gnoll, that was quite possibly just his natural resting expression.
Stopping in front of the third soldier, the Wild Sentinal took a moment to look the human woman up and down. Although she was mostly encased in heavy plate armor, her face was exposed, leaving the heavy scarring on her left side plain to see. Her hair was cropped short to make helmets easier to wear, but if anything truly marked her it would be the constant faraway look in her eyes, and the way in which she never took much part in conversations. While her resume was mostly solid, Willowbranch did have to admit to having a few concerns. "Vanguard Rill Frudd. I''m told that among your dungeon experience, you once reached the seventh floor of the Fire Sands, is that right?"
Rill nods, without meeting his eyes. "Yes sir, that''s correct."
"I''m also told you were the last survivor of that particular party. It''s a little unusual, isn''t it, for a party''s heavy to be the last to fall? I''m not passing any judgment, but I am curious as to how exactly that occurred."
The woman again responds in a professional tone of voice, as if it''s a report she''s had to give more than a few times before. "The boss arena had a trap to turn part of the floor into quicksand, sir. By time I was able to free myself, the rest of my party had already fallen in combat. I was able to...avenge their deaths, but I lacked the healing abilities required to save the wounded."
"I see. I don''t mean to dredge up bad memories, but it is good to know just what sort of tricks a dungeon might have in store for us. As long as we learn from our experiences, then no loss is ever entirely in vain."
The woman gives a perfunctory "Yes, sir." in response, and the Sentinel decides that''s as much as he''s likely to get out of her for the moment. Moving on, he reaches the final member of the party, a robe-wearing gnoll holding a staff adorned with animal skulls.
"And you would be Spirit Mage Choc Ress, yes? I admit I''m not very familiar with that particular Mage branch."
The man nods, chuckling before he''s even started to speak. "Hehe, yes, yes. Would likely be a Shaman branch were I a Challenger, yes, but the military finds it too un-formalized a school, it does. In particular I can call on the spirits and echoes of the fallen - in the wilds, many animal spirits I can call. In dungeons, hehe, the more dangerous the dungeon, the more fallen adventurers there are to use, yes."
Willowbranch finds himself a little confused by the description. "How would that work, Spirit Mage? Are the souls of those who fall in dungeons not imprisoned by those same dungeons? How could you call on them yourself to fight against it?"
"Not soul magic, no, would be necromancy in that case, hehe, or perhaps demon magic. The spirits upon which I call are merely echoes, the disturbances a violent death leaves in the fabric of reality. The world itself remembers us, it does."
"Interesting. I wonder if that could be particularly useful in the this dungeon specifically, given its oddities. Can you speak with the spirits, Mage, or are they merely combat constructs?"
The Mage waggles a hand. "Sometimes, yes. Great conversationalists, they are not, no."
Sentinel Willowbranch rubs his chin as he considers the possibilities. "Then I suppose we''ll just need to make sure we ask the right questions..."
Chapter 79: A Good Morning on the Mountainside
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------------------------
INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS ESCAPED: 1
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
FOOD AND DRINK: C+
SPELL SCROLLS & MAGIC TOMES: D-
PRINTED GOODS: D
FISH: D-
METAL ARMOR: C+
LEATHER ARMOR: C-
STEEL CONSTRUCTS: C-
WOOD CONSTRUCTS: D+
SWORDS: D+
WANDS: D+
METAL ACCESSORIES: D+
------------------------
|
Beatrice stood outside the front entrance of Worthy Dungeon, looking out at the clear morning sky, and somehow felt lighter than she had in years. Despite the several hundred pounds of equipment she''d left behind with Xenia, that had nothing to do with it, considering her Item Boxes conveniently negated weight concerns. It also didn''t have much to do with the events of the night before, although her farewell party had been pleasant, and her final night with Sincere had been even more enjoyable. Rather, she''d say it had something to do with the fact that for the first time in a decade she was staring out at a horizon and didn''t know exactly what she would find beyond it.
Her mood was easy to notice, as Doorman found himself needing to bring it up after staring at her back for several minutes. "Ready to strike out into the world, Lady Beatrice? Or are you perhaps worried you left something behind while you were packing?"
The warrior chuckles as she looks back at the door. "If I did, I guess it belongs to Xenia now. I just feel...really good, you know? Like I''ve started a whole new life or something. While I can''t say this world was exactly what I was expecting when I came over here, I think it might''ve been exactly what I needed. Feeling ten years younger already! Granted, that is before I do the whole ''hike down a mountain'' thing all over again, heh. That part was maybe getting a little tiring."
"Well, it''s good at least to start off your journey on the right foot! And I look forward to seeing your return - perhaps we''ll have some new tricks by then? Or maybe I''ll even have an upgrade or two to show off myself!"
Beatrice grins. "Looking forward to it. Heh, maybe I''ll even pick up a book of riddles for you if I find any. Not that yours aren''t already top-notch, of course."
After a final set of farewells the heavily-armored woman begins to make her way down the mountain trail, one that seems to become a little easier to manage every time she takes it even though the Challenger-funded road crews hadn''t made it this far yet. If she was expecting a quiet walk to the Challenger camp however, that expectation proves false before she even makes it to the mountain base. Coming up the opposite direction is a party of five, led by an elf whom Beatrice doesn''t recognize although she does spot one familiar face in the crowd. Noticing them first, Beatrice waves and shouts out a greeting.
"Hail there, trying out the dungeon this morning? And hey, that''d be Scout Tafyaf there, isn''t it? Camp patrol got too boring for you?"
Stopping once they''re close enough to not need to shout, the lead elf gives an answer. "We''re heading up to the dungeon, yes. I''m Lieutenant Yalonn Willowbranch, leading an expedition on behalf of the local garrison, and this is indeed Alpine Scout Srooll with us. You''re acquainted with each other?"
The Scout gives a laugh in response. "A famous sight she is around the camp, yes, yes. The dungeon''s girlfriend, they say!"
Beatrice gasps. "What? No! You wretched little gnoll, I know I''ve set you straight on this once already! It''s strictly platonic!"
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"I don''t say it, no. But others do, yes!"
Willowbranch steps in before Beatrice can find something to throw at his Scout. "Lady Beatrice, then, is it? I admit to having heard some rumors about you myself, though admittedly most of them don''t sound particularly believable. I also have to admit to some curiosity, though. If you''re heading down this early in the morning, you must have spent the evening in the dungeon? Just how is it that you''re able to spend so long comfortably in such a place? A...platonic friendship, is it?"
"Hrmph. I''m afraid I don''t like to discuss the details of my relationship with the Dungeon Master. That said, you''re going to have to do without my charming face around the camp, or the dungeon for a while. Gonna check in then I''m probably making my way to Highfalls. Get my official Challenger paperwork and all that taken care of, then perhaps see some more of your fine country."
"I wish you luck on your journey, then. Although..." The elf trails off for a moment, considering the woman in front of him. "Listen, Lady Beatrice, allow me to be frank. We know the Valleylanders are very interested in the secrets of this dungeon, and by extension, we must also be interested in those same secrets. Secrets which so far several men have died trying to uncover. Yet, I cannot help but feel as if you already know at least some of the answers to the questions we''re attempting to discover. Or at the very least, you know how to find those answers. I feel loathe to let you pass by without at least attempting to learn something of what you know."
While Beatrice''s tone remains friendly, her hand drifts to her sword as she answers. "I assume you''re not intending to try and hold me here until I answer your questions, Lieutenant?"
The elf shakes his head. "No, no. Far be it from me to attempt to restrain a noblewoman, especially without any indications of a crime having taken place. That said, surely in the interests of dungeon delver camaraderie you''d be willing to shed at least some light on the goings-on of the place?"
The warrior''s gaze, hidden by her helmet, lingers on the elf for a time before she speaks. "Look, Lieutenant. I''ll admit, I do feel a little bad about the folks that don''t make it out of the dungeon, as far as I can tell they all seem like they''re decent sorts, at least so far. But as suspicious as it may make me seem, I do consider myself a friend of the dungeon. So no, I won''t be spilling any secrets. If it helps put your mind at ease though, I''ll tell you that she has absolutely no ill-will towards the outside world. Anyone stepping inside is taking their lives in their hands, but as long as no one actually tries to destroy her, she''ll play fair."
"I''ll suppose that I''ll have to take your word on that, but it is good to hear nevertheless. Even so, our mission remains, so we''ll have to do what we can to pry regardless. Again, I wish you luck on your travels, my lady."
"And I wish you luck in the dungeon, Lieutenant." As the party begins to pass her by, Beatrice can''t help forming a grin on her lips. "I will say though, that I won''t wish you good luck. Sometimes bad luck can be far more educational."
A look of confusion passes Willowbranch''s face, but he keeps his tone polite as he continues on up. "...I''ll keep that insight in mind, my lady."
Once the group has passed, and Beatrice has once again begun her own hike down the mountain, she finds herself mumbling as she goes. "...Probably wouldn''t hurt to recruit some cuter animal-people to your team though, either..."
When the party finally arrives at the dungeon door, they find Doorman in a good mood - not that that''s particularly unusual. "Good morning, good morning! Hrmm, I see that while two of you have cleared up to Floor Two, the rest of you are Worthy Dungeon newbies, eh? I''m afraid if you want to get inside, you''ll have to test your mettle against my wits!"
Near the rear of the group, Goldleaf mutters. "We better not actually fail this one, or we''ll never hear the end of it back at the Fort..."
Willowbranch waves a hand to hush her before turning back to the door. "I''m looking forward to the challenge, guardian. What is your riddle?"
The door nods, then speaks. "...Do any of you happen to have, say, some water and a rag? And perhaps a long stick?"
"That''s..." Willowbranch''s face furrows in confusion, and he looks around at his party. "We certainly have some water supplies with us, and I''m sure we have some spare cloth - Goldleaf, a bandage, perhaps? As for a stick, perhaps one of our weapons would do?" He eyes Choc''s decorated staff, who suddenly pulls it closer protectively. "Do we need to use them to solve the riddle, somehow?"
Doorman looks up at his left side. "It''d certainly help. You see, just before you arrived a bird stopped by, which is normally fairly pleasant, except it left a little...present, up on my scalp there. As it doesn''t count as damage taken during a dungeon intrusion, it''s not exactly self-cleaning, you know? And I''d really rather not wait until the next rainfall. For a country called the Rainlands, this mountain really doesn''t get as much of it as you''d expect."
"Ah, no, that''s generally more true of the north...but of course, guardian, we''ll ah...see what we can do."
Given the door''s height it''s actually a bit of a challenge, but with Tafyaf''s climbing skills combined with Rill''s sheathed sword and a wet bandage tied to one end of it, Doorman eventually receives a good scrubbing. Carefully holding the sword away so as to not spread the filth any further, Tafyaf gives Doorman a pat on the head before making his way back down. "Nice and shiny, dungeon guardian, good as new, yes yes!"
Doorman sighs in relief. "Oh, thank the gods you came by. We don''t get Challengers every day, you know, I was really rather expecting the worst for a while there."
The elf leader does his best to keep his tone as polite and professional as his military training allows. "We''re more than happy to be of service, guardian. Does ah, this mean we''ve passed the riddle?"
"I''d certainly call that the right answer to my challenge, yes! Enjoy your stay!" With that the door swings open, and after a final check of their gear (and the disposal of one used bandage), the party heads inside.
Chapter 80: Dangerous Questions
As one of the region''s foremost experts on the first two floors of Worthy Dungeon, Tafyaf was easily able to navigate the Rainlander party through the hazards that faced them for the first half hour or so of the dungeon intrusion. The skeleton and slime monsters proved to be of little threat to the veteran soldiers, and as it happened Willowbranch''s own skills were uniquely well-suited towards fighting off BB. Although Willowbranch started off the boss fight armed with his sword, a long blade curved to mimic a blade of grass, after the rabbit boss''s initial ambush exposed the creature he quickly swapped gear. Sword sheathed in a flash, a moment later he was wielding a longbow with a speedy efficiency that was genuinely magical. The monstrous rabbit hadn''t been expecting the elf to become a ranged combatant so quickly, and was pinned by a pair of arrows before he even knew what happened. After that it was all over but the execution.
The elevator ride was almost relaxing, with Tafyaf forewarning them of the ambushes they would face, but like most parties they grew far more cautious when they finally reached the door to the second floor''s boss arena. Rubbing his chin in thought, Willowbranch turns to the gnoll Spirit Mage, Choc Ress, with a few questions. "Tell me, Mage Ress, can you sense the spirits of the Challengers who have died here? By all reports, the room ahead may well be the most fatal in the entire dungeon."
Closing his eyes, the gnoll mumbles a few words which causes his staff to glow blue - particularly around the eye sockets of the animal skulls that adorn it, the elf notices. It doesn''t take long for the Mage to have his answer, which he gives with a grin. "Oh yes, many have died here, enough that the challenge might be to pick one in particular. Did you have a sort of adventurer in mind to help us in our next fight, perhaps?"
"You could say that." The elf''s lips begin to quirk at one corner, just a little. "I keep hearing tales of how the boss ahead seems to be far too intelligent for what such a dungeon could have. As an ensouled boss, they themselves must have died in this dungeon at some point, yes? Could you call forth their spirit?"
The Mage laughs out loud at the suggestion. "Haha, never thought of that before, no, although..." The man trails off as his eyes lose focus, and confusion begins to mark his face. "...Odd. Very unusual, this is."
Ahead of them, Vanguard Frudd grows nervous, adjusting the grip on her shield. "Unusual how? Is it not actually a normal boss monster?"
Choc''s gaze regains focus as he answers her. "The difficulty with attempting to bring forth a boss monster''s spirit, is that the form of the boss is not the form of the mortal who fueled it, no. The mortal echo has no memory of being a monster, and so it should be very difficult to determine which mortal was the one who fell to empower the creature. But...in this case, well...it is very easy to see which spirit is the correct one, yes." With another wave of his staff, a blue ghost-like form appears before the group. Short, semi-transparent, and dressed only in a potion-strapped vest and pointy hat, the spirit is obviously that of a slime. As it takes shape, Tafyaf gasps.
"It is her, yes! That is the boss of the floor, it is, yes!" The spirit fixes her eyes on him and tilts her head, but doesn''t speak. Willowbranch meanwhile is not so quiet.
"Wait, hold on now. You''re telling me that this mortal who died here in the dungeon, is exactly the same as the boss waiting ahead?"
Tafyaf peers closer before turning to Choc. "Slimes can adjust their form easily, yes, may be hard to recognize for sure. Can the spirit say something, perhaps?"
Choc nods. "It will answer more strongly to me, as the one who called it. Fallen spirit, who are you, and how did you find your end in this place?"
The ghost turns to the Mage, and as it does so its blank expression is replaced by a grin. "Slime Elementalist Lollyp, that''s me! And that...is classified information. You don''t need to know!"
Willowbranch groans. "Dear gods, the Valleylanders were right. The second floor boss is a godsdamn Domain soldier! But how!? Mage, we need more information!"
"Perhaps a more roundabout line of questions, maybe. Spirit Lollyp, what is your last memory of this place?"
The slime rubs her chin for a while, then grins again. "I had a really good lay. Oh my gods, it was incredible. Just how I always wanted to go!"
The group goes silent at that, until Goldleaf speaks up. "...So. The Dungeon Fuckers weren''t just bullshitting about this place, then. I guess that''s...intel. Of a sort."
Sighing, Choc tries another avenue. "How is it that you became a dungeon creature, remaining as you are, with all of your skills and knowledge, hrmm?" This time the spirit grows confused.
"...What? That''s not possible. What are you talking about?"
Willowbranch spends a moment in thought, then shakes his head. "I''d like to try and question the boss herself about this, if she might be prone to talking, but this is already an incredible discovery. I don''t think we should risk it. We''ll continue to question the spirit echo for as long as the spell lasts, then we turn back and make sure this information isn''t lost." The moment the words leave his lips however, the air is filled with the sound of grinding gears. Turning around, the group realizes to their shock that the platform behind them is returning to its original position several stories above. They rush back towards it, and it''s not particularly quick moving - Willowbranch judges that he could easily climb back on it in time, as could Goldleaf. Frudd''s heavy armor makes her much less nimble however, and the shorter gnolls are already unable to grab hold of the platform before it''s too high to reach.
Deciding that the consequences of splitting the party in half would be even worse than being stuck on the second floor, the elf instead turns to find the wall-mounted pressure plate that serves as the platform''s control device, hoping to call it back down. Only to find to his shock that the button is gone, only smooth stone where it had been installed only moments ago. "Gods preserve us. The dungeon is attempting to trap us down here."
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Frudd''s eyes grow wide. "What!? Dungeons can''t do that! I mean...sir, surely that''s not something they can actually do?"
Willowbranch closes his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose as he thinks. After a moment or two, he begins to laugh bitterly. "Oooh, that is clever. What a trap this is." Looking up at his party, the Sentinel begins to explain. "Dungeons have rules, yes. Otherwise it would be too easy for such powerful creations to simply crush anyone who wanders into them, which is not what the gods desire. But, consider, rule one: a dungeon''s core must be accessible to parties entering the dungeon. It still is, because a new party entering the dungeon would find the moving platform waiting for them upstairs. It''s still accessible for us as well, as we have already passed that obstacle. Another rule: at least one exit that exists when a party enters must remain accessible to them and unchanged while the party is within the dungeon. Otherwise a dungeon could simply move or remove portals at will and never allow a party to leave, until they die."
Looking up, the man peers at the shrinking platform above. "The way we came in is now no longer accessible to us. And it may well be that the other emergency exit portals have also been removed. But at least one must remain - I would expect it to be the one in the core chamber, the one deepest in the dungeon. Hrmm...I suppose we could wait for a second party to come down and bring the platform back to us. Ugh, and then a third party to arrive and summon the platform back upstairs again, if the dungeon had no qualms about keeping two parties trapped down here. But given that most Initiate parties don''t even attempt the second floor..." The elf shakes his head. "No. There''s no guarantee that Commander Paulados would send a rescue party into the dungeon if we don''t return, and waiting for two additional Challenger parties to arrive could take more than a week."
Vanguard Frudd looks at her commander with wary eyes. "So what can we do then, sir?"
Willowbranch''s own eyes narrow. "The only way out is through. The dungeon has apparently decided we know too much to live, and will be doing everything it can to ensure that we don''t make it out. We will have to fight through it all, and make it all the way to the core chamber. Or we all die."
Behind him, Goldleaf sighs. "I really need to stop letting myself be volunteered for dungeon assignments."
With a hint of concern in their voice, Guy turns to Xenia. "Are you sure this is a good move, ma''am? Deaths in a dungeon are to be expected, occasionally even a high rate of deaths. However, I rather suspect that if word gets out that we are attempting to manipulate full-party-wipe situations, public opinion could turn against us rather sharply."
Xenia grits her teeth, sounding a bit uncertain herself. "If they were just Challengers, that''d be one thing. Adventurers talk shit all the time, you heard that one party a while back talking about how they thought even Alizz might be bullshitting them, remember? But these guys are military, and worse, ones sent in here specifically to dig up dirt on us. These dudes file a report, and it''ll get believed. Then...well who fuckin'' knows, yeah? If they figure out that we''re cursed, or that we made a deal with the Dragonlord, maybe that would be enough to get them to decide to just crack me open. Or, I dunno, yoink my core and study me for science or some shit."
"While that is true, do you believe we''ll actually be able to wipe their full party? Even with the emergency exit portals removed, the fourth floor is still barely implemented at this stage, and the third floor is mostly nonlethal. We''re essentially putting all our eggs in the basket that is our floor bosses."
Xenia thinks, tapping her lips. "Our bosses...hrmm. C''mon Guy, let''s chat with Sincere. He might have another option for us."
As the Rainlander party prepares to invade Lollyp''s arena, the two invisible spirits teleport away.
Stepping into the foul-smelling cavern, Tafyaf snorts through his nose as he eyes the ceiling. "Be cautious, yes. Word is, both Valleylander minotaurs who fell met their end here, they did."
The response he gets isn''t one from a party member, but an echoing voice from the room around him. "And looks like we''re gonna be adding a few more to that count! Really, summoning a lady''s ghost without her consent! That''s rude, you know!"
Standing beside Choc, Lollyp''s spirit echo gasps. "Hey, that''s my voice! That''s...huh. That''s really weird!" Before she can continue, the ghost suddenly twists in place, her torso moving in a way that would snap the spine of most mortals. A blast of lightning erupts from her fingers, scorching a blobby red form that had been inches away from swinging into the Spirit Mage and possibly tossing him into an acid pool. "Whoa! Close one!"
Groaning, the floor boss quickly reforms into a standing position. "Hey, what gives!? If you''re me, then how come you blasted me!?"
The echo of her former life shrugs and points to the gnoll beside her. "Sorry! He''s the boss now!"
Stepping forward before the slime can retort, Willowbranch decides to make at least one attempt at getting more information out of the floor boss. "Slime Elementalist Lollyp, is it? Tell us, how did you engage in this...this residency contract or whatever you might call it with the dungeon?"
"Stop asking questions that''ll get you killed, genius!" Lollyp turns to zap the elf with her wand, but the weapon goes flying as an ice shard from spirit-Lollyp cuts off her hand. The slime turns to her with a betrayed look on her face, but as the rest of the party closes in she has little choice but to retreat.
Unfortunately for her, with her ambush foiled and the injuries from elemental blasts mounting up, the boss finds herself starting off on a serious backfoot. Ironically it''s her own ''ghost'' who proves to be the largest threat to her, scoring glancing hits every time she tries to stop and engage one of the other members of the party. Eventually a final direct hit of lightning causes her to freeze and spasm, buying Frudd all the time she needs to bisect the slime down the middle.
The ghost cheers, before suddenly gasping. "Oh, shit, all that really took it out of me. That''s...fuck, that wasn''t mana, that was my energy I was burning there, wasn''t it? Well...it was fun while it lasted, even if it was me killing me." With that she fades out, causing Willowbranch to curse.
"Dammit, I was hoping we''d have more time to question her. Mage, can you bring her back?"
The gnoll shakes his head. "The echo will reform in time, but even with a powerful, relatively recent death...no, will likely not be able to reform her for a month, at least."
"Curses. I suppose what we learned already will have to be enough." Taking the team forward into the next room, he finds that the usual healing fountain and exit portal are both gone, although the floor''s treasure chest remains. "Hmm, I wonder if dungeons are obligated to provide rewards for slaying bosses? Suppose we''ll take what we can get."
As he opens the chest and pulls out the amulets inside, the officer frowns. "More luck charms, like the ones upstairs. I thought this floor usually offered different rewards?" As he thinks, the final message from the strange warrior on the mountainside earlier runs through his mind. "Luck charms...wait. That woman implied there was something odd about luck here, didn''t she?" He turns back to the party behind him. "Everyone! If anyone''s wearing luck charms from the first floor boss, take them off now. I believe the dungeon might be trying something..."
While several party members reach into their collars and remove their rabbit feet charms, Xenia watches on in dismay. "Dammit, Trish! What did you say, are the Rainlanders catching onto the luck thing now too!? Fuck, I hope Sincere''s plan will work..."
Chapter 81: Low Spirits
After something of a grueling ordeal, the Rainlander party found themselves at the end of the Step Chamber generally intact but more than a little battered. While Willowbranch and Tafyaf were both adept at detecting traps and managed to guide the party away from tilting tiles and hidden pitfalls, the slime ambushes were another matter entirely. Vanguard Frudd had taken heavy impacts from leaping blobs of goo twice, and while she had avoided falling into any spikes in the process Combat Medic Goldleaf could only heal the bruises to her body, not those to her ego. More annoyingly, none of the party were particularly well-equipped for taking out the slimes even after they had revealed themselves.
While Frudd''s and Willowbranch''s heavy blades were entirely capable of hacking a slime to pieces, that wasn''t necessarily lethal to slimes unless they could reduce it to less than half of its original body mass. That was, unfortunately, rather difficult to accomplish while the creatures were flying through the air. Tafyaf''s arrows and knives did little damage to them, and Goldleaf''s handful of anatomy-altering magics were useless against creatures who barely had anatomy to start with. Spirit Mage Choc''s magics did prove to be somewhat disorienting to the monsters'' senses, at least. When they would splatter themselves against a wall in a missed leap, or fail to jump entirely, the party''s swordsmen could take their time hacking the rabbit-eared slimes apart and clearing the way forward.
When they found themselves faced with the slimy webs however their frustration only grew. Frudd groans as she fails to wipe a strand off of her shield. "Blegh. This stuff isn''t going to stop us, but I''m not going to be able to avoid it, either. Don''t suppose anyone has any fancy tricks to deal with this crap?"
Willowbranch shakes his head. "We were perhaps lucky the slime boss''s elemental magics were her own greatest weakness, as unfortunately we don''t seem to have much in our arsenal for slime on our own. Mage Ress, I don''t suppose there''s any other helpful spirits at hand right now?"
The Mage works his magic for a moment, then shakes his head. "Interestingly, I am not sensing any previous deaths on this floor, no. Second floor is not far away, but the magical barriers between floors weaken my connection to the echoes there. Could summon one from there, yes, but shorter-lived they would be."
"We''ll hold off until we reach a more challenging combat encounter or the like, then, no point in wasting one on minor annoyances. I''m afraid you''ll have to push on through then, Vanguard."
Grimacing, the woman does as ordered, knocking aside the brightly-colored webs with her shield as she moves down the twisting stone hallway. When the equally colorful spiders begin their ambushes, Willowbranch and Tafyaf at least prove quite capable of assisting there, and slay most of the monsters attacking from the sides and rear before they even reach any member of the party. Frudd takes the brunt of the assaults from the front however, given the difficulty for the scouts in covering that direction, and soon finds her boots as slime-covered as her shield. Each of her steps grows slower and more ponderous, and at one point she nearly tumbles over when she attempts to swing her blade at a spider and her left leg refuses to move along with her. The mistake doesn''t result in any injuries, but it does manage to increase the coverage of the sticky fluids across her armor.
When the group finally reaches the end of the maze, the combined slowing effects nearly prove fatal. The moment she enters the last room of the chamber half a dozen heavily-armed orc skeletons fall on her, far better equipped than those on the first floor, and it''s only her heavy armor and shield that buy her the time needed to fall back without serious injury. Choc''s magics manage to stun a pair of the undead, giving Willowbranch time to move forward and cover their tank, but while the man was literally an Expert at melee fighting there''s only so much that can be done against four opponents in a confined space. By time the room is finally cleared, not only is Frudd suffering several new bruises beneath her armor but the party leader is bleeding from a number of deep cuts and stabs himself.
As Goldleaf moves forward to provide healing, Willowbranch takes stock of his team. "Hrng, have to say, I much prefer fighting out in the open. ...Frudd, with all that slime on you, I imagine you''re going to have trouble dodging any traps that may come our way in the next chamber. Scout Srooll, take the lead until we can find somewhere to clean up, will you?"
"Will do, cautiously, yes." As he begins to move forward however, Choc grabs hold of his shoulder.
"Careful! The traps ahead are not the mechanical kind, no. False dungeon spirits are hiding in the walls, you see?" Chanting and waving his staff, lines of light begin to glow at various points along the wall, indicating snake-like shapes hiding within the stone blocks. "Dungeon ghosts, they are. Harder to manipulate than the real kind, you know, they are not truly made of the same substance as actual spirits. However, I believe I can temporarily put each to sleep as we pass, yes."
Willowbranch smiles. "Good that one thing''s gone our way, at least. Do so." With that order the two gnolls take the lead, Choc disabling each Terror Tentacle the group passes, while Tafyaf''s scouting abilities come in handy when the pitfall traps are discovered. Eventually the group reaches the moaning door at the center of the chamber, but before anyone can even ask the question, Choc issues a firm warning.
"Many false spirits inside. Many hiding at the door, and others wait disguised, yes. We should not go in, no." As no one in the group is particularly inclined towards taking risks at this point, none disagree, and the party moves on without further discussion. When they exit the maze and find the magical puzzle room waiting for them beyond though, they have little choice but to stop and stare for a while. The hopping slimes, flickering magical barriers, and fire and lightning traps put on a colorful show, but one which only seems to promise serious injury and death.
After holding in a sigh for most of the floor, Goldleaf finally releases it. "Please tell me someone has a shortcut for dealing with magical bullshit."
Willowbranch considers the room before swapping to his longbow. "There may be a trick, but I''m afraid we may have to brute force it. Fortunately, I can endow my arrows with an anti-magic charge, which should at least be able to destroy those traps. We''ll move forward as a group when the barriers come down, following my lead. Srooll, Frudd, Ress, cover us and take out any of those slimes that come too close, yes? I''ll keep ready and take out the magical defenses whenever I get a clear shot." The group does as ordered, and although the going is slow, they do move forward. Each time a magical barrier turns off, the Wild Sentinel fires off an arrow emitting white sparks from its tip, and although they don''t do much physical damage every lightning and flame trap they impact soon sputters to a halt. Once a neighboring tile is safe the group steps forward together, and while the party''s defenders have to fend off hopping slimes thrice, with plenty of time to prepare none of the monsters poses much of a threat.
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When they finally reach the other end and open the next set of doors, they find themselves in an oddly empty room. Looking around, Willowbranch winces. "This must be a safe room before the floor boss, but with all of the amenities removed before we arrived. Well, we may as well prepare ourselves for a fight as best as we''re able regardless. Does anyone require assistance before we move on?"
Goldleaf eyes the party. "I believe I''ve managed yours and Frudd''s injuries well enough. We really need to do something about all that slime on Frudd, though. Don''t suppose anyone has any better options than using up some of my bandage supply to wipe her down?"
Willowbranch shakes his head. "If no one''s currently injured we may as well. One more fight and we should be through, and should anyone take any wounds in the next encounter we should be able to manage well enough. Take heart, everyone! We''ve almost reached the exit, despite the dungeon''s best efforts otherwise!" There''s some halfhearted cheering, accompanied by Goldleaf''s grumbling as she helps Frudd wipe off her heavy armor as best as they''re able. After a few drinks from their waterskins and a moment to catch their breath, the party leader prepares them for the boss fight ahead.
"Alright, Frudd and I will go in first, Srooll and Ress, watch the flanks, Goldleaf, take the rear. Now, onward!" Willowbranch opens the arena door and heads inside along with Frudd, and finds himself immediately faced with a fight. Two massive sets of armor wait for them inside, but not for long, the pair moving to attack the instant the party shows themselves. The elf only allows himself a moment to analyze the duo, grimacing at the thought of having to take on a double-boss encounter. "Frudd, hold off the heavier armor, we''ll need to focus to get past its defenses! The rest of us, we''ll take out the swordswoman on the right first!" Raising his heavy blade, the elf charges forward and makes to engage his target in melee combat.
Unfortunately, the armored monster seems to have other ideas. Holding its own massive sword in one hand, the boss hops backward while pulling a javelin from the quiver on its back and throwing it in a single smooth movement. Willowbranch dodges but realizes the move was unnecessary, as he was not the target. Quickly looking behind him, he notices it barely missing their Spirit Mage as the gnoll ducks. "They''re targeting Mage Ress! Srooll, keep him covered!"
"Will do as I can!" Tafyaf shouts back with a little more confidence than he actually feels. His small knives would be useless against enemies like this, so he swaps to his shortbow, but he has his doubts about its effectiveness as well. He does feel a little relief as his first two shots do actually manage to penetrate the oversized armor, but that relief soon vanishes when he realizes it doesn''t seem to have injured the creature in the least. From there he mostly spends his time dragging the Mage with him left and right, constantly needing to dodge the javelins the monster is throwing in their direction every time they can manage a toss while fighting off Willowbranch. "They do not like you much, no!?"
"It seems I offended the dungeon! But perhaps I it is time I summoned us some assistance, yes?" The gnoll begins motioning with his staff for a spell, but is interrupted by a shout from their Vanguard.
"NO! I can''t - Mage, watch out!" Choc and Tafyaf both turn at the sound of Frudd''s shouting, only to be just in time to see the heavier armor''s massive axe swing down, cutting the Mage in half with a spray of blood. The Vanguard chases closely after him, her eyes wide and panicked, and although she manages to jam her own sword into the back of the armor''s neck in turn it''s far too late. Slamming into its back with all of her force the boss is knocked to the ground on top of Choc''s remains, and as she returns to her feet Frudd pulls at the hilt of her sword as if it were a lever. With a grunt of effort the armor''s head pops off, but the panic in the woman''s voice doesn''t subside. "Aghhh! I''m sorry! He - he pushed me aside and charged right for the Mage!"
"Combat review later, the battle remains in front of us for the moment, Vanguard! I require your assistance!" With their primary target apparently taken care of, the feminine armor seems to now feel free to focus her efforts on the elf in front of her, and sets aside her missiles to focus entirely on her swordplay. Willowbranch is quite talented in his own respect, easily dodging and parrying each swing the boss makes at him, but there''s only so much the man can do against several feet of height and reach advantage, not to mention the significant weight and momentum behind every attack.
As Frudd dives in however, the calculation quickly shifts. With her heavy shield blocking the monster''s attacks the elf is freed up to flank her, aiming for the weak points in her armor. Even Tafyaf''s arrows begin to add up, a few managing to land in joints in a way that manage to interfere with the boss''s movements. Eventually, after Frudd manages to pin down the armor''s right arm following a swing, Willowbranch is able to sever the limb entirely and the battle becomes a foregone conclusion. Despite the monster''s best attempts to dodge, a few more attacks send its helmet rolling across the floor, and as the armor crumples to the ground the party finally has time to take stock of what happened.
More out of formality than any actual hope, Willowbranch turns first to Goldleaf. "Combat Medic - the Mage, is he...?"
Goldleaf frowns. "Killed instantly - head split right in two, along with his torso. You''d need a Supreme healer for a wound like that."
Frudd begins to apologize for her failure once again, but Willowbranch quickly interrupts her. "The dungeon was clearly focusing on Mage Ress as their primary target. If anything, the fault is mine - while you may have been able to engage the boss solo for a few minutes, stealing its attention from a party member it was determined to kill is more than anyone could have managed alone. And this was no coincidence, either. Clearly the dungeon master didn''t want us interrogating any more spirits of the place." Thinking for a moment, the man grimaces again. "Damnation! This was perhaps the best lead we had yet for learning the dungeon''s secrets, but Spirit Mages are such a rare class...I''ve never met one before. I''ll be sure to request that the garrison is sent another, or two, but such specific reinforcements could take time to arrive."
Standing up from where he was helping Goldleaf with recovering Choc''s possessions, Tafyaf raises a point. "Perhaps we should make our exit before discussing our future plans for the dungeon, yes?"
"Yes, good point. The core chamber should be the next room, perhaps we can even bring the Mage''s fallen remains...with...us...what the?" Willowbranch''s words trail off as he opens the door on the other side of the boss arena, only to find a long tunnel waiting for them rather than the final chamber he was expecting. Although the tunnel''s exit is some distance ahead, his elven eyes can clearly see what appears to be a large space on the other side, and perhaps even...a cliff with a waterfall? "Good gods in their heavens..." The man''s eyes go wide as he realizes what this means.
"Worthy Dungeon has a fourth floor."
Chapter 82: Hazardous - Under Construction
Tafyaf steps forward, abandoning his attempts to gather up the Mage''s remains. "What? Couldn''t be, no! The Valleylanders only first cleared the third floor this week! Secretive they have been, but not reporting an entire floor? Would be too much, too much."
Yalonn Willowbranch leans against a wall of the tunnel as his head begins to swim, the stress of the day beginning to catch up with the lieutenant. "Whether or not the floor was only added after their visit doesn''t make a great deal of difference. Exactly how dungeons unlock certain things is not entirely known, and even if it was, I''m not an expert on rates of dungeon growth myself. But I am aware that Worthy Dungeon is considered fast-growing just to have three floors after...what, a little over a month and a half of estimated age? To already be at four?"
The man cups his hand over his mouth as he considers the possibilities. "Everyone knows the Dragonlord knows dungeons better than anyone else on the continent, given the number that serve them in some manner or another. Could they have figured out a way to simply give dungeons new floors? Some manner of feeding them a particular resource? With every step we take in here, the worse it all becomes. What experiments might be happening in those dungeons within Domain territory?"
The party''s medic, Goldleaf, approaches her fellow elf with a glare in her eyes. "That is not what we should be worrying about right now. What we should be worrying about is that we''re still an entire floor - at least an entire floor - away from escape and the dungeon still clearly wants to kill us all. Mage Ress may have been the dungeon spirit''s primary target, but I doubt it wants any of us to get out alive at this point. We can worry about what this all means when we''re safely back under an open sky, wouldn''t you say?"
Willowbranch nods as he straightens his posture. "...Yes, you''re entirely correct, Combat Medic. Now''s not the time for distractions. Frudd, take the lead with me, Scout Srooll, you and Goldleaf watch the rear."
Orders issued, the Wild Sentinel and the Vanguard begin to make their way down the long stone tunnel. Although they move cautiously, checking for traps as they go, they find nothing until they nearly reach the opposite end and Willowbranch spots a sign carved into the stone itself. "Warning, floor under construction...please pardon our dust? Rather polite given our treatment so far, perhaps it wasn''t written specifically for us. I suppose it does imply this was added after the Valleylander party came through, at least. Let''s see what a floor still under construction looks like, then..."
Whatever the party was expecting, the sight they see as they enter into the main floor chamber was very much not it. A massive dome makes up the ceiling above them, covered in glowing-blue growths that imitate a ghostly night sky. As for the ground around them, it almost seems to resemble a wild woodland...if most of the woods were missing and the ground was made up entirely of stone rather than soil. A cliff runs along the length of the cavern, dividing the space into lower and upper sections, with a pleasant-looking waterfall leading to a gentle stream not far from where they''re standing. But between their current location and that cliff is little more than a scattering of bushes, trees, and patches of grass. As he looks further though, the Sentinel realizes the placement of the various plant life isn''t just random - each patch of green seems to have a slightly different variety of plants within, although they all seem to be of common forest flora he recognizes.
"It looks almost as if...it were a painter, testing out dabs of paint on a blank canvas. This is surely intended to be some sort of underground forest, I would think, but it seems to me as if the master of the dungeon hasn''t yet decided exactly what sort of forest they want to make."
Frudd''s voice betrays more than a little nervousness as she answers. "A forest underground, is it even really possible? I mean, wouldn''t that mean someone had to have been taking in samples of all of these different plants, sir? I know you were bringing up the chance of the Domain feeding the dungeon somehow, but...all of this? How would we have not noticed?"
The elf answers as he begins moving forward, scanning the bare stone for any sign of traps as he goes. "Forest dungeons are a thing, of course. But those dungeons are ''born'' within forests to begin with, so they have easy access to the materials they require. If the dungeon could have somehow expanded..." The elf thinks for a moment, then shakes his head. "No, there''s no way Worthy Dungeon could have expanded to the forest nearby. Even four floors is unusual, to reach all the way down the mountainside and somehow open up into the forest itself would surely take a dozen more, with at least one of those being out in the open where it would be noticed. No, someone must have brought the forest to the dungeon. But you''re not wrong, Vanguard. Smuggling in so many plant samples would be a significant undertaking, so either many of the local Challengers are secretly feeding the place, or someone has been repeatedly sneaking in to do so. Any explanation I can think of seems to have disturbing implications."
"Ahem - too much thinking, didn''t we just talk about that? Perhaps you should be more worried about that." Pointing between the two of them, Goldleaf''s hand indicates a nearby shrub that seems to be gently rustling in the wind. Except, of course, that there is no wind. Willowbranch and Frudd both ready their blades which seems to tell the monster hiding inside that the game is up, triggering it to burst out and charge the party - or rather, them, as three albino-white rabbits dash across the stony floor as a group. One is quickly killed by an arrow from Tafyaf, with a second slain shortly after from Willowbranch''s own bow following a magical weapon quick-swap.
The final rabbit leaps into the air from a surprising distance, launching from a good fifteen feet away from the party at least, but is knocked back to the ground by a bash from Frudd''s shield. The Vanguard herself finishes the creature off an instant later, her sword removing the head from its small body. "Hah! That''s...that''s surprisingly tame, don''t you think? For a fourth floor monster? They''re just...you know, rabbits."
"Yes, well, imagine how much more dangerous they would be if the entire floor was covered in plant life, and we couldn''t spot them charging us from thirty feet away. Also, I would bet you money these are no simple rabbits." Picking up the severed head Frudd left behind, Willowbranch prods at its teeth before humming to himself. "A bet I''d win, it would seem. Look, two extremely sharp fangs, here...eyes are rather monstrously red even for an albino, as well. Perhaps crossbred with something venomous? I doubt it could puncture heavy armor, but be on the lookout regardless."
The party keeps several careful eyes out as they approach the cliffside, but no further ambushes attack them. Their destination isn''t too hard to decide on, thanks to the lack of foliage - not only are the climbable portions of the rock face easy to make out, but some of those have very plain traps built into them, with boulders poised to fall down or holes indicating possible spear or dart launchers. Even so, Willowbranch and Tafyaf both carefully check over their planned climbing location just to make sure that the lack of obvious risks isn''t simply a method of making the group overconfident. Satisfied, Willowbranch eventually begins making his way up first. "This floor must be early in construction indeed. A place this large could probably support a hundred of those small rabbits, and those traps almost look to me more like placeholders than finalized versions. If the dungeon weren''t so intent on killing us, I have to wonder if it would have even revealed the floor to us at all."
The thought gives Frudd''s voice a hopeful tone as she pulls herself up after him. "If the dungeon can''t even afford a handful of monster bunnies, maybe there''s not even a floor boss yet!"
The lieutenant holds his response until he finishes the twenty-foot climb, cautiously surveying the upper level of the floor. "Doesn''t seem to be much of anything at all, really. I''d say the space up here''s about twice as large as the lower section, but it doesn''t have much more in the way of plants to fill it with. No sign of monsters, or bosses."
It takes a good ten minutes for the full party to make the climb, despite the lack of traps to worry about, mostly thanks to Frudd''s heavy armor and Goldleaf''s modest upper body strength. Even so, no threats appear, and the group has time to rest for a breather while they consider their next move. Unfortunately, the next step is far less obvious. Even after scanning the room for quite a while, Willowbranch finds himself unable to locate an exit. "Hrmm. There''s no tunnels or doors on any of the walls other than where we came in at. No obvious magical interfaces...we may have to sweep the floor entirely to find the way out."
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Frudd however shakes her head, pointing at the island in the center of the domed chamber. "You see how that spot in the middle of the river''s also in the center of the floor? It''s gotta be important, everything else is built around it. Well...unless there was an exit hidden behind the waterfall. Fuck! We should''ve checked there before we climbed up here, there''s always shit behind the waterfalls!"
The elf chuckles as he begins to head in the direction she pointed. "Both good ideas - we''ll check the island first, now that we''re up here. The only obstacle in the way is that river, apparently. I do hope everyone knows how to swim?"
The party indicates positively, although as they approach the shores of the artificial stream Frudd''s voice regains some of its nervous energy. "Well...I can swim, yeah, but I''ve never tried swimming in full plate armor. That''s gotta be what, twenty-five, maybe thirty feet wide? Too dark to see the bottom, too. I don''t know...I could dump some of my gear first?"
Willowbranch considers the option briefly, but shakes his head. "Not if there is a hidden boss arena before the core chamber, or some other threat waiting for us on the other side. Scout Srooll, you have rope in your equipment, yes? And as a Scout, I know you''re an excellent swimmer. I''ll hold on to one end while you swim across with the other. Then Medic Goldleaf will cross, and we''ll all help support our Vanguard as she makes her way. Then I''ll go across last. Sound good?"
The group nods along, with Frudd and Goldleaf both looking more confident at the suggestion of having some assistance helping them make the crossing, and Tafyaf gets to pulling out his rope and handing one end to their leader before diving in. The gnoll isn''t the most elegant swimmer in the world, but he is efficient, and crosses the river without too much difficulty. While the current is stronger at the portion closest to the waterfall, at their chosen crossing point it''s quite sedate in comparison. Grayana Goldleaf goes next, and given her height advantage over the gnoll it''s most likely thanks only to his waterlogged equipment that she doesn''t outweigh the man. Still, with the rope to help her across the elf makes it through safely, if a bit grumpily, and it''s time to see how well the plan holds up against its most significant challenge.
As Frudd crosses into the deepest part of the waterway the soldier does her best to help support her own weight, but it''s clear that there''s little she can do compared to full plate armor that''s now filled with water. If it weren''t for the rope, she''d almost certainly sink to the bottom immediately, and even with the rope it''s a dicey thing. With no trees around to tie either end to as anchors, all three other members of the party have to strain to help keep her head above water. With that in mind the woman pulls herself along as quickly as possible, and everything seems to be going as well as possible - until the river eats her. As if the water itself had come alive, the previously-calm surface suddenly bulges upward around the armored woman, quickly dragging her away from the rope and under the water.
"Frudd! Dammit, there''s a beast in the water! Did anyone see it!?" Willowbranch runs up to the edge of the river, and although he''s unable to spy any sign of the monster that must have attacked, light still glints off of Frudd''s armor as she struggles to free herself. Making a split second decision - and knowing that he''d have to cross the river himself eventually anyhow - the Sentinel dives in after her.
As soon as he slips beneath the surface, Tafyaf and Goldleaf lose all sight of what might be happening. Apparently deeper than it looks, the dark water gives no hint of the struggle beneath, with barely even ripples remaining from where the pair went under. Tafyaf''s paw-like hands clench as he scans the water from a safe distance. "Gah! Foolishness, yes! Now we have two party members drowned!"
"Is there anything you can do to fight a water monster?"
Tafyaf shakes his head. "Arrows not effective under water, no, and besides, what is there to shoot? Without a target, more likely to hit victims, yes." Shortly after he says it however, movement catches his eye. "Wait, look! The Vanguard, almost at the shore!" Even as he says the words Frudd goes from ''almost at the shore'' to ''sputtering and gasping on it'', with the river practically spitting the half-drowned woman out. Tafyaf and Goldleaf both grab an arm to drag her to a safer distance before attempting medical attention, but the woman struggles to her feet before they can get far.
"The lieutenant! He''s - where''s Willowbranch!?" She turns, almost about to head back down to the river, but this time the pair do succeed in pulling her back. With a firm grip around her waist, Tafyaf does his best to calm her.
"Cannot help, no! Be happy that you survived - extremely lucky, that is!"
The woman shakes her head, her eyes beginning to water up for reasons beyond simply being soaked in a river. "No! It''s, it wasn''t luck! I was just bait! As soon as he reached me, the monster pushed me away and went for him! Gods, if he hadn''t...another ten, or five seconds, and I would have..." The Vanguard reaches for her sword, and her eyes go wide once again. "My sword! And my shield, the monster took them! It''s...gods, Willowbranch..." The three watch the river for a while, hoping against hope that the river might spit the elf out as well, but everything remains quiet and calm throughout the giant cavern, with no sign of what may have happened to the man. Eventually the party begins to stir to continue their search for an exit, but a voice from behind them shortcuts that particular concern.
"You won''t get a body, I''m afraid. There''s pockets in there deeper than you know." Quickly turning around, the trio spot a demon standing in the center of the otherwise bare, featureless stony circle. As demons go he''s not particularly intimidating, unarmed and wearing only a simple mage''s robe, although an impressive pair of wings jut from his back. Still, given their worn out state, none of the three are particularly eager to rush into a fight. Fortunately for them, it seems as if they won''t have to. "Congratulations, you''re the lucky three. I''m here to offer you a deal."
Making his way over to the group, the demon manages to look utterly unconcerned despite being outnumbered, and despite his lack of weaponry. "The dungeon master would very much prefer that you didn''t go back home to tell everyone about what you''ve found out about the dungeon. The most obvious solution then is that you don''t go back home at all. There is, however, another option. I have in my magical toolbox a spell that will allow me to revert a person''s memories for the previous six hours. Regrettably, as I am today I would not be able to cast it on five people in short succession, and even three would be too much - if those three are resistant. So here is your offer. You can engage me in combat, and if you win, the survivors get to go home with their memories intact. Or, you can allow me to cast the spell, and guarantee your lives at the expense of a few hours. And to be honest, given the trauma you may have experienced in those few hours, it would likely save you quite the headache and heartache as well."
Frudd immediately raises her fists to a fighting stance. "Deal with a dungeon''s demon!? Are you crazy, we''ll never - " The woman''s bold claim is quickly cut short as Tafyaf yanks the woman to her knees.
"Crazy, are you? We''ll fight a floor boss with what, my knives, your knuckles, and Grayana''s soggy bandages!? No, no, no! Do not be stupid, Vanguard! If it wanted, we would likely be already dead, yes!"
Behind him, Goldleaf nods along. "I think I''d have to vote for discretion over valor as well on this one. But don''t let me stop you if you want to avenge your honor or some such foolishness."
Utterly defeated, the Vanguard simply collapses to the ground. "...Fine. I surrender. Do what you will, demon."
The demon''s smile grows into a full, toothy grin as he comes closer. "Don''t worry, this won''t hurt a bit. Not that you''ll remember, anyhow..."
Blinking, Frudd finds her eyes struggling to adapt to a bright, sunny sky. Turning around, the woman finds herself standing not far from the entrance to Worthy Dungeon, with Scout Tafyaf and Medic Grayana looking just as confused nearby. She quickly reaches for her weapon only to find it missing, and that she''s for some reason entirely soaked. "What? Where - what? Weren''t we just...hiking through the forest? How did we get up the mountain? And where''s the lieutenant and the Mage?"
Before the others can answer, Doorman does it for them. "I''ve been instructed to pass on a few messages, actually. You should know that your mental state is the result of a new trap the dungeon is trying out, and your ability to remember the past few hours may be...lacking. But good news! You cleared Floor Three, and we even sent along your loot with you!" The door''s face nods in the direction of a bag sitting on the ground between the trio, before growing more serious. "In, ah, less good news, I regret to tell you that your leader and your Mage did not survive the encounter. My condolences."
Tafyaf rubs his head, too confused to even leap for the bag of dungeon loot. "Dead? But...our mission, yes? We were supposed to...but with our memories gone...we wasted our time, no? And...the lives of Willowbranch and Ress?"
The three stand there in silence, wondering if they ought to go back inside, yet all of them feeling just how completely exhausted they all are. Eventually, Frudd speaks up once again. "We...we should report back. Let the Commander decide if he wants to send in another team. At least we can report about the new trap type..."
Frowning, Goldleaf grumbles. "I really need to stop letting myself be volunteered for dungeon assignments."
Chapter 83: Postmortem
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INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS SLAIN: 2
MORTALS ESCAPED: 3
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
STAFFS: D+
SWORDS: C-
RANGED WEAPONS: D+
POTIONS: C
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 2
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 7 TO 147 (38 CONSUMED BY CONSTRUCTS)
MANA ACQUIRED: 10, CURRENT AMOUNT: 29/109
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
SKILLS: SPIRIT MAGE (ADVANCED), WOODLANDS SCOUT (ADVANCED), WILD SENTINEL (EXPERT)
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: DEEP WATERS 1
YOU HAVE SLAIN A MORTAL VIA DROWNING. WATER CONSTRUCTS REQUIRE 10% LESS MANA UPKEEP.
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An hour after the surviving Rainlanders had been enspelled by Sincere and shown the door, Xenia was sitting at the core chamber''s main table and staring at her intrusion report while her council gathered. Whatever she was looking for, she didn''t appear to be finding it given her frazzled appearance. After they''ve taken their seats Lollyp and Sincere both share a look of concern, but before they can voice their thoughts Xenia speaks up first.
"Alright, so, thoughts: where and how badly did I fuck up?" The dungeon master dismisses her dungeon interface screens as she turns her attention to the floor bosses and Guy, who was hovering not far away. Lollyp begins to answer, then thinks twice and tries again.
"You - wait, hold on, now. What makes you so sure you fucked up? I got the impression we basically got what we wanted, right? The Rainlanders don''t remember a thing, including that we kinda went out of our way to party-wipe them for a while there."
Xenia shakes her head in disagreement. "We mighta recovered, but the truth is, I definitely kinda panicked there when I pulled the plug on the elevator, and in my experience, when I make panic decisions that usually means I fucked something up. Plus, that wasn''t how I like to do things. I try to give folks a fair shake, especially when they aren''t immediately trying to smash my core or something, but I ain''t pushed that hard for a party wipe since before I finished Floor One. So, you know, intrusion postmortem: y''all try and tell me how I fucked up, and how we can make sure we don''t get in that situation again."
Pressing his palms together, Sincere spends a moment in thought before answering. "I do agree with Lollyp, in that we at least need to determine if a mistake was made first. For starters, what was actually at risk? They appeared to have solid confirmation of Lollyp''s origins, although my impression is everyone out there is already aware that Lollyp is unusual for a dungeon boss. If left to their own devices, they could have questioned Lollyp''s ''echo'' for further information, but pre-death Lollyp knew nothing of the dungeon. At most she could have spilled secrets of the Domain military, which isn''t much our concern."
Lollyp taps a finger on the table, squishing it out of shape slightly in the process. "We''ve talked before about the risks of people finding out about the reincarnating trick, and like, it would probably not be great if that became public knowledge, but probably not ''get a government kill order put out on Xenia''s core''-level bad. Buuuuut, if the way people found out was by finding out that me, a Domain soldier was a floor boss...yeah, people might jump to the conclusion that it''s all a Dragonlord project of some kind. That could be bad. If word had to get out about the curse, we probably need to make sure people find out at the same time that it''s a you-thing and not a Dragonlord-thing."
Guy chimes in with their thoughts. "Of course, after we provoked their suspicion, things perhaps spiraled a bit from there. The indication that perhaps Beatrice let something slip about your luck curse, and the fact that we have a fourth floor, for example. I thought that we were expanding quite well, admittedly I didn''t put much thought into how others might account for our rapid growth. But that is perhaps all magnified by your - our reactions. Locking out the elevator, removing the healing fountains and emergency exits, swapping in more luck charm rewards...it likely played into and confirmed all of their suspicions for them. Once we made obvious modifications to the dungeon, our course was set."
Xenia nods while staring at the table. "Yeah, that''s about what I was thinking. If I''d just played it a little cooler maybe, it wouldn''t have been so bad? How about the trick with Sincere''s memory reversion? That''s probably better than wiping the party, hopefully? Or would fighting to the death have been safer?"
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Sincere waggles a hand, equivocating. "We should note for starters that there''s no guarantee we could have wiped them out. Very likely, yes, especially if the water elementals provided more combat support. However, I know we''re trying not to force the elementals into fighting for us, and additionally, I''ve not yet fully tested the combat abilities of this current body. If any of the survivors had been stronger than they appeared, they could have perhaps gotten out and with their memories intact, which would have been the worst case scenario. Now, I''m sure some questions will be raised, but probably no more or less than if an entire party made up of Advanced-and-higher soldiers had disappeared."
Xenia considers the point before nodding. "Fair enough, yeah. So, moving on: making sure we don''t need to scramble like that again. Fortunately, they already told us one way to patch things over. That gnoll mage said that those ghost echoes or whatever can only be called up once a month or so. Therefore..." Pulling from her newly acquired knowledge of the Spirit Mage''s class, and draining a bit of her mana, Xenia gestures at the far end of the table and summons a ghostly duplicate of Sincere. "We make sure to bring out ghost-Lollyp and ghost-Sincere ourselves once a month or so, and they''re not gonna be able to pull that trick again even if they find another Spirit Mage. Speaking of, welcome to the party, ghost-Sincere, grab yourself a seat."
Looking around in confusion, the transparently blue copy of Sincere takes in the sight of a party which appears to include himself. "Ghost Sincere? What is...oh. I am but an echo, am I?" He tries to pull out a seat, which takes him a bit of effort, but eventually manages to do so and sit down.
Sincere gives himself a grin. "Quite astute. You must be quite the intelligent fellow."
"Oh, why thank you. It''s always flattering to receive a compliment from a handsome man such as yourself."
Xenia cuts in before the pair can continue. "Yeah, yeah, enough of the self-fellatio, if we wanted to...shit, could that work? Damn, I just wasted that spell, didn''t I?" As the two Sinceres give her a smirk, Xenia shakes her head and carries on. "Uh, anyways, next order of business. Lollyp''s probably right, people finding out about the reincarnation thing on its own is bad, but not as bad as them thinking this whole place is some Dragonlord experiment. Which is made even worse by the fact that we did make a deal with the Domain and it''s obvious to see why people would think that. Which means we maybe need to consider some sort of public relations campaign, and god, I hate already that Beatrice is gone now. It hasn''t even been a day! I didn''t want to hold her back just to make things easier on me, but we ain''t got anybody that can really talk to folks for us now. Alizz was chill, but she ain''t been by in friggin'' ages."
Lollyp counts out on her fingers for a bit before turning towards Guy. "Hey, Guy, how old is the dungeon right now? We''re over forty-five days now, right?"
"Nearing the end of day forty-eight, actually. Why do you ask?"
"Well, we might have an opportunity coming up then. I know day fifty is usually considered a big milestone for a new dungeon - probably because of achievements, I guess, though I dunno if that''s public info. But the Challengers Association and the Domain both like to check in around that point to get an idea of how a dungeon is developing, what directions it''s taking, and so on. Combine that with all the growing we''ve been doing and I think we can count on Alizz coming by for another visit real soon. Maybe not right on day fifty, but within the next week I''d bet."
The dungeon master claps her hands. "Ah, perfect! That gives us a few days to come up with a public relations plan, and to get Floor Four straightened out. Hell, was thinking maybe I oughtta move back the core chamber and close the floor off for a while, if it''s gonna be an issue, maybe we can see what Alizz thinks about it. I did get a cool unlock I think should work for a boss though, gonna summon one up tomorrow after the mana recharges."
Lollyp perks up. "Oooh, another undead rabbit? What kind this time?"
Xenia gives her best evil grin. "You''ll see. Wouldn''t want to ruin the surprise..."
That evening, Commander Paulados is giving disbelieving looks to the survivors of his dungeon expedition. "What do you mean, you don''t remember what happened?"
As the highest-level survivor of the party. Vanguard Rill Frudd had taken on the burden of speaking for the group, although she would have clearly wished to have been anywhere else right now. "Our last memories were of approaching the mountain, by our best guess, somewhere between six and eight hours before we woke up. The next thing we knew, we were outside the dungeon door, the sun had moved to an afternoon position, and, as I said...Lieutenant Willowbranch and Spirit Mage Ress were missing. Dead, Or so the dungeon guardian reported to us."
"Because of a dungeon trap? I''ve heard of dungeons with mind magic, but my impression was that was a difficult thing for them to acquire. I suppose we can''t rule out that one of the deceased Valleylanders or Challengers had such an expertise...still, disturbing. Do you have any indications of what occurred, aside from what the guardian told you?"
Combat Medic Goldleaf speaks up from the chair to Frudd''s left. "While the three of us seemed to be in good health, we were quite tired and, more oddly...very damp. As if we''d all just gone swimming with our clothes on."
Brow furrowing, Paulados leans over his desk and peers at a set of dungeon floor maps that had been drawn up for him. "Gone swimming, you say? There is that...waterpool room up on the first floor, yes? But isn''t that only a few inches deep? I don''t believe we have reports of any other uses of water, unless you went for a swim in one of the healing fountains."
Tafyaf, sitting to Frudd''s right, nods in agreement. "Must have been something on the third floor, yes, otherwise we would have dried out by time of our escape. Also, can speak to our lost equipment, yes. Aside from the usual expendables; arrows and bandages and such, there''s the matter of Vanguard Frudd''s lost sword and shield. Also, lost my climbing rope, yes."
Paulados leans back with a sigh. "I feel like we know even less about the dungeon now than before I sent you in there. The scarce details we''ve heard about the third floor from the Valleylanders don''t sound anything like this, and I doubt they''d risk pissing off both us and the Challengers by spreading entirely fabricated rumors."
"Would you like us to, ah..." Frudd finds herself swallowing hard before continuing. "...Re-arm and try a second expedition, sir?"
Much to her relief, the Commander quickly shakes his head. "Oh gods, no. With the loss of Lieutenant Willowbranch, and that Valleylander officer the other day, the dungeon''s now slain two experienced, Expert-class soldiers within a week. I''ve heard of young dungeons with higher death counts, but only of foolish Initiates, or those without any training whatsoever. To be able to reliably kill experienced men? No, I''m not sending in any more teams until we can spare more Expert-class troops for the job at the least, and at the moment we still only have two or three others in the entire force. The Valleylanders are free to send in as many parties as they like, but my curiosity isn''t so strong as to send you all out on suicide missions."
All three of the soldiers sitting across from the desk breathe easier, with varying degrees of success at hiding it. Frudd continues. "Thank you, sir. If there is anything more we can do..."
"I may see about trying to get an expert on mental and memory conditions to come down here to take a look at you three, but to be honest I wouldn''t count on it. Otherwise, you''ve done enough for now. The paperwork may be ah, complicated to fill out, given that we''re mostly operating on the reported word of a dungeon guardian alone, but I''ll choose to believe that you did at least manage to clear the dungeon''s three floors despite your condition. So, no need to worry, I''ll make sure you all receive proper credit towards your next rank promotions. For now, get yourselves some rest, you clearly need it. Dismissed."
As the trio make their exit from his office, Paulados finds himself once again peering down at the dungeon maps spread across his desk, with piles of records on other dungeons sitting on either end. "...Just what in blazes are you up to in there, Worthy Dungeon?"
Chapter 84: The Little Death
The entire next morning had been spent planting trees and other flora, for a magical definition of the word ''planting''. As Xenia''s forest biome schema was a ''resource'' pattern rather than a ''construct'' pattern, she was free to use it to create decorative objects almost without mana cost. The only reason she hadn''t entirely filled the fourth floor already was that she had been indecisive about how she wanted to design her forest - did she want to have a meadow section, did she want to have a creepy dark forest section, and so on - but that indecision had clearly caused issues during the last intrusion. Without the cover of foliage her traps and ambushes were practically neutered, and so it was clear that it would be better to have some sort of forest in place first, and then to sort out the fine details later.
Around lunchtime though, Lollyp and Sincere both came by to observe a more significant event - the creation of a new dungeon boss. The group had gathered in the re-designed central island, which now consisted of a circular grassy plain surrounded by trees and boulders which blocked off any view of the island''s contents from the surrounding forest. Not to mention it would make escape more difficult, an important consideration for a boss arena. When Xenia emerged from the stairwell hidden at the center of the island, she found Sincere examining a spitwing nesting in one of the trees, while Lollyp was sitting down on the grass and playing with a pair of vampire bunnies. "Heh, you two enjoying the new floor, huh?"
Lollyp looks up with a smile. "Never spent much time in forests - my home region''s practically a desert and we don''t have many in the entire Domain, really. The heat never bothered me much, but I gotta admit...this is kinda nice."
Xenia looks around with a smile of her own. "It is, ain''t it? I was thinking of setting up some F-tier avians just for the birdsong, you know? Gonna have to be later though, we don''t even have all the proper monsters set up yet."
Sincere turns around and joins the discussion. "Speaking of, you finally decided on your monster of choice for your floor boss? A crossbreed, I assume?"
Xenia nods. "Yeah, but gotta do something first. We''re up to twelve souls in the inventory, which is burning a hole in my pocket, so for starters..." With a wave of her hand, Xenia summons her inventory screen from Guy and goes into the shop menu. "Let''s see...I think this batch is the dumbass nudists, and this one...probably an orc. So long, suckers, have fun in the Well!" With a few taps, the screen is replaced with a new message.
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SOUL STORE PURCHASE CONFIRMATION
LAGOMORPHS CONSTRUCT CATEGORY UPGRADED TO: C
FIVE SOULS REMOVED FROM INVENTORY
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The dungeon master claps cheerfully. "Woo! Really looking forward to getting those boys up to B-tier, but even so, that''s a step up for BB, Flopsy, and all our bunny crossbreeds, so should definitely help out."
Lollyp looks up in a bit of surprise. "Wait, Sir Flopsy? Are you actually upgrading him? I thought he was, you know...just a bunny."
Xenia grins. "I am now! Not a monster bunny or anything just, like...a really strong, C-tier bunny. Since he''s not my core guardian anymore I''ve moved him to Floor Four, which has plenty of mana to spare for a little somethin'' extra. Although...maybe Sir Flopsy the Mini-Boss at some point? Something to consider."
Sincere chuckles at the thought of a highly-upgraded rabbit with no actual combat abilities. "Interesting idea, but not who you''re using for your actual boss, then?"
At this point, Xenia''s smile turns into a full-on maniacal expression. "This is gonna be great! For starters, we got a matchup between shades and buns, or as I call them - The Shun! Well, shades and the ''Primitive Lagobeasts'' that BB is, but it''s harder to work that into a punny name. Anyhow, shades are like ghosts with the whole intangibility thing, but with a focus on darkness magic rather than mind attacks."
Guy chuckles along. "For starters, eh? I take it you''re not satisfied stopping there, then."
"Nah, cause it looks like at higher tiers some monster types can turn into specialized sub-types when used as bosses, and shades are one of those. So without further ado, let me present..." Xenia''s pause is rather long, as she first has to summon forth one of her ''Shun'' into the arena. The creature has something of the form and shape of BB, in terms of height and stance, but its substance seems to be made of immaterial shadow and smoke. Sometimes it appears to have skin, at other times there''s exposed bone to be seen, but always its eyes emit cold blue lights which shine through its own mist.
Once the boss upgrade takes place however, its form changes significantly. It gains several feet of height, but its body becomes concealed by a black cloak, eventually growing into a hood that covers its head...save for holes which allow its long rabbit ears to emerge. Beneath that hood only the lights of its eyes can be seen, but a paw-like hand slipping through one of the sleeves does reach out to take hold of a large scythe. Finally, Xenia concludes her introduction. "The Grim Reaper Lagobeast, or as I like to call him - THE DEATH OF RABBITS." As Xenia speaks the monster''s name, her voice takes on an otherworldly tone that seem to shake Lollyp and even surprises Sincere.
Lollyp gasps out loud. "What the hell was that!? It''s like I heard the name inside my head!"
Sincere answers her question for Xenia. "That...was Higher Demonic, wasn''t it? I have to admit, it''s strange hearing that from a human''s mouth, even if I''m aware you''re not exactly human."
The dungeon master chuckles. "It''s pretty cool, isn''t it? Anything sounds badass in Demonic! Check this out! LOLLYP LOVES BEING SPANKED, IT''S HILARIOUS AND CUTE."
Again, Lollyp finds herself gasping. "I - all slimes dig it, okay! The vibrations are - it - you know what!? You shared your language library with me, so it works both ways! XENIA IS A BRATTY BOTTOM! SHE''LL SAY ANYTHING TO MAKE YOU TRY AND SHUT HER UP!"
The accused bottom simply shrugs. "I ain''t ashamed of nothin''. Though yeah, that does sound even weirder when someone else is doing it."
Sincere raises both his hands, and his voice. "Please stop doing that!"
Lollyp looks over with some concern. "Uh, it isn''t going to summon something, is it?"
"No, I just don''t care to learn about your sexual preferences in this manner."
Now slightly embarrassed, the dungeon master moves on. "So uh, right, the boss soul! I think this one''s the elf we got the other day - he was good at both melee and ranged, and his classes were all about forests, so it seems like a perfect fit. So, elfboy - in you go!" With a few more taps on her screens, the selected soul leaves her outreached palm and flies into THE DEATH OF RABBITS. The change in behavior is immediate, as the previously wandering monster begins to analyze its own hands and the people around it. With a smile on her face, Xenia approaches her new boss.
"Heya, welcome to Worthy Dungeon, DEATH OF RABBITS! You''ve been promoted to the boss of Floor Four! Your job is to guard this island, and keep people from finding the secret stairs! Any questions?"
The boss looks at her and tilts his head before answering. "SO, SHOULD I KILL EVERYONE, OR JUST RABBITS?"
"No, don''t kill the rabbits actually, that''s just a theme! Unless...there''s rabbit beastkin? But yeah, intruders, feel free to kill them, though it doesn''t have to be all of them if you don''t feel like it. Unless they''re being dicks."
The boss stands up straight, assuming he stands at all, given that his feet and the lower portion of his robe are constantly hidden by mist. "I SHALL GUARD THIS FOREST WITH MY UNLIFE. ALSO...CAN I PLAY WITH THE RABBITS WHEN THERE''S NO INTRUDERS?"
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Xenia gives a thumbs up. "Hell, I encourage it! Ooh, new theme idea!" Spinning around, the creative spirit calls on her ''decorative stone'' resource schema to force polished slabs of granite to jut out of the ground, filling much of the space. Passing by each one she then shapes them individually, creating simple grave markers out of some, while sculpting rather elaborate rabbit statues with others. On each of them she carves a name and a short message, such as ''BOOPSY EARS - NEVER HEARD IT COMING''. Looking over her work, Xenia giggles. "Hehe, I always loved the gag headstones at the theme parks! We can maybe even use them for arena traps, too!"
The new boss looks around at his redecorated arena. "A LITTLE DEPRESSING, ISN''T IT?"
"That''s the idea, DOR! ...DOR-man? No, no, I did that one already. Rabbit-man? Nah, might use that one for BB when he can talk. Guess I''ll just call you DEATH for short, for now."
The boss looks on with an excellent poker face, helped by the fact that his face is invisible. "I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GOOD CHOICE, YES. BUT, AS I SAID..."
Xenia snaps her fingers as she refocuses. "Right, right. The theme! I am officially calling this floor...The Forest of the Rabbit Cult! We''ll start off with a nice and peaceful meadow, with just, you know, killer bunnies and spitwings, then as you go further in, it''ll get all dark and spooky with the Shun! Think I''ll put in a key-based puzzle, if folks beat the Shun Cultists they can spawn a bridge to the central island arena. Or, they can just try and swim it...and you know, probably drown depending on how frisky the Slooshies are feeling that day."
Lollyp''s eyes grow wide at the thought, in a literal and almost disturbing way. "Oooooh, that sounds really cool! You never did finish that slime theme with Floor Three, you know, what with the random orc skeletons in the middle of it. And the possessed armor bosses."
"It''s a shared slime and undead theme now, alright!? You just want me to add more slimes to the dungeon." Xenia crosses her arms, looking offended at the slight to her artistic vision.
Lollyp thinks for a moment, then nods. "Yeah, that''d be pretty cool too."
"Well, we''ll probably be adding more of em eventually, so keep your chill." Changing topics, the dungeon master turns back to DEATH. "Do have some bad news for you though, buddy. I''m probably going to be sealing off the floor for a bit, just to keep from freaking out the locals too much. Though with any luck we''ll have an expert by in a few days we can talk about it with. Lemme know if things get too boring down here, yeah?"
The boss nods. "I SHALL PROTECT AND PET THE RABBITS UNTIL THEN."
Xenia claps her hands. "Alright then! Time to start a cult!"
After a long day of designing haunted forests and summoning monsters until her mana ran dry, Xenia had retreated to the second floor to soak in Lollyp''s hot springs. Both women were present and relaxing when midnight came around, causing Guy to come floating into the chamber.
"Ma''am! We have - ah, shall I give you ladies some privacy?"
Xenia rolls her eyes and stands up as she turns to face the guide, flashing them quite directly. "Think I said already, I''m pretty sure that over hundreds of years in here you''re gonna be seeing a lot of me, so nah, I ain''t gonna get embarrassed about shit. I mean...are you even a guy, Guy? Either way you''re free to join in if you like, unless this is ''cause it bothers you. If so, y''know, just let me know."
The screen shakes in a no. "I actually do not possess a gender, ma''am, no. I can''t say it bothers me as such, if it does not bother you, so...I suppose I''ll take you up on that invitation, shall I?" Floating over to the hot tub and sinking down, Guy halts when they''re halfway submerged. "...I have to be honest, I do not believe this does much for me."
Xenia sits back down herself before answering. "Well, you''re welcome to join for the company, anyhow. So what was the emergency, anyhow?"
"Ah, yes! We''ve now entered Day Fifty! Behold!" As they finish, a new series of achievement windows spawn.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: SURVIVOR 2
YOU HAVE SURVIVED FIFTY DAYS. ADDITIONAL ''CHALLENGE MODE'' USAGES NOW UNLOCKED PER FOUR FLOORS CONSTRUCTED.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: LOFTY SIGHTS
YOU HAVE SLAIN AT LEAST ONE HIGH-POWERED MORTAL IN YOUR FIRST FIFTY DAYS. YOU HAVE EARNED ONE DIVINE FAVOR FROM THE PATRON DEITY OF YOUR CHOICE.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: SURPRISING CHALLENGE
YOU HAVE SLAIN AT LEAST THREE MEDIUM-POWERED OR STRONGER MORTALS IN YOUR FIRST FIFTY DAYS. YOU HAVE EARNED THREE FREE RANDOM UPGRADES FROM THE SOUL STORE.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: GOOD FIRST IMPRESSIONS 2
AT LEAST FIFTY MORTALS HAVE ESCAPED YOUR BOUNDS WITHIN YOUR FIRST FIFTY DAYS. ON DAILY RESETS, BONUS MANA WILL BE PROVIDED IF NO MORTALS WERE SLAIN THAT DAY.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: HIGH STANDARDS
YOU HAVE ACHIEVED AT LEAST B- RANK IN AT LEAST ONE CONSTRUCT PATTERN WITHIN YOUR FIRST FIFTY DAYS. YOU MAY CHOOSE ONE CONSTRUCT PATTERN TO ADVANCE 50% FASTER, AND TO BE 50% CHEAPER IN THE SOUL STORE.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: EXPANSIONIST
YOU HAVE EXPANDED TO AT LEAST FOUR FLOORS WITHIN YOUR FIRST FIFTY DAYS. YOU MAY CHOOSE ONE TIME TO SPEND A FLOOR UNLOCK TO INSTEAD TRIPLE THE CAPACITY OF AN EXISTING FLOOR.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: BOSSY
YOU HAVE ENSOULED AT LEAST FIVE BOSSES, AND SLAIN AT LEAST TEN MORTALS WITH BOSSES WITHIN YOUR FIRST FIFTY DAYS. BOSS REWARD CHESTS WILL CONTAIN AN ADDITIONAL BOSS-THEMED LOOT ITEM AT NO EXTRA EXPENSE.
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Xenia''s eyes dart from screen to screen, not sure what to focus on first. "Sweet, we''ve got four floors so we got another challenge mode! Lots of freebies, and...uh? A divine favor? Guy, what the hell''s this? Or um, what in heaven is this?"
Guy takes a moment to respond. "I see now that I have a listing of deities active in this realm whom you could contact, but I know little more than that. I imagine sending one a message for frivolous reasons would be an unwise idea, however."
Xenia turns to Lollyp instead, but the slime shrugs. "Don''t look at me! I guess I''ve heard stories of gods directly interacting with dungeons before, but like...really rarely. Putting some sort of blessing on the dungeon, or giving them a unique servant as a boss, that sort of thing. I was never really the religious type though, so don''t ask me for recommendations or how the gods decided to do that."
The dungeon master sucks in a breath, mind spinning at the possibilities - and the risks. "Right. Sitting on that one til Alizz comes by to chat, then. Guess I can see now why the Association considers day fifty to be a big deal..."
Chapter 85: Business Lunch
The rest of Day Fifty passed relatively uneventfully, with Lollyp suggesting that the Challengers were likely waiting until after the big inspection to take another crack at the dungeon. Xenia had no particular complaints with that, as even though she was still sitting on her latest upgrades for the moment she still had a lot of fine-detail work to do on Floor Four, not to mention continuing efforts to increase her forest biome to ''High'' quality. The dungeon wasn''t left waiting too long however, as early in the morning of the next day a familiar party was standing before Doorman''s gaze. Once again Alizz and Kelsey stood in the lead, with Taly and Sely taking the rear, wearing the same gear as they had on their previous visit. One thing had perhaps changed though which was the group''s attitude, which came off as far more relaxed and cheerful than on their first visit. Even so, Alizz maintains a solid professionalism as she greets the guardian.
"Good morning, Guardian of Worthy Dungeon. We have come to test your challenges." As she speaks the drider keeps her hands folded in front of her and her wands in their holsters, but they remain visible enough to serve as a reminder to the door that his cooperation is strictly a formality.
"And good morning to you, Field Agent Alizz and associates. I''m glad to see you, actually - the Master of the Dungeon has been wishing to speak to you, on matters of some importance as I understand them. All of you present have cleared Floor Two before, so you''re welcome to take the shortcut portal there, at which point Lollyp will be happy to escort you to our new conference area."
Alizz raises an eyebrow and shoots Kelsey a glance before answering - while they were expecting an unusual visit, they hadn''t been expecting an invitation to a conference. "I thank you for the invitation...however, our duties require us to perform an inspection of the entire dungeon. We wouldn''t want to get a reputation for taking shortcuts in our work."
Doorman purses his lips in thought. "Hmm, well, not to take my word for it or anything, but I don''t believe the first two floors have changed much since your first visit. Moreover, I believe the Master of the Dungeon would prefer to talk to you while you''re fresh and...well, uninjured. You''re welcome to perform your inspection afterwards, if you like."
A slight grin finds Alizz''s lips. "I suppose that makes some sense...this is the first time a dungeon''s actually made such a request of me, so perhaps we should be willing to adjust procedure just a little bit. We''ll take the shortcut, then, though perhaps we''ll be back here later."
"I''m looking forward to seeing if you can best a proper riddle, Field Agent! Until then, enjoy your visit."
It takes a minute for the full group to portal down to the safe room behind Lollyp''s boss arena, which Taly and Sely find to be in the same condition it was on their previous visit. Once again, they also find the Boss of Floor Two waiting to greet them. "Heya, good to see you all again! Especially you, Alizz, it''s been a shame you haven''t had time to stop by more often!" The slime does her best to hug the drider around the waist, and receives a pat on the back in return.
"It''s good to see you too, Lollyp. You wouldn''t believe how busy it''s been, we''re practically building a small town down there. And you haven''t been making my life any easier! At least the soldiers aren''t my responsibility, but you certainly haven''t been going easy on the Challengers either, have you?"
Lollyp gives a guilty grin and shrugs. "Job''s a job, you know? Guess I do actually feel a little worse about giving you paperwork more than anything else, though."
Scoffing, Sely steps forward to give a greeting of her own. "Definitely keeping the place''s reputation up as a deathtrap, alright. How''s the hornboy, by the way? All ''recovered''?"
Lollyp''s grin turns a little more devious in response. "He has, actually, we''ll be meeting the others downstairs. Assuming you''re fine with that, Alizz? We''ve, uh, we''ve got a lot to talk about."
"So I heard. Taking a shortcut to the core chamber, then?"
"Nope! A little surprise for you if you wanna hop in - heh, a nonlethal one, of course, guess a dungeon boss ought to specify that. I think you''ll like it!" She indicates another portal ring on the floor on the opposite side of the chamber, and Alizz gives a nod to her party.
"If Worthy Dungeon''s got something they consider an intentional surprise, I''m sure it''ll be something, alright. Suppose we''ll head on down then."
Many possibilities had gone through Alizz''s mind based on the description of a ''conference area'', but the sight waiting for the party when they finish portaling through is far beyond anything she had imagined. The group finds themselves in a cleared-out meadow in the center of a forest, with a domed, glowing ceiling stretching out far overhead and a waterfall splashing not far away. As the drider takes a minute to listen to it she discovers that there''s also the sound of birds coming from the trees around them, and even the occasional chirp of a cricket. The center of the meadow itself is taken up by a large, circular table made of polished stone, surrounded by seats which include a large sofa clearly designed for Alizz, and a backless seat which would suit Kelsey and his tail. Standing next to the table is a demonic man in a simple robe, whom they all recognize.
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Kelsey greets the man first. "Well, if it ain''t our missing-in-action demon! Sincere, was it? You''re in some hot water for fraudulently filling out Challenger paperwork, you know!"
The man smiles in return. "My apologies, in my previous line of work I found it suitable to not draw too much attention to myself. I do want to thank you two lovely ladies though, Taly, Sely, for your assistance in my rescue. I owe you a debt of gratitude."
The sisters both give slightly surprised looks, with Taly answering for the pair. "Dang, you really do look as good as ever. Guess maybe we owe Lollyp a bit of an apology for saying the dungeon just ate you."
As Lollyp comes through behind them, she waves it off. "Nah, woulda said the same in your position. Actually, that''s part of what we wanna do today. There''s a lot of, you know, secrets and misconceptions and stuff going around, and we thought it was time to clear some of that up."
Alizz nods. "I''d be happy to hear what you have to say. Will one of you be speaking for the dungeon?"
Sincere shakes his head. "Actually, the dungeon will be speaking for herself. While she only has one use remaining of the spell, we thought this was important enough to be done face-to-face. So, without further ado...allow me to introduce to you Xenia Worthy, Master of Worthy Dungeon." He holds out an arm to his left side, and a moment later a woman''s form appears. Human, garbed in simple black-dyed clothing consisting of rather tight pants and a short-sleeved shirt, and at first Alizz believes the dungeon spirit to be incredibly pale-skinned. After a few moments more however she realizes it''s far more than that - the woman''s skin is pure white, save for her eyes and other markings which stand out in black, while her hair comes in a swirl of both colors.
A friendly grin covers the dungeon spirit''s face as she approaches the drider and reaches out a hand for a handshake. "Master of Worthy Dungeon - and Reincarnator Extraordinaire. Been too long since I used my proper title, figured I may as well dust it off. Good to finally meet you face-to-face, Field Agent."
Alizz''s eyes grow wide as she accepts the handshake. While the agent had seen dungeon avatars before, she''d never been so close to one, let alone actually come into physical contact. The touch is warm, however - despite her odd coloring, the spirit feels as if she were living flesh. "Likewise! I was very much not expecting this - or, this!" She pauses to wave her hand to indicate the forest around them. "How did you get access to all of this? If, ah, you don''t mind me asking."
Xenia''s face remains smiling, unoffended. "The avatar spell was a gift - a good one, but I didn''t wanna just sit around and hoard it forever when it could come in handy. And to be honest, the thought of doing all this through writing or interpreters was really not fun. Only lasts an hour though, so grab some seats and we''ll get started, eh?"
Each of those present takes a moment to find their seats, with four on one side for the Challengers and Alizz in their center, while Xenia takes up the other end with Lollyp on her right and Sincere on her left. The moment they sit down refreshments appear before them, spawned from the table itself, with glasses of wine, sandwiches and snack food of various kinds. While Alizz is busy inspecting the offerings, Xenia is the first to raise her glass and take a drink. "Ah! You''ll have to excuse me, it''s not often I get to actually drink stuff properly, so I''m going to take advantage while I can."
Alizz bows her head. "It is your dungeon, you may do as you wish, Dungeon Master...although that other title confuses me a little. Reincarnator - does that have something to do with Lollyp and Sincere being as they are?"
Xenia nods. "Sure does! But before I get into details, let me sort of lay out the situation we''re dealing with here, yeah? So...me and this place, we got secrets, right? And given that folks out there really do wanna kill me, or steal me, just for friggin'' existing, I haven''t been too fond of letting things slip. I mean, yeah, the visitors have been mostly well-behaved lately, but my first two intrusions almost ended with me going kaput, you know?"
Kelsey pulls at his whiskers. "The early days for a dungeon can be the riskiest, yeah. The Association and the nations alike got rules against breaking cores, at least without specific permission, but it''s real easy for undiscovered cores to end up on the black market before anyone''s got a chance to know about em. But you''re registered now - long as shit doesn''t get too crazy, you''ve got protections."
The dungeon avatar pops a piece of cheese into her mouth before answering. "Thanks, but shit''s getting real close to getting too crazy, and I''d like to get ahead of it. See, we''ve got dudes from two armies now trying to figure us out, specifically, and they''re getting way too close. We had to actually mindwipe the last bunch, and that was the nice option."
Sely''s eyes go wide. "You can do that? What the hell?"
"Within limits." Sincere makes a conciliatory gesture with one hand. "It''s not something we want to rely on regularly, or could even count on being able to do so."
Alizz''s eyes narrow. "Yes, I would prefer that our Challengers'' minds not be tampered with. So what is it you think we can do for you?"
Xenia continues drinking between sentences as she replies. "For starters, we need advice. We need someone with an outside perspective, literally, and not only is Beatrice out of town now but she didn''t have much local insight to start with. And more than that, we''re hoping for your support - mutually beneficial arrangement, you know? We help the Challengers earn loot and, well, challenge themselves, and you make sure the local governments don''t decide I need to be cracked open for the greater good. And to get there, we need trust, so...if you''re willing to swear you ain''t gonna spill shit without my say-so, I''m willing to put all my cards on the table. How Lollyp''s working here, how we got this fancy new forest floor, all of it. So, what do you say - are you in?"
Before she answers, Alizz takes a moment to study the woman across from her. Despite all of the oddities she''s seen, even on just this one visit alone, perhaps the oddest is just how...human the Master of the Dungeon really is. She doesn''t talk like a spirit of nature, just barely learning how to communicate with the outside world. Setting aside her bizarre two-tone appearance, she could be any woman Alizz might meet in any given tavern. Negotiating with dungeon spirits is always fraught given their limited understanding of mortal ethics, and Alizz can''t deny that this perhaps represents a unique opportunity to gain an understanding into dungeons deeper than almost anyone else has ever had access to. With that in mind, she turns left and right to her companions. "Well...I''m willing to give the dungeon - Xenia - my trust. The rest of you?"
The sisters nod, if perhaps Taly does so rather more eagerly than Sely, and Kelsey laughs. "I ain''t passing up a chance to put this in my memoirs one day! So yeah, I''ll sign up, I wanna hear how the hell you got a godsdamn forest down under a godsdamn mountain if nothing else, ha!"
Smiling, Xenia Worthy presses her palms together and leans forward. "Well, alright then. To start with...let me tell you about my curses..."
Chapter 86: Sponsorship Deals
Alizz badly, badly felt like she needed to take a break. The rate of revelations-per-minute the dungeon master had been intent on feeding them seemed sure to overwhelm her ability to process through them, but they were already halfway through the avatar spell''s one-hour time limit and Xenia had insisted on getting through as much as possible before it ran out. The curses. The fact that Worthy Dungeon was capable of essentially eating an ancient Dragonlord dungeon over time. The interesting little tidbit about how the dungeon spirit was hundreds of years old and had the experience of lifetimes of adventuring. Everything the woman said just kept stacking and stacking, leading to a single inescapable conclusion.
Worthy Dungeon had the potential to be the most dangerous dungeon that had ever existed.
Yet the drider was still having trouble classifying the woman as a threat, given that she had gone through all this trouble to ask for Alizz''s help. After all, that was the point of all this, wasn''t it? If the world outside knew of everything the dungeon could do, voices would be calling for the dungeon''s destruction, and all of Xenia''s potential didn''t mean anything if the army decided to march fifty men down here tomorrow and ''settle'' matters. Xenia''s threat level was, in a way, her greatest weakness. But what could Alizz do about any of this?
Which was, incidentally, exactly the question Xenia was finally getting to. "So! Now that you''ve got all that, the big question is...how can I sell the public on how fuckin'' weird I am, without provoking anyone into having the place condemned?"
Alizz sighs, rubbing her head with both hands. "...Okay, please just...give me a minute? This is far outside anything I''ve ever had to consider before."
The dungeon master nods. "Fair enough, we''ve got...Guy? Ah, twenty-eight minutes left. Though if we need to go into overtime with Lollyp or Sincere translating, we''ll do what we gotta do." As Alizz thinks, the black-and-white woman begins biting into an apple, before suddenly shouting out another statement. "Oough! Ah, sorry, excuse me. Also wanted to bring up and ask one other thing, too. How much do you know about divine favors and dungeons? We got one of those yesterday and I''m not sure what we oughtta do with it yet."
As Alizz''s eyes go wide, Kelsey shouts out a response for her. "WHAT? On top of all this other cloud-brained, hole-winged, singed-tail crazy bullshit you just told us about, you got a godsdamned DIVINE FAVOR?" Unable to control himself, the kobold gets up from his seat and begins marching and cursing around the open meadow, while Xenia just awkwardly smirks in response.
"Ah...yup! Got it for killin'' this dude here, thanks again Sincere. So, big deal then, I take it."
Deciding to focus on one issue at a time, Alizz considers what she knows about divine favors. "Okay, right. In a way, they''re sort of like having a deity...sponsor a dungeon, you could say. Dungeons are generally non-denominational, Challengers can prove themselves to all sorts of deities through their efforts in them. Accepting a divine favor doesn''t change that, but it does give you something of a reputation boost with that specific church. Challengers who follow that god are more likely to come, and the theory is that it''s easier to become a Champion or Paragon through success in that dungeon, if you''re one of its patron''s followers. Some dungeons have been blessed by multiple gods, even, though it''s rather rare. I''d say in general perhaps a quarter of dungeons are known to have divine favor, generally ones on the older side of things, only a very few have patronage of multiple deities, or multiple favors at all for that matter."
Xenia''s mood improves as Alizz speaks. "A reputation boost, eh? That really sounds like something I could use. Any gods worth getting in good with?"
As a thought strikes Alizz, her eyes widen again. "Oh! That''s - that''s exactly what you need! A cover! Divine patronage could be used to explain matters like your bosses reincarnating!"
Sincere nods along. "Now that is an excellent idea. I believe then we should seek the favor of Destus, the God of Death."
At that suggestion though Alizz only shakes her head. "No, you''ve got it backwards. Life and death is a cycle, you die, you''re reborn, you die again and so on. Destus handles the death side of matters. For reincarnation you want Kahlia."
Lollyp scoffs at the name. "Alizz, that''s the Goddess of Fertility. You know Kahlia doesn''t do anything with dungeons!"
The drider chews her lip for a moment, then shakes her head. "Not dungeons, no, but she does take an active role in the world. Her Paragons are famous, in fact I''d say hers are historically in perhaps the top ten in terms of how many of them she''s had over the years. Do you have some way of knowing if you''d be able to seek her favor?"
Xenia turns to her side. "Well, let''s see. Guy, is Kahlia in our contact list?" She waits a moment, then raises her eyebrow before turning back. "Apparently she is. Sounds too like this list is only the guys and girls who''ve agreed to be on it, since there seems to be some gaps."
"Not surprising. There''s considered to be a hundred and thirteen known deities, but over half of them haven''t been known to take an active role in the world of any sort in centuries. Others tend to be quite narrow in scope, only making themselves known in very specific circumstances."
"So..." Xenia rests her elbows on the table and taps her fingers in thought. "We can use this, right? We make a deal with Kahlia for...fuck, anything really, we slap up a sign out front that says ''Worthy Dungeon, brought to you by the Goddess of Fertility!''. Then you put out a story saying the reincarnations are part of our divine patronage, with, I dunno, whatever fake restrictions we want to put on it so dudes aren''t just offing themselves in here every other day. Claim it only works once every six months on a full moon or some shit."
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Growing angry, Sely slams her fist on the table. "Hold on, now! You''re talking about - about using a goddess to sell a cover story? Do you have any idea what you''re sitting on here? Half the continent would give their right eye for a promise of divine favor!"
"No, no, you''re right." Xenia raises her hands in half-surrender. "Trust me, I do not need to get on any more gods'' bad sides. If there''s a way, I''ll try and make sure this isn''t an issue with them. But of course, the reincarnations would be just a cover, so...what would a Goddess of Fertility have to offer a dungeon, that I could ask for?"
Alizz closes her eyes. "Let me think...sometimes, a blessing comes in the form of a divine servant, who typically serves as a floor boss, although rarely they serve other purposes, like setting up a sort of pilgrimage destination within the dungeon. These are beings who typically can only be approximated at best by dungeons normally - angels, legendary warriors from past ages, unique monsters, powerful spirits of nature and that sort of thing. Kahlia''s champions are, well...typically men and women who have had a great deal of children. It could be that one of them was also a great warrior who''s currently residing in her plane of heaven, but I really have no idea."
Sincere''s brow furrows in thought. "Kahlia is also known for working closely with several other deities and sharing projects with them. For example, the blessing of Taina, the Goddess of Love, which several centuries ago allowed the mortal races to intermix was largely possible through Kahlia''s assistance. The fertility of plants also falls within her domain, and she''s often associated with Palain, God of the Harvest."
Xenia considers what that might mean. "So it''s possible that we could, what, use our favor to get her to call in a favor and get us some really sweet fruits? Or a Champion of Love? Actually, that last one does sound kind of tempting."
Taly giggles. "Would be a little more complicated than just cashing in your favor with them directly, but it gets Kahlia''s name on the place I guess. Or maybe you could get them to agree to a joint project. If this is like a negotiation or something, which I guess is a little presumptuous. Anyone know how it actually works?" She looks around, but even Sincere and Alizz have no confirmations or denials to offer.
The table sits in silence for a moment, other than Kelsey''s continued grumbling as he returns to his seat, and eventually Xenia taps her hands on the table. "Alright, so here''s the plan then. I ask Kahlia for a divine favor - a Champion or a pilgrimage site or something if it''s a non-negotiable thing, otherwise we''ll see what we can get. You guys help put out the word that the reincarnations and our rapid expansion are the result of divine favor, and not because of Dragonlord shit or the place being cursed. We set up some kind of limitation on who gets to sign up for an eternity in here, and then...we''re good? Dungeon gets to stay open for business, no one''s gotta get core-cracking-happy?"
The Divine Masochist again narrows her eyes at the dungeon master. "This sounds like a pretty good deal for you, but why should we do any of that? You''re asking us to lie for you - not just to the government, but to our own Challengers! The Association works with friendly dungeons, sometimes, but we don''t frigging conspire with them!"
To answer that charge, Lollyp begins counting off on her fingers. "Hey, you get lots of benefits! For one, there still gets to be a dungeon here which is good business for everyone, except the idiot Initiates, but that''s like, true of most dungeons anyhow. Second, whatever limits we put on it, if we publicize the reincarnation thing someone''s gonna be getting to use it eventually, which is a good deal for them. Third, whatever divine favor we end up getting is bound to be good for Challengers almost no matter what it actually is."
Xenia nods along before grinning. "Also, I ain''t above straight-up bribery. If you all want the occasional freebie dungeon gear, coins, box of slime lube, whatever, I don''t particularly mind."
The field agent''s face winces at the suggestion. "I don''t think we need to be that crass. I think I''d rather ask that you perhaps stop killing so many Challengers, if I''m going to be honest. Especially if we''re letting you keep that damned luck curse close to your chest, which honestly doesn''t sit quite right with me."
Xenia bites back an immediate response before pausing in thought. "Eh...one minute, please." The dungeon master leans over towards her slime boss, and the two converse for a while before Xenia turns back to the group. "So, for the record, totally get where you''re coming from on that. On the other hand, I definitely don''t want to get a reputation for both being really special and being really soft. I also don''t want to let somebody breeze through my first couple floors only to find out too late they''ve got devious motives on my pearl, you know? So, how''s this for an offer." She begins to count off on her own fingers as she continues.
"One, this deal don''t cover the military squads. They''re digging into my shit and I ain''t gonna do them any favors. Two, this only covers the first three floors. Anyone who can get that far doesn''t need a handicap. Three, if someone does some really stupid shit like trigger a Challenge Mode or walk in here buck-ass naked, I''m not taking responsibility for what happens."
Alizz half-nods at the demands. "That seems reasonable enough, but what''s the actual offer?"
"Floor One, BB will only maim, not kill. Legs, hands, eyes, that sort of thing. Floor Two, Lollyp here can go lethal, but only up to a quarter the party size. Floor Three, the ghost armors get another quarter quota. Also, importantly, you don''t tell this shit to the Challengers so folks don''t try and exploit it."
Alizz''s wincing doesn''t much subside at the deal''s details. "I hate the idea of negotiating over how many of our people can be killed...but then, it''s not as if we usually get to negotiate at all. I suppose I can accept this offer, provisionally, although of course we''ll need to know what your divine favor actually is before we can arrange matters."
"True enough. I don''t know how long it might take to set up, so...wanna swing by again in two days and see what''s up?"
The drider nods. "That''s fine. I do want to actually get our dungeon inspection done today, however, despite our other arrangements."
"No problem there, though just so you know, I''ve sealed this floor back up for a bit til it''s ready for the public. No spreading spoilers!"
Alizz raises an eyebrow. "I''ll...try not to?"
"Good, good. I''ll set up a portal behind you there to take you back to the top." As she rises from her seat, taking one last sip from her wine, a devious look crosses the Reincarnator Extraordinaire''s face. "Have fun, and good luck."
Chapter 87: A Walk Outside
Three hours later, an exhausted and slime-covered Challengers Association party attempts to catch their breath and collect their thoughts outside the entrance to Worthy Dungeon. While ''slime-covered'' is better than ''blood-covered'', the group''s morale is still not exactly at record highs as they sit or lean against the mountainside. Even so, Field Agent Alizz does her best to keep the party focused on the job. "Okay, right...let''s collect our preliminary notes while it''s still fresh in our minds, shall we?"
The normally-cheerful Taly growls in response. "Sure. Note one: the third floor suuuuuuucks."
Alizz tries not to smile at the comment, which would only encourage more along that line of thought. "Noted. But let''s go in order and keep organized, shall we? Floor one - as ''Doorman'' suggested earlier, the first floor appears to be largely unchanged from our first visit. Any disagreement?"
Taly raises a hand, this time making a useful point. "The skeletons were like, slightly tougher. Still went down to us in one hit, but they were just that little bit faster and tougher to break. Given what we saw on the third floor, especially those bosses, I don''t think the dungeon''s upgrading them or their equipment as much as they could, but they are getting upgraded a little."
Shuffling around, the kobold Kelsey roots around in his bottomless bag for a moment before pulling something out. "Got additional loot from the boss, too - on all of them, actually, I''m pretty sure the dungeon got one of those upgrades for bonus boss loot some of them seem to have. Those luck charms - and what a nasty little trick that is, huh? Those luck charms have always been rabbit-themed, but this time we got that...bag of carrots." He holds up a small cloth bag, holding about a half dozen of the orange root vegetables. "Seriously, this is bonus loot? A light, healthy snack, eh?"
His boss chuckles at the description. "Ah, not quite! I can sense that they''re mana-enriched, though I couldn''t tell you what they do. Bonus speed, perhaps? Or maybe a health item? We''ll have them analyzed before anyone takes a bite. Meanwhile, Floor Two thoughts? Also seems largely unchanged."
Sely grunts as she wipes the last of the slime from her pants. "Skeleton ambushes mighta been a lil tougher, like Taly said, but otherwise yeah. Course, we did have to actually fight Slimy this time, so that was fun. Though it kinda felt like she was still holding back?"
Alizz can''t disagree. "I felt that from all of the bosses, actually, but can you be surprised? Imagine the dungeon going through all that effort to work out a deal with us, and then it accidentally kills us an hour later? Still, I can see now just why Lollyp''s been so dangerous. I would have never imagined a single slime mage could have held off an entire team for as long as she did, especially when all of us belong to higher-tier classes than she had."
"Ah, but the ''boss fight'' setup is just perfect for the girl, you know?" Kelsey pulls off a gauntlet as he speaks, shaking out a few flecks of slime before he continues. "Her magic ain''t as strong as it used to be, she ain''t got a real Elementalist''s reserves, but she don''t need em, really. She''s not fighting in pitched battles now, or holding a static defense against invaders - she gets to ambush a party, then do a little fight that probably don''t last more than five minutes, win or lose. So she gets to shoot off all her big fancy zap attacks, and if anyone''s still left standing, she''s already in close quarters so she can just grab up an axe or somethin'' and go to town." He chuckles, remembering the fight. "She ain''t trained for melee, but the girl''s got enthusiasm, I''ll give her that."
Taly grumbles. "Stupid slime senses, too, my darkness effects barely slowed her down. Still, with Alizz fizzling most of her magics, she didn''t have much she could actually hurt us with. At least the bonus boss loot was fun..."
At that reminder, Alizz sighs. "Right...along side some money and health potions, we got a hefty little box of...seriously, slime lubricant, is that what that is, Sely? Are you sure?"
The masochist raises an eyebrow. "You''re asking me? You''re the one who was vowed to a slime!"
Taly leans against her sister with a smirk. "So why would she ever have needed the extra lube, eh? Speaking of, Sely and I are claiming dibs."
"Granted. Not asking questions, just...please, take it off our hands. And finally...Floor Three. Oddly nonlethal, until reaching the bosses."
"And soooooooo frigging annoying about it, too!" The rogue''s brief good mood quickly vanishes again. "The first room wasn''t so bad, I like a good trap room every now and then, you know? But then two rooms after that with nothing but gross nuisance monsters!? What was that about?"
Her sister joins in the grumbling. "And what was that fake sex dungeon about? How do you set something like that up and then like, not have a mini-boss or something in there? Just sticks out like a sore thumb otherwise."
Kelsey gives the cleric a smirk. "Heh, and what kinda mini-boss would you be wanting to fight in a room like that, huh? Or were ya thinking something other than a fight entirely?"
"No, no, no!" Alizz waves her hands quickly, interrupting that train of thought. "Leave that kind of perversion to the Dungeon Perverts, please! I won''t have that from my own team, thank you very much! Moving on! That...magical puzzle room with the hopping slimes, also a little frustrating, to be honest. You either have to sit and watch it for a while to figure out the timings, or just deal with brute forcing the traps. Still, given that the traps do announce themselves ahead of time, I have trouble seeing that chamber actually racking up many fatalities."
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"Could be someone might trip and fall on some shit, if they were still slimed up." Sely eyes the blobs of slime left sitting on the ground next to her, which of course only now choose to start dissolving now that the party''s already spent the effort scraping them off. "Dammit, forgot it would do that. Anyhow, third floor bosses - a double boss, fun little switch up. Ghost-types, but unless someone''s got something special for ghosts that seems like almost entirely a physical encounter. Smash the armors or get smashed. Of course, the damn tentacles do make it harder."
Alizz nods. "Fortunately quite a few Cleric specialties have techniques for spotting and handling the undead, so it''s not unmanageable. Or, of course, one could be in possession of a spell that strips ghosts from their possessed objects and shortcuts much of the fight." The drider allows herself to look just a little smug at that final part, causing Kelsey to roll his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, practically felt like cheating once you hit em with that. The shield we got as loot looks nice, too bad I''ve already got my flame-enchanted gear. All in all...still way harder than a dungeon this young normally is, or one at three floors, but like you said, not unmanageable. Keeping the recommendation Initiates don''t go past Floor One, and anyone else better be ready to handle slimes. Sound about right?"
"Yes...though I do worry about when Xenia fully opens up that fourth floor. Got myself a feeling that it''s going to be quite the difficulty spike, and that''s before considering that our ''arrangement'' stops applying at that point." Alizz pauses for a breath, then climbs back to her eight feet. "Alright, think that''s enough of review for now, may as well be on our way. Thank you for the challenge, Doorman!"
The dungeon guardian gives the party a wooden nod as they start their trip back down the mountain. "Be seeing you soon!"
Xenia sits in her core chamber, recently moved back to Floor Three, and senses as the Association group begins to leave the range of her dungeon-sight. "Looks like the party guests are on their way home, and had themselves a good time! Or, well, a kind-of annoying time, but I suppose that works too. So! Alright!" The dungeon master claps her hands. "Suppose there''s no more point in dawdling, huh? Time to call up a goddess and see what we can work out."
Sincere gives her a smile from the other side of the table. "Feeling nervous? I imagine many people would the first time they get into direct contact with a higher power."
"Oh, sure I would be if this were my first time. Think I''ve personally told the gods to suck my nuts like, at least three times by now, and I''ve only been smited once! So I''ve got pretty good odds on this working out, I think."
Guy hovers with a little more uncertainty than they did a moment before. "Are...are you sure you wish to go through with this, ma''am?"
"Absolutely! Let''s ring her up, Guy!" Without further ado Xenia goes through her menus, finding her ''divine favor'' in her inventory, bringing up the divine contact list, and scrolling through until finding Kahlia, Goddess of Fertility. "Alright, here goes nothin''. Oh blessed Kahlia, give me something sweet..."
The room around Xenia goes blindingly white, and when her vision finally fades back in, Xenia finds herself standing in the middle of a small clearing within a forest. Looking around, she finds herself with a bit of deja vu. "Huh, if it weren''t for the actual sky, I''d think I was back on Floor Four again. Forests must be the in-thing this year."
"Normally, I receive visitors in my heavenly palace, but I thought that perhaps the Forest would be a more suitable setting for this particular meeting." An oddly-deep woman''s voice speaks from behind her, and as Xenia spins, she quickly realizes the reason for its unusual timbre. Sitting on a throne that seems to have grown straight out of the ground, made of dirt and roots, sits a woman measuring at least ten feet tall. Her eyes sparkle an emerald green, her long hair is a wavy black, and her skin displays a deep brown. As Xenia soaks it all in her eyes need to spend a fair bit of extra time wandering, for there is a great deal of that glorious skin to be seen. White fabric drapes over her torso, leaving ample space for her breasts to press out on the sides, while another strip of cloth hangs between her crossed legs. That particular piece of fabric provides even less coverage, as despite her unusual size, the width of her hips would still manage to seem proportional on a god twice her height.
"Jesus Christ."
"No, Kahlia. Did you perhaps select the wrong option?" A smirk crosses the divinity''s face, and as Xenia''s mind catches up with her, a realization sinks in.
"Wait, the Forest - this is familiar! This - this is the planet where I spent all that time as a tree? You were my boss!?"
"I was. While we never had reason to speak, I have to admit, I was rather pleased to have a reincarnator serving the role of Guardian for a time. It''s so hard to get hold of one of you, you know - you''re so few, and the damned Fate and Destiny divines always seem to get first dibs."
Xenia gives an awkward smile. "Heh, no idea I was so popular. Guess it''s too bad for you that I got moved on, huh?"
The smile fades from the goddess'' face, and she nods. "Yes, I have to admit, I feel a little bad about that. I didn''t mean for the meteor to hit you personally, you know, I was just...a little upset at the time."
The reincarnator''s head tilts. "Upset? At...oh, wait. Was this because of the - "
"Because of the giant, two hundred-mile long forest shaped like a dick, followed by a thousand miles of meadows filled with white flowers?" Kahlia interrupts as her eyebrow rises. "Yes. Yes, that had a little something to do with it."
"Oh. Uh...sorry? It was just such a boring job, you know, I had to make my own entertainment!"
"Don''t get me wrong. I enjoy a good dick, and it was an impressive amount of effort. But there''s my image to think of, you understand. One simply cannot let their personal realms be vandalized, I had to burn the whole thing down before someone noticed. Oh, thank me that I caught it before Palain came to visit! But I did perhaps overreact, and as I said, I do feel a little badly about killing you in the process."
"Ah. Um...no hard feelings?" Xenia scratches her head, and another fact strikes her. "Huh...alright, updating personal records. Guess I''ve been smited twice..."
Chapter 88: Bargaining With Heaven
A soft smile returns to the lips of Kahlia, Goddess of Fertility as she looks down on Xenia, Reincarnator Extraordinaire. She certainly has to look down quite a bit at that, as between her height and her naturally-grown throne the woman has a good six feet of height advantage over her, even while sitting down. "Now, I have to admit to some curiosity, and some surprise. While I may have been your benefactor for a time, I know you weren''t aware of our relationship. I''ve been open to the idea of providing dungeon blessings for about, oh, two or three decades now, and yet you''re the first one to pray for my patronage. What was it that drove your choice, I wonder?"
"Right, well, you see. I''ve got a little bit of a problem, and you seemed perfectly suited to help me out. You''re aware of my curses?" As she speaks Xenia tries to stick to the approach she''d developed from her past experiences of dealing with gods. Don''t show weakness, confidence is sexy, but also don''t be rude or take the assistance of the divine for granted. For the most part that boiled down to ''don''t swear, don''t ask for too much, and let the god start the flirting first if that''s something they''re into''. Though that massive, thick ass the Goddess of Fertility was seated upon was certainly making the latter part very difficult.
Kahlia looks off to the side, as if reading something invisible, and then softly laughs to herself. "Ah, yes...the reincarnation I remember, but that ''attracted to danger'' - I thought the meteor I launched went off course! At the time I assumed I must have just been angrier than I thought, but it seems it''s your own fault the thing nearly landed on top of you. I suppose I feel a little less bad about that, now. But in any case, if you''re going to ask me to remove one of your curses, no deal. They''re ingrained into your soul so strongly now you''d need a small pantheon to remove them, or an excessive amount of power from a single one of us."
"I...actually hadn''t considered that til you brought it up. Kinda gave up on getting rid of those a couple centuries ago, to be honest. Actually, here''s my problem. People who willingly die in my dungeon can be reincarnated there, which is fine, you know, generally speaking. The problem is that we''re not gonna be able to sit on that as a secret for long, and I don''t want people figuring out just how weird I am. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down, you know?" Xenia presses her palms together and slightly bows her head. "I was hoping that we could have your patronage, as a way of explaining to the masses how we''re able to reincarnate people."
Kahlia looks on with a bit of genuine surprise. "You want to give me credit for something I had nothing to do with? That seems like a rather trivial usage of a divine favor, although perhaps you''re not aware of how they''re generally used."
Xenia shakes her head. "No - well, yes, but that''s just why I came to you, not what I was hoping to ask for as our divine favor. Our thinking was, once you''re associated with the dungeon through your favor, it would be easy to tack on the resurrecting bosses thing as being like, um, a little bonus feature I guess?" She gives a slightly awkward smile, hoping this part of the request isn''t passing the line of ''asking for too much''.
"An interesting idea." Kahlia thinks for a moment, then stands up from her throne. "Walk with me through the Eternal Forest for a bit, won''t you? Given your loyal service to me for over a century, I think we can do without some of the typical supplicant pretense, and I imagine you don''t get many opportunities to walk around outside these days, do you?"
"Come to think of it, even my magical flashbacks have been indoors...I can still see the sky, you know, my like, dungeony-sense does go outside a little. But yeah, I haven''t had a proper walk in nature for too long. Dang, technically I never walked as a sword either, so yeah, been a few." She catches up to the goddess as Kahlia begins to head down a forest path, and finds herself needing to try very hard to keep her attention focused forward, given that the massive, jiggling brown buttcheeks are now nearly perfectly at eye level, and if there''s one thing Xenia''s learned about deities it''s that they do not wear underwear.
"You know, I''ve thought quite a bit about what boons I might offer to the first dungeon to request my favor. It occurs to me however that most of the typical options would be counter-productive for your request."
Xenia looks up, very carefully not staring at an amount of side-boob larger than her own head to get a look at Kahlia''s face. "How so?"
"Getting divine favor at your age is extremely rare. Getting two favors within fifty days? It''s never been done. Not impossible, but it would also attract exactly the sort of attention you''ve been trying to avoid. If the reincarnations are to be publicly attributed to me, then you need your actual favor to be something...subtle."
"I suppose that makes sense. Thanks for working with me on the whole cover-up concept, by the way. But what were you thinking of for ''subtle''?"
"As I said, I do feel perhaps I owe you a little, for your service and your untimely demise. What do you think of this offer, Dungeon Master - for each floor an adventurer defeats, their fertility shall be increased fifteen percent for the next month! Hrmm, non-stacking with multiple delves, always need to account for that."
Xenia purses her lips. "That''s...subtle enough, I suppose. I''m not sure every adventurer would consider it a good thing, though."
The goddess rolls her eyes. "If the only mortals who had children were the ones who were planning on it, they would have all gone extinct by now. But fine, I can have the effect be negated through the use of typical contraceptives." The disdain Kahlia puts into the last word raises the hairs on Xenia''s neck, and her mental ''pissed-off-deity-o-meter'' suddenly shoots up into the yellows.
"That sounds workable." After saying that Xenia decides to change the topic, both to perhaps chill the goddess out a little and to extend her time in this admittedly pleasant environment. "So you only got into the dungeon business recently, huh? What caught your interest?"
"Funny story, that! A team of adventurers caught my eye, a few Paragons-in-the-making, if I''m not mistaken. And it just so happens it''s a team you''re familiar with."
Xenia''s brow furrows. "Huh? Not one I wiped, I''m guessing...not the soldiers...wait. The Dungeon Fuckers? Those three are some of yours, really?"
The goddess gives a deep chuckle. "They do not offer prayers to me, admittedly, and that dwarf is irritatingly thorough with her contraceptive routine. Those elves, though? With a birth that''s due next week, as it happens, between the two of them they''ll have fathered two dozen children! And all of them to extremely healthy Challenger partners! Such strong children...over the years I''ve mostly been focused on villagers, you know, the type who settle down and have themselves a healthy eighteen or so children to help out around the farm."
"A very healthy number that, certainly." Xenia''s comment draws an amused side-glance from the goddess.
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"You don''t have to use sarcasm with me, Reincarnator. I know how many descendants you''ve parented over the years. Another positive mark in your favor."
Xenia''s eyes go wide. "Wait, you do? I - I don''t even think I know that, not exactly, anyhow! How...no, wait, don''t tell me. I don''t want to find out I accidentally abandoned some kid after a one-night stand eight runs back or something. You do know about all of them, though?"
"Not all of them are in realms in which I have authority, admittedly. But yes, with you standing before me, tracing your multiple family trees is an easy matter."
"Huh...honestly, it''s something I try not to spend a lot of time thinking about, but...I guess it''s good to know they''ve been doing alright for themselves."
"Very much so." The goddess slows down, and sighs. "You know, I have to admit to a little disappointment. I was rather hoping my first foray into the dungeon business would be a little...flashier. Taking credit for one of your curses isn''t quite the same." Kahlia then comes to a complete halt, and her eyes widen in realization. "Oh! You know what? I believe I have an opportunity for the both of us - consider it another gift for your years of service."
Before Xenia can ask what she''s talking about, a screen suddenly appears before her eyes.
|
------------------------
DIVINE QUEST
HAVE AT LEAST FIVE CHILDREN BE CONCEIVED WITHIN YOUR DUNGEON BOUNDS.
TIME LIMIT: 1 YEAR
REWARD: 1 DIVINE FAVOR (KAHLIA, GODDESS OF FERTILITY)
ACCEPT QUEST Y/N?
------------------------
|
Xenia''s own eyes go wide as she reads it over. "Wait, what? Seriously? How am I...I mean, thank you for the opportunity, your fertileness, but how am I supposed to convince that many people to, you know...get freaky down in my dungeon? It''s not that kind of dungeon, you know! And it''s not like every party is the Dungeon Fuckers, either."
Kahlia simply smiles down at the smaller woman. "Do you really need me to give you ideas in that department? If anything I believe you may be more inventive than I am. Although, you''ll have to forgive me if I add a little stick to this carrot. Turn the quest down, and I''m afraid I''ll have to revoke your spellsong access. It''s honestly something of an oversight that you still have it in the first place, though I''ve been willing to overlook it for now."
The dungeon master sighs. "Fine, fine, I''ll at least take the quest, then. Hell, if I''m lucky, maybe the Challengers are horny enough they''ll hit it without me needing to do anything extra...I dunno, I guess I can come up with something, though." She pauses, and shakes her head. "Alizz is not gonna like that a bit, but out of her control, I suppose." Reaching out, she confirms the quest offer and the screen vanishes.
"Give it a try, is all I ask. Perhaps if you succeed, I''ll challenge you even further in the future. Now, was there anything else you wish to discuss?"
"Really, this is a better outcome than I honestly hoped for as it is, so I''m not gonna push my shitty luck. Thank you, Goddess, for your assistance. You''ve been pretty chill compared to a lot of your colleagues, you know?"
Kahlia smiles one last time. "Bringing forth new life is something best done with the cooperation of others, and I do enjoy cooperative projects. Now, I''m afraid other business calls me...but, I suppose the Forest rarely has visitors to admire its beauty. If you like, you may stay for a while longer - simply will yourself home when you''ve had your fill."
Looking around, Xenia gives a smile of her own. "Thanks. I think I''ll take you up on that."
When Lollyp appears in the core chamber''s shortcut portal ring, the slime boss seems quite cheerful. "Whoo! Man, it was crazy getting to go all-out against Alizz and her team like that. Well, mostly, Alizz is annoyingly good at counterspells - oh." Looking around, she suddenly realizes only Sincere is sharing the room with her at the moment, reading from a tome at the central table. "Where''s Xenia at?"
"Visiting divine dignitaries, presumably. She left almost as soon as your friends departed, so she''s been gone oh, an hour or two so far?"
The boss''s good cheer begins to abate. "Is that...good? Bad? It''s a lot longer than a prayer, that''s for sure."
The demon gives an unconcerned shrug in response. "Well, if the Goddess had smote her, I imagine you and I would already be dead or at least dying. It could be there''s time dilation shenanigans afoot, or perhaps the discussions are simply that fruitful. In either case, I don''t believe there''s much we can do but wait for her return."
Somewhat mollified, Lollyp claims a seat at the table. "Oh, I''m sure we can find something better to do than just wait."
Sincere looks up from his book. "Such as?"
Lollyp leans forward, grin fully restored. "Like...gossip! Like, you know. Your ladyfriend Beatrice has been gone for a few days now, probably not coming back for a while either."
The demon raises an eyebrow. "Not exactly my ''ladyfriend'', I would say - we both knew the partnership would be a short-lived one, even if I do look forward to her eventual return. Are you hoping that I''ll ''spill the dirt'' about her now that she''s gone from the premises?"
"Not at all!" Lollyp wags a finger. "I''m wondering how long it''s gonna be before you make a move on Xen!"
That particular turn of the discussion certainly manages to take the man by surprise. "Pardon me? For one, is she not fully occupied with your own demands? And secondly, why would you expect me to be planning such a move?"
Lollyp waves the first comment off. "Psssh, Xen and I are just a ''for-fun'' thing, neither of us are staking a monopoly. Also, if anything, I''m the one trying to keep up with her! Well, some days, anyhow. As for the second question, well...why the hells wouldn''t you be? Didn''t you make your move on Beatrice after knowing her for like...half an hour? Or is it just that warrior knights are more your thing?"
The demon does his best to maintain his dignity while discussing his sexual preferences. "I actually try to keep myself open-minded, rather than becoming attached to any particular ''thing''. In Beatrice''s case, the attraction seemed mutual enough from my perspective, while if our dear dungeon master has had any real interest in me, she hasn''t made it plain."
"Well, she''s not gonna, you know? I mean, obviously she kept her distance while you were boning her best pal, but also, she takes being low-pressure really seriously, you know? Like she said when you signed up, she doesn''t want you mistaking anything as being like, a dungeon master order or anything...considerate, but a little over-cautious, if you ask me. Point being, you''re gonna have to make the first move."
"Because slimes are someone to measure sexual caution against. Perhaps you''re just reading things into the situation that aren''t there? Or perhaps you have an interest of your own, and you''re the one waiting for me to make the first move?" Sincere gives the slime a look which is trying very hard not to qualify as smug.
"Please, I''ve been with plenty of demons! Your fancy tricks don''t impress me, if I wanted to try out that demon horn I''d just ask, you know?"
Sincere sets his book aside as his look grows more devious. "You''ve been with succubi and incubi, perhaps, I daresay I have quite the arsenal of new tricks up my own sleeve. But even if I didn''t, would you really say you have no interest?"
Lollyp stares at the demon, trying her best to keep a straight face, and eventually failing. "Okay, fine! I want to try out that demon horn!"
"Honesty is the best foundation for any working relationship." Sincere makes an implications-laden glance in the direction of the chamber''s large bed, then back at his fellow dungeon boss. "Were you still looking for ways to kill time until the return of our dear leader?"
Lollyp opens and closes her mouth a few times before eventually settling on an answer. "...Alright, fine! But just one round, since Xenia''ll probably be back soon, alright?"
"I''ll do my best to show you my best tricks, then. Just one round it is..."
Chapter 89: Alchemical Experimentation - Explicit
Sincere groans as he sits on the side of the bed, his palm resting on the top of Lollyp''s head as she easily deepthroats his entire length. "Ung! Wouldn''t...wouldn''t you say this counts as round three? Whatever happened to ''just one round''?"
Lollyp pulls off of him with a plop, then begins counting on her fingers. "Well, we both got off during missionary, but that just counts as one round. Neither of us finished during doggystyle, so that doesn''t count at all. You did fingerbang me pretty good, but fingering hardly counts as a round! And blowjobs are just a, like, in-between rounds thing, so we haven''t actually started round two yet, right?" She turns to glance behind her. "Besides, Xenia''s not back yet, sooo..."
This time the demon groans for an entirely different reason. "Is that really how they teach mathematics in the slime pools? Besides, there is the matter of my poor anatomy to consider." He reaches down to pull Lollyp up off the floor, and his slimy partner responds by sliding her way up his body. By time she''s settled again she''s sitting in his lap, legs straddling his waist and his dick somehow fully embedded in her without any actual insertion ever happening. "You little vixen, hng..."
Lollyp grins as she licks her way across his chest with a tongue that grows as long as she wills it to. "What''s that about your ''poor anatomy''? Seems to be doing just fine from where I''m sitting."
Sincere returns the grin, through somewhat forced. "Unfortunately, dungeon boss forms are not all created equally. As a boss-level slime, physicality and endurance are rather your ''thing'', yes? While my form is intended to be little more than the anonymous figure in a crowd in a stage play. Without the proper pacing, I''m afraid I stand little chance of being able to keep up with you for long."
Scoffing, the slime boss slaps his shoulder. "Where''d all that confidence and ego go!? You''ve only popped off once, and I can feel how much fun you''re having right now, so don''t tell me you''re already tiring out."
"Oh, I daresay I can do quite a bit more for you still. However, if you enjoy feeling how much fun I''m having, you''ll have to give me a bit more recovery time or your fun may...deflate."
"Pffft." Lollyp eyes the demon, then turns aside for a moment, lost in thought. "...You know, I''ve got something I haven''t actually tested yet, but...hey, we''re both immortal now, so if it kills you, you''ll get better! You wait right there!" Before Sincere can say a word she slides directly off of him before running to the shortcut portal back to the Floor Two apartments.
"I swear to the divines, if the women of this dungeon manage to kill me through sex twice..." The man''s grumbling is cut off when Lollyp returns a moment later, holding a vial of purple liquid in her hand.
"Latest product from Lollyp''s Alchemical Alcove! It''s a base stamina potion, combined with an aphrodisiac recipe using our forest ingredients. Should be exactly what you need to keep the Lil'' Sinner in the fight!"
He takes the vial, but doesn''t exactly rush to swallow it down. "A Potion of Night Stamina? Who exactly were you making this for, again? You say you haven''t been testing it yourself?"
Lollyp chuckles. "Well, like you said, I don''t exactly need the thing. Xen wouldn''t either, and she couldn''t drink it anyhow. But I was thinking as a possible loot reward...well, I don''t know! I heard the recipe once and I wanted to try it out!"
Sincere sighs, then shrugs. "In the name of science, then." As Lollyp returns to his lap he pops the cork and swallows it down, before smacking his lips. "Flavor is a bit muddy...I can certainly taste the stamina potion, but it lacks the sweet taste of the average aphrodisiac...perhaps more fruit?"
"I wasn''t exactly mixing for taste, alright!? So...how do you feel?"
"I suppose..." Sincere trails off before his eyes go wide. "That''s...huh. I feel...I can see..." He lifts one hand and stares at it for a while. "The illusion, coating my base form. I can see its structure, how it holds together. Illusions were never my specialty, even with Xenia sharing knowledge of the Illusionary Demon spell with me, I never saw it just so...clearly before."
"That...might be the mushrooms talking? Okay, bit of a side-effect I guess, but not too bad, right?"
"This form...in a way, are we not all illusions? Merely clay, shaped by the whims of our master?"
Lollyp eyes the demon cautiously. "Well I mean, I''m a slime, so I get shaped by her pretty often if you know what I''m saying, haha...seriously though, you alright Sincere?" The answer she gets makes her squeak in surprise as she suddenly feels the organ inside her begin to grow - which is impressive, considering it had already been at full mast before. As she looks down, staring at it through her own transparent torso, she realizes something - the Illusionary Demon spell can change a monster''s appearance, but not its actual shape. As the demon dick inside her becomes longer, thicker, more veined, she realizes the change isn''t an illusion - Sincere''s actually growing larger.
Looking back up, she realizes it''s not just his cock, either. His shoulders ripple and stretch, growing wider, and the next thing she knows her entire waist has been gripped in one single gigantic hand, holding her tight as Sincere begins to stand up. The change isn''t an even one, at least while it''s in progress, but a minute or two later she finds herself literally in the hands of an entirely new Sincere - one a good ten feet tall, proportioned like a draconic but at a scale eclipsing even her own former dungeon master. His demonhood hadn''t been left behind either, and the next time she looks down she finds well over a foot of red-skinned demon meat impaling its way through her torso. "Sincere!?"
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Grinning down at her with a mouth that now seems to contain far more fangs than it did a moment before, the man answers. "It seems your potion has more than just granted me stamina...but also the need to use it. I...don''t think I can restrain myself much longer. If you wish to make your escape..."
Instead, Lollyp''s legs wrap their way around his waist, joining together on the other side in a tight ring of slime-flesh. "Not the effect I was going for, but I ain''t callin'' the experiment a failure either, not yet anyhow! Show me what you got!"
With no response beyond a groan, the hand gripping Lollyp''s waist slides her up off his dick, pausing just before exiting her entirely. Lollyp moans herself, her newly-stretched tunnel feeling some relief as it''s able to shrink back down to its original state, but it gets little chance to remain that way. With a force that would probably kill most mortal women the enhanced Sincere slams her back down, and the sudden internal expansion makes the slime''s form grow and bulge in a number of unsightly ways. "Oh, gods! Sincere, gotta warn a gal before an impalement like that!"
Sincere''s mouth opens once or twice, but the man now seems almost incapable of speech, his communication limited to his eyes as they scan her up and down. Once again he pulls her back up, and on the next thrust she''s ready, her body already stretched out to accommodate his unusual size. On the following thrust, as her senses somewhat return to her, Lollyp realizes she can do even more than just lie back and let Sincere use her. Focusing on the loop she''s formed around his waist, she turns her membrane as elastic as possible, meaning that the next time he pulls her back she snaps down onto him as if she were made of rubber. The impact of it is stronger than anything she''s felt before, nearly knocking her unconscious, which is a feat even mortal combat had so far failed to ever accomplish. Still, she can''t bring herself to let it stop. "Ah! Ah! Gods, when it hits me, right in the back of - ah! Oh my gods!"
The two continue like that for another few minutes, until the nearly-insensate slime eventually realizes that Sincere''s stopped for some reason. Regaining control of her neck and looking down, she finds the cause - the tip of Sincere''s cock is now jutting out of her torso, enjoying the open air just below her breasts. Even in his current monstrous state, Sincere''s face shows clear signs of concern. "...Bad?"
Lollyp sucks in a breath. "Normally...a little bad, yeah, given I wasn''t um, ready for it. But I''ve already turned all my pain receptors into pleasure ones, and it''s not like you can actually kill me, so...fuck it? There''s a point where maybe we should have stopped and we''ve definitely passed it, so I say, let''s keep going and see how it turns out?"
Sincere''s ability to comprehend is a little uncertain, but he does at least recognize the phrase ''keep going'', and he soon does so. Resuming his thrusts, he now fully penetrates through his partner on every go, and a little further up her torso each time as well. Not because he''s somehow growing even larger, but because Lollyp''s body is actually compressing from the combined force of their movements, the hand around her waist gripping her ever tighter. At a certain point Lollyp gets yet another idea and grabs hold of her breasts, pumping a little extra juice into them as she does so. The next time Sincere''s cock emerges she presses its tip between her cleavage, fucking and tit-fucking the man simultaneously. "This is the hottest fucking - ah! Thing I''ve ever done in my, ah, life!"
Her most powerful orgasm yet hits her at that point, and the slime''s body begins to slump. While her hands remain in place, pressing her tits together, her head droops back behind her and her waist-looped legs begin to lose some of their gripping power. So it is that when Sincere climaxes himself not long after, the first blast shoots over her face, painting the opposite wall - but only the first blast. Grabbing hold of Lollyp''s head with his other hand, Sincere pulls her back up and slams her mouth onto his tip just in time for the following ropes of cum to arrive. Lollyp''s eyes go wide as the semen makes its journey through the giant, throbbing organ inside her, traveling through her cunt, between her breasts, past her lips and then finally down her throat.
At last the demon''s balls stop twitching, but that by no means indicates the end of the encounter. After only a brief moment to recover, Sincere once again begins dragging Lollyp down onto his cock, but this time fucking her twice as he does so. One hand grips her waist, pressing himself through her slit, while the second remains in control of her head, facefucking her at the same time. The force of the continued battering begins to knock bits of slime off of Lollyp''s form and onto the floor, and when the man looks down and realizes his dick is reaching the point where a brain would be found on most women, even he starts to worry he may have gone too far. Recognizing the look in his eyes however, Lollyp uses no small amount of effort to form herself a second mouth on the side of her head and force out two words.
"Keep...going..."
Sincere does so, for three more rounds of demon cum and and an impossible-to-count number of slime orgasms as he uses her like a sex toy. At some point the slime in his hands ceases to be Lollyp at all, too much of her body mass ejected onto the floor and wall around him, but it''s not until his balls finally drain themselves that the man is able to come to his senses and realize what just happened. Whether it''s the shock, the over-exertion, or the untested alchemical ingredients running through his monster body, Sincere just barely has time to realize his heart''s stopped beating before he collapses onto the floor. "...Not...again..."
With a smile on her face and a spring in her step, Xenia returns home from her wandering in the Eternal Forest. "Woo! What a trip! Man, you two won''t believe what happened out there, I..." The dungeon master trails off as she turns her head towards her bed, and finds a gigantic Sincere corpse lying on the floor, surrounded by splatters of red slime and white, sticky cum. She''s still there gawking as the bodies eventually begin to dissolve, but even the pop-up box that appears afterwards fails to explain what just happened.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: FAMILY SQUABBLES
AT LEAST ONE OF YOUR BOSSES HAS SLAIN ANOTHER BOSS IN COMBAT. BOSSES ARE NOW 25% MORE RESISTANT TO DAMAGE FROM OTHER DUNGEON MONSTERS.
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"...Okay. I am officially asking questions about this...never."
Chapter 90: Divine Revelations
Two days later, the ranking members of both the Rainlander garrison and the Valleylander trainees found themselves summoned to a meeting at the Association camp - or rather, the Association office, newly constructed. The building was still rather plain, with interior furnishings still being added, and the sign out front had just been affixed that morning, but the foundation was solid, the roof kept out the weather, and a large meeting room had been set up with a conference table sizable enough for all the attendees.
Facilities aside, the summons to ''discuss recent revelations following the latest inspection of Worthy Dungeon'' was a rather unusual event. The Association had little in the way of obligations to either government, and rarely shared all of the intelligence it gathered from its Challengers and employees. Rather, information was left to drift out in the usual ways - through gossip and rumor, allowing those Challengers who had made important discoveries the time they might need to sufficiently profit on that information. Occasionally important facts were shared, but usually via letter or messenger. That Field Agent Alizz had called both militaries in for an urgent meeting was a clear sign that something big had been discovered.
The Association itself was represented at the meeting by, of course, Alizz herself alongside her second-in-command Kelsey. The armed forces had each received invitations for three representatives, and for the Rainlanders that party consisted of Commander Paulados, Chief of Staff Harnriel, and Alpine Scout Tafyaf Srooll, as their best personal expert on the dungeon. The Valleylanders had far fewer options when it came to available officers, and so their group was led by Sapper Tinsel Hansliss - now on the verge of advancement to the Expert levels - backed up by Sniper Kalasha of Bug''kurc and the now-healed Vanguard Mesht of Niad''osh, chosen according to their seniority by level ranking.
As the various parties settled into their respective seats, the mood was surprisingly amiable considering the frosty diplomatic relations that existed between the two nations. The mousekin Tinsel clearly cared little for political or ''big-picture'' concerns, while Paulados was comfortably the highest-ranking officer in the room, which apparently meant that neither of them felt particularly threatened in any way by the other. Tafyaf and the two orcs meanwhile both appeared a little uncertain as to what they were even doing sitting in on an important meeting like this one, and it was quite likely they''d end up sharing drinks together in the tavern by the end of the night and gossiping about what occurred here, opposing nationalities or not.
After a round of well-natured greetings was exchanged and refreshments were provided, however, it was time to get down to business. Sitting at a drider-designed sofa and sipping at a fresh cup of tea, Alizz cleared her throat to indicate she was ready to begin. "Welcome to all of you, and thank you for coming today. I realize that this meeting was called on rather short notice, but some new information has come to light which may greatly impact both the usage of the Worthy Dungeon, and the development of Grassbrook itself."
Tinsel scoffs, unimpressed. "Really, the town''s at stake? What''s it gonna do, landslide the mountain on them?"
Alizz quickly shakes her head. "Apologies if it sounded as if I was implying something dangerous, that''s far from the case. But, allow me to start at the beginning. Several days ago my team and I performed a scheduled inspection of the dungeon, which is typical for those of about fifty days of age, at least for those which have been discovered at that point. We learned a number of facts which were both revealing and mystifying, and after returning for a bit of research, we performed a second inspection yesterday which confirmed a number of things. To focus on one point specifically - it is well-known to all by now that the dungeon is unusual in several respects, but in particular regarding its second floor boss. A magic-casting slime of her intelligence is essentially unknown, and there''s been many theories as to how the dungeon acquired such a boss."
The drider takes a deep breath before continuing. "While the dungeon has been reluctant to disclose the details of how exactly she arrived at Worthy Dungeon, I can now confirm the woman''s identity - she is Slime Elementalist Lollyp, formerly in service of the Domain military. I should clarify also that she is not simply a resident of the dungeon, as is somewhat common in the Domain, nor is she simply a boss ensouled with the spirit of a former Elementalist. Rather, she is in fact the woman herself, resurrected in the body of a dungeon monster slime, with all the benefits and limitations that implies."
While there had been a smattering of ''I knew it!''s and ''That explains a few things'' as she spoke, the final sentence manages to surprise both parties. There''s a brief moment of silence before a number of attendees begin shouting out questions, but the mousekin yells out the loudest. "There''s the proof! There''s the proof! The Dragonlord did do something to the dungeon, and it''s filling the place with its soldiers to kill folks with! Ha, Commando Darrosh is going to love to hear this!"
Before Paulados can join in with any leaping to conclusions of his own, Alizz raises her voice and interjects. "Actually, Sapper, that is incorrect. This is what took us extra time to confirm, but I can state without a doubt that the Dragonlord is not the one that granted the dungeon this ability. Rather...the dungeon has managed to receive a blessing of Divine Favor."
Tinsel seems a little confused about what that means, meaning this time it''s Paulados who manages to answer first. "A Divine Favor!? At fifty days old - no, less, perhaps at even the twenty-five day mark? We know little of how dungeons earn such blessings, but even so, such a thing is remarkably rare, if not entirely unheard of. But...a favor from which deity, then?"
Kelsey opens up a book and flips to a section containing divine symbols, before displaying a rune to the room made of a pair of symmetrical curved shapes, joined together by a set of lines pointing downward in the center. It was one famous enough for all present to recognize, as it was largely considered by many to be representative of a womb, and many of that deity''s followers even marked themselves using it. Despite the recognition, Alizz made a point to explain it for the record. "The dungeon was able to decorate itself with this rune upon our latest visit, which as you may know, is impossible for dungeons to do unless they have the favor of the god who owns the symbol. Therefore there is no doubt that Worthy Dungeon has been blessed by Kahlia...the Goddess of Fertility."
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This time, it''s the usually-quiet Harnriel who exclaims out loud. "Kahlia? Since when does she involve herself with dungeons? Why here? Why now?"
Alizz nods. "To my knowledge, this is the first time the Goddess has ever granted a dungeon a blessing, yes. As to ''why'', while I cannot speak for certain, the impression I got was simply that, well...the Goddess wanted to try something new." While Xenia had passed on the fact that it was the Dungeon Fuckers who had first caught Kahlia''s attention, Alizz was not going to encourage those perverts by ever sharing the information publicly, at least not if she had anything to say about it. Even if soon those perverts might find themselves in growing company...
The orc Sniper furrows her brow. "Kahlia is worshiped in order to bring about children, and livestock...occasionally prayed to alongside Palain for fruitful crops, yes? I don''t see what any of that has to do with an exceptionally fatal dungeon monster."
Kelsey gives her a smirk. "Ah, you''re forgetting one of the lesser-known parts of her portfolio, girl. Kahlia is the Goddess of new life, and that includes reincarnations. That''s the Favor, you see. Under very strict conditions, a mortal can be reincarnated in the dungeon as one of its monsters."
Paulados leans forward. "What conditions, exactly? Was this Elementalist even in the dungeon when she died? Can anyone now wake up one day and find themselves employed by a dungeon for eternity?"
"Much more strict than that." Alizz begins counting off requirements on her fingers, a list that she and Xenia had put together to hopefully prevent a string of suicides from occurring within the dungeon bounds. While Xenia herself was mostly just creeped out and uncomfortable at the thought, Alizz also had a personal concern - a string of willing sacrifices could increase a dungeon''s power at unheard-of speeds, and quite frankly, Xenia''s dungeon was already fatal enough as it was. "First off, yes, someone does actually have to die within the dungeon bounds to be a candidate. Secondly, somewhat arbitrarily, the dungeon has to consider the candidate to be, well...worthy of becoming a dungeon boss."
Tinsel chuckles at the description. "Guess the place is well-named, then. I mean, all dungeons supposedly judge if someone''s worthy of being a Paragon or not, right? But this is like, a whole new avenue of advancement...if ya don''t mind dying a lil bit in the process."
"And being confined to a dungeon for eternity, among other costs, yes." Alizz continues her listing. "Third, someone can only be a candidate if they''ve never had children. This is apparently Kahlia''s way of giving a second chance to those who were never able to, ah...''honor'' her in more traditional methods. Also, importantly, fourth - the candidate themselves has to consent to the process, before dying."
Paulados starts to ask a question, but then pauses and asks another. "So these requirements...actually, allow me to backtrack for one moment. Just how did you learn all these fine details? Is the dungeon that communicative?"
"The dungeon is unusually personable, yes, when it wants to be. But...well, I suppose you may find out eventually anyways, so I may as well tell you now. Slime Elementalist Lollyp was, is, my sister-in-law. I''m currently widowed, but I was vowed to her brother for some years. It took me a few tries to fully confirm her identity and, ah, open a dialog...our first meeting went particularly poorly, to understate matters a little. But yes, on our last visit I was able to discuss matters and confirm the details I''ve just described to you."
Tafyaf can''t contain his laughter, although his question also contains a fair bit of concern along with it. "Family to the dungeon, ahaha! The family business, one might even say, yes? Although, does this not make a, what would you say, a conflict of interest or something like that, hrmm?"
The Commander seated to his right narrows his eyes. "Yes, that is a good question, actually. Does this impact your ability to manage the local Challengers, Field Agent? I hold no judgment against you if it does, provided you take measures against it."
Alizz''s face remains stern in the face of the accusation, mildly delivered as it may have been. "Only in a positive way, Commander. I assure you, the lives of those Challengers within my area of responsibility are far and away my primary concern, and I am certainly not one to, mmm, ''feed'' the dungeon or otherwise sabotage my people in favor of a relative who is, to be blunt, already dead. However, this connection has allowed us to learn the information which I''ve shared with you today, so I hope you''ll see what a unique opportunity this represents."
The man nods, before turning his thoughts in another direction. "This actually explains quite a lot, don''t you think? If the dungeon has the assistance of multiple mortal ''helpers'', that would allow it to potentially develop more quickly than most. More lethally, too." A grin appears below his mustache and the officer chuckles. "Quite a relief, actually, to have an explanation for all this, even if I''m not entirely sure yet what this means going forward. Did you have any thoughts on that topic, Field Agent? You mentioned something about the development of the village earlier, did you not?"
"Indeed. I don''t know if Kahlia has already informed her high clerics of her new association with the dungeon, but if she hasn''t yet, I am certain it is only a matter of time. While it was also only a matter of time until more, ah, ''devout'' Challengers began to appear in larger numbers, I wouldn''t be at all surprised if this revelation led to the establishment of a new church in the region specifically for worshipers of Kahlia. I don''t know how many of them would challenge the dungeon itself, as they''re not a particularly martial organization, but it will certainly have an impact on the makeup and outlook of the growing town."
Tinsel leans back in her seat and crosses her arms. "Gonna get a lot harder to find birth control in the town market, you can bet on that. Somehow that shit always seems to vanish off the shelves when enough of those bunch come around."
Paulados smiles as he turns his attention to the beastkin. "As far as religious ''quirks'' go, it''s far from the worst one. I once spent time in a small town where worshipers of Ol kept sabotaging the streetlights, to ''keep the night at its proper darkness'', you know. Sounds harmless enough, but unsurprisingly, the local crime rate skyrocketed soon after. But how about you and your fellows, Sapper? Does this information satisfy the curiosity your superiors had about the dungeon?"
Tinsel shakes her head. "They''ll definitely want to know, but I sure as hells can''t speak for them in terms of wanting to cancel our deal or anything like that. Hells, maybe they''ll even be wanting to get their own representative in as a dungeon boss or something - just spitballing, don''t quote me on shit. But til I hear otherwise, we aren''t going anywhere."
"Fair enough, just wondering. Well, thank you for informing us on all this, Field Agent. Was there anything else we needed to know today?"
Alizz leans forward, scanning her gaze across the table and looking each representative in the eye. "As far as the facts go, I believe we''ve covered everything. But I wish to point out again that we''re treading new ground here, with this unusual form of divine blessing and heavenly attention. Everyone who interacts with the dungeon will need to remain wary, and also open-minded. As the camp, the dungeon, and the town continue to expand, I rather suspect things may get...a little weird."
Chapter 91: Blessings of Bounty (Arc 4: The Experts)
DAY 90
The following weeks contained more than their share of weirdness, yet at the same time a sense of normalcy and consistency had eventually fallen upon Worthy Dungeon and Grassbrook. The Challenger''s Association camp was no longer a camp, but a district - almost a village of its own, nearly doubling the infrastructure the locality possessed. The Association office was fully completed, as was a full-scale tavern and inn named The Lucky Bastard, a building whose walls were decorated with the spare luck charms various dungeon regulars had donated. While few were the sort to give away their first dungeon loot, it had become a tradition to hang your third or fourth or fifth rabbit-foot charm on the wall along with a name tag, once a Challenger had spent enough time in the region to feel the need to leave their mark. Besides, a person could only wear so many charms, and a superstition had begun to spread that the dungeon punished the greed of those who flaunted too many of the items.
Smiths, shops, and a few basic training facilities had been constructed as well, although it would still be some time before any specialized facilities really got going. The Initiates had slowly been supplemented by Advanced-class Challengers, either through training and promotions or by new arrivals as word of the dungeon spread. Even so, Advanced classes still tended to use fairly basic gear types, and it wouldn''t really be until Masters began coming by that the truly high-level shops and craftsmen would spring up to service them. Still, the place only lacked for a brothel to be able to say it truly serviced all of a common Challenger''s needs...and that was one of the areas in which things had gotten a little weird.
Fatalities had dropped significantly in recent weeks, with only a dozen deaths compared to the almost-twice that which had occurred in the dungeon''s first fifty days. Some of those had been hard-earned as well, seven of them resulting from ill-advised attempts at Lollyp''s Challenge Mode. Maimings were up across the board though, with BB, Lollyp, and the Armor duo claiming quite the collection of arms and legs. Still, the deaths were enough to grant Xenia a fifth floor without the need to rely on curse shenanigans to acquire it. After a bit of prep work, Floors Four and Five were both opened for the public, though unusually enough Floor Five was far more well-known. Only two parties had even entered Floor Four so far, with both of them being rather unprepared for it, and both turning back after traps on the cliffside climbs caused heavy injuries.
Floor Five on the other hand had been designed for different purposes entirely. As odd as the quest was, Xenia hadn''t been willing to give up on the possibility of earning another Divine Favor, especially considering how difficult they seemed to be to earn. With that in mind the dungeon master had spent quite a bit of time brainstorming ways to encourage Challengers to ''get frisky'' within the dungeon bounds, and it seemed clear that the current facilities were not suited for the task. She did not want her core chamber being turned into the dungeon''s designated makeout point, and while Floor Four had lots of potential space to use, it was highly limited by the fact that no one had actually managed to fully explore that space yet. Given that the dungeon had theoretically dozens of eventual floors available to it thanks to the curse, it was eventually decided to devote the resources of a full floor to the task.
Physically located atop Floor One, Floor Five was in fact entirely disconnected from all of the other floors, with the core chamber having been returned to its temporary position beneath Floor Four after its reopening. Instead, it had been divided up into sections, and each section was accessible only via portals found after each boss arena. Upon exiting a portal, Challengers would find themselves in a circular chamber with a healing fountain and a number of doors leading to various identical bedrooms. The quality of these rooms improved depending on which floor visitors arrived from - those coming by after defeating BB on Floor One would find little more than torch-lit caverns with simple bedrolls on the ground, while anyone who visited after defeating Floor Four would find a section where each room had the appearance of a log cabin containing a comfortable queen-sized bed, a number of decorative plants, and a bottle of fine wine.
It was the freebies like the wine where things got truly, uniquely weird and confusing for the Challengers who stopped by. While ''safe rooms'' were a common sight in dungeons that weren''t entirely hostile to delvers, a floor with no boss and no apparent puzzles became quite the mystery. How were Challengers meant to acquire the rewards from such a floor, if any existed? The truth was eventually discovered, although it had to be discovered several times as the first few parties who found out its secret neglected to tell anyone else after they arrived back in town. As it turned out, if two or more members of a party within a Floor Five section reached climax during their stay, a chest would appear - a secret Challenge Mode which had to be one of the most unique any Challenger had ever heard of. The rewards improved based on the section visited, with the lowest tier bedrooms awarding items like a stamina potion or simple metal buttplug, while higher-tier rooms awarded aphrodisiac potions (their safety much improved from Lollyp''s first efforts), printed pornography, or the bottles of highly-valued slime lube. Beyond that, a particularly thorough team eventually found that they could acquire all of the rewards if they made a stop in each section on their way through the dungeon.
All of this caused an incredible stir within the local Challenger community. True, you had to bring your own partners, but what need was there for a local brothel when the dungeon paid them for having sex? Of course, the fact that the payment itself was almost always sexually-themed items meant that those parties who had no interest in such things could choose to ignore the Challenge Mode at little personal cost. But still...the gold coin you could get for selling a bottle of slime lube on the market was still a gold coin, and many parties found themselves questioning just how close their members were willing to get with each other. The fact that this surely had something to do with the dungeon''s unique choice in divine patron was lost on nobody, but many Challengers were relieved to find that even couples with no chance of...fertile results were still rewarded with the full prize value.
As much as many of the visiting Challengers seemed to be amused and excited by the discoveries though, there was at least one among them who felt deep and utter regret. Indeed, every day she found herself asking just what life choices had brought her to where she now was, and today was no different. Physically, ''where she now was'' happened to be a well-outfitted office on the second floor of the Association headquarters building, but emotionally, she often found herself wishing for a deep, dark hole to hide herself in. As Kelsey knocked on her office door, she wished once again that she''d had the foresight to install such a hole somewhere on the premises. "Hey Alizz, mind if I come in? Got some updates to discuss."
The drider sighs as the door already begins to swing open. "I suppose you must. Let me guess, Brawler Brudd''s party has returned and begun showing off their latest trophy down at the tavern?"
"And how! You wouldn''t fuckin'' believe this one, Alizz, I''d honestly be tempted to call this one the first actual weapon Floor Five''s handed out. I mean, it''s got an actual handle to it and it''s gotta be as hefty as - " His boss quickly cuts the kobold short.
"Please, don''t feel the need to fill in the gaps in my imagination, I''d prefer to live in denial. I swear, at this point it''s like the parties are just competing to see what bizarre item they can get out of the dungeon today, and I''m one hundred percent certain Xenia is encouraging them. Surely they''re becoming more and more impractical every week!"
"Well, I don''t know, we''ve got some pretty adventurous types in town these days. Hell, even a couple parties I thought were packed full''a prudes a month ago are showing off their new toys these days." The kobold grins widely at the thought - while Alizz''s team hadn''t had many opportunities to visit the dungeon themselves, and they certainly hadn''t ''taken advantage'' of the Floor Five offerings, the newly-found boldness growing in many of the local Challengers had benefits for even those stuck back at HQ. Assuming one was interested in in those sorts of benefits, and sadly only one person currently in the room fit that particular description.
"I regret everything, Kelsey. If only I had known! I was expecting maybe, I don''t know, more loot items with improved fertility chances, not a rebranding into ''Fuck Dungeon - The Dungeon Where People Fuck''! If I wasn''t so deep into this shit already, I''d be seriously considering requesting a transfer at this point." The woman pushes her paperwork aside and shoves her face into her hands, nearly knocking her glasses off her face in the process. "Tell me this is the worst of it, Kelsey. Tell me it''s just going to be normal, monster-filled floors from here on, yes?"
"Well, I can''t speak for the dungeon, but I''m afraid I''m gonna have to pull you outta yer denial for at least the afternoon. Our ''special guests'' are gonna be here pretty soonish."
Alizz looks back up, adjusting her glasses. "The church? They''re here?"
"An advance party swooped in about twenty minutes ago to scoop up some rooms at the inn, ''in the name of The Church of Bounty''. The VIPs should be here in a few hours at most, and I assume they''ll want to come by to say hello."
The woman sighs before giving a nod. "Thanks for the heads up. I''ll clear my schedule, and hopefully this arrival will improve on our current mess instead of making it worse..."
Religion was, as always, a complicated affair in this world. While every notable church and almost all of the niche ones recognized the same official pantheon of deities, that did not mean they all got along or even worked towards similar purposes. Many deities had their own specific church organizations devoted to them specifically, and while some churches worshiped multiple gods, it wasn''t always the ones you might expect. The two primary war gods for example, who covered the specific portfolios of ''strategic warfare'' and ''tactical combat'', appeared to hate each other''s guts and meetings between their respective religious organizations often turned bloody. The Church of Bounty on the other hand was a two-god affair, jointly worshiping Kahlia, Goddess of Fertility and Palain, God of Harvests. While the church lacked some of the urban political favor other bodies enjoyed, it was perhaps the premier religious authority in much of the countryside. Raising children, livestock and crops were the most important goals in the lives of most villagers, and a church that covered all of those topics was fated to be quite popular.
One area where the church had almost no influence in however was dungeons. Dungeons were nearly always in semi-remote and inhospitable places, so there weren''t even territorial disputes about Challenger camps being set up on farmland or anything of that ilk. While Grassbrook was fairly pleasant, the low population of the region due to its proximity to the southern border meant the Association had been able to acquire unused land at bargain rates. So it was that when Alizz''s visitor arrived that afternoon, it would be the first time Alizz had interacted with a Bountiful Church official at all. This time it was Sely who knocked on her office door, the Divine Masochist being the group''s unofficial representative in divine matters. "Alizz, Bountiful Mother Elance Hammerdown is downstairs and requesting a meeting with you."
"Thank you Sely, please send her up." The cleric nods and vanishes behind the door, and a minute later it re-opened to reveal a very different figure. The woman who walked in and made her way over to Alizz''s desk fit at least two of the three main preconceptions the drider had about Bountiful Church officials. For one, she was a woman. While the church didn''t disallow male members, it did look on them with a faint bit of suspicion, as the church considered it to be important to raise children as well as just conceiving them and salacious rumors that spread about the church often led to them getting male applicants who didn''t seem to understand the difference. Secondly, she was a dwarf. While dwarves were not renowned farmers, they were infamously personally fertile, and having sizable families was a large bonus when it came to deciding who to promote to higher ranks.
The third stereotype was where Alizz''s preconceptions fell apart, however. Instead of a gracious, gentle motherly figure in fancy robes, the woman who stomped across Alizz''s office floor wore the same dirty traveling leathers you''d find on most Challenger arrivals, and she climbed her way into one of Alizz''s guest chairs without waiting for an invitation. She had a few gray hairs among her brunette braids indicating at least middle-age, which for a dwarf meant the woman was probably into her eighties. Still, her stout arms carried hints of strong muscles, and Alizz found her mind slipping into other stereotypes about dwarves being ready to work an anvil at a moment''s notice before she arrested that train of thought. The woman did her own quick analysis of Alizz in return, looking her up and down before introducing herself. "Field Agent Alizz, eh? I''m Elance Hammerdown, feel free to call me Elance, and I''m here to see just what sort of craziness the Goddess has gotten us all into this time."
Alizz finds herself raising an eyebrow at the brusque language. "Good to finally meet you, Elance. You sound as if you don''t particularly approve of the divine''s decision-making?"
The cleric waves a hand. "Don''t get me wrong, craziness is good sometimes. Hells, it''s been centuries and we still talk about the little project with the Goddess of Love as being ''the old craziness'', you know? Still, never once imagined I''d be dealing in dungeon business."
The drider nods. "While many churches have arrangements with the Association for training and class programs - my associate Sely being one of those on behalf of The Church of Enduring Suffering, for example - I''m aware your church is not one of those. I''m told though that your title of ''Bountiful Mother'' would be the equivalent of a Master-level Challenger class, however, which is an impressive accomplishment."
The dwarf grins, but shrugs as well. "Aye, we learn healing spells, blessings and the like. Of course, I earned some of my rank thanks to the eleven runts I popped out in my time, an'' I doubt that''s likely to be added to the Challenger program anytime soon, haha!"
Alizz grins in response, but only half-heartedly. "I wish I could be as confident about that...Worthy Dungeon is changing quite a few preconceptions of late."
Elance leans forward. "That it has. So, let''s talk about how the Association and the Bountiful Church can help each other, aye?"
DAY 53-90 SUMMARY:
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A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.CONSOLIDATED INTRUSION SCORE SUMMARY, DAYS 53-90:
ANIMALS SLAIN: 1 (WOLF)
MORTALS SLAIN: 12 (5 HUMANS, 2 ORCS, 2 DWARVES, 1 ELF, 1 KOBOLD, 1 GNOLL)
MORTALS ESCAPED: 76
NEW RESOURCE PATTERNS GATHERED:
FOREST, TEMPERATE BIOME (HIGH QUALITY)
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
INSECTS: D+
CLOTHING: B-
LEATHER ARMOR: C+
SHIELDS: C-
WOOD CONSTRUCTS: C-
STEEL CONSTRUCTS: C
FOOD AND DRINK: B-
SPELL SCROLLS & MAGIC TOMES: D
FUR CONSTRUCTS: D+
WOOD CONSTRUCTS: D
IRON CONSTRUCTS: D+
ROPE CONSTRUCTS: D+
TORCHES: D+
CURRENCY (RAINLANDS): C
CURRENCY (VALLEYLANDS): D+
BONE ACCESSORIES: C
METAL ACCESSORIES: C
ARROWS/DARTS: C
RANGED WEAPONS: C-
KNIVES: C-
SWORDS: C
SPEARS: D
WANDS: C-
AXES: C-
POTIONS: C+
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 12
MANA CAP: 172 (45 CONSUMED BY CONSTRUCTS)
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
SKILLS: BEAST TAMER (ADVANCED), BARD (ADVANCED), PRIEST OF MIGHT (ADVANCED), SLINGER (ADVANCED), STRING INSTRUMENTS (ADVANCED), LEATHERWORKING (AMATEUR), TRADING (AMATEUR), TATTOOING (AMATEUR)
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: TRAPMASTER 2
YOU HAVE SCORED FIVE KILLS WITH TRAPS. TRAPS UPGRADED TO LEVEL 3.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: DEATHBRINGER 4
YOU HAVE SLAIN TWENTY-FIVE MORTALS. ADDITIONAL FLOOR UNLOCKED.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: MANSLAUGHTER 3
YOU HAVE SLAIN TEN HUMANS. HUMANS RECEIVE A MINOR INTIMIDATION EFFECT UPON DUNGEON ENTRY.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: TREE CUTTER 2
YOU HAVE SLAIN FIVE ELVES. MANA SPELL EFFECTIVENESS ON ELVES INCREASED BY 40%.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: ORC CRUSHER 2
YOU HAVE SLAIN FIVE ORCS. MANA SPELL EFFECTIVENESS ON ORCS INCREASED BY 40%.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: STICKY SITUATION 3
YOU HAVE SLAIN AT LEAST TEN MORTALS WITH SLIME MONSTERS. SLIMES MOVE 10% FASTER.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: LIKE A BOSS 4
YOU HAVE SLAIN AT LEAST TWENTY MORTALS WITH A BOSS MONSTER. BOSS ARENAS CAN BE GRANTED A BARRIER WHICH PREVENTS ENTRY TO ADDITIONAL PARTIES FOR THIRTY MINUTES OR UNTIL THE CURRENT COMBAT IS COMPLETE, WHICHEVER HAPPENS FIRST.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: MOMENTUM 2
YOU HAVE SLAIN FOUR MORTALS WITHIN TWO MINUTES. SLAYING A MORTAL NOW HAS A LOW CHANCE OF APPLYING A 5-MINUTE FEAR EFFECT ON NEARBY MORTALS.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: NO WAY OUT (NOT) 5
ONE HUNDRED MORTALS HAVE ESCAPED FROM YOUR DUNGEON ALIVE. VOLUNTARY-USE EXIT PORTALS NOW RESTORE HALF OF A MORTAL''S HEALTH AND MANA WHEN USED.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: REPEAT CUSTOMER 2
AT LEAST ONE MORTAL HAS SURVIVED FIVE DUNGEON INTRUSIONS. DUNGEON LOOT IS IMPROVED 30% WHEN COLLECTED BY MORTALS WHO HAVE VISITED THE DUNGEON AT LEAST THREE TIMES PREVIOUSLY.
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REWARD SPENT: SURPRISING CHALLENGE
THREE FREE RANDOM UPGRADES FROM THE SOUL STORE ACQUIRED:
- KNIVES TO C
- AVIANS TO D
- SPRITES (EARTH) TO D
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REWARD SPENT: HIGH STANDARDS
SLIMES, NON-SAPIENT CONSTRUCT PATTERN ADVANCES 50% FASTER AND IS 50% CHEAPER IN THE SOUL STORE.
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SOUL STORE PURCHASE SUMMARY
SLIMES, NON-SAPIENT CONSTRUCT CATEGORY UPGRADED TO: C+
THREE SOULS REMOVED FROM INVENTORY
SLIMES, NON-SAPIENT CONSTRUCT CATEGORY UPGRADED TO: B-
THREE SOULS REMOVED FROM INVENTORY
LAGOMORPHS CONSTRUCT CATEGORY UPGRADED TO: C+
FIVE SOULS REMOVED FROM INVENTORY
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FLOOR 5 CREATED
ADDING NEW BASE ''CAVE'' MATERIALS:
SMOKE CLOUDS
MIST CLOUDS
ICE
NEW BASE ''CAVE'' CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED:
REPTILES: F
FUNGOIDS: F
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 6 TO 178
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Chapter 92: Looking Up
Down in the center of Floor Four, Xenia and DEATH OF RABBITS were playing one of their usual games of chess. While Xenia could teleport to any point in her dungeon at a whim, the fact that DEATH lived just a stair climb away from her current core chamber location somehow made him feel much more accessible, and the two had spent quite a bit of time hanging out in recent weeks. It may also have been a factor that DEATH had yet to fight even a single Challenger, and Xenia felt a little bad about him having nothing to do even if the boss never showed much sign of boredom. The chess set was custom-made, with a bit of input on the design from DEATH meaning that every piece had its own little set of rabbit ears, somehow making the game a little more fun to play.
Fun or not, the games themselves were often little more than a backdrop to their true hobby: philosophical debate. "I''m just saying, there''s no harm in blowing off a little steam with a teammate if everyone''s into it, yeah? Everyone''s got urges - well, most mortals do, anyways, so what''s the harm in mutually agreeing to taking care of each other?"
DEATH shakes his head as he moves his bunny rook. "A NICE IDEAL, IF YOUR IDEAL IS CASUAL SEX, CERTAINLY. BUT YOU CAN''T DENY THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF INTIMACY. PRETENDING THAT YOU CAN ENGAGE IN SEXUAL INTERCOURSE WITH SOMEONE YOU HAVE KNOWN WHILE NOT DEEPLY CHANGING YOUR RELATIONSHIP IS NOTHING MORE THAN DENIAL. IT IRREVOCABLY CHANGES THE BEHAVIOR OF THE ENTIRE PARTY."
"I''m not saying folks should, or even could feel nothing, obviously! But why let that hold you back? Change is growth, and if you''re not growing, you''re dying - no offense. And ha, Bunny Knight swoops in from the flanks!"
The boss leans forward to witness the demise of his rabbit bishop. "NONE TAKEN. YOU''RE FORGETTING THAT WHEN IT COMES TO ADVENTURERS, DYING CAN BE A VERY REAL AND IMMEDIATE THREAT. FEELINGS OF PROTECTIVENESS, JEALOUSY, OR SIMPLE HORMONAL CONFUSION COULD CAUSE A DELAY AT A LETHAL MOMENT. NOT THAT DEATH IS THE ONLY POSSIBLE NEGATIVE OUTCOME OF CASUAL PROMISCUITY."
Xenia snorts. "Please, hormonal confusion? Like letting yourself get backed up is going to avoid that? And this is about promiscuity in general now? DEATH, please, I didn''t take you for a slut-shamer! That''s sure not how I raised you!"
"I DIDN''T MEAN TO IMPLY THE ONLY CONSEQUENCES WERE NEGATIVE - ONLY THAT THEY EXIST AND MUST BE CONSIDERED. THE PARTIES INTRUDING OUR DUNGEON HAVE BEEN CHANGING IN RECENT WEEKS, SURELY YOU CAN''T DENY THAT."
"Yeah, they have, but you can tell because they''re smiling more, skullhead! You''d know what that meant if you had lips."
"TURNING TO PERSONAL INSULTS IS A SIGN YOU''RE LOSING THE ARGUMENT. AND THE GAME. SAY FAREWELL TO YOUR HOPPING QUEEN."
Xenia gasps. "Nooooo, queenie! Alright, fine, I apologize. But I''m right! The Challengers are having fun in here now, which makes me the safest I''ve ever been! From having two different governments breathing down my neck to having the Challengers on my side in a few weeks, all through the power of casual promiscuity! Maybe you underestimate its positive benefits, eh?"
"OH? THEN WHY IS IT THE ONLY MEMBER OF YOUR ''PARTY'' THAT YOU''VE SLEPT WITH IS STILL JUST THE SLIME GIRL? IF THE BENEFITS ARE SO POWERFUL?"
The dungeon master smirks. "Is this you flirting with me, DEATH? Are you the one feeling jealous?"
The undead shakes his hood-covered head as he moves another piece. "YOU KNOW WHO I''M TALKING ABOUT."
Xenia leans back in her chair, a little surprised. "Wait, really? You''re on the Xenia-Sincere shipping team too? What''s with you and Lollyp always pushing that, we''ve got nothing in common!"
"YOU BOTH HAVE GENITALS AND EMOTIONS. APPARENTLY THAT''S ALL YOU REALLY NEED."
"That is an outrageous oversimplification, and - " Xenia halts as a screen suddenly fills her vision, one taking an appearance she hasn''t seen in weeks.
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DIVINE QUEST
HAVE AT LEAST FIVE CHILDREN BE CONCEIVED WITHIN YOUR DUNGEON BOUNDS.
TIME REMAINING: 45 WEEKS
PROGRESS: 1/5
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She stares at it, wide-eyed, realizing what it means. "Hold up, hold up! Gotta put the game on pause for a bit, Big D, I think I wanna go check something out." As she stands up from her seat, she gives the monster a smirk. "Think we can chalk one up for the power of promiscuity."
As she vanishes, the boss shrugs and mutters to himself. "XENCERE IS INEVITABLE. THIS I KNOW."
As much as she may have been encouraging the changes in the Challengers'' behavior as of late, the dungeon master had to admit that even she felt a little uncomfortable about things at times. While creating a spirit avatar and walking around allowed her to focus on specific things at a high level of detail, as she''d once told Beatrice she was still at least a little bit aware of everything the mortals inside her dungeon were doing at all times. This meant she had enjoyed the honor of getting to watch nearly two dozen different adventurers getting it on over the past few weeks, and a few of those repeatedly. She wanted to give them privacy, she really did, but there was nothing she could do.
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Xenia did at least take the step of not forming her avatar on Floor Five while it was in use, which was about as far as her options went. Well, most of the time, anyhow. She did have to do the occasional quality inspection, of course. Just to make sure the Challengers were enjoying the environment as intended, given that she wasn''t exactly in a position to hand out surveys. They were solely professional, observational visits.
And if she did occasionally step in to create custom printed pornographic recreations of the events that occurred as special loot items for her repeat visitors, well, that was just a special bonus for her most loyal customers.
Regardless, today when Xenia popped into the second section of Floor Five it was for entirely dungeon-related reasons. "Guy! Guy! I think something just happened!"
Summoned to her side, the guide pops up a moment later with a questioning tone. "Oh? Did a Challenger finally manage to kill themselves mid-coitus? Lollyp was wondering if we might get an achievement for that."
Xenia grimaces. "You know, I''m almost starting to think that maybe killing people all day for a living might be psychologically unhealthy, or something. No, I mean I think someone just got knocked up! I''m wondering if we can maybe tell - " Before she can finish her sentence, one of the four bedroom doors ringing the section''s center chamber opens up, and an elvish woman and a male kobold step out, adjusting their armor. Going by the embarrassed looks on their faces and the several feet of distance between them, Xenia assumes they''re one of the increasingly-common ''what happens in Worthy Dungeon, stays in Worthy Dungeon'' couples, though it''s possible that it won''t exactly be the case for them this time. "Oooh, do you think it was them? Those two are...Traylana and Drossder, aren''t they? Know I''ve seen them in here a few times..."
Ignoring the invisible duo, the pair move on to one of the other bedroom doors where the kobold begins knocking. "Hey, you two done yet? We said an hour an'', well, it''s been an hour an'' a quarter already. Wanna get a move on if we don''t wanna end up hiking back in the dark, you know!"
A muffled voice answers through the door. "We''re coming, we''re coming, just getting dressed!"
The kobold snorts and mumbles. "Yeah, I bet you''re coming alright. Probably gonna be coming some more back at the Lucky Bastard, the way those two have been getting lately..." Xenia can''t help smirking at the comment, although the kobold''s partner lightly slaps him on the shoulder.
"Drossder! Don''t be mean...I think they''re cute together."
"Sure, sure. Though not as cute as the noises you make when I - " The elf is saved from a round of furious blushing when the door opens up, interrupting the kobold''s thoughts. This time it''s a redheaded human woman and a dwarvish man who step outside, their armor in a somewhat more in-progress state of wear than it was for the first couple, but that''s not what grabs Xenia''s attention.
The woman, the party''s Mage, is glowing. Literally, a golden glow emanates from the woman''s body making her appear almost angelic. It certainly hadn''t been there when the party arrived earlier, Xenia is sure of that, yet for some reason no one else is making any comments about it. "Guy! Guy, do you see that? I''m not going crazy, right, that Mage is glowing?"
"I do see it, ma''am, and I can tell you that''s actually a function of your dungeon interface. Not often used, as it''s very rare that dungeons receive quests, but that right there is a quest indicator. It seems that she would be our first quest credit."
Xenia presses her hands over her mouth. "Oh shit, we actually did it. We knocked up a Challenger! Isn''t that crazy quick, though, I thought the actual conception like, took longer than that, you know?"
The guide bobs up and down. "Could be the blessings of Kahlia, could be they simply got lucky, could be the fates already know it will happen and are giving us a heads up. Of course, whether the child will be born or not is still unknown, but all the quest requires is conception, so I''d say we''ve done our part."
As the chest containing the rewards for the Challenge Mode completion forms near the chamber''s healing fountain, Xenia stares at it in a moment of indecision. "Should we...do something extra for em? Maybe they wouldn''t even want to know? ...No, wait, that''s stupid. Whether they want the kid or not, I''m sure anyone would appreciate the heads-up. I''m giving em a bonus."
When the party steps over to the chest a minute later and the dwarf starts going through the items, they begin by finding the usual rewards for a Section Two chest. "Let''s see, slime-based dildo - we''ve got enough we don''t have to fight over these now, yeah? Heheh...stamina potion...a flip book of a..." The dwarf pauses as he takes the booklet in hand and lets the pages flip rapidly. "...a kobold lass dancing in a maid outfit? Ooh ho, got her tits spillin'' out, she does!"
The kobold standing behind him raises a hand. "Dibs!" After getting a bit of a look from his elvish companion, he shrugs. "What? You got the last two with the hot elf boys, I don''t know what you''re staring at me for."
"Haha, we''ll start a library and loan em around, maybe. And...a card? Don''t look sexy, it''s just a pic of a...babe?" As he holds up the simple card, containing only a single word and a picture of a baby in a crib with a full dwarvish beard''s worth of red facial hair, he reads it out. "''Congratulations!''? Congratulations on wha...oh. Oh!" He looks up at the woman standing next to him, the pair exchanging a shocked look, and the woman gasps.
"Oh! I...it''s...Lanfred, do you think it means...?"
The man grins. "This is the dungeon blessed by Kahlia, Olanna, I daresay the place knows what it''s talking about." The man pauses for a moment then, without rising from his kneeling position by the chest, turns so that he''s facing Olanna instead. Taking hold of her hand, he looks up at her. "Olanna...I know we said this sort of thing would be all, well, far in the future, but seems the future''s a nearer thing than we might have thought. Would you be willing to accept the vow of a foolish dwarf? So we can do right by...well, by what all appearances will be a handsome young lad?"
Olanna gasps again before falling to her knees and grabbing the man in a hug. "I will! Lanfred, of course I will!"
As the two join in a kiss, the kobold standing a few feet away elbows the elf in the hip. "Well, well...seems there''s gonna be a bigger party tonight at the Lucky Bastard than I thought."
The party collects their things, making their way immediately to the exit portal just a few minutes later, but they leave behind a dungeon spirit bawling into her palms as she sits on the edge of the healing fountain. Unsure what to do, Guy hazards a question. "Ma''am, are you...quite alright?"
Xenia''s bawling intensifies. "It''s just so - so beautiful! Did you see them? No hesitation at all, they, snnfff, they just loved each other so much!"
"That they did, that they did. Too early to call it a happy ending, perhaps, but a happy beginning at the least."
The dungeon master summons herself a handkerchief and blows noisily into it before speaking again. "It''s just...I really needed that, I think, you know? And I didn''t even know it til it happened. In the middle of all this...this blood, and murder, and gore, I''d almost forgotten...maybe sometimes good shit does happen too once in a while. Gods, forget what I said about Lollyp earlier. Maybe this place is doing a number on me."
"It''s a difficult life, ma''am, no doubt about it. Perhaps as it turns out, we''ve been blessed in more ways than just the obvious by our divine patronage."
Xenia smiles as she nods. "Never been the religious type, but you might be right about that. C''mon...if that happens - nah, when that happens again, I wanna have something even better cooked up for the loot box. This is only the beginning."
Chapter 93: A Priest and a Paladin Walk Into a Bar
When Bountiful Mother Hammerdown arrived at the tavern portion of the Lucky Bastard, it didn''t take her long to find the party reserving a spot at a table for her. It was still a little early for dinner for most, and far too early for the Challengers to begin working on their ''Drunk'' class levels for the evening, as many of them jokingly referred to the activity. The Paladin of Bounty sitting at the table in particular was easy to find, not only because she was one of Elance''s oldest friends, but because she simply stood out in any crowd.
The part-human, part-demon Sable Bluehair was the the only red-skinned woman in the room, and that didn''t even account for her height or the unusual coloring of her long hair. Which was green, of course. The family name had passed down to her from her ancestor, Bill of the Blue Hair, a legendary hero who had defended the Rainlands some two hundred years ago before reportedly settling down with a harem that included a member of every mortal race the New Continent had to offer. Sable was a result of the demonic side of that expansive family, which wasn''t even that many generations ago - despite her appearance as a woman in perhaps her late twenties, she was actually the second-oldest member of the group at seventy-five. In any case, the Bluehairs had been influential members of the Church of Bounty ever since those days.
As the dwarf woman climbed into her seat and looked over the rest of her group, she found a far more mundane yet still quite-capable selection of Experts waiting for her. Paladins were rare in the Church of Bounty compared to some other religious bodies, but every church needed at least some form of physical security and enforcement at times. Most of the rest of the table however was filled by individuals who were members of the church only in the ''attendee'' sense rather than the ''receiving a paycheck'' sense - at least until recently. Two of them, the human Renter Forst, a Thornwood Tracker, and the dwarven Podge Bootpebble, a Geomancer, were simply former Challengers who had been hired out of retirement to provide assistance on this particular mission. The fifth person at the table meanwhile, the elven Lilly Fullblossom, a Verdant Priestess, had come to represent the side of the church that focused more heavily on the blessings of the God of Harvests.
Leaning forward, the Mother gives a grin to her friends new and old. "Enjoying the tavern so far, are you? Bringing back old memories I expect for some of you."
Renter grunts and nods, his large, ragged leather hat flopping a bit as he does so. "Oh, sure, feels like I was at a tavern just the past week! Oh, wait, I was." A grin spreads across his face then, somewhat improving the look of his heavy stubble and poorly-trimmed black goatee, but not by much.
The Geomancer to his side snorts, his brown beard much fuller but his scalp much balder. "Psshht, y''know what she meant. Or I do, anyhow. Challenger taverns are a different breed, an'' sadly we didn''t have any back in my home town, though maybe yours was otherwise." He pauses to look around, particularly at the charms decorating the walls. "Dungeon mementos are a common sight in such places, they are, but luck charms are a whole other story. I daresay I seen more of the things spending two minutes in here than I have in my whole career up til now. I guess it''s a bit like finding golden doorknobs in a place carved from a mountain of gold, you kind of forget the value of the things when you have so many of them around."
Lilly smiles, her nearly platinum-blonde hair framing her soft face as she does so. "I think it says a lot about the quality of the people here! The monetary value of all this dungeon loot must be significant, even here, but they''re freely given and just left to hang out openly! Do...you think the charms make the building itself lucky, such that no one would try to steal from it?"
Sable grins, exposing her sharp teeth in the process. "That, and the consequences that would come from robbing a place frequented almost exclusively by Challengers. Oh, sure, Initiates are often morons, but even morons know better than to steal from a place filled with armed, violent individuals." Grin fading, the Paladin turns back to her friend with a more professional expression on her face. "So, how''d the meeting with the Field Agent go, Elly?"
"Before I answer that, I believe I want to get the opinion of our subject matter experts on a particular point. Renter, Podge, you two must have dealt with Association Agents and Administrators at some of the dungeons you''ve delved in the past, aye? How''d I want to put this...what would you say their typical opinion is of the dungeons they oversee? On say, a personal level?"
Renter''s brow furrows. "Personal? I mean, at most you might occasionally find a fella with a grudge against a place for killing a buddy of theirs or something at some point, but usually folks would get swapped out if anything like that ever got too noticeable. Most of the time I''d say they wouldn''t have feelings on the place any stronger than, say, a taxman would feel about their record file cabinets, you know what I mean?"
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Podge nods along. "Aye. I suppose I did once spend time at a dungeon with an avatar, and they had actually spoken with the Administrator a time or two, so I suppose you could say there was some sort of personal relationship there. But hells if I could tell you what it was, they were always, you know, neutral and professional about the place as far as I could tell."
Elance strokes her chin in thought. "Heard that was the case, but wanted to make sure. Cause I can tell you this - that ain''t how Field Agent Alizz feels about the master of Worthy Dungeon, not by a long shot."
The Paladin next to her narrows her eyes in a look of concern. "In a negative way? Does she hate the dungeon so strongly?"
Elance can''t help but laugh. "Sure, she hates the place, but the way a sister might ''hate'' a sibling - and believe me, I know a thing or two about sibling relationships. She''ll talk your ear off about all her gripes with the place - how many adventurers it ate up, especially in the early days, how hard it is to categorize and all that, but especially she hates how fuckin'' horny the place has gotten. Y''ask me, the lass just needs to unbind her corset a little, but oooooh it''s riled her up something fierce."
Sable tilts her head. "...But?"
"But she respects the hells out of the place, too. Thinks of the place on a first-name basis, even - didn''t slip what it was, but I could tell she almost did once or twice. And I noted too the bit about how the place used to be more dangerous than it is now - ain''t that just backwards? Whoever heard of a dungeon starting out mean and then gettin'' easier? You ask me, the dungeon and the lass worked something out together."
Renter leans back in his seat, sipping at his mug before commenting. "Could say that''s true of Domain dungeons, after the Dragonlord tames em. We may not do that up north, but it''s at least possible. Course...the Domain does that with government backing and all that. What''s a Field Agent got to offer that a dungeon wants?"
The Mother shrugs. "Bit curious, but I doubt it''s nefarious, didn''t get that feel from the girl. Just one of the things we''ll wanna poke into when we check out the place ourselves."
The Paladin nods before suddenly halting. "Wait, when you say ''we'', you''re not including yourself, right? Just to make sure."
The dwarf snorts. "Course I''m including myself, Greenie! You think I''d drag my sorry carcass all the way out here and then not see the chosen dungeon of our Goddess in the flesh? Besides, with Lilly here spending all her time on floral magics, you lot could use a dedicated healer."
Sable sets her mug back on the table and leans forward, eyes steely. "Elly, you''re tough as iron, but you''ve literally never been in a combat situation in your life. Don''t let that ''Master class-equivalent'' nonsense fool you, a dart to the skull will kill you as fast as any Initiate."
Lilly''s eyes go wide at the gory image. "Surely a dungeon blessed by Kahlia wouldn''t kill one of her own Bountiful Mothers!" In response, every other member at the table just turns to her and stares.
Elance breaks the silence. "Lilly, lass, a fair few dungeons out there got blessings by their various gods, yeah?"
The elf nods slowly. "...Yes?"
"You ever heard of one giving free passes to followers of their patron? Especially considering those followers tend to flock to the place and make up a big chunk of the Challenger crowd there?"
"...I suppose not?"
Elance nods. "Yeah, that ain''t how they work. But don''t worry Greenie, I ain''t a moron. I''ll stick to the back and play it safe - that''s literally what we hired Experts for, after all, to take the lead on this. We ain''t going in tomorrow or anything either. Gotta swing by the local church and say hello to the Cleric there, just out of formality''s sake. Word is the poor man can barely keep up with the increased number of visitors, let alone manage any bigger-picture shit, but it''s always good to avoid pissin'' in someone else''s back yard if you can avoid it."
"Well, that''s good. I still want to spend some more time talking to the local regulars, too, and - " Sable''s comment is cut off from the sounds of an announcement being made at the tavern''s entrance, and she turns around to spy a kobold walking in with his hands held high.
"More good luck today for all you early boozers in here! A round for everybody, we''re celebrating!"
A barmaid, herself a part-time Challenger, steps forward with a smile. "That so, Drossder? What are we celebrating - Worthy finally find you a gag that could shut that snout up for five minutes, haha!"
"Nope, gonna have to keep trying! Instead, we''re celebrating Olanna and Lanfred finally admittin'' the obvious - they''re getting vowed!" He turns around to indicate the human and dwarf following behind him, with a nearly-as-embarrassed Traylana coming along shortly after. As the pair wave to the crowd, the tavern erupts in cheers and applause.
One man at the bar shouts out to them. "So what finally kicked down your doors, eh!?"
Lanfred answers, holding up a piece of cardstock. "We, well...you could say the dungeon gave us a very special bit of loot on this run, haha!" He waves it around for the bar to see, and even at a bit of distance Elance can make out the image of a baby and the one-word title. Eyes widening, she turns back to her table.
"Am I seeing things, or are those two there claiming that the dungeon not only noticed but congratulated those two for coming with child?"
Sable, almost as wide-eyed, nods back. "That''s sure what it looks like. I haven''t heard of anything like that happening here before, but then, this ''Floor Five'' business has only been public knowledge for a couple weeks. This might be the first time it''s happened?"
Elance smiles as she turns to look at the nearby wall full of charms before glancing upwards. "Well then, bless our luck, and bless Kahlia. Seems our timing was excellent. Now if you''ll excuse me, I believe I ought to go congratulate the young couple - and perhaps hear a bit more about just what this divine dungeon of ours is like..."
Chapter 94: Door-to-Door Ministry
Two days later Doorman found himself faced with his first set of door-to-door missionaries, or at least that would be the impression he gathered from their appearance. While nearly every party that came by had a Cleric of This or a Priestess of That among their number, this was the first time an entire party came by wearing religious iconography somewhere on their equipment. What made it even odder was that only two of them were fully garbed as being church members - one priestess and a heavily-armored woman wearing holy armor so thick, the only part of her that showed was a pair of horns sticking out of the top of her helmet and a long braid of green hair that dangled behind it. The other three dressed themselves as more traditional adventurers, yet they also had patches sewn on to their sleeves marked with the same church symbols that were so prominent on the equipment of the other two. So, there was no doubt - door-to-door missionaries they were.
"Greetings! While I would bid you welcome, I feel the need to warn you that the Master of Worthy Dungeon has asked me to inform visitors that we''re not in the market for any other deities these days, thank you."
The dwarven woman near the front of the party snorts in laughter. "Pfft, I''m glad to see that you''re so devout with your chosen patron, then, but do ya not recognize who it is we represent?"
Doorman peers closer at the symbol they all wear. "Is that...an egg sprouting wheat stalks? Honestly, I have no idea what sort of chickens it is you worship, but I don''t think we''d be terribly interested."
The elven priestess behind the dwarf gasps in shock. "Do you not recognize the symbol of the Church of Bounty? But we serve the same masters!"
"Sorry, I''ve never been much of a church-goer. Or an anywhere-goer, you know how it is. If you also serve the Master of Worthy Dungeon though, I''m sure she''d be glad to hear it."
The dwarf points up at a rune marking the dungeon entrance above Doorman''s head. "No, ye daft door, she''s talking about Kahlia! You got her rune right there! The Church of Bounty serves Kahlia and Palain both, y''never heard of us?"
"Sorry, afraid not. So...you''re not here to try and convert anybody, then?"
The tall warrior standing in the middle of the party laughs, the sound echoing from her helmet. "Ha, if anything, you''re the one that''s been doing the converting for us! I don''t think we''ve ever seen so much interest from Challengers before we came to Grassbrook."
Doorman finds himself both a little surprised and pleased by the compliment. "Ah, well, we do our best to maintain a good reputation with the community, you know. So what is it I can help you all with this fine morning?"
The dwarf speaks again for the party. "Well, if at all possible we''d like to talk with the dungeon itself, learn a bit more about its relationship with the Goddess of Fertility and such. The Association''s had such meetings before, aye? I don''t know if there''s a formal way to request a meeting though, you''ll have to forgive me, never done one of these dungeon intrusions before meself."
This time Doorman sucks in a breath through his teeth before answering. "Ffhhtt, I don''t know. We value our relationship with the local Association agents, certainly, but I don''t know that the mistress would care to be summoned by just any party that comes by, you know? I mean, you''re all Worthy Dungeon newbies, too! We''re not in the business of just handing out free passes down to the core chamber just for asking."
The woman nods. "Aye, aye, didn''t expect as much. If we intrude the place and prove ourselves then, might that earn us an audience?"
"Hmm, one moment." The carved face tilts to one side as if he were listening to an inaudible voice for a few moments, before turning back. "How''s this: you make your way to the Floor Two boss, and you''ll earn yourself a few questions. You want anything more than that though and you''ll need to make your way past the Floor Four boss - which no one''s actually managed, I ought to warn you. Feeling up for it?"
The dwarf looks back at her party, particularly the warrior more than twice her size, and smiles before facing the door once again. "I like the sound of a challenge, aye - maybe this Challenger bullshit ain''t so much bullshit after all. Daresay we''re up for it."
"Excellent! Then we shall start with a riddle. ...What kind of chicken lays an egg that sprouts wheat stalks? Really, that''s been bugging me this entire time."
The dwarf narrows her eyes. "...None! It''s a metaphor for fertility, ya wooden-headed knocker!"
"Oh! Well, I suppose that makes a lot more sense. ...Little unnecessarily rude there, but I suppose you''ve answered the riddle. Enjoy your stay!"
As the party''s designated heavy Sable took the lead on the first floor, but that soon transformed into the woman soloing the entire floor on her own while the others watched. Not that they didn''t want to help, of course, but the quarter-demon clearly didn''t need it and equally clearly enjoyed putting on a show. The Barkbirds and slimes were easily slain by her blade, and her Holy Smite spells allowed her to destroy the hidden skeleton archers without even needing ranged weaponry. When it came time for the boss fight the others simply waited by the doorway as to not get in the way, and were treated to an entertaining demonstration of swordplay as the Paladin took BB apart piece by piece - in a literal and bloody sense - ending the fight in no more than twenty seconds.
When it came to the elevator portion of Floor Two, she did graciously allow for the former Challengers in the party to get in on the fun and earn some of their pay. The Geomancer Podge handled the ambushing skeletons by telekinetically ripping stone blocks out of the wall to pummel them with, while the Thornwood Tracker Renter managed the less-threatening but more-numerous spiders and bats with an impressive little display of skill. While the man carried a crossbow strapped to his back, he never needed to draw it, instead pulling on nature magic for the task. With flicks of his wrist, long, poison-coated thorns would suddenly appear in his hands before being flung away with impressive accuracy, each of them unerringly impaling a target.
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As the Verdant Priestess Lilly Fullblossom watched on with more than a bit of concern, the Bountiful Mother herself was getting quite the kick out of the display. "Haha, come on now Renter, tell me that ain''t just showing off!"
Adjusting his ragged hat, the man shrugs. "Hey, it''s just efficiency, yeah? Why waste a good crossbow bolt on something the size of your boot, and why muss up your boots by stompin'' on the critters? Won''t lie to a Mother, though - I may have perfected the skill by showin'' off in taverns a time or two. Occasionally at darts, occasionally when one of the basement rats would get particularly bold, heheh."
With a rather less impressed look on her face, Elance looks up at the elf Priestess standing next to her. "Hmm, and what''s got you all jumpy about now, though? I thought you had some Challenger experience, lass? You even got that official Association rank - what was it, level twenty-seven? You didn''t earn that planting crops, now."
Clearing her throat, the taller woman tries to add some confidence to her voice. "I''ve worked with Challengers - by providing healing after the fact, and occasionally providing Challengers with training in nature and holy magic. I''ve never gone in a dungeon though! Not to say I don''t have combat experience, I''ve fought many a wild beast...but I''m used to having a bit more space, is all. And some soil under my feet, rather than stone and gears."
As the platform comes to a stop at the bottom of the floor, Elance tries not to facepalm. "Why didn''t you tell me you were a dungeon virgin, lass? Bad enough that I''m a novice to these myself - do you think you''ll be able to handle yourself down here?"
"If Kahlia can show an interest in dungeons, so can Palain! And yes, although many of my spells are more effective when there''s flora already present, I can work without it. And also, you''ve heard the rumors about the fourth floor! If you really do intend on us being the first party to make it through, you''ll need my abilities!"
"True, true, just worried about the getting there first, is all. Anyhow, ought to be the second boss ahead, and sounds like we get to ask at least a question or two before we need to get all stabby. Let me do the talking, aye?"
After nods and affirmations from the rest of the party, they walk through the arena door to find the now somewhat-famous Lollyp waiting for them at the other end - the first woman to ever be reincarnated as a dungeon boss. While the slime does greet them with a smile, her tone sounds a little annoyed. "So, you''re the Bountiful ones, eh? You know, you''re getting a bit of a freebie here even before we get to the talking bit, given that now I don''t get to ambush you and give you a bit of an acid bath."
Lilly clenches her teeth as she looks at a nearby chemical pool, but Elance keeps a grin on her face. "Ah, there she is in the flesh - or whatever it is you slimes got, anyhow! Slime Elementalist Lollyp, aye? My name''s Bountiful Mother Elance Hammerdown - call me Elance - and I''ve been looking forward to meeting you."
"Glad to know I''ve got a fanbase, though I was never big on the gods before, I gotta admit. Anyhow, boss told me you get a few free questions, just to get us off on the right foot, so shoot - whatcha got?"
Elance calms herself a little before asking - if they only get a few, she wouldn''t want to mess this up. "I would like to ask about how it is you came to the dungeon, but if you are a Domain soldier as they say, I''m guessin'' that ain''t something you''d want to talk about?"
The slime nods. "Yup. Technically, dying might have freed me from my oaths of service, but I do still consider myself something of a patriot, you know? I''ll talk about some dungeon stuff maybe, but not that."
"Alright, then. So...they say one of the rules is, you had to consent to this. I don''t know what you were expecting at the time, but would you say it was, y''know...worth it? Livin'' in the dungeon and all that, as a second go-around."
This time the mage has a grin on her face as she answers. "Well, now that''s a good question. I will say I wasn''t exactly expecting this - I was the first, you know? Even kind of took the boss by surprise a little. I suppose to start with the personal reasons though - I was old, growing weaker and softer by the day. Literally, you know, it gets harder for a slime to hold together as we age. Now? I''m better than I was in my prime. I never felt this good in my life. And I''m not even a high-tier boss, believe it or not! I literally dream sometimes about when we get to the A, or the S-rank slimes..." She trails off for a moment before refocusing. "But then, you don''t really care that much about my personal reasons, do you? You wanna know if it''d be a good deal for other people to want to try and get in."
The dwarf chuckles a little. "Yeah, seen right through me. Already been getting questions, you know? Folks back home come to us asking for advice - should we try and prove ourselves to that new dungeon they got down south? Is it worth it? Is living in a dungeon forever actually a reward from the divine? And how the hells am I supposed to answer something like that? I''ve never even set foot in one of these bloody places til today. So tell me - what would you have me tell folks?"
Lollyp finds herself actually thinking for a short while before she answers this one. "Suppose before I answer, I gotta be honest about one thing - don''t try and sell folks on it too much, you know? We only got so many boss slots in a dungeon, and while we could technically start stuffing people in any random dungeon monster...that wouldn''t be nearly the sweet afterlife gig. If a hundred folks come in here expecting a spot, they''re not going to like what they end up with - if they get anything at all."
This time the towering Paladin behind the Mother nods and speaks. "Yeah, I was wondering about that. You got like, try-outs planned or something for when that starts happening?"
The floor boss twirls a wand as she responds. "I think we''d rather that didn''t happen at all. But to finish off the answer - if you don''t mind staying inside all day, don''t mind hacking folks to bits, and can make up your own downtime fun, it''s not so bad. We don''t sleep, you know, so you gotta come up with ways to entertain yourself. I lived in a dungeon even before I came here, so I got no regrets. Personal experience may vary, though. Bit curious though - any of you personally interested? How about the Paladin there, you single? I know we got folks interested in the tall, strong, and heavily-armored type..."
The Paladin in question laughs. "Asking me if I''m ready to die has to be the weirdest come-on I''ve ever gotten. I ain''t planning on settling down anytime soon, no, but one day...who knows? Definitely want to see what else this place has to offer first, though."
"Fair enough, and with that said - I think question time is over." Gripping her wand a little more firmly, the slime moves into an attack stance. "Play time starts now."
Chapter 95: Divine Might
Lollyp started off the fight with a classical lightning bolt aimed at the Bountiful Mother herself, which was easily intercepted by the Paladin and her holy-enchanted shield. By any honest reckoning, the outcome of the conflict was never in doubt - Lollyp had given up her biggest advantage by not ambushing the party, and on top of that every single member of the opposing party was higher-ranked than she was. Still, that didn''t mean she was going to make this any easier on them than it had to be. "Whoa! Pretty light on your feet there for a heavy, yeah?"
Sable''s smile can be heard through her voice as she answers, even if her helmet hides the sight of it. "Oh, baby girl, you ain''t seen nothing yet." As if Lollyp had just given the woman a special invitation, she follows up with a sudden leap that shocks the slime and several members of her own party alike. Rising so high that her blade nearly scrapes the cavern ceiling, the Paladin crosses twenty feet in the blink of an eye. Lollyp herself is so entranced by the sight that she nearly forgets to dodge, but fortunately her flexible body helps make up for her mistake as she dives away. Twisting back around as soon as she can, the boss blasts the heavy with a stream of flame, but it merely seems to wash over Sable like water.
"The hells kind of cheat class do you got? High defense and mobility like an acrobat?" The first response Lollyp gets to her question is the swing of a glowing sword, which she barely manages to roll away from.
"Come now, surely you''ve got personal experience with the reason - with the power and belief of a Goddess standing behind you, what isn''t possible?" Sable continues to advance with Lollyp continuing to back away, occasionally firing off an ineffective elemental blast or two as she retreats. At one point she finds herself caught in an entangling swarm of vines, a gift from the Verdant Priestess of the group, but that only causes the slime to giggle as she slips between them - even if she does have to leave her potion-laden vest behind.
"Pfft, you can''t beat a slime when it comes to tentacles! But, if I gotta dump the gear anyhow...boom." After gaining a few feet of distance from the newly-grown shrubbery Lollyp tosses a fireball at the entire thing, igniting every vial she had with her at once. While some of the mixtures have no particular reaction to fire, enough of them do to both magnify the explosion and to send hazardous chemicals blasting out in a ten-foot radius. Something in the mix does actually manage to halt the Paladin in her tracks as flaming oils spread up her left side, but her voice remains free of panic for the time being.
"Dammit, gonna need a min...alright, you guys can step in if you want a shot!"
"Will do." Stepping forward, Podge punches upwards with both of his fists, triggering stony walls to shoot out from behind the boss, pinning her in. Before the Elementalist has time to swap her targets Renter steps up alongside him, this time lifting a crossbow armed with a very expensive-looking bolt.
"As you said yourself, missy...boom." Lollyp begins to dodge the shot, but it would never have been enough - moments after the bolt passes clear through her side and impacts the stone behind her, the bolt explodes with a concussive force that entirely blows the slime apart, scattering her across half the arena. Smirking, Renter lifts the crossbow and admires it lovingly. "Gods, I love doing that. Costs five gold for one of those bolts, you know, but the look on their faces..."
Having finally put out the last of the flames through the use of repeated holy aid spells, Sable snorts before returning to the rest of the group. "I thought you Thornwood types were supposed to be stealthy."
The man shrugs. "Really, I prefer the ''one shot, one kill'' aspect of the school. No one said that one shot''s gotta be subtle."
Chuckling, Elance gives a pleased look at the party she''d put together. "Not badly done - even if you lot are a pack of showoffs. Ain''t those leaps of yours a limited deal, Greenie? Never mind Forst here spending twice what the boss loot''s likely to hand out."
Sable shrugs. "Stressing the body doesn''t hurt unless I overdo it, and how often do you get to jump around like that in a cave-based dungeon? Oh, right, let me answer that for you - not a lot."
"You are the expert, lass, or so you tell me. Alright, then...we skipped it the first round, but I would like to check out at least one of those special ''Floor Five'' sections while we''re here. Shall we take a quick detour, lads and lasses?"
After collecting their loot (and informing Renter that he was not getting an extra share for ''expenses''), the party took the portal in the following room which transported them all to Floor Five, Section Two. Each section was somewhat themed based on the floor it led from, and while Section One was little more than a raw cave and torches, Section Two wasn''t much better. As with all of them, a modest healing fountain made up the centerpiece of the main chamber, and as the party checked out the various bedrooms they found wooden beds with straw mattresses, barely large enough for two people. There was one feature that made Section Two popular with the Challengers who could reach it, however - the hot mineral springs which every room contained, large enough for two to four people, depending on how comfortable they were with each other.
Staring down at one, Sable finds herself almost drooling. "Goddess, that looks relaxing. Are you sure we can''t strip down for a quick break? You know, to get better first-hand experience of the place."
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Elance chuckles. "Sure, start with that, next thing it''s gonna be ''well why don''t we try to earn the bonus loot while we''re here'' and then we''ll be here all day."
"Well, since you brought it up..."
Elance gently whaps her friend''s hip with the back of one hand. "Come on now Greenie, you''re only quarter sex-demon, I know you can keep it down a little longer than that."
"Can, sure, should''s another question entirely. You wouldn''t deny an old friend a bit of fun, not to mention the rest of the party..." Turning around, Sable''s gaze lingers on the elf, dwarf and human behind them equally hungrily.
"I said down, lass, I can practically hear the damn thing knocking at your codpiece." Hearing the woman''s crude description, Lilly''s face furrows in confusion before her gaze moves downward and her expression shifts to blushing.
"Hear...what knocking? Are...ohhh..."
Sable''s grin now visible with her helmet removed, the much-taller woman steps behind the elf before wrapping an arm around one shoulder and leaning in. "Was born quarter-incubus, but got myself a Change when I hit adulthood. Still...had too much fun with the Lil Sable to whisk her away, you know? What do you say, Priestess, we could borrow the room and the spring for a bit and I could show you - "
As Lilly''s face starts to turn nearly as red as the quarter-demon''s, Elance steps in to the rescue. "Leave the poor virgin alone, Greenie, I said I just wanted to see the place. Holy Mothers above, you want to work your charms, do it after work hours."
"I''m not a vir-!" Lilly''s outburst stops as she notes the amused looks of Renter and Podge at her side. "Yes, let''s...keep this mission professional, shall we?"
"You''re the boss, Priestess." Before turning around to return to the portal, however, Sable does lean in to whisper one last tease. "Unless of course taking orders is more your thing..."
Floor Three went quite easily for the party, both due to their particular makeup, and because the floor had been visited enough times by now for its secrets to be fairly well-known. Podge''s earth magics allowed them to shortcut most of the traps in the Step Chamber, and Lilly was able to brush aside most of the sticky webbing in the Slime Spider section through the use of vines, although she did need to down a mana potion by time they reached the end of it. The following Terror Tentacle maze was outright trivial - with three holy-powered members of the party the slimy ghosts proved to be no challenge at all. In fact the longest delay in that section was the now-infamous ''Moaning Door'' at the center of it. Although everyone knew it was a trap at this point, Sable insisted that she get to ''check it out'', and when the door slammed shut behind her the moans were soon replaced by the sounds of repeated holy strikes. When the Paladin stepped back out a minute later, she had a satisfied smirk on her face, although she answered no questions about the room''s contents.
When it came time for the puzzle chamber the place was once again shortcut by Podge''s magics as he simply ripped the floor and ceiling apart, destroying every barrier and trap in their way. As they made their way into the safe room prior to the boss arena, Renter actually found himself grumbling slightly. "Pfft, what''s a Rogue to do ''round here? Either the traps are just right out in the open, or they''re made of ghosts! Not that I mind gettin'' paid to stroll through a dungeon or nothin'', but I ain''t had a chance to shoot shit all floor."
Elance rolls her eyes at the exaggerated grumbling. "Well they say we''ve got two bosses up ahead, which means you get to waste twice as many of your overpriced bolts. Besides, if there really is an underground forest waiting for us, you''ll be right in your element. So do pay mind that you don''t get yourself disemboweled just before we reach it, aye?"
"If I do, it''ll only be to allow you the opportunity to show off your healing magic, Mother." Renter smirks as Sable does her own eye-rolling, just before making her way to the arena door.
"Lilly, Podge, try and tie down the big one while I work over the quick one, yeah? Renter, shoot whatever makes you happy, I guess. We good? Good!" With that she pushes the doors open and steps inside, sword already at the ready. Although groups that had beaten the armor duo and lived to tell about it were still rare, there had been a few, and again the arena''s secrets were already public knowledge at this point. Elance calls upon holy magic to disable the hidden Terror Tentacles whenever they reveal themselves, and stone walls and vines burst from the ground to pin Tank in place within moments of the party stepping inside. Sable meanwhile rushes forward to engage the other boss, in a move that seems almost entirely unnecessary. As undead, the bosses were incredibly vulnerable to her holy smite abilities yet instead the woman focuses on her swordplay, matching the armor blow for blow.
"Nice!" The Paladin laughs as she ducks under a sword swing before returning one of her own. "You know how rare it is I get to swordfight someone taller than me? And a lady too, rawr."
"If you are atteeemmmmpting to flirt, you are barking up the wrrrrrong boss, knight. Should have tried the slime!" Dips stabs forward once again, but her blade is easily deflected by Sable''s shield.
"I''ll keep that in mind for next time, then!" The pair continue to exchange barbs and blades for the next several minutes, but it''s apparent the entire time that Sable is merely using the encounter as a chance to spar. Dips'' sword skills clearly rely heavily on her usual strength and size advantage, and while she may still have a slight edge over Sable in those departments it''s not enough to make up for Sable''s vastly superior fighting technique. Meanwhile Sable''s blade punctures Dips time after time, and when the armor leaves herself too widely open after one deflected blow, a final swing removes the armor''s helmet from her body. As Sable turns around, perhaps hoping to repeat the encounter with Tank, she finds herself somewhat disappointed to find the rest of the team sitting back and enjoying the show.
"...Wait, what? How long have you lot been finished?"
Renter scoffs, his amused look fading fast. "What kinda heavy lets herself completely lose track of a floor boss? With the lot of us ganging up on it, the big guy took like, fifteen seconds. Yours probably wouldn''t have taken much longer if you''d just smited the damn thing."
"Yeah, but where would the fun have been in that!?" Sable looks around and finds only unimpressed looks coming her way, and deflates somewhat. "Alright, fine, maybe I could be taking it a little more seriously. But hey! We''re going to be the first party to seriously try Floor Four! Aren''t you excited!?"
Stretching out, Elance chuckles as she begins making her way forward. "Perhaps a little. But let''s keep our feet on the ground and our heads on our necks, aye? Now then, let''s see what all the fuss is about."
Chapter 96: Forest of the Rabbit Cult
After taking the trek through the tunnel connecting Floor Three and Floor Four, the party finally emerged to find a view that was still rarely seen by mortal eyes. While underground dungeons did occasionally carve out large swaths of space for certain floors, the local Challengers seemed to be fairly agreed on the fact that an underground forest was an entirely new development in dungeon environments. Even the few descriptions the party had been able to gather on the floor failed to do it justice, and the group needed a moment to take in the sight before they could continue.
Lilly Fullblossom seemed particularly taken by the sight of the trees surrounding them, many of their trunks wrapped with bioluminescent moss which gave the forest a ghostly appearance. "This is...it''s the most beautiful forest I think I''ve ever seen! The Challengers think the dungeon was granted the forest by Kahlia, you know, but I have to wonder...do you think Palain may have had a hand in this as well?"
Renter shrugs, tilting his hat back to take in more of the view. "Not like Kahlia don''t do plants too, though either way someone up there must really like the place, if they gave them a forest on top of that reincarnation blessing of hers. I''ve seen a mushroom ''forest'' or two in my time, but I kinda gotta wonder how these trees and shrubs and that even survive. I mean, that moss shit ain''t a substitute for the sun, right?"
Podge chuckles alongside him. "That''s cause for all of how pretty it is, it''s nothin'' more than props!" Clenching a fist, he overturns enough nearby stone to topple a small tree. Lilly gasps in outrage, but before she can turn on him he raises a hand. "Don''t get on my case for killin'' trees now, lass - it ain''t a real tree to begin with. We leave and come back here later? That tree will be right back where it was a moment ago, like nothin'' ever happened to it. Hells, you try to chop the thing up for lumber and it''ll just turn to so much smoke when you take it outside."
Elance purses her lips. "True as it may be, it seems a shame to ruin the beauty of the place. Leave the destructive demonstrations for the wildlife, would you?"
Sable steps forward, perhaps encouraged by the suggestion of monster fights. "Alright, so apparently two parties have made it this far before, and they say that through these trees there''s a cliff up ahead. Seems plain that we''re supposed to climb up it, but they both ran into traps that kept them from going forward. Supposed to be nuisance monsters along the way, too. Renter, you''re up front with me, time to put those forest tracker skills to use."
The man grins as he moves up. "You know, I''ve used those skills a fair few times to hunt monsters out in real forests, but they were never the greatest fit for a dungeon intrusion. This could actually be a little fun." Readying his crossbow, the man takes the lead, cautiously checking every tree and bush the party approaches as they begin to head into the treeline. Things remain quiet for a short while, but after about twenty feet into the woods the man''s crossbow jolts upwards, moments before the leaves begin to rustle. "Above!"
A bolt shoots out, snagging a flying red-skinned reptile, but three more become apparent soon after. Podge flings a pair of small rocks at the creatures but it only serves to disrupt their formation, and the monsters return fire by spitting down at the party before darting away. Renter ducks under one glob of spit while Sable saves Podge from another with her shield, but in the confusion Lilly manages to dodge her way directly into the path of the third, and it lands on her left arm. The acidic chemicals eat through her priestess robes fairly quickly, and as they start to work on her skin the elf cries out.
"Easy lass, easy!" Casting a healing spell with her right hand even as she pulls at her waterskin with her left, Elance quickly works to wash away the foul-smelling gunk and to repair the damage. By time she''s done the only remaining mark on the woman''s arm is a spot of red, raw-looking skin, although there''s little the dwarf can do about the hole in Lilly''s sleeve. "Now, I''m an amateur at these things, but I believe you''re supposed to duck away from the incoming fire, aye?"
"Sorry! I thought for sure I was jumping the other way, I...I guess I panicked?"
Renter chuckles as he flings a poisonous thorn bringing a second creature down. "And that''s with a luck charm on, haha! Maybe we oughtta give her a second just to be safe?" With the monsters down to two it becomes far easier for Sable to block their attacks with her shield, and it doesn''t take long for Renter and Podge to slay those as well. After taking a moment to scrape the acids off of her shield, Sable shakes her head.
"Wouldn''t do that, actually. Heard one of the reasons there''s so many luck charms hanging up at the Lucky Bastard is because the dungeon actually seems to punish folks who wear a bunch of them. Some sort of anti-greed thing, people say, though it all sounds a little odd to me."
Podge leans over to pick up one of the slain monsters, dangling it by the tail as he peers at it. "Huh. Thought for a minute these were some sort of tiny dragonkin or somesuch, but looks like they got bat ears on em. Bat crossbreed, maybe?"
"Did hear tale of spitting fliers, though the one folks talked about the most was - whup, there we go!" Reloading his crossbow just in time to fire it off again, this time the Tracker shoots at a target much closer to ground level, causing an albino rabbit to skid to a stop as it exits a bush with the bolt through its neck. This time it''s seven monsters that follow the first, and the battle becomes far more chaotic - not so much because of how dangerous the rabbits are, but because of their sheer speed, and the difficulty in hitting them as they bolt around trees and under shrubs. Lilly fights far more effectively against the ground-bound monsters, her vines entangling and then crushing a pair of them, while Renter swaps to a knife and begins slashing at any that leap in his direction.
Podge meanwhile, perhaps as the front-liner closest to the ground, fares the worst. Three of the rabbits leap for him at once, and while one only sinks its fangs into his thick leather bracer the other two both manage to latch on to the dwarf''s neck - although they do have to paw their way through a bit of his beard to reach it. Fortunately the man''s fighting style leaves his hands free and he''s able to grab on to them both, yanking them away before tossing them at nearby trees. He doesn''t do so without injury though, the act of tearing them away itself worsening the damage the monsters had done to his neck, and blood begins to rather dramatically spray out as he smashes his arm against a rock to dislodge the third beast. "Gah! Fuckin'' little furry shits! Got a fuckin'' bite, do they!? I''ll show you a bite!" The dwarf actually begins to move to bite at the wounded creature still clinging to him, but wavers on his feet before he can do so.
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As Renter and Sable clean up the other monsters, Elance again steps forward. "Stand still, ya stonehead! Keep movin'' like that and you''ll be watering the grass with your life!" Wrapping her hands around his neck, Elance is able to close the relatively small wounds without too much trouble, although Podge''s face still seems rather pale even afterwards. "Alright, you won''t die now, but I can''t do much to heal yer blood back into ya. Down yourself a health potion or two, we''ll give you a minute to get steady on your feet, aye?"
"Aye, thanks much, Bountiful Mother."
"And this is why it''s crazy that none of you lot are wearing helmets." Sable taps her own before moving forward, scouting out ahead while the others watch over the Geomancer. It''s hard to argue with her, given that it seems unlikely even an entire swarm of rabbits would be able to injure the heavy fighter, and sure enough when they catch up a few minutes later they find a trail of severed bunny parts along the way. The woman herself is standing near the aforementioned cliff, glancing left and right.
"I think I see two good climbing spots from here, but I''m pretty sure the closest is the one at least one of the parties tried and found trapped. We could keep looking for another, or..." She looks meaningfully at Podge, and the dwarf nods back.
"Or, we make our own!" Downing a mana potion, the dwarf begins to make hand motions at the cliff as if he were pulling at the air, and one by one stone rungs begin to appear halfway between the two climbing locations. It''s a bit rough, but the magical ladder is located far away from any potential traps at either of those placements, and looks far easier to climb than both as well. "Haha! Shortcutting dungeon traps was always one of my favorite parts of the gig, you know?"
"Let''s just hope the dungeon spirit''s not the type to take it personally." As usual Sable is the first up the cliff, and keeps a careful watch out for threats as the others follow after her. "Huh, looks a little different up here. Not as much light, and the some of the trees actually look half-dead. If they''re all props like you said, that''s gotta be intentional, right?"
The party makes their way up without incident and begins to search through the upper level of the forest floor, but it doesn''t take long before they find a new form of nuisance monster: a swarm of giant wasps that dives towards the group from a nearby tree. Fortunately they''re only ''giant'' in the sense of over-sized mundane wasps, and not on the ''eat a dwarf in one bite'' scale of things, but they still prove surprisingly difficult for the party to deal with. Sable''s shield does little to protect the party from the insects, and the party has few weapons useful for doing more than attempting to smash the bugs with one by one. While the damage they do is light, several members of the party do find themselves collecting stings, their skin swelling every time a bug finds its mark.
It''s finally Renter who comes to the rescue, shouting as he manages to find something in his side pouch. "Yes! Knew I still had at least one of these!" After pulling a potion bottle from the bag the man shatters it on the ground, triggering a cloud of green smoke to quickly surround the party. The entire group finds themselves coughing as they begin to breathe it in, but the insects handle it even worse, several of them dropping dead immediately while the others retreat into the trees.
Elance does her best to choke out a question while healing the party''s stings. "Gah, did you just poison us all, you crazy human?"
"No! Well, maybe a little! It''s bug repellent though, mostly harmless to people. It''s a lifesaver out in some wilds, never thought I''d need it in here, but I packed some for the trip just in case! Should keep minor irritants like that away for at least an hour or so, though don''t expect much of it if anything dog-sized comes wandering around."
"Thanks, I guess." Sable quickly moves out of the cloud with the others following closely behind, gaining some distance from the noxious fumes they leave behind. "Those bugs could get nasty, eventually. Imagine that shit with deadlier venom in their stings? Probably gonna need to warn people to start collecting anti-poison potions."
Lilly nods. "I can craft some of those myself, perhaps I should make a batch before our next trip, assuming we come back. Still, I would imagine for a fourth floor there ought to be something, you know...bigger? Oh! Like - ah!" The elf points at a shadowy figure some distance away through the woods, but screams as it suddenly turns and heads towards them at great speed. It''s clearly not running, the movement isn''t quite right, but more as if it were simply willing itself to come closer. Even as it does the form doesn''t become any more distinct, remaining cloaked by shadows, though the elf would swear she sees signs of a skeleton occasionally visible within the dark smoke.
Sable identifies them first. "Shades! They''re undead, prepare your holy spells! Smite!" The Paladin aims her sword at the charging creature but is taken by surprise when the monster suddenly leaps into the air at the last second, causing her spell to fizzle uselessly against a dead tree. As it arcs through the air it fires a cloud of dark smoke in her direction, but the magic washes over her shield equally uselessly. "...Okay, not just shades! Mixed up with something agile!"
Sounds of stone moving behind her gives her a warning before Podge can utter it himself. "More on the other side! Think we''re surrounded! Giving us some defense!" The dwarf works quickly at building walls out of the stone around them, but it proves ineffective, the undead easily leaping over the improvised barriers. More blasts of dark magic shoot towards the group, one of which manages to impact Renter on his right side, causing the man to shiver and retch.
"Egggh! Feels like...like I just got a stomach full of rotten meat, or something! Gods, the taste..."
Sable swings her blade at a shade that leaps too close, and this time is rewarded by the sight of the monster fading into nothingness with a shriek. "That''s what their magic does, it literally rots you from the inside out! It can be healed, but try not to get hit!" The Paladin does her best to protect the rest of the party, soaking the hits on her holy-enchanted armor as she slays two more of the beasts, but she can''t prevent more blasts from hitting both Podge and Lilly over the next few minutes. Faced with trying to heal three of her party members at once, Elance decides instead to shift her tactics.
"Oh, Blessed Mothers Above and Kahlia, Light of the Divine, please protect your children!" Focusing her energy, the dwarven woman manages to call on the blessing of her goddess just in time to block several more blasts of darkness heading her way, as a shield of light encases the entire party within a golden bubble. With the defense taken care of Sable is able to refocus her efforts on offense, and her sword and holy spells slowly whittle away the undead as they dodge through the trees around them. Eventually the assault is over, and the shield collapses along with the Paladin.
"Fuck, that took a lot out of me. You lot still alive?"
Renter nearly chokes as he swallows another healing potion. "Yeah, and nearly wishing I weren''t. Thank the gods, literally, that we had you and the Mother on this delve. A solitary Cleric would probably have trouble handling all that."
Lilly recovers first, her own holy garments having provided at least some light protection against the undead magics. "Indeed. The blessings of Palain I usually call on are for good crop yields, not for fighting...leaping shadows, or whatever those were. ...Wait, look where the first one was standing, over there. Doesn''t that look something like an altar?"
After another round of healing the Mother moves to take a look herself, and soon confirms Lilly''s suspicions. In a small clearing in the dead woods sits a round stone pedestal, a good four feet wide but empty save for one item sitting in the center: a pink crystal, carved into the shape of a rabbit''s head as seen in a side profile. "...Okay, could one of you dungeon experts tell me what in the hells this is supposed to be? Is it loot?"
Sable shakes her head. "Looks more like a dungeon token, or a key. So now all we need to do is find out what it unlocks..."
Chapter 97: Death Strikes
As the Party of Bounty explored the rest of the dungeon''s fourth floor they encountered a few more solitary shades, but it didn''t take them long to arrive at the forest''s main feature. After following one of the mini-rivers back towards the center of the chamber they stopped to examine a short obelisk placed opposite a small island, and the carving on its front face made its purpose obvious. The only mark on the four-foot monument was that of a rabbit''s head, carved in profile, and exactly the same size and shape as the token the group found earlier. Holding the pink crystal up against the carving, Sable gives a nod.
"Yup, definitely a dungeon key. Given that it''s, you know, sitting right on the shore of a river, I''m gonna hazard a guess that it gives us a way across. Any objections to me slotting it in?"
Elance shrugs. "You''re the expert, Greenie. Which means I''m blaming you either way if this is a trap."
"Figures." The Paladin snorts as she snaps the token into place, and sure enough within moments the ground beneath them begins to rumble. One by one stone columns start to emerge from the river ahead, each of them eventually fitting together like puzzle pieces to form a narrow bridge across the water. Podge grumbles as he takes a look at the construct.
"A stone bridge, that''s all? Pfft, if we''d found this island first, I coulda just made one of those and spared us some effort!" A few others in the party chuckle, but a strange woman''s voice calls out, sounding much more offended.
"Cheaters! Take a swim, like a real Challenger!"
Sable quickly readies her sword, moving into a combat stance. "Didn''t that come from the river? Under the bridge, maybe? Who''s there!?" The woman carefully approaches the shore, peering under the nearest bridge supports, but finds nothing. "...Shit, don''t see anything."
Renter grips his crossbow a little tighter. "Right, well. Let''s just assume that the place has a water monster, and then not fall into the river on the way across, yeah? Paladin, care to lead the way?"
"Yeah, yeah." Keeping cautious but also making sure to keep up a brisk pace, Sable takes the lead across the narrow bridge, followed soon after by Podge. As both make it across safely the others follow, all of them breathing a sigh of relief once they''re back on solid ground. The Paladin continues to eye the river cautiously, but still finds nothing unusual. "Must be a special rule of the challenge, the monster can''t attack people on the bridge? Or maybe it''s just really sucky at fighting out of the water."
"Neither of em sound like theories I care to test today, honestly. But look ahead - the trees and rocks ''round here are so close together you''d barely be able to squeeze between em, except right where we''re at. Look like anything to you?" The Tracker points out the gap with his crossbow, and Podge nods.
"Aye, that''s a gate if I''ve ever seen one. Ready yourself, folks - think we''re heading into an arena."
The group moves forward, passing through a short cloud of mist to find themselves in what appears to be an overgrown cemetery. The markings on the gravestones are written in a mixture of languages, but Lilly leans over to read one written in Rainlander. "''One-Eye McChew, Should have looked both ways.'' That''s...what sort of name is that? Or that epitaph?"
As if in answer, the mist in the center of the cemetery suddenly turns black and begins to swirl, eventually taking the form of a tall man in a dark robe, holding a long scythe. Or something like a man, at least, the rabbit ears emerging from his hood raising some questions in that department. "A BETTER EPITAPH THAN YOU SHALL HAVE, AFTER YOU FALL HERE."
The adventurers wince at the sound of the voice, though most of them also appear rather confused. Elance growls out a question. "What the hells kind of language was that!? Anyone know what it said?"
Sable laughs in response. "That was Demonic! Grandma taught me a bit of it, what was it again...YOU! YOUR NOSTRIL HANG LIKE LOOSE BALLSACK!"
This time it''s the monster who seems to wince. "WHAT IN THE WORLD HAS YOUR GRANDMOTHER BEEN TEACHING YOU?"
Heartened by the boss''s response, Sable keeps it up. "YOU INSERT FRUIT INTO MY ANUS, PLEASE!"
"ALRIGHT, THE BANTER PHASE IS OFFICIALLY DONE, NOW." Swooping forward, the creature swings its scythe at the foul-mouthed woman, but despite the dark magics clinging to its blade the Paladin''s sword is able to block it in its tracks. The rest of the party begins to move to flank the boss, but the farm implement isn''t the only tool it has at its disposal, and with one hand it sprays a dark cloud of mist in their direction.
Elance pulls Lilly back as the former Challengers retreat on their own. "Stay back, it''s one of them rot clouds! Keep your distance!"
Happy to stay at range, Renter fires off a bolt at the monster but curses as it seems to fly right through it. "Blast! Should''ve asked one of you ladies to bless a few of these bolts before we started!" For his part Podge summons a giant stone spike to impale the boss from behind, but while the large mass does seem to force the monster aside, there''s little sign that it caused any injury. The only positive seems to be that the shade is unable to counter-attack, the Paladin standing there to block him whenever he begins to turn towards another member of her party. She even gets in one good swing after a few attempts, causing the monster to howl as the sword passes through the lower portion of its robes despite the lack of any visual harm done.
"GAH! FIGURES I WOULD FACE A HOLY PARTY ON MY FIRST OUTING. TIME TO PLAY ANOTHER CARD, THEN." After raising a fist the mist begins to swirl around many of the gravestones filling the arena, though it does no apparent harm...for a while. Soon though the soil at each of them begins to disturb, moments before more albino-white rabbits break through and dash their way towards the adventurers. Renter and Podge both find themselves swarmed by the tiny beasts, but Lilly has time to clench her own fists and utter a few words of condemnation.
"I cannot believe you would use such...such cute, adorable bunnies as monster fodder! How dare you make me do this!" Calling on more power than she had in the entire delve up to this point put together, the elf stretches out both hands - and the meadow comes alive. Every flower, weed and blade of grass begins to wave and stretch, and before long the monstrous rabbits find themselves ensnared by plant life as they attempt to dash around. Once their movement is halted their situation becomes even more dire, as more and more plants begin to wrap around their bodies, pulling them tightly against the ground and squeezing. Although the Priestess winces every time it happens, the cemetery is soon filled with the sound of snapping bones and animal squeaks.
"GRUESOME. BUT EFFECTIVE, I ADMIT." Giving up on attacking the squishier members of the party, the monster instead redoubles his efforts against the Paladin, swirling like a living cloud to bring his scythe against her in broad sweeps. It only seems to energize the battle-junkie even further however and Sable increases her own tempo in response. While she has to spend half her time dodging or blocking his swings, it still leaves her half her energy to push forward with attacks of her own, and every impact of her holy blade only weakens the boss further. Eventually she''s able to launch herself forward, impaling her sword halfway through his chest, and with a final wail the powerful spirit disperses. Even the over-sized scythe returns to dark smoke as he vanishes, leaving no trace behind.
Elance looks over from where she''s once again healing Podge of bunny bites and gives a chuckle. "You know Greenie, I don''t think I''ve ever seen you have this much fun."
"You know what? You might be right about that...oh, hey! Loot!" Battle already nearly forgotten, Sable rushes over to the newly-appeared chest and opens it up. "Got some necklaces with charms that match the bridge token, just smaller...enchanted I''m sure, dunno with what, though. A bottle with...oh, eugh!" She makes a face as she eyes the glass potion bottle, before holding it at arm''s length. "Pretty sure this is just a bottle of that lizard spit. I dunno, might be useful for weapons or alchemy or something, someone else can take that shit though. And lastly..." This time her eyes go wide as she pulls out a sword, wreathed in a thin veil of black mist as she unsheathes it for examination. "Oh damn, first enchanted weapon! Probably dark magic there, which uh...is kind of not thematic for me, I suppose. Anyone else here decent with a blade?"
Renter raises a hand. "Good enough to not cut my own leg off, at least. And hey, whatcha know - looks like there''s some stairs in the middle here, pretty sure those weren''t there before. Ready to head on out, ladies?"
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Elance smiles, but shakes her head. "Just about - but not until we get our answers."
Once the party finishes healing up and storing the loot, they make their way down the spiral staircase, this time with Elance taking the lead. After reaching a small landing area they push open a wooden door to find a room that matches the description of one they''ve heard of back at the tavern - a large chamber with a bed in one corner, a giant clamshell statue in the center, and a number of other tables and chairs. There''s one feature that''s a bit more surprising, however - the demon standing near the central statue, garbed in a mage''s robes. The group tenses at the sight of him, but the demon merely nods and gives a respectful greeting.
"Congratulations on being the first to complete the fourth floor. I daresay that earns you the brief audience you were hoping for, though we do of course have your more typical loot waiting for you as well. My name is Sincere, and I welcome you in peace."
Elance steps forward, handling the introductions. "Well, glad to meet you, Sincere. I''m Bountiful Mother Elance Hammerdown, this here is my friend Paladin Sable Bluehair, and we also have my associates from the church, Priestess Lilly Fullblossom, Tracker Renter Forst, and Geomancer Podge Bootpebble. If I understand right, you''ll be willing to answer some questions for us?"
The man pauses for a moment before answering. "...Yes, but first, a question of my own. Paladin, you wouldn''t happen to be the daughter of Helios Bluehair, by any chance?"
Sable sighs and nods. "Yup, that''s my grand - wait, Helios? You''re asking about my dad, not Grandpa Bill?"
Sincere chuckles. "Well, everyone knows your grandfather of course, at least by reputation. I knew your father personally, however, as we both worked once on an expedition to the Hordelands."
The Paladin''s eyes go wide. "The tour of the Old Continents! That was before I was even born - what, ninety years ago? But wait, that means you''ve been outside the dungeon..."
Elance nods along. "That would make you one of the dungeon''s reincarnations, aye? Makes me doubly glad we get to speak, then."
"Of course, it is rare that we get much company these days. Forgive my manners, please, take a seat and some refreshments." He motions towards a nearby table, and wine and snacks appear as he does so. "Food courtesy of our gracious host, who is listening in at the moment, incidentally."
"Glad to know." The Mother leads the party in taking a seat and a drink, although she leaves the food for the time being. "So, as to our questions - my first is one I would like to pose to my Goddess herself, but of course the gods rarely deign to answer our queries. I don''t suppose you have any insights into why Kahlia would be getting into the dungeon business now, all of a sudden?"
"We do, actually. For starters, it''s not that sudden - apparently the Goddess has had an interest for a few decades now. We were just the first to have a mutual interest, rather than aligning ourselves with one of the more common, martial-minded divinities. As to the specifics, it would seem that Kahlia has taken a fancy to seeing more Challenger offspring, after being...inspired by a few particular examples."
Lilly leans forward, interest written on her face. "And why was it that your dungeon chose the Goddess of Fertility as a patron? You seem aware that it''s an unusual choice."
Sincere smirks and shrugs. "Well, it was before my arrival, of course, but the core of it is that this is an unusual dungeon. The option of being a dungeon of life and death sounded interesting, and so our Master took the gamble."
Renter notices the look on Elance''s and Lilly''s faces and chuckles. "Heh, think we were maybe expecting something a little deeper than ''why not'', but hey, the occasional gamble keeps life interesting, right? Seems like it really worked out for you though, right? I mean, the boss reincarnations, the forest, and...whatever you''ve got going on with your Floor Five shit. Ain''t that a lot?"
"I''m not cleared to discuss the fine details of our arrangement, but I will say that the Master of the Dungeon and the Goddess of Fertility have established a fairly good working relationship, and we''re hopeful that it will, if you''ll pardon the pun, prove fruitful going into the future."
Elance snorts. "Aye, speaking of being fruitful, we saw that card you handed off to that couple the other day - seems you''re taking an interest in the family planning of your visitors, are you?"
Sincere plays coy, shrugging again. "Like I said, I''d rather not discuss the details, but it''s a topic of interest to Kahlia, so we may have taken a slight interest of our own."
The Mother smiles back. "Interesting indeed. Tell me, anything else you''d be willing to work with the Goddess on - or to be more to the point, to work with the Church of Bounty on? As her mortal representatives and such."
This time the demon looks slightly surprised at the change in topic. "You''re asking after, what, collaborative projects with the dungeon? While I''m aware that ''blessed'' dungeons often have local churches sprouting up in the vicinity afterwards to support the gathering faithful, that''s more of an incidental relationship, rather than one of active cooperation. What is it you''re hoping to achieve?"
"Heh, well, fortunately I don''t know shit about how dungeons usually work, so I''m flyin'' by the seat of my metaphorical robes here. We will be looking at setting up a local house of worship, certainly, but I don''t see any reason to limit it to that, if you''d be up for more. For example, you gave us that creepy dark sword earlier, which was right nice, but as Sable noted at the time, not really in keeping with our ''theme''. If ye gave loot items more aligned towards items our flock usually covets - fertility charms, seedlings for improved harvests, divinely blessed items and so on, it''d help support the faithful even further."
"Hmm, well, I''m not sure which of those are currently within our capacity, but aside from that, this seems rather one-sided. It''d help attract more of your faithful to the region, but that''s not a particularly Challenger-heavy demographic. Why would we choose to spend our effort on loot like that, rather than the items our current, ah, clientele is already in favor of?"
The Bountiful Mother nods and reaches for a bag at her waist. "We''re a church, now, we''re well-acquainted with the idea of offerings and sacrifices. We help you, you help us, aye? Now, I''m told that ''feeding'' dungeons is frowned upon, but I do think we can offer a fair trade that ain''t going to ruffle any feathers. For example - a sample of the sort of thing I asked for, enchanted crop seeds." She pulls a smaller cloth bag out and places it on the table in front of her. "I doubt fast-growing wheat would manage to kill anyone, and from what I''ve seen and heard, you can already make the plants in here full-grown as you like. But if it helps you make more of these as loot, I''d have no problem giving you some as a gift."
Sincere looks off to the side, listening to an unheard voice, before turning back to the group. "The Master of the Dungeon isn''t willing to make any promises right now, but she''d be happy to accept your gift and consider her options. There may be the possibility of providing better ''themed'' loot to parties specifically arriving from the Church of Bounty, which would at least keep the local Challengers from getting unhappy when they expect a new shield and get a bag of seedlings instead."
"Glad she''s willing to hear us out, at least. One last request - any chance we''d be able to speak in the future without going through all this rigmarole? I''m used to asking questions that don''t often get answered, but I usually don''t have wee rodents trying to gnaw my ankles off while I''m doing it."
The demon once again spends some time listening to his boss before responding. "While that is fair, the Master of the Dungeon doesn''t want the reputation of being too accessible - that would only encourage others to think that they have some right to pry into our secrets. The occasional visit may be tolerated, but the Master would recommend that you perhaps join forces with the local Field Agent, perhaps assigning a representative to her team. It is expected that the Challenger''s Association would have better access, and I doubt an extra Cleric or Priestess would look much out of place."
Elance considers the idea before nodding. "Could be an idea, I''ll have to talk to her, of course. That does remind me, you have a good working relationship with the Field Agent, do you? I got the impression the two of you may have worked out a deal or two in the past."
"Well, I won''t confirm or deny any arrangements we may or may not have made. I will note though that Lollyp, our Boss of Floor Two, and Field Agent Alizz are related by marriage, by way of Lollyp''s deceased brother. We do try to stay on good terms, yes."
"My! How ain''t I heard of that already!? Guess I should have paid more attention to Challenger gossip. ...Well, feel like I ought to have more for you after all this effort getting here, but to be honest I''m half near exhausted from all that business. I haven''t had that sort of exercise in decades, now! Unless you''ve got anything, Lilly, perhaps it''s time we said our farewells?"
Lilly shakes her head, but Sable leans forward. "Wait, hold on now - we''re the first party to get to see the Floor Five section that unlocks for beating that shade boss! We''re not leaving without giving it a try, right?"
Her dwarven friend laughs. "I don''t know why you''re looking at me, Greenie. If you and someone else want to break it in though, feel free."
"Alright, then. How ''bout it, Lilly, wanna pick up that conversation where we left off?" The Paladin waggles her green eyebrows at the nearby elf, but she just turns away demurely, so Sable looks elsewhere. "Fine, fine. Renter? Podge?" As the two ex-Challengers both shake their heads, the woman groans. "Are you kidding me? It''s not me, right? I don''t usually strike out this many times in a row."
Renter chuckles. "Maybe another time lass, but as your friend said, I''m exhausted and already downed far more potions today than I would like. May as well try the demon fellow there, eh?" As Sable turns her attention on Sincere, the man starts to let her down easy.
"While that is quite tempting, unfortunately the Floor Five rewards are...oh? One moment..." The man pauses to listen to his master once again, and chuckles before resuming. "Well. I have just been informed that the technical language on the Floor Five challenge is only that two parties are both satisfied - there is apparently no requirement that both parties be mortals. And the Master of the Dungeon and I are both agreed that we would like to ensure that all our guests are fully...satisfied, so if you wish, I would be happy to help complete your tour of Floor Five."
As the Paladin clenches her fists in victory, Elance rolls her eyes. "Figures you''d somehow be the one to seduce a dungeon boss, Greenie. If y''can call that seduction, anyhow. You have fun now lass - but I think I''ll be taking that as my cue to head back to my own quiet bed..."
Chapter 98: Breaking In - Explicit
While the rest of the Church party collected the remainder of their loot and used the exit portal out, Sable was left behind and practically vibrating with energy. As Sincere rises to his feet he can''t help but chuckle - although nearly everyone is young compared to him these days, seeing a mid-level Paladin almost bouncing around as if she were a schoolgirl on her first date makes her seem much younger. "I have to say, I''m flattered by your interest, even if I weren''t your first choice. Not that I blame you - the Priestess was rather cute."
Sable removes her helmet and tosses it into a bottomless bag at her hip, letting her smile be seen. "Oh, I''ll talk her around one of these days, you''ll see. You do have kind of a sexy male librarian look going on yourself though, don''t sell yourself short! Though I''ll admit, part of it''s that I sometimes lean into my ancestry a little more than I ought to, and I haven''t had much chance during our trip down here. Grandma was a succubus, as I''m sure you know - and while I don''t need it like she does, I do still get a little, well...thirsty after a while."
Sincere smiles as he steps closer, noticing as he does so that she''s a little taller than even him. On top of that, even with her armor on she''s clearly far more solidly built. "Are you sure you''re not quarter-fiend? You do show quite a few demonic traits for someone with a single grandparent, but I daresay I''ve never seen a succubus your size before."
The Paladin not-so-subtly flexes, stretching out her biceps and pushing out her chest. "Oh, you can thank Grandpa Bill for that - from what Grandma says, the man was an absolute monster of a human. Says I take after him in a lot of ways. Hope I''m not too intimidating." The grin on her face seems to imply she''s more than willing to pick the man up and carry him out herself if she needs to.
"Not at all - in fact..." Sincere trails off as he listens to something before rolling his eyes. "Well, I do not have a type as my employer is currently claiming, but it is true that you have quite a bit in common with my previous paramour."
Sable gasps slightly. "Oh, fuck, I forgot the dungeon spirit was still here! I hope that doesn''t make this more awkward, though actually..." As the wheels in her head turn, it doesn''t take long for her smile to return to her face. "If they want to watch, that would be kind of hot, too."
The man hesitates for a moment before answering, although he does so with a chuckle. "Sadly, I think we''re both agreed that that would perhaps make our work relationship a little too complex. Speaking of, it is perhaps time to vacate my employer''s bedroom - shall I show you that new floor section you were so interested in?"
"Hells yeah!" Sable follows along as Sincere points out a shortcut portal next to the door, marked with a sign so as not to be confused with the exit out. As she steps through she finds herself in a chamber generally shaped and sized the same as the Section Two room she had been in earlier, but with a notably different sense of decor. While it''s not nearly large enough to give off the appearance of a forest as Floor Four does, trees and bushes do obscure much of the stony walls, and wooden entrances jut out at four locations to mimic the appearance of log cabins surrounding the central chamber. The Paladin takes a quick drink from the healing fountain in the middle of the room while waiting for Sincere to come through after her, but even after he arrives she still needs a little longer to take it in.
"Gods, this is really chill. Hey, are those bird chirps I hear? You put a lot of effort into making this place feel bigger than it is."
"A place of relaxation did seem like it would be appreciated, after the stresses of fighting for one''s life. But please, choose a room - you''ll find that most of our efforts went into the amenities inside."
Sable does so, opening one of the identical doors to find that the ''fake log cabin'' theme continues inside as well. Fake windows show off tree-filled alcoves, lit by more of the bioluminescent moss, and the walls are shaped into the form of cut wood. The bed taking up one corner is far fancier than the simple furniture they found in Section Two, a large poster bed covered in white and green fabrics that make it look qualified for use by a minor noble. The opposite corner however entirely forgoes the cabin approach, with a stone outcrop jutting into the room and letting loose a gentle waterfall into a large basin in the floor, taking up the entire corner. While it''s not heated in the way the pools in Section Two were, the water is crystal clear, and Sable is suddenly reminded of the fact that she''s been hiking and fighting all day in a suit of heavy armor.
"Holy fuck, that bath looks amazing. Hope you don''t mind if I start off with a dip? That looks way nicer than the rental tubs down at the Lucky Bastard."
"By all means. And...''holy fuck''? Rather foul-mouthed for a Paladin, aren''t you?"
Sable grins as she pulls her breastplate over her head. "I work for Kahlia, remember? Fucking is holy for us. Although I regret to report you won''t be able to knock me up, although you''re still invited to try."
"As a dungeon monster that wouldn''t be possible..." Sincere trails off as her codpiece hits the floor, revealing the bulge in her pants underneath, and the man laughs. "...but I see now what you mean. I''ll put in my best efforts regardless. Might I join you?"
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"Of course - wouldn''t want you just standing around, even though I''m sure you enjoy the show." Sable finally finishes pulling off the last of her armor, and her smallclothes soon follow, though she teases the man by turning to show off her muscular backside and firm butt before stepping into the water. "Ooooooh, this is good. The hot springs might''ve been nice too, but this is just what I needed. At least...what I needed to start off with." Turning back around, Sable shows off her impressive breasts as she takes a seat along the side, her height meaning the red-skinned globes and their dark maroon tips are clearly visible above the waterline. She gets a show of her own as she does so, finding that Sincere''s robes take far less time to remove than her armor did.
Although Sincere''s not one for making a display of things, the way his toned chest reveals itself as his robes hit the floor, followed by the freeing of his half-erect cock when his pants follow them, is more than enough to draw a purr from his audience. "Nice. I mean, still got the sexy librarian thing going on, but it''s nice to see you''ve got a bit of muscle underneath all that. And...I got no complaints about the rest, either."
The man smirks as he slips into the water. "I''ll pass on your compliments to the artist. In some ways my body isn''t what it used to be, but in others, well...it''s interesting what can happen when a woman gets to design the form you''ll be reborn into."
"The dungeon spirit did that personally? Well, yeah, I suppose she would have had to. Yeah, pass on my compliments alright."
Sincere nods and begins to reach for some nearby soap. "Would you like me to wash your - " The suggestion is cut off as Sable practically launches herself across the small pool, landing herself in his lap and practically thrusting her tits into his face.
"While I appreciate the thought, I am way past that slow-burn, physical touch foreplay shit right now. If you don''t mind, I''d like to get right to the main attraction - if there''s no complaints?"
While he hadn''t gotten a good look at it before, Sincere can now intimately feel Sable''s erection pressed up against his stomach, and the woman''s need - and further impressive size - is incredibly apparent. "I intend to be a good host, so of course, suit yourself. And I have to say, compared to Helios - "
Sable quickly cuts him off. "If you''re about to say something implying you fucked my dad, I''m gonna have to stop you there."
The man nods eagerly. "Of course, I wouldn''t dream of such a foolish thing. There''s no - " That''s all he gets out before the Paladin locks lips with him in a kiss, and as she embraces him closer she begins to grind against him, thrusting her cock up his chest while his own begins to slide between her ass cheeks. Despite her apparent full attention on both of those tasks, at some point she also manages to use one hand to fish out a bottle sitting next to the soap, and begins to lather up the other with the freely provided lubricant. Fortunately the slime-based fluid holds together well underwater, and when she swaps to spreading it along Sincere''s shaft the man groans.
"Nng! You know, I had, ah, questioned the wisdom of giving away free samples of one of our most valuable ''exports'', even for a Floor Four reward, but I am now very glad we did so." Sable grins at the expressions that cross the man''s face, but her entertainment can only hold her back for so long, and after applying the last of the lubricant to herself she re-aligns herself over his lap. Slowly pressing herself downwards, this time the both of them groan as the slime-covered appendage slides its way into her ass. The gel-like fluid and the Paladin''s apparent experience serve them well however, and it''s not long before Sincere finds himself fully hilted.
After taking a moment to compose herself, Sable again looks down at Sincere''s face with a grin, squeezing him playfully as she does so. "Ahh, you''re a nice fit, you know? Ready to get serious?" The well-toned librarian nods and Sable begins immediately, lifting herself up slightly with her knees before slamming back down. After doing so a few more times she starts to pick up the pace, causing her anatomy to bounce and rub against her partner, a fact which Sincere decides to take advantage of. Gripping her shaft in one hand and a tit in the other, Sable''s own motions begin to provide all the energy required for him to jack her off, the impressive organ forcing its way up and down the inside of his fist with each thrust.
The incredibly pent-up quarter-succubus explodes not long after that, although it''d be incorrect to say that she doesn''t last much longer. Even as spurts of white cum shoot their way out of the water, some of it landing on each of their chests, the woman doesn''t stop bouncing up and down for a moment. Keeping his grip on the rock-hard cock firm, Sincere looks up with a bit of surprise. "No need for a rest?"
With an intense look on her face, Sable groans back down at him. "After one round? Ahn, I''m, ahn, almost offended! Hells, I might get my second in before you pop off once - though I''ll do my best to make it otherwise, heheh." She does somewhat shift her focus though, swapping to rotations and grinds rather than hip thrusts for the next while, and making a point of pushing her breasts into his face as she does so. He takes the obvious hint and begins teasing them with his mouth, though his focus is short-lived as Sable begins expertly clenching him with her inner muscles. Sure enough Sincere''s limits are passed soon after, and Sable finds her ass filled with more than just lubricant and demon dick.
"Ahhh, hot. I''m almost there again though, so forgive me if I take the lead for a moment..." Getting off of her knees and standing up on the pool''s seating, the Paladin quickly slides herself off of Sincere''s manhood and begins to tower over the still-seated man, giving him an eyeful of her crimson girlcock in all its glory as it thrusts out above him. A view that soon becomes enforced, as Sable grabs onto his hair with one hand and starts stroking herself off with the other. Sincere begins to move to assist, but his hands get no further than her thighs before the woman groans again and her balls begin to clench. A moment later the first rope of cum paints his face, but far from the last, as even on her second round Sable proves herself capable of producing a rather prodigious result.
After the grip on his scalp finally relaxes and Sable lets herself back down into the pool, Sincere gives his partner a rather messy smile. "I certainly won''t question your endurance again. I''m not sure how long my own could keep up, but if you still want more...?"
Sable smiles at the question as she floats back in the water. "I do need just a second to catch my breath. But oh yeah, wash up and dry off, cause I ain''t anywhere near done yet. Next up - it''s time to break in that fancy bed..."
Chapter 99: The Dragons Lair
When Sincere returns to the core chamber several hours later, he finds a smirking Dungeon Master and Floor Two boss waiting for him. "Evening, ladies. Did I miss an amusing joke?"
Xenia chuckles. "Not a joke at all, from what I picked up. Tired you out, did she? That Paladin left almost an hour ago, Lollyp recovered and came down here before you did and she was dead."
The demon sighs. "Not to complain, but many are the lamentations of my mere B-tier form. I would never allow a partner to leave unsatisfied, but compared to one of her stamina, well...I''m afraid the matter required the full use of my reserves. Please, feel free to kill a few more mortals at your earliest opportunity, and grant me a promotion into the A-tiers, would you?"
Lollyp''s smirk grows. "I''ll see what I can do! Hehe, you know I joked about it a little, but I wasn''t actually expecting you two to hook up, or at least not on her first time through the dungeon! She was pretty hot stuff though, right?"
"If you wish to see for yourself, I''m sure you would find success offering such the next time she comes through - while she does have many qualities, being particularly picky in her partners does not appear to be one of them. Anyhow, I don''t suppose we have anything to discuss tonight other than the soreness of various parts of my body and the causes for such?"
Xenia nods, her expression a little more serious. "Yeah, actually. If everyone''s up for it, I was thinking tonight we do another dive into the old dungeon and try to unlock another floor."
The slime to her side looks a little surprised. "Oh, tonight? Seemed like you were putting off doing that again, any reason we''re doing it now? Not that my schedule is exactly busy."
"Just basic preparedness. Floor Four finally got cleared for the first time today, and while not every party is going to have so many hard counters for our traps or the undead, most of its secrets are gonna be public info now. It''s only a matter of time before other Challengers start trying it again, and maybe even beating it. We don''t need to rush into opening a Floor Six, but I''d feel better at least having it available."
Sincere considers the thought. "That does sound reasonable. Any change to our party composition?"
"Yeah, figure Big D could use a little more opportunity to stretch his legs, so I''ll have him take the place of Tank and Dips. He''s decent for melee and ranged, so I think the four of us should be good. If there''s no complaints?" She looks around and, seeing no disagreement, claps her hands once. "Alright! Get ready, cause tonight it''s gonna be a little personal trauma followed by ass-kicking!"
That evening, once it seems reasonably certain that no more parties will be coming by for the day, Xenia''s strike team again gathers in her core chamber. All three of the present dungeon bosses seem relatively calm and prepared, but Xenia pays extra attention to DEATH regardless. "Alright, Big D, you ready for some excitement!? Did your debut today rile you up at all?"
"I DO NOT KNOW IF I WOULD DESCRIBE MYSELF AS ''RILED'', BUT IT WAS ENTERTAINING - AND I DID RATHER MISS OUT ON THE OPPORTUNITY TO SCORE SOME KILLS. PERHAPS TONIGHT SHALL BALANCE THOSE SCALES."
Xenia nods with a grin. "For sure! Now, we don''t know what we''re going into exactly, but last time there were enemies right in the starting room, so be ready. Also, preemptive apologies if I come into it a little fucked-up, I am kind of dreading what this damn curse is gonna put me through this time."
Lollyp gives her boss a pat on the back. "Don''t worry! I''m sure by now you''re ready for, uh, whatever you throw at yourself!"
"You know it! Alright gang, here we go!" With one hand on the hilt of her sword, Xenia once again utters the words to send the team into the pocket dimension, and the room goes white.
When the bright light fades from her vision, Xenia finds that it''s still rather hard to make anything out. She has the sensation of being in a cave, with a rough ceiling looming not far overhead, but an incredibly thick fog seems to surround her in every direction. Just to be on the safe side, she draws her blade. "Huhhh...not ringing any bells. Probably have been in a creepy cave once or twice, but if this is supposed to be like, emotionally important to me...nah, I ain''t feeling it." Just after she says that there''s the hint of movement to her side, and the sound of something heavy sliding across the floor, causing Xenia to quickly raise her guard. Despite the apparent underground nature of her environment, the mist somehow seems to be lit by an omni-present source, too diffuse for her to see any sign of torches or lanterns.
She does, however, eventually catch sight of a large, dark tail sliding just out of view. "...Okay, fuck, I know a dragon''s tail when I see one. But...when was this? I''ve killed a few of those bastards in my time, but I don''t remember any of em having a lair like this..."
The echo of a chuckle finds her through the fog. "Haha, I enjoy your confidence, little one. Allow me to answer one of your questions - when, is now."
Xenia''s brow furrows as she tries to peer through the haze. "Now? What the fuck''s goin'' on here, scale-tush?"
The sounds of heavy movement continue for a few seconds before suddenly fading away, and the next noise that reaches her is that of footsteps. Still heavy, but bipedal. Turning towards the sound, she soon sees a staggering nine-foot-tall figure clear the fog in front of her. They''re dressed in a jewel-studded toga, colored gold if not actually made from it, but with bare arms and legs revealing a mixture of white and yellow scales. As they come a few feet closer massive wings also become apparent, as do the green eyes gazing down at her. From Lollyp''s descriptions Xenia would call this a draconic, except draconics don''t shapeshift. "Okay, I know I''ve never met anyone looking like you before. Mind giving some introductions?"
The figure grins, baring a snout full of teeth. "While I have perhaps not received the politeness I am due, I shall return some to you nevertheless. I have gone by many names, but you would know me as the Dragonlord. You need not introduce yourself, I am familiar with you - Xenia Worthy, Master of Worthy Dungeon."
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Xenia''s eyes go wide for a brief moment, but she quickly works to master her expression. "Oh. Hey, nice to meet you. Are we, um...not in my head right now? How is this possible?"
The supposed Dragonlord nods and begins to pace around Xenia, keeping well out of sword range. "I have to say, the first few times took me quite by surprise. Building a bridge to my old dungeon was quite a rare feat - but not a unique one. Did you think I had entirely abandoned my own ties? And did you not consider that bridges can be crossed both ways?"
Swallowing a few swear words, Xenia takes a breath and keeps her voice steady. "Honestly, I don''t really have much idea of what the hell you were doing in there, or what you do now, for that matter. Gotta say, the place seemed pretty dang abandoned, though. Is this you posting a ''No Trespassers'' sign and warning me out, then?"
The towering figure ceases their pacing and chuckles again, before leaning down slightly. Xenia is able to get a somewhat better glimpse of their face and upper body as they do so, but it seems to be as the others had told her - even for a reptilian species, the Dragonlord''s figure is quite androgynous, and almost certainly crafted to be so. Even aside from their potential shapeshifting, in a pocket dimension like this Xenia wouldn''t want to put any bets on what limits there might be on their level of control. "Well, that is one option. Not the only one, though perhaps my default position."
They straighten back up and continue pacing, speaking without looking at Xenia as if they were simply thinking out loud. "Granted, enforcing such an order would be a minor burden. Slipping a team past the defenses, ensuring they''re high-level enough to break your own labyrinths, and then dealing with the political fallout of destroying a dungeon located in territory others falsely believe to belong to them." Their toothy grin returns. "But as I say, a minor burden."
Xenia nods, before deciding to sheath her sword - a physical fight, here, seems unlikely to solve anything. "I''m...not going to deny any of that. I''m sure you''ve got a few Supremes on call that could do the job, and I know you''ve snuck in a team once already. If you want a fight, you''ll get one...but if you don''t want a fight I am totally cool with that. There perhaps another option on the table?"
"Indeed. You showed quite a bit of promise, in your early days - you impressed my Emissary, which is rare. Your success rate was also impressive, and even now, I can see for myself that you''re quite intelligent for one of your kind. Yet I wonder...in recent months far fewer Challengers have been meeting their ends in your depths, and the various military detachments have ceased sending teams in entirely. While your arrangement with my Emissary did not lay down any specifics, I fear that perhaps you no longer abide by the terms you agreed to."
The reincarnator sucks in a breath, preparing her best brand of bullshit. "Oooh, well...there have been a few complications, I''ll admit. It''s not that we don''t want to kill a bunch of Challengers, I mean, obviously that''s a pretty sweet deal for us. But there were, uh...other concerns."
"Yes." The Dragonlord''s eyes narrow. "Kahlia. Tell me, what did that interloper demand of you?"
Hearing Kahlia''s name, Xenia brain fires quickly, making an urgent mental calculation. How much is she willing to potentially piss off a Goddess by throwing her under a bus to cover her own ass? It''s not as if a Goddess really has anything to fear from a mortal dragon...right? In the end, she decides to go with the gamble. "Well, there were a few incompatibilities with your requests, you see. Kahlia wants fertility boosted with the Challengers, it''s kind of a recent hobby for her, you know? She wants em making babies, which is a little hard to do if they''re, you know...dead."
The dragon snorts and rolls their eyes. "Figures. As always, interfering with mortal lives for nothing more than their errant whims. I suppose I do not blame you for acceding - few would have the courage to defy a goddess, even a benign one. Still, this would seem to put our own arrangement on fragile ground, would it not?"
Steeling herself, Xenia stands a little taller before answering - best not to look like a pushover, after all. "While I do appreciate the offer Cerise made, that was just a one-time payment, and I daresay I''ve paid back in kind a fair bit already, ain''t I? I mean, two Expert level soldiers along with a few others, and a bunch of Challengers including multiple full party kills. And it''s not like we''re done yet, either. If we want to work out something new going forward, we can talk, but I don''t think you have anything to complain about."
The tyrant again leans down in her direction, and while they look nine feet tall, they briefly feel far, far larger. "Already forgetting that you ought to be seeking my goodwill for plundering my old abode, are you? For our new ''arrangement'', you should perhaps be focusing on your own survival."
Xenia swallows, but doesn''t back down. "Look, Dragonboss, there''s no reason we can''t make this work for both of us. Kahlia''s mostly a numbers gal, you know, we keep most of the adventurers running through the first few floors, go a little easy on them, they get some loot and celebrate, and maybe get a little surprise bundle of joy out of the deal. The ones that get deeper than that? We can go gloves off - even if they are stronger, not like the Goddess cares about one Expert more than she does twenty Initiates. And the more floors we get, the deeper and tougher we can get. And I''m willing to bet you''re more of a quality-minded dragon, yeah? Killing off an Expert or Master Rainlander probably suits you better than a bunch of Initiates do, when a bunch of em wouldn''t get past their next graduation anyhow."
Straightening up again, the Dragonlord pauses to consider the logic. "Not entirely untrue. Of course, if we were to renew our deal, consider that my allowance of your trespass is the greater part of your bargain. Whatever you steal from those ruins, consider it a gift from me, not merely abandoned salvage to be looted and held as a trophy."
The woman nods, willing at this point to take any exit ramp that looks to be marked as ''Worthy Dungeon Survives, Next Right''. "Of course. Apologies if we were looking ungrateful, or anything."
The Dragonlord waves a hand, as if to dismiss her before stepping back into the mist themselves. "Expect a visit, Master of Worthy Dungeon. And prepare to be tested on whether or not you can truly slay the powerful as you claim. I will need to see for myself that your success was not merely the incompetence of my enemies."
Before she can respond the room goes white again, and Xenia finds herself back in a core chamber filled with very confused floor bosses. Lollyp is the first to ask the question.
"Wait, what? There was that usual flash and all, but...we''re just back here again? You didn''t get your ass kicked before we even got there, did you Xen?"
Xenia takes a moment to take a deep breath before answering. "No...but we might be in a little bit of trouble..."
Later that evening and far to the south, Lady Cerise Darktouched is doing a bit of after-hours paperwork while relaxing in bed, as the moon is starting to peep in through the windows to her tower apartment. Being as deep in thought as she is, it''s not until the second knock on her door that she hears the sound of it. Growling, she casts a quick cantrip to carry her voice to her front door. "What? It''s late, come back tomorrow."
"Urgent message from the Dragonlord, my lady." At the mention of her overlord''s name the succubus immediately darts upright and begins to climb her way out of the bed, lightly bruising a few limbs belonging to others as she hurries.
"I''m coming! Ah, sorry Polis, I just...ah, sorry...there we go." Quickly pulling on a robe before she opens the door, she opens it up to find a kobold waiting for her. "I''m here! The Dragonlord, you said?"
The kobold nods, handing her a scroll. "Details are in there, but to summarize: the boss wants you to put a new team together. Worthy Dungeon just got bumped up in the visitation queue."
Chapter 100: A Good Smiting
"You actually spoke with the Dragonlord!?" Lollyp''s fists grab onto the edges of her wizard hat, practically pulling it down over her pliable head. "Oh gods, we''ve pissed off the Dragonlord! I should''ve known this was gonna happen!"
"Easy, Lolly Pop, easy! I don''t think we''ve pissed them off yet." Xenia forces a smile to her face as she attempts to calm her friend. "We''re on thin ice, maybe, but it kinda sounded like we actually have permission to keep digging up the old place! All we gotta do is uh, pass some sort of test. Probably involving killing people."
Lollyp nods, her eyes locked on Xenia. "Right, okay, cool. Just gotta pass a test. Should we like...prepare, or something?"
Xenia thinks it over for a moment. "Well, I don''t think we can get a whole new floor up and running before this hits, probably, but I''d still like to have the option to start working on one. Sincere, how do you think this non-raid affected the floor core stability, or whatever?"
The demon shrugs. "Possibly not at all, but if we want to be entirely safe we could perhaps delay until tomorrow night. In any case, it sounds as if we may be a little distracted tonight, and perhaps not in the best state of mind for an assault at just this current moment."
"Alright, that''s cool. Raid delayed to tomorrow then, in the meanwhile, we''ll start brainstorming ideas on how to kick the ass of a Domain dungeon delving team. Which, okay, the last one completely stomped all over me, but we''ve grown a lot since then. Plus, now we''ve got you on our side, Lolly Pop! Our inside woman! Any tips on how we ought to prepare?"
The slime seems to withdraw into thought for a minute, in a very physical sense, her limbs practically pulling back into her body as she takes a more blob-like form on her chair. "Right, right...well, if this is going to be a heavy hitter team, you can expect fewer slimes and more draconics. And that''s a problem."
Xenia furrows her brow. "How so?"
"Cause draconics can fly, and that beats both the cliff and the river on Floor Four, and Floor Four is our best shot at beating a high-level team. If any come, we''ll either want to focus on taking them out before they get that far, or have something ready to make sure they can''t cheat."
Her boss smiles as she gives Lollyp a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Now see, that''s exactly the kind of pro-tips we need to ace this test! Alright everyone, do some brainstorming, and then tomorrow night, back here for try two!"
The next day was fairly mundane with two low-tier teams attempting the dungeon, and only one of them staying long enough to acquire the bonus items from Floor Five. That left Xenia and her bosses plenty of time to do some testing and theory-crafting, and by time they regathered in the core chamber that evening they were all feeling much calmer. In a way they perhaps felt even more driven than before, now that they had a more specific need to continue expanding, and when Xenia once again triggered her curse it was with a grin on her face.
That grin was replaced by a look more resembling one of confusion when her senses returned to her and she found herself standing atop a mountain, not far from a massive marble temple. "Whoa! Chilly...air''s a bit thin, too. No Dragonlord interception though, so I''m taking that as a huge bonus. When was this, though..." She looks down at herself and finds her form garbed in black, and strapped with dozens of throwing knives. A lock of hair crosses her face, a light blonde with streaks of black dye.
"Oooooh, right! This was my Rogue phase! Xenia of Tallahassee, Fastest Blade in the South!" She pulls a blade from its sheath and twirls it a few times before sliding it back in place. Looking around the mountain temple, the memories begin to return to her. "And this is...ah, yeah! The Temple of the Highest Sky!" As she gazes across the structure with its massive stone pillars and statues resembling divine figures, a man steps out. Brown-skinned and dark-haired, he has an appearance Xenia would have described as being Hispanic were this on Earth, and his loosely-hanging robe easily reveals his chiseled chest. "And that there''s Elaro, God of the Sky and Other Various Things Which Do Not Touch The Ground!"
As one more memory returns to her, Xenia''s smile fades away. "...And this was the first time I got smited. Or, fuck, was it the second? I forget the order, now. Uh, okay...let''s try and make this go a little smoother this time around..."
When Xenia eventually approaches speaking distance, Elaro gives her a slight nod in welcome. "Congratulations, Xenia of Tallahassee. You alone have completed the Divine Challenges set before you, allowing you access to this temple, and the request of a single wish which...wait." The god''s eyes narrow, and Xenia finds herself growing a little nervous. As far as she remembers it, Elaro didn''t start getting hostile until after she wished for a tour of his bedchambers.
"Uh...something wrong, your divinity?"
Elaro fixes her with a stare, and then sighs. "This isn''t real, is it?"
Eyes widening a little in surprise, Xenia stammers a bit in reply. "Uh, of course it is! ...Okay, no, kind of not. How''d you know?"
The god stares at the back of his hand for a while before responding. "I may only be a replica of a god, but I am still a replica of a God. I wouldn''t be much of one if I couldn''t recognize a pocket dimension when I was in one. Mind telling me what we''re doing here?"
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"Ah, right, well, long story! Short version is, I''m doing some pocket dimension magic that uses my soul, and in the process I gotta re-live an important emotional moment from my past before I can get to where I''m going. Or so I''m told, I''m not the expert."
The man nods, seemingly satisfied by the answer. "That does make sense. Obviously meeting a god in the flesh would be an important moment in your life."
"Yeah, totally! Although it was mostly the case because this meeting lasted about ten minutes before you fried me with a lightning bolt."
Once again, the god''s eyes narrow. "And why would I do that?"
Xenia grimaces, hoping she didn''t just make a mistake. "Well, I uh...kinda wished for, you know..." Blushing slightly, she gestures at Elaro and his ridiculously masculine divine form.
"...I see. And obviously I took offense. A god of my stature would never wish to gain a reputation for consorting with mortals, champions or no."
Xenia nods along, hoping to stay conciliatory. "Oh, yeah, I totally get that now! My mistake."
"And of course, that sort of thing leads to demigods. And that''s the last thing anyone wants, rampant demigods running around the mortal plane."
"Completely. Extremely bad for everyone."
Elaro nods, but then seems to spend a while in thought as he studies the woman before him. "...Of course, I am not real, and so I have no reputation to speak of."
Xenia hesitates slightly before answering, unsure where this is going now. "...That''s true?"
"...And there would be no risk of demigod progeny either, for that matter."
"...Very true! Couldn''t get knocked up these days if I tried!"
The two stare at each other for a moment of thoughtful silence.
"- GODS FUCK YEESSSSSSSS, ahhhhhhh!"
As the party re-appears in the recreation of the old Great Dungeon, Lollyp turns in a panic towards her screaming boss. "Xenia!? What happened to you this - XENIA! What happened to your pants!?" While the floor bosses look on rather awkwardly, their leader takes a moment to lie face-down on the floor for a while and twitch.
"Ahhh, Lolly Pop, Momma got her ruins smote upon the mountainside..."
"What does that mean - no, nevermind, don''t wanna know. ...Okay, kinda want to know, but later. But - lethal dungeon! Pants on, please!"
"Right, right." The woman groans as she reaches for said item of clothing, fortunately finding it still clinging to one ankle. "...Fuck, where''s my other boot? Anyone see a boot anywhere?"
"I''M AFRAID YOU MAY HAVE LEFT IT BEHIND ALONG WITH YOUR DIGNITY." Although DEATH''s tone remains even, Xenia can''t escape the feeling of being laughed at.
"Can''t lose what you never had, Big D. Alright, fine, fine, I only need one boot to kick ass. Now - where are we?" Finally standing up straight and looking around, Xenia takes note of the fact that despite the room looking much the same as the first floor they conquered, this time there''s no monsters charging in to slaughter them. "Correction. Where''s everyone else? No welcoming committee this time?"
Sincere offers a suggestion, hoping to clear his mind of the sight he just witnessed. "As I recall, our last visit suggested that Great Dungeon floors were highly specialized, with some focusing on monsters and others on traps. Perhaps this floor is one of the latter?"
"Good point. Well, my Rogue skills are a little rusty, but as I was recently reminded, I have done a bit of that in my time. Gonna be kind of weird having a whole team if there''s no combat to do, though. Guess we''ll see?" Keeping her sword sheathed but filling one of her hands with a throwing knife, Xenia slowly begins to creep forward, scanning the floor as she approaches the door on the opposite wall. The rest of the team follows more or less in her footsteps, and reaches the far side safely. Before opening the door itself Xenia begins to tap it with her blade before frowning.
"Right, shit, back in my Rogue days I had actual spells for detecting traps. Non-divine ones, so they don''t work over here. Well, there''s no obvious tripwires or latches or anything. ...DEATH, want to take this one?"
DEATH sighs before moving up to open the door. "IN DEATH I SERVE, MISTRESS." With a bony hand he pulls on the metal ring serving as a doorknob, and pulls it open without incident. "I REMAIN INTACT, IF NOT ALIVE."
"Thanks, Big D! Alright, moving on..." When entering the next room Xenia finds that her trap-detecting skills are entirely unneeded, as the defenses here seem extremely obvious. Several grids of brightly-colored string crisscross the room, with a red set around ankle level, a yellow one around thigh height, and finally a green grid at around Xenia''s waist. As she inspects the nearest strand however, she realizes that it''s not string - it''s slime. "Oh, dang! This is a lot like the slime webs our spiders make, except...way more rigid, I guess? There''s no way you''d get a strand of that to cover a room without drooping to the floor."
Lollyp moves forward to take a look herself. "Yeah, it kind of looks like slime, but it''s gotta be mixed with something else, it''s way too firm. ...Weird choice to spend effort on though. If you just want tripwires, why not just use wires?"
Xenia takes a moment to analyze the grid as well as her team. "...Hrmm. I bet I could get across without touching any, and of course Lollyp''s the flex-master. Dunno about you, Sin-man, but...Big D, do you even have like...knees? Could you step over one of these? I never see you walk like a normal dude, man, you just kinda float everywhere."
DEATH snorts at the question. "HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THAT I AM PART RABBIT, MISTRESS? WERE IT NOT FOR THE LOW CEILING, I COULD SIMPLY LEAP ACROSS. ...GIVEN THE ACTUAL CEILING HEIGHT HOWEVER, THERE MAY BE AN ISSUE. I DO NOT BELIEVE I HAVE THE PRECISION REQUIRED FOR SHORT HOPS TO TAKE ME ACROSS WITHOUT COMING INTO CONTACT."
"Right. Well, if we can''t dodge, preemptive triggering''s probably the way to go, then. Everyone step back outside, lemme try a few things." Once the room is clear, she starts off by throwing her dagger at a distant red strand. To her surprise the blade simply bounces off without apparently damaging the slime-wire at all, but also without triggering any sort of trap. The wire jiggles for a few moments, then goes still. "Huh. Okay, maybe they need a little more force to cut through."
For her next attempt Xenia draws her sword before swinging it downward at a nearby string, ready to duck back the moment something goes wrong. Unfortunately, it reacts in a way rather differently than what she could have expected. Once again the wire doesn''t cut, but after being knocked an inch out of place the entire red-colored grid suddenly snaps out of its anchor points, retracting towards the spot where it was struck from across the room. To her credit Xenia does manage to dodge the first few wires that come her way, but when one latches onto her sword and yanks her arm to one side, her attempts significantly lose their effectiveness. By time the wires have ceased their movement the woman is wrapped up in at least half a dozen of the thin strands, still allowing her motion in one arm but tying her legs together and sending her crashing to the ground.
As Xenia glares at the room, Lollyp sneaks forward with a smirk on her face. "What''s up, Xen? A little...tied up tonight, are you?"
Chapter 101: A Sticky Situation
Xenia rolls her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Well, guess I know why they''re made of slime, now - it''s super-elastic, like rubber or something."
Lollyp frowns as she pokes at one of the strands tying up Xenia''s legs. "What''s rubber?"
"Made from...trees? Fuck, I dunno. The point is that it''s really stretchy and then when it gets let go, it snaps back into place. The wires here don''t trigger a trap - the wires are the trap. Anyhow, a hand getting me loose?"
"ALLOW ME." Stepping forward with his scythe, the undead boss slides the blade between Xenia''s legs and begins to saw at the strands binding them together. When it doesn''t have an immediate impact he then channels some of his dark energy through the blade, causing the wires to begin deteriorating, although by time they''re snapped there''s a bit of collateral damage to the pants on the inside of Xenia''s thighs.
"...Okay, that works on them, good to know. Guess slime might be partially organic or something? But damn, this outfit''s gonna be a total loss by time we''re done. Anyhow, think you can take out the other sets Big D?"
"SHOULD BE A SIMPLE MATTER." After using his weapon to motion for the others to step behind him, the bony rabbit-man blasts the room with dark magic, filling it with a shadowy mist. While the effect on the slime-wiring isn''t as immediate as direct contact with his blade was, eventually the two remaining grids fray and snap, collapsing uselessly into bundles around the room.
Xenia claps for him. "Sweet! Given that this isn''t a combat floor, definitely way more handy than Tank and Dips probably woulda been. DEATH is credit to team! Next room!" Moving on and again checking the door for traps, the reincarnator opens it to find that the third chamber is apparently empty. That is, of course, the most suspicious thing a room could possibly present to her, and so she begins to inspect the walls and floors.
"Pressure plates on this one. I probably could mark a path through, but to be honest, I''m kinda wondering what this one''s gonna do. Any complaints if I set one off?" Xenia turns around to spy Sincere shrugging, but backing away.
"If you are confident in your skills, by all means. I, however, will simply watch from back here."
"Suit yerself!" Warning given, she prods the nearest one with her sword and almost immediately ducks at the sound of a pneumatic hiss. It''s a brief warning before a round orange blob flies through the air, but the dodgeball-sized object doesn''t come anywhere close to impacting the self-proclaimed Rogue, instead splattering itself against the right-side wall. "Ha! Slime cannons! Or, hell, this floor''s got an actual paintball course, hehe. Makes my Hippity Blobbities look downright inefficient...even if they are way cuter."
Lollyp chuckles at the sight. "I don''t think these would be fatal to us, but may as well skip what we can now that we''ve seen it in action. Still up for taking the lead?"
"Easy as pie!" Sure enough Xenia is able to spot the next few pressure plates and avoid them without issue, and then even dips her sword into some of the orange slime to use as an improvised paintbrush, making them out on the floor for the rest of the team. The path isn''t too difficult for the rest of the party to follow, and soon Xenia is once again opening a door into the next chamber.
The fourth room of the floor has the shape and size of a boss arena, but rather than a combat encounter, awaiting them is a massive contraption of bronze and glass, with a variety of pipes linking together large canisters partially filled with slime in a wide mix of colors. The machine has a roughly circular shape, the smaller tubes orbiting a larger, empty glass pod in the center, and various levers and handwheels dot the mechanism. Walking around it, Xenia groans. "Aw, fuck, it''s a puzzle! Any idea what the goal even is here?"
The party spends some time examining it from every side, with Sincere in particular tracing each of the pipes. "So, there''s six colors of slime here. Clearly they can be opened up and sent into the main chamber where they''ll mix, but I am uncertain as to the required result. Surely it can''t be as simple as just filling it with all six kinds." As he speaks, Lollyp begins to wince.
"Ah, fuck, now this is really reminding me of how old this place is. It''s freakin'' slime colorology!" The Elementalist puts her hands on her approximate hips and glares at the device, making Xenia believe she would ideally like to melt the thing down.
"Color...ology? Is that even a word?"
"It''s like, um...racism, for slimes. There''s a bunch of old, outdated ideas about how a slime''s color affects their personality, and how you can guess a kid''s color based on the colors of their parents. It''s all complete bullshit and no one''s taken it seriously for over a century, but this place is way older than that. The most you get is the occasional slime who intentionally leans into the old stereotypes on purpose. Which is mostly just the pinks, usually. Those sluts." As Xenia stares at her, Lollyp shrugs back. "I meant it as a complement! My ex Lessupp was a pink!"
"...Right. Well, I''d really rather not dig into that, but I guess we kinda have to. As our resident expert on slime racism, what are we supposed to do here, Lolly Pop?"
Lollyp eyes the central pod a little closer. "I''d say this one''s about...four times bigger than the small ones. Slime colors don''t mix like paints, or even like, I dunno, human skin colors, you''re just all or nothing. So we need to decide on a final color we want, and then the three sequential pairings that would end up with that color. According to old bullshit theories about slime genetics. But which color..."
Sincere nods along. "While I was never an adherent to those ideas myself, I do recall when they were the standard. If I''m not mistaken, the general stereotypes were...yellow for cheerful, orange for mischievous, red for destructive, green for caring, purple for seriousness, and pink for...promiscuity." As he goes through the list, Xenia eyes Lollyp again.
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"Red for destruction, huh?"
"I like blowing things up cause it''s fun, not cause of my color!"
"Fair, fair. So which do we want? I mean, I kinda want to see pink, but I doubt that''s the solution to the room."
Sincere snorts at the suggestion. "Did you not have enough of that before we started? The...cheerful yellows were also theoretically the most helpful, so that would be my vote. However, there''s another problem. The theories on ''color-mixing'' shifted over time, and while we can date the Great Dungeon to the arrival of the colonists following the Age of Warlocks, I don''t recall specifically which theory was in vogue at the time. Let''s see, let''s see...pink is supposedly overpowering, so none of that. I believe the first step would be green and purple makes green, then green and yellow makes yellow. Then...either yellow and red, or yellow and orange. Do you recall which, Lollyp?"
The slime shakes her head. "Pfft, nah. Matching up colors to personalities is kind of something people do for a joke these days, but the rest of it? No idea, especially not if we''re trying to narrow down a specific edition of it."
Xenia taps her foot a few times before coming to a decision. "...Let''s go with lucky red, huh? Alright Big D, give me a hand with these valves, would you? Green and purple first!" Circling the device, the two release four of the six canisters, piping them into the main pod where they congeal together into a larger and larger blob. Sincere''s remarks prove correct with the first two pairings, however, when adding red into the mix, the final result of the blob is...red. Xenia turns disappointed at first, but that soon shifts to concern when the large red blob growls.
"Shit! Red was definitely not the target color!" As she steps back, a pair of massive arm-like tentacles emerge from the blob and begin to smash the glass holding it inside. Three blows is all it takes to crack it open, and the blob begins to emerge, ignoring the cuts the broken glass leaves on its membrane. "Giant slime! Take it down!"
Sincere begins to cast a spell to hold the creature in place, but was unfortunately standing too close - a third tentacle suddenly emerges from the monster and smashes into him, tossing him into the stone walls. Lollyp''s elemental blasts are quicker to fire, but the creature is at least six times her own size, and the damage they do appears to be only membrane-deep. For her part, Xenia quickly takes her sword into hand and begins swinging, but it''s all she can do to slice off the tentacles flailing in her direction. Getting into range for a body blow proves to be a bit too difficult, and even if she could, the damage a sword could do to such a slime would be minimal at best.
So it is that DEATH OF RABBITS gives a sigh as he looks on. "SO MUCH FOR THIS BEING A CHALLENGE OF THE MIND." Reaching out with a bony arm, he blasts the monster with a stream of shadowy mist, turning the slime into a pale gray wherever it hits. This quickly turns him into the monster''s primary target, but as tentacles shoot in his direction, the boss proves adept at parrying them one-handed with his scythe, all while floating around the room to keep his distance and pouring on the magic at the same time.
Eventually, as it grows withered and sickly, the slime begins to slow down drastically, making it a much easier target for Lollyp and Xenia to hit. When Sincere recovers sufficiently to entirely freeze it in place, the fight is only a matter of time - the pair blast and hack the blob to pieces until its innards spill out, filling the room with a rotten stench. Stepping backwards, Xenia makes a face. "Ooof! Good work again, Big D, but damn that reeks!"
Any comment he''s about to make in response is interrupted by the sound of a click from the door on the far side of the room, and DEATH turns his focus on that instead. "I SUPPOSE WE HAVE, IN A MANNER OF SPEAKING, SOLVED THE PUZZLE."
"Guess so. Let''s see what we''ve got waiting for us this time..." Pushing the door open, Xenia finds a final chamber nearly identical to that on the previous floor, down to the earth elemental manning the desk. Or at least it seems that way, until the elemental speaks and a woman''s voice comes out.
"Welcome, welcome. Congratulations on completion of Experimental Floor 14, Traps Division. Before we begin the survey, I have to ask - did you trigger the boss monster on purpose? If so, thank you, the last two testers have been ill-suited for combat testing, and we do need to test the failures too, after all."
Xenia chuckles a little awkwardly. "Ha, no, we wanted the yellow but just messed up that last step, I guess. Glad it worked out, though?" She gets the impression that the eyeless elemental is simply staring at her, as there''s no response for several seconds.
"...Purple. The correct answer is purple, the color of the Dragonlord''s personal servants, and those with the highest access to locked doors."
Xenia turns towards Lollyp, who shrugs. "Not something I ever heard of! Must be an ancient policy that got dropped or something!"
"Mmm, someone needs to tell your Mage to refresh her etiquette studies before she gets into trouble. So, that aside...any thoughts on the traps you encountered? We believe we''re only scratching the surface of what slime materials are capable of!"
Sincere nods. "Personally, I suspect there must be even better uses for that elastic ''slime-wire'' than simply using it by itself. There must be a reason I haven''t seen more of it."
DEATH adds in his two cents. "ORGANIC MATERIAL TRAPS ARE INTERESTING TO ENCOUNTER. PERHAPS I TOO COULD SERVE A USE AS A TEAM ROGUE?"
Xenia eyes the shadowy figure, already notably taller than her even without counting the ears. "...Always good to have a dream, Big D. Anyhow, I kinda liked the slime cannon idea, but the triggers were a bit too obvious. Or...I''m a bit too good?"
"...No, the pressure plates are intentionally low-tier, for testing purposes." Reaching over, the elemental picks up a small chest and places it on the desk in front of her. "Well, here''s your payment vouchers, please feel free to take a written survey in case you''d like to add more thoughts later. Especially if you can think of ways to make it easier to kill you with slime! Our division''s been lacking in the lethal options so far on this project."
"...I will let you know! Thanks, and see you around!" Xenia reaches for the chest, but as she does her vision begins to blur.
As the party finds themselves back in the core chamber of Worthy Dungeon, Xenia gives out a cheer. "Whoop! Floor cleared first try, and no Dragonlord shenanigans! Guy, confirm our winnings for us, would you?"
"Certainly, ma''am - ack - I believe they''re coming in, eugh, momentarily..." With a few more coughs, a monochrome window makes its appearance.
|
------------------------
TRIPLE CURSED DUNGEON:
YOU HAVE SUBDUED THE ENERGIES OF THE LOST GREAT DUNGEON OF MOUNT FARALIS, CENTER OF THE WORLD: EXPERIMENTAL FLOOR 14. ADDITIONAL FLOOR UNLOCKED.
SLIME MATERIAL TRAPS UNLOCKED
------------------------
|
Looking over the short message, Xenia grins. "Ooooh yeah. This is gonna be fun..."
Chapter 102: Test Prep
The next morning, Lady Darktouched found herself at one of the smaller military headquarters north of Dragon''s Jaw. The facility served primarily as a location for magical training, with a hefty side dish of administrative offices, and it wasn''t the sort of place Cerise herself had needed to spend time at in years. There were two reasons she had chosen it as her party mustering site however, the first of them being its relatively central location. The second reason was that one of her planned party recruits was already here, having only just recently graduated his latest training course. In fact, as the succubus entered the large office she had reserved for this meeting, she found her first party member was already sitting at a table waiting for her. "Ah, someone''s eager for their next mission, I see. It''s nice to see you again, Pullyp."
The green slime gives her a wide grin as he takes notice of her arrival. "Lady Darktouched! Have to admit, I didn''t expect to see you again either, let alone that we''d be doing a second mission together! Although I''m guessing that that''s not a coincidence?"
Cerise shakes her head as she claims the table''s head chair. "It''s not, but I''ll get to the reasons for that when everyone else has arrived. Congratulations, though - you just completed your Slime Reviver training a few days ago, yes? Rather fortuitous for me, although I''m surprised you decided to go for an Expert class. I know most slimes don''t."
Pullyp nods. "Yeah, I actually wasn''t planning on it. But, I don''t know, going out on that last mission with you kind of riled me up, yeah? I mean, mostly it''s that, as a healing class, the training teaches me a few more tricks I can use to possibly give myself an extra year or two, so it is worth the effort on that front. But I kinda figured, hey, if I stay around a little longer, maybe I''ll get a second shot at a cool final mission - and hey, here we are! Not that I''m hoping that this''ll be my final mission already, haha!"
"Ha, I certainly hope not." Cerise smiles, but it fades quickly. "...My condolences, by the way. While I was going through the records I saw that Slime Sentinel Tulupp passed away last month. I don''t know if you were close."
Pullyp''s face grows a little more serious. "Friendly enough. I know she was bummed out about not getting picked for the dungeon slot, but she had a pretty good run. Um, speaking of..." The man leans in closer, whispering conspiratorially. "Is it true what they say? Is Lollyp still, you know...Lollyp up there?"
"That is what the reports say, and I have no reason to doubt them on that front. Supposedly a benefit of the Goddess of Fertility, and in that regard...I feel that perhaps some things don''t quite add up. Perhaps we''ll have some more answers soon, but - ah, here they are now."
As Cerise looks up the door opens again, letting in a blue-scaled draconic man in armor. Trailing behind him, she almost misses the much-smaller kobold woman following after, although that may also be at least partially due to aspects of the woman''s class. Greeting the pair, she indicates two empty seats. "Welcome, Thunderbolt Hammer Farlossus, Canyon Shadow Woosley, please take some seats. Your timing is excellent. This is Slime Reviver Pullyp here, by the way."
The draconic takes the larger of the seats offered while the crimson-colored kobold requires a bit of climbing to claim hers, so he gets to respond first. "Greetings to you, Lady Darktouched. We were told this was a mission directly on the orders of the Dragonlord themselves, so of course we made all possible haste."
Woosley adds her own input once she''s situated. "Yup, no kiddin'' - travellin'' as a draconic''s personal baggage ain''t my idea of smooth transit, but it got us here in time. Didn''t hear any more details of the job though, so I suppose that''s what we''re here for now?"
"Indeed. Over two months ago we paid a visit to the new dungeon, Worthy Dungeon, and arranged a...beneficial deal between ourselves and the dungeon spirit. Normally a follow-up meeting would be done around six months later, but the schedule has been accelerated significantly. While the details aren''t clear to me, it would appear that the dungeon spirit and the Dragonlord had some sort of long-distance communication with each other, and the Dragonlord now has some...concerns."
Woosley whistles. "Sure wouldn''t want to have the Dragonlord having concerns about me, that''s for sure. The communications weren''t something you set up, though? How''d the dungeon figure it out?"
Cerise folds her hands as she looks over her notes. "As you know, Mount Faralis is a culturally important site to the Domain. Although it was abandoned centuries ago, it would appear the dungeon has acquired access to some sort of property once belonging to the Dragonlord. Not only did this allow their communication, but the Dragonlord wishes to test the dungeon to see if they''re, well...worthy of using it, or if we need to begin using a heavier hand with them."
Farlossus grins, his pointy teeth gleaming in the sunlight from the nearby window. "And just what sort of heavier hand are we talking about?"
"We are to present the dungeon with a test, of both skill and intentions. If the dungeon passes, we can renew our positive relationship and perhaps exchange a few more useful items. If they pass the test of intention - that is, their willingness to work with us - but not that of skill, I''ve been instructed to use one of our Dungeon Punisher spells, to...provide further motivation."
The kobold woman grimaces. "Oooh, I''ve heard they really hate those. Don''t those permanently reduce their monsters or mana or something like that?"
Cerise shakes her head. "Not exactly permanently - a Punisher enchantment can be removed...at least ones of those kinds. There are others, but I''ve not been authorized to use them, thankfully."
Pullyp raises a hand. "And if they fail both parts of the test? What then?"
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This time, Cerise''s face darkens considerably. "If the dungeon proves hostile to the Domain, our orders are to destroy the core." That gets the attention of everyone else in the room, with even the aggressive draconic appearing surprised.
"Really? That would absolutely provoke the Rainlanders...not that I mind that much. But even so, destroying a core is quite the unusual order." He pauses before giving a light chuckle. "But what is the test, anyhow?"
The succubus takes a deep breath before answering. "We need to confirm that the dungeon has both the willingness and the ability to kill powerful delvers. It has done so before, but only ones leading groups of weaker soldiers to support them. It has not yet defeated a party of our strength before. And in order to do that...we are to provoke the dungeon into attempting to kill at least one of us."
The room goes silent for a moment, before Woosley speaks for the group. "Well. No offense, but here''s hoping it ain''t me."
Miles away on the second floor of Worthy Dungeon, Xenia checks in on her favorite boss. Popping in at the entrance to the apartment, the woman takes a minute to examine the slight changes to the room''s decor over the past few weeks. On one wall a small trophy collection''s begun to build up with items Lollyp had collected from those who had fallen to her Challenge Mode, and which had been added to the dungeon''s inventory rather than being absorbed. In terms of power they were nothing of note - a ring from a minor noble family, a particularly artistic helmet, an elegantly curved dagger. Coincidentally they all shared the trait of being much more expensive than the average item found on Initiates - or perhaps not so coincidentally, if the expensive gear had been what helped lead to the overconfidence of the parties who eventually lost them.
On the opposite wall were trophies of a less grisly nature. Alongside the dungeon-crafted pinups of the Dungeon Fuckers, several more artistic renderings had been added of particularly flirty Challengers, who had also spent their share of time enjoying Floor Five. While none of them had yet repeated the Fuckers'' trick of getting to experience Lollyp''s ''alternate challenge mode'', Xenia rather suspected it was bound to happen again sooner or later.
Finally, in the corner was Lollyp''s expanded alchemical workshop. With the Forest biome finally pushed into High Quality the dungeon''s supply of potential ingredients had expanded considerably, and now there were shelves, barrels and bottles full of items Lollyp had harvested and inventoried for potential use. The slime herself was busy at work on a mixture, needing a minute or two to notice Xenia''s arrival. "Ah, Xen! What brings you up here?"
Xenia steps over, examining the workbench and only half-understanding its contents from the skills she''d absorbed over the past few months. "Checking in. I''m surprised you''re not playing around with the slime traps on Floor Four, Sincere''s been grumbling about having to do ''grunt work'' without you."
"Pfft, some exercise will do him good. I actually figured maybe I should go for the opposite though - some anti-slime weaponry. Based on the work of that ''adorable'' mousekin of yours from a while back. Normally I wouldn''t bother, we haven''t seen a single slime Challenger yet, but if it''s specifically a Domain party we''re worried about...well, can''t hurt."
Looking off in thought, Xenia muses. "Ah yeah, that girl...I wonder if we''ll ever see her again. You think we''ll get some slimes though? It is a little weird that we haven''t had any since you came along, now that you mention it."
"Well, yeah, there''s a few reasons for that. For one, we''re not real mobile. I mean, I got a dungeon boss body which boosts my endurance and speed compared to the average slime, but I''d still have serious issues doing even like, a five mile hike. The other is, well...our short lifespans. What''s the point in Challenging? Not like any of us are gonna become Paragons like that. That''s why I''m still not really expecting any now, though. We''re supposed to show we can fight tough Challengers, right? Unless they bring some slimes as cannon fodder I don''t think many of us would qualify."
"Hey, don''t sell yourselves short!" Xenia pats the slime''s shoulder, then pauses. "...Wait, how did you get all the way up here, anyhow?"
"Easy. Bags of Slime Holding."
Xenia eyes her friend suspiciously. "...You''re bullshitting me."
"What? No, it''s an actual thing. Bags enchanted to be waterproof and stretchy, and also cancel out a fair bit of weight. Lady Cerise shapeshifted into a bat and flew here with the three of us."
"Huh...guess maybe we''d see some, then. Anything I can do to help?"
"Hrmm...I''m good on ingredients for the moment. How about you entertain me with some gossip? What did happen to you on that dungeon raid this time, anyhow? It looked...exciting."
Xenia almost swoons as she falls back into Lollyp''s hammock. "Oh lord, Lolly Pop, you got no idea! Totally worth getting smited and having to wait a couple centuries for! That dick was divine."
Lollyp turns back to stare at her boss. "Wait, that time you got smited had something to do with dick?"
"I was...maybe a little over-cocky on that run. Tried flirting with a god with no sense of humor. But hey, turns out though that a replica of a god, who knows he''s just a replica, sure has a different philosophy regarding ''fuck it, why not''."
The slime chuckles as she returns to her work. "And how did you even get the opportunity, then?"
"That was one of my, uh, quick runs, at least career-wise. Did have to do the whole ''grow up from a baby'' routine again, which gets old real fast I''ll tell you, but I was only twenty when I bought it. Was an adventurer for like...three years? But with all my skills and experience backing me up I was the hottest shit in town. It was one of those worlds where classes and levels actually like, mean something mechanically, so I leveled up real fast."
"...Mechanically? What does that mean?"
"As in, like, I dunno, the gods or whoever set up a system so that when you kill something or do something related to your class, you gain experience and level up and learn new abilities on the fly. I started out by buying a set of lockpicks and old locks and just fucked around with them for a week straight, which made me like a level six Rogue or something and taught me how to throw daggers and hide in shadows."
Once again, the slime turns to stare at her boss. "You...you picked locks for a week. And learned how to throw knives from it."
Xenia grins. "Yup!"
"That is insane."
"No kiddin''. While I don''t keep those kinds of artificial skill boosts or whatever when I die, I do keep some of the muscle memory and the actual, non-gamey experience of it, so I kinda tend to rack up combat skills over time if I don''t let them get too rusty. Anyhow, I got to level 50 in three years and completed a divine quest to...what was it? Kill a giant monster bird, free some priestesses, find some relic...that kind of shit, anyhow. Earned me an audience with the head of the local pantheon and dumb ol'' Xenia of Tallahassee decided to let her crotch do the talking, and got fried up lightning bolt-style. All in all, not really a run I usually put on the resume."
Lollyp smiles and shakes her head. "Certainly looked like round two went a lot better. Maybe you oughtta figure out how to let us ride along into your head on one of these raids."
Xenia shudders. "Now that is one of the most terrifying suggestions you''ve made all month..."
Chapter 103: Unfortunate Reunions
Late that evening, the moonless night left Triple Peak Mountain shrouded in darkness so heavy that the guards stationed at the mountain''s approach would have had trouble seeing a visitor approaching even thirty feet away from their camp. They certainly had no chance at all of spotting the ones who flew in several hundred feet above their heads, no matter how clumsily those visitors might have done so. It was quite lucky for those new arrivals that the narrow mountain path left no space for a proper guard post closer to the dungeon''s entrance, as the landing they finally made on the rocky trail was far from stealthy.
Groaning, Woosley goes down to one knee as Farlossus lets go of her arms. "Ahh, I hate having to travel like that! My pit scales are gonna be raw for a week - and we ain''t even flown back yet."
The draconic does some grumbling of his own as he sets down next to the much smaller kobold. "Carrying you like luggage is no pleasure flight either, you know. I hope I wasn''t selected for this mission purely for transportation purposes."
As Cerise appears next to him, shapeshifting out of her bat form, the succubus already has a frown on her face. "No slots on this mission were wasted - I would have rather had one or two more in fact, but my ability to hide draconics from magical detection spells is limited. I hope we''re all mission-capable? We can rest for a few minutes if we need to but I would not linger longer than that." Pullyp emerges from the bag on her waist while she speaks, and when Cerise hands him his robe and staff from another bag it takes him only moments to shift into it.
"All good here, Lady Darktouched! My, strange to think we were just here, what, not quite three months ago?"
A slight smile touches her lips, but not for long. "I only wish this visit was under better circumstances. Remember, our mission here requires that we provoke the dungeon into fighting at its fullest strength. Regardless of whether or not the dungeon passes its tests, we must at least appear as if we''re prepared to destroy the core tonight. We must actually lay hands on it to prove that the dungeon is, quite literally, not untouchable should the Dragonlord wish it."
Woosley sighs. "Gonna make things exciting, at least. Well, let''s not make things easy for it, eh? After you, my Lady."
With her party prepared, the succubus takes the lead and brings the group the rest of the way up the trail, coming to a stop before Doorman a few minutes later. The guardian spots them quickly despite the darkness, and offers his greetings. "Evening, Lady Darktouched and friends, it''s a pleasure to see you again. We weren''t informed as to the exact date and time of your arrival, but we have been expecting you."
Cerise nods in response, but her voice holds little cheer. "Greetings to you, guardian of Worthy Dungeon. I wish this was a visit between friends, however we stand before you tonight with a duty from our sovereign. We are to test your quality, and I ask that you let your master be aware that failing this test may well result in her death."
Doorman frowns down at the red-skinned woman. "This all seems entirely unnecessary - not that anyone ever asks my opinion, of course. Still, you will not find the dungeon an easy nut to crack. Perhaps we''ll kick your asses and then next go-around we can all be a little friendlier, no?"
"As much as I would enjoy returning to a more cordial mode of relations, I''m honor-bound to not go any easier in this encounter. Please, guardian, present us with your challenge."
Doorman sighs before continuing. "Very well. What is...Lollyp''s favorite food?"
Cerise raises an eyebrow. "...Really?"
"Well...her birthday is coming up soon, and the Master was hoping to make her something nice, but didn''t want to ask her directly. Keep it a surprise, you know. Don''t suppose you know?"
"...No, I do not. But..." Cerise looks down at Pullyp beside her, who nods.
"Oh, yeah, I got this! Scrabbler oysters!"
Doorman''s brow furrows. "I...don''t believe I''ve heard of those."
"Oh, well, scrabblers are like these squirrel-like rodents who live out in the canyons. And oysters, are, well, it''s what we call...it''s their testicles."
Doorman stares at him for a moment, before doing his best possible impression of a shrug as he can, given his lack of shoulders. "Suppose that''s fitting enough for her, now that I think about it. Not sure if that''s on the Master''s menu, but thank you for your response. Enjoy your visit to Worthy Dungeon!"
As the door slides open, Cerise fixes him with a stare. "I do hope your Master is taking this as seriously as she ought to be."
The guardian responds with a grin. "Please, as if I could have stopped you from going in, if you wished it. But trust me - we have not been idle, my lady..."
As on their first visit Cerise''s party strolled through the first floor without issue, with BB''s speed being no match for Farlossus''s reflexes and the rabbit monster was crushed by a single blow from the draconic''s mighty warhammer. The elevator down Floor Two was likewise no challenge at all, although Cerise did pause before proceeding on to the boss arena.
"While we have reports on the rest of the dungeon, this is as far as Pullyp or myself reached last time, as the dungeon had been no larger at the time. This is also where we''re about to encounter our former colleague...I have to admit, I''m not looking forward to it."
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Pullyp nods along. "Me either. Still, we both have our duties. I do hope we at least get to say hello first..."
As the party steps inside, they find no one waiting for them amidst the chemical pools. This is no surprise, as Lollyp''s inclinations towards ambushes are public knowledge at this point, but Cerise does find herself slightly disappointed anyhow. "Slime Elementalist Lollyp. I hope you''re doing well?" Her voice projects, bouncing off of the stone walls and back to the group.
Another voice echoes around the room, coming from a number of cracks in the ceiling. "Pretty decently for a dead woman, you bet. Good to see you, Lady Darktouched...and Pullyp!? Is that you!?"
Pullyp grins as he looks around the chamber. "That''s Slime Reviver Pullyp, now. Just promoted this week, as it happens."
"Wow, congrats. So...heard that you bunch are actually out for the core on this run? That can''t be right, right? We haven''t fucked anything up that badly!"
Cerise sighs. "This is not a punishment - or not yet, at least. But it is a test, and we require that you fight with all your strength. Are you ready to do so, or do I need to have Farlossus here begin re-arranging the cavern stone?"
"Someone''s antsy, but I can''t blame you, I guess. So it goes." The boss''s echoing voice goes silent, but a moment later Woosley perks up and suddenly shoves Cerise to one side.
"Falling traps, dodge!" Alerted by the Rogue''s magically-improved senses, the party has just a bare second of warning as a number of glass vials begin to drop from the ceiling. As they land and shatter, pools of oil cover the ground and then quickly light on fire, save for one vial which freezes the stone into a slippery smooth surface instead. A bit of rock shrapnel bounces off of Farlossus''s armor and scales, but the rest of the group manages to avoid initial injury. Even so, they find themselves somewhat scattered, with the sudden pools of flame disrupting their prepared formation.
When a red blob swings out from a crack in the ceiling, aiming towards the back of Farlossus''s head, Woosley''s expert reflexes send her leaping up to intercept with her daggers drawn. It''s to her surprise then when the slime twists in midair, grinning at the kobold as her wand charges with electricity. "Gotcha." Woosley mostly manages to dodge the attack despite the suddenness of it, but still takes a glancing blast to one cheek as she spins and dives out of the way. Lollyp continues the rest of her swing, but perhaps unsurprisingly does nothing at all to the much-heavier draconic as she lands on the back of his skull, and simply uses the man as a brief leaping platform onward down to the ground. Before he can turn around to face her Lollyp''s frozen one of his feet to the rock, and from there the slime is quickly on the move away from the center of the arena.
Cerise frowns as she fires off a pair of arcane bolts at the boss, both shots going wide thanks to the haze and the smoke of the fires separating them. "A good distraction, Elementalist, but you lack the power to truly harm us."
"Please, I''ve barely gotten started!" The slime finds herself once again facing off against the kobold, barely dodging out of the way of the rapidly-swinging blades and still occasionally picking up the occasional light scratch despite her best efforts. A flamethrower blast does drive Woosley away for a short reprieve, but as she looks around Lollyp finds Farlossus has already freed himself and is swinging his warhammer in her direction.
"I shall splatter you against the walls, slime!" A heavy downward swing manages to crack the stone of the cavern floor, but misses the boss by a large margin, triggering a mocking laugh in response.
"You draconics always had egos too big even for your massive skulls! Eat lightning!" Lollyp wisely avoids the use of flame against the man, knowing that draconics tend to barely notice such things, but unfortunately her choice of element proves not much better on this occasion. To her surprise, the direct hit of the lightning bolt against the man''s scale-covered shoulder triggers no apparent injury at all. Laughing himself, Farlossus begins to charge up his hammer with his own red-tinted electricity.
"Know your enemy, fool! I am a Thunderbolt Hammer! Enjoy your own medicine!" The giant man swings the weapon, blasting the whole region in front of him with a wave of lightning. While it does force Woosley to dive backwards to avoid becoming collateral damage, Lollyp herself is fully hit by the attack, going into spasms that interrupt her dodging for just a moment. A moment that''s far too long, as the next swing impacts her directly in her center of mass, flinging her across the room.
Directly into Pullyp. With Lollyp''s integrity still rather unstable from the elemental attack, she and Pullyp engage in a rather embarrassing activity for any slime to perform by accident - the two begin to merge. Although they don''t fully mix, streaks of red and green begin to twist and writhe within a single mass, Pullyp''s robes and Lollyp''s vest only becoming an entangled part of the confusing organism. Being the more stable of the two, although not by a great deal thanks to his elderly status, Pullyp is the first to cry out. "Lollyp! Get - get your pseudopaws out of me!"
"Tryin'' to!" Lollyp manages to reform her head, pulling it out of the combined body, but almost wishes she hadn''t when she sees Woosley, Farlossus, and Cerise are all closing in on her. Even were she to escape the entanglement, the odds of her avoiding the next few attacks appear slim indeed. "Hey! Stay back, or the Healer gets it!"
Cerise motions for the group to pause, knowing that they have the upper hand, but Pullyp himself is far less calm. "Hey! Don''t mess around like that, Lollyp!"
As their squirming begins to slow down, Lollyp takes a moment to look over at the fellow slime she''s temporarily sharing a form with. "What, you think I''m messing around? ...Are you really going to fuck with Xenia''s core, if we don''t pass this little test of yours?"
Pullyp doesn''t answer at first, but eventually nods his head. "If that is the decision the Lady makes, then yes. I''m sorry, Lollyp."
Slowly, Lollyp nods back. "Yeah...me too. Sorry, Pullyp." She begins to reach for several of the vials strapped to her vest, and although Cerise quickly shouts out for someone to stop her, even the quick Woosley is unable to get through the slimy mass in time. Grabbing hold of a pair of bottles filled with a milky-white liquid, the slime boss cracks them open, and barely a second later the two slimes explode. The conflagration isn''t particularly dangerous to the rest of the party, with even Woosley barely taking a scratch from the force of it, but they do find it incredibly disturbing. As the trio look down at themselves, all three find themselves covered in a mix of red and green slime.
Farlossus recovers first, growling and shouting. "WHAT THE BLAZES WAS THAT!?"
Shuddering, Cerise takes a deep breath before answering. "I...I believe I''ve heard of Valleylanders occasionally using substances like that. Something specifically designed for killing slimes."
Woosely sighs as she does her best to clean herself off. "A suicide attack. Heard of some dungeon bosses doing that, didn''t expect it from a smart one, though. More fool''s me. Does uh...this mean the dungeon''s already passed the test?"
The succubus shakes her head. "We still must test the dungeon master''s intentions - and as I said earlier, we aren''t leaving until we''ve laid hands on the core itself. Proceeding without a healer is...not ideal, but we have our potions and I know a few basic spells. We should be able to complete the mission despite this...this setback."
Farlossus turns and heads for the rear of the chamber, not waiting for the others. "The sooner we move on the sooner we''ll be done. Now let''s find ourselves a healing fountain and wash this - this disgrace off of us."
Cerise frowns, but her voice remains steady. "...Yes. We can mourn later, for now...we proceed."
Chapter 104: DEATH and Violence
Despite their early setback, Floor Three proved to be of little difficulty to Lady Cerise and her remaining party. The traps and nuisance monsters hardly gave them any trouble at all, and even the boss duo were defeated in only a matter of minutes. Cerise herself proved adept at disorienting the undead with mind magic, and while Woosley kept Dips distracted, Farlossus smashed Tank into scrap metal with his warhammer. Dips herself went down not long after, and soon the trio found themselves standing at the entrance to Floor Four.
After taking a moment to collect herself, Cerise addresses the others. "Well, here we are. As the fifth floor is not on the path to the core chamber, this ought to be the last floor between us and our goal. We know the Church of Bounty recently cleared the dungeon, unfortunately our sources were not able to give a full report of what they found here. From earlier reports, we do know however that this is an open-plan floor, and contains both ground and air-based nuisance monsters, as well as a trapped cliff. However, it''s exceedingly likely that there''s more difficult challenges on the upper level of the floor, and there certainly seems to be a boss of some sort."
"Pfaw, only bold Advanced-class Challengers have attempted this prior to the Church, yes? We shall easily overcome what they could not. Let us go onward!" Taking the lead, the draconic confidently makes his way down the tunnel connecting the two floors and into the floor itself, although even he has to slow down and take a moment to admire the view he finds. "This is...more than I had expected. A few trees and some grass, yes, but...this forest is quite detailed. Flowers, weeds, mushrooms...there may be even more diversity here than in the average acre of actual forest."
Woosley shrugs as she comes up behind him. "Never spent much time in forests, so I''ll take your word for it. I get what you mean though - this is a lot of stuff for a dungeon to be able to make, right? At least it gives me lots of room to hide in, mind if I scout ahead?"
"Certainly, but not too far. And I must agree...I''m not entirely sure I''m sold on the claims of this being some sort of gift from the goddess Kahlia. She must truly like this place to be so generous...something to ask questions about, if we can." Cerise eyes the place warily as Woosley fades into a slip of a shadow, one that dances into the treeline ahead. As Cerise and Farlossus follow after her, the occasional squeal of a wounded or dying animal indicates that the kobold is doing an efficient job of clearing the area ahead of them.
Eventually they reach the cliff separating the two levels of the floor, and as Cerise inspects the various climbable locations, Farlossus scoffs. "The cliff is trapped, you say? I can easily carry the both of you up without issue. In fact, shall I scout the floor from the air? We could likely shortcut straight to the floor exit."
"Do so - but clear the pests first, if you would." The succubus indicates a flock of spitwings swooping down on their position, and with a grin the draconic swings his hammer before him several times. While the weapon itself never comes close to any of the creatures, each swing cracks with the sound of thunder, and a good portion of the flock falls to the ground stunned or dead, crackling with electricity. Only a small handful avoid that fate, but Cerise has no trouble picking off the remainders with a few arcane bolts of her own.
"Haha, barely a warmup! I shall return in but a moment!" After bracing himself, the man leaps into the air - only to return far, far sooner than Cerise had anticipated. With a thunderous slam the Hammer crashes back to the ground, wrapped up in a bizarrely red-colored net that seems to be...sizzling. "Gah! This net! It - it burns my scales!"
Up above, Sincere quickly dashes away from the slime cannon he had been stationed at, as Xenia''s avatar floats alongside him. "Are you certain we couldn''t have used a shade to do this? Or at least DEATH, this is his floor, after all!"
"The Shun are way too slow to react to hit a flying target, not even close. And DEATH needs to be ready to guard the exit! But hey! You scored a hit on your first shot, good work, Core Guardian!"
"Well, yes, thank you. Let''s just hope they take the hint and I don''t need to worry about engaging in combat out here. The last-ditch trap I arranged for you is...touchy."
Xenia grins as she watches the draconic squirm through her dungeon senses. "No worries - I bet they won''t even make it that far!"
With Woosley quickly returning and assisting with her blades, the party was eventually able to free Farlossus from his slimy prison. It wasn''t merely a sticky net however, but an acidic one, and between the trap itself and his uncontrolled landing the draconic''s wings were in a sorry state. His appearance wasn''t much better for that matter, as while draconic scales resist the burns from a flame they''re not so useful against burns of the chemical sort. The wounds were merely scale-deep, however, and a healing potion was already working to restore the worst of the damage. The wound to his pride meanwhile was much deeper.
"What nonsense! Caught in a net like a common bird! I have more than half a mind to destroy the dungeon just for such an indignity alone!"
"Easy, big guy, let''s not take it personal. I''m assuming you wouldn''t do much better, Lady Darktouched?" Woosley looks up at her leader, who nods.
"I am actually quite vulnerable in my bat form, so an acidic net like this could quite possibly kill me in that state. It seems perhaps we''ll have to stay low to the ground, unless you found something else worth checking out?"
Woosley waggles a hand. "Nothing major, but I did follow the nearby stream back to a waterfall. Mind if we check it out real quick? There''s usually good stuff hidden behind waterfalls, in those dungeons that got em anyways. Seems like some sort of dungeon law or something."
Cerise thinks on it for a moment, then nods her head. "While we''re not exactly here for the loot, it would be good to know what secrets the dungeon''s prepared, and it shouldn''t take long I imagine. Lead the way."
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It takes only a minute or two to follow the cliff to the nearby water, and as the other two watch Woosley quickly hops through the watery curtain, having to wade a little as she goes thanks to her short height. "Gonna have to dive for a little bit here, but there''s gaps I can see through though so I know there''s a space back there. Just be a min!" A minute later they hear her voice again, a little more distant, shouting out. "Yup, there''s a chest here! And...a big-ass sword, fuck this thing is heavy. The swim''s not far though so I should be able to get it back in no time!"
"A sword is unlikely to be a match for my hammer, but it could be of interest. Be speedy though, I tire of this place." Farlossus crosses his arms and watches for the Shadow to return while Cerise keeps watch, occasionally magically blasting the odd rabbit or flying reptile who comes too close. After the fourth monster explodes into gory bits however, the succubus begins to grow concerned.
"This is at least twice as long as it took for her to find the thing. It couldn''t be that heavy, could it? She wouldn''t attempt to swim with it if it would slow her down this much."
"Perhaps it was large enough to become caught in the rocks on the way back? She will sort herself out quickly enough if that''s the case."
The pair wait for another minute longer, Cerise''s fingers nervously tapping out a pattern on her opposite arm, until eventually she growls and begins casting a quick ritual. "This isn''t right, allow me to check something..." As she finishes tracing glowing symbols into the air, a magical pulse bursts across the floor and the woman''s golden eyes briefly turn blue. She scans the surroundings for a moment, then gasps. "No! There''s - there''s elementals in the water! And...I can''t find any trace of Woosley''s mana signature. The - fuck! The waterfall treasure was simply bait! ...I can''t even trace her remains, they must have dragged her somewhere!" Cerise takes a moment to calm herself, although her expression grows angry even as she takes deep breaths. "Where did the dungeon get elementals?"
Farlossus frowns as well, or as much as his reptilian snout allows him to. "An...an unworthy death, for a valiant soldier of the Domain. A Rogue of her caliber should at least have the chance to face death in battle."
Cerise sighs, her face suddenly showing a trace of exhaustion. "I suppose we should expect nothing better, when we tell the dungeon to expect us to fight for the highest stakes. Come...we must complete the mission, and with no more sidetracking."
The pair return to the cliff, and while they''re unable to find a path up that isn''t trapped, they do manage to locate one where the traps can be easily smashed by Farlossus''s magic hammer. The pair make their way up fairly quickly thanks to the draconic''s claws and overall size, and already being nearby to the dungeon''s river, they quickly spot the island at the center of the floor. As they approach the water surrounding it they eventually find the stone plinth guarding the way across, and this time Cerise smiles slightly at the sight of it.
"Ah, a key-based puzzle. I''m no Rogue, but I do have a few useful tricks from my Dark Agent days. Skeleton Key!" A blast of mana flies from her palm and into the stone, causing the bunny-head-shaped lock to light up, and soon after the stone bridge begins to rise from the waters. As does a boy''s voice, surprisingly.
"Cheaters! Cheaters! That''s not how that works!"
Although neither of the two spot anyone in the area, the voice seems to be coming from the river itself, and Farlossus blasts it with a bolt of electricity from his hammer on general principles. There''s the sound of a yelp, and the man grunts.
"Elementals. Let us be across before they cause more mischief." The pair move quickly, reaching the other side without further harassment, and soon move onward though the mist-covered gate marking the way to the boss arena. Things appear quiet at first, but even before the mist begins to swirl within the cemetery the two find inside, Cerise shouts out a warning.
"This boss is heavily magic-based! Prepare yourself!" Farlossus has just enough time to raise his hammer as the shadows and clouds coalesce into a hooded figure, one who quickly swings a heavy scythe in the man''s direction.
"NO PALADINS TODAY, I SEE. PERHAPS THIS SHALL BE MORE AMUSING."
Cerise''s eyes go wide as she recognizes the language the boss speaks. "That''s - YOU! WHY DO YOU SPEAK THE TONGUE OF MY ANCESTORS!?"
Quickly hovering backwards before Farlossus''s counterattack can strike him, the undead grins in her direction - or at least, so it appears, given the lack of skin on his bony face. "WHY IS ANYTHING AS IT IS IN THIS PLACE? BECAUSE IT AMUSES MY MISTRESS THAT IT BE SO. SPEAKING OF - YOUR PRESENCE IS QUITE UNAMUSING. DIE NOW, IF YOU WOULD."
Cerise begins to prepare some of her heavier spells to blast the monster with, but before they can fire off a stinging sensation strikes her from her legs. Glancing downwards she quickly spots the vampire rabbits diving under her light robes, snapping at her ankles and thighs, and the succubus grimaces. "Farlossus! I need a moment to clear these out, I cannot focus my attacks on the boss with these distractions!"
"No worries, Emissary, I can buy you all the time you need!" The two combatants begin to truly engage each other then, swinging their equally over-sized weapons in each other''s directions, Farlossus''s charged with crackling electricity and DEATH''s with chilly shadow. For a time they seem equally matched, with DEATH dodging most blows and Farlossus blocking most of the undead''s, but eventually a serious issue becomes clear. Even when Farlossus manages to score a hit on his opponent, the hammer seems to largely pass right through him, and even the magical electricity appears to do only light damage. Sensing his advantage, DEATH suddenly rushes forward, willingly taking the hit the next time the draconic swings at him.
The blow does harm him, but not nearly as much as Farlossus is hurt by the scythe that sinks into his right shoulder. The cut alone would be bad enough, but the weapon''s shadow magic begins to spread into the man''s wound, quickly turning the man''s arm entirely numb. The draconic tries one more swing single-handedly but it''s far too weak to be a threat, and the man shouts. "Bah! I need no weapon to defeat my enemies! Face the power of a dragon''s descendant!"
Glaring at the boss, the man''s face begins to glow and crackle until he suddenly opens his jaw wide. A bolt of lightning fires from his mouth, straight though DEATH''s chest and scarring a stone monument standing behind him...but DEATH shows no sign of pain. Despite the damage done to him, as Farlossus takes a moment to recover from his own assault the boss quickly finds the energy to leap straight up into the air, to a distance several feet more than Farlossus''s own impressive height. When the boss returns to the ground, so does his weapon - which sinks into the top of Farlossus''s skull, killing the draconic instantly.
As DEATH turns to face Cerise next, the succubus shouts out in defiance. "No! You - no! YOU WILL NOT TAKE ME, MONSTER!" Ignoring the final few rabbits which had been harrying her, Cerise focuses all of her attention solely on the boss, blasting him with arcane bolt after arcane bolt. It''s not as elegant an attack as the ritual she had been attempting to prepare earlier, but it proves more than sufficient for the already-wounded undead. After several more holes are blasted into his form DEATH dissipates, and even the remaining rabbits suddenly turn and scurry off into the mists. Cerise fires off a few more bolts in their direction, but only half-heartedly, and every shot goes wide.
Sinking to her knees next to her fallen comrade, the succubus takes a moment to move his body into a position of rest. She attempts to find words for the man she barely knows, but another whisper escapes her lips instead. "This...this mission wasn''t supposed to go like this. Was it? Is...is this what the Dragonlord wanted? Would our sovereign be pleased if we all fell this day?" Cerise spends some time there, then shakes her head as she glances at the hidden stairwell that suddenly reveals itself. "...No. I shall survive. I shall not die today, Xenia - I swear it. And your test is not yet complete."
Chapter 105: Final Exams
Somewhat rested and refreshed after downing a few potions, Lady Cerise Darktouched made her way down the stairs and into the core chamber hidden below, willing herself into presenting an air of calm and elegance as she did so. She was an Enigmatic Emissary, after all, it wouldn''t do to meet with a dungeon master looking tired and worn-down, even if she had just been fighting for her life. When she stepped into the room itself she spotted Sincere standing there, waiting for her, but the woman wasn''t surprised.
"You would be the Core Guardian, then? Sincere, yes? Your profile was rather...interesting reading, I must say."
The waiting demon smiles at his guest. "I did always have my fans and followers within the Domain, didn''t I? Tell me, Lady Darktouched - are we ready to call this test of yours complete, and move on to more pleasant conversation, or must this contest continue to the end?"
Cerise shakes her head. "I shall lay hands on the core itself as I announce my judgment. If you wish to stand aside as I do so..."
Sincere snorts in response. "Allow someone who''s threatened the core''s destruction to come into contact with the object? Even though I have faith in our performance so far, it''s a risk we cannot allow. Which you know, of course, which means you only announced your intentions because you want this to be a fight to the end."
"Such are the wishes of my sovereign. I do regret that we cannot spend more time in conversation, you seem to be an interesting scholar of some repute by all reports. But the evening is late, and I am tired...so."
"...So."
The two stare at each other for a moment, and then within the blink of an eye the two demonic mages move. Sincere casts a spell at the woman, temporal magics to slow her down, but Cerise disperses it easily with a counterspell. Rather than fire off one of her own however, the succubus suddenly blinks forward, quickly swooping behind the man and planting a dagger between his ribs. Sincere gasps as he attempts to turn and grab at her, but Cerise holds him tightly around the neck with one arm as she bleeds him out.
"Assassination skills were once a important part of my job description - it''s been some time since I last had to dust them off, however. I have to admit, I am a little disappointed. I expected...more. But you''re drained, aren''t you? Your mana is so empty after a single spell? Xenia chose poorly when giving you your new form." Sincere makes no response other than wet gurgles, but she was expecting nothing more, and when his struggling ceases she simply allows his body to collapse to the floor. "Suppose I cannot complain, however. It would be best to have the unpleasant portion of this task finished with."
After turning around to face the seashell statue containing the core, Cerise simply blasts it with an arcane bolt rather than bother searching for the mechanism to open it. The top half of the shell flies apart, rubble scattering across the room, and she takes a moment to admire the polished, swirling orb sitting on what remains.
She then fires a second bolt, destroying it utterly.
"Really, Xenia? I suppose that may fool a Fighter-type, but anyone with the least bit of mana-sense would be able to tell that was nothing but a decoy. A true dungeon core lights up like a beacon to those with the skills to see it." She fires off one more bolt, destroying more of the statue, and revealing the actual core buried within the statue''s base. "Also, the fact that the stone is as weak as rotten wood is a bit of a giveaway as well. Your dungeon limitations don''t allow you to hide your core more securely yet, do they?"
Sighing, she steps forward and kneels slightly to lay one hand on Xenia''s actual form. "Now, where were we? Master of Worthy Dungeon, today I -"
Cerise stops in shock as she finds herself back at the entrance to the core chamber. Quickly looking around, she finds Sincere''s corpse still where she left it, but the seashell statue is suddenly whole again. "What? How did...wait." Casting a quick ritual, arcane symbols eventually become revealed to her, marking out a circle encompassing perhaps a fifth of the room - and sealing her in with the core. "This...it couldn''t be." Turning around, she attempts to reach out through the doorway back towards the fourth floor with one hand, but quickly pulls back in pain, hissing. As she examines the tips of her fingers she finds part of her nails missing and even a bit of her skin, this time causing her to hiss in frustration rather than pain.
"A temporal bubble!? That''s...ah. So that would be why your Guardian was so drained, wasn''t he? It''s a powerful and rare magic, I admit to being impressed. But, Xenia..." Facing once again towards the center of the chamber, she casts one more ritual, and this time after it completes, Xenia''s black-and-white avatar stands before her. "...You have made a terrible mistake."
Shrugging and giving a mischievous grin, Xenia responds unrepentantly. "Wouldn''t be the first time."
Cerise frowns, apparently not feeling in the mood for joking around. "This spell is beyond my ability to properly counter. If I try, I''ll likely only make it break down faster. Worse, its fail-state is ''collapse''. As the mana drains the bubble will shrink, eventually killing me if I remain here."
Xenia whistles. "Sounds bad! Guess you''re in kind of a pickle, then."
The succubus continues. "...Which means if I wish to save my life, I now must destroy your core, and hope that your creations fade out before they kill me in the process. Or that I gain the power to properly neutralize the trap."
This time the words hit, and Xenia''s eyes go wide. "...Oh. Well, you''d have to get through me first!"
Cerise scoffs. "I can dismiss your avatar even more easily than I summoned it. If you wish to be productive - I don''t suppose you can dismiss the spell yourself?"
The dungeon master shakes her head. "Oooh, sorry, no. I learned a lot of Sincere''s spells when I got him, but this is something he invented recently. Dead-man switch sort of thing, trap that fires off if he dies. Took a lot out of him too, like you noticed."
"Wonderful." Cerise closes her eyes and sighs before continuing. "Xenia...you passed the test. Assuming you''re still willing to be as fatal with Challengers as you have been with my own team? You''ve certainly proven your capability."
The monochrome avatar nods. "If your boss had just taken my word for this, well...none of this woulda been necessary, you know? Yeah, okay, I...kinda had to make a deal to go a little easier on the adventurers. But only for the first three floors! And even then, we''ve still got an above-average fatality rate! From what Lollyp tells me, anyhow. All this is just...muscle flexing, and I don''t really appreciate it to be honest, but I don''t wanna cross your boss, either."
"Well, I - " Cerise winces as she suddenly flickers in place, the temporal loop resetting a second time. "Ugh. Does that not bother you?"
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Xenia shivers slightly. "Lil weird maybe, but my perceptions cover the entire dungeon, y''know, so it''s just like having a finger tingle for a second. Where were we?"
"Yes, well. I suppose this puts me in a bit of a difficult spot now, doesn''t it? If you''ve passed the test, then my orders are to leave you intact. But if I leave you intact, then I die."
The dungeon master chews her lip. "Tough spot, yeah. What are you gonna do?"
"I...am going to think." With that she kneels down and closes her eyes, as if she were going into a meditative state. Xenia peers at her for a bit, but as the succubus remains unmoving, she decides to give the Emissary a bit of space.
After a good fifteen minutes had passed - marked by repeated loops requiring Cerise to return to her kneeling pose - the woman finally speaks even as her eyes remain closed. "There''s so many things I''ve never done, you know?"
Xenia looks up from where she''d been sitting, leaning against her core-concealing statue. "Oh? Too much time spent on the job?"
"For some things, not enough for others. I''m in my sixties, you know, which is quite young for one of my kind. My career still had a glorious road ahead of me - I''d always felt certain that I was marked to reach the heights of Supreme strength one day. Perhaps within twenty years...reaching it before I turned a hundred would have been quite the accomplishment for me."
"Love your gig that much, huh?"
"I enjoy...mattering, I suppose. Even when I was a mere pawn on the board, I was still a pawn who altered the balance of power according to the whims of my sovereign. Guilds, churches, nobility...so many strings I''ve pulled, and strings I''ve cut. Nearly every mission I''ve undertaken has caused ripples across the continent."
Xenia nods. "Suppose I can get that. Even if it does sound a little cutthroat, y''know, literally."
"Indeed. Also, I - " She sighs again as she suffers another reset. "I''ve...never had children."
Xenia raises a pitch-black eyebrow. "Never found the right partner?"
Cerise smirks at the thought. "Oh, I''ve found many. But my career wasn''t well suited for motherhood, and there was always plenty of time in the future for all that. Once I became Supreme, I''d surely spend more time in Dragon''s Jaw directing policy rather than undertaking missions myself, and perhaps...well, who knows."
"Kind of sounds like you''re, um...spilling a lot of regrets, here. Come to a decision?"
The succubus purses her lips. "I could lie, you know. Say you cursed the Dragonlord''s name and failed the test, and I had to destroy you. There would be disappointment, and it would perhaps be a stain on my own record, given that I arranged our original deal. But I would recover, and more importantly, I would survive."
"Bet you could pull that off, yeah. Will you?"
Cerise finally reopens her eyes and stares into Xenia''s, before suddenly pulling her dagger and pointing it at her own chest. "I hope I''m considered worthy, Xenia. Oh, Master of Worthy Dungeon, I willingly - "
The succubus halts, shocked, as Xenia practically leaps across the distance separating the two of them in the blink of an eye and grabs onto the dagger''s handle with surprising strength. "No."
Cerise gasps. "I - really? I''m not worthy of your standards?" As her eyes continue to stare into Xenia''s, waves of rage and fear wash through them.
Xenia leans down, staring directly back into Cerise''s gaze from inches away. "Won''t lie, you know? I was really, really tempted. Had plans running through my head and everything. Give you a sexy-ass Vampire Nymph body maybe, set you up as Boss of Floor Five...not sure what you''d be doing there exactly, but pretty sure we''d come up with something fun. But I''m not that much of an asshole."
The Emissary''s lips curl into a scowl. "So instead you''ll let me be torn apart by a dying spell? You can''t seriously be telling me you want me to destroy you, instead."
"Nope! You see...tests can go both ways. And Cerise...you passed." Reaching back with one arm, Xenia snaps her fingers, and a pair of shortcut portals suddenly appear within the room. One within the temporal bubble, one beyond it. "I may not be able to play with the spell, but I can sure as hell play with almost anything else down here, you know? A dungeon master''s always got her tricks."
Cerise swears, even as relieved laughter bubbles through her voice. "Oh, you dungeon master bitch."
Xenia smirks. "I may be a little bit of an asshole." Even as she speaks Cerise is already rushing through the portal, not allowing even a sliver of a chance that she could lose the opportunity to escape. The moment she''s safely through on the other side, she turns back towards Xenia.
"More than a little! What - why test me like that?"
Xenia walks back over to her, standing face-to-face again before responding. "I''ve fought Evil before, you know? The capital-E kind. I''ve been Evil before. Not proud of it, but I''ve had my rough periods. Faced tyrants, necromancers, eldritch monsters, and yeah, even dragons. And I gotta say, the Dragonlord doesn''t exactly have the best reputation around here, from everything I''ve heard. Enslaved entire species, and still keeps slaves on a smaller scale, ain''t that right? Started wars, over and over for centuries. Been the bogeyman that keeps Valleylander and Rainlander kids hiding beneath their bed covers at night."
Cerise frowns at the slander of her lord. "You speak in riddles, but - this continent is the rightful property of the Dragonlord! They''re only trying to recover what was stolen from them! And...they gave demons a home. When every other race on this world turned us out, only the Dragonlord took us in. I don''t know why your Core Guardian, Sincere, turned his back on the rest of us, but I''ve heard plenty of tales from my grandparents to know what those old days were like. I am proud of what we have built under their protection, whatever faults they may have."
Xenia nods. "And that''s why you pass the test. You''re a good woman, Cerise. Cutthroat, like I said, but you''d give up your own life to spare mine, even when you don''t gotta. Sure not like I can get on any high horses about having some blood on my hands, anyhow. And if the Dragonlord can earn the loyalty of a good woman...maybe they''re someone I can still work with. I''m still not sure I like them, honestly pretty sure I don''t, but then I kinda dislike national leaders as a rule. Real shitbirds, nine out of ten times. But our deal is still on - if we don''t get any more of these bullshit ''tests'', at least."
Cerise considers her words, before finally nodding in response. "Even a test of this sort was a rare occasion. You can count on me to speak in your favor should the topic come up again, I can tell you that." Pausing, she reaches for a pouch at her waist and removes it, before tossing it onto the nearby table. "Some trade goods we brought along, in the event of a favorable conclusion. Including another runespell orb containing an avatar spell. But..." She pauses for a bit, thinking over her next words before she continues. "...I think perhaps I should offer a personal gift as well. Could I trouble you for a blank scroll?"
Raising an eyebrow, Xenia shrugs before summoning one into her hand, charging it with enough mana to turn it into a permanent object. "One scroll, made to order. What use is a blank scroll, though?"
"It allows me to do this." Taking it, Cerise unfurls it and places one palm against its surface. Mana sinks from her hand and into the page, glowing runes forming in abstract patterns, until after several minutes she finishes her work. Sounding a little out of breath, the succubus explains. "Doing this properly would take days of constant effort, but this scroll now contains a weaker version of the spell I use to summon your avatar. It will still last an hour, but can only be used once every few days - perhaps a week. It also lacks the self-contained mana charge of a runespell orb. But on the positive side, you at least don''t need to worry about the usual issue of scrolls being single-use items."
Xenia whistles. "That''s - shit, that''s real good. Thank you! Suppose I should boost up your final loot box a bit before you open it up, just to be fair..."
Cerise chuckles. "It would be appreciated, thank you. I...wish we could part on more soothing terms, as we did on my last visit. But considering everything..."
"Yeah, no, you...you lost folks tonight, I totally get it. But if you ever swing back around, y''know, just to chat, consider yourself in possession of a free pass."
"I''ll see what I can do, Master of Worthy Dungeon."
Cerise took a few minutes to collect the items from Xenia''s final treasure chest, adding them to another bottomless bag holding the contents of everything her party had collected that night, before making her final farewells and taking the exit portal outside. The moment she left Xenia collapsed into her favorite chair, staring at Sincere''s still-bloody corpse on the floor as she did so.
"I really, really...really hate tests."
Chapter 106: Balancing Acts
The next morning, an all-elf Challenger group who called themselves ''The Briar Thorns'' were attempting to get in an early run on the dungeon, and having an unusually difficult time of it.
"What do you mean, ''closed''? Dungeons can''t close!" The group''s leader, a man carrying twin blades made of enchanted wood, shouts up at the door before him.
Doorman does his best to explain in a conciliatory fashion. "Ah, well, you see, the Master of the Dungeon had a rather difficult evening last night, and has declared that today is ''a day off''. So good news! You get to go back home and relax!"
A woman in dark leather grumbles. "What? We were preparing and relaxing for the past couple days! This is our dungeon run day! ...How does a dungeon even have a rough night, anyhow?"
"Don''t know what to tell you, just poor timing on your part, I suppose."
A second woman in red mage robes glares at the door, fire in her eyes. "I really don''t think you get an option, Guardian. You can''t just not let people into the dungeon."
Rolling his eyes, Doorman listens to something for a moment before responding. "Okay, here''s what we can do for you. We''ll give you a free loot sampling, of Floor One, Two, and Five items, if you promise to go away. Also, you can''t tell anyone else about the freebies, the Master doesn''t wish for a ''trick or treat'' situation to develop."
The leader tilts his head. "What''s a ''trick or treat'' situation?"
"Don''t know, actually! Good question, you have stumped me with your riddle! And since the riddle has been failed, the door is locked."
A second elvish man in a cleric''s garb gasps out loud. "What!? That''s - that''s not at all how riddle locks work!"
"Look, do you want the free loot or not?"
The leader looks around at his group, and at the collection of nods and shrugs, turns back to the door. "...I suppose we''ll take it, Guardian."
"Excellent! Now, what''s your preferred size of buttplug?"
"...Small?"
"And here I thought we''d begun attracting bolder Challengers..."
While Xenia had spent a lot of time staring at intrusion reports over the past three months, including more than a few that followed the deaths of one or more intruders, few had received glares like the one floating before her now.
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INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS SLAIN: 3
MORTALS ESCAPED: 1
NEW RESOURCE PATTERNS GATHERED:
BONE (DRACONIC)
SILVER (STANDARD QUALITY)
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
SLIMES, NON-SAPIENT: B+
DRAGONS: F
STAFFS: C-
KNIVES: C+
METAL ARMOR: B-
LEATHER ARMOR: B-
HAMMERS/MACES: D-
CURRENCY (DOMAIN): C
SLIME MATERIAL ACCESSORIES: C
POTIONS: B-
POISONS: C+
SILVER CONSTRUCTS: D-
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 3
1 UNABSORBABLE ITEM ADDED TO INVENTORY: 1 RUNESPELL ORB
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 8 TO 186 (45 CONSUMED BY CONSTRUCTS)
MANA ACQUIRED: 10, CURRENT AMOUNT: 141/141
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
SKILLS: SLIME REGENERATOR (ADVANCED), SLIME REVIVER (EXPERT), DESERT SCOUT (ADVANCED), CANYON SHADOW (EXPERT), THUNDERBOLT HAMMER (EXPERT)
UNCLASSED SPELLS: SPIRIT AVATAR (MINOR)
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: DRAGON SLAYER 1
YOU HAVE SLAIN YOUR FIRST DRACONIC. MANA SPELL EFFECTIVENESS ON DRACONICS INCREASED BY 25%.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: NECROMANCER 2
YOU HAVE SLAIN AT LEAST FIVE MORTALS WITH UNDEAD MONSTERS. UNDEAD DEAL 10% MORE DAMAGE.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.------------------------
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"What a fucking waste." The sound echoes around a table filled with occupants, but only Guy hazards a response.
"Is it? The avatar spell alone seems like a massive win! And while the items Lady Darktouched gave us weren''t quite the same massive boost as they were on her first visit, this is still the biggest gain we''ve had in weeks! I mean - dragons! And a boost to our slimes!"
Xenia waves them off with an irritated growl. "I ain''t talking about the loot, Guy. I''m talking about the lives. The Dragonlord threw away loyal soldiers just to fuckin'' test us, I still can''t believe it! I mean...when they had Lollyp ''join up'' the first time around, that made a kind of sense. Everyone volunteered, it was the best of bad options and all that. But this...and god, I''m so sorry you went through that, Lollyp."
The slime nods from her seat down the table. "Yeah...me too. I mean...we shouldn''t dwell on it. It''s not exactly like we just stumbled on Pullyp in a street somewhere and got into a fight, right? He came to us. He knew we''d have to fight, and that it wasn''t just gonna be a fun spar. I just...dammit. He''d trained up! He was an Expert now! He...he probably coulda had a few more years left, and now..."
Xenia gets up from her seat and walks over, taking Lollyp in a hug from behind. She accepts it, silently, one hand resting on Xenia''s arm, and the two stay like that for a minute or two before Xenia speaks. "Your old boss is kind of a dick, Lolly Pop."
Lollyp seems uncertain how to respond. "It''s...I mean, it''s not like it''s that much of a surprise. When you''re a soldier, you fight for your country, you die for your country if you have to. Sometimes people go on missions they''re not likely to ever come back from. I knew that before I even came here. I guess it''s just different now that I''m part of the mission that people aren''t coming back from."
From across the table, Sincere voices a thought. "Unlike most military missions...death wasn''t exactly a failure in this case. You helped prove the dungeon''s strength, and that we can be of value to the Dragonlord. Even now, you still serve your country in some respect, wouldn''t you say?"
"I guess. Except it''s not like they even asked me or anything! I mean, if they wanted like, a report on how we were doing here, I woulda written one up for Lady Darktouched to take back with her! But it''s like they''ve, I dunno, written me off or something. I''m not a soldier anymore...just a normal dungeon monster."
Leaning over, Xenia offers some comfort in Lollyp''s ear. "Nah, you''re not just a normal dungeon monster - you''re a great dungeon monster. And you''ve been doing great here."
The slime chuckles despite herself. "Gee, thanks, Xen. You do say the nicest things sometimes."
At the end of the table, DEATH OF RABBITS raises a hand. "FORGIVE ME FOR REQUIRING CLARIFICATION, BUT WHY ARE WE WORKING WITH THIS DRAGONLORD AGAIN? IF HE IS ''KIND OF A DICK'' AND ALL THAT?"
Xenia sighs as she returns to her seat. "Well, at first it was just kind of a deal with no downsides, you know? I mean, yeah, it was bad for the dudes we were killing, but we''d be trying to kill them even if we hadn''t made the deal. But now? If the Dragonlord knows that we''re digging into the old ruins and is still claiming ownership of the place, then our options are either ''keep them happy'' or ''stop using the place for free floors'', and honestly I''m not even sure whether or not it''s too late for the latter. Tough as that test was, it was still them using kid gloves with us, and Cerise could have really blasted the core if she''d really wanted to. I mean, I had one or two more cards left I could''ve played, but it was close. We piss them off, and the next party''s probably a pack of Supremes or something and we''re all dead."
Sincere mumbles a little in thought before speaking up. "Mhmm...what does this require that we actually do, though? As you said, we would be attempting to kill Challengers regardless. The deal doesn''t even require that we go easy on the odd kobold or demon who comes through here."
"Just a bit of extra pressure, I guess. Normally a dungeon might just want a high kill rate for the prizes it brings in, but now we got us a micro-manager leaning over our shoulders and demanding vague productivity goals or some shit. We''re probably gonna want to keep higher than that ten percent average maiming-and-fatality rate Lollyp''s told me about, and...fuck, I dunno, do in an Expert or higher once a month or something? I mean, we haven''t even been getting that many of those, and the last pack was the Church and I''d rather not piss them off, either." Xenia rubs her palms into her eyes. "Goooooodddd...Dragonlord, Alizz, churches, militaries...I thought I was my own boss around here, instead we''ve got all these people we need to keep balanced and happy, while murdering a bunch of dudes on the reg."
The demon smirks slightly. "I''ll admit, the job of being a dungeon master does seem to be far more complex than I ever thought it would be. An interesting lesson to learn. But! Perhaps it is time we began planning our next moves, yes? Personally, I feel rather satisfied with our fourth floor as it currently stands, and it is currently responsible for...what, three of the five Expert-class kills we currently have to our name? With Lollyp taking credit for the others. Is it time we began laying out our plans for Floor Six, now that we have it available to us?"
Xenia sits back up straight, suddenly refocused. "Right! Floor Six, I had some ideas for that! Good thing is, we don''t have to put the new floor in the same spot the old dungeon floor was at or anything. I think it''s time we finally start making use of that creepy-ass abyss we''ve got next door."
Lollyp sits up a little straighter herself, interested in the change of topic. "Oh, right, I forgot that we were gonna do something with that at some point, yeah! It''s way too big to claim the entire thing as a floor though, right? So how are we gonna start off?"
After clearing some snacks off of the table, Xenia begins to reshape the stone into a scale model of the nearest side of the mountain''s internal canyon. "Alright, so I was thinking we start with a tunnel coming out from Floor Four, which would come out here..."
Far away, Lady Cerise Darktouched trembled. Not out of any true fear - the woman was confident that she had performed her task to the best of her ability, and even if she hadn''t, summary executions for poor behavior were quite rare these days. No, she trembled because for the first time in her decades of service, she had been called to a private audience with her sovereign.
Not that she actually saw them, of course. While the elder dragon could shapeshift, they enjoyed keeping the world guessing as to what their appearance actually was at any given time, and so several layers of thin curtains stood between her and the towering figure. The torches around the throne room chamber did at least provide enough light for her to make out an outline, and give her a vague idea of their movements, but their expression was unreadable which only increased Cerise''s anxiety as she finished her report. "...and after confirming the dungeon master''s good intentions, I presented her with our gifts, as planned."
The Dragonlord''s voice rumbles as they sit upon their throne. "An interesting outcome, I would say. You proved our reach, by laying your hands on the core. Yet at the same time the dungeon slew the majority of your party, proving that it, too, was stronger than I had expected. Personally, I had thought there to be a half-chance the dungeon would fail to kill any of you, and even if it did, I thought it likely there would be only one at most. Three, including a draconic...perhaps Xenia Worthy does have the strength she claims to possess." The shadow of a hand waves behind the curtains. "But, enough of the factual reporting. What are your impressions of the dungeon now, Emissary? Any changes from your first visit?"
Cerise pauses, thinking before she answers. While she does have a certain...fondness for the dungeon spirit, and hesitates for a moment to potentially spill her secrets, when faced with her sovereign the hesitation is only for a moment. "I...would actually like to expand on a note I filed in my initial report. On our first visit, Xenia made several comments indicating she was older than we thought she was. Last evening however, she made a statement implying that she was not only older, but...perhaps had not always been in her current location? Or had perhaps not always been a dungeon at all? I struggle to make sense of what she said. I regret not pressing the issue further at the time, my lord."
Amused, the Dragonlord laughs, a sound that echoes across the stony chamber. "Ha! No need to worry your mind on that mystery, my Emissary, it is solved. Xenia Worthy is a reincarnator."
Cerise''s eyes go wide. "A - what? A reincarnator? Like her own floor bosses are?"
"No, no, far more than that. I have had the...pleasure of seeing hints of some of her past lives, and they make for quite entertaining viewing. I believe that that is why Kahlia has taken such an interest in the dungeon, that blasted divine. Such things are part of her domain, after all."
"I...see. Does that impact our relationship with the dungeon spirit?"
The shadow makes a dismissive motion. "Given that she has passed my test, we shall give her some leeway for now. The insights I gain as she attempts to lay claim to my property are potentially informative. Between her past, the power upon which she sits, and the attention of heavenly interlopers, her potential is...significant. She will require more attention than the usual dungeon, however, certainly. First, prepare an accelerated schedule for visitations. Secondly...we require a closer eye on the place than our usual network of informants."
Cerise nods. "Yes, it was unfortunate we were unable to acquire a full report of the Church of Bounty''s visit before we made our intrusion, particularly of the fourth floor. Do you have a specific order, my sovereign?"
The shadow nods. "Indeed I do. Examine the roster of Challengers native to the Domain, and determine who is loyal to our nation. I wish for you to put together a party..."
Chapter 107: Bridging the Gaps
Xenia Worthy, Reincarnator Extraordinaire, had often felt bad about many of the things she''d done in her many lives. Not for too long, as she tried not to dwell too much on the past, but regrets were a common feature of her existence. The acts she were undertaking now were sure to be added to that list, for they were truly evil. However, she just couldn''t help herself.
She was making a platforming level.
While she had dreams of one day turning the entire abyssal cavern into part of her dungeon, for now those dreams were far beyond her. She couldn''t even stretch her control across from one side to the other yet, despite her best attempts, no matter how narrowly she focused her efforts. For now she had to settle for a single cliffside, with hopes that another floor unlock would be enough to bridge the gap later on. She did have the option of eventually spending an unlock to triple the size of an existing floor, but there was always the chance that Xenia would want to increase the size of her forest, or make another floor like it, so for now that option was being kept in reserve. Xenia had at least gotten the usual freebies once she''d begun her work, although they didn''t seem immediately useful.
|
-----------------------
FLOOR 6 CREATED
ADDING NEW BASE ''CAVE'' MATERIALS:
BEAR FUR
CHITIN
NEW BASE ''CAVE'' CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED:
BEARS: F
ARACHNIDS: D
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 6 TO 192
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"This is insanely unfair."
Xenia turns back to look at the slime boss whining across the gap behind her. "What? This is literally the first platform! It''s a three foot jump! What kind of Challenger isn''t going to be fit enough for that!?"
Lollyp sighs. "Let me demonstrate for you, Xen." Standing on a ledge that had been formed near the tunnel exit leading from Floor Four, the slime pulls her mass together and stretches upwards, adding on at least two feet to her usually short height. She then practically shoves herself forward, landing face-first on Xenia''s platform with a plop. After grabbing hold of the second stony ledge with various tendrils she then pulls the rest of her body across the empty space, eventually reforming into a standing position. "Hrng! So...yeah, that''s how that shit''s gonna work for slimes."
Xenia gives her boss a look of disbelief. "What!? You''re pulling my leg! I''ve seen you make jumps bigger than that all the time!"
"First off, I''m in a boss slime body. That means my magic is weaker than a normal slime''s, but I''m physically stronger than most normal folks. Secondly, my biggest jumps always come from me swinging out of the ceiling. Slimes normally, we uh...well, we can''t jump! A normal slime jump''s like, a couple of inches! That''s why your Hippity...your rabbit-slimes are so unusual. If you''re gonna be making the platform jumps harder than this, no slime''s gonna be able to get across without someone else helping them."
Guy hovers up alongside her, careless of the fact that a hundred feet or more of dark, empty abyss yawns beneath them. "Normally, I''d say this is a good thing. After all, making the path difficult is rather the point, and in any case slime Challengers are less than one in a hundred so far. However, we do need to be cautious of your ''core accessibility'' requirements. The requirements are a little fuzzy, and generally based around the concept of parties, so a slime requiring some assistance for a single part is unlikely to cause an issue. That said, if a jump is determined to be too difficult for most adventurers to manage, the system won''t allow it. My estimate would be that our current accessibility level would set our target difficulty at things an Advanced-class Challenger at best would be able to surpass, when it comes to physical obstacles."
Xenia grumbles. "Accounting for ''average'' Challengers is such a pain though, when all it takes is one dude with earth magic to cancel out the whole damn routine! At least we''ve got slime cannons in the wall to deal with fliers." She pauses in thought for a moment before frowning. "Would...would a safety net ease things off on the accessibility restrictions, you think?"
Guy considers the suggestion. "Perhaps a little. It wouldn''t allow you to require a fifty-foot leap, certainly, but perhaps it would allow for a few extra feet between platforms. Although I have to say, it seems like a safety net would ruin the point of the whole thing. What''s the use of a trap or challenge you can simply keep retrying?"
"Yeah..." The dungeon master thinks a little longer, then snaps her fingers. "Oh, we''ll just make it like, a really shitty safety net! Something that works, say, three times, then falls apart. The accessibility rules let us put in that door on Floor One because Challengers have to choose to close their way off, right? If dudes want to keep fucking up their jumps and falling off the floor, then that''s their own choice. Kinda? Maybe?"
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"That does seem like a decent compromise between accessibility and risk, yes, though we may need to play around a bit with things when it comes time to actually move the core down here."
"Yeah. Guess we''ll focus a little less on straight-up jumping though, and maybe lean a little heavier on the traps and monsters. Even a tiny jump can be pretty bad if you get distracted at the wrong moment..." As she gives a modestly evil grin, Xenia turns her head upwards to peer into the darkness above. Although the forms are difficult to make out, the high-pitched, shrilly cry of a dragonet echoes across the cavern.
THE FRAYED ROPE, THREE MILES FROM DWARFBANE DUNGEON
Miles to the north, Beatrice was not having a good time. "C''mon, you haven''t even seen me fight! One spar, that''s all it takes, and you''ll be begging me to join your party!" The warrior gestures wildly as she speaks in her still-heavily-accented Rainlander, although she slows down halfway through to set her mug aside before she scatters its contents across the tavern.
The bulky, heavily-armored man standing before her simply shakes his head as he turns to continue his way out the door. "Sorry, ''Lady''. We''re not talking dullhands. Maybe you should find another line of work? Try the army!"
"The army!? Now listen here - " Ignoring her, the man simply continues on his way out, the rest of his party following him as they head outside. "Well, screw you! I bet you''ll all fall down a hole anyhow!" Getting no response beyond the shutting of the tavern door, Beatrice grumbles as she returns to the bar. "...Fuckin'' ridiculous, s''what it is."
"I have to admit, I have trouble seeing why you''re having difficulty finding a party." Taking the monster slayer slightly by surprise, Beatrice turns to find that a minotaur woman is speaking to her from a few seats down the bar. "Your equipment seems to be impressive, and you have the look of a veteran to my eyes. Do you not work well in teams?"
Beatrice grumbles slightly as she straightens her posture, now that she realizes she had something of an audience. "I''ve done just fine with teams. It''s just that damn ''dullhands'' thing. People think it''s more of a handicap than it really is."
The minotaur tilts her head. "Dullhands? Is that local slang? I''m afraid I just arrived from the Valleylands recently, I''m not familiar with the term. Or insult, as it may be."
Sighing, Beatrice explains. "So, I come from pretty far away, right? Different culture, and part of that is way fewer people use magic. I''ve been using magical gear all my life, but I''ve never picked up any spells or anything like that, right? All well and good, until I come here and try to get myself classified as a Challenger."
Eyeing Beatrice up and down, the minotaur nods. "I''d wager you have the look of an Expert at the least. But are they making you start off as an Initiate until you learn a few basics?"
The woman turns to stare into her mug for a moment before responding. "Not that bad...and also kind of worse. Maybe mostly worse. See, I''m good with a sword, damn good. Never had professional training, but I''ve been killing monsters my whole life, you know? The Challenger Association trainers, they tell me I''ve got the skills of a Supreme class swordswoman as far as all that goes."
The minotaur''s eyes widen. "Supreme!? That is an accomplishment indeed. But how have they actually classified you, then?"
"Mid-level. Level 28 Vanguard Charger, an Expert class. Specifically, about the highest-level sword-and-shield type class they use that doesn''t require heavy use of magic spells. You wanna go to Master on that branch, you need to know, like...spells to give yourself magical shields, let your sword cut things a few feet away, that sort of shit."
"Well, that does not sound so bad. Learn a few spells and you''ll be Master-level in no time!"
Beatrice sighs. "Yeah, but therein lies the problem. I...I can''t use magic. Not here, anyways, maybe not anywhere. I can use magical gear just fine, sure, but...I got none of it in me. Apparently the slur around here for folks like me is ''dullhands''. Cause I can''t make my hands sparkle or something? Fuck if I know."
The woman next to her sucks in a breath, before moving a few seats closer so that she can offer Beatrice a comforting pat on her shoulder. "That is...unfortunate. I''ve heard of people who are bad at magic, certainly, and of course most simply never take the time, or spend the money, required to learn how to use it. But I wasn''t aware one could be entirely without it. No wonder I''ve never heard the term. But...does that really cause you so much difficulty in joining parties? You certainly seem like you could take care of yourself, magic or no."
Beatrice shakes her head. "It''s a matter of finding a good fit. I tried going out with a party of Initiates and Advanced once, actually, just to see some action. But I can''t carry a whole party by myself, and all they could do was clear the first couple floors. Which is fine for an introduction, but I want to see more than that, dammit! Higher-level parties won''t take me though once they hear I can''t do magic. I technically don''t really qualify for my current class as it is, and I might not ever be able to get a higher one unless I can get an exception or something."
"That does sound irritating. Well...I am only an Advanced-class Challenger myself, but I for one would be willing to fight alongside you. I am looking to challenge myself, truly, so if you want to delve a little deeper than most, I would be happy to push my limits at your side. Moreover, I would be delighted to see Supreme-level fighting skills in the flesh."
Beatrice turns a newly appraising eye on her conversation partner. The woman isn''t as large as some minotaurs she''d seen - not that she''d seen many - but she looked like a fit warrior herself. "Oh? Well, tell me, what''s your story then? Out here without a party too?"
The minotaur nods. "I am only recently arrived in the Rainlands. I received my training in the Valleylands, my homeland, and am currently a level 13 Woodlands Ranger. However, I wish to learn more about how other training schools fight, and have come here to see others in action. Perhaps I will continue on to the Thornwoods school, which both our nations use, although I am also considering more melee-focused programs." She grins before taking a sip from her own mug. "Also, we somewhat share a problem. The other Initiates and Advanced I''ve found have also considered me to be...too aggressive. I am not here to safely collect a chest of first floor loot every day, no! I am here to improve my skills! To become a true Challenger!"
Beatrice grins at the minotaur''s outburst. "Hear, hear! Who needs adventurers who treat it like a day job? To fighting for your life and laughing about it after, that''s what it''s all about!" The warrior raises her mug in a toast, and the minotaur meets it with her own. "I like your style! We find ourselves a healer as crazy as we are, maybe a wizard or something, and we''ll make our own damn party! What do you think?"
"It sounds like it would be my honor - ah, apologies, what was your name again?"
Beatrice laughs. "Ha, right, back home they called me Lady Beatrice, the Dra - the Monster Slayer! You can just call me Beatrice though, or Trish if you like. You?"
The woman nods. "Tassa Stoutheart. Again, it would be my honor to fight in your party, Lady Beatrice."
"Likewise - " Beatrice cuts off for a moment, staring off into the distance. "...That name sounds a little familiar from somewhere? ...Nah, probably nothing. To conquering the dungeon! You and me, Tassa, we''re gonna go far..."
Chapter 108: Burdens of Creation
On the second day of working on her sixth floor, Xenia Worthy rested. Taking breaks and properly pacing yourself was an important part of being a dungeon master, particularly given that Xenia never physically needed to sleep. If she didn''t remember to stop and smell the roses every now and then, her life would just be work, work, work, and where was the fun in being a murder hole if you didn''t take the time to enjoy yourself?
Of course, what she was smelling at the moment wasn''t ''roses'' so much as it was ''dragonet nests''. The roosts for the tiny flying reptiles had been built higher up on the cliffside than the rest of the ''floor'', and it was unlikely most Challengers would ever get up here. There were just enough handholds for a determined climber to make their way up, if they wanted to fight the monsters on their home turf, but odds were most adventurers would just shoot arrows or spells at the creatures and call it a day. In any case, at the moment Xenia was simply reclining on something approximating a beach chair, enjoying the sight of the empty blackness before her, and watching as Lollyp played with a few of the monsters by her side.
"Thinking of taking on a pet, Lolly Pop?"
Lollyp grins as a tiny dragon attempts to gnaw on the thickened membrane of one of her fingers. "I don''t think you get how cool this is, Xen. Dragons! Tiny little baby dragons! I mean...okay, yeah, dragonets are technically a different species and not babies, or whatever, but...baby dragons!"
Xenia chuckles. "What, not a bunch of those all over the place down in the Domain?"
"Are you kidding!? Any sort of dragon-type species is rare to find, even the draconics are the smallest part of the citizenry. Bigger species live out in isolated caves, and dragonets tend to hide away on mountaintops and that. And even if you did find some, they''d either fly away or try to kill you. Getting to play with some? This is like a little slime drop''s dream come true!" The grin on Lollyp''s face only flickers for a second as the dragonet currently being played with successfully chews off her fingertip, although it spits the slime out a moment later, allowing her to quickly re-absorb it. "...Okay, for a certain definition of ''play with''."
"Well, if you want a pet, you''re responsible for taking it for walks and cleaning up after it." The dungeon master stops to think for a moment. "...Actually I guess dungeon monsters make pretty good pets, given they don''t actually...poop. Or eat."
"Heh, trying to keep one in my apartment might still get a little annoying though, especially with all the chemicals. An occasional shortcut portal down here would be nice, though." She stops to follow Xenia''s gaze as the woman stares out into nothing. "So how do you feel about the floor so far?"
"Well, I''m doing my best to think of it all as being a bunch of ''rooms'', even though there''s no doors, or walls or anything. Sub-challenges, right? First, we start off with a bit of platform jumping, while folks are still getting used to being out here, and adjusting to their...height-o-phobia, or whatever that''s called. Then we go back into the cliffside for a bit to do some monster fights, then back out for some more platforms plus a few traps, then back into a monster arena, and so on. I''m liking the dragonets for the climbing and jumping bits, they''re weak but it''s a great time for them to try and attack. The rest, though..."
"Oh? What about the rest?"
Xenia grumbles. "Just can''t decide what to do for the bigger beasties. Our heavy-hitter types are undead, slimes, and rabbits, but nothing really feels right, and I don''t want to just keep repeating myself."
"Well, it''s been a while since you crossbred something new. How about that?"
Xenia raises an eyebrow as she looks over to the slime. "Not a bad idea, but what? We could try those three some more and see what happens, but we''ve already got mixes of all of em."
Lollyp''s eyes go wide. "How about...undead dragons! Our dragon tier might only be F, but since crossbreeding averages things out a bit, we could probably get at least a high D, maybe a C-tier. And for a dragon-type? I bet a C-tier would be really something."
"Now there''s an idea. Good work Lolly Pop, you get a raise."
"Gee, thanks." Putting the dragonet back into its nest, Lollyp makes her way over and slides into Xenia''s reclined lap, resting her face a few inches from Xenia''s with a wide grin. "Do I get to redeem that in sexual favors like usual?"
"Haha, sure thing, but later, I''m on break!" She does take a slight break from her break, however, to begin massaging the back of the slime lying on her torso. After a few minutes of that, a new topic comes to her mind.
"There is...one other thing I been thinking about though, to be honest?"
"Oh, what''s that? Don''t stop though, right there..."
Xenia narrows her eyes. "If you''re turning your shoulders into erogenous zones again I''m gonna roll you off the edge. Nah, it''s just...I''m thinking about bosses, and stuff."
"You don''t think a big skeleton dragon would make for a cool boss?"
"Oh, it would, no doubt. It''s just that, well...boss slots are limited, and..." She sighs. "Part of me really wishes I''d let Cerise, you know...''sign up''. Not that I exactly know her that well or anything, but she seems pretty smart, and tough. Woulda made a pretty cool addition to the team."
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"I don''t really know her any better than you do, but I can''t disagree. Still, I dunno if she would''ve been happy here, you know?"
Xenia nods. "Yeah, she''s got life plans and ambitions for sure. Besides, eventually she would have probably figured out that I could have let her out of there, and, woo, having to spend eternity with someone who has a grudge against me does not sound like a good time."
"But you''re worried about how to set up your next boss without her, or something?" Lollyp rolls herself around so that the hands previously massaging her back are now massaging her breasts, but a distracted Xenia doesn''t seem to notice.
"Not necessarily her, specifically. But now that our secret''s out, I feel bad if I use up more of our boss slots on ''normal'' ensouled bosses. At the same time though, I don''t want a floor to just not have a boss while we''re waiting for a good candidate to swing by. I mean, who knows when that could be? Could be tomorrow, could take a year from now."
"Do we wanna set up some sort of tryouts, like that Paladin mentioned the other day? Could draw attention and filter out the losers at the same time."
"Maybe? Where would we''d even set that up, though? It''s hard to turn a floor into more of a test than they already are, but even then they only test for like, combat skills and shit and not how chill they are or anything like that."
Lollyp counts off on her fingers. "Day one hundred is...three days away? We''ll probably be getting another inspection within a week or so, and there''s a chance the Church might send a rep like you suggested."
Xenia looks down to meet her friend''s eyes, which are currently looking back up at her, upside-down. "Wait, you''re not suggesting getting Alizz involved, are you? I don''t know if she''d be happy with a job like that. ...Also, lewd." She bats out a rhythm on Lollyp''s tits with her palms, making the slime yelp.
"Ah! Meanie! And I was talking about the Church! They''ve got the organization for dealing with a lot of people, and they can test for both, like, combat skills and basic ethics or whatever. Also maybe give them a proper round of therapy to make sure applicants aren''t just suicidal, you know?"
Xenia considers the thought for a moment and nods, all while using her hands to playfully torture the slime in various ways. "Yeah, if they''d be up for it, it might be a good job for them. Hey, y''know what we should do? Dungeon exchange program! Could set up an apartment or two in here and have one or two of em live here for a couple days, to see what it''s like. Then they can give better advice to folks coming by. Way more efficient than having them come by here every time they''ve got a question or two."
"That...could work. ...Any chance you might ask that Paladin to volunteer?" Lollyp looks up at Xenia hopefully, and Xenia smirks back.
"I''ll give it some serious consideration..."
Alizz glances over the top of the printed letter in her hand, to look Bountiful Mother Hammerdown in the eye as she answers the woman. "This request is literally just the same thing you asked me yesterday. You know my hearing''s just fine, right? I may not be an elf, but I heard you the first time."
The dwarf sitting on the opposite side of her office desk waggles a hand. "Yeah, yeah, but I know bureaucracies like to have paper records of such things. Also, you didn''t give me the right answer yesterday, an'' I was thinking maybe you''d like it more if you read it. You seem like the book-worm type."
The drider''s eyes narrow as she stares at the cleric through her glasses. "Alright, allow me to give you the longer version of my answer from yesterday, since you went through all this trouble. The Challenger''s Association cannot be seen to be biased towards or against any of the officially recognized churches. There''s dozens of religious organizations for us to balance our dealings with, and just registering Clerics and Priestesses and so on for our class programs is fraught enough as it is. I cannot make Church officials a part of a dungeon inspection team."
The normally-cheerful Mother scowls slightly. "An'' why in the blazing hells can''t you? We''re not just randomly wanderin'' around, demanding to have oversight over some strange dungeon we found. This dungeon is blessed by one of our divine patrons! Furthermore, it was the dungeon''s idea that we work with you lot! I know I''m not familiar with all the dungeon administration paperwork and all that, but it seems like it''d be foolish for us not to work together."
Alizz tilts her head. "Wait, this was Xenia''s - the dungeon''s idea? I don''t recall you mentioning that part before."
"You said no before I got that far! Also...Xenia, is it? Interesting name, there."
Sighing, the Field Agent rubs her head. "Dammit. It''s...not a secret, exactly. We''re just supposed to avoid using the names of dungeon spirits, if we know them. We''re supposed to remain...impartial and unbiased, and not form personal relationships. Not supposed to think of them as people at all, really. Even the smartest and most sociable ones still live off the corpses of our membership, and we need to remember that our Challengers come first on our priority list." She pauses to look out through a window that faces the mountain a few miles away. "Xenia makes that...unusually difficult, sometimes."
"Having reincarnated bosses to speak for her will do that, I suppose. Look, the dungeon - Xenia - offered us a compromise. She don''t just want to hand out free passes, but she wants to be on decent terms, too. If we send a couple reps with your party though, then it ain''t like there''s any extra parties romping through, and hey, you get to keep an eye on us, even learn the same things we learn. And there is more to learn, I''d bet my buckle on it."
Alizz glances down, taking a quick look at the golden belt buckle the Bountiful Mother wears. It''s elaborately carved with the womb-like rune of Kahlia, and it does look quite fancy. "I suppose there''s something to that. Theology''s not really my department, and it''s possible there''s questions in that regard I wouldn''t think to ask. Still...well, I''ll allow it, but only because Xenia requested it. Dealing with her is unusually complex, and I''d like to stay on her good side. Who were you thinking of sending with us? Yourself?"
The dwarf shakes her head. "No, as much as I''d like to. I already have too many responsibilities, and it''d be foolish of me not to delegate. Forst and Bootpebble are just contractors, so wouldn''t do to send them, either. Would you allow Verdant Priestess Fullblossom, to represent the clergy, and Paladin of Bounty Bluehair as her escort?"
The Agent briefly glances at a few sheets containing the profiles of the Church''s expedition party. "Would give our party two heavies, but that''s not such a problem, and six members isn''t too unwieldy. Our next inspection trip is scheduled for four days from now, would that suit you?"
"Aye, that''d suit. Shall I send the two your way, for some inter-party training? Make sure no one stumbles on each other''s toes or nothing like that?"
"A good idea. Here''s hoping we have a positive and fruitful trip, without too many surprises..."
She pauses for a moment and adds an addendum. "Somehow I doubt it, though."
Chapter 109: Birthday Slime
Things had been fairly mundane for the past few days, with between one to three parties trying their hand at Worthy Dungeon each day and none taking fatalities, although that wasn''t the same thing as going without casualties. Earlier that morning a veteran party had taken the shortcut down to the third floor and done fairly well for themselves...until an elvish archer who had taken to wearing three of the luck charms from Floor One had an unfortunate accident. While making their way through the puzzle chamber, the woman had accidentally stumbled into a flamethrower trap and been severely burned as a result. The wounds were potentially healable, but not by a low-quality healing fountain, and the party had beaten a quick retreat rather than finish the floor.
That wasn''t why Xenia was throwing a party.
It was the 99th day of existence for the dungeon, and hours away from hopefully unlocking a new series of lifetime achievements, but that wasn''t why she was throwing a party either. No, today was Lollyp''s 24th birthday, and given that the dungeon master felt everyone was extremely in need of a break, had declared it to be an official dungeon holiday. A small festival area had been set up on Floor Four with a number of decorations including brightly-colored fabrics and even giant stuffed animals, particularly slimes, rabbits, and dragons...or giant dragonets, one of the two. All of the bosses had been invited to attend, and even BB was currently playfully chasing Sir Flopsy around the meadow.
As for the birthday girl herself, the woman was currently engaged in eating her fourth cake of the evening. Not ''slice of cake'', but the entire baked confection, which was being piece-by-piece tossed into her mouth nearly assembly-line style by a number of tentacles specifically made for the purpose. "Oh my - mhrm - gods! I thought I''d already figured out all the perks of being a - mrmph - dungeon boss already, but this one, hehe, this one really takes the cake!"
Xenia chuckles as she spends another mana point on a fifth cake. "What, free cake? We''re in the B-tiers for food now, which is ''above average'' I guess, but I know I''ve had better. I suppose ''free'' does add a tier to how good something tastes, though."
Lollyp wipes off her mouth, the crumbs being absorbed into her arm as she does so. "Not just the free cake, but the fact that I don''t ever get full! Slimes don''t have stomachs like you rigids, of course, but normally we can only absorb so much matter at once before it starts to fuck with our body chemistry and stuff." The slime looks down at her torso, where the latest piece of cake is already fading to nothing. "But this is insane metabolism. I mean...oh...fuck." The birthday girl''s expression suddenly falls.
Sincere tries not to laugh at her sudden change of expression. "Did that last piece finally manage to cause a hint of indigestion after all?"
Lollyp sighs. "No, I uh...just realized why I''m like this. Yeah, dungeon monsters don''t need to eat, so this is all some...magical bullshit, or whatever. But on top of that, I''m in a monster slime''s body right now. Monster slimes aren''t supposed to kill people with spells. Monster slimes are supposed to kill people by eating them."
Xenia grimaces. "Little gruesome, yeah. You uh...think you''d ever try that out?"
Dips looks over from where she and Tank were experimenting with a knife-throwing range Xenia had set up as entertainment, the armors not being capable of consuming sugary sweets, or adventurers for that matter. "You should do it. I would deeeeffffffffinitely eat a Challenger if I could. Especially an elf. Ellllvvves look tasty..."
The slime stares at the possessed armor. "You know you used to be an elf, right?"
"I bet I was a tasssssty one."
Lollyp shivers. "Right, uh, I bet. But...fuck, I dunno? I mean, burning out someone''s face or lungs with acid''s always been an option, if a little gory, but actually eating someone would mean really committing to the bit, right? I''d have to put some real time and effort into it, in the middle of a fight. I don''t think I''m that invested into cannibalism."
"Puuuusssssy." Dips shakes her head and turns back to her knife-studded target board.
"And on that note, let''s talk about literally anything else!" Xenia forces a smile onto her face. "So, twenty-four! That''s pretty high for a slime, right? Feeling ancient yet?"
"Oh, yeah, twenty-four would be huge back at the old dungeon. Especially for a non-Regenerator class. I''m pretty sure my odds of getting to twenty-five woulda been like, one in twenty at best. At this point, you treat every party like it''s your last, but guess I''ll be getting a lot more now, hehe. How about you though Xenia, when are we throwing you a party?"
The dungeon master exhales deeply as she leans back into her seat, stabbing her own piece of cake with a fork. "Ooof, I think at this point I''m just gonna have to say my birthday''s the dungeon''s anniversary or something. I mean, I don''t even know how old I am, let alone trying to pin a birthday onto the local calendar somewhere. I can tell you that you''re older now than I was the first time I moved on, I was only twenty-three when that truck creamed me. And that might be higher than my average run, to be honest. How about you Sincere, when''s yours? You''re due for...four-hundred and...?"
"Four-hundred and twenty-six would be my next birthday, assuming it still counts now that I''m deceased. Like you however, I don''t know when my actual birthday is, nor do I even know when exactly I was summoned to this plane, so I can''t use that as a reference either." Sincere sips at a fruity party drink before continuing. "So I generally celebrate it on the death of my summoner, a few months hence."
DEATH nods approvingly from the far end of the table, where the boss is currently occupied petting a vampire bunny sitting in his lap, his scythe left to lean against the table. "DEATHS ALSO SEEM LIKE GOOD DAYS TO CELEBRATE. THEY CAN MARK A LIFE FAR MORE DEFINITIVELY THAN A BIRTH, IN SOME WAYS."
Sincere snorts slightly at the comment. "I don''t know if I''d call it a celebration, exactly. Certainly, it represented my freedom from slavery, which I was extremely glad for, don''t get me wrong. But really I chose that date simply as a reminder of the impact that man had on my early life. As a reminder of the impact the Warlocks had on all of demonkind, really. So many years later, I feel the need to remind myself from time to time."
"Wow! That sounds like a really depressing topic I don''t want to get into today! But hey, if you wanna start celebrating the day you joined the dungeon, as a birthday or just an anniversary, feel free to add it to the calendar." Xenia takes a sip from her own cup, feeling strongly tempted to use her avatar spell so she can drink it properly.
Lollyp grins, frosting coloring her red lips as she does so. "Gee, you wanna go back to talking about cannibalism now, or something?"
Xenia doesn''t answer at first, before eventually mumbling into her cup. "Honestly, it''s a little disturbing how good people can taste, actually..."
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Lollyp''s gooey jaw drops. "I can''t have heard that right."
The dungeon master sighs and tries to cover her face with one hand as she puts her cup back on the table. "It was a phase, alright!?"
"A people-eating phase!?"
"Look, everyone''s a monster once in a while, you know? And...sometimes literally, when you keep getting reborn into different bodies. And it''s not like I went around looking for people to eat, or something."
Sincere raises an eyebrow. "They came to you and signed up, did they?"
"Look, if adventurers didn''t want to get chowed on, they should''ve stopped going into the Black Bog so often! Anyhow, not really the run I like to talk about most. So! Literally any other topic now, please?" Xenia suddenly sits up a little straighter and claps her hands. "Oh, I know, present time! Ready for some goodies, Lolly Pop?"
"Ready enough that I''ll stop asking questions about that topic for at least a few hours, sure! I''ll try not to set my expectations too high, since it''s not like anyone can exactly go shopping."
As Sincere reaches for something hidden beneath the table, Xenia summons a box directly from her dungeon inventory. "Well, feel free to get a little excited. Take a look!"
Lollyp quickly tears open the plain paper wrapping to find a number of shiny metallic objects. Some are long, some are tiny and ovoid, and others look like simple spheres, but in no case are their purposes apparent. "Um...thanks? Are these...art projects?"
Xenia grins. "A little something I put together with some help from Guy, based on stuff from my first world. We didn''t exactly have an enchantment like it on file, but like with the elevator and some other stuff, by having a good enough idea of what I wanted I was able to brute force some stuff together. Might start making some as loot items, but I figured you''d enjoy having the first batch." As Lollyp picks up one of the oval objects and peers at it, Xenia continues in a stage whisper. "They''re voice activated - commands are ''Off'', ''Low'', and ''High''."
"...High?" Almost immediately the device in her hand begins to vibrate, and doing it so strongly that her upper arm nearly liquefies in the process. "Whoa! Off! Off!" After taking a moment to stabilize her limb, the woman laughs. "...Oh! Oh! Well, that''s gonna be fun...maybe on the other setting, though."
Xenia chuckles. "Might need some adjustments, let me know if you need some testing...ahem, anyways, what you got there, Sin-man?"
"As if you didn''t help me put these together yourself. Happy Birthday, Lollyp." The slime eagerly takes the demon''s package and opens it up, finding a quartet of tomes waiting for her. "While Xenia''s skill absorption abilities took much of my technical knowledge and added it to our collective ''library'', it lacks nearly all of the context which truly makes that knowledge worth knowing. Xenia created some texts for me based on her absorbed information, which I have edited into proper tomes of knowledge worthy of reading. You''ll find there two books on magic, one on alchemy, and one of my personal experiences with notable slimes over the past few centuries."
Lollyp''s eyes almost literally sparkle as she looks them over. "Wow - you were able to put together four entire books just while you''ve been here? That book-summoning trick is way better than I thought! Thanks, Sincere!"
The armor duo and BB occasionally glance over at the main party table as the group continues, but not being of particularly crafty bents, don''t take part in the gift-giving tradition. DEATH however raises a hand from his end of the table, before standing up and walking over with a box of his own. "IT IS NOT MUCH, BUT I DID PUT TOGETHER A LITTLE SOMETHING I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT APPRECIATE."
"Awww, I totally do, even before I see what it is! Now...let''s see what it is!" Lifting the cover of the box, Lollyp takes a look inside and gasps. Sitting in front of her is a flower arrangement, or rather, an item crafted from Floor Four flowers, shaped into the form of a pink, smiling Hippity-Blobbity as it frolics on a green field. It''s not simply flowers tied together however, but plant material carefully woven into a surprisingly sturdy object, which Lollyp is able to pick up and hold in front of her. "It''s beautiful! You put this all together, DEATH?"
"I HAVE HAD QUITE A BIT OF FREE TIME. PERHAPS YOU COULD HANG IT ON YOUR WALL AS DECORATION? I...MAY HAVE BEEN WORKING ON A FEW OTHER PIECES, IF THERE WOULD BE INTEREST."
Xenia claps in appreciation. "Hell yeah, Big D! We could use some more art around here, and I guess it can''t all be pin-up posters."
Guy hovers up towards the gathering, from where they had been directing monsters to entertain the water elementals a short distance away. "Quite the artistic talent, indeed! Now, while I''m afraid I don''t have my own contribution, beyond the assistance I was able to provide Xenia as she mentioned, I do have gifts of a sort to announce for you all!"
"Oh? Wouldn''t mind a little something-something..." Xenia''s hands rub together in anticipation.
"Indeed! We have just passed midnight, which means...it is now time for Day One Hundred! May I present..." After a brief pause, a number of screens begin to emerge from Guy''s ''face''.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: SURVIVOR 3
YOU HAVE SURVIVED ONE HUNDRED DAYS. ONE ''WANDERING BOSS'' SLOT UNLOCKED PER FIVE FLOORS CONSTRUCTED.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: GOOD FIRST IMPRESSIONS 3
AT LEAST ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY MORTALS HAVE ESCAPED YOUR BOUNDS WITHIN YOUR FIRST ONE HUNDRED DAYS. ONCE PER DAY, A MORTAL CAN BE TELEPORTED OUTSIDE THE DUNGEON WHEN THEY WOULD OTHERWISE BE SLAIN.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
YOU HAVE SLAIN AT LEAST ONE MORTAL FROM TEN DIFFERENT SPECIES WITHIN YOUR FIRST ONE HUNDRED DAYS. BONE AND ''FALSE MORTAL'' UNDEAD CAN BE CREATED OF ANY MORTAL SPECIES WITHOUT THE NEED TO FIRST ABSORB SPECIMENS.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: AMBASSADORS
YOU HAVE HAD A MORTAL RESIDENT WITHIN YOUR DUNGEON FOR AT LEAST HALF OF YOUR CURRENT LIFESPAN. FOR EVERY MORTAL WITHIN YOUR DUNGEON WHO HAS BEEN PRESENT FOR AT LEAST TWENTY-FOUR CONSECUTIVE HOURS, ONE BOSS MONSTER MAY EXIT YOUR DUNGEON BOUNDS.
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Xenia grins as she looks over the list. "Not as many as the last set, but...wait, hold on. A...mortal resident?" Xenia''s eyes go wide, and she turns to Lollyp. "Hey Lolly Pop, tell Slooshy I love her!"
She does so, shouting across the meadow, and a distant voice echoes in response. "Thanks! I love me too!"
Chapter 110: Ins and Outs
It was past midnight and rather cloudy to boot, so at first the dozing Doorman didn''t notice when he suddenly had company. He was alerted by the noise, however, when the woman standing at the dungeon''s exit portal suddenly spoke out loud.
"...Holy shit. It worked! It actually worked!"
"Eh? Who''s - oh! Lollyp, is that you? Haven''t seen you lately, you don''t swing by Floor One very often these days!" Doorman blinks his eyes a few times, confirming that it is indeed the slime standing not far away.
"Ah! Hey Doorman! And yeah, guess I haven''t visited lately, sorry about that. Work, you know how it is. How''s things been up here?"
"Oh, not bad, can''t complain. Still a good month away from autumn I believe, I''m looking forward to watching the forest turn colors. Oh, and hey, isn''t tonight your birthday party? Happy birthday!"
Lollyp grins. "Aw, thanks! So...notice anything different about me tonight?"
The riddle door peers down at the woman. "Did you do something new with your slime? ...No? Oh, you must have gotten a new wizard hat for your birthday! Very nice?"
The slime can''t help but chuckle at his guesses. "Haha, not exactly, my hats are always kind of new considering they last about two or three days before getting blown up or melted by acid. I''ve actually got a trunk full of like twenty pre-made hats and vests at this point. But nope! You need a hint?"
Doorman grumbles. "Seems like I ought to be the one asking the riddles around here. ...Say. You wouldn''t happen to be on the wrong side of the door, would you? We''ve only ever talked before while I was open!"
Lollyp claps. "Yay, you got it!"
"But what are you doing!? Isn''t your mana or some such draining every second you''re beyond the bounds? You''re probably going to drop dead any minute now!"
The slime turns around rather than answer right away, taking the opportunity to check out the few lights still burning in the village down below. "Actually, Doorman, I feel better than ever." As a grin spreads across her lips, one more whisper escapes into the night air. "...Best birthday ever."
From an outside perspective, Worthy Dungeon remained rather quiet for the rest of the day. As with Day Fifty, Day One Hundred was known to be a time of sudden changes within many young dungeons. So it was that the Challengers were taking a break until a fresh Association inspection could be done, but such inspections never happened on the first day of a milestone, given that things could often still be a little chaotic while a dungeon was in the midst of changes. Alizz didn''t make anyone wait too long however, as the following morning she once again appeared before Doorman with her team accompanying her. Her team...and a few additions. Alongside Alizz, Kelsey, Sely and Taly walked Verdant Priestess Lilly Fullblossom, and Paladin of Bounty Sable Bluehair, all of them seeming in good cheer.
"Soooo, this is your first official inspection since Floor Five opened up, right? Gonna do an in-depth check, eh, eh?" Sable waggles her eyebrows at an increasingly-frustrated drider.
"While this will be our first major inspection since then, we have visited the dungeon since, you know. But no, we have no need for...''in depth'' checks of any kind."
"Shame. You''re missing oouuuuttt..." Sable''s sing-song voice trails off as she notices where they currently stand. "Ah, looks like we''re here!"
Taking charge, Alizz moves to the front of the team''s formation. "Greetings, Guardian of Worthy Dungeon. We''re here for another inspection - with a few guests. I''m told this would be acceptable with your master?"
Doorman nods. "More than acceptable - we''ve been waiting for you! If you wouldn''t mind, the Master of the Dungeon has requested your presence for another conference. As everyone here has cleared at least the first three floors, you''re welcome to take the shortcut directly to Floor Four, where the others will be waiting for you."
Alizz tries hard to fix the smile on her face. "...Oh no. Not again?"
Doorman raises an eyebrow. "I''m not sure what would provoke that reaction. I''m told the last one went quite successfully!"
The Field Agent glances backwards for a moment before turning back to the door and hissing. "But...we have guests!"
"I''m quite aware, yes. The Master wishes to speak to them, as well."
Sable steps forward, having clearly heard everything. "Nice to know we made a good impression! C''mon, Agent - I''m looking forward to hearing what the dungeon''s got to say!"
After finally deciding to give in to the request, the party''s trip down to Floor Four doesn''t take the group long. Within five minutes they find themselves standing within a cleared-out meadow, the snack-covered conference table once again summoned not far away from the gurgling waterfall. Sincere and Lollyp are both waiting to receive their guests, although Sincere takes charge of the greetings.
"Welcome once again to Floor Four! We''re glad to see that your two organizations have agreed to work together, as we have business for both of you today."
Alizz steps forward. "I have to admit, I wasn''t expecting this, although I probably should have. Has there been a need for...changes in how things work around here? Also, I suppose we''ll have to be working through you and Lollyp as interpreters today?"
"Nope!" Sable and Lilly both nearly jump out of their skins as a woman suddenly pops up behind them, wrapping an arm around their shoulders - although it''s a bit of a reach in Sable''s case. They''re so surprised, it takes them more than a few double-takes before they realize the oddly-dressed woman is a contrast of pure black and absolute white. "Hey, nice to meet you face-to-face this time. Xenia Worthy, Master of Worthy Dungeon. And you''re Lilly and Sable, right?"
Sable''s usual easygoing manner actually manages to escape her for a moment. "You''re - you''re the dungeon spirit!? And we''re actually seeing you!?"
Xenia chuckles as she begins to head towards the conference table, elbowing the heavily-armored woman on the way. "Yup! And I''ve sure seen a lot of you, ain''t I? Think you can keep your hands off my Core Guardian til we finish the meeting?"
Seeing the spirit''s grin, Sable instinctively responds in kind. "I''ll do my best...although maybe I''ll just have to put my hands somewhere else instead..."
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Before Xenia can likewise answer with more of the same, Alizz attempts to regain control of the conversation. "Xenia! You''ve...found yourself another avatar spell, is that it?"
The monochrome woman waggles a hand. "Got a weaker version of the full thing, actually. Still has a time limit, and takes a while before I can use it again, but this seems like the kind of occasion to use it." She takes a moment to eye the Paladin who''s obviously eyeing her in return. "...Wonder if there''ll be enough time after...well, let''s get to business, shall we? Grab a seat and have a snack, we''ve got shit to talk about!"
The party settles in, a little warily despite the fact that four of them have done this before. Or, perhaps because four of them have done this before. Although Alizz is the official leader of the party, Lilly finds herself unable to remain quiet as she examines the gathering she finds herself in. "I...I''m not entirely sure I understand what''s going on here. Is this...normal dungeon inspection behavior?"
Alizz grumbles. "No. Or at least, not for dungeons that aren''t Worthy Dungeon. But...I suppose I shouldn''t complain too much. I suppose I''m just a little bitter about how the dungeon''s direction changed after the last one of these."
"Oh, c''mon!" Xenia gives Alizz an unimpressed look. "You can''t be that bothered by Floor Five, can you? What harm is it doing?"
"What harm!? I..." The drider takes a moment to collect herself before continuing. "I''m just...concerned about what sort of ''Challenger'' this may bring to our branch. It''s not that hard to clear one floor of a dungeon, and I''m a little worried tourists may begin coming by just to claim that they''ve...performed lascivious acts within a dungeon. Which could reflect poorly on the those of us who try to be professionals."
"Sorry, sounds like a you problem. By all means, let the horny tourists flock to our door, that''s what I say. But whatever, that''s not what I wanted to talk about. Or...maybe it''s kind of related? A little."
Kelsey rolls his eyes. "Yeah, enough griping about the horndogs already, how about we get to the point?"
"I''m trying, K-dawg!" Before Kelsey can react to his new nickname, Xenia continues. "So, here''s the sitch. We''ve currently got three open boss slots. I''m kind of assuming they''re going to be in high demand for, uh...applicants eventually, if not right away. But if we''re gonna do this, I want to do it right."
Taly nods. "For something that big, that sounds like a good idea. But what''s the right way to do it?"
Sincere chuckles and gestures towards the two Church of Bounty members. "While we have some ideas on that front, primarily we intend to outsource that particular concern to the Church, if they''d be willing to participate."
Sable goes a little wide-eyed at the suggestion. "Wait, us? I mean, Elly''ll be thrilled that you''re willing to work with us, but what exactly do you need us to do for you?"
Xenia continues. "For starters, we''d appreciate it if the Church could be our bouncers, basically. Filter out the nutballs and the folks who have no idea what they''re getting into, before they come in here and off themselves. Past that, we''d like it if you could maybe test the applicants a little. You know, someone who wants a life like this not only needs to have the kind of skills we''d need in here, but they need to have a good reason for wanting to live a life in here, and really importantly, they need to understand what it is they''re signing up for. Obviously, anyone that passes your test would need our approval too, but it''d make me feel a lot better about anyone who came in if they had some sort of stamp of approval."
The Verdant Priestess has a noticeable level of concern in her voice when she speaks up. "But...what sort of test should we do to determine all of that?"
"Glad you asked! Because to figure that out, I think someone needs to have at least some experience of this life themselves. So I''m opening my doors and offering an invitation - if one of you or, hell, both of you or some other member of the Church is up for it, I''d like to have you come and live in the dungeon for a week. Doesn''t have to start today, if you need to think about it or pack something or whatever. And obviously, I''m not expecting you to fight Challengers. But once you''ve had the behind-the-scenes view of things, you''ll have a better handle on explaining it all to other folks."
Sable and Lilly share a surprised glance before Sable answers. "That''s...wow. I''m not...not interested, but I definitely wasn''t expecting that to come up. I mean, who lives in a dungeon?"
Lollyp laughs at her expression. "Ah, please, down in the Domain folks do it all the time! My last dungeon had a permanent population of like, forty slimes, kobolds and demons, and some staff on rotation too. If things are worked out with the dungeon master, it''s perfectly fine."
"Well...we''d definitely need to confirm things with the Bountiful Mother first, but...I suppose that all sounds reasonable." Lilly attempts to give a smile, but she''s clearly less thrilled about the idea than her Paladin companion.
"Great! And that leads me to part two of this little discussion. Our bosses can leave the dungeon now. As in, like, go outside and stuff." As Xenia makes her statement, six jaws drop on the opposite side of the table. It takes several full seconds for the shouting to begin, but Sely''s voice is loudest.
"WHAT!? What divine favor did you burn to get that one? Dungeon monsters leaving a dungeon!?"
Xenia tries not to laugh too much at all the outrage. "None, actually! Standard dungeon upgrade, apparently. Never heard of it? ...I mean, Lollyp and Sincere hadn''t, but I figured you''d be the experts."
"NO!?" Alizz''s cry echoes across the woodsy cavern. "Dungeon monsters can barely get ten feet outside a dungeon exit before collapsing and disintegrating! Dungeon bosses wandering around outside...how in the world did you get that ability!?"
"Well, funny story, that. We''ve had a few water elementals living in the place for a while now, some of them are sorta-technically part of the dungeon, it''s complicated, but one''s an unaffiliated mortal. Say hi, Slooshy!"
A shout echoes back from the nearby waterfall. "HI, SLOOSHY!"
"...Yeah, that''s Slooshy. Anyways, since we''ve had her living in here for more than half the time the dungeon''s been in business, we can apparently exchange ''ambassadors'' now. If someone from outside stays here for at least twenty-four hours, one of our dungeon bosses gets to go outside. With Slooshy, that''s one boss, more folks would presumably mean more. If the person leaves we uh, think the boss will kind of drop dead and come back here, but we haven''t tested that yet." She pauses and eyes the Association members before her. "You really haven''t ever heard of this?"
Sable eyes the waterfall warily. "First off, you having water elementals explains a few things. But secondly, uh...no? I''ve been doing dungeon intrusions off and on for like, thirty years now and I''ve never heard of this."
Alizz''s face shows a fair amount of concern as well. "Me either! You say this is because a mortal was living here for an extended time? Lollyp, like you just said, dungeons in the Domain do that regularly. Is this normal down there? No one ever told me about that on any of my visits!"
The slime shakes her head. "We got it based on a percentage of how long the place has been running, and all the places down in the Domain are at least decades old, some of em centuries. And most of the residents are slimes and, well. If it specifically requires a single person to stay for that length of time and not swap out, at this point a demon would have to commit to living in one permanently for like a hundred years or something. I...guess we''re just the first one to ever do it while we were still this young?"
The kobold sitting to Alizz''s right decides to move past the topic of ''how'' and onto the question of ''what next''. "That''s all some interesting theory-crafting and whatnot, but what the hell are you gonna do now that you have the option? Attack folks while they''re still on their way up the mountain?"
"Oh, nah, definitely not!" Xenia shakes her head and waves a hand to try and disperse that line of thought. "I mean...for starters, we wouldn''t even get any of their stuff if we did that, you know?"
Sely glares at the dungeon master. "...Unless you dragged it back inside after, of course."
"Oh! Hey, good idea! Sin-man, remind me to send BB out on some hunting trips for rabbits, would you?" As Sely presses her forehead to the table in front of her, Xenia decides to get back on track. "But uh, yeah, even aside from that, I''m not that mean. But it might be useful if we needed to, like...send a message into town, or something?"
The Field Agent literally shivers at the thought. "Dear gods, can you imagine what people might do if a dungeon monster walked into town one day? I mean...I can see the practical uses of it, but...maybe if we could arrange that sort of thing ahead of time, to avoid panic?"
Xenia shrugs. "Well, that''s what we''re here for. Maybe at least let the army know - " She suddenly freezes mid-sentence, her head turning to stare at one of the cavern walls. "...What the fuck? There''s someone else in the dungeon."
Alizz glances at Kelsey before turning back. "That''s surprising. We would have expected the Challengers to wait for our inspection to be finished." As she speaks however, Xenia''s face grows increasingly concerned.
"No, no, you don''t get it. It''s not Challengers." The woman suddenly stands up from her seat. "Someone just broke directly into my core chamber."
Chapter 111: Party Crashers
"Good work, Crumbs! You were right on the money...this time!" An earth elemental turns to stare at the fiery man speaking while standing next to a clamshell statue.
"What do you mean this time, Scorch? I told you it would be mostly random guessing, after we spent all that time hunting and getting lost in the tunnels. I told you we might not even be anywhere close yet! We just got lucky, is all."
In another corner of the room, a more feminine flame''s found an entirely different topic of interest. "Oh my, look at this bed! It''s the softest thing I''ve seen in my entire life! Not that that''s a hard challenge, given I''ve barely seen anything other than bare stone all my life." She hops on top of the large piece of furniture, and the rabbit-fur blankets begin to spark. "And look how flammable it is! Hey Scorch...wanna celebrate our discovery with a little bit of fun?"
"You ought to stop thinking with your firepit all the time, Cinder! We''re deep in enemy territory, now, no time for dawdling! It''s time for...The Plan." With a serious look on his nearly nonexistent face, the masculine elemental turns to face another boulder-shaped man who''s just entered the room from a raw tunnel carved into one wall. "Flint, can you help Crumbs find what we''re looking for?"
The new arrival laughs, a deep rumbling sound. "Hah, like that takes any effort at all! The thing glows like a magma vein! Behold!" The elemental steps over to the statue Scorch is standing next to and rests one hand on it. Within seconds the sculpture''s crumbled to dust, leaving only the base intact and revealing a swirled stone hidden within. "Pshaw, that was some of the softest stone I''ve ever encountered! This is supposed to be security!?"
Before Scorch can respond, a human woman suddenly pops into the room, her dark pupils glaring out of an alabaster face. "Hey! What - elementals!? Where the heck did you guys come from!? And what do you think you''re doing with my core!?"
The lead elemental gasps. "It''s them! The Tyrant of Above is here! Hold steady, brothers and sisters!"
Xenia''s face turns from one of anger to...well, still anger, but with quite of a bit of confusion added in as well. "The Tyrant of...what? Dude, you must have me mixed up with someone else."
"Do you deny your acts, tyrant? Do you deny that you sent your agents into our sovereign realm, to capture our lord and master for no doubt sinister purposes?" Scorch crosses his arms, his voice thick with judgment.
The dungeon master pinches her nose for a moment before answering. "Are...are you talking about Sincere?"
Her question is answered by a third earth elemental who steps into the room, this one speaking with a woman''s voice. "Yes! The Sincere Demon! The one who promised us a kingdom of elementals, for elementals!"
Xenia stares at her. "What? He never told me anything like that!"
Scorch again responds with accusations. "Aha, no doubt he''s managed to refuse your tortures even after all this time! Well, now the tables have turned, villain! You shall return our lord to us within the hour, or your core shall be forfeit!"
"Whoa, whoa, this is all just a huge misunderstanding!" As yet another fire elemental steps into the room, Xenia begins to realize just how much risk she''s really in at the moment. "Just how many of you are there, anyhow?"
"We have been biding our time, building our numbers! Perfecting our strategy!"
Crumbs butts in. "Getting lost."
"...Exploring the limits of our domain! Now, shall you hear our demands, or do we need to get...rough?" He gestures in the direction of Xenia''s core, and the woman sighs.
"Sure, let''s...let''s talk this shit out..."
Several minutes later, Xenia''s avatar reappears in the middle of a very-confused conference meeting. "...You ever have those days where you just really hate your life?"
Alizz gives Xenia an unimpressed look. "More often than usual, of late. But tell us, who managed to skip directly into your core chamber from outside the dungeon?"
"I''ll be honest, I kind of forgot these guys existed. Sincere, remember how you left like half of your elementals downstairs, because finding them all would''ve taken too much time? Well, they finally showed up."
Taly scratches her head. "Eh? We left directions back at Sincere''s camp, I drew the maps myself. It took them...that had to have been more than two months ago, right? If they hadn''t found the way out by now I woulda figured they just liked it down there."
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"Well, apparently they were ''exploring'' the dungeon, and growing their numbers. I, uh...I think a fire elemental tried reading your map and burned it up, not that he said as much. I dunno how many of them you summoned, Sin-man, but sounds like they''ve been going through and finding more elementals who were boxed up, like that Roxxy was. There''s at least six in my core chamber right now but I think there''s a lot more still out there."
Sincere''s expression grows concerned. "You don''t sound pleased by this. Is there some sort of problem with the elementals?"
Xenia snorts. "Yeah, apparently they''ve pegged you as some sort of king-slash-father-figure, and they''re mad at me for kidnapping you and locking you away in my dungeon. They think I declared war on some sort of...Elemental Kingdom, or something like that."
"Elemental - ? What nonsense is that? Did they imagine I was planning to set up some sort of permanent home down in the abyss? I don''t recall ever saying any such thing. Shall I go and have a word with them?"
His boss nods. "That''s one of their demands, yeah. Well, not just talk, I think they want you back for good, but you''re gonna need to explain why that''s not an option. They''ve also got other demands. For one, they want us to ''free'' the elementals we ''kidnapped'' along with you."
Slooshy, who''d left the river and approached the conference area at the sound of elemental talk, shouts in defiance. "What!? They want us to go back down there!? There''s no water down there! A couple more weeks of that and I would''ve dehydrated! Let me guess, some dim torch came up with that one? We''re good up here, thanks."
"Thanks for the support. We''re gonna have to be careful about this, though. They''re threatening the core if we don''t make them happy, and they''ve already found the thing. If this turns into a fight I don''t know if we can take them all out in time." Pointing at the ground, Xenia generates a new shortcut portal ring. "This''ll get you to the door outside the chamber, Sincere, but try not to make any sudden moves, yeah?"
Lilly, the elven priestess representing the Church of Bounty, steps forward. "Is there anything we can do to assist, dungeon master?"
Xenia shakes her head. "Right now, swarming in a bunch of folks is just gonna risk causing a panic, but thanks for the offer. You all mind holding tight while we sort this out, though?"
Alizz nods assent on behalf of the group. "Of course - anything happening to your core would be a disaster for us as well. If you need anything, just let us know."
"Thanks. Alright, Sincere, time to get me out of this hostage situation, eh?" The Core Guardian nods, and as he steps into the ring the two once again vanish.
As Sincere steps through the door into the core chamber, a cheer goes up from the waiting elementals. "Lord Sincere! Lord Sincere!"
The newly-titled lord quickly waves his hands to try and get them to settle down. "Calm yourselves, please. I am here, there''s no reason for alarm. Now, can someone tell me what exactly is going on here?"
Scorch steps forward to speak for the group. "We''re here to rescue you, my lord! So that you can continue to summon our brothers and sisters, and build our kingdom below!"
Sincere eyes the flickering fellow warily. "There seems to be some confusion here, I''m afraid. For starters, I am no one''s lord. Secondly, explain to me what you mean when you refer to this ''kingdom''?"
The elemental''s head tilts, although his expression is unreadable. "The...kingdom you were building before the adventurers kidnapped you, sir? Or did you mean for it to be more of an empire?"
"I didn''t mean for it to be a polity of any sort. My camp in the Great Dungeon was semi-permanent only - perhaps a few months at most, if I fully stretched my supplies to their limit. Did I ever say otherwise?"
With a bit of uncertainty, the fire elemental glances towards his compatriots. "But...you told us to secure your territory, sir! And to fend off invaders, while you summoned more of our kind!"
The demon pauses for a moment of thought. "I suppose I did use the term territory once or twice perhaps, but I never meant...but, never mind. It doesn''t matter. This hostility towards Worthy Dungeon is entirely unwarranted, the dungeon master and I are currently on excellent terms. When you did not follow us, I had simply assumed that you had gone your own way. If you would like to spend time here as guests, I''m certain we can overlook this minor property damage."
The female earth elemental speaks up, with a bit of hope in her voice. "Ah, if you''re on good terms, then that means you can return to help us summon more elementals! None of us have any idea how you did it, we''ve only been able to awaken a few cores we''ve found hidden around the mountain."
"Ah, well, I''m afraid I must disappoint you on two fronts, then. The floor core I used for that purpose was destroyed, and it would likely take weeks to find another one stable enough to use as an alternative source. And that would not be possible for me even if I wished it, as I am now a permanent resident of the dungeon."
Scorch''s tone again turns angry. "Curse her! That damned Tyrant has imprisoned you here after all! She may not have put chains on your body, but instead she''s put chains on your mind. But...I have an idea!"
The look on Sincere''s face is filled with doubt. "An idea, you say?"
"Crumbs! Take the core, and take it down below! If the floor core is destroyed, we''ll use a dungeon core instead! And once the Tyrant has been weakened, your mind will be free! Free to return to us! We''ll await you below, but for now - we must go!"
Sincere quickly steps forward, raising a hand. "What!? Now, see here - " He halts as he sees an earth elemental pry the core out of the ruined statue, and moves instead to cast a spell to freeze him in place. He never finishes, however, as another standing nearby suddenly swings an oversized fist and clocks him in the side of the head. The demon tumbles to the ground, stunned, and the elemental kneels down to briefly check him before returning to his feet.
"Good, I have not hurt you too badly. Forgive me, my lord! Once you''re free, you''ll understand our actions!" With that, the half-dozen intruders run off down the tunnel, carrying their prize.
Above, Xenia re-appears long enough to utter a single message to the waiting crowd. "Hey, quick update. I''m fucked!" With that, her avatar suddenly jolts and collapses, and before she can even hit the ground her form vanishes into a puff of smoke.
Eyes wide, Lollyp turns to the conference guests. "...Yeah, I think that about sums it up."
Chapter 112: The Core of the Matter
When Sincere recovered his senses, he found he''d attracted quite the crowd. Lollyp was kneeling at his side, helping him up, but the entire Challenger party surrounded him as well, and even DEATH and Slooshy could be seen at the back of the room. "Well...it seems my negotiation skills leave something to be desired. As does the thickness of my skull, I feel...quite ill."
Lollyp nods, her face grim. "It''s not just you. They took the core! I feel...I don''t know, hollow somehow, right? This is really, really bad."
Alizz steps forward, forced calm in her voice. "This isn''t quite a panic situation just yet. They haven''t destroyed the core, just removed it from the dungeon bounds, which means we still have some time to restore things."
"Oh? How much time do we got?" Slooshy glides her way around the edge of the crowd, leaving a wet trail on the stone floor as she goes.
"Right, right, let me think...for the immediate term, the main issue is that nothing in the dungeon will recharge or repair. Monsters won''t respawn, traps and broken doors won''t reset, that sort of thing. And, of course, the master of the dungeon has no access to her dungeon while she is away. We should have about twenty-four hours before the dungeon begins to actively decay."
Lilly Fullblossom''s eyes go wide. "That quickly!? I had no idea dungeons were so fragile!"
The drider shakes her head. "It''s not all at once. High-energy features like magical water or energy traps will fade out first, within a few days. More complex mechanical traps will cease working a few days after that...the platform on the second floor would certainly be a major concern, if that stops working. Then more magical monsters, like ghosts, will begin to...cease functioning, followed by the more mundane ones like bats." She turns to face Lollyp and Sincere. "Bosses actually last the longest, as you have higher concentrations of your own mana. Assuming you aren''t killed and don''t push yourself...maybe two weeks at the longest. Then over the following months and years the rest of the dungeon will slowly break down and fade away."
Sable steps forward, clanging an armored fist against her chest. "Well let''s not wait around that long, yeah!? The longer we wait, the further away they get!"
"Yeah! Wait, one of us can go with you this time!" Lollyp begins to approach the group, then deflates. "...It probably shouldn''t be me, though. I can barely scratch an earth elemental and putting out enough ice to do in a fire one would probably drain me too fast."
DEATH OF RABBITS nods at the back of the gathering. "LIKEWISE, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, MY DARK MAGICS WOULD HAVE LITTLE IMPACT ON THEIR NON-ORGANIC FORMS. MY SCYTHE COULD PERHAPS FIND USE, THOUGH THERE MAY BE A BETTER OPTION."
Although most of the group winces at the sound of his demonic tongue, Sincere nods in agreement as he recovers himself. "Yes. I believe it should be me. My mana reserves are still low, but if anyone has potions to spare that could be alleviated, and there is still a chance I could speak some reason into them."
Lollyp eagerly nods along as she turns back to the Challengers. "Will you help? I have some potions back in my room I can share around, and you''ll welcome to scoop up all those snacks back upstairs before you go, in case it turns into a real trip."
Alizz gives no hesitation before responding. "Of course. The continued survival of a certified dungeon is among our highest priorities, and I will not have all we worked for destroyed now." She briefly scans the faces of her own group, and seeing no disagreement, turns towards the two representatives from the Church of Bounty. "You''ll follow as well? I know we didn''t quite prepare for this."
Lilly nods, and Sable is already heading towards the tunnel. "Damn straight! Even on a basic dungeon run, I always pack along plenty of supplies, just in case. Now, are we going?"
The field agent eyes the tunnel. "Fortunately, it appears they weren''t expecting anyone to be able to follow them out. Kelsey, Sely, you gather what you can from Lollyp''s supplies and catch up. Taly, you''re our tracker, would you take the lead?"
"On it!" Fixing her Worthy Dungeon-crafted mask to her face, the shadow-garbed Rogue quickly leads the way down the tunnel, followed by her colleagues and Sincere.
"Quickly! Return to camp, and prepare defenses!"
Crumbs looks down at the fire elemental walking alongside him. "...Camp? We have a camp?"
Scorch looks up at his associate. "What? Of course we have a camp! That''s where we told the others to wait."
"Oh. I thought that was just like...a room, you know? Don''t camps have like, stuff and all that in them? Like...tents, and campfires."
"We don''t own any tents, and what would we do with them if we did? Look, if we say it''s a camp, it''s a camp."
"Oh, that makes sense." Crumbs looks around as the group takes another turn. "Won''t it be hard for Lord Sincere to find us, though? Once he''s free of the dungeon?"
The fire elemental stops, bringing the group to a halt. "Damn, good point. You four, you wait here and prepare for our Lord''s return!"
A feminine flame puts a scowl into her voice. "What!? Who knows how long that could take! You want us to what, just sit around for however many days that might take?"
"As opposed to what? Sitting around in camp?" He nods towards the dungeon core in Crumbs'' hand. "Unless you know how to make use of one of those things, we''ll be waiting either way!"
Another earth elemental agrees. "It''s hardly a camp, anyhow. You can count on us, Captain Scorch, sir!"
"Don''t encourage him." The fiery woman gives the impression of rolling non-existent eyes before shrugging. "Fine, fine. We''ll be here to guide our Lord. Let''s just hope it doesn''t take too long..."
As Kelsey and Sely catch up to the party, guided by chalk marks left by Taly, the kobold begins to pass around glass bottles from a bag at his waist. "Here we go, got some of the usual; healing, stamina, mana. Also a few offensive items, but uh, the slime girl said they were mostly ''experimental''. Still, any edge is a worthwhile one."
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Lilly seems uncertain as she takes hold of a bottle that chills her skin. "Is there really that much cause for concern? There''s seven of us! All high-level, if I''m not mistaken. The only hard part should be catching up to them, correct?"
Kelsey shakes his head. "Fighting elementals can be deceptive. There was that Roxxy a few months back, earth elemental, and I heard she woulda only qualified for a couple levels if she''d joined the Association. But that''s all a matter of training and flexibility and that. An earth elemental, even one who''s never been in a fight before in their life, can be as sturdy as a well-equipped Expert. And fire elementals are naturally as destructive as an Expert Pyromancer, and usually harder to kill if you''re not prepared for them. Hey, Sincere, any other types we should be watching out for?"
Sincere thinks briefly before answering. "I only awakened the one water elemental, Slooshy, before realizing how weak they were in such a dry environment. There was one more lightning elemental I sent out on patrol, I believe, but if they recovered more hidden ones among the ruins, it''s difficult to guess what they might be."
"Well, you can make a few guesses." Sable adds in her two coppers. "A wind elemental''s not real likely to be found down underground. A lava elemental is a maybe, but let''s hope they didn''t find one of those."
Sely frowns, not that she''d spent much time not frowning since the rescue operation began. "Lava elemental? Ain''t heard of those, how many kinds are there?"
Sable continues. "Well, you got your basic four, of course. Fire, water, earth, and air. Then you got your combos. Fire and air make lightning, fire and earth mean lava, water and earth can make either mud or quicksand elementals, depending on their birth environment. Air and water make ice, air and earth make sandstorms...think there''s some debate on if cloud elementals come from fire and water, or if there is no fire and water combo and those are just fancy air elementals. Heard there''s kinds that come from triple combos, but you need like, wizards in a tower to put those together."
Sincere interjects to expand the list even further. "The ''basic four'' are the most commonly found, of course, but any form of aspected mana can lead to elemental formation under the right conditions. Dark magic can lead to quite horrifying shadow elementals. And temporal and spatial mana...well, let''s just say that even I would not like to engage in a duel with a time elemental."
The group continues in silence for a moment as they continue their brisk pace, before Sable responds. "...Yeah, let''s really hope they didn''t find one of those."
"...Okay, I''m bored."
An earth elemental turns towards the flaming spirit across the hall. "It''s been like, twenty minutes, Cinder."
"What!? No way, it''s been like four hours at least!"
"I swear, it''s like you fire elementals live on accelerated time frames or something. If anyone knows the movement of the world, it''s an - hold on." The rocky woman looks down the darkened tunnel, nearly pitch black outside of the area lit up by her companions. "There''s someone coming - a whole group of someones, actually."
"What!? Impossible, it took weeks for the dungeon to find mercenaries the first time, didn''t it? Whatever, ready for combat!"
"Hold! We are not here to fight!" An authoritative voice echoes down the hall, source unseen, until suddenly a demon appears before them as if he had literally just stepped out of a shadow. "This is all a grave misunderstanding, and it would be a shame for there to be unnecessary deaths. There is no need for hostility between yourselves and the dungeon!"
The shock is apparent in Cinder''s voice as she responds. "Oh my gods! Do you all see this? This is great! Scorch is going to be thrilled!"
The confusion is apparent on Sincere''s face as he attempts to determine just how he was able to cause such a quick change of heart. "He is? Well...excellent then. Perhaps you could lead us to him, and we can sort this out."
Cinder continues on, however, speaking to her companions. "Now that we took the core out of the dungeon, Lord Sincere can leave too! He''s still under the mind control, but we can capture him and take him back to camp! This is way easier than I thought it was gonna be!"
"Are you serious?" As the two earth elementals approach to take custody of the man, Sincere sighs. "...I see. Well, let''s try and take one alive, shall we? We may need the directions."
To the shock of the elemental guards, the darkness filling the hallway partially dissipates, revealing half a dozen adventurers following behind him. A tall woman with shining armor and slight horns poking from the top of her helmet clangs a sword against her shield. "Fine by me! I''m taking the big one on the right!" Dashing forward, the warrior slams into the nearest earth elemental, doing her little damage but certainly blocking her from getting any closer to Sincere.
On the other side of the hall, vines suddenly spring from the ground to grip onto the legs of the other walking stone, but Cinder quickly spots their fragility. "Hey Slate, I''ll burn that shit off of you in no time!" The man seems unconcerned as her flames blast the lower half of his body, igniting the magical plants, but the flame is blocked too quickly to finish the job. To Cinder''s surprise another armored figure, this one much shorter but with several feet of tail, leaps directly into the path of the flames. "What? Okay, whatever, fine by me if you wanna die so badly!"
To her continued surprise however, the armored figure just laughs. "You wanna try and burn a Warrior of Flame, girl? Good luck with that!" With the fire washing harmlessly over the kobold''s shield there''s nothing preventing the man from charging her, and he soon does so, swinging at her core and forcing her to dodge backwards.
Nearby, the other flame elemental steps forward to fire a blast at the other adventurers, but a quick barrier spell from Sincere blocks the attack in its tracks. When Alizz moves forward a moment later, shouting a spell with wands in hand, the rushing flames do more than simply pound uselessly against the magic shield. "Mana Feedback!" Although some of the fire continues to lap at the shield, the rest reverses direction back towards the elemental, somehow setting the air itself on fire around it. The elemental only laughs in spite of this tactic, unimpressed.
"You''re gonna try and burn a fire elemental!? Nice try!" The taunt turns flat when he spots the smirk on her face, and Alizz utters two more words.
"Aspect Reversal." The ball of flame around the elemental''s core suddenly transforms into a sphere of water, causing his light to blink out immediately, and the entire mass falls to the ground with a splash. Sparks can be seen from within as the elemental attempts to reignite, but it''s entirely the wrong move for him to make. Were it just normal water it would hardly be a concern at all, but the heavy dose of water mana conflicts with his own fire-aspected energies, and when combined with the sudden temperature shifts the elemental''s core loudly shatters into pieces.
"No! You bastards!" The earth elemental fighting against the demonic Paladin doubles the strength of her blows, causing the hall to echo with the ringing of her fists against the holy shield, but to her surprise the warrior sheathes her sword in response.
"Behold the strength of the divine!" A golden glow illuminates the Paladin''s bracers, and when she returns the elemental''s blows with her fist the kidnapper''s stony skin actually cracks. Not without a cost, unfortunately. "Ow! Ow! Ah!" The Paladin continues her assault, breaking the elemental apart with every punch, but likely breaking a bone or two of her own hands in return each time. Before she can wear herself out, a Cleric runs up behind her and places a hand on the demon''s shoulder.
"I''ll take your pain! Ow! Ah, you really don''t hold back, do you!? ...Keep it up!"
Sparing only a moment to shoot the Cleric a glance, the warrior keeps it up as requested, easily outfighting the much-slower elemental. A final blow against her opponent''s chest sends a crack clear through the woman''s core, and moments later her form crumbles to dust.
Across the hall, Slate had just about managed to clear himself of vines faster than the opposing Priestess could tie him down, but unfortunately he was still far too slow. Having spent a solid minute preparing her next spell, the wand-wielding drider gives him a final glare before firing it off. "Mana Seal." Glowing runes fly through the air, penetrating the man''s rocky body as if it weren''t there and landing directly on his core. As their magical energy burns away, his body falls apart much like his companion''s had a moment earlier, but this time a fully-intact core lands in the middle of the debris, lit up by Alizz''s magics.
Much further down the tunnel the quickly-retreating Cinder sees it all, and despite the distraction of the kobold swinging away at her, eventually manages to do the math of the one of her versus the seven adventurers closing in. Raising her hands, she shouts out. "Hey, I have a hot idea! What if there was no need for hostility between us and the dungeon?"
Sincere raises an eyebrow in her direction. "...An intriguing idea. Let''s discuss that."
Chapter 113: Underground Revolution
"So...Cinder, is it?" Sincere keeps a close eye on the fire elemental standing before him, while a few feet away Alizz collects a rune-covered core and slips it into a bag at her waist.
"Yup, that''s me! Do...do you remember me, Lord Sincere?" The woman presses her hands together and leans forward, a vaguely hopeful expression on her vague approximation of a face.
Sincere looks her up and down for a moment before sighing. "I''m afraid I wasn''t aware of most of the names you gave yourselves. In fact, in hindsight I made for a rather poor ''lord''. Not that I was attempting to be one, but that may not be much of an excuse."
"It''s okay, Lord! We know you were busy, and that you were stolen away before you had time to properly build your - " Whatever further praise Cinder was about to heap on him, Sincere silences it with a wave.
"Please, Cinder, try to make yourself understand. I had no intentions of forming any sort of kingdom down here! I intended to do my research, learn what I could, perhaps discover a few artifacts, and then leave. If some of you had wished to come with me, I may have allowed it, but for the most part I intended to leave you to your own devices. Furthermore, despite our initial...bad first impressions, I was not ''stolen away'' by the dungeon! Becoming part of the dungeon in fact saved my life!"
Cinder stares into his eyes for a while before finally responding. "...So, you''re not going to be our lord?"
Sincere facepalms, giving Kelsey a chance to step forward. "Where''s all this even coming from, anyways? Every elemental colony I know of is...what''s even a word for it? Anarchist? You lot don''t form governments, or even have leaders most of the time, as far as I can tell!"
Before Cinder can come up with an answer, Alizz offers one of her own. "Natural elemental colonies are always only of one element. A cove of water elementals, a canyon full of earth elementals, a mountain peak occupied by air elementals. Normally, you''d never get elementals of different aspects living together in one place. Does that have something to do with it?"
"...Maybe?" Cinder tilts her head, almost seeming to heat up as she thinks. "I guess part of it might be that Holes has been trying to take charge of things, and most of us would rather that he like...not do that? So if Lord Sincere did, then..."
Sincere''s eyes go a little wide at her comments. "''Holes''? Dear gods, don''t tell me that you did discover a spatial elemental down here!?"
"Eh? Never heard of it! No, he''s Holes, cause he''s like...holy. You know, divine?" Cinder looks at the faces of the gathered adventurers, but this time its they who seem to have trouble comprehending.
Lilly is the one to speak first. "A...divine elemental? Or no, you must mean a divine messenger, yes? An angel, or some other type of holy servant? What deity do they serve?"
Cinder shakes her head. "No, you were right the first time! He''s an elemental, like us! Kinda like...a white fire elemental, without the fire! So, uh...bright, is what I''m saying. Kind of pointy, too."
Sable scratches her head, or attempts to despite her helmet. "Divine magic''s definitely a thing - I mean, that''s what I use, after all. But divine mana? When Lilly summons her vines, those are just standard spells using normal mana and a bit of earth, yeah? But blessings or me calling on Kahlia''s strength to enhance my body, that just comes straight from the goddess...or, like, our faith in her, or something. I might not be an expert on the technicals." Her voice grows a little uncertain, but Sely backs her up.
"That''s about right, yeah. Elementals might be formed in spots with an abundance of aspected mana, but you don''t just find divine mana lying around! Not even in the grandest chapels! It''s a direct gift from a divine!"
Sincere taps his chin in thought. "Yes, this ''Holes'' must be an artificial construct...unless he was produced as part of a Divine Favor of some sort? Very interesting...but not exactly our primary concern right now. Cinder, will you lead us to your base of operations?"
"...I guess." She eyes the demon warily. "But if you''re not going to be our Lord, what will you do?"
"That remains to be seen. Hopefully, with a minimum of cores being destroyed in the process, Xenia''s above all..."
As Scorch watches on, Xenia''s core is placed on top of a new stone pedestal. Not a seashell-shaped one, or an anything-shaped one, for that matter, but simply a column of raw stone Crumbs had summoned from the dungeon floor. It didn''t seem right to just put a dungeon core down on the ground, nevermind that this was just a bit of ground raised several feet into the air. "There we go! Uh, so...anyone know if you need to take care of a dungeon core at all? Water it, or something?"
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Before Crumbs can answer him, a third elemental walks up to the center of the room. This one was quite unlike the others, even more strange than Zappy, the sole lightning elemental of the crew. No, this one walks forward on rigid limbs that appear almost like blades of solid light, ending not in feet but in sharp points that dig into the ground as he moves. His arms aren''t much different, although they do end in razor-like fingers, and even the wings on his back look sharp enough to carve stone. His head meanwhile was...well, non-existent. Instead a single giant eye sits in the center of his chest, a design decision which somewhat creeps out the other elementals who don''t even have proper eyes.
Despite his lack of a mouth, a voice echoes out from his form as he points towards the core. "This - this is the dungeon core? Why is it here!?"
Scorch stands up straight as he turns towards his fellow elemental. "It''s all part of the plan, Holes! Lord Sincere is stuck in the dungeon, and he said he''d have trouble finding a new floor core even if he got out. But! If we weaken the dungeon by keeping the core out, he might be able to escape, and then he can use a full dungeon core to summon new elementals with!"
The oversized eye stares at the flaming man for a moment. "...I have no idea if that makes any sense. But that''s not important right now! Don''t you see it!?"
Scorch and Crumbs turn to look at the pearl-like stone, and nod. "...Yup? It''s right there, alright."
"No!" Holes throws his arms up into the air. "This core has been touched by the divine! It positively reeks of Goddess! And...and..." The elemental leans in closer, as if sniffing it with the nose he doesn''t possess. "A...darker core, perhaps? Hrmm...hrmm! Yes, good work, Scorch! I can use this!"
"Thanks!" The elemental beams, then shifts. "Wait. What do you mean, you can use it? For what?"
"For its power! If I add its energies to my own, who knows what might be possible! Perhaps we''d no longer require this demon lord of yours at all!"
Zappy, true to her name, zaps over to join the others talking. "Are you talking about destroying the core? Just for you? And replacing Lord Sincere!? That''s not what we were talking about doing at all! You''re not in charge here!"
Faster than even Zappy can move, fingers made of pure light reach into her chest and grab hold of her core, before lifting her into the air. As she struggles, her lightning doing absolutely nothing to harm her captor, an eye stares at her coldly. "Aren''t I? And why not? Am I not the most powerful here already? And who else could use the divine power we have here but I?" As other elementals around the room begin to stir, worried by the signs of a fight breaking out, Holes turns to stare them all down. "You wish to hold out for a mere demon? A man who abandoned you!? We are elementals! We do not need those of flesh and blood to rule us!"
Scorch raises a hand, pointing at the eye. "Hey, that''s our dad - uh, summoner you''re talking about there! And even if we don''t need him to lead us, then we don''t need anyone, let alone some jumped-up newcomer! You''d still be in a box if we hadn''t found you! Now let Zappy down!"
"It''s a wonder you found anything at all, undisciplined as you are. I have tolerated this farce of a quest long enough, and I tire of it. You want an Elemental Empire? Then we shall begin it here and now! Will you follow me?" Although some of the elementals keeping their distance do seem somewhat intrigued by the idea, the one struggling in his hand is anything but.
"No way! You''re just a bully, I ain''t following you anywhere!"
Pulling her closer, Holes gazes deeply into the rough outline of Zappy''s flickering face. "...Is that your final answer?" The woman shudders as his grip begins to tighten, his fingers slowly carving into the surface of her core, but the entire room comes to a halt as a new voice shouts out.
"Hold it, villain! Let the lightning girl go."
Kelsey eyes Sable as the two raise their shields. "Really? You just had to blow our chance for a sneak attack?"
The Paladin tilts her head slightly in his direction, a laugh in her voice. "Sorry, I love saying shit like that. Part of the job, you know." She grows a little more serious as she refocuses on the room ahead, and does a quick count of its occupants. "So uh...divine, lightning, seven fires, eight earths...yeah, we got this, right?"
"Let''s try and not have to, shall we?" Sincere steps forward, and addresses the room. "Attention! I am Sincere, and I apologize for my absence! I''m afraid there''s been a dreadful miscommunication - while I am part of Worthy Dungeon now, I was not kidnapped! Nor am I being mind-controlled in any way! Although I cannot take position as your leader, I am more than willing to aid you in any way I can! But we must demand that you return the dungeon core to our custody!"
The elementals all pause, studying the man, but Holes responds first. "So this is the one you wished to make your leader? Unimpressive. The demon barely has the magical reserves of a child! Stand with me, and we will not need handouts from some organic!"
"Holes, you''re an asshole! More like...Ass-Holes!" Cinder shouts out from the middle of the adventuring party, her clever wit causing more than a few winces from those around her. "I wouldn''t want to follow you, even if you were a God yourself!"
Some of the audience nod, but Crumbs, still standing near the core, appears to feel differently. "Hold on now, don''t be hasty! Holes is more powerful than any of us. Smarter, too! Maybe he knows what he''s talking about?"
"I surely do. And with invaders here with steel drawn, we hardly have time for making a vote of it." Holes lifts his arm high into the air, as if he were using the squirming Zappy as his war banner. "Elementals! If you wish to earn your empire - destroy the invaders!"
Chapter 114: Will to Power
It would have been extremely useful had someone drawn some lines in the sand, or at least the stony cavern floor. Or failing that, perhaps handed out some color-coded flags or armbands ahead of time. As it was, when Holes issued his command no one seemed entirely sure what exactly the sides at conflict were. The adventurers were one, of course, as was Holes, who clearly intended to claim leadership of the elemental band. The elementals in question however seemed entirely less certain about things.
With a few exceptions, of course. The moment Holes shouted out his order to attack, two fire elementals and one earth elemental immediately leapt into action. As they quickly revealed themselves through their movements, the adventurers responded first by establishing their defenses. As before, Sable pushed forwards to block the earth elemental coming their way, while Kelsey kept an eye on one of the flames and Sincere prepared his barrier spell. Beyond that, however, things soon fell to chaos.
As Cinder leaps into the frontline and fires off a burst of flame in Holes'' direction, many of those around the room metaphorically hold their breaths to see what fire might actually do to harm a ''divine'' elemental. What they don''t expect is for the man in question to hold the lightning elemental Zappy in front of him like a shield, deflecting the attack. While the flickering woman wouldn''t do much to block a more mundane attack with swords or arrows, her heavy density of magical energies manages to disperse those of Cinder, though not without cost. "Ahhhh, Cinder, stop! My core''s already scratched!"
Shocked, Scorch turns to yell again at the man beside him. "You''re using us as shields? You''re off the team, Holes!"
The giant eye in Holes'' chest turns to stare at him. "I am the team, and Zappy has proven this to be her best use. Those who wish to earn their place, follow my commands! Destroy them, and Cinder as well!"
That''s when things quickly devolve into what Sincere would probably technically define as a ''clusterfuck''. Several more elementals move to attack the adventurer party, but others, disturbed by the treatment of Zappy and Cinder, soon move to intercept them. This is quite an issue for the adventurers thanks to a simple fact: in the chaos of a battle within a poorly lit cave, elementals of the same type tend to look almost exactly alike. Spotting the issue, Alizz shouts out orders to her team.
"Move back! Back into the hallway! If we charge into that we risk encountering friendly fire!"
"More like extremely unfriendly fire!" Kelsey swings his sword at the elemental trying to get around him, but the kobold has few options for effectively threatening it while also backing up. "What are we gonna do, fire elementals got a ranged advantage on most of us!"
Taly curses from within her masked hood as several of her best shots barely chip the skin of a pair of earth elementals. "There''s another problem! The core''s right in the middle of all that! Are we just gonna let it sit there until someone decides to take a crack at it?" As she speaks Cinder leaps into the fray, tackling one of her kin, and within moments the party loses track of which elemental is which.
Sincere nods as he turns an advancing earth elemental into a statue, temporally slowing him down until he''s making almost no movement at all. "I agree! That is our primary concern right now! I recommend we have someone keep that Holes distracted while someone else snatches the core!"
"I''m good at distractions!" Sable pushes back against her opponent, although having already divinely enhanced her strength once before today, finds herself hesitant to try it a second time so soon. "Rogue, you want the snatch job? Anyone else who''s got ranged, give us cover!" After a few quick nods among the group Sable pushes past her opponent to literally leap into the center of the melee, jumping over a pair of squabbling, rolling earth elementals to get there. The quarter-demon nearly gets swarmed within moments, but vines trip up one angry rock coming her way, while ritual runes burn their way onto a fire elemental''s core, sealing her mana and causing the stony object to fall to the floor. As others turn to intercept, they find themselves confused by a darkness that suddenly fills most of the chamber.
Not as complete a darkness as Taly may have hoped for, unfortunately. Of course, the many fire elementals all give off their own light, magical to an extent and thus somewhat resistant to Taly''s mystical skills with shadow. The main difficulty however is Holes himself. Zappy, still being held in one of his clawed hands, becomes almost impossible to see in comparison as the divine elemental''s own light begins to shine like a beacon across the room. Eventually becoming aware of this himself, the elemental begins to laugh.
"Haha! You think to hide your actions, like vermin crawling out of cracks? You fools overestimate yourselves. LET THERE BE LIGHT!" Like a lantern, Holes'' giant eye opens wide and blasts the room with light, burning away the shadows. For a moment, at least. Then Zappy pokes him in the eye.
"Take that, you bast - ah!" As her lightning-formed hand jabs its way into the oversized ocular organ, the divine light turns from a lantern into a strobe. In alternating cycles Holes'' light and Taly''s shadows battle for dominion over the chamber, and if the battle had been confusing a moment before, now it becomes nothing more than absolute chaos, an orgy of elemental violence. Even the flame blasts shot off by the fire elementals have no impact on the blurred vision of the room''s occupants, and movement becomes impossible to discern. As two earth elementals grapple with each other, no one watching can tell one second to the next which one is which.
A problem for which Sable has an elegant solution. "Crack em all an'' let Kahlia sort ''em out!"
"Sable! No! We - some of them may be friendly!" Lilly scolds her teammate as she does her best to restrain her opponents, hurling chilly alchemy bottles at fire elementals to douse their flames. Beside her, Alizz does her best to seal as many elementals as she can, but the drider is panting as she does so.
"I''ve - I''ve never had to cast this so many times in a row before! Mana potions aside, I''m not sure I can keep this up!"
Sely grabs hold of her shoulder, draining some of her exhaustion. "Just go for the bright bastard, yeah!? He''s the one stirring all this up!"
"I can''t! I''ve never even seen divine mana before, I don''t know how to seal it!" With a groan she fires off another stream of runes from one of her wands, turning an earth elemental into a pile of inanimate stone.
"ENOUGH!" With a shout, the chamber''s lighting once again returns to normal - or perhaps rather a bit dimmer than it had been before, with a number of fire elementals having been either sealed or destroyed in the melee. Holes raises a fist, now empty after Zappy managed her escape in the confusion. "Enough! If you do not understand power, then I shall claim it from this core and show it to you!" The elemental turns towards the stone pedestal standing next to him - and freezes as he realizes it''s now empty. From the rear of the adventuring party, Taly shoots him a grin and raises a palm, Xenia''s core sitting comfortably atop it.
"Yoink."
Holes simply stares at her, saying nothing - then raises a hand in her direction. Faster than anyone present can react, a focused beam of light blasts from his palm, and impales the Midnight Shadow through the chest. As Sely cries out, Holes'' voice runs cold.
"That core is mine. Retrieve it, and kill them all."
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
"Bastard!" Pushing forward again, Sable begins to slice away at the elemental with her blade. "You call yourself divine? You''re a monster! Why do you even exist!?"
The elemental almost seems surprised as Sable''s holy blade actually appears to have some impact on him, but his voice remains calm as he begins to fight her off. "Such preconceptions in a Paladin? Divinity is not good. Divinity is not evil. Divinity is naught but will. Will and power! The will to shape the world in your image! To have the masses kneel at your feet! You wish to serve the divine? Then serve me!"
"Will!? Power? You think wanting something gives you the right to take it? You''re nothing more than a thief! And I will show you will." With that statement the Paladin of Bounty drives her blade directly into the eye on Holes'' chest, impaling it deep, and for a moment Holes shudders in pain. But only for a moment, before his hand grips her blade and begins to push it back.
To his shock however, before it budges an inch his arm briefly fades into nothingness before returning. "What!? What are you doing to me, organic?"
Sable grits her teeth, and the fighting around the room nearly comes to a halt as all of the elementals turn to observe their battle. "You might be born of divine energy, Holes. But it''s directionless! Purposeless! Not even the basest of gods seeks power merely for power itself! Your heart is as empty as your name! But me? I''ve been channeling divine energy for decades." With another push her sword sinks a little deeper, and soon the sword itself is glowing as brightly as Holes. Then her arm, then the rest of her armor. At the same time, the divine elemental seems to...diminish.
"You - stealing the power from an elemental? Impossible! I am divinity, in its rawest form!"
"Exactly. Raw. Shapeless. Useless." With a shout, Sable turns her head to the sky. "Kahlia! I offer this power to you! In your name, I struggle! In your name I bleed! Shine upon us and show us the true meaning of power!"
With that declaration a skylight seems to open in the chamber ceiling, shedding white light into the room below. But only for a moment, and then that light seems to...reverse. Instead of hitting the floor, Holes'' form begins to stretch and tear, pouring away and above towards the ceiling. The elemental attempts to swing at the Paladin before him, but his arm rips away before it can land. "Impossible! This is - I am divinity! I am - !"
With a final flash the light illuminating the chamber vanishes, and an elemental core marked by glowing white lines drops to the ground. Sable glares at it for a moment, before lifting her boot and slamming it back down, shattering the stone into pieces. "You are dust." Looking around, she sees the other remaining elementals staring at her. "Any of you got a problem!? Anyone else want to pick a fight!?"
Flickering forward, Zappy reappears before bowing her head. "Uh, nope! Nope, I...think you made your point pretty clear! You''re in charge!"
"That''s great and all but WE NEED HELP OVER HERE!" Sely''s voice pulls Sable out of her moment, and the Paladin quickly turns to rush over to where the Divine Masochist is kneeling over the form of her sister. She''s moving, but blood covers the hallway floor.
"Is she - can you heal her?"
Sely looks up to meet Sable''s eyes. "She''s got a hole in her chest, big enough to pass a quarterstaff through! I can - I can numb her pain, and keep her organs alive, but I can''t patch up something that big!" She turns to look at Lilly as well. "One of you get over here and, and call a blessing already! I don''t have one big enough!"
Sable''s red skin goes pale. "I - I can do minor cuts, bruises and the like, maybe help her hold on a little longer, but...Lilly?"
The elf doesn''t look much better. "I...I''m sorry. If Elance were here, she''s far better at healing than I..."
Tears stream down Sely''s face as Taly''s hand weakly grasps her own. "There has to be something we can do! Anyone!?"
Sincere steps forward, and catches Sely''s eye. "I can briefly put her into stasis, maintaining her more safely than continuous healing spells. And aside from that?" The demon sighs. "We can run."
"The elementals are taking my - uh." Xenia halts mid-sentence as she realizes she''s no longer in the Floor Four conference area, but her core chamber, and that her core now seems to be returned to the statue where it belongs. "Oh! I''m back! Whew, good work guys!" Looking around the room, Xenia pauses as she realizes none of the Challengers are looking her way. "...And my avatar spell ran out. Great."
Lollyp rushes forward, waving her hands. "Xenia, you''re back! And I can see you - and it''s good to see you, too! From what I hear, well...it was a pretty rough situation down there."
"I bet. I feel like shit, too...really hope I never go through that again, ever. Just gimme a minute to recover though, and I''ll whip up a party to celebrate, these guys deserve it if they got me back here." Xenia looks around again, and realizes something is a little off. " Uh. Lollyp? Why''s everyone look like it''s their birthday and their parents just got a divorce?"
While Lollyp attempts to puzzle that out, Guy hovers forward. "Well, ma''am...perhaps you ought to take a look at this." With that said, an intrusion report screen appears.
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INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS SLAIN: 1
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
UNDEAD (MORTAL): B
SPRITES (FIRE): D
SPRITES (EARTH): D+
SPRITES (DIVINE): D-
ARROWS/DARTS: C+
RANGED WEAPONS: C+
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 1 (TALY OF HIGHFALLS)
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 4 TO 196 (45 CONSUMED BY CONSTRUCTS)
MANA ACQUIRED: 8, CURRENT AMOUNT: 93/151
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
SKILLS: SHADOW ROGUE (ADVANCED), MIDNIGHT SHADOW(EXPERT)
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: NOT MY FAULT 1
AN INTRUDER HAS PERISHED WITHIN YOUR BOUNDS WITHOUT RECEIVING A SINGLE WOUND WHILE WITHIN THE DUNGEON. YOU NOW HAVE THE ABILITY TO HEAL A TENTH OF A MORTAL''S HEALTH AND MANA UPON ENTRY TO THE DUNGEON.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: TAKING A TRIP 1
YOU HAVE SURVIVED AT LEAST ONE HOUR OUTSIDE YOUR DUNGEON BOUNDS AND BEEN RESTORED. ''ACCESSIBILITY'' DIFFICULTY ALLOWANCES INCREASED BY ONE LEVEL.
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Xenia reads over the report quickly, and then again, needing a moment to accept what it means. When she does, a gasp escapes from her lips. "Oh...oh, fuck."
Chapter 115: Undying Shadow
Xenia does a quick mental count of the adventurers in the room and keeps coming up short, even as she re-checks herself. "Lollyp, where''s - what happened to the Rogue? Shadow girl, the one I made the cool mask for?"
Before Lollyp can answer, Sely notices the slime''s half of the conversation taking place, and gets up from the table where the Challengers were resting. "She''s - she''s awake now? Dungeon Master! You have to bring her back! She died rescuing you, you have to bring Taly back!"
Before she can crowd Lollyp and the invisible Xenia too much, Sincere steps in to gently lead her back to the table. "We will, we will, Sely! But please, give our master a moment - she''s still recovering, herself!"
Indeed, Xenia suddenly finds herself a little unsteady on her feet, and summons herself an empty chair. "Lollyp, what did I miss?"
"Right, well. Like you said, elementals grabbed you and took you down into the old dungeon. Sincere and everyone else went down after you, and they found you. There was a whole camp of elementals down there, more than a dozen, and apparently including some, like...really weird and powerful one. It sounds like there was a real mess of a fight...most of the elementals surrendered or switched sides, and some got killed, including the weird one. But...Taly got hurt, real bad. They were just able to get her back here in time, thanks to Sincere slowing time down or something."
Xenia nods. "You got her back here? Then...the healing fountains? How bad was it?"
Lollyp shakes her head. "Really bad. There was...a hole in her chest, big enough to see daylight through. I think it at least nicked her spine too, her legs seemed to be, uh, paralyzed." As Xenia grimaces, she continues. "I''m not an expert but I''m pretty sure it would''ve been a Master-level healing job at least. Our healing fountains and potions don''t even come close."
"So when you say they got her back here in time, you mean..."
The slime gives a solemn nod. "She was awake long enough to recognize where she was, and...willingly offer her soul to you. We''re bringing her back, right?"
Xenia eyes Taly''s older sister at the table, refusing consolation attempts from her teammates, and nods. "Absolutely. Sely''s right, she died for me, for all of us here, really. Ugh, how did I miss that happening? Dammit, if I''d been awake, could I have used that daily ''eject a dying Challenger'' ability I got?"
Guy answers that question for her. "Your core was returned at the same time, but reconnecting a core to an entire dungeon is not an immediate process. It''s been perhaps...ten minutes since the events took place? But even if you''d been conscious, that ability only avoids a mortal blow, it would not repair the damage of one already done."
"Fuck, I should have been here for that anyhow. We''ll do what we can to fix it, but...Sincere! Take the Challengers back through the portal to the conference area, would you?"
Sincere looks up from where he''d been attempting to help calm Sely. "Is there a problem, Xenia?"
"No - well, yeah, I guess. It''s just...I don''t think we need them here watching the sausage get made, you know what I mean?"
Sincere winces a little at the phrasing, but he agrees. "That makes sense. Everyone! If you''ll follow me, let us return to Floor Four, shall we? The master of the dungeon, ah...needs a little time and space to work."
It takes a few minutes for everyone to make their way through the portal, bypassing the still in-progress Floor Six, but eventually Xenia is left alone with Lollyp and Guy. Hovering forward, Guy poses a question. "So, how would you like to proceed, ma''am? Recreate her as you did Sincere?"
Xenia shakes her head, considering it for barely a moment. "Not an option. As much as I''d like to, we don''t have spots for people to just hang out, we need someone who can fight as a floor boss. Sincere can pull it off a little since he''s a magic expert, but the dude lost a knife fight in like...half a second to a lady who wasn''t even a fighting expert herself. Besides, we''ve just got a spell of Illusionary Demon, not Illusionary Human. If we try to bring her back as a False Mortal, it''s gonna be...wrong."
Lollyp agrees with a shiver. "Yeah, that''d be...creepy. The face Sincere''s got under that spell...eugh. What are you gonna do, though?"
Xenia taps her chin in thought, as she mentally goes through her options. "For a reincarnate, I do wanna do something close to who she was, if we can. So...humanoid, female if possible. Something that likes darkness? Good at fighting at range, or maybe stabbing things?" She scans through a menu, faster than Lollyp can follow, then eventually stops. "Oh, unlocked this one at B tiers? Yeah...this should do, I think."
Stepping into an empty part of the core chamber, Xenia taps her menu and summons a new monster. The form is indeed humanoid and female, garbed in a slightly-ragged black dress and gray cloak. The woman''s hair is long and silver, her skin slightly gray, and her fingers end in long, black nails - nails which seem to harden and lengthen as Xenia pumps more mana into the monster, upgrading it to a boss version. The monster''s ears do appear slightly pointed, although not nearly to the extent of an elf''s. Xenia manages to round them off a little further and then focuses on the face, reshaping it into something approximating Taly''s, through she seems to struggle doing so. "Ugh, I don''t usually try to customize a monster this specifically. It doesn''t seem to work on these as well as it does for the fake people...I guess we can try tweaking it more later, if she''s got any complaints."
Stepping back a bit, Xenia taps again at her menu and summons a soul from the inventory, directing it into the monster''s body. "Taly! You there, Taly?"
At the sound of her name, Taly''s eyes open again, or perhaps for the first time, revealing red irises. "Ah! Fuck! I''m - fuck!" Looking down at herself, the woman quickly pats her chest, looking for wounds, though she pauses when she notices her fingers. "What? I''m...what?" She looks back up once again, meeting Xenia''s eyes. "I''m alive? And - oh, shit! The dungeon master? I can see you! ...In color!"
Xenia gives an awkward laugh and a smile. "Aha, yup, and it''s...good to see you too, Taly. Please, call me Xenia. I...I heard what you did for me down there. I owe you, really."
"Oh, it''s noth - well, no. It was kind of a big deal, I guess. Ow, that hurt." The woman finds an empty chair and quickly takes a seat. "What...what am I, now? These hands..."
Xenia follows along, claiming a seat of her own. "You''re not locked in, we can try something else if it doesn''t work out, or try to change this form a little more. But for now..." Xenia takes one of Taly''s hands in her own, giving her as much of a warm smile as she can find within herself. "Welcome to Worthy Dungeon, Taly of Highfalls, Floor Boss of Floor Six...Banshee Queen."
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Up on Floor Four, the adventurers find themselves once again gathered around the stone conference table, a few of them half-heartedly picking at the handful of remaining snacks from the earlier meeting. For her part, Alizz is doing her best to console Sely and not having much luck of it. "It''s - well, it''s not entirely a bad thing! There''s a silver lining, if you think about it?"
Sely glares at her boss with reddened eyes. "A silver lining to dying and being trapped in a dungeon for eternity? This was a mistake. Fighting for a dungeon? That''s not what the Association is about!"
Kelsey steps in, placing a hand on her shoulder, a move that only works thanks to the fact that the Cleric is currently sitting down while the kobold is standing behind her. "It is, Sely, you know that. Even if the Dungeon Master was a nobody to us, it''s an Association responsibility to protect dungeons from being destroyed. Not without a royal writ, anyhow. Taly, and all of us...we were doing our duty. It might not help, but it''s true."
"Duty. Duty''s not going to bring her back to..." The woman trails off as Lollyp reappears through the shortcut portal, quickly getting everyone''s attention.
"Hey all! Good news, Taly''s awake and feeling fine! She''ll be here in a second, we just wanted to give you a little, you know, a lil heads up. She''s gone through a few, um...changes."
The Cleric climbs to her feet, her blonde hair falling around her shoulders in a disheveled mess. "Changes? What did you do to my sister!?"
"Easy, easy! Just...well, easiest to see for yourself, yeah?" Lollyp gestures back at the portal, and a moment later a second woman walks through. Her clothes match those Taly wore at the time of her death, and the smirk on her face has all the attitude Taly once wore. But it''s hard to miss the dark claws her hands now form, and impossible to not notice that silver locks now flow where black hair once grew. The red eyes and gray skin don''t help much either, and some of the small details of her face seem a little...off, at least for those who once knew her well. But the voice that comes from her lips is the same as it had been an hour before.
"Hey, sis. Miss me?"
Sely stares at her sister for a long, agonizing moment, looking for traces of her little sister. For a moment Taly''s face twitches, her smirk briefly beginning to fail, but before it can Sely rushes in for a tight hug. "TALY! You - you idiot! I tried to patch you up, but - there''s limits! I can''t fix everything!"
Taly gratefully returns the hug, patting Sely''s shoulder as she responds. "I know, I know, super dumb of me. I mean, really. Taunting a boss-level opponent with unknown abilities? While wearing light armor? Gotta have a death wish to do some stupid shit like that. Hey, maybe that should be my new name, huh? Deathwish, Boss of Floor Six! Good name for a monster, right?"
Sely pulls back, looking over Taly again, and asks the question on everyone''s mind. "Boss of...Taly, just what are you now? What did that woman do to you?"
The former Rogue chuckles. "Uh, heads up, ''that woman'' is in the room right now. And I can see her, which is neat! But uh, yeah! I''m a Banshee Queen now, apparently! Good at climbing, can glide for short distances, and uh, sound-based attacks? Also, I still got all my old skills! Xenia''s promised to fix me up with a new set of gear later, too."
Kelsey whistles as he watches the reunion from the side. "Damn, girl! From how I understand it, Lollyp and Sincere are basically what they were before, give or take a few minor changes. But a Banshee boss with a Midnight Shadow''s skillset? You are going to be a killer."
Taly gives an awkward laugh. "Haaa, yeah, I suppose so. Guess that''s out of the bag now, then, if you wanna warn Challengers I''m gonna be facing off against them soon." The woman''s eyes lose focus for a moment, and she stares off into the distance. "...Fuck, I am gonna have to be killing Challengers now. Hope no one I know makes it to Floor Six."
While Sely''s still processing, Alizz steps forward to ask a question. "It''s going to be a major adjustment, for certain. For all of us. Is there anything we can do for you? Obviously, your family will be getting the usual benefits, even if you are still...walking around, and whatnot."
Taly gives another laugh, this one a little stronger. "Haha, glad I paid into the insurance fund, now. Don''t go spending it all in one place, eh Sely? Guess I gotta make it official, though. Field Agent Alizz...it''s been an honor working with you, but I''m afraid I''ve gotta tender my resignation."
Despite herself, Alizz finds herself chuckling along. "Entirely understandable, given the circumstances. I...wish you the best with your future endeavors?"
As Taly does her best to maintain an upbeat conversation with the Association team, Sable and Lilly find themselves pulled to one side by Sincere. "So...before anything else, I suppose I should ask, are both of you alright? Sable, I noticed you in particular taking on quite a bit of risk in the battle earlier."
The pair nod as Sable answers. "Yeah, I''m fine. Still...a little confused over what the hell a ''divine elemental'' is, but that''s a matter for another time. And someone smarter than me, probably. How about you, doing good?"
"A little drained, all that spellcasting nearly exhausted my reserves. But I will recover. That aside, Xenia here would like to conclude the matter that we were discussing before our unfortunate interruption. Even with Taly''s new, ah, position, we do still have two boss slots available and more in the future, and we do still wish to set up a program to find appropriate candidates. Given everything, would you still be amenable to our earlier proposal? Spending some time here in the dungeon, that is."
Sable eyes Lilly, but answers for herself. "Personally, I''m all for it. Taly...I don''t know her well, but she seems like a good fit for the place. She''s got the skills, she seems cheerful enough about it for someone who literally just bit the dust, and I guess she''s never had kids. But you can''t count on always being that lucky. And even for her, it would''ve been better if it''d been an arranged thing, yeah? Especially for her sister. So yeah, I''ll speak in your favor to Elly, and even volunteer for the week in here myself. You, Lilly?"
The elf nods, looking a little exhausted from the day''s events. "I''ll certainly support the proposal as well. I''m not as certain about spending an extended time in here myself, but...I''ll consider it."
Sincere smiles, and gives a slight bow. "I''m glad that none of this has soured things, then. It seems we''ll be needing some time to ease Taly into things a little, and I''m sure you''ll need some time to arrange things on your end as well. Can we expect to hear from you in a few days, perhaps?"
Sable extends an armored hand, and Sincere shakes it. "Count on it. Try not to blow up the mountain until I''m back, got it?"
Sincere gives a rueful chuckle. "We''ll certainly try our best."
It takes a solid hour for the Association team to finish talking with Taly, Sely especially, but eventually the decision is made for them to return home. The ''inspection'' had gone on far longer than expected, and if they waited much later they''d be climbing down the mountain in the dark. Even so Taly needs to make more than a few repeated promises to see and talk to Sely any time she wants to visit, and by time they finally part everyone is exhausted both physically and emotionally.
As the last of them make their exit through the portal out, Xenia places a hand on Taly''s shoulder. "You''re a strong one, you know that? I don''t think I handled being brought back to life that well, at least not the first time anyhow. And in case I ain''t said it enough already, I owe you big time. Any luxury you want, you got it."
Another laugh escapes the banshee''s tired lips. "Haha, I will definitely be taking you up on that. And...honestly, I think I''m gonna be bawling my eyes out tonight, best efforts aside. Gotta look tough in front of big sis though, right?" She looks towards her new boss, elbowing her in the side as she does so. "Now, I believe someone mentioned something about me getting my own apartment?"
"Oh, definitely. I was gonna use Beatrice''s old one for the exchange program, but we can set that up for you right now and get something else going in the next few days. Let me give you the tour!" Xenia turns to head towards a shortcut portal, and then stops in her tracks. "Wait."
She looks around, both with her avatar and her dungeon senses, but doesn''t find what she''s looking for. "...Where are all those elementals, again?"
Chapter 116: Partnerships
As Xenia sits in her core chamber, awaiting the arrival of the elemental representatives, she finds herself feeling a small amount of chair insecurity. "...I need a throne."
Sincere halfway turns to glance at her from where he''d been standing. "...A throne, you say?"
"Well, if I''m gonna be holding court and meeting diplomats from the Elemental Empire, you bet. Besides, a dungeon core''s kinda like being an evil queen, or something. At the least I oughtta get a design down for when I need one. Are skull-based armrests still in?"
"The Elemental - Xen, you''re not going to encourage them, are you?" Lollyp grimaces slightly from where she stands, opposite of Sincere.
"Well, maybe? As long as they don''t try to fuckin'' raid the place again - ah, hold on, here they come." Xenia refocuses her attention on the tunnel hole, still present in one of her core chamber walls. She could reseal it now, at least for a few feet''s worth of thickness, but there was still a bit of unfinished business left to take care of before anyone in the dungeon could rest at ease. As she watches, a trio of elementals come through - two fires and one lightning. They stare for a moment at the apparently empty chair facing them, but Sincere speaks up to clarify the situation.
"Welcome, once again, to Worthy Dungeon. With better behavior this time, one hopes. The Master of the Dungeon is present, but Lollyp or I will communicate on her behalf. Her avatar will be unavailable for a few more days." He gestures at the not-much-of-a-throne sitting at his side.
The elementals exchange a brief look between the three of them, but eventually the lightning elemental steps forward first. "Ah...Dungeon Master of Worthy Dungeon, hi, nice to meet you. I''m Zappy! This here is Scorch and Cinder, you uh, kinda met. First things first, they wanna say that they''re really sorry. Right?"
She turns back to face them, and the pair both nod while Cinder answers. "Totally! Super sorry! Uh...our bad?"
Xenia raises an eyebrow, and then sighs. "Not real big on formality, are ya?"
Zappy stands up a little taller as Sincere passes on her thoughts, with a little more formality of his own added on. "Oh, are we doing this wrong? I mean, we''re like...really formally sorry! If we blame it all on Holes, would that help?"
The fingers of Xenia''s right hand tap out a pattern on her armrest, while her left rubs her forehead. "...Sure, why not. If it means we''re not fighting anymore then...whatever, I guess. But if we''re not fighting, then what do you want now?" Again, Sincere passes on the question for her.
"Well...we sort of understand now that we misunderstood what Lord - what Sincere was trying to do, and he''s not really our boss anymore. But we were still kind of hoping for like, ideas? The earth elementals would probably be fine just living down there forever, but it''s not really an ideal place to live for me and the matchsticks, you know? So...after your expedition or whatever was finished, what was it you were planning to do, Sincere?"
Sincere considers his response for a moment before answering. "Before I get to that - how many of you are there, currently? We didn''t exactly have time for a census on our way out."
Scorch handles this one. "Well, some of the cores are still gonna need recharging, but we can handle that, once those spell runes wear off, anyhow. So once everyone''s back on their feet...pretty sure it''s six of us flames, five rocks, and then Zappy here."
Xenia murmurs. "Too many to extend an invite into the dungeon, I think. I''ve about gotten used to Slooshy, but a dozen more...unless they wanted to let us de-body them and tag their cores as dungeon property. But even then, the water elementals can hide from a fight pretty easily if they need to. If we had these guys wandering around the dungeon, half of them would probably be dead in the next couple of months from adventurer incidents."
Sincere nods in agreement. "Yes, and it is important for an elemental''s long-term health that they have access to their particular brand of mana. The waters have their river, and certainly the earths have all the stone they could wish for, but we don''t currently have anywhere in the dungeon set up for the production of significant amounts of fire. We''d need to do a fair bit of redesigning to accommodate them." He rubs his chin before continuing. "That said, lightning elementals are part air-based, and draw their power from atmospheric weather conditions. So for Zappy at least, I would recommend that she considers making the mountain peak her home, just outside. It''s actually an ideal location for one of her aspect."
The elemental in question flickers a little in excitement at the prospect, but Cinder''s tone is a little more morose. "But what about us fires, then?"
"One moment, one moment." Sincere loses himself in thought for more than a moment, and begins to pace back and forth for a short while as he mumbles to himself. Eventually even Xenia begins to get bored, and calls him back to reality.
"Sin-man! Wanna share with the class?"
"Ah, yes, my apologies. I was just thinking...lava, or magma elementals are a combination of earth and fire mana, but can sustain themselves on earth alone, much like Zappy can using air. If you were lava elementals, you could dwell within the mountain indefinitely, much like your earthen companions."
Scorch points out the obvious. "Right, but...we''re not lava elementals."
"But what if you could be?"
Scorch and Cinder share a look before Cinder answers. "I...don''t think that''s how it works, you know? You gotta be born that way."
Sincere raises a finger into the air. "Ah, but not true! From the research I''ve read of the topic, the artificial creation of rare triple-elementals is often done by adding a third element to an existing combination elemental. Meteor elementals have been created that way, I am certain, from lightning elementals being provided with earth mana, although they tend to prove short-lived for...other reasons. I don''t know if it''s been done to make a ''basic'' elemental into a combination type, but I don''t see why it shouldn''t be possible! In any event, the only other option would be for you to trek a hundred miles south into the arid lands of the Dragonlord''s Domain, and hope no one takes issue with your migration."
Scorch considers the alternatives. "...I guess being made of lava could be kinda cool. Can you actually do it, though?"
"Well..." Sincere turns towards Xenia. "It would require some experimentation. And I might need to take advantage of our ''tourist'' slot to visit the elementals outside of the dungeon bounds, as dungeon mana would surely interfere with the process. But if I have your permission?"
Xenia nods, not needing much time to think about it. "Sure, man, it''s always good to have another hobby. Just let me know whenever you need to take a trip, yeah? That sound good with you three?" As Sincere asks and the trio nod, she continues. "Alright, then. Now, I am gonna seal that tunnel back up, cause I ain''t leaving a big-ass hole in my core chamber...and no offense, but I''m probably gonna be sticking a lot more traps around, so no funny ideas from here on, got it? But I''ll put a pressure-plate button out there you can press if you need to talk, alright? Does Zappy need transport up to the surface?"
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The woman nods as Sincere passes on the question. "Later, yeah, would it be alright if I go say bye to folks first, though?" As Sincere nods back, Zappy cheers. "Sweet! We''re gonna be the bestest mountain neighbors ever!"
An hour later, Xenia and Lollyp popped by the Floor Two apartments to see how Taly was settling in. They found the woman in her new bedroom, looking surprisingly casual for an undead monster - her cloak and leather armor had been set aside, and the half-dressed banshee was currently engaged in stretching herself out on the bed and enjoying the feel of the fur bedcovers. Wondering if perhaps they were intruding on...something, Xenia taps her knuckles on the door frame before proceeding any further. "Hey, uh...finding the place to your liking, Taly?"
Chuckling as she rolls over onto her back, the woman then moves to sit up a little as she waves the pair in. "Oh, hells yeah! This bed is amazing compared to the Association bunks we''ve been sleeping in for the past couple months!"
Lollyp expresses a bit of surprise at the compliment. "Really? Didn''t I hear something about you guys having a proper inn down there by now?"
Taly snorts a little at the question. "Pfft, the inn? You think we get paid enough to spend our salary renting out one of those rooms? Nah, those are for Challengers with money to burn and VIPs. The rest of us gotta make do at the bunkhouse like everybody else. Housing is on the construction to-do list, but it''s not like most folks settle down long-term. I mean, even our team usually moves around pretty often. I assume Alizz is looking to shift her title from Field Agent to Administrator, given she seems to be sticking around, but even if she does there''s no guarantee that, uh...Sely or I would''ve stayed on locally."
Xenia smiles as she finds a seat, but feels a little awkward as she does so. "Well, if you got any requests for the apartment, let me know. Especially if you''ve got any hobbies or whatever you want to get into. Aside from the living conditions, how''s the, um...living?" She gestures with one hand at Taly''s new gray-skinned, red-eyed form.
"More like un-living, you mean. You know I don''t have a heartbeat anymore? Or need to breathe? Which is...good, for my line of work. My hands are insanely steady now, I can''t wait to try practicing my aim. I am a little worried about these damn claws...might need to do some clipping, or get a really tough bowstring, or something..."
"We''ll definitely work on some equipment for you, for sure. Speaking of..." Xenia reaches into her dungeon inventory, and pulls out a small, black object. "I made a copy of your old mask for you. I think I re-absorbed your old one along with your, well, everything else, but you did earn this. And don''t feel shy about asking for replacements, if you get your head blown off in a fight or something. Lolly Pop here''s got a whole chest full of wizard hats these days."
"Thanks." Taly takes the mask and stares into it for a moment, and the conversation seems to drift into silence as she does so. Not a fan of quiet contemplation, Xenia does her best to find a new topic.
"So...I did tell you guys about my reincarnation and all that a while back, even if it was the short version. I''m happy to tell you more now, if you''ve got any questions, obviously. It occurs to me that I don''t really know much about you, though."
Taly chuckles. "Looking to find out more about your newest employee, huh?"
"Sure...coworker, roommate..."
Lollyp interjects. "Girlfriend prospect..."
Xenia gives the slimegirl a hard elbowing. "Lollyp! You horny bag of goo! Stop tryin'' to hook me up with every floor boss that wanders by, huh?"
Taly chuckles again, unoffended. "Slimes, right? I''ve known a few, no worries. But sure, suppose I can give you the Taly Summary. So...you know about me and Sely, yeah? We''re sisters, not twins, she''s 29 and I''m only 28. It''s funny how often people call us that though, and I always figured it''s because we''re so different. She''s a blonde, I''m raven-haired, she''s serious and moody, I''m the happy-go-lucky one. Or...I used to be raven-haired, anyhow." She twirls a bit of her newly silvered hair around one finger and examines it before continuing. "People always go, oh, they must be acting like that to make themselves seem more different, or something."
Lollyp nods along. "Classes, too. I mean, a Cleric and a Rogue?"
"Yeah, that. Though calling Sely a Cleric''s over-simplifying matters. Would you guess that it''s Sely who''s the black sheep of the family?"
Xenia''s head tilts. "Oh? Cause of the...she''s a masochist, right? Religiously?"
Taly nods. "It''s not cause it''s a sex thing, though. I mean, it''s super a sex thing too, some of the time anyhow, which a lot of people have trouble believing when they first meet her, but our parents were more worried about the organized religion side of it. The Church of Enduring Suffering worships Jaaleni, the Goddess of Pain, and she doesn''t exactly have a great reputation. Mostly undeserved. Sely''s a healer, and a good one, most people don''t think about what it means to be able to control pain. There''s good parts, you know? That''s why she''s a Divine Masochist and not a Sadist Paladin."
Xenia goes blank for a moment. "That...that''s an actual class. That people train in?"
"It sounds worse than it is! I mean, almost all Paladins learn how to stab or smash people, it just sounds weird when you call it sadistic!"
Lollyp decides to gently shift the conversation a little. "Buuuut we''re here to learn about you! You''re not part of the church, right?"
"Right. I actually started out as an Archer, before shifting tracks into Rogue while I was still in my Initiate days. Our family always did a lot of hunting, right? Well, I never signed on with the church, but I did end up taking a lot of freelancer contracts with them, just to work alongside Sely. Protection duty, and that. Sely was one of those Clerics who did a lot of traveling around, to help outlying villages and the like, and I wanted to be able to help her out. There weren''t a lot of monsters around Highfalls though, mostly bandits and highwaymen, and the easiest way for me to cover for her was to scout things out and make sure she never ran into any ambushes to start with."
Xenia nods along. "That''s the way to do it, hit em with their own sneaky medicine. How''d you end up working for Alizz, then?"
"Well, we both started getting serious about our Challenger ranks after we hit the Advanced levels. That meant doing dungeon runs, and we did a lot of em. We always worked together, obviously, but you can''t run a team with just two people, so we did a ton of temporary parties with other folks. It was unintentional, but apparently that meant that our name got around a lot, and a bunch of folks knew us as gals who were good at our jobs. For Advanced levels, anyhow. That actually led to us getting headhunted by the Association to join some of their field inspection teams, and the pay for that was way better than basic Challenging. I mean, you get the loot plus a steady paycheck, plus benefits!"
Lollyp picks up from there. "And you joined Alizz''s team pretty recently, right? She mentioned you in a letter once but you weren''t around the last time she swung through Caustic Cavern."
"Yeah, that''s right." Taly eyes her blackened nails, and trails off again. "...Gods, I''m gonna be the little sister for real now, right? Sely''s gonna get older, and I''m...immortal?"
Xenia shifts in her seat. "Well, physically I can age you up some over time, if you want. Or give you something entirely different if bansheeing doesn''t work out for you."
"Think I''m good to give it a try. It''s still just sinking in, though. Sely and I...we''re not gonna be able to work together anymore. I''m not gonna be able to cover her back! I just...I just hope she''s able to keep going without me, you know?"
Getting up from her chair, Xenia slides her way onto the bed and wraps a comforting arm around the undead Rogue. "She''s a tough one, I can tell. I mean, she bitches me out more at the conferences than Alizz does! And I respect that, for real. But...we do have that tourist slot open, you know? Floor Six isn''t even finished yet, and who knows when someone''s actually gonna be around to challenge it. Big D was waiting for a month and a half before his first fight! If...if you wanted to, you know, go down to town and spend some more time with her, I don''t think it''d be a problem."
Taly takes a deep breath, for purely spiritual reasons, and shakes her head. "Maybe...maybe later. But I don''t want to, like, confuse things right now. I am dead. I died! For real! Hole through my lungs and everything! Sely...I think I need to give her some time to grieve for me. Walking in the door, especially like this, and acting like nothing happened...I don''t think that''d be a good idea."
The dungeon master considers that and gives a nod. "Smart move. And it''s alright if you need some time to, you know, grieve for yourself too, yeah? Heavens know I''ve done that often enough. If you need to keep your mind off things, I can come up with a few ideas for that, too."
Taly eyes Lollyp and gives a short laugh. "Heh, like touring Floor Five?"
"I meant like going river-swimming with the water elementals! It''s way more fun when you don''t need to breathe and they can''t drown you."
"Oh, yeah. That sounds fun too!"
Chapter 117: Smart Friends
The next morning, Doorman was attempting to peacefully doze off on the job a little when the air began speaking to him.
"Hey. Hey. Hey you."
Looking around as best as he can, given his complete lack of a neck, the guardian finds himself unable to discover the reason for the unusual chattiness of the mountain. "...Hey?"
"Hey! Whatcha doing?"
I''m...guarding the entrance to Worthy Dungeon! As I usually do. ...To whom am I speaking?"
With a sudden crackling sound, a tiny yellow lightning bolt hits the walkway before him from somewhere above. Standing up, the bolt moves in something approximating a bow. "It''s me! Zappy!"
"Ah. Hello! ...Do I know you?"
"Ah, the dungeon crew didn''t mention me? I came through the portal here like an hour ago, but you looked tired so I figured I''d do some exploring first. And I did that! Pretty nice mountain you got here. I''m looking forward to being neighbors!"
Doorman eyes the figure a little closer, and realizes he can vaguely make out the form of a humanoid shape, perhaps feminine, although only part of the woman''s body is visible at any given time as electricity flickers from point to point. "Zappy, is it? Nice to meet you, I''m Doorman. You...say you''ll be living out here? Did you find another cave?"
The woman laughs. "I came here to get away from the caves! You got sky up here, so much sky! Just what I needed!" Zappy raises her arms to the sky and in a sudden flash, she''s gone. A few seconds later there''s the sound of thunder and she''s back, having apparently taken a quick trip to visit a nearby cloud. "Amazing! Does it rain up here much, I''d like to see that!"
"Did you just - that must have been a thousand feet you just traveled there, wasn''t it?"
"Maybe! With a clear shot and so much air mana around here, that jump was easy! So, what is it you do around here?"
Clearing his throat, Doorman puts as much pride as he can into his response. "Why, I test the Challengers to the dungeon with my masterful riddles! Here we test intelligence and cleverness, not just skill at arms!"
Zappy leans forward, interested. "Oooh! Do you beat a lot of Challengers?"
Taking a moment, Doorman attempts to mentally sum up his victories. "...Indeed! ...Well. There were these children, this one time..."
"Oh? Hey, do me! Gimme a riddle!"
"Very well. Ahem...what is...a snail?"
The elemental stares at him for a moment, and then whines. "Hey, that one''s too hard! Start me off with an easy one, okay!?"
"Ah, well, let me think. What is...your favorite color?"
Zappy stares at him for a while. "...Can I get three guesses?"
"If...if you need them, I suppose? This is just an example, after all..."
"Okay! Is it purple?"
"...It might be?"
Zappy cheers, waving her arms in the air. "Woo, got it first try! Go Zappy!"
"Well, I''m glad you liked it."
Zappy shoots back up to the rocky outcrop above Doorman''s head where she''d been hiding before, and then dangles upside down so that she can rub his bald, wooden head. The sensation tingles a little, but not unpleasantly so. "Being neighbors with you is gonna be fun, Doorman! Gonna be cool hanging out with someone smart for once!"
Almost despite himself, a grin spreads across the door''s face. "I''m looking forward to spending more time with you as well, Zappy. It could be nice to have a bit more company, now that I think of it..."
Finding herself shuddering slightly for unknown reasons, Xenia decides to distract herself for a time with one of her most common hobbies: annoying her floor bosses. Today Sincere is the lucky winner of her attentions, as the demon hears her knocking on his apartment door. "You may come in, Xenia! And thank you for knocking, this time."
Rather than actually open the door and walk inside, Xenia''s avatar simply appears within the man''s living room. "Ah, have I been bugging you? You know I wouldn''t just pop in if you were having some private Sincere-time, yeah?"
"While getting used to your locally omniscient senses does take some getting used to, it is still preferable to observe at least the trappings of politeness, wouldn''t you say? Is there something I can help you with?"
Xenia peers down at the paper Sincere''s writing away on as he sits at his reading desk. "Just checking in. You getting learned-up on how to help out those fire elementals, like you said?"
The man shakes his head as he sets the notes aside. "Actually, I''m holding off on putting my own efforts into that task, at least for the moment. Right now, it''s Lollyp that has some studying to do."
"Eh? Lollyp''s helping you out with this?"
"Indeed." Reaching for a nearby bookcase, Sincere pulls out a tome labeled ''The Birth and Young Childhood of Elementals''. "With a copy of this, actually. You see, in some ways Lollyp is better suited for the task than I am - she is an Elementalist, after all."
Xenia takes the book and flips through it briefly, not paying it much attention. "But she needs to do some studying to get to your level?"
"Lollyp is an expert at manipulating elementally-aspected mana of most kinds, although she does prefer fire. Literally, I believe she would qualify for an Expert class at this point. However, she is military-trained. By which I mean her practical skills are almost entirely combat-oriented. Her knowledge of elementals only extends to some training she was given on how to kill them in a battle. I would very much like her assistance on the project, but first she needs to learn how to work with elementals rather than simply how to destroy them. That book is practically a beginner''s guide, while she''s working through that, I''m doing what I can to collect my knowledge on the sort of high-level elemental research which others have performed."
"Cool, cool." Xenia leans against the desk for a minute, flipping through the book and stopping to admire the illustrations. "Ooooh, baby earth elemental...wait, the scale says this baby''s eight feet tall?"
"Elementals are born fully-formed, after all. Is there anything else I can help you with, today?"
Xenia sets the book aside, and after a moment she nods. "Actually, I''d kinda like some learning-up of my own. History, you know? Maybe of the personal kind, if you don''t mind?"
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Now looking a little more intrigued, Sincere leans back in his chair. "Well, I do have quite a bit of it. What specifically would you like to know?"
Xenia pulls up a chair of her own before continuing. "So...like a week back, when we had that ''test'' of ours? You wouldn''t have heard, you were a little dead at the time, but Cerise said you ''turned your back'' on folks like her grandparents, back when the demons signed on with the Dragonlord. What was all that about? I mean, I''m willing to believe she was talking out of her ass as far as you''re concerned."
The demon takes a deep breath before responding. "Well, that''s a complicated question, but one worth answering. But before that, I think I need to explain a bit more of this world''s history in general."
"Ehghh." Xenia clenches her teeth. "I was afraid you''d say something like that."
"And now you have fallen neatly into my trap. We''ve discussed a bit before about the Age of Warlocks, yes? And how I came to live on this plane?"
"Yeah. And...warlocks seem like they''re not a thing anymore? I haven''t seen any Warlock-class Challengers, at least."
Sincere nods. "It''s a class that''s illegal to train in, in every country that has laws, more or less. You see, in the early days, the first warlocks were quite...small-time, you could say. Even aside from the very early ones, who often got themselves killed quickly, at most a warlock might have a single captive demon, or two. And they would be captive in the most primitive of ways - traditional chains, physical punishments for disobedience, and so on."
This time Xenia winces for another reason. "Oof, that sounds bad. I''ve known warlock-types on some other worlds who don''t need that kind of shit at all."
"Well, they didn''t here either, after a time. As their spells improved, a single warlock became capable of enslaving, say, ten demons at a time without being torn to shreds, thanks to magical bindings and the like. And there''s quite a bit you can do with ten demon slaves, considering most of our kinds are quite physically strong, adept with magic, or in some cases, both. Bodyguards, magical assistants...bedchamber companions, in many cases."
"Okay, I''m starting to get an idea of why people here don''t like warlocks."
Sincere shakes his head. "Actually I haven''t even gotten to the true reasons, yet. As I was saying, there''s a lot you can do with ten slaves...but there''s even more you can''t do. You can guard your magical sanctum, gain a slight edge on competitors, but little more. But...when a single warlock is powerful enough to summon and bind a hundred? Two? Five? Then things change significantly."
Xenia tilts her head. "Okay, even the horniest asshole can''t manage five hundred succubi. What would they do with them all?"
Sincere chuckles. "The ''nice'' ones would simply destroy the local economy. Demon farmers, miners, and craftsmen would be put to work, and suddenly those who used to do such labor would find themselves destitute. The cruder ones would form small demon armies and become local warlords and tyrants - and then their ranks of slaves would often include more than just demons. Those were perhaps the middle years of the Age of Warlocks, before things got truly bad."
"Bad? How did it get worse than that?"
"It got worse when it became an enterprise of nations. Some would be those aforementioned warlords, expanding their power base, but more often it was existing governments, deciding they needed to keep up in the demons arms race. A powerful nation might employ a thousand warlocks, and maintain slave forces of hundreds of thousands of demons."
Xenia''s eyes grow a little wide. "Holy shit. The geography knowledge I''ve picked up here...the populations here don''t even seem that big, in most places."
"Indeed, the populations weren''t sustainable. Even while most demons don''t need much in the way of...mundane sustenance, we do still have our needs. No, the armies were disposable. Send forth fifty thousand demons in an invasion, and if none survived, then that would only be a bonus." As Xenia continues to stare, Sincere continues. "Of course, the casualties were far from entirely consisting of demons. Soldiers and specialists of other species were required - especially if one side did not use warlocks - and civilian casualties were inevitable as well." The man''s face turns particularly grim. "As much as I hate to say it, when the demon armies were set loose upon villages and towns, few attempted to restrain themselves from taking the chance to enact their vengeance, even if their targets weren''t the ones holding their chains. And some demons do thrive on carnage and violence, and other...excesses."
"Fuck, Sincere. That sounds like a nightmare."
He nods. "Fortunately, as an Arcane demon, I was spared that, although I was occasionally tasked with research into various martial magics. Still, almost nowhere was entirely untouched from the wars of the age. Of course, with all things, eventually a counter-reaction was provoked."
Xenia chuckles. "You mean somebody got pissed and bashed in some heads."
Despite himself, Sincere chuckles along. "More or less that, I suppose. A conspiracy was formed to stop the usage of summoned demons, the Circle of Broken Chains. Contained nobility, mages, clerics of certain churches, freed demons, and even some warlocks who limited themselves to consensual summonings - which are a thing, if exceedingly rare in historical terms. They started with assassinations of particularly notable warlocks, but they eventually changed everything almost overnight, in one day, when they managed a great Work. A ritual spell, crafted and performed by dozens of experts, and boosted by a dozen deities who were worried things were heading towards an extinction event. For fifty years, the magic used in demon summonings was sabotaged. Anyone who attempted to cast such magic would be torn apart by their own spell. Furthermore, nearly all of the spells binding summoned demons were broken. There''s many ways to do such a thing, but the process had been...standardized such that two or three such spells accounted for nearly all of my kind kept as slaves."
"Wooof, changing the rules of magic''s a big deal, for sure. And...I''m guessing there was a real reckoning from all those free demons, huh?"
This time Sincere''s grin grows wide, though it only lasts for a brief moment. "It''s estimated that nine out of ten warlocks died within the week. Unfortunately...it far from solved every problem. Many demons didn''t reserve their vengeance for just the warlocks themselves, and there were now entire armies roaming free, attempting to find security and supplies...which mostly required the taking of it from others. And in other places, where demons were few, many were hunted down out of fear. In some cases, genocide became the national policy of terrified rulers."
Unsure what to say, Xenia reaches out and takes Sincere''s hand in her own. "And you made it through all that, huh?"
"There were eventually perhaps three or four major groupings of demons in the world, after survivors banded together into larger and larger bodies. However, most of those were the remnants of armies, made up of behemoths and fiends, and those of other types who had been trained for war. They wanted nothing other than to fight until they could fight no more...and so they did. The strongest of those lasted perhaps twenty years. Ours, the largest group, was largely non-combatants or those tired of fighting...and I must admit, we were perhaps three quarters succubi and incubi by that point. We''d claimed a small port city, living in some unease with the other races populating it, but we doubted we would last as a citystate surrounded by so many enemies. So when the New Continent was discovered, and those seeking to try something new rather than rebuild the old began their colonization fleets, we put everything we had into building one of our own."
"Huh. And you went with them? Or where did this ''turn your back'' thing happen?"
Sincere sighs. "I did travel here with the others, of course. While some demon communities yet remain on the Old Continents, they are few in number, and often hidden. However...when the Dragonlord made their offer, of service and protection, I saw things differently than many of my kin. The threats of enslavement for those who opposed them, in particular, and of course those threats eventually became reality for the Valleyland peoples. For many of my kin, it was enough for them that they not be the slaves, that they not be the ones under the yoke of chain and whip. I...I struggle to condemn them for their selfishness, even now, I suppose. For those of my generation, for nearly all of them, their suffering was very real and very personal. As a mage''s assistant, I had an extremely comfortable life compared to most. Compared to those who were used as tools upon the battlefield and bedchamber."
Xenia nods as she prods him on. "But..."
"But that only continues the cycle, of course. The orcs and minotaurs were turned into soldier-slaves, just as we had been! The driders were forced to perform martial magical research, just as I myself had been! They didn''t suffer quite as much as we had, but...I will not get into a debate of degree, not in these sorts of matters. It wasn''t just. So, when the deal was made, and the demons joined the Dragonlord''s Domain, I...walked away. And with few exceptions, I have been a traveler ever since."
Xenia nods, then stops and moves forward to grab Sincere in a tight hug instead. The demon stiffens a little, clearly uncertain how to react, but Xenia relents and releases him a few moments later. "Yeah...I can understand Cerise being proud that demons have had the chance to build something for themselves here, given all they had to go through to get there. But I won''t let her talk shit about you next time, trust me. I''d like to think I''d do the same in your shoes."
The man grins again. "And that is why I''m far happier to work in your service than I would have been for the Dragonlord. Now, has your curiosity been sated, or shall I dig up one of my other lectures on world history?"
The dungeon master only manages most of a sentence before suddenly vanishing. "Just remembered I left the dungeon oven on -!"
Shaking his head, Sincere chuckles one more time. "Oh, if only my old friends could see me now..."
Chapter 118: The Consequences of Ones Actions
Two days after the eventful conference at Worthy Dungeon, Sable and Lilly were doing a bit of shopping. The Challenger District wasn''t exactly the most metropolitan area, but it was still growing, which meant every week or so a new store would open up with new products to peruse. This week''s big event was a new tailoring shop, only marginally adventurer-related. It displayed a handful of leather armor items, as well as robes suitable for low-level casters, but for the most part it simply sold...clothes. Which would seem like a minor thing, barely worth getting out of bed for, until one considered that until now Grassbrook had no professional tailors, with the locals making all of their own clothing. A task which most Challengers had little time for.
Especially when it came to the sort of item that Sable was currently holding up. While undergarments fashion wasn''t quite to the level that would impress a well-traveled individual like Xenia Worthy, Reincarnator Extraordinaire, the thin black top did definitely possess qualities one might describe as ''slinky''. "What do you think, Lilly? Pretty hot, right? Might be a little see-through, too..."
Lilly answers with a rather awkward grin on her face as she eyes the item. "It''s...nice! But isn''t it a little small for you? I mean, I know that''s sometimes the point with such things, but even so..."
The response provokes a deep laugh from the towering Paladin. "Haha, yeah, no kidding! You know how hard it is for me to find anything in my size? I''m too tall for most human wear, too small for most minotaur outfits, if you can even find those. No, I gotta get my stuff done custom most of the time, and I may see if I can get something done before we head out. But nah...I''m asking about this for you, Flower Girl."
The elf''s face immediately turns red. "Me! I - I don''t wear that sort of thing! What makes you think I would!?"
"Just because you haven''t before, doesn''t mean you can''t start!" Sable leans down and whispers the next part into the Priestess''s ear, partially for privacy, and partially to see if she can make the elf possibly turn any brighter. "After all, I want our first time to be...special..."
"Gah!" The elf covers her face, as if someone could tell what they were talking about just by looking at her. Which, to be fair, most people probably could. "Just because I agreed to spend a week in the dungeon with you doesn''t mean I''m agreeing to - that!"
Sable leans back to give her a bit more space, but keeps the smirk on her face. "Yeah, but you haven''t actually turned me down yet, either. I know I''m pushy, but I don''t go where I''m not wanted, either. Just tell me you''re not interested, and I''ll cut it out."
Lilly glares at her partner for several seconds, mouth opening and closing, before she finally comes up with something to say. "...We should be shopping for supplies for our stay! I mean, what if the dungeon doesn''t give us food or water, or something!"
The Paladin chuckles, but accepts the change in topic. "C''mon, it gave us that nice spread at the meeting, didn''t it? Sure, we can pack a few rations just in case, but I''m not lugging up a whole week''s worth, along with everything else. Oooh, here''s the bottoms that go with that top - " As the woman walks around the display and comes a little closer to the front window, her eyes suddenly go wide and she quickly ducks back. " - Fuck! Shit! Hide!"
"What!? Who - what''s going - " Barely able to get a word out, the elf is dragged along as Sable pulls them into the first empty changing booth towards the rear of the shop, and draws the curtain closed tightly behind them. "Sable! What in the world''s gotten into you!?"
Pushing aside the curtain with one finger, Sable motions for Lilly to take a look. "Eh, still got a line of sight through the window from here...well, see for yourself." As she does, Lilly takes note of a very distinctive individual walking through the district streets outside. She''s clearly a demon, yet certainly not of the same kind as Sable. Her hair is silver, her horns are particularly long and curved, and wings jut from the back of her heavy armor. She appears unarmed, but that doesn''t seem to diminish Sable''s concern as she ducks back into the far corner of the booth.
Turning around and moving into the other corner herself, Lilly finds herself shocked at Sable''s behavior. "Who - is that someone you know? I heard you once punched a bear and you''re hiding from some woman?"
The Paladin shakes her head. "I don''t know her personally, no, but I know her type. That''s a godsdamned fury demon."
Lilly nods, waiting for more, then grows confused when it doesn''t follow. "...Okay?"
"You...you don''t know about fury demons?"
The elf shrugs. "I''ve heard that they''re...good? Not that other demons are bad, obviously..."
"No, no, you don''t get it. I''d rather date a fiend than hang around with a fury. You see, fury demons get their rocks off from like...seeing justice done, or evildoers punished, and stuff like that."
Lilly''s confusion only grows. "...And?"
"And how often do you run into a murderer, rapist or even a mugger on the street!? Outside the big cities, they''re way harder to find than you might think they are. Which means fury demons gotta go for anything they can get. You litter? Didn''t return a library book? Flipped off a nun? A fury demon''s gonna get you bad for that shit." Sable shudders. "I had to spend some time around one when I was a kid, you know, not a lot of choice in demon playmates and all that. But it was miserable. They don''t let you get away with shit."
The elf can''t resist a chuckle. "Well, now I can see why you''re so afraid then. Maybe it could do you some good."
"Ha ha, you say that now, but - " Sable cuts off as the curtain is suddenly pulled aside, and the object of her fear is suddenly staring her in the face - violet irises locking on to Sable''s own golden eyes. "Fuck! Private changing booth, lady!"
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The fury demon stares at Sable for a while, and then turns to Lilly. "I sensed that a woman was being dragged into an isolated place against her will. Do you require assistance, Priestess?"
Lilly''s eyes go wide. "Oh? Oh, no, no! We''re - coworkers, this is...normal? For us? But I''m fine, really! We''re with the Church of Bounty, I''m Lilly Fullblossom, Verdant Priestess. This here is Sable, she''s a Paladin! Who might you be?" Lilly offers a handshake, which the demon eyes for a moment before accepting.
"Lyota Silverstar, Soul Lasher." She turns her gaze on Sable once again, and the normally stalwart Paladin seems to shrink into the floorboards. "Are you certain you are alright? I can sense that this one desires to...use you roughly. And from a Paladin? Disgusting."
As Sable seems unable to speak up in her own defense, Lilly finds herself doing it for her. "Oh, no, it''s fine! I mean, I know. She, uh. Tells me about it on a rather regular basis, actually."
Hearing that, Sable finally seems to grow some courage - or at least a desire to not look bad in front of the elf. "Yeah! I mean, I''m a Paladin of Bounty. We''re allowed! It''s not against the rules!"
Lyota eyes Sable a little longer before responding. "...Very well. I''ll be watching you." She pulls the curtain closed, before opening it again a moment later. "Also, only one person is allowed inside a changing booth at once. There''s a sign." With that she pulls the curtain closed once again, and the sound of her footsteps soon mark her departure.
As she leaves the shop, Sable lets out a sigh of relief. "Okay. Hey - do you think Xenia''d let us just, you know. Live in the dungeon until she goes away?"
That afternoon Doorman is treated to the unusual sight of a solo adventurer, although this time at least it''s one he recognizes. "Ah, Divine Masochist Sely, yes? How can I help you today? Looking to test your skills against the first floor?"
The woman looks up at him for a moment, staring with a bit of uncertainty on her face, before she finally shakes her head. "No, I...would it be possible for me to speak with my sister? Could I...take a shortcut portal somewhere, or...?"
"Ah, I see. Well, wait one moment please." The Guardian stares off into the distance for a moment, and then several more, before finally looking back at the dungeon''s supplicant. "Actually, it looks like she''ll be coming to you! Amazing thing, the ability to go outside..."
Sely''s not entirely sure how to respond to that, so instead she simply nods and waits for Taly''s arrival. The moment she does, appearing at the dungeon''s exit portal some distance away from the door, Sely immediately rushes over and nearly tackles her in a hug. "Taly! You''re here! And outside...are you okay? How has the dungeon spirit been treating you?"
With a slightly awkward laugh, Taly pats Sely on the shoulder. "Hey, c''mon Sely, it''s been like, two days! Less! You''re acting like we haven''t seen each other in a year!"
Sely does ease up a little, physically if not emotionally. "I know, I know, it''s just...I keep worrying about you. Trapped in that hole. They let you come outside?"
The new banshee nods. "Yeah, no one else was using the slot, and there is a team running the dungeon right now, but if that bunch of Advanced can get to Floor Six I''ll eat my bow. Probably shouldn''t wander too far, but..." She pauses to look at the watching Doorman. "...Maybe we can take a little walk? Enjoy the mountain air?"
"Sure, absolutely." The pair do head back down the mountain path a little, just enough for a bit of privacy, and once they reach a good spot Taly takes a seat on the mountain''s edge.
"Nice view, huh? C''mon, have a seat, we can...talk." Sely nods and quickly follows suit, and Taly can''t help but chuckle a little. "Wow, you''re so easy to push around today, Sely. You don''t listen to my ideas with this little pushback on my birthdays, even. Maybe I should ask for a cake the next time you visit."
"Do you...want a cake?"
"Sure, but only if you can decorate it with a message saying ''Condolences on your death!'', maybe with a little stick figure of me with X''s for eyes..." Taly eyes Sely''s appalled-looking face, and sighs. "Hey, if I can''t make jokes about me dying, who can?"
"How about no one! It''s...like I said, I can''t stop thinking about what happened."
The Rogue nods along, before slightly shifting the topic. "How''s the team doing? I imagine inspections will be tough with just three people...hells, we never did properly finish the one we were supposed to do, did we? Heheh, maybe I could just walk through and file a report for you, now."
"It''s...uh, Alizz is in talks about hiring that Renter fellow, the one who came with the Church of Bounty''s group? He''s just a freelancer these days, so if he doesn''t mind staying around here for a while longer he''d probably be easy to bring on board. As for the rest of us, well. I suppose we''ve all been taking turns blaming ourselves for what happened."
Taly gives her sister another round of side-eye. "Sely, hells, all of you should know better than that."
"And you know that knowing that doesn''t help! ...Alizz blames herself for being the one in command of the mission, at least technically, even if it wasn''t exactly planned. Kelsey blames himself for being too slow to block the shot. And, well, I blame myself for not being able to save you after it happened."
"And I blame myself for taunting an elemental with unknown abilities, but I think I''ve said that already. I dunno if Xenia blames herself, but I know she at least feels bad about what happened. But, you know, I''m pretty sure we can pin most of the blame on a certain bloody-minded divine elemental. Whatever the fuck that is. That''s the one who killed me, and Sable killed him right back, so there''s no more need for bad feelings, right?"
Sely takes a moment to stare out over the forest below. "If only it worked like that."
"If only. I''ll be honest, I''ve been spending the past day worried about you."
"Me?" Sely looks with shock into Taly''s red-colored eyes. "What do you have to worry about me for?"
Taly sighs. "...You know I absolutely, definitely don''t blame you. I just wish I could feel as confident saying the same about our parents."
"Our...?" Sely takes a deep breath before she continues. "...I still haven''t sent them a message. I''m marked down as your next of kin, so the Association might not even send them a letter."
"That''s good. Then you can send them this instead." Taly reaches into one of her pockets, and pulls out a letter along with a few coins. "I wrote this and got Xenia to turn it into ''loot'' for me. Even enough cash to pay for the message service, too - infinite money on demand, a great job perk if you can find a way to spend it, haha."
Sely takes the letter and looks it over. "For our parents? Hells, Taly, what are you writing to them?"
"Like I said, I know they''re going to take this out on you. And you don''t deserve it - you never, ever have. So that''s me telling them as much...maybe not my final words, no reason I can''t send another letter later I suppose, but as good as. I want them to understand - and you, too. With me gone, they''re going to need you more than ever. I just hope they''re willing to admit it some day." While Sely attempts to find the words to say, Taly continues on with a few more. "You should know, Sely - I loved working with you, never regretted it. And maybe I regret not having a few more decades, but going down in a fight by your side? I don''t think I can come up with a better way to go."
"Taly..." Instead of answering with words, Sely instead pulls her sister into a hug, one which Taly happily returns. The hug continues for several minutes, until Sely finally finds something else to say.
"Taly?"
"Yeah, sis?"
"Your fucked-up fingernails are digging a hole into my shoulder."
"...You want me to stop, Masochist?"
"...Not really."
"Love you too, Sely."
Chapter 119: A Worthy Welcome
It was bright and early in the morning when Sable and Lilly appeared before Doorman once again. All three seemed to be in a good mood, and Sable''s voice was cheerful as she shouted upwards. "Hey there, how''s it hanging, big guy!?"
Lilly elbows the quarter-demon in the side. "Sable! This is a dungeon! Be more formal!"
"It''s quite alright, Priestess Fullblossom, we''re all friends here. And you did save the dungeon from destruction, so I daresay that earns you all quite the bit of leeway." Doorman gives Sable a wink as he answers.
"You''re my kinda door, man. So, we''re here to do that exchange program, what''s the plan? Shall we take the shortcut portal down?"
"You will, but before you go inside, might I trouble you for a favor?"
Lilly bows slightly before the door. "Certainly, whatever is in our power!"
"Great, great! So, I''ve recently taken on an apprentice, and I was hoping you could help give her a trial run through the whole routine. No pressure, you can go inside after whether you answer correctly or not."
The two church member''s faces go slightly blank, and Sable raises an eyebrow. "An...apprentice?"
"Indeed! Zappy? It''s showtime!"
At the sound of her name and with a crack of thunder, Zappy suddenly appears on a rocky outcrop not far from the dungeon entrance. "Mwahaha! You have climbed my mountain, brave mortals! Are you ready to face...my challenge? Or shall you be flung down in failure?"
"Psst!" Doorman attempts to get the elemental''s attention. "I like the confidence, but perhaps a little less intense, hrmm?"
"Oh, uh, okay! I mean, ahum...welcome to Worthy Dungeon, brave mortals! Can you defeat my challenge with your puny organic brains?" She gives Doorman a thumbs up, and the door nods in return.
Sable stares up at the flickering woman. "Do we uh...need to fight?"
"Only with your minds! A battle of wits! I have for you...a riddle!"
Clearing her throat before Sable can say something, Lilly speaks first. "We would be pleased to face your challenge...dungeon guardian."
"Excellent! Now...what is the purpose of breathing?"
Sable eyes Lilly before hazarding a guess. "To...get air?"
"Well duh, but why? I can''t figure it out, you got air all around you, why do you need it inside you too?"
Lilly turns back towards Doorman. "Is this really a proper riddle, guardian?"
"Honestly, I don''t know the answer either. I mean, I don''t have lungs and I seem to be doing just fine. Seems like a decent riddle to me!"
Sable tries again with a more detailed response. "Because...we get really dizzy and pass out if we don''t have air?"
"Huh, really? Neat! Well, I guess that''s an answer. Can I do a few more?"
"Hrmm, perhaps later, but I believe the master of the dungeon is waiting for these two. Good work though, apprentice guardian! You two, if you''d like to shortcut down to the end of Floor Two, you''ll be taken to your temporary lodgings."
"Ah, thanks? And...nice to see you again, Zappy?" Sable gives a wave as she makes her way over to the portal ring.
"You too! Have fun in the hole!"
A few moments later, the pair find themselves standing in the safe room just beyond Lollyp''s boss arena. No one seems to be waiting there to greet them, so the two take a break to admire the tapestries hanging on the wall, Lilly in particular.
"You know, I do wonder about the emphasis on rabbits, just slightly. Do you think it has something to do with the dungeon''s...interest in fertility?"
Sable chuckles at the thought. "Heh, maybe. That Floor One rabbit boss has been around way longer than the dungeon could have had a Divine Favor though, so I dunno. Also, that creepy rabbit thing is one of the few creatures walking on two legs that doesn''t make me think about fertility."
"Sable! Are you really so bad as you pretend to be?" The Priestess lightly whaps her companion with the back of one hand, chuckling despite her offended tone.
"What, doesn''t everyone rate dungeon bosses on a fuckability scale? Obviously, the slime''s at the top. Rabbit''s kind of at the bottom, even if he''s got the bits for it. Hard to pick whether I''d put the shade or the armors at number two, though...which one''d be your choice?"
Lilly goes a little wide-eyed. "What? But...none of those even have...you know!?"
"That just means you need to get creative, Flower Girl!" Sable laughs, but the sound is cut short as a voice speaks up from behind them.
"Really, I don''t even rank? Okay, maybe I need to work on my rep a little to beat out the slime girl, but I gotta be at least top two." As Lilly and Sable practically leap out of their skins, they turn around to find Taly standing behind them, as if she''d been there the entire time. Between the two, Sable manages to recover first.
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"Gods damn, woman! Where the hells did you come from?" She pauses, then looks the silver-haired woman up and down. "But yeah, forgot to put you on the list. Top two for sure!"
"Awww, thank you! And sorry for the scare, but I''ve just been practicing out my skills. It''s really kind of amazing what happens when you add up monster bodies and Challenger training! It makes so much more sense to me now how Lollyp''s been able to rack up all those kills."
After mentally willing her heartbeat back down to normal rates, Lilly speaks up. "Is - is that so? What exactly are the benefits?"
Taly looks down at herself, examining a black glove with holes torn into it for her new claw-like nails. "The synergy between shadow magic and an undead body is unreal. If I''m standing still, I don''t make any noise at all now. Which is ironic, considering that a banshee''s main power is supposed to be sound-based. But it seems like my ability to visually hide myself is just naturally better, too. I know you both glanced over me when you came through, but seems like neither of you saw me at all!"
Sable nods. "Did seem a little dark in here, but I guess I didn''t question it. Not that I was expecting an ambush or something. Why did we come out here though, anyhow? I figured we''d be going down to Floor Four...or even Five? Would make sense if you''ve been hiding living quarters in there."
"Good guess, but nope! Now, I know that you two are both here to learn about what it''s like, living in the dungeon, so that you can tell other folks about the experience. But this is a specific secret you can''t tell people about, okay?"
The pair share a glance and a nod before Lilly responds. "Of course. We would not violate the dungeon''s trust."
"Alright then, hold out your hands!" As they do so, Taly hands each a key and begins demonstrating the process to open the hidden door to the apartments. "These are boosted to loot items, so they won''t disappear if you walk outside for something, but we''ll probably ask for them back when you leave. Or we''ll just change the locks, I guess." As she opens the door, she heads through first. "Come on up, the view is neat."
Sable goes upstairs first, and pauses as she comes out on the walkway balcony showing off the mountain''s void. "Whoa. I''d heard there was an odd hollow in the mountain, but I''ve never seen something like this." Lilly follows after her, and shivers slightly as she sees it.
"You put living quarters out here?"
"Beats having a painting for a window, at least. Alright, so that hallway there goes down to Lollyp''s room, that''s right over her arena. Mine''s the first door here, Sincere''s is the second." Taly moves on down to a third door and pauses there. "To keep from stretching the Floor Two limits too much, we''ve given you two a shared suite but with individual bedrooms. That sound good?"
"One bedroom would have been fine."
"Two bedrooms is fine, thank you." Lilly eyes Sable as the banshee opens the apartment door and steps inside.
"Heh, well feel free to just use one if you like. So we''ve got a living room here, kitchen there, and even a bathroom with working magic plumbing! I''ve been told not to ask where stuff goes. Bedrooms are down there. Take a look!"
"Oh, my! Plumbing and - look, a whole bookshelf of tomes! That would surely cost hundreds of gold to stock up! And - Sable, look at this!" Lilly points out a flower arrangement hanging on the wall like a painting, colored petals used to create an image of an albino rabbit in a field. "I''ve never seen a display like that!"
"Yeah, DEATH makes them for a hobby, apparently. That''s one of the things you''re here to learn about, I guess - folks need to have a hobby or they''ll go stir-crazy, at least for the foreseeable future. I know there''s bigger dungeons that are busy practically all day, every day, but I think Worthy''s record is maybe four parties in a day, once? And most of those don''t go very far in."
Sable nods along. "Makes sense. Will we be spending our time hanging out with you and the other bosses, mostly?"
Taly nods, sort of. "I''m gonna be your official liaison. Lollyp wanted the job, but she gets busy. On average she probably spends a couple hours a day ready to go in case a party goes down to Floor Two, and she probably spends an hour or two a day dead, every other day or so. If anyone wants to try Floor Six, I''ll have plenty of warning to get into position. You can wander around a bit, but we''ve got some important rules to cover."
Lilly stands to attention. "Certainly. What do you require of us?"
Taly points back outside, towards the balcony. "We''d rather you not spend much time walking around within the floors themselves, for a couple reasons. For one, you could interfere with an active party. For another, we can get monsters to leave you alone more or less, but some traps don''t really work like that. There''s no dodging the slime spider webs, for example. So, we''ve set up some ''backstage'' areas on each floor, with portals to each back out there on the walkway. From there, you''ll be able to watch parties in action. It''s not complete coverage but there''s at least spots to watch the boss arenas from."
The Paladin grins at the suggestion. "Oooh, more free entertainment! Any other rules?"
"Yeah." Taly eyes the two before she continues. "Look, you gotta keep in mind - yeah, most parties walk out these days with nothing more than minor injuries. Or...major ones, but the important thing is they walk out. But. We do still kill people on a semi-regular basis. If you''re watching a fight, and the Challengers are getting themselves slaughtered, we need to be sure that you two will not interfere. Understand?"
Sable''s good cheer vanishes from her face, and she gives Lilly a glance before responding. "...Yeah, I get it. If anyone else, anywhere else, told me to sit back and watch someone die...I''d probably kick their ribs in. But I know what dungeons are about. And so do the Challengers. I''ll stay out of it. You alright with that, Lilly?"
The elf goes a little pale, but nods. "I suppose I''d probably want to stop watching before...things get to that point. But I suppose living around death is one of those things someone wanting to live in a dungeon must get used to, yes?"
"Pretty much. Alright, other rules...ah, business hours. Now, none of us here need to sleep, but we do have off-hours. Parties don''t generally stay around very late in the day, no one wants to climb a mountain in the dark. That might be the best time to find Lollyp if you want, Sincere and I are usually pretty available, but maybe try not to bug folks too much if they''re trying to relax. If you want to play around on Floor Five, wait til after dark."
Sable''s eyes go wide and a smile begins to appear on her lips, but Lilly speaks up before she can say anything. "Ah, thank you. We will...keep that in mind."
"Yeah, there''s still a few sections of that we ain''t seen, yet! Oh, I got a question - how about speaking to the dungeon master?"
At that, Taly chuckles. "She''s actually ''here'' as we speak. That said, she has a low-level awareness of the entire dungeon, so just call out for ''Xenia'' if you require her attention. If one of us isn''t around, she can communicate via writing." The woman pauses for a moment, listening to an unheard voice next to her. "Also...she believes her one-hour avatar spell will be available in another day or so, but she''s saving it for, uh..." Taly trails off and turns back to her side. "Really, you''re making me flirt for you? I know Lollyp suggested it, but - oh? Well, I hadn''t thought of it, but...well, that could be a little fun..."
Lilly raises a cautious eyebrow. "What''s all that about, Taly?"
Taly turns back to face them and clears her throat. "Ahem, well. If either of you would like a personal Floor Five tour with the dungeon master in the next few days...just let her know? Or one of us? Apparently I still need to put my...design input towards the newest section, and that might need...testing. Well, you get the idea." The Church pair both get the impression Taly would be blushing hard if she still had a pulse, and Sable grins again.
"Well, I know I''m definitely going to keep that offer in mind..."
Chapter 120: Red and Green
Lyota Silverstar sits at a table in The Lucky Bastard, and looks over the assortment of Challengers sitting alongside her. Two kobolds, another demon - although this one an incubus rather than a fury - and most uniquely, a goblin. The group, despite being unfamiliar with each other, are already laughing and sharing drinks with each other. Although they all show the marks of experience, their discipline appears to be lacking, and none of them show her level of focus on their task.
Lyota does not pass judgment.
It''s important, as a fury demon, to learn the differences between various kinds of rules. And oh, are there so very many kinds. Laws. Morality. Ethics. Politeness and decorum. Discipline. Some of which only apply in certain situations, or even if they do apply, may have differing strengths of application. Being rude in front of a king can occasionally be a killing offense. Being rude in a bar? Sometimes it''s a requirement. Trying to enforce rules that aren''t actually in effect can be a good way to become a social pariah, and could lead to no one paying attention when you attempt to enforce others in the future.
Worse, it could lead to disappointment. To lead you into anticipating a fine, filling meal, and then biting down to discover that it is meager and rotten.
So, Lyota does not pass judgment. For now. For now, her task is to get things in order, and to firmly establish what the rules are. Then perhaps a bit of enforcement...although not too harshly on teammates. For some odd reason, that often seems to lead to teams performing even worse than before the rules were applied. But still, perhaps a bit of enforcement, as a treat.
She begins with a proper greeting, once the conversation hits a bit of a lull and everyone is seated. "Welcome to Grassbrook, I''m glad you''re all here, I know this was some distance to cover for some of you." She nods towards the two kobold Mages, one a man in red robes marked by symbols of flame, the other a woman in white robes with golden suns. "Barny, Passy, I understand you two have often worked together in teams before, and some of us may be vaguely familiar with each other from our time in the Association. However, as we have never worked together as a full party before, I believe we should start with introductions."
Before she can continue, the incubus dressed in light leathers and loose-fitting cloth lets out a laugh. "And are you the party leader, then? Is that an official declaration, or are you taking it upon yourself?" The man''s golden eyes twinkle, even in the shade provided by the hat fitted around his horns, but his smile appears less than genuine. Lyota isn''t surprised - she''s never been popular with the incubi crowd in particular.
"I am, by merit of seniority as the only Master-class Challenger present. I am Lyota Silverstar, level 37 Soul Lasher. And you, I believe, are Lionel Fatestealer, the Gambler Bard?"
He nods as she glares at him slightly. "I am indeed, manipulator of fates both good and ill. Fear not that I''ll cheat at cards, my dear companions, as it is difficult to play a game and an instrument at the same time."
Barny, the male kobold, rolls his eyes. "Friend, you so much as try whistling during a round and I''ll scorch your fancy hat. Tell me, Fatestealer, is the name for your class or did you pick the class for your name?"
This time, the demon''s grin seems to come from the heart. "It''s a family business, as it happens. Four generations of music runs through my blood - and if you know demons, you know that''s quite a long time. What of yourself? The themed outfit tells me fire may be involved."
The kobold nods back, with black markings along the ridges of his red-scaled skin giving the impression of having been born singed. "That''s me - Barny, Soulflame Wielder. I''ll be the team''s healer, I reckon."
At this the goblin speaks up, the first time he''s uttered more than four words since arriving. Although goblins come in a vast array of sizes, this particular one stands at a mere four and a half feet. He has a presence despite that however, with his bare arms displaying more muscle than the incubus and the two kobolds put together. "Wait, healing with fire? How''s that make sense - are you sure it''s not the one in Cleric robes sitting next to you?"
"Passy''s no Cleric, but I forgive you the misconception. My flames source their energy from the soul, rather than more mundane fuels. With them I can easily burn out poisons and toxins, and even restoring the body to a hale state is quite possible."
Passy nods, before picking up the conversation. "As for me, I''m a Solar Arcanist. Unaffiliated with any religious groups, thank you." Unlike Barny her scales bare no resemblance to her class, but instead come in a lovely green. Light does reflect from them nicely though, giving them a sharp contrast to the goblin''s dark green skin.
The goblin''s brow furrows. "Sun magic? No offense, Mage, but I feel like there''s gonna be some issues with an underground dungeon like that."
The kobold gives as much of a grin as her snout allows. "Wrong again, sorry! While I can play with the sun''s light, my real focus is on recreating it. It''s actually way more useful when in dark areas, and it''s usually strong against a lot of undead types, too. Which is good, cause I hear this dungeon''s got a bunch."
With that said, Lionel turns back towards the goblin. "And you, my stout fellow, are our heavy I assume? You seem light on armor, but I know there are some classes that do without."
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This time it''s the goblin''s turn to roll his eyes at misconceptions. "What, you think I''m gonna stomp in with dozens of pounds of metal strapped on just to make a good first impression? But yeah, I''m more than armor, too. Wetears, Hordecaller Captain. To save you all the trouble of asking, I can summon a horde of kin to help me hold a static defense. If you define a ''horde'' as ''four or five magical constructs'', at least."
Throughout the conversation Lyota was only half-listening, paying more attention to the auras of the party as they spoke than their words. They all seemed...mostly clear of stain, other than the incubus, but she was also picking up on the accusatory stares many of the other patrons were discreetly throwing in Wetears'' direction. "Tell me, Captain, do you have a reputation in this village I should be aware of? Or with the Association? The other Challengers seem less than fond of you."
The man waves it off as he takes another drink. "Nah, it''s just me being a goblin. I''m used to it. Mostly. Stopped getting in fights about it a good decade back."
Lionel glances around, somewhat confused. "It''s more hostility than just curiosity at seeing an odd fellow, is that what you see, Silverstar? Odd that they should single out him, though - I''m used to some prejudice among the Rainlander set, but goblins are but a bare few on the New Continent at all, let alone in the Domain."
The goblin scoffs as he runs a hand through his black hair, tied back into a ponytail. "Yeah, there''s not many of us, but we all came here for the same reason. See, back in the days when the Domain engaged in slave-trading, the other major player in the trade was the Hordelands. And, of course, the Goblin States played middleman for the exchange. If you''re a goblin from the Domain, nine out of ten odds you come from a family of slave merchants, one that settled down locally back then."
Lyota frowns, growing more irritated now at the looks from the other Challengers. "But those days are long behind us now! You goblins are not so long-lived - they judge you for the crimes of an ancestor? One should be judged only on their own merits and flaws."
Wetears seems a little surprised to hear it from her. "Glad to hear you say so, Lasher. It is what it is, though, I''m not gonna start shit if the soft-skins don''t. So anyhow, think that''s enough talking about ourselves, unless we wanna share our hobbies and favorite colors? No?" The man moves on quickly when it looks like Lionel might actually be about to say something. "So wanna tell us what the job is?"
Lyota nods, and taps an amulet she wore today for this specific purpose, causing the sound of the tavern around them to die away. "I''ll be using an Amulet of Silence to maintain some privacy, please do not share what I am about to say, or there shall be...consequences." There''s a look in her eyes which makes her party wonder whether or not she''s hoping someone will turn out to have loose lips, but they collectively decide to pay close attention and remain attentive for now. "You each received a message from Domain agents asking for you to gather here. I''m telling you now, however, that this assignment comes all the way from the top - the Dragonlord themselves."
The kobolds seem effectively wowed by the revelation, although Lyota is slightly put out to see that Lionel and Wetears aren''t displaying much of a reaction. Regardless, she continues. "It has come to light that the spirit controlling Worthy Dungeon has come into possession of some artifacts once belonging to the Dragonlord, from when this territory fully belonged to the Domain. Emissary Darktouched herself has arranged a deal with the dungeon allowing it to use the artifacts, but the Dragonlord wishes to keep a much closer eye on the dungeon to ensure the guardianship of their property is handled seriously."
This time, the name-dropping has a stronger effect on the incubus. "Cerise Darktouched is working on this project!? Well, now you have my full attention! If we do well, do you think she''ll reward us...personally?" The man waggles his eyebrows, and Lyota stares at him.
"Is that a sexual innuendo about a superior officer, Bard?"
"...Yes? Well, ignoring that we''re not officially in the chain of command, of course." The incubus gives her a grin, daring her to find a way to punish him for the comment, but her recollection of Challenger Association rules and regulations fails to come up with anything relevant.
"...Noted. I would consider that an unlikely result. Payment in currency will be generous, however. Mind your tongue in any case, Bard."
Wetears eyes the two demons and the stares being exchanged between them before hazarding a question. "Are you two flirtin'' right now?"
"No."
"Not yet." Lionel grins again, and Lyota spends a brief moment wondering if using her lash on him would help or hurt in the current situation.
"...Moving on. Our first objective will be to clear as much of the dungeon currently exists, and to become familiar with its challenges. Then, as the dungeon continues to expand, we are to attempt to learn about its changes as soon as possible and then to report our findings. This includes new floors, bosses, monster types, behaviors, and so on. You have all been briefed on the unusual nature of the dungeon and its bosses, I assume."
Lionel raises a hand and Lyota considers whether or not she should focus her Amulet of Silence on him specifically, but to her surprise he actually has useful information to share. "Well! As it happens, I know at least a little information about the dungeon''s latest boss!"
Passy gives him a rather disbelieving look. "What, before you''ve even seen the dungeon itself?"
"Indeed! For I have been engaging in the devious practice of gossip, and it turns out that on the last official dungeon inspection, something managed to go terribly wrong. The Association Agent''s party came back with one fewer member than she left with, and I have it on good authority that their Rogue - a Midnight Shadow, to be specific - not only died but met the dungeon''s standards for taking a spot on the boss roster."
Lyota considers the information quickly, and allows a slight smile to come to her face. "That is useful information - thank you for your contribution, Fatestealer. A Midnight Shadow could imply a boss with darkness powers...Passy, I do believe that when we begin our training, I would like to see your skills in particular."
The kobolds sigh. "Ahhh, training? We''re all Experts here, let''s just hit the dungeon and see how it goes!"
"The last Domain team was made of Experts and above and was almost wiped out to the last woman." From the way the others perk up at that, it''s clear that that information was not included in their briefings. "We will be handling this with all proper seriousness. I expect to see you all in the training yards this afternoon - when we invade Worthy Dungeon, we shall be ready."
Chapter 121: Backstage Pass
WORTHY DUNGEON, 8:30 AM
"Ugh, I hate these kinds of teams." Sable grumbles as she watches the door open to the first chamber of the dungeon, allowing the all-elf team of the Briar Thorns to make their way inside. As she stares through a viewing slit placed up near the ceiling, none of the team members notice their audience, and a barrier spell helps to muffle the sound of her voice. Watching beside her, Lilly gives the Paladin an odd look.
"Elves? Sable, I never took you for a prejudiced woman! Don''t you have a number of half-elf cousins in your family, even? You seemed...fine with my presence, at least..."
Sable looks back at her, missing the sight of the first barkbirds beginning to fall. "What? No! I don''t mean elves, I mean - theme groups! It''s not that they''re elves, it''s that they''re...so elves!"
"I''m not sure you''re making a better case for yourself, here."
The Paladin shakes her head and points at the group, or as best as she can through the tiny slit, at least. "Look, you see that? The Mage has a wooden staff, sure, that''s normal. Same for the Cleric. The Rogue is firing wooden arrows...except they''re all wood. Head, shaft, even the fletching is carved from wood. And the leader! Wooden swords! Wooden. Swords."
The elvish Priestess examines the party. "Yes, that''s enchanted heartwood. Magically strengthened, even able to hold an edge. An elvish specialty, surely you''ve heard of it?"
Sable rolls her eyes with a sigh of frustration. "Yeah, yeah, it''s great and all. In the right situations. But this party''s put all their wooden eggs into the same wooden basket, cause they feel like they gotta go all ''ooooh, we''re the Thorns, we''re elves and we like trees.'' And then what happens when you run into a boss Fire Sprite? Or a Putrid Undead? Not only would those barely cut into the fat of one of those things, but it''d rot those blades if they tried!"
Lilly seems unconvinced of the issue. "But...Worthy Dungeon doesn''t have either of those things."
"But it could. I asked, they''ve got access to sprites and just don''t use them. Yet. And the only reason Xenia doesn''t use fleshy undead is because she thinks they''re gross, which, yeah, they are. Plus, not all monsters live in dungeons, you know. There''s still a bit of wilds between the dungeon and the Association trail, a monster attack could still hit a party in transit at any time."
"Is it really so bad to use weapons of the same material? When a Fighter and a Rogue both use steel weapons, that doesn''t seem like an issue?"
The Paladin shrugs, but doesn''t answer right away. The Briar Thorns had finished clearing the first room and moved on, and Sable hops through the shortcut portal leading to the ''backstage'' area of BB''s arena before continuing the conversation. "At their level, sure, it''s whatever. But this is the stage when you start building your adventuring habits, and that''s a bad habit to get into. The higher up you get, the more diverse your toolset needs to be, and these jokers are probably gonna end up selling off a lot of decent loot equipment just because it doesn''t fit their ''wood'' theme."
Lilly sniffs a little, smelling hypocrisy. "Didn''t you discard a quite decent shadow-blade the other week or so back, when it didn''t suit your theme?"
"Sure, my theme! But if all five of us had been dealing out holy magic, you bet your butt I woulda sucked it up and kept the thing. At least as a secondary arm." Lilly considers that in silence as the two continue to watch, eventually getting to see the party take on BB in a fight. Their equipment is quite good for a lower-level team, and they eventually take down the monster rabbit with only minor injuries, but to Sable''s disappointment the party takes their winnings and leaves rather than continue.
"Wait...you''ve gotta be kidding me. Those have to be Advanced class at least, to have gear like that! They''re leaving after just one floor!?"
Lilly gives a nod as she explains. "It''s the slime - Lollyp. I spent some time talking to some of the newer teams before we left, and, ah...I think many of them are scared of her."
Sable gives a look of surprise. "What? Lollyp? But she''s so sweet!"
"Sable...she has the single biggest body count in this dungeon. Including an Expert-class soldier! Low-level teams don''t travel from dungeon to dungeon, clearing ten or fifteen floors in a go and then moving on. They raid a dungeon day after day, until they earn enough Association credit to advance their training. Even if they beat her once, how many times do you think they could repeat the trick before Lollyp got one in return? Especially considering she learns as well as any Challenger does."
Sable swallows, looking a little glum. "Guess that''s true. I''m impressed, though - you''re learning dungeon info pretty quickly already!"
Lilly shakes her head, looking even glummer. "I told you - I may not have delved dungeons myself, but I did work to heal teams that came out of them. You always worked with well-equipped and trained Church parties, did you not? I''ve...seen the results of Initiates and Advanced with patchwork equipment too many times to count. I won''t gainsay the risks you''ve taken in your career, but the average beginner Challenger has a very real chance of not returning from each and every intrusion."
The other watcher nods along, not being able to disagree. "Well, that does take some of the fun out of it. I''ve actually never lost someone to a dungeon, you know? A few middling injuries, lost fingers or ears or the like, but no fatalities. Paladin-training programs don''t fuck around." She stretches, then heads for the next portal out. "Still, hope we see a few bolder Challengers while we''re here. I have to admit, it''s a treat getting to see how other folks do their work..."
WORTHY DUNGEON, 1:00 PM
"Sable, calm yourself! ...You''re spilling the snacks from the bowl."
"Sorry, sorry, I just wanna see how this bunch handles things. Finally, someone taking on Lollyp in her arena!" This time the pair watch from a hidden position within the walls of Floor Two, the viewing slits again kept near the ceiling to keep them away from eye-level. A party of five steps into the chamber below them, a group made up of two gnolls, two dwarves, and a male drider. Although Sable doesn''t recognize the party she can quickly tell they''re more diversely outfitted than the Thorns, with the dwarves both being different kinds of frontliner-heavies, the gnolls performing backline support, and the drider being some sort of healer-mage combination class.
Once they make their way to about a quarter of the distance inside, Lollyp''s taunting voice begins to echo around the cavern. It''s muffled for Sable and Lilly, the barrier effect working both ways, but they can still make out her words. "Nice axe, dwarf, maybe I''ll add it to my collection! And watch out, gnoll - you might want to hold that bow a little steadier if you expect to hit anything!"
The dwarf with the two-handed axe shouts out a response, but only gets halfway through - exactly the sort of distraction Lollyp was attempting to provoke. While the party leader is shouting at the walls in front of him, Lollyp is already making her way out of the ceiling and down onto a crossbow-wielding gnoll. She zaps the man with a bolt of electricity just before landing on him, and while it doesn''t kill him, it does leave him completely stunned. Hidden away, Sable applauds.
"Not even two seconds in and one''s already down! He might recover, but odds are the fight''s going to be over before he does!"
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Lilly attempts to shush her excited companion. "Quiet, they could still hear us!"
They don''t, of course, given that the entire party is a little distracted by Lollyp''s antics. She freezes a dwarf woman in heavy armor in place before bolting away, eventually diving into an acid pool to avoid arrows and magical bolts flying her way. The drider moves closer, attempting to determine her exact location, and finds out a moment too late why that was a bad idea. When the slime leaps back out it''s with a broadsword in hand, and the acid-coated edge sweeps its way through three of the man''s front legs, severing them immediately. Sable''s soft cheering comes to a slow halt as she notices the injury.
"Oh, fuck. They...those could get re-attached, but it''s not a for sure thing, especially with the camp so far away. That, uh...that could be a career-ender right there."
"That''s what I was telling you! Lollyp doesn''t play around! I''ve talked to Challengers down in town bearing her marks, she - oh, Palain!"
As Lilly exclaims, Lollyp continues swinging her blade in the direction of the standing gnoll, this one a woman carrying a more traditional shortbow. Lollyp picked her first target for a reason, though - the crossbow user had come equipped with a number of specialty bolts, while the archer''s main expertise appeared to be trap-detection - her arrows were entirely mundane. Which is to say, almost useless against a slime of Lollyp''s strength. As the audience watches, Lollyp continues swinging - and the gnoll''s head goes flying through the air.
"What - oh fuck! She killed that Rogue in one hit! You - you really weren''t kidding..." Sable watches on, wide-eyed, although the battle doesn''t go on much longer. Although the Challengers may not know it, Lollyp''s quota had been reached, and the slime slows down just enough to take a retaliatory hit from the axe-wielding dwarf. She still puts up a decent fight of it, of course, but after a few more blows from both of the dwarves and the recovering Ranger, Lollyp eventually goes down.
As the party collects what they can from their fallen companion, as well as the drider''s severed limbs and the room''s loot, Sable takes a moment to adjust to what she''d just seen. "Fuck...I''ve heard tales of gladiator fights, you know? Especially from the Age of Warlocks, a lot of demons died in those. I always wondered what it must have been like, to watch people get killed in fights like that...I think I''m having an even harder time now understanding why folks enjoyed that." She shakes her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "Somehow, thought maybe they''d go a little easier on things while we were here watching."
Lilly pats Sable on the shoulder. "If anything, I wouldn''t be surprised if they were going in the other direction. They want to discourage people from this life, or that''s the impression I gathered. Someone who lives here, as a boss...they may have to kill Challengers like that gnoll Rogue every single day. Maybe multiple times a day." She sighs as she considers the thought for a moment herself. "It''s going to be...difficult finding someone who can live like that, without being a crazed murderer at the same time."
"Yeah..." Sable sighs as well, before stretching out. "Think I''m gonna take a break for a bit...but you gonna join in this afternoon? I heard Taly''s actually got something fun lined up."
Lilly eyes her suspiciously. "Fun, or your brand of fun?"
Sable smirks back, but if she has a flirty comeback, it seems to die away as she notices again the bloodstain on the rocky floor in the next room.
WORTHY DUNGEON, 4:00 PM
"Pull!"
Sable turns towards Taly, a confused look on her face. "Pull? Pull what? The trigger is a push-plate!" As she stands next to a slime cannon placement on Floor Six, a dragonet flies by through the open abyss.
"I don''t know! That''s something Xenia kept saying when we were setting this up! I think it means...target incoming? Ugh, whatever. Just fire the next time it comes around. If the things fly too far out they disintegrate, so it won''t take long to turn around." Taly peers into the darkness, but Sable and Lilly have less luck as they try to follow her example.
"You realize, Taly, that you have both Midnight Shadow darkvision and the eyes of an undead, now? I can barely see the things until they''re practically in front of us." Lilly sighs as the dragonet once again flies by, unslimed.
"Yeah, that''s fair, the wall-mounted torches don''t really do a whole lot." She pauses, her head turned to the side, before continuing. "Hey, Xenia''s here and she says she has an idea. Wait one minute."
As the trio watch, a number of oddly-shaped boxes suddenly appear around them, formed out of polished metal and with one side open, facing the abyss. As Sable stares into one a bright torch suddenly lights it up from within, and the Paladin finds herself blinking. "Gah! How''s that help?"
"She calls them ''spotlights''...oh, hey, she''s moving them for you, check it out!" Sure enough, the four odd boxes start rotating to face towards the flying dragonet, illuminating it even within the darkness.
"Huh...helps that she already knows where it is, that is a neat trick, though. Alright, let''s see how this goes. Um...pull!" Sable tilts the slime cannon towards the flying monster, and as it passes her by, she slams her foot down on the pressure plate placed next to it. With the sound of compressed gas escaping a net of acidic slime flies though the air...and flies off into the darkness, missing the dragonet by a good ten feet. "...Right, I forgot how fast they move."
"Heheh. I got one on the first try, but then, I am an Expert markswoman. Lilly, you''re next!"
"Ah! Okay, one moment, one moment..." Aiming her own cannon, the elf waits for the monster to loop back around before firing off a shot. To her own surprise, it hits, causing the creature to fall with a squawk. The noise doesn''t last for long, as the monster disappears long before it hits the distant bottom of the cavern. "Yay! Uh, and, pull!"
"Well, you got the spirit! Nice shot!" Taly takes a moment to applaud the Priestess before looking down to consider the tiny cannons. "We''re still trying to figure out how exactly to use these, to be honest. Static traps in an enclosed environment are easy, but hitting fliers in an open space means aiming. Maybe we''ll get self-aiming traps one day, but for now that means they need to be aimed manually. And we''ve tried skeletons, shades, rabbit monsters...they''re all way too slow, hells, you can hardly get the rabbit beasts to understand how to fire the thing."
Sable shrugs, not seeing the issue. "Well, ''Expert markswoman'', this is your floor, right? Why don''t you just aim the things and then take a shortcut portal back to the arena when they get close to the end?"
Taly smirks. "We considered that, of course, but then the question is...why bother with the slime cannon at all? I''m way deadlier with my bow. But if I get that involved, then we''re basically starting the boss fight right at the start of the floor, and that just feels...wrong, somehow."
Lilly furrows her brow. "Is that a dungeon rule? Bosses must wait at the end of the floor?"
"No, it just feels like bad design, you know? Guess we''re all traditionalists around here...well, maybe. Maybe we will start off a floor with a boss fight one day just to fuck with people''s heads." The woman chuckles at the thought. "But for me, I want to have a proper arena fight."
Sable watches her cannon as it magically reloads. "So what''s the option, then? Just set up twenty of the things and fill the air with slime?"
"For the moment, we''re actually putting Sincere in charge. Not like he has much else to do, and he''d have plenty of time to skip back to the core chamber before someone beats me. Challengers can''t see who''s up here either, so they''d never suspect the Core Guardian was firing off traps manually."
"Suppose that works well enough. Any bets on how long til someone actually tries this floor?" Sable fires off her next shot, grimacing as it misses the second dragonet to appear. "Ugh, just need to get the timing right..."
"Not tomorrow, I''m sure. But maybe this month? Now that Floor Four''s been cleared and there''s even more loot to collect, I think Experts are likely to start showing up in more numbers relatively soon." Taly smiles as another dragonet goes hurling into the abyss, wrapped in slime. "Another nice shot! Maybe we''ll just make Lilly our designated cannoneer."
Lilly chuckles, a little uneasily. "Well...let''s just hope our week is up before you have need of me for that particular task..."
WORTHY DUNGEON, 8:00 PM
As Lilly and Sable are relaxing in their suite, taking advantage of the dungeon''s library of reading material, they''re a bit surprised to hear knocking at their door. After Sable calls for their guest to enter, the door opens to reveal Taly stopping by once again. "Evening, you two! Getting cozy?"
Sable grins. "I''m not a big reader, but you''ve definitely got a few interesting choices here."
"Indeed - this book based on Lollyp''s knowledge of the Domain is quite intriguing! What was it you were reading again, Sable?"
Sable looks at the cover. "Yeah, this one''s based on her knowledge of the Domain too, I think. ''A Hundred and One Nights: A Tale of the Thirty-Succubi-Orgy''."
"Sable! You''ve been reading - reading explicit smut right in front of me?"
The Paladin grins again. "Sure - but I could do other things right in front of you, if you''d rather..."
"Wow, that''s an incredibly appropriate segue." As Sable gives Taly a somewhat disbelieving look, the banshee explains. "Xenia and I have been working on the ''Floor Six''-themed section of Floor Five, and...we were wondering if one or both of you would be interested in testing it out." Before Sable can respond, she tacks on one more bit of information. "Also...Xenia''s avatar spell has recharged, and she''s looking forward to, ah...participating."
"Sign me up! How about it, Priestess? You know this is the chance you''ve been waiting for."
Lilly narrows her eyes at the part-demon. "I''ve been waiting for it, have I?" She then pauses in thought, and bites her lip. "...Have I...?"
Chapter 122: Hanging Out (Explicit)
After giving Lilly a few minutes to talk herself into things and a quick shortcut portal trip upstairs, Sable and Lilly found themselves in the newest section of Floor Five, followed shortly after by Taly. While the section''s central chamber was much like the others, with it being a stony cavern containing a large healing fountain, the most notable difference from the others they''d seen was the color scheme. The stone used for the first few sections of the floor tended towards a warm brown, lit by orange torches, but in contrast the rock in this room was a gloomy black and gray. Even the torches seemed colder, their light a pale white that seemed to further drain the color from the room. Sable found herself shivering a little, for all that the temperature hadn''t shifted a degree.
"This is, uh...not exactly what I''d call a romantic getaway, Taly. This is your design?"
"I''ll admit, it''s not for everyone''s taste, but some people do like the dungeon part of a dungeon, if you get my drift. You ever visited Section Three? Not many people have, but it''s a bit similar. But go on, pick a room, I''ll show you what we''ve been playing with."
The Paladin does so, picking a door at random, and finds a room that''s just as gray and colorless, although it''s at least formed from carved stone blocks rather than raw rock. A large bed fills one corner, comfortable in appearance but covered in gray bedsheets, which makes the only actually colorful objects in the room stand out even further. In the otherwise open center of the room dangles over a dozen tendrils of slime in a variety of bright shades, reaching from the ceiling down to about waist height. Before either of her guests can get too close, Taly warns them back.
"Careful, now. Those are actually a form of slime trap - we''re probably gonna need to put up a sign about how to use them, to be honest. You see, if you touch them, they wrap around the limb and try and lift you up."
"Bit of a choking hazard if it gets around your neck. Which is how they''re supposed to be used, most likely, but I''d really rather not get a rep for killing Challengers on Floor Five." The pair twirl around to find Xenia walking into the room after them, her monochrome nature less apparent in an entire room shaded in blacks and grays.
Lilly exclaims at the sight of her. "Ah, Dungeon Master! It''s good to see you again...even if this is the only hour we''ll get to see you all week, is that correct?" Despite the fact that she agreed to come up here, Lilly can''t entirely hide her judgment of Xenia for using her avatar on this particular hour.
"Possibly! The last time I used the spell it kind of got cut short, so I''m not sure how long the full recharge is supposed to take, or if it even changes. Either way, you can count on me getting my full hour''s worth out of the deal tonight, if at all possible." She pauses to give the pair a looking-over, especially Sable, whose curves are rather more apparent in her casual wear, her armor having been left behind. "Hope I''m not being too forward with our ''hey, wanna check out our new sex dungeon'' invitation, I''d honestly rather have a little more lead-up to things myself but...one hour a week. Gotta make it count."
Sable grins back at her. "Wish we could have more time myself, but I get it. Lollyp coming along? Or Sincere? Just curious."
Taly laughs as she shakes her head. "Lollyp wanted to come, but we didn''t want to make this too big a thing. I''m guessing Lilly in particular might need a bit of easing into things...especially for the design I''ve gone with here. Beat her out in a board game Xenia taught us so I''m here tonight, but hey, there''s always tomorrow night. Or the rest of the week..."
The elf scoffs a bit at the mention of herself. "I''m not some, some, inexperienced teenager you need to treat with soft gloves! Just because I''m not as promiscuous as my colleague doesn''t mean I don''t know a thing or two."
Taly nods along. "Of course - glad to hear it, actually. I''ll admit, Sable does manage to give even Lollyp a run for her money in that department, from what I hear."
"Yes, probably. But...I could perhaps still use an explanation for what we''re supposed to be doing with these...slimes?" Lilly eyes the tendrils, not daring to get any closer, and Xenia chuckles.
"A good question, though maybe you could use your imagination, eh? Taly, wanna explain your design for the tourists?"
The banshee raises a finger. "First, ground rules! As noted, do not let any of the tendrils get near your neck...unless you''re a dungeon spirit who doesn''t need to breathe. If anything goes wrong, Xenia can call them off. Second, tonight''s safe word is ''midnight''. If you''re uncomfortable at any time, say it and we''ll all stop immediately. The theme here is restraint and suspension, but of course, the goal is for everyone to have a good time."
"Safe words, eh? Sounds like the dungeon lucked out in getting someone like you around to manage this shit." Sable eyes Taly as she speaks, in a way that implies the dungeon boss is still wearing far too much clothing.
"I hope the Challengers agree. But, perhaps you and I should start off with a demonstration, Xenia? Just to give them the proper idea of things..."
"Picking me over the Paladin, eh? Alright, Taly - string me up."
The banshee gives Xenia a sly look as she comes closer. "Come on, now - I know you''re impatient what with your time limit, but surely we can manage a little bit of romance." The gray-skinned lady then takes the woman of white-and-black in a kiss that even seems to take Xenia somewhat by surprise, although she quickly returns it with more of the same.
When they break off for a breath - not that either of them particularly need one - Xenia gives Taly an amused look. "To be honest, I wasn''t sure how much you''d be into that, or if you were just planning to watch over things. We haven''t really talked much about that kind of stuff ourselves..."
The silver-haired woman shrugs. "To be honest, I rather prefer men, but most of all I believe in everyone having fun. I''m not planning to get as attached to you as Lollyp seems to have, but for the occasional special event, well, why not? Now - why in the world can''t I get your shirt off?" Xenia looks down to realize that Taly''d been tugging at it for the entire kiss, and hadn''t been having much luck.
"Haaa, guess it''s stuck on as part of my avatar. But maybe I can..." She focuses on herself for a moment, and in a sudden flash Xenia finds herself standing before the group entirely in the nude. "Pretty sure Cerise''s full version didn''t need that...so much for a sexy striptease, huh?" She does a quick pose for the group, revealing her pale skin marked only by her pitch-black nipples, and a well-trimmed dark stripe down below.
Taly takes a moment to admire the woman before taking hold of one of her wrists. "Sexy enough for me, I''d say! But still something I can improve on, heheh." She pulls Xenia''s arm over to one of the tendrils, and on contact the green-colored strand grabs hold of the limb and pulls it into the air. It''s relatively slow and gentle as it does so, but strong, with Xenia''s tugging unable to easily dislodge it. Taly then does the same with Xenia''s other wrist, before guiding her so that a third wraps itself around her waist.
Xenia chuckles as she finds herself tilting until she''s facing down towards the floor, and as her ass begins to rise Taly begins to restrain her lower legs in the same way. "Haha, yeah, these things got me good." She trembles a bit as Taly runs her hands across her exposed skin, and again as the tendrils pull her legs apart a little wider. "Definitely feeling a little exposed, here..."
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From the other side of the room, Lilly watches on with some hesitation. "And these are entirely safe? As long as we keep them away from our necks?"
Taly nods. "Even if Xenia''s not paying attention to the place, we can set the traps to a time limit. If they give people a break every now and then, there shouldn''t be anything worse than a bit of soreness. You two can go ahead and get started if you want, I just need to go...get some special equipment..."
As the banshee walks over to a cabinet mounted against one wall, Sable turns towards her elf companion. "So, you up for giving them a try? If you''re nervous, I could dive in instead."
The Priestess shakes her head. "I''m not entirely sure what I would do with you if I were the one who, well, you know. But I know you''ve been wanting to, ah. Use me. Roughly. As I''ve been informed by reliable sources."
Sable pulls Lilly a little closer, running a hand up her side. "And you like the sound of that, eh?"
"Maybe just for tonight. To...see how things go." As she finishes speaking Sable leans in for a kiss, but a short-lived one, after which she gets down on one knee. Her eyes now at waist-height, her hands grab hold of the waistband of Lilly''s skirt and smallclothes before pulling them down in a single motion, revealing the Verdant Priestess'' blonde-trimmed garden. The Paladin''s hands grab hold of Lilly''s ass, pulling her in closer, and Sable resumes her earlier kiss with a different set of lips.
"Awww, you two make such a cute couple!" Xenia smirks as she continues to dangle in mid-air, unable to do more than watch, but she yelps as Taly gives her a spank from behind. Turning her head as best as she''s able, she finds a now-nude floor boss standing behind her, wearing only a slime dildo strapon and a smile. Although not as extreme a contrast as Xenia herself is, the gray-skinned boss also sports rather notable dark nipples on her slight breasts, and a rather impressive silver bush between her legs, where it pokes out from behind the harness. "Oh, no! My tormentor has returned to take my chastity!"
"Even the world''s greatest Rogue can''t steal something that doesn''t exist, Xenia. But perhaps I can steal a taste..." Following Sable''s example, the banshee kneels down between Xenia''s widespread thighs and begins to tease at her folds, doing just enough to get her in the mood for more. The dungeon master gets to be dinner and enjoy a show for the next few minutes after that, as Taly continues to eat her out from behind, while Sable and Lilly work to undress each other a few feet away.
Once Lilly''s entirely bare, Sable begins to guide her into the slime restraints much as Taly had done for Xenia, except in this case Lilly is left facing upwards. "You''re already blushing so much, Flower Girl! I definitely want to see your face when I get to work. You know, using you roughly and all."
"If that''s a reference to something, you have got to explain that to us later - ahh!" Xenia''s interjection spares Lilly from needing to make a response, but the elf does begin to provide moans of her own as Sable again kneels down and resumes her cunnilingus, aided by the tendrils now holding Lilly''s legs high into the air.
Sable keeps at it for another minute or so before pulling back, a smile and various fluids on her face. "Haha, this suspension thing does make things nice and convenient. Heard of some weird nobles doing stuff like this sometimes, but it always seemed like way too much effort to try and rig up."
Taly steps back herself, mirroring the messy red-skinned woman in many ways, before returning to a standing position. "Ropes and anchor points can be time-consuming, but perhaps you should try spending time with more driders? They can be pretty useful for such things, I''ve found out. Now!" She spanks Xenia on the ass one more time. "Up for the main show, boss?"
"Really, not gonna make me call you Dungeon Master, now that you got me all tied up?"
"You can call me that if you like, but personally I was planning to call you my dungeon master fucktoy. And speaking of toys..." Taly carefully lines up the head of her strap and begins to push forward, although once she''s in position the banshee finishes the job by pulling back on Xenia''s waist. "Mrrmmm...nice fit, fucktoy?"
"Hrnng! Oh yeah, almost...almost like I designed them myself, or something."
Sable chuckles as she strokes herself, before slapping her length down onto Lilly''s pelvis, making the elf squirm. "Haha, you handing out free sex toys with this section, Xenia? Maybe I''ll grab a few before I go."
"They''re not - ah, fuck, Taly - they''re not mana-charged to loot item level. Anyone who grabs one and takes off with it''s gonna be a little, ah, disappointed!"
"Guess we''ll have to get all our satisfaction on-site, then." Sable lines herself up, but keeps her eyes locked onto Lilly''s as she begins to slide inward. Despite her efforts, it''s not nearly as smooth a motion as Taly had with Xenia, but then it is difficult to compete with slime materials and an adjustable avatar body. "Gods, Lilly, you''re so tight!"
"Maybe you''re, mrfm, just a bit big!" The elf continues to squirm, but puts some effort towards swinging herself in Sable''s direction, trying her best to help. Sable smirks at the compliment.
"Well, I won''t deny that. Let''s just ease you in, here..." Taking hold of her colleague''s hips, Sable slowly begins to work her way deeper into the elf''s flower. The expressions on Lilly''s face seem to entertain Xenia almost as much as the strap-on driving into her, and the dungeon master has quite the wide smile as she watches on.
"Damn, I''ve had a lot of Challengers in here so far, but none half as hot - or cute - as you two. You two been, hrn, building up to this?"
"Sable''s been, ah, quite - ah!" The ability to respond fades from Lilly as Sable finally finds her rhythm, and begins to pound her in earnest. She still doesn''t quite manage to bury herself inside the smaller woman, with several inches of crimson cock remaining visible on each thrust, but neither of them seem to have anything to complain about.
"What can I say, I got a thing for cute, shy girls. Not to say I don''t like strong, tough ones either. Or guys." Sable pauses in thought, if not in action, before continuing. "...I might be kind of a slut. Lilly is pretty hot, though."
"I can see - ahh!" Xenia''s own words are stolen away by the former Rogue as Taly suddenly kicks into a jackhammer pace, sending the woman''s modest breasts swinging furiously beneath her. Taly''s grin takes a predatory turn as she maneuvers Xenia''s hips, apparently trying to see just how much the two of them can take.
"Nice, haven''t had a chance to test out my actual strength much yet, this is way less tiring than it used to be. Let me know if you need a break, yeah, fucktoy?"
"Dooooonnn''t stooooooppp!" Taly keeps it up, as requested, and there''s soon noticeable specks of fluid making their way from between the pair and down towards the floor - although they seem to vanish before they land, a limitation of the avatar spell. Thirty seconds more and Xenia''s left screaming in a full-on orgasm, causing Sable and Lilly to slow down for a moment in order to watch.
"Damn, getting to watch a dungeon spirit get fucked like that - now I''ve seen fuckin'' everything." As Sable remarks on the sight, Lilly catches her eye with a determined gaze.
"Can - can you do me like that?"
Sable pauses, eyeing the Priestess briefly before nodding. "...Yeah, I bet you''re tougher than you look. Brace yourself, Flower Girl!" The Paladin quickly resumes her previous pace, but doesn''t stop there, further increasing the tempo rapidly. She still doesn''t quite reach the ferocity Taly showed with Xenia - Lilly''s relative tightness and Xenia''s pain-resistant forms both being factors - but it''s still enough to turn the elf more than a little insensate. Losing the strength in her back, Lilly''s head begins to drop down, and her rather more impressive chest begins to sway as Sable reaches her new rhythm. As if drawn by the sight, one of Sable''s hands abandons her partner''s waist to latch onto one breast, groping the tit roughly and pulling even more raw noises from Lilly''s throat.
Lilly''s self-control degrades even further as Xenia begins to whisper quiet words into her ears, ones even Sable doesn''t quite manage to pick up, although she''s fairly certain ''elf slut'' comes up at least once. Her blushing covers far more than just her face by this point, extending down into her chest, enough so that it seems like all of her blood flow must be occupied either turning her skin red or flooding towards her now-dripping pussy. Her climax doesn''t take much longer to arrive, and while Sable slows down slightly, she doesn''t by much - not until her own hits shortly after.
"Ah, fuck - Lilly, I''m gonna cum!"
"Yes! Please! Cum in - in my slutty elf pussy!" By this point her face is a blazing inferno, while a smirking Xenia is doing her best to give the woman a dangling thumbs-up from a few feet away. Sable does as requested, her pulsating cock taking quite a long time to finish filling her partner up, sufficiently so that some begins to stain the floor before she''s even pulled out.
"That - fuck. That was the biggest load I''ve shot off all year. You''re gorgeous, Lilly." Stepping forward again, she pulls Lilly upwards enough to give her another kiss, far longer than her first one, and it seems as if Lilly''s blushing isn''t about to end anytime soon.
"You''re, um, you''re not bad yourself..." Lilly blinks, shakes her head, and tries again. "I mean - that was amazing. Thank you, Sable."
As the two pull back, silly grins on both their faces, Taly watches on with a smile of her own. "That was pretty cute. That said...now, anyone up for a swap?"
Chapter 123: Arrival of Judgment (& Poll)
When the first party arrived to challenge the dungeon the next morning, there were no special guests awake and present to watch their attempt. Which might be something of a shame, because today marked the first visit to the dungeon by a goblin.
"Welcome to Worthy Dungeon, new arrivals! I see it''s all new faces here today - and might I ask, would that be a half-orc in your party? I''m not sure I''ve seen one of his sort before! Not a bad thing, certainly, always happy to meet interesting people!" As Doorman welcomes the party, two demons and a pair of kobolds turn to glance at their green-skinned companion, who gives them a snort of derision.
"What, half orc and half...dwarf? Sorry, door, no orc in me and no dwarf for...two, three generations back? Well, hardly anyone without some dwarf in em, far as I can tell. Nah, name''s Wetears, goblin Hordecaller. Ain''t surprised you''ve not seen one of my type, would probably be more surprised if ya had."
Passy''s eyes narrow in thought. "...I don''t think I have any dwarf ancestors...hey Barny, do - " The kobold is shushed by Lyota before she focuses her attention back on the door.
"Greetings, Guardian. We''re here to attempt the dungeon - we''re told you have a test for us?"
"Indeed I do! Now, can you - " Before Doorman can continue, a crack of thunder interrupts him.
"Oooh, ooh, can I do this one? Please?" A yellow-tinted bolt of lightning crouches on an outcrop above Doorman''s face, looking down at the annoyed guardian.
Doorman''s eyes roll. "Not now, Zappy - you''re an apprentice, not the Guardian yourself! I can''t be letting you handle all of the tests."
Zappy whines. "But there''s so feeeeewww! Sometimes only one a day! How am I ever going to get Guardian skills like that?"
"That is the nature of the job, I''m afraid. Perhaps I''ll let you handle every third party to come by?"
The elemental sighs, a sound that imitates rumbling thunder. "Ugggh, fine. You bunch, try not to die so you have to come back and answer more riddles, okay?"
Lyota calms herself, very firmly not making any mentions about a lack of professionalism she may or may not be experiencing. "...We intend to be repeat visitors, yes. Although it is curious to see a lightning elemental attach itself...to...ah." Her aborted question fades out as the elemental zaps her way back into the clouds above, and Doorman gives her a tilt of his head.
"She''s new to the gig, forgive her. I can hardly fault her for a lack of enthusiasm, haha! Now, for your test! ...Do you have any ideas on how to keep an elemental from getting bored? Because I sense that''s going to be a bit of a problem."
Lyota turns back towards her educated kobold mages to see if perhaps they have any insight on elemental behavior, but to her surprise it''s the Bard Lionel who speaks up. "Ah, my good Guardian, if you''re asking about lightning elementals in specific, you should know that they''re the most wide-ranging and free-spirited of all elemental types. They often live on mountain peaks, yes, but they don''t, ah, settle a single mountain as an earth elemental might. Apprenticeship or not, you should ask her if she would like to travel, and explore - and perhaps bring back tales of her discoveries, great or small? That is how they generally spend their time, in my experience."
Doorman grins, pleased by the answer. "That''s a good idea! I should offer her some time off, or, no, tell her to scout for the dungeon? Would like to know more about the region myself...well, I daresay you''ve passed the test! Enjoy your stay!"
As Lionel grins, Barny gives him a nudge. "Where''d you learn so much about elementals? That didn''t sound like book-learning, to me."
"Why, I consider it important to know about the likes and dislikes of all of the world''s children. After all, such things are important to know if one ever wants to woo a prospective partner."
Wetears shoots the incubus a frown. "You ever actually woo an elemental, Bard? Even for an incubus that sounds...ugh, I don''t want to think about it."
"One never kisses and tells, my friend." Lionel pauses, then grows more serious. "That said, a lightning elemental would not be my first choice in partner..."
"Please be silent, now." Lyota mutters slightly as she leads the party inside, but before she gets five feet into the dungeon she can already tell something is wrong. The others don''t seem to notice it at first, already engaging in combat with the flying beasts that swoop down at them, but they fall easily even without her contribution. After the monsters begin to thin out, however, Wetears turns to glance at his team leader.
"Silverstar, there something wrong? You didn''t trigger a trap two feet in, did ya?"
The fury demon can''t answer at first, as the room begins to swim around her. It''s as if the floor is shifting beneath her feet, and the woman actually has to go down to one knee to steady herself. That attracts the attention of the rest of the team for certain, and Barny prepares to try and cast some healing magic on her.
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"Was there a gas trap or something? I didn''t see or smell anything...or hear, either. Are you alright?"
When the woman answers, her eyes are wide, and there''s a smile on her face that makes everyone in her party take two steps back. "This...I''ve never...never sensed such a meal before." She turns her face towards the floor, as if she were trying to seek out the dungeon core from multiple floors away. "I''ve met murderers, torturers, the worst kind of men. But this?" She looks back up at her team, wearing the expression of an entirely new woman none have seen before. "This is the greatest source of sin I have ever encountered."
Bountiful Mother Hammerdown grumbles as someone knocks on the door to her temporary rented office. It''s cramped even by dwarf standards, a back room of the small interfaith chapel the Challengers Association had put up for all of the various Clerics and Priests and so forth passing through the region. The village of Grassbrook already had its own such building, but Elance could hardly kick the local village elder out of his own workspace, and so she was currently working out of what might have been originally designed as a closet. That frustration only lightly slips through as she shouts out at the door. "Aye, t''hells you want now? No, I ain''t passing out blessings to Challengers today, I''ve volunteered two days of this week and that''s all you''re getting!"
A man opens the door and pokes his head in, a human Priest working directly for the Association as one of the staff running the facility. Although he may have had some authority over the building itself, his rank was several steps below a Bountiful Mother''s, and so he forces a smile on his face as he delivers a message to the grumpy dwarf. "This is business you''ll want to handle, blessed Mother. Your first applicants are here."
Elance glances up from her paperwork to stare at the man. "Applicants for the Church of Bounty? I appreciate the enthusiasm, but we''re not hiring! It''ll take months for us to set up our own chapel here, we have no current use for more staff. Who told people to apply here?"
The Priest''s smile grows a little wider as he notes her confusion. "Oh, they''re not applicants for the Church, Mother. They''re applicants for the dungeon. The Association''s made it known that anyone with an...interest...should be coming to see you first, yes?"
Elance''s face grows confused for a moment, before her eyes suddenly widen. "What? Already...and, you said applicants, plural? Holy Mothers, we ain''t ready for this...but I suppose I can''t bloody well turn them away, can I, or they''ll go and do some damn foolish thing on their own." She sighs, then takes another deep breath to steady herself. "Send the lot in, then. Let''s see what the divine has sent our way..."
"Crimes!? What are you talking about? We''re a dungeon! We literally can''t commit crimes! Laws don''t apply to dungeons!" Lollyp does her best to shout out as she runs as if the demons of Hell itself were chasing her, largely because they are. Or at least one of them, a bizarrely focused fury demon chasing the slime across her own arena as the rest of the Challenger party stands back, more than a little confused themselves. "What did we do to piss you off?"
"You can''t hide from me!" Lyota practically growls as her soul whip strikes the boss, knocking a bit of slime from her body but causing even more pain than the injury itself would indicate. The magical whip made of white light soon moves back to prepare for another strike, moving according more to Lyota''s wishes than the physical movements of her arm. "I know dungeons. I''ve been in plenty. All of them have killed dozens...hundreds...thousands. But their guilt is light, the deaths collected from those who chose their fates. But here!?" Her purple eyes almost literally light up as the Lasher strikes at Lollyp again. "Other dungeons would have to have killed a hundred thousand to bear this much weight! How did yours gather so much sin!?"
Lollyp pauses for a moment, a realization beginning to creep in, but she regrets it as the whip knocks away a potion bottle she''d been preparing to toss. The boss instead focuses on her wand, shooting off a bolt of electricity, but to her surprise the demon''s whip is powerful enough to even act as a shield. The lightning arcing towards her target instead gets soaked up by the energy tendril as it twirls around, leaving Lyota entirely untouched. "What in the world!? I''ve known Lashers - I''ve never seen one with a whip like that!"
The demon grins, allowing herself a brief moment of pride. "Yes, yes - the succubi Lashers do prefer their pain-enchanted weapons, don''t they? And Fire Lashers aren''t an uncommon sight, although they lack for defense. But Soul Lasher is a unique class developed by we fury demons. Our weapons are an expression of our righteousness, and their pain a reflection of our target''s sins. Not usually particularly strong against dungeon monsters, but you...finding cause to regret the deeds of your past life, are you?"
The slime grimaces. "Oh, you''re a fury - that probably explains a bit. But, uh...I don''t think I did anything that bad! I mean, there was a lot of cheating at cards, but that''s expected. And maybe some pranks, once in a while...ah! Stop it!"
Standing back near the arena door, Lionel speaks quietly to the rest of his team. "Am I supposed to feel sorry for a dungeon boss? I expected our party leader to be the serious type, but she''s taking seriousness in an entirely different direction than I was expecting."
Wetears shrugs. "Better she''s taking it out on the slime than us, you ask me. Odds that she''s gone off the deep end, though? The Association keeps stats, the dungeon ain''t even killed fifty people yet, let alone thousands or anything like the lady''s saying."
The green-scaled kobold beside him offers a theory. "This dungeon is special because it''s using some of the Dragonlord''s old artifacts, right? Maybe it committed some sins to get hold of them?"
Lionel shakes his head. "Sins against who? The Dragonlord? Perhaps some, but if they were so great, surely our orders would be to destroy the dungeon, and they are not. Perhaps if the dungeon was capturing Challengers for torture, some of those parties believed entirely lost? I''ve heard tale of a dungeon that once began doing so, and it was destroyed when it was found out. But even then, I don''t know if the dungeon is old enough to have gathered such sin as to provoke...this."
He gestures towards the fury demon, who''s now repeatedly whipping a puddle of slime that had once been a dungeon boss only moments before. Watching the sight, Barny grimaces. "I just hope we can figure it out or settle the lady down soon, or else we may end up destroying the dungeon core, orders or not..."
Chapter 124: Rage, Taking Over
Elance sits serenely behind the desk of her office as her first ''applicant'' takes a seat, hoping that the human woman won''t notice that the office is so small that Elance would have had to climb over said desk to greet her at the door. She''s far younger than she was expecting for a dungeon applicant, a healthy-looking woman in her twenties with tanned skin, brown hair, and a serious look. Her age alone seems like reason enough to send her away - surely such a young individual has something to live for - but as the first such person to come by, Elance decides she at least needs to get some idea of what she''s in for with this task.
"Welcome, have a seat. I''d offer you some tea or somesuch, but the facility resources are still a bit barebones, I''m afraid."
The woman gives a thin-lipped smile as she answers. "It''s no problem, Bountiful Mother. I know I might be here early - I came as soon as I heard about what the dungeon was offering, to see if I could, ah, beat the crowd."
The dwarf tilts her head. "I''m a bit surprised at your enthusiasm, but before we get to that, why don''t you tell me about yourself? You can call me Elance, by the way."
"Right, of course. Well, my name is Clarie Tendwell, I''m twenty-four, and I come from the town of Longsands Harbor. I work in the market as a fishmonger, mostly."
Elance''s brow furrows in thought. "Longsands...that name sounds familiar, I believe..."
Clarie nods. "Yes, it''s the town just outside of the Fire Sands dungeon. Where the local Association and such is headquartered."
"Ah, right. But I suppose then I''ll have to segue right into the meat of it, lass, as it seems I''ve yet to get a hint of what brings you here. You''re young, in good shape, and you don''t have a career in a combat field. Why would you want to end it and become a dungeon monster?"
The human looks back and forth, as if someone else could be hiding in the tiny room, and half-whispers her response. "I just...I don''t mean to sound crude, Bountiful Mother, but I just...I really hate Challengers."
"...You do, do you?" Elance bites back her first response, hoping for a follow-up that makes more sense.
"It''s my step-father''s fault, you see. Mostly. A terrible lout of a man, and a Challenger. Not that I''m saying he ever did anything...untoward...but he drank, gambled, spent weeks away on dungeon ''expeditions'' with his companions - often including attractive women - and so forth. Always partying with with other Challengers just as bad as him, as well. It ruined the happiness of my poor mother and my younger siblings, you see! Every time he found some new piece of loot, or a bag of coins, it''d be gone by the end of the week and we''d be back to living in poverty!"
"I''m...very sorry to hear that, lass, but I''m not entirely sure I follow how this grudge leads you to making your way all the way down here."
Clarie smiles, and a dangerous glint appears in her eyes. "Well, you know, sometimes I''d have thoughts, like any young woman does, I suppose. ''What if I took this fish-gutting knife and gave him a good gutting'', that sort of thing. Oh, the hours I''ve idled away in such fantasies! Obviously, I''d never do it! But...if I was a dungeon monster..."
Elance sucks in a breath. "You...wish to become a part of the dungeon so that you can kill Challengers. Legally. Is that what you''re saying, now?"
"Yes! I don''t know if my step-father would ever come to visit this dungeon, but even if he didn''t, it''d be such a delight to finally give them what they deserve! And in the name of Kahlia, too!"
"Right." Elance takes out a scrap of parchment and begins writing away on it, as Clarie attempts to peer down at her handwriting. Finally, she hands it over with her judgment. "I wish I could give you the help you need here, Miss Tendwell, but we''re far from set up for it. However, here''s the name of a colleague I know in your province who can, ah. Help you find some peace for your thoughts without getting a blade bloody in the process, you understand?"
Clarie stares blankly at the information in front of her. "Wait, so...you won''t pass on my name to the dungeon?"
"Only if it''s to tell her not to take a sacrifice from you, lass. Please don''t give it a try. I am sorry you had to come all this way to hear it."
Clarie shudders slightly, clearly swallowing her initial words, but she at least takes the offered scrap as she gets to her feet. "...I am as well. And here I thought this would be a place that would appreciate a good stabbing..."
As she exits the office, Elance gives a small shudder of her own. "Well. That''s a damn fine start to all this." She pauses, and looks around. "...I really need an office with an escape route."
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As Lyota''s party fought the pair of possessed armor bosses, her team finally got their chance to contribute to a boss fight. Even so, they were still giving her a wide berth - while Lyota took on the shield-wielding boss alone, the entire rest of the group occupied themselves by fighting the quicker swordswoman. While she hadn''t ordered it, she was rather focused on ''questioning'' the monster, and the demon seemed more than a little irritated any time someone else interrupted with a blast of magic or axe-blow.
"How!? How are you so light on sin!? Hardly any have fallen here, especially compared to the slime! How has this dungeon gathered so much weight if you haven''t been slaying innocents by the score!?" The woman''s magical whip wraps itself around the armor''s weapon-bearing arm, but to little effect - while the armor may be the ''skin'' of the creature, at the same time it still seems to provide sufficient protection from the pain-increasing effects it should have been applying. Or, perhaps a ghost simply has little use for pain to begin with.
"Littttttle demon, so angry! Your frustration amuses us - if my siiiiiinnnn is light, perhaps I can add to it with your blood!" Tank steps forward and swings again at Lyota as well as he can, but the two make a terrible match for each other. While the fury demon has little ability to truly hurt him, she is able to slow him down enough that the armor never lands a single hit either. In contrast, the fighting on the other side of the room produces a litany of clangs as weapons hit against metal repeatedly.
"You use ghosts agggggaaaainst ghosts!? Bold move, for a tiny foe." Dips swings her blade against the heavily armored goblin standing in front of her, but yet again a ghostly goblin wearing the same armor as he steps forward to take the blow for him.
"Tiny? Tiny! I''ll have you know I''m above average by goblin standards, ya rustbucket! And these ain''t ghosts, thank the gods - heavens know how hard it''d be to put up with them if I had to fight with my grandpa alongside me, haha!" Wetears'' own swing comes nowhere close to landing, given that the reach difference between himself and Dips can be measured in multiple feet, but soaking up the damage she can produce is all the man needs to do. At the rear of the party, Lionel plays a tune on a small flute which keeps the room''s Terror Tentacles dormant, while Barny and Passy do the work of actually bringing the monster down.
"Almost ready...Sunlight Shot!" Passy holds out a wand, firing a massive beam of yellow-white light at the dodging swordswoman, still managing to take her directly in her breastplate. It fails to punch through, but a scorched circle remains to show its effects. "That should have disrupted the possession effects - your go, Barny!"
"On it! An armor might hold up well against normal flame, but a spirit and soulflame? Haha, should''ve invested in a shield, big girl!" Barny waves a staff, directing a stream of ghostly blue flame towards the point Passy had weakened for him. It not only manages to penetrate the metal itself, but actually light the ghost inside on fire, and Dips lets out a scream as she falls to one knee. The ghostly wail is beyond anything a mortal mouth could produce, more than sufficient to make the entire team grimace in response, but Wetears moves to put her out of her misery. With her guard down, the goblin heavy and his entire team of magical summons swarm the monster, and despite the fact that their own blows are weaker than his own they still manage to turn the boss into scrap in a matter of moments.
Distracted by the scream, Tank turns to face the rest of the party. "What was - you! Little koboooooold, I shall have your head!" As he begins to turn in Barny''s direction Lyota''s whip wraps itself around his neck, and his movement is briefly arrested.
"Now! Take the beast down! For the Domain!" The party quickly moves to follow Lyota''s orders, and with a winning strategy established, it doesn''t take long for Passy and Barny to once again set the boss alight. As he finally collapses, his helmet dented by repeated goblin-axe blows, Lionel finally lets up on his musical accompaniment.
"I don''t always get applause for my performances, but usually the screaming isn''t quite so extreme. I suppose I can''t deny its effectiveness, at least." The incubus tucks the flute away inside his vest, and his feet begin to make their way towards the boss chest even before a response can be given. Still, Barny gives a nod of agreement.
"Against anything but a dungeon monster, I''d definitely feel worse. Of course, against most folks it wouldn''t be anywhere near that bad. Once their hold on the armor is weakened, a ghost is nothing but soul, so a flame that burns the soul...well, you saw how it goes. It is just pain, mind you, like the Lasher''s whip. The gods would likely strike us down were we to actually develop anything that could actually destroy a soul." The red-scaled kobold shoots Lyota a wary glance. "So, uh. Ready to continue your, um...investigation on to Floor Four, Silverstar?"
To his surprise, the woman shakes her head. "No. We shall stop here for today. The dungeon provides shortcut portals, so we shall attempt Floor Four another day, when we''re fully rested."
Wetears raises an eyebrow. "I wouldn''t mind a twenty minute break, maybe, but I feel like we could take on another floor without much issue, y''ask me."
"I''m sure we could. However, we''re here for the long haul, not a one-day expedition. And..." Lyota takes a deep breath, closing her eyes briefly before continuing. "I...need to center myself. I was not ready for what...whatever this dungeon is. The closer we get to the core, the more...I''m not ready. I fear I may lose myself if we go further as I am right now."
Barny nods. "I wasn''t gonna say anything, but uh, yeah, that sounds like a really good idea. Although, if we are gonna call it quits for the day...anyone up for a Floor Five visit?" He waggles his eye-ridges, but as Lionel''s face begins to break into a smile, the kobold quickly clarifies. "Specifically, anyone named Passy?"
The green kobold gives him a smirk, and a mock gasp. "Have you been seeing other Passys behind my back!? But I suppose I could be yours for today - ah, if the Lasher has no complaints?"
Lyota eyes the pair, but shrugs. "I have nothing against it. I would like a report when you return, however." As the two kobolds stare at her, the demon decides she ought to clarify. "...If you discover anything there that would be useful intelligence on the dungeon, of course."
"Of course, right." Barny takes a look at the loot Lionel is slipping into his bags, and begins to head towards the floor''s portals with Passy by his side. "Just save us some of the good stuff, yeah? See you tonight, but, heheh, don''t wait up..."
Chapter 125: Personal Questions
After lunch, and a quick check to ensure that she had both an emergency blade and wand close at hand under her desk, Elance Hammerdown sent for her second applicant to stop by. Unfortunately, the moment the young man walked in, she again felt like this was going to be something of a waste of time. He was clearly from a class or two above the fishmonger who had come by earlier, his clothing being probably worth eight months of a shop clerk''s wages, and he carried a sword on his belt - a fancy showpiece more than a tool of war. He barely looked twenty years old, and going from the awkward look in his eyes he lacked the confidence of the young, bloody-minded woman. Still, Elance felt determined to at least hear everyone out.
"Kahlia preserve me, you''re an even more fresh-faced sod than the last lass who came in here. Sit down before your knees buckle, lad. And who might you be?"
The man gives a shaky grin as he takes the open seat, clearly somewhat intimidated by her brusque tone, an early test already failed. "Ah, hello, Bountiful Mother Hammerdown, it is good to meet you this, um, this pleasant afternoon. I would be the Honorable Perlin Fadesworth, and I''m pleased you are willing to hear out my application."
"Let''s not get too pleasured just yet, now. Honorable, that''d make you the younger son of a...what, an Earl, now?"
Perlin shakes his head. "Ah, Viscount Fadesworth is my father, Bountiful Mother. We have an estate near the coast to the east of here."
"Ah, southern nobility, my mistake. This is a little outside of my usual territory, you understand." Inwardly, the dwarf sighs to herself. Nobility in the Kingdom of the Rainlands weren''t what they had once been on the Old Continents, before the Age of Warlocks and its dramatic end laid waste to most major family lines. However, they did still tend to be some of the richest families around, and humans and dwarves alike both tended to pay them a bit more respect than some others would. Most dwarves, at least - Elance''s church rank meant she rarely had to suffer fools, whatever title they might apply to themselves.
"That''s quite alright, we''re not the um, most famous name in the land or anything like that. In peacetime we''re largely known for forestry products, although our family has quite the history of famous warriors in the battles with the Dragonlord''s denizens."
"I''m sure they do. But why in the world would a young son of an illustrious house have an interest in becoming a dungeon monster?"
The man licks his lips, hesitating before he answers. "Well, as you say, Mother, I''m a...young son. Fourth in line, that is. My oldest brother has been learning the family business, and the next has made a decent career for himself in the army. And actually, my next sibling is herself a Cleric, although, ah, not in the Church of Bounty, I''m afraid."
Elance barely stops herself from rolling her eyes. "And what does any of that have to do with you? You ran out of other jobs to draw out of the family hat and someone slipped in ''dungeon boss'' as a prank?"
"Well, you see, my father...it seemed to us that it would be very honorable for our family, if one of us were to become an immortal warrior. Fortunes can rise and fall, but dungeons can last for centuries. Good or ill, generations of our family would be able to point to Worthy Dungeon and say ''there is a Fadesworth who fights with our name''. My accomplishments within the dungeon could reflect well on us outside its bounds, as well."
Elance''s eyes grow a little wide. "Are you serious, lad?"
The man rushes out his next statement, misjudging her concerns. "I do actually have combat training, Mother! I''m a level 12 Duelist, by Association rankings!"
"Lad. Lad...no, for Kahlia''s sake! Are you saying your family, your father, sent you to die in the name of honor!?"
Perlin''s face grows a little pale, but he nods. "Is that any different than a warrior going off to fight, Bountiful Mother?"
"Yes! Soldiers don''t go off to commit suicide, young man! Perhaps if you were an elderly fellow, looking for one last glory to earn for his name, that''d be one thing, but are ye even twenty years of age?"
"I am! Twenty, that is, yes."
"Barely more than a boy, yet it''s your father I''ve got an urge to bend over my knee and give a good spanking to. Look, Honorable Fadesworth, you got to have some sense of your own worth before you can expect to be proving it to anyone else! Take an interest in your own well-being! Or if you must work for your family''s honor, there''s better ways - hells, even if you wish to find glory within a dungeon, do it as a Challenger! You''re young, even if you never made it beyond Master rank that''d be impressive enough for anybody!"
"Is...is that safer, do you think?"
"Than walking into a dungeon and slitting your own throat? Yes! At least then you''ve got a chance! Though I daresay, get yourself training in a better swordsman class first, I''ve yet to see a ''Duelist'' around to try the dungeon and I expect there''s a reason for that. Monsters don''t tend to fight by standard rules of honor, that much is for certain." Elance shakes her head. "But regardless - no, I''m denying your application. Come back in another forty or fifty years, perhaps."
The young man swallows, but Elance would say that some part of him looks relieved. "Ah, I...understand. Thank you for your time, Bountiful Mother."
"Of course." As he makes his exit, the dwarf sighs to herself. "At least Worthy had the foresight to set this up, if these young folk were just wandering in there, what a nightmare. But she''s certainly going to owe us for this. I hope Greenie and Lilly are at least having more fun on their part of the task..."
Lilly Fullblossom looks down at the mushrooms growing near her feet. "This...this doesn''t seem right at all. Rather disturbing, as a matter of fact."
Lollyp peers up at her from where she''s crouched by a nearby Floor Four tree, gathering mushrooms of her own. "What, you''ve never seen Toadbane Mushrooms before? If the purple spots didn''t make it obvious enough, I know the identification is right because Xenia was able to specifically pick them from her creation menu."
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"I don''t disagree about their identification, it''s that, well - what are the mushrooms you''re gathering at that one? Gnolltoe?"
Lollyp nods. "Yup. Good for aerosol-based alchemy, you know? Good spores. Why do you ask?"
The elven Priestess gestures at the flora arranged around her. "Because this is a perfectly spaced patch of Toadbane, and that''s a perfect patch of Gnolltoe, and - those over there are Fairy Beds, yes? This isn''t how a forest is supposed to work! Perfect patches arranged in a row so you can just...gather a week''s worth of ingredients in half an hour!"
The floor boss gives Lilly a very confused look. "I''m sorry, are you complaining that this is too easy?"
"It just feels unnatural, is all! Are you perhaps doing this to attract gatherer-adventurers? I''ve heard there is such a thing."
"No, just for me, and I need it to be efficient cause at any given time I might get a warning that I need to go back upstairs and throw a fireball at somebody. As far as the gathering stuff goes, apparently that is an option. But, making a ''node'' that people can collect stuff from, and actually have it survive outside the dungeon, requires an ongoing mana investment like the river does. No point if no one''s coming by to try it, so that''s mostly only something you find in specialized dungeons."
"Ah, that makes sense." Lilly spends a few minutes collecting from her assigned mushroom patch, before again turning towards Lollyp. "So...I heard we missed a rather interesting intrusion this morning?"
Lollyp shoots back a grin. "Yeah, shame you weren''t around. Musta been pretty tired out after last night, huh? And that''s with Xenia only being able to last an hour..."
Lilly blushes. "Well, I mean - Xenia and Taly were actually able to continue on together for - wait, no you''re changing the topic! Tell me about this party we missed!"
The slime''s smile remains for a moment, but fades before she begins to answer. "...Hey, tell me something, Lilly. In your like...professional opinion as a Priestess and all that. Am...I a bad person for doing what I do?"
The amusement on the elf''s face quickly becomes replaced with a look of concern. "A bad person? I mean, certainly I know there are some people who say that dungeons are evil, and there are occasional tales of some truly twisted ones - not that they last very long. But we must remember that dungeons were created by the gods, and that you''re only reactive creations - people must come to you, not the other way around. I suppose one could argue that it would be evil for you to take enjoyment in your task, but...I think it would be rather horrible if you didn''t."
Lollyp''s surprise at Lilly''s final statement is evident as she probes further. "Wait, what? You want me to enjoy killing people?"
"Well - think about what it would mean if you didn''t! If you had to spend hundreds of years, killing people every week if not every day, and it tore at you? Would that not be a punishment akin to a Hell? Now, there are perhaps limits...if you fully enjoyed it, perhaps I wouldn''t be comfortable spending time with you like this. But I think it should not weigh on you too much, either."
Lollyp nods, and spends a bit more time in thought before continuing. "I guess I''ve just been thinking about, like...the moral weight of all this. There was a fury demon, right, and you know how they are. Except this one was practically going insane at how much sin she thought she sensed in here. And I have killed a lot of people the last few months, but...apparently that was nothing in comparison. And it just gets me to thinking..."
Lilly''s brow furrows, and she edges a little closer. "Thinking about what?"
The slime shakes her head. "Just that, if everything I''ve done is just a drop in a bucket, and it''s enough to make me feel bad...how bad is it for Xenia? Just...just what did she do?"
When the third and final applicant of the day comes through Elance''s door, the dwarf''s first reaction is actually one of relief, despite the fact that the orc''s appearance shows more indications of violence than the first two guests put together. The man isn''t too old, perhaps just shy of middle age, but his body is marked by signs of experience. Scars cover his face, and his bare right upper arm. They''d probably cover the left side as well, if it weren''t for the fact that it was missing, the faint stump covered by cloth. His right leg doesn''t seem much better, and the man has a noticeable limp as he makes his way towards the desk. His yellow eyes show hints of confidence and strength within them though, and Elance feels happy to offer him a seat.
"Welcome to my extremely humble office, good sir, you may call me Elance, I''m not one for titles around here. Now, I may be picking up slight hints of your story already, but perhaps you ought to tell me it yourself, aye?"
The orc nods with a grin as he takes the open chair. "Some things are obvious, eh? My name is Trush of Tash''narc, although some call me Sharptongue."
Elance raises an eyebrow. "Because of your clever wit, is it?"
Trush''s grin goes wider. "Not at all. It''s because I once slit a man''s throat using a knife I held in my mouth."
The dwarf gives a steady nod. "I...trust you had your reasons for such a deed?"
The man nods again. "Was in the army at the time, happened in one of the hundred border skirmishes that happen every year. That was before I became a Challenger, though. Currently, I sit before you as a level 26 Shieldbreaker. Melee combatant, specialized for taking down those in heavy armor."
"I imagine it''s been a little difficult increasing your rank, given..." Elance gestures at the man''s missing limb, and Trush nods in response.
"Haven''t been able to do a thing since it happened, two years back. I enjoy combat, but I''m not one of those fools who will rush into a suicidal fight just for one last feel of glory. This was a career-ender for me, at least as far as challenging goes. Been making a living since doing support work for the army, although I''m no longer a soldier."
The dwarf''s look is rather unconvinced. "You''re not looking for suicide...but you do want to apply to spend your life in a dungeon? You''re not so old, you still seem to have plenty of good years left ahead of you."
This time, Trush shakes his head in a negative. "I could survive, Elance, but good years? No. My career now is a pity position for an old veteran, there will be no advancement for me. For the past two years I''ve been doing busy work, pushing paper and writing reports...it keeps me fed and sheltered, but it''s no life for me. Even if I might live another three or four decades...I cannot see myself continuing as I am now."
"And you believe the dungeon is your solution to your problems?"
The orc gives a rueful laugh. "At the least, it will replace my current problems with an entirely new and interesting set! I''m no battle-maniac, but I am good at it and I enjoy it well enough. Especially dungeon combat...there''s something about a place designed by the gods to test a man''s mettle, don''t you think? Besides..." His voice trails off for a moment, before chuckling again. "I''ve heard some very interesting things about this dungeon in particular as well. Not to go into too much detail, Bountiful Mother, but I''ll say that while I have no children, it hasn''t been for want of trying."
"That''s not..." Elance pauses, reconsidering her initial reaction. "Well, I would say that''s most likely not relevant, but given everything, perhaps I''d be foolish to discount it."
"Heheh. So, you think this Worthy Dungeon might have a spot for a broken-down orc like myself?"
Elance sighs. "Well, I''ll say first that you''re a bit early - a few of my colleagues are currently...on a trip for a few more days, and I won''t be making any decisions without their input." She eyes the man for a moment more, before continuing. "But, I will say that I won''t throw you back out the door just for showing up, at least. Since you''re here, why don''t you tell me a little bit more about your Challenger career, eh?"
Trush leans forward, an eager look on his face. "I do love to weave a good tale, Elance. Now, I''d just left the army as a level 12 Vanguard..."
Chapter 126: Elsewheres
"Crack it! Crack it!" Beatrice shouts out as she rolls away, avoiding the fist of the massive earth sprite smashing into the floor behind her. The sound of that crash is followed up by high-pitched pinging noises, as throwing picks made of arcane energy bounce off of the humanoid beast''s thick skin.
"I''m working on it, I''m working on it! Just don''t get punched again!" A dwarf in black leather laughs as he makes throwing motions with the pick held in his hand, each movement sending a magical attack in the monster''s direction. He lights up the arena with more than just the glow of magic as he does so, with glints of red, green, and purple in his mouth catching the torchlight as he moves.
"It''s hardly doing any damage at all! If we need to wait for you to crack it open, we''ll be here all day!" Tassa growls as she dashes forward with her great axe held in both hands, swinging it at the back of the sprite''s knee. It actually manages to sink an inch or so into the stone, but the weapon gets caught as the limb flexes, and the minotaur finds herself knocked to one side before she can recover it.
The Ranger grips her left arm as she stumbles away, pain evident in her face, and as she grimaces a second, much taller minotaur woman comes up behind her. Before Tassa can push her away she finds herself caught up in a grapple she''s unable to escape. "Gah! Must you do this now!?"
"Stop squirming and let me hug you! You really want to wait until after the boss fight to get healed up? You won''t live long like that! Comforting Hug!" The larger woman laughs as she casts her magic, her pink-accented Cleric''s robes billowing as healing and warmth flow into Tassa and her injured limb.
"Seesh, you two, get a room already!" Beatrice jokes before throwing a pair of alchemical bombs at the monster''s feet, trapping them in a thick, sticky mud. With her target slowed she moves to flank it before slamming into it at full force with her shield, not even bothering to use her sword, but the creature seems as unaffected by the attack as it has been by anything else she''s done. "Gods, I''ve fought elementals who weren''t this tough!"
The dwarf with crystal teeth laughs again. "This ain''t no bottom-tier sprite, lass! You''ve done well enough, though - watch a dwarf master at work!" After taking careful aim, the man launches three more mystic picks at the monster, and then almost without warning the stones making up its body crack and split. With a thunderous sound the heavy rocks crash to the floor, and the moment the sprite''s core becomes exposed Beatrice seizes the moment and smashes it. There''s a brief flare of energy, but a moment later what remains of the body degrades even further, disintegrating into little more than a pile of gravel.
"Huh, nice! Though I think you mean dwarf Expert, right, unless I heard you wrong earlier when you described your class, Gemtooth."
The dwarf rolls his eyes as he tucks the one physical pick he owns into a holster on his belt. "Pfft, stop being so literal! Yes, Arcane Rogue is an Expert-level class, but it ain''t the class that teaches you how to break apart stone! That''s the skill that comes from generations of mine craft!"
If he''s about to make any further boasts, it''s halted by a pained yelp from Tassa as a broken bone in her arm suddenly snaps back together. "Ah! Gods, that...well, I suppose it didn''t hurt much, but that was distinctly uncomfortable." Turning her head, she eyes the woman holding on to her. "You can let me go now, Janey. I''m entirely healed now, thank you."
Janey steps back with a smirk, but she doesn''t move very far. "Are you sure? I could do a more complete examination, just to be certain..."
Beatrice sighs. "Easy now, Ironhoof, or I''m going to start seeing why you had so much trouble finding a party. I have to admit, I didn''t think Embracing Acolyte was going to be such a literal class title. Do you really have to hug people to heal them?"
The minotaur rests one hand on her hip as she raises a finger into the air. "Not at all! ...I do require physical contact, though, ah...specifically enough of it to break down the outer barriers to a person''s soul. Kissing on the lips or some other suitably intimate area would work, but I could heal practically anything if I were to - " Tassa quickly cuts off any further explanations.
"We won''t be doing any of that, thank you - especially not in a dungeon! I have to say, now I''m even less surprised I''ve never seen a follower of the Goddess of Love in a dungeon before. Someone dying of blood loss from a lost leg would hardly be in a condition for your - your treatments!"
Janey frowns, but the dwarf speaks up in her defense. "Well, it ain''t like many other Expert-level healers would be able to fix that either, now could they? And the obscenely-sized lass did warn us about her methods before we took her on."
"Obscenely-sized!? My my, Gemtooth...you just say the kindest things." As the dwarf''s eyes go wide Janey scoops him up with both arms before pulling him into an amount of cleavage that nearly matches his own body mass. "Thankful Hug!"
"That ain''t a spell, you oaf, that''s just you making up hugs!" The man struggles for a moment before soon deciding that he''s okay with this situation, actually, and he gives Beatrice and Tassa a smug look as they stare up at him. "...Not that I''m complaining. And hey Tassa, don''t go writing off her abilities in a dungeon just yet, now - I''ve been hearing there''s a new dungeon down south that actually encourages such things, you know."
Beatrice raises an eyebrow. "Oh, um...you''re talking about Worthy Dungeon, right? I''m actually familiar with the place, although I left before that uh...special floor got added. Somehow it doesn''t surprise me, though."
Janey''s expression grows excited as she plants Gemtooth back on his feet. "The Dungeon of Fertility! It may be in service to Kahlia, not Taina, but I would very much like to see it one of these days. The goddesses do work together often, you know, it makes me wonder if perhaps Taina herself might one day give one her blessing. If I hadn''t already been a Challenger, hearing about the new dungeon would have certainly encouraged me to become one!"
Contrasting her excitement, Tassa grumbles as she begins to sort through the arena''s loot chest. "Worthy Dungeon, you say? I...would like to visit the place, but in the far future. Not until I''ve advanced my class quite a bit further, certainly."
Gemtooth snorts as he comes up for his own look at their prizes. "What? It''s brand new practically, only got what...four floors? Five if you count that ''special'' one? You don''t need to be a Master to take the place on, you know."
Tassa sighs before responding. "It is, but...a man I knew fell in that place. I need to be ready before I face it myself, and I don''t simply mean my combat abilities - although those as well, of course. But no, I need more...experience, more wisdom before I go in there."
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Beatrice nods, gently patting Tassa''s shoulder with an armored hand. "It...does have a sizable body count for its age, or so I''ve heard. If you''re looking for wisdom from stabbing monsters though, I feel like I can speak from my own experience - you''re not going to find it that way." She smirks at her own comment - although she''s entirely encased in metal at the moment, all of her party members have seen hints of the scars she carries from years of monster slaying.
"Perhaps. But I wasn''t going to find it in the Valleylands army either, so perhaps I''ll just have to wander further until I do. Now...shall we attempt one more floor today?"
Janey throws a fist into the air. "Let''s do it! But before we go, does anyone need a Blessing of Taina? You can even keep some of your clothes on for some of them!"
"Taina! No, don''t touch!"
The Goddess of Love narrows her eyes at her friend. "Come on, I''ll be gentle. It will be fiiinnnne." She looks up at her friend''s face, a task which would likely cause neck pain in most mortals, given that she has the form of a four-foot-tall dwarf and her fellow goddess is pushing ten feet in height.
Kahlia growls down at the shorter deity. "I need to ensure it lasts until Palain gets here! I''m supposed to believe if I let this out of its containment field for two seconds you won''t just be slurping it up like - oh!" The Goddess of Fertility interrupts herself as she spies another visitor to her Garden, this one in the garb of a human man with a bronzed tan and tussled, sun-bleached hair. His simple laborers'' clothes leave his arms bare, exposing muscles formed by a lifetime of hard labor, and both Kahlia and Taina find themselves taking a moment to admire the new arrival.
He greets them with an easy smile, stopping first to lean over and say hello to the pink-haired dwarf, marked further by small heart tattoos on each of her cheeks. "Well, if it isn''t my favorite Goddess of Love! I haven''t seen you in the Garden for an age!"
Taina rolls her eyes, though she does blush a little. "Oh please, it hasn''t been that long. Though it''s not my fault Kahlia never throws any good parties here. I wonder why you even keep this dimension around, sometimes."
"The whole point of the place is for quiet contemplation! Palain at least appreciates the concept, isn''t that right, my dear?" This time it''s she who leans over, planting a kiss on the man''s lips. As she does so, Taina doesn''t even bother to hide the fact that she''s staring down Kahlia''s divine cleavage for the duration.
"You have a green thumb to rival my own, my lovely. Although Taina is partially right - you haven''t arranged a meeting here, even a small one, for a very long time."
Kahlia nods as she stands back up, growing more serious. "The place did seem thematic for the topic of the meeting I called you both here for. Did you know that the master of the new dungeon is a reincarnator? She actually spent a century or so here once as my own guardian."
Palain looks surprised for a moment, before switching into a laugh. "Wait, so that''s why you finally got yourself a sponsored dungeon? I know you''ve been trying for a few years now, I didn''t think that there would be a connection like that, though. What odds!"
Taina shares in the surprise. "That is a wild coincidence. Outside of those cases where a whole group or family line or the like gets cursed, reincarnators are one in a billion, aren''t they? Does that have something to do with tonight''s meeting?"
"The incredible part is, she didn''t even know of our relationship before asking me for a Favor! The odds truly are astounding. But no, that''s not actually what I called you two here for today."
Palain''s expression turns more inquisitive, as he stares at a glowing orb floating behind Kahlia. "Something to do with that, then? Some new project?"
Kahlia shakes her head as she turns around to face it. "No - someone else''s, I suspect, and an old project. A week ago, one of my Paladins offered me a gift of power - this collection here is divine mana pulled directly from a divine elemental."
Her fellow gods both freeze at the description, with Taina being the first to exclaim. "That - that shouldn''t be possible! We keep a lockdown on that shit, all of us! Who''s sprung a leak?"
"I''ve spent the past few days investigating the region, and there are no leaks from any divine planes, at least not at the moment. However, I believe it may have been created centuries ago - a lost project of the first dungeon."
As Palain sighs, Taina grumbles again. "That place? What a fucking mess! I remember back when it started making elementals in the first place - do you recall, the Dungeoneers had to invoke a whole new set of rules and re-establish the species elsewhere? They should never have been allowing mortals access to the prototype!"
Palain chuckles, a little ruefully. "Oh, they did have earlier prototypes, but they were such a mess they never even made it to mortal eyes. But yes, if the dungeon somehow gained access to divine mana, that''s another oversight someone ought to answer for. At least it is shut down now, but then how did this elemental arise after so long?"
The Goddess of Curves sighs. "As you know, Worthy Dungeon is located atop the old site. It''s expanding into what ruins remain, and it seems that on occasion adventurers are wandering about the place and stumbling onto things. Unfortunately, this isn''t quite the end of it - the elemental was destroyed, but one of its bosses recovered the remains of its core and took them home - Worthy Dungeon is now capable of spawning divine sprites."
Taina groans, falling back onto her butt as she grips her head with her hands. "Divine dungeon monsters! This is terrible! Awful! ...Actually, I don''t know. Is that a problem?"
"I don''t know! Some dungeons have divine servants as part of various Favors, but I''ve never heard of one that can spawn divinely-aspected minions at will before! But of course, I''m not a dungeon expert. I don''t suppose either of you know of such things?"
The other deities shake their heads. Even within a pantheon, gods tended to have their various factions. There were the usual Dark Gods, of course, those not invited to the polite parties and drunken orgies, and who usually had to settle for niche cults for their worshipers. The three present were all generally part of the Guidance faction - those gods who believed in providing a helping hand, and working to ensure at least a minimal level of comfort for their devout. The Dungeoneers, on the other hand - those gods most directly involved in the design of dungeons - were almost all part of what those present would call the Musclehead faction. While some were in fact rather intellectual, they tended to believe more in the ''rise or die'' sort of philosophies, the sort of thinking that tended to create great champions at the cost of hundreds or thousands of deaths. Palain frowns at the thought of needing to interact with some of their number.
"I wonder if the Muscleheads know about this sort of thing, and just never mentioned it. Something of an embarrassment, I suspect. But then, the first dungeon predated most of their involvement, didn''t it? Who would have worked on that one?"
Kahlia pauses for a moment of thought. "There were perhaps half a dozen or so? I didn''t pay much attention at the time. Both of the war gods, I believe. Ulinda, Goddess of Crafts, and Garre, God of Monsters were probably involved. We should try and talk to them, I think."
The Goddess of Love bares her teeth. "Do we have to? Ugh. Garre stopped taking my calls after my worshipers started collecting one of his tentacle monsters for pets. Is this even a concern of ours?"
"Perhaps not for you two, but I am invested in dungeons now, you know! I''d like to have some heads up on what my favorite dungeon might be in for!"
At that remark, Taina grins. "Fair enough, fair enough. You know, maybe I should try and get into the business as well, now that I''m hearing how it''s been working out. I''m still not into the violence so much, but there could be potential..."
Palain lightly scoffs. "You''d probably have to talk to the Dungeoneers about it just to get them to design a whole new set of rules for yours, given how you''d want things to go. But very well, I am curious. Sadly, harvest season is just around the corner, so I may be a bit busy in the near future."
"No rush, no rush. I believe that dungeon master of mine can handle at least a few months without disaster, I''m sure..."
Chapter 127: A Roll of the Dice
Lyota Silverstar was fine. Okay, yes, she was a little irritated, but that was for perfectly understandable reasons. The rabbits and flying lizards had been rather annoying to have to hit and kill one by one, though at least they had not been particularly durable. Exploring the forest for the bridge key had also been slightly frustrating, and even a little alarming when the party found themselves swarmed by particularly agile shades. However, that at least had not been so bad as the demoness had first feared - Lionel''s bardic music had actually proven quite adept at slowing or even stunning the undead, leaving them relatively easy prey for the team''s magical attacks.
However, Lyota was very definitely not feeling any adverse mental effects from the stench of sin she could still detect around her. Very certainly not. With over a full day spent in mediation, a practice the Lasher hadn''t had to engage in for years, she now had full control over her emotional state and her metaphysical hunger. It helped that they had taken the shortcut portal down to the fourth floor and so they had not spent much time in the dungeon yet for the day, but even so, Lyota was still slightly worried about what the effects might be as she got closer to the dungeon core.
For now though, as Wetears was keen to remind her, they had more immediate concerns on their minds. "So, glorious team leader mistress, we ready to take on this boss, or are we just gonna stare into the mist for a while longer?"
The demon shakes her head before shooting the goblin a look. "Just preparing myself - which I hope is the case for all of you, as well. The monster ahead has been rarely challenged, so we may not have a complete grasp of its dangers. We do know that it is a form of shade, so we at least have had a bit of practice for such a foe. Fatestealer, do you believe you can repeat your trick against a boss-level opponent?"
The incubus winces slightly, a less-than-promising response. "Can I affect it? Most likely I could, yes. Lock it down as I did the lesser creatures? The odds are low...but of course, I do have means to beat the odds, if pressed to it."
Barny chuckles, showing off a snoutful of sharp teeth. "Oh, are we finally going to get to see the ''Gambler'' part of your Gambler Bard class at work? I was wondering exactly how that works. Especially outside of an actual card game."
Lionel smirks slightly, but the man doesn''t seem particularly inclined to try and show off. "It''s a powerful thing, to manipulate luck, but a difficult one. Fate is the domain of the gods, after all, and if you wish to challenge their domain there are always...costs."
Lyota peers at the man. "Explain, then. I assume these costs must be worth it, or you would not have bothered acquiring these skills?"
The man nods. "Often, but as the name implies, it''s always a gamble. I have the ability to, among other things, gain a great amount of luck for a single attack, whether it''s my own or someone else''s. Or in other cases, to cause terrible luck for a foe. However, it''s a debt, not a gift - the luck will need to be repaid in equal measure, and not at a time of my choosing. In the long run, if used at the correct moment, it tends to pay off! But then I must spend the rest of the day, or the week, feeling as if I have a sword hanging over my head, haha!"
"I see. Well, do not use it lightly, then - but if you have the ability to stun the creature at a key moment, then do so. We''re nearly at the end of the dungeon, so hopefully any blowback will be at a less violent moment. Follow me." With nothing further said, Lyota steps into the mist, her hand already on her whip. As the party steps into the cemetery-themed arena, she keeps her head on a swivel, but her senses fail to detect the boss she knows is present.
"I feel this monster has killed before, but still very rarely. I cannot find its hiding spot, dungeon monsters being what they are."
A deep voice behind her makes her twirl, though fortunately the boss takes the opportunity to taunt the group rather than to immediately attack them. "YOU SEEK TO JUDGE ME FOR MY CRIMES, PERHAPS? IRONIC. IS THERE ANYTHING FAIRER THAN DEATH? THE HATED AND THE BELOVED FIND EQUAL PEACE IN MY EMBRACE."
As Lyota spots DEATH OF RABBITS, forming from the dark mist at the edge of the arena, her mood slips further into irritation. "Pfaw! What is this, a stage performance? YOU THINK TO TAKE ON THE ASPECT OF DEATH ITSELF? THE RESPONSIBILITY AND AUTHORITY? A FALSE CREATION OF A DUNGEON WEIGHTED BY ITS SINS? I KNOW CHILDREN BETTER SUITED TO JUDGE A LIFE THAN YOU." Even as she responds Lyota mentally curses herself for slipping into the demonic tongue to do so - as if the act itself was somehow validating the role the boss was attempting to claim. "Bah, ignore him! Slay him where he stands!"
"YOU YOURSELF JUDGE BASED ON LITTLE MORE THAN YOUR STOMACH, AGENT OF FURY, WHEN YOU OUGHT TO BE USING YOUR EYES. WE SHALL SEE WHO IS SLAIN, AND WHO IS JUDGED!" With that the shade leaps forward, swinging his scythe, but he''s immediately forced to dodge as an array of light beams crisscrosses the field. From behind a larger statue of a rabbit, Passy shouts.
"He''s undead, alright! I''ll need to hit him with something focused to burn through a boss, though, so try and keep him pinned down!"
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"On it!" Wetears repeatedly slams his weapon against his shield as he charges in, creating a mystical shieldbrother at his side each time he does so, and his group quickly forms a wall between DEATH and the party''s ranged members. The monster attempts a single attack, but when the shieldwall easily blocks him, he glides back and gives Wetears as much of an unimpressed look as his bony face can manage.
"STATIC DEFENSES. I HOPE YOUR FALSE FRIENDS ARE QUICKER ON THEIR FEET THAN YOU ARE." Before the goblin can reply, to his shock the boss leaps entirely over his head, landing between Barny and Lyota. The demoness needs a moment to recover, her weapon not being suited for such close-range fighting, and only Barny''s short height saves him as the kobold rolls away from a swing of the scythe. Wetears does attempt to turn and re-engage his opponent, but after a few steps he realizes to his surprise that he''s doing so alone. As he looks back, he spots his summoned soldiers fighting off a swarm of albino rabbits.
"What? Ignore those rodents, they can''t hurt you! Dammit, they''re too stupid to prioritize targets!" He turns back just in time to spot DEATH firing off a blast of dark magic in his direction, and while the goblin does bring his shield up in time, it''s no holy weapon. "Fuck! M''arm''s going numb just blocking that shit!"
While he shouts out, Lyota and Passy do manage to score a few glancing hits on the boss, but to little immediate effect, and the music Lionel plays to encourage his companions only just barely gives Barny the speed he needs to stay one step ahead of his own personal death. It soon becomes clear that DEATH''s managed to identify the party''s healer, and with Wetears entirely out of position, Lyota quickly judges that they simply have no way of slowing down the semi-physical creature. Sighing at the fact that it''s become necessary so quickly, she issues the Bard his new orders.
"Do it, Fatestealer! We need that boss stopped in his tracks!"
"As the lady commands! Fates curse my foe!" Rather than immediately get to playing a new tune, the incubus first pulls out a pair of dice from his vest - and then tosses them straight up into the air, high enough that they soon go out of sight. When he does begin playing his magically-enhanced melody, Lyota can feel there''s layers to it she hadn''t heard on his earlier renditions - a reverb within her soul, and not just her ears. As the intended target, it seems to affect DEATH even more strongly, and the boss halts with one hand placed against his hood-covered skull.
"THAT - THAT IS THE WORST MUSIC I HAVE EVER HEARD IN MY UNLIFE. NOW THAT IS A CRIME WORTH PUNISHING." Before he can do anything about it, however, Lyota and Passy both take full advantage of their opportunity. As the fury demon''s mystical whip wraps itself around him, further holding him in place, Passy unleashes a charged spell she''d been building since the start of the fight. Yet at the worst moment, whether it''s an effect of Lyota''s weapon or Lionel''s music, the boss collapses to his knees and the massive light beam only grazes him - with most of the magical attack striking Lyota instead.
Her armor takes the brunt of it, but the fury demon is unable to fully contain a scream as the imitation sunlight burns her face. Wetears does leap forward in time to block some of the last effects with his shield, but Lyota falls to her own knees as she reaches for a healing potion. "Passy! Watch your angles! Gah!"
Passy''s eyes go wide as she attempts to quickly shoot off a second attack. "I - I thought I was! You were - I swear I thought you were standing a few feet further away!" While she prepares, a pair of Wetear''s summoned shieldbearers finally make their way to DEATH, but an apparently blind scythe swing from the boss manages to carve its way through both of them. Their imitation armor should have held up to more than a single attack, yet it was almost as if they''d lined up so that their throats would be at the perfect height for the move. Wetears growls at the sight.
"The hell''d you do, Bard!? You call that giving him bad luck?"
The demon stammers a little in response, rather surprised himself. "The - the fates are often unpredictable, but I''ve never seen it play out quite like this! The effect should end in moments, however, if this is indeed an effect!"
Fortunately for the party, it takes DEATH several moments more to free himself from Lyota''s whip, still left entangled around him, and that''s all the time Passy and Barny need to hit him with a simultaneous mystic barrage. Passy''s second beam manages to hit its target this time, while Barny''s soulflame proves far more effective at burning the undead than any mundane flame ever could. With a demonic shriek the boss fades away into so much black mist, and the party rushes to see to their wounded captain.
Lyota does her best to restore some calm to her voice, as a splash of healing potion helps to regenerate her skin. "...Fatestealer. I find myself far less inclined to see you utilizing your more advanced techniques, if this is representative of their reliability."
"I...can''t entirely disagree, Soul Lasher. Unless the boss had an astounding amount of luck to start with, I cannot see how it managed two such effective moves while under the effects of my performance. That said, shall I play something to ease your pain?"
Barny waves the man away. "No need, music man. Fortunately, healing flames are actually quite effective at healing burn wounds. May I?" Lyota nods, and a few moments later her face is lit up again, this time by green-burning flames. She doesn''t cry out this time, however, and when the flames flicker out her red-skinned face barely shows a hint of sunburn.
"Thank you, Soulflame Wielder. An...unusual experience, but not an unpleasant one." Despite her words, Lyota''s face turns into a frown after she spends a moment in concentration. "Unfortunately, I do have unpleasant news. The Church of Bounty claimed the dungeon core was located below this island, but I can sense the dungeon''s sins are further away still."
Passy''s snout turns into a frown of her own. "You mean, like, the core''s managed to hide itself somewhere in the mountain?"
As Lyota recovers her weapon, she shakes her head. "No. It means that Floor Six has been completed, and awaits us now. None have yet seen it, but the former Association Rogue is said to be its champion." The stairwell leading to the tunnel below makes its sudden appearance along with the boss''s reward chest, but Lyota eyes it warily. "We will need your light, Solar Arcanist. Darkness awaits us ahead."
Chapter 128: Slimes and Ladders
The Domain party had thought that they had seen impressive floor entrances when they''d first made their way into Floor Four, but somehow the nothingness that greeted them as they exited into Floor Six stunned them even further. Always the first to try and add color to a moment, Lionel spoke for the group.
"Astounding. Stories have been told around the Lucky Bastard of the void within the mountain, and of the Valleylanders who were lost here. We did also see glimpses of it, through those windows placed along the second floor''s shaft. But actually standing out here with nothing but chilled, stale air around us...I don''t know whether to call it beautiful, or horrifying." The incubus takes a few steps forward, although his movement is limited - the entry platform only extends about ten feet out from the tunnel exit, and there''s not a single guardrail to be seen protecting him from the blackness beyond.
As Passy looks around, she has a rather different concern. "Um, I...I don''t get it. Where''s the actual floor? A dungeon can''t require that its Challengers can fly, right? I haven''t heard of even ancient ones doing something like that!"
Wetears rolls his eyes, and lightly bonks the green-scaled kobold on the head before pointing to their right. "Turn your head, Mage. The path''s that way, along the wall." When the group looks over they can see what he means, although calling it a ''path'' is perhaps overstating matters a little. There''s a gap between the entry platform and the next outcrop of stone, after which there''s a twenty-foot tall rock face with a crude ladder carved into it to climb. That section blocks their view of the rest of the floor, but as they peer around they can spot hints of further platforms along the way. As he looks down over that edge of their current position, Barny breathes a sigh of relief.
"Ah, thank the gods - there''s a safety net down there, if we miss the jump." To that, Wetears rolls his eyes a second time.
"Are you crazy, kobold? You trust that''s not a trap? Jump on down there and see if the thing actually catches you. Hells, the place might even have illusions for that sort of thing."
Lyota steps forward, taking charge of the situation. "Whether it''s genuine or not, ideally we should not put the matter to the test in the first place. However, we have one advantage - me. I can fly, and while attempting to ferry the team might be a bit much, I can at least scout out the path we''re meant to take. Hold your position - Passy, can you generate some more light? This should only take a moment."
The kobold does so, generating a pair of miniature suns within the void, one perhaps twenty feet away and another at her maximum range of over a hundred feet. While they still fail to light up the whole of the cavern, it does supplement the occasional dungeon torch fairly well, and Lyota feels confident as she takes into the air. She soars upward, getting a good glimpse of the next few sections, but within moments she catches the sudden whiff of a familiar scent, although she can''t quite place it. That brief second of warning however is enough to put her into alert as the first slime net flies her way, and the fury demon is lucky - only one of her wings gets caught.
Unfortunately, like most flying creatures, fury demons require two to stay in the air. With a sudden yelp the demoness plunges down, only to be caught by the safety nets she''d been warning her team about half a minute earlier.
Sable can barely keep her lips sealed as the giggles try to escape her mouth, even despite the panicking elf hissing into her ear. "Sable! We''re here to observe! You can''t - you could have killed that woman! What''s gotten into you!?"
"Oh, chill, Lilly! She''s fine, besides, ''sliming a fury demon'' is the kind of accomplishment I wouldn''t mind putting on my tombstone, haha!"
"And you''re going to have one of those sooner than you''re expecting if Elance finds out you were attacking Challengers! Besides, what if they decide to climb up here and stab you for it?"
Sable considers whether or not a fury demon might be the type to hold a grudge enough that they would climb their way up a sheer cliff wall to stab someone, and slowly nods. "...Might have a point on that, yeah. Alright, let''s portal out of here. Sincere, you can manage the slime cannons."
The Core Guardian finds himself unable to keep the smirk off his own face as he nods. "Of course, Paladin. I shall do my utmost to perform as effectively as you''ve demonstrated yourself."
Below, the extremely irritated fury demon finds herself barely mollified to find that convenient handholds were carved into the wall, allowing her to climb her way back up to the rest of her party. It still takes her several minutes more to clean the slime off of her wing, and her party members are shocked to find the marks the gooey net leaves on her skin - despite the acid burning away at her, Lyota barely let out more than a growl as she climbed her way back. Again, Barny takes charge of healing her wounds.
"Gods above, Silverstar, that looks nasty! And what a trap! I mean...what was even the trigger for it? A magical field? Usually a dungeon of this age should be limited to physical, mechanical triggers, don''t you think?"
Lyota continues her growling as she responds. "I have my doubts that it was a traditional trap. I sensed an intention behind it...I get the feeling that it was one I''ve felt before, but the overwhelming stench of the dungeon core is muddling my senses. I''m uncertain who it could have been."
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The goblin heavy rubs his chin. "Might''ve been the floor boss herself. You ever met her before she, you know, got this gig?"
The party captain shakes her head. "That occurred shortly before I arrived. Perhaps we met somewhere else in passing, but if so I do not recall it." She pauses, flexing her wing to check Barny''s healing work, then turns back towards the path ahead. "Well, it matters not. The important thing seems to be that we must challenge the floor as designed. I will lead, let me know if anyone has issue with the leaps or climbs, perhaps I can still manage a short flight if needed. But do not fall - that net''s supports creaked horribly as I climbed out of it, and I still do not trust the thing."
The group felt a little more confident after the next twenty minutes, as no surprise traps like the slime nets made their appearance. The first few jumps and climbs were a bit of an exercise, but nothing too difficult even for the kobold mages among the group. On the second climbing section a wave of dragonets attempted to assault the party, but to little effect - a flare spell from Passy blinded and disoriented the monsters, used to living in the dark, and that bought Lionel enough time to play a simple lullaby which lulled the creatures to sleep. Which in this case, caused the fliers to fall right out of the air and into the gaping void below.
As they reach the next section however the floor takes a turn - literally. Rather than more climbs or leaps along the cavern wall a tunnel digs into the mountain instead, leading to a room further in. Before anyone can take a step inside, Wetears lifts his shield. "Alright, hold now. My goblin senses are telling me there''s a fight ahead, you lot stay behind me, yeah?"
Barny gives him a disbelieving look. "Your...goblin senses. You mean your eponymous ears, perhaps?"
The man shakes his head. "Got the name for another reason, maybe I''ll tell the story later. But nah. Goblins got a sense for death, y''see. Natural selection - goblins used to have real short lives back in the day." He shoots the Healer a grin before making his way down the tunnel, shield held to block off most of the space despite his smaller stature. Once they enter the room ahead Lyota quickly moves to cover their flank, but the team barely has time to take any sort of formation before the monster within is revealed. Or rather, monsters plural, as four different creatures of bone begin to stir. They move on four legs, tails whipping behind them, but odd spikes seem to jut from their front limbs.
Quickly summoning his mystical support, Wetears shouts out an identification. "Bone Wyverns! Small ones, but they still got a bite on them! I''ll cover, you blast!" The enclosed nature of the tunnel makes for a perfect choke point, and with his ghostly goblins at his side Wetears is easily able to block three of the monsters as they rush forward, jaws and claws scratching at his shields. Mystical blasts of light and flame begin shooting over his shoulders within seconds, but Lyota takes a different tack.
Unable to properly use a whip with so many others around her, the fury demon rushes to the left side of the room, drawing a single undead wyvern along with her. There''s still not much room to move, and the chamber''s single flickering torch barely illuminates the space, but the experienced warrior makes it work for her. Rather than turn around and lash the monster with her whip, Lyota manipulates the magical weapon into leaving a lasso''s loop lying on the ground behind her as she runs. Within moments the wyvern''s stepped within it as it chases her, and it''s only then that the demon spins around. With a swiftness no physical lash could match, the whip ties itself around the undead''s ankle, and as the woman turns her momentum is carried through the apparently flimsy ribbon of light. The force is enough to send the creature slamming into a nearby wall, and before it can right itself Lyota turns the other way, flinging it into the crowd of its compatriots.
The skeletons were only being lightly damaged by the party''s quickly-summoned magics, with Wetears'' axe doing little more than keeping the monsters focused on him, but it was still the Challenger''s fight to lose. The wyverns seem too weak to actually break the goblin''s shield wall, and when Lyota''s attack turns the mass into a jumbled heap the encounter is practically already over. It''s a matter of moments for the group to score killshots on the stumbling monsters, blasting their skulls into fragments, and as the last one falls Passy actually seems rather disappointed.
"That was it? That was an undead dragon-type monster! With wings! And breath attacks, if light ones! How''d we take down four of them so quickly?"
The goblin chuckles as his summons once again fade away. "Don''t get fooled by appearances, now! Yeah, they were Bone Wyverns, but there''s grades, y''know. Dragons need magic to fly to start with, but if all you got for wings is bone then you''re entirely reliant on magic to get off the ground. Same for breath attacks. Give the dungeon another three or five years and that might be something to worry about, for now they just look scarier than they actually are."
Lyota nods in agreement. "Indeed. They were quite small for their kind, as well - even as nothing but bones, it should have been far more difficult for me to toss one around. It looks as if everyone is well - shall we proceed?" As the party nods, Lyota leads them onward, taking a second tunnel that leads back out towards the cliff wall. There more leaps and climbs awaiting, along with a second swarm of dragonet attacks, and eventually another chamber containing a swarm of hovering fire and earth sprites. The latter fight actually proves the most damaging to the team, as despite the sprites'' relatively lower power, Wetears finds himself having trouble blocking ranged attacks from creatures that hover at a height taller than he is. The few bruises and burn wounds caused by flung rocks and blasts of flame prove well within Barny''s ability to heal however, and the slowest part of the floor is simply the caution of moving between challenges one at a time, keeping a strong watch out for ambushes.
Eventually the party reaches a part of the floor unlike any other. It''s halfway extended out into the void, half dug into the stone, a semicircular platform jutting out on one side while a large dome''s worth of space has been carved out on the other. It''s clearly more treacherous than the other platforms they''ve faced, as obvious trap door arrangements are placed across the floor - with these leading to no safety net below that they can see. Beyond that, there''s an oppressiveness to the darkness in the area, with the torches lighting up the space seeming far dimmer than they ought to given their size. Although the meaning of it is clear to all, Lyota takes on the burden of speaking the obvious.
"The floor''s boss arena awaits us ahead. Again, prepare your magic and your shields, all - I suspect that the one that awaits us now is the most dangerous foe we''ve faced yet."
Chapter 129: Stage Debut
One by one, the members of the Domain''s Challenger party leapt their way onto the boss arena platform, a move that made more than a few of them sweat. While retreating from a boss fight is always a hazardous affair, the thought that they might have to do so while jumping and climbing makes this encounter feel particularly like a fight-to-the-death sort of situation. At the least the boss doesn''t make any attacks while the team forms up, or even reveal herself, giving Lyota time to issue a few warnings.
"Recall Fatestealer''s report - the Challenger who was resurrected as the dungeon''s newest boss was known to be a Midnight Shadow. Regardless of her form, be prepared for shadow magic and ranged archery attacks. She''s likely already here in the room with us."
Before anyone else on the team can respond, a voice echoes out from around the half-dome of the arena. Or rather, that''s Lyota''s first impression, but as she attempts to narrow down the voice''s source she realizes that through some trick, the noise is actually coming from multiple locations at once. "Ahhh, you''re spoiling it! I was hoping maybe my first announcement of my presence would be after I shot an arrow into somebody. Guess I should offer you congratulations, though - not only are you the first team to try Floor Six, but you''re my first dungeon fight! I was worried I might have to wait another month or so before someone got here, so thanks!"
Wetears grumbles as he once again forms up his shield wall of summoned spirits. "Okay, this whole ''reincarnated bosses'' thing is just kind of creepy - a monster shouldn''t sound so flippin'' cheerful!"
"You don''t like how I sound? Well, bad news then - you''re going to like how this sounds even less." Before the goblin can retort Taly''s speech turns into a cry. Not the piercing sound of a bird of prey, but more of a deeply disturbing wail - yet unlike any the party''s ever experienced before. The noise does hurt their ears, yes, but at the same time it seems to trigger highly disorienting emotions and memories. As the group wavers, feelings of despair and reminders of painful moments begin to occupy their full concentration. A potentially deadly distraction, as Passy and Wetears both begin to stumble, coming dangerously close to several of the trap doors built into the floor of the suspended platform half of the arena.
The wail comes to a halt not when Taly ceases her attack however, but when it''s overridden by a new sound. A sudden, clear trill from Lionel''s flute interrupts her call, and the incubus immediately follows it up with a tune that clears his teammates'' thoughts. The calming, peaceful tune seems entirely out of place in a dungeon fight, but the magical song does its work quickly and the entire audio contest lasts no more than twenty seconds. Lionel keeps his instrument handy, prepared to counteract whatever sort of revenge Taly might take out on him for ruining her assault, but instead the floor boss laughs.
"What are the odds! My first fight, and I get a musical opponent! Hells, I don''t think I''ve seen more than one or two Bards in town the entire time I''ve been here, what luck."
The demon chuckles, keeping his tone light even as he attempts to provoke the woman. "Perhaps not so surprising - luck is a favorite tool of mine. Shall we sing and see whose lyrics outdo the other''s?"
The disembodied voice chuckles back, but with a dismissive tone. "Hmmmm...nah. Haven''t had much time to practice those moves, and I think I''ll save it for someone easier. Good news, then - you get to face me with the skills I''m good at."
Before anyone else can answer, a pair of black arrows shoot out of the arena''s shadows, one at each of the kobold Mages. As swift as they are however the party was ready and waiting for an attack, and Wetears is able to block the shot at Barny with his shield while Lyota actually lashes the second out of the air with her whip. As she does so, the team captain shouts her orders. "Passy! Burn out the shadows, we need to find where she''s hiding! Bard, keep us light on our feet, so we do not fall for the traps! Barny, strike as soon as she''s revealed!"
As Lionel begins to play a dancing tune which seems to put a magical spring into their steps, Passy lifts both hands and shoots a ball of light from each. Rather than simply fly into the stone like a pair of fireballs, the spheres fix themselves along the roof of the half-dome, turning into bright points that illuminate the full arena. As they do they reveal that the presumably smooth wall of the arena is in fact dotted by a number of perches, and on one of those perches a woman with a black cloak and mask turns to hide her eyes.
"Gah, a Light Mage, too!? It''s like you bastards put together a team specifically designed to fuck with me!" Despite her brief blindness the banshee is still able to leap from her perch before Barny''s blast of soulflame can reach her, and even as she rolls onto the arena floor she still manages to fire off a shot that keeps the party on the defensive. With Wetears tied up defending the kobolds, Lyota takes charge of engaging Taly directly, and the demon quickly begins lashing her weapon in Taly''s direction.
"The party was formed before you even took up your role, former Field Inspector. But it seems to be a good matchup indeed - you were quite the rulebreaker in life, were you not?" The fury demon''s mystic weapon manages to latch on to Taly''s ankle after a few attempts, and as it does so the woman screams out in far more pain than a simple whip strike could account for.
"AHH! I wasn''t - wasn''t that bad! But that fucking hurts, and I ain''t the Masochist of the family, so fuck off with that shit!" Drawing a blade from her waist, Taly moves to slice off the whip holding on to her, a move which bothers Lyota very little. As a physical representation of Lyota''s demonic magics, there''s little most mundane blades would be able to do to damage it - and then she realizes a moment too late that Taly''s weapon is no normal knife. Even as it comes into contact with the glowing strand the metal is already taking on the form of a dark shadow, and to the demon''s intense surprise, a single flick of Taly''s wrist leaves the last few feet of the whip lying on the ground and fading into nothingness.
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"I - what? I''ve never seen anything but anti-magic spells disrupt a Soul Lasher''s weapon! What did you do!?"
Several more blades appear in Taly''s hand before she answers, each of them quickly flung towards various members of the party to keep them on the defensive. "You Domain types are good at soul magic, right? Manipulations of soul energy and all that? Well then you should know - shadow magic decays soul energy, haha!" Rather than return to a ranged engagement, Taly rushes Lyota and tackles her to the ground, keeping close enough that the demon''s whip will be of no use. She''s sadly disappointed to discover that the woman is plenty strong enough to handle a round or two of wrestling, as the pair roll across the floor.
"Decaying souls!? You were a monster before this if that''s the tactics you use!"
"Oh, please - it heals like any other wound! Unless I kill you, I guess." After that statement Taly distracts her opponent by slamming her head into Lyota''s nose, and as she straddles the woman she lifts her shadow-enhanced dagger high. Twenty feet away, her team freezes for a moment, wondering if they''re about to witness their captain killed in front of them.
And Taly hesitates.
Lyota''s first look is one of confusion, but as she glances at Taly''s eyes, she immediately realizes her opportunity. Slipping her own dagger from her waist, she manages to shank Taly in the side, and yet that only seems to make the banshee angry. "Dammit! Fine, you asked for it!" The boss once again lifts her blade high - only to wince as a pair of dice materialize from the air above her, before falling on her head and bouncing off. She looks around in confusion, wondering if there was a hidden party member sneaking behind her, once again delaying her foe''s execution.
This time Lyota''s party takes their chance without hesitation. Blasts of flame and light strike Taly in the head and chest, throwing her back onto the floor, and to add insult to injury Wetears even throws back a few of her own blades at her. It''s not enough to kill a Banshee Queen right off, but with no shadows left to hide in and her throat wounded in the first attack, the fight is essentially already over. The Rogue does manage to scramble to her feet, taking magical hits the entire time, but Lyota once again trips her to the ground with her whip, and this time Taly doesn''t get the chance to free herself. After a very intense round of arcane blasts from the party''s kobolds, Taly''s remains are little more than a smoldering pile on the arena floor.
While Lyota feels at her bleeding nose, Wetears eyes the dice lying on the ground. "Now, I ain''t seeing shit, right? Those are your dice there, Fatestealer?"
The man nods as he retrieves them, although there''s a look of concern on his face as he does so. "Indeed they are. They appeared at quite the fortuitous moment, did they not? Bad luck for our opponent, there."
"Yeah..." The goblin eyes the incubus. "Ain''t that backwards of what you said? I thought it was supposed to bring you good luck first, then pay you back in shit luck later, right?"
"That is how the magic was taught to me, and how it''s acted in every single instance I''ve used it in thus far. Perhaps it''s simply a very rare effect?"
Lyota returns to the conversation, after Barny finishes a very unusual treatment of shooting healing flames up her nostrils to fix her nose. "Hrmph...everything smells like smoke now, but thank you, Wielder. I did enjoy luck of the more mundane type, whatever the case might be with your magic dice. I could sense that the woman we fought has taken lives before...and yet she seemed unready to take mine. Another oddity of using reincarnated souls for dungeon monsters, I suppose, I''ve never heard of one having an issue with violence so far."
Wetears chuckles. "Might just be lucky cause we were her first fight, then. Well, anyhow - unless the dungeon''s got another surprise floor ready for us, shall we wrap this up?"
While the kobolds begin to check out the reward chest, Lyota begins making her way towards the exit at the rear of the half-dome arena. "Yes, let''s. I don''t know if we can expect violence from the Core Guardian, but - " As the fury demon crosses the threshold into the next tunnel, she suddenly grabs at her head with one hand while holding on to the tunnel wall with the other. "Gah! It''s - too much!"
Lionel rushes forward, helping her back into the arena. "What is? The feelings you were getting from the dungeon core?"
"Yes, it''s...there''s more than distance separating dungeon floors, the magical barriers along with my meditation were holding back the worst of it for me today. But the core chamber lies beyond and - and I do not know if I can proceed. If I encounter the core in person, I do not know if I can restrain myself."
Barny grimaces as he looks back at the path that brought them here. "Well, that''s going to be a problem. The exit portal out''s probably in the chamber itself, we''d have to go all the way backwards through the floor to get back to the one we last passed. And we can''t just, you know...not ever see the core chamber. Do you want us to make sure it''s clear, then you can like...rush through and out?"
Lyota grimaces, more than a little shame apparent on her face. "I - I won''t abandon my team just for the sake of my own weaknesses! Just - just give me a few moments to try and center myself..."
"And hope that you don''t lose control at the worst possible moment?" In shock, the members of the Domain party turn their heads to find a man waiting for them in the tunnel ahead - Sincere, looking more than a little sinister in the gloomy lighting of Taly''s arena now that Passy''s temporary solar spells have begun to fade away. Wetears immediately moves to defend the team with his shield, and shouts out a challenge to the arcane demon.
"Really? Too impatient to let the fight come to you? No worries, I don''t mind taking you on right here!"
Sincere simply shakes his head before responding in a calm tone of voice. "Not at all. It''s clear to see that things have become more...complicated. So, Soul Lasher Silverstar. How about you and I have a little chat?"
Chapter 130: Self-Control Issues
Lyota pulls herself to her feet, willing her spine to stand straight as she faces down the Core Guardian. She''d been a little uncertain as to whether or not her team would actually have to face the demon in combat - Core Guardians were often reserved as a combatant of last resort, only utilized when a core faced actual destruction, but it was hardly a certain fact of all dungeons. Having Sincere come to her and asking for a chat was certainly not at all what she had been expecting, however.
"Leaving your core chamber unguarded, aren''t you? Not that I exactly expect another party to slip us by, but I fail to see why we deserve the honor."
As she speaks, Sincere turns an appraising eye on her, and the fury demon returns the favor. She''d been briefed on the man standing before her, of course, and found herself somewhat surprised by how clean his aura appeared to be given his age. Some stains did fade over time, but not all, and many semi-immortals tended to build up a patchwork of sins just in the process of surviving so long. Then again - the oppressive nature of the dungeon itself was still interfering with her senses to a heavy degree. As for what Sincere finds in her, his expression indicates that it amuses him.
"We''re not all fools down here, you know. It''s clear that you''re representatives of the Dragonlord."
As Lyota freezes, attempting to come up with an answer, Lionel steps forward to play diplomat for her. "I''m afraid you are mistaken, honored Guardian. Yes, many of us are Domain citizens - but we are all registered members of the Challenger''s Association. For many years, in most cases."
Sincere turns his smirk on the incubus, and gives a light scoff. "A fine choice, to answer an accusation with a truth. Indeed, I expect you are indeed all Challengers in good standing. As would be required for your cover, of course. Come now - you clearly don''t have the camaraderie of an experienced party of old friends, and we''re to believe that five mid-and-high-level Domain citizens just happened to all end up in town at the same time and form a party together? Besides, it''s hardly as if we''re unfamiliar with the Dragonlord and their interest in our operations."
Lyota finally finds the opportunity to ask a question of her own. "Even if we were sent on behalf of the Domain - would that change anything in how we manage our business here? We fought through your challenges honestly, did we not?"
The arcane demon''s attention returns to her. "Of course you did. And no - you can expect no special considerations on behalf of your origins, as long as you mean no threat to the dungeon itself. We''ll neither go harder on you, or easier - if you should happen to fall on one of your scouting expeditions, the Dragonlord will simply need to send superior agents to replace you. We know for a fact that they do not particularly mind casualties." As he makes the reference to Cerise''s earlier visit, several members of the group noticeably stiffen, but Sincere shifts tracks before anyone can comment on it. "However, our primary issue at the moment is not the Dragonlord, or any particular snooping. It is you, Soul Lasher."
The fury bares her teeth, feeling somewhat insulted by his tone. "Me? I would not disobey orders - or Association regulations, for that matter - and I am honorbound not to destroy the dungeon''s core. Why would you single me out as a problem for you?"
"Because I understand your temptation. You could give your incubus friend there all the orders in the world to stay on task, but half a dozen slimes would easily distract him from any command. You could pay me a princely sum to not open a box labeled ''Do Not Open'', and at most I would last a week. In my old state, at least, I confess to not being exactly the same man I once was. But you? Your fixation on the dungeon when you arrived was not subtle."
"I..." Lyota attempts to deny Sincere''s statement, but it''s difficult for her on a number of levels. She could lie, as much as she dislikes the idea - being an agent of the Domain in foreign lands often requires lies of omission at the least. But aside from that, her own curiosity drives her to say something else instead. "Fine, yes! The master of this dungeon - what is she? How - it makes no sense! I have encountered serial killers with less weight on them than I feel here! And dungeons, dungeons serve a divine purpose, the lives they take barely touch them. What is wrong with this place!?"
She shouts out the final statement, and even her own party members wince at the display. Fury demons have a reputation for being rule-abiding sticks-in-the-mud in almost all situations...almost. It''s said however that in certain cases they can be driven to snap, and few survivors are left behind to describe just how their kind got their name. Sincere, however, appears unaffected.
"This is no normal dungeon, I will give you that. Even I don''t know her full history, and I admit that much of it is a mystery to me which I''d love to both savor and unravel. But what it is not, is any of your business. Your urges aside, your mission aside, you have no special authority or claim here. Therefore, in the interests of the dungeon''s well-being, and in my role as Core Guardian, I am barring you from entering the core chamber."
Wetears can''t stop himself from snorting at the statement. "You really think you could stop us, arcane? You could probably put up a fight, but I don''t think you could enforce a ban. Well-reasoned or not."
Sincere turns his eyes to the goblin. "Perhaps not - this time. But I imagine your task involves more than a single dungeon intrusion, does it not? I tell you this - if the fury demon takes one step into the core chamber, you will find your subsequent visits far less pleasant. Your shortcut portal access will be denied, and we''ll utilize every dirty trick to ensure you never get this close to it a second time."
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Wetears is about to snap back at him, but Lyota motions for silence as she forcefully wills away the sneer on her own face. "You...you make your point, Core Guardian. What now, then? Do you demand that we reverse our course?"
The man shakes his head. "We''re not unreasonable. We''ll place down an exit portal for you here, and your team is welcome to visit the chamber and receive your final rewards. You may even visit Floor Five, if you wish - I know some of your party at least enjoys the amenities." He shoots a smirk in the direction of the kobold pair, and they suddenly grow a little sheepish at the reminder of the dungeon''s lack of complete privacy. "The chamber ban only applies to you, specifically."
Lyota wants to argue further, demanding her rights, but somewhat to her own surprise she finds that she mostly feels...relieved. She truly wasn''t entirely sure whether or not her mediation and willpower would be enough to keep her from violating her orders, and now at least it seems she won''t need to find out. Still, she''s hardly about to thank the man for his harsh words. "I understand your position, and agree to your terms. But there may one day come a time when I am obligated to proceed further, and if so - you will not stop me."
Sincere''s smile only grows at the threat. "Well. You are certainly welcome to try."
After the party takes their final treasures and exits, under the close eye of Sincere, the Core Guardian and his master spend a bit more time waiting together in the Floor Six boss arena. Lollyp was fortunate in that her apartment was technically a hidden part of her arena, and so she could choose to respawn in her own hammock. Floor Six lacks any such luxuries however, and when the Banshee Queen finally reappears in the center of her arena, the woman is more than a little unsteady on her feet.
"Whoa! Ah, fuck! I think that actually hurt more than the first time!" Taly spins slightly, catching her balance, and catches sight of Sincere and Xenia standing off to the side. "Ah...hey, guys. That was...dammit, how many shots did it take for them to finish me off? Like seven? I almost wish they had more punching power, if I''m gonna lose a fight anyhow."
Xenia gives a half-smile in response as she looks Taly over. She was once again in her ''default'' Banshee Queen garb, her mask and bow missing, but she otherwise appeared in good health for a dead woman. "It was a bad match-up, that''s for sure. Light magic versus shadow and a Bard to counteract sonic attacks? Literally got lucky, too, that''s gonna be an ability to keep an eye on. Feeling alright? If it makes you feel better, Big D got stuck fighting a bunch of anti-undead holy types his first fight, too."
Taly nods, as she looks over her body to confirm her status. "Yeah, and honestly, it probably didn''t even hurt as much as it should have, given it was fire attacks and all that. Still, was kind of hoping for a more impressive showing for my big debut."
Xenia nods, but repeats her question after a short pause. "You...sure you''re feeling alright?"
Taly raises an eyebrow. "Eh? Yeah, should I not...oh. You''re asking about how I, uh..."
Sincere fills in her statement for her. "You chose to let the fury demon live. It''s not necessarily an issue, Lollyp makes choices like that every day. Assuming it was a choice."
The Rogue sighs, before taking a seat on a ledge running around the half-dome of the arena. "Thanks for putting it in a good light, but...no, I get why you''re concerned. It wasn''t a choice. I choked."
Xenia takes her time as she walks over, claiming a seat next to her floor boss, before looking into her eyes - or as best as she''s able, given Taly''s inclination to look away. "Sure, we''re concerned. But not because we''re worried about you being a bad dungeon monster, or something. I want to make sure you''re alright. You might have technically chosen this gig, but you didn''t exactly have a lot of real choice to make there. I don''t want to force you into something you''re not ready for."
The banshee gives a rueful chuckle, shaking her head. "It''s so fuckin'' weird! It took me by surprise, you know? I mean, let me put it like this, alright? I told you - I got my start in this career protecting Sely from bandit ambushes and shit like that, right? Meaning, I didn''t start off with killing monsters - my first kill was a gnoll. Gnolls and humans, those made up most of the highwayman population around Highfalls. Outside of maybe some of the soldiers? I think I probably had the highest killcount of people, out of anyone down in Grassbrook before I came here. I''m - I''m a killer, when I have to be. But I''ve never frozen up like that in the middle of a fight before! Not even my first time!"
Xenia considers that, and purses her lips. "Sure, there''s that. But it ain''t all the same, is it? Bandits generally got it coming, and you were protecting your sister. But Challengers? Even ones doing it as a cover story for their side gig? You were a Challenger. And this wasn''t a kill squad, at least not this time. There''s not strictly a need for you to take lives, not like if it was your sister on the line, anyhow."
Taly''s face turns to one of confusion. "Isn''t there? We need kills to grow. We need to not have a reputation for just letting people wander on in to the core chamber. We need to be ready for if those Domain denizens do get orders to crack you open. You haven''t gone pacifist since we last talked, have you?"
"I haven''t - just saying, I understand the hesitation. You''re right, there is a need, for all those reasons, plus the Dragonlord''s expecting us to keep showing our strength. But just because you''ve killed people doesn''t make you a killer. If you''re not comfortable - we could switch you up, put you on one of the less-lethal upper floors and bring Lollyp down here, or something."
"No! I don''t want to make someone else carry my burdens for me. Lollyp...maybe she is better at it than me, but I know it''s not nothing to her, either. I''ll toughen up, I will."
When she answers, Xenia''s smile is still a bit on the sad side. "Wish I could go a bit easier on you, but the job is what it is. You''re in luck though - if you''re up for it, I think I do have some training ideas in mind for that."
"Well, I''m not looking forward to that at all...but, um." Taly sucks in a breath before asking her next question. "Speaking of being ready to kill...why is that fury demon so hungry for you? I know you''ve fought a lot over your lives, but that was mostly Hero or adventurer stuff, right? Normally that kind of violence doesn''t set them off so much, or so I''ve heard."
Xenia''s thin smile fades as she hears that question. "I...you''re right on that. There''s a difference between having a body count, and having...the weight of sins, or whatever she fuckin'' called it. I ain''t...always been on the side of the angels, Taly. More often than not, yeah, but not always. And I ain''t ever been to a hell, so I guess I''ve never properly settled the debt."
Taly looks a little uneasy at the semi-confession, so Sincere asks for her. "Is it...something you''d like to talk about, Xenia?"
The dungeon master''s smile returns once more. "Nope!"
Chapter 131: How to Take a Life
The next day for Worthy Dungeon was a day of death. Perhaps surprisingly, only one of those was the death of a Challenger - an Advanced-class human Mage who found themselves impaled by one of Dips'' javelins. No further parties attempted the dungeon after that, which was unsurprising - the Challengers community around Grassbrook was still small enough that every death could lead to a lull in attempts for at least a day or so. The rest of the day''s deaths were still to come, though.
Sable Bluehair stared into the eyes of Sable Bluehair, and shivered. "Whoa. I don''t know if I should be getting creeped out about this, or horny."
The second Sable grins back, but with a certain amount of toothiness that the original would never display. "Both would be good options, yes." She pauses, then as a realization crosses her face, she amends her statement. "Actually, no. Do not become horny for me! I can already feel the urges spreading and they are extremely disturbing! I would like to request the removal of my genitals, please."
Xenia sighs, a sound heard only by the second of the Sables. "Dunno if I can do that, Dips, I...actually, maybe I could? Is it kind of weirder that False Mortals do have genitals than it would be if they didn''t? Are the gods expecting that people - no, I don''t wanna finish that thought. But just power through it, alright, this probably isn''t going to take that long."
The false Sable grumbles as she begins to pace around Taly''s boss arena, the eyes of many following her as she does so. It was quite the gathering of dungeon residents, split into three general groups. In the center stood Xenia, Guy, and Sincere, examining Xenia''s latest brilliant idea. On one side of the arena stood Sable, Taly, and Lilly, and on the other stood...Sable, Sable, and Sincere. Or rather, Tank, Dips, and Lollyp, recently resummoned into False Mortal forms and provided with Illusionary Demon spells to take on appearances that were somewhat less disturbing to look upon. Xenia claimed it was because using pre-existing appearances was faster for her, but more than a few of those present had suspicions that she just wanted to see three Sables in a room together.
Lollyp-Sincere steps forward, and as she speaks her voice sounds much like Sincere''s, although the tone is all slimegirl. "I - gah, almost tripped again! Is it alright if I just stand in one spot and start blasting spells and stuff? I mean, how do you even move around with all of these bones!? I tried to move sideways a little and I felt like I almost broke something in my knee! Do I really need bones for this?"
Xenia nods. "I think so, yeah. Not saying anything against slimes, but cutting open a slime isn''t that big a deal given that you can see a slime''s insides all the time anyhow. Blood, guts, flying limbs, that''s the stuff that gets the heart pumping!"
Lilly, unable to hear most of the conversation going on, asks a question to clear up some of her confusion. "I''m sorry, but why is it that you needed to, ah, re-body all your floor bosses for this training session? I thought one of your main issues with your False Mortal monsters was that they were much weaker than a normal monster form. Isn''t this making it too easy on Taly?"
Taly sighs as she takes charge of explaining to the mortals. "The difficulty isn''t supposed to be in the combat. It''s about getting me used to, you know...killing Challengers. After my fuck-up yesterday. I don''t know if this will help, exactly, but I guess I can''t complain."
"Hey, don''t sell yourself short - even soldiers don''t usually have an easy time killing folks, even when it''s their own lives on the line." Lollyp moves to pat Taly on the shoulder, and instead practically slaps her in the face. "Gah! I didn''t - the arm is too heavy! Too much momentum!"
The Rogue chuckles at the attempted physical contact. "It''s the thought that counts, I guess. But uh...you ever have an issue with that sort of thing, Lollyp? You seemed to take to the place pretty easily."
The slime-demon grimaces, although it takes her three tries to get the facial expression right. "Well, I''m no expert on the matter, but I guess us slimes generally don''t feel the weight of it as much as some other folks. It''s not exactly that unusual for one of us to die before we''re even fifteen, you know? On the other side, I''ve heard there''s elf communities and the like who have total vows of pacifism, because they value life so much...not that we''re likely to ever meet one of those sorts. I do worry about it, a bit, but I''m pretty sure every single person I''ve killed here''s been older than the typical slime life expectancy. Twenty years isn''t a bad life if you do it right. It''s more than some people get!"
"I''m not entirely sure that helps me, but thanks."
Tank-Sable raises a fist as he provides his own contribution to the conversation. "Why should killing be avoided? When I claim a life - not that I have as often as I would like - it brings me sheer joy! Even thinking about it - now that I have a heart, I can feel it pumping with anticipation! And...and...ah! Why do my pants suddenly feel so confining?" As Sable stares on, a little wide-eyed, Tank reaches a hand into their pants to do their first undershorts rearrangement. "What is the purpose of this!? I wasn''t planning to attack anyone with it - or is this a form of special weapon?"
As Sable quickly pulls Tank and Dips aside to explain a few details about how to handle mortal anatomy - especially a mortal anatomy based on hers, Guy slightly sighs. "This is the downside of having reincarnated dungeon monsters, one must suppose. As you''ve seen, normally a monster takes on the traits required to suit their role. Doorman, as you''ve seen, is quite content with simply being a door. Likewise, our ''typical'' bosses like Tank, Dips, or DEATH are designed to kill. Thus, as you can see, they do enjoy it."
Xenia nods along, although not entirely in agreement. "Yeah, and if I was one of those dungeon-formed souls myself, maybe I would prefer that too. Now that I''ve seen what both types of bosses are like though...I think I''m really lucky that I do get reincarnated bosses. I mean, no offense to the duo or nothin'', but if I was gonna spend a thousand years in here with nothing but a full crew of Dips for company, I''d probably go nuts. I''m just hoping we can make it work without giving anybody trauma in the process."
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Taly chuckles. "Which is why you''ve decreed that today is ''Taly murders people over and over'' day, huh?"
"Hey, it''s - exposure therapy! It''s a thing! I mean, maybe doing it for murder is new ground, but I think it''s got potential!"
"I almost hope it doesn''t. But let''s give it a shot. How we doing this - three on one?" Taly readies her bow, prepared to take on as many opponents as she needs to.
"Let''s start if off easy, the point is for you to win the fight, after all. Dips! You''re up first!"
Dips lifts her sword and shield, a rough copy of Sable''s in appearance but without the holy enchantments. "Very well! Foul dungeon monster! I have come to stab and rob you! Prepare to be chopped into itty pieces! Rarrrrgggh!" Shouting her battle cry, Dips-Sable charges across the arena, preparing to swing her blade at Taly''s neck...and then falls dead at five paces, an arrow lodged into her eye socket. Her corpse actually rolls forward a few feet further, but she still fails to cross half the distance towards Taly.
Lilly gulps at the swift execution. "You, ah. You didn''t appear to have much trouble with that, Taly."
Taly lowers her bow, a little surprised herself at the speed of the ''fight''. "Yeah. Maybe we''re making too much of this? Though like I''ve mentioned before, it''s not like I''ve never killed someone. I guess...if we''re looking for differences, Dips was yelling and ranting at me, and swinging a sword in my direction. I''ve never exactly had trouble with taking down folks who''ve been acting like that. Lyota was half-disabled when I had my shot at her, you know?"
Xenia sighs as she manually despawns and resummons Dips, burning extra mana to speed up the dungeon''s automated boss reset system. "Yeah, think maybe we need to change up the scenario a little. Tank, you want to take a try? Try acting, uh...more pathetic."
Tank-Sable nods. "I shall base my performance on the most pathetic Challengers I''ve seen yet!" Keeping his sword sheathed, he approaches Taly at a comfortable walk, before falling to his knees in front of her.
"Oh, terrible dungeon boss! I beg for your mercy! Reflect upon my extremely attractive visual appearance, and the occasions on which we''ve performed sexual intercourse, and you will see that you cannot find it in your heart to slay me!"
Taly freezes, her eyes widening slightly. "...Someone told Tank about that?"
Sable-Sable gives an awkward grin. "...Was I not supposed to tell people about that?"
"I didn''t even know you were hanging out together! I mean, I''m not ashamed or anything, but - "
Taly''s rant gets interrupted by a comment from Xenia. "Tank is still alive, which means so far this approach is scoring way better than Dips''...somehow."
"Oh, right!" Taly raises her bow at Tank''s face and pulls back her arrow...and hesitates. "...Fuck! I''ve never executed someone before, even knowing he''s just faking it makes it tough. Hells, should I even be killing Challengers who are surrendering?"
Xenia actually needs a moment to think about it. "If it''s in the sense of ''I surrender my soul to the dungeon'', then no. We want boss applicants who go through the process we''re setting up. If it''s the ''please don''t kill me, I got children to feed'' sort of surrender...god, I guess I''ll leave it up to you. They did make the choice to come in here, and we do need the killcount, so I''m not gonna feel that bad about it, but I''m not going to force someone into going that far if you''re not comfortable. That fury demon wasn''t surrendering though, she was just at your mercy, which ain''t the same thing."
"Right." Taly takes a breath, and then plants an arrow into Tank''s forehead. "...I don''t think I would do that, normally, but you''re right. I should have killed that demon while I had the advantage and I didn''t, that was the issue."
"Hrmm, yeah." Xenia summons up a dagger, and tosses it at Lollyp-Sincere''s feet. "Lollyp, here''s the plan. You and Taly are going to knife-fight, no magic."
Lollyp grabs for the dagger a little nervously. "What? You''ve seen how I move around like this! I wouldn''t even beat actual Sincere in a knife-fight, let alone an Expert Rogue!"
"Exactly. Put up as strong a fight as you can, don''t surrender, but don''t feel bad if Taly kicks your ass. Now - go!"
Quickly setting aside her bow for her own blade, Taly rushes forward as Lollyp does her best to take a fighting stance. After closing the distance Taly backs off for a moment, allowing Lollyp the opportunity to make the first attack, and leaving herself dangerously wide open as she does so. The banshee is able to easily grab on to Lollyp''s arm and flip her over with her monstrous strength, and while Lollyp does manage to dodge Taly''s first knife attack she''s clearly immediately on the back foot.
She doesn''t even manage to fully stand back up before Tally''s stepped in and shanked her in one shoulder, and as the Rogue continues to move in for attack after attack, all of Lollyp''s combat skills are only able to just barely defend her most vital parts. Her False Mortal body lacks the endurance to withstand very many wounds, however, and before long she''s obviously flagging in her attempt to swing her own blade. One final side-step by Taly leaves her standing behind her target, one arm locking Lollyp''s weapon-arm in place while the other places her dagger against Lollyp''s neck. Lollyp attempts to escape the hold, or stab any part of Taly she can reach, but the former slime is simply too unfamiliar with the concept of a hold she can''t just slide out of. "I''ll - I''ll get you in a minute! Just...just gotta...fuck! Why is it so hard to move! And it hurts..."
Although it''s a hard show for anyone to watch, Xenia keeps her voice calm as she plays coach. "You have your opponent - but no Challenger is ever alone. You''ve got a short window before you''re surrounded and taken down."
"Gah! It''s just - any bandit I ever got like this would surrender!" She puts her blade closer to Lollyp''s neck, drawing a slight bit of blood from a faint cut, but no more than that. Sighing, Xenia turns towards the resummoned Tank and Dips.
"You two, go in, and don''t stop til Lollyp''s dead." The pair of Sables nod and charge, but before they can reach Taly, the Rogue gives a cry. With a sudden slash Lollyp''s throat opens up, and the boss tumbles to the ground, grasping at and choking on her bloody wound. The pair freeze as Xenia''s halt condition is reached, and Taly stares at her blade for a moment.
"I killed her. Yaaaaaay." Her voice is flat, lacking even a proper sarcastic tone, but Xenia puts some comfort into her own words as she walks over and pats her on the shoulder.
"It''s nothing to be proud of. To be honest, part of me''s glad that you are the type of person who wants to hesitate. And a bigger part of me hates that I''m trying to train it out of you. I wish this was an easier eternity I had to offer you. But what do you say? Do you think you can handle it, or should we find another floor slot for you?"
Taly''s eyes rise to meet Xenia''s, and the Banshee Queen nods. "I can handle it. I hope I never enjoy it, but...I can do it."
Xenia nods back, before resummoning Lollyp back to the arena. "Alright then. Next round then - from the top!"
Chapter 132: Trying Your Luck
While Worthy Dungeon was busy with the process of committing blue-on-blue violence, Lyota Silverstar was sitting alone at a table in The Lucky Bastard, wondering how in the hells she was going to write up her next report. Had she failed before she''d even begun? She and her team could surely still do the tasks required of them, it wasn''t as if one person being banned from the core chamber was a fatal wound to their mission, or such. But it certainly wasn''t good. They were supposed to be here on a long-term assignment, and now on their second intrusion one of them was already being singled out for specific restrictions by the dungeon?
Oh, and the dungeon was already aware that they were Domain agents. That, at least, was not her fault. Lyota could hardly help it if she''d been assigned a team of loyal Domain citizens, and that such a team tended to stick out in Rainlander territory. The Domain did of course have other agents, native-born citizens of the Kingdom of the Rainlands or the Valleylands. But such agents were fewer in number, and had to be carefully kept secret for more important tasks. Still, this didn''t appear to be a serious risk to the mission either, at least not at the moment. The dungeon didn''t appear to be actively hostile to Domain citizens, and as long as it didn''t tell anyone else, things were...fine.
It was still two black marks against the mission at such an early stage. Would they be able to work around them, or was Lyota going to be -
The fury demon''s thoughts are interrupted as the other demonic member of the party takes a seat at the table. "Afternoon, Captain Silverstar. You look even gloomier than usual today."
Lyota''s displeased expression doesn''t fade as she nearly growls at the incubus. "And I have good reason to be, Fatestealer. We have some good news to report, at least - we were the first party to experience the dungeon''s newest floor, and not only that, we cleared it on our first attempt with no casualties. Still, I worry about the impact of the Core Guardian''s words to us - to me, in particular. I may not be suited for command of this mission any further, or even to take part in it."
Lionel shrugs. "Well, I daresay your role is safe from the perspective of available alternatives. I am certainly no leader, and the kobolds are more interested in each other than the party or the mission, as I see it. And as for Wetears, well, the fellow keeps to himself even more than you do, which is saying something. Perhaps any of us could do in a pinch, but you still have my vote. Beats waiting around for someone else to be sent here, as well."
Eyeing the man a little suspiciously, Lyota poses a question. "You...actually wish for me to remain as party captain? That''s surprising - I''m aware that your kind and mine do not exactly get along. In fact, I encountered a quarter-succubus just the other day who practically attempted to crawl into the floorboards rather than spend time in my presence."
Lionel smirks. "I may be the epitome of the easy-going Bard, but life isn''t interesting without any struggles at all, you know. A little bit of conflict within a party is healthy, if you ask me. That said, it seems to me that you need a bit of...stress relief."
Lyota''s expression shifts, although the suspicion remains. "...Just what sort of ''stress relief'' did you have in mind, Bard?"
The incubus'' grin grows wider. "Well, I was thinking perhaps I might start by carving a bit of graffiti into this table here. Then you could take me up to your room for a bit of ''punishment'', and then we could follow that up by - "
"It''s not ''punishment'' if you enjoy it, Fatestealer."
Lionel claps a hand to his chest. "Of course! However, I am willing to put up with a bit of suffering, as long as, perhaps afterward, we could follow it up with - "
Lyota interrupts him yet again. "Get your urges under control, Bard. I''m familiar with the need to restrain myself until the proper time comes to feed. As for you, I''m certain you have a dozen candidates within this very building you could use to slake your lusts with, if you''re so ravenous."
The man actually seems a little hurt. "Well, certainly! I just thought that, perhaps...well, no matter. I''ll leave you to your gloom then, shall I?"
"Indeed, you shall." Lyota glares at the Bard until he makes his exit, before returning to her original train of thought. Well, that, and one other line of thinking. As if punishing a bit of graffiti would even be more than a snack...
Several hundred feet away, Elance was sitting in one of the observation seats next to the Association training yards, about to watch her prime applicant show off his skills. Trush was standing on one end of the field, swinging a wooden training axe, while at the other stood a pair of opponents, a set of half-elf siblings named Nalaff and Nalaney Greengrass. Normally, given that Trush was facing a one-to-four disadvantage in the number of arms on the field, this would be something of a bad match. However the older orc did have at least a few things on his side. For one, he was level 26 in his Shieldbreaker class, while the twins were still new to their Advanced classes, almost fresh from their training as a new Storm Cleric and Knife-Fighter Rogue, both only level 12. For another, like most half-elves the twin''s other parentage was dwarven, and they stood noticeably shorter than their one-armed opponent.
Still, the pair seem more nervous about hurting the orc than being hurt, as the brother of the pair calls out. "Are you sure you wouldn''t rather try this out one-on-one first, sir? Just to be on the safe side?"
Trush laughs across the yard. "Pffft, the day I can''t handle a couple newbies like you is the day I check into the invalid''s home! You want to even things out a little though, maybe take off a few of those luck charms you''ve got dangling around your necks, eh?"
Elance was a little curious about those herself - both of the twins were wearing three of the Worthy Dungeon luck charms, while most local Challengers rarely wore more than one, and even more rarely wore any at all during training. The sister sighs as she answers, though. "Trust me, if we took them off this would be far too easy for you. We need two or three of the things just to have an even playing field."
The orc raises an eyebrow at that, but shrugs. "If you say so, then. Mother, count us down!"
Elance does so, giving the two sides a countdown from her seat, and as the count runs out Trush and Nalaney both begin to charge forward. It''s Nalaff who attacks first however, summoning a small cloud above the field which shoots out a bolt of lightning in the orc''s direction. To her surprise the man actually parries it, blocking the shot with his axe, clearly an effect of some magical skill of his. The Church matron considers that an actual Elementalist would perhaps be harder to defeat, with a bit more ''oomph'' behind their attacks, but for a low-level Cleric to have offensive skills at all isn''t such a bad showing. Before she can spend more time considering the blessings of Roe, Goddess of Storms, Nalaney and the orc finally begin to engage in melee combat.
As a Shieldbreaker, Trush''s abilities are mainly those of a heavy designed to counter other heavies - blows which penetrate armor, disarm weapons, and provide increased protection against enemy blows. Most of that is wasted against the Knife-Fighter however, whose primary defense is apparently based around the idea of never getting hit at all. The half-elf easily dodges his first swing with the axe, but finds herself somewhat surprised when Trush manages to dodge her own attacks in turn. They trade swings like that for another minute, with Trush dodging or parrying two more bolts from the hovering cloud in the process, but Nalaney only scores two minor hits with her training blades over the whole duration.
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It is more than Trush manages, but Elance had spent some time studying up on Association training rules in preparation for these sorts of tests. Nalaney''s blades were light and only hit areas covered by Trush''s armor, and so as referee she judges that their effect would be rather minimal. The orc''s weapon is far heavier on the other hand, and even a single hit would likely be a ''fatal'' one. It''s likely for that reason that Nalaney focuses more on dodging than attacking, perhaps hoping to tire the larger orc out over time. It''s to everyone''s surprise though when Trush turns mid-fight, and hurls his axe - his only weapon - across the field at Nalaff. It surprises no one more than Nalaff himself, who doesn''t even attempt to dodge before the wooden weapon slams into his chest, knocking him to the ground with an ''oof''.
"Nalaff! What the hells?! That''s one for you I guess, Shieldbreaker, but now you''ve lost the match!" The sister charges forward again, perhaps expecting an easy fight against the disarmed orc, but her surprise is even greater than Nalaff''s when the orc manages to sidestep her and grab hold of her forearm. Swinging her around like a child, Trush tosses her once into the ground but without letting go, before stepping down on the half-elf with a heavy boot while pulling her arm upwards.
"Do you give, Rogue? I don''t mind dislocating your arm if needs be, haha!"
"No, no, ah, you - you made your point! I''m tapping out!" The woman winces as Trush lets her go, perhaps wondering if her shoulder isn''t already wounded as it is. Elated, Trush turns to face Elance in the stands - but before he can proclaim his victory a final bolt from the still-hovering cloud strikes the man in the back, sending him face-first into the dirt alongside Nalaney. Despite the groans from the field, Elance finds herself smirking as she begins writing her notes.
"Let''s call round one a draw..."
Later that afternoon and back at The Lucky Bastard, Alizz was taking a bit of a ''break'' from her office, sipping from a cup of tea as she did some light paperwork at a table. It wasn''t a true break - she actually had regularly scheduled hours which she spent here at the tavern at least a few times a week. While the Agent had an open-door policy more or less for Challengers, whether it was about updates on the dungeon or chatting about various Challenger issues, few people actually made the effort to step into the office when they had complaints. Here at the tavern however gossip easily spread from table to table, and adventurers who might never schedule an office appointment would occasionally have no trouble asking for a seat at her table for a few minutes, if they had some concern to discuss.
So it was that Alizz was not overly surprised when Lionel Fatestealer stepped forward, briefly blocking her light. "Miss Field Agent, might I perhaps borrow a moment of your time?"
Alizz looks up and nods as she sets aside her paperwork. "Certainly, please take a seat. I don''t suppose you''re here to file your team''s official report on Worthy Dungeon''s newest floor, by any chance?"
The man shoots her a grin as he slides into a chair. "New floor? I''m afraid I don''t know what you''re talking about, Field Agent."
The drider rolls her eyes, but doesn''t press the issue too hard. While the Challenger''s Association did offer rewards on new information about dungeons, reporting it wasn''t a strict requirement. Challenging could be a competitive field at times, after all, and information advantages could often be vital to a team attempting to make a living from the job. "If that''s the case, then perhaps you and half your team should mind your tongues better after having a few drinks at the bar here. Gossip does have a way of getting around, after all."
"I suppose it does, I suppose it does. But no, Field Agent - I was actually hoping I might have the opportunity to talk about you, if I may be so bold."
Alizz looks up. "Me? I - oh. No."
The incubus raises an eyebrow. "No?"
"I have worked in the Domain, Bard Fatestealer, and I am quite familiar with the sight of a sex demon looking for their next fix." Alizz''s eyes briefly glow blue, and she seems to study the man for a moment. "My, I''d say it looks like you haven''t recharged in...five days? No wonder you came my way. No worries, however - I am not interested, but I do not take offense."
Lionel actually feels a little off-balance for a moment, from the way she easily saw through him both in verbal and arcane terms. "...I perhaps wonder if maybe I ought to, though. Just because I am an incubus, doesn''t mean I only came here looking for sex!"
The Agent sips her tea before responding. "...Did you, though?"
"...Well, yes! If you must take all the fun out of things." The demon grumbles as he pushes his chair back. "Perhaps I shall leave you to your tea then, Field Agent?"
"Please, and thank you. Do come back if you wish to file that report, though." She gives Lionel a wink as he walks away, and the Bard decides he definitely needs another drink before he makes his next attempt for the day.
It doesn''t take long for someone else to catch the man''s attention, and coincidentally enough it''s another female drider who does so. She''s remarkably different from Alizz in many ways, however - younger, certainly, but also with a significantly different sense of style. Unlike Alizz''s bookish attire, the drider walking up to the bar now wears only a pair of sashes across her chest, baring quite a bit of midriff between them and the sash at her waist keeping her decent. She also gives off a hint of elemental magic about her, rather than the mana-heavy richness of Alizz''s arcane skills. Yet there''s something else about her that calls to the incubus, a sixth sense given to the man by his class training. Curious, Lionel decides to slide on down the bar and see just what that''s all about.
"Hello there! I hope you don''t mind me interrupting, but I haven''t seen you in town here before. I''d be happy to pay for your drink if you''d grant me a moment of your time."
The drider blushes as she turns towards him, and Lionel gets the definite impression that the young woman doesn''t get hit on often - perhaps not surprising for a drider in Rainlander territory. "Oh? Ah! You''re a, ah, you''re an incubus! Right? Or did I get that wrong?"
Lionel gives her a genuine grin, flattered by how impressed she seems to be to see him. "Indeed I am, and you of course would be a drider, aha? Lionel Fatestealer, Gambler Bard, at your service." He doffs his cap towards her with a flourish, and the drider''s blush only seems to grow.
"Oh, my. I, uh, I''m Slinz, Light Mage! I''ve been here before, actually - well, in town I mean, not this tavern, it didn''t exist at the time yet. We were last here...a bit more than two months ago?"
Lionel nods as he finally notices the charms hanging around her neck - Worthy Dungeon luck charms. "Ah, so I see. Light Mage, Advanced class...recently trained, I take it?"
Slinz nods. "Yeah, it was actually Worthy Dungeon that finally gave us the boost we needed to break through. We never had any luck anywhere else, but here...well, not every run went perfect, but we got some nice loot and training experience!" Her face falls a little as she continues. "We, um...haven''t had so much luck elsewhere since, though, so we decided to come back and see if things went better here a second time."
At the sound of the L-word, Lionel''s interest grows. "You keep referring to your luck - and I notice all the charms you wear. I assume you''re not talking in metaphorical terms?"
Slinz nods, a little sadly. "We, our party that is...we just seem to have the worst possible luck. Injuries, broken equipment, all sorts of problems. People actually started calling us The Miserables, and we kind of took the name ourselves. Except...for right here. Our first few runs in Worthy Dungeon went amazingly well. Now that we''re trained up, we''re wondering if we could even make it past Floor Three!"
Lionel actually feels a bit of alarm at that statement, knowing that most low-leveled Advanced don''t even attempt the third floor, let alone intend to complete it. Yet, as he spends more time in the drider''s presence, his skills continue to tell him that there is something more here than what there appears to be. "A solid ambition. Yet, allow me to explain something, my fine-legged friend. I am a Gambler, not only as a pastime but as a class, and I daresay I sense there is truly something unusual about your luck beyond just the charms you wear. Perhaps we could...help each other out, in a few different ways?"
"Help each other...?" Slinz trails off for a moment, before her eyes glance at his horns. "Oh! You ah...mean, help you with, um. Incubus things. Right?"
Lionel chuckles. "You could put it like that, yes. Although I think you''ll find that even that''s a mutually beneficial sort of assistance."
Slinz thinks for a moment before glancing around, perhaps checking to see if anyone else from her party is watching. "That sounds, ah...fine by me! I''ve got a room already if you''d like to...talk about things more privately?"
The incubus quickly finishes his drink before giving her another smile. "Miss Slinz, I would be delighted to."
Chapter 133: A Bards Instruments (Explicit)
Even Lionel finds himself somewhat surprised by the speed with which the young drider rushes him up the stairs to her room, although he doesn''t particularly complain about it. As he steps inside he can see that it''s clearly recently rented - a few traveling packs have been dumped into one corner but not even unpacked yet, and the bed is still in a pristine state. It''s a large one, too, although that doesn''t imply much when the tenant is a drider. Still, experience has taught the man to ask.
"An excellent room. Just yours, or do you share with your party?"
"Oh, it''s just mine right now, since I need the extra space. Sometimes I share with Bank - our Vanguard - we''ve got a sort of on-again, off-again thing going on, you know how it is." Slinz smiles, then hurries to clarify the last point. "Oh, we''re off-again at the moment, just so you know."
The incubus chuckles at her concern. "Not always a great worry of mine, but it is good to know. You''re part of a Valleyland party?"
The woman shakes her head as she walks around, double-checking that she didn''t leave anything embarrassing out. "No, just me, the others are Rainlanders. Though Bank and I both lived in border towns, and I traveled a lot with my parents as part of trade caravans, which is how we met. Childhood friends, sort of."
Lionel mock-gasps at the revelation. "Oh my, childhood friends! Your love must be fated - although since my name is Fatestealer, perhaps I can steal his place for an evening or two."
"Hey!" Slinz shouts in response, half-mockingly herself, although only half. "A girl invites you up to her room, and you''re trying to talk up her ex? He is my ex right now, like I said!"
"Haha, but that ''right now'' is doing a great deal of work, is it not? But what can I say - I am not a possessive man, and if you will it, I hope things work out for the best. I will agree to set the topic aside for the moment however, although we may need to discuss this unfortunate team of yours later on."
"Later on?" Slinz smiles as she approaches the man, attempting to look seductive. "Which means you''d like to start off with handling your...incubus problems?"
"I do find it is easier to deal with weightier matters with a clear mind. That said, I have no objections to working to your benefit to begin with. With, as you might put it...my incubus solutions."
"Oh gods." Slinz covers her face, failing to hide her blushing in the process. "I''m sorry, I''m usually not so flustered, but I''ve never been with a sex demon before!"
While Lionel doesn''t mind her eager attitude, he has to admit, this exact reaction is a little new to him. "You know, I''ve been treated as a minor celebrity before once or twice, but usually fans have to at least hear my music first! You seem to have a rather high opinion of us incubi, don''t you?"
"Well...it''s just, I''ve heard that you''re all, you know...masters of lovemaking, right? And that you get your pick of partners, which means you only choose to share your abilities with the most beautiful and handsome, and..."
The Bard nods, understanding a little better now. "Ah, I see, I see. Well, I will not deny the first part of that, although I cannot claim that we are always so choosy. But even if we are not, you shouldn''t act so surprised - you are indeed a beautiful young woman, and going by your sense of fashion, I would have imagined that you were aware enough of the fact yourself."
Slinz glances down at her sashes, much better tailored now than the old ones which had led to far too many wardrobe incidents. "Aw, that''s just tits. Not hard to impress a boy with these, am I right?" Smirking, she pulls them aside and allows the sizable breasts beneath to breathe free. Lionel''s hands would already be drawn to them, were he not more focused on coming off as better than the average ''boy''.
"While you''re not wrong, you shouldn''t write yourself off so easily, either. Confidence can be even more attractive than physicality, and it seems you have that in spades." That said, his self control fades after two sentences and his right hand does take hold of one of her tits then, his thumb beginning a massaging motion around her nipple. It perks up under his attentions quickly, and from the drider''s sudden intake of breath and closed eyes, the man judges that she has no complaints about the move. After a moment she leans forward and stretches her legs a bit, giving her a few more inches in height and allowing her to take his lips in a kiss.
Lionel hardly minds matters as the kiss continues for several minutes, time allowing his hands to wander freely across her chest for the entire duration. In fact, he would normally have moved on to removing his partner''s garments in the process by now, few as they may be in this situation, but somewhat to his surprise Slinz beats him to it. When he finally pulls back both her chest and waist sashes have fallen to the floor, leaving her entirely bare for his eyes. It''s not the man''s first time with a drider, but they do have a rather unusual body configuration, and Lionel always enjoys the chance to learn a little more about partnering with them. The ''rear exit'' of the spider-folk was, as one might expect, at their rear, while their genitals rest on their front, just at the dividing line between their humanoid torsos and their spider-like abdomens. Given their size it could make some positions quite difficult, but there were a few benefits to drider anatomy he''d learned to take advantage of.
Benefits that would have to wait a few moments longer. Slinz steps back up to Lionel, running a hand along his shoulders, and quietly whispers a question. "Can I be the one to undress you? I kind of like taking my time, you know?"
"Ironic, coming from a woman who goes from clothed to nude in the blink of an eye, but that sounds fine to me." Slinz scoffs lightly at his attitude, but she clearly does have a rather unique definition of ''taking her time'', given that she begins to pull the man''s vest off nearly immediately. While it''s not exactly a frenzied, passion-driven stripping, the woman only takes slight pauses as she removes each of his garments, inspecting his skin very closely as she does so. While Lionel''s previous partners have occasionally had a thing for scents, or touch, Slinz instead appears to take her time memorizing the lines of his skin, the appearance of his chest hair, or the color of his eyes - although the last only briefly, as she blushes away from the eye contact after only a moment.
Once she removes his pants and finds herself face-to-face with his cock that attention shifts a little, and she begins to take hold of him with one hand while the other gently fondles his scrotum, although Lionel pulls her back up before she can turn it into a full-on handjob. She looks back up at him, a little surprised. "Oh? You don''t want me to...?"
"Perhaps later. First though, as I said, I''d like to focus on you first - if you have no complaints?"
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"Oh! No, ah, go ahead!"
While normally Lionel might lead a partner towards the bed at this stage, the man knows that driders are often more comfortable standing, and so he goes down to his knees where he stands. The woman''s vertical slit is rather longer than would be found on most humanoids, but is no less sensitive for it, and as he begins to lick his way around and across it, Slinz''s hands begin to run their way through his hair. At times they brush up against his horns, but they aren''t quite long enough to serve as good handholds, and in any case she seems satisfied enough by his own movements without needing to direct him. While the incubus keeps his mouth busy, his hands pull a bottle of lubricant from one of his discarded pockets - an essential tool in his line of work - and he begins to work it onto one of his hands without ever letting up on his oral assault.
Even so, Slinz eventually notices the motions and gets a rather worried expression. "That''s a lotta lube you''re using up there. You think I''ve got problems getting wet, or something? You might be hot but you''re not that big." She pauses, a little concerned. "...Are you? Do incubi get like, a second-level hard-on?"
Lionel chuckles. "Now there''s a form of special magic worth looking into. But no, this is for something else. Now, this is something I''ve done on a drider lass or two before, so I''m certain you''ll enjoy it, but it can be a little uncomfortable the first time if you haven''t done it before. Do you mind if I go a little deeper than you might be used to?"
Slinz eyes the man and his newly shiny hand a few times before coming to a conclusion. "...You''re not talking about butt stuff, right? Then...uh, sure, show me your fancy tricks."
"Not so fancy as all that, but definitely enjoyable." Lionel moves back in for a moment to lick at her clit, but as he does so he primarily focuses on slipping a few of his fingers into her entrance. Then...a few more. He takes it slow, giving her time to adjust, but Slinz adapts quickly and before long his entire hand has sunk into her cunt. As the woman looks on in a bit of surprise herself, he doesn''t stop there either, slowly pressing forward with inch after inch after forearm. Lionel grins with a bit of self-satisfaction, because he knows there''s an odd fact about drider anatomy many don''t realize.
While the genitalia of male driders isn''t that different from most humanoids, in size if not in exact form, the same is not true of the women. Drider offspring are born in cocoon-like sacs, but are still somewhat larger than most humanoids, and are often born in batches of five to eight. Furthermore, a drider woman''s reproductive organs are actually located deep within her spider abdomen. Which means that drider vaginas are very, very deep compared to most mortals, even compared to the taller minotaurs or draconics. Which further means that, even as Slinz''s eyes eventually grow as wide as dinner saucers, Lionel himself is not surprised when he eventually manages to sink his entire arm within her pussy.
"Oh, gods, Lionel! I''ve never even tried that with a toy before! That feels so weird - but in a good way! It''s...not weird for you?"
The demon smirks up at her. "My lady, I have nowhere I''d rather be. But now that I''m here, it''s time for me to get started, I believe."
"Get started? What do you mean, get - ah!" As Slinz shudders, she finds out what Lionel means. Another interesting fact about drider anatomy that the man knows is that while they may be mostly sensitive around the clitoris, like most women, they actually have multiple equivalents to the human ''g-spot'' throughout their vagina. And to a musician like Lionel, that makes it seem very much like an instrument - if of a sort that plays a very special, erotic kind of music. As he works his arm in and out, the Bard''s talented fingers search out the sensitive clusters of nerves buried within her, memorizing their locations for later. It''s more than just his sensitive fingertips that do the work however, as each discovery leads to a new moan or shiver from the pleasured drider.
It takes him about two minutes to fully explore her depths, and that''s when his performance truly begins. While his tongue returns to lapping at her nub, his hand moves in, out, and around, triggering and massaging each pleasure center one after the other. As one becomes overloaded or oversensitive his moves on, at all times managing to keep at least two or three different clusters in excited stages at a time. That eventually turns into Slinz''s first orgasm - but there''s no second, as the first never ends. Just as part of the drider''s body begins to recover Lionel refocuses on another one, and the pleasure does not stop but simply moves back and forth along her tunnel, following the commands of the incubus'' fingertips.
Lionel eventually relents, not because he could no longer keep the effect up, but because the rest of Slinz''s body and mind would eventually tire out even as her grasping and contracting cunt seems to beg for more. Indeed, as soon as the man''s arm finally makes its escape, Slinz''s heavy abdomen practically collapses to the floor, all eight of her legs giving out. Her head begins to loll across his chest, and her hands grab on to his shoulders to help keep her own torso upright.
"Holy...fuck. That was everything...that was more than I dreamed even a sex demon could do! Holy fuck!"
"Glad to see I haven''t lost my touch. There''s more I can offer, of course, but if you need a moment to rest..."
At the mention of stopping Slinz''s eyes widen again, but her response isn''t quite what the man expected. "Rest? I mean, yeah, my poor pussy''s all tired out right now, but if it''s on offer, I really want a taste of that demon dick." Without even waiting for a response Slinz''s strength seems to recover, and she pushes the incubus back over onto the edge of the bed - not that he exactly resists her movements. Once he''s seated she immediately dives in and begins licking at his heavily erect cock, but then thinks twice and leans forward with her torso instead. As she presses her breasts around the shaft and begins to slide them up and down, she finally tears her attention away from it long enough to look back up at Lionel''s face.
"I''ve never actually done this before, but I kinda always wanted to try. I uh, I''m sure you''ve had better from prettier girls with bigger chests than me - "
Lionel interrupts her chat there, although he motions for her hands to keep moving. "Even if you weren''t already a beautiful woman, there is absolutely nothing more attractive in a partner than a willingness to try, in my book. By all means, enjoy your fantasy, I''m sure I''ll have no complaints on my end."
Grinning, Slinz leans down to begin sucking at the man''s tip while her cleavage continues to massage his shaft. In size he was perhaps a bit above average, if maybe not the monster Slinz might have imagined of a sex demon, but there''s plenty enough for her to work with as her tongue continues to run in circles around his engorged head. If the fantasy of the drider titfuck disappoints anyone it''s perhaps Slinz herself, or her own desires simply overwhelm that particular wish, and after only a few moments she leans back to readjust her position.
When she dives back in next time it''s with her mouth alone, and the aggressive woman shows that she''s able to take things deeply from above as well as below. On her second try Lionel''s cock makes purchase within her throat, where it stays, her head bobbing up and down only enough to give her occasional gulps of air as her tongue works at the underside of his shaft and her hands massage his sack. After everything that proceeded up to this point, Lionel didn''t exactly need a great deal more to reach his own climax, and soon enough his testicles are beginning to clench within her grip.
As their promised load begins to shoot its way down her throat Slinz presses her nose up against his groin, her eyes catching Lionel''s with perhaps a hope for a sign of his approval. If so, she receives it, with a massive moan existing the man''s throat almost on a scale to match the massive amount of cum sliding its way down her throat. Fortunately for her his climax doesn''t take too long, and with a long gasp of air the drider finally pulls back, sticky saliva and other fluids dangling from her lips. "Hmm! Should''ve uh, kept a bit more to taste, but that''s...not bad."
"I''m glad you think so - and as I said before, I''m even gladder that you''re the type of woman to try." Lionel leans back on the mattress, resting on his elbows as he shoots her a slightly tired grin. "Perhaps we might both need a little break before continuing, eh?"
"You want more? I mean - great! More is good! And you still wanted to talk about something about my team, right?"
Lionel nods as he begins to pull the much larger woman up onto the bed. "Indeed, perhaps we could chat a bit before the next round. I believe our close contact has already granted me a few insights, in fact. Tell me, Slinz - are you aware that you''ve been cursed?"
Chapter 134: Indiscretions
A few hours after dawn of the next day, Sable and Lilly waved their farewells to Doorman as they made their exit from the dungeon. Although they were in a good enough mood from their week underground, the pair were equally happy to see the sun again, and eager to finally make their report. Sable gives out a loud laugh as she waves behind her. "So long, Doorman! Keep that apprentice of yours under control, yeah?"
"I''ll keep her well in hand, metaphorically speaking, Paladin Bluehair! We look forward to your return!"
Lilly makes her own farewell, if a little more quietly, and at first glance one might think she was the same soft-spoken elf who had come by a week earlier. A second glance might show that she was standing much closer to Sable than she had previously been comfortable with however, and of course Sable needed no glances of her own to know the Priestess had opened up a little since the last time they stood in front of the dungeon. As the two start their hike down the mountain trail, the taller woman wraps an arm around Lilly''s shoulder and pulls her close. "Gods, what a week! Longest I''ve spent in one before was a three-day expedition this one time, and I''ve got to say, Worthy Dungeon makes remarkably better hosts." Sable reflects on her own statement for a moment, and then smirks and repeats herself. "Remarkably good hosts. Wouldn''t you say?"
"Indeed they were - and not just in the way you''re implying either, Sable! Though I don''t know where you find the energy. That was, what, five nights you spent on Floor Five? Every single night after we got Taly''s ''tour''? Did...did you actually try out every single section?" As she speaks, Lilly''s face quickly alternates between attempts at stern shaming, and actual naked curiosity.
"And how! That Section Three, oh, you should''ve come along on that night, Flower Girl. And not just every section, either, but..." Sable does a quick double-check on her fingers. "The dungeon spirit and three floor bosses? Well, not Sincere on this trip, but he still counts for my tally. I''m pretty sure that means I''ve got the record."
Lilly stammers in disbelief. "The - the record? There''s a record!? Of...having intercourse with dungeon monsters!?"
"There is here, apparently. The Dungeon Fuckers apparently claimed they scored with both Lollyp and Xenia - somehow - back when they visited, which means the old record is just the spirit and one boss. Lollyp confirmed it when I asked, though I didn''t get the details." As she says that, Sable''s green-tinted eyebrows rise in realization. "...Which means even you''ve tied with the Dungeon Fuckers, Lilly! Im-press-ive!"
"Oh, Palain! Please don''t tell anyone about that! I don''t want a record!" Lilly buries her face in her palms, although her blushing is somewhat less than it would have been a week previous.
"Sure thing! If anyone asks, your visits to Floor Five were just with me." Sable gives her companion a teasing grin, before turning a little bit more serious. "Speaking of, um, I did really enjoy those. Those springwater baths in Section Four...you liked that, yeah?"
Lilly nods, although she keeps her response short. "I did indeed, yes."
"Good, good. Me too." The pair continue down the mountainside in silence for a few minutes, before Sable continues her thought. "You know, after we get back to the inn, we''re not going to have anything nearly that fancy. Or as private, really. But if you''d like to still spend some more time together...?"
Lilly looks up at the Paladin''s eyes, a faint smile on her lips. "Are you asking to continue courting me, Miss Bluehair?"
Sable smiles back, but a little uncomfortably. "Well...kind of, yeah? Except...''courting'' is maybe really not a good word for it. I was just thinking, I don''t want there to be any, you know...bad feelings, or..."
The elf watches for a while longer before laughing and throwing the floundering woman a lifeline. "Sable, relax! I knew the kind of woman you were before - well, to be honest, it was perhaps the first thing I did know about you. You''re not exactly subtle! Quarter-succubus or not, I wouldn''t expect you to suddenly become the type to settle down, for me or any other. Nor is that even something I want! No offense, of course."
The Paladin takes a deep breath before smiling again. "Oh, good! None taken! I mean, I could''ve assumed that from the way you didn''t seem to mind when I went upstairs again with Taly or Lollyp, but good to uh, confirm."
"Well...it was nice to have some privacy in the suite some nights for...other things..." Lilly seems to let the sentence slip almost against her will, and Sable doesn''t fail to notice that this time her blushing returns in full strength.
"...Lilly? You get up to something interesting while I was out?"
"Well...perhaps you didn''t spend any time with Core Guardian Sincere on this trip, but I found him to be remarkably interesting indeed, to use your word..."
Sable''s eyes go wide at the admission. "Wait, what? When did that happen!?"
"Well, it started off with him coming by to offer me some interesting books from his collection! And then we got to discussing various topics, and, well...the details are none of your concern!"
Sable''s laugh echoes across the mountain, as she gives the elf a healthy slap on the back. "Good for you, Flower Girl! Man''s probably more your type than mine, anyhow." She chuckles for a moment, then laughs again. "Wait, and that means you''ve beaten the Dungeon Fuckers'' record!"
"Oh, Palain!"
Down in the core chamber, Xenia was busy having a minor celebration with her council - currently consisting of Guy, Lollyp, Sincere, Taly, and DEATH. Each of them sat around her main table with a drink in hand, with the exception of the rabbit-eared shade, and as the dungeon master looked over them all she raised her own in a toast. "To hosting two Challengers in the dungeon for a week and not getting either of em killed! Good work, everybody! Knew we could do it."
As the fleshy and slimy members of the group take a drink, Guy poses a question. "Was ah, that actually a concern, ma''am? I thought our safety precautions with our ''backstage'' areas and whatnot were quite well done."
Stolen novel; please report.
"Sure, but a whole week without something going majorly wrong? More than I expected, and I''m calling that something to throw a minor party over."
Lollyp grins as she puts her cup down. "Honestly, I think we should do that more often! I mean, maybe we''d need to find another excuse, since there''s not really more about dungeon life we could teach them like that, but even so."
The advisor''s screen tilts in confusion. "An excuse? If not bringing them aboard for educational purposes, then what need would we have for their presence? Not that I found them objectionable guests, of course, if a bit unorthodox for a dungeon."
As most of the bosses are too busy smirking to answer, DEATH does it for them. "I AM AFRAID MY FELLOW FLOOR BOSSES AND GUARDIANS HAVE BEEN CORRUPTED BY THE PLEASURES OF THE FLESH. I DON''T KNOW WHETHER TO BE GLAD OR ENVIOUS OF MY LACK THEREOF."
Xenia chuckles at the reactions of the accused hedonists. "Honestly, I''m kind of impressed. Usually I''m the horny one in most of my friend groups, and here I am only getting an hour a week while you bunch are showing our guests a good time on a nightly basis. Hell, maybe I need to keep the Challengers away just to keep you lover-boys-and-girls focused on the job!"
The banshee rolls her eyes. "Please, like you weren''t watching every opportunity you got."
The dungeon master puts on an offended expression. "What? I would never breach a guest''s privacy, surely you wouldn''t be laying such accusations on your beloved employer."
"Pfft, I''m pretty sure privacy goes out the window when the damn Paladin is shouting things like ''Oh gods, I hope the dungeon spirit''s watching this, that''d be so fuckin'' hot!'', and...worse..." Taly trails off as she and the rest of the group realize just how good her impression of Sable''s voice was. As in - utterly perfect, as if Sable herself had suddenly stepped in to repeat the actual event.
Lollyp makes comment on it first. "Holy shit, Taly, that was perfect! Have you always been good at impressions?"
"No!" Taly''s face, if anything, seems more amazed than anyone else''s. "I''ve never done anything like that before! My voice just...shifted automatically. That''s a banshee power?"
Guy hovers forward with the bestiary information. "Ah, that is indeed a minor banshee ability, one with no direct, ah...''mechanical'' effects. The common usage is to imitate a deceased acquaintance of the target in order to disturb them. With no magical impact however, it rarely has much more than minor results in a battle."
"Great results for a party trick, though!" Lollyp claps excitedly. "Do Xenia next!"
As Taly opens her mouth, Xenia quickly interjects. "Nope! Nope! I gotta be way drunker to put up with whatever the fuck is about to come out of that orifice of yours. Still, good to know."
The group settles down and chuckles for a moment, after which Sincere proposes a change of topic. "Well, if we''re not engaging in party tricks, perhaps we should address a bit of actual business? Such as how we wish to deal with that Domain party and their...less-than-stable captain?"
The slime leans forward, staring into Xenia''s eyes. "Yeah! Look, Xen, no one here''s gonna judge you, but I think we''d all really like to know just what in the hells you did to piss off a fury demon so badly! I''ve heard the brief version of your ''Demon Lord'' life, do you think that''s what she''s talking about?"
Xenia sighs and purses her lips, but eventually answers. "That one could be part of it, yeah. But probably not the main cause. There''s been...worse."
Sincere offers the next suggestion. "Is this about the time that you, ah...consumed people, apparently? I have not forgotten that particular admission."
Taly''s eyes go wide, having missed that conversation, but Xenia dismisses it out of hand. "Oh, nah. I didn''t eat more than...a hundred people? Hundred-fifty? Yeah, hundred-fifty tops."
"Xenia! You...eating a hundred and fifty people is not a minor act! What in the world could have possibly brought that on!?" Taly''s face shows a grave concern, and perhaps a worry that she doesn''t know as much about her new boss as she ought to.
Sighing again before pressing her forehead to the table, Xenia takes a few moments before rising and explaining herself. "It''s...okay, so that was my run as the Devourer of the Black Bog. I was a monster that run, a...honestly I don''t even know the name for what I was, it was kind of unique to that world, but I''d call it something troll-like. You got trolls around here?"
Guy offers confirmation. "They are a form of wild monster, yes, rarely found in dungeons. Sometimes capable of basic tool or weapon usage but not fully sapient, very large, strong, and fast-healing. You were something like that?"
"More or less, though I was sapient - granted, I always am, even as a fuckin'' bug, so I dunno if that means anything. Never ran into any others of my kind, I don''t even know if I hatched from some sort of egg or just like...crawled directly out of the swamp muck magically or something. Anyways - as starts go it was one of my worst. I could speak but I didn''t know the local language, and any time I tried to approach people they tried to kill me. I only ever picked up a couple of words, most of them being things they shouted at me a lot like ''Devourer of the Black Bog'' or ''ugly bastard''."
"AND THIS LED TO YOU CONSUMING THEM IN REVENGE? AN INTERESTING TACTIC."
"Not out of revenge!" Xenia''s teeth clench. "Look. After the first few tries I got the message, right? I stayed away from inhabited areas, lived out in some caves in the fuckin'' bog, shitty as it was. But was that good enough for em? Nooooo, I gotta get turned into a quest by the local adventurer''s guild or whatever. ''Slay the beast of the bog!'' or some shit like that, I''m sure. So every few months or so I''d get these adventurer parties coming by to try and kill me. Some of em...the young, amateur idiots, I''d try and let go if I could, but most of the time it was kill or be killed, you know?"
Taly leans forward. "Understandable, but still not sure where the cannibalism comes in."
"Yeah, so. You see, there was this...this one time I had this girl in my hand, some low-level fighter-type. I''d already killed her party, but I was trying to find some way to get her out of my territory without having to kill her too. Then she pulled a knife out of her armor or something and threw it at my face, almost took my eye out! And I was...kind of amped-up already from the fighting, and really pissed off, and I...bit her head off."
She looks around the table, perhaps expecting a round of gasps or shouts, but when all Xenia finds is stares she simply continues the story, with a great look of shame on her face. "It...look, I''m blaming this on troll taste buds, alright? Or something more than physical, some sort of magic feeding thing like demons around here get. But she was one of the most delicious meals I''ve ever had." Her face again hits the table, and this time she continues speaking without moving returning it. "I can still fuckin'' remember the taste, when I think about it."
After a moment of silence, Lollyp speaks up first. "And...you got into the habit after that?"
"''Habit'' like a motherfuckin'' drug, Lolly Pop. I still managed to keep myself away from human territories, but every time some group of assholes came to me...well, I didn''t let any meat go to waste, I''ll say that. Lasted for something like twenty years like that, before some random army passing through on their way to one war or another decided to swing by with a detachment and clear out their Devourer problem. I was tough, but not ''beat six hundred dudes plus a wizard or two'' level tough."
After another long moment, Taly slowly nods. "Well...I won''t pass any judgment, I think. In a way that''s not...so dissimilar from how dungeons operate, I suppose. But you don''t think that would be why a fury demon would be upset with you?"
Xenia sits up straight and dismisses the thought with a wave of her hand. "Not unless cannibalism''s got a massive sin multiplier, or some shit. The Demon Lord run alone had a body count at least ten times higher than that, I''m pretty sure."
Sincere asks the next question. "But you don''t believe that ''run'' was sufficient cause for her hatred either? Xenia, if not that...I must ask, just what have you done?"
The dungeon master stares into her cup, perhaps remembering how cheerful she was just ten minutes earlier. "The worst run, Sin-man? It wasn''t one where I was a monster. It was one where I made monsters."
Chapter 135: Confessions
Lollyp leans forward, clearly interested despite Xenia''s glum expression. "You made monsters? You mean like a necromancer? Or some sort of summoner type?"
"Not...not that kind of monster, Lolly Pop. Look..." The woman trails off for a moment, looking into the eyes of each of her council around the table. "...This is the one run I hate talking about, more than any other. Even Beatrice hasn''t heard any stories about this one. Is it really important that you guys hear all this?"
The group also takes a moment to glance around the table, looking a little guilty as they do so. Each of them waits for another to say something like ''No, no, we respect your privacy, Xenia!'' Yet none of them do. Sincere is the one to speak first, at least. "I will be honest, Xenia. Although I am no longer technically an arcane demon and do not ''feed'' on hidden knowledge as I once did...hundreds of years worth of habits die rather hard. I, for one, would like to hear your story. It''s possible that telling us your past won''t help us at all when it comes to dealing with the fury demon set upon us, and yet, even so. As you yourself have noted, we may all be here together for an eternity, should things go well, and it may be best if we have things come into the light sooner rather than later. Certainly, I''d be willing to answer any questions about my own past if others have them."
Xenia checks each of them again, finding them to either be slightly nodding along, or too guilty to meet her eyes, but none disagree. "Gah, you''re all a bunch of nosy bitches. But I love you, so fine. And...I guess maybe I should talk about it more. It''s...not right that I get to skip away and pretend it didn''t happen, that I didn''t do the shit I did. So if you hear it and do want to judge me for it - fine. I do got it coming."
The dungeon master stretches in her seat for a moment, as if trying to physically work out her stress, before finally beginning her tale. "So, it starts with my run as the Hero of Seven Cities. Pretty sure you''ve all heard about that one by now, right?" The party around her nods - over months of dungeon grapevine gossip the story had eventually gotten around to almost everyone, even Taly, given that there were only so many topics to talk about. Xenia appears unbothered by the fact, or perhaps even relieved that she doesn''t need to repeat that particular story. "Then you know that the one after that, I was a bug. Well, that was just the start of a really, really bad time for Xenia Worthy, Reincarnator Extraordinaire. The bug run only lasted for about a month, but that''s longer than some of the ones that came after it."
She counts off on a few of her fingers, as if reminding herself, and nods. "I basically had no patience for ''bullshit'' runs for a while after that, if one started and it looked stupid, or boring, I just...moved myself on. I checked out early on the next three goes, and I was actually a baby on one of those runs, and I still feel like shit when I look back and imagine what I must''ve done to my parents. I mean, I''ve always hated the baby runs, but they didn''t deserve that." She grimaces for a moment, before moving on. "I did stick around for the few after that, but I was basically like...full on depressed nihilist the entire time. Used my combat skills to earn the easiest coin I could, then spent it all on drinks, or whoring, or shit like that. Fuck, I spent some time whoring myself on one of those runs. Coin doesn''t come much easier than that when you don''t give a shit about shit."
Taly grimaces herself. "Ah, okay, maybe we don''t need to hear all this after - "
"Nope! Too late motherfuckers, you got me going and now you''re along for the ride! Strap on in, the train''s headed for Bad Timesville and you all got nonrefundable tickets!" Xenia gets a bit of a maniacal glint in her eyes as she stares Taly down, and if the rest of the table are suddenly feeling regrets, they keep it to themselves. The dungeon master lets out a bit of a wild laugh for a few seconds, before sighing and picking up with her story as if nothing had happened. "Then it all came to a head. Got myself another baby run, but it turned out that this time I was the son of a king. I was - "
This time it''s Xenia who gets interrupted, by a sudden outburst from Lollyp. "The Prince of the Fallen Tower!" Her eyes go wide a moment after saying it, and the slime briefly seals her lips away before reopening them for a follow-up statement. "Um, I mean, sorry to interrupt."
"...What? How''d you know about that title?" Xenia''s face is one of confusion, entirely thrown off track.
"Um...it was one of the ones on that list you shouted at Tassa way back when? I''m pretty sure you''ve explained the rest of them by now, and it seemed to fit. Uh, sorry again."
"Uh, no problem, but...you seriously remember that? Fuck, I don''t know why I even tossed that one in there, I must have been really caught up in the moment. There''s definitely others I''d rather advertise more...well, right. I mean, technically I was just a prince of the Seafall Kingdom at first, but Prince of the Fallen Tower is what people ended up calling me after I grew up. See...it was basically just like the world I lived in during the Seven Cities run, with Sarah, except...mirrored. Cause that time? My dad was the evil tyrant. Monster armies, vassal kingdoms, dark pacts with eldritch powers, the whole nine yards. If I''d come into that run like, six runs earlier or later? I probably woulda stabbed the dude the moment I was old enough to hold a knife and like, tried to overthrow the whole damn system or something. But as it was, it happened to me at the worst possible moment in my shitty existence."
Guy speaks up, in a gentle voice. "I take it you, shall we say...leaned into it, ma''am?"
"You could sure say that. When I came of age - which is usually pretty early for me, I tend to impress folks pretty young considering my whole, you know, everything - I got granted lordship of one of our newest territories. The capital of it once belonged to some sort of divine elf lady, had this massive tower in the center of it which was half blown up when we moved in, so that''s where my title came from. Anyhow, when I say it was like the world from the Seven Cities one, I mean the place had the same sort of system of Summoned Heroes and all of that going on. And, here''s the thing you gotta know about places like that."
Xenia leans back into her seat, softly laughing to herself. "Those worlds are bullshit. By which I mean, I''m like ninety percent sure the gods running those places are trying to recreate fairy tales or something, managing fate just the right way, tipping the scales just so, to make sure things always come out as if people were playing out storybook roles. By which I mean, all the key players, heroes and villains both, usually end up acting as much like archetypes as they do real people. I don''t know if you''ve got the same culture of stories here like we did where I grew up, but any trope you''ve ever heard about? The ridiculous, over-the-top evil schemes, villains acting like idiots at all the key moments, the heroes getting their setbacks only to overcome all challenges at the last minute? That''s how shit played out there. Hell, even I was playing one of those roles with Sarah, but given it worked out in my favor on that run it wasn''t like I was complaining then."
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
"I TAKE IT YOU DIDN''T ENJOY BEING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THINGS THE NEXT TIME AROUND?"
"Couldn''t tell ya, Big D." Xenia shoots DEATH a smirk. "Cause I didn''t bother playing the game. If some god or something picked me for that role, they fucked up, cause you never pick a genre-savvy motherfucker for a motherfuckin'' storybook role. The first thing I did when I got put in charge was do a complete overhaul of security. Snuck into my own damn fortress thirteen times before I was sure I''d patched up all the security flaws, and oh my god were some of them obvious when you know what you''re looking for. Paid off, though - made the place Hero-proof, and I proved it when the first Hero finally came at me just a few months later."
Lollyp, unable to stop herself from trying to guess the story beats, fills in the next part for her. "Guess you killed him pretty good, huh?"
"If only I had. Did kill his team of adventurers, but I took the risk of taking the Hero alive because I wanted to see him with my own eyes. See what it''s like from the other side of the mirror, right? And we got to talking, as you do - except our conversation didn''t go in the typical storybook way, where I talk way too much about shit I shouldn''t, and give him time to escape, and all that sort of shit. That old script goes right out of the window when both parties are from Earth. He was from a good century or two after I left, but apparently Star Wars survived, cause I made some Emperor quote references, he quoted Luke Skywalker, and we all had a good laugh."
Taly gives Xenia a confused look, an expression she''s not alone in. "I...have no idea what that means, but you killed his party and you were joking together?"
"...Maybe it was just funny in retrospect. But the point is, we got to talking, I told him about my experience as a Hero, about how much everything was just one big stage play for the gods, how none of it really matters in the end, and all that nihilist bullshit I was riding at the time. I don''t know if it was as much a scam for him as it was for me that run as the Chosen of Ulthor, but I sure talked like it was. And that''s when I really threw a wrench into fuckin'' everything. I actually managed to convince him that it was all rigged, and got him to sign up for Team Nihilistic Hedonists. It wasn''t even that hard - I don''t think he was a proper Reincarnator like me, just a random dude on his first run through fantasyland, and the poor guy had no real idea what the fuck was going on. Dangle a couple hot orc babes in front of him, tell him he''d get a castle and not have to do shit he didn''t want to do, and it was over in a flash. Dude barely even knew the adventurers in his party I''d killed, anyhow."
Sincere''s brow furrows with further confusion. "And you feel like this is your great sin, the one that drives a fury demon wild? Corrupting a single Hero?"
Xenia''s grin once again turns maniacal. "One Hero, Sincere? Oh, no. No no nonono. I corrupted dozens." She stands up then and begins to pace around the room, raising her fist into the air as if she were once again an evil tyrant boasting of her deeds. "Dozens! They could repeat the summoning ritual once every six months, so like clockwork, twice a year heroes would come by, different strategies, different parties. Sometimes they did have some success against other lieutenants, but none got through my territory in one piece, and with me going around playing advisor, even most of the others were locked down pretty tight. Not every Hero did flip sides - some died in battle, some did play Hero to the end, but every one I flipped made it easier for the next. They weren''t all from Earth, but we were the biggest gang of outlanders around, and when some confused-as-fuck, barely-past-teenaged champion looked around and saw us all on one team, my arguments started looking way more compelling. ...Also it got way easier to beat them up when there was a whole bunch of us, which was pretty compelling too, I suppose."
The dungeon master pauses for a moment as she stares out the core chamber windows, once again facing into the mountain''s abyss, before she begins reciting names. "Peter the Sword Champion. Rachel the Whirling Spear. Hua the Iron Palm. ...God, no way I''m remembering all of them. They eventually started ''saving'' up their Heroes, you know, doing entire parties of four or five at once, no redshirts, but even that didn''t work. Over my, oh, fifty or sixty year career, I must have flipped at least forty of them, through I probably peaked at about twenty-something at any one time. Started flipping a lot of their sidekicks too, though not as many. I''d swear they sent at least a dozen ''Daughters of the Golden Elfess'' at me over the years, supposedly kids of the elf we took that city from, I don''t know if she really got around or if they just started proclaiming random orphans into fitting the roles they needed."
Sincere again presses his question. "But even so, how is this so much worse than playing at being Demon Lord?"
Xenia practically shouts her response through the window and into the mountain. "Because I created a small army of nihilistic hedonists with superpowers! Sure, some of us just wanted to sit back in our castles and drink and fuck around - honestly, I think I ended up having bastards with at least three of them myself - but not everyone. It wasn''t all sitting back and waiting for new Heroes to show up. Sometimes, some of us, we went on the warpath. Conquering territories and kingdoms. Gaining new lands to hand over to all these new lords and ladies I was recruiting. And some of them turned vicious. Especially the ones who convinced themselves it was all just a game. Massacres, tortures, slaves...not all of the Heroes, maybe not even the majority, but a few of them got really bad." Xenia''s face falls. "And I...I allowed it. Encouraged it even, at times. The number of times some shit went on right in front of me, and I didn''t raise a finger against it. The number of people who ultimately died or suffered, because I was in a bad fuckin'' mood...I don''t even know. It was many...so many. And unless the gods got things back on track after I died, I''m pretty sure Team Evil actually ended up winning that world. At least for a long time."
She turns slightly, eyeing her companions out of the corner of her eye, perhaps waiting for them to yell at her, to turn on her. And certainly, Taly and Sincere look quite disturbed, although perhaps unsurprisingly DEATH and Guy don''t display any outward reactions. Lollyp, however, makes her way out of her chair and over to Xenia, and takes one of her hands in her own. "That...is all pretty bad-sounding, Xen. But it''s not the Xenia I know. I know you wouldn''t do that now. So what changed?"
Xenia looks down at Lollyp, and needs to swallow before answering. "It took...way too fuckin'' long, Lollyp. But as I got older, and more time went on, I realized my mistake. Life matters. It always mattered. It mattered to Sarah. I mattered to Sarah. And I..." She pauses, clenching her eyes shut, needing to swallow again before continuing. "I betrayed everything Sarah believed in. Instead of honoring what she lived for, I spit all over it. And I convinced others to do the same, and I...I hurt so many people." Sliding down to her knees, Xenia takes Lollyp in a hug, almost whispering as she does so. "And I''m sorry. I''m so fuckin'' sorry."
Lollyp returns the hug, giving what comfort she can. "I know. And I believe you. I can''t offer you forgiveness, Xen, none of us here can, but I believe you''re a good person. Maybe you did fall down - but you''ve climbed back up, and that can only ever be a good thing."
"Have I? Have I, Lolly Pop? I still fuckin'' kill people for a living. Good people, probably. Did I ever improve at all, deep down? I - god, I was teaching Taly how to commit murder yesterday! I''m doing it again! What the fuck is wrong with me!?"
Footsteps approach the pair, and as Xenia looks up she sees Taly herself standing next to her. "I don''t know if I''ve always really believed in second chances. I do believe people can change, it just...takes a while, and for most people, that''s longer than we''re given. But if we''re really immortal down here, then we have that time. We''ve always got another tomorrow. Another chance to be better than we were today." She gives Xenia a faint smile, the best she can manage at the moment.
"So what do you say, boss? Want to start planning for a better tomorrow?"
Chapter 136: Trying Something New
The next day was...well, it was alright. Clouds covered the sky to the north, warning of potential rain later in the day. A chill ran through the breeze as well, even off of the mountain. Whether fall had arrived or this was just a short-lived herald, it was clear that summer was on its way out. As for the Challengers climbing their way up the mountain, they sounded more than a little upset.
"I still can''t fucking believe my parents cursed me!" Slinz walks with an angry energy leading her to the front of the party, and Bank needs to rush a bit to catch up to her on the left. The young man shoots her a look - and another to the demon walking on her right for good measure.
"Are you sure that''s what happened, Slinz? I mean, we don''t even know this guy, and he comes up with this story out of nowhere?"
The guy in question affects a wounded expression. "You doubt my expertise? Granted, curses in general are not exactly my field. But curses affecting luck, my friend? They are beyond my ability to create or remove, but I have certainly learned to recognize them and their effects."
Nalaney shouts upwards, from where she and her brother are taking up the rear. "And you know this curse on her comes from her parents?"
Slinz answers that question. "No, but it explains fuckin'' everything. Describe it again for them, would you, Lionel?"
"Certainly. I believe this curse to be a Curse of Failure. It doesn''t affect your health, or your everyday routine, but when attempting to succeed at something important to you - such as a career in Challenging - the curse shifts your luck sufficiently to ensure you fail at it."
The newly-promoted Vanguard of the team furrows his face in confusion. "But from your parents? This curse could have gotten you killed! Even if they don''t care about the rest of us..."
The drider shakes her head. "They''re trying to discourage me from Challenging! They think if we fail enough times, I''ll go crying back home and become a merchant like they wanted! They...the curse wouldn''t actually kill me, would it?"
Lionel frowns. "On one hand, if someone who was cursing you wanted you dead, there''s a hundred more efficient options to choose from. On the other hand...I think that perhaps your parents lack a comprehension of just how dangerous Challenging is, perhaps ironically. Getting unlucky a bit too much at just the wrong moment...yes, it could possibly kill you."
Nalaff exclaims from the rear. "Then why in the bloody blazes are we going into the dungeon today!? Shouldn''t we be focusing on getting rid of this curse, instead?"
"A small risk, my friend. I have...theories about this dungeon which I would like to test, and if they are correct, then I believe we will all be quite safe. Oh, one question before we arrive, though - does anyone here use the luck charms found from this dungeon?"
Bank nods. "Of course - and I suppose it explains a few things, if we''ve been needing them just to get this far. Why do you ask?"
"For this run, I ask that you store them away. In fact, I have a song or two I''d like to play before...hrmm...this is odd." As the party makes the final turn before the dungeon entrance they spot a black-garbed woman standing before it, apparently speaking to the door. Most of the team don''t recognize her, but Lionel does, and it was very much not someone he was expecting to see outside. Once they get a little closer the woman turns at the sound of their approach, and most of the Miserables freeze for a moment at the sight of her gray-skinned face and red-colored eyes.
"Ah, morning there! Your group has good timing, you know."
Lionel collects himself first, asking a question in a neutral tone of voice. "Do we, Madam Floor Boss? Before we get to that, might I ask what brings you outside today?"
Before she can answer, Bank asks a question of his own. "What!? She''s a floor boss? Outside the dungeon!?"
Taly waves the question off, dismissively. "Yeah, I can go outside, it''s not a big deal. I''m not going to fight you, we''ve actually got some other announcements to make today, and we don''t want to have to wait weeks for the next Association inspection. I don''t suppose you''d all mind passing on a few messages for us? I suppose we could pay you with some minor loot, or something."
With the lowbies a little slack-jawed, Lionel answers for them. "I think we''d be happy to do so, Lady Banshee. ...What sort of announcements did you have in mind?"
Taly smiles as she answers. "Two main points. First off, the dungeon is trying out a new level of openness and honesty in its dealings with Challengers. Anyone who''s gotten luck charms from the dungeon, or anywhere else - toss em. Or...no, just don''t wear them into Worthy Dungeon, I suppose, they''re still good elsewhere." Taly breathes deep before continuing. "We''ve been tricking you."
Sitting at The Lucky Bastard, Elance, Sable, and Lilly were making up for the lack of sufficient regional office space by borrowing a table for their chat with Shieldbreaker Trush. The pair had already largely caught up Elance on the details of their trip the evening before, but this was their first time meeting the dungeon''s ''applicant'', and it was time to see if their week spent in the dungeon had actually provided them with any useful insight. After the introductions and the ordering of a round of drinks, Sable kicked things off.
"So, Trush of Tash''narc. Heavy-class Challenger, former veteran of the Valleylands army. Combat experience with both mortals and monsters. As far as all that goes, I''d say you''ve got a damn good resume for the position you''re looking for. Course, you''re not exactly applying for a normal job."
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
"I''m certainly not, Paladin Bluehair." The middle-aged orc nods in agreement, an easy smile on his face. "I have to admit, I''m curious to hear about your experiences living in a dungeon, and how you think it might apply to this whole...process of yours. Any gaps in my ''resume'' I ought to fill in for you? Things I ought to know about a dungeon?"
Perhaps worried that Sable was about to start off with talking about Floor Five, Lilly steps in. "Well, for starters, we''ve heard about your professional career. How would you describe your personal life, though? Any interesting hobbies? How do you interact with, ah, peoples of differing origins?"
"Well, to start with the latter question first, that''s an easy one. The army might''ve been all Valleylanders, but I spent more time than that as a Challenger. A traveler too, though never visited the Domain, getting a passport to the dungeons there is a pain in the ass even for folks who ain''t borne arms against them. I''ve worked with all sorts, some of my most common companions were an elf and a half-gnoll. If you''re referring to my potential coworkers, aye, I''ve heard they''ve got a slime and a demon on staff already, aside from the more monstrous types. Wouldn''t bother me none."
Sable grins at the response. "Yeah, getting along with folks is maybe almost the most important thing, considering it''s a lifelong gig. Uh, and by ''lifelong'', I mean...a really, really long life, at that. How about the first question, though? Just a battle-junkie?"
With the point pressed a little, Trush''s smile fades a bit. "Well, that''s a bit of a raw spot, I''ll admit. Used to do some woodwork, nothing huge, but I got real good with carpenter''s puzzles. Dunno if you''ve ever seen em, but they''re basically physical puzzles made out of bits of wood that fit into each other in different ways, to make boxes or pictures or whatnot. Unfortunately..." The man shrugs his amputated shoulder. "I can still work to solve some of em with one hand, but carvin'' and craftin'' em? I''ve had to let that pastime go, sadly."
Lilly lets out a bit of a sad sigh. "That''s so unfortunate! But I suppose that would be doable if you had two arms again in the dungeon, wouldn''t it? I''m sure it can provide wood, right?"
The Paladin laughs as a thought occurs to her. "Gods, if you sign up, I hope the Challengers around here like puzzle locks and that type of shit. I bet you could craft some clever ones."
"Aye, suppose I could at that. Is it really so boring in a dungeon? I keep hearing suggestions about how ya need something to occupy your time and all that, figured combat training would be a good enough hobby half the time as it was."
Sable shakes her head. "From what we saw, the real killer is that you don''t need to sleep. I''ve heard the dungeon spirit actually practices some sort of meditation routine at night, gods know where she picked that up. But without sleeping or travel, the only real time-killer perks of the job are free booze...which may or may not get most monsters drunk, I''m not sure...or fuckin'' up on Floor Five."
The Priestess groans at having let Sable slip one by her. "Sable!"
Before Sable can defend herself, Elance decides to step in for a moment. "Setting aside the matter of your level of promiscuity for a moment, Shieldbreaker - do you have any sort of personal attachments you''d be leaving behind? Matters left unsettled, anything of that sort? I know you said you didn''t have children, but few people are entirely alone in their lives."
The orc shrugs. "I''m no hermit, certainly I''ve got old Challenger buddies. An older brother and his family, a trio of nieces and nephews there. More than a few old loves, sure. But anyone I''d regret leaving behind? No so much, Mother, no. I''ve said my farewells, and made sure my will was up to date in the event I was considered worthy. Hells, more than a few of them would be busting my balls about it if I did come wandering back, after making such a big deal of things."
"Well, I suppose that''s about as good a situation as one could expect for this sort of thing." Elance takes a breath and glances through a few notes before looking back up at him. "To be honest, I rather feel like I''m looking for reasons not to let you go. Maybe that''s just me being diligent, maybe I ain''t being fair to your own choices. But - " If the dwarf was about to pronounce her judgment on his application, it ends up being interrupted by a shout from the tavern''s front door. A drider woman and a human man walk in, the human making sure to catch everyone''s attention, while an incubus slips up the steps to the private rooms.
"Hey, everyone, all Challengers, listen up! We''ve got a big announcement to let you know about!"
One of the barmaids gasps. "Slinz! You''re pregnant already!? Congratulations! You know, we ought to start another wall display..."
Bank and Slinz are momentarily stunned, and the drider stammers. "What? No, I''m not pregnant! ...I hope. ...Why would that have been our announcement!? We have a message from the dungeon!"
While they already had the tavern''s attention, that shifts the mood to a much more cautious one. Not seeing any Association agents in residence, Elance decides to take charge of prying the information out of them. "The dungeon, lass? Is there a danger?"
Bank picks up where he left off. "Less of one, actually! It''s two parts to it, really. The first is, um...well, you know the superstition folks have been talking about, with the luck charms hurting people who wear too many? Turns out that was real, though not exactly how folks were saying. The dungeon - we heard it direct from one of the floor bosses - apparently the dungeon has a trick that reverses the effect of anything that changes people''s luck. The good luck charms actually do give you bad luck while you''re in there."
One of the Challengers, a dwarf man sitting at the bar, lets out a yell. "What!? That godsdamn, sneaky...but hold on now, it just gave that away? To your lot? Why in the world?"
Slinz speaks up in their defense. "We were just the first ones there today! Apparently the dungeon spirit had some sort of...change of heart or something recently. I, um...think it was starting to feel bad for us."
Elance tries not to chuckle at the thought as she prods them further. "Was she, now? So what''s this second announcement, then?"
"Ah, right. The dungeon apparently has another trick, one that lets them teleport someone out of the dungeon when they ought to take a lethal hit, once a day. The dungeon''s said they''re turning that on now, with special conditions - it only applies to Initiates and Advanced-level Challengers, up to the third floor. But - if a party with Challengers at that level clears a floor after the day''s rescue''s been used up, they''ll get extra loot for giving it a shot. And it''ll warn folks when the rescue''s been used, too."
A woman at the bar rubs her chin in thought. "Sounds like some sort of full-dungeon Challenge Mode, doesn''t it? Wonder what the dungeon''s trying to get at with that one - does it want to go pacifist with the newbies or not?"
The Bountiful Mother thinks it over for a moment before grinning. "Choice." As the tavern residents turn to look at her, she continues. "She''s making it more certain that anyone who takes a risk in there is doing it with having made a proper choice about it. Some fool idiot gets in over their head and risks losing it - they get tossed out. A party sees that and keeps going, well...they made their choice."
The other dwarf seems unimpressed. "Like we need to be babied? We''re Challengers, we all know the risks. Not that I''m complaining about the chance to spare a life a day, mind you."
"I have my doubts that every Challenger, least of all the youngest ones, truly understands that. But regardless, maybe it ain''t for our benefit." The Mother smiles softly, this time mostly to herself. "Maybe it''s something she''s doing for herself..."
Chapter 137: Lets Talk About This
Sitting on her bed in one of the Domain''s rented rooms, Lyota stares at Lionel with a look of disbelief on her face. "The dungeon admitted that it was tricking Challengers? To your face?"
"Indeed it did, via one of its floor bosses as a mouthpiece, of course. Oh, and incidentally, we can confirm that report about the dungeon bosses being able to exit the dungeon, at least in limited numbers. That was rather a surprise of its own, I must say."
Lyota stares at the incubus for a moment before changing her line of questioning. "Now, first of all, explain to me why it was you were going into the dungeon with another party? Were you hiring out your services?"
The man chuckles at the accusation. "My services are always free of charge - at least, to those with a pretty face." As the fury continues to give him a blank stare, he sighs and changes his answer. "I was testing a theory - a related one, as it happens. You see, I discovered that the team in question - The Miserables - have been cursed to have bad luck. Yet oddly enough, they had notable success for their rank here, at Worthy Dungeon. Now, given the reversal of my own luck spell the other day, I thought there might be opportunity to learn a few things by working together. A quick test, one or two floors only."
Lionel turns his head and gives a rueful laugh before continuing. "And then the dungeon went and confirmed my theory before we even stepped inside! I swear, if I thought the dungeon had some way of knowing, I might almost guess it did it on purpose."
Lyota snorts, crossing her arms. "You think the dungeon has a grudge against you, personally?"
"No, no, far from it." The man rolls his eyes. "I mean that if we discovered the trick independently and reported it, it would create ill will towards the dungeon. Now? Certainly, there will be some, I''m sure there are some Challengers who were slain or maimed thanks to that little ploy with the luck charms. But announcing it on its own, and doing it at the same time as an announcement about it moving...well, slightly more pacifistic, that''s quite the bold public relations move. Very lucky that it did so today, ironically enough."
"Hrmm...even if it can send its bosses out of the dungeon, none of them would have been stealthy enough to spy on you. So what did provoke the dungeon to act now? Is it entirely a coincidence?"
Lionel thinks on that for a moment before shaking his head. "I don''t believe it is. Now, it was nothing that was said, but I consider myself a professional when it comes to reading body language and the use of words, you understand. Going by the way the banshee made the announcement...I think the dungeon felt bad." He smirks as he points an accusing finger at Lyota. "Which means I''m pretty sure this is your fault."
"Mine!? I...ugh. Well, fortunately, this doesn''t immediately strike me as a sign that the dungeon''s gone weak - I was told to evaluate its lethality to Expert-level Challengers and above, specifically, ignoring the lower levels, and this supposedly only affects them. So this isn''t problematic from an orders standpoint. But personally...now I wonder even further. What could a dungeon feel guilty about?"
"Too many options really, and yet none seem quite satisfying." The incubus smiles. "I have to admit, I''m curious enough to want to find out."
"Xenia said what!?" Alizz shouts in surprise at Sely, sitting across from her desk in the Association office.
"It was Taly that said it, according to the half-elves who came by. But yeah, an official announcement from the dungeon. They''re revealing the luck charm trick, and sparing the life of one newbie a day."
Alizz isn''t entirely sure whether to laugh or shout. "They''re doing this now!? We told them we weren''t happy about them keeping that luck charm trick secret months ago! And...I mean, these are both good news for us, I ought to be happy, but what changed!?"
Sely shrugs. "Maybe Taly had some impact on the place? I''m not sure I would have thought her one to try and make those sorts of changes, but perhaps things look different after you start living that kind of life."
"Maybe. Maybe it''s time we had another talk with the dungeon master ourselves. If the place is changing, we need to know about it."
Sely raises an eyebrow. "Should we prep for another inspection? We never technically did a proper one last time."
The drider shakes her head. "I filed that one as being complete enough, and another full one a week and a half later would be quite soon. But more importantly, although Renter''s agreed to hire on as our Rogue, this is going to be a visit concerning Xenia''s secrets and I''m not a hundred percent sure I''m ready enough to bring him in on those yet. I''d like to ease him in a bit more, and ensure he''s actually here for the long haul."
"Fair enough. What''s the plan then?"
"I''ll just make this a personal visit, have a chat with Lollyp, perhaps." Alizz glances at Sely, and makes a quick recalculation. "Though of course, it might be a good opportunity if you wanted to visit with Taly as well. Tomorrow morning?"
The Masochist gives a grin. "Tomorrow morning it is, then."
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TRIPLE PEAK MOUNTAIN BASE CAMP, THE FOLLOWING MORNING
Sable turns from her conversation with one of the Rainlander guards securing the path at the base of the mountain, and gives a shout of surprise. "Oh! Field Agent! Was there going to be an inspection today? I didn''t realize."
Alizz is a little surprised herself as she recognizes Sable and Elance among the group of soldiers, as well as a one-armed orc who seems slightly familiar. "Oh, not a full inspection, Paladin, Sely and I just wanted to, ah, pay a visit. And you?" As a realization hits her, she continues. "Oh...you, aren''t you...Trush? The, ah...the applicant?"
The orc nods. "That would be me, Field Agent. Sorry, did we need Association permission to do this? Seemed to us the arrangement was just between the dungeon and the Church of Bounty."
"What? No, but...you mean you''re...going through with it then? You''re joining the dungeon? Today?" Alizz had had enough on her mind this morning that she''d nearly forgotten about this particular program, and her mind takes a few moments to add it back to her list of ongoing concerns.
Elance answers her question. "Couldn''t think of any reason to delay it further, and the dungeon does have two boss slots open, or so I''m told. Sorry for not informing you, I thought we''d take him up and then let you know how things proceeded after. It''s possible the dungeon might have reasons to delay of its own. Will we be interfering with anything by doing it today?"
"No, I don''t think so. Actually...maybe I wouldn''t mind being around to see it myself, if that''s alright? Would we be intruding?"
Trush grins widely, his broad teeth gleaming white. "Hells, I''ve never minded an audience before. More the merrier! Unless the dungeon tells me to fuck off, that''d be a right embarrassment, haha!"
"Haha, that would be kind of funny - what? No! What are you doing here!?" Sable looks over Alizz''s shoulder in shock as yet another Challenger approaches the camp. If Lyota is surprised to see Sable however, her narrowed eyes don''t show it.
"I am here to explore the dungeon, as a Challenger does. Good morning, Paladin, Bountiful Mother." She turns her head and recognizes the other pair standing nearby, and although this time she does seem slightly surprised, she covers it quickly. "Ah, and Field Agent Alizz and Divine Masochist Sely, yes? Good morning to you as well."
Alizz''s face indicates that she has a few questions of her own. "Good morning...Soul Lasher Silverstar, I believe it was? You say you''re here to explore the dungeon this morning...all on your own?"
"...It would have been a brief exploration."
Elance joins in on the verbal prodding. "And what would you have been hoping to find, lass?"
Although Lyota is extremely doubtful the dwarf woman is actually older than her, she keeps her response respectful. "I am hoping to find the origin of this mountain of sin, Bountiful Mother."
Off to the side, Alizz facepalms. "Oh, boy."
"Would that be an issue, Field Agent?"
Alizz turns to eye Sely for a moment, but the Masochist has no help for her. "...I have no reason to bar you entry from the dungeon, Soul Lasher. If you were hoping for some sort of...conversation, however, it seems the dungeon might be slightly occupied this morning."
Lyota nods, ignoring Sable''s not-so-quiet prayers that she''ll turn around and go home. "Then perhaps my timing is good, as I hope to see more about how this dungeon...interacts with the world. Shall we?"
"...Right. Let''s get to hiking, then."
"Well, well, well, now this is a party! Six of you, most of you quite high-level...though I don''t believe I''ve seen you all teamed up exactly like this before." Doorman looks down at the assortment of Challengers standing before him, with a pleased look of surprise on his wooden face. As the one with the most pressing ''official'' business to deal with, Elance speaks for the group.
"We''re not exactly here today for typical reasons, Guardian. We''re here to introduce the dungeon to its first proper applicant - or at least, the first one to pass our particular system of testing. I do have a few names of failures to pass on as well, to let you know not to accept them. But this one here is Trush of Tash''narc, level 26 Shieldbreaker, looking to join your crew."
"Oh, oh my! And he''s ready to sign up today? I don''t believe we''re ready for this - please, give me a few moments to make sure our master is alerted and see how they wish to handle matters." The group dutifully waits, and after a minute Doorman''s attention is pulled to the side, as he listens to an unheard voice. After another few minutes of that, he refocuses on Elance.
"We''ll go ahead and clear out a space on Floor Four so everyone can have a chat, if he''s passed the Church''s requirements this should be mostly a formality. I see everyone but Mr. Trush has been to Floor Four before, but in this case we''ll make a special exception and allow him to skip ahead. Although just to confirm...you are all here as part of his party?"
Alizz speaks up. "I wouldn''t mind observing proceedings, but I do have some additional business I''d like to discuss afterwards."
"I as well. I recognize that I have no particular authority to ask this of you, but if the dungeon spirit is in a communicative mood, I would like to request the opportunity to speak with them, or a representative." Lyota gives the door a respectful bow as she makes her request.
Doorman hesitates for a few moments as he glances at the fury demon, but eventually nods. "In the words of my master, ''this meeting can''t get any weirder than it already is'', so come on in, if you like. I, ah...look forward to working alongside you, Mr. Trush?"
The orc in question answers with a laugh. "I as well, but you can drop the Mister! Heh, folks started callin'' me One-Armed Trush a bit back, but if all goes well I guess that name won''t be accurate soon either!"
"Likely not! The portals are there to your right, enjoy your visit!"
When the group makes their way onto Floor Four, they find something of a party arrangement set up in a meadow clearing in the forest. The conference table from the Association inspections is gone, but a few long tables with refreshments have been set up, and a greeting party large enough to match the Challengers is there to meet them. Lollyp, Taly, Sincere and DEATH are all present to represent the floor bosses, and even the water elementals have worked their way out of the river to see what all the excitement is about.
The arrivals stop in their tracks however when Xenia herself appears in the middle of the meadow, her monochrome form giving the Challengers a warm smile. "Well, welcome to the dungeon! Good timing on one hand, at least, my avatar spell was all nice and recharged in time. But did I hear right, we''ve got ourselves an, ah...''applicant''?"
"That would be me, aye. Have to say, neither you or this dungeon looks quite like what I expected, though I was warned. I''m - " Trush''s introduction is cut short by a sudden groan from Lyota, who was wincing as she began to approach Xenia''s avatar, and the woman eventually needs to start backing away a few steps. "...Not feeling well back there?"
"I...I shall observe from back here. Please, ignore me."
Xenia eyes the woman warily. "...Will do. For now, anyhow. Anyways, Shieldbreaker Trush, right?" She gives the orc a toothy grin. "Tell me about why you want to die today!"
Chapter 138: Death of the Party
Trush returns Xenia''s wide smile with one of his own. "Nice and direct - my kind of woman!" He pauses as his mind catches up to his mouth, and he realizes again just who he''s talking to. "Er, not to be unduly informal, dungeon master, I meant no disrespect."
"None taken - yet. I do appreciate a guy who knows what he wants myself, especially considering these sorts of stakes. If anyone comes in here asking for the gig but without their whole heart in it, I''m tossin'' em right back down the mountainside." Xenia''s initial smile turns into a smaller, but warmer one. "Let''s not get too wrapped up in formality. If we really do this - today, seriously, a bit of warning, guys? If we do do this, we''re bound together for practically eternity. If we''re going to be all but married, I ain''t standing for titles. Call me Xenia, please."
The orc nods, relieved. "Like getting vowed you mean, huh? Didn''t think of it like that, but I suppose it ain''t entirely wrong. And to think of all the wounded hearts I left along the way, thinking I''d never settle down with a girl..."
"An orc playboy, huh? We''ll see about that. But first - Elance, I assume you''ve been doing what I asked and vetting the people who come by? What''s your take here?"
Elance steps forward, feeling a bit like perhaps her prepared formal report might be out of place in what was shaping up to be a first-date-type atmosphere. "Well, for starters, we did confirm his background with the Association, he is who he says - level twenty-six Shieldbreaker, formerly of the Valleylands army. We also tested his combat prowess with the assistance of a few other Challengers. The man is wounded as you can plainly see, but showed signs of combat training and experience well enough that even I could recognize it."
Xenia nods along. "Good to know, that''s probably the most basic-level shit. How about his suitability?"
The dwarf shares a glance with the orc, perhaps feeling a little awkward about reporting on him right in front of his face, but she continues nonetheless. "To be honest, I might be a little biased by how clearly unsuited the first two applicants we got were. But I''d say he meets all my requirements - the man''s got no pressing obligations he''s leaving behind him, he seems well aware of the kind of lifestyle he''s jumping into, and he seems easy enough to get along with." Elance hesitates for a moment, but adds one more statement. "I''d never say that a fellow''s got no future ahead of him, no matter the circumstances. But, all things fully considered, I can accept the idea that he may well have a higher quality of life ahead in a dungeon than he has at the moment."
"Yeah, the arm and all, I get it. Alright, back to the big man himself." Xenia passes by a refreshments table and grabs up a pair of bottles, one of which she tosses to the orc, perhaps feeling this is a conversation that needs a drink. Or, perhaps as a test - if so, it''s one Trush passes, catching the bottle easily even with a single hand. As he pops it open and takes a drink, Xenia smirks. "Tell me, Mr. Trush, where do you see yourself in five years?" Before he can answer, Xenia quickly revises the question. "Never mind, no one here would get that. Just, in your own words - what is it you want to be doing around here?"
Trush gives a bit of a shrug. "Do I get options? Actually, guess I did hear a suggestion that maybe I could help with designing puzzles or traps, and that might be a thing to do. But figured mostly I''d be bashing folk''s heads in. Axe, mace, sword, decent with any of em along with a shield. But I ain''t in this for the blood, suppose I ought to say that. I''ve fought my way through a lot of dungeons myself over the years, you know, and fought a lot of different boss types. Some were a pain in the ass, some were too easy, but there were some worth remembering. Honorable Champion types, you might call em. Did what a dungeon ought to be about - testing folks! Not just breakin'' em, or killin'' em, but pushing them to their limits! Training even, in some ways, though the kind of spar where a fool move could lose you your head. But that''s what I loved - not just fighting, but feeling like I was growing from the experience. Yeah, that''s the kind of boss I''d wanna be."
"Haha, an Honorable Champion, huh? No dirty tricks?"
The Shieldbreaker snorts. "Oh, dirty tricks are absolutely a part of it. A fight''d just be boring without a bit of spice. But it''s all about respect - respect for your opponent, and for the fight. I wanna meet Challengers worthy of respect, you know what I mean?"
Xenia pauses in her snacking from the table to give a nod. "That seems like a good way of looking at it. Gotta admit, I like your vibe. And luckily for you, we do got two slots open for bosses at the moment - Floor Five and a Wandering Boss slot we unlocked."
Alizz interjects with a question. "Floor Five? I mean, I suppose obviously it could have a boss, but..."
"Floor Five - that''s the Fuck Floor, yeah? Or somethin'' like that? Got something you need doin'' for the Challengers down there?" Trush seems a little amused as he asks the question.
The dungeon master hesitates before answering. "...We''re probably not looking for a Floor Five boss at the moment, actually. Consider it a placeholder spot. Anyways, the point is, we got room to take you in. Now, I could offer you the chance to spend some time living in here first, and I''d probably make that a requirement if I was on the fence about you. But what do you say? You feeling confident in your choice?"
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Trush gives a solemn nod. "Barely been thinkin'' about anything else since before I sent myself out here. Feelin'' as confident about it as anything, I''d say."
"Suppose if you''re sure and you''ve got Elance''s recommendation, I can''t think of anything to say against it. So one more question - you got any requests on how you want to go? Ceremony, or anything?"
The orc eyes DEATH, standing silently next to one of the groups pecking at food from one of the tables. "...Is that not the executioner himself I see standing over there?"
"Him? Naw, that''s just Big D, he''d be one of your coworkers. When it comes to dying, we got tons of options."
DEATH waves a hand. "I WOULD BE HAPPY TO END YOUR EXISTANCE, IF YOU LIKE. I''VE ONLY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SLAY A SINGLE MORTAL THUS FAR."
"...I have no idea what the big fella just said, but maybe I''d go with something else."
Lollyp speaks up, a smile on her face. "Well if you want to go out doing something fun, Taly recently put up this really fun, potentially-lethal setup up in - "
"Lollyp!" Taly quickly interrupts her. "And just who do you want to have to be the one to, um. See him out!? I''m up for a little sadism but that''s a bit far for me!"
Xenia closes her eyes and sighs at the argument. "Let''s not. Unless there would be an achievement for that...no, no. Let''s go with two basic options. One, we''ve got some decent poisons, not entirely painless but pretty quick." With a flash, a sword appears at her avatar''s hip and she draws it out in a smooth motion. "Or, if you want something flashier, I don''t mind getting my hands dirty. I know how to make it quick and painless, maybe messier than the poison, but not like you''re getting an open-casket funeral out of this anyhow."
The man does look like he''s seriously thinking it over for a minute, but he eventually gives a nod towards Xenia''s blade. "Might be a bit overdramatic, but I''d rather go out in a spray of blood than lying in some bed, I think. Besides, I''m interested in seeing how you handle yourself, if you''re as confident with that as you sound."
"So be it. Anyone have anything to add before we make this happen? Speak now or forever hold your peace, and all that." Her eyes pass over Elance, Alizz, and even the pale-looking Lyota, but all remain silent, and so Xenia makes her way over to where Trush is standing. "How about you? Any last words? If you come up with better ones later we can totally retcon them."
"Eh, well? I should make the intention clear, right? Master of Worthy Dungeon, I, Trush of Tash''narc, do willingly surrender my soul to your service. Give me foes to fight and I shall humble them in your name! Give me halls to guard, and I shall secure your treasures! ...And any other services you may require, we can speak more of in private, later." The orc adds a wink to his final statement, and Xenia smirks despite herself.
"Nice." With a single swing of her blade, almost faster than half of those present can see, the orc''s head is separated from his body where he stands. Sure enough it seems to be a death that''s swift, painless, and as bloody as promised, as a few seconds later the head drops to the ground, followed by the body and then a spray of crimson. Some does hit Xenia, but the woman uses her control of her avatar form to keep herself clean. "...Yup, still got it."
Looking around, she eventually notices the shocked faces on most of her audience, some of whom were partway through eating some finger foods from the table. Looking at them, and then at the pooling blood around the corpse at her feet, and then back at them, Xenia shrugs. "What, this is a dungeon party. Enjoy the snacks and booze! Hey Alizz, did you have some business for me? We probably won''t get to reviving the man til tonight, like I said, we weren''t really prepped for a new resident today."
The drider eyes the man''s body and then the woman standing next to him, her sword already disappearing. "Ah, yes, but um...would it be possible to, you know...clean up, first? I feel a little awkward."
"Ah...nope, you''re all part of the ''party'' he was with, so I don''t get to claim stuff til you all leave. We can mosey on down towards the river if you''d like, though."
"...Yes, please, let''s do that."
The two walk some distance away, while Sely takes the opportunity to catch up with Taly, and getting out of sight of the corpse does calm the Field Agent quite a bit. At least, until she remembers why she came here. "So, Xenia! These new, what would you call it, policy changes of yours! What''s this all about?"
Xenia raises an eyebrow at the question. "What? I would''ve thought you''d be happy to have heard about them. You told me to my face you didn''t appreciate the luck charm trick, after all."
"Yes, I do appreciate the change in direction, but I''m rather confused. As you said, you didn''t budge on that one before, why now? I''ve been worried something may have happened up here since we last talked."
The dungeon master considers the question, and decides it''s a fair one. "Wasn''t any individual thing, just a few things coming to a head, I guess. Back when I started this gig, security was a serious concern of mine, you know? I think I''ve mentioned, but I''ve almost bought it a few times already. And there''s still not much I could do to block a team of Supremes or something. But Initiates? Even Advanced?" Xenia snorts. "I''ve grown beyond them. No Advanced has gotten as far as fighting DEATH, any that even try Floor Four take injuries and run with their tails between their legs before they get halfway to him. And I don''t get much out of them anymore, either. Souls are souls, those are nice, but equipment? Skills? I don''t need to kill them for self-defense, and I barely need their stuff, so racking up kills on them just feels like...bullying."
"That does explain you deciding to spare the life of a low-level Challenger a day, which I appreciate. But does the luck trick of yours not apply as well to higher-level Challengers?"
"Not as much, actually. It''s the lowbies who keep running Floor One over and over and starting collections of luck charms, you know. The high-level teams? They blow past it then never step foot in it again. Plus a bunch of em are already pretty geared up and don''t even bother wearing the charms they do get. It was nice having an ace up our sleeve, but...it was a hammer falling mostly on the Initiates which, again, bullying."
"Hrmm. I suppose that does make sense. Is that all there is to it, then? Nothing I else I should be aware of?"
Xenia thinks for a moment before she answers, her eyes glancing across the distant meadow. "Nothing vital, as far as you need to worry about, anyhow. But I do got a semi-related topic, if you don''t mind." Her eyes narrow as they find Lyota, who''s watching her in return.
"What do you know about that fury demon?"
Chapter 139: Clean Slates
Although Lyota was sitting with her eyes closed, assuming a meditative position in a relatively isolated part of the Floor Four meadow, she could still tell when the dungeon master''s avatar began to approach her. It would have been hard not to - despite the fact that it wasn''t the dungeon''s true body, it was the manifestation of her will and attention, which meant that her presence felt much more strongly than it had on any floor aside from the core chamber itself. The spirit does at least come to a halt about eight feet away rather than coming right up next to her, and Lyota can hear it as she takes a seat on the grass herself. Although the fury demon puts everything she can into maintaining her calm exterior, at least one shudder does escape through her body.
"You''re a real glutton for punishment, ain''t ya? Of course, for you, I take it this is the kind of ''punishment'' that would be like a kid staring at a cake they aren''t allowed to eat, huh? Got me curious, though. You''re staying away from the core chamber, so I won''t throw you out, but why did you come here? Am I really that scrumptious-looking?"
Sighing, Lyota opens her eyes and looks into Xenia''s own. "It...is difficult to pry myself away, I will admit. But what truly brought me here more than anything else was my own curiosity. I am aware that you do not ''owe'' me any answers. But I hoped that if I observed you and your...rituals, if you could call it that, perhaps I would still learn something. This has been a bust, however. The man gave himself to you willingly, I detected no sin in your slaying of him, regardless of your rather...unsubtle methods."
"Glad to know I''m doing at least that much right, then. But I got some questions of my own, if you don''t mind me asking."
The red-skinned woman nods. "I am willing to speak. What do you wish to know?"
Xenia waggles a hand. "Fury demon stuff I suppose, nothing personal. For starters, I know your type feed off of the punishment of sins, or something like that. Super-biblical I bet, probably more so than succubi are. Not that I was ever good at that shit. Point is, let''s say a dude punches an old lady, you punish the dick, feed from it, and walk off. Can another fury demon line up behind you and do the same thing? For the same crime, I mean?"
The demon finds herself a little surprised at this somewhat technical line of questioning. "Ah? No. The act releases a kind of stored metaphysical energy which we absorb, it does not simply reform on its own. If they continued to avoid a proper punishment for their crime, it would perhaps rebuild slightly in time, but it''s certainly not the kind of meal one can ''line up'' for."
"So your punishment, what? Actually absolves a person of their sins or something? Or temporarily?"
Lyota chuckles, finding the question amusing despite herself. "If you want a true understanding of sin and the removal thereof, you should talk to the gods - or at least some of their high-ranking clerics. In comparison, we furies are more akin to janitors, the final line of...clean-up. However, I can tell you that it depends on the specific nature of the sin involved, and there is no exact system. Take the example of punching an old woman, as you said. Such a person would owe a moral debt to at least two parties - the state, whose laws they broke, and the woman, whom they physically injured. In some cases, historically speaking, we furies were agents of the state and were thus able to consume that portion of their sin through punishment. Here in the Rainlands however I have no such jurisdiction. Whatever I might do to such a man, it does not reduce their debt to the state in the least, and so I would gain nothing from it."
Xenia scratches her head. "But you would gain something from, what, the debt the dude owes to the old lady?"
"It''s a more basic, primal form of justice. The ideal situation would be one in which we would force the man to put himself at her mercies, offering apology and whatever form of recompense she required. Failing that, we would at least gain something from making him suffer for the crime, ensuring that he felt in at least some way regretful for his deeds."
"So..." Xenia trails off in thought for a while, and Lyota takes the opportunity to refocus on her calming exercises. As much as she wants to analyze just why the dungeon spirit would be asking her these questions, she can tell her mind is barely in any condition to do much analysis at the moment, and so she simply focuses instead on watching the spirit''s reactions and waiting for her next question. Eventually, it comes. "Let''s say there was a crime, and the victim died a long time ago. And you''re way outside of the jurisdiction where it happened. How do you punish a criminal like that?"
"That...sounds like a rather detailed hypothetical."
"Hey, if you don''t wanna answer the questions, you can leave at any time."
Sighing again, Lyota takes a deep breath and attempts to consider the scenario. "A victim''s loved ones can stand in for them to an extent. But if there is no one else to whom the debt can be repaid, it eventually falls to the ultimate debt-collectors."
Suddenly interested, Xenia leans forward. "Huh? And who would that be?"
"The gods, of course. ''Jurisdiction'' may be a complicated matter to determine - who did the victim worship, what gods ruled over the territory where the crime occurred, did the specific crime involve some sort of act offending a specific god, and that sort of thing. For minor crimes, we furies tend to ignore such lost cases - simply determining which Church we ought to send the sinner towards would consume more effort than the reward is worth."
"Fuck! Dammit!" Xenia begins to swear, and she climbs up back to her feet so she can begin pacing around. "Who even were the gods around then, that was so damn long ago! Do any of em even pay attention to this realm, even if I wanted to try and make up somehow!?"
Lyota''s face screws up in confusion. "...What in the world is this situation which you are describing? You''ve committed some...ancient misdeed?"
Pausing, Xenia eyes Lyota cautiously for a bit. "...I''m like, sixty percent sure that Dragonlord''s figured out my deal, but if they ain''t, or ain''t said shit to you, I''m keeping it to myself. But what you''re saying is you don''t even have the ability to feed off my crimes even if you wanted to?"
"If...if they are of such a sort as you describe, then not fully, no. But your sins are so great, that even the relative scraps that could be obtained by making you suffer and regret would be an enormous feast."
"Yay. Joy. How would you even pull that off? Ever punished a dungeon core before?"
Lyota finds herself unable to meet Xenia''s gaze, and her eyes turn towards the ground. "I''m not...entirely certain of that myself. I know mystical constructs exist which can hurt dungeon cores, but I do not possess any, and I would not be in a position to use one even if I did." As she says that, however, a feeling does enter her body, pulling energy into her bones. Now that she notices it, she realizes that it''s been there since almost as soon as she arrived, yet she was simply too distracted by her emotions and her attempts to quell them to identify it. Eyes widening, she stares into Xenia''s face again.
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"Except...my presence here alone is...am I hurting you? Am I making you suffer just by sitting here?"
"It''s...what? No! That''s...that''s crazy." Xenia turns away, now the one to find herself suddenly shy. "Okay, you know what, I think we''ve done enough personal sharing for the day!" Turning around entirely, Xenia shouts out to the other guests milling around the snack tables. "Alright, party time''s over! Thanks for swinging by and giving me a dude to kill, but unless you wanna fight some bosses or something, time for everyone to get the fuck out of my house! I got an orc to clean up and bossify!"
Lyota worries somewhat that she may have provoked the dungeon spirit with her question, but if she did, it hardly seems like the time to try and press the issue. Climbing to her feet, she begins to make her way towards the exit portal Xenia sets up, but at a rather lingering pace. The Church members exit first - with the Paladin perhaps intentionally trying to put some distance between Lyota and herself, to the fury demon''s slight amusement - and with the Association members lingering somewhat themselves. Sely eventually peels herself away from Taly though, and after a few minutes Lyota is the last member of the odd party to remain. A fact which Xenia notices.
"Yo. Not great at picking up hints, huh? Look, it was a nice chat, but I think we''ve had enough of each other for one day."
"...Perhaps. But I do feel the need to perhaps clarify one point, dungeon master." Again, Lyota locks her eyes with Xenia''s. "I do not enjoy causing suffering, and I don''t know any fury demons who do. It is a necessity of our kind, sometimes, but that part of the process is not always an enjoyable one. For your sake, I hope you find some balm for whatever wound you carry."
Xenia''s expression is more than a little hard to read, and before she gives anything away, she waves Lyota on through the portal. "Thanks for the thoughts and prayers. But if it''s a problem I''ve got, I''ve had it for a long time, and I got other shit to do. See you around, or not, I ain''t your boss. Ta-ta now."
Lyota bows at the unusual dismissal, and steps on through the portal.
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INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS SLAIN: 1
MORTALS ESCAPED: 5
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
LEATHER ARMOR: B
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 1 - TRUSH OF TASH''NARC, ORC
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 7 TO 203 (45 CONSUMED BY CONSTRUCTS)
MANA ACQUIRED: 10, CURRENT AMOUNT: 133/158
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
SKILLS: SHIELDBREAKER (EXPERT)
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: GETTING YOUR HANDS DIRTY 1
YOU HAVE SCORED YOUR FIRST KILL WITH A DUNGEON AVATAR. AVATARS CAN NOW WITHSTAND A SINGLE MINOR OR MODERATE COMBAT STRIKE BEFORE BEING DISPERSED.
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An hour later, Xenia found herself standing in one of the Floor Two apartments alongside Lollyp, Sincere and Taly. They''d taken over the former suite used by the Church pair, doing some redecorating and turning the extra bedroom into something of an armory so that the new boss would have a chance to try out a variety of weapons. The main question remained though - what form to give the man?
"It''s rabbit time."
Taly shoots Xenia a look, followed soon after by the other bosses. "Rabbit time."
"Yup. I''ve been sitting on eleven souls, not counting the big guy''s himself, so it''s time to finally push the bunnies up to B-tier! I probably should''ve done this earlier, this could be a huge upgrade to BB and a bunch of other monsters too."
Sincere seems unimpressed. "Even in the B-tier, do you think there would be something worthwhile as a boss in, ah, lagomorphs?"
Guy hovers into the room to handle that question. "Indubitably! Tiers are, for the most part, standardized rankings, you understand. There may be a few exceptions, such as dragons usually being a bit overpowered as a category, and specific cases like False Mortals being rather weak, but generally speaking a B-tier boss is a B-tier boss. Which is to say, the new fellow should be roughly on par with any of you!"
Lollyp presses the point. "But are you sure Trush would want to be a bunny?"
"What can I say, Lolly Pop? I''ve got a good feeling about this." With a wide grin, the dungeon master goes through her menus and spends ten souls, pushing Lagomorphs from C+ to B. "And there we go, I knew there was gonna be something good to pop up! Lagomorph Champions - Champion, right in the name like he said, right? Champion subtype...Bunny Knight."
"Seriously?" Taly rubs her forehead, but fails to hide the grin on her face as she chastises her boss.
"Hey, careful with the preconceptions, eh? Let''s just turn that muscle slider up to max and...see what we get here." With a wave of her hand, the body of an unconscious man appears on the apartment''s bed. It''s humanoid, with an ethnicity which would be uncertain by Earth standards but tending towards rather dark skin, including black hair and...fur. While the Knight''s main body is simply covered in skin like a human''s, its arms and legs suddenly sprout fur and change shape halfway down the limbs, with thick paw-like hands and massive rabbit-style feet. Its face is perhaps mostly normal, save for an oddly-shaped nose, but rather than human ears a pair of long black rabbit ears sprout from the top of its head.
The figure is already quite well-sculpted to start with, its muscular abs and chest plain to see, but once Xenia boosts the body to boss-level it becomes something else entirely. The body bulges, taking on much more orc-like proportions, and while the chest doesn''t sprout fur exactly, the chest hair it grows isn''t that far off. Even with the upper torso''s impressiveness however, it doesn''t take long for four pairs of eyes to drift downward and examine an even more impressive bit of anatomy. Frozen in place, Xenia''s hand hovers over her menus before she can implant the monster body with a soul, and Lollyp is the one to speak up first.
"Well! Looks like he''s gonna be well-equipped for doing all sorts of rabbit-type activities, eh, eh?"
"Oh no. Oh no oh no."
Taly gives her boss a worried look as Xenia begins to repeat herself. "Did, ah...something go wrong, Xenia?"
"Oh no. Oh no, he''s hot."
Chapter 140: Bunny Magnetism
With one eye opened, Trush gives the room around him an examining look. "...Something go wrong while I was out, ladies?" He takes a moment to feel at his neck, and laughs as he does so. "Well! That was a hell of a swing you got on you there, girl! I don''t think I even had time to feel it before it all went black!" He blinks, staring at Xenia''s wide eyes, and corrects himself again. "I mean, ah, Dungeon Master, my lady."
Xenia blinks herself before shaking her head. "Oh, pfft, like I said, no titles - but let''s see if we can settle for something between ''girl'' and ''Dungeon Master'', shall we? I guarantee you I''m older than you are, though we can cover that later. You''re um...feeling good?"
"Incredible! Different, but..." He runs a hand across his chest, and pauses as he glances down at what he finds. He''s dressed in a pair of simple pants but little else, leaving his chest bare. His skin has changed color, now being far less green than it was before, but it''s his fur-covered hand that takes most of his attention. He stares at it for a while, wiggling his fingers, before a thought occurs to him and he raises his other hand to match. Staring at both now, he murmurs. "Well...would you look at that?"
Lollyp hops a bit to catch his eye and gives him a smile. "Yup - free arm replacement, courtesy of the Worthy Dungeon healthcare plan, as Xenia calls it! We did um, make a few other changes, as you can probably tell."
"I can see that. Mind filling me in? I feel strong, but these fingers...they''re a bit thicker than I''m used to, might need to change how I handle things."
Xenia steps in, her voice a little awkward sounding for some reason. "Well - you''re a rabbit. Now, before you make any judgments, you''re not just your everyday bunny! You, my Shieldbreaker pal, are now a Bunny Knight - a subclass of Lagomorph Champion. It''s got a lot of, um. Physical-based attributes, you could say."
"Huh. Well, I suppose it beats a bunch of other kinds of monsters I coulda been, though I ain''t ever seen one of these in a dungeon before. You got a mirror around here?"
"Mmm, not exactly, but let''s see what I can do." Considering her options for a few moments, Xenia eventually spawns a large plate of copper, polished as brightly as she can make it. Trush takes the time to climb out of bed in the meanwhile, and slowly examines himself in the impromptu mirror.
"Feel a little shorter now, but I feel like I could sprint a mile in a second. Legs are definitely shaped funny, good thing you can make me custom pants, haha! Wait...what the fuck''s this?" With a bit of confusion, he reaches down and grabs something poking out at the rear of his pants. "I got a damn tail!?"
"Haaa, yeah, I can make some body adjustments to a monster but I can''t remove ''core attributes'' like body parts, sorry! Now, you''re not locked in, we can change you to something else, but I really do think this is something worth giving a try! My other top tiers are slimes and undead, and while there are some pretty tanky types of undead, they tend to be a little um...less appealing. Not that I just picked your body just for aesthetics! I just thought it''d be more comfortable, at least to start off with."
"Hahah, yes, I certainly do have some fancy aesthetics, don''t I?" Trush smiles at himself in the mirror, hand on his chin, and almost seems to take himself off guard by how handsome he is. "Gods above. Shame I look more like a human than an orc, but I never in a hundred years would have imagined...well, don''t let word get out that becoming this fuckin'' charming is one of the perks you offer or you''ll be flooded with more applicants than the Mother can handle!"
He glances around at some of the other reflections in the mirror, then turns to take in the expressions on the faces of Xenia, Lollyp, and Taly. Even Sincere, he notes, seems to be eyeing him rather appreciatively. "Admiring your work, are you? Well, can''t say I blame you."
"I didn''t mean for you to become so sexy! It just happened!" Xenia''s fists clench up as she cries out, and Trush shoots her a smirk.
"Just happened, huh? Inherent part of the archetype, I imagine?"
"It totally is! I''ve been glancing at some of the other sub-types in the list, and their example appearances...there''s this Bunny Sorceress who''s just the most adorable thing I''ve ever seen with her ears poking out of her wizard''s hat... Totally, extremely different from the Bunnygirl Magician, who I''m pretty sure is just a straight-up...well, never mind! It''s not just about the looks! We''ll set you up with a set of armor, let you pick a weapon, and you''ll be kicking ass in no time!"
"I am feeling a little under-dressed..." Trush eyes the women staring at him again before he continues. "...But I don''t particularly mind. Still, if you''ve got arms and armor for me, I''d be glad to take a look. We should talk about how you want me, too."
Xenia''s eyes go wide, and she stammers slightly. "We - we should?"
Trush grins widely, entirely aware of what he''s doing. "In the dungeon, of course! You said I would be a ''Wandering Boss'', right? I''m familiar with the concept as a Challenger, but perhaps you should explain it from the dungeon end just to be sure I don''t misunderstand anything."
"Oh, ah, right! Of course! Well, as you can probably see, bosses aren''t strictly locked into their floors, like, physically. However, they are assigned to a particular floor core, and that does have some effects. They''re stronger on their floor than anywhere else in the dungeon, and when they die and respawn it has to be on their home floor. A Wandering Boss though gets assigned to a range of five floors. We only have one slot at the moment, but I''m pretty sure wanderers can''t overlap ranges, either."
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The Bunny Knight nods along. "So...what, Floors Two through Six, then? Taking on Initiates on Floor One hardly sounds like a challenge."
The group generally nods in agreement, though Taly adds in some thoughts of her own. "Aside from the range assignment, we might want you to specifically focus on Floors Four and Six. Two and Three don''t offer a lot of space for additional boss fights, and we still want to go a little easier on the Challengers there, too."
Xenia makes another suggestion. "We might want to hold you entirely in reserve in some cases, too. Make it more of a surprise when you do pop out - our ace up the sleeve for when a really tough party comes by. Either way, might be a bit before you need to actually get into any fights."
"Sounds reasonable. Anything I ought to be doing until then?"
Lollyp points the way out the bedroom door. "We''ve given you your own armory to play with, given you''ve gone through a lot of changes, we''re guessing you''re gonna need some time to figure out what weapons and styles work for you now. And if you need more room for training, feel free to swing by an arena or Floor Four, we''ll point out the shortcuts for you."
"We''ve got a lot of other stuff to talk about - stuff about me and the dungeon, that is, the kind of shit we still don''t just spill to every random Challenger." Xenia claps her hands on the Knight''s shoulder and gives him a serious look in the eye. "That''s gonna be a talk and a half though, so I ain''t gonna just dump it all on you right now. Maybe tonight? We''ll give you the quick tour for now then give you some time to figure out your, um...your body."
Although his face has changed, the toothy grin on Trush''s face still manages to appear somehow orcish. "I''m looking forward to it."
After giving him a few pointers, Xenia had left Trush''s tour to Taly and Lollyp and made her exit. Now that she''d made such an important upgrade, the dungeon master had other business to attend to...business she''d perhaps been putting off for a long time. Sitting on a rocky outcrop in the cave-like Floor One boss arena, she watches BB as he scratches himself.
"Man, BB, it''s been a while huh? Remember when it was just you and me? ...And Guy? ...And Sir Flopsy? Still, you were my heavy hitter! For like, a week or so." The lagomorph turns in her direction as she speaks, but when it becomes apparent that she''s not giving him orders, he returns to ignoring her. "...Gods, I barely even remember the lady I made you from, not that I ever actually like, knew her. Tiny, wore a lot of black, liked knives. Never even knew her name. Your name? I do remember feeling bad though, putting you in a body not much better than an animal''s."
"...Mrrooaw?"
"Yeah, we did what we had to do. Same with Tank and Dips, but they''ve been upgraded to ''hold a conversation'' level for a while now, even if they don''t seem to have much they care to talk about. But here I''ve been, letting you be like this. And you''ve probably got it harder than every other boss in here! Even the Initiates usually kill you, and all I''ve given you for a living space is that little cave back there."
"Mraw!"
"Well, glad you''ve been easy to please, but I owe you better. I probably should''ve sent you out to hunt rabbits, though I was a little worried you might decide to hunt like...Rainlander soldiers or something while you were at it. Maybe once you''re smart enough to actually know what it is that I''m telling you..."
Standing up, Xenia takes a moment to stretch and crack her symbolic knuckles. "Alright, BB, it''s time for your next upgrade." She quickly flicks through her menus, finding a bookmarked spot, and begins to pump mana into BB''s form. The monster seems a bit surprised, even uncomfortable, yet not in pain despite the sudden changes his body starts to go through. He grows another foot, his legs slightly straighten, and like with Trush, fur begins to vanish from his face and torso. "Stand, Floor Boss of Floor One, BB - my Rabbit Rogue!"
"Mrr-ack, gack." The rabbit coughs for a moment, although he''s polite enough to do so into his hand...or paw, as it may be. "Oof, sorry about that, vocal cords felt a little weird there. Thanks for the boost, Dungeon Master, I''m feeling stronger already!"
Xenia doesn''t respond at first, and instead just stares at BB for a moment with a look of surprise. His leather armor changed to fit his new form, but she can still get a good impression of his shape. Somewhat shorter and far less muscular than Trush, the Rogue is still noticeably fit, just with the trim look of an acrobat rather than that of a wrestler. His face seems younger as well, more smooth and hairless compared to Trush''s general impression of a five o''clock shadow, and his fur appears a bit more light-gray than the former orc''s solid black, alongside his paler skin. Still, all that is less of a surprise than the boss''s quick adaptation to speech.
"...Really? That easy, you know how to talk? Even the armors were a bit more gradual...uh, not that I''m complaining! This is great!"
BB grins, a thin-lipped smile that seems to indicate hidden secrets...as if a newly sapient rabbit-man could have such things. "Should I have been any other way, Master? Hmm, you say I was a lady, once? I can''t say I remember that."
"You remember me saying that, though? Well, yeah, guess that was like...thirty seconds ago. But yeah, the base monster I used before I ensouled you was a boy, so...here you are. I could actually turn you into a bunnygirl Rogue if you''d rather, though?"
The boss shrugs. "Whichever would please you, Master."
Xenia eyes the rabbit. "I''m not sure if I should be inferring something from that, or..."
Once again, the mysterious smile returns. "You''re free to infer whatever you''d like, Master."
"I - no! You''re like...three months old! Even if you''ve got an adult body, isn''t that...and I''m your boss!"
BB rubs his chin. "For some reason I appear to be aware of the fact that rabbits often reach maturity within a few months. Of course, a dungeon monster is mature immediately, for a given definition, since we can''t have children." He pauses and stares off into the distance. "...Knowing things feels strange. But enjoyable!"
The dungeon master covers her face with her hands. "Why...why do all of the rabbits have to be so sexy!? I didn''t do this on purpose! I swear I didn''t!"
The boss shoots her a worried look. "Would it please you if I took a less...attractive form?"
Xenia quickly recovers, shaking her head. "No, no - there''s more monstrous types, of course, but they can''t talk or think beyond being clever animals, and that was the point of all this. Maybe I should have another chat with Guy, but, first - what can I do for you, BB? Now that you''re grown up?"
"Well, a nicer cave would be...nice. Also, perhaps a name change? Instead of just Boss Bunny, I feel perhaps I deserve an upgrade there as well. Perhaps...Bloodspiller Bunny?"
"...Mind if I keep calling you BB, Bloody?"
"Whatever pleases you most, Master."
Xenia quickly zaps out of the room with a final comment. "Stop smiling like that when you call me that!"
Chapter 141: Multiplying Like Rabbits
"I''m sorry, how did BB become ''weird'', again? He did go through quite the transformation, some differences in behavior are to be expected." Guy hovers around the core chamber, attempting to ease Xenia''s concerns while the other bosses continue Trush''s introduction tour.
"Yeah, the transformation, let''s not even get into how it seems like he''s got a whole new personality now compared to before he could talk. He''s just...way too eager to please. It''s weird!"
"Ah!" Guy comes to a halt as they realize the issue. "I believe I see the problem, ma''am - incorrect expectations. You see, BB is quite normal. It''s your other bosses who are, for the most part, ''weird''. You''re simply not used to it, but this is how a dungeon boss is supposed to act with their masters. At least, the fully sapient kind."
Xenia feels unconvinced, and shifts in her chair. "I dunno, Guy. Tank and Dips are ''standard'' ensouled bosses too and I didn''t get the same vibe from them! They follow orders, sure, but I''m pretty sure their first love is like...stabbing people."
"Ah, well, they are undead - ghosts, in particular. Some other undead, such as vampires, may act more human-like, but ghosts often tend to be a little...incomplete, personality-wise. Focused on a specific emotion, like anger, or grief. As dungeon monsters, your ghosts will tend to be inclined towards violence. Rabbit Champions, on the other hand, are a more well-rounded personality type. A broader range of emotions, you might say."
"...Are you sure? Because from the looks BB was giving me, I''m pretty sure he might have had an emotional focus like ''being way too flirty with the boss''. Maybe that''s just around me, though."
"...I suppose I should say, that each monster type will likely still have some influence on the behavior of the bosses who utilize it. And, well. BB is a rabbit, ma''am."
"Yeah, no kidding." Xenia''s eyes narrow as she stares off into the distance. "Did the gods do that on purpose, Guy? Make monsters that are into their dungeon spirits? I''ve been trying to make it clear as it is, just cause I might be, y''know, open to things, doesn''t mean I want to be pushing my dungeon master-weight around. But if monsters are designed to be into that, that just raises a whole other level of questions."
Guy pauses for a while before they eventually answer. "Well, ma''am, I''m afraid I have no particular insight into the intentions of the gods. However, I can make inferences, and I suppose there is at least one vital piece of evidence."
"And what''s, that?"
"Well...dungeon monsters don''t have a digestive system. They live off of mana, and when they consume your food it is simply converted back into mana. Or, I suppose, in the rare case that one might eat an adventurer."
Xenia raises an eyebrow. "...Okay? Not sure that implies much."
"Only that it raises the question of, what purpose does monster genitalia serve, in that case? It is certainly not because they need to reproduce the old-fashioned way."
"...Fuckin'' horny-ass gods."
"They do have a bit of a reputation, ma''am."
After the tour was over, the rest of the evening for Trush was spent in a long conversation with Xenia and a few of the others concerning her less-public attributes. If anything, Trush was rather elated by the revelations, particularly the parts involving Xenia being an experienced swordswoman. He extracted a promise from Xenia that the two of them would spend some time training together, and Xenia found herself rather pleased at the thought - none of her companions thus far were particularly big on the sort of melee combat Xenia thrived on, though the suggestion of practicing knife-fighting with Taly came up as well. The most surprising part was perhaps that Lollyp only implied that the pair should try some ''bedroom sparring'' twice, which was quite the show of restraint from the slime.
The next day however it was time for Xenia to do something else for Trush, and after her experience with BB the day before, she found herself rather dreading it. With Lollyp upstairs guarding Floor Two, Xenia, Taly, Sincere, and their newest addition were gathered in a Floor Four meadow for the dungeon master''s latest project. Trush himself was standing in a full, shining suit of knight armor, minus a helmet given that they were still working out the details of one that would work with the man''s sudden growth in the ear department. His shield bore the floor''s emblem of a rabbit head in profile, and the former orc seemed a little embarrassed about how fancy his equipment was.
"I don''t know if you were ever in the army, Worthy, but this setup is insane! Custom, perfect-fitted, custom-detailed, and you said this was enchanted? You know how much something like this would cost to outfit a soldier with? Hells, even with the Rainlanders you only see suits like this with the nobility, the folks who can afford to spend a minotaur''s weight in gold on their kit!"
The dungeon master smiles, pleased by Trush''s reaction. "Have been in a few armies, actually, and I know what you mean. And it''s actually not even as good as it could be, either. Our metal armor tier is currently...B-minus? So only slightly above average, before the enchantment, it''s really only the great fit that really elevates it. I went with a lightness enchantment by the way, since my impression is rabbit-classes live on their speed and all that."
Trush nods along as he stretches his arms. "Thought I noticed that, though I''m still adjusting to my own strength so I wasn''t sure. But you didn''t call us all out here just to see how my new suit looks, right? We got other business."
Xenia''s face grows more serious. "Yup. I''m gonna give you some sidekicks."
Trush''s head tilts with a bit of confusion. "Eh? You think I ain''t gonna be enough as I am?"
"Oh, I bet you could be, especially if we sent you after lowbies. But I can tell you''re not supposed to be entirely solo - the slot for a Wandering Boss includes some extra allowances for support monsters, and I think I can see why. Most bosses get an arena of their own, and that can be a big homefield advantage. Lollyp gets her acid pools, Taly has some traps, the armors have Terror Tentacles, and so on. You don''t, though, which means you gotta bring your arena with you."
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Sincere, who''d been watching Xenia''s facial expressions while she spoke, asks a question of his own. "You seem as if you aren''t actually happy about this, though. Is there some downside?"
She shakes her head. "No, no! Not, like...a downside with costs, or something like that. Just something I haven''t done before, and I''m worried about what exactly it is I''m about to do here."
The group exchanges some worried looks, and Taly voices them. "Okay, and now we''re worried. What weird fuckery are you gonna pull today?"
"Squires. Rabbit Squires. They''re the minion version of what becomes a Bunny Knight boss, and a pretty obvious sort of backup for Trush. I was thinking two archers, two spearmen."
Trush scratches his head, or tries to, finding an ear getting in his way as he does so. "Huh, guess having a whole squad with the same mobility as me would fit, not to mention the style or whatever. What''s the problem then?"
"Well, it''s just that it seems pretty clear now that the Rabbit-People category are basically sapient people. Except...BB is an ensouled boss, even if he''s been ''reshaped'' or whatever to fit as a dungeon monster, I have to believe there''s still some level of free will there in the guy. But sapient, soulless monsters? I kinda worry I''m not making like, guard dogs, and more like I''m about to get into the business of making slaves, here."
Taly sighs at her boss''s explanation. "Xenia. You know, I''m glad that you have those kinds of concerns, I guess, but you''re way overthinking it. They''re soulless, like you said yourself."
Xenia frowns, though she does nod. "Yeah, but if they have like...the ability to think and feel and express themselves, it''s like they''re still people, right? Not having a soul just means they lack free will and shit."
"Xenia, no, you''re missing the point." The Rogue laughs to herself. "To think I''m explaining dungeon spirits to a dungeon spirit. Xenia, you don''t run the dungeon. You are the dungeon. Worrying about if your monsters get free will is like worrying about if your fingers should have free will." She clears her throat, and adds one more statement under her breath. "And we all know damn well what you use those fingers for..."
"That...Guy! Does that analogy make any sense?" Xenia shouts out, and Guy appears on the spot.
"Analogy? Ah, fingers, I see. That is...largely correct, ma''am, yes. The nervous system of a dungeon is far more complex than a human''s, of course. Processing, or thought, is handled at multiple levels - your own core, the floor cores, and by each individual monster. To be perhaps over-specific, a more correct analogy would be to say that a finger might choose on its own to twitch - but it couldn''t choose on its own to grab something, as that would be a higher-order process. But even so, all of those levels are still indeed you, ma''am, just as all parts of a human''s body belong to that human."
The dungeon master takes a moment to process that information, presumably with her dungeon core. "Well, that still feels a little weird in some ways, I guess, but I suppose you''re right about me not needing to worry about the monsters feeling like slaves, at least. Alright, then - Trush, got any specific requests for your sidekicks?"
The knight smirks. "Sure. Mind makin'' em cute?"
Xenia narrows her eyes at the rabbit. "We did just cover that these will be like my fingers, yeah man? You planning to have indecent intentions towards my fingers?"
The two meet each other''s eyes for a moment, neither saying a word, until eventually Xenia snorts.
"Okay, I don''t know why I even ask these kinds of questions anymore. Sure, whatever, have your sexy bunny squires. Boys can be cute too though, so let''s at least have something for everyone, yeah?" She goes through her monster creation menu, and sets a few specific options while leaving others to be randomized. A moment later, with four bursts of mana, four new Rabbit Squires are standing in the arena, already equipped with armor. As she said, two are equipped with spears and two with bows and arrows, with a male and female member for each set. Beyond that though, they have little in common - while their skin, hair, and fur colors all come in natural shades for humans and rabbits, they cover quite the range, with the one of the archer women coming in a darker shade of skin than anyone Xenia''s seen on this world yet, while her companion next to her is as pale as any elf.
As they become aware, the four of them collectively turn to face Xenia and stand to attention. They don''t quite speak in unison, but all four do greet her with variations on ''Ma''am!'' and ''Dungeon Master!''. Looking them over, Xenia takes a deep breath before addressing them.
"Welcome to the dungeon, Rabbit Squires. You''ll be helping out Trush here with his Wandering Boss duties - are you all aware of your situation and what we do here?"
One of the spearsmen speaks up first, a young blonde man with almost-white fur on his limbs. "Yes, ma''am! We''re here to defend the dungeon against intruders, to protect your core, and to follow your orders and those of your bosses!"
"Convenient." Xenia tosses a glance in Guy''s direction. "They come with a total information download and all that?"
"Well, as I said ma''am, they are you, or part of you. They certainly don''t have all of your memories, skills, or experiences, but they have been granted just about everything that would be relevant to their tasks."
"Guess that saves me a lot of time, then. Although, Trush - you want to take over naming them? They''re your finger-squires - " Xenia pauses and her face goes blank. "...Slap me if I ever use that expression again, please. Anyways, you got ideas?"
"Hmmm, indeed I do. Line up, squad!" The Knight gives a sergeant''s bark, and the four Squires turn to face him instead. He points first to the spearman who spoke up last. "You. Spearman Yardath." The next is the woman standing next to him, a brunette with brown fur but the occasional white spot. "Spearwoman Ashadi. You there, who look like you came from the South Merchant States, you''re Archer Namasha."
The dark-skinned woman tilts her head. "I''ve never heard of the South Merchant States, but very well."
Trush turns to Xenia, who shrugs. "Never killed anyone who''s been there, I guess. Good to know there''s still room to expand my horizons...anyhow, keep going."
"Right, right...not a lot of travelers from that far out, let alone low-level Challengers. And you, you''ll be Archer Grange." The final Squire, a man with black hair but gray fur, nods. As Xenia considers the selections, she chuckles.
"Did you give all your Squires orc names, Trush?"
"Well, what else was I gonna name them? After pet rabbits? These men and women are soldiers, and deserve the names of soldiers!"
"Fair enough. Let''s see, anything else I can do for you? ...Shit, am I going to need a lot more apartments now? Or at least like...some sort of barracks?"
Ashadi shakes her head. "No need, ma''am. If you need us to take some rest time, we can just live inside him." She points a finger at Trush, whose eyes grow wide.
"You''ll be living in where, now?" Guy hastily steps in before any misconceptions begin to grow.
"Monsters do not need living quarters as such, ma''am, that you''ve provided any at all is an extreme rarity, as far as I understand it. However, the minions of a Wandering Boss are special in that they can be unsummoned and resummoned at will, in order to assist with the Boss''s need for mobility. However, it does take a bit of time for a monster to recover from a summoning, so it''s not something you''d want to use as part of a combat ambush."
"Huh, convenient again. I do still feel a little bad though, even though I know the armors and Big D haven''t been asking for anything either. If I did make you guys a barracks or something to hang out in someday, would you use it?"
The Squires exchange a quick series of glances before they nod, and Yardath answers for the group. "That does sound...interesting, ma''am."
"Something for the Dungeon Master to consider later, I think." Trush speaks loudly, once again gathering their attention. "For now, I''ve got business with you, new meat!" He grins, his smile still somehow managing to look like an orc''s. "Time for me to see what you can do - let''s spar."
Chapter 142: Showing Off
Although several parties stopped by to try Worthy Dungeon that day, none went further than Floor Three, which was fortunate because Floor Four was booked. Trush spent the entire morning kicking rabbit tail up and down the meadow, to the delight of everyone who was able to come by and watch. The Knight was easily able to defeat any two of his Squires at once, and could beat three of them more often than not. It was only when all four would attempt to gang up on him at once that it even became something approaching a fair fight. Even so, the Rabbit Champion seemed pleased by their performance, and proudly stated that he''d be more than happy to lead the squad into battle.
Dungeon monsters didn''t really grow tired for long, at least not as long as there was spare mana to go around, but Xenia still gave Trush a break until the afternoon before setting him up for round two. The first match-up of the round was Trush versus Xenia herself, and the first fight of that match was over almost as quickly as the first time Xenia slew the man. Realizing just how much he''d been underestimating her, Trush played things a little more cautiously for the next two fights, yet he still never came close to threatening the dungeon master in melee combat.
The next match-up was Xenia versus Trush and his entire squad. While her defeat of the man alone wasn''t too great of a surprise to those who knew the woman better, more than a few jaws were dropped at the sight of her easily dismantling a team of five, including two ranged combatants. As if she had a sixth sense, Xenia easily dodged every arrow fired her way while she took out Trush and his spearmen Squires, before finally hunting the last two down. Of course, Sincere then pointed out that she did have a sixth sense, given her complete knowledge of everything going on within the dungeon, but Xenia fiercely denied the accusations of cheating.
The final match-up promised to be a little more interesting, however. Tired of watching from the sidelines, Taly finally makes her way into the cleared meadow and gets Xenia''s attention. "Hey, I got an idea, Xen! You against Trush and I, together. I won''t use my bow, just my knives, but all my other abilities are on the table. I still won''t say I match your skills in a close-range fight, but I think the two of us could at least make you sweat. What do you say?"
Xenia smirks as she flips her sword in her hand - her only weapon used during the spars, foregoing even a shield. "I''d say I ain''t even physically capable of sweating, but I suppose that goes for all of us here, heh. It''s Trush''s day though, so up to him. Wanna switch partners, ''Sharptongue''?"
Trush laughs, a little relieved. "Glad you''re willing to use my old nick, was a little worried I was about to start going by ''Longear'' or ''Shorttail'' these days, or something worse. But absolutely, I''d like to see what the Rogue''s capable of myself. I know my monster abilities are pretty much all physical - speed, jumps, hearing - so I''m curious to see how a more magical setup works."
Taly winces. "Thanks for reminding me of the hearing, I''ll probably want to avoid the sonic attacks, then." The woman walks over to Trush''s side, and fills each hand with a blade. "Ready when you are, Xen."
The dungeon master assumes a combat stance. "Hit me with whatever you got, Bunny Knight and Rope Bunny!"
The pair actually pause for a moment as Trush shoots Taly a curious glance, but Taly avoids the moment by sinking the area into magical shadow. It''s not particularly hard for her to do, given that the floor is always in something of a state of twilight lit only by the dim glow of bioluminescent fungus and moss, but for a radius of thirty feet the blackness becomes practically absolute. Save of course for the eyes of Taly and her ally, who immediately rush forward with Trush in the lead. While the man had Challenger skills of his own, they''d already proved largely ineffective against the dungeon master - his spells were largely focused on the enhanced ability to break shields and penetrate armor, of which Xenia was barely using for this fight. His combat skills were nothing to scoff at though, and he starts off with a potentially fatal swing at the blinded spirit.
A swing which she dodges easily, rolling out of the way as the Knight gets too close. At the sight of it Taly can''t hold herself back from another accusation. "Oh come on, you had to have been using your dungeon senses to see that coming!"
"I don''t need to see shit when I can still hear it! I''ll admit, you''re pretty light on your feet Taly, but Trush here is as quiet as a herd of oxen!" Sure enough, Taly does get much closer as she makes her own attempt, with her blades actually scratching Xenia''s light leather armor. Scratching - but not penetrating. Xenia seems to have been waiting for Taly to make her move though and as soon as the Rogue begins to back off a bit, Xenia is already moving forward, making attacks of her own before Taly can fade away and reposition.
Taly''s not one to get pinned down however, and she moves backwards quickly, staying a foot or two ahead of her still-approaching boss at every step. It''s enough to leave Trush in the dust behind them, which is a rather poor position for the dungeon master as it now leaves her flanked on both sides. Perhaps hearing the man again as he attempts to charge her, Xenia actually quickly sheathes her sword and steps into the attack. Taking the Knight by surprise, she manages to grab hold of his swordarm and use his own momentum to flip him forward, despite him outweighing her avatar by quite a bit. It''s still far too clumsy a missile to actually hit Taly, of course, and she easily dodges the tumbling rabbit to move in on Xenia from the left.
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She once again scores a hit on Xenia, this time actually cutting through to the skin on her arm as the woman dodges downwards, but it''s still not enough to qualify as a winning blow. Rather than re-draw her blade Xenia manages to surprise Taly by instead kicking outward from her dropped position, hitting her solidly in the pelvis and sending her falling to the ground herself. Immediately taking advantage of the moment Xenia leaps and grapples with the Rogue, eventually grabbing hold of both of her wrists to keep the woman''s blades from landing any more hits. Once that''s accomplished, Xenia slams Taly with a headbutt at nearly maximum force, stunning her for more than a moment. This move perhaps comes close to cheating, as Xenia''s avatar form is far more pain-resistant than even the boss monster''s bodies, but fortunately for her Taly is too dazed to complain for the time being. Even more fortunately, her magical cloak of shadow over the meadow finally fades out.
Without giving Taly even the slightest moment to recover, Xenia manages to wrestle one of the knives from Taly''s hands and then grazes the flat side of it along Taly''s neck - an indication that she would have taken a lethal blow and is out of the match. While they could have actually sparred with no-holds-barred and let Xenia burn extra mana on immediately reviving them afterwards, it was quite a bit of extra effort for just a little bit of realism, and besides - even as dungeon monsters, none of them exactly liked having their throats slit.
The next move was still a little bloody, however. With Trush back on his feet and charging over, sword rising into the air, Xenia throws her newly-claimed blade in his direction. It manages to slip into the man''s armpit, unblocked by his knightly armor, and while it''s not a lethal blow it does cause the man''s sword to fall from his hand. Before he can recover it with his off-hand it''s the dungeon master who''s on the charge, slamming into him to knock him back onto his ass. A moment later Trush realizes Xenia is straddling him, Taly''s second knife pressed against his neck and a wild grin on her face.
"Ahhh, that was a good one! I woulda bled on that round, if I could bleed. Still, good to know I''m still the Ultimate End Boss of my own dungeon. ...Guess I couldn''t do much about Sincere''s time-fuckery, but maybe sometime when they''re not currently respawning we could try you two plus BB or Lollyp, see if I can go three-on-one!" She pauses before continuing, and her next question comes with narrowed eyes and her blade pressed a little closer to Trush''s neck. "Is this turning you on, Sharpie?" Trush''s response to the question is largely physical, and Xenia laughs. "Fuck, I guess that answers that question. I can respect a man who likes getting his ass kicked around a little, though."
"I''ll be honest, it hasn''t happened often enough for me to be aware of that about myself. Though I do of course apologize, I didn''t mean to be...inappropriate." Despite his words, Trush has a hard time keeping his non-injured hand from brushing against Xenia''s leg.
She seems to consider her response briefly, before leaning down and half-whispering it into one of the man''s long ears. "I won''t take offense, big guy. But maybe if you''re interested tonight we could show each other some of our other moves?"
Trush sputters, suddenly finding himself the flustered party now that he''s on the other side of their flirting, and clearly aware of their audience as he attempts to keep his response measured. Not that the blade at his neck does wonders for his sense of calm. "I''d - I believe I''d enjoy the opportunity, dungeon master."
"Save the titles for later..." Xenia''s interrupted by a sudden spurt of cursing from Taly''s direction, and as Xenia shoots her a look the undead woman quickly apologizes.
"Don''t mind me! Good match, good match. I''m gonna get...cleaned up, yeah? Can''t be a badass covered in grass stains."
"Fair enough. Probably enough for one day, eh?" Xenia shoots Trush another grin as she finally climbs to her feet. "Wouldn''t want to tire out all my bosses too much..."
MUCH, MUCH LATER THAT EVENING
"Dear gods, woman, do you literally not ever tire out? I can tell my own stamina''s much improved, but you''re still leagues beyond me!"
Xenia laughs as she unstraddles the man for the second time that day...or perhaps the third or fourth, they hadn''t exactly been keeping count. With a sigh, she collapses onto the bed next to her Knight. "Trust me, Lollyp''s tried her best to find my limits and it just doesn''t happen. You guys may be powered by magic but you''ve still got physical bodies. I''m all magic, so I think unless I was running at zero mana or something I''m more of an Energizer Bunny than you are."
The man raises an eyebrow as he turns his head to look at her. "...Is that another class of Rabbit Champion?"
"Ah, nah, past-life reference, you wouldn''t get it."
"Ah, I see." Trush nods, before continuing a moment later. "I''ll admit, it''s still difficult for me to fully grasp what you''ve been through. One past life I could picture, but you''ve had so many you can barely remember them, is that right?"
"Some more than others, yeah." Xenia chuckles to herself. "The flashbacks I get when doing that dungeon raid thing have actually been kind of interesting, because of that. They''ve gotta be pulling from more than just my memories, it''s all been exactly perfect recreations of shit that happened to me, as far as I can tell. I was spotting little details in there that I''d swear I''d completely forgotten." With a satisfied smile Xenia allows herself to sink into the pillow a bit, even closing her eyes in a bit of an imitation of going to sleep - when suddenly they jolt back open.
"Shit! That''s it! That''s how I can find out!"
Trush, rather jolted to wakefulness himself, sits up with a bit of concern. "Find out what?"
"Find out - well, don''t worry about it now, I''ll have a dungeon meeting about it tomorrow. Or...later today, I guess. Not a convo for the bedroom." She takes a moment to settle herself, and then shoots Trush another grin. "Did get my metaphorical heart pumping again for a minute there, though. You up for another round?"
The Knight eyes her with disbelief. "Are you kidding me, woman?" He then actually stops to consider his answer, as his eyes drift down across her naked form. "...Yes, please."
Chapter 143: The Savage Rabbit - Explicit
SOMEWHAT EARLIER THAT EVENING
That evening Trush was relaxing in his new apartment, marveling at the fact that he wasn''t tending to his bruises. Normally, fighting even half as many spars in a single day, let alone against such dangerous opponents, would have left him sore for the next few days. Now? Despite the fact that he had never died and needed respawning, his body was still as fresh as it had been that morning. In the future, a few months or years down the line, he might really rely on that fact if he ever needed to start fighting multiple parties a day. For now? It just meant that it was well past ''business hours'' and he barely felt tired, containing an energy he hadn''t felt even when he was a young orcish man.
Just as he was wondering if perhaps he should do a little more solo training in his personal armory, a knock tapped itself out on his door. Even before he called out, he realized that he could sense who it was on the other side waiting for him. "Worthy? That, uh...you swinging by after all, eh?"
The door remains closed as the dungeon master simply teleports her avatar inside, and she gives the Knight a grin. "You doubted me? I like that nervous tone in your voice, though. Tells me I''ve already established dominance before we''ve even started. We''ll see if I can keep that going."
Trush swells his chest as he responds, attempting to restore some dignity to his tone and reputation. "Well, easy on, now. You may have claimed your title as queen of one arena, but up here it''s another matter entirely."
"Is it, now? Had to beat off Taly just to get here tonight, so I think that earns me some extra credit."
That admission mostly serves to confuse the man. "Taly? ...Lass did seem a bit upset after the fight earlier, didn''t she? Something I should know about, there?"
Xenia sighs, deciding now''s as good a time as any to lay things out. "I''ll be honest, normally I wouldn''t move this fast. Well, ''normal'' being a relative term...Lollyp and I basically met in a hookup, and I guess Taly and I only waited like...was it even a week before we partied with the Churchies? Fuck, alright, maybe I do move a little fast." She shakes her head, refocusing. "Anyways, point was, Taly''s got her eye on you too, and I basically had to beat her to it." She raises her hands, interrupting Trush before he can respond. "Not that I''m claiming this as an exclusive thing. I mean...hell, I just mentioned I''ve been with both Lollyp and Taly, so that probably gives you an idea of how things go around here. Is uh...all that alright with you, though?"
Trush grins his usual orcish grin as he considers the situation. "Am I upset about the fact that multiple beautiful women, both of them incredible fighters, are fighting over the right to be the first to bed me? Hrmm...let me think about that for a moment." He rubs his chin, staring off into the distance before looking back at Xenia. "Yeah, you know, after deep consideration, I think I can live with that arrangement. Is Taly going to be upset tomorrow, though?"
The dungeon master waves the concern off. "Oh, nah, probably not. I ended up buying her off with two of your Squires for the night." She chuckles. "Hope you weren''t planning on involving them tonight."
That statement is one which Trush does need a moment to actually process. "You seem to have come around fairly quickly on how you manage your monsters, then."
Claiming one of Trush''s more comfortable chairs, Xenia shrugs as she leans back into it. "I mean, the math all checks out. I am the dungeon, I sense everything inside it, including most of what goes on with my monsters. I might not be completely inside their heads, but I do still sense...well, I thought I was sensing their basic emotions and stuff, like an empath, but maybe I really am just experiencing it directly. And Taly and I have been together before. So we''re just being together some more...except tonight I''m using monster bodies to do it with."
"Are you, now? Learning any interesting tricks you might care to share?"
Xenia bares her teeth in a smile. "Gotta let the girl have a little private fun, Sharptongue. Though if you and Taly ask real nice, maybe I''ll let the two of you borrow the Squires yourselves for a reenactment another night. But, tonight you''ve got me, so..." She trails off, perhaps expecting Trush to make some sly or flirty statement in return, but what she doesn''t expect is for the Knight to actually just scoop her out of her chair and begin carrying her to the bedroom. "Whoa! Seems you''ve got me a little more literally now, huh!?"
"Just seemed to me that I ought to re-establish my dominance. And somehow, I get the feeling I won''t have much trouble doing so." With a laugh he tosses the woman onto the bed, and she stares back up at him.
"Don''t you think you''re getting overconfident, big guy? I handled you pretty well enough a few hours ago!"
"Aye, but you see, I happen to have inside information." He leans down next to the bed, and mock-whispers into Xenia''s ear. "A little slime told me you were, and I quote, a ''bratty bottom''. You might be queen of the battlefield, but maybe up here you like seeing someone else in charge, hrmm?"
"Dammit, Lolly Pop! How am I supposed to have a chance if you''re spilling all my secrets!" After a bit more cursing, she refocuses again on Trush. "Alright, I won''t exactly deny it, but that doesn''t mean I''m taking things easy on you!"
"And I very definitely won''t be taking things easy on you." With rabbit speed his hand suddenly appears around Xenia''s throat, and while her fighting moves were quite effective on the battlefield, the Knight''s strength is still a fair few notches above that of her avatar when it comes to a direct contest. Still, his hold is light as he leans in closer, just enough to make her aware of its presence. "My informant also told me you can take quite a bit, and I''ve seen some of that for myself. Now, as a dungeon spirit, I reckon you don''t have much to fear from me - you could certainly teleport out of my reach at any moment, if you wanted." His hand squeezes a little tighter for a moment, before once again going loose. "The question is - do you want this?"
Xenia doesn''t breathe as she looks Trush in the eyes, but then, she never had to in the first place. She does smile, however. "I want you to show me what you got, bunny boy."
"I''ll take that as a yes." Releasing his hold on Xenia for a moment, the man steps away to grab up a few of the casual shirts and pants she''d made for his personal wardrobe. When he returns she plays coy somewhat, but he still easily grabs hold of one of her wrists and begins tying it up with the spare clothing. "You know, while I was investigating my new apartment, I did discover something worth making a note of. Perhaps just a wild coincidence, one never knows." Before continuing, he leans over towards one of the top bedposts and begins tying the other end of the improvised rope to it. "Not only are these beds quite solidly made, but they have quite a few decent anchor points for something like, well, just what I''m doing now."
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
"Huh. Sounds like something a pervert would think. Sometimes a bed is just a bed, you know." As Trush walks around to the other side of the bed she again turns away, but still doesn''t put up much fight as the Knight grabs hold of her other arm and binds it in the same way. "...Not bad with how fast you tied those up, there. Seems like maybe you do this a lot, eh?"
Trush doesn''t answer right away, instead walking around to the foot of the bed, and standing where Xenia can see him most easily. His response, if it does come, turns out to be one of action rather than words - his clothes begin to come off. Not in a sexy strip however, but in a very businesslike fashion. One by one, the rabbit man undoes each fastener, and when he does remove a piece of clothing he makes a point of folding it and setting it aside, barely even glancing at Xenia as he does so. Xenia very much looks back at him, however, squirming a little even as she occasionally tries to get a better look.
"What...come on! You can''t tell me you actually fold your clothes up like that at night normally! Are you an orc or an accountant? Gonna get on this bed and ravish me or what?"
Trush raises an eyebrow in her direction as he removes his smallclothes, his impressive manhood coming into sight as he does so. Even then he simply stands there, practically taunting her with his mere presence. "Ravish you like an orc, should I? I hope you''re not viewing me through the lens of any...unfortunate preconceptions."
Xenia freezes, like a deer caught in headlights. "Ah...no? You can ravish me like something else, if you''d rather."
"Hrmm...I would ravish you like a rabbit, I suppose, yet somehow that doesn''t sound quite that impressive. So perhaps I''ll need to behave as an orc does after all!" With a sudden shout he climbs onto the bed, all pretense of professional behavior gone in a moment. As Xenia shrieks in mock fear he quickly undoes her pants and pulls them off, her standard avatar fortunately being much more strippable than the one-hour version she could share with her Challenger guests. As they bunch up at her boots the man forcefully pulls each of them off and throws them aside, and in half a minute the dungeon master is lying on the bed, naked from the waist down. "Hmmm, a dungeon spirit exposed...I won''t lie, I''ve had a fantasy or two along these lines across the years..."
"Well? Are you gonna fantasize about it...or are you gonna take it?" Xenia gives the man a wild grin, and having been sufficiently prodded, Trush grabs her hips and lifts her up before penetrating her in a single action. Were she still human the move might be a bit rougher than even she would care for, but her avatar body yields easily to the man''s sudden assault, and the only sound she makes is an almost-wordless gasp as she goes from penetrated to stuffed in a mere moment. "Fuuuuck! Not...not a foreplay guy, are you?"
"I''m sorry, what part of ''ravish'' involves whispering sweet nothings and gently stroking you as if you were the pet rabbit? Although perhaps you should be - with a few proper costume items, and a bit of training..." The man lifts his hips a second time, filling her again, and her first response is lost to the ether. "We orcs may have earned a reputation in the past, and many would be angry if you thought that was all there was to us..." After thrusting a third time he leans down over her and grabs her chin before whispering a far-from-sweet question in her ear. "Not me, though, not in the bedroom at any rate. Do you wish for the savage orc to take you? Make you his woman? Breed you until your body is spent?"
In one sense, hearing those words might seem rather ridiculous coming from a man with rabbit ears and pawlike hands. But the expression and the delivery of the question is all Xenia needs, and she nods as best as she can with Trush holding on to her head so. "...Do it. Show me what you''d do with...your woman."
Trush returns to an upright position, his hands gripping her waist once again. "Then so it shall be! Prepare to be used for all the value your worthless body holds, slut!" He begins to slam into her again at a rapid-fire pace...but then to his own horror, he suddenly climaxes deep inside her. He quickly recovers, trying to play off the moment, but it''s too late to hide his initial expression from Xenia. "...That was just the first round, wench! Your body will be drenched in my seed before we''re done!"
"Ahaha! Did your bunny bits finally catch up to you, big guy? You''re definitely going to need to do better than that on round two if you''re going to ''claim'' me."
A brief moment of true anger passes through Trush''s eyes as she laughs, but it fades quickly. "We''ll see which one of us wears out first, then!" Still erect, he once again begins to fuck the dungeon master, and after a few moments he grabs at her shirt, pulling roughly at it. It does eventually tear off - with a bit of unstated support from Xenia, allowing her avatar to be modified in that way - and Trush grins as her breasts are exposed to the air, heaving with each of his thrusts. "Ah, there you are! Removed of the dignity of your clothing - just one of the many indignities you''ll be receiving tonight." Before Xenia can retort again he slaps one of her breasts, and she yelps with a bit of pain.
"Ah! Brute! Taking out your...insecurities on a helpless woman!"
"As a savage would!" Rather than stopping Trush keeps it up, slapping one breast after the other, before moving on to her ass, and even occasionally to her cheeks. The hits start out fairly light, but as Trush begins to notice the lack of any sort of bruising on her skin, or even the slightest of red marks, he begins to increase the force behind the impacts. The volume of Xenia''s yelps and yells goes up in sync with the sound of flesh meeting flesh, but even so Trush can still see the wild grin that appears on the woman''s face whenever he goes too long without ''reminding her of her place''. It''s actually one of those slaps that seems to bring her to her first climax, a shuddering release that brings Trush to his second almost immediately after.
Feeling a bit more in control, Trush''s voice is more confident now as he resumes taunting her. "You feel that, slattern? My seed fills you again. Soon you will swell with my children, strong men and women to carry my name. But not yours - not the name of a whore whose only purpose is to spread her legs."
"Ah, fuck, Trush! You''re - god, you''re so much better at dirty talk than Lollyp is!"
Again, Trush leans over and takes hold of her head, making sure that she''s staring into his eyes. "Am I? Does the slime need lessons? After I''ve had my fill of you, shall I move on to your other women, and show them what it means to be taken into hand?"
"Fuck! God, she''d probably love that. Do it! Fuck me, then Lollyp! And Taly! Hell, I bet Sincere''d give it a serious thought if you asked right..."
Trush snorts. "Even a demon can be easily put into their place, just like a human. And a slime would be no challenge at all. But for now, let''s see again to your breeding, shall we?" With that said he returns once again to his previous pace, and with enough forceful thrusts and verbal abuse of various sorts, the pair even manage to climax a second time almost in-sync, Trush''s boss-level recovery doing much to make up for his rabbit-like constitution.
As he takes a breath however, gathering his strength for another round, the Knight is surprised to see Xenia suddenly free of the binds previously securing her arms to the bed. With a flip so quick he barely even manages to see how it was done, he realizes only too late that he''s now on the bottom, with Xenia straddling him. He''s further briefly distracted by the sight of her breasts hanging over him, but her words catch his attention soon enough.
"Alright, that was pretty good. We should definitely do that more often...and maybe Lolly Pop and Taly would actually be into that, but we''d have to ask. But for now..." Xenia''s grin goes wide, and a gleam passes through her eyes which actually manages to make the floor boss feel more than a little nervous. "...For now, it''s time for Dungeon Master Momma to take charge again."
Chapter 144: Self-Examination
The next morning, although not too early, Xenia called up a meeting of the dungeon council. There were no Challengers trying the dungeon at the moment, which was lucky, because the dungeon master wanted her top-floor bosses to be around for the conversation as well. To start things off, Xenia began with a welcome. "Morning, dweebs! It''s time for another meeting of the dungeon council, and before we start, welcome to the core chamber, Trush and BB!"
The pair smile and nod at the rest of the table, although BB''s greeting doesn''t quite match his cheerful expression. "Morning! Interesting that you do this. If I''d known business meetings were part of the routine, maybe I would''ve resisted learning how to talk!"
There''s a few awkward chuckles, but Xenia just shoots the roguish rabbit an unimpressed glance. "Hey, it ain''t mandatory, Bunny Boy. Big D''s out relaxing and the armors never show up. You wanna take a hike, you''re welcome to, or if you want me to find something to turn you into without such a big mouth..."
"Haha...no, no, please continue! I''m eager to find out what I''ve been missing these past few months."
"Right, then." Xenia glances around the table, making sure that Lollyp, Sincere, Taly, and Trush are at least paying attention. "For those of you who ain''t spent time down here before, I call these sorts of meetings...well, basically when I want advice on something, or when I got an announcement to make. Or some sort of group activity planned. For example...planning another raid into the Great Dungeon for new floors."
Sincere seems a little surprised at the topic for the day. "Already? Floor Six has only been beaten once - only even tried once, at that! I suppose there''s no harm in being prepared, but are you actually worried about your core''s safety?"
The dungeon master shakes her head. "This is actually only like, ten percent about unlocking a new floor, and ninety percent about me exploiting the soul flashbacks I get on the way to em, or whatever you wanna call em. See, last night, Trush helped remind me of something. Shut up, Lollyp."
The slime pouts. "I didn''t even open my mouth yet!"
"And that''s cause I know you so well, Lolly Pop." She gives Lollyp a smile, but quickly moves on, making it clear that she really doesn''t want to get too distracted this morning. "See...well, I guess first I got to explain what it is I want out of all this. And I''m gonna be honest - this isn''t really a dungeon concern. It''s a me concern. I''ve got no reason to believe this will benefit our way of doing things in any way."
Taly shrugs. "Well, it''s not like we weren''t going to do a dungeon raid eventually anyways, as I understand it. But please, continue."
"Right. So...you all know that I''ve been thinking some more about my past lately, and about how that damned fury demon''s been making me feel...well, as guilty as I probably deserve to. The problem is, it''s really fuckin'' hard to make amends from another dimension and centuries later. I''ll give Silverstar credit though, she did give me one useful hint...as a last resort there''s always the gods, either by doing something for them or getting them to help me help out the people who actually deserve it. It''s just a matter of getting the right gods, the ones who actually had jurisdiction back when I fucked up like I did."
Lollyp makes a thoughtful expression, actually turning serious for the moment. "Well I assume it''s not Kahlia, or someone would have mentioned something. I guess the idea is to have Kahlia get you into contact with the ''right'' gods, though?"
Xenia raises a finger into the air. "That''s one step of the plan. Unfortunately, not only do I not remember what gods were worshiped in the area at the time - seriously, I''ve probably heard of thousands of the assholes by this point - not every god is a god in every realm. Maybe none of them are. Even aside from gods using different names and faces in different places, I don''t think a god can handle more than like...half a dozen realms, maybe a dozen if they''re real strong. Not counting pocket dimensions and shit. It''s a wild-ass gamble that any of the gods from that realm even work in this one, or that Kahlia might know how to get in touch with them if they don''t."
Sincere leans forward, very much distracted by this revelation. "Wait, hold on a moment. I feel as if I''ve perhaps been living under a major misconception my entire life. Do I understand that you''re saying there are, say...many Gods of Fertility out there, for example, and Kahlia is only our ''local'' divinity? I knew there were other realms, but somehow I didn''t imagine that this was an aspect of it!"
"Oh yeah, gods are weird shit. That''s not even the half of it, the way they get into turf wars and all that..." She looks around the room, and sighs. "Do y''all want me to take a detour to explain gods real quick?"
Taly gives an exasperated sigh. "Xenia! You''ve just come in here and overturned...an endless amount of religious theology! Yes, I think this needs a bit of explanation!"
For his part, BB seems far more entertained, as he snacks from a bowl of carrots set out especially for him. "Well, now I''m much more glad I came down here. Please, tear down the gods for us!"
"Great, I''ve evolved you into a godslayer-wannabe. ...That''s a bonus point actually, feel free to keep that up. Anyhow, gods are in this constant struggle of wanting to get big and powerful...but not too big and powerful. This is all shit I''ve pieced together here and there over the years, by the way, though at least one straight-up admitted a lot of it to me. You see, gods got these portfolios, right? Fertility, War, Love, and so on. Once they get established, they''ve got two main ways to expand - more portfolios, or more territory. By which I mostly mean whole realms, not just tiny kingdoms."
The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Trush raises a question. "Surely one would win control of everything eventually, yes? What''s this upper limit you were referring to?"
Xenia chuckles as she quotes something. "It''s the genie''s lament! ''Phenomenal cosmic power, itty-bitty living space.'' Though to be more accurate, it''s less living space and more...their existence as more than just a force of nature. See, these portfolios aren''t powers. They''re systems, obligations, responsibilities. A god can''t ignore their portfolio even if they want to, or they lose it. And even a god can only split their attention so many ways. They stretch themselves too thin and they sort of...stop being people, as much as they''re ever people to begin with. They just fade away, all of their power completely consumed with maintaining their base-level responsibilities."
Xenia chuckles again a little more quietly, as if remembering a private joke. "You ever run into a brand new god, one in charge of like...baking pastries, in one realm? They''d practically pass as a normal dude. But one god manages to become the sole god of a realm, covering every single aspect? They''re basically going to be invisible from then on. Maybe they get to do the occasional tiny miracle, influence small events one way or the other, but for the most part you won''t even be able to tell for sure if you''ve even got a god there at all. Some gods can deal with that. A lot of them aren''t interested."
The group takes a moment to digest that, and Sincere breaks the silence first. "So, just to clarify one point. In this realm of ours, we''re said to have two primary gods of war. The God of Strategy, Nalienn, and the Goddess of Battle, Erashi...not to mention the Goddess of Victory who often gets worshipped by soldiers, though they say she started out as a goddess of sports. As everyone knows, they and their followers are often in conflict. If one of them were to win this conflict, then..."
Xenia nods. "The loser would have to abandon their portfolio here and flee to another realm, or risk dying off if they had nothing left. Meanwhile the winner would get stronger when it comes to influencing all sorts of war, but also less, in some ways. Fewer answered prayers, fewer Paragons, that sort of thing."
"That...is entirely counter-intuitive to what I would have assumed." The demon shakes his head, refocusing his attention. "...But I can see we''ve diverted far too much from your original topic. Thank you for indulging us, however."
"Nah, it''s fine. Like I said, my goal here today is mostly a selfish one, so I may as well do something for you bunch. Now, where were we? Ah right! My bad memory and my inability to remember every fuckin'' god I''ve ever heard of."
Lollyp is a little confused, and about more than just questions of theology. "How are the flashbacks going to help you with any of that? That''s basically random, right? Any time, from any of your lives...we could clear out the entire dungeon of its floors and not get you to the right one!"
"Actually...I''m not so sure it is random. Like, the other time, I''d been thinking just recently about the last time I got smited by a god, right? Then bam - reliving the smiting moment! I think if I really focus on a particular moment, I''ve probably got a higher chance of it coming up. And if we try and miss, well...honestly, I might just auto-fail us out of there and try again a day or so later. If it don''t work a couple more times then, I dunno...I''ll start looking around for a Challenger to kill with memory magic or some shit."
Sincere nods along. "It''s certainly worth experimenting a bit with, I think. If it does work, well, perhaps it will come in handy down the line, as well. That said, we are still talking about a dungeon raid in the end, here. How and when shall we arrange this latest expedition?"
"Right." Xenia turns to look at her newest rabbit councilmembers. "Trush, BB, you want to check it out? Oh and Taly, you haven''t done one yet either, right? Whole buttload of newbies here today. I think we''d need at least one of Lollyp or Sincere to handle potential magic issues, as well."
Despite the offer, BB gives a dismissive shrug. "Meh. I do enough fighting every day as it is, and I don''t want to bother that much if we might be repeating this all week. Maybe next time, though."
"Fair enough. Magic nerds, volunteers?"
Lollyp looks thoughtful. "I''ll let Sincere take this one, if I can hang out with the Squires while you''re away."
"Jesus Christ, Lollyp."
"What!? I know what Taly was up to just last night!"
Xenia shakes her head, but with a smirk. "Sorry, sorry. Have fun, Lolly Pop. The rest of you, meet back here after business hours, alright? We''ll see what I can dig out of this useless head of mine..."
That evening Xenia, Trush, Taly, and Sincere gathered together once again in her core chamber. The dungeon master had spent the entire afternoon thinking as hard as she could about her life as Prince of the Fallen Tower, both to try and ''fix'' it as her likely destination for the night, and also to see if she could remember any useful deities without needing to resort to such tricks. She had no such luck, however, and so once again Xenia activated her curse, sending her team into the dungeon, and herself into her own memories.
When her vision returns, the decor at least is immediately recognizable, and Xenia knows her ploy paid off. She stands in a dingy room, designed with elven architecture at its base, but left to decay and intentionally turned dim and dingy. The windows had been mostly sealed shut, the magical lights replaced with weaker versions, and the room was specifically left off of the cleaning schedule. Cages and torture implements decorated the place, literally as decorations, most of them having never been used. Although there is one occupant of the room at the moment aside from Xenia herself, whom she notices as she turns around.
The man is barely much more than a boy, fresh-faced and brown-haired. Everything about him just screams ''Hero'' - not that there was no diversity in their set, aside from a strong tendency towards young men, but there was always a certain indescribable aura about them, something that said ''I''m here to change the world!''. As she looks over the man strapped down to the table in front of her, shirtless and furious, a pang of guilt strikes her heart once again - she can already remember the moment she made that aura fade away from him for good.
"Ah, look at you. Peter the Sword Champion. Fancy meeting a guy like you in a place like this, huh?"
Chapter 145: Hitting the Books
Peter glares at Xenia, somehow managing to look as if he deserved to be in charge despite his current occupation as ''shirtless man strapped to a torture table''. "Prince Xenon Darkstar. What, suddenly going back to full titles now, are we?"
"Xenon?" Xenia looks down at herself, before chuckling awkwardly. "Right, right, dude run. Should''ve noticed my voice change." The young man gives the dungeon master a confused look, while Xenia looks at him with pity in exchange. "...Peter, Peter. I suppose I''d start my apology tour with you, except you''re not real, so it''d be a waste of time. ...Also, you were kind of one of the worst of the lot, after you were at it for a couple of years. I get some of the blame for that for putting you on that path, sure, but you got some responsibility for your own actions too, kiddo."
"...What on Earth are you talking about, villain?"
"Ah, yeah, that phrase. This is when we''re supposed to find out we''re both from Earth, and start finding common ground and all that, right?" Turning away, Xenia instead looks around until she finds the doorway out. "Unfortunately, I might be on the clock here. Sorry, Pete. Don''t wait up for me."
As the Hero continues to shout questions at her, Xenia makes her way out of the torture chamber. When she opens the door and steps into the hall outside, she finds a small army of women waiting for her, some leaning against the wall, some sitting on chairs and drinking tea, all of them grouped into pairs and dressed in some of the scantiest outfits the Tower could provide. A pair of orcs stand closest to the door, chatting with a pair of purple-skinned imp women, then there were vampires, dark elves, even a pair of human knights from the Sisters of Seduction order. They all begin to come to attention as they spot Xenia''s arrival, and the closest orc greets her with a quick salute.
"Finished phase one already, Prince? Well, you are famous for your competence! Have you determined the man''s preference yet? Tell me it''s not men, we can have the other squad here in twenty minutes but I''d hate to have oiled up these abs for nothing."
Xenia tries not to smile as she begins to remember the faces, even as she fails to remember the names. "His preference? Eh, fuck if I can recall, but I don''t think he was exactly picky. Whatever, I''ve got business in the chapel I need to take care of first, just came up." She begins to make her way down the hall, before pausing to give one order. "...Bah, fuck it. Go on in and offer him the full buffet if you like, yeah? Live like you''ve only got one day left to live."
An imp squeals in excitement. "Always do! Thanks, Prince, you''re the best!"
"...Wish that was remotely true. Have fun, though."
It was a short walk from there to the tower''s main staircase, where Xenia started going downwards, not up. The dungeon was actually located fairly high up on the tower, given that breaking Heroes was one of Xenia''s primary personal responsibilities, and one of the perks of nobility is not having to climb an entire damn tower every time you needed to get to work. The chapel meanwhile was located at the middle floor of the tower, having been designed to serve tower residents while other facilities served the city outside. As Xenia walks into the space she finds it largely empty, but not in too bad of a shape. There was of course some damage from when the tower had first been captured and sacked, but the floor had largely been left alone after that.
As she walks through the chapel''s main room, Xenia muses to herself. "Lucky me that it''s still in good condition right now...wonder if that was on purpose that I came here now, cause I knew I needed to swing by? It was probably a year or so after this we finally got around to hosting the orgies in here. Tuesdays, Fridays, and occasionally Sundays when we had the energy, right? Heh." Xenia narrows her eyes at herself. "...How the fuck do I not remember the gods but I remember the fuckin'' orgy schedule? ...Guess that ain''t too surprising, actually. I actually liked the orgies."
Muttering a bit under her breath as she makes her way, she adds one further comment to herself. "...Wonder how many Kahlia-points I earned in this room? Guess it was good for one thing, at least..."
She continues on into the small library built into the back of the chapel, a modest space containing perhaps a thousand various tomes, plus a larger amount of paperwork that was no longer relevant to Tower operations. Xenia makes the turn around the first bookshelf in the room, and is actually rather shocked to see someone else inside. Sitting at a desk, a green-skinned elf is reading away, wearing the robes of a priestess and a collar around her neck. "Fuck! What are you doing here!?"
If anything, the priestess is perhaps even more shocked than Xenia is. "Prince Darkstar! I - I didn''t know you''d be coming here today! I''m sorry I wasn''t ready to greet you properly!" She quickly stands up to her feet, before giving a low bow, but Xenia waves it off.
"No formality today, please. But, again - who are you and what are you doing here? Are you...one of the original Tower priestesses? Why are you still here?"
The woman swallows before answering. "I...chose not to evacuate with the other civilians, as I wished to protect the knowledge stored here. I hid here in the library during the sacking and...one of your dark knights found me and collared me, and that was, um. More or less it. No one ever told me to do anything else, so I''ve been continuing my duties since then, as best as I can."
Xenia stares at the woman, wide-eyed. "...Seriously? That had to have been months ago. What''s your name? Did...do all of my dudes hate reading so much that they never noticed there was an elf living in the library?"
The elf looks downward, not meeting Xenia''s eyes. "I am Tower Priestess Opal Brightsky, your majesty. And...actually I do have some library regulars, as it happens. I, um. I''ve rather implied to them that I''m supposed to still be working here, and none have ever complained."
"Really? Damn, well, good on you. Making it work, not that ''living in a library the size of an average basement'' is exactly the dream, but better than most prisoners, I guess. Fuck, though, I know you weren''t around when we turned this place into the orgy hall, I would''ve noticed you for sure. Did you end up signing on? Did we release you? Or, fuck, maybe one of the fallen Heroes grabbed you when they found out you were squatting. Well...whatever it was, Priestess Brightsky...I''m sorry. You''re still not real, but I think you deserve that more than Pervert Pete does, at least."
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
"I...um...thank you?" The woman''s response is clearly a little bewildered, not sure whether to respond more to the apology from the scion of Evil or the ''you''re not real'' part of the statement. "Can I, ah...help you, though? I would very much prefer to continue my service here in the library if I may!"
"Yeah, no problem, I imagine you''ll be in this room for the rest of your existence." Xenia winces at her own turn of phrase. "Fuck, that sounds extra dark coming from me. Sorry, again. What I mean to say is...yeah, I could use your help."
"Of course! Whatever you need! ...Please don''t kill me."
"Don''t even worry about it. Look, what I need is a listing of the deities in the local pantheon. Especially those the elven kingdom would''ve worshiped."
"The...the local pantheon, my liege? Are there others?"
"Ugh, I literally just went through that like thirty minutes ago. Just...can you help point out a text with a list for me? This is a religious library, I''d bet money there''s a hundred of em in here."
"Immediately! Let''s see, we have an overview primer...ah, here we are. This tome is mainly intended to describe the various religious orders of the world, but of course you can''t do that without knowing the deities, right? Haha!" The priestess gives a too-cheerful laugh as she pulls out a book from a nearby shelf and begins to go through it. "Let''s see...there''s the Five Dark Gods, I imagine those are the ones you''re familiar enough with, yes? Did they never teach the others in your homeland?"
Xenia has to give it a moment''s thought. "I''m pretty sure I never gave a shit about religion of any sort, at least around here. Dad did do like...annual rituals and sacrifices and stuff, but they were, uh. Never really my thing." Even on most worlds, Xenia''s primary qualifier for going to a temple was how hot a given deity was, and Dark Gods tended to be a little high on tentacles and spider legs for her tastes.
"I see. Well, there''s also the seven Wandering Gods, worshiped by the various nomads of the world...and here we are! The twelve gods of the Pantheon of Light!"
"Twelve of em, huh? Guess that increases the odds of me being able to find at least one, I suppose." Xenia takes the book and begins to read it over, trying her best to memorize the names on the list before her time might run out. "Hrmmm...Deliar the Sky Lord. Grenfelda the Lady of Hunts. Lipsolde the Lady of the Forests..."
The elf leans in, trying very hard to continue being helpful. "Is there anything more specific you were looking to find out? Rituals, practices, that sort of thing?"
"Rituals wouldn''t help me, not where I''m from. Ah, hold on, which divinity is this chapel actually for? I suspect they''ve got extra reason to be pissed at me. Orgy hall, and whatnot."
"Ah, well...the chapel worshiped all of the twelve, of course, but our primary patron was Theolif, Lord of the Shield. Given that we are...were...right on the border with your kingdom, we particularly prayed for his aid in defense."
"Guess prayers only do so much, then." She reads though the list five more times, until she''s eventually satisfied she has it all down, and sighs. "...Alright. Hope this pays off, cause if none of these work I''m out of ideas."
"Is there...anything else you need, Prince?"
Xenia leans back into a chair, and gives the priestess a long looking-over before answering. The elf starts to grow a little nervous, but Xenia takes the conversation down a different turn than she may have been expecting. "...Tower Priestess Opal Brightsky. Another name for me to try and remember. Tell me about yourself."
"Me!? I...I don''t see why I would be of any interest to you, your highness."
The princely woman shrugs. "Well, for one thing, it seems like I have some time to kill. I sure ain''t going back upstairs to watch Peter getting his...''enticements''. But mostly...I suppose I owe you at least that, to hear about one of the lives I wrecked. And, hell...you are an elf, after all. Maybe if you''re lucky, you''re still around. I hope it all turned out alright for you, though I gotta admit, the odds ain''t great." Xenia waves off the confused look the elf is giving her, and refocuses the question. "Ignore my rambling. So, who''s Opal Brightsky?"
"Ah, well, your highness...I suppose I''ll start off by saying I''m the youngest of three sisters. My father is a tailor, my mother worked in the Tower as a scribe. My oldest sister works with my father, the middle sister...she was part of the City Guard." She pauses there, watching Xenia for their reaction.
"...Do you know if your family are still around?"
"Most of them should have evacuated before the siege started. My sister in the guard, Tina...I heard she fell in the battle for the city, fighting bravely."
"...I''m sorry to hear that. God, that sounds so fuckin'' hollow, and this is just a practice round. Sorry doesn''t mean much to you, does it?"
Opal eyes Xenia carefully, and after a while they begin to narrow. "...May I speak frankly, Prince Darkstar? Without...being thrown from the window or such?"
"Go for it. Hit me with what you got."
The elf takes a deep breath. "You''re not...a person, to me. None from your kingdom ever were, not really. You were just...a force of nature, puppets of the Dark Gods. Our purpose was to fight you, defend against your armies, the way a...a fire brigade might fight fires, or a hunter would cull forest monsters. You just...were. A thing that existed in the world and probably always would. But now...I don''t know what you are. Are you evil? Do you have a purpose for what you did? Destroying this city...killing my sister. Did it mean something for you? Was there ever a reason?"
Xenia stares at the elf for a while, her spirit plummeting as the answer comes to her lips. "Right now? I don''t know what I am, I suppose. I''m trying to figure that out, sometimes. But when I did those things?" The dungeon master shakes her head. "I...I was hurting. I thought the world was fake, and I wanted to prove how fake it was. Good versus Evil, the eternal battle, right? Evil rises but Good always triumphs in the end? Well...I could break that system. Tip the scales. And...so I did it. Because I could. Spit in the eyes of the gods and the stories and the systems."
"Then you were evil after all, causing suffering for suffering''s sake." Opal walks over to the seated Prince, and leans down to look into Xenia''s eyes. As she does so...Xenia would swear a different light suddenly shines behind them, although she doesn''t get the chance to ask what could cause it. "...I suppose it would make me a hypocrite then, to say that I''m glad to see you suffering. But I am glad for that, and glad that I found you before he did. But I''ll tell you this, Reincarnator Extraordinaire. Things are rarely as fake as they may seem."
With that, the priestess suddenly winds up a punch, slamming her fist into Xenia''s jaw before the Prince can react and sending her tumbling to the ground.
As her eyes reopen, taking in the sight of the dungeon room around her, Xenia gasps. "What the FUCK was that!?"
Far to the south, the Dragonlord stirs from their meditation. Although no one is present to hear them, the dictator murmurs a question. "...Now just who in the blazes was that?"
Chapter 146: Death to the King
Xenia groans as she rubs at her jaw, but she doesn''t have time for much more than that before Taly shouts at her. "Boss! On your feet, it''s a combat floor!"
"Aw, dangit! One sec!" Climbing up to a crouched position, Xenia catches her bearings in time to see Taly firing off a pair of arrows at a number of tiny hovering figures, ones which seem to emit some sort of light which makes it hard for her to focus on their details. Both shots miss, and the flying monsters shoot back with blasts of magic...and for some reason shout out in high-pitched voices as they do so.
"Pew! Pewpew! Booooom!"
The ridiculousness of it makes Xenia want to laugh, but from the way Trush''s shield vibrates as he blocks the shots, those blasts are no laughing matter. She draws her blade, wondering if perhaps she could down them with a thrown dagger or two, but before she can join the fray Sincere brings the creatures to a halt with a partial stasis field. It''s not complete, and the monsters still shout their battle cries, but they''re now pitched far deeper.
"PPPPEEEEEEEEW. ZAAAAAAP!"
"...I really wanna scoop them up in a jar or something, they sound adorable. Business is business, though." With that said she and Taly both get to work, the banshee downing three of the nearly-frozen opponents while Xenia cuts two out of the air with her sword. Once the fight is complete, she stops to pick up one of the somewhat-dismembered bodies lying on the floor to try and get a better idea of what it was she was actually fighting. As their magical glow fades, she realizes that she''s holding on to a very tiny arm, made of...stone? The half of a humanoid figure she holds is no more than six inches tall, with limbs of polished green stone of some sort, and wings that appear to be red crystal. Glancing at the next tiny corpse, it appears to be of similar make but with different coloring. "Okay, what did we just kill?"
Sincere chuckles as he glances at the remains. "Haha! Those, my dear dungeon master, are fairies."
"What?" Xenia glances at it again, and shakes her head. "I''ve seen fairies and...okay, they come in a ton of different types. But they''re usually fleshy, not, you know...jeweler''s work."
"Oh? Perhaps that means in other realms, fairies are an actual sapient race? Interesting...but here, these are mere monsters. A hybrid of sprites and insects, I believe. These could talk, so were presumably at least mid-tier. Specifically earth-sprite type, although I believe that one there is a lightning-type."
The woman''s eyes go wide. "Wait, that''s all you need to make fairies!? I got sprites and bugs! We need to get started on that when we get back!"
Taly snorts at the sudden interest. "Dunno why you''re so amped up about the fae. Besides, that''s kind of secondary! Did you get what you needed, or do we need to...no pun intended, bug out? You sounded, uh. Excited?"
"Oh! Yeah, shit, one second. Deliar, Grenfelda, Theolif..." She trails off, mumbling a list of names once and then repeating it a second time. "Yeah. Yeah! I got it all! Huh...now that I think about it, I think my memory as a dungeon core is like, really good. Doesn''t help for old stuff but everything that''s happened since I got here?" She smiles, then a realization crosses her face. "...Man, I''m gonna end up with a hundred years of Floor Five encounters trapped in here, aren''t I? The burdens I carry for this gig..."
Trush stretches, glad to have had a fight already but clearly eager for more. "Did you have any trouble? Looked like someone took the wind out of you, a bit."
Xenia frowns, using her above-average memory to replay the final events of her trip. "That''s...maybe. I...I think maybe we need to do this less often, or something. I''m getting the feeling these excursions down memory lane are less secure than my grandma''s gossip network. I''m pretty sure someone was there, talking to me, at least for the last bit of that. Socked me in the jaw real good, too."
Sincere''s brow furrows. "The Dragonlord, again? I thought they were able to intercept you from seeing your past, not...manipulate it, or anything of that sort. Were they displeased by some other action of ours?"
"Nah, I don''t think it was them. This felt...really personal, somehow. But...who? Someone''s looking for me? I don''t know, guys, I''m probably gonna have to puzzle this out later. In the meanwhile, I think we''re a go to actually finish this raid. We all good?" She looks around and confirms that once again, they appear to be standing in an entryway identical to the previous raids they''d gone on. Trush nods, taking the lead as he heads towards the next door.
"I''m ready. If this is a fae-focused floor, we''ll be wanting Sincere''s power in particular - they''re much more of a magical threat than a physical one. Usually not too tough though, not til the high tiers."
"Barrier spells are at the ready." Sincere''s hands begin to glow with magic. "Shall we proceed?"
With a nod from Xenia, Trush opens the door and charges through. The battle awaiting the party in the next room is indeed more fae, but not of the tiny, hovering kind. Instead, five humanoid figures stand, charged with magical energy and clearly not made from skin and bone. They appear somewhat similar to elementals in form, but thinner, with smoother skin and, in the case of a lightning fae, far more solid. Four of them are armed with dual swords, made of some sort of black, chitin-like material, while the one to the rear wields a staff made of the same substance.
Trush starts off with an orcish battle yell, somehow not seeming out of place from his rabbit-like mouth, and the taunt draws at least three of the sword-wielders in his direction. Xenia takes on the fourth, the lightning-aspected member of the group, and finds that for once she''s fighting an opponent as fast as she is. She does at least have a target to hit back at, unlike with a lightning elemental, but with two blades swinging at her so quickly they almost leave afterimages she actually finds herself doing more dodging than attacking.
That leaves Taly and Sincere to counter the enemy mage, and here at least the party has a notable advantage. Although he appears to be earth-aspected, like most of his group, the first spell the mage begins with is a fireball, with an extremely noticeable sphere of flame slowly growing at the tip of his staff. Far, far too slowly, as Sincere has plenty of time to cast a barrier spell around the staff itself. With just a small opening left behind facing in the mage''s direction, the moment the spell attempts to launch itself it explodes instead, literally blowing up in the mage''s face. If that wasn''t enough to kill it, a trio of quick arrow shots from Taly finish the job.
Trush meanwhile, despite being outnumbered three-to-one, eventually whittles down the odds quite a bit when it comes to actual weapons. Although the man''s class name was Shieldbreaker, his abilities spread to more than just that, and whatever the chitin-like material of the enemy blades actually is it appears to be somewhat weaker than normal steel. One by one as Trush parries their blows the Knight enhances the sharpness of his own sword''s edge, shattering each of the weapons he manages to engage. As they''re disarmed the fae begin to back off, not wanting to try and engage a swordsman in a fistfight, but that only makes them easy targets for Taly and Sincere to take down with ranged attacks.
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So it is that Xenia is the last left to defeat her opponent, and as the woman notices that fact it certainly becomes a strong motivator. "Awww, c''mon, you''re making me look bad in front of the team! Just let me get in a quick decapitation here..." Not having many tricks available to her when it comes to magic or equipment, Xenia instead settles for good old footwork. The next time she dodges she takes an extra step backwards, and just as she expected, the aggressive fae warrior immediately moves to keep up with her. The moment he becomes over extended, brief as it is, Xenia counter-attacks with an upward swing that takes the fae''s right arm. She doesn''t let up from there either, and even as the monster is still looking at its missing limb, her second blow does indeed take its head from its shoulders.
Watching, Taly applauds as best as she can while holding on to her bow. "Nice moves, boss! You should really spawn yourself some fancier shit for these though, you know? You''re barely better equipped than an Advanced class Challenger! Maybe even worse! Feels like at some point you''re gonna run into something a sword or a knife can''t beat."
The dungeon master shoots her a smirk. "Always been of the opinion that if blunt force doesn''t work, you just ain''t using enough of it! You''re not wrong though, and I might be taking it all a little lightly, given that we always have the option of taking a loss and trying again later. Stocking up on magic gear was always more Beatrice''s thing than mine, though. I can''t take much with me when I move on from a run, not even magic most of the time. But skills? That shit sticks with you. Can always rely on good ol'' swordplay."
"Well I''ve seen it in action, and I''m still impressed. If you want to challenge yourself without magical crutches, you''ll get nothing but respect from me! Now - everyone good before our next advance?" Trush looks around the room and the group nods, although Sincere raises a concern.
"You know, while I do know some very basic healing spells, and we do of course have our potions, we might want to consider adding a dedicated healer to the group if we intend to keep doing these sorts of excursions. Especially if the dungeon does end up getting more difficult as we progress, as they usually do."
Xenia half-nods, then frowns. "Yeah, but...these are like an occasional side hobby for us. The job is being floor bosses, and, uh...I ain''t sure there''s a lot of ''healer'' schemas in the boss monster types. I know there''s some meant to come in groups, maybe there''s a healer subtype in there somewhere? Something like having five different kinds of Rabbit Champions as a single boss fight, once we get real deep or something."
Taly grins. "Maybe it''d actually be a fit for a Floor Five boss, then? ''Hey buddy, you worn out? Let me give you a quick stamina boost...''"
"Honestly I don''t know if I should want someone who wants a Floor Five gig or hope we never get one. Anyhow! Onward, shall we?"
The group does so, encountering a mixed party of swordsmen and flying fae in the third chamber. With their tactics established the fight actually goes quicker than the last, and they''re soon on their way to chamber four. There they find something slightly different - a fae type leaning more on the ''insect'' side of their origins, coming in a form that looks something like a cross between a troll and a massive, dark-shelled beetle. The monster largely focuses on defense rather than offense, and while it does take the group quite a bit of time to crack open, it never gets through the combined defenses of Trush and Sincere either, and so its demise is only a matter of time.
Eventually the raid party reaches the boss arena, and while the monster that awaits them has something of the form of the fae swordsmen, its scale is extremely different. The monster is at least twelve feet tall and far more elaborately shaped, wearing a crystal crown and a somewhat more expressive face on its head, although its skin still appears to be largely made of stone and crystal. Also unlike the earlier swordsmen, the boss appears far more verbose.
"Challengers to the Fairy King!? Ye shall be humbled! Kneel before royalty!"
Xenia, however, seems unimpressed. "Man, I''ve seen fae royalty before, and they''re way more scary than you. Hell, worse than most gods, you ask me. I ain''t nowhere near clever or patient enough to put up with their bullshit. But you? C''mon, let''s throw down!" The boss seems to acknowledge her, pulling forth a crystalline spear, and given that it shares his sense of scale the reach on it is more than enough to sweep the room. He does so, but the first attack is blocked by Trush''s shield, triggering it to ring across the arena.
"Fuck, that thing''s got some weight behind it! Someone wanna crack that thing?"
"Funny you should say that. Got a move I haven''t tried yet...block your ears!" The party had prepared for a move of this sort, and quickly moves to insert small wads of cotton into their ears as best as they''re able. A moment later Taly cuts loose with a sonic shriek, an attack designed to deafen Challengers. Its effect on the Fairy King seems minimal, if it even has ears, but Taly doesn''t let up on it right away. Instead she works on shifting her pitch up and down, focusing her attack on the monster''s weapon, and eventually it begins to ring even without striking any shields. Trush takes that as his cue and, with the help of a Shieldbreaker-enhanced blow, strikes the spear with his sword and shatters it into pieces.
Xenia cheers, even as she winces at any additional noise. "That''s teamwork, alright! Now on for the beastie! Aim for the knees!"
Despite his massive size and reach advantage, the monster doesn''t appear to actually be very well suited for fighting without a weapon, his slim limbs lacking the mass that most monsters his size would possess. He does his best, kicking at Xenia as she charges in, but it actually works against him - Sincere grabs the lifted leg in a stasis field, greatly unbalancing the boss, and as Trush charges in with a second Shieldbreaker attack at the other leg the King is soon left collapsing to the floor. From there it''s mostly just a matter of finishing the creature off, diving in to attack its head, ducking back as its arms flail in every direction, and then repeating. It takes another minute to finally destroy, but the party eventually manages it without a single injury.
Taly grins as the monster finally dies. "You know, I really hated those two years of singing lessons my parents made me take as a kid, but some of the basics are actually coming back to me. I''ll make sure to rub that in their faces the next time I write them a letter."
"No such thing as a useless skill. You have any idea how many people I''ve killed with juggling?" Xenia waggles her eyebrows a bit before heading on into the next room. "Alright, here''s hoping we get something good!"
Once again an earth elemental waits for them behind a desk, and they seem unimpressed. "I hope you consider the usual floor clearance payment ''good'', because that''s all you''re getting. I assume you know the routine, yes? Any feedback on the ''fae'' class monster types? And before you bring it up, yes, we''re aware of the ''Fairy King''s'' misplaced arrogance. The Dragonlord will be sure to put them in their places before we actually utilize any."
Sincere answers with a question of his own. "Forgive me for asking, but I''m fairly certain I''ve heard of ''Fairy Kings'' and such before. Is this dungeon really doing much, well...design work here, or simply using standard templates?"
The elemental seems confused by the query. "How many other dungeons have you even heard of? Dunno what you mean by ''templates'', but no, these are all Great Dungeon originals! That''s why we''re doing all this work, of course! Now, what did you think?"
Xenia and Sincere share a look, but the dungeon master decides not to follow that thread just now. "Well, our own team might''ve done better if we''d brought our elementalist, a bit more offensive magic, I think. The boss was literally a pushover without his weapon, though - dude definitely needs some, like, alternative boss modes, you know?"
"I believe he does actually have a bit of magic, but perhaps he was too slow in actually utilizing it. Still, noted, and thank you for your assistance. Please remember to fill out the survey forms with more details when you get the chance."
Xenia nods, and looks back at her party before the field trip comes to a close. "Sure thing. I think...we got a lot we need to talk about tonight."
Chapter 147: Communion with Heaven
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TRIPLE CURSED DUNGEON:
YOU HAVE SUBDUED THE ENERGIES OF THE LOST GREAT DUNGEON OF MOUNT FARALIS, CENTER OF THE WORLD: EXPERIMENTAL FLOOR 18. ADDITIONAL FLOOR UNLOCKED.
UNIQUE MONSTER CROSSBREED UNLOCKED: FAE GEMSTONE KNIGHT (EARTH SPRITE/INSECTS) - C
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Xenia cheers as she reads over her new unlock. "Nice! C tier, that''s higher than any of our sprites, or our bugs. Though...those were the swordsmen, right, not the cute lil flying dudes? Ugh...guess we should go back to spending some time singing up some bees to smash, again."
Sincere nods along. "That is an interesting new monster type...perhaps an inspiration for a Floor Seven theme? That said however, I believe Floor Seven is not really our primary concern for the evening. It sounded like your mission was a success?"
"Sure was! Give me one minute to write this down and pass it out." Summoning a number of pieces of paper, Xenia magically imprints them with the list of gods from her former world, and hands out a copy to each of her council members. "So, the names might not mean anything since they sometimes go by multiple even in a single realm. Still, I don''t suppose we''re getting lucky and having any of these look familiar to anyone as-is?"
The full group eyes the listings, but one by one they all shake their heads or respond negatively. Trush gives Xenia a pitying look. "Does this mean the lead is a bust, then? Maybe we could get a copy to the Church of Bounty, perhaps a high-level Cleric would know a god''s secret names."
"Let''s call that Plan B, but I think we got a more authoritative source on call. Guy, is Kahlia still accessible to us now that we''ve used up our Favor? Or do we have to earn that second Favor first? Or...I dunno, get on our knees and pray like some kinda schmucks?"
"We do indeed still have a line to the Goddess, ma''am...although I imagine we''re not expected to use it lightly. Shall I...request her attentions?"
The dungeon master sighs and frowns. "...I don''t know if gods really keep to business hours, but let''s be safe and assume they do. I''ll hit her up tomorrow morning. In which case I suppose we''re done for tonight then, so - good work! Feel free to take a day off tomorrow everyone, unless someone needs stabbing."
Trush quickly raises one of his hands before motioning for Xenia to stay in her seat. "Hold on, now. What was that other business you mentioned, about someone waiting - inside your own soul, if I understand this all right - to find you and punch you in the jaw?"
Xenia sighs again. "Right, that. To be clear, I don''t think they were waiting in my soul - I know the Dragonlord can tap into these trips somehow, so I''m guessing others can too. I don''t think they were there the whole time, either. But...I don''t know man, what can I say? I could try and come up with a list of my possible enemies...I have a handful here, maybe, though none really scary. Maybe some low-level Challenger we killed has some big, bad relative with a grudge?"
Taly seems unconvinced by the idea. "Even if they did, no other dungeon has these soul flashbacks or whatever like you do. How would they even know to try and break into one?"
"Well, the other option is someone''s tracking me down like Beatrice did. From another realm, I mean. But in that case...I''m gonna level with you guys, here. That list of possible enemies would cover this entire fuckin'' mountain and then some."
Sincere spends a moment in thought but doesn''t seem to come up with much. "Do we wait and see if it happens again, then? If we have what we wished for, however, I don''t see any reason to rush into another dungeon expedition anytime soon."
"Yeah, I ain''t giving someone a second shot at me if they are using those to track me down, or something. For the moment that''s a matter for Tomorrow Me to worry about, I think. So...anything else to cover tonight, or can I tell you to get the fuck out of my bedroom yet?" She scans the table, and none seem opposed. "Alright then, get the fuck out of my bedroom. If I''m gonna be ringing up a goddess tomorrow, I need to get some serious meditation in tonight..."
The next morning was not much of a day off for the dungeon, or at least for the upper three floors. The Miserables finally made their full return, sans any luck charms, and rampaged through the first two floors with even more ease than they had on their first visit. The third floor only slowed them down somewhat thanks to the tediousness of some of the traps, with Tank and Dips actually having a number of friendly-fire incidents thanks to the party''s cursed luck. Fortunately they stopped there rather than proceed on to Floor Four, sparing Trush the matter of deciding whether or not to mark his debut with an ambush on a low-level party. Taly theorized that the party might not go further than that for some time - for their level, clearing three floors was worth quite a bit of Association level credit, and they wouldn''t need to risk having to rely on their reversed luck for the truly dangerous lower floors.
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Several other parties did come by later in the day, but without any indications that they might actually be able to make a break for the core chamber Xenia felt safe enough to spend some time in...consultations with her patron goddess. Her meditations the night before had managed to calm her mood somewhat, and she knew she would have to be at her most charming to win any favors from a divinity. Finally, with a last set of deep breaths, she had Guy open their connection and sent forward a request for an audience. Nothing happened for several minutes after that, but just as she was wondering if she ought to just start going about her usual daily routine again, a white flash envelops the dungeon master and takes her...elsewhere.
When she arrives, a quick look around tells Xenia she''s back in the Garden. Yet...very definitely not the same clearing where she''d had her first audience with Kahlia. She''s higher up on a mountaintop now, with a view of forests spreading before her in every direction she can see, clear out to the horizon. In the other direction sits a large crack in the mountain stone, creating a space filled with steaming geothermal pools. And in one of those pools sits the massive Goddess of Fertility, her modesty preserved only by the water level just barely covering her chest. Immediately, the dungeon master begins to worry if she''s suddenly facing a divine test. Oh, fuck! Is this a test of humility, where I gotta look away? Or does she want me to stroke her ego by staring? Okay, middle road, middle road...
Turning away, Xenia opens with a complimentary greeting. "Ah, my goddess, thank you for receiving me! This, ah, mountain is even more lovely when graced by your presence..."
Any further words are interrupted by a piece of soap flung at her head. "Please, my little reincarnator. I can tell you want something from me, but let''s not get into the groveling so quickly, hrmm? You are one of my favored servants, after all!"
"Ah! Well, glad to hear it, and thank you, your fertileness. I hope I wasn''t interrupting your private time when I called you."
"Not at all - I actually set this up specifically for this meeting. Would you care to join me?" Xenia''s eyes grow wide at the request, as they rotate back in the direction of the divine display in front of her, and it takes her a few moments to get her mouth working again.
"Yes. Yes I would like to do that very much thank you." Even before she''s finished speaking her hands are already at work removing her outfit - a more formal affair she''d put together just for this audience, a fact which complicates her sudden need to get quickly naked. She manages it in record time though, and is soon soaking in the hot waters opposite the goddess. Fortunately, the pool is shaped so that she can find a place to comfortably sit at without needing to be ten feet tall herself. "This is nice. I have a few springs in my own place but maybe they could use some improvements..."
"Well, this is a divine hot springs, it ought to be a little special." Kahlia shoots the woman a smirk, clearly somewhat amused by her behavior ever since she arrived. "Tell me, reincarnator, is your business urgent? Or would you like to spend a moment in pleasure before we get to serious matters?"
Xenia''s voice almost squeaks as she responds. "...Pleasure!?"
"Not of that kind, of course. I do still require a little more before I allow a mortal to feel my embrace. It does require so much effort on my part to prevent pregnancy from occurring, you know, and we are trying to keep this realm demigod-free for an era or two."
"But you''re - and I''m..." Xenia''s protests fade under the goddess'' smirk.
"That would probably be enough for most deities, I''m sure, but with me? Trust me, if it''s at all possible to get a dungeon pregnant, I would probably make it happen." Kahlia chuckles before changing the topic. "Ah, forgive me for teasing. Tell me, what weighs on your mind?"
Thankful for the lifeline, Xenia refocuses. "Right, that''s a good way of putting it. Ah, without getting into the gritty details...I kind of did a lot of awful shit back in my past lives, and there''s one in particular that, well...if I could do something to make up for it, I''d like to. But different realms, blah blah etc, means I think my options are limited to like...divine intervention. Would you mind telling me if any of these names are familiar to you?" Reaching back to her clothes, Xenia recovers her list of gods and passes it over to the goddess, who reads through it with a serious look.
"Hrmmm...vaguely familiar, perhaps, in a friends-of-friends sort of way. None occupy this realm, if that''s your hope. ...I see one of my direct competitors on this list, here. I hope you realize that gods of a type do not get along? Even for the more benign cases of divine aspects, it''s like trying to push together magnets of a type...who can create lightning bolts and meteor storms when in a bad mood."
"Well, can probably ignore that one, at least. But do you think there''s any chance you could get me in touch with anyone else on there? I don''t honestly know what I could do to make up for past sins, but I''d like to at least make the effort."
Kahlia sets the list aside and sighs. "''Sins'' have never been a particular concern of mine, you know. I believe in aiding and protecting my worshipers, yes, but I am a representative of one of the core aspects of nature. And nature is not always...courteous and polite. Still, I do respect your desire to improve yourself. Even so, this is not something easily done. Contact between pantheons...even the most minor interactions can often trigger a realm-war, some of us are so territorial. Also, I would need to spend time investigating even how to locate this particular pantheon. In other words, this is not something a god does for free, even for a favored servant."
Xenia''s not exactly thrilled, but neither is she surprised. "Is this something I can use that next Divine Favor on, once we get it? We''re only one out of five pregnancies so far, but I''m feeling confident given how much time we have left."
"Divine Favors of that sort...they are intended to be rewards and bonuses for dungeons, built within the dungeon system. This is a project for you personally, yes? So no, something like this...we will need to resort to a more personal, traditional sort of divine challenge."
The dungeon master gulps. While many a legend has been made of heroes who once completed such a challenge, she''s pretty sure there''s a hundred corpses out there for every successful hero. "I''ll, uh...give it a shot, if I can. What did you have in mind?"
Kahlia doesn''t answer at first, instead closing her eyes and spending some time in thought. When she does re-open them and meet Xenia''s gaze once again, there''s a new sense of authority behind them, one that locks on to Xenia and doesn''t let her go. "XENIA WORTHY. IN EXCHANGE FOR THIS BOON YOU ASK, I PLACE UPON YOU THE FOLLOWING CHALLENGE. SUCCESSFULLY IMPREGNATE A MORTAL WITH A DUNGEON MONSTER, GUARDIAN, OR AVATAR."
Xenia''s jaw drops. Somehow she expected it would be something along these lines, given who it was she was talking to, but that sure doesn''t make hearing the challenge any easier. "...Y''know, maybe living with my sins ain''t so tough after all."
Chapter 148: New Concerns
Kahlia smiles at the distressed look on Xenia''s face, and when she next speaks, her voice has returned to normal. "You seem a bit worried, my little reincarnator."
"Well, yeah! Your God Voice is scary as fuck, you know! I practically pissed myself when you started talking like that!" Xenia mock-shivers a bit at the memory, and Kahlia narrows her eyes.
"If you piss in my spring, I will smite you a second time."
"Joke! Joking! But...uh, it''s not just that, either. You know that, um...dungeon monsters are infertile, right? I''m pretty sure I''ve been told that at some point, and unless you know something I don''t..." Getting a bit nervous, Xenia begins to ramble. "Or is there a way to figure it out? I know the old dungeon was running all sorts of experiments, but I''m pretty sure the whole system got patched up to prevent that kind of freeplay shit, right? Like, I''m always up for a challenge, but I''m not sure if I even see a path here."
The Goddess'' smile never fades, even as Xenia eventually trails off. "I am not a cruel god, I would not issue you such a challenge if I did not believe you were capable of it. Indeed, if this was about simply challenging you, I would perhaps let you flail around for a few years and perhaps discover the method ages down the line. However, I am actually interested in your success, so I will give you a more direct hint. I am aware you recently gained access to divine sprites."
The dungeon master''s brow furrows. "...Yeah? I haven''t made any yet, but D-tier sprites for earth and fire are basically just like, animated balls of magic. I, uh. I don''t think those things are getting anyone pregnant anytime soon."
"Not as they are, certainly. But I''ve been investigating their impact in the dungeon system since you first acquired them, you know - to my knowledge, you are the only dungeon to have the ability to create divine-aspected dungeon monsters at will. Yet another Worthy Dungeon specialty, perhaps."
Xenia''s head tilts. "Okay? If I was a more devout type that might be worth leaning into, though maybe some sort of...evil church theme for a floor? That could be a thing."
"You underestimate what it means to control a spark of divinity, reincarnator, and what that might be able to offer a dungeon monster. To be divine is to have the power to reshape reality itself. To create."
Xenia chews on that for a moment, and then her eyes grow wide. "You mean if I used them for monster crossbreeding - I might be able to make other monster types that, that...can knock someone up!?"
"It''s never been done, but I believe it is possible, and this is my realm of expertise, after all. Of course, it could also go the other direction, but given your monsters are often slain you can probably understand why I didn''t ask you to have a monster impregnated by a Challenger."
"That''s...an idea, all right. That still leaves me the issue of actually getting a Challenger to, y''know, do the deed, but..." Xenia pauses, remembering the recent visit by Sable and Lilly. "Okay, maybe that would be the easy part. Probably going to take some time regardless."
"As will my end of the bargain. Worry not, however. In anticipation of your success I will begin my investigations, and hopefully have an answer for you by time you complete your challenge. Note, of course, that I cannot compel another god to speak to you if they do not wish to."
"Understandable." Xenia bows as much as she can without dipping her head into the water. "Thank you, this means a lot to me. You''re definitely my favorite god!"
Kahlia gives her a gracious smile in return. "And you are my favorite dungeon. Get to breeding some more mortals for me, and let''s see that you stay that way, hrmm?"
The pair spend another half hour enjoying the pool and the outdoor air before Xenia finally returns home, and the moment she does so the dungeon master immediately gets started with her monster crossbreeding system. "Let''s see, let''s see...divine sprite and...lagomorphs? Yeah, gotta be. If anything''s gotta work, it''s gotta be bunnies, right?"
Guy and Sincere exchange a glance of shared confusion, if perhaps a bit abstractly in Guy''s case. "Ma''am, did Kahlia imply there was some sort of connection between rabbits and...contacting other gods and goddesses?"
"Nah, we''ve got a job to do." She looks at the pair, then does a quick bit of thinking. "Dungeon meeting time. We don''t have any parties in here, yeah? Alright, let''s have...you, Sincere, and Taly, Trush, and Lollyp. I got a big ask and I think it''s gotta be one of you four."
Guy confirms the order before flickering out, and a few minutes later Taly, Trush, and Lollyp have made their way down via shortcut portals. Lollyp has an excited smile on her face, seeing Xenia''s suddenly renewed energy. "Good news, Xen?"
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"Yeah! Not an immediate solution, but a path. But, well...we''ve got a divine challenge ahead of us, and while it doesn''t have to be done by one of you...I think it''s gotta be done by one of you." Her floor bosses line up in front of her, and Xenia marches down the row like a military officer reviewing her cadets. Before anyone can ask the question, she turns to face them with a serious look. "I need one of the four of you to get a Challenger pregnant."
Her bosses give her a serious look in return...for about three seconds, before they begin to laugh. Taly''s is the loudest of the bunch. "Boss...do I need to explain all the reasons why that ain''t happening?"
Xenia raises a finger for silence. "It''s not happening - yet. But it''s potentially possible with a bit of work, and I have a challenge to get a mortal knocked up by a ''monster, guardian, or avatar''. I think that last bit was just tacked on for completeness, I don''t currently got a solution to add that into my avatar, and that might not be doable. And...even if Kahlia''s cool with the idea of a monster just hopping onto some Challenger lady and...yeah, we''re not doing that. It''s gotta be one of you, cause only you four fully understand what I''m asking, here. And again, I realize that this is all about helping me out with a personal problem, not a dungeon problem, so I will literally owe you the hugest of favors if anyone''s willing to give it a try."
The bosses begin to take things a little more seriously after hearing that, and Sincere asks the next question. "So you don''t have a solution for making this happen with an avatar - but you do have one for doing so with a dungeon monster?"
Xenia nods. "The trick is, apparently, crossbreeding with our divine sprite schema. I don''t think that''s an automatic solution, it sounds like divinity might just lead to like...reality-shifting or creation abilities in general, aside from probably the usual holy spell sets, but all we need is one monster type that it works with. Once we''ve got a monster type with a working dick, well...I''m gonna want a volunteer to maybe chat up a mortal, and well...ugh. This is manipulative as hell, ain''t it? I don''t want us to trick someone into getting knocked up, right? Our Floor Five shit is just, like...greasing the wheels for relationships that are already happening. I don''t know if any of you have anyone out there you''ve ever considered starting a family with or anything, but if so...maybe it''s a consideration that''s back on the table."
The entire group begins to look around a little awkwardly, none of them entirely prepared for a conversation of this sort, but eventually Lollyp raises a hand and gives a smile. "Well...if you ever get that working for slimes, and we can get one in here...always felt bad that I never had any little drops of my own, you know?"
Xenia half-nods before halting. "How do slimes even make that work, anyhow?"
"Oh, I''ve been waiting for you to ask! Sit there, I''ve got diagrams back in my apartment I''ve been drawing up - "
"Nope, nevermind, I''m not that curious anymore. Anyhow!" Xenia quickly changes the topic. "This ain''t a tomorrow thing, anyhow. It''s gonna take time to work, I think. But this is gonna need some thought, so...think about it, yeah?"
Taly nods, with a bit of a smirk. "Will do. Suppose we''ll have to start getting a little flirtier in the middle of boss fights from now on, eh? I did say I prefer men, but there''s a few ladies out there that...whoof, though. It''s not like I ever thought about being a dad before, and now that''s especially...I mean. How would we make that work? I mean, not biologically, but...parentally?"
"I got no easy answers for you, Taly. Like I said, we gotta think about this a lot, if we''re gonna do it right. We''ve got a lot of other long-term projects to deal with, too. Need to start planning for the next floor, and while the crossbreeding''s not busy with divine stuff I''d still like to see what else we can get with those fairy types. Speaking of!" Xenia claps her hands and gives the group a smile. "Now that I''ve got you all here! ...Who wants to spend an hour or two smashing bees?"
That evening as Lyota Silverstar was sitting in her room, writing up a report on the outcome of the latest dungeon intrusion by the Miserables, a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. When she opens it, she finds one of the tavern barmaids standing there with a letter. "Message for you, Soul Lasher!"
"Ah, thank you, Miss Thistledown. I''ll take that." She trades the letter for a tip, and makes sure the door is securely shut again before even glancing at the paper in her hands. When she does begin to take a look, a voice coming from the direction of her bed asks a question.
"Guessin'' it ain''t personal correspondence. We got new orders?"
Lyota sniffs slightly at the tone. "I do have some friends, Hordecaller. ...But yes, this message appears to be official. I''ll need a few minutes to decipher it."
The shirtless - and bottomless, although covered by the bedsheets - Wetears chuckles at the confirmation of the message type. "Not sure whether I''m hopin'' it is or it ain''t orders to spend more time in the dungeon. On one hand, I don''t mind gettin'' paid to drink and...enjoy the company...and not stirrin'' up the dungeon''s mood, but it could get a bit boring only doing a run every week or two."
As the demon finishes converting most of the letter, the confused look on her face tells the man it''s something else entirely. "Something wrong, Silverstar?"
"Maybe. This is a warning, extremely light on useful details. But it''s telling us to be on guard for other parties with intent to harm the dungeon." She shoots the goblin a worried glance. "We have intelligence that someone else out there is keeping an eye on Worthy Dungeon."
Not far away, another woman is questioned by her subordinate on matters of business, although in this case everyone is fully clothed. "Alizz, it''s dark out! C''mon, it''s time to close the office down for the night."
"It''s autumn, it''s normal for night to come earlier now, Kelsey. I just...need to finish this letter. Or two of them."
The kobold rolls his eyes as he approaches the Field Agent''s desk. "What is it? You finally getting officially transferred to Administrator status? They''re not giving you shit over your ties to Lollyp, right?"
"No...well, that is progressing, yes, and I believe it will be confirmed soon. But this is something else. I''m afraid our little district has finally become a victim of our own success."
Kelsey''s eyes grow wide. "No. You don''t mean..."
Aliiz meets his eyes and nods. "Indeed. The nobles have taken notice of Grassbrook."
Chapter 149: Rabbit Daddy - Explicit
WORTHY DUNGEON
DAY 150
1.5 MONTHS LATER
Although the one hundred and fiftieth day of the dungeon''s existence didn''t come with any special rewards, it was still a big day for Xenia personally as she called her council down to her core chamber. As it turned out, the crossbreeding part of her divine challenge was far more grueling than she''d expected - the crossbreeding system seemed to hate having to deal with divinely-aspected monsters, and every single attempt took at least ten times longer than a normal analysis to come up with a result. Fortunately at least divine sprites were their own category, allowing for more specific input on that end, but on the other side Xenia could only match it against lagomorphs in general, which resulted in a lot of useless monster types. Most of them were just rabbit monsters who could perform holy damage as a bonus type, which wasn''t particularly interesting, and while it was possible some other monster types were potentially fertile...they were fully monstrous, and no one felt inclined to even try testing them out.
There had been two interesting additions to the Rabbit Champion subtypes, though. A Rabbit Paladin had been created, allowing for abilities much like Sable''s, and after an unusually long processing period Xenia had gained the Rabbit Conjurer, a magic-using type who could apparently summon material of any schema Xenia herself had access to. Neither were fertile, unfortunately, but the dungeon master felt particularly excited about the latest model she had just summoned onto a table in her chamber. As Taly, Trush, Sincere and Lollyp gather around, they all take some time to examine the sleeping specimen clothed in simple peasant''s garb. It had the same general humanoid form as the other Rabbit Champions, but seemed slightly larger than even Trush''s boss Knight body, and there appeared to be something more abstractly...older, or more authoritative about the monster that the bosses couldn''t quite put their fingers on.
Once everyone''s arrived, Trush asks the question first. "Well, that''s a hell of a specimen you got there, Worthy. This thing gonna make me obsolete?"
Taly smirks. "Guy sounded like you were pretty confident that this was ''the one''. Is this just cause you''re into muscles?"
"Hey, we could put you into this, Trush, if you wanna give it a go, but I don''t think it''s actually as combat-focused as a Knight despite the size." Xenia grins back at Taly. "And no, it ain''t the size that makes me confident, it''s what the dungeon system called it." She lifts her hands, making a display of things. "Behold - the Rabbit Champion Patriarch!"
The group does seem moderately impressed by the name, and Sincere passes a comment on it. "That is an interesting title. Technically, it only usually refers to a male ''head'', and not necessarily a literal ''father'', but in practice those are indeed usually the same thing. You''re feeling confident enough to proceed on to the second step of the testing?"
Xenia nods before looking at Lollyp. "You still got enough of those fertility testing materials we got from Elance the other week? If not, we''re probably due for a visit soon, could trade em another batch of enchanted seeds for more."
"We''re good for at least one more test, I think. After I figured out the process with the Paladin and Conjurer ''samples'', I should be able to test if they''ve got the good stuff a lot more efficiently now." The slime woman gives a wide grin. "So all I''m lacking is a Patriarch sample. I assume we''re here to get a volunteer?"
"You know it. Same routine, someone''s gotta hop into the new body and - " Xenia doesn''t get to finish her sentence before Taly interrupts.
"Dibs. I''m calling this one."
Xenia raises an eyebrow at her Banshee Queen. "Well, that was quick. Had something on your mind?"
The Rogue nods. "You know it! It''s occurred to me that I''m now the only person in this room - Guy excluded, of course - who''s never gotten to experience having a dick. Didn''t care much at first, but after thinking about it the past couple weeks...I have to at least try it out!"
The dungeon master grins at the reasoning. "Well, I can''t argue with that. They are pretty fun. Alright, looks like we got our volunteer, folks, everyone else - out!" The others make their exit, Lollyp in particular grumbling a bit about missing her chance at ''dibs'', and soon enough the spirit and the banshee are left alone in the room. Xenia opens up the command menu which will allow her to insta-kill Taly''s current body and transfer her to a new one, but pauses for a final statement.
"So, Lollyp and Trush got the last two rounds, but just to be on the same page - you just need to, you know, get yourself off into a cup and get Lollyp your sample, yeah? Not too much time pressure, so, uh...feel free to enjoy the moment, I guess."
Before she can initiate the transfer, Taly shakes her head and utters a single word. "No."
"What?" Xenia eyes her boss with some confusion. "You don''t want to enjoy it? I thought that was why you volunteered?"
"Oh, I intend to enjoy myself, alright. I just don''t intend to get a dick for the first time and then spend my time jacking off. Assuming, of course, that I had a willing and eager dungeon master willing to lend a hand. A dungeon master who owes us for doing all this to begin with, one might add..."
Xenia continues eyeing the banshee for a moment before slowly breaking into a grin. "I see, I see. Well, not to brag, but I do have more experience with the things than anyone else in the dungeon - from either side of it, for that matter. Suppose it''d only be right for me to give a newbie some proper guidance..."
She then ensures that she gets the last word in through the dungeon master trick of killing her boss on the spot, before she then initiates the soul transfer into the new body. Already having been fully prepared to contain a boss-level essence, the transfer doesn''t take long, and a few moments later Taly reopens her eyes.
"Huh, that was fast. Barely even knew I was out." The rabbit lifts a pawlike hand, and Taly stares at it for a moment. "Huh...having a voice this deep is bizarre, and the way this arm feels..." She slowly sits up before turning, so that her new legs are dangling off the edge of the table. "Yeah, I never realized before how heavy a body could feel. This thing''s gotta weigh at least three times more than I normally do."
She then hops off onto her feet, and does a few stretches and poses before turning back towards Xenia. "So! How do I look?"
Xenia can''t stop herself from giggling. "God, but that''s a little bizarre to watch. You look like a big hunk''a rabbit-man meat, but you still move around like a woman, you know?"
"I - huh? What do you mean?" Taly walks around the table experimentally, and realizes that she does have to manually adjust the way she holds her arms and hips, now that she''s had it pointed out to her. "Well. Thanks. Now I''m gonna be self-conscious about the way I walk and stretch for the rest of eternity. Never realized people moved that differently before."
"Aha, don''t worry about it, I''ve had to do the same thing a bunch of times. Course, we''re not here today to figure out how you walk, now are we?"
"No. No we are not." Taly comes over and scoops Xenia up into her arms, delighting at her newfound physical strength, but the dungeon master teleports away before she can be carried over to the bed.
"Hold on, hold on, before we get carried away!" Xenia summons up a lid-covered cup, and sets it down on a bedside table. "We can have some fun, but don''t forget that we need the sample first, alright!"
"I know, I know! Now hold still and let me have my way with you, already!" Taly once again scoops up her boss, who''s far more compliant on the second attempt, but realizes something before she gets back to the bed. "...You know, I was with a guy who could do this once, for a couple minutes. But I''ve never thought about doing it myself before..."
"Do what? Ah!" Xenia is taken a bit by surprise as the muscular boss manhandles her, quickly undoing her pants and facing her away from Taly. The boss''s own pants fall to the floor soon after...and Taly begins to lift Xenia up.
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"Gods, it''s like you weigh nothing at all! Am I that strong, or is your avatar this light!?" Before Xenia can answer she begins to stroke her way between Xenia''s legs with one of her oversized hands, and the dungeon master is further distracted by the rising manhood beginning to prod her from below.
"Oh, I see what''s going on here - ah, yeah, right...uhn. No need for beds, huh? Skipping the Initiate dick-haver lessons and skipping right into the Master classes, are we?"
Taly grins as one of her thick fingers begins to probe its way into the woman. "Hey, I''m just making use of what you gave me. You wanna do some of your ''dommy-mommy'' roleplay or whatever you called it, give me one of those tiny Squire bodies later or something. But right now?" Taly leans her way towards Xenia''s ear, and deepens her voice as much as she can. "Daddy''s in charge."
Xenia tries to act unaffected, but that''s a little difficult when she knows she just clamped down hard on Taly''s index finger. "That...yeah, okay, that''s good too. We can do that."
"Liked that, did you? Never done that before either, but since today''s a day for trying new things..." Taly clears her throat, and when she speaks next she''s entirely in roleplay mode. "You''ve been a good little dungeon master for daddy? You think you deserve a...special reward?"
Xenia has to swallow a bit of a laugh before she responds. While she''d be one of the first to admit that she can have a few submissive tendencies in the bedroom, this particular mode of play isn''t a common one for her. But it could be interesting enough... "Yeah, daddy, Xen''s been a good girl. Please, daddy, fill me up with your big...hard...ahhh!" Taly doesn''t wait for Xenia to finish her sentence, instead swiftly replacing her finger with her cock. The dungeon master hadn''t mentioned this part before, having clothed the monster before the others arrived, but there was another reason she felt confident that the monster''s seed was...potent.
The boss''s cock and balls were gigantic. Oh, sure, she could play around with the scale of things to some degree if she wished, but even at its default size, the Rabbit Patriarch was an easy foot-long sample of man meat. On top of that, Xenia may have...scaled things up an extra few inches, just as a personal surprise to whoever ended up driving the thing around. She hadn''t expected to be the recipient of her own work, but now that she is, she can feel her avatar form doing some very rapid re-adjustments to handle the organ spreading her out.
Taly seems rather surprised, having not fully noticed herself just how large her new form was. "Holy hells, Xenia - what did you arm me with here!? I didn''t just kill you, did I?" She''s panicked enough to drop her roleplay already, and Xenia turns her head to give a comforting smile.
"Don''t...don''t worry. Lollyp and I stress-tested this baby a long time ago, you couldn''t hurt me in this form if you tried. So...daddy. Want to finish giving me my...reward?"
"Ah, you got it. Alright, baby...here it comes. Daddy''s got a special treat just for you..." Adjusting her grip to Xenia''s thighs, Taly more carefully begins to lower Xenia down onto her cock the rest of the way, and both of the women groan as the organ pushes its way inside. "Wow, baby...you feel so good. So nice and wet..."
"Rabbit-Daddy feels good too. I''m so full..." Xenia runs a hand along her stomach, judging how far inside her it must have gone, but before she can finish Taly begins to lift her legs upwards. She doesn''t go the full way, but a good six or seven inches of rabbit-dick expose themselves from her folds for a brief moment before Taly brings her back down, hilting herself inside the dungeon master once again. "Ah! Tal - Daddy!"
"You can call me by my name if you like, sweet. In fact, I like the way it sounds coming from you when you''re like this. Let me hear it some more?" Even as she speaks she doesn''t stop lifting Xenia up and down, and it takes a few more cycles for Xenia to recover her breath enough to respond - despite the fact that the dungeon master doesn''t even need to breathe.
"Ah! Taly! God, I haven''t taken such a big dick in - ah! Lifetimes! Taly!" After managing that, the only word that manages to escape Xenia''s lips for the next several minutes continues to be ''Taly'', and the expression on her face as she utters it somehow manages to make the Rogue swell with pride and lust a little more every time it happens. Eventually, feeling close to bursting, she adjusts her grip so that one muscular arm is wrapped around the woman''s waist while the other grabs her by the neck, turning her head in Taly''s direction. She takes her boss in a kiss then, which makes it difficult for Xenia to remind Taly of their purpose here.
With a muffled groan, Taly the Patriarch unloads into her master, balls clenching over and over as they pump the avatar full of possibly-potent seed. Eventually, Xenia manages to pull back and admonish the boss. "Taly! We - we need the sample!"
"Shit! Sorry, I got kind of, uh...caught up, there."
Xenia laughs. "No fuckin'' kidding, I kind of noticed. Hold on though, I think I can salvage this." Patting Taly''s arm to let Taly know to release her, she then hurries over to where she left the cup. The Rogue doesn''t quite catch a look at what Xenia does, but when the dungeon master turns around she holds a cup almost overflowing with cum in her hands. "Hot damn! Almost tempted to have Guy rename you a Cum Monster!"
"Wow, that''s...you actually got all that out?"
Xenia winks. "Avatar tricks, they come in handy sometimes. And now that we''ve gotten what we need...I''m getting the impression you''re still up for another ''fun'' round." She looks meaningfully at Taly''s cock, still entirely erect.
"You said it. And I''d still like to try out one or two more tricks with these muscles of mine, so if you don''t mind..."
Xenia sets the cup aside again and lifts her arms with a smile. "Manhandle away, Daddy."
"Haha, okay, maybe that one''s getting old fast. But don''t worry, I think I can keep your mouth busy either way..." Taly wastes no more time in coming over and scooping Xenia up once again, but this time she flips the woman around so that Xenia''s eye-level with her massive rabbit-cock. Xenia gets the idea quickly, but even so, Taly still reaches down with a massive palm and grabs hold of Xenia''s head, forcing her mouth directly onto Taly''s dick. For almost any other woman, even a monster, such a move would certainly result in immediate choking and gagging or more, given that the organ is almost as thick as the woman''s neck is.
Xenia however has already long since proven her lack of physical limits, and the beast slides down her throat without issue. She does still sputter and gag slightly, but Taly gets the impression it''s largely for effect - not that she minds being fooled. Given the disparity in their current heights she''s not quite able to return the favor, Xenia''s still-wet pussy a bit far out of reach of her lips, but she does manage to finagle her other hand into position to give Xenia a good clit-stroking as she continues to facefuck the spirit.
It''s Xenia who ends up climaxing first from that position, her cunt once again clamping down on furry intruding fingers, but the Patriarch''s refractory period seems to be close to nil as well. Taly actually tries to hold herself back, but it doesn''t last for long. Once Xenia starts using her own hands to fondle Taly''s massive balls - so large she practically needs a hand for each one - she barely lasts a minute, and her dick begins to fire off into whatever passes for Xenia''s stomach. After a long series of deep swallows Xenia taps to be set back down again, and after another stumble towards the table, there''s soon a second sealed container sitting next to the first. Taly eyes the somewhat-sticky cup with some amusement.
"One not enough for Lollyp, you think?"
"Hey, can''t hurt, and better than letting it go to waste, yeah?" Xenia grins, then raises an eyebrow as she eyes Taly again. "...Still at full mast, huh?"
"Well, you know, this is my first time with a dick, and there''s still at least one thing I haven''t experienced yet..." This time both of Xenia''s eyebrows rise, and Taly gives a devious grin, only somewhat marred by her rabbit teeth. "Bend over the bed and spread ''em, missy."
"That''s Dungeon Master Missy to you, rabbit boy." Regardless of her words, Xenia does exactly as asked, planting her face down onto the nearby mattress as both hands reach back to spread her buttcheeks. The now-tall Taly has to crouch slightly to line herself up, but she''s well-motivated to make it work, and it''s not long before her oversized organ is spreading the avatar''s anus open wide. "Oh! Fuck! It doesn''t hurt any, but it''s still - Jesus Christ!"
"Just the sort of reaction I was hoping to hear." Taly grabs hold of Xenia''s waist, her hands easily wrapping the whole way around, and as soon as she''s - somehow - fully hilted inside the squirming woman she begins to pick her up and lift her back and forth. In a way, it entirely fails as an educational experience - on a real woman Taly would probably be penetrating her poor partner''s lungs right about now - but it''s certainly not an experience the Rogue has any intentions of complaining about. Certainly, the physical sensations of fucking her master''s ass are incredible. Yet that still doesn''t compare at all to the arousal that comes from the knowledge that she''s fucking her master in the ass, and in a way that makes strap-ons pale in comparison.
Though it''s not always the ideal afterlife, there are certainly moments that make Taly think she must have died and gone to one of the nicer gods'' heavens.
Xenia continues to yelp, moan, and squirm for the next five minutes as her floor boss uses her like a fucktoy, and yet again she somehow manages to come first, her legs trembling as they attempt to wrap around Taly''s waist. This time Taly makes no attempt to hold back on her end, having a feeling that her opportunity for pleasure isn''t about to to come to a stop anytime soon, and she quickly follows Xenia up by pumping the woman''s butt full of her third load of the evening.
Once again, Xenia crawls over and slams a third sealed cup down on the nearby table a moment later, treating it like some sort of trophy she''d just won. And going by the look on her face as she turns back towards Taly, it''s clearly not the last she intends to ''win'' tonight. "Alright...now it''s time to really stress-test this model out..."
Early the next morning, a re-banshee''d Taly stops by Lollyp''s apartment with a knock on the door. "Special delivery for Alchemist Lollyp!"
Lollyp laughs as she answers the door. "Haha, sure, just hand it - Taly, that''s not a sample cup. That''s a crate."
"Yeah? You want it or not?"
Giving Taly a bit of a look, Lollyp flips the crate open and leans over for a look inside. Without a word, she then closes the crate again and looks up at the Rogue.
"Tell Xenia I want to be the rabbit tonight."
Chapter 150: Cold Outside, Hot Within (Arc 5: The Nobles)
WORTHY DUNGEON
DAY 194
3 MONTHS LATER
It had been an exciting winter in Worthy Dungeon. That was not because there had been an influx of new Challengers, however, which was largely thanks to the changing of the seasons. While the south of the Rainlands was still warm by Rainlands standards, the kingdom often got renamed to ''the Snowlands'' once winter hit, and Worthy Dungeon was even worse off thanks to its location on the top of a remote mountain. Challengers tended to migrate like seasonal birds, and almost no one wanted to hike up a frozen mountain in the middle of winter when other dungeons like the well-known Fire Sands were just a short walk down a beach from their local community.
Internally, however, the dungeon had been very busy indeed. Experiments on the monster fertility program were still on-going, although in some respects the project had hit a wall. The Rabbit Champion Patriarch had been confirmed fertile through alchemical testing, and Lollyp and Sincere both believed that the offspring of such a monster would appear to most to be similar to a half-Rabbit Beastkin. It would be an uncommon sight on this particular continent, but not an impossible one, and so a child wouldn''t have to deal with the potential scorn of being half-monster. With that success under her belt, Xenia had then moved on to slimes, in the event that Lollyp ever found options of her own for partners.
Slimes had proven a little more difficult, unfortunately. If the crossbreeding system had trouble merging divine sprites with rabbits, it really did not like trying to do the same with slimes, and everything was taking at least twice as long. Like with lagomorphs, there had been a number of basic ''Holy Slime'' types added to the bestiary, which were certainly potentially useful. There had even been a promisingly-named ''Breeder Slime'' created, which turned out to be a slime which produced more copies of itself at regular intervals. Lollyp insisted that this was not how sapient slimes worked, sadly, and so it was shelved as a potential boss idea for if they ever got its duplication powers to work a bit faster.
There was a further difficulty in that the Church of Bounty had no fertility tests designed for use with slimes. Lollyp was working on theorizing some methods she might use, but it was entirely possible that the only way to know if a slime monster was fertile would be to...''test'' it on a mortal volunteer. This related to the largest stumbling block in the project overall: they still had no real ideas on how to convince a Challenger to have a child with a dungeon boss, and furthermore, none of the bosses in question were entirely convinced that they wanted to be parents given their current situation. Xenia had come up with one possible idea, but it would need running by Bountiful Mother Hammerdown before it might go anywhere. In better news, the Floor Five plan was continuing to produce results, with two more pregnancies taking place. One of the parties involved seemed less than thrilled by the news, and given that they were still Challenging months later with no sign of a baby bump it appeared they had decided not to continue with it, but Xenia kept her quest credit regardless. With three out of five down and more than half a year left to go, the dungeon master was still optimistic about her chances of earning that second Divine Favor.
The dungeon had been progressing in other ways, of course. Through a solid week of effort the team had cheated with Xenia''s spellsongs to advance their Insects schema to B-tier, and by taking occasional breaks from divine crossbreeding she''d managed to assemble a whole set of fire, lightning, and earth-aspected fae monster types. These had been used for the new crystal-themed Floor Seven, named the Crystal Caverns. The new floor had been built within the stone of the mountain, away from the open abyss, and consisted of a series of chambers spiraling around a central room which mimicked a mirrored version of the forest floor located above it. Here, ''trees'' of crystal and stone hung upside-down from the ceiling, providing perches from which magical fairy blasts or Fae Archers could harass those who traveled below. Additionally, adding the floor had provided Xenia with F-grade mimics, which now coated the floor disguised as gemstones. Xenia had fallen in love with the bitey little creatures almost as much as she had fairies, and the only thing keeping her from dumping all her souls on upgrading them was the desire to have a stockpile in case her next round of achievements gave her some better use for them.
The floor was currently using a temporary, unsouled boss, as no new candidates had passed the various applicant tests. There had actually been two candidates to gain the recommendation of the Church, but neither had passed Xenia''s own brief examination. One, a female elvish Mage, had been rejected for being too arrogant for Xenia to see herself working with for a few centuries, while the other, a male drider Rogue, had turned out to be primarily motivated by the rumors he had heard about the dungeon bosses here occasionally engaging in carnal relations with Challengers. Xenia had nothing against that, indeed a certain level of licentiousness was almost a requirement at this point. The problem occurred when the Rogue had suggested a few ideas for new challenges or boss fights which sounded decidedly lacking in the consent department, and Xenia quickly decided she really did not want to engage with that option any further.
There had been other new faces as well, of course. While the overall traffic of the dungeon wasn''t increasing, the quality was, with more Experts arriving or being trained up from local regulars over time. Floors Four and Six had both been cleared multiple times at this point, indeed two or three times a week most of the time, although this wasn''t always done successfully. Three Challengers alone had died to the endless drops in Floor Six - with Sincere needing to fly down later so he could recover their equipment - and four more had died to Taly''s hand directly. Trush had also had his first few combat encounters, killing individuals twice, and once slaying three Challengers of a group of five in a particularly brutal ambush.
The most notable deaths however had been to a full party of minor Rainlander nobility. They had apparently come up with the bright idea of having themselves intentionally cursed with bad luck before their arrival, and cleared the dungeon''s first six floors twice despite only being Advanced-class at best. This gave them quite a bit of overconfidence, and so on their third run they decided to stop and take a dip in the Floor Four river, enjoying how warm it was compared to the natural river outside. No amount of luck in the world could counteract the stupidity of taking a swim with a school of feisty water elementals, and all five of them had gone under the surface, never to be seen again. Word of exactly how they had died never leaked out, but news of a ''cheating'' party disappearing entirely seemed to be a strong discouragement towards others trying the same trick.
Other old faces had remained. The Miserables had been using Slinz''s curse to their advantage much more responsibly, and had positively shot up through the Advanced levels at a record pace. Their success had required them to leave town the week before however, as Grassbrook still lacked the facilities and staff needed to train Challengers in Expert classes. The Church of Bounty had begun to set down more permanent roots, with an official Church-specific chapel being quickly established, and funding was currently underway for a larger project in the expectation of a boom in population once the weather warmed up. Elance made visits to trade and speak with the dungeon every few weeks, while Paladin Sable and Priestess Lilly visited slightly more often to take advantage of the Floor Five facilities - sometimes with each other, and sometimes with certain floor bosses, if matters could be arranged.
The Domain party had also remained, although they played things quite cautiously and began focusing their efforts on Grassbrook itself as much as the dungeon. They would check the dungeon once every ten days or so, making sure that the dungeon hadn''t suddenly slipped in a new secret floor at some point, but for the most part they spent their time listening to adventurer gossip and reporting the interesting bits back home. Former Field Agent - now Administrator - Alizz had quickly caught on to their allegiances, and even the local garrison officer Commander Paulados eventually caught wind of their presence, but both parties decided that it was better to have foreign agents that they knew about and could watch, as opposed to forcing the Domain to use more cleverly-hidden spies.
As for Grassbrook itself, construction had significantly slowed down during the winter months, but some expansion had continued to occur and like with the Church, funding for more projects was still underway. In particular, a small housing district had finally been completed, allowing long-term residents a place to stay without having to choose between the expensive, highly-demanded rooms at the Lucky Bastard, or the low-privacy housing at the Challenger Association bunkhouse. The growing town had even just recently thrown a small celebration in the name of the winter solstice, one which had been mirrored within the dungeon to a much smaller degree by Taly. Trush and Lollyp also had put on a few celebrations over the months from their own native cultures, although they had failed to convince Xenia to do the same. In her words, "I''ve been on so many worlds with so many holidays, if I actually celebrated the things that''s all I''d ever be doing." Lollyp failed to see the issue with that, but the dungeon master stood firm in her Scrooge-like ways.
Despite the growing harshness of the weather conditions, there were a number of individuals closing in on Grassbrook who would soon be of significant interest to the dungeon. Today, however, the dungeon''s interest was more in someone it was sending out, for today Sincere was heading deeper into the mountain with the results of his own personal project. After an hour of trudging through dark yet well-marked tunnels, the demon finally found the light at the end of the tunnel. He gave the light a wave, calling out to it as he approached. "Good afternoon...Cinder? If I''m not mistaken."
The fire elemental gives the man a cheerful nod. "That''s me! You''re getting better at that! So how''s things? Tell me there''s progress...those mana crystals you''ve been having the dungeon make for us have been helping a lot, but they only take the edge off, you know? We could probably survive off those for ages, but I can barely throw more than one or two fireballs a day anymore."
Deciding not to ask what it is she was needing to throw fireballs at, Sincere moves on to the good news. "Progress has reached an end, actually - for the ritual you require is now complete. Of course, we won''t know for certain until we try, but I''m feeling quite confident. Just to confirm however, has your family grown any since we last spoke?"
Cinder shakes her flickering head. "No, we''re a bit worried that if we try exploring any deeper we''d get totally lost and never make our way back. We did find one small thing...but Scorch wanted to be the one to tell you about it. Should we head on in, then? I bet everyone''s gonna be super-excited!"
"By all means, let''s." The pair continue onward into the presumptuously-named Elemental Kingdom, which...largely consisted of a half-collapsed former boss arena, creating a large cavern within the earth. The earth elementals had shaped out various homes for their compatriots to dwell within, and torches provided by Worthy Dungeon helped light up the walls, but there was remarkably little else indicating that the place housed a community beyond the presence of the elementals themselves. It wasn''t that elementals didn''t get bored, exactly, but rather that when active they tended to have the attention spans of a small fish. A few minor amusements along with their own made-up games kept them endlessly distracted, easily whiling away the long months within the old dungeon. Others would go into hibernation, cultivating their personal brand of mana to increase their strength, but in this location that largely only worked for the earth elementals.
Everyone was immediately brought to attention by Sincere''s arrival though, and the man was soon crowded by several dozen elementals of both types. Scorch eventually made his voice heard and took charge of greeting their guest, shushing his compatriots. "Sincere, buddy, our majestic non-liege! Today''s the day, huh? You''re gonna rock our worlds?"
"That''s...one way of putting it, I suppose. Cinder here told me you had something for me, though?"
Scorch gives the man a wink, or at least Sincere thinks he does, given his lack of eyes. "Something we thought might make a good payment for your services - but services first, right? Let''s make sure this is something worth getting all excited about!"
"Fair enough, fair enough. Now, everyone please back away, I''ll need some time and space to set up the ritual circle. We''ll then need to take this one person at a time, but I do not believe it should take long, and we should be able to manage everyone today - with the help of a few mana potions." The demon looks around with a smile on his face. "Now...who would like to become the mountain''s first magma elemental?"
DUNGEON UPDATE SUMMARY FOLLOWS
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CONSOLIDATED INTRUSION SCORE SUMMARY, DAYS 117-194:
ANIMALS SLAIN: 20 (13 BUNNIES, 7 BIRDS)
MORTALS SLAIN: 20 (5 HUMANS, 2 ORCS, 4 DWARVES, 3 ELVES, 1 KOBOLD, 3 GNOLLS, 2 DRIDERS)
MORTALS ESCAPED: 241
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
LAGOMORPHS: B+
AVIANS: D+
INSECTS: B
CLOTHING: B+
METAL ARMOR: B+
LEATHER ARMOR: B+
SHIELDS: B
WOOD CONSTRUCTS: C+
METAL CONSTRUCTS: C+
FOOD AND DRINK: B
SPELL SCROLLS & MAGIC TOMES: C-
PRINTED GOODS: C-
FUR CONSTRUCTS: C
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.ROPE CONSTRUCTS: C
UNDEAD (MORTAL): B+
UNDEAD (ANIMAL): D
TORCHES: C
CURRENCY (RAINLANDS): B-
CURRENCY (VALLEYLANDS): C-
FEATHER ACCESSORIES: D-
BONE ACCESSORIES: B-
METAL ACCESSORIES: B-
ARROWS/DARTS: B-
RANGED WEAPONS: B
KNIVES: B
SWORDS: B-
SPEARS: C-
STAFFS: C+
WANDS: C+
AXES: B-
HAMMERS/MACES: D+
POTIONS: B
POISONS: B-
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 20
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
SKILLS: LUNAR ARCANIST (EXPERT), BACKSTABBER ROGUE (EXPERT), HEXCALLER (EXPERT), HEXER (ADVANCED), PRIEST OF FLAME (ADVANCED), PRIESTESS OF GLORY (ADVANCED), ROYAL SQUIRE (ADVANCED), STONECRACKER (EXPERT), MINEWAYS DEFENDER (ADVANCED), BLADE LADY (ADVANCED), NOBLE ETIQUETTE (EXPERT), CARPENTRY (ADVANCED), TRADING (ADVANCED), CURSECRAFT (AMATEUR), HUNTING (ADVANCED)
CUSTOM MONSTERS VIA CROSSBREEDING:
RABBIT CHAMPIONS - PALADIN, CONJURER, PATRIARCH, PRIEST - B - DIVINE SPRITE/LAGOMORPHS
DIVINE HARE - C+ - DIVINE SPRITE/LAGOMORPHS
LAGOBEAST OF JUDGMENT - C+ - DIVINE SPRITE/LAGOMORPHS
FUZZY SPRITE - D+ - DIVINE SPRITE/LAGOMORPHS
BREEDER SLIME - B- - DIVINE SPRITE/SLIMES, NON-SAPIENT
DIVINE SLIME - C+ - DIVINE SPRITE/SLIMES, NON-SAPIENT
JELLY SPRITE - C- - DIVINE SPRITE/SLIMES, NON-SAPIENT
LIGHT SLIME - C+ - DIVINE SPRITE/SLIMES, NON-SAPIENT
FAE KNIGHT - LIGHTNING, FIRE, EARTH - C- - LIGHTNING, FIRE, EARTH SPRITES/INSECTS
FAE ARCHER - EARTH - C - EARTH SPRITES/INSECTS
PIXIES - LIGHTNING, FIRE, EARTH - C - LIGHTNING, FIRE, EARTH SPRITES/INSECTS
DEVAS - C- - FIRE SPRITES/INSECTS
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: DEATHBRINGER 5
YOU HAVE SLAIN FIFTY MORTALS. ADDITIONAL FLOOR UNLOCKED.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: ARACHNOPHOBIA
YOU HAVE SLAIN YOUR FIRST DRIDER. MANA SPELL EFFECTIVENESS ON DRIDERS INCREASED BY 25%.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: LAST LAUGH 2
YOU HAVE SLAIN FIVE GNOLLS. MANA SPELL EFFECTIVENESS ON GNOLLS INCREASED BY 40%.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: NO WAY OUT (NOT) 6
TWO HUNDRED MORTALS HAVE ESCAPED FROM YOUR DUNGEON ALIVE. VOLUNTARY-USE EMERGENCY PORTAL ACCESSORIES UNLOCKED.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: REPEAT CUSTOMER 3
AT LEAST ONE MORTAL HAS SURVIVED TEN DUNGEON INTRUSIONS. DUNGEON LOOT IS IMPROVED 40% WHEN COLLECTED BY MORTALS WHO HAVE VISITED THE DUNGEON AT LEAST EIGHT TIMES PREVIOUSLY.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: REPEAT CUSTOMER 4
AT LEAST ONE MORTAL HAS SURVIVED TWENTY DUNGEON INTRUSIONS. DUNGEON LOOT IS IMPROVED 50% WHEN COLLECTED BY MORTALS WHO HAVE VISITED THE DUNGEON AT LEAST FIFTEEN TIMES PREVIOUSLY.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: SHAMELESS 2
YOU HAVE SLAIN TEN UNCLOTHED MORTALS. EQUIPMENT-STEALING TRAPS UNLOCKED AT A MODERATE SUCCESS RATE. UNCLOTHED MORTALS TAKE 10% LESS DAMAGE.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: FIRE AND ICE 3
YOU HAVE LEARNED AT LEAST TEN OFFENSIVE MAGIC SPELLS. MAGIC PROJECTILE TRAP COST DECREASED BY 50%. TRAP LEVEL INCREASED BY ONE.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: SHIELD FORMATION 2
YOU HAVE LEARNED AT LEAST FIVE DEFENSIVE MAGIC SPELLS. ''ACCESSIBILITY'' DIFFICULTY ALLOWANCES INCREASED BY ONE LEVEL.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: FOUL, CRUEL, AND BAD-TEMPERED RODENTS 2
YOU HAVE SLAIN AT LEAST FIVE MORTALS WITH LAGOMORPH MONSTERS. LAGOMORPHS DEAL 10% MORE DAMAGE.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: NECROMANCER 3
YOU HAVE SLAIN AT LEAST TEN MORTALS WITH UNDEAD MONSTERS. UNDEAD MOVE 10% FASTER.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: DRAGON''S KIN 1
YOU HAVE SCORED YOUR FIRST KILL WITH DRACONIC MONSTERS. DRACONICS GAIN 10% MORE HEALTH.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: MOMENTUM 3
YOU HAVE SLAIN FIVE MORTALS WITHIN TWO MINUTES. SLAYING A MORTAL NOW HAS A MODERATE CHANCE OF APPLYING A 5-MINUTE FEAR EFFECT ON NEARBY MORTALS.
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FLOOR 7 CREATED
ADDING NEW BASE ''CAVE'' MATERIALS:
SPIDER WEBS (AVERAGE QUALITY)
SALT
NEW BASE ''CAVE'' CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED:
MIMICS: F
ARACHNIDS: D+
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 6 TO 290
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Chapter 151: New Lives
Scorch stands up a little straighter as he answers Sincere. "As the elected representative of the fire elementals for this week, I think it''s only right that I should try out this ritual first!"
Not having much preference himself, Sincere shrugs. "Won election for another week, did you? Congratulations." Scorch beams, literally, although Cinder dims his moment a bit with a side comment.
"...Yeah most of us have stopped voting in those. But sure, if it goes wrong, better him than me!"
"Where''s the faith, Cinder? Now let''s get started, we''re burning torchlight here!"
"Very well. I''ll need a flat spot of ground and some space to work with, it shouldn''t take too long to establish the ritual." Sincere looks around, waving at a nearby earth elemental. "Crumbs, yes? Could I ask for a little assistance with the leveling?"
"You got it!" The man brings over a few of his friends, and within a minute a large circle of the cavern floor has been completely smoothed out. Sincere then gets to work painting on the stone with an alchemical mixture, and occasionally adding mana crystals to specific points. As he works, Sincere begins to describe what he''s doing, slipping somewhat into lecturer mode despite the low educational level of his observers.
"Now, the ritual requires both fire and earth mana of course, but given that we''re deep within a mountain, we''re already positively soaking in earth elemental energy. So as you can see here, I''ve only placed down two earth mana crystals, but we''ll need eight of fire. Provided by Lollyp, incidentally, who was kind enough to convert some of our dungeon''s basic mana crystals to these elementally-aspected types. She sends her regrets by the way, she wishes she could have joined us for this, however we yet only have the single ''tourist'' slot available."
Scorch nods along, as if the circle makes perfect sense to him. "Well, hey, if this works maybe we can swing upstairs to thank her in person! Do we need to do anything ourselves?"
"You need only stand in the center of the circle once it is complete, and...there!" Sincere groans slightly as he rises from his knees, and points at the required spot. "Also...be prepared for some discomfort. I have not read anything indicating there is much pain, but a complete remaking of one''s body can never be an easy process."
"...Right. Hey, Cinder, do you - "
"Nope! I''ll be sitting back and enjoying the show, hot stuff!"
"Fine, fine. Alright...I''m ready. Lava me up, Sincere."
The demon nods as he pulls out his notes to review. "I''m sure it will be worth the experience. Now..." Sincere begins to chant the magical words to activate the runes, and starts guiding mana through the channels outlined by the circle. Scorch himself is part of the circuit, and the man shivers slightly the first time earth mana starts to run through his metaphysical veins. In some ways the process is very much like a magical blood transfusion, but one designed to change the actual blood type of the subject. The energies alternate, adding more earth energy to his form before stabilizing it with more fire mana, and bit by bit the man begins to...solidify. Stone seems to grow out of the ground at his feet, filling out the space outlined by his usual flickering form, and inch by inch the growth works its way up his body.
At first the stone appears grey and cold, but once it reaches Scorch''s hips a second transformation begins to take place. His toes and feet begin to glow, and just as they reach a red hot their surface starts to crack open. Orange magma begins to ooze out, as if the elemental were bleeding, but rather than drip onto the ground it instead seems to flow across his surface, exiting from one crack and sinking into another. ''Discomfort'' would seem to be a light word for the sensations the elemental is going through, but they don''t quite reach the level of making him scream out in pain even as the stone grows up to his chest, then his head. As it reaches his top Scorch goes still as if he''d been turned into a statue, but once he''s thoroughly heated across his entire body, his eyes also crack open, revealing glowing pits of intent lava within. His mouth opens with a cracking noise as well, and when the man speaks his voice is far deeper.
"This...wow. I can...I can feel the mountain! The tunnels around us, the earthers...it''s like a whole new set of senses! I think it worked, Sincere!" When the elemental grins, the inside of his mouth is lit up by a glowing tongue. "I feel like a new man, and therefore, I think it''s time I take on a new name! From now on I shall no longer be known as Scorch! You may call me..."
The man trails off for a few moments, and just before anyone can prod him to continue, he sags slightly. "Actually, no. Scorch is still pretty cool. Keep calling me Scorch."
Sincere has a bit of beaming moment of his own as he grins, relieved that his months of work have finally paid off. "As you say, Scorch. So it has worked indeed - and with far less personal energy required than I feared, though we''ll probably need to replace the crystals every two or three tries. So...who''s next?"
It took about an hour and a half to magma-fy all of the volunteers. The ''kingdom'' had expanded only slightly in the months since its establishment, with eight each of fire and earth elementals populating the small village. All eight fire elementals took part in the ritual, needing the ability to process earth mana in order to continue living in the mountain, but two of the earth elementals made the choice as well. It wasn''t strictly a power upgrade for them, as it meant losing some abilities - like the option to merge into the mountain stone in order to hide or meditate safely. It did grant them some additional abilities as replacements, however, and, well...it ''looked cool'', which was enough for a pair to sign up.
Only slightly tired out from all of the spellcasting, Sincere looks around with a measure of satisfaction. "And, there we go! Now, your fire-based abilities will still be somewhat weaker here than they would be if you were, say, living in a volcano. But your earth mana will be able to sustain you fully from here on out, no more need for mana crystals or feelings of going hungry. Does anyone have any further questions?"
The newly reborn Cinder raises a hand, glowing rock dripping from her arm as she does so. "Yeah! So, uh...now that you''ve finished the conversion project, are you, um. Are you still going to come visit us?"
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The demon smiles, touched by her concern. "Well, I don''t see any reason why not. You are our neighbors, after all. Though perhaps Lollyp will begin taking over more, as she may have more to learn from working with you - earth elemental energy is still something of a weakness of hers. Our tourist spot may also begin to come into demand for other reasons as well...Taly actually has dibs on it tomorrow, as it happens. But if you ever get lonely, you''re welcome to pay a visit yourselves!"
Cinder nods, her smile much more visible than it would have been an hour before. "You got it! And if you ever need something melted or burned, let us know - we owe you one!"
Sincere chuckles. "We''re doing a decent job of that ourselves, for the moment...but I will certainly keep it in mind." As he waves that offer off, however, Scorch comes up to him with another.
"Well, we can repay you with this, at least. When our last scouting party came back the other week, they said they found an elemental who was...weird when they woke them up. Immediately went hostile, they had to put the dude down. We thought these might be useful for you, at least?" He holds out a hand, carefully carrying a few stone shards he''d retrieved from his nearby shelter. Sincere eyes them for a moment, doing a few brief analysis spells, before both his eyebrows rise.
"This...would appear to be the remains of a multi-aspect elemental, certainly. Lightning? No...fire and air, so lightning...plus...earth? Not a meteor elemental, however." Sincere smiles as he picks a piece up and examines it more closely. "My friend, it looks like what you found here, is the unconfirmed, theoretical...Magnetic Elemental."
The next morning in Grassbrook, a pair of visitors knocked on the door to the Chapel of Bounty. It was, rather unsurprisingly, fairly deserted aside from the two of them at the moment. It wasn''t a day of services, and even now the Church had few devoted worshipers in the region. Again, there were hopes that warmer temperatures in the spring would bring more immigrants, but very few of the local Challengers were interested in farming or starting families. Even so, the Bountiful Mother was about and ready to help the community as needed, and she answers the door quickly.
"Come in, come in, no need to knock, we''re - Sely! Come in, and - oh, blessed Kahlia above! Taly!?" The dwarf''s jaw drops as she recognizes the banshee, her gray skin and red eyes being rather distinctive once you got a good look under her hood. "What are you doing in town, lass!?"
"Wanted to talk to you about, you know, dungeon business. Just checking if I can come in, though - I''m not going to burst into flames if I step inside, am I?" The Rogue gives an impish grin, although her concerns aren''t entirely unfounded, and the dwarf does actually have to consider it for a moment.
"Well, we''re not so aggressively anti-undead as some churches, I imagine at worst we''d give you a bit of a stomachache, haha. But, ah, you have my blessing to enjoy our hospitality, for what it''s worth. Besides, you serve Kahlia''s favored dungeon, I doubt she minds your presence."
Permission granted, the sisters step on through the door, and sure enough Taly fails to spontaneously combust. Before she can say anything, Elance shuts the door behind them and resumes her earlier questioning. "So Taly! You''re wandering around town now, are you? Does Alizz know about this? Does the army!?"
The dungeon boss nods. "They do, though you should have seen the look on the faces of the soldiers at the base camp when I walked down the mountain, haha! I could''ve probably slipped by them easily enough, but I don''t want people to think I''m trying to sneak into town." She adds on a further comment with a wink. "After all, I might need to actually sneak into town later on, at some point."
Sely sighs and adds her own input. "As long as she doesn''t create too much commotion, Alizz has allowed her into the district for ''official dungeon business''. Though to be honest we''ve perhaps been stretching that a little - Taly here''s come to visit me once or twice before, under the guise of passing on messages to the Association."
"Well, I certainly don''t mind your company. Is it, though? Official dungeon business, that is?"
Taly nods, her expression now more serious. "It is, though I don''t mind catching up a little first, eh? Heard you got a new home address recently, right?"
"That I did, though let''s have ourselves a seat and I''ll make you some tea, shall I?" Elance leads the sisters into a back room, not far from her own office, and gets a kettle going before joining them at the small table. "New housing''s still far too spacious, but that''s the idea. Place is like having a small mansion, room for at least eight, and that''s without the need for roommates."
Sely sits as she tries to check her memory. "You''ve currently got four staff in town, yes? Since we''ve hired Renter away from you a while back."
"Ach, no, Podge went back home a month ago. All of our visits to the dungeon aside from the first have been entirely peaceable, so the man did a few mercenary runs with other parties but aside from that he really didn''t have much business keeping him here. So it''s just me, Priestess Lilly and ol'' Greenie, and...well." The dwarf gives a tired sigh. "I''ve put in a call for an enchanter to come down from the next town as soon as possible. The house is excellent, for new construction, but it badly needs some better soundproofing on the walls and doors."
Taly smirks, though neither of them seem sure exactly how to respond to that. "...Paladin Bluehair is that noisy a roommate, is she?"
"Well, it''s her fault, but it''s that danged Lilly making most of the noise! It gets any worse I''m going to take to sleeping in the chapel til that enchanter gets down here!"
Sely chuckles. "Well, it''s good to know they''re enjoying the new residence. And it may be selfish of me, but I''m glad that now they''re just your problem instead of half the bunkhouse''s."
"Yes, yes, life in the church is one of sacrifice." Sighing again, Elance changes the topic. "So, aside from the ability of my old friend to corrupt innocent elves, what is it you''d like to discuss today?"
Taly looks like she wouldn''t mind hearing a bit more about that ability, but accepts the shift. "Well, you know about our, ah, fertility project, of course."
"Of course. I''m glad our fertility tests helped out with that big bunny man of yours, though we still haven''t had any luck in putting together something for slimes, if you''re looking for an update on that."
The Rogue shakes her head. "I was going to ask for Lollyp, yeah, but that''s not the main reason I came down. We''ve just got a problem, sort of." She shifts in her seat, looking a bit awkward. "It''s...look. We''ve been talking around this, over and over. We''d love to help out Xenia, and getting in further in Kahlia''s good books is just good business for everyone. But...other than maybe Lollyp, which has multiple issues of its own...none of us want children. Not in any immediate timeframe, certainly."
Elance nods, prodding her along. "I expect you''re not here to have me talk you into the wonders of motherhood - or fatherhood, as it would have to be, I imagine. Although I do have a speech or two I could give if that''s what you''re looking for."
"No, I''m not. Xenia''s decided to try this from another angle...instead of having an existing boss aim to become a parent...what if we took on an applicant who already wanted that for themselves? Like, someone who''s been wanting to be a parent, but was infertile beyond the Church''s ability to help with normally? I know we haven''t had a huge number of applicants as it is, and it could take a long time to pay off, but if you started putting the word out there, maybe it''d get results eventually. If six months or so go by and we don''t get any bites, well...maybe we''ll have another round of thinking to do then."
The dwarf just smiles as Taly speaks, her lips curving ever upward as she finally finishes. "Taly, Taly, my dear Taly. You think I didn''t foresee this issue almost as soon you brought me in on this project of yours? Or, for that matter, recognize how enticing this might be to certain folks who might already be on the fence about applying for a spot?"
"Lass, I started spreading the word of the possibility two months ago. And there''s already been an interest."
Chapter 152: Taly Has a Good Day
Taly isn''t sure whether she''s more shocked by Elance''s initiative, or the fact that a solution to their problem might already be in hand. "An interest? Already!? I mean...I guess two months is still a while, but I really wasn''t sure this would ever pan out. Can you tell me more?"
The Bountiful Mother raises a hand, attempting to calm the Rogue. "As I said, it''s an interest lass, not a full applicant. Not yet, anyhow. They are planning to make their way down here, and we''ll be doing the usual tests...if they''re not suitable, they''re not suitable, this fertility concern aside. But yes, I suppose I can tell you a few details." She takes a bit of a breath, wondering where to begin.
"So...as I believe you have ample personal experience with, you''re aware that my friend Greenie - Paladin Sable - underwent a Change earlier in her life, yes?"
Taly grins, her gray skin failing to blush. "I''ve noticed the anatomy she elected to leave unchanged if that''s what you mean, certainly. We''re not talking about Sable here though, right?"
"Right. Well, as you may also be aware, Greenie''s family is, well...they''re godsdamn loaded, is what they are. Practically nobility without the estates, especially with her grandmother and her elvish great-aunt managing most of the family''s money for the past hundred years or whatever. And a Change is expensive. Extremely so."
Sely nods along. "Can''t say I''ve ever looked into it, but I''ve met people who''ve wanted one and never gotten it."
"Indeed. That''s Supreme-level Healer work of some rather specialized classes, aside from the very rare divine miracle or the like. And so the...pre-applicant I''m talking about is a fair bit less well-off than Greenie is. He''s an older fellow, a human, and his wife is an elf, which is the other issue."
Taly digests that for a moment. "You mean there''s an age concern?"
"Aye. Adoption''s always an option for such couples, of course, but apparently they spent so long trying to save up for a Change to do things ''properly'' with, that time reared her ugly head. If they adopt a human, the wife will have to watch both her husband and child die of old age, if they adopt an elf, the child will barely know their father before he passes away. So they passed on that option as well. But...apparently Option Worthy sounds appealing to them."
Sely rubs her head, trying to work out the logic of such a plan. "So they want to...have the husband use the dungeon as a cheap, cost-effective Change, he and his wife do the deed, and then...what, his kid gets to keep visiting him in the dungeon as he grows up? It''s not a great way to raise a child."
Taly shrugs, a little less concerned. "That was always an inherent downside to the plan, to be honest. And hey, if they move down to Grassbrook, well, me sitting here is evidence that you don''t have to wait til the kid is old enough to try the dungeon."
Elance nods. "Indeed. I''ll spare you the other details til I''ve had the chance to talk to the man myself, but that''s about the short of it. Does that sound like a solution Xenia''d be willing to work with?"
Taly grins once again. "Oh, yeah. I think we can make this work..."
A few hours later, Taly is in such a good mood as she walks down the path towards the mountain that she actually tries out whistling. It''s not something she''d ever spent much time at before, but the idle thought soon turns into a more practical test as she realizes just how good her control of tone and pitch now is. The woman whistles a clear song with an untiring breath, and when she finishes that one, she begins to whistle a song in harmony with...herself. By manipulating her sound generation powers, the banshee is actually able to whistle multiple parts of the same song at once, making it sound as if an entire party were walking along.
Which probably explains why the armored warrior she suddenly comes across at one turn looks so surprised to see her. The woman is dressed almost entirely in plate armor save for a helmet, and her short blonde hair and scarred face immediately identify her. Before Taly can utter a greeting however, the warrior beats her to it.
"Hail - oh, there''s only one of you? Stopped when I thought there was a small army coming up behind me!" The warrior grins, although it quickly fades away when she gets a better look at Taly''s face. Her cheerful expression quickly turns into a drawn blade and a defensive stance.
"Hold on, now! Who are you?"
Instinctively, Taly''s hands reach for her own blades, though her self-control kicks in just before she draws them. "Aha, you hold on, now! Forgotten me already, eh?"
"...Taly? Did something go wrong with your shadow magic?" Beatrice somewhat relaxes, although her sword doesn''t go away just yet.
The Rogue laughs, the sound of it as charming as her whistling. "Ah, too bad you didn''t have a forwarding address, or we could''ve kept you updated! Rather rude to greet me with a blade in hand either way, though I''ll grant that I may look a little differently than when you left town."
"Yeah, I''m pretty sure you looked...less dead the last we met. You''re...alright?"
"Been worse! I was less dead the last time we met, that much is true. No worries though, I''m not here to consume your flesh. I work for your friend, these days."
"Oh! Well, I suppose that explains a few things." Beatrice finally re-sheathes her sword, and gives Taly an awkward smile. "Apologies for the reaction, there. Sort of instinctual when running into a monster on the road. Good thing we didn''t need to have ourselves an unnecessary fight, at least."
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"Entirely understandable. Although..." Taly pauses for a moment in thought, before giving the warrior a devious look. "We could still have an unnecessary fight, if you were up for one."
Beatrice seems a bit confused, before eventually catching on. "Ah - you want to spar, then? I suppose I might be up for a bout. Any particular reason you''re looking for a match today, though?"
The Rogue shrugs. "I remember how tough you were the last time you came through town, and I know I couldn''t have beaten you in a fight then. Not up close, at least. But now...well, I have a few new tricks, and I''ve heard you''ve spent more than a few of your own. I''m curious if perhaps we''re on an even playing field now. Besides...I''m in a good mood today."
"Fair enough. Mind if we take a rest for ten minutes before we begin, though? I''ve been on my feet all day, and I wouldn''t mind catching up a little before we start beating each other up." She raises a hand, and with a flash it''s suddenly filled with a bottle from one of her item box storage devices. "I have refreshments."
"That sounds like a great idea to me, Monster Slayer."
The pair find themselves a fallen log not far from the path and take a seat on it, finding it a better surface than the muddy, partially-snow-covered ground. Neither of the two much mind the chill as they relax however, given Taly''s lack of a need for body heat, and the fact that at least one of Beatrice''s many magical accessories grants her a strong amount of cold resistance. As they get to talking they start of course with the explanation for Taly''s current condition, before turning towards Beatrice''s own adventures.
"So you did find yourself a party, right? Tell me you haven''t been soloing things for the past...five months?"
The warrior shakes her head. "No, no, I did, though it did take me a little while. We''re taking a holiday break for a month or two, though - some folks are visiting their families, and I did want to check in and see how Xenia''s doing. Also...it would''ve been awkward bringing the party here."
Taly grins. "Because it''d look bad if we killed your party members?"
Beatrice looks affronted. "Please, I soloed this place the last time I was here! Nah, turns out there''s other reasons, but...eh, I''ll wait til Xenia''s around to bring it up."
"Hey, this place has gotten way tougher since you were last here. We''re doing in like...an Expert every three weeks or something right now, and it''s not even all Lollyp anymore! Hells, she''s in like...third or fourth place, based on just the last few months."
"That so? You taking credit for much of that, Banshee Queen Taly?"
The Queen nods her head, although her lips are pursed. "It...took me a while to get used to it, to be honest. Like, I could probably be killing more people than I do. I usually like to taunt people a bit before the big boss fight starts, you know? I could tell you that it''s all psychological, to get into their heads, but the truth of the matter is it''d probably be a lot more effective if I just started filling people with arrows the second they get to my arena. And I''m a sixth floor boss, nobody would really be surprised if I did. Difficulty''s usually expected to spike after five or so, you know."
"I noticed - deepest my team''s gone is eight, and that''s pushing it for a squad of Experts and even one Advanced. You''re going easy on them, though?"
"They''re Challengers, you know, a part of me still wants to try and be friends with them. And for extra fuckin'' awkwardness, word''s started to get around that Sely is my sister. There''s already been one or two cases of grieving survivors giving her a hard time over someone I took down. Sely can handle herself, but I still don''t like the idea of...aligning myself into some sort of enemy of Challengers, right?"
"As if any of us would be doing this without there being monsters to fight, right?" Beatrice shakes her head, before standing up and stretching out. "Speaking of, still want that match?"
Instantly cheered up, Taly smiles. "You know it!" The two return to the path, the only cleared terrain around out here in the forest, and take up positions around fifteen feet apart.
Beatrice summons a shield from her storage, but when she draws her sword, the match begins. Rather than pulling from her old tricks as a Midnight Shadow or an Archer, Taly opens up with a triple-sourced sonic screech, blasting her opponent with three different waves of disorienting sound that make Beatrice stagger. It only takes her a moment to summon herself a helmet however, and the enchanted gear quickly begins to negate the effects. Taly''s already on the move, carrying a dagger in only one hand, while she reaches out with the other as she approaches Beatrice. She was faster than the heavily-armored warrior even before becoming a boss monster, and despite her best efforts Beatrice isn''t able to dodge before Taly grabs on to her leg with a sharp-taloned hand.
It''s not the talons that were the threat however, at least not against Beatrice''s armor, and instead Taly attempts to use her newfound strength to flip Beatrice into the mud. ''Attempt'' being the operative word, as instead Beatrice remains firmly planted, and it''s a surprised Taly who goes sliding in the slush instead. "The fuck!? Even with all that armor, I should be more than strong enough to toss you around these days!"
Beatrice''s chuckle echoes from her helmet. "Boots of Weight. Not as good as Shoes of Sure Footing in some situations, but when - " She doesn''t get a chance to finish her explanation, as Taly finally dips into her old magic to encase the area in shadow. There''s another sudden glow from her helmet though, and when Taly''s blade comes swinging in, the Rogue finds it easily blocked by Beatrice''s heavy shield.
"That gear''s cheating! Defense against sonic attacks, and it lets you see in the dark? How do you get that many enchantments on one thing?"
Beatrice grunts before answering, as the fight moves into melee back-and-forth. "It''s not - not exactly that! I can see magic with it, and you''re, hrnf, plenty magic these days! But also, yeah, your enchanters here are lazy! Too reliant on dungeon loot!"
"What?" Taly has a little trouble following the conversation, deep as she is in trying to penetrate Beatrice''s heavy defenses, but that still sounds like a statement worth questioning.
"Where I come from, we didn''t get all this gear being handed out by god-granted dungeons! You want a piece of magic armor, someone made that shit by hand! And I! Paid! Top! Coin!" Beatrice emphasizes each word by pushing Taly back with another blow or short charge, until the banshee''s been pressed back up against the trees by the side of the path. "...Also I looted a bunch of dragon hoards, those helped!"
She swings at the tree, missing Taly as the Rogue dodges away - but she doesn''t miss the tree. Cutting entirely through the trunk, the snow-covered plant collapses down in the same direction Taly was dodging towards. While the nimble Rogue avoids the main trunk itself, the branches are too much for her, and the woman is knocked to the ground as snow is flung into the air around them.
"And it''s expertise like that which allows me to solve all my problems with brute force. You give?" Beatrice lifts up a branch, but her tone changes as she sees the effect of her attack. Not only is Taly pinned, but a branch has managed to impale itself right through the banshee''s chest. "Oh, fuck! I thought you''d take that better! Hold on, I''ve got healing potions in here..."
The wounded Taly just waves Beatrice off as she coughs out a response. "Haha - ack, agh...don''t bother. You just saved me the...the trouble of walking all the way back up the mountain, so...thanks, I guess? Guess with all that gear of yours, you are still pretty good. Next - next round''s on me?" The Rogue manages a thumbs up and one final statement before her body finally collapses. "Welcome home."
The level thirty Expert sighs a little before standing up and staring at the mountain nearby, a short break before she''ll have to get to clearing the damn tree out of the path. "...Yeah. Good to be home."
Chapter 153: Self-Improvement
"I can''t believe you dropped a tree on her!" Xenia laughs uproariously as she almost spills her drink, while a blushing Beatrice attempts to defend herself from across the table. At least the woman doesn''t have an audience, as the floor bosses agreed to give their master a bit of alone time to catch up with her friend.
"She''s supposed to be superhuman now! Never met a powerful monster who couldn''t handle a small tree or two!"
Xenia almost chokes, somehow, before recovering. "Alright, correction, correction, I absolutely can believe you dropped a tree on her. Classic Trish! You''re damned lucky you pulled that shit on someone who dies for a living, though!"
"Hey, I tried to offer her a healing potion! But...yeah. I guess I''m still adjusting somewhat to just what everyone''s strength levels are around here, what with so many people having magic of one sort or another. So many types I''ve never heard of before, too."
The dungeon master nods, calming down a little. "Yeah, I''ve picked up a real assload of tricks from my absorbed skills, though I''ve barely been using them compared to most dungeons I think. Sounds like most cores use them to build customized bosses, but I get mine custom-trained to start with, so. But you''ve been hanging out with adventurers, right? Taly told me you had yourself a team now?"
Beatrice nods back, though this time she looks awkward for another reason. "A small team yeah, though I did want to bring that up to you. Real diverse bunch - there''s Gemtooth, a dwarf with fake teeth made out of gems? Entirely for the aesthetic, they''re not magic or anything. He''s a Rogue but has special spells for cracking open tough defenses. Then there''s Janey, an, uh...Embracing Acolyte? She serves the Goddess of Love, and heals people with, uh...intimate touches. Which somehow doesn''t seem as weird after spending time working with a holy Masochist, I guess."
Xenia waggles her eyebrows. "Intimate touches, you say? I knew that goddess had to have some interesting types! So I suppose I can assume you''re in perfect health, then?"
"Xen! It doesn''t - it can just be hugs and, um, cheek kisses, you know. And I''m still not into women...and the fact that she''s a foot or two taller than even I am is a little intimidating, if I gotta admit. Minotaur, you know. It''s the, uh...the last member of the party I wanted to mention to you specifically, though."
Her friend leans forward. "Oh? Interesting class I should know about? More than ''Embracing Acolyte''?"
"It''s not the class, it''s..." Beatrice sighs. "So...you remember that other minotaur woman you told me about once? The one you said tried to break your core open twice?"
Xenia''s eyes narrow, and she speaks in a warning tone. "...Trish..."
"I totally didn''t make the connection when we first met up! Took me like a month or two, to be honest. But we''ve been, you know...working well together."
Xenia leans back into her seat and harrumphs while crossing her arms. "Well, I suppose I see now why you came back alone. I''ve still got an open promise to kill the shit out of her if she comes back here, you know."
"Yeah, and I''ll admit, I get the impression she is planning on it one day. Not anytime soon, and I don''t think she still wants to kill you. She doesn''t talk about it much, but I get the feeling the experience kind of shook her more than a bit. I''ll...try and make sure things are good before we even consider it though, if that''s even an option."
"She know you and I are friends?"
Beatrice hurriedly shakes her head. "Hells no! I mean, I haven''t even told anyone where I''m from, yet, I just claim I''m from some far off merchant island kingdom or something. Hard to say why I do it, really, I guess I''m just trying to attract less attention than I already am."
"How so? The armor and the accent catching eyes and ears?"
The monster slayer''s expression turns glum. "A little, but...let me put it like this. I''m a level thirty Vanguard Charger."
"You might know more about Challenger classes than I do at this point, Trish. What does that mean?"
The woman grunts a little in frustration before continuing. "Vanguard Charger is an Expert-level class. Twenty through twenty-nine. Being level thirty in an Expert class is supposed to be a temporary state, what you''ve got while doing your training up to Master. You can''t take an Expert class any further than that."
Xenia shrugs her shoulders, still feeling unclear on the problem. "Alright? Uh, congrats, I mean! Made it to Master, yeah? So what''s the new class going to be?"
"That''s just it. There''s not going to be a new class. I''m already stretching the limits of what the Challenger''s Association will allow without magical proficiency, and I''ve still got none. Can''t light the slightest spark. Which is normal back home, but apparently practically considered a disability over here! Now...obviously, that doesn''t mean I need to quit trying dungeons. I still got my equipment and my fighting skills. But it''s going to be more and more a pain in the ass, trying to convince teams that I really can pull my weight as we go deeper. I mean, my current team''s great, but it''s still way too early to say that we''re going to have a whole career together."
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"That''s bullshit if a stupid paperwork requirement might hold you back. But tell me, how can you get yourself some magic?"
Beatrice''s brow furrows. "Uh...I don''t. That''s the problem."
"Well, I ain''t accepting that as an answer until I''ve heard from the geek squad. Hey, Guy!" At the call of their name the hovering screen appears for Xenia, although they remain invisible to Beatrice despite her enchanted helmet. "Guy, call down Sincere and Lollyp here, we''ve got a magic problem."
"As you command, ma''am!" The screen flickers out again, and the two pass a few minutes in more idle conversation before the summoned bosses appear - Lollyp looking somewhat agitated.
"Hey, something up? There''s a party up on Floor One, so I might need to go back upstairs and explode somebody in like ten minutes or so."
"No worries, you can leave if you gotta. Could be a quick question, but you two are my magic experts - tell me, how can Beatrice get a magic booster around here? She can''t cast spells and that''s apparently a big problem for the Association."
"Uh...just give out magic ability to someone born without it? Sorry, Xen, but...I don''t think that''s a thing." Despite the slime''s denial, Sincere sitting next to her seems rather lost in thought, and Xenia notices.
"Feels like Lollyp just gave us the typical answer and you''re about to give us the ''well, actually'' answer, Sin-man. Am I right?"
Sincere''s lips quirk. "Well, actually, you would be right. And it''s good to see you again Beatrice, by the way."
Beatrice''s helmet is closed at the moment, which hides her slight blush at his smile. "Likewise, Sincere. I''m looking forward to...catching up later."
"Then so am I. But to address the issue at hand - the simple answer is as Lollyp said - you cannot give someone magic potential. Train the growth of it, yes, but not give it to someone who has none. The intermediate answer meanwhile is that there are many ways to boost magic potential, just not ways the Association accepts as class qualifications. I speak here of potions, blessings, external spells, and magically enchanted gear."
Lollyp makes a show of rolling her slime eyes. "Well that hardly counts as an exception. The Association isn''t going to credit someone with a class if their abilities go away when their potions wear off or they strip down for a shower!"
The demon continues his explanation. "Indeed. That is why the complicated answer to the question is that there exists at least one method of externally granting someone magical abilities, but in a way that would not be considered temporary."
Beatrice leans forward, suddenly very interested. "Alright, sounds like a difficult quest up ahead, which is just my sort of thing. Do I gotta kill a monster? Prove myself to the gods?"
Sincere pauses, then revises his statement. "Correction - there are two ways I know of gaining magical abilities. The second being that becoming a Champion or Paragon of a god would indeed grant you some sort of powers. However, I don''t mention that first, as you''d likely never prove yourself to the gods without already having some power first. The first method would be inkbinding rituals."
Lollyp tilts her head. "Eh? Never heard of that?"
"Well, that''s what would make this a ''difficult quest'', I suppose. No one practices it on this continent. It is actually a ritual invented by arcane demons, but as I was summoned here as a child, I never had the chance to learn it myself."
Beatrice sucks in a breath. "Another continent, huh? Well, tell me how it works?"
Sincere nods and continues. "It starts as a method of tattooing ritual spells on a person''s skin. However, the second step is then binding the spells onto the person''s soul itself, allowing them to be used even if you were to, say, lose the limb with the original tattoo. For the most part it''s done using complete spells, such as Fireball, but you could have more fundamental rituals granted to you which could then allow the Association to then successfully train you in more of their Warrior classes. The ability to manipulate mana into strengthening your body or weapons, for example."
Xenia narrows her eyes. "Permanently modifying the soul sounds like kind of a big deal, Sin-man."
The boss waggles a hand. "I do not believe it''s the kind of modification that would survive a rebirth process. Unless they were a reincarnator, I suppose. I have heard the process can be...excruciating, though."
"Well, I''m a tough girl. So, arcane demons, you said?"
Sincere turns back towards Beatrice. "I''m not entirely certain if any of them yet live. There was a demon enclave, you see, in the Untamed Reaches. Which is to say, beastkin territory. I know they passed on their knowledge to at least one or two local tribes, but I haven''t had any correspondence with the region in at least...oh, fifty years or so."
Xenia grunts. "Well, that sounds like a trip and a half. Actually, I got that geography in my head, let me show you." With a wave of her hand Xenia summons a map onto the table, and charts out the distance between the New Continent and the Untamed Reaches. "Gotta be weeks at sea, then...the Goblin States? That''s kind of a blank spot for me. Then the Reaches themselves are a mash of like, thirty different tribal areas. Even if you left right now, it could be another six months before we''d see you again."
Beatrice studies the map for a while, digesting her thoughts. "...Well, I''m definitely not leaving right now, certainly. I do want to spend some time here, and then I need to meet up with my team again in another month or so. Which might be a goodbye if I''m leaving for all this. But a trip like that...hells, I''d probably need at least that much time just to prepare. Maybe find a guide, or at least study up more on the geography first."
Sincere reaches out, patting her hand with his own. "Well, it may have been quite some time since I last visited the area myself, but I''d love to spend some time telling you what I know. Perhaps tonight in my room?"
"I''d appreciate that, thank you." Although her smile doesn''t show, the warmth in Beatrice''s voice carries through her helmet.
Across the table, Xenia smirks. "And if you two wanna bunk up, it''d save me the trouble of putting together another apartment - I think Floor Two''s at about its limit, ya know. If you''ve got energy to burn off before then though, I''ve got more bosses you can beat up."
Beatrice shoots Xenia a look. "Eh?"
"Let me introduce you to our new Wandering Boss. If you liked fighting Taly, I think you''re gonna love sparring with this guy..."
Chapter 154: Enemies at the Gate
While Trush was getting his ass kicked across Worthy Dungeon''s Floor Four, Commander Paulados was in his office down at the Fort studying perhaps his least favorite subject: etiquette. When a knock sounds out on his door, the man isn''t sure whether to appreciate the interruption or be irritated by it. "Yes? Come in!"
As it usually was, it''s his Chief of Staff Harnriel who steps inside. The elf appears unbothered by his commander''s brusque tone, well aware of what''s causing him grief. Sadly, he isn''t here today to make things any easier on him. "I''m afraid you have some important guests outside, sir, who arrived rather unannounced." At this pronouncement, Paulados'' irritation almost turns into panic.
"What? Today!? Which house is it? We''re not prepared!"
With this question at least, Harnriel can soothe him a little. "Ah, it''s not any noble family of the Kingdom of the Rainlands, sir. It''s the Valleylands army sir, at the gate."
Paulados simply stares at his Chief of Staff for a while. "...Ha! Good one, Harnriel. You''ve got a hell of a cardgame face."
"Thank you, sir. However, I was speaking honestly. There''s currently five Valleylands soldiers outside, here to announce their presence in the vicinity."
There''s another pause, followed by an eruption. "The vicinity!? At our gate!? They''re lucky they didn''t get shot just making their way over here! Why was there no advance notice?"
The elf keeps his voice level, hoping to restore some calm. "Well sir, although they did leave town several months ago, our agreement allowing them access to Worthy Dungeon does remain active and in place. I suppose they felt this was all the courtesy that was required."
"Gah, diplomacy again! Fair enough, I guess, but I do want to see these soldiers for myself. Send them - no, wait, don''t let them into the Fort. Gather up a few men, we''ll meet them at the gate."
"Of course, sir."
While it was only Paulados, Harnriel, and two escorts who met the Valleylands party, given that they were well within range of the Fort''s archers the five Valleylanders were quite outnumbered. Still, they seemed calm enough, and Paulados was fairly certain they all seemed at least vaguely familiar. There was one man, an orc, with the rest of the group being women. A drider, another orc, a minotaur, and most notably, a small white-furred mousekin who was very recognizable to the man. Giving her a nod, Paulados opens with a casual greeting.
"Well, well, Sapper Tinsel Hansliss, yes? I wasn''t sure we''d ever see you gracing our humble village again. As I recall, didn''t you leave while saying something along the lines of ''I hope they find some high-ranking idiot to put in charge of this job''?"
The mousekin snorts. "Yeah, and it turns out that idiot is me! One correction, Commander, my correct rank is now Battle Alchemist. We''ve all been busy training up, so you''re looking at a fully-qualified squad of Experts now."
"I see, well, congratulations on the promotions. I assume you''re here for the same purpose - challenging the dungeon?"
"Yup. Word got back that one of our army vets has taken up a boss spot there and started making a name for himself, and apparently it''s stirring up an...interest in a lot of other folks. Don''t ask me why, I can''t see myself ever wanting to spend eternity in a dungeon, maybe that''s just orcs for you." The two orcs in her party stir slightly at the comment, but from the smirk on her face it seems like Tinsel said it specifically to needle them. "Anyhow, the initial agreement says we''ve got a right to be here, but we need to officially announce our presence. So, we''re present."
Harniel asks the next question. "Indeed you are. However, if you''ve all been recently promoted, our records are no longer up to date. Mind updating us?"
Tinsel shrugs. "Sure thing. Kalasha of Bug''Kurc here''s gone from Sniper to Steadyhand Sniper. Mesht''s a Vanguard Charger now, and our healer, Haylizt, is a Shadow Priestess these days." She leans in and mock whispers to the elf. "She''s the drider, FYI." The elf only raises an eyebrow in return, and she continues. "Oh, and yeah, the minotaur''s Jantana Breakstone, she went up from a Rampager to a Regenerator of Rage. That about do it?"
Paulados nods, confident that his second in command will remember all of that. "Should be sufficient, thank you. I''m sure you remember our procedures for checking in before challenging the dungeon - is there anything else we can do to help you out today?"
Tinsel nods eagerly. "Yeah, we''ve been on the march for like a week now, and most of it still ain''t got so much as a footpath yet. Point us to the new inn I heard about, I need a bath!"
It''s not until the next day that Paulados'' nightmare truly comes true, and the next party of arrivals shows up at his gate. This particular set is far too important to leave outside, but fortunately the significant expansion the Fort had experienced over the past season had included adding a proper conference room to the office section. As Harniel leads the latest guests inside, Paulados offers their leader a bow with his greeting. "Welcome to our humble garrison, Lord Arlon Perlin. I, Commander Sandson Paulados, welcome you to our humble facility. I take it you are the leader of House Perlin''s visit to our community?"
The man nods in response. He''s younger than the Commander, but in his late twenties, and carries himself with an aura of experience with command. As he should - the first son of a Count was no minor position in the Rainlands. His dirty-blond hair was short, kept to an almost military trim, and although he showed no signs of scars on his face he didn''t look like he had come to Grassbrook to party, either. He had some serious garb on as well, a set of light traveling armor, marked with the emblem of his house and its blue and white colors.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
"Indeed I do. The rest of our expedition waits outside, but allow me to introduce the other primary members of my entourage." He steps aside slightly, and Paulados watches as four more people step into the room, all humans, but two of them men and two of them women. "First, allow me to present my cousins, the Honorable Raylin Perlin and the Honorable Sansie Forlin." Raylin looks like a somewhat younger version of his cousin, although rather less business-like, with an easy smile appearing on his face. Meanwhile Sansie is dressed more as a mage, her long, curly brunette hair draping over a set of robes that also bear their house emblem. "Also, please welcome Taylim of Anchorfest, my most trusted bodyguard, and Deylia Niyen, a favored handmaiden of Sansie here." The bodyguard is clearly the oldest of the group, and the only one bearing noticeable battle marks on his skin, his jet-black hair also doing quite a bit to make him stand out. The younger Deylia meanwhile was perhaps an even more distant cousin of the main family than her mistress, and although she wears a robe similar to Sansie''s her hair is the same smooth blonde as Arlon''s.
"Welcome to all of you as well. Please, take a seat. Harniel, refreshments, if you would?" The group settles down into their chairs with Paulados at the head and Arlon to his right, and as Harniel begins setting out cups of tea, Paulados gets to the second thing on his ''list of things to say to the blasted nobles when they showed up''.
"First off, my lord, allow me to express my deepest condolences on the deaths of your other cousins in Worthy Dungeon some weeks past. I''m afraid we still do not know the exact cause of their disappearance, and likely never will."
The lord gives an understanding nod. "It''s no fault of your own, Commander. My cousins...didn''t take this as seriously as they ought to have. They rushed down here, eager to be ''first'' in the region, and thought that they had discovered a cute little trick that would earn them easy glory." He glances at the other members of his party, who return his grim look. "I think most of us at some point learn the lesson that dungeons care little for noble rank, and unfortunately not everyone gets to survive that lesson. Even worse is the lesson that dungeons rarely care for ''cheaters''. I do wish the dungeon had been lenient enough to let at least some survive, but if you''re worried that we may be here to enact vengeance on the place, allow me to set your mind at ease."
"I''m sure the Challengers Association will be glad to hear that. But if you don''t mind my asking, why have so many of you come? This party marks the second group of representatives from House Perlin, and I''m given to understand that House Highbranch will also have a party arriving in the near future. This seems a little too...organized to be simply be a matter of working on your Association rank?"
Arlon''s smile is slight, but it''s the largest he''s shown since he arrived. "Well, that is a side benefit. Proving oneself through Challenging is considered quite honorable for a heir, and it''s much more difficult to find time to do so once we take over our titles. But yes, we''re not here to work on our individual reputations - this is family business."
The military officer frowns. "How so? The territory around Grassbrook is run directly by the king, as most lands directly bordering the Domain are. I''m not aware of any holdings your family possesses in the region?"
Cousin Raylin takes this question, his grin much wider than Arlon''s. "Well, we don''t possess any yet, is the pressing point. But you''re aware of course of how valuable an investment Grassbrook now is? There''s what - ten, fifteen dungeons in all the Rainlands these days? Even a poor one is a valuable asset, and by all accounts Worthy Dungeon is not going to grow into a poor dungeon."
Paulados still feels somewhat confused. "So you''re here to...shop around for new lands? I''ll admit, I don''t come from a noble house myself, so I''m not entirely familiar on how that process works."
Sansie, sitting to his left, laughs brightly. "Oh, shopping, if only it was that easy. No, Commander, we''re here to compete."
The man''s eyes begin to bulge slightly. "A competition? For rule of this territory? I haven''t heard of any such thing!"
Arlon takes over again, clarifying the point. "And you wouldn''t - it''s not that direct a sort of affair. The territory has become quite a prize, and so every house with an interest in growing - which is almost all of them - is going to start pressuring the king into signing it over to their hands, in exchange for support for this or that, or some other sort of favor. The king will dangle it over everyone''s heads for a while, of course, holding out for the best deal or claim, but he can''t do so forever or it will begin to develop into a seed for true inter-house rivalries. We have other family members working on the deal side of the equation, while we''re here as part of the claim portion."
"And how do you plan on staking a claim on the region?"
Raylin speaks up once again. "At a basic minimum, by actually conquering the dungeon, of course! It would be very embarrassing for a family to be unable to actually challenge the dungeon they claim to administrate. By being the first noble household to clear the place, it would be a feather in our cap, and by earning greater rewards than any competitors, it would be another. Also, if perhaps our presence could discourage other families from hanging about the place..."
Paulados notices something in the man''s voice as he trails off, and winces as he realizes what it means. "Is it your intention to engage in many duels while you''re staying in Grassbrook, Honorable Perlin?"
The man smirks. "I have no specific plans, but if I were, you could rest assured that we do not wish for any lives to be lost in the process."
"...Well, that is your prerogative as members of a noble house, of course. As for the dungeon, you say you''re better prepared than your unfortunate cousins?"
Sansie nods. "Indeed - we''re not children playing like this is a game. We''ve not cursed ourselves with anything, and furthermore, we''re all Expert-rated by the Association on our own merits. I myself am a Noble Elementalist, while my cousins here are a Noble Vanguard and Noble Marksman. Taylim is a Royal Protector, as you may have guessed, and my Deylia here is a Maid of Health." She gives a nod and smile to her handmaiden, while Paulados wonders if he heard that right.
"Forgive my asking so, but...you intend to take a Maid into a dungeon?"
Deylia answers for herself, her smile full of teeth. "Trust me, Commander - the Maid classes assigned by the Challenger''s Association are more than capable of handling dungeon threats."
"I see, well...I won''t second-guess you or the Association. I hope you won''t hold it against me if I hope your...competitors are as well-prepared as you are. Is there anything I can do to assist in your stay, however?"
Arlon shakes his head. "We won''t hold the army''s neutrality against you, Commander, and I think we should be able to take care of our own needs for the moment. Rooms have already been reserved for us at the local inn, and the rest of our retainers have set up a campsite with the Association''s assistance. I''ll be sure to let you know if anything comes up, of course."
"Of course. Well, in that case, welcome again to Grassbrook, and I wish you good luck on your expedition to the dungeon."
He then thinks again, and revises his statement. "...Or in this case, I wish you bad luck, I suppose."
Chapter 155: Glimmers and Gems
DAY 197
"Well, well, well! It''s the hairy child and her team again! Welcome back to Worthy Dungeon, it''s been months!"
Tinsel growls up at the smiling door, an effect that''s rather ruined by the high pitch of her voice. "Hey! Mousekin! Not a child! I''m twenty-five now! We''ve been over this, I''m sure you remember it!"
Doorman grins, his wooden teeth on full display. "I know, I know, but I just couldn''t help myself! You''re so adorable when you''re angry!"
"Yeah!? Well, we''ll see how adorable you are when an acid bomb is dripping down your..." Tinsel''s teammates are about to move to stop the tiny party leader, but with a deep breath she manages to take control of herself first. "...No, no. Gotta be professional. How about you greet me with a proper title, and we don''t attempt to break into the dungeon the hard way?"
"Seesh, okay, okay! My apologies. Shall we start again? Welcome back to Worthy Dungeon! Although it''s been a while, I believe all of you have cleared up to Floor Three previously - would you like to skip ahead to Floor Four?"
The Battle Alchemist raises a paw-like hand as she shakes her head. "Later, yeah, but first we''d like to meet with your newest boss, just a basic conversation, yeah? Trush of Tash''narc, is that an option?"
The Guardian frowns as he considers his response. "Hrmm, well, I can ask, one moment..."
A few moments go by before he has his answer. "I''m afraid the Master of the dungeon has denied your request. The dungeon has no official relationship with the army of the Valleylands, so I''m afraid there''s no ''free pass'' available for you today. Unless you have some urgent personal request for the man?"
Kalasha, the team''s Sniper, steps forward. "We would like to speak with the Shieldbreaker concerning his decision to join the dungeon - and his experiences within it. We wish to see how he feels about his new life, now that he''s had a chance to get some time to see what it''s actually like."
"Hrmm, yes, that''s not personal enough, I''m afraid. You''re welcome to try and find him within the dungeon, though, perhaps he''ll be willing to answer your questions before trying to kill you? No promises!"
Tinsel grumbles. "Sometimes, I really hate army work. Alright, send us through to Floor Four, let''s see what this ''forest'' of yours is all about..."
DAY 198
"Well, well, you''ve come back! I thought you might, but not the very next day! Very industrious of you, considering the injuries you displayed when you left yesterday!"
Tinsel grumbles. "Yeah, yeah, don''t remind me." Indeed, the previous day had been very rough on the Valleylands team. As it turned out, as a Shadow Priestess Haylizt actually had very few good defenses against shades, and so Floor Four had hit several members of the team with decay magic-based wounds before they finally cleared it. Floor Six had gone somewhat smoother, with Kalasha sniping the aerial threats before they got too close, and Jantana and Mesht handling the melee-based monsters quite easily.
However, the fight against Taly had nearly gotten the minotaur Regenerator killed. The Rogue successfully baited the woman into stepping onto one of the pitfall traps covering the ledge half of her cliffside arena, and Jantana''s large size both saved her and almost doomed her. The trap wasn''t quite sized for minotaurs, so Jantana had managed to keep one arm held on to the edge, but it took the efforts of her entire team to actually safely get her back up. Haylizt had to engage in the slightly embarrassing technique of webbing a net for the woman to keep her from slipping, while Mesht was one of the only ones strong enough to actually try and lift her out. With both of their heavies occupied, Tinsel and Kalasha had to engage in every area-denial attack they had available to keep Taly from taking advantage of the moment and finishing at least one of them off. Kalasha turned out to be at least Taly''s equal in the archery department though, and a solid shot through the boss''s shoulder gave the Valleylanders the time they needed to recover and eventually win the fight.
They still had yet to actually encounter Trush, and the new Floor Seven still lay before them, but by that point the party was too exhausted to risk attempting the least well-known of the dungeon''s hazards. Their injuries were easily healed, however, and so the soldiers had climbed up the frozen mountain yet again.
"We''re gonna skip ahead to Floor Seven today, yeah? But...they say Trush is a Wandering Boss, right? You ain''t gonna make us skip ahead of the man if we do, are you? That''d be mean, you know."
Doorman chuckles at the mousekin''s concerns. "We''re not a cruel dungeon, you know! That said, I''d recommend keeping your eyes open, if you don''t want to miss anything..."
When the party arrived in the entry section of Floor Seven, it took them a few moments to adjust to how...orange everything was. It went beyond just the flickering light of dungeon torches, instead this portion of the dungeon was lit up by mana-charged gemstones, jutting out of the cavern walls at odd angles. Although they could come in many colors, in this first chamber orange was the pick, and it took some time to adjust their eyes after just being outdoors on a sunny mountainside. After a few blinks though, Tinsel is ready to get to business.
"Alright, one last quick review, yeah? A couple of teams have poked their heads in here, but if they learned anything they''re keeping it to themselves. The Association''s done an inspection, but the info''s mostly limited to the floor being ''crystal and mineral based'', which...thanks, couldn''t have figured that out myself in five seconds, right? Heavies, keep to your smashy-weapons. Kalasha, watch out for ambushes, Wanderers tend not to...sit around in one spot much, as the name implies."
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Jantana and Mesht nod affirmatively as they ready their weapons, having prepared a warhammer and a mace for this particular floor, given the weakness of blades against earth-aspected monsters. Mesht was rather drawn to the floor itself though, and took a few steps to one side to admire one of the smaller clumps of gemstones growing out of the walls. "Do you think these are worth anything? Not that we''re equipped for mining, as such. They certainly look impressive, at least."
The team''s Sniper shakes her head. "The mana-charged storage crystals being used for lighting could be, though I doubt the rest are anything actually rare. But even those can only be taken out of the dungeon if the dungeon''s modified them in that way - and no way it amped up a crystal the size of your head just so you could walk out with it. Most magic experts have the senses to detect if something''s been powered up like that, or the Association sells items that can do it, but honestly, I''ll just stick to what comes out of the treasure chests. Haylizt, do you have training in that sort of thing?"
The drider frowns. "If something was very charged up with mana, perhaps, but given these are already mana storage crystals, I''m not sure I could tell the difference. Um..." She trails off as she notices one of the clumps of gems next to Mesht''s hand seems to be...moving. "Is that normal for dungeon gemstones?"
"Is what normal? The glowing - ah!" Mesht shouts in surprise as the moving bundle of rocks suddenly leaps onto his hand and bites him, puncturing through his gauntlet to do so. "Fuck! Monster!"
"...Excellent scouting, Vanguard, well done. Heads up, watch your backs!" Tinsel''s concern grows slightly when she notices other shards of gems slowly crawling across the floor, creeping up on the party, although their speed picks up significantly once they realize they''ve been made. While Mesht slams his wounded hand against the cavern wall, hopefully injuring the monster latched onto him more than he''s injuring himself, Jantana takes charge of protecting the rest of the squad. Kalasha picks off one of the gem mimics still at range, but a sweep of the minotaur''s warhammer smashes four of the closer creatures in a single blow, sending them flying across the chamber.
"They shatter easily! They''re still low-tier!"
"Tough enough to chew through metal!" Mesht growls as he finally kills the monster biting away at him, before taking his mace and crushing two more that were skittering up to him. As the last of them - as far as they can tell - finally goes still, Tinsel picks up one of the remains to take a good look at it. No longer in any state to hide itself, the true form of the mimics is almost crustacean-like. Eyestalks poke out of the gems growing on the creature''s back, while stiff tendrils seem to serve as its legs. A devious mouth is revealed when she flips it over, a tiny orifice with multiple sets of teeth, perhaps to make up for its small size with a quantity of puncture wounds.
"Gah, that''s some creepy-ass shit. Never ran into mimics before, and I was just fine with that! Life sucks enough without having to worry about if every random treasure chest and doorknob is going to bite you! Ugh, whatever. You gonna die on us, Mesht?"
The Vanguard Charger frowns as he pours a healing potion on his hand. "Will be fine to fight in a minute, Alchemist, though my gauntlet is going to need serious repairs. Apologies for not being more on-guard."
"Well, whatever doesn''t kill you teaches you something, so just keep on not dying then. Let''s see if we can clear the second room without any casualties!"
As they move onward it seems that perhaps the floor''s chambers are somewhat color-coded, as the next cavern is lit up in a brighter yellow. There''s no telling if the coloring actually means something, but they don''t need to wait long to find out what sort of opponent they might be facing. As soon as everyone''s fully inside the chamber, flames seem to spring up around some of the larger crystal formations. Or at least, that''s how it looks at first, until they notice that the fires are...crawling. Pointed, insectoid legs climb their way up prismatic columns, and as more of the creatures reveal themselves, it becomes apparent that they have a set of four wings on their backs as well. They''re perhaps only the size of dinner plates, but the intimidation factor certainly scales up quite a bit considering they appear to be made entirely of flame. Kalasha shouts out a tentative identification.
"Some sort of fire sprites! Focus on magical counter-measures!" While the orc hastily swaps out her crossbow bolt, Jantana charges forward with a yell, not bothering to change her armament. While her warhammer might be of limited effectiveness against living fire, her role is to protect her party and buy them time, and at that task she certainly succeeds. As her weapon smashes into the nearest giant crystal, seven of the monsters leap into the air and fly in her direction. When they land on her they do burn, somewhat, but their primary attack appears to be their legs which jab into the woman''s skin like scalding daggers. She roars in response, but the pain only fuels her, her rage powering her self-regenerating magic and causing the wounds to begin to disappear almost as quickly as they were given.
Haylizt slowly wears down one of the monsters with darkness magic, while Kalasha takes out another with an elementally-charged bolt, but for the most part the team is only buying time for Tinsel to do her thing. Eventually the mousekin finishes grabbing through her bottomless bags, and lifts a bottle with a shout. "Aha! Glad now I scooped up that mountain snow on the way back down yesterday, cause this is just what we need! Hold onto your hats, Blizzard Bomb out!"
The tiny woman hurls the bottle with all of her strength, not at Jantana or the other monsters around the room, but rather the center of the chamber ceiling. Her throw is enhanced by more than mere strength, however - newly trained Expert-level magical abilities increase the throwing power of her arm, while another charges up the bottle itself, preparing to amplify its effects. And amplified it is - the second the glass shatters against the stone ceiling, a gust of cold wind blows across the chamber. Yet it doesn''t stop there - the wind continues picking up before starting to swirl, and before long it''s filled with mist and snowflakes. Even then it doesn''t stop, continuing to pick up speed and drop temperature, the snowflakes soon being replaced by small pieces of hail.
The storm is only slightly bothersome to her party, who were all dressed for such weather given the climb it took to get here, but it''s absolutely devastating to the devas. A few who foolishly take into the air are torn apart by wind and ice, and even those who latch onto the ground find themselves severely weakened by the cold. Just as the enhanced bomb begins to wear off the party gets back to work, smashing and blasting each of the monsters before they''re given a chance to recover. In their current states even Mesht''s mundane mace is able to finish them off, and by time the last snowflake has fallen, the chamber has been cleared.
Shaking slightly to get some of the snow off of her shoulders, Jantana shoots Tinsel a grin. "Well! That was a step or two above what I''ve seen you use before! Do you have many more tricks like that up your sleeves?"
The mousekin grimaces. "Recipes? Yeah, I learned a bunch during my last training, and ways to enhance them when I toss em - that one had an area-of-effect booster on it, actually. As for what I''ve actually got on me? The army doesn''t just hand out high-end reagents like candy, finding a bunch of mountain snow to preserve was actually a big bonus for me. I maybe got a couple, of course, but let''s try not to need em, yeah? Crafting shit between runs is a pain in the tail."
The minotaur nods, as the last of her wounds seal shut. "Very well. But keep them handy - the closer we get to the end of the floor, the more likely it is we''ll run into the Shieldbreaker..."
Chapter 156: Wandering into Trouble
The color-coding of the dungeon''s gemstones seemed to continue for the next few caverns, with the Valleylands party passing through chambers lit up in green, blue, and violet. Whether or not the colors meant anything was still difficult to determine, but the opponents the group faced in each section continued to change along with the shades. In the green cavern warriors made of polished white and green stone, wielding strange black blades, swarmed the party only to be held at bay by the blunt attacks of the team''s heavies. In the blue section pixies appeared, the tiny four-winged humanoids blasting the soldiers with lightning magic. Haylizt proved useful there, blinding the tiny creatures with shadow magic and causing many of their shots to go wide.
Finally, in the violet-colored cavern, the team was ambushed by a sprite-like monster none of them had ever seen before. Rather than fire off elemental energy at them like most sprites, the oddly liquid-like flying blobs would get up close and attempt to spray them with various kinds of goo. It seemed to come in a number of ''flavors'', the worst of which was a blast of acid which kept Jantana fueled with all the rage she needed to finish the fight. The other forms of attack were...less easy to identify in some cases, and the party generally agreed not to talk too much about this particular portion of the engagement.
After going through this spiraling cycle of small chambers however the team eventually came out into a much larger central cavern. It wasn''t quite as large as the forest floor above, but was still easily the second largest room in the entire dungeon, and a marvel to look upon in its own way. Crystal growths dotted the floor, but the largest came down from the ceiling, branching off as if they were upside-down trees. All colors of the rainbow were represented here, as well as crystals both light and dark, but if anything all the gem-powered light and forking branches actually made it rather hard to see very far into the chamber. The lowest of the branches were perhaps eight to ten feet away from the floor, thickly obscuring the ceiling which was likely a good thirty feet or so overhead, and Tinsel eyed the dense growths warily.
"Keep your eyes up - floor looks mostly clear, but that...forest or whatever is nothing but a maze of cover and shit. Could be anything hiding up there."
"You''ve got good instincts, soldier." A deep voice booms out from above, and as the party quickly turns their heads they spot a man standing on a gemstone branch, leaning against its upturned trunk. His shining armor actually proves to be a rather effective camouflage in here, given that the many lights it reflects only helps him to blend in with the glowing gems even further. His rabbit ears at least are rather easy to notice, though his identification is still a little uncertain. As the team leader, Tinsel yells out a response.
"Well, you''re no orc, but I really hope you''re Trush and that there ain''t another damned boss we gotta deal with today."
The man hops down to the ground, his rabbit-like legs easily handling the jump, and he slowly approaches the group with his drawn sword resting on his shoulder. "Aye, I''d be Trush - I hear you''ve been looking to speak with me? A bit surprised, I''ll admit. I thought perhaps I''d have friends visiting me one of these days, but can''t say I know a one of you. All a bit wet behind the ears to have been around when I was in the service, haha!"
"Yeah, yeah, it sounded like the higher-ups considered looking around for a few of your old war buddies to send on the mission, but the couple that were left in the army were too busy for an op like this. So you get us! Mind answering a few questions?"
The Knight shrugs, more confused than anything. "I''ll grant you a moment to speak, certainly. It better be important, though."
Mesht is the one who steps forward to speak next - as a fellow orc, the man is a little more familiar with the concerns their superiors had when they sent the team out. "First off, sir, allow me to say that you''ve created quite a stir back home. At first, people weren''t certain what to think of the offer the dungeon was making - a lifetime of service as a dungeon boss, that is. But now you''re living confirmation that the offer is real! Or at least it will be, once we make our report. But command is...concerned."
"Concerned about what? A patriot I remain, but I left the army years ago! They had no authority over my decision to join the dungeon."
Kalasha responds next. "Not over you, no, but a lot of older officers are apparently showing an...interest in following your example. Not so much the driders, maybe, but the minotaurs, and our people? The thought of growing old, retiring out in some desk job, starts looking a lot less appealing compared to being young and in fighting shape for eternity."
Trush takes a moment to consider that. "It''s true that Worthy doesn''t want a flood of applicants - but we''ve got a process in place for handling that, probably. What is it you want from me, though?"
Tinsel takes charge of the conversation once again. "Officially, we''re just supposed to interview you, find out your thoughts on the, uh...experience you went through, joining this murder hole. Unofficially, I think they want you to say it''s horrible and that no one else should do it. And...double unofficially, as a patriot, I think they''re hoping you''ll clue us in if there''s anything going on around here the Valleylands ought to know about. You know...being in Rainlands territory and all, or, I don''t know...if the Dragonlord happened to have any sort of contact with the dungeon, that sort of thing."
The Rabbit Knight narrows his eyes. "First off, patriot or not, I swore an oath to defend this dungeon, and it''s to the dungeon that my highest loyalties lie. I will not spy on my new family!"
Vanguard Mesht nods along, hoping to placate the man. "Entirely understandable - but we can hope that if there was a significant threat, or information we ought to know about, you would tell us?"
"Sure, if the world''s ending or some shit, I''ll write you a letter. We can do that here, you know." As he continues, the man''s frown turns into a wide grin. "As to your other point, I''m afraid I''ll need to disappoint you again! Aside from healing my broken body, my life''s never been better! I spend my days sparring, I''m starting to get back into my old carpentry hobby, and every night I bed a different beautiful woman!"
The squad does pause for a few moments at that last statement, before Jantana offers a halting response. "You mean, like...the banshee? ...The slime?"
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Trush''s grin grows to display ever more teeth. "Among others, aye."
Haylizt offers her own suggestion. "...The tentacle monsters?"
"What sort of perversion do you take us for, Priestess!?" Trush eyes her before a memory seems to occur to him. "...I suppose the slime could count as such, on occasion...but let''s not dwell on that, shall we?"
"Yeah, yeah." Tinsel hastily tries to regain control of the topic. "So you''re really gonna do us like that, then? ''Worthy Dungeon is great for fightin'' and fuckin'', everyone should sign up?'' Command''s not gonna wanna hear that."
The former orc shrugs. "The costs are obvious. Giving up your old life, your family, your friends - your body, for good or for ill. But if I thought I''d have regrets I would have never come here in the first place. So - is your mission now complete?"
Tinsel shakes her head. "We''ll file a report, but we''re probably gonna be here for the long haul, to keep an eye on the place...and stay in touch, in case anything comes up you do wanna pass on. That said...I guess we gotta fight now?"
Trush nods. "Indeed. As a nod of respect to fellow soldiers, I''ll try not to take any of your lives today - but the dungeon makes no arrangement with you. I make no promises regarding your limbs, and should you come on another day, your lives may well be forfeit."
"Yeah, we''re familiar enough with that, I think." The mousekin''s hand twitches towards one of the bags at her waist. "Let''s get this party started, then."
Before anyone can move, the team finds out that just because Trush revealed himself doesn''t mean that the opportunity for an ambush was lost. Arrows begin to fly at the soldiers from above, while a pair of spear-wielding rabbit-folk leap down to join their captain. As they take up their positions, Trush shouts out orders. "You two, pin down the minotaur! Archers, harry their support - I will handle the Vanguard!"
Plainly hearing the challenge, Mesht rushes forward to meet the Knight in battle, and his first mace swing is easily blocked by the man''s shield. When he blocks Trush''s own sword, however, the orc is surprised to find it comes fair less easily - a crack actually begins to form in the metal upon the very first impact. Eyes wide, Mesht comes to a quick realization. "You were a Shieldbreaker - you kept your old abilities!"
"Pssht, the slime didn''t clue you into that way back on Floor Two? Here, allow me to demonstrate!" As the boss forces Mesht to rely more on his footwork, the two rabbit spearmen do an excellent job of keeping Jantana in a stalemate. Their spears have trouble scoring a lethal blow on the large, quick-healing woman, but they remain quick enough on their feet that the minotaur is unable to land a hit on them in return.
The archery contest on the other hand turns out to favor the soldiers. Despite their cover among the crystal branches up above, the group on the ground soon matches that advantage with clouds of shadow summoned by Haylizt. At the same time Kalasha proves to be the more adept shot, and her second bolt sends a rabbit-man crashing to the ground, struck through the chest. Tinsel meanwhile launches a ''Percussion Potion'' into the air, and while the explosion creates little in the way of flame or fragments, the pressure wave it unleashes shatters half a dozen ''trees'' into shards of razor-sharp gems. The second archer manages to land on her feet, but she''s badly wounded by the numerous cuts covering her body. She''d still likely manage a rabbit-leap away to a new perch within moments, but black tentacles shoot out of the ground and latch on to her limbs, and another shot from Kalasha hits her target easily.
"Won''t complain about you lining up shots for me, Haylizt, but those things are still damn creepy! Jantana, stop playing around!" The Sniper quickly fires off another shot at the nearest spearwoman, who leaps out of the way without issue but grows concerned when she notices that she leapt into a puddle of strange oil. Looking up, the rabbit-woman pales as she notices the look on Tinsel''s face.
"Jantana, dodge - or not, up to you!" The mousekin fires off a simple spark spell at the oil she''d spread across the ground, and flames quickly begin to flicker at the feet of both spearmen and the Regenerator. It bothers the minotaur far less than it does the squires, however, and as the rabbits attempt to flee the conflagration they become easy targets for Jantana and the rest of the team. Within moments both are corpses lying on the ground, and the party is finally able to focus their attentions on Trush - just in time to see Mesht tumble, his shield and mace shattered, and his helmet falling to pieces following a magically-enhanced headbutt from the Knight.
"Damn! Well, they kept you busy for a minute or two, suppose I''ll have to make do!" Before Trush can make a move the minotaur quickly moves to intercept the man, now that Mesht is unconscious on the floor, but she finds herself surprised by the power of the Rabbit Knight''s legs. A single leap takes him into the support section of the party, and Kalasha is barely able to bring her knife to bear in time to block his first swing. He doesn''t remain focused on her, however, and instead moves on to an easier target. Swiftly swinging around to face Haylizt and attacking before the drider even realizes she''s under threat, the former orc''s sword has soon taken its due in the form of the Priestess''s two front legs.
With the drider screaming in pain, Trush turns once again to face a new target, but is surprised to find Tinsel strangely missing. Her absence is explained when he feels a weight clinging to his back a moment later, and the woman is soon cussing directly into his ear. "I hate this gig, you know! Don''t take it personal if I take it out on you, alright!?" Trush opens his mouth to respond, but regrets it when a bottle of acid smashes into the side of his face before he can speak, sending pain shooting through him. Half-blinded, he spins and swings his blade rapidly, and is at least rewarded by a shout of similar pain from the tiny woman before he loses track of her.
The distraction proves fatal for the Knight, though. As his remaining good eye notices a shadow beginning to loom over him, he barely has time to turn before a blow from Jantana''s warhammer crushes him into the ground. It''s not enough to kill a boss like Trush, not immediately, but the two serious wounds do prove enough to effectively end the battle. With a few more blows from the minotaur, and a well-aimed bolt from Kalasha, there''s soon enough blood spilled to ensure the monster stays dead. There''s little time to relax despite the sudden quiet, unfortunately, as the party then turns to their wounded members.
Tinsel at least seems to be in no immediate danger. The well-stocked mousekin is already pouring a health potion into a deep cut along her ribs, and it seems likely enough that she should manage a full recovery. They''re a little more surprised when they turn towards their Shadow Priestess...and find her standing on eight legs. Or rather, as they look closer, six legs and two black tentacles, growing out of the amputated stubs of her forward limbs. Kalasha rushes forward to check on her a little closer.
"Haylizt! Are you...alright? Since when could you regrow new limbs at the drop of a hat!?"
The drider scowls. "It''s...it''s not a regrowth, exactly. I can''t control their form, and these are temporary, quickly-made. There''s a ritual I can do to...to make them permanent parts of my body. But it requires time and materials, it''s not something I can do in the dungeon."
Jantana picks up the woman''s severed original legs, and brings them over to her. "How about these? Can they be re-attached?"
"It''s...it''s unlikely, but we can bring them back to town and see if it''s possible. I feel like I shouldn''t bet on it, though..."
Tinsel growls a little as she applies a few potions to Mesht to get the Vanguard Charger back on his feet. "Hate to say it, but I''m calling a retreat, we backtrack to the last exit portal. There''s still at least one more boss on this floor, and I ain''t trying to push us through in this condition." She looks around at the shattered crystals surrounding them, along with the corpses of five rabbit warriors, and shakes her head. "All this for a fuckin'' conversation. I really, really...really hate dungeons."
Chapter 157: Over Drinks
It was a long, painful trek back towards Grassbrook. Well, mostly for Haylizt, but watching her struggle with the icy mountain path wasn''t exactly fun for the rest of the party either. Potions helped to numb the pain of her lost limbs, and her summoned fore-tentacles helped keep her on the move, which was fortunate as carrying the drider down the climb wouldn''t have been an easy task. The summoned replacements were truly temporary, though, and the Priestess had to redo the ritual to bring them back twice before they finally made it back to town. By time they arrived the woman was pale and sweating, despite the cold weather, and she was relieved to finally get to take a break at the Association healer despite the fact that they would be unlikely to give her good news regarding leg re-attachment.
Tinsel didn''t bother to stick around to hear the diagnosis, though. Her high-quality potions had healed up her own wounds, and Jantana and Mesht were staying around to both keep an eye on the drider and get their own minor injuries looked over. No, all the mousekin needed right now was a cold drink and a bed - perhaps with a bit of warm company included if the drinks did their work. Unfortunately as the woman approached the inn she realized that she would be spending the evening with company, but it would be of the professional kind. Changing her direction to intercept a drider and an earth elemental heading towards the same destination, she hops slightly as she shouts to improve her visibility.
"Hey! Handsome Spider! Over here!"
The drider groans and winces, needing a moment to recover before he can actually seek out the origin of the high-pitched voice. Finally spotting her in the muddy, unpaved street, he heads in her direction while looking rather unhappy about it. "Do I know you? I''m not even wearing the damn thing today!"
Beside him, the earth elemental speaks up in a feminine voice. "Should I get the ears out for you? It seems like folks around here recognize you for them!"
"Nah, I recognized you cause of the fuckin'' four-hundred-pound boulder in your company. Don''t tell me you don''t know who I am, either - you seen a lot of other mousekin with stubbed tails anywhere around here?"
The man sucks in a breath, realizing who he''s talking to. "Oh, of course, my apologies - you''re Battle Alchemist Hansliss, yes? If you must refer to me by a title, I''d request that you''d use Arcanist - Arcanist Grizza, in full, now that I''ve completed my Advanced-level training. My companion here is Roxxy, as I''m sure you know."
"Yeah, yeah, but since you''re not part of the service anymore, let''s drop the titles, shall we? I''m Tinsel. We got stuff to talk about, but let''s not do it in the middle of the frozen fuckin'' street, yeah? C''mon, you can buy me the first round at the Lucky Bastard."
She moves on before Grizza can object, and the pair follow after the grumpy mousekin who sets a rapid pace despite her short stride. She doesn''t say anything further until the trio are seated at a table inside and their orders are made with the barmaid, although Roxxy settles for requesting one of their sturdier chairs. Finally, Tinsel looks Grizza in the eye.
"So, you got the message from Command, yeah? Doubt you''d be here otherwise. They tell you what you''re here for?"
The Arcanist seems uncertain as he answers. "Not...exactly? Merely to help ''support the efforts of local soldiers'', with your name given as someone to report to. Unofficially, of course, since I''m no longer in the Army of the Valleylands."
"Right, that''s what makes you special." As her drink arrives, Tinsel pauses to take a long gulp, making the pair wait before she gets to the point. Finally she sets her mug back down - and fires off a complaint to the barmaid. "Did I ask for a kid-size ale? Make the next one a regular, if you want a tip!"
Grizza sighs. "Alchemist, please."
The woman rolls her eyes. "Right, right. So, here''s the thing. I need you to buy me a house."
Grizza remains silent, his face stonier than that of his companion, and so eventually Roxxy speaks up for him. "Is this a mating ritual!? I thought it went in a different order, but I can still come to the vow-exchange, right?"
Tinsel shoots the elemental a glare. "Fuck off, rocky. Dude ain''t even that good-looking, apparently. No, this is about the mission. We''re settlin'' down for the long haul this time, probably, and setting up camp site tents in the middle of winter for a few months is nobody''s idea of a good time, let alone secure. And renting out a couple of rooms at the inn for months on end? This is government work, kids, ain''t nobody paying for all that. Nah, there''s a lot of new housing that''s gone up, and we need one."
The drider shakes his head, recovering somewhat, and makes his first objection. "Buying a house is really that much cheaper?"
"For this many people and this long? With only one and a half inns in town? Hells yeah, especially if we end up hosting more than one squad here. We''re lucky we even got inn rooms, they''re forecasting demand is gonna spike up in the spring."
"I suppose I''ve never looked into real estate prices, so I suppose that could be correct. But also - why must I buy you a house? I, ah...rather doubt it''s cheap enough to be in my budget range. I''ve barely gotten started on my Challenger career. Especially if it needs to be large enough for multiple squads!"
The mouse woman sighs. "You''ll be fronted the cash, obviously. That''s not the problem. The problem is that we can''t buy property in Rainlands territory. The agreement with their government doesn''t allow for it. But you two are not part of the army. You''re Challengers, and by the rights of the relevant Accords, you have the right to buy limited property in any signatory nation as long as you''re a law-abiding tourist. And while there may be a ton of former vets in the Challengers, you swapped banners specifically for this kind of shit, if I''m understanding it right."
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Grizza nods along as she finishes her explanation. "Ah, yes, I see what you mean now. I''m afraid my expertise with Worthy Dungeon is woefully out of date at this point, but I can certainly do that much. Do you require our services with the dungeon, though?"
Tinsel eyes the man, weighing him up. "Our current magic drider support did just get injured...but you''re a fresh-faced Advanced, not at her level even if she does have to swap to...creepy tentacle legs or whatever now. And how many floors did you even clear? Two? I''d rather not have to carry you up through Floor Seven, not til we''ve had a good break, anyhow. Once the house thing is settled, sure, do your Challenger thing, maybe clear a few more floors, but I''m not sure about taking you on any official intrusions just yet."
"That''s fair enough, I suppose. Is there anything else I can do for you besides paperwork, however?"
Tinsel takes a long draw from her new regular-sized mug, before eyeing the drider again. "Dunno. You gonna show me what you look like with the ears on anytime soon, or do I gotta get you drunk first?"
Across the bar another discussion was taking place, as the primary members of House Perlin''s expedition were recounting the results of their own delve into Worthy Dungeon earlier that morning. They''d only cleared the top three floors for their first visit, so they never encountered the Valleylands party, but they still had plenty to talk about. As the leader of the party, Lord Arlon also got to take the lead in directing the conversation''s topics. "I''m still not sure I understand how the dungeon got to have two bosses on the third floor. I''ve heard of multiple bosses guarding a single floor before, but is that not typically a thing for much lower floors?"
Sansie, the party''s Elementalist, nods in agreement. "Typically yes, but there''s a difference between the hard rules of a dungeon and simple dungeon behavior, of course. For example, a hard rule seems to be that the more bosses there are, the weaker they are individually. Given that young dungeons usually have fewer souls to empower their bosses with, it''s not surprising that most would go for quality over quantity. But also...surely you''ve noticed that young dungeons are typically rather...well, I don''t want to say ''dumb''. Uncreative, perhaps?"
Marksman Raylin grins at his cousin. "True, true. Every dungeon has their own flavor, like with Fire Sands being based on a beach and starting with a sea cove, right? But accounting for that, many of them do seem rather...uniform for their first few floors. ''Here''s the room with the pitfalls, here''s the chamber with the first monster the dungeon ever acquired'', and so on. While they may increase the tier of their challenges, dungeons rarely seem to do much in the way of re-designs, yes? Worthy Dungeon does rather fit that mold...for the first floor."
The Maid of Health, Deylia, politely chuckles at what Raylin left unsaid. "And then it entirely threw it out the window for the second! A moving platform on such a scale...it really does sound as if other dungeons have only done anything similar before in only the broadest senses. And it did something so unique on only its second floor! It is rather exciting."
Sansie gives her own grin to the previous pair, although for a different reason. "And speaking of unique floors..."
Raylin eyes her back. "You have a comment to make, cousin?"
"Oh, come on, Raylin! You can''t disappear with my favorite Maid into the mythical Floor Five and not tell us anything about it!"
The Maid in question blushes at her lady''s statement. "Sansie! That - that hardly seems appropriate table discussion!"
Deciding to play the moderating force, Arlon steps in to save the pair''s privacy - somewhat. "We don''t need those kinds of details, of course. But...the floor itself? Is it like the rumors said?"
Even the Marksman is blushing a little at the question, and as the most notorious womanizer of the party, that''s rather saying something. "I''ll say that, ah...you need to be specific about the Floor Five rumors you listen to. Apparently we missed the part about how you get sent to a different section of the floor depending on what floor you portaled there from, with some...very different themes. We definitely did not encounter a set of rooms with plain beds and hot springs, like we were expecting. Apparently, that section is linked to Floor Two."
The man rather trails off there, and finally the Royal Protector Taylim decides to speak up. "And Floor Three''s theme would be...?" As neither of the pair volunteer any information, he decides to prod the younger man again. "Would it have something to do with the red mark wrapping around your neck you''re attempting to cover up with your collar there, young sir? And those around your wrists?"
"Taylim! How about you try to protect our dignity as well as our rear ends, why don''t you?"
The bodyguard smirks as he covers it up with a drink from his mug. "I fear it was perhaps your rear ends that were most at risk..."
Again, Arlon steps in before his more hot-headed cousin can take actual offense. "Okay, thank you Taylim, that will be quite enough. If Raylin and Del have nothing...relevant to report, we shall leave it at that. So moving on, then, do we all feel ready for another intrusion tomorrow? I''m uncertain about trying the newest floor, but we can certainly work up towards it."
Sansie raises an eyebrow. "In that much of a rush to beat our competition? Most parties typically take at least one break day between intrusions, you know."
The lord leans forward, resting his chin on his hands as he gives the team a serious look. "Indeed. However, the Association estimates that the dungeon will reach two hundred days of age very soon. It''s one of those days typically known for...notable changes in a dungeon''s makeup, and I''d like to clear a few more floors before things become more difficult. Also, we''ll likely want to rest while the Association does their next inspection."
"Fair enough. May tomorrow be as fruitful as today!" Sansie raises a drink, before winking at her Maid. "And may the tales of Floor Four or Six''s special section be more forthcoming, hrmm, Del?"
"Ma''am!"
Back in Worthy Dungeon drinks were being shared in Xenia''s core chamber, not for any great celebration but because, well...drinking in the dungeon was free. As Sincere sought out Trush, he found the former orc chatting quietly with Beatrice in one corner. While their tone was hushed, it didn''t seem to be anything too secretive, going by the smile Beatrice shoots the demon as he approaches.
"Evening, Trush, Trish. ...Perhaps I should stick to ''Beatrice'' while you''re in shared company, eh? Did I miss anything amusing before I arrived?"
Beatrice continues to smirk at him, although she adds in a wink before she moves away. "You''ll find out later, no worries. I''ll find you later, okay?"
"As you say." Sincere gives her a nod before turning back towards the Knight. "I just wanted to see how you were doing. I hope it wasn''t too difficult, fighting fellow soldiers and all that?"
The man gives a loud laugh. "If you mean physically, yeah, it was a pain in the ass! Granted, I did half-surrender the element of surprise. If you mean emotionally or some such - no, not at all. We were both performing our duties, and it''s not as if I knew a one of them. If they return and our next round involves me taking their heads..." Trush shrugs. "If they fall, they fall."
"Very pragmatic, I suppose."
"That''s life in the army for you. Mmm, anyhow, I''m going to be cutting the evening short a little, I need to check on something in my apartment. But find me there later, will you, Seeker? I have something I wish to show you."
Sincere raises an eyebrow as Trush claps him on the shoulder and makes his exit. "...Well. You certainly have me curious..."
Chapter 158: Cleanliness is Demonic - Explicit
Later that evening, after the day''s minor festivities had ended and Xenia had shooed everyone out of her core chamber, Sincere knocks on the door to Trush''s apartment. He finds it to be slightly ajar as he does so however, and it swings open a little from the force of his knuckles. "Trush? I suppose neighborhood security is rather tight, but perhaps you ought to at least fully close your door, eh? May I come in?"
A voice echoes out from deeper within the apartment. "Privacy is overrated anyhow! Yes, come on in, I''m just getting ready."
The demon steps inside, looking for his colleague, but both the living room and dining areas of the apartment appear to be empty. Making the logical deduction that the Knight must be in his personal armory or perhaps the bedroom, he makes his way on down the hall towards the rear of the living space.
Only to be rather surprised when he passes by the open bathroom door to find Trush inside, entirely nude, and stepping into his Worthy-designed shower. "Ah! Am I...interrupting something? I thought you said this would be a good time."
"Your timing is perfect! Really love these plumbing stations Worthy set up for us, true luxury! And after a fight like the one I had today, I could use a good shower to wash away the sweat of the day, eh?"
He smirks at Sincere, who half-turns away in an attempt to spare the man''s privacy, even if he did just utter his disdain for the concept. "You recall that you''re in a brand new body now, yes? I imagine that would take care of any sweat or grime issues all on its own. The showers are an interesting design, though, I''ll agree."
"And large enough for two or three - or perhaps four, if the occupants were properly comfortable with each other, haha! Would you care to join me, Seeker? In the army it''d be a shame to waste so much water on a single man."
Sincere raises an eyebrow. "And here the water is created by mana, with a cost Xenia has already paid for up-front. Your dedication to preserving resources is laudable, however."
Trush''s expression turns to one involving a bit more side-eye. "Are arcane demons always so circumspect about taking a hint or five, man? You going to take off those robes and join me already, or what?"
Rather than take offense at the rabbit''s directness, Sincere grins. "I''ll admit, my mind is always full of questions - for example, I wasn''t aware you had an interest in men. I''m aware that at this point you''ve bedded all the women of the dungeon - quite a few times, at that, but unless I''m entirely obtuse you''ve never made a pass at me. Unless...hrmm, perhaps you''ve enjoyed the company of your squires?"
"The squires and I are all quite intimately acquainted by now, it''s true. As for you, well, don''t take this the wrong way, Seeker, but you''re not quite my usual type. May have been a little prodded into making the first move, though."
This time both of the demon''s eyebrows rise in surprise. "Prodded? Xenia - no, wait, was this what you and Beatrice were discussing earlier? That was going to be my next objection, to be honest. Beatrice and I are not exclusive by any means, but I thought that while she was staying here...might I ask what she''s getting out of this?"
"Stop asking so many questions and maybe you''ll find out, man! Now are you going to get in here and let me get this shower running, or am I going to be standing around with my kit out all night!?"
"Well, if you''re going to insist..." Sincere finally steps fully into the bathroom, pulling off his robe in a single smooth motion. His underclothes don''t take much longer, and by time he''s stepped into the shower the water is already running, magically instantly hot. The shower is indeed quite spacious, likely designed with some foresight of activities like this in mind, and it gives Trush all the room he needs with which to grab Sincere by the waist and push him against one wall. The Knight immediately takes him in a passionate kiss, and while Sincere is far from inexperienced with aggressive lovers, he still finds himself turned somewhat passive under the assault of lips and hands.
As Trush pulls back for a breath, Sincere asks yet another question. "You''ve done this often, have you? To...conserve water supplies?"
Trush laughs. "Among other reasons! What can I say, Seeker, army boys make do. But I''m not pushing you too hard, am I? I''m told you''re not inexperienced with men yourself, but if you need a guiding hand to help you along..."
Sincere simply nods, not being a man given to blushing. "To be honest, I do prefer to focus on the wants of my partners. And you seem to be a man who knows what he wants..."
"That I do. For starters - how about your mouth wrapped around my cock, Seeker?" One of his hands begins to press down on Sincere''s shoulder, and the demon goes along with it, getting down on his knees before the larger man. The rabbit-man''s cock is already beginning to grow, although it''s not yet fully erect, and Sincere begins to stroke it with one hand. Before doing more than giving it a lick however, his series of questions continues.
"Tell me, have you ever been with a demon before, Trush? Orcs I''ve bedded, although rabbit hybrids are a new one for me."
"Pfft, what veteran of the Valleylands army hasn''t? Not in the Domain, of course - not all demons fled our territory when the Valleylands declared independence, you know. All of the best brothels and bordellos in our cities are run by succubi and incubi! An arcane demon would be a new one, I''ll grant you that. Now, I get the impression I''m going to need to occupy your mouth with other activities to keep you from stopping to talk every five seconds, aren''t I?"
With that he takes his cock in hand and forcefully inserts it into Sincere''s mouth, not that the demon puts up much fight. It''s still not fully erect but that doesn''t last long once the Mage finally gets to work, his tongue running along the underside of the quickly growing shaft. As the water runs through Sincere''s hair Trush wraps his palms around the side of the man''s head, although he keeps his guidance slight for the time being. His thumbs do brush aside some of the hair sticking to Sincere''s face though, as if they were getting in the way of his admiration of the man''s features. "Ah, not so bad once you actually get down to work, are you?"
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He continues like that as his dick continues to swell, behaving gently and commanding in alternate doses. First he flatters Sincere''s ability to take his length, then next he begins to forcefully pull Sincere''s head against his groin, forcing that full length down Sincere''s throat as if the demon couldn''t do it on his own. When Sincere uses one hand to fondle the Knight''s testicles, Trush compliments his initiative, but when the other heads towards Trush''s ass, he lightly slaps the man for acting without being told. It''s enough to set Sincere into quite a state of uncertainty, although whether that''s the intention or simply the result of Trush''s ill-thought-out actions becomes impossible to determine. Sincere can''t leave a thing like that alone, however, and his mind begins to spin into over-analysis. Is Trush trying to keep him off-balance? Is Trush just bad at saying what he wants?
It''s enough that he completely fails to notice as Trush''s cock begins to throb between his lips. "Ahh - you''re lucky in one respect, Seeker, my one complaint of this new body of mine is that, hrnnn, my first shot is always a bit quicker than I might like! Hope you''re ready for it!" Whether Sincere is or not, Trush again presses the demon''s face up up against his black-furred crotch just as he explodes, his cum only barely gracing Sincere''s tongue before it splashes against the back of the Mage''s throat. Even if the speed was rather quick, the volume isn''t any lighter for it, and despite his experience Sincere struggles to swallow it down before it begins to spill from his lips. It''s fortunate the encounter occurred in a shower, perhaps, as the mess that drips down onto his chest and his own protruding erection is quickly washed away.
After pulling back and swallowing what more he can, Sincere shoots Trush a smirk, his golden eyes twinkling. "Rumor of that may have crossed my ears, in fact, but I''ve heard you''re quite quick on the reload to go along with it. Is that so?"
"I''ll show you so! Hmmm...dammit, didn''t I have a bottle of that pink stuff around here somewhere!?" As the rabbit warrior looks around the bathroom, a small table suddenly appears next to the shower, followed by a jar of slime lube which sits upon it. Trush grabs it up, grinning at the ceiling as he does so. "Thanks, Worthy! Much appreciated, and not at all disturbing!"
The dungeon doesn''t respond, but Trush is already getting to work, spilling some of the fluid onto his hand and lathering up his still-stiff cock. He then raises the bottle in Sincere''s direction. "Would you rather take care of yourself, or would you like me to do the honors?"
Smiling as he turns around so that his chest is facing the wall, Sincere leans against it and presses his ass out. "I hope you''re not going to make me do all of the work tonight, Champion."
"Let it never be said that I''m a lazy lover!" Adding a bit more lubricant to one hand, Trush steps forward and slides his fingers between Sincere''s ass cheeks. His other doesn''t remain idle either, and it slips around the demon''s front, after Sincere takes advantage of the space to move his wings out of the way. Sincere''s breathing was already a bit hesitant as Trush''s thick fingers began to spread him open, but as the warrior begins to masturbate him he actually groans, his cheek pressing against the slick shower wall.
"Haha, you sound like you''ve been needing this! I hope I haven''t been edging you out, keeping all of the local ladies too busy to spare some time for poor Sincere!"
Sincere has to stop and shudder for a moment before he can defend himself. "No pity, thank you. My sex drive may be, ahn, active, but I''ll admit it''s not to the level of your own. Or half of the members of our community, to be honest. And - hnng...do you imagine I''d lack for partners if I were to but ask? I''ve had my share of encounters, not least since Beatrice''s return."
"Aye, a fine woman, she is, would make for an excellent orc. But let''s refocus on you, eh?" Trush follows up that statement not with more words, but action, as he finally judges Sincere prepared and steps up behind him. With one hand on the demon''s hips and the other guiding his cock, it only takes a moment for the well-lubricated Knight to press his way inwards. Both men groan then as Sincere is stretched by something even thicker than Trush''s fingers, and even Trush needs a brief moment to recover before he can actually begin to thrust. Once he gets going his hand again returns to Sincere''s front, and Sincere actually has to hold himself back from climaxing the moment Trush''s grip takes hold of his manhood.
As he begins to pick up speed the Knight leans over towards Sincere''s left ear, but if he was expecting some sweet dirty talk, the man is rather surprised. "Perhaps we should talk more of Beatrice, hrmm? I haven''t had the opportunity to fully admire her, but what I''ve seen - ah, if only we''d met ten years ago! And that interesting accent of hers! I''ll admit, I''m surprised the two of you seem to have hit it off so easily, you don''t seem the type for each other."
Sincere may be a little confused to be discussing this now, but he responds as best as he can. "It''s - it''s a relationship of convenience, we''ll both admit. Personally, I''ve always had an interest in experts of any type, not merely academic fields. And she, mm, she''s found some of my more arcane techniques to be quite...enticing. Now may not be the best time to demonstrate them, but perhaps later...why all this talk of Beatrice, though?"
"Why? Well, perhaps this will give you a hint!" Wrapping both arms around the demon, Trush spins them around so that they''re now looking out of the shower - and through the bathroom door as well. Standing in that doorway is a fully nude Beatrice, with a smile on her face and two fingers rubbing furiously at her clit. "Enjoying the show, Slayer?"
Sincere asks a question of his own before she can answer, although it''s a bit difficult given that Trush is still pounding away at his ass, furry testicles bouncing off his thighs. "Beatrice!? How - how long have you been there?"
"Since Xen told me the show had started - got here as fast as I could! Hope you don''t mind me setting this up, but watching two men has always been kind of a fantasy of mine..."
"You know, if you wanted something like this, you could have just asked - ah!"
Trush chuckles from over Sincere''s shoulder. "I can tell the Seeker''s close to finishing - has been for a bit now, I''d say. Would you care to do the honors, Slayer?"
Beatrice tries to look unimpressed, although it turns into a smile quickly. "I came here to watch the show, not usually one for audience participation..." Her eyes stare at Sincere''s bouncing red cock however, and her resolve soon crumbles. "Ah, hell with it!" Stepping up to the edge of the shower, the scarred woman quickly kneels and pops her lips over Sincere''s lower head. Whether he was truly that close to his climax or the act itself pushes him over the limit, it''s no more than a second before his cum begins to spill into her cheeks. She allows the thick fluid to fill her mouth, but even as it threatens to overflow, Beatrice resists swallowing.
Instead, once Sincere is finally done, she returns to her feet and takes him in a passionate, and sticky, kiss. Sincere''s a bit too surprised to resist, but finds himself swept along by the moment, and finds himself rather enjoying his own taste on her lips and tongue.
The sight of it drives Trush onward with newfound inspiration, and his hips increase their tempo until with a final thrust he utters a deep growl. His testicles clench, his cock pulsates, and jet after jet of semen shoots into Sincere''s ass, no less impressively so for being his second load of the night. As Sincere finds himself being filled with cum from both ends, he finds himself a little self-reflective - he''s a very lucky man.
Once his partners are spent of their reserves, he tries to say as much, but Beatrice shushes him with a comment of her own. "I promised myself I''d only watch tonight, but dammit, you''ve pulled me in. So now that I''m here - you up for making this a proper threesome?"
Trush grins widely, but Sincere answers for both of them. "My lovely - if you''ve enjoyed the tricks I''ve shown you before, you''re going to go wild when I show you what can be done with another partner..."
Chapter 159: Throwing the Gauntlet
"Sansie, you''re not supposed to be eating the rations we just bought before we''ve even left the town!" Arlon scolds his cousin as the two walk through Grassbrook, on their way to meet up with their party, but given the charming smile on her face he can hardly say his heart''s entirely in it.
"Rations? Rations, is that what you think these are? Or what you choose to call it? Arlon cousin, these are pastries, they were never meant to survive long in my grasp. I can''t believe you didn''t buy anything from the new bakery yourself aside from plain old bread. What kind of nobleman are you?"
The heavily-armored man snorts. "The kind of man who knows a pastry doesn''t last long in a travel pack."
"Which is why I''m eating them now. Now, do you want one yourself?"
The young man attempts to keep his discipline firm, but alas, he is only human. "...Fine, very well - perhaps half - " He finds himself coming to a halt in the middle of his sentence as he spots something down the street, and Sansie has to catch herself and turn around to see what the matter is.
"Don''t tell me you just thought of another piece of gear we need to go pack."
The noble shakes his head. "No, sadly. I was hoping I wouldn''t see them this soon, but if they must be here, I''m glad I saw them before we left. ...Not that I was expecting to see them, specifically. Take a look."
Sansie does so, and almost gasps as she spots the two women walking down the street in their direction, their slightly-pointed ears just barely visible from underneath their long, gorgeous hair. One is a shining blonde, the other practically platinum, although their identity as sisters was undeniable - twins, as a matter of fact. She also knew their family to be known for their half-elf ancestry, although unusually enough the other half was human, rather than dwarven. "The Highbranches! You''re right, I expected perhaps representatives - not them! You mean to intercept them, cousin?"
"Would be rude of us not to, of course. Besides, how else will we learn more of their arrival?" Stepping forward again, Arlon raises both his voice and an arm. "Hail! My fair ladies, a surprise to see you here today!"
The sisters grant the Perlins slight smiles as they recognize him, and as the pairs meet, Arlon and Sansie both pause to give slight bows, as suits the respective ranks of their families. Hiding a half-eaten pastry behind her back, Sansie offers further greetings. "Truly a surprise! It''s good to see you both in good health, though, Silva, Gilda."
Silva, the blonde-haired sister, greets them back. "Thank you, and likewise, although we had heard your family was rushing to beat us here. Our condolences on the deaths of your cousins, by the way, it was a shame to hear."
Arlon nods back at her. "Thank you, Lady Silva. Sadly, they were not properly prepared for the risks of a dungeon, which is why we''re now attempting to be all the more ready for the challenges ahead. But, forgive me for asking - surely you two do not plan to challenge the dungeon yourselves?"
Gilda brushes back her shining white hair before raising an eyebrow at him. "And why should we not? Should the daughters of a duke be any less courageous than the son of a count?"
Shaking his head, Arlon explains himself. "It wasn''t your stations which had me wondering. It''s just, well - I am aware that the two of you both have achieved Challenger classes of some repute. But unless I''ve misheard, are your classes not...?"
Silva''s smile remains as she answers the unspoken question. "I''m sure your intelligence is correct. I am a Noble Diviner, and my fair sister here is a Noble Enchantress. Both level twenty-nine, I expect us to both achieve our Master ranks here, although of course it may be some time before we can return for further class training."
Sansie''s brow furrows. "Are those classes not, well...you know...not...?"
Gilda scoffs. "Not combat-capable? Dear Sansie, do you think the Challenger''s Association would offer training in them were they not suitable for use in a dungeon?" Sansie very certainly does not answer that question - the Noble Elementalist is under no false conceptions herself, and is entirely aware that the Association would train a person in just about anything if they were paid well enough, and would slap a ''Noble'' adjective onto the class title for a minor additional fee. Arlon saves her from possibly saying as much out loud, however.
"Well, it''s certainly not our place to second-guess you. I trust you haven''t come alone, however?"
"Oh, of course not!" Silva''s smile grows as she looks between the two Perlins. "In fact, our bodyguard Sweet has just returned from her scouting of the district, it would appear. Say hello to Lord Arlon Perlin and the Honorable Sansie Forlin, would you, Sweet?"
As the other pair begin to turn around, Sansie briefly screams and drops her pastry into the mud before she gets ahold of herself. Towering over them is a gnoll unlike any other in the town, certainly past seven feet in height, and with musculature that would match any minotaur''s. Despite the mucky condition of the road, the giantess somehow arrived within a few feet of the two without either noticing her in the least. Her femininity is hard to determine, with her bulky body clad in padded hide armor of some sort, and she first inspects the two by taking in a deep whiff with her animal-like snout, cataloging their scents.
Then she opens her mouth, and an extremely cheerful voice comes out. "Greetings to you both, my Lord Perlin, Honorable Forlin! My dearest apologies for making you drop your breakfast, might I acquire for you a replacement? It would be a shame to mar our greeting with such a loss."
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Sansie''s voice, meanwhile, is more of a squeak. "No! No, it''s quite alright - I was almost done already! Besides, I should really watch my figure..."
Arlon''s a fair bit intimidated himself, but he does manage to maintain his expression a little better. "It''s good to meet you as well, Miss Sweet - I''ve heard tell you''re a Master-rank Challenger yourself? I expect you''ll be taking excellent care of your charges, then."
Sweet grins, somehow looking as if she has more teeth than the two of them put together. "Very much so, my lord - you can expect I''ll safeguard them from any harm within the dungeon. Or, of course...outside of it."
Gilda chuckles, her good mood apparently restored. "Okay, enough of playing with the poor dears, yes? We still need to acquire our rooms at the unfortunately-named inn, after all. I''m sure we''ll see you again soon though, of course, Lord Perlin."
"Of course, Lady Highbranch. I look forward to catching up more at a later time. Until then."
The two groups exchange their farewells and part, leaving Arlon and a white-faced Sansie standing in the road. Gripping his arm, Sansie leans in with a question. "Cousin. What...what was that?"
The man chuckles, releasing a bit of his own stress as he does so. "Sweet, my dear cousin, is said to be a fine example of a plains gnoll."
"A...a what gnoll?"
"Come, did you think the Hordelands got their reputation based on the kind of gnolls we have here in the Rainlands? The gnolls here are descendants of a group of forest gnoll colonists. As you can see, there are a few...differences with their cousins from the Hordelands."
"I...I think I noticed a few, yes."
"Right, I''m sure. Well, shall we proceed with joining the rest of our party, then?"
"Actually, I''ll need to make a quick stop back at the inn. I appear to need new pants."
After a somewhat-delayed start, the Perlin party finally made their way up the mountain and entered Worthy Dungeon for the second time. Taking advantage of the shortcut portal, they skipped ahead right to Floor Four, and spent some time marveling as most Challengers did at the twilight-lit forest. The group climbed their way up to the higher portion of the floor without too much issue, and even the shades they found there weren''t too difficult for the party to handle. Taylim''s abilities as a Royal Protector afforded him magical barriers with which to defend his lieges, and Sansie''s elemental blasts eventually managed to slay each monster while the others kept them distracted.
The party found the bridge key after a bit of searching, but decided to keep at it for a bit longer, just in case they found anything of further interest. Arguably they did, although they weren''t entirely sure of the fact, as the nobles stopped and stared for a while.
Raylin speaks up first. "Well, my lords and ladies, I can definitively say that my training as a hunter has allowed me to identify the monster ahead. That...is a rabbit."
Taylim''s flat voice offers a dry comment. "Truly, your eyes as a Marksman are a step above, my lord. Have you ever hunted a specimen of this particular mass, however?"
Raylin has to shake his head at that, as the group watches a small clearing up ahead, in which a massive rabbit sits, chewing on some flowers. It would have to be at least five feet long, and four high, or more if you counted the ears. Each member of the party finds their hands twitching towards their weapons, although none of them seem inclined to give the order for an attack. Maid Deylia in particular has questions in mind.
"Are we sure that''s a monster? I mean, monstrous in size, certainly. But...you know, is it a monster? It looks...cuddly."
Arlon''s eyes narrow. "There''s certainly something odd about it. Some sort of secondary boss? I don''t see it guarding any treasures, though. Perhaps it''s meant to be a source of fur, for gatherer-Challengers?"
Sansie bites her lip. "So do we attack it, or no?"
"I would really recommend you don''t, friends. Sir Flopsy here has survived since the earliest days of the dungeon, and it would be a shame to break that streak." As the party suddenly shifts into a combat formation, they look around and eventually locate the source of the voice as being a nearby tree. Peering up into its branches, they spy a man in knight''s armor staring back at them. Although his form is still partially hidden, Arlon quickly makes an identification.
"Trush! This is the dungeon''s Wandering Boss, very definitely a monster! Do...do you intend to parley before we fight, Wanderer?"
The man seems to take a moment to consider the question. "Well, I''d hate to fight here, with the risk of collateral damage. I''d love to cross blades with a nobleman of the Rainlands, however. Tell you what - leave the poor rabbit alone, and meet me at the bridge, and I''ll offer you a proper challenge." He doesn''t wait for a response, but instead leaps away, his strong legs carrying him easily into the branches of another tree. He''s not the stealthiest figure the adventurers have ever seen, but he is swift, and disappears out of view before long.
Raylin gives a nervous chuckle after the sound of his movement fades away. "Well...let''s not piss off the dungeon, shall we? I''m curious about this special challenge..."
It takes the group ten minutes to reach the bridge, maintaining proper caution for ambushes along the way, but eventually they arrive to find Trush standing by the side of the river, his four squires lined up behind him. It feels a bit wrong to approach without attacking, but the lure of a potential bonus reward keeps the party peaceful for the time being. Once they reach a comfortable speaking distance, Arlon greets the Knight once again. "Greetings - you are Trush Sharptongue, yes? I''ve heard tell of you down in the town."
"I''ve gone by that name, yes. Forgive me for not knowing my Rainlanders as well, but I believe the insignia on your armor is House...Perlin?"
"Indeed it is. I am Lord Arlon Perlin, son of Count Yorn Perlin. So tell me, what is the nature of the challenge you''ve offered us?"
The rabbit-man smirks. "Ah, I get a bit tired of the usual ambushes at times, even if they do have the better odds of victory. Been a while since I''ve had a good one-on-one, so here''s the offer. One of you challenges me in single-combat! You win, you get a piece of equipment suited especially for your challenger. Or, alternatively, the winner gets the option of bedding either myself or the squire of their choice."
As the squires in question grin, the nobles seem frozen until eventually Sansie utters a single word. "...What."
"Hrmf, what, not as appealing as I may have thought? Fine, you get to bed us and still get the special equipment."
"What."
Raylin raises a hand. "I''ll do it!" Said hand is quickly slapped back down by Deylia.
"You''ll do what, now!?"
"Ah, I mean...only if I can bring an additional guest, of course."
Deylia''s eyes blaze before her cheeks suddenly follow suit. "That wasn''t what I...ah. Actually, ah. I suppose that would be...acceptable."
Trush grins widely at the exchange. "I suppose I may be magnanimous enough to grant you that, aye. But a single challenger only for the fight!"
Sighing slightly, Arlon offers one further question. "And what do you get if you win, Shieldbreaker?"
Trush''s large teeth become even more apparent. "Why, the challenger''s life, of course."
Chapter 160: Overconfidence
"Raylin..." Arlon turns towards his cousin, a cautionary tone in his voice. "This is a bad matchup for you, cousin. The moment he gets within a sword''s reach of you..."
"Then I''ll just have to make sure he doesn''t manage it, now shan''t I?" The Marksman gives his cousin a cocky grin, although it''s hard to hide the genuine concern that he may have overstepped his ability to back up his words. Deylia steps up to him and puts a hand on his shoulder, about to say something, although she rethinks it and directs a question towards the boss instead.
"You asked for a one-on-one, but would it be acceptable for me to boost his abilities before the fight?"
Trush nods, hardly needing to consider it. "If you raise a hand during the fight itself, consider the challenge violated, but before hand? Give him boosts, blessings, enchanted equipment, potions, whatever you like. I''ll be flattered you think I require it!"
"Very well." Returning her attention to Raylin, Deylia focuses a spell through the palm resting on his shoulder. "I grant you the Maid''s Blessing of Reflexes. May it keep you out of harm''s reach."
The man gives the Maid a warmer smile, thankful for the attention. "My thanks, Deylia! Soon I''ll be showing you my thanks properly, perhaps..."
Sansie rolls her eyes. "Keep your mind - and other body parts - focused on winning the fight first, why don''t you?"
"Very well!" Raylin steps away from the crowd - although not any closer towards the Rabbit Knight - and readies his bow. "Are you ready for our match, Sir Rabbit?"
Trush snorts. "Pfft, of course! I''ll even allow you the opening shot!"
"Well, I won''t say no to that." The nobleman goes silent then, focusing all of his attentions on Trush''s form. His muscles clench as he prepares to fire, but alongside that action comes an unspoken spell - Wide Shot, to fire off a volley of eight magical arrows that will cover any direction the monster chooses to dodge to. Ensuring that no squires are in the line of fire, the Noble Marksman raises his bow and with a single quick, enhanced motion, his one mundane arrow and eight magical, glowing copies shoot through the air. Right or left, there''s no direction where Trush doesn''t risk taking a hit from one of the finest bows House Perlin could acquire.
As Trush leaps into the air, soaring over the entire volley, a single thought has time to pass through Raylin''s head.
I am such a fool.
He''s well-trained however, and he doesn''t need to consciously think in order to react. Another arrow is in the air before Trush even lands, although without any special boosts the Knight is able to easily deflect it with his shield. When the Knight hits the ground, now fifteen feet away, Raylin takes the time to charge another spell into his weapon. Shrapnel Arrow causes his next shot to explode almost as soon as it takes into the air, filling the space with fragments of both steel and magical energy. At this range, even a rabbit''s leap wouldn''t be enough to to get Trush out of its area of effect.
And Trush doesn''t even try. To Raylin''s shock the man simply charges into the blast, ignoring the magical fragments that penetrate his armor, sinking into his flesh. Of course! Win or lose, the man will be restored to full health in an hour''s time! Why would he fear anything but a lethal strike? Trush is eight feet away when Raylin abandons his bow, drawing his sword. It''s certainly not his ideal weapon, but with a focus on his speed, he can perhaps wear the Knight down until he can dash in for a finishing blow.
When Trush does make it into sword range, Raylin''s still-shocked mind realizes that the rabbit is nearly as fast as he is, even with Deylia''s boost. He steps back, lightly parrying Trush''s blows, but any time he manages to get out of range the rabbit monster simply leaps forward just enough to close the distance once more. Even a thrown dagger barely distracts his pursuer for more than a fraction of a second, and as the fight continues Raylin realizes that time is not on his side. A magical glint coats the edge of Trush''s blade, and every time their weapons meet the nobleman realizes his sword is getting a little more chipped, a little more fragile. It''s only an emergency weapon, after all, of fine make but not even enchanted.
His hope finally fades as he raises his blade to block an overhead blow, and the weapon shatters entirely. A fierce pain shoots up his arm, and with a shock Raylin realizes it''s not just from fragments of steel - Trush''s weapon continued its way right through his hilt and into his hand, bisecting it all the way down to the wrist. Even if he survives, he''ll lose the limb to amputation without immediate healing, and -
"No! Restoration of Body!" Deylia cries out from the sidelines, casting a spell, and Raylin watches his ruined flesh begin to knit back together. What truly saves him from an immediate death however is the fact that Trush has to turn and growl at the woman.
"No interfering in the challenge, girl! Do that again, and my squires will turn you into a pincushion where you stand!" When he turns back he sees that Raylin''s already somewhat recovered, his hunting knife in his good hand...but the fight is effectively already over. The noble is a little quicker on his feet, now that he''s lost his primary weapons, but all of his speed does him no good when he needs to close into knife range against a man with a sword and shield.
He does at least make the attempt, but every third attack rewards him with only another glancing wound upon an arm or leg, with no results to show for it. His speed begins to fade as well, magically enhanced or not, and eventually a poor swing results in his last weapon being knocked from his hand by a blow from Trush''s shield. His strength finally gone, Raylin collapses to one knee in front of the knight. "...Seems...seems I underestimated you, Sharptongue."
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"A common failing of nobility, I''m afraid. I honor you for your bravery in this duel, however. May your soul be remembered in glory!" Trush lifts his sword into the air, and as he swings it down he does so with an orcish warcry. The sound is loud enough that he never hears the spell uttered by the Maid of Health, some distance away.
"Raylin, no! Take me instead! My - My Master''s Place!"
In the middle of the battlefield, Trush blinks in confusion. His blow, aimed to decapitate the Marksman, strikes wrongly as his opponent is suddenly several inches shorter. Instead of hitting at the neck it instead slices through the skull just above the eyes, granting him the disturbing sight of his challenger''s brain cavity. Except...it''s not his opponent at all. As the entire crowd watches in stunned silence, the body of Deylia collapses onto the grass.
Arlon''s the one to break the silence first. "Deylia! What - what was that!? A trick?"
Beside him, Sansie responds in a voice that nearly breaks into a sob. "That - I told her! I made her promise never to use that spell! It''s...it''s one they teach to the supporters of nobility, to...to act as a final bodyguard. Oh, Deylia..."
Trush takes in a deep breath, hardly any more satisfied than the Perlin party. "This...was not what I intended." Turning back towards the nobles - a stunned Raylin included, teleported to where Deylia had once been standing - he fixes them with a stare. "The challenge has been lost. However, a life was wagered and a life was spent, so I will ask nothing more. Furthermore...I am not callous towards the sacrifice of a fellow in arms. If you wish for a reward in her name, I believe we can grant that to you."
Arlon sputters. "A - a reward!? In exchange for Deylia? How could that ever - "
"A shield." Raylin interrupts his cousin, uttering his words with a blank look in his eyes as he stands wavering, needing a moment to match Arlon''s gaze. "Deylia...Deylia told me that her, her younger brother...he''s in training, an Initiate-level Squire. She...she said he was trying to save up for a better shield."
Sansie freezes at his statement, before eventually nodding. "...Yes. For...for Deylia''s family. It''s the least we can do."
"A fair request. Worthy?" Trush looks up towards the ceiling, and a moment later a shield begins to spawn before him. It''s well-sized for a young squire, and even bears the emblem of House Perlin, copied from the gear the party brought along with them. The Knight lifts it up and brings it over towards the nobles, and Arlon steps forward to accept it. Trying his best to keep a level of calm in his voice, the Noble Vanguard even pays it a compliment.
"Not as fair as my own, but for a Squire? This will be a prized piece of equipment. And - do I sense an enchantment on this item?"
Trush nods. "Aye, that of luck. I recommend not using it within the dungeon, but outside? Worth its weight in gold, I''d wager."
"That it is." Arlon eyes the rabbit squires waiting in a line by the river. "And what now?"
The Knight shakes his head. "My squires and I shall trouble you no further today. If you wish to continue, the boss of the floor awaits you beyond the bridge."
Looking at the body of the fallen Maid and the unfocused look in Raylin''s eyes, Arlon quickly shakes his head. "No, no. We...we must see to transporting Deylia''s remains back to Grassbrook, and Raylin''s other wounds. I think we''ve lost enough today."
That, Trush can easily agree with. "Aye, lad, I reckon you have."
As the nobles make their way back towards the shortcut portal at the floor''s entrance, Deylia''s remains carried with them, Xenia''s avatar appears next to Trush. "Well...that was a bit of a mess, huh?"
Trush nods in agreement. "A shame, truly. I never much liked the Rainlanders and their noble houses, and I was looking forward to humbling them. But against the man himself! I suppose at least the experience will temper his youthful arrogance somewhat."
"Trauma will do that to a guy, yeah. Nice of them to take her with them instead of just leaving her to us, I know that''s a hell of a hike."
The Knight scoffs slightly. "It''s not only as a matter of convenience that Challengers often leave their dead behind, you know. It''s considered a sign of respect to a dungeon, to let them keep what they''ve won in fair combat. Nobles, though...well, they must fill those honored family graveyards of theirs. And even if she was but a servant of some sort, she was surely a cousin from some minor house, minor nobility of her own. I can''t say she didn''t earn herself a monument, though. Whatever the value of the man might be, it''s a terrible sort of oath for a servant to uphold."
"That it is." As she senses the party finally vanish through the portal, Xenia turns to find Guy. "So, how''d we make out? Pretty sure I''ve never seen her class before, it was like she was a Priestess but without an actual religious association going on, or something."
Guy hovers forward, popping up an intrusion report screen. "Something new indeed, ma''am, take a look!"
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------------------------
INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS SLAIN: 1
MORTALS ESCAPED: 4
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
SWORDS: B
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 1 - DEYLIA NIYEN, HUMAN
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 8 TO 298
MANA ACQUIRED: 10, CURRENT AMOUNT: 198/253 (45 CONSUMED BY CONSTRUCTS)
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
SKILLS: SUPPORTER (INITIATE), SUPPORTER MAID (ADVANCED), MAID OF HEALTH (EXPERT)
------------------------
|
Xenia nods along at the list of new classes added to her library, until her eyes snap back up towards a specific name. "Wait. Wait, what - oh. Ah, dammit. What did she say!? ''Take me - ''! Gah, dammit!"
The dungeon master curses for a minute or two, stomping around in the grass, before finally turning back towards Trush and Guy. "Well, dudes - this messy day just got a hell of a lot messier."
Chapter 161: Disposing of the Dead
An hour later, an emergency dungeon meeting has brought Xenia''s main council back down to her core chamber. After taking a few minutes to describe Trush''s duel with the Perlin nobles and its outcome, Xenia lays out the main issue at hand.
"So, as my inventory screen says, I now have the soul of one Deylia Niyen in my stash. As a full, reincarnated soul that is, not just soul store fodder."
Lollyp seems confused as she considers the events of the duel. "So the dungeon system considers what she did a willing sacrifice? I mean, she didn''t do it for you, she did it for that other guy, right? I guess that counts?"
Xenia nods. "Apparently! And that leads to our first problem. I guarantee you that woman did not intend to actually become a member of the dungeon. Either she didn''t realize what sacrificing herself would mean, or she had no more than half a second to think it over even if she did. That''s never happened before. Lollyp, you might not have known about the curse, but you did at least intend to become part of the dungeon staff in some form, yeah? Sincere, Taly, you didn''t have a lot of choice in the matter, but you did at least have the time to consider whether or not you''d rather just, y''know...die like a normal mortal."
Taly chuckles. "It was a choice, if perhaps not a great one. But I''ve got no regrets."
"Glad to hear it. But now we''ve got a woman''s soul here, one which belongs to someone who probably doesn''t want to be here. That bothers me."
Sincere shrugs, unconcerned. "Not at all a hard problem to solve. Simply grant her a body, ask her what she wants, and if she''d rather move on, the soul store awaits. Is there another complication?"
"Only if she wants to stay, Sin-man. Cause, like...we went through a lot of trouble setting up that system with the Church of Bounty, you know? We make her part of the team, and we''re not going to be able to hide that we''ve got a new boss who skipped the queue. So the second problem is, we take her on, we risk having other people try and hop over the Church and get themselves killed in here, and all that effort''s gonna be for nothing."
Trush gives a deep sigh, before raising his eyes to meet Xenia''s. "That may be so. But...I cannot help but feel that it would be wrong for us to decide her fate, based on what''s most convenient for us."
The dungeon master winces at that, but Beatrice frowns. "Hey, Trush, I understand if you feel bad for her, for what happened. But if she did it expecting nothing, and is currently experiencing nothing...I mean, Xen doesn''t owe her a spot. It''s not fair if Xenia needs to blow up all her plans just to account for one impulsive decision from a Challenger."
The Knight grunts. "It''s true that I would at least like the opportunity to apologize to her, for being unable to halt my blow in time - even if she truly did bring it on herself. Hells, it was the second time she interfered in the duel! If I hadn''t already killed her, I probably would have killed her. But still, despite that...her actions, her sacrifice, was noble not just in title but in deed, and I would not wish to see her so easily discarded."
Xenia interjects. "Honestly, I agree with Trush. Mostly I bring it up so we can maybe brainstorm a little on how to manage it. One good thing at least, a noble servant of her age? Almost no chance she''s got kids, so that part of our cover story''s probably intact. But how to make sure we don''t start getting flooded by desperate suicides?"
Sincere''s lip quirks. "If we need a story, I''ve read a thousand and written a few myself. The key point about Deylia''s death is that she came to the dungeon with no expectations of receiving anything from us, and gave her life for...let''s say, the ''pure love'' she had for another, whether that''s the case or not. I daresay I can write up a missive that Bountiful Mother Hammerdown can distribute, showing that this is not the sort of situation one can artificially engineer ahead of time."
The spirit eyes her council, but none seem particularly opposed, so after a bit of thought on the matter herself she nods. "Let''s give it a shot. Maybe we can workshop something with her, see what makes a good cover story. Which means the next thing is...what do we actually do with her? And fuck her shitty timing, I was all set to spend the evening prepping for our Day Two Hundred party tonight!"
Taly answers without hesitation. "Floor Five. I don''t know about bodies, really, but as far as slots go? Floor Five, definitely. Assuming she''s not opposed, of course."
Beatrice gives the banshee a disbelieving look. "...What? I think someone mentioned she and that bowman of hers did try the place out yesterday, so sure, she clearly doesn''t hate the place. But running it? That''s a different matter entirely!"
"Yes, but look at her classes. She''s a Supporter, not a combat specialist. Sure, we can give her abilities from anything in the library, plus of course monster powers. But that''d be nothing compared to what she has lived experience with, and as a reincarnate she doesn''t benefit from being ''shaped'' to fit her monster form. Make her boss of Floor Seven? No way, she''s definitely not going to be that tough. Make her boss of one of the easy floors? Aside from needing to maybe redo a bunch of theming, that''s basically signing her up to getting killed again every day, maybe multiple times. That''s a lot to put on someone who didn''t volunteer for it. Honestly, I''m not sure how Lollyp handles it so well."
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As if in some sort of demonstration, Lollyp grabs a blob of slimy flesh from her chest and plops it down onto the table in front of her. "I''ll be honest, I''ve definitely gotten the impression I''m less bothered about getting chopped up into pieces than you rigids are. I mean, it barely even hurts me most of the time."
Xenia stares at the bit of Lollyp-slime for a moment before shaking her head. "Uh, yeah, I think Taly''s got a point. We''ll maybe need to define a more specific role for her, if she''s not going to be fighting, but...a Supporter for Floor Five? Making it more of a general safe zone? I can see that working out. Can give her an apartment up there too, since I think Floor Two''s about maxed out. As for the specific form..." She trails off in thought, before eventually coming to a conclusion. "We''ll have to get her agreement on it, but I think I''ve got an idea on how we can make her sound more like a one-off special case..."
It only took half an hour for a new apartment to be set up, thanks to Xenia''s experience with copying the existing ones, combined with the fact that they had no idea how to decorate it personally for the woman none of them knew, and so they didn''t bother doing anything special. It did have something of a Section Four styling to it, with the false windows and hideaway cabin appearance, although it had no true door and was connected to the rest of Floor Five and the dungeon only via shortcut portals. To avoid crowding the possible newest member of the dungeon family, only Xenia, Trush, and Taly were present for her arrival, with the hope that the former Challengers would best be able to ease her into things.
Eventually, as her soul awakens, Deylia opens her eyes to find herself on a comfortable bed with green covers. She looks around and finds herself surrounded by two people she''s never met along with the man who killed her, which makes her calm reaction rather impressive, considering everything. "I...the dungeon''s healed me? Even though I violated the terms of your challenge, Sir Sharptongue?"
The woman standing to her right, with a unique style of black-and-white-striped hair and a fashion sense unlike any Deylia''s seen before gives a single shake of her head. "Not...in the way you''re probably thinking. Trush here did absolutely kill the fuck out of you. It was real gory, lemme tell you."
The red-eyed woman to Deylia''s left sighs and puts her face in one palm, so Deylia keeps her attention on the woman who spoke. "Then I''m not sure I...wait." Deylia shoots up in the bed as a realization crosses her face. She looks down at her body, relieved for a moment to see it looks as she remembers it, save for her garments which are unfamiliar. That is, until she gets to her hands and legs. They have the same fur-covered, paw-like appearance as do the limbs on Trush''s form, save that Deylia finds herself to have a golden-brown color of fur rather than Trush''s dark black. "...You...turned me into a rabbit."
Xenia sits down on a chair next to the bed, and leans in close. "A very special kind of rabbit. But before we get into that, we need to talk about some other things. First off, I''m Xenia, master of the dungeon, glad to meet you. Second, you seemed to know about Trush''s past, so I assume you''re familiar with how he joined the dungeon?"
"Yes, but...that was with the aid of the Church of Bounty, yes? I''ve never spoken with them! Let alone completed their process to become part of the dungeon!" Shaking her head, a memory suddenly seems to return to her. "Wait, wait - Raylin! Sansie! Are - are the others alright?"
Trush takes care of this question. "The lad had some injuries still, but he''ll likely fully recover - that heal you gave him for his hand was quite a mighty one. After the duel, your friends left along with...ah, your remains."
"Oh...that''s...that''s good. But why am I here, then?"
Xenia snorts. "Well, like you said, you didn''t use the Church system, and that''s liable to be a headache and a half. But the important part is, well, you willingly sacrificed yourself in the dungeon, and that''s the core of the matter. If you don''t want to be here, you don''t have to be, but you should at least get the option. Now that you''ve got some time to think about it."
The Maid''s eyes lose some focus, as she begins to think about her fate. "Does...am I stuck here for eternity then? If I choose to stay? ...Killing people?"
Taly leans in on other other side, planting a comforting hand on Deylia''s shoulder, although the effect is negated somewhat by her status as an undead monster. "To answer your first question - mostly. There is an option for spending a bit of time outside, but it''s not an option for returning to your old life. If you don''t want to move on, yeah, you''re basically stuck in the neighborhood at least for as long as you want to stay. As for the second question, well...we might have a good option that means you don''t actually need to do that."
Deylia''s been rather confused ever since this all started, but the last statement only brings her to a new record level. "Eh? What other role is there in a dungeon, other than violence and murder? ...Unless you mean the door. Oh gods, please don''t turn me into a door!"
"Whoa, whoa, definitely not!" Xenia runs a hand along Deylia''s back, attempting to calm her. "We can change the body you''ve been given, but what you''ve got right now? It''s brand new, no dungeon''s ever made something like you before. You, Deylia...are a Rabbit Priestess." She pauses, then adds an addendum. "Not that the crossbreed titles are fixed. We can change that too if you''d like something better."
"But...what does that mean? I''ve never done more than visit a church!"
The dungeon master gives the recently-dead woman a smile. "Well, tell me something, Deylia. Have you ever wanted to meet a goddess?"
Chapter 162: Finding Religion
"I can''t believe I''m actually doing this. I mean, even considering it. This is insane."
Xenia shoots a smirk at Deylia, who''s now downstairs in her core chamber following an hour or so of basic explanations on how the dungeon works. Xenia had stayed away from the details of her personal past so far, both to avoid overwhelming the young woman and also because the former Maid wasn''t yet entirely sold on her position in the dungeon. Even so, this next step was potentially instrumental in defining exactly what that position would be, and so they were moving ahead for now. "Which part''s insane, exactly? Becoming a dungeon monster? Running Floor Five? All of the above?"
"The part where you say I''m about to meet a goddess! What do I say!? What do I do!? There must be some etiquette to this, right?"
"Oh, yeah, well the good news is you''re talking to an expert on divine etiquette. Always be respectful. If they ask you if you wanna party and get drunk, get drunk. But! Don''t go taking off any clothes until they do. Don''t make any promises unless you mean it, that shit tends to get really binding in front of a god."
Deylia''s brown eyes boggle. "...What?"
Not far away, Sincere gives a tired sigh. "Xenia''s relationship with the divine, especially Kahlia, is a bit more...casual than you might be used to in your dealings with various clerics and priests. But I won''t deny her title of being an expert. Follow her lead and I''m sure...mostly sure you''ll do just fine. Failing that, at least you''ll be forewarned by her smiting."
"I...see. So how does this work? You simply send her a prayer and she summons us to her divine realm?"
Xenia waggles a hand. "Well, just me usually, I''ve never tried taking along a passenger before. But I think I can communicate my intent and get you an invite too...though maybe it would help if we were hugging at the time? Get us beamed up together?"
"...If you think that''s necessary."
"Can''t hurt." Xenia comes over and wraps her arm around the newly transformed rabbit-woman, and calls out to Guy. "Alright, Guy, open the line and send our request. Let''s hope she''s not too busy for her favorite dungeon, yeah?"
"Will do!" Guy bobs slightly as they send the message to Kahlia...after which passes a rather awkward five minutes as Xenia and Deylia continue to side-hug. Even Xenia''s wondering if maybe it was a stupid suggestion after a while, but before she can let go, the two women vanish in a flash of light.
When the pair regain their vision, they find that they''re now once again in the meadow where Xenia and Kahlia first met, this time facing the goddess herself on her throne. A large part of Xenia is disappointed that this meeting won''t be happening at the hot springs, but given that Deylia''s already fairly overwhelmed, perhaps it''s for the best. Taking the initiative, Xenia starts off by giving Kahlia a bow which Deylia copies. "Greetings, your fertileness! Thanks so much for taking our call, I don''t want you to think I''m taking our relationship for granted."
Kahlia gives the pair a shrug and a smirk in return. "True, requests to meet so often could become tiresome from most mortals - but you''re hardly most mortals. And when I sensed the form of your newest companion...well, consider me intrigued as to your purpose. I have been checking up on you, and I''ve been glad to see you''re making some progress on your tasks. Although if you''re here to make a new request, I warn you that you should perhaps focus on the matters you already have outstanding."
Xenia flashes a bright smile at the divinity. "Not at all! Not a request - a proposition. But first, let me introduce the newest member of the dungeon - Deylia Niyen, formerly a Maid of Health of House Perlin."
At the mention of her name Deylia bows again, her eyes focused on the ground - and definitely not at the divine cleavage attempting to burst from the goddess'' barely-there dress. "I am truly honored to be in your presence, Goddess Kahlia! I never imagined that I might one day actually meet a god!"
The goddess in question smiles, flattered by the groveling. "Few do, even after their deaths. And fewer still are glad for it by time the meeting is done. Tell me, what role do you have to play in the latest of our dear dungeon''s schemes?"
The dungeon takes charge of answering that question herself. "It''s about her classification, goddess. She''s one of the new monster types we crossbred after following your advice in our last meeting - a Rabbit Priestess. Except...she''s kind of missing something vital to the role, which maybe you can notice."
Kahlia leans forward, a literal glint in her eyes as she looks the woman over. "...I see! A priestess - but without a patron god, or even a divine concept! I''m not sure when I last saw such a thing."
"Yeah, normally Priestess training means learning rituals for a specific god or church or whatever, even if maybe that cleric doesn''t really have complete faith in it all, right? But as a monster type, we can just go - bam! You''re a Priestess now! Except there''s a lot of like...spell slots or whatever that don''t work without a relationship with a god."
"And you wish to devote her to me? An excellent idea, but this hardly needs my personal attention, reincarnator. You could have had one of my existing clerics provide her with the necessary training."
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At that, Xenia shakes her head. "I was thinking something a little...bigger picture than that, if you''d be down for it. I''d like for you to train her as a High Priestess. Or a...Prophet. Or whatever titles you prefer for a high-ranking cleric."
"Now that is presumptuous. Tell me, Maid, what are your intentions for such a rank?"
Deylia gasps a little, worried about her ability to communicate the plan Xenia laid out for her. "Well, ah, you see your grace, our plan was to have me become Boss of Floor Five, the floor devoted to, ah...encouraging fertility. But we thought that perhaps we could make it more than that! Much more. A...church of fertility, within the dungeon. A place to rest, be healed or blessed, or to, ah, to hear the word of your splendor, goddess."
Kahlia still seems unconvinced, but she nods as Deylia pauses. "...Continue."
Sensing that Deylia''s faltering a little, Xenia steps back in. "We thought it''d be a real draw to the place. A church, maybe associated with the Church of Bounty but not part of it, or a shrine entirely devoted towards, you know...fertility-related topics. Something that people can''t find anywhere else. It would sync up real well with Deylia''s current skillset. It would also really put the place on the map as being associated with your blessing, plus give you a sort of tie to dungeons that no other god''s got, am I right?"
The goddess does take a moment to consider that. "...Somewhat. Some dungeons have received divine servants before, as a result of Divine Favors they have exchanged. But there is certainly something about this one...Deylia Niyen, your new body courses with divine energy, do you know this? With most mortals, even the greatest of clerics must receive their power from the god they worship. But you generate your own, even before we have made any pact! I''ll admit, your form is very...tempting to me."
The unconfirmed Priestess shivers a bit at the thought of what that might mean. "...Thank you?"
"Mrmm. You know, I can read part of your soul - I can see the manner in which you died. Tell me, child. This man you took the place of, who you gave your life for...do you love him?"
Deylia pauses for a moment, but answers honestly. "...No, your grace."
A divine eyebrow rises in surprise. "No? Yet you did intentionally trade your life for his?"
"I - I didn''t exactly think it through, your grace. Not that I regret it! I''ve always taken great pride and satisfaction in helping others. My mistress...former mistress Sansie most of all, but any others of our house as well. It always helped me feel like I was making a direct impact in the world, making it a better place."
"An admirable trait in a mortal...and doubly so in a Priestess. Hrmm...your body is that of a dungeon tier ''B'', not terrible, but not as powerful as it could be, or eventually will be should things go well." She eyes the Maid for a moment, considering some of her options. "There are a great many blessings I could teach you, but only so many you would currently be capable of being a conduit for. Blessing of Increased Fertility, of course, but also the Blessings of Prodigious Progeny, of Milk, of Easy Birth, of the Divine Rod...mrmm, the Blessing of Rapid Gestation would likely still be beyond your capacity."
"The..the Divine Rod?"
Kahlia smirks. "For when a man needs the help of the gods to be able to get it up. An example of what people come to my worshipers for...is this what interests you?"
Deylia swallows. "I''ve never considered myself particularly devout in life - but the opportunity to help preserve and create life in a dungeon, rather than end it? To help people? That sounds like an excellent form of afterlife to me, your grace."
"Hrmph. Well, Xenia, you are indeed a wonder of a saleswoman, I daresay you have me convinced - although we will hold off on the topic of her specific title until she has proven herself. Luckily, as a semi-divine being, I can send inspirations to your newest guardian for training without the need for any dimensional travel or my personal time, however this will not be a quick process. I will begin with some of the simpler Blessings before we decide on a title to grant the woman, to give us an opportunity to see how things go, and how well-suited this new form of hers is to her task."
Xenia grins widely at the compliment. "An opportunity''s all I ask! How exactly will these ''inspirations'' work?"
"Well, normally they would take the form of inspired dreams, but you dungeon creations do not sleep, do you? A meditative state will also do the trick, however. Do you think yourself up to this?"
Deylia seems uncertain, but Xenia nods. "I''ve actually picked up a lot of meditation techniques over the years, I can probably handle teaching her a few things. Is there anything else we need to do?"
"That should be all for now. As I said, I''ve been noting the progress you''ve been making on your other goals of late. Keep the babies coming, and I''m sure we''ll find our dealings in the future will continue to be...fertile." A twinkle appears in the goddess'' eye, and Xenia has to resist a groan as the pair are sent back home.
Once they''ve returned, Xenia looks over to her new Priestess. "So! Not too bad, right? Pretty chill? How do you feel now that you''ve gotten the divine blessing...more or less literally...on your new job title? Still feeling up for it?"
The brown-furred rabbit-woman needs to take a seat before she can answer the question. "I still have trouble believing all of this is really happening, to be honest. I understand why you wanted to get that meeting out of the way first, but I still feel as if I''m going to go to bed tonight and wake up tomorrow back at the inn, or the manor. I don''t...I''m sorry." She closes her eyes, resting her face in one palm as she leans on the table. "I''m sorry. I still don''t know if I can do this. Did you seriously just ask a god to turn me into a prophet!? I''m just a maid! I think I might have made a huge mistake."
"Hey, hey!" Xenia leans forward, resting a hand on Deylia''s shoulder. "Nobody is ever just an anything, Deylia. If you haven''t done much yet, that just means you''ve still got potential left to shape! And no one''s expecting anything from you tomorrow, either. It''ll take me...oh, at least a week to teach you proper meditation, I bet. Then maybe weeks or months for all your Priestess training. Til then, you can take all the time you need. If you want to chill in your apartment or Floor Four or whatever, feel free. If you want to get used to hanging out on Floor Five, passing out the boosts you''ve already got or whatever, you can do that too. Besides!" Xenia shoots the woman a bright smile. "I think you and I definitely need to spend some time getting to know each other, too. For starters - we''re throwing a party tonight and you''re absolutely invited."
Deylia''s eyebrows rise. "A party? To...celebrate getting a new floor boss?"
"Huh, yeah, we can definitely throw that in there too. But mostly, at midnight we''re gonna be hitting a milestone day, and that means free shit! So what do you say? Ready to chill out, drink a ton of free magic booze, and make some new friends?"
It takes her a moment, but the Maid does eventually give Xenia a small smile. "I suppose that wouldn''t be such a bad start to an afterlife. But if we''re going to be friends, please - call me Del."
"You got it, Del. Welcome to Worthy Dungeon."
Chapter 163: The Big Two-Oh-Oh
It was a party night again on Floor Four, but not just a party - it was also the biggest party the dungeon had thrown yet, even accounting for the holiday celebrations over the recent weeks. Since the last time the dungeon had hit a milestone date the dungeon staff had of course expanded to include Taly, Trush, and Deylia. But on top of that Trush''s four Squires were also out and about, and BB was being far more chatty than he had been the last time around. Even more than that, this party had something special: guests. There was Beatrice, of course, but Sely was also present and hanging out with her sister, Paladin Sable and Priestess Lilly were chatting up some of the rabbit-folk, and a quartet of magma elementals were present, mostly in an attempt to show off their new forms to their water elemental kin.
All in all, Xenia found herself looking around at the crowd enjoying the drinks, food, games, drinks, company, and drinks, and was...happy. Despite the stresses of trying to get Deylia caught up on the basics of dungeon life, everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction for the dungeon these days. She had asked people to give Del her space and not overwhelm her, but somewhat to her surprise BB actually seemed to have latched on to her a bit, and appeared to be...charming her? Definitely something to look into later. Mostly, part of her was watching out for what would inevitably go wrong and ruin the evening, if not the whole new year, but the rest of her was doing its best to clamp down on that and make sure a smile stuck to her face.
Still, a nervous part of her can''t help asking Guy a question, after she slips away from the commotion of getting the party kicked off. "So, Guy! You got a good feeling about what we''ll be unlocking tonight?"
"I tremble with anticipation, ma''am. You''ve surely done many things no other dungeon has before, so it''s only a question of whether or not the system will properly recognize it and reward your efforts!"
"Ha, here''s hoping." She takes a swallow from her mug before moving on to her real point. "Just to check, these milestones don''t ever have like...bad unlocks in them, right? Like, ''congratulations, your dungeon will now be swarmed by an ocean of spiders every other Tuesday'' or something?"
The screen tilts in her direction. "...Bad unlocks, ma''am? I can''t imagine why the gods would add such a thing - even if there were an ability like the sort you mention, it would surely be an optional power under your control."
"Cool, cool, just checking." Xenia scans the crowd, making sure the elementals aren''t setting her forest on fire, or that BB hasn''t started stabbing Trush''s Squires, an event which did unfortunately occur several parties back. They did claim it was a consensual stabbing, but it still had a way of deflating the mood at a party. In the interest of the party''s mood, however, Guy asks a question of their own.
"Are you alright, ma''am? No issues with Kahlia? Concerns about Deylia? Well, if so, it would be entirely understandable, but surely you can put them out of your mind and enjoy an evening for yourself, yes?"
The dungeon master gives a quiet chuckle. "Heh, I mean, yeah, I suppose there''s all that. But it''s just...I am literally cursed, you know. Maybe all that bad curse energy got sucked out of me into fueling those dungeon attributes, but I doubt it. So it''s just, you know...usually it''s moments like this where I gotta watch out, and make sure my bad luck isn''t about to kick down the door and flip everything over."
"I see. I would claim that you are being paranoid, but I suppose it would be rude of me to discard your personal experience. I must ask, have you given any thought to having the curses removed? It may not be easy, but you do potentially have quite a bit of time on your hands."
Xenia shakes her head. "Have spent a few runs at least looking into it, but from the sounds of it, the curses are getting more ingrained into me on every run. Even Kahlia said it would be a major undertaking for her at this point, did I mention that? Maybe as we keep accumulating Challenger skills, something will come up...we did pick up Hexcraft a few weeks back, and that had some interesting stuff in it, though the Challenger we got it from was only an Expert. But I''m not holding my breath."
"Well, in the short term at least, even if I can''t guarantee you a lifetime of happiness, I think at least I can proclaim that you deserve to enjoy this one party. So how about you go out there and enjoy yourself, eh?"
Reaching over to give the guide a pat on the back of the screen, Xenia nods. "Sounds like good party wisdom, Guy. Do have a lot of friends out there to mingle with - I''ve hardly even had time to try and bug your real name out of you, but I ain''t forgotten! Still on the Worthy Dungeon to-do list!"
"Spend no extra energy on my account, ma''am. Please, just have some fun."
By time Xenia''s made her way over towards Del, the Floor One boss had already departed for another group, but the dungeon master decides to check in anyways and make sure the relatively newly-sapient rabbit man hadn''t been being a creep. "Hey, Del. Saw you talking with BB, yeah? Sorry if he''s a bit of an oddball, you might notice a bit of a difference between the bosses who are reincarnates and the ones who ain''t."
The Maid flicks a rabbit ear in Xenia''s direction, and then freezes for a moment as she realizes what she just did. Deciding to move on rather than bring attention to it, she simply answers the question asked of her. "BB? I suppose that does sound a bit friendlier than ''Bloody''. But nothing to apologize for! He''s actually rather cute when I''m not locked in a life-or-death struggle with the man."
"Cute, huh? And yeah, guess your team did fight the dude that one time." She pauses before continuing. "...The attraction going both ways, there? The boy hitting on you?"
Del seems amused by the tone in Xenia''s voice. "I believe he was, yes. Is that a problem? Not that I''m saying anything will come of it, but I''ve been led to believe that the guardians of this dungeon are rather...open."
Xenia snorts. "Yeah, that''d be one way of putting it. And it''s not a problem, I just haven''t been sure if BB''s all talk or actually any action when it comes to romance stuff, to be honest. He''s played a bit with the Squires, but I''m pretty sure the only other one he''s done any flirting with is me. And...uh. He kind of feels a bit like a son to me, a little bit, for some reason? Which is probably an oddity on my end which I should stop doing or things are gonna get real creepy around here."
That line of thought manages to confuse the Priestess somewhat. "Why would it be creepy? I suppose you have, in a sense, raised the man, yes? One might even say the dungeon gave birth to him, in a metaphorical way perhaps."
"That''s truuuueee...but then I also had to watch the boy having a threesome with Ashadi and Namasha a couple parties back. The uh, Squire girls, if you ain''t been introduced. Who are also technically part of me."
Del goes silent at that revelation, not sure what the proper response ought to be. "...I see." After another moment, her eyes narrow in Xenia''s direction. "...So you''re saying if BB and I did engage in something, you''d..."
"Yeah, gonna have to live with it. Already seen you and that noble guy back on Floor Five the other day, and I gotta say, I was impressed that the dude put himself in the pillory and not you. Maybe he was worth taking a hit for after all, huh?"
"That - that was not why I did it!" Blushing, Del quickly works to find a change in subject. "So - tell me about Guy, hrmm? I''ve never heard anything about that particular member of the dungeon!"
Xenia nods as she accepts the topic shift. "Yeah, the guides are pretty low-key, I''m not even sure how much the Association knows about them. Not much, I''m guessing, they seem to be working on guesswork for most dungeon mechanics as far as I''ve noticed. Guy''s a representative of something bigger than just the dungeons though, they''re a member of the SGA."
"The - the what?"
"Spiritual Guides and Advisors. They''re a cross-realm organization of...divine agents? Sort of like angels, I guess. They show up to guide people who are instruments of the gods or fate in some way - dungeons, Heroes, Chosen Ones, people who get stuck in prophecies, that sort of thing. I''ve worked with a few of them over the years, their rules and styles change a bit from realm to realm."
The rabbit-woman grows more confused as she tries to slot that into the knowledge she already knows of the world. "But, hold on a minute. Agents of what, now? Or who? Some group of gods, or something?"
Xenia drains her current drink before nodding. "That''s a damn good question, ain''t it? They''re tight-lipped as hell about the SGA, though, usually you can''t even get them to admit there is an SGA. Sometimes takes me a lifetime to get them to spill anything, and half the time all I learn is the stuff they let slip by accident. I can say I''ve spotted em in more realms than I have any particular god, though."
"That''s...quite mystifying."
"Sure is! I don''t try to pry too hard, though, sometimes a little mystery keeps things interesting." Tossing her empty mug into the ether and summoning up a new one, Xenia refocuses on the woman next to her. "But speaking of mysteries, how about the mystery of Deylia Niyen, eh? What''s life like in the household of a noble, here? Did hear something about you having a younger brother?"
"Ah, yes, Dram! Trush mentioned you produced a shield for him, I hope it serves him well..."
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
The two continued talking for a while before splitting up and mingling with other groups, enjoying everything the party had to offer. Games had been set up for showing off both physical and magical talents, and while Deylia may have lacked much in the way of combat skills, the woman proved remarkably adept with tests relating to reflexes and balance. Sely and Lilly both asked a fair few questions on behalf of their respective organizations, but the booze flowing like water kept the atmosphere from becoming too business-like. A few couples may have wandered off into more private groves of the forest for short periods, but as no one wanted to miss the big announcement, such wanderings were kept short.
Finally, as the clock neared midnight, everyone gathered up in the main clearing around Xenia and Guy. Just before the big moment arrived Xenia fired off her avatar spell, allowing all of her guests to see her, although Guy''s actual announcements would need to be translated for them. After Sincere took charge of quieting down the hubbub, the clock ticked over.
Clearing their metaphorical throat, Guy starts off the announcements. "It seems we do indeed have some new achievements tonight! Would be rather embarrassing if we did not, now wouldn''t it? Haha!"
Xenia rolls her eyes. "I didn''t even wanna bring up the possibility and jinx it. Now come on, we''ve had enough suspense!"
"Of course, of course! Now, here we go!" With all of the words out of the way, new screens began to appear from the guide''s ''face''.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: SURVIVOR 4
YOU HAVE SURVIVED TWO HUNDRED DAYS. A SECOND DUNGEON BIOME THEME MAY BE SELECTED BASED ON NEIGHBORING BIOMES. WHEN A NEW FLOOR IS ADDED, SCHEMA UPGRADES BASED ON THAT BIOME WILL ALSO BE PROVIDED.
CURRENT BIOME: CAVE. AVAILABLE BIOME OPTIONS: FOREST, TOWN.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: BLOODTHIRSTY 2
YOU HAVE SLAIN AT LEAST FIFTY MORTALS IN YOUR FIRST TWO HUNDRED DAYS. WHEN A MORTAL CORPSE IS ABSORBED BY THE DUNGEON, THEIR LIKENESS MAY BE STORED FOR USE AS AN UNDEAD TEMPLATE. UP TO FIVE LIKENESSES MAY CURRENTLY BE STORED.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: SURPRISING CHALLENGE 2
YOU HAVE SLAIN AT LEAST TEN MEDIUM-POWERED OR STRONGER MORTALS IN YOUR FIRST TWO HUNDRED DAYS. YOU HAVE EARNED FIVE FREE RANDOM UPGRADES FROM THE SOUL STORE.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: EXPANSIONIST 2
YOU HAVE EXPANDED TO AT LEAST SIX FLOORS WITHIN YOUR FIRST TWO HUNDRED DAYS. YOU MAY DESIGNATE ONE ''SAFE FLOOR''. THIS FLOOR WILL HAVE TRIPLE THE CAPACITY.
TO BE DESIGNATED A SAFE FLOOR, NO MORTAL CAN HAVE BEEN SLAIN THERE IN THE PREVIOUS TWENTY-FIVE DAYS. IF A MORTAL IS SLAIN ON A SAFE FLOOR, THE DESIGNATION WILL BE REMOVED AND ANY EXCESS CAPACITY COSTS WILL BE DRAINED FROM PRIMARY DUNGEON MANA STORAGE UNTIL EXCESS IS REDUCED.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: BREEDER 1
YOU HAVE CREATED AT LEAST TWENTY MONSTER CROSSBREEDS. CROSSBREEDING ANALYSIS WILL NOW PROCESS 10% MORE QUICKLY.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: EXCEPTIONAL BREEDER 1
YOU HAVE CREATED AT LEAST FIVE MONSTER CROSSBREEDS FOR THE FIRST TIME BY ANY DUNGEON. SPECIFIC MONSTER SUBTYPES MAY NOW BE SPECIFIED FOR CROSSBREEDING ANALYSIS AT B TIERS.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: EXCEPTIONAL BREEDER 2
YOU HAVE CREATED AT LEAST TEN MONSTER CROSSBREEDS FOR THE FIRST TIME BY ANY DUNGEON. SPECIFIC MONSTER SUBTYPES MAY NOW BE SPECIFIED FOR CROSSBREEDING ANALYSIS AT C TIERS. DESIRED MONSTER TRAITS MAY BE SPECIFIED AT A TIERS.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: I THINK THEREFORE I AM
YOU HAVE CREATED AT LEAST FIVE SAPIENT BOSSES. PERSONALITY TYPES MAY NOW BE SELECTED FOR SAPIENT, NON-ENSOULED MONSTERS.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: RAVAGER 1
YOUR DUNGEON MONSTERS HAVE PERFORMED SEXUAL ACTS UPON MORTALS AT LEAST ONE DOZEN TIMES. VIRGINS AND THOSE BEHOLDEN TO AN OATH OF CHASTITY WILL SENSE THE RISK TO THEIR VIRTUE UPON ENTERING YOUR DUNGEON.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: RAVAGER 2
YOUR DUNGEON MONSTERS HAVE PERFORMED SEXUAL ACTS UPON MORTALS AT LEAST TWENTY-FIVE TIMES. MORTALS WHO LOSE THEIR VIRGINITY OR FAIL AN OATH OF CHASTITY WITHIN YOUR DUNGEON SHALL RECEIVE BONUS COMPENSATION UPON LEAVING THE DUNGEON, EQUIVALENT TO BOSS REWARDS FROM THE HIGHEST FLOOR THEY HAVE REACHED. OTHER MORTALS IMPACTED BY SEXUAL MONSTER ENCOUNTERS WILL RECIEVE 20% BETTER REWARDS ON THEIR NEXT BOSS DEFEAT.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: TOUCHED BY THE DIVINE
YOU HAVE ACQUIRED AT LEAST ONE DIVINE SERVANT. YOU MAY CHOOSE TO GRANT ONE MINOR DAILY BOOST OF VARIOUS KINDS TO ANY MORTAL VISITORS WHO FOLLOW .
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Xenia looks over the list and reads them aloud, nodding along and adding some additional commentary as she goes. "New upgrades, neat! Hrmm, creepy...nice freebies...ooh, this one should be perfect for Floor Five! ...We really need a better term for monster breeding, seriously." She pauses, her eyes going a little wider at the last three, which she neglects to read out loud to the party''s guests. "It''s been consensual! We run a consensual dungeon here! What the hell! ...Annnnd I gotta admit. I''m only surprised it took me this long to completely break something."
Chapter 164: The Value of Free Stuff
Xenia has to kneel over for a moment, putting her hands around her head and taking very deep breaths to calm herself before making any further announcements. The guests watching on are a bit concerned at the display, although given that a few of the dungeon bosses are attempting to suppress giggles as they walk over and read Guy''s screens for themselves, they at least don''t begin to grow too worried.
Eventually though the dungeon master recovers enough to stand back up and point an accusatory finger in Guy''s direction. "You said there were no bad achievements!"
"Well...it''s not really bad, is it? It''s free loot! Everyone loves free loot, do they not?"
"But the implications, Guy! Think of the implications! Oh, gods, what even are these!? A message from the gods going, ''hey, sorry our dungeon molested you, have a discount coupon as an apology''? And it''s a numbered series! There''s going to be more where those came from, probably! Ugh, good thing I''ve got the real avatar running now, I need to get really drunk."
Xenia staggers over to the nearest table before taking a seat and spawning herself an over-sized tankard of ale, before Beatrice comes over to ask the question on behalf of the party''s outside observers. "Okay, Xen, I''m getting the feeling something either awful or hilarious just happened. Mind explaining which it was?"
"It''s...actually, I think I need a Challenger viewpoint on this. Anyone here ever heard of a dungeon before where people get bonuses if they, uh...lose their virginity during an intrusion? Or stuff like that?"
There''s a lot of raised eyebrows and confused expressions, but after a moment a look of realization crosses Sely''s face. "Wait...you mean like with Darkest Pits? The so-called Ravager Dungeon?"
Taly still seems confused as she listens to her sister. "Eh? I don''t recall hearing of one by that name. What''s that one like?"
Sely''s eyes narrow a little as she watches Xenia. "Known for capturing Challengers alive and then doing unspeakable acts to them. Challengers being Challengers, and not prone to giving up, I understand the place had quite a long list of victims before it was finally slated for destruction. It was active in the Valleylands right around when they were revolting from the Dragonlord''s rule, so it gets overshadowed a bit in the history, but my church''s order of paladins was one of the forces used to subdue the place." She peers a little closer at the heavily-drinking dungeon master. "Any particular reason you''re asking?"
"Oh, great. The only other dungeon known for this shit got cracked open, just what I needed." Xenia sighs, and then looks back at Sely. "It''s nothing harmful, just an apparent assumption that any fornication involving a dungeon monster must be of the non-consensual kind. And apparently now I''m going to be getting a running tally of how many times a boss has boned a mortal, or vice-versa, so that''s gonna be fun." She pauses, and then glares at some of the couples who had been wandering off earlier that evening. "Wonder if we just tipped over the finish line for that second one tonight..."
Re-reading the achievement screen, Taly shrugs back at her boss. "Honestly, I''m with Guy on this one. Challengers love extra loot. Although...I don''t think we''ve ever had something going on and then they go to beat up some floor bosses..."
Trush snorts. "Yeah, how would we even put that into play? A party of Challengers comes down on Floor Two, then asks Lollyp if they can have some fun before they kill her?" He smirks, although it fades a little when he notices Lollyp actually looking thoughtful about it.
"Well, you know, if we were having a slow day or something...although it doesn''t say it''s gotta be on the same intrusion!"
"I don''t...I just..." Xenia slams her forehead down on the table. "How are we gonna tell people that they can get paid for boning a dungeon boss!?" She lifts her head back up to look over the assembled crew. "I mean, do you all even want every party coming by to be trying to chat you up?" To her despair, the majority of her staff actually seems to be considering it, although Dips does raise her hand to offer a different viewpoint.
"Yes! Because while they''re asking, they''ll be excellent targets for my javelins."
DEATH also has a similar line of thought. "IT WOULD MAKE FIGHTS MUCH MORE AMUSING IF THEY DID, I''LL SAY THAT MUCH."
"I suppose it would make working on Floor Five much more interesting..." As Xenia stares at Del, the Maid eventually gives a laugh. "Joking! I''m not that promiscuous a woman, you know! Although if I''m going to be honest, it''s that last display which concerns me more. Is that one...my fault, somehow?"
"Right, yeah, let''s move on to that one, shall we?" Xenia shakes her head. "Guy, any insights on what we broke there?"
The guide bobs in thought. "Well, now that I look into some of our new monster types more closely, I can say it''s certainly not Deylia''s fault. Rather, it seems that many of our new divine sprite crossbreeds are tagged as being ''divine servants'', by which I assume it means that normally, such a creature would only be available if granted to a dungeon by a god. None of them have been, however, and so there''s something of a broken link there. If Deylia is trained as a Priestess by Kahlia as you arranged earlier, perhaps it will complete that link with her information, but until then, the information is left blank."
"But what does that actually mean, now? If I try to use that ability, am I gonna explode? Or does ''followers of null'' mean atheists? Cause I''ll tell ya, those are real hard to find on a planet where the gods are actually wandering around and doin'' shit."
"Ha, well, I believe I can safely discount the risk of explosion. As to the specifics, my guess would be that it will either affect nobody, or it will affect anyone who hasn''t devoted their faith to a particular deity, or to some small subset of deities."
Xenia eyes her guests, with a disappointed look. "Man, sure am attracting a devout crowd of groupies these days, ain''t I? Ah, Beatrice, you''re still a godless heathen, right?"
The warrior looks around, a bit embarrassed by the looks the assembly''s paladin and clerics are sending her. "I mean, I don''t spurn the gods or anything, Xen. But I haven''t joined a church here if that''s what you mean."
"Good enough! Maybe. Well, we''ll find out, won''t we?" Calling forth her menus, Xenia finds the new option that was unlocked for her. "Boosts, boosts, what to pick...huh, fertility is an option, but not something we''re testing out tonight...ah, here''s an easy one to test." Xenia reaches out a hand, and across the meadow signs begin to appear, a staggered row going off into the distance. "Pick out the furthest one you can read and repeat it for me?"
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
"Um, alright. Let''s say...third one down, says...wait. That''s a picture of a dick made out of letters, Xen."
"Sure is! Okay, now, vision boost applied! Can you do the next one down?"
Beatrice blinks a few times. "Whoa, something just happened, it''s like my eyes lost focus for a moment there. Alright, alright, let''s take a look...okay, can do the fifth sign down now, and it''s...heavens, Xenia! Did you draw that entirely out of O''s and number threes?"
"And a few D''s! Underappreciated art form, really." Xenia snaps her fingers, re-absorbing the signposts to the disappointment of those who didn''t get to take a good look at them. "We can pick a new boost every day, but honestly, probably am going to go with that fertility option, at least til we hit our five from Floor Five. Now, what else, what else - oh yeah, biomes! Anyone know anything about those?"
Sable looks around, checking if anyone more expert than her wants to comment first. "Well, the basics are pretty well known, I suppose. Everyone knows dungeons take on forms similar to their environments, but that larger dungeons have more variety. Like, take the Fire Sands for example. Starts off with an ocean theme, beach-side caves and stuff, but deeper down it starts getting more volcanic. That ''Forest'' option you mentioned is pretty common too, there''s a couple of forest-based dungeons out there. They tend to grow wide rather than deep, mostly. Lots of monsters based on wild animals, plant monsters, insects, that sort of thing. That ''Town'' option though...that one sounds strange to me."
Sincere picks up the explanation from there. "Artificial themes for dungeons are certainly much more rare. Dungeons do form in ancient ruins from time to time, and on other continents I''ve seen at least one dungeon based out of an ancient fortress - although virtually nothing remained of the actual original structure by time I saw it. Such dungeons do seem to be themed based on the culture they formed within, though I don''t know if that''s based on special unlocks or just how it affected their sense of style. ''Town'', however...I''m not sure I''ve seen a dungeon themed after a town. Perhaps most dungeons don''t acquire nearby towns until later in their development...or they form far too close to a town and are destroyed or stolen while they''re still quite young."
Xenia nods along. "Yeah, that all makes sense. As for what to pick...well, Forest sounds like a waste for us." She waves her hand around, indicating the forest they are all currently occupying. "So I''m thinking Town. Anyone opposed?" No one speaks up, so after a few moments Xenia goes through her menus once again. "Town it is. This oughtta be interesting..."
As she taps the button, Guy shivers slightly. "Ah! It appears we have a few backlogged upgrades waiting for us, one moment!" Sure enough, another screen full of unlocks soon appears.
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FLOORS 1-7 CREATED
ADDING NEW BASE ''TOWN'' MATERIALS:
BRICKWORK (AVERAGE QUALITY)
CERAMICS (AVERAGE QUALITY)
PAINTS (LOW QUALITY)
LEAD (LOW QUALITY)
NEW BASE ''TOWN'' CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED:
RODENTS: D+
ARACHNIDS: C
AVIANS: C
EQUINES: D-
BOVINES: F
FELINES: D-
CANINES: D
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Xenia smiles at the list. "Nice, nice. Now I can take Challengers out through the hazards of lead piping. I''m not...really sure about bovines, but I like the sound of felines!" Waving a hand, a tuxedo-colored cat suddenly appears on the table in front of her. "Kitty!"
A number of excited sounds circle around the table, although Taly seems a bit miffed. "Wait, you haven''t added a single dog to the dungeon and you''ve had canines since you damn near got started, but you gotta make a cat the instant you get the option?"
Xenia shrugs as she scoops the animal up and begins to pet it. "What can I say, just always been a cat person. Or bunny, I guess, if it''s an option." Looking around, she spies a number of envious glances. "...Do I need to start making some pets for people?"
Trush rubs his chin. "The dungeon might not be the safest spot for a dog to run wild in, even a dungeon-spawned one. But...perhaps a cat or two for the apartments wouldn''t be amiss."
"Fine, fine, we''ll sort out who gets what later. Next up, more freebies! Got some random upgrades, so let''s see what the great RNG has to offer us, eh?" Xenia hits another command from her menu, and soon enough another screen appears.
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REWARD SPENT: SURPRISING CHALLENGE 2
FIVE FREE RANDOM UPGRADES FROM THE SOUL STORE ACQUIRED:
- WANDS TO B-
- AVIANS TO C+
- SPRITES (DIVINE) TO D
- BONE ACCESSORIES TO B
- METAL ARMOR TO A-
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The dungeon master cheers as she goes over the list. "Whoo! Divine sprites up one, that could help nudge up a bunch of our crossbreeds. And our first A tier! Trush, you''re getting a new kit! I''d offer you some, Beatrice, but I''m pretty sure yours is still a few steps higher than that."
Sable grins along with the dungeon bosses. "Better gear means better loot too, yeah? Maybe I should do an actual dungeon run again sometime now - unless you don''t mind handing out some freebies to a good friend of the dungeon."
"Excuse you, how many free drinks have you had tonight? Only armor you''re getting for free is chainmail bikini armor."
The paladin stops to consider what free armor might be worth. "...Would it be enchanted chainmail bikini armor, or..."
Xenia gives her an evil smirk. "Yeah, with a charisma boost, like the rabbit ears I handed out to that one dude ages back."
At that, Beatrice suddenly jolts upright in her seat. "Wait, Grizza''s gear? Oh yeah - open up that mana purse, Xen, we have got to see Sable in a set of this."
Chapter 165: Exposure
There was quite a stir in Grassbrook the next morning, as the residents of the town got to see something they had never seen before. Something that had perhaps never been seen before at all, really. Sable and Lilly walked their way down the main street, both of them looking quite red in the face this morning in their new enchanted gear, although Lilly''s color was of course from furious blushing.
For starters, they were both wearing chokers with blue gemstone features, providing a generous amount of cold resistance. It was the middle of winter, after all, and they would need that particular bit of protection to survive the rest of their outfits. On the top of their heads sat pairs of rabbit-ear headbands, both vastly improved over the early model Grizza had once obtained. Not only were the base materials several tiers higher now, but the enchantment was likewise notably stronger.
The rest of their outfits shared similar themes but were quite different in the details. Sable was indeed wearing the threatened chainmail bikini for her top and bottoms, although she had at least negotiated a leather underlayer so that it wasn''t entirely transparent to the winter winds and staring eyes. Lilly''s outfit meanwhile was constructed of draping cloth, two large pieces of fabric hanging over her chest and displaying the symbol of the Church of Bounty, while her bottoms were essentially a long, gold-embroidered white loincloth. Carefully hidden straps kept everything street-legal, although it was plain the Priestess had left her underwear in her bottomless bag for the day. Following each of the pair was a fluffy bunny tail, fixed to the back of their bottoms.
Protecting their feet were, perhaps almost as unusually, pairs of thigh-high high heels. Sable''s were actually made of steel armor while Lilly''s matched the white of her garment, but they were both enchanted with boosts to agility that made them actually practical for combat use, if one were so inclined to try them out. The rest of their outfits were, of course, enchanted to boost physical charisma.
It was still the working theory that the enchantment worked by making the wearers resemble more closely the image that their audience wished to see, and as the two walked into town, it appeared that what the townsfolk wanted to see was even more skin than the two were already displaying. With so many stacked enchantments the women were perhaps the most beautiful anyone in town had ever seen, with every single flaw and blemish completely wiped away. Lilly''s hair flowed like water, Sable''s short horns curved far more elegantly than they ever had before, and both had piercing eyes that looked as if they could peer into a mortal''s soul. Meanwhile, despite the fact that their outfits remained structurally sound, somehow they managed to move about with every step and gust of wind as if they were about to cause the pair to flash everyone who saw them. Lilly''s breasts looked at least a cup size or two larger than they already were, displaying an impressive amount of cleavage, while the bulge in Sable''s bottoms was equally apparent.
That wasn''t any larger due to enchantments, however. Sable was just really enjoying the attention.
Lilly is somewhat less excited as she hisses under her breath to her companion. "This is the last time you talk me into joining you on one of your bets!"
"Are you crazy, Flower Girl? Enchanted accessories, headpiece, chestpiece, bottoms, boots? Two complete sets? Do you have any fuckin'' idea how much coin we just walked out of the dungeon with? I''d lose a bet like this every single day if I could!" Sable grins as she recalls the events that got them this windfall. A sparring challenge had been issued between Beatrice and Sable, with the stakes being that the loser would have to wear an outfit of Xenia''s worst impulses for the entire next day. Sable had agreed if they made it a two-on-two, and so Lilly and Sincere had been added into the fray as magical support, with the caveat that Sincere wouldn''t use any of his ''time fuckery''. Despite everyone''s warnings however Sable had greatly underestimated the magic-less Beatrice, hence their current situation.
As she passes a vendor''s stand where three men are busy collecting their dropped jaws, Lilly sighs. "But why did you decide to walk right down the main street of town!? If Beatrice had lost, she wouldn''t be showing off to anyone other than the dungeon bosses right now!"
Sable shoots a smirk at a gawking woman, who almost faints at the sight of the angelic, demonic, barely-dressed paladin. "You know why, Flower Girl - the others needed a distraction. Besides..." Sable trails off before leaning over and whispering in Lilly''s ear. "We stay out here another twenty minutes, just think how excited we''re both going to be by time I get you home, eh?"
"...I suppose we could walk down one or two more streets on our way there..."
Just outside the main town district, a sober discussion was being held in a tent in House Perlin''s camp. The house had brought a fairly sizable collection of servants and retainers, as had House Highbranch, and there wasn''t remotely enough room at the inn for everyone. Instead tents had been set up in the area once used as the temporary Association headquarters, with of course a number of protective enchantments to keep the weather out. It was still a far less comfortable place to hold a meeting at than the Lucky Bastard''s common room, but the Perlins had quite a few people they needed to talk with this morning.
The first of those was Thunder Priest Palm Redbeard, the lead cleric of the Perlin expedition, who was sitting in the main tent across a table from the house''s core adventuring party. The Perlins weren''t particularly tied to the Goddess of Storms, or to any god really, but it was always wise to include a man with some influence over the weather when traveling in the middle of winter. There were other reasons he had been brought along however, and it was those that were the topic of discussion today.
Arlon Perlin continued where he had left off. "I did check the enchantments on the...container, Priest, and I compliment you on your work. They should serve well to...protect Deylia''s remains until they can be transported home, as best as anything could - damn the roads in this season, especially out in this region."
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The man, who did indeed sport a thick red beard, nods in agreement with the younger lord. "All the more reason this young town needs noble attention, my lord. And I''m honored to do what I can for the young miss. I take it you have more pressing business with me, however?"
Sansie nods. "As you know, we brought you and some of the others along as supporters for our primary party - to fill in temporarily if one of us were injured, sick, or simply busy. After Deylia...you are the next most qualified healer in the expedition. Which is to say, Priest - are you prepared to join on our dungeon intrusions full-time? We still have yet to clear the dungeon, and we must, even now."
"I''m up for it, my lady. I''ll admit I''m not as highly-leveled as the young Maid was, or as specifically trained in the healing arts, as I''ve rarely done much Challenging this past decade. I am still an Expert rank, however, and I''ll gladly serve the needs of House Perlin."
Sitting a bit further away from the table, Raylin scoffs. "Perhaps we should find a replacement for me while we''re at it. Highbranch must be loving this - not only did our cousins vanish in there entirely, but now we''ve lost poor Deylia, all on my foolishness? As if their family rank wasn''t enough advantage already, now we look like incompetents twice-over in comparison to them!"
Sansie puts a hand on his shoulder, although she struggles to put much comfort into her voice. "You''re not getting out of this yet, Raylin. Besides, the Highbranches have yet to challenge the dungeon themselves, they may yet prove even worse fools than we."
"I know that''s the outcome I''ll be hoping for! Although the dungeon must claim neutrality on the matter, I''m afraid." As the nobles look up in surprise, a guest enters the tent uninvited - a woman in strange, white priestly robes, followed by a second in a black cloak and hood. The robes are odd - they include a tall white hat of a style rarely seen outside of important ceremonies, and yet everything is very generic, with no symbols of any particular church or god on any part of them. What''s most distracting however is her face, one which is strangely familiar yet also somehow...off.
As her eyes widen, Sansie lets out a small scream. "DEYLIA!?" At the sound of her exclamation Raylin''s eyes go wide, the man turning as stiff as a board, while Arlon gets to his feet so quickly his chair goes tumbling.
"Deylia!? That - what...is it you?" Although Arlon''s voice remains reasonably calm, by instinct one hand begins to wander towards his weapon, especially after he gets a better look at the gray-skinned woman following after the former Maid.
"It is me, everyone - please, I know this must be a shock...it certainly was to me. But there''s nothing to fear here!"
Sansie cautiously begins to approach her old friend. "Deylia...did...something''s changed about you, hasn''t it? Your face..."
Deylia''s rabbit-like nose twitches a little as she brushes it with one hand. "You have a good eye, mistress. I''m afraid I may not be exactly...human any longer. I serve the dungeon now."
Raylin''s eyes somehow manage to grow even wider. "What? What did it do to you, Del?"
In response, Deylia pulls the clerical hat from her head, and the reason for her unusual fashion becomes clear as her over-sized rabbit ears reveal themselves. "I am, apparently, a lagomorph. Which is to say...a rabbit-woman."
The room goes silent at that statement, until eventually the sound of giggling breaks loose from Sansie''s lips. "A - a rabbit-woman? This - oh, Del, tell me this is a joke! I don''t understand, I thought there was some...religious process to becoming a servant of the dungeon? And if that''s so, how are you here?"
Taly steps forward, pulling down her own hood. She gives a slight bow to the nobles, although not as deep a one as would normally be due from a commoner. "Perhaps I can explain, my lords and ladies. I am Taly of Highfalls, currently Boss of Floor Six, of Worthy Dungeon. We haven''t had reason to meet yet in the dungeon, but we thought Deylia here could perhaps use some company on her trip out here."
Arlon turns his full attentions on her. "Yes, perhaps we should address that first - I do recognize you by description, but how are you here?"
Taly raises an eyebrow. "I know we haven''t been using it as much as we could, as we haven''t wanted to cause any panic, but I am a little surprised word of it hasn''t spread around a bit more by now. Our dungeon has a limited ability to send bosses beyond the dungeon borders. And since we weren''t sure if you''d be coming back up there anytime soon, Deylia here wanted to come and see you as soon as possible, to update you on her new...status." Fortunately, with Beatrice having returned for a lengthy stay, the dungeon now had two tourist slots available including the previous one thanks to Slooshy taking up residence inside. Given that Deylia still seemed to be in a half-shellshocked state so soon after her revival, Xenia had decided that it would be cold both metaphorically as well as literally to make her descend the mountain on her own.
Sansie''s expression loses a bit of its confusion, but it''s largely replaced by concern. "And what is that status, exactly? As a...rabbit-woman?"
Deylia picks up the explanation herself. "Well, as it turns out, the process with the Church of Bounty is rather more of just one particular path, and there are other circumstances where one may qualify to join the dungeon...although I''ve been asked not to speak on them in detail. But the short of it is that the particular manner of my demise did qualify me for a role within the dungeon, which I now have, thanks to the dungeon spirit taking an interest in me. As, um." The Maid swallows a bit before continuing. "I have been assigned as Floor Boss of Floor Five. Also, I have spoken with the Goddess Kahlia in regards to becoming one of her priestesses."
Raylin''s voice nearly squeaks as he focuses on the first half of that statement. "Floor Five!? Doing what!?"
"Helping people! I mean - not lasciviously! The dungeon plans to expand that floor into more of a resting and safety zone, aided largely by my own trained skills as a supporter. I will provide healing, perhaps boosts, at least to those on good terms with the dungeon."
Sansie shakes her head. "But - Del! You''re here, you''re free, aren''t you? I mean, yes, the ears and such might be a bit of a scandal, but...couldn''t you just come home, with us?"
The Maid smiles softly as she bows her head towards her former mistress. "I am not free from obligation and responsibility, my lady. The dungeon could force my return, but aside from that - I spoke with a goddess, Sansie! To her face!"
The expressions on the nobles grow a little pale at that, and even the reserved Redbeard finally has to speak up. "Wait, you were speaking literally before? The goddess herself asked you to become a priestess?"
Deylia turns to face the man. "Actually, it was at Xenia''s - the dungeon''s - request. Although it sounds to be a beneficial arrangement to all involved."
"The - the dungeon makes requests of a goddess? And the goddess answers them? That''s - I had no idea the dungeons were so close to the divine! I''ve been a man of the faith all my life, and have never heard so much as a whisper from Roe! Not that I would have expected to, of course. But this is incredible! You''ve accepted the training, of course?"
"Of course. As you can imagine we have much to discuss, even within the limitations of what the dungeon has asked that I not share. But, first..." Deylia trails off as she turns towards Raylin. "...Might Honorable Raylin and I have a moment alone?"
Chapter 166: Adaptations
After a brief bit of discussion, the others agree to step outside the tent for a while where they would certainly be continuing their questioning with Taly. Once Deylia and Raylin are alone in the small space she looks at the man, and notices just how pale he''s become. She''d say he looks as if he''s seen a ghost...but that''s really rather close to the truth of things, considering. Deciding to try and make things more casual, she nods towards the table. "Raylin...ah, might I sit?"
The noble quickly nods and pulls a chair out for her, righting Arlon''s tumbled seat while he''s at it. "Of course! I - Deylia! Allow me to apol - " The words are shushed by a finger on his lips, as Deylia takes the offered chair.
"That''s what I wanted to speak with you about, Raylin. You have nothing to apologize for. My actions were entirely of my own free will."
Raylin reclaims his own seat, shaking his head. "But you only had to take them because of my own. But I don''t...I don''t understand, Deylia. Sansie is your mistress, not I. And what we had...it was good, but it was not..."
He trails off, but Deylia finishes his statement for him. "Not love. No, Raylin, I did not do it for love. Nor obligation, though some might say there was honor in my sacrifice."
"There certainly was, and I''ll be sure to let everyone know of it! But then, why?"
A slight smile touches the Maid''s lips. "To be honest, had I a few minutes to think about it, I probably wouldn''t have done it. But in the moment, with a split-second decision? I just...I suppose I knew I would always regret it if I didn''t. Knowing I could have saved your life and not. Every time Sansie would have mentioned you, I would have remembered my own lack of action...and I suppose I''d rather regret something I did do than something I didn''t. Not that I expected to be in a position where I could regret anything at this point."
Raylin''s smile is a bit rueful. "And now I''m the one who needs to regret. But...if you''re happy now, I will try to take that to heart. You are...happy? With your...situation?"
Deylia needs to look away for a moment, considering her response. "To be honest, at the moment it still feels quite unreal. So much has happened! I''ve...I''ve learned so much, and I feel like I''ve only just begun! And I will miss being with Sansie, and you and the others. But...I think it''s a place where I could learn to be happy, yes. The others, my new colleagues, seem quite...cheerful about everything, after all."
"Yes, your new position is rather...something. A priestess of the Goddess of Fertility? And managing the infamous Floor Five? I know you said it wouldn''t be ''like that'', but it''s certainly an, ahum." Raylin clears his throat, looking a little awkward. "An interesting career shift?"
"Yes, well..." Deylia looks around, making sure no one''s listening at the tent entrance before leaning in with a whisper. "I didn''t want to say as much in front of Sansie or the others, but, well...I have the option of making it ''like that'' if I choose to, and, ah..." Deylia checks the tent flap one more time. "Apparently the dungeon just gained access to a new ability, where anyone who has a sexual encounter with a dungeon monster gains bonus rewards on their next boss victory. Quite new, not even the Association knows about it yet."
Raylin''s eyes grow a bit wide, not entirely sure if Deylia is implying what he thinks she is. "Are you suggesting that the next time I visit, we should..." Deylia responds with a smirk.
"Well, it might not be just you, of course. We hardly had a proper relationship before my demise, and now I''d say monogamy is quite off the table - at least as far as Challengers are concerned. But perhaps it will help show you I feel no ill will towards how things played out, hrmm? Also...perhaps it will encourage you to continue challenging the dungeon? I don''t want my death to ruin your desire to continue trying, Raylin."
"That''s, ah, certainly more than I feel I deserve, to be honest. And I see you''re still supporting our house''s claims on the region, ha?"
"Mrmm, I should say, the dungeon certainly has no particular interests in the competition, not that we''ve discussed it much so far. I think she might be rather cross with me if I do anything to blatantly favor one party over another. That said, of course my loyalties remain with you and House Perlin."
"I''m glad to hear it. Is there anything I can do for you, however?"
"Well, now that you mention it, perhaps it would be good if I could write a quick letter to my brother? Might you pass me the writing utensils there?" Raylin does so, sliding some paper and a quill set over towards her, and the Maid begins to write. "In the meanwhile, why don''t I tell you a bit more about meeting the goddess? It was nothing like I would have expected, I can tell you that!"
"Yes! That sounds amazing, I''d love to hear it!" Raylin leans over with interest, although as he does so, he notices something interesting. While Deylia has written down a few words to her brother Dram on one sheet of paper, a second next to it appears to be getting used for an entirely different purpose. As Deylia describes the Eternal Forest...her hand is busy sketching out a map.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Half an hour later Taly and Deylia are in another part of the camp, picking through a few containers. Deylia''s personal items had been packed up to be sent back to her family, and some of them would still be heading in that direction, but there were a few mementos the woman wouldn''t mind keeping at hand. As they sort through the bags and boxes, Taly checks in on her new companion.
"So...feeling better? I know it was rough for me, that first talk with Sely - and she knew immediately what had happened to me, I didn''t ''come back from the dead'' for her like you did with the Perlins there."
Deylia nods. "I do, actually. I''ll admit, part of me does wish I could just stay out here, or return home, but I understand that''s not an option. At least I''ve managed to settle my affairs I suppose, and I feel relieved that I''ve set Raylin somewhat at ease."
"I can imagine. Although..." Taly pauses in her sorting, thinking something over. "I dunno, I wouldn''t write off going home one day entirely, you know. At least for a visit. I mean, sure, right now we only have one or two slots open and we need those for other business. But we''re in this for the long haul, and who knows? Worthy Dungeon''s done crazier things, maybe one day we''ll have dozens of people hanging out in the dungeon, and we''d have plenty of room to spare for you taking a vacation or something."
Deylia snorts at the thought. "What, reliably? I know in larger dungeons it''s not uncommon for parties to need to camp out for multiple days, particularly when it doesn''t use shortcut portals. But a party of half a dozen might leave at any time, and then poof, you lose half a dozen ''slots'', isn''t that right?"
"Yeah, we''d definitely need to be a lot bigger for that to be reliable, also it''s probably way more likely to happen when it ain''t so fuckin'' cold out here. Unless...we somehow got..." Taly''s eyes lose focus for a few moments, but just as Deylia''s about to ask what''s happened, she refocuses on the Maid. "Del, I can''t wait to get back to tell Xenia something. I just had a terrible idea."
As usual there were no Challenger parties at the dungeon that day, as Challengers tended to avoid recently-milestoned dungeons until a fresh Association inspection could be done. Likewise, Association teams avoided dungeons on that particular day as they would often still be in flux as the dungeon made various upgrades. The next morning however, Alizz and her team were first up the mountain. Although Sely had of course informed Alizz about much of what had occurred at the party, an official inspection still needed to be done.
Or at least, they thought they were the first up the mountain, but as Alizz, Kelsey, Sely and Renter make the final turn they''re beaten to the top by a flash of lightning. As they blink away the spots in their eyes they notice the lightning standing there, waving to them. "Ah, hey there! Didn''t see ya, didn''t fry no one or nothin'', right?"
After doing a quick check of her team, Alizz shakes her head. "Ah, seems we''re all fine...Zappy, yes? We haven''t seen you around here for a while, have we?" Behind the elemental, Doorman shouts out in agreement.
"Been a few weeks! How''s my apprentice been doing?"
"Alright! Well...bored. Everything''s so dull when it''s cold out! No one''s climbing the mountains, the air feels dryer, and there''s hardly any birds for me to play with!"
Alizz opens her mouth to ask just how a lightning elemental plays with birds, and then thinks better of it. "That''s...too bad. People do tend to stay indoors more during the winter, yes."
"Yeah, it''s supposed to be hotter down south though, right? Was heading in that direction, but figured I''d check in! See what''s charged! I mean, changed!"
Doorman gives the flickering woman a smile. "Then you picked a good time to come by! You might want to talk to Sincere and your elemental friends when you get a chance, I understand there''s been big changes for them recently. As for the rest of you..." Doorman turns his gaze on Alizz and her party. "I imagine you''re here for an official inspection, yes? Will you be reviewing the entire dungeon today?"
The drider shakes her head. "Fortunately, Worthy Dungeon isn''t known for redesigning its early floors to any large degree, though if you have I''d certainly appreciate a heads up. But otherwise we''ll probably focus on the last few floors, see if we can perhaps clear Floor Seven ourselves today."
"I see, I see. Well in that case, I''ve been told to ask you to take the shortcut portals down to Floor Five today, then. There has indeed been a bit of a redesign, you might say."
The other members of the Association party take a cautious step back from Alizz as the drider narrows her eyes. "Floor Five, you say. Might I ask what this redesign has involved?"
"Sorry! I''ve been told not to spoil the surprise. ...Also I haven''t exactly seen it myself."
Zappy throws her hands in the air. "Well, I''m excited! Let''s see it!"
Alizz repeats the words, but with a very different emotion in her voice. "Yes...let''s see it."
The party, plus Zappy, make their way through the provided shortcut portal one by one and indeed find a Floor Five that they do not at all recognize. The room they''ve stepped out into doesn''t look at all like Section One of the floor, or indeed any of the floor''s old sections. In fact the entire chamber matches no other space they''ve seen in the dungeon before. The room is two stories high, with an open first floor and the second containing a balcony looking down. The walls appear to be made of a mix of brick and wooden supports, and large wooden beams hold up a certainly fake ceiling also made of wood, from which hang a number of iron chandeliers. Behind the balcony on the second floor are lined up a row of numbered doors, while the first floor is occupied by a number of open tables and...a bar. Deylia stands in one corner of the room, but behind the bar appears to be a number of other rabbit-folk bartenders or barmaids, none of them matching the squires Alizz remembers seeing before.
Much closer to the portal, standing behind another counter - and presumably upon a stepping stool of some sort - smiles Lollyp. "Alizz! Kelsey! ...Zappy? Well, welcome! To the Worthy Dungeon Floor Five Inn! Or as we call it here - the Rabbit Hole!"
Deylia shouts across the room from where she''s standing. "We''re not calling it that!"
Lollyp''s smile remains as she tries again. "Welcome to the Name Pending!"
Alizz smiles back, but it''s an expression forced to her face by default as she attempts to process exactly what it is she''s looking at. "Lollyp...what is Xenia up to now?"
Chapter 167: Chapter Name Pending
Lollyp returns Alizz''s forced smile with a genuine one of her own. "Xenia''s calling it a ''tourist trap''! Cause, it kind of seems like we''re getting more benefits to having Challengers spending time in the dungeon, doing stuff aside from just killing things, so we decided to give Floor Five an overhaul! Plus, especially in the wintertime, giving people an option to stay up here rather than climb the mountain every day seems like it''d be real appealing."
Alizz nods slowly. "So you''ve remodeled the floor into an...inn? That certainly seems unique."
"More or less, yeah - some Domain dungeons have similar spaces for residents, but nothing really designed for travelers like this. This room is just the public section, though - folks can come here without even trying the dungeon, if they want. We''re thinking free booze and snacks for folks actually trying the dungeon, but maybe a barter system if others just want to spend time here."
The Association Administrator frowns a little at that suggestion. "You know there''s rules against ''feeding'' dungeons, yes?"
"It''s not feeding, it''s bartering! I dunno, maybe we can put a cap on it or something, we''re still working it out. But same thing for the rooms, too, if you''re not trying the dungeon we''re probably going to charge something for em."
"...I may need to spend some time coming up with a few guidelines that can help me sell this as not violating the anti-feeding rules, but perhaps we can work something out. You say this is just the public section, though? Are there still others like before?"
This time, Lollyp''s grin grows even wider, and Alizz feels herself growing nervous in response. "Oh, yeah. Turns out, we''ve managed to make the floor a lot bigger."
Kelsey asks the question. "How big is ''a lot'', girl?"
"Well, for starters, ages back Xenia got the option to spend a floor unlock on giving an existing floor triple the capacity. And we did have an unused unlock thanks to our bodycount, so we went ahead and spent that."
Sely''s head tilts. "Wait, I thought you were referring to that other triple capacity thing you got just recently - that ''safe floor'' option?"
Lollyp''s grin reaches inhuman sizes. "Yup! And we went ahead and used that too!"
Alizz''s voice grows worried. "...Lollyp..."
"And did you know that apparently those kinds of bonuses..."
"...Lollyp."
"They kind of stack? Like, multiplicatively?"
The drider''s eyes grow large. "Lollyp. Are you saying this floor is nine times larger than a normal dungeon floor?"
The slime nods. "Well, potentially! We haven''t gone and built that all out overnight, of course! I think we''re barely even at a quarter of the space so far."
Renter Forst, the newest member of the Association team and a man generally willing to let others handle the talking, finally steps forward with a question. "Hold on, hold on now. I don''t know no numbers or anything on what a floor''s ''capacity'' actually is, but I know you had Floor Five divided up into a whole pile of rooms before all this. If you''re turning this into an inn - just how many rooms is that?"
"Right, well, Floor Five had five sections of five chambers each before, and Xenia figures she could''ve maybe fit in one, maybe two more sections. Which is to say - "
Alizz cuts in with the math. "Floor Five can now support almost three hundred rooms!?" As Lollyp nods again, Alizz adds a quick followup. "And for the rest - traps, monsters? How many is that?"
"Well, the ''trap'' capacity is going to be mostly taken up by adding in working plumbing and stuff like the booze taps - amazing idea, by the way. Instead of having to mana up every individual drink someone orders, turns out Xenia can just put an upfront daily cost into a tap and any bartender can pour one out for her! Stuff like the hot springs has an upkeep cost, too, so that''s not gonna be every room for sure. And it''s not all gonna be small private rooms like before either, like you can see here."
Alizz presses the point. "And monsters?"
"Yeah, so, assuming we go with Rabbit Champions for the staff, which are a little more expensive than your basic skeleton or whatever...well, at least a hundred or so. Maybe more, though it''s not like there''d be space for them if we''re reserving all of that room for Challengers to use. Bad news is, it seems like the bonus doesn''t apply to boss slots, there''s still only one. Although since it is a non-combat floor, we could multi-boss it like Floor Four and take the hit on each boss''s individual power. Could maybe do four or five before their ability to do boosts diminishes to uselessness, if they start off as good at it as Deylia."
Alizz turns to look at the rabbit-woman, standing quietly off to the side. "Yes, Deylia - Sely told me somewhat of your current...situation. Is this part of your new role as Kahlia''s priestess? Would we see more such priests, if you do as Lollyp suggests?"
Deylia bows her head slightly as she steps forward. "We have not really discussed adding others of my role - I haven''t even begun my own training yet! Perhaps down the line...although in any case, there''s hardly a need for any immediate expansion for as long as we still have no clientele."
Kelsey chuckles as he looks around at the place. "Well, I think you''ll be seeing some before long, that''s for sure. It ain''t gonna be a problem, though, having folks living in the dungeon full time? To be honest, I''m not sure myself on the details of how the Domain works it out with its collaborator dungeons."
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Lollyp''s grin fades a little as she hears the question. "Yeah, it''s a worry. It sounds like the increased capacity''s actually helped Xenia with managing the number of ongoing intrusions though, and we might get into the habit of like, a forced check-out after folks finish a run to close off intrusions and make sure people don''t get in the habit of leaving their stuff here. Unless they want their shit eaten by the dungeon when they leave, of course."
Alizz shakes her head a little in disbelief. "Yes, I''m sure it has helped. Lollyp, The entire dungeon is only seven floors deep! Xenia''s just doubled her capacity overnight! More than!"
"Amazing, ain''t it? Though a bit of a risk, too - if we build the whole thing out and then someone actually dies on this floor, it''s gonna end up completely draining Xenia''s mana supply to maintain it until we can close it down or earn the safe floor requirement back."
Kelsey picks back up with his own questions. "Right, speaking of - you say this is just the public section? You''re still doing the floor-themed sections past this?"
Lollyp''s smile returns in force. "Folks can still ''rent out'' those rooms if they''ve cleared the matching floor, yeah, but we also got one more semi-public area, only for people who''ve actually beaten the first four floors. We''re calling it the Fiver''s Lounge at the moment."
"Well, that''s certainly a better name than - " Alizz cuts herself off as she notices Deylia suddenly growing rather flushed. "...Lollyp. What''s this ''Fiver''s Lounge'' like?"
"I''m glad you asked! Just follow me through this portal and see for yourselves!" The slime makes her way into another portal ring on the floor not far from where the guests first came in at, and one by one each of them shrug and follow along, with Deylia taking up the rear. As they make their way through however, they have to force themselves to keep moving so as not to block up the portal as most of them need to stop to pick their jaws up off the ground.
If the ''Name Pending'' public inn was a surprising sight to see in the dungeon, the Fiver''s Lounge is an absolute shock. It''s also laid out in a way somewhat like a tavern, but with even more space - some of it taken up by semi-private booths set off into alcoves and other small rooms. But almost as much is taken up by a pair of stages, one on each side of the chamber, each hosting a number of vertical metal poles - and a rabbit-person dancing on each side, a woman on one stage and a man on the other. The party finally spots some of the dungeon''s other bosses as they sit at various tables, cheering on one dancer or the other, but it''s the other staff that draw most of their attention.
Aside from the dancers there''s more rabbit-folk bartenders and wait staff in this area, but their attire is entirely different than that worn in the first section, which more or less resembled typical tavern fashion. Each wears a tight, black one-piece outfit showing off their shoulders and thighs, with a cutout for their stomach, and more than a little cleavage in the case of the women. Thigh-highs cover their legs and long gloves hide their arms, and Alizz would bet serious money that at least one piece on every outfit is enchanted with boosted charisma, because every single member of the staff is stunning. Forcing out a question, Alizz''s voice comes out almost as a whisper. "Lollyp...exactly what kind of monsters are you using to staff this place?"
"You like? They''re all Rabbit Champions of different types - the dancers are minion-level Rogues, for the agility boosts. I think the bartenders are Magicians? We''re working up a list of tricks they can do with pouring drinks and stuff. As for the actual consorts - "
Lollyp is cut off by a shocked squeal from Alizz. "The consorts!? Lollyp, are you insane? Is Xenia!? This is a terrible idea!"
Renter raises a hand. "Well, now, hold on...I think we could at least stand to hear the potential benefits of the scheme before passing any judgment, eh?"
Alizz turns between Lollyp and her betrayers of a team - aside from Renter, Kelsey also seems appreciative of the design, and even Sely seems to be working to hide a smirk. Zappy meanwhile just appears to be a little confused, but Alizz still has significant concerns she needs to bring up. "Lollyp, tell me - tell me this isn''t part of Xenia''s scheme to get someone knocked up by a monster? I thought she was working on something with the Church of Bounty for that!"
Taly answers that question, having come over once she noticed the new arrivals. "Oh, whoa, definitely no need to worry about that. We''re not using Patriarchs as staff, and everything else here''s firing with an empty quiver. If Challengers want to shack up with each other, well, that''s still their own concern. And honestly, we''d rather Challengers do that than use the consorts. But given there''s potential benefits either way..."
Alizz sighs. "Yes, Sely mentioned you had an...unusual incentive for Challengers to engage in relations with monsters. Which is just..." The woman sighs again, not even sure how to voice her frustrations. "But prostitution? Monster prostitution? Really?"
"Well, not for coin." Taly pauses to take a drink off a tray carried by a wandering bar-rabbit, who gives her a charming wink as she passes by. "Maybe as a reward for clearing floors? This is all still really recent and in-design, so, you know, still working out the details."
"Lollyp, I...is Xenia here? I know she used her avatar spell just a night or two ago, but is she listening to me?" The frustrated woman rubs her forehead, already feeling the headache forming.
She nods. "Yeah, Xen''s about two feet to my left right now, actually."
"Right." Alizz turns to face the empty space. "Xenia. Not that I have the authority to command you on any matters, but I really must put my foot down on the prostitutes. It''s just - there are cases where it''s legal in the Rainlands, but those are exceptions! And in a dungeon - I will not become the first Administrator of a dungeon brothel! I refuse!"
Lollyp and Taly get serious looks on their faces as they listen first to Alizz, and then to the empty spot between them, and after a moment Taly responds. "Alright, fair, we...might be moving a little fast on that, I''ll admit. But we''ve still got a motivation for getting Challengers horny, so the rest is staying...and if a Challenger does manage to actually seduce a bartender or something..."
The drider sighs, deciding she''ll take what she can get. "Okay...wait, though, is seducing a dungeon monster something that can even be done? Aside from ensouled bosses, I mean?"
Lollyp giggles. "Xen can apparently assign personality types to monsters now, and apparently ''promiscuous'' is a type of personality. Blame the gods!"
"I certainly will. Is there anything else we should know about?" Alizz looks around, and is a little surprised to find Zappy''s wandered off a bit and is staring at one of the stages. Not at the woman dancing on it, however, but at one of the unoccupied metal poles further behind. "Zappy? Something...interesting?"
Zappy turns back towards the group, an excited tone in her voice. "You - there''s a kind of dancing on metal people do? Just going up and down and around on it?"
Taly raises an eyebrow. "Was new to me too, but yeah, apparently Xenia tells me it''s real popular in some places." The banshee smirks as she shoots a look at the air next to her. "Even gave us a few demonstrations, very educational. Why do you ask?"
The elemental''s response comes without hesitation. "I want a job!"
Chapter 168: Attractions
The next afternoon, The Lucky Bastard was perhaps as crowded as it had ever been. Multiple parties had been raring for another go at Worthy Dungeon once the Association inspection was complete, but had been held back by a rather unusual move by Alizz and her employees. The night before all of the major teams had been contacted, as well as all the independents that could be found, and told to gather for an announcement the next day. That was beyond strange - usually any major changes would be posted outside the Association office, while Challengers would have to inquire for a full report on any minor updates to the records. But gathering all of the teams for a meeting?
It was also a bit unusual to be having an official event inside an inn, but at least that had an obvious explanation - perhaps during the summertime Alizz would have just made a speech out in front of her offices, but it was the middle of winter. No one was particularly complaining about the locale in any case, given the season the building was still not quite crammed to capacity yet, and having every group around at once was causing a bit of a party atmosphere. Not that every team was particularly social. As Alizz scans the crowd, she spots a fury demon, a goblin, and a pair of kobolds keeping to themselves in one corner, although unsurprisingly the Domain''s incubus Bard was working the crowd a bit. House Perlin and House Highbranch both had tables some distance apart, and while they seemed to be in reasonably good cheer, they were both keeping a close eye on each other at the same time.
The Valleyland soldiers meanwhile were getting on surprisingly well with the other groups around them. Well, perhaps not so surprisingly - many Challengers were from the Valleylands originally after all, and even if Association membership declared them as neutral in the political and martial conflicts of the continent, many of them clearly enjoyed getting to catch up with the recent travelers from their homeland. As she finishes looking over the room however, Alizz realizes she''s stalling. Turning towards her second-in-command, the drider shakes her head. "I don''t think I can do this, Kelsey."
The kobold shoots her a surprised look. "What, afraid of the crowd? It''s a big one, sure, but never seen you get stage fright before, yeah?"
"It''s not the crowd! I just...I can''t associate myself with this, Kelsey. Even if we talked Xenia down from the godsdamn prostitutes - for now, gods know how long that will hold - this is just too ridiculous!"
Seeing the expression of shame on his boss''s face, Kelsey decides to offer her a lifeline. "Want me to do it? Don''t bother me none. I mean, hells, hope you don''t mind but I plan to be one of the first customers myself."
The woman rolls her eyes, but nods. "Then you can be the one to write the report on it. But...yes, would you? I hardly even know how to explain it."
"You got it, boss." Hopping up onto a table reserved as an impromptu stage, Kelsey shouts out for the attention of the room. "Hey, ass-scratchers! Bet you''re wondering what it is we''re all here for, huh?"
There''s quite a bit of agreement, and one gnoll shouts out. "Let me guess, the dungeon is handing out chests full of gold, and you''re all retiring now, yes?"
Kelsey smirks. "That''d be good too, but in some ways, I bet a lot of you are gonna like this even better! ...Except for you, Marshburr, I bet you ain''t gonna like this much."
A human, one of the primary managers of the inn, looks up with an expression of concern. "Wait, what? I ain''t even been up there in months!"
"Yeah, but this is about the inn. I''m afraid you''ve got new competition in town!"
There''s a lot of puzzled looks at that statement, but after a few moments it begins to slowly sink in for many of the Challengers present. The mousekin from the Valleylands, never one to be quiet with her thoughts, is the first to speak up. "You can''t be saying what I think you''re saying."
Kelsey nods. "I am. I know everyone here has at least heard about Worthy Dungeon''s Floor Five. And I bet you at least half of the folks here have tried it, even if you ain''t gonna admit it in polite company. Well, it''s been remodeled! New layout, new sections, way higher capacity. And the first new section is a public inn." The noise level of the tavern immediately increases, and Kelsey begins to speak louder to continue his explanation. "It ain''t gonna be like a normal inn, now! You want the good rooms, and the good shit on tap, you gotta clear floors! You leave shit behind, the place will eat it - ain''t no lost-and-found in a dungeon! Gotta exit the place after you do a run, though you can check back in as you like! But there''s rooms and basic amenities for anyone who wants to climb the mountain for em!"
One of the kobolds from the Domain''s party shouts out a question. "Wait, you''re saying we can rent out a room right there inside the dungeon? That - that''s gotta be some sort of trap, right?"
The Association agent puts a hand over his heart. "On my honor as an inspector, we''ve confirmed that Floor Five is now a dungeon ''safe floor''. Now, that ain''t an absolute law of the universe - dungeons can violate their safe floor rules if provoked to it. But as long as no damn fool goes and does that? There''s no traps, and the monsters are - well. Let''s just say the floor''s new monsters are very friendly."
From the bar, an incubus speaks up. "Are you saying what I think you''re saying, friend? We have all heard some...certain rumors." A few heads turn to stare at a Paladin and a Priestess sitting in one corner, one of whom begins to blush rather quickly.
Kelsey''s grin grows toothy. "You''re welcome to visit and find out for yourself. All I''ll say is it''s the dungeon favored by the Goddess Kahlia, and let you make your own conclusions. Except, there is one other main section of the floor y''all oughtta know about!" The kobold scans the crowd, and as they all stare at him intently, he decides to get a little coy. "...Well. All I''ll say is, you gotta clear the first four floors to get access to it. More''n that, I don''t wanna ruin the surprise. But I think you''re gonna like it."
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
As the audience begins to boo or shout more questions, Kelsey spares a glance for Alizz down at the table''s side, and notices her covering her face with one palm. Reminded that he is an Association official making an official announcement, he decides to raise a hand to get the crowd''s attention once more. "I do got one big warning for you lot, though! The main payment the dungeon wants is for people to try an'' clear floors...or to spend time workin'' to make Kahlia happy, I''ll leave how to your imaginations! But if you ain''t gonna be doing that, the place might try and barter a payment out of you. But here''s the warning - dungeon ''anti-feeding'' regs are still in force! So here''s the rule! You pay for something, leave a tip, ''accidentally'' leave some shit behind when you leave? Make sure it''s reward-boosting shit only! Currency, food and drink of your own, potions, shit like that."
He scans the room once again, this time with no trace of a smile on his face, indicating just how serious he is. "We get reports of anyone giving the place weapons? Armor? Gods forbid, spell scrolls or animal sacrifices or shit like that? Expect Alizz and I to come down on you like a ton of bricks, you got it?"
There''s no argument on that point - every Challenger present, or at least the ones above Initiate, knows that today''s dungeon ''gifts'' could end up killing their friend tomorrow. Seeing that everyone''s taking the warning seriously, Kelsey decides to wrap up. "Good, looks like you''ve got it. Other than that? No major changes to report, dungeon''s cleared its official inspection without issue. If you''ve been waiting for our say-so? Well...have fun."
As he hops off of the table and returns to Alizz''s side, he notices many of the Challengers present are already stirring. In particular the two noble houses are staring daggers at each other and huddling for quick conversations, the Domain''s agents are closely watching the Valleylanders as they begin to gather their things, and a certain Paladin is already dragging a Priestess to her feet. "Fuck, I forgot how competitive this fuckin'' place was. It''s gonna be getting dark in an hour or so, I figured they''d at least wait til tomorrow before hiking up there." The man snorts. "Is it just me, or does Xenia have no idea what''s in store for her?"
Alizz can''t entirely resist a slight smile. "Well in that case...at least then she''ll get a taste of how I feel most of the time."
Up at the entrance to Worthy Dungeon, preparations for something entirely different were underway. Popping out of the exit portal, Sincere makes his way towards the cleared space in front of Doorman while Lollyp and Zappy follow soon after him - Lollyp in possession of a bag heavy with magical materials. "Evening, Doorman. I hope you don''t mind if we do a little magic in your workspace for a bit, but this is perhaps the ideal environment for our task - especially as the dungeon mana would be quite the interference if we were to try this indoors."
"I never mind a bit of company! But what is it you''ll be doing today, Core Guardian Sincere?"
Zappy answers for him with an excited cheer. "I''m gonna get magnetized!"
"Oh! Congratulations! I think. What does that mean?"
Lollyp answers the question with a smirk on her face. "Zappy here''s decided to take up a career as a pole dancer. Which is an amazing idea, unfortunately her lack of, like...a solid body kind of ruins the effect. Her ''dancing'' around on one of the things just makes a strobe effect that blinds everyone watching her, plus, well...she ain''t got any clothes to take off, which ruins the fun of it a lil."
Feeling like perhaps he''s missing something with this description, Doorman probes further. "I...see? Essential part of the job description, is it? How does magnetizing her help, though?"
Sincere takes charge of the explanation as he begins drawing a ritual circle in the stone, turning on his lecturer voice. "Well, not long ago our elemental neighbors kindly gifted us with shards from a destroyed magnetic elemental. Not only did this confirm that such a being is possible, but it gave us magnetic sprites, which have been rather interesting to study. Details of magnetic elementals have always been sketchy, and many doubted they even existed, but supposedly they are beings made of a mix of energy and solid metal - levitating fragments for limbs and torso which are held together by electrical forces. Such a form would give Zappy here something much more concrete to attempt to dance - or strip - with, and upgrading an elemental into a more complex combination form should be far easier than trying to sidegrade her into something more solid. Especially as a lightning elemental, made of air and fire, which is as far from solid as you''re likely to get."
As Zappy helps Lollyp with laying out an arrangement of mana crystals and oddly-shaped metal shards, Doorman continues his questions. "Why has a magnetic elemental been so hard to find, though? You''re confident you can turn Zappy into one of these?"
Sincere nods. "What we''re talking about here is a mixture of air, fire, and earth energies. Finding elementals who are naturally a mix of air and earth is quite rare, so typically this has been done by starting with lightning elementals and simply adding earth mana. However...in that case the result has always been meteor elementals."
Zappy looks up at that mention. "Which you said was...bad? It sounds cool!"
"Well, it''s certainly visually impressive. At a critical point, you would rocket straight up into the air, then plummet back down to the ground in a great crash."
"That sounds sweet! Bad for dancing, but still!"
Lollyp aims her smirk in Zappy''s direction. "I bet it is - for like thirty seconds. But there ain''t ever been a meteor elemental who''s survived the ''crash'' stage of the process. Also bad for most other folks in the vicinity."
Doorman''s eyes widen. "Oh my! So what are you doing differently today?"
Sincere chuckles. "I believe the key is balance. Before I add any earth mana to Zappy here, I shall first partially drain both her air and fire mana. This may be a bit uncomfortable, but won''t quite need to go to the level of draining her down to her core. Then as I add earth mana, I will then return air and fire in equal measure, making sure never to breach the critical level that could cause a...launch. Once she''s reached normal energy levels for an elemental, with the aid of the metal here to act as her physical body, I believe she should naturally evolve into a magnetic elemental from there."
Doorman sucks in a deep breath, before addressing a question to Zappy. "Are you sure you wish to go through with all this? I know being an assistant dungeon guardian hasn''t always been the most exciting career, but you''re still welcome to help me out here anytime you like, no matter the form of your body!"
Zappy stands up and turns towards the door, and although her flickering face isn''t quite visible, Doorman is certain she''s smiling. "Hey, if I''m gonna be hanging around more, maybe I still will help you out sometimes! But I''m so glad I came by yesterday, and you know why? I found out something about myself while I was trying out the poles downstairs!"
"Oh? And what''s that?"
Zappy kneels down and, with some effort, picks up a metal shard which she begins to rub against her face. "I. Love. Metal."
Chapter 169: Storming the Mountain
After Sincere''s experiment proved a success and Zappy was led back indoors to rest and re-discover her new body, Doorman was quite sure that all of the excitement was over for the day. There was barely any sunlight left in the sky, and while parties did sometimes leave the dungeon rather late, there were almost never any new guests at this time of day. So it was that he was rather surprised by the sound of metallic clanging echoing up from the mountain path - the sound of someone in heavy armor moving at a quick pace.
Sure enough, moments later Paladin Sable comes rushing around the bend, a very tired-looking Priestess Lilly following after her. Shouting and waving her hand, the woman works hard to get Doorman''s attention as if her approach hadn''t already gotten it. "Doorman! Y''gotta warn Xenia - the mob is coming!"
The guardian isn''t entirely sure how to react to that statement. "The - the mob? Are we talking pitchforks and shouting, or more of an organized crime operation? Dwarves, I assume? The Obsidian Hammers, perhaps? Unless one of the gnoll gangs has gotten into the mountaineering business."
Sable rather freezes in her tracks at that, her train of thought thoroughly derailed by the strange question. "How is it your riddles are on the level of ''what is a cloud'', but you know shit about the Underdwarf Families?"
"I really don''t see how those two comments are connected."
Sable''s about to respond to that, before she shakes her head and refocuses. "Whatever - no, I mean like, a mob of people! I don''t think Xenia predicted this was gonna happen after the Association made their announcement. But they''re coming up right behind us!"
Doorman tilts his head as much as he''s able to. "Who is?"
"Everybody." Just as Sable says that, the sound of more feet begins to make its way up the mountain path along with the glow of torches, even more visible now that the sun is finally slipping below the horizon. Lilly barely has time to catch up to her friend and try to catch her breath before the first party comes up behind them - the half-elves of House Highbranch. Along with the twins Silva and Gilda and their oversized gnoll bodyguard Sweet, two more half-elves march alongside them, both of the others men. Aside from Sable slipping out of the Bastard as quickly as possible, it was House Highbranch who made the first announcement that they would be visiting the new dungeon floor immediately. House Perlin, who had been planning to wait another day or two before trying the dungeon again, quickly decided that they couldn''t allow their rivals to steal a step on them and followed almost as soon.
The Valleylanders had been the next to decide to check the place out, mostly on Tinsel''s whim. The Domain party meanwhile was of course resolute on learning about the changes in the dungeon as quickly as possible, and had only been waiting for others to make the first move so that they wouldn''t stand out as much. From there perhaps a third of the various ''independent'' Challengers in Grassbrook decided it sounded like there was a real party going on that they didn''t want to miss out on - those soloists or pairs who temporarily joined into teams for dungeon intrusions, or other groups that were perhaps less solidly bound together as the ones taking the lead on the Name Pending expedition. Alizz did not have the energy to get swept up in whatever was about to happen, and kept Kelsey behind to help her with the paperwork already on her desk, but Sely and Renter had both joined the mass to ''keep an eye on things''. Nor was it only Challengers - a few garrison soldiers not on duty joined in for the fun, including a certain stealthy gnoll who happened to spend much of the march within earshot of the Valleylands and Domain parties.
Watching as at least thirty additional people come around the corner, if not even more, Doorman gulps. "Are...are all of you here to challenge the dungeon? Tonight!? We''ve, ah...we''ve never had a crowd quite like this before. I''m afraid some of you may need to wait your turn, depending on which floors you intend to challenge..." Already the guardian is sending silent alarms through the dungeon - generally speaking, the only reason a dungeon Worthy''s size would get so many Challengers at once is if they intended to raid and destroy the core. An incubus Bard steps forward to set the wooden man at ease, however.
"Ah, you look nervous, friend! Never been a tavern bouncer before, have you? I think you''ll find it to be quite a similar line of work, through perhaps you may need to work on some more intimidating facial expressions? No need for waiting lines, I think, assuming your new Floor Five has capacity for everyone? The Association implied as much."
"Ah, Mr. Fatestealer, nice to see you here again. So you''re saying...everyone here is present to visit the new Floor Five inn? At once?"
The region''s resident loudmouth mousekin shouts up at the door. "Well we ain''t here to pick mushrooms on Floor Four! ...Unless you got some that would really spice up a party. But you got the place open for business or not?"
Pausing for a moment to collect his wits, Doorman eventually nods and speaks with a calmer tone of voice. "Yes...yes, of course! Note that while some sections of the floor are still limited to certain floor clears, the primary attraction of Floor Five is indeed open to the public, regardless of their previous experience in the dungeon. Once inside, you''ll be able to find shortcut portals to those sections, or you may ask the staff for assistance. To get inside, please form up into an orderly line and take the shortcut portal to your right. I hope you enjoy your experience, but please note that the floor redesign is still in progress - suggestions and reviews are appreciated! Also, violence will not be tolerated on this floor, so please keep all weapons safely stowed away."
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Sable and Lilly had already slipped inside while Doorman was giving his speech, but it doesn''t take long for Tinsel to take the lead in going next, practically shoving in front of the gnoll woman eight times her own body weight to get in front. "Don''t mind if I do! Last one in''s a spoiled stinkbomb!"
The ''orderly'' line Doorman requested never quite made a full appearance, but with a relatively minimal amount of shoving and cursing eventually everyone made their way through the portal ring, and were more than happy to get out of the cold in the process. They were relieved to find that the new inn did indeed have room inside for everyone, although some did need to be reminded to keep on moving and make space rather than stop and stare at the sights they found waiting for them. The warm, cozy-looking design of the inn with its wood, bricks, and soft candlelight certainly got a fair bit of attention, being quite a break from the rest of the dungeon''s design. But what got even more focus was the inn''s staff. Even if they weren''t dressed in the attention-getting outfits of the ''other'' section of the inn, the bolder members of the expedition were already pushing forward to meet the dungeon''s newest monsters.
Including an incredibly overwhelmed Deylia, who had absolutely no idea what to do with such a crowd. While she had of course previously been a maid, and knew all about the proper etiquette of service...that was a very far cry from having experience with customer service, or even just such noisy groups in general. Still, the new Priestess plasters a smile on her face and does her best to try and order the disorderly. "Wel - Welcome to Worthy Dungeon''s new public inn! The rules are - are no violence, and the availability of food, drinks, and rooms, is based on your previous experience in the dungeon. If you''d like to find yourself some tables - "
A goblin gives her a snort as he passes her by. "So our food choices get limited too, huh? Y''got a menu?"
"Ah, yes, we can - "
A drider steps forward while looking a little nervous, although the odd black tentacles that serve as her front legs - and occasionally as extra arms, apparently - seem to be having much the same effect on those around her. "The monsters here won''t attack us? Really?"
"We will only fight in self-defense, or to prevent an attack from taking - "
"Why in heavens did I get the surest feeling that someone here was going to attempt to bed me the moment I stepped through the portal?" The noise in the room comes to a complete halt at that, as every head turns to stare at the giant gnoll woman asking the question. The gnoll in question eyes them back, as if one of them were to blame for her sudden suspicion. "Truly, I absolutely feel as if someone here is planning to mate with me! What is this?"
Deylia chokes out a response. "Are...are you by any chance a...ah, romantically inexperienced, Miss Sweet?"
The gnoll steps forward, towering over the former Maid. Somewhere deep inside, Deylia gets the feeling that some sort of rabbit instinct is telling her to run and look for a hole to hide in. "Maid Deylia, yes? What would it matter if I were?"
"I''ll - I''ll explain later, perhaps! But you''re entirely safe here, I assure you! You have our guarantee!"
Sweet stares into Deylia''s eyes for an agonizingly long two or three seconds, before finally leaning back and giving a toothy smile. "Well, I trust you, Miss Deylia! So, I''m afraid I haven''t been here before - you said there was a limited menu?"
"A dungeon virgin as well, eh? ''Fraid it''s gonna be pretty limited for you, miss - bread, water, some fruit and nuts and other snacks and the like. All the F-tier beer you can drink! Y''want better, better show us your skills!" The gnoll turns to face the latest rabbit monster to appear, as does much of the crowd, but the bravado in his tone of voice is explained as some of those present recognize that this is no bartender walking up behind Deylia to provide her with some support.
"You must be Trush Sharptongue. I''ve heard much about you. You''re quite bold, even for a man who might survive a disemboweling." Sweet stares down at the man, with even him being a good foot shorter than her, but the Shieldbreaker is unintimidated.
"Aye, been disemboweled, decapitated - burned with acid, thank you very much for that, mouse girl - and I expect I''ll get worse in time." He shoots the bodyguard a cocky grin. "I''m looking forward to seeing what you can do."
"And I look forward to showing you." With that the gnoll makes her way to a table where her charges were already gathering, and half the room releases a breath they didn''t realize they were holding. As she goes, Trush leans over and whispers into Deylia''s ear.
"Xenia told me you were gettin'' a bit overwhelmed, and I can''t blame ya! I ain''t ever served drinks or nothin'' before, but if the crowd starts getting rowdy, you got backup."
The Priestess lets go of a sigh before giving the other dungeon boss a smile. "Thank you - I don''t think we''ll have any trouble, but it is good to know you''re at hand."
If any stress had managed to leave the woman though, it suddenly spikes back up a moment later. As she turns back towards the waiting line, her eyes grow wide to see House Perlin standing in front of her. In front of herself...and Trush at her side. "Lord Arlon! Mistress Sansie! Raylin! It''s - wonderful to see you all here tonight!" She gives the party a quick smile, but most of the party''s attention seems to be focused on the man standing over her shoulder. After a moment of awkward silence, Arlon speaks up.
"Del, good to see you again. It...seems you and the Wandering Boss here are working rather well together?"
Trush and Deylia share a quick look, but the Maid answers for the two of them. "A dungeon is a dungeon, my lord. Trush has offered his apologies for my death, and I bear no grudge given that I was the one who flung myself in front of his blade. I hope you all will feel the same?" She aims the question towards the group as a whole, but her eyes settle on Raylin. The normally brash Marksman gives a measured response, however.
"It was a fair duel - or if anything, the mistakes were on our end. I''ll admit to being a bit uneasy in this company, but we''ll be on our best behavior...for tonight. Our business with the dungeon is not done yet though, so imagine our teams will clash again at some point, perhaps in the near future..."
Trush gives the nobleman a toothy grin in response. "And I''ll be looking forward to it. But for now, grab yourselves a table and a drink - it''s time for a proper party!"
Chapter 170: Dungeon Party
It was a night to remember, which made it rather unfortunate how few were actually capable of doing so the next day. Once people fully confirmed that the drinks and food were free - or available for modest tips of available coinage, minor potions or the like - a party atmosphere immediately took hold, the stresses of sharing a room with so many dungeon monsters soon forgotten. It certainly didn''t hurt that the monsters in question tended to be rather attractive, and flirty as well with those bold enough to try giving them a wink or a smile. Despite the low amount of money changing hands however it did quickly turn into a party of haves and have-nots.
Patrons were barred, on pain of being kicked out of the inn by Trush, from ordering good items off the menu on behalf of others who had not earned them. That meant many of the Initiates and Advanced Challengers present were looking on forlornly at the better meals being enjoyed by their more experienced colleagues, and the complete newbies like House Highbranch almost seemed to have regretted coming at all. While the half-elves supped on buttered bread and barely-drinkable swill, House Perlin managed to make their Floor Three-tier meals look like a feast in comparison. Even their service was nothing compared to that granted to the parties who had cleared Floor Six though, and the Valleylanders got an honorary Floor Seven-tier meal for being the party to have delved the deepest, despite having not actually cleared the floor yet.
The dungeon''s food and drink tier was still only at B, marking it as ''slightly above average'' quality cooking at best, but what it lacked in quality the dungeon made up for with quantity. The cheap meat alone that the dungeon could offer was more than many Challengers had ever enjoyed in a single meal in their lives, and Tinsel''s order rivaled Jantana''s in size despite the fact that the stack of food on her plate was several times larger than her own stomach. The sight of it was actually enough to empty the inn by a notable fraction, as some of the drunker independent Challengers declared that they would earn themselves some better meals immediately. Over a dozen formed up into a number of teams and disappeared into the various portal exits, never to be seen again.
...For the rest of the night. Xenia was strongly, strongly tempted to gather up quite a few souls that night, but eventually decided that having a massacre on her grand opening evening would be entirely counter-productive for the atmosphere she was trying to generate. She had to use her daily ''mercy'' teleport early on, and a second almost as soon as the midnight reset ticked over. Sparing the rest of the drunkards wasn''t an easy task, especially as Lollyp was rather displeased to be forced to spend the night flinging lightning bolts rather than being able to join the party. No one lost limbs, but broken bones and burn wounds were liberally dished out to teach the Challengers that just because Worthy Dungeon might know how to have fun did not mean that trying a dungeon floor drunk was suddenly a good idea.
The inn was slightly further depopulated as various Challengers experimented with the new ''room rental'' system. Rather than having to teleport to a certain section of Floor Five from a specific matching portal within the dungeon, Challengers could now rent a ''room key'' from the bar, which was an enchanted token which would connect the user to a specific room once they stepped into the main portal built for that purpose. Multiple people could get keys to a single room, provided that they had all cleared the floor required for that particular floor theme, and several more small groups soon disappeared through that ring over the course of the evening. The Domain party lost half of its members to the allure of the free rooms, with the two kobolds taking off with each other and the incubus Bard finding a human woman who was easily charmed by a few recited poems - and perhaps a drunken grope or two between his legs.
One lonely gnoll simply stares at the options listed on a board behind the bar and sighs, however, drawing the attention of the dungeon''s new Priestess as she slides onto a stool next to him. "Nothing to your liking, good sir?"
Tafyaf shakes his head. "Many good options, many good ones, yes! But...ahh, Grayana has not been in the dungeon for months, no! Only cleared Floor Two, yes, and then never stepped foot in Worthy again. Must find a way to convince her to try more floors..."
Deylia eyes the gnoll, but has some trouble finding any identifying marks on his clothing. "Grayana, an elf, I assume? Are you a Challenger couple? Or has she gotten a taste and retired from the field? I understand that''s not uncommon."
The Scout laughs. "Haha, no, soldiers we are - she is the lead medic of the Fort, consider yourself fortunate if you''ve not had to meet, haha! I however am a bit of a...free agent you might say, yes? Keep tabs on the dungeon and Challengers both, I do, and sometimes earn a bit of extra coin on the side, as well."
The woman raises an eyebrow. "Oh? Like one of those Challengers-for-hire, you mean, assisting others with their intrusions? How far have you gotten, yourself?"
The man grins widely. "I have been in the dungeon more times than any other, as far as I know! Twenty-three intrusions! Most only to Floor Two or Three however, but have cleared Floor Four twice, yes. Have qualified for Expert training already, although I''ve not yet been given leave to go and get it!"
"Ah, well, congratulations! Expert classes and Floor Four are both thresholds of a kind, things will certainly become more, well, challenging from here on. Do take care, though - an over-eagerness to try out the dungeon''s...additional benefits may have played some small role in landing me my new career."
The gnoll eyes the rabbit a little warily. "...Are the rooms more lethal than they appear? Have heard of warning signs having been posted in the Floor Six section, I believe..."
"No, no, I died on Floor Four. It''s still a rather embarrassing story, I must admit. It was only my second run in the dungeon, and I wasn''t exactly expecting to end up with a new job by the end of the day, you know."
"Ah, and I''m certain you did not expect that job to be that of an inn hostess, even more so! Haha!"
Deylia chuckles but shakes her head. "Actually, I''m mostly just serving in the role tonight because it''s so busy and because it''s everyone''s first time here. My intended role is of a Priestess of Kahlia. I can provide healing to those who have been injured, some boosts and the like, although I haven''t yet learned any blessings."
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If anything the mention of her correct title only intrigues the gnoll more. "A Priestess of Kahlia? As a dungeon boss? Hrmm...I have heard of the dungeon''s connection to Kahlia, yes, but I have not put much thought into the place''s religious matters, no. Perhaps I should hear more of what you have to teach?"
The former Maid is hardly trained in missionary work, and it would certainly be easy enough to just direct the man towards the Church of Bounty if he wanted to learn the proper methods of worshiping Kahlia. But on the other hand, the woman is well-trained in exploiting opportunities when they come by, especially when it''s to the benefit of her mistress, and that''s hardly changed just because one of her mistresses is now divine. Leaning forward, she puts on her best smile. "Well, tell me something, good sir...you say your partner is the lead medic for the local garrison? If so, I believe there''s a good way to both encourage her to spend some more time in the dungeon, and do good work in the name of Kahlia at the same time..."
Tafyaf leans forward as well, clearly hooked. "Oh? Tell me more..."
It was quite late into the evening, with some Challengers considering getting rooms for the night for actually sleeping within, when the next big stir of the grand opening occurred. Sable and Lilly had already slipped into the ''Fiver''s Lounge'' some time earlier to get away from the crowd, and after a while a curious dwarf decided to follow them through the portal. He didn''t stay there for long however, and five minutes later he was back and shouting across the tavern.
"OI! YOU''LL NEVER FUCKIN'' BELIEVE IT! That kobold mother-lover weren''t lyin'', there''s a whole other section of the tavern here for folks who''ve cleared Floor Four and it is amazing!" The man takes no questions despite the horde of them being hurled his way, quickly returning to whence he had come, leaving only confusion in his wake. With no way to figure out what he meant other than seeing it for themselves, those who could do so all stood up and made their way after him - Tinsel in the lead.
"What could be so amazing about another part of the inn? We''re already gettin'' free booze, what could be better than - oh, fuck." The mousekin halts as she crosses through the portal, blinks, and begins to search through her alchemy bag before finding a bottle and inspecting it. "Sobering Potion, right...let''s make sure I ain''t fuckin'' hallucinating this shit."
The woman swallows it down, closing her eyes tightly and shuddering slightly as her body rapidly detoxifies. When it''s over and her eyes open once again, she shakes her head and goes searching for the nearest barmaid. "Right, it''s real...and now I absolutely gotta get drunk all over again. Ale!"
The other Valleylanders follow through after her, as do Lyota and Wetears from the Domain group, along with a small handful of other Challengers. It''s a relatively small proportion of the party given the requirements for entry, and with warning of the evening''s events there were enough staff on hand that every new arrival had a alluringly-dressed rabbit-man or woman to meet them and take care of their needs. Limited to drinks, food, and seating at the stage of their choice, of course, though each of the Bunny Magicians, Rogues, and other various minions were happy to hang around and provide the sorts of evening company that wouldn''t cross Alizz''s personal limits. The exception being the Domain pair, who had the honor of being met by one of the dungeon''s guardians.
Taly walks up to the two with a smile, and although she''s not wearing one of the rabbit costumes being worn by the rest of the staff, neither is the banshee in her typical combat gear. The pair are actually rather stunned to see the woman in an evening dress, and she looks so stunning in it that Lyota assumes the woman must be wearing a charisma-enchanted necklace. Boosted charisma or not, her voice is certainly welcoming as she greets them. "Well, fancy meeting you here. To be honest, I wasn''t sure this was the sort of place that would attract a fury demon. Or...maybe it would? I suppose it could work either way."
Lyota narrows her eyes as she scans the bawdy tavern, lit in red and pinks thanks to the use of tinted glass. "Consenting sexual displays are no sin, and the obscenity laws of the Rainlands do not apply to dungeons. In fact...even the sin that''s omnipresent here in this dungeon has felt lighter than usual this evening, although I''m not sure how that''s possible."
Smirking, Taly leans in with a whisper. "Ah, little behind-the-scenes secret for you, then. Since Floor Five is only connected to the rest of the dungeon by portals, we could put it anywhere. It''s actually physically the topmost floor of the dungeon, furthest from the core chamber. Good thing too, since I wouldn''t be surprised if we ended up needing a lot of space for all the expansion this one will be getting...in any case, I''m glad to see you''re able to let your hair down a little. Can I get you anything?" Once again she leans in, this time a little closer. "Another free secret - private dances are absolutely on the menu, if you ask for them."
Wetears scoffs at the suggestion. "Including from you, Banshee Queen? That''d certainly be worth a story to tell, haha!"
"Pfft, it''d take a whole lot more than just asking, I can tell you that. Feel free to give it a try if you like though, heheh."
The fury demon simply rolls her eyes at the exchange. "We''ll take a rain check on the private dance, thank you. Tonight, I believe we''re just here to observe." She trails off somewhat as her eyes latch on to a well-toned Rogue hanging upside down from a metal pole, garbed in only a small garment that barely obscures his bulge. "...And perhaps we''ll observe from a spot next to that stage, for the moment..."
Taly smirks. "Sure. Let me get you two a table..."
At the other end of the room where women grace the stage, the impossible has managed to occur - Tinsel Hansliss has been struck dumb. As she stares at the stage, her jaw hanging slack, a display unlike any other in the world is taking place. A woman made of metal climbs and swings around on one of the stage''s vertical poles, but to call it ''dancing'' would be greatly insufficient. The figure has no joints in her entire body, instead each rigid fragment of sculpted metal is connected only by channels of glowing electricity, sparking and arcing each time a limb bends to change her position. They seem to come with almost no limits to her range of motion, but her grace on the pole comes from far more than that alone - at times she''s able to hold onto the thing without even using her hands or thighs, her skin contact alone apparently enough to keep her from sliding down. At other times she''s able to forcefully push herself around or up and down the pole with hardly any display of effort, as if her body was simply being pushed into the air by will alone.
Her body is clearly a work of art, as well. She has the rough form of an elf woman, slender and tall, with a solid chunk of metal shaped to resemble shoulder-length hair. Pieces of a costume resembling that worn by other dancers obscures just how detailed certain parts of her body are, although there''s quite a bit less fabric in use as her torso is made up of multiple exposed fragments allowing her to bend and twist. As she turns upside down and hangs from her legs, her eyes finally seem to notice her adoring audience. "Ah! Hey there! Gods, you''re adorable! I''m Zappy, what can I call you?"
Her mind apparently shut down, the mousekin''s mouth works on its own. "...You can call me whatever you fuckin'' want. You''re beautiful."
"Thanks! I helped design me myself!"
Good times and new connections were certainly easy to find in the new Fiver''s Lounge. Unfortunately, that left three things behind in the inn''s public section.
Two tables seating rival noble houses.
And way too much free booze.
Chapter 171: Honor of the House
As the inn''s public section continued to empty out, with guests departing to either try the dungeon, rent one of the new rooms, or check out the ''Fiver''s Lounge'', there were fewer and fewer distractions to keep House Highbranch from focusing on their troubles. Specifically, the fact that House Perlin was enjoying notably better service than they were, despite coming from a lower-ranking family. Now, none of the half-elves were dumb enough to try complaining to the staff about it - that might work in any other inn in the country, but the typical dungeon''s idea of ''customer service'' was making sure your death was painless. Still, that wasn''t enough to stop them from complaining to each other. The youngest of them, a blonde man in only his late forties, was one of the loudest to do so.
"At the least, I feel like the dungeon ought to have made an exception for tonight. It''s their grand opening night, is it not? This is a night to show off the peak of their offerings! Build a solid reputation for service! Can you imagine the looks on the faces at court when we tell them we were served bread and water? And that those were the good options?"
Lady Silva sighs as she rests her chin on one hand. "Unfortunately, I think there''s enough other voices to drown ours out in that regard, cousin Kalin. At least as far as the demographic a dungeon would care about, in any case. There''s far more Challengers than there are barons, after all."
Lady Gilda is somewhat less reserved about her scorn than her fraternal twin. "It''s not the behavior of the dungeon which bothers me. It''s those House Perlin brats, showing off their meals just to rub them in our faces. As if theirs are anything special either! Stew and poor cuts of meat, and their drinks are either watered down or probably toxic! I swear, they wouldn''t be eating it at all if it weren''t for making us look even worse in comparison. And to be laughing so jovially while their dead Maid is standing over there by the bar..."
The other man at the table, a dark-haired half-elf in his early sixtes which qualifies him for the rank of oldest at the table, chuckles at her choice of words. "Now that''s a sentence I would have never expected to hear! I have noticed some distance between her and her former masters, you know. She visits their table as much as anyone else''s, but no more so. Perhaps she bears more of a grudge for her death than it sounded?"
Silva raises an eyebrow at the suggestion. "Well, if so, then that could possibly be of some use, and there''s a better way of finding out than wondering about it." She turns towards the rabbit Priestess and waves her over, drawing her attention away from the gnoll she''s seated beside. "Excuse me, my dear, might we have a moment?"
Deylia does so, coming over with a smile and a small curtsy, although the ladies both recognize that the woman consciously stops herself from dipping as low as she ought to for women of their rank. As Silva is attempting to make friends, however, she chooses not to make a mention of it. "Yes, my lady? How might I be of service? I would like to offer you better refreshments, but I''m afraid my hands are tied..."
"I see a Maid''s training is hard to forget overnight, isn''t it? But please, have a seat - we''d like to converse for a while, if we may." Silva gestures towards an open chair, and although Deylia is rather surprised by the offer, she finds no reason to refuse.
"Well, if you request, my lady. What is it you''d like to discuss?" As she sits down she does have to slide the chair sideways somewhat to make room next to the gigantic gnoll sitting at the table, but Sweet simply gives her a gentle smile as she does so. Once she''s seated, Silva continues.
"As you might imagine, there are quite a few rumors going around concerning your death. The Marksman of your former house was in particular not exactly discreet about his feelings on the matter. I''m given to understand it was some sort of foolishness on the part of your former masters which lead to your demise? My condolences on that, by the way."
Del clears her throat, not exactly sure how one ought to respond to such a statement. "Ah, thank you, but I''m doing quite well now, as you can see. As for the rumors, I must put at least some of that to bed - yes, some mistakes were made, but it was my own choices that led me to where I am. In fact, I could not be here now if it weren''t my own choices that led me here."
Gilda grunts a little, feeling a little more blunt about her take on the matter. "Really? That''s all there is between you and them, then? You''ve handed in your resignation, moved on to a new job, and now it''s just ''how have you been'' when you see each other at parties? I don''t know much about you, but to have been a Maid on their primary expedition team surely indicates years of service to their house."
The Maid in question gasps a little as she realizes something. "Oh no, I never did file a proper resignation! Although I suppose that''s not typically required in the event of death...in any case, I certainly bear the Honorable Sansie and her cousins no ill will. We''ve already spoken on these matters, actually, although I would consider that a personal matter."
Seeing that her attempts to find a wedge between Deylia and the Perlins aren''t finding much purchase, Silva decides to try a different tack. "Then I shall not pry. Tell me something else, though - the dungeon is neutral on the matter of noble politics, I assume?"
Deylia nods. "Of course. She barely knows of such things, actually, and I''ve yet to have time to instruct her."
"That could be wise of you to do. To be more specific, however, the dungeon has no opinion on who ought to rule these lands?"
"I - hold on, one moment..." The Priestess trails off as her eyes dart to one side, as if she were listening to an inaudible voice. "The master of the dungeon says that her primary concern is that no one ''gets involved in her sh - '', ah, her business. If you''re looking for the dungeon''s support, she is...open to offers?" The expression on Deylia''s face as she says that indicates that she''s not terribly pleased with her message, but the Maid isn''t one to contradict her employer in public, if at all.
The black-haired man grins at the statement. "Well, now that is interesting. Tell me, how might we gain the dungeon''s favor?"
"Well, would either of you ladies - " Deylia''s eyes grow wide, and her head snaps to the side. "I can''t say that! That''s extremely inappropriate!"
Gilda''s eyes narrow at the exchange, although Silva''s lips turn into a smirk. "Well, this I must hear. What is the dungeon''s proposal?"
"She - the dungeon would like to know if any of the ladies present would be interested in...in getting pre-"
Whatever Deylia was about to say, it''s cut off by a new presence at the table, an interruption which seems to greatly relieve the woman until she notices who it is. "Excuse me - I hope you''re not upsetting poor Deylia here. She''s had quite a rough few days, you know." Turning her head the other way, Deylia finds Raylin standing behind her and addressing the table. Glancing further back, she notices that the full attention of the House Perlin party is now on their exchange.
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Silva seems about to say something conciliatory, unfortunately it takes her several moments to compose her thoughts which is more than enough time for Gilda to answer back first. "That''s bold of you to say - I can hardly imagine how a simple conversation could be more upsetting than getting her slain, which is what your house managed to do for her."
Deylia''s eyes flash, although her own retort is cut off by Raylin. "Lady Gilda! As I said - "
"No point in correcting the lady, Del - I imagine accuracy was the furthest thing from her mind. I would say I admire her competitive spirit, but if she wishes for a conflict between us I would find it more honorable if it were through means other than slander."
Gilda continues on, a smug look on her face even as her twin buries her own in one hand. "Conflict? Competition? I find it hilarious that you think there is such a thing. It seems to me that House Perlin''s greatest foe are themselves. I must wonder, if we just sat back and watched you for another week, would there even be any of your expedition left?"
"Right then, more words it is. Allow me to be the one to take action, then - Lady Gilda, I challenge you to a duel." Although no one else rises to their feet at his words, Sweet and Taylim both tense up, ready for action. It''s entirely possible either of them could be called forth as their house''s champion, although it would be a bad mark for a noble to do so while they were still capable of fighting for themselves.
It''s another Champion that steps forward first, though, as Trush finally walks up between the two tables and gets everyone''s attention with his booming voice. "No fighting in the inn! I don''t care if you plan to fight to ''first blood'' or any of that, we don''t want to risk anyone gettin'' killed in here. You want a match, find something that ain''t gonna involve a blade."
Gilda leans back in her chair, clearly unbothered by the gauntlet thrown at her feet. "Of course, of course, can''t have violence in a dungeon, now can we? I suppose we could settle this back in town tomorrow...but perhaps there''s another way we can handle your challenge tonight? Some competition, perhaps?"
Raylin nods - he had no intention of actually harming the noble half-elf, or at least not in any serious manner, so wounding her pride is enough for him. "That would be acceptable. The tavern has a dartboard in that corner over there - perhaps you''d dare to pit your elven eyes against my own for a round?"
Those eyes get rolled in response. "I am aware of your class, Marksman. I am not so foolish. I''d rather engage in a drinking contest - if it weren''t for the fact that the only options the dungeon is willing to offer us would probably slay us both."
Trush smiles at the thought, however. "Well, dungeons are all about testing one''s limits, and showing who is the mightiest, are we not? The master of the dungeon would be willing to open more of her stocks to you in the spirit of competition."
There''s a few eyebrows raised at that, with Gilda almost certainly not expecting the dungeon to make such a concession, but she can hardly withdraw the suggestion after making it. For his part Raylin doesn''t find any reason to back down from the idea either - it''s a very unusual form for a noble duel, but far from the strangest one he''s ever heard of. It''d be a fairly even match as well - Gilda might have some alcoholic tolerance thanks to her ancestry, but Raylin has enough of a body mass advantage to more or less make up for it. "Very well. There''s quite a few empty tables here now - shall we get to it, then?"
"Fine, at least it will give me a break from this monotonous meal we''ve been enjoying so far. I hope you''ll enjoy sleeping on the tavern floor once you pass out, Honorable Perlin."
With a wide smile on his face, Trush turns towards the monsters working the bar. "Excellent! Barmaids, bring us drink - and make it the good stuff."
TEN MINUTES LATER
Gilda scoffs as she sets down her third mug. "You know, I don''t know if it''s the drink ruining my taste buds, but these offerings are becoming almost tolerable."
Raylin smirks back as he matches her performance easily. "I doubt it''s that - it''s simply House Highbranch''s bad taste finally coming to the fore."
"Pfhaw!"
TWENTY MINUTES LATER
Silva leans over to whisper into her sister''s ear. "Well, we''ve gone ahead and claimed a set of rooms, since you''re clearly in no state to climb down a mountain tonight. I hope you at least win for all your efforts, though."
The white-haired twin snorts. "Let this be the first victory of House Highbranch in Dungeon House! ...House...Worthy! ...Dungeon!"
"...I''m rooting for you, sister."
THIRTY MINUTES LATER
Taylim pats Raylin''s back with one hand, although not firmly enough to look like he''s holding the nobleman up. "You''ve put up a fine battle, young sir. Do you think you can carry it through to the end? I''m uncertain about the power of healing potions upon one''s liver."
"You - you doubt your lord, Taylim? Your friend! I do this for the honor of Purpin! None shall sully our name!"
"...Indeed they won''t, young sir."
SEVEN HOURS LATER
Gilda wakes up, glaring blearily at the ceiling above her. It''s wood, but certainly not of the design used in the construction of the Lucky Bastard. Did she fall asleep in the dungeon? Someone must have seen her to one of the new rooms...it does appear extremely plain, but it''s serviceable, and at least an underground inn has no worries about leaky roofs or drafty windows. None of that does much to aid her hangover, however. "Ugh...gods, that was a mistake. I almost wish Silva had stopped me."
The half-elf freezes as a groan rises into the air from the other side of the bed. "Likewise. Perhaps she should have stopped the both of us."
Eyes wide, Gilda slowly turns her head. "...RAYLIN!?"
The next morning, there were...well, perhaps a few upset individuals, particularly those with broken bones from trying the dungeon drunk the night before. Most attendees of the party were quite pleased with their experiences though, and even without the issue of the hangovers, few were rushing to make their way back to town in the morning''s light. Even fewer were more pleased than the master of the dungeon however, as Xenia smiles once again at her latest achievement windows.
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COMBINED DAY 202-203 INTRUSION REPORT:
MORTALS ESCAPED: 14
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
CURRENCY (RAINLANDS): B
CURRENCY (VALLEYLANDS): C
POTIONS: B+
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DIVINE QUEST
HAVE AT LEAST FIVE CHILDREN BE CONCEIVED WITHIN YOUR DUNGEON BOUNDS.
TIME REMAINING: 29 WEEKS
PROGRESS: 4/5
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Chapter 172: Physical Attraction - Explicit
Zappy walks on through the portal making up the entrance to her Floor Five apartment, spinning so that she can give Tinsel a smile when the mousekin follows in after her. "Ta-da! My first ever house! Wasn''t too big on the idea of being cramped up someplace before, but now that I''m part-earth elemental, it does feel a little...cozier to have a place of my own, I guess. What do you think?"
Tinsel pauses to look around the space - smaller than the apartments on Floor Two, but slightly larger than the average ''rental'' room, with spaces marked off for both sleeping and recreation areas. It''s rather hard to classify it as a normal living space, however. The place does have a bed - untouched, by the look of it - and a couch, and a table with chairs, but for the most part the room seems to be filled with metal. Large plates of it have been bolted onto the stone walls, fragments and small metal items seem to be shoved into every corner of the floor, and there''s a number of chests and shelves which appear to be stuffed full of yet more metal. Simple torches dot the walls, providing enough light to see by although still keeping the room rather dim.
"It''s uh, interesting! Got a unique taste in d¨¦cor, suppose I''ll say that."
Before answering, Zappy sweeps clean the floor in front of them - not by leaning over and picking things up, but by connecting with the various pieces of metal trash using arcs of electricity and then levitating them into the air magnetically, letting them orbit around her hand. "I''m still trying to figure out what d¨¦cor is! Xenia''s given me all sorts of metal to experiment with, you know, to use for making my body with or just to see what I can do with it."
"Wait, you''re still adjusting your body? I know you said it was brand new or whatever, but you can keep changing it?"
The elemental taps her metallic chest. It''s bare now, her work uniform having been long since discarded, although it could be debated whether her partially-sculpted breasts and nipples would qualify more as obscenity or artwork. "Only permanent part of me is my core, which Xen and Sincere say makes the ''magnetic fields'' that hold the rest of my body together. Not really sure how fields work into it, I''m pretty sure I''m not growing any magnets! But I can turn that off and on to detach stuff. Wanna see? Pull my finger!" After flinging her collected trash into a nearby chest, Zappy turns towards Tinsel once again and holds out her right index finger.
The mousekin eyes it for a moment, but eventually decides this probably isn''t a lead-up to some sort of prank, and grabs hold of the appendage. With a bit of a pull, there''s a brief sound of an electric crackle before the finger suddenly pops off in her hand. It holds together, the smaller joints of the finger having been hinged together rather than held on by force of will like most of Zappy''s larger pieces, but it immediately goes limp as soon as it''s detached. "Huh. No pain, no feelin'', no nothin''?"
"Not if I do it on purpose. If you managed to pull it off me without me letting go, I''d feel all, I dunno...stretched out and sore, maybe it''d hurt if we did it a whole lot, but we haven''t really played around with it that much." As Tinsel holds the finger back towards Zappy, the elemental simply waves her arm in its general direction, and a second later it''s flown back onto her hand, fitting neatly back into place. "Cool, huh?"
"Wish normal bodies were that easy to fix." Tinsel stops to wave at some of the metal bolted to the wall. They''re almost placed like large pieces of artwork, but as plain metal they seem rather ugly if that''s all they''re intended to be. "What''s the deal with all that? Supposed to be practical for something?"
"Ah, those? Been practicing how long I can magnetize something - might use em for storage or ''d¨¦cor'' or something if I can make em permanent. See?" As a demonstration, Zappy levitates what appears to be an iron spoon into the air before flinging it at the nearest plate. With a clinking sound and a bit of mental focus from Zappy it seems to hold in place where it lands, causing the elemental to smile in victory, the numerous metal pieces making up her face shifting to match her emotional state. "Woo! I can make it stick almost instantly now, but it can only hold for like...ten minutes without me thinking about it? Then it falls off. But I''m still new at it!"
"Naw, that''s pretty impressive, I think." Tinsel trails off in thought, as a hand itches towards one of her bottomless bags. For a moment she considers searching for another of her limited supply of Sobering Potions, but eventually decides against it. Ehhh...if I''m actually gonna do this, maybe it''d be better if I can tell folks tomorrow I was just drunk. That''ll fly, right?
Looking up at the taller woman, Tinsel attempts to put her thoughts into words. "So. Zappy. I don''t mean to make this awkward or nothin'', but I ain''t exactly, y''know, experienced with elementals, and I get the impression you ain''t experienced with much''a anything. So, just to make sure there aren''t any misunderstandings, when you invited me back to your room, your reason for that was ''cause...?"
Zappy looks down at her shorter companion. "Well, a room is where we can have sex, right? Apparently Xenia told the rabbit-people, no ''hanky-panky'' in the public area! And then Taly told me that hanky-panky means sex."
Tinsel''s not entirely sure if she''s relieved or not. "Ah, right! Good. You...know what sex is, right? I didn''t even know elementals were into that sort of stuff."
"Well, we''re not, and I don''t think we feel good the same way you fleshies do, though there''s been a few things that have been kind of interesting in this new form of mine...but giving people orgasms sounds like a lot of fun, and I''d really like to orgasm you, I think!"
"Wow." Rubbing her face with one hand, the mousekin mutters to herself. "Why is this turning me on?" Shaking her head, Tinsel eventually looks back up at Zappy with one further concern. "There''s one other thing, too...aside from never being with an elemental before, I ain''t ever been with a girl before either. Normally I''m just into men, you know?"
"Oh? Ah, no problem then, I can fix that! One minute!" Zappy hurries behind one of the shelves dividing up the apartment''s spaces, and with the sounds of clattering metal that follow afterwards Tinsel is a little too nervous to take a peak at what she''s doing. After a minute or so Zappy steps back out, a smile on her face. "So? What do you think!?"
The Alchemist''s eyes grow wide. "Zappy! That thing''s almost as big as I am! How do you think meat people work!?"
Zappy looks down at herself, sure that Tinsel is exaggerating. The phallus stuck to her pelvis is only a foot or so long, clearly nowhere near Tinsel''s full height...but then, after remembering how many organs flesh-people are supposed to have, she supposes Tinsel might have a point. "Ah, fine - Xenia and Taly helped make me a full set, just hold on."
She heads back into her ''changing room'', and after another minute of clanging and clattering noises she steps back out once again, this time looking much different. Not only is the metal cock protruding from her groin a much more modest five inches, but the elemental also swapped out her entire chest plate, replacing her sculpted breasts with a muscular, masculine form. "How''s this?"
"That''s...yeah, that''ll do." For all of the enthusiasm that her words might lack, the way her eyes lock on to certain parts of Zappy''s anatomy tells the elemental she''s done much better this time.
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"Great! Now, how should I orgasm you?"
"Gods. Well, first I prolly oughtta get naked, but...I''ll take care of that, if y''don''t mind. Lotta breakable shit in these pockets." The Alchemist occasionally gets a bit touchy about other people touching her things in even the best of cases, and given that Zappy is both new to her body and full of electrical energy...yes, best to handle that part of things herself, she thinks. After setting aside her bags and vest the mousekin then moves on to her more core items of clothing, and while she somewhat attempts to make her strip sexy, with a few glances and slow wiggles...this has been one area where the woman has never really been at her most confident. Her shirt comes off first, revealing white fur-covered breasts small even for her size, not even a handful to be honest. Her pants come off next, revealing rather short, stubby legs, and that''s not even to mention her actually stubbed tail, still bearing the marks of her injury in the dungeon months previously. While it''s true that most Valleylanders don''t even account for tails in their judging of attractiveness, to say the mousekin has a few body confidence issues would be understating the matter.
Whatever flaws she might have seem to be invisible to the magnetic elemental, though, who watches attentively and appreciatively as her guest strips down. "Your fur is so smooth! A lot nicer-looking than those gnolls, and to be honest I think fur looks nicer than plain ol'' skin, too."
"Heh, thanks, and agreed. Ain''t a lotta beastkin on this continent, so folks get some strange ideas here. Assholes keep trying to pet me, can you believe it!?" Tinsel growls briefly, before pulling it back. "Though uh, this sort of thing''s a, y''know, special occasion. If you wanted to touch me, or whatever."
"Oooh, ooh, yes please!" Zappy quickly steps on over before gently running a hand down Tinsel''s arm - leaving a trail of raised fur wherever she goes. "Hehe, static electricity is fun, right?"
"Ha, that does tingle a little. Wonder how that''d feel in other places...though, one thing at a time. Hey, lean down a little more, would ya?" Zappy does so, and Tinsel leans in before quietly muttering to herself again. "...Fuck it, let''s see how this goes." Leaning in a little more, the mousekin locks her lips with the sculpted metal making up Zappy''s mouth. She holds it for a moment, shivering as literal energy runs through her body, before eventually pulling back.
"Well...guess you ain''t got a tongue, so that''s different. Stiff lips, too. That...do anything for you, though?"
Zappy nods. "It was neat! When you stuck that wet bit in there, it was like the energy fields in my head started running through it! It''s nice having you close to me like that, too."
"Suppose that''s something." Still leaned in close, Tinsel reaches out a hand and begins to stroke Zappy''s new phallus. "...How about this? Can you feel it?"
"The friction as you move back and forth does feel neat. Could you make that wet, too?"
Tinsel pauses, until she eventually chuckles. "...Well, ain''t the worst thing I''ve stuck in my mouth." Pulling Zappy''s waist towards her as she leans in, Tinsel opens wide and takes Zappy''s metal cock several inches into her mouth. Although she''s smaller than most, her slightly snout-like face does give her a bit more tongue to work with than the average woman of her size, and she puts it to work licking her way around Zappy''s shaft. Tingles of electricity run through her all the while, yet it''s Zappy who ends up shivering the most from the interaction.
"Ah! Whoa! I''ve - wow! I''ve never felt something like that before! I like it!"
Tinsel pops off to give a bit of a smirk. "Well, I do got a bit of a talent, I suppose. Hey, why don''t you lie down, and we try something a little different?" Zappy nods along and does as requested, after which Tinsel mounts the elemental so that her hindquarters are resting on Zappy''s chest. "Wanna try using your fingers on me while I suck you off? Start gentle, though, ain''t sure how this is gonna feel either, exactly."
"Ooooh, that looks wet, too...nice." Using two fingers of her right hand, Zappy traces her way along Tinsel''s furred slit, rubbing along her labia before eventually finding her entrance and slightly pushing inside. "Is that right?"
Tinsel shudders slightly before nodding. "Oooh, that''s a good tingle...yeah, that''s right. Can go a lil deeper, or rub the outside...ah, yeah." Once Zappy seems to have gotten the basics down, Tinsel again swallows as much of Zappy''s cock as she can take...moments before her mind goes blank. As if an energy circuit suddenly connected between their bodies, a jolt of energy passes through her tongue, down her throat, through the rest of her body and exiting out of her clit to re-enter Zappy''s fingers. Noticing Tinsel''s sudden uncontrolled twitching, Zappy pulls back a little.
"Tinsel!? You okay!?"
Sucking in a deep breath, the mousekin eventually response. "...Fuck. I think I just...fuck, that was the craziest orgasm I ever had in my life. From like five seconds of touching me! Fuck. I''d like to try that again, but...y''think you can tone your energy level down a little? Too much''a that shit might literally give me a heart attack or some shit."
"Ah, sure, I think I can do that? Ready for more, then?" Tinsel nods, and once the elemental resumes her fingering, she again takes Zappy into her mouth. The circuit forms between them once again, but at a much more manageable level, keeping the mousekin trembling but without overwhelming her nervous system. Over the next five minutes Tinsel orgasms three more times, a new record for the woman, and certainly an impressive display for the virgin elemental. In the process Tinsel turns Zappy''s upper chest and face into a bit of a mess, but if anything Zappy seems to enjoy the effects it has on her electrical fields, and occasionally stops to rub more of the woman''s fluids across her magnetic chassis.
Eventually though Tinsel pulls back. "Okay, okay, I could probably do that all night and lose my mind in the process, gods damn. But I don''t wanna miss the main attraction - y''up for some real fuckin''?"
Zappy lights up, almost literally. "Hells yeah! How should we do it?"
"Well...bein'' small, I ain''t too fond of being on the bottom. Other''n that, whatever you''re good with."
"Hrmm, hrmm...oooh, I got a good idea. Hold still!" Gently setting aside her partner before standing up, Zappy moves to summon a number of metal bars from a nearby chest. Before the Alchemist knows what''s happened, they''ve been smoothly manipulated into wrapping around her at numerous points - her wrists, legs, and several around her torso.
"Whoa, what? What''s the plan here, Zaps?"
"You''ll see!" With a bit more effort, Zappy again lifts the metal into the air, this time bringing Zappy along with it. With a bit of careful manipulation, Tinsel soon finds herself bound to nothing, restrained in midair - and lined up perfectly with Zappy''s cock. "This work for you alright?"
Tinsel bites her lip before responding. "...Yeah, this could be a thing. Easy though, yeah? Don''t wanna get overwhelmed again..."
Zappy nods, and after grabbing hold of Tinsel''s waist with her physical hands she begins to pull the mousekin onto her still-slick cock. It''s a literal hair-raising experience for the tiny woman, the fur around her hips standing on end as the phallus sinks deeper into her, but the moan that comes from her lips is entirely one of pleasure. "Oh, gods...that''s right deep in there, that''s...fuck. Where''s cock like this been all my life?"
"Happy to be here for you now!" With that said Zappy finally gets to properly thrusting, partially using her hips, partially by magnetically controlling Tinsel''s restraints to move her back and forth. Put together they add up to one very-stuffed mousekin, and the energy circuit that links her cunt to the hands on her waist has the woman practically gushing her juices onto the elemental''s dick. Zappy may not produce any natural lubricant of her own, but it''s hardly needed, despite the tightness of Tinsel''s tiny pussy there''s hardly any friction once the movement gets going.
Tinsel''s first orgasm - in this position, at least - doesn''t take long to arrive, but the elemental seems to be a quick learner and there only turns out to be one more to come. After figuring out where the mousekin''s sensitive bits are, and what level of electrical energy seems to cause the most pleasure, the next time Tinsel hits her climax Zappy begins to alternate her movements and currents to keep Tinsel''s nervous system riding that same high. Trembling, twitching, and moaning, the Alchemist spends a solid two minutes unable to form coherent words before finally making out a cry for mercy. "Ah! Alright - alright, pull back, pull back, any more of that and you''ll probably break me!"
Zappy hurriedly does so, leaning over towards Tinsel''s face with an expression of concern. "Are you okay? That didn''t hurt, did it?"
The woman forces out a laugh. "Hurt? Zaps, that was the best thing I''ve ever felt in my life. But...fuck, I don''t know how much of that in one go I can take. That cock is unreal."
"Ah, well, you''re welcome, I think! Have I orgasmed you enough for one night, then?"
After taking a few more deep breaths, Tinsel eventually shakes her head. "You - you fuckin'' kiddin''? Lemme catch my breath, get myself a drink, and then we''re right back on. I''m gonna ride you and that magic dick all fuckin'' night."
"Yay!"
Chapter 173: The Hangover
"Gilda? Gilda, please say something." Silva pleads as she follows after her grumpier twin, making their way down the frozen trail back to Grassbrook. Their male companions, Kalin and Randall, had gone on ahead to give the two some privacy, while Sweet followed some distance behind. She was surely still within earshot given her gnollish senses, but the sisters were used to her presence by now, and in any case they have other concerns on their minds.
In response Gilda raises the card she holds in one hand, bearing the image of a swaddled baby and the word ''Congratulations!'' on it in large red letters. "What do you want me to say, Silva? What am I going to say? Imagine when mother and father hear of this! Why didn''t you stop me?"
Silva looks away, unable to meet her sister''s eyes. "I...well...at the time, I thought it was rather amusing. Certainly, if I thought he was taking advantage of you I would have stepped in, but given that it was your idea..."
"It was!? ...Oh gods, I think I remember that now. Oh gods, it was. That stupid, handsome bastard..."
"He is quite the looker, it''s true - to be honest I was a little jealous at the time, I''ll admit. But now, well, what do you think you''ll do? About it, you know? Make it official?"
The white-haired twin scoffs. "As in marriage? Maybe if it had been Arlon. But Raylin is barely even in the Perlin line of succession! No, I''d rather raise a bastard - not that it will likely come to that, either." As she says that however, her eyes narrow in thought. "But then again..."
"What? Reconsidering the man''s merits?"
"Not the man, no. But the child''s?" Gilda halts, turning to look her blonde sister in the eye. "Think about it, Silva! About what this represents!"
"...Your lack of chastity?"
Gilda rolls her eyes. "As if anyone would have believed that. No, Silva - this child is a child conceived under Kahlia''s blessing! I mean, look at this!" Gilda waves the dungeon-crafted card in the air. "Officially confirmed by the Goddess'' favored dungeon! Imagine what this does for our claim! An heir to the house, conceived within the dungeon itself, with a divine blessing! Imagine the tale our cousins could spin of this for the king!"
"Oooh, I see what you mean!" Silva briefly grows excited, but it fades as a realization occurs to her. "Except...House Perlin has an equal claim to that particular tale, do they not?"
"Pfft. As I said, Raylin is barely an heir, and we''ll be the ones actually raising the child, whatever the outcome. It would help if we can get him to renounce his claim on the child, though."
She resumes walking down the trail once again, and Silva hurries to keep up. "You actually want to go through with it, then? The pregnancy, raising a child, and all that...simply for our claim on the lands here? I...admire your dedication to our family, sister, but I don''t know that I would do the same in your shoes."
Gilda grows thin-lipped as she responds. "I...I don''t know. I''m merely considering my options. Perhaps...perhaps we keep it as a card up our sleeve, yes? We have at least a month or two before we need to seriously consider any...permanent decisions, and by that point this matter may already be settled one way or the other. If we solidify our claim without the child...I can consider my options then. Or if we lose outright. But if it comes down to it...perhaps the child could tip the balance."
"That may be wise, yes." The two walk in silence for a minute more, before another question finally forces itself to Silva''s lips. "...So. You know...how was he, anyhow?"
Gilda''s grim expression remains. "As far as I recall? ...Annoyingly good."
"Chain me up. Lock me away. I am not safe to behave in polite society. I shall be the downfall of this expedition!" As Raylin dramatically bemoans his fate at a table in the dungeon inn, the other members of his party sitting around the table largely roll their eyes, although Arlon does give his cousin a comforting pat on the shoulder.
"Steady on now, cousin. This isn''t...the worst mistake you''ve ever made."
"But it is a mistake, and only the latest in my ongoing series! Why didn''t someone stop me!? Taylim, where were you when I needed your protection!"
As usual, the bodyguard''s response is measured and dry. "I protect you from blades and poisons, my lord. Not from your own decisions - that would be a full-time job of its own, I daresay. I judged the odds of the woman killing you as being no more than one in ten."
Sansie sighs. "To be honest, it was rather amusing to see a woman turning you into her prey for once, even if it was a Highbranch. And it was the reward she claimed for winning the ''duel'', after all."
Raylin''s eyes grow wide. "Wait, I didn''t even win the contest?"
"My, you must have been out of it. This matter aside, I hope you don''t blame us too much for not stepping in? I suppose we were all in our cups more than a little, last night."
Calming down slightly, the Marksman thinks it over and sighs. "No, no...this is far from my first drunken inn encounter, if it weren''t for the outcome I''d judge it a fair memory - however much I can recall, anyhow."
Having been generally quiet so far this morning, the party''s Priest Palm Redbeard finally decides to speak up. "Setting aside the encounter itself, what do you imagine for your next move, my lord?"
Raylin thinks that over as well, but comes to far less of a conclusion. "I...I suppose honor dictates that I must at least investigate as to setting up a proposal of marriage. But this is Gilda Highbranch we''re talking about here. Can anyone imagine her accepting?"
Arlon chuckles. "Perhaps if you''d pursued Silva instead...but no, Gilda is an immensely prideful woman. You should at least make an offer though, if you would be willing to see it through."
"If it came to it, aye. Imagine though if she turns me down and keeps the child regardless for some reason, though? It''s...not impossible that I''ve left a bastard or two behind before, but it''s hard to imagine knowing it and not being able to act as a father should."
Across the table, Lollyp shrugs. "Eh, I barely knew my dad and I turned out alright. Just knowing you''re there and you''re thinking of him or her would be more than a lot of folks get."
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Raylin nods, before pausing to eye the slime as she sips from her mug. "Do slimes actually have fathers? I thought I heard..."
"Well, it ain''t like we just grow out of the ground! Anyhow, it''s too early in the morning for the slugs and the snails talk."
Arlon slowly nods along. "Right, the...slugs. It''s interesting seeing you here so early by the way, Elementalist. I don''t recall seeing you last night?"
Lollyp growls. "Yeah, the damn drunkards kept me tied up til the party was almost over! I got in here early this morning before people started shit back up again, there''s a party on Floor One right now but I should have at least ten minutes warning once they get to BB."
"I see, I see." Raylin gives a rueful laugh, as he decides to look for wisdom in any corner where he can find it. "So tell me, immortal guardian of Worthy Dungeon, what would you do in my shoes?"
"Go for the twin, too. They seem like the sort that like to do everything together, after all. And make sure you knock her up in the dungeon while you''re at it."
The entire Perlin expedition finds that they have little to say to that, but Raylin struggles for a response regardless. "...Why in the dungeon, exactly?"
The slime pauses. "...For good luck? Oh, there we go, boss fight''s starting, I better go get ready. I''m hoping to collect an elf leg today!" She quickly sets her mug down and glides her way over to the exit portal, and for a good two minutes the Perlins find they don''t know what to say.
Finally, Sansie offers a thought. "An inn inside a dungeon is a rather strange thing, is it not?"
Raylin nods in agreement. "That it is, cousin."
"Yes, indeed. So...all this aside, did you actually enjoy your evening?"
The Marksman sighs as he nods. "...It was frustratingly good."
In another corner of the inn, the almost-as-hungover Valleylander party greets their leader as she finds their table. Jantana, perhaps the only one in the group not showing any ill effects from the night before, gives the mousekin a wide smile. "Morning, Alchemist! Did you - "
"I was drunk. It doesn''t count. You can''t blame me for it."
As Tinsel slides into a seat and practically glues her forehead to the table, the minotaur needs a moment to mentally adjust her greeting. "...I was just asking if you enjoyed the dungeon''s updates last night. Personally, suffering through those wraiths on Floor Four seems much more worth it now."
Lifting her head, Tinsel peers at the Regenerator. "...Ah, right, yeah. It was...really nice. Best dungeon tavern I ever been to. Five stars."
Kalasha, one of the two orcs at the table, gives a snort at her response. "Wow, gods be praised. Our fearless leader actually complemented something without swearing even once. I guess she did have a good time last night."
Her voice almost in a squeak, Tinsel reacts immediately. "I WAS DRUNK. IT DOESN''T COUNT."
Being somewhat more sensitive than his companion, Mesht attempts to calm his captain. "Alchemist, please. If you''re expecting some sort of judgment - well, your choice of companionship is perhaps a little unorthodox, yes. And some of us have been a little...curious. But we''re not judging you."
Haylizt nods along, as the drider lifts a mug of water to her lips with one of her new shadowy tentacles. "Let''s make that very curious. But you don''t have to say anything if you don''t want to."
"Good."
The table is silent for a few moments, before Kalasha tries again. "But you could say something if you wanted - "
"IT WAS THE BEST FUCK OF MY LIFE!"
The table goes silent once again, although this time for slightly different reasons. Finally, Jantana breaks the ice. "Well in that case, maybe tonight I should - "
"NO!" Tinsel''s eyes go wide as she shouts the word, almost as if she didn''t realize until after the fact that she was going to say it. "...Shit! I mean...fuck!"
Haylizt can''t resist smiling as she leans forward. "Wow, was that...jealousy? Are you actually falling for that elemental, Hansliss?"
The mousekin doesn''t answer right away, avoiding eye contact for a while before eventually responding. "...Look, I...ain''t ever been one for serious romance, right? Ain''t a lot of mousekin on the entire fuckin'' continent, and anyone else...it just ain''t fit. ...Talkin'' romantically, not physically, shut up Kalasha. And I just..."
Eventually finding the strength to meet her teammates'' eyes, Tinsel asks a heavy question. "Anyone know how you date a girl?"
Meanwhile, in a corner of the Fiver''s Lounge, Xenia and several of her bosses were enjoying the relative quiet of the more exclusive part of the floor. None of the adventurers were present this early, preferring to nurse their hangovers in the gentler light of the public tavern. The dancers and most of the bar staff were on break, and Zappy seemed to be sleeping in, or whatever it was elementals did when they got tired. For her part, Xenia just seemed to be happy to have someplace to gather that wasn''t her bedroom for once. "Helluva night, wasn''t it?"
Taly chuckles. "I''ll say. I thought we''d have one or two parties trying the place out before word really got out, not that we''d have the entire Challenger population of Grassbrook here at the same damn time. So many competitive fuckin'' hardasses...we''re lucky no one died last night, and I don''t even mean in the regular dungeon floors."
Xenia snorts. "Yeah, that part wasn''t luck, that was hard fuckin'' work. Even with BB and Lollyp being pretty practiced now at going easy on the newbies, some of those idiots were begging for a decapitation, it was ridiculous. Think most of em learned their lesson, though...or don''t have enough working limbs left to make the same mistake twice."
Next to her, Trush grins widely as he drinks from his mug. Unlike the Challengers in the other room this particular party was mostly immune to the hazards of hangovers, and although several of those at the party were sticking with tea his own choice was yet more of the dungeon''s free booze. "The ones who stayed for the cheer and the company certainly paid off for our troubles, didn''t they? Those Perlins...that Marksman must have had, what, a forty-five percent increase to his fertility thanks to Kahlia''s blessing? Honestly, with numbers like that, I''m surprised we haven''t doubled our quota by now! How many couples did we have trying last night, would you say?"
The dungeon master shoots her Wandering Boss a smirk. "Are you asking me if I''ve been spying on the private moments of our guests, Sharptongue?"
The entire table rolls their eyes at that, and Sincere speaks for the group. "Of course he wouldn''t be asking that - we know it for a fact. You don''t have to say, of course...although I am curious..."
"A''course you are." The woman pauses for effect before continuing. "...Eleven. Only eight of which could have even gotten someone knocked up though, ignoring birth control, and I''m gettin'' the impression most folks must be on some. What really surprises me is no one ended up trying their luck with one of the staff - other than Zappy, amazingly, although she ain''t technically count. Or that none of you took a shot. If it weren''t for the fact that my damn avatar spell is still on cooldown, well, I''m tellin'' you..."
Deylia chuckles a little awkwardly. "Personally I was far too overwhelmed last night to think of anything like that! Perhaps if Raylin had been free, but..."
Taly gives her a concerned look. "It still on between you and him? I thought that was sort of settled."
"Oh, no, I''m not jealous or anything if that''s what you mean - to be honest, I had trouble not laughing when Xenia told me of the outcome this morning! It''s just, I didn''t really have time to get to know anyone new, is all."
Xenia seems a little unconvinced. "Really? Seemed like you were getting cozy enough with that Tafyaf. Interesting gnoll, comes by here a lot. Not even an actual Challenger, either."
Deylia shakes her head. "Oh, no, he''s dating someone - a healer, actually, who I''d be interested to meet. But that''s a matter for another day, I think. How was it, by the way - having all of these people inside you? Ah. I mean - "
"Ha, it''s been great, actually. That capacity increase is no joke - I thought it was all about mana management and stuff, but it''s actually like...mental processing power, too? I could probably handle a party twice that size without a headache, no problem. Not that I want one right now, would be good to have a quiet day or two to adjust to all these changes and shit."
Beatrice nods in agreement, the one person at the table who does have an actual hangover to manage - although with her enchanted helmet on to allow her to see and hear Xenia, at least she doesn''t need to worry much about her appearance. "Yes, please. A nice, quiet week to sleep this off. It was great but I cannot do this every night."
Xenia nods along. "Fair enough. Maybe we should do weekend specials or something, to keep the crowds concentrated. Although any night we can convince that Marksman to try another drinking contest..." As the table collectively gives her a raised eyebrow, the dungeon master shrugs. "What? Just one more kid to go and, well...who knows what we might get, eh?"
Chapter 174: A Deep Breath
The rest of the day was surprisingly quiet in Worthy Dungeon. Although it wasn''t in one large mass the way they had arrived, in small groups throughout the morning and early afternoon almost all of the dungeon''s guests made their departures. After all, hiking up to the place had been a rather spontaneous affair, and the vast majority of the Challengers still had rooms down at the Bastard where they were keeping their things - and were paying for the space to do so. The more serious parties had reports to file, the nobles had a scandal to manage, and even Sable and Lilly couldn''t wait to tell Mother Elance all about what she had missed.
Taking advantage of this lull and somewhat worried that one might not come again for a while, Xenia decided it was time to see to some of Deylia''s needs, both professional and emotional. Setting aside some of the vast amount of still-unused space available on Floor Five, the dungeon master carved out a new room and kept it intentionally very plain. Simple wood and bricks made up the floor and walls, with a few rugs and large pillows for comfort, but beyond that and some candles for light the room was left entirely unfurnished. When the Rabbit Priestess arrives through a shortcut portal, summoned by Guy, she peers around at the new space in a bit of confusion.
"Yes, Xenia? Guy said you wished to speak to me? ...Are we decorating a new room for the inn?"
Xenia shakes her head as she sits down on one of the pillows, cross-legged, and motions for Deylia to do the same across from her. "Nope - this room is for you. Or, well, it''s a prototype of one. Thinking of making a connected living space on Floor Five for all the dungeon employees, hook up your apartment and Zappy''s and the rabbit barracks to some shared space, so you don''t just gotta deal with portals all the time. This''d be a room to add in there - a meditation room."
"Ah, I see." The rabbit takes a moment to claim her own seat, needing to adjust her robes a little to match Xenia''s pose, and eventually returns to studying the room''s design. "So, I''ve heard a little about meditation - I''ve heard certain religious orders do it? Or specific classes of some? I''m not familiar with the details, but I''m given to understand that it mostly involves...sitting very quietly, with your mind empty? Or in devotion of a particular deity, or some such?"
Her boss nods. "That''s the broad strokes of it, yeah, though the actual practice of it''s a little more involved."
"I see." Deylia awkwardly clears her throat. "Not that I know you particularly well as of yet, but...I''m a little surprised that you consider this to be an expertise of yours."
Xenia can''t resist showing a grin. "Yeah, I get that a lot. Actually, before we get into it...how about we just talk? Not...dungeon spirit to dungeon guardian, or anything like that, but just woman to woman?" She pauses slightly before continuing. "I...look, I''ve put you through the wringer these past few days, I know it. Killing you, new body, new job, took you to meet a goddess, then put you in charge of customer service at the grand opening of a monster tavern...it''s a lot. Too much. Neither of us asked for things to turn out this way, but if this is going to be our lives from now til the mountain falls over, we ought to do it on a good foundation. Am I right?"
Deylia lets that sink in for a moment before nodding. "I, well, I wasn''t about to complain, exactly. You brought me back to life when you had no obligation to, and you took me to meet a goddess, which ought to be considered a positive, I think. But you''re right. I sometimes feel almost dizzy when I look around and see where I am, see so many unfamiliar faces...many of them monstrous, including my own, at least to a certain extent. It would be nice to...slow down, a little?"
"Yeah, I can imagine. Learning meditation will definitely help with that, I think, but how about we start with something lighter? Say...I tell you how I learned to meditate, you tell me a bit about what it''s like growing up in one of the local noble families? I''m familiar with nobles in general, but not so much the ones around here."
The Maid nods eagerly. "I''ve been wanting to hear more about your past lives! You and the others have given me the quick summary, and I understand much of it''s far from pleasant to recall, but other parts do sound rather amazing."
"Ha, well...the one I''m about to discuss wasn''t that amazing. Didn''t slay a single dragon or nothin''. So, how to start...you''ve probably picked up by now that I''ve had my ups and downs, yeah? One really big down, but I''ve had plenty of existential moments throughout my career as a Reincarnator Extraordinaire, as y''might imagine. And there was this one time where it caught up to me in a life where I was born as a gnome girl."
Deylia''s head tilts. "A...gnome? Is that some sort of monster?"
"Nah, picture...a dwarf but smaller, and less hair. Less stubborn, friendlier, slightly more likely to die in acts of insane stupidity." She pauses as it appears Deylia is about to say something, but the other woman wisely decides to remain silent. "Heh. I''ve seen gnomes in a few realms, but in this case I had the bad luck to be born as one in a world where they were dying out. As it happens, my family was the only gnome family in our town. Mostly humans, elves, centaurs, that sort of thing."
Deylia perks up. "Oh, I''ve heard of centaurs!"
"...Good to know. Might ask about that later. Anyways, the point is, this was real bad news for Xenia the Gnome."
"Oh? Did you get...bullied or something growing up? Face discrimination?"
"Nah, gnomes had a good rep. Problem was, my usual way of making it through life on a run involves, like, physical shit. Adventuring, mercenary work, occasional terms as a soldier...once in a while a table dancer for a weekend if I need some quick money, nothin'' fancy." This time as Deylia is about to interrupt, Xenia quickly moves on. "It ain''t that I can''t learn magic, but I almost always need to start over from scratch every time, everywhere''s got different rules and systems. Literal capital-s Systems, sometimes. And as for like...trades? Artisan skills? Book-learnin'' shit?" The dungeon master frowns. "I''ve always been bad at that crap. Have been since Run Zero, barely made it through high school to be honest."
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"...Ah, I see. You said gnomes were even smaller than dwarves?"
"That would be the problem, yeah. Maybe if the world''d been gnome-sized, but making it in a culture of humans? Sure, I could punch way above my weight, literally. But there''s limits. Hard to be an adventurer if the average monster can swallow you in one bite. An'' I''ve been swallowed by monsters, can''t recommend it as a way to go. The vore folks got no idea what the fuck they''re talking about."
This time Deylia has absolutely no idea what to say to that, and Xenia continues. "So, with my usual method of making a living cut off to me, the existential despair and depression hit me hard on that run. All ''who am I, really'', and ''what''s the point of me being here'', so on and so forth. So...I figured for once I''d give religion a serious try."
"I can see how one in your position would be inclined to seek divine guidance. And you seem to be rather...familiar with deities."
"Well, I am these days, but back then the most contact I had with any was through SGA reps or your usual priests and all that. Anyhow, this was one of those realms with...let''s call it low-anthropomorphic-level deities. Something like five ''spirits'' that guided the world, basically supernatural forces of nature, you couldn''t talk to them but if you were in tune enough, you could sense their will and maybe get on their good sides. Earn their version of a blessing - for example, there was a general purpose ''Life'' spirit who might heal you, help you raise crops or animals and stuff like that, but you had to be so in tune with their natures that you sort of had some Life spirit inside of you."
Deylia''s brow furrows. "That''s interesting. Sounds much more high-effort than becoming a priest, but on the other hand, more...personal, I suppose?"
"Pretty much, not that the spirits had more than the vaguest sort of personalities. Anyways, I ended up signing on for a Monastery of Fate. The ''Fate'' spirit managed luck, time, self-control, and even a bunch of aspects that helped keep huge empires running, or break them apart. Maintaining the roads, good or bad weather, things like that. Personally, I was in it to see if I could get a handle on my bad luck curse. Or at least try and get some control over how I keep bouncing around between random universes."
"I take it that didn''t work out? But it appears you continue practicing your meditation skills regardless?"
Xenia nods. "I never did actually get in tune with Fate. Not that surprising, I suppose - it could take decades for it to really click, and, well...making it to thirty is usually a huge accomplishment for me. But even aside from that, I kinda got the feeling it was avoiding me." The luckless woman snorts. "I swear I could feel like I was almost there sometimes, and it''d just...run away from me. Like a fog getting blown away in the wind every time you get closer. Still, living at that monastery was a really good few years for me, generally speaking. Had to be one of the least violent runs I''ve ever had. It''s still not really the sort of life for me, I think, but at the time I really needed the break, and it was...nice. Not having to worry about anything more serious than collecting food for dinner or keeping my space clean. Also, Fate Monks were huge into gambling, and the card nights could get pretty wild."
"...Really."
The former monk shrugs. "Takes all kinds, I guess. Anyhow, how about you? How''d you get signed up as a Maid?"
Seeing that it''s her turn to share, Deylia takes a moment to collect her thoughts. "...Well. Our family, the Niyens, have been an ally of the Perlin family ever since the founding of the kingdom. Militarily, economically, and especially in marriage. Two of my aunts are Perlins or close cousins, as is one of my grandmothers. For those of us in the more minor houses, it''s common for us to spend our adolescence in the service of one of the larger ones. My brother being a Squire, for example. Personally, at the age of ten I was sent to be Sansie''s handmaiden, she being only one year older than I."
"Getting sent to work at ten, huh? What''d that even involve?"
Deylia chuckles at Xenia''s concern. "Well, early on it was more of a formal way of assigning me to be her friend. Occasionally, especially around formal events and that, I''d have some responsibilities to ensure she was prepared, and to make sure she kept up on her studies, and so on. But up until I was fifteen or so we were mostly just companions - she, I, and a few other young girls."
"What happened at fifteen?"
"Well, that was about the age for a young noblewoman to get serious about her Challenger class. Almost every noble in the Rainlands has one, you know. There''s no legal requirement, but it''s practically an expectation, and failing to reach at least Advanced level will usually mean getting passed over for getting much of an inheritance. We''d of course been taking some introductory courses the previous few years in both combat and magic, but both Sansie and I were clearly more suited for magical talents. Sansie chose to specialize in offensive magics, and so I took up supportive magics with which to assist her."
"Man, you started your team-building way early. You said there were other handmaidens as well?"
The Maid nods. "There were, but by time we were nineteen two of them had already married and moved to their new households. The others...well, they were fine young women, but they struggled somewhat. They both achieved Advanced rank by time they were twenty but retired from the career after that."
"Not for you, though? Retiring or getting hitched?"
"Sansie is...very good with her magic. Perhaps the best in House Perlin of her generation. Being able to help her with her successes...it always filled me with a great deal of pride. While I''m not drawn to the violence so much, we''ve been Challenging together for eight or nine years, now. That''s...it''s quite a close bond. Hard for me to break, even now, I suppose."
Xenia gives an understanding nod. "I''ll say. You said you were twenty-five now? And you''ve lived and worked with her for fifteen years, then? I can see how you''d be pretty close."
Deylia sighs slightly. "Indeed. I...understand your position of neutrality when it comes to the noble houses of the land, but I have to admit, I still personally hope that House Perlin is granted control of these lands. And perhaps even that Sansie might take some role in their administrations...but I suppose that''s something of a fantasy."
"Yeah, I don''t know nearly enough to go wading into those waters - and I might want to hear your take on the politics involved in more detail later, I suppose. If I hafta. But for now - let''s get to meditation, yeah? Get you nice and relaxed, and all opened up for Kahlia''s touch! If you''re ready?"
The Priestess-in-training eyes her boss a little before answering. "...I am ready, yes. Although...I do have one more question. You say you often die young...how did Xenia the Gnome meet her end, if I might ask?"
Xenia shrugs. "Gnomes were dying out there for a reason, y''know? I was walking home one day, and a griffin swooped down and ate me."
"...That''s horrible!"
"That''s what I''m saying! Vore, don''t even think about it, kids."
Chapter 175: A Fated Encounter
The next morning finally saw some returnees to the new dungeon inn, although it didn''t come in quite the form Xenia may have been expecting. The larger local Challenger parties were being slow about deciding whether or not to relocate up to the mountain, particularly since it meant being cut off from communications save for whatever messages might be passed by adventurers making the trip between the dungeon and the town. Half a dozen of the independent Challengers however had put together something of a scheme, most of them being mercenary Challengers - those who would fill in the gaps on other parties in exchange for pay or a larger cut of the loot.
Apparently their scheme was this: they would take rooms at the inn, hang around in the tavern, and see which of the other parties passing through each day might be interested in hiring them on. If no one did, then perhaps that afternoon they might gather up and take a run at the place themselves. It beat hanging around at the Lucky Bastard, where days or even weeks could be entirely wasted if no one was hiring. Even better, as long as they promised to try at least a few floors every other day or so, the food and drink were practically free, not to mention the rooms themselves. It was an astounding improvement to their personal financials, since normally waiting around for a week for a job to appear could end up consuming more funds than the job itself would provide. Slightly to Xenia''s disappointment though the current batch of mercenaries proved disciplined enough to limit their alcohol intake until the evening hours, since it would be hard to get hired on if one was staggering drunk - and they were even more disciplined after Deylia passed on that drunks would not be getting any more ''light treatment'', now that the grand opening was over.
In the late morning a party arrived for the typical purpose of trying the dungeon, and for this group it would be their first actual attempt at doing so. Standing before Doorman in the frozen mountain air were Silva and Gilda Highbranch, with their bodyguard Sweet looming a few feet behind them. Off to the sides stood Kalin Deepwoods, a cousin of theirs with the Noble Duelist class, as well as Randall, an unrelated half-elf with the sort of class one often got coy about mentioning in public company.
As the more assertive of the twins, Gilda steps forward to announce their presence. "Morning, Guardian of Worthy Dungeon! We''ve come to challenge your tests, slay your monsters, etcetera, etcetera. May we enter?"
The door gives them a wide grin. "Ah, welcome back Lady Highbranch, and Lady Highbranch - and I understand congratulations are in order!" When Lady Highbranch answers his smile with narrowed eyes and a slight scowl, he backtracks somewhat. "...Or...my condolences?"
"Let''s just say the circumstances are a little too politically complex for a door, shall we? Now, may we enter?"
"Of course! After you pass the challenge of my riddle!"
Silva looks a little confused. "Ah? Normally you don''t make return visitors pass a riddle though, right? We were here just a day ago!"
Doorman nods. "Aye, but you were only visitors to the inn, which does not require a test. As long as you''re in good standing with the dungeon, at least."
Thinking of something, Gilda smirks. "Well then - let us into the inn, will you?"
"...Are you just planning on passing on into the dungeon from the inn''s shortcut portals?"
"...Nooooo...?"
The dungeon guardian sighs. "The shortcuts do have restrictions, you know. For most floors, that requires having cleared the previous floor. To enter Floor One from the inn however, the requirement is having passed one of my riddles!"
Gilda rolls her eyes a little at that, but gives in. "Fine, fine. What is your test?"
The door pauses for a moment as they think one up. "...How many days are left in winter?"
Silva smiles at the question. "Ah, a simple math test! Let''s see, it''s about two weeks since the solstice - " Her thoughts are interrupted by a loud throat-clearing from the gnoll behind her. "...Yes, Sweet?"
"One ought to clarify whether the dungeon uses the Rainlander or Valleylander reckoning of seasons, my lady. In the Valleylands seasons are divided by lunar months, while in the kingdom of course we mark them off on the first of each calendar month."
"Oh, yes, of course! Ah, guardian, which system do you use?"
"...Which system means it gets warmer faster?"
There''s a moment of silence as the half-elves collectively force themselves not to say the first thing that comes to their minds. After a beat, Silva picks up. "...According to the Rainlands seasonal calendar, we have fifty-three days left of winter."
"Ooof, not even halfway through yet! Well, I suppose it is what it is. You may proceed on to Floor One, enjoy your challenge!"
"I''m sure we will!"
For the majority of the first floor, the half-elves largely just stood back and let Sweet do all the work. This wasn''t due to any particular noble laziness, but simply due to the fact that attempting to aid the woman would have just meant getting in her way. The bodyguard tore through the floor''s monsters with a pair of large daggers - practically short swords to a person of average height - dispatching most of them with a single blow. Thanks to her class training as a Bloodletter, that was true even when the wound wasn''t immediately fatal. Every slice or nick would lead to a gush of blood, first turning the limb limp, and then in the case of the lower-tier monsters of the first floor, kill them within a few seconds more.
This was particularly impressive - and confusing to observing dungeon spirits - given that it was true even when used on skeleton warriors.
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The controlled rampage comes to a stop however when the party reaches the door to BB''s arena, with the twin sisters stepping forward. Even as they do, Sweet shakes her head in disapproval. "You are certain you two wish to face this boss alone, my ladies? It is only the first floor boss, the Association is unlikely to concern itself much with whether or not you play a role in its defeat."
Silva nods, a resolute look on her face. "Even if the Association doesn''t, it''s important to our claim - we must say that House Highbranch can handle any and every guardian within the dungeon. You''re a treasured member of the house of course, Sweet, but some tasks are for scions, not servants, I''m afraid."
"I take pride in your willingness to fight for your own honor, of course. You will prepare?"
"Certainly." Reaching into her bag, Silva pulls out a handful of randomly assorted items before kneeling down on the dungeon stone. After drawing a rather simple ritual circle in chalk, she then scatters the objects across it - bird bones, a die, a pair of coins from foreign currencies, an iron nail, and an unenchanted, mundane rabbit''s foot. The Noble Diviner studies them for a moment, gently prodding a few, before eventually scooping them back up and standing to face her sister.
"I assume we win?"
The Diviner rolls her eyes at Gilda. "If we didn''t, I''d be telling us to pack up and leave town without a word. Not being able to defeat the first floor boss would be ten times the scandal of yesterday''s events."
The Enchantress sighs at the reminder. "And you''re certain the dungeon''s odd luck doesn''t affect your readings?"
"Divination is the opposite of relying on luck, dear sister. I''m brushing past all of the randomness of life to see exactly what we must do. Now, first off, you must flirt back with the rabbit."
Gilda''s eyes go wide. "I should do what, now?"
"He''ll be doing it to offend you and make you angry. Turn it back on him, and the effect will be reversed, however. Second, concussive rune on your shield. Third, binding wraps on my wrist. And lastly, use your bell. After that it''ll all be over but the bleeding."
"His, one hopes." Despite her grumbling Gilda quickly gets to following her sister''s instructions - pulling out a long, thin brush from her sleeve, the half-elf dips it into one of the specially-designed bottles strapped to her waist. Enchantments of her own design keep them secure even in the midst of battle, while allowing her brush to press down on their fabric-coated tops, allowing the magical inks within to soak through. Once the tip is wet, quick, well-practiced strokes paint a runic design on the front of her shield, with the image briefly glowing and then almost entirely fading away once it''s complete. Swapping her ink to another of her bottles, Gilda then gets to painting marks on Silva''s bracers as the woman holds her arms out. The whole process takes less than twenty seconds - a long time in a fight, if the twins needed to do it in the middle of combat, but something they had both trained to do and had actually accomplished on numerous occasions.
Once the runes are prepared, Gilda trades her brush for a blade and takes the lead at the arena door. "Let''s see how ridiculous this particular guardian is, then..."
The pair get about fifteen feet into the arena before there''s a sudden cloud of smoke on the opposite end, soon clearing to reveal the dungeon''s Rabbit Rogue boss. Foregoing an ambush, the man instead gives the twins a smirk. "I can see the rest of your team waiting beyond the door there, you know. Did you two lovely ladies want me all for yourselves?"
Biting back her initial response, Gilda remembers her sister''s instructions. "Assuming you can handle two ladies, I would love to see how you perform. I''ve heard you''re quite...flexible."
Not actually expecting Gilda to respond in kind, BB is momentarily surprised enough that he fails to notice how plastered-on the noblewoman''s smile actually is. Showing off the metal claws attached to his hands, the boss responds with more of the same. "I wish I could show you how talented I am with my fingers, but sadly I''m wearing my work uniform at the moment. If you wish to delay the fight for a time, though, we could always take a break and return to our obligations later..."
This time the half-elf''s smirk hides more than a trace of venom, but again the rabbit fails to notice it. "Ah, but fighting gets me in the mood. Perhaps if you win, you can show us how you express your dominance afterwards..."
"Sadly, those who lose a fight with me are rarely in the mood for much more than calling for a healer afterwards. But, as you wish!" The boss launches a pair of magically-generated smoke bombs to cover the center of the room, before quickly dashing to the side and launching himself off of the wall with a powerful leap. Gilda raises her shield to block him, which hardly bothers the man - the force of the impact alone ought to be enough to send her to the floor, and he can always return for a more serious attack later. It''s to his surprise then when his feet hit the shield and it''s he who is flung backwards, with a sudden, flameless explosion seeming to generate from the surface of the metal and tossing him back into the wall with a crunch.
It''s not enough to take the boss out of the fight, indeed beyond a minor injury to the man''s elbow he seems to be almost unharmed as he gets back to his feet. He does decide to try for easier prey however, and after a short moment of recovery he launches himself in a higher leap that takes him over the pair of sisters. After quickly turning around upon landing the rogue grabs on to Silva''s wrist, intending to spin her and toss her into her sister, and perhaps even use that explosive shield of hers against them in the process. He''s again surprised by an instant magical counter-attack, this one not made of force but of summoned vines which suddenly sprout from Silva''s bracer and begin to grow up the rabbit''s arm, covering it in thorny tendrils within seconds.
BB pulls back, attempting to gain some distance, but stumbles as the vines refuse to let him go, keeping him connected to the Diviner''s arm. Deciding that blades would solve this problem, he first moves to cut through the magical plants with the clawed gauntlet on his free hand, before deciding that perhaps taking off the half-elf''s arm would be an even easier target. Unfortunately, his moment of indecision lasts long enough for Gilda to sheathe her blade and draw a new weapon. Eyeing it, BB pauses in a moment of utter confusion as Silva lifts...a bell.
Whatever he may be thinking, however, those thoughts go sliding out of his ears when the Enchantress drops her arm and lets the bell ring. The sound of it is far louder than it ought to be, in fact, it''s far louder than the sound itself actually is. Bells echo in his mind, assaulting him from every direction, and vertigo sends the monster sprawling across the floor even as the vines continue to wrap their way up his shoulder. Looking up, he manages to spot Silva as she approaches him sword-in-hand, but although her lips are moving he''s unable to make out a single word. He attempts to dodge, to roll, to do something, but entangled by magic both internal and external, he ends up being nothing more than a lamb brought to slaughter as Silva opens his throat.
Once the monster finally stops twitching and the summoned vines begin to dissipate, Silva turns back towards her sister with a smile on her face. "Well, I''d say that went pretty well, don''t you think? And not a drop of luck required!"
Gilda grunts in response. "A quick fight, but I really could have done without having to pretend to be attracted to the beast. At least we won''t need to come through here again, a repeat encounter would be...awkward." Turning back towards the rest of the party, the noblewoman waves them forward. "Alright, show''s over, we may proceed. Sweet, Kalin, do you two think you can hold off the moving platform''s ambushes while we prepare ourselves for the slime?"
Kalin nods his head towards his higher-ranking cousin. "Of course, Lady Gilda. The bats and skeletons shall be wheat to my scythe."
"Very good, then. This next fight should be interesting...but if we must have a banter phase, next time you''ll be handling that part, Silva."
The Diviner shrugs with a grin. "If that would be fate''s will."
Chapter 176: Complaints Department
House Highbranch''s trip through Floors Two and Three went much as it had for the first floor, with the lower-ranking members of the party handling most of the combat while leaving the bosses to the twins. The two did an excellent job of dismantling Floor Three''s traps however, with Silva determining their locations before reaching them, and Gilda disabling the various pitfalls and barriers with quickly inked runes. As was becoming standard, the party took a break for the day after clearing the third floor, making their way back down the mountain rather than choosing to celebrate their newly available menu options at the inn.
When Lollyp revived after their departure, the slime was quite irate about the ''cheating'' the two had done - not only avoiding her ambush, but painting explosive runes on the floor while she was still busy taunting the pair. Not having had a good viewpoint on what exactly Gilda was doing, the slime had leapt from the ceiling, landed exactly on top of one of the magical traps, been bounced onto two more, and was barely able to put up a fight at all before being slain. An amused Xenia reminded her boss however that it''d taken the sisters several minutes of preparation to pull off that move, and so all told it was actually slower than some parties managed, particularly those at Expert level.
Xenia would find the visit waiting for her that afternoon to be rather less amusing, unfortunately. Not long after lunchtime Doorman looks down to find Bountiful Mother Hammerdown looking up at him, her normally pleasant expression replaced with a glare. Behind her follow the more common sights of Paladin Sable and Priestess Lilly, both of the pair looking rather embarrassed about something. Before the guardian can inquire as to their business, the dwarf woman reclaims his attention by stating it herself. "Door! Let us into that new inn of yours, and tell that daft fool of a dungeon spirit y''got runnin'' the place that I need a word with her!"
Rather unused to this treatment, it takes the door a few moments to respond. "...I''m sorry? It''s normally a delight to see you and your coworkers, Bountiful Mother, is something the matter?"
"Aye, something''s the matter! I heard tell of how the dungeon was going to be converting Floor Five into a shrine to Kahlia of some sort, all well and good, I''m not one to tell the dungeon its business. But apparently the dungeon and I have very different concepts of what in the bloody blazes a shrine ought to be! So get her up there, and have that Deylia come along, too."
"I, ah..one moment. I''m afraid to report that the dungeon master''s avatar spell will still be unavailable for at least another day or two, but another representative will be there to speak with you. You may take the first portal to your right there to enter the inn."
Elance hurries on through without saying another word, followed soon after by her colleagues, although the demonic Paladin does briefly halt to mouth an ''I''m sorry'' in Doorman''s direction as she goes.
The inn is fairly quiet when the group comes through, with only two tables in one corner being occupied by the mercenaries who were still waiting for another hour or two before deciding whether or not to do their own run on the dungeon for the day. A few rabbit-staff man the bar, keeping an eye on the new arrivals as they step inside, but it''s Deylia who takes charge of their welcome. "Welcome to Worthy Inn! Good to see you again, Sable, Lilly. Bountiful Mother, I don''t believe we''ve met before, but it''s an honor to finally make your acquaintance. I''m told there''s been some sort of issue?"
The Maid puts her full charm into the welcome, and to the surprise of her coworkers it actually does manage to soften the dwarf''s mood a little. "Damn - darn yes there''s a problem! And it involves you, but it''s not your fault, lass. I thought that Xenia''d be smarter than this, is all."
That statement is responded to by Sincere, as the man walks up behind them from another portal ring. "Greetings, Bountiful Mother. Xenia is here with us, but I will have the honor of speaking for her, if that''s alright. Shall we take a table and listen to your concerns?"
Elance turns her glare onto the demon, but it fades again under the guardian''s professional demeanor. If anything, that only makes the cleric more upset - she''d worked herself into a good hot fury on her long hike up the frozen mountainside, and now the dungeon was being so damned polite about it all! Still, she returns the courtesy in kind. "Aye, let''s do that, shall we? We''ve got much to discuss, apparently."
Deylia leads the group to a table for six, where one chair pulls itself out, apparently signifying the master of the dungeon taking her place. Deylia sits to the left of the empty spot while Sincere takes the right, and the trio from the Church of Bounty fill in the opposite side of the table. The staff begin putting together some drinks and snacks for the group, but once that''s in order Sincere takes charge of seeing what the matter is. "So - are we right in assuming this is some sort of disapproval with the changes to Floor Five?"
Elance waves a hand. "That''s part of it, aye. Look, Sable and Lilly here gave me the gist of what got discussed at your big anniversary party the other night, so forgive me if perhaps something got lost in the translation. It''s my understanding that you took the young lass here to see Kahlia herself - heavens above, what a move - and discussed having her take on some grand title of the clergy and making a shrine of some sort to Kahlia on this floor? That about sum it up?"
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Sincere nods. "That''s about right, although I should point out that while Deylia here would be in service to Kahlia, she would not be part of the Church of Bounty. We''re not attempting to force her into your hierarchy."
"Can''t say if that''s good or bad, but that''s not the issue - or issues plural, I should say. To get to the first of them, I understand the goddess will be inspiring Deylia here in the use of divine blessings. All well and good. ...What about the rest of it?"
Deylia pauses before leaning forward with a question. "...The rest of what, Mother?"
The dwarf gestures in the Maid''s direction. "You see? That this is even a question is a serious issue. Lass, being a Priestess is more than just tossing around blessings all willy-nilly! Lilly, you tell the girl!"
A bit surprised to suddenly be put on the spot, the elf Priestess stammers for a bit before recovering. "Oh! Ah, well, yes, of course. Currently my job description is a little non-standard as the Church isn''t fully established yet here in Grassbrook...and also, winter is a very slow time for clerics of Palain in general, of course. But typically my day involves traveling about the region, assisting the local farmers with troubles involving their crops or livestock. On other days I work at the chapel and worshipers visit us, to ask for advice and assistance of various kinds."
The Rabbit Priestess considers that for a bit before shrugging. "But...I can''t leave the dungeon. Or, to be technically correct I suppose I could, but it''s hardly a simple matter. I think Xenia and I are satisfied with the idea that adherents would be coming to visit us."
Elance sighs. "The location isn''t the point. The point is that there''s a lot more to the job description than blessings! People will be coming to you with their problems, and it''s not all the sort of thing magic can fix! Did...did the goddess not mention anything of the sort to you?"
Deylia trades a look with the empty space before shaking her head. "...No? Perhaps her inspirations will include something of the sort, but she merely mentioned Blessings in any specific way, as far as I recall..."
Whatever Elance is about to say, it''s muffled as Sable suddenly claps a hand over her friend''s mouth. "Easy now, Elly - I got a pretty good feeling that cursing out your patron deity''s bad for the job security, y''know?"
Finally pushing away the armored hand with another glare, the cleric takes a few deep breaths before responding. "...I suppose I shouldn''t be surprised, perhaps, that a goddess might be focused on the...bigger picture things. You promised her a shrine and followers and your fancy new bunny body, and she leapt for it like a fish on a line, didn''t she? Don''t get me wrong, I worship her wonderfulness, but gods will be gods. Anyhow, my point is, there''s so much more you need to do! And I imagine as a Maid, your training in service was to, what - be polite and do what you''re told, more or less?"
The Maid bites her lip with one of her over-sized teeth. "...At higher levels of trust and authority we may do more on our own initiative, but we are servants, yes. Is that not true for priests as well?"
"Not if you''re skipping right ahead to runnin'' a damn shrine, it ain''t. You need to know how to talk to people! To listen, to help, to...connect them with the resources they need! And every problem is a whole other thing, all of its own! For instance...say a lass has issues with a painful cycle, for example. There ain''t no blessing that will fix that. Magical healing will lessen the pain for the moment, but what about the next day? The next month? If you don''t know the remedy for such a thing yourself, or have a supply on hand, the least a priestess of Kahlia can do is get her in touch with the proper expert who can help her out." Narrowing her eyes, she points a finger at Deylia. "Believe you me, the last thing you want to do is find yourself in a position where someone comes to you for aid and you have no idea what to do for them. Even worse if you''re running this operation all on your lonesome."
Sincere interjects. "I think I understand your point, and while Xenia has confidence that Deylia here will rise to the occasion, we take it you could provide some assistance with this?"
"If I must. But first, the other thing. This shrine of yours." Elance waves a hand around at the inn. "Obviously, this ain''t it. Or the rooms for rent. What else do you have, that ''Fiver''s Lounge'' of yours? Greenie here''s given me a fairly detailed description of the place, and it sure as hells doesn''t sound like any sort of shrine either."
Sincere listens for a moment before translating Xenia''s words. "While the Lounge is admittedly not decorated in the traditional manner of a religious shrine, it does, in its own way, worship certain ideals of fertility..." The demon trails off as Elance picks up a biscuit from a tray recently set out for them and lifts it in a threatening manner.
"Xenia, so help me, you better let me know when you have that avatar of yours so I can throw this at you! You''re as bad as the worst of the applicants we get at the Church of Bounty! The worship of fertility ain''t all about the pumpin'' and the mess part of the equation! The results of it all matter even more! Take those noble idiots who came back down to town the other day - word ain''t gotten around yet, but one of their retainers came by to see me for advice this morning. You know the kind of scandal that business might have started?"
Raising a hand, Sable speaks up in the dungeon''s defense. "To be fair, Elly, the dungeon didn''t do anything any innkeeper wouldn''t have done. It''s not exactly their fault a couple of young nobles got drunk and horny. Though it is an example of, uh...consequences, I''ll give you that."
"Right, well, a dungeon workin'' in the name of Kahlia ought to at least have a little more foresight than young fools. But anyways, this shrine! If you want a place for young Deylia here to do her job, to properly do her work, you need a place for more''n dancin'' an'' drinkin''! You need a place of quiet contemplation, where people can have a good, quiet, private conversation. To speak to the goddess and ask for her blessings. To have their troubles eased. It''s a responsibility to the community, and if you''re saying this is a thing you''re goin'' to be doin'', you need to take it seriously."
There''s another moment of silence, as the dungeon spirit presumably digests that and responds, but eventually Deylia turns back towards Elance. "You make excellent points, Bountiful Mother. While many of us here are at least superficially familiar with various shrines and other places of worship, the dungeon would like to know...would you help us with the design of a proper place of worship?"
The dwarf woman sighs, but nods. "If that''s how it''s got to be done, to be sure this is done properly. So - how do we get started?"
Chapter 177: Hammering Down the Details
They started off with a plain, empty room carved out of the rock, connected to the inn via a shortcut portal. It was still small to start with, but there was plenty of room in which to grow - Floor Five still wasn''t at even half of its new capacity yet, and it was already larger than it really needed to be for the current number of Challengers passing through. As Bountiful Mother Hammerdown stares off at the walls, apparently lost in thought, Sincere catches her attention by translating Xenia''s next question for her.
"So, ah, we''re assuming you have some experience in designing places of worship? We''ve heard of course about your new chapel, and I believe there was mention of a larger church being planned?"
The dwarf nods. "Aye, but long term planning, that - not only do we need the funding secured, but we need more locals interested in using such a place. Probably won''t be breaking ground...well, maybe not even this year, to be honest, but we''ll see. Now, don''t get me wrong, I''m no architect, but fortunately with your dungeon magic or whatnot it''s hardly like you need me to tell you how to support the ceilings and all that, aye?"
Deylia grins a little at the thought of dungeon architecture being applied to a house of worship. "Actually, we can surely do more than just using shortcuts on the foundations - Mistress Xenia can quite possibly do things that no normal church would be able to, or at least not without some very expensive enchantments being applied."
Elance rolls her eyes at the suggestion, though. "Let''s have something functional before we go making flying scrolls or statues that got milk shootin'' from their tits or any other craziness, alright, lass?" Following behind them, Sable pauses at the suggestion.
"Could...could the dungeon actually do that?"
Sincere chuckles. "Cow and goat milk are indeed both on our menu, apparently, but Xenia doubts that walking in and seeing Challengers suckling at the statuary would create the sort of calm and peaceful environment the Mother is hoping to inspire."
"So she ain''t completely lacking common sense, then." Turning around, Elance points to the wall next to the entrance portal. "Okay, so starters - y''need some wash basins right by the door. The Church of Bounty ain''t so much for the symbolic purity that some organizations are, but it''s still true that folks feel a lot better about getting in touch with the divine when their hands ain''t filthy. More so for Challengers, who knows if they might be coming in here still caked in blood or some nonsense."
Easily enough, the entrance is pushed back into an alcove of its own with a number of clamshell-shaped basins on either side. Moments after being formed, water begins to fill them from thin air, and hand towels made from simple fabric are placed at their side. At the sight of it the visitors from the Church are momentarily stunned, with Lilly speaking up first.
"Palain above - I''ve never seen the world bend to one''s will so easily! I''ve seen Xenia erect some simple structures for games and such at her parties, but that had to have been tons of stone you just melted away even quicker than ice!"
Their demon guide grins. "If it were even as slow as ice, I imagine we''d still be carving out Floor Four even now. Now, what''s next - the main gathering hall, I presume?"
Refocusing, Elance nods and turns back around. "Aye. Now, maybe you don''t need that to be so large. You''re not servicing an entire community, families and all up here. Room for even two dozen would probably leave plenty of space for folks that don''t like knockin'' elbows. Seats on both sides, and a place for speaking from up at the front, for when Deylia here will be giving sermons."
The woman''s eyes grow a little wide at the suggestion. "Sermons? I mean...I guess that would be one of my eventual responsibilities, yes. I''ve never done any public speaking before, though..."
"I suppose I''ll be..." Elance pauses before taking hold of Lilly''s arm and pulling her forward. "I mean, I suppose Lilly here will be needing to instruct you on how to do your actual job. Fortunately you have some months still before you actually get much of a public, would be my guess." As Lilly looks down at her with a questioning expression, Elance snorts. "What? You said yourself you ain''t as busy durin'' the winter months, an'' besides, I outrank you, so you get to be the one marching up and down the damn mountain all the time."
The Priestess still looks like she wants to protest, but Sable steps in with a quiet suggestion. "Well, look on the bright side, Flower Girl - weren''t we looking for excuses to visit the place a little more often?"
"I...suppose making a few more visits wouldn''t be so bad..."
Though she doesn''t quite want to interrupt the moment, Deylia still feels the need to make things easier on those volunteering so much of their time towards making up for her shortcomings. "We''d love to have you, of course, but it doesn''t need to be entirely one-sided! I can probably leave the dungeon from time to time, perhaps we could alternate who visits who?" Lilly nods back with a smile, clearly somewhat relieved by both suggestions.
"That would be my pleasure, Priestess. Or perhaps I should call you Trainee?"
"Right, well, you can figure out your schedules later. Back to work, I ain''t standin'' around all day for this." Having regained the attention of the group, Elance waves at the room which was already filled with rows of seats while the others were distracted. "Now, I know that I said function matters first, but if you''re gonna be artistic and creative, this is the place to do it. You want to awe visitors with the splendor of the goddess, and I say that because folks want to be awed. They want to feel secure that they''re in a place where their problems can be solved. ...If you ain''t gonna be using the Church of Bounty''s symbols I suppose you''ll be making some of your own, but I know you got the place marked with Kahlia''s own personal symbol out by the door, so here''s another place to put that. Aside from that and other works of art, a statue of the goddess in a place of pride would be pretty obvious, I would think."
Deylia grins eagerly at the thought. "Oh, yes! She does look marvelous in person, or at least as she presented herself to us. I imagine the statue alone would be cause for pilgrims to come and see her...Xenia, do you think you could give it a try?" She turns for a moment towards an empty spot in the room, before shifting to face the back of the chamber where a stone column grows from the floor all the way up into the ceiling - which then pushes that ceiling several feet higher, increasing the volume of the entire space. Once the material is in place Xenia begins to carve away at it, quickly forming the rough shape of a female figure, then doing several more passes to add in more and more fine details.
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Although the most basic form is recognizable within perhaps about two minutes of work, the party watches in silence for a solid fifteen or so while Xenia crafts perhaps the most life-like statue any of them have ever seen before. The loose-fitting fabric of Kahlia''s dress appears to flow so naturally that the audience would swear it was actual cloth, and even the smallest details of her face and skin soon become apparent. Not only that, but parts of the stone begin to transmute from one mineral to another, applying some actual color to the piece of art. Though of course when Elance makes her first comment on Xenia''s completed work, it''s not the face she brings up first.
"That''s...that''s incredible work, spirit. An'' I''m sure the goddess would be plenty flattered if she could see it - or perhaps I should say ''when'', if she''s watchin'' this place of yours. But...maybe for a serious place of reflection, one could turn down the...ampleness of the stone a wee bit?"
Deylia blushes as she clears her throat. "Ahum...Xenia would like to state that since she''s become a dungeon spirit, she''s gained...photographic memory? Ah, perfect memory, that is. And having seen Kahlia myself, I would have to agree. This is exactly how the goddess chose to appear before us. Aside from being mostly marble, I would almost mistake this for the real divine!"
Elance has to chew on that for a bit. "...Alright, well, suppose the imagery we''ve got might be...out of date, or some such. Couldn''t ye put her in some proper clothin'' at least?"
"...That''s also her preferred form of fashion. Xenia states that she was wearing it on two of her three encounters."
Lilly''s voice squeaks a little in excitement. "She''s spoken with the goddess three times! Incredible! What was she wearing the other time, though?"
"...Ah. Nothing, apparently."
The Bountiful Mother takes a deep breath. "Let''s go with the dress, then. The, uh...the height of the thing might be a bit much though, and I ain''t just saying that because I''m a dwarf. You make her that big, and you''re gonna need to scale up everything around here just to fit with it!"
This time Deylia smirks as she answers the criticism. "This is, in fact, a life-size rendition of the Goddess of Fertility."
"...You''re fuckin'' shittin'' me."
Lilly gasps. "Mother Hammerdown!"
"Kahlia ain''t got no rules against swearing, lass, and this is a time that calls for it. And here I''ve been thinkin'' all this time she was more properly dwarf-sized! Not that a goddess is limited to any single form, of course, but...still..." The woman trails off in thought, muttering for a while, and her colleagues let her work out her stress before attempting to nudge her along.
Clearing his throat, Sincere speaks as he gestures around the room. "We''ll certainly add in more artwork and such in time. But as regards to functional architecture, what would be your next recommendation?"
"Right, well, I''d go with some private alcoves off to one side, something with a door you can close for privacy. Even if the place might be empty most of the time, a lot of folks''ll be wanting a quiet place to talk about their concerns - especially if those concerns involve fertility-related topics, as y''might imagine. And even if Deylia''s your only staff member, you''ll be wanting a couple so that people can have a quiet place to wait, if there''s a line or some such. Speaking of staffing, though, are you expectin'' to be expanding this little operation of yours?"
Deylia turns towards her invisible boss, and has a quick side conversation. "You think? There might not be much work for them...well, I suppose that''s true." After coming to an apparent conclusion, she turns back to Elance. "Adding more Priests or Priestesses like myself...could be an option down the line, although we''re certainly not rushing into it. Adding more bosses to the floor would dilute my own powers, although a few wouldn''t do much harm. However, apparently given the floor''s capacity we could create a rather significant number of the minion version of my class, a Rabbit Acolyte."
Before Elance can ask any questions, Sincere steps in with the option''s downside. "We''re not entirely certain how they would work out, however. Non-ensouled monsters are made to fit their role, but we''ve had some...oddities with the divine monster types and the circumstances of this dungeon. We may perhaps create two as assistants to Del here, mostly just as a test to see how they adapt to their task."
"A monster - a true monster - espousing the glories of the goddess...well, that would be something to see, that''s for certain." Elance trails off into thought again for another moment, before eventually getting back to the job at hand. "And let''s see, let''s see...staff housing I imagine you''ve got covered. An office and records room is important for the Church of the Bounty, particularly as many communities rely on us to track family histories and the like, but...using a dungeon as an archive? It''s difficult to imagine such a thing."
Sincere gives a sad shake of his head at that. "We can''t accurately safeguard any records brought to us, I''m afraid. Outside knowledge is typically absorbed once left here, but it''s not as simple as just spawning a new copy of the original work once it''s gone. Xenia would have to put quite a bit of effort into maintaining the accuracy of such things." Halting to listen to his master for a moment, the Mage then corrects himself. "Ah, I''m reminded that we can ''tag'' items with our spatial inventory, if it''s arranged ahead of time, but in that case Xenia does not learn the information herself. That inventory does have a capacity limit as well, and outside of it...well, let''s just say that I personally would not want to keep any valuable paperwork in a location as prone to violence as a dungeon."
"Right. I suppose that leaves examination rooms then, for medical concerns. We often use them for midwife''s chambers, but I doubt anyone''s gonna be climbin'' up the mountain in such a state to give birth here! Still, folks do have their issues, and healing potions and magical skills don''t treat everything. Lilly here''ll be happy to train you up on those."
The elf in question sighs quietly. "Certainly, it would be my pleasure, Trainee."
The Trainee bows her head in appreciation. "Thank you for your time and efforts in advance, Priestess. I''ve actually been meaning to speak some with some of the other medical experts of the region, as it happens. So...with the new facilities and some more formal training, would that alleviate your concerns, Mother Hammerdown?"
Elance grunts, not seeming to want to appear entirely mollified so soon. "Well, it''ll be a start! Seeing how you actually use those facilities and training will be another thing entirely. But it''s a damn better foundation for the job than that nudie joint, that''s for certain."
Sincere also gives the revered woman a slight bow. "I would like to communicate my mistress'' thanks for your efforts as well. We appreciate your candor in setting us on the right path in these regards. Is there anything else we can do for you today?"
The dwarf hesitates, but eventually nods. "So...speakin'' of this nudie joint. I hear you got rabbity boys in there, too? Place open all day, or do I gotta wait around til nightfall to take a look at the place?"
To that, Sincere can only grin. "You''ve cleared Floor Four as I recall, yes? Then indeed, by all means...shall we take a tour?"
Chapter 178: New Jobs
The day after Bountiful Mother Hammerdown''s visit was almost routine, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say it might be representative of what the new routine was going to be. The mercenary Challengers who had been spending the night woke up, had breakfast, and then a few of them took on Floor One as an ''exercise routine'' before heading back to the inn. Given that it would take an extra hour or two for any arrivals to climb the mountain, it was a good way to kill some time and get a bit of loot rather than just waiting around. The policy requiring them to ''check out'' of the dungeon before returning to the inn was strictly enforced however, due to a complicating factor in the dungeon system.
The system recognized that anyone fighting together as a team was a ''party'', regardless of whether or not they had entered the dungeon together, but once someone was considered to be part of a group their intrusion wouldn''t be registered as complete until all members had exited. If a mercenary joined a party in the inn, cleared some floors, and then returned directly to the inn for the rest of the day, the intrusion would be left open and Xenia would be unable to collect any rewards she might have gathered. There was something of a partial reset every day at midnight, where abandoned gear could be collected and slain bosses could be revived without the need for extra mana expenditures, but it was better if left unneeded. In any case given that the rooms, food, and drink were free, no one made any serious complaints about needing to spend a minute outside even in the cold weather. In fact the only complaint anyone did have about the inn was the lack of music, but even the Lucky Bastard rarely had a musician playing yet, so Xenia simply marked it down on her ''things to think about'' list.
Three parties attempted the dungeon that day - one team of Advanced Challengers, one mixed group of an Expert duo and a number of Advanced mercenaries they hired on, and the House Perlin expedition. The Perlins went the deepest, clearing Floors Four and Six - this time without encountering Trush on the way - but halting before trying the still unbeaten Floor Seven. The mixed group had less luck as they attempted Floor Four, successfully clearing it but with an Advanced-level Mage mercenary falling to DEATH''s scythe in the process.
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INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS SLAIN: 1
MORTALS ESCAPED: 4
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
TORCHES: C+
STAFFS: B-
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 1
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 5 TO 303
MANA ACQUIRED: 7, CURRENT AMOUNT: 202/236 (67 CONSUMED BY CONSTRUCTS)
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
SKILLS: FLAME MAGE (ADVANCED)
------------------------
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Once things had settled down for the afternoon though Xenia decided it was time to upgrade her staff a little further, starting with the Rabbit Acolytes that had been discussed the day before. She did go ahead and make a small apartment for shrine staff attached to the back of the facility, much as she had made a bunkhouse-style room for the inn and lounge staff. Monsters didn''t need to sleep, owned little or nothing in the way of personal property, and didn''t get bored standing around all day the same way an ensouled guardian might, but Xenia just felt a little uncomfortable watching supposedly-sapient monsters working at a task for twenty-four hours straight. Instead she had implemented very generous twelve-hour work shifts, and once off-duty the monsters would return to their housing and spend their twelve hours of free time...well, what happened in the rabbit warrens was for Xenia and Guy to know and for everyone else to constantly pry at her about.
After the living space was set up she then returned to the shrine''s main room, gathering with Guy, Deylia, and...for some reason, BB. Leaning up against the podium at the front of the chamber, she gives the boss an amused look. "Sup, BB? You feeling like you need a little more religion in your life?"
Attempting to look disinterested, as if he had somehow just randomly wandered up to Floor Five and then into this room, the man shrugs. "Just curious about the latest happenings in the Worthy Dungeon rabbit community, I suppose."
"Oh, is that what it is, huh, the rabbit community? Well, I suppose you''re definitely a member, then. Better be careful though, you keep coming up here and I might just give you a job."
Slightly worried that Xenia might be serious, Deylia winces. "Perhaps we should see how our newest staff do before we go handing out additional duties, don''t you think?"
"Sure, sure. So - Rabbit Acolyte test, round one. Figure we''ll give you two assistants and see how they work out, but you got any specific requests for them? They might not be ''yours'' in the way Trush''s Squires are part of his Wandering Boss setup, but I will be having them take orders from you."
Having already thought it over, the Priestess nods. "I''d like one man and one woman, if you would. I know that some people are more comfortable talking to a specific gender - particularly with matters as sensitive as their reproductive health. Even if it may not really mean anything with dungeon monsters, anything to help set people at ease, yes? Appearance doesn''t matter much I think, but if you can set their personality types...well, calm, caring, pious, anything like that would be suiting."
Xenia nods. "Sounds good to me. Alright then, here we go - two Acolytes, made to order!" With a few taps on her menus, the requested monsters spawn at the head of the sermon chamber. Their appearances are immediately distinctive, with the man developing pale white skin but with sleek black fur on his limbs and ears, while the woman next to him comes in the reverse with dark skin but pure white fur. Their bodies are garbed in the robes of a cleric, and rather generically so, but as they take shape Xenia imprints their chests with Kahlia''s womb-like symbol. Before they awaken, Deylia leans in with a question.
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"Their coloring is rather...striking, isn''t it?" The dungeon master shrugs in response.
"What can I say, I got a theme - not that I''ve been using it all that much. No complaints, though?" After giving them a closer look, Deylia can''t find any immediate flaws. They appear perhaps slightly older than a typical acolyte, being somewhere in their twenties, although they have the flawless skin of someone even younger. They both have close-cropped, modest hairstyles, and share the same height which makes the male a little on the short side. All in all, the two look pure, serene, and utterly non-threatening, which is always an important consideration with a dungeon monster.
"I see nothing to take issue with, no."
"Alright then, time to say hello." With a snap of her fingers the pair open their eyes, and immediately turn to bow towards both Xenia and Deylia. They greet their master without hesitation, speaking the same words at the same time.
"Blessings be upon you, Master of Worthy Dungeon. May you ever prosper in the light of..." Although they both began their introductions with a calm confidence, as they get towards the end their expressions swap to one of confusion. As they turn to face each other, blinking, Xenia finds herself dealing with a sudden feeling of concern.
"Shit, this is that null thing, right? You two feeling alright? Your brains aren''t going to start leaking out of your ears now, are they?"
The woman turns her confused gaze back towards Xenia. "My...brain feels fine, master. But I feel as if there''s something I should remember, but it...it''s just not there. Do you know what this is about?"
Xenia nods, relieved that it really is just a matter of minor confusion. "Yeah - I imagine the dungeon system is, you know, shaping you to be worshipful of the god that granted us your monster design. However, special you, there ain''t one! But so you know, the dungeon is associated with Kahlia, Goddess of Fertility. You know who I''m talking about?"
The pair share a nod, and the man answers. "I am aware of Kahlia, yes. I do not recall any of her particular rituals, but..." As he trails off again, the woman continues for him.
"...I am aware of a number of rituals and prayers that are favored by many of the divine in general, if that would be of service to you."
Xenia pauses before she answers, her eyes narrowing at the two. "Okay, Trush''s Squires don''t do that back-and-forth shit. Never noticed it from any of the bar-bunnies either. I didn''t accidentally give you a hive mind or something, did I?"
The two share a smirk with each other, which doesn''t exactly set Xenia at ease. However, the woman answers with a shake of her head. "We do not share a mind, master, no. But I can sense my companion''s spirit, and I imagine he can do the same for myself? Given that our purposes are aligned, it feels...natural to be in tune with his thoughts, or at least his intentions, I suppose."
"...Well, you don''t have souls, no offense, but maybe you got pieces of my ''spirit'' in you? Or...this is some divine energy shit? Ugh, whatever, doesn''t matter really." Shaking her head, the dungeon master turns to face Deylia instead. "They''re your Acolytes. You want the honor of naming them?"
Deylia takes a moment to think it over before nodding. "Their...shared sense of spirit, whatever that may mean, does give me an idea or two." She looks first towards the woman standing before her. "I dub you Fay. And you, I dub Lin. Faylin was the name of a high cleric who came from House Perlin in the early days of the kingdom, in service of the God of Honesty and Balanced Scales, Taliar. They say Faylin sometimes took the guise of a man, and at other times that of a woman. Perhaps together the two of you can represent the balance they embodied in their life."
The pair bow, seeming to feel more at ease now that they have names and a more specific role. Lin takes charge of thanking Deylia for her choice. "Thank you, mistress. You are to be our head cleric, then? What are your orders?"
For this question Deylia''s response is a little less confident. "Well, your list of duties is admittedly rather light for the time being, and may be so for some time. I myself have not even yet begun my proper training in my role as a Priestess of Kahlia. However, Bountiful Mother Hammerdown did give me a few notes which I can share with you, and otherwise...perhaps you could take some time speaking with Challengers in the rest of Floor Five? Don''t disturb them if they wish to be left to their business, but it could be a good way of, ah...advertising the clerical services we''ll soon be offering?"
The Acolytes nod again, although Fay turns towards BB with another question. "And what is this one''s role in our task?"
If he''s surprised to be suddenly drawn into the conversation, the Rogue quickly covers it up with an easy grin. "Me? Oh, why I''m the sinner who''s in need of redemption. Will you help me save my soul? Which I do have, for the record."
"Of course, anything we can..." Fay trails off in another moment of confusion. "How does one sin against the Goddess of Fertility, exactly?"
"...I haven''t had any kids, yet?"
Her nose pinched with one hand, Xenia finally gives out a groan. "Please don''t use the shrine as a place to pick up rabbitgirls, BB. At least wait til they''re off shift! Fay, Lin, please ignore BB here. He just has a lack of actual responsibilities and so he''s going around and lookin'' to get himself into trouble. Idle hands and all that."
BB gives a snort of his own. "Well, maybe I could have other responsibilities. I have talents besides slicing off arms and legs, you know!"
The dungeon master raises an eyebrow. "You do?"
"...I might! If you gave me a task to fulfill, I could rise to the occasion. You never know!" BB takes a defiant stance, although the rabbit begins to wilt a little as he realizes Xenia might actually be about to give him one. Sure enough, an evil grin takes over her face as she steps towards the man.
"You know what? I do got a job that would be perfect for a charming lil Rogue like you. You might lack the skills at the moment, but fortunately that''s what a Challenger skill library is for!" Turning towards Guy, Xenia pulls up one of her menus and quickly taps through them, glancing back at BB every few seconds. After she gets a few screens in, BB begins to feel information flooding into his brain.
"I - what? No, I was just joking! I''m fine stabbing people, really!"
"Too late, too late!" Clapping a hand on the man''s shoulder, Xenia leans in with a toothy grin. "Report to Worthy Inn tonight after Challenging hours are over, kiddo. You''re the new tavern Bard."
Later that night another, more professional Bard is plying his trade, as Lionel is occasionally prone to doing when he needs a few extra coins for drinking money. Although he generally keeps to more mobile instruments like flutes and such for his dungeon intrusions, tonight the incubus is playing on a proper lute as he sings out a song to the guests of the Lucky Bastard. The place is perhaps a little emptier now that it has actual competition, but there''s still a decent enough crowd, and on a cold winter night everyone in town prefers to be indoors and next to a fire when given the option.
Halfway through his tune however the demon finds himself rudely interrupted as the tavern door is slammed open, letting in a gust of chilled wind and light snow. Stepping inside, a dwarf woman glares at everyone in the room, hunting for prey as if perhaps one of the local drunks left her at the altar, or worse, owes her money. Two male elves follow her inside, looking a little too slender perhaps to play the role of toughs or backup muscle, but they certainly have the look of experienced Challengers to them. After a moment of silence it seems the dwarf doesn''t find who she''s looking for, so instead she belts out a question the whole tavern can hear.
"Oi! My name''s Tolla, and I''m here to find out! Where''s the slutty bitches who''re going around saying they broke our record!?"
When no one immediately answers, her lips split into a wide grin. "...Cause I''m here to buy ''em a fuckin'' drink."
Chapter 179: Foresight
The offered round of drinks had to wait for the following afternoon, as neither Sable nor Lilly were actually in attendance at the tavern that night, and were enjoying a quiet night in at home. For once that was entirely not a euphemism, and Sable was none too pleased to find a drunk dwarf woman shouting at the Church''s residence at an hour when she was generally already in her nightclothes. Polite requests to leave didn''t seem to do the trick, nor did a a snowball to the face, but when the Paladin announced that she was digging around in her things for a crossbow Tolla''s two elven companions finally succeeded in dragging her back to the Lucky Bastard.
It was there that they met the next day, partially to sate Sable''s curiosity over what all the trouble had been about, but mostly just to make sure the feisty dwarf didn''t try to put on any repeat performances. On one side of the table sits Sable and a very confused Lilly. On the other sits Tolla, who doesn''t appear to be apologetic in the least for her behavior the night before, and who''s flanked by her male companions. Once the drink order is served and everyone''s settled in, Tolla starts things off with introductions.
"Alright, finally got you here in the flesh! In case you didn''t hear, I''m Tolla Spearheft, Shield Smasher by trade. The Judgment Mage to my right here is Renriel Longwood, and the other elfy fellow''s Nallond Bushdiver, Ambush Hunter. If I wasn''t misled by the drunks in here last night, you two would be Paladin Bluehair and Priestess Fullblossom, aye?"
Sable nods, before the names finally begin to sink in. "Yeah, that''s...wait, hold on now. You three are the Dungeon Fuckers! I''ve heard about you!"
The trio smirk, and Nallond answers the charge. "Glad to see our reputation remains. Even if protecting that reputation is the main reason why we''ve come."
While the Paladin is a little confused at that statement, shocked realization suddenly hits Lilly''s face. "Wait. No. No! Sable! I - I told you I didn''t want to be a record-breaker! You didn''t tell anyone about that, did you?"
Sable shakes her head in a quick denial. "Course not! I mean, obviously I told Elly. And Kelsey and Renter, but they''re Association, so that''s just, you know...official dungeon business stuff." She pauses, then adds on a few more. "Oh, I think the topic did come up with that incubus once, here at the tavern. Oh, and Tafyaf! You''ve met Tafyaf, right? The gnoll? Dude''s a hilarious drinking companion if you''ve never run into him."
Lilly''s eyes narrow. "Sable. How. Many?"
"...Less than ten?"
The elf hides her face in her hand as she turns back towards Tolla. "I am so sorry. You can have the record back if you like, it really was not my intention to be known for...engaging with dungeon guardians, you know."
Tolla only laughs out loud at the apology. "If you wandered into that by accident, lass, I''m even more impressed! But holdin'' a record don''t work like that, you know! Now, to be clear, we heard this shit through the grapevine and I know that shit gets twisted going a hundred miles or two. One version I heard said you two spitroasted the avatar of death itself, which sounded like a bit much. How much are you two actually laying claim to?"
Given that Lilly''s not about to lay claim to anything, Sable answers that question. "Well, it wasn''t all at once, obviously, but if you''ve gotta know...the dungeon spirit and four guardians for the each of us. It''s four, right, Lilly? Or did you and Trush just enjoy tea that one time you wandered off with him?"
Lilly''s surprised enough by the information that she momentarily forgets to be in denial. "Yes, we - wait, when did you engage with Trush!?"
"Was one of the times Taly had you good and tied up. Glad you got a round with the man too, cause I''ll tell you, wow does that rabbit know his way around a..." Sable trails off, suddenly remembering her smirking audience. "...Anyways, yeah. So that''s five including the spirit, if that''s how you''re ranking things. It wasn''t like we were trying for the record, honestly. We''ve just, you know...been here a while."
Tolla smiles at the admissions. "I''m actually kind of glad we''ve got real competition for once! Though I''m curious, when you say the dungeon spirit, you mean like, you know they were watching you, or something? Handed you toys to use?"
Sable raises an eyebrow. "No? I''m saying there was actual...uh, she''s got an avatar spell now, is what I''m saying. Only works for an hour a week, roughly, so you gotta be real nice to her if you''re expecting to get to see it."
At that revelation the other party''s expressions turn to genuine shock. Renriel speaks for the group. "Wait, you''ve seen her!? And it is actually a her? That was my impression...but please, what''s she like?"
"Well, if you mean physically, she''s got this weird issue with color - her avatar comes out in just black and white, nothing in-between. Heard she doesn''t look like that to her dungeon monsters, I don''t know how that works. Hair''s not too long, got stripes dyed in it. Likes unusual piercings but not too crazy with it. She''s actually great with a sword but you wouldn''t guess it to look at her, she''s healthy but you''d think she''d have trouble beating a sixteen-year-old boy with those arms."
The elf nods, prodding her along. "Intriguing. And non-physically? She must be...friendly, I assume?"
As Sable takes a moment to think about her answer, Lilly steps in. "She''s far less wild than the creature of instinct that I hear many dungeon spirits are. And I include her...carnal proclivities in that description. She''s very open and non-judgmental, but she can also be harsh and merciless if she feels the circumstances call for it. If you''re expecting to just walk in and sweet-talk your way into her chambers, despite all the changes the dungeon''s gone through these days, I think you''ll find yourself disappointed."
Tolla waves off that concern. "Wouldn''t be a record worth havin'' if just anyone could do it. But what''s these other changes you''re talking about? Something about special rooms on one of the floors, or something?"
The two church members share a look, and Sable tilts her head at Tolla. "You, uh...you haven''t heard about the new Floor Five?"
"New? Like, brand-new new?"
This time, it''s Sable whose expression turns into a mischievous grin. "Oh...you are gonna love hearing about this..."
Miles away on Floor Six, the Highbranch twins were not having an easy time of things. While both of them had supplemented their magic-focused classes with melee training, they found their upper-body strength rather tested by the climbing they had been forced to do to get from one section of the floor to another. It didn''t help that they''d just cleared Floor Four a little earlier, and were still a little tired out from dealing with the swarms of tiny monsters the floor had to offer.
As the pair rest on one cleared outcrop of stone, their bodyguard Sweet scans the empty darkness around them, sniffing a few times for good measure. "I do not believe there are any more flocks of dragonets waiting to strike us. Also, I suspect the boss arena is just ahead. Are you sure you wish to continue, my ladies? We have made decent progress already for today."
Gilda Highbranch shakes her head as the other members of the party climb their way up onto the level ground. "House Perlin cleared both Four and Six yesterday, you know. If we wish to beat them to clearing the dungeon, we must at least be able to keep up with their pace for today. Assuming everyone else is still in a fighting mood?"
Breathing a little heavily from the climb himself, her cousin Kalin gives her a nod. "We may be a bit tired, but all of our wounds thus far have been easily mended. I see no reason for us to bring things to a halt here."
"Very well. Silva? If the boss arena awaits us, then I believe it is time for you to do your thing."
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"Always glad to feel useful, Gilda. Very well, one moment, if you would." As she has several times before in this dungeon, Silva kneels down on the stony floor and draws herself a ritual circle in chalk. Once that''s in place, she pulls out a number of items from the bag at her waist - stones, string, an arrowhead, and several small, black feathers. She begins to scatter them around the circle, but is suddenly interrupted as Sweet shouts out a warning and grabs her by the shirt, pulling her backwards.
"Ambush! On guard!"
Just barely missing Silva, a heavy mass of some sort hits the ground, splattering into a liquid mess. The team turns their attention up towards the cliffside above them, raising their shields, but no further projectiles follow. As Silva glances back down at the ground however she realizes that the ambush didn''t miss. "My divination circle!"
Sure enough, her carefully constructed ritual is now an absolute mess. Red slime covers the ground, knocking aside her component items - and even worse, as Silva takes stock of them she realizes some have been knocked off the ledge and into the abyss entirely. "They destroyed my ritual! Sweet, what was that!?"
The large gnoll sniffs at the air, frowning. "I smell...a rabbit. Male. Fleeting, however. It must have been the Wandering Boss, harrying us with some shortcut. It doesn''t appear he intends to launch a proper ambush, however."
"He doesn''t need to - the ritual is ruined. It seems we''ll be going into the next fight blind."
Gilda scowls at her sister''s announcement. "Eh? Just draw another circle and try again, there''s more room over here."
"It doesn''t work like that. I brought some of those items specifically to divine the behavior of the Floor Six guardian, and even if I wanted to revert to a simpler ritual, I''d already begun the first one. The fates don''t like it when you try to divine the same event multiple times, at least in such short succession."
The white-haired half-elf snorts. "I will never understand all of the ridiculous rules your class comes with. Surely we can do some preparation, however?"
Stepping forward, the party''s rogue Randall gives a nod. "We at least know as much as any other Challenger, I can say that. For starters, I wouldn''t recommend using that bell of yours on her - sonic magic against a banshee? Even odds she''d figure out how to mimic it and turn it back on us, or something. Light to counteract her shadows, and anything to avoid the arena''s pitfalls. Overall, Taly of Highfall''s combat tactics seem to be based around staying hidden and at range. Negating her cover and pinning her down seem like the paths to victory."
Silva nods. "I could also attempt to use my Threefold Path spell, to gain an insight. It has drawbacks so I don''t use it often, but it could be better than relying entirely on my swordplay."
Gilda''s brow furrows. "I recall you mentioning the spell, but I don''t recall you using it - what''s the drawbacks of it? What does it do?"
Her sister smirks. "The fates grant me a direct glimpse of possible futures, and ways to change them - the cost being that I not attempt to unravel their thread once it''s been spun. I''ll be able to see the immediate future, and three times in my vision I''ll be allowed to ''step back'' and see how it would go if I make a different choice. Stepping left instead of right, for instance. Once I''ve made my choices however, I must let them play out in reality."
Sweet growls. "What if you don''t like any of what you see and just turn around and go home, mistress?"
"Then my fate would be uncertain, but very definitely bad. I might trip off the cliff here just trying to get back to the shortcut portal."
Gilda looks like she wants to give a growl of her own. "I don''t like the idea of being tied to a future...but I suppose getting to see and avoid three possible bad futures is more than we get without the spell. Are you sure?"
Silva nods. "As you say, without the warning we''ll be likely to meet one of the failed futures in any case. It will only take a moment - it requires less preparation time than the usual divination." With that said she casts her spell, tracing a circle in the air using her fingertip and a touch of mana. Her eyes quickly cloud over, growing white, and the half-elf spends half a minute apparently staring at and reacting to nothing, her face twitching in odd ways. Eventually her eyesight returns, and she catches her sister''s gaze. Apparently strained by the effort, the mage breathes deeply as she does so.
"So...what do we do then, Silva?"
Her sister is about to say something before instead biting her tongue. "We...ah. I cannot warn you, because I did not know to warn you this early in my vision. All I can do is take advantage of the moments as they come."
"Godsdamned predestination bullshit, is what it is. Fine then, well, I can still prepare on my own. Light and area-control, light and area-control..." The Enchantress takes some time of her own to paint runes on her sword and shield, and eventually stands ready. Behind her, Randall gives a light scoff.
"I have to admit, a normal party would have cleared the floor by now."
Gilda answers with a snort of her own. "If they survived at all. Do not forget that multiple Expert-level Challengers have died in this very fight, hrmm? But now - it''s time to go. Sweet, if you would?"
With a nod, the gnoll leaps ahead and onto the arena platform, ready to intercept any early attacks. When nothing happens she gives the rest of the party another nod, and one by one the Challengers follow after her. Once they''ve passed some distance towards the center of the arena, a woman''s voice calls out.
"Finally! Thought you''d be keeping me waiting all day! Least now I can take out my frustrations on you. Always wanted to have some nobles on my scorecard..." As the taunting continues, Silva steps forward and reaches up towards Sweet''s ears, stuffing them with small wads of fabric as the others watch in confusion. Surprised herself, Sweet nods in understanding as Silva gives her a whisper.
"She''s attempting to nullify your senses with sounds only you can hear. Be ready for her first strike."
The gnoll immediately snaps back to attention, and not a moment too soon, as the instant Taly finishes her monologue an arrow flies out of the darkness in Kalin''s direction. Sweet''s dagger is faster, though, knocking the projectile from the air before it can strike the Noble Duelist. Seeing this, Taly offers one more taunt. "Guess you''ve still got some tricks left, huh? No worries - so do I."
Without waiting to see what Taly might be planning, Gilda points her sword forwards, activating the runes she''d painted on it only moments before. A beam of light shoots from the tip, burning through Taly''s magical shadows like a laser, and the half-elf quickly traces it across the opposite wall in an attempt to see where Taly might be hiding.
Taly''s next attack comes in the form of a sonic shriek, yet not one aimed towards the Challenger party. Instead it strikes the ceiling, at the mid-point of the arena where it crosses from being a ledge out into the abyss and where it''s dug into the mountain stone. Previously-loosened rocks tumble down upon where the party is standing, but it proves to be little more than a minor inconvenience. Sweet quickly grabs the noble twins and leaps out of the way, while Kalin rolls out of the path of a hundred-pound stone that crashes where he had just been standing. Randall, strangely enough, simply bats away at an even larger rock about to crash into him, instantly shattering the entire thing into so much dust. The display is enough to confuse the floor boss more than a little.
"Eh? You''re no bruiser class, or Geomancer. The hells you''d just do to the thing?"
The half-elf man simply grins in return. "What, that? It was Not A Problem. Me, on the other hand..." With that said he reaches into his bag and throws out a number of small explosives, each of which quickly begin spewing out thick, dark smoke. Gilda is none too pleased by the sight of it as she watches on.
"Why are you making her job easier, you idiot!?"
"The banshee can see through shadow, my lady - but she can''t see through smoke. I''m just leveling the playing field." Pulling out a pair of daggers - both much more reasonably-sized than Sweet''s obscene versions of the weapon - the man charges into the cloud. "Back me up, Bloodletter!"
Seeing what he''s up to, Sweet quickly chases after him. What follows next is a mysterious soundtrack of a battle, the sound of metal hitting metal, sonic cries being begun and then interrupted, and curses given as the improved senses of the gnoll and rogue aid them in fighting a battle without sight. At one point however, Silva does call out to them.
"There''s a pitfall three steps behind you, Randall, don''t be pushed back!"
"Thanks, my lady!" The invisible battle continues for a few moments more, until suddenly Taly rolls out of the cloud, smoke drifting off of her cloak as if the black fabric was dissolving into the air. Apparently deciding to go for easier targets, she rounds on Kalin, who eagerly matches the banshee''s blade with his own. That battle only lasts for a few exchanges, though - when their blades lock, Taly leans right up into the man''s face and screams at him point-blank. Now bleeding from the eyes and ears, Kalin stumbles off of his feet and onto his ass.
Taly has no time to finish the man, and realizes it, spinning instead to face Gilda as the woman comes up behind her. Rather than closing into melee range the Enchantress simply slams her shield into the stone however, sending tremors flowing out in a wave in front of her. The effect they have on the banshee''s balance is more than physics alone would imply, the magical effects ruining the woman''s sense of balance, and Gilda calls out to Sweet and Randall. "She''s back out near the ledge! Get out here already!"
It doesn''t take long for the others to find their way out of the smoke, and with her enemies closing in, the already-wounded boss can tell her fight is just about over. About over...but not entirely. With one last gasp of desperation Taly flings a trio of throwing knives in Gilda''s direction, moments before Sweet''s blades sink into her chest, but thanks to her magically-impaired senses none of them hit their target.
Well...thanks to her addled senses, and the fact that Gilda was tackled out of the way of one of the blades by Silva. Needing a moment to recover from the impact of being thrown to the stone floor, Gilda first looks over to see if the battle has concluded. Sure enough, she''s just in time to see Taly''s more-lifeless-than-usual body slump to the ground as the Bloodletter pulls her blades free from the boss''s corpse. She then turns to thank her sister for the last-second save, but doesn''t get far. "Really, you couldn''t have just told me to - Silva!"
Silva looks back up at her sister - as well as she can with one good eye, and a dagger sunk deep into her right socket. "Sorry, sister. Was just how I saw things play out..."
Chapter 180: Taking Advantage
The next morning, Deylia stretches and yawns in her bed. It''s only a show of course, given that the now-monstrous woman hadn''t actually fallen asleep at any point, but she''d sensed the man next to her beginning to stir and decided to give him a proper ''good morning'' as he blinks his eyes open. Turning onto her side to face towards the noble, the sheets manage to slide off of her to just the right extent to reveal her breasts as she gives him a smile. "Good morning, Raylin. Sleep well?"
It takes him a few moments to remember where he is, but his groggy confusion is soon replaced by a smile. "Mmm, the sleep was good, but what came before it was even better. You''re a wonderful sight to wake up to, as well. Adorable new nose included."
The Priestess smiles, her large teeth making the expression perhaps not as devious-looking as it was intended to be. "An even better sight than a pregnant half-elf, I wonder?"
Raylin groans. "You''re never going to let that go, are you?"
The rabbit-woman shrugs. "As a point of jealousy? It doesn''t bother me, and I''ve told you this. As a joke at your expense? No, I shall bring it up eternally. Oh, if only I could have been like the dungeon master and seen your face!"
"Please, it''s bizarre enough knowing that one woman is apparently watching everything I do. Speaking of, I imagine we''re, aha, well-prepared now to test if that boss-slaying bonus is true? No one''s actually put it into practice yet?"
Deylia shakes her head as she returns to reclining on her pillow. "Been a busy week for everyone, I suppose. And it is still very vague on the details...I wonder if perhaps ''sexually impacting'' you multiple times will increase your rewards? Or if the entire previous night was merely a single ''impact''?"
The man groans again as he begins to rise from the bed, although it''s mostly for effect. "I''d suggest trying a second round, merely in the interest of improving the general knowledge of course, but I do need to maintain some energy for our intrusion later today. If the Highbranches have caught up to us then I know Arlon will be eager to be the first to claim the clearing of Floor Seven. First to clear the dungeon since it was added, yes?"
The woman tilts her head as she watches him dress, admiring his form. "Well, yes, and House Highbranch may have cleared Floor Six yesterday, but I doubt there''s much risk of them beating you to Floor Seven''s clearing now."
Confused, Raylin turns back and gives her a look. "What? Don''t tell me something happened and they''ve given up? Surely I would have heard if they were slain?"
"The story didn''t spread before you left Grassbrook last night? Silva Highbranch took a severe injury in the final moments of their fight with Taly - her right eye is entirely lost."
Quickly finishing up with his pants, Raylin returns to take a seat on the edge of the bed. "No, I didn''t hear that! The injury was beyond healing?"
"Their party has some supplemental healing skills in the form of Gilda...and for some reason their rogue has some as well? But neither were up to the task. They even brought her to me, but I could only stabilize her. Repairing the flesh and bone of a limb, such as your hand''s wound the other week, is one thing. An eye...it''s perhaps one of the worst non-lethal injuries to try and heal."
"I can imagine...shame it had to happen to Silva, she was always the more pleasant of the sisters in my opinion."
Deylia mock-gasps in surprise. "Insulting the mother of your children? How uncouth! But yes, even knowing she''s your competition, I disliked seeing her in such a state. I don''t believe it will stop her from Challenging, but she''ll need some time to...well, learn how to maneuver with only a single eye, at the least."
"I can''t imagine the daughter of a duke being unable to afford the healing an eye would require, though..." Raylin trails off in thought, then snorts as a realization occurs to him. "Of course, all the money in the world can''t buy you services that don''t exist. The Association office has an official healer now but they''re only Advanced! Regenerating an eye would be...at least Master, yes? In this season...it would be weeks to either send for one to come here or to leave to find one, and then return."
"Which would all but surrender the dungeon to House Perlin. So they won''t be doing that, of course."
"Of course. But you''re right, they won''t be making an attempt for at least a few days. Still, if we can clear the dungeon today, then all the better!"
Deylia smiles, but her face shows a bit of concern. "You''ve remembered...your preparations?"
The Noble Marksman gives her a charming smirk in return. "Wouldn''t forget a thing. Drinks will be on me, tonight - if I can convince the bartenders to take my coin, at least!"
"I''ll be there waiting for you. If only so I can keep your drinking under control - the dungeon''s rooting for you to knock up more Challengers, you know."
"Dear gods. Perhaps I need a guardian Priestess after all."
Raylin had time to grab a hearty breakfast down at the inn, free with the promise that he''d be attempting a dungeon intrusion later in the day. As much as the Challengers enjoyed their free services, they still felt a little uneasy whenever they remembered that essentially they were offering to give the dungeon a chance at killing them later as their main form of payment. For the most part they''d decided to deal with the issue by not thinking about it, beyond feeling better that if their current meal was going to be their last, then at least they hadn''t had to pay for it.
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When the rest of House Perlin''s core party meets up with him an hour or so later, they take chairs at his table but decline offers of a meal for themselves. As she settles in Sansie gives Raylin a smirk, gesturing at his empty plate. "You''ve been enjoying the dungeon''s services I see, cousin? Much superior to the offerings at the Lucky Bastard?"
The Marksman grins back, knowing she''s not talking about the food. "What can I say, Sansie? A...highly motivated staff can make all the difference. Also I have to add, it''s rather relaxing knowing that I can go into the dungeon now fully rested, rather than having to rest up from hiking all the way up the mountain as a warmup exercise."
Arlon nods along. "Even just being able to relax at a table like this is a nice break, I''ll admit. I take it you...accomplished what you set out to do when you left early last night?"
The other man rolls his eyes. "Arlon, Arlon, I don''t remember you being this straight-laced five years ago! The burdens of the house have been weighing heavily on you, haven''t they? Yes, Deylia and I have, as far as we are aware, met the requirements for the bonus rewards. Now all we need to do is actually defeat a boss - although since no one''s defeated the Floor Seven boss before, it could be hard to say what the normal rewards for it are like. Are you all prepared?"
"We are. Well..." Arlon reconsiders, and gives a slight chuckle. "Maybe another ten minutes and a brief snack before we start wouldn''t hurt too much..."
As the party went through the smaller chambers circling around Floor Seven''s main room, they found themselves challenged very little by the threats they found within. The mimics in the first section were easily crushed, given that none of them were foolish enough to try picking random gemstones up off of the ground. The devas and pixies in the next few caverns meanwhile were simple targets for Sansie, who was a very well-rounded elementalist. Against the fire-based monsters, blasts of cold, wet wind weakened those she didn''t kill outright. When facing fae with bolts of lightning, the noblewoman was actually able to sap the energy from many of their assaults and turn them into little more than tickle-attacks. For the most part all the rest of the party had to do was provide her with cover and pick off those monsters she left wounded, although as a Thunder Priest Palm Redbeard in particular was able to take care of many of the pixies which she missed.
When they finally entered the room of the upside-down forest, they did have to stop for a moment to admire the view. Which they did for a good number of minutes, making idle chatter and pointing out especially interesting-looking ''trees'', or wondering if any monsters might come to ambush them. After a bit of that though, Raylin makes an exclamation as he points off to the left. "Ho! Tell me friends, do you see what I see over there?"
Taylim, their Royal Protector, gives an unimpressed grunt. "If you''re going to say that the rock over there looks like a penis, my lord, we know, they all look like penises if you want them to hard enough."
"That last one really did look like one though, it had testicles and - and a vein, I swear it! But no, I mean behind it - come, let''s take a closer look, shall we?" With no one opposed he leads the party along the cavern wall, and after around thirty feet or so the rest of his companions see what he was talking about. Slightly hidden behind an outcrop of stone, and angled in a way so as to blend in with the rest of the wall, there''s a stone ramp which becomes quite obvious once you''re looking at it from the right viewpoint. Hugging the wall of the cavern, the ramp goes up past the crystalline treeline, eventually connecting to what might be some form of suspended walkway.
Sansie gives the man some polite applause. "Well, well, Raylin - a secret path! You truly have the best eyes in the party, don''t you?"
"Well, it pays to be alert in a dungeon, does it not? Now come, let''s see where this takes us, why don''t we?" Taylim moves forward to take the lead, his shield held high, but Raylin follows shortly after to keep an eye out for any surprises. As they reach the top of the ramp the party gets a better view of the walkway it leads to, and gets a feeling as if they had accidentally walked into the backstage area of a theater performance. Although it was made out of stone and crystal in order to blend in with the rest of the ''forest'', the path ahead was quite straight and even had crystal railings for safety. Moving on, they continue on into the upper levels of the forest itself until Raylin silently motions for a halt.
Using gestures and pointing fingers, the Marksman identifies a number of fae archers hiding in the branches and waiting to ambush them...except the archers are now on lower ground than they are, and not watching the ceiling. Although the railings don''t provide much in the way of cover, having both the high ground and the element of surprise adds up to quite the advantage for the team. Raylin, Sansie, and Palm take a few moments to divide up their targets, and on Arlon''s signal the three explode with a burst of elemental blasts and magically-enhanced arrows.
Although not every fae they target is killed in a single hit, the survivors are stunned and taken off-guard to a sufficient degree that a second volley finishes them all off within a second eyeblink. In just moments seven archers, or what remains of them, fall to the cavern floor alongside the occasional piece of crystal shrapnel. Smiling, Sansie congratulates Raylin again. "Well, that felt incredibly unsporting - I loved it! Do you think we''ll be able to pull that off a second time?"
"If the other monsters in the cavern didn''t notice that, we have to consider that the dungeon itself might warn them. Even so, we''ll keep moving quietly and make sure that if there''s any ambushes ahead they''ll be ours, hrmm?"
With the party in agreement they keep moving on, and although they do spot a few more fae hiding among the crystal growths they don''t run into any more clumps as large as the first. They do seem more prepared for the adventurers, so perhaps the monsters had scattered somewhat in anticipation of their arrival, but if so it does them little good. One by one every monster is spotted by Raylin, and then taken out at range by either the man himself or his elementalist cousin. Some arrows are fired in return, but between Taylim''s actual shield and his additional magical protections, none come even close to hitting a member of the party. When they get to the midpoint of the cavern they reach a few branches in the walkway, each running in a different direction, but Arlon keeps them moving straight ahead.
"These other paths are probably just to provide fuller coverage of the room - the boss is - or, ah, I should say, would most likely be - located opposite of the entry point, wouldn''t you say?"
Taylim agrees even as he keeps his eyes peeled for more monsters. "An excellent theory, my lord. I''ll move on ahead, then."
Unheard by the party, Xenia curses at her past self as she watches the expedition continue. "Gaaaaah! Why''d I tell Trush to go scare the Fuckers on Floor Four!? I figured someone might find the path up here, but not on their first friggin'' run of the place! Now we''re gonna have to move it around or everyone''s gonna know about it! Thought for sure I had that hidden pretty damn well, too."
By her side, Guy offers a suggestion. "If you''re that concerned, you could spend the extra mana to revive Trush and his team immediately. There should still be enough time for him to intercept them before reaching the boss."
Xenia narrows her eyes as she glares at the Perlins, but eventually shakes her head. "I don''t want to be putting extra effort into killing folks if they aren''t going after the core...mostly, anyhow. Having Trush slime that girl''s ritual yesterday was a prank in comparison, y''know? Guess we''ll have to see how the temporary floor boss goes...at least the walkway doesn''t give them an ambush for that one, ha."
"Silver linings, ma''am."
Chapter 181: Battle of Crystal Caverns
After reaching the far end of the crystal forest, the Perlin expedition found that they had no choice but to return to ground level. The boss arena wasn''t entirely closed off from the rest of the chamber, but it may as well have been, with columns of stone and crystal wrapping around each other in a way reminiscent of a wall of thorny vines. The only entrance was down on the ground, and so the party had to abandon their secret path along the ceiling of the room and climb their way back down.
No door blocks the entrance to the arena, but the group halts at the threshold anyhow in order to take a look around. Inside they can see more giant growths of crystals, but unlike the rest of the chamber these don''t appear treelike in the least. Instead they''re nothing more than massive, fifteen-foot-tall prisms, one in every color of the rainbow, the sort of thing that could only ever be created by magic. Taking in the sight, Thunder Priest Redbeard shakes his head. "Unless those eyes of yours see something I don''t, my lords, I see no sign of a boss monster within."
Arlon nods in agreement, but isn''t any less tense for it. "Indeed, but that''s hardly a surprise here - Worthy Dungeon loves its boss ambushes, does it not? The armors on Floor Three may be the only ones that don''t attempt to take Challengers by surprise. The only question is - what exactly is the surprise waiting for us in there?"
Sansie chuckles, a little awkwardly. "Well, this is the reward we get for being the first to get this far, isn''t it? Even the Association inspection team''s not done more than poke their heads about the floor. Given it''s a surprise, then, how shall we go about it?"
Their Royal Protector, Taylim, offers a suggestion. "I should take the lead, but we ought to remain close as well. My barriers can only extend so far, and I would not want to risk an attack from the rear with any of you more than ten feet from me."
"Fair enough." Arlon turns towards the Priest with an additional order. "We don''t have much in the way of area control spells, but how about you summon us up a small storm in there before we enter, in order to possibly flush out any ambushes? Do you think you can manage that?"
Palm eyes the arena again before nodding. "Just about the right size, as it happens. Large enough for some wind movement, small enough for decent coverage. Here we go, then - oh Roe, hear your faithful! We ask for a squall to soften our foes, and strike fear into their hearts!" Electricity crackles along his metal-studded staff as he waves it about, and within moments a tiny thundercloud''s begun to form in the center of the arena. The wind starts to pick up, and there''s rumblings of thunder, although no lightning just yet. "The storm''s found nothing to strike so far - the boss must be well-hidden."
"Only one way to draw it out then, I suppose - everyone on me." With his shield raised, Taylim leads the party into the arena, heading directly towards the center in order to get the best view of what could be hiding behind the giant crystals. There''s nothing to find - but as the ground begins to rumble, the party keeps their eyes on the crystals regardless. Raylin shouts out the first warning.
"There - the red crystal, it''s cracking!"
"The orange one too!" Sansie''s eyes grow wide as she twists to face another. "And the blue one! Get ready for - something!"
As if on cue the three crystals shatter apart, revealing themselves to be hollow. The shards they spew are a minor concern, easily deflected by Taylim''s barrier, but it''s what the crystals were hiding inside them that worries him the most. "It''s - slimes! Three giant slimes, be ready!" Sure enough, a red, an orange, and a blue slime each plop their way onto the stony ground before beginning to crawl towards the nobles. Each of them is at least four or five times Lollyp''s size, although they don''t bother to take a humanoid form, or much of a form at all, really. While Raylin begins to fire off arrows, Sansie hits the orange slime with a burst of flame, and a blast of lightning from Palm''s staff strikes the blue one, triggering his storm to strike it once more as a follow-up.
Unfortunately, neither of his attacks do much of anything to the encroaching monster. "It''s - I believe this slime may be immune to lightning! They may be mana slimes!"
Sansie has a moment to think, thanks to her flames successfully driving her own target back a few feet. "Pfah, mana slimes! The only ones I''ve ever seen were small enough to hold in your hand! But - the colors! The colors are important!"
Arlon grunts as he swings at the red slime with his sword. Blades aren''t the best tool against monsters of this sort, but at least his weapon is enchanted with additional sharpness, so he can slice through its probing tendrils without worry of it getting stuck inside. "Good to know. So...important in what way, exactly?"
"Blue is lightning - Palm, help Arlon with the red! Red is fire, orange is...gah, orange is earth? Oh, see - there it goes." As she blasts her target with another flamethrower burst, the slime quickly grows itself a stone-like skin in response. It''s short-lived, melting away again the moment the attack ends, but it does manage to spare it from most of the damage. Meanwhile, the next time Arlon cuts off a piece of the red slime he''s rewarded with a gust of flame that nearly takes his eyebrows.
Raylin keeps firing away, magically enhancing each of his shots with a slight explosive charge to help blow the slimes apart. Even so, he keeps an eye on the other crystals circling them. "And these others - we''ve got green, purple, yellow, white, black - do you think they''re holding slimes as well? What sorts might they be?"
Reversing his barrier, Taylim turns it onto the blue slime to contain it in place before shifting to assist Sansie. "Couldn''t possibly be all of them - boss monsters grow weaker the more of them a floor uses! Eight slimes would be weak enough for an Advanced team to handle, never mind the numbers!"
While the blue slime begins to zap away at its prison with lightning of its own, the spell does hold long enough to turn the fight into a five-on-two for a good minute or two, which is long enough for the team of Experts. With Taylim as a Protector and Arlon himself trained as a Vanguard, the team''s defense is excellent and more than sufficient to hold two relatively slow-moving monsters at bay. The slimes are durable themselves, certainly, but as piece after piece gets blasted away by magical attacks or cut by blades they eventually shrink down sufficiently for Raylin and Sansie to finish them off with magically overcharged strikes. As soon as her own target is down, Sansie turns towards the barrier containing the final monster.
"Can you give me a hole, Taylim? Hand-sized, if you would?"
"It''s not that precise, my lady, but I shall do what I can." Already rather weakened, the dome-shaped barrier easily gives away about a fifth of its surface area, which is a bit more than Sansie would have preferred but sufficient for her needs. Reaching inside with her wand, the Noble Elementalist fires off as long of a sustained fire burst as she can, eventually turning the creature inside into blackened slag. As the barrier finally gives out so does she, falling to one knee with a gasp of exhaustion. "Ah, gods! Good thing that was the last one, I feel I''m nearly drained!"
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Raylin groans. "Sansie..."
Before the Elementalist can ask what it is her cousin is complaining about, the sound of one more cracking crystal grabs all of their attention. Spinning around, they identify the culprit just moments before it shatters - the white crystal standing directly opposite of the entrance. The party raises their weapons for another round of attacks, but the ambushing slime beats them to it as it splatters onto the ground. Without warning, a massive flare of light blinds the entire party, causing them to raise their arms to protect their eyes, but far too late.
Arlon ducks behind his shield for additional protection. "Sansie! What''s a white mana slime!?"
"There is no white mana slime! And - light attacks? I''ve never heard of light elemental energy! I - ahhhh!" Sansie lets out a scream, and although Taylim still can''t quite see what''s going on, he immediately rushes towards her to attempt to stop whatever it is that''s happening. He finds himself slamming into the slime itself which had apparently grabbed on to the Mage''s arm, and begun burning her right through her robes. Not with acid, as a traditional slime might, or even the flames of a red mana slime, but with simple sheer heat alone. As he forces the monster back with a combination of his shield and magical protections, the man would swear the sensation reminds him of being caught outside on a particularly sunny day - if perhaps far more intensely so.
"My lady - are you alright?"
Blinking as she swallows down a healing potion, Sansie nods. "I''ll live! But it likes heat, does it? Let''s see how this goes, then!" She follows up her first potion with a second to restore her mana, and then quickly begins to cast a spell. Meanwhile the slime has moved on to attack the other members of the party, although Redbeard does his best to slow it down with a summoned gust of wind. It does little against the heavy monster, but with Arlon adding his own defensive skills to the mix, it does buy Sansie the time she needs.
After around fifteen seconds, her spell finally fires off. A wall of ice crystals bursts from the ground, starting at her feet and crossing the arena in a line twenty feet long. It would make an excellent defense, but sometimes the best defense is also a good offense, and so her targeted path proceeds to cut the slime right down the middle. It doesn''t quite manage it cleanly, not being exactly designed for such a thing, but perhaps a third of the slime does remain on the wrong side of the ice, quickly withering away.
In what could possibly be a form of panic, the slime begins to repeat its first attack but at a much more rapid pace, repeatedly flashing bright lights at its opponents. It''s the sort of trick that only really works once though, and this time the Challengers are prepared enough to shield their eyes and not look directly at it as they move in for the kill. With the element of surprise lost it turns out to be not much more durable than the other slimes the party had already killed, and with a few more blasts of magic, enhanced arrows, and sword chops the final creature eventually meets its end as well.
Even when it stops moving they don''t let down their guard, quickly examining the other prisms still standing, but eventually it begins to seem as if the fight is finally over. Even so, Raylin issues Sansie with a warning. "Sansie, Sansie...I really thought you knew better than to say things like that."
The Elementalist waves her arm in response, and then winces at both the pain and the sight of it, given that the healing potion has far from fully repaired the burn wound she received. "I daresay the dungeon taught me the lesson now, thank you, Raylin. Gah, just imagine though - if that had been a solo boss rather than one of four, I daresay that thing would have turned my arm to cinders in moments!"
Arlon breaths a sigh of relief as he sees a reward chest appear. "I would suspect the dungeon hasn''t put too much effort into this boss, yet, given that it seems to be an un-ensouled one. You think that was a new form of slime, though?"
While Taylim and Redbeard move to help Sansie with her wound, Raylin checks out the rewards. "There must be a hundred, and sometimes the differences are so minor...I don''t recall hearing of a bright slime before though, no. Hrmmm...a pile of gems, none particularly high-value, but some of these seem to be mana storage crystals - real ones, I''d wager, and not just dungeon d¨¦cor. Ah, look Sansie, the dungeon''s rewarded you for your inopportune comments!" He raises a wand into the air, and Arlon takes it to pass over to the Mage. Its handle seems to be made of a polished marble, while it''s tipped with an orange crystal which makes Sansie grin.
"An Earth Wand, it seems. Always good to have - earth is one of the hardest elements for non-specialized Elementalists to manipulate, it''s just so...rigid. A good special-case tool to have in the set. Anything else of note?"
"Currency, a few potions, the usual. The real reward lies ahead of us I believe though, wouldn''t you say?" As he stands back up the Marksman points out a door at the rear of the arena, and Arlon agrees.
"The core chamber - assuming there''s no eighth floor yet, at least. Come, let us claim our victory, shall we?" Before they can begin moving however, a second, smaller chest suddenly appears next to the first one. There''s a few raised eyebrows, but Raylin goes ahead and opens it as well.
"It''s...a quiver of enchanted arrows? They''re crystal-tipped, I imagine they''re elementally focused..." The man grows a smirk as he looks back at the rest of the team. "The bonus rewards for last night''s efforts, I imagine."
Sansie snorts. "Targeted specifically for you? Going to be quite a hurdle if we all need to engage with a monster for a chance of a bonus item...but I suppose fair''s fair."
While Sansie''s wound will still require further healing later, the group is eager to get moving, and makes their way into the final room of the dungeon - the first Challengers to do so in months. As they do, they find a rather more decorative space than was described to them by other parties. The reported items of bedroom furniture are gone, with Xenia having finally given herself a much more private personal space up on Floor Five, and instead everything revolved around the core itself. Or at least, what one might imagine to be the core. The old clamshell statue had been replaced by one three times the size, and massive statues of Lollyp, Taly, Trush and DEATH stand in the four corners of the room, staring down at everyone who might approach it. Standing in front of the statue meanwhile was a final guardian, this one made of flesh and blood rather than stone.
"Congratulations. I haven''t had to welcome a party to this chamber in quite some time."
Arlon gives Sincere the slightest of bows. "We''re honored to be the ones to break that streak. Tell us though, do we need to ready ourselves for a final fight?"
The demon shakes his head. "If you have no intention of destroying the core, then you may have your victory peacefully." He gestures towards another chest sitting on a table off to the side, next to the exit portal. "Your final rewards await, as does the exit from the dungeon. You''re welcome to revisit the inn, of course, but we ask that you step outside for a moment before you return."
Raylin again takes charge of collecting the loot, while Arlon remains focused on the Core Guardian. "Tell me, do you believe others will follow soon behind us? After taking so long, it would be nice to hold this particular record for a little while."
Sincere answers with a shrug. "The Valleylanders would have come close, had they not been intercepted by Trush on their attempt. You got lucky on this run...quite lucky, one might say."
Raylin gives a smirk at that. "Who needs luck when you have skill, yes? Now, come - the statues are rather nice to admire, but I think I''d rather have a drink and admire the beauty to be found up on Floor Five, wouldn''t you?" The Perlins all give signs of agreement at that suggestion, and with final farewells to the guardian they finally make their exit.
Leaving Sincere behind with Xenia and Guy standing by his side. With her eyes narrowed in suspicion, Xenia asks her guardian a question. "So...that wasn''t just me, right?"
"My viewpoint wasn''t as good as yours, but from what I saw from my observation point?" Sincere shakes his head. "They were obviously looking around for something at the start of the floor and trying to look as if they weren''t. I''d wager the money you don''t pay me they knew the ramp was there, just not its exact location."
"...Yeah." The dungeon master scowls. "Seems like Deylia and I need a little chat..."
Chapter 182: See Me in My Office
"Ah, c''mon, you don''t have an alternate challenge mode for us, rabbit-man?"
DEATH finds himself somewhat at a loss as he swings his scythe at the dwarf woman who never seems to stop moving. "WHEN I SAID IT WOULD BE AMUSING IF SOMEONE ATTEMPTED TO SEDUCE ME, I DIDN''T ACTUALLY THINK SOMEONE WOULD TRY IT. SURELY IT WOULD HAVE WORKED BETTER ON THE SHIELDBREAKER."
Further away, Renriel laughs in amusement. "Oh, this was something you actually predicted, was it? I''ve heard the dungeon has a growing reputation, but to think it even includes you! Sadly, the Wandering Boss gave us no time for banter with his ambush." A vampire bunny begins gnawing at the Mage''s ankle, but he pays it no mind, while at the same time DEATH gets the odd sensation of being nibbled on.
"ONCE WORD GOT OUT OF THE MATERIAL REWARDS FOR DOING SO, I ASSUMED THE BASE GREED OF MORTALS WOULD PROVE SUFFICIENT WHEN JOINED WITH THEIR LUSTS TO ALLOW FOR NEARLY ANYTHING. BUT I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT YOU''D AT LEAST TRY IT WITH ONE OF THE OTHERS BEFORE FLIRTING WITH MYSELF."
Tolla''s eyes grow wide. "Wait, there''s material rewards!? I know my Demonic is rusty as all hells, but I got that right, right? I didn''t hear about that!" Even as she speaks she blocks another swing of the boss''s weapon with her shield, which actually manages to toss the small woman some distance into the air. She lands on her feet though and is then immediately back on the offensive, charging around DEATH''s flank and swinging at him with her axe.
"...WAS THAT NOT COMMON KNOWLEDGE YET? I DON''T RECALL IT BEING A PARTICULAR SECRET." The undead boss sighs, as if wondering if he should even continue this line of discussion, but eventually decides to proceed. "SEXUALLY SATISFYING YOURSELF WITH A CITIZEN OF THE DUNGEON SHALL IMPROVE YOUR REWARD THE NEXT TIME YOU CLEAR A FLOOR. BUT AGAIN - I AM PERHAPS THE WRONG TARGET FOR THAT." He punctuates his statement with a large overhead swing, one designed to reach over the dwarf''s shield, but before it can land its shaft is struck by an arrow that explodes in a shockwave of force and takes the scythe with it.
Nallond doesn''t stop to admire his work, as he returns to picking off the remaining rabbits leaping around the arena. "That is very nice to know. But if you''re not inclined, we shall not push the matter. And although I''d love to chat some more - it is perhaps time to bring this conversation to a close overall."
With that said the Ambush Hunter nearly seems to flicker in place, and an ice arrow that was being aimed towards a small critter is suddenly pointed at DEATH instead. It strikes the ground, creating a patch of icy crystals which latch onto the shade''s semi-material legs and pin him in place, preventing him from leaping away as he had several times before. The boss prepares a blast of dark energy, but with his primary weapon destroyed and his body pinned down, he''s an easy target for Tolla to finish off. Like a lumberjack taking down a tree, the dwarf swings her axe at the approximate location of the shade''s knees. When the monster stumbles with a groan, the next blow sinks into his skull.
The few remaining rabbits scatter as the boss fades away into smoke, and Tolla gives a cheer. "Whoo! And did you hear that, boys? Material rewards! And sex! My two favorite things!"
Renriel smirks at his companion''s enthusiasm, as he points out the chest spawning behind her. "Definitely worth spending that month with that troupe of incubi, given that it helped us understand just what the man was saying. Well, it seems we might have to wait a little on the sex, but the material rewards are right there, if you''d like!"
"You bet I''d like!" Quickly turning around and diving into the chest, Tolla begins to announce her findings. "Let''s see...this one''s for you, Nallond, looks like a quiver of arrows enchanted with that same dark magic the shades use. Potion, potion...enchanted necklace with the same pendant design as that rabbit-head key, gonna have to get that inspected later. And..." Tolla trails off in confusion as she holds up an envelope. "A...letter?"
Nallond chuckles as he takes the quiver. "A love letter from the dungeon, perhaps? Well, open it up and tell us, already!"
The Shield Smasher quickly does so. "''Hey, Dungeon Fuckers!'' It''s to us! She remembers us! ''Long time no see, hope you enjoyed the lube. Regret to say you''ll no longer find my bedroom at the end of the dungeon, but I''m sure you''ll find the place has a lot more on offer which you''ll be sure to enjoy. XOXOXO - Xenia.''" As she unfolds the last of the letter, three pieces of paper fall out which the woman quickly grabs and reads in turn. "Looks like - oh, hey! ''The bearer of this coupon is entitled to one Floor Seven-quality meal at Worthy Inn''!" I don''t know what those random letters were about, but she signed her name! And gave us dinner coupons!"
"Looks like we certainly made as much of an impression on the place on our last visit as it did on us." Renriel turns towards Nallond and claps him on the shoulder. "Now that we''ve cleared Floor Four, we supposedly have access to that ''other inn'' people were talking about. Shall we make our exit and then enjoy the spoils of our victory?"
"Wouldn''t dream of skipping over it."
To Xenia''s consternation, as much as she would have loved to watch the reactions of the trio to the Fiver''s Lounge in detail, for now it seems she''ll have to settle for what her general dungeon omniscience can provide. Right now, there''s an unpleasant bit of dungeon business the woman needs to take care of.
While the core chamber was still being used as the dungeon''s main meeting and conference area for when Xenia needed to talk with her bosses as a group, with the vast expansion of Floor Five she finally had room to carve out some actual private space for herself. No more having her bed hanging around in the background of every meeting, no more sitting around in a massive room when all she wanted was a quiet place to relax. Instead, she''d given herself a new set of rooms largely based on the same apartments she had provided for her guardians. As she had even less need of physical comforts than the others however, there were a few differences. There was a dining section but no kitchen, as any food she required she could simply summon at will. There was a bathroom, but the only plumbing in it was a hot springs for sharing with potential guests.
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There was a bedroom, of course, as well as a meditation chamber. The chamber was where she did her actual resting at when she needed a break, while the bedroom was much like the bathroom - for sharing with certain guests only. At the moment though, Xenia was occupying her new office. There were some actual books there, some of which were gifts from Alizz or Elance, while others contained the writings of Sincere himself - writing down his personal experiences seemed to be one of the man''s primary hobbies, and there was no shortage of material there. While Xenia could absorb books and the knowledge they contained, there was an exactness to literature that the process erased, not to mention any entertainment value, and so the tomes still held some value in their physical forms.
Aside from that, the room also contained a number of decorations - images on the walls, and trophies on shelves. Magical cameras didn''t seem to be a thing in this world but Xenia was quite adept at translating her mental images into drawn pictures on summoned paper. Portraits of several of her guardians graced the space, as did larger group portraits of some of the dungeon''s special events. For trophies, Xenia had over the months collected a few fancy-looking items from fallen Challengers rather than allowing them to be absorbed for their stat-boosting qualities, which she kept for their aesthetic value instead. Others were more personal, such as artwork sculpted from flowers and donated by DEATH, or a wooden carving of herself with a raised sword crafted by Trush.
Eventually though Xenia decides she has to cease stalling and stops inspecting her mementos, collapsing into her rarely-used chair behind her office desk. "Alright, Guy...call her in."
"As you command, ma''am."
A minute later Deylia appears at the portal ring in Xenia''s entryway, and quickly notices the door to the dungeon master''s office. "Ah, Xenia! This is my first time seeing your new abode, it looks much more cozy than the core chamber."
"Glad you like it. Take a seat."
The Priestess does so, not realizing until after she''s sat down that she might be in some sort of trouble. "Is everything alright, Xenia? Is there a problem with the inn, perhaps?"
Xenia''s eyes narrow. "No, there ain''t a problem with the fuckin'' inn."
Sensing a very rapid decline in the room''s metaphorical temperature, Deylia begins to sweat. "Ma''am? What - what seems to be the matter, then?"
"Mrmm. Now, I know there was a lot going on when you joined the place. And I''ve got myself a perfect memory these days apparently, so I wouldn''t want to judge you by unfair standards or nothin''. How well would you say you recall the talk we had about your duties as a Floor Boss?"
The woman stammers, not used to being called out like this - while she may have simply been a servant of Sansie''s, their relationship had always been much closer to being that of friends. "Ah, well - it''s possible I might not recall it word for word, but I''m certain I recall all of your instructions."
"Apparently not. You remember the part about how I don''t want you showing favoritism to any of the Challengers who come by, unless I say otherwise? And I''m sure I mentioned at some point that I don''t want us getting drawn into any political fights, not without us getting something out of it, at the least."
"I''ve - I''m sorry? I''ve served House Highbranch as well as I have House Perlin on their visits to the dungeon, along with every other Challenger!"
Xenia leans forward, crossing her arms on the surface of her desk. "Really? Cause I doubt you told House Highbranch about any of the dungeon''s secret paths. Though if you have, I''d appreciate it if you told me so now."
"I..." Deylia''s about to issue a denial, but a moment of thought leads her to the conclusion that it''s a hopeless affair. Not only is Xenia far older and more experienced than she, but her dungeon senses likely make her almost impossible to lie to. At this point, further lies seem likely to only make her currently bad situation worse. "...I''m sorry, mistress. Did...Raylin say something?"
"Not as such. But the way he and his party acted, a few odd comments...any other party I mighta dismissed it as luck, but in their case the possible source of a leak was pretty fuckin'' obvious. Gotta say though, been checking my memory and I don''t recall you ever saying as much to the boy, even on your night together. Mind telling me how you did it?"
The rabbit-woman looks down at her lap, unable to meet her boss''s eyes. "It...I wrote them some notes about the last floor, that day I visited them in Grassbrook."
Xenia leans back into her chair with a sigh. "Well. Damn me for doing someone a favor, then."
"I''m sorry. Are..." Deylia gulps. "Are you going to...move me on? Or...put my soul back into ''storage''?"
Xenia stares at the morose woman with little warmth in her expression, but eventually she sighs again. "I''m not gonna...fuckin'' kill someone for messing up. Even in my evil overlord days that was a rare thing. Besides, I''m in a nice little tight spot with Kahlia now, aren''t I? I sold her on you being her grand priestess or whatever, how''s it gonna fuckin'' look on me if I gotta go back and say, ''sorry, nevermind, I had to fire the lady''? Though it has crossed my mind to just put you on time out til this little ''competition'' thing''s run its course. Only supposed to be a couple months or so, isn''t that right?"
"That would be...understandable, mistress."
"Deylia...it''s been what, a week now since you got signed on here? I know that''s still not a lot of time, considering, but you''ve had at least some chance to settle in a little. Are you actually happy here?"
Del can feel tears start to creep up on her, but chokes them back. "I - I think I could be, mistress. It has been a lot, but the inn, the shrine, the other guardians...it''s all been very welcoming! I just...it''s not easy to let go, is all. It''s...House Perlin was my life, my entire life. I...don''t know how to stop caring for them!"
"Uh-huh. Look, I ain''t saying I don''t get it. It''s your family, your lifelong friends, your fuck-buddy. Obviously, there''s an attachment there. I ain''t even that mad that you wanted to help them. I''m mad that you did it behind my back. I''m mad that there''s info leaks that I don''t know about." Xenia''s hands begin to become more animated as she emphasizes her points, gesturing roughly. "I''m willing to hear disagreements and complaints, I know I''m not perfect and this dungeon''s never gonna last a century if people gotta bottle up their feelings and opinions. If you wanted House Perlin to get an edge so bad, you should''ve sold me on it."
Uncertain if that''s an actual opening, Deylia responds a little hesitantly. "Is...is that something you''re actually willing to consider?"
"Well, a little less now than I woulda been before, that''s for sure!" Xenia''s attention trails off as she stares into the distance, but after a few moments she stands up with a groan. "Come on. There''s something I want to show you."
Deylia stands up as well, but isn''t entirely sure where she''s supposed to be going. "Show me? Something you have here?"
With a wave of her hand, a portion of one of the office''s stone walls melts away, revealing a hallway beyond. "Not exactly. C''mon, it''s time for a trip down Memory Lane."
Chapter 183: Memory Lane
As Deylia follows Xenia into her secret hallway, she finds herself in a place somewhat more...well, traditionally dungeon-like. The hallway is constructed with carved blocks of stone and lit with torches, and dotted with dark alcoves. For a moment the Priestess is worried that Xenia might be taking her to an actual secret torture chamber of some sort, but before long she stops at an alcove populated by two statues. They''re constructed from decorative stone, but in a way no mundane sculptor could ever match. Each of the two figures is blended from at least a dozen different types of mineral, as well as gems for accents such as the eyes, allowing for them to be colored and textured in a way no simple marble statue could match.
The two figures before them look like fairly mundane folks, by Deylia''s reckoning, but from very different walks of life. On the left stands a middle-aged woman, pale-skinned and black-haired, with a tired-looking smile on her face and perhaps a few extra pounds around her middle, wearing a style of fashion that''s difficult for Deylia to place. On the right stands a dark-skinned man, somewhat younger and certainly more physically fit, and wearing attire that Deylia wouldn''t find out of place in most Rainlander villages. Although she''s dying to ask who these statues are meant to represent, she wisely decides to let Xenia take the lead on the conversation.
The dungeon master herself stares at them for a moment before starting her explanation. "I''ve...never been great about handlin'' my connections to my past. Either I get obsessed with it and have trouble dealing with the shit going on around me, or I pretend none of it ever happened, cause it''s too painful for me to deal with. More of the latter than the former, these days. But...that ain''t healthy either. It ain''t normal to try and forget the people you loved, even if thinking about them hurts. There''s gotta be a better...some kind of a balance there, and that''s what I''m trying to do here. My memory from before being a dungeon''s nowhere near perfect, and it''s been so many years in some cases...I figured maybe I oughtta carve the important bits down into stone, especially if there''s a chance I could be here for a thousand years or something."
"I see. And these...are two people you loved?"
Xenia nods. "My parents. Which feels funny to say, since ain''t the either of the two ever met, but it''s true. The lady there''s my mom, the O-G from Run Zero - Danielle Worthy, Danny to her friends. Assistant manager of the Dollar Major. My...original dad and her split, got divorced way back when I was a little kid, and I ended up staying with her. My dad...he wasn''t bad, but he wasn''t there. Would get calls from him two or three times a year, birthdays and Christmas. See him every three or four years or so. Mom, though...being a single mom ain''t easy, but she pulled it off. Always had time and a smile if I needed one. Never had money, but I had love, and that was enough."
"I...believe I can see the family resemblance, now that you mention it. But the other, um..."
Xenia laughs as she turns to the man with dark brown skin. "Yeah, totally different lifetime, and what you''re seeing from me now is my original body, how I looked the first time I died. The other''s from my run as Xenia of Khaloom, Master of the Easthall Guild. And this...this is Brace of Khaloom. My dad. Now, I''ll tell ya something - I''ve been a baby more times than I care to remember, and it''s always awful. Aside from the baby-shit itself, I''m a terrible actor, there''s no way I''d be able to spend ten years pretending to just be a normal kid. So generally as soon as I''m able to speak the local language, I clue my parents in to what''s up with me, and usually there''s two ways that goes. Either they freak out and don''t know how to deal with me, treating me like someone who possessed their ''real'' kid or something...or they try and figure out how they can exploit me, like some sort of child prodigy."
"It''s difficult for me to imagine. Brace was different, though?"
"Yeah...on that run my mom died early, farm accident, before I''d been around long enough to talk. Didn''t have any siblings or other close family, so I was a little worried how the new old man would take it, finding out what I am. But...more than any other parent I''ve had, hearing the truth never changed how much he loved me. He treated me like a blessing, actually, and not just because of what I could do for him. Some of it was that he was getting lonely, and maybe just needed someone to talk to, but...he went every extra mile he could for me, every time. Never treated me like a freak or a monster. Always so proud of everything I did." Xenia stares at him for a while longer before concluding. "When people ask me who my dad was? Even now - I think of Brace. Perhaps not first, but definitely foremost of fathers."
"He seems worthy of the title. Ah..." Deylia grimaces slightly. "No pun intended?"
"Heh. You know what hurts me most about these two? I died before they did, both runs. Truck on Run Zero, monster cataclysm on the Easthall run. But it''s been centuries since either of those happened, so...I know they''re both gone now. I just...wish I could''ve gotten them a message, you know? Tell them I''m okay where I am. At least dad knew about me, but mom..." Xenia wipes at her eye before turning and continuing her way down the hall. "Let''s move on, yeah?"
"Ah, of course, whatever you wish." Deylia hurries after, but it''s not far to their next stop. Here there''s alcoves on either side of the hallway - one occupied by only a very tiny statue, and the one opposite filled with eight different figures, standing together. Xenia turns towards the smaller one first, and so Deylia looks closer. It appears to be a very young girl, with brown hair and a bright smile as a child''s dress twirls around her, but other than that the details seem...vague, compared to the previous two.
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"Billie...my daughter. My first kid. One of my worst fuckups. Definitely when it comes to those I loved, anyhow."
Deylia''s eyes widen as she turns towards her mistress. "Ma''am?"
"I was such a shitty mom. Got knocked up in a one-night stand, never even knew the guy''s name. Normally I''d...''take care'' of something like that, but the place I was at didn''t have any good options for that, and I figured...eh, why not? May as well give it a try, huh? And she...she was perfect. Her smile...but I didn''t know how to raise a kid and work my normal adventuring career at the same time, I was always having to push her off onto neighbors and shit while I went out on jobs. Then...one day she started coughing. Four days later she was dead. Four years old. Medicine around there...magical or otherwise, was all just shit. Nothing I could do to help her."
"Dear gods, Xenia, I''m so sorry. I''m sure she loved you, though. I''m certain you did your best."
Xenia doesn''t answer, beyond perhaps the barest of nods, but instead turns towards the other alcove. In this case all of the figures seem to be young adults, save for one slightly older woman at the center of the group. "And here...we''ve got the success story. I suppose you haven''t had the chance yet to catch all of the Xenia Worthy, Reincarnator Extraordinaire gossip, but...this here was my wife, Sarah. We were adventurers together, heroes, before we settled down. Our kids...daughters Tricia, Pearl, Wanda, and Rachel. Sons Trey and Lance. And then that boy off to the side there was Harold - his mom was a different woman, a princess actually. But Sarah never had any trouble making him feel like part of the family, those times when we met up together."
"Sounds like an...interesting family dynamic?"
"Little unusual, but I think we made it work. We didn''t live in the same city as him, but I tried to be better than my original dad was, at least. Visited him at least once a season, and invited him out to our place when he was older. Made sure to include him in all of the family affairs. As far as the other kids were concerned, he was just the big brother who got to live in a fancier house, you know? Anyhow...this one was the dream. Couldn''t have asked for a better run."
Deylia scans her gaze across the smiling faces of the eight figures, and feels inclined to agree. "They certainly look happy. You must have been a good, ah...father?"
"I tried." With that Xenia turns and continues the tour, although this time she passes by a number of alcoves without comment. Deylia glances at them as best as she can, noting down a variety of figures - a dashing-looking young man, a trio of young women with adventurer''s gear and weapons in a dramatic action pose, an...okay, that one was definitely a statue of a skeleton. But instead, Xenia comes to a halt before a collection of five figures, one of whom she recognizes.
On the left stands a man who looks like some sort of lizard beastkin, along with a dark-haired woman in a robe made of bright blue stone. To the right stands a very slender woman in light armor, probably meant to be leather and archer''s gear, next to an older gentleman in plate armor, resting a shield against the floor, with most of his statue being made of actual metal. And in the center, with one foot propped atop a dragon skull made of stone stands Beatrice, younger and unscarred - or at least less so, lacking the burn wounds that mark the woman Deylia''s met. In her right hand, raised to the sky, the armored woman is lifting an elaborate-looking sword, with a large black gem on one side of the hilt and a crystal-clear one on the other.
"Beatrice and the Monster Slayers. My last run, just before this. Only statue of me in here, by the way - that''s me as the sword there."
"Wait, what?"
"Not my ideal body, I''ll tell you that. Maybe even the worst, if I''m ranking em. But the friends? Couldn''t have asked for better. Worked together for years, slaying monsters, helping folks, til eventually we went after the Big One. A dragon - way larger than that skull there, for your information, just didn''t have space for a life-size one in here. Three of us died taking it down - Faleen the Ice Mage, Yates the Beastman, and me. Beatrice tells me it was something like twenty years ago now for her, still feels like less than a year for me, though. She tells me Paladin Tarry there passed of old age, but Ipis is still kicking it and has herself a whole herd of kiddos now, which is still hard for me to believe. But it''s...good, you know? To have at least one family of mine that''s still out there, sort of. I owe Beatrice a lot for tracking me down like she did."
"I suppose it must make it feel more...real, I suppose? And not like a dream you keep moving on from?"
Xenia nods. "Sometimes dreams, sometimes nightmares. You know why I''m showing you all this though, Del?"
"I''m...hesitant to make suppositions, to be honest."
Xenia turns to face Deylia, an intense look on her face. "The attachments you have to your friends and your family - they''re important. The fact that you died but you don''t have to entirely give that up? It''s a blessing. And I would never ask you to try and forget your family."
"Thank you - I''ll try not to." The woman halts as Xenia claps a hand on her shoulder.
"But. The other part of holding on is knowing how to balance that with moving on. And while I may be more experienced with that than anyone else I know, I''ll admit that I have, historically, been shit at finding that balance. But it''s important to do both, I can tell you that."
Deylia gulps. "What would you have me do, mistress?"
"See? That - you''ve been a maid for too long, Del. When you signed on here, it wasn''t for a job. Or a club, or a guild, or anything like that. We could be together down here for longer than even I''ve been alive, and that''s saying something. Joining up with us here, that makes you part of the family, a new one. Now, I ain''t gonna ask you to call me momma or something, I ain''t that kind of creepy. But maybe a little less of the ''mistress'' and ''ma''am'' stuff, yeah?"
"That - that may be a hard adjustment to make, if I''m being honest. But I''m glad at least that you don''t intend to - to throw me out for my mistakes, then?"
At that, Xenia pulls Deylia into a hug - not a particularly close one, but enough of an embrace to make the younger woman a little uncertain how to react. Before she can figure herself out though, Xenia continues. "That goes both ways, Del. You''re family now too, and I''d never throw out family."
Before Deylia can start to relax, she adds on one more comment, whispered into Deylia''s ear. "...But girl? You are fuckin'' grounded."
Chapter 184: Stress Relief
Fifteen minutes later Xenia pops into a booth in the Fiver''s Lounge, rather surprising Lollyp, Taly, and Sincere who were already sitting there and not expecting such sudden company. For the most part they handle the arrival fairly well, although Lollyp does need to quickly summon up an extra limb to stabilize her mug. "Gah! Can''t you just walk up and say ''hi there'', or something!?"
"I could, but then it wouldn''t be as funny. And momma could use some stress relief right now."
Taly chuckles at that and lifts her own mug in the direction of a table on the opposite end of the lounge. "Well, your old favorites are still hanging out here - for the moment. The way things are going, the Dungeon Fuckers might actually be the first to sweet-talk their way into a barmaid''s private rooms...which, now that I think about it, is probably why they''re trying so hard. Damn record-seekers."
"Yeah! I saw those coupons they were waving around earlier - don''t tell me you ain''t got plans there, Xen! I know how you think." Lollyp narrows her eyes at her boss.
"Haha, maybe, maybe. But I need a little stress relief before my stress relief, you know? Just had a hard talk with Del, is all."
Sincere interjects before she can get too much into the details. "I''ve been catching up the ladies here on the events earlier, and our suspicions. From your tone, I take it our new Priestess didn''t exactly prove her innocence?"
"She was at least smart enough to know when she was got, I''ll give her that. Fessed up, told me she passed them some notes back when she visited Grassbrook that one time."
Taly begins to curse under her breath. "Gods dammit! She - we were separated briefly, just for a while. I could have kept a closer eye on her, but I didn''t think I needed to! I was mostly just there for support, you know?"
Xenia shakes her head. "It ain''t on you. I put my trust into someone who was still emotionally vulnerable, and it bit me. Honestly, in hindsight, it ain''t even that surprising. Should''ve seen it coming, guess I got too reliant on seeing everything that goes on in here to think about stuff out there." She waves a hand over her head to indicate the room around them and then the rough position of Grassbrook in the distance.
Next to her, Lollyp''s face grows grim. "So, what''s the verdict then? We gonna need a new Floor Five boss now?"
Her response is a rather unimpressed look from Xenia. "Really? Why''s everyone assuming I''m gonna kill someone for their first fuckup? ...Besides, that''d make things complicated with Kahlia, you know?"
Taly smirks from behind her mug. "You did bite a girl''s head off once, as I recall you telling us."
"There were extenuating circumstances!" Xenia grumps a little before she continues. "But no, I''ve just grounded the girl - solitary confinement, you could call it. Banished to her room save for a few breaks for the next few weeks, so she can get cracking on her meditation practice, maybe even get an actual blessing lesson in there. No more bar hostessing for a while - and no more booty calls for a month!"
Lollyp gasps. "No sex for a month!? You fiend!"
"Well, not with her old boy-toy, that''s for sure."
Taly nods along. "And for the Perlins? And what are we going to do about Floor Seven?"
The dungeon master sighs as she thinks it over. "I''m not gonna put them on the kill-on-sight list either, but we''re putting an asterisk on their record - no Floor Seven-tier meals til they clear it properly, or Floor Seven room keys if we end up making those in the near future. And next time they come by, I''m definitely keeping Trush in reserve just for them. If they wanna clear their record, they''re gonna have to fight for it. As for the floor...well, I''m gonna be redoing the catwalks at the least, but they''re still too useful for Trush and the fae to get rid of them entirely. And I''m not gonna completely redo the boss fight after one clear, not til we get a real boss for it, anyhow. Speaking of, weren''t we supposed to be getting an applicant for that soon?"
The banshee shrugs. "It''s the middle of winter, Xen. Even setting aside the possible need to...you know, settle affairs and prep to maybe move down here, no one''s moving fast right now. They''ll get here when they get here."
"Yeah, fair enough, suppose that''s why we ain''t been getting anyone else lately, either. Aside from that, though, wondering if maybe it''s time to do another raid for an eighth floor. ''Specially since we burned that floor unlock I was saving to make this floor bigger."
Sincere raises an eyebrow. "It''s been a few months since the last of those. Weren''t you worried about...interested parties using those soul connections to spy on you? To locate you, or some such?"
Xenia has a bit of a glum look, but she nods. "I''m not gonna sit on our biggest advantage forever just cause something might go wrong. If I was gonna do that, I would''ve stopped using it back when the Dragonlord first intercepted me. But I''m not in a rush, either. Least not til someone clears Floor Seven legit, right? Just saying, might be on the agenda soon. Highbranch and those soldiers both seem to have a decent chance at it, and I''m pretty sure the only reason the Dragonlord''s squad hasn''t tried it is because they don''t want the attention for clearing it first."
The demon gives a chuckle at that. "Meanwhile I imagine the Dungeon Fuckers are only interested in the credit for being the first to engage in carnal relations on the floor. Even you and Lollyp haven''t applied for that one yet, have you?"
As Xenia snorts, Lollyp rolls her eyes. "Yeah, well, right now they look like they''re applying to be the first to bang your girlfriend here in the lounge."
"My - what?" As Sincere turns around in his booth seat, the others look to see that the DF trio have indeed moved on from chatting up the barbunnies...and are now having a conversation with Beatrice, who must have wandered into the lounge at some point. "Ah! Well - she is not exactly my girlfriend, as you know. ...Also, if ''banging in the lounge'' is suddenly on the table...so to speak...I''d appreciate a heads up on the rule change."
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"Sincere, I didn''t know you had an exhibitionist streak!" As she says that Xenia''s eyes go wide, a realization hitting her. "Wait, shit, Alizz just didn''t want us renting out the bunnies to the Challengers! We can still do bunny-on-bunny shows! Someone write that down, we can make a side room or two for that!"
Lollyp scoffs, although she is definitely remembering that idea for later. "Really, you''re watching the horny trio making the moves on your BFF and your only thoughts are about expanding the business? Maybe you''ve been a dungeon master a little too long already."
As Xenia sips from a mug, her lips curl deviously. "Ah, don''t get me wrong, Lolly Pop. I''m just lettin'' em get her warmed up..."
"Ambush Hunter''s fairly obvious, especially with your quiver there, but Judgment Mage? I don''t get it. Do you do extra-strong attacks against criminals?"
Tolla grins widely at the scarred warrior sitting across the booth from her. "Oh, it''s a wild fuckin'' class. Reality-fuckin''-warping, is what it is."
Beatrice''s brow furrows. "Eh? Now I''m just even more confused."
Renriel, the Mage in question, takes over for the explanation. "It was indeed a branch of magic once designed for traveling law bringers, in more...wild times of civilization. But as Tolla says, the implications of it go far beyond enforcing the law. Essentially, my magic is stronger when I judge that I am protecting someone who deserves to be protected, or hurting someone who deserves to be hurt. My barrier spells are stronger when protecting my team, and I have ways of inflicting harm which can directly bypass most defenses, physical or magical."
The Dragon Slayer sips at her ale, still a little lost. "Okay, but what makes that ''reality warping'', then?"
Tolla breaks back in with her toothy smile. "Cause Renny here''s the one who gets to decide if someone is bad or good! Which means he basically has to define, like, his own personal morality or whatever in his own head while we''re on a run! When the fight''s on, Nallond and I are like saints to Ren, and dungeon monsters are like the worst thing that ever lived! As long as at least part of him believes it, his magic is way more powerful than most for his level!"
The elf nods with a slight smile of his own. "It''s difficult, since of course I know logically that dungeon monsters are not truly evil, and wild Tolla here is far from a saint. But when I''m in the midst of casting a spell, well...I must temporarily imagine I live within a different reality."
"Huh." Beatrice thinks that over for a while, trying to imagine it. "Are there any downsides other than the headache?"
Nallond, the team''s other elf, answers that question. "Unfortunately so. The mana draw is apparently wildly variable. Say, for example, a Pyromancer wanted to throw a fireball. He or she could throw around the same fireball spell all day long and it''d require more or less the same amount of mana every time. However, one of the effects of Renriel''s variable spell strength is that it affects the cost as well. If he were to fling a fireball at, say, a torturer of children, it would cost him almost nothing to do so. More efficient than even the Pyromancer. But if he were to attack, say..."
Tolla interjects. "A puppy!"
"Yes, a puppy. Then that one, solitary, basic fireball spell might end up nearly draining the man - on top of being significantly weaker for it. If Renriel doesn''t believe his actions are morally justifiable, his power fades significantly."
The warrior chuckles at the Mage. "So you''re saying that the best counter to Renriel here is, like...a bunch of really cuddly, adorable monsters?"
Renriel laughs loudly at the suggestion. "The rabbits on Floor Four certainly could have tested that! However, the effect fades severely once those adorable little monsters bite you and begin to try drinking your blood. I suppose at best a crowd of passive monsters could put me at an impass...if I didn''t have my companions at my side to take over for me. Tolla could probably brain little bunnies all day, I imagine."
"Now that is slander. Maybe my axe is also weaker against cuddly lil critters that aren''t biting me, who knows?" Tolla leans back with her mug in hand, and Beatrice turns her attention to the dwarf.
"Right, okay, so about you. Shield Smasher? Trush is a Shieldbreaker, is that the same thing?"
Tolla shakes her head. "Nah, nah. Shieldbreakers break shields. Shield Smashers smash with a shield. Completely different line of work. At this level, I''ve got spells that can make sure my momentum basically never stops once I get going. Can run into shit, bounce off, and smash into it again and again if I need to. Course, the axe does most of the real damage."
"Interesting...I really can''t get over how even the melee fighters around here know such a variety of magic. I really am kind of jealous."
Renriel laughs in response. "And we''re jealous of how much enchanted gear you own - you''re not even wearing your battle gear and I can still sense at least a dozen sources of magic on you! Seems you''ve made up for your disability. I''m also jealous that you apparently get to live in such a place. You must truly be on good terms with the dungeon."
Before Beatrice can answer, Xenia does it for her as she slides into the booth uninvited - although at least she doesn''t teleport directly into her seat this time. "Best buds, alright! So Trish, how''s things going here with the Dungeon Fuckers?"
Beatrice''s eyes go wide. "Xenia! You can''t just call them that! They''re guests!" After her mouth finishes moving, her brain begins to catch up, and she realizes that she can see Xenia in black-and-white - and that she isn''t wearing the enchanted helmet that usually allows her to see her friend. "Xen! You''re...avataring!"
"Sure am! And I ain''t insultin'' em, that''s their names! Did they not give you the proper introduction? Pretty sure I''ve told you about this bunch."
"Wait, that was an actual name and not just your, ah...description? But what brings you here?" As the two converse, the other three members of the table sit and watch in stunned silence. Before Xenia can answer that question however, Tolla finally finds her tongue.
"Wait! It''s - it''s you! The dungeon spirit! Here! Fuckin''...fuck! You really have an avatar?"
Xenia shoots her a grin. "The discount store version, only good for an hour a week or so. You like?"
Nallond is the one to recover next. "It''s - wow, I don''t know where to begin. You know, there was some debate on whether or not you were a woman, but I see that''s been definitively answered. Your, ah...skin tone is a little...unusual?"
The dungeon spirit eyes her hand, colored in pure white except for black lines around her nails and the joints of her fingers. "Yeah, out of my control, that. I hope I''m not making things weird for you, popping in like this - we didn''t exactly have a conversation the last time you came around."
"But you did sit on my face. Right? I didn''t make that up?"
"...More or less, yeah?"
Tolla laughs uproariously. "Then forget awkwardness, that makes you a friend of mine! And - you say you can only use this for an hour a week? And you popped it just to say hello to us? We''d be idiots not to be flattered, aye?" The elves nod in agreement, though Xenia''s expression turns into a smirk.
"Oh, I was hoping for a lot more than saying hello - if you''re up for it. Be a shame to pass up a chance to see how things would work out with some actual physical contact..."
Again, Tolla speaks for the party. "Absolutely! And the clock''s ticking, right? By all means - lead the way, we hear you got quite the...selection of places to bed down around here."
Raising her hands, Beatrice begins to motion towards making her exit. "Right, well, don''t let me get in your way. Have fun, Xen - " She''s interrupted however as Xenia grabs her arm and pulls her back down into the seat.
"What, you gonna leave me outnumbered three to one, Trish? I thought you were my bud! Besides..." Xenia leans over and whispers into Beatrice''s ear, and after a moment a new light enters the warrior''s eyes.
"...Really..."
"Oh yeah. If the DFs here don''t mind me bringing along a pal?"
Nallond shakes his head. "By all means - I think I like where this is going..."
Chapter 185: Dungeon Friends - Explicit
"Welcome! To the VIP Suite! ...Or the Bunny Suite? Fuck it, I ain''t had time to focus-test the branding yet. But check it out, what do you think?" As Xenia makes a little display of things, waving her hands in the air, her new guests check out the room the dungeon master has led them to.
Like most other ''rental'' rooms, the primary attraction of the chamber is the bed, but in this case it demands their attention just a hair bit more than average. The mattress is enormous, perhaps ten feet wide at its peak, although it''s not exactly uniform in size - the furniture''s been shaped into the form of a heart. The sheets are red to match, as are the draping curtains and many of the other pieces of furniture and decorative items scattered around the room. Aside from the coloring, the theme of the room is indeed ''bunnies'' - a towering headboard stretches above the bed in the form of two long rabbit ears, and rabbit ears and side-profile portraits can be found just about everywhere Xenia could think to put them. Off to the side, a door to a private bathroom appears to have a metal rabbit tail for a doorknob.
Of course there is more to the room than just the bed, which the others eventually manage to notice after a few moments. A hot springs pool sits in one corner of the space, much like in certain other rooms but noticeably larger here. Partially obscured by red curtains in another corner is a number of BDSM-themed pieces of gear - a pillory, a wall-mounted X-cross, and a display shelf full of various toys. In yet another corner of the room there''s even a large comfy chair, for someone who perhaps prefers to watch the action.
All in all, it''s enough to put even the well-traveled Dungeon Fuckers to silence - for a little while, anyhow. Eventually though Tolla does find her voice. "Well, I tip my fuckin'' hat. I''ve seen bits and pieces of this sort of setup before, but never so elaborately put-together...and in a dungeon? Where the hells did you get the ideas for all of this, lass?"
Xenia taps her nose with a sly look. "Secrets of the trade, I''m afraid!"
With a shake of his head, Nallond speaks up next. "I''ve heard of how your floor is divided into various ''themes'' based on the other floors, but I''ve never heard of this before. Is this the theme relating to Floor Seven, in some way? I''ve heard no one''s seen one for that floor, yet."
"Nah, this one''s a special case, me sorta flexing my...creative powers a lil bit. For VIPs, like I said, though I haven''t decided yet exactly how folks earn that title. I daresay you''ve earned it though, a''least for the night." Xenia trails off for a moment before adding an addendum. "...Also this was the only one with a bed comfortably big enough for five people."
Renriel shakes his head in disbelief. "Well, I for one am beyond flattered. I knew our last visit was...''successful'', but I had no idea we had made such a good impression on you. I guess one never forgets their first, eh?"
It takes a bit of effort for Xenia to hold in her laughter. "Oh, Renny, Renny, Renny...sorry, but you were way too late for that record, actually. That said, I did enjoy your visit. And besides, I owe you for getting Kahlia interested in dungeons, and that''s been a huge boon for us here."
All of their heads snap to attention at that, and Tolla speaks for the group. "Wait, what was that bit? Kahlia''s interested in us? I didn''t even think we were religious! You two been prayin'' behind my back?"
As the elves shake their heads, Xenia waves the question off. "Can explain that bit later - like you said before, clock''s tickin''. How ''bout you Trish, ready for some fun?"
The Dragon Slayer, not usually one prone to being a blushing wallflower, is very much blushing tonight as she stands at the back of the crowd. "Oh, totally! I just...well, I always knew how friggin'' horny you were sometimes Xen, but I never thought you''d pull me into an actual orgy."
Her friend snorts as she crosses the room and wraps an arm around the warrior. "Pfft, five people''s like, barely a proper orgy." Nallond speaks up with a little more concern, however.
"I suppose that is debatable, but either way, I don''t believe any of us would wish to overwhelm you. If you would prefer to watch and join in where you like...?"
Xenia nods along at that as she pats the warrior on the shoulder. "Sadly, I gotta report that Beatrice here is distressingly straight. But she does have a thing for watching, so maybe I can start on paying back Tolla while you boys give her a nice show?"
The elves share a smirk and nod, although Tolla''s a little confused. "I ain''t complaining about any of that, but what did you plan on paying me back for?"
"Well I did sit on your face without permission the last time you were here - how about this time I pay you back for the favor?"
Tolla''s wide eyes answer for her, although her mouth affirms her response a second later. "Get eaten out by a dungeon!? Fuck yeah! Get on the bed, I can''t wait to ride those freaky black lips of yours!" The dwarf is already pulling off her clothes as Xenia begins to make for the bed with a laugh, and the elves watch on with amused looks of their own.
"Ah, and to think Nallond, they say that romance is dead."
"At least I always have you here to act as a role model." With that statement made Renriel pulls his partner close and locks lips for an intense kiss - one designed to excite more than just its recipient. His hands run their way along Nallond''s slender body, lingering on his ass before eventually working their way up to stroke his chin, but all the while the the Mage keeps his partner and himself oriented towards an audience of one. When the kiss finally ends, he turns towards that audience to see how well their performance is being received so far.
"Is that the sort of show you were hoping for, Lady Beatrice?"
The woman nods eagerly, unable to quite find the words to answer with, but Nallond has a rather mocking response of his own. "Ah, to think we''ve been stereotyped again. Everyone always calling for the ''hot elf boys'' to make out. We''re more than just fetish material, you know?"
From the bed, Xenia interrupts her hasty strip routine to defend her friend. "Hey! Beatrice is not a racist! She likes watching all hot boys make out, regardless of species!"
"Oh! Well, in that case." This time Nallond is the one to initiate the kiss, and as the heavily-embarrassed warrior watches on, this time their hands begin to do a whole lot more than some simple stroking and ass-grabbing. With extremely practiced ease the two remove each other''s shirts while maintaining their lip-lock, although they stop once they''re bare-chested. At that point Nallond turns Renriel around, making it easier for him to peck at the man''s neck, but also making it far easier for Beatrice to see the action. While his mouth remains busy his left hand explores Renriel''s chest, and his right eventually makes its way down to the man''s pants, fishing out his cock.
He strokes his partner for a bit, but he eventually slows down before asking a question. "I can see you''re enjoying the view. But what do you say - feeling comfortable enough to dive in?"
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"Was always planning on it - was just waiting for the right moment, is all!" With that said Beatrice steps forward to give Renriel a kiss of her own, before sliding down to her knees and taking the elf in hand. She takes over the stroking of it for a while, but just as she begins to lick her tongue along the bottom of the smooth shaft, a comment from the bed nearly ruins the moment.
"Man, if I had a gold coin for every time a dude talked Trish into sucking another dude''s dick - "
"Shut up!"
Tolla laughs at the exchange. "No worries, Vanguard, I can shut her up for you!" To emphasize the point the dwarf finishes crawling her way up Xenia''s torso, before planting her nude crotch firmly over the loudmouthed dungeon''s lips. It''d be wrong to call the woman bare, of course, given the impressive amount of hair the woman has between her legs, even in its relatively well-trimmed state, but it certainly doesn''t stop Xenia from getting to work. "Oh gods, she''s doin'' it! I''ve got a dungeons - ah! A dungeon''s tongue lappin'' at me!"
For his part, Renriel answers with a groan. "Ah...I''m happy for you, Tolla, but I have to say...even mortals can be quite impressive with their skills. Speaking of, Nallond...I believe there''s room down there for another."
"Well, I suppose I can share my toys with others, at least once in a while..." With that said the Hunter slides around towards Renriel''s front and gets down onto his own knees next to Beatrice. She gets the idea quickly enough and pulls back, making room for the elf to join in on licking the other side of Renriel''s fairly impressive cock. It''s not particularly girthy, but it is notably long, and there''s more than enough to go around as long as the two fellators don''t mind the occasional lip contact - which they clearly don''t. After getting the man good and slick they then switch up their approach for a bit, with Beatrice sucking the man''s tip into her mouth while Nallond sees to his partner''s balls.
Beatrice puts an intense focus into her work, as she does with most physical activities she finds herself engaged in, but she''s surprised when Nallond suddenly pushes her back. "Eh? You wanna take over?"
"Not exactly. The fellow''s getting close, is all, and it''s more fun to delay the moment."
Renriel groans for more reason than one. "Agh, you torture me! But I suppose I can spread the love around, if that''s what you want." The other elf nods and the two swap their positions, with Renriel going down to his knees and Nallond standing up, releasing the cock that''s been threatening to burst its way out of his pants. Beatrice is slightly surprised by the tag-team maneuver, but can''t find much reason to complain, and so a moment later she''s sharing cock-sucking duties alongside Renriel, just as she had with his partner a moment before.
After a few minutes - broken only by the yells from Tolla as Xenia licks her to her first orgasm of the evening - the elves once again come to a halt as Nallond comes close to his own climax. Instead of swapping though, Renriel simply climbs to his feet, leaving both throbbing elfhoods pointing in Beatrice''s direction. Looking down at her with a smirk, Nallond asks for another favor. "Seems we''re both close now - mind helping us across the finish line?"
For a moment part of the woman feels as if she''s being used in some way...but as she stares at the two throbbing, smoothly-shorn sets of genitalia dangling in front of her face...the rest of her decides she might be okay with that. "Don''t judge me, but I think I''ve literally dreamed about this once. Sure - let me give you a hand...or two." She does indeed take one of the men in hand then, but she handles the other with her mouth instead. This time she''s the one switching things up however, and after a few moments she swaps to sucking off Nallond while stroking Renriel.
She manages the trick for another minute or two, but she''s not as familiar with the pair as they are with each other, and so slightly misjudges just how far she can edge them. The next time she wraps her lips around Renriel''s cock the man explodes down her throat, and the sight of her surprised look seems to be enough to finish off Nallond as well. She only manages to swallow one or two of the elf''s sticky jets before she has to pull back, leading to her face getting painted with the results of both men''s pleasure. Her hands keep moving on autopilot though and the woman continues jerking them off until they''re both entirely spent, and then some, with Renriel finally needing to call for a halt.
"Ah, ah, that...that was excellent service, my lady. You''ve done that before?"
It takes Beatrice a moment to answer, as she wipes part of her face clear. "Uh, well, not exactly that, but - "
"Hahaha, oh my god, Trish, look at you!" Beatrice finds herself rudely interrupted by a jeer from the bed, but when she looks over she has to snort.
"Look at me? Hey, look at yourself! You look like you dunked your face in a beer barrel!"
Renriel has to laugh at the description of Xenia''s expression, which is currently covered in its own share of mess. "Knowing how much Tolla drinks, that might even be almost accurate! Hmmm...we certainly owe you some payback of your own, Lady Beatrice, perhaps you''d like to join your friend on the bed so we can...help you out?"
Looking down at the elves'' still-erect cocks as she gets to her feet, the woman has to raise an eyebrow. "Ready to go again already?" Tolla answers before the men can, however.
"The boys''ve taken so many stamina supplements over the years they''re practically always up for a couple rounds these days! Not that I''ve ever complained!"
Xenia does have a complaint of her own to make. "Hey, if you''re coming over here, share some with me! You can''t hog all the dick for the night! Or at least wait til my timer runs out, then they''ll be all yours."
"Oh gods, no way I''ll be able to keep up on my own. Guess I better let you have some, then."
Nallond grins as he moves over towards the dungeon master. "No complaints here, certainly." With a sigh Beatrice lies back on the bed, not far from where Xenia''s still spread out. Tolla maintains her position on Xenia''s face as the men come over, but turns herself around so that she''s facing Xenia''s legs instead of the headboard, and shares a grin with her party member as he approaches. When the elf begins to line himself up with the monochrome woman, Tolla waves him off for just a second.
"Hold on, hold on - allow me." Reaching out with one hand she begins to rub at Xenia''s clit, before testing with one finger to see how ''prepared'' her seat is. Apparently satisfied with what she finds, she moves on to grab hold of Nallond''s cock and insert it into the dungeon master herself - after making sure to rub it against her for a little while, just to keep the woman groaning.
Beatrice meanwhile is far more direct, and guides Renriel into her waiting slit herself. She takes a moment to bask in the feeling as he begins to stretch her out, before looking up at him with a cum-covered smile. "I might not count for your ''record'' of fucking a dungeon boss, if that''s the sort of thing you''re about, but I hope I''m not a bad consolation prize."
The elf answers her with an easy, if less sticky, smile of his own. "Don''t misjudge us. We do enjoy setting our little records, certainly, but that''s far from all we''re about. Any partner, from the least to the greatest, is worthy of our full attentions." As he finally sinks himself in to the hilt, he lets go of a groan. "...And you are far from the least."
The group settles into a bit of rhythm then, as the two men begin to properly thrust away at their partners. Tolla reaches her second climax first, thanks to Xenia''s continued efforts, after which the dwarven woman crawls away to recover on one of the bed''s bright red pillows - quite the trek considering the relative sizes of the bed and the woman, and the shaky state of her legs. From there she simply watches the show and shouts out encouragement, cheering when Xenia has her own first orgasm of the night a minute later.
Beatrice is the last to have her first, and when she finally comes back to her senses, she''s a little shocked to find that at some point the fingers of her right hand became interlaced with Xenia''s left, with her friend watching on. "Ah...this is...is this awkward?"
The smirk on Xenia''s face says it all. "Trish, Trish - c''mon, we are way past that. Even ignoring all the times I''ve watched you with your boy-toys up here, you didn''t exactly always ''put me away'' very well back in the old days, either. Remember that hunter, when you were going after that griffin?"
"That - it was a tent! What was I going to do, throw you out into the woods!? And I certainly don''t remember you complaining at the time!"
"Haha, of course not, that was the highlight of my year! All I''m saying is, if you''re gonna be gettin'' fucked by my side again, I''m just glad at this time I''m gettin'' some too." If the Challengers are at all confused by the direction of this conversation, they simply file it away with the other oddities they''ll have to ask about later. For now though they focus on continuing their work, while Tolla spreads her legs and starts rubbing her way towards her third climax of the evening.
"...I''m still gonna say that this is all a little weird, still. But fuck it, I''m not complaining either. Thanks for dragging me along, Xen."
"Hey - what are friends for?"
And even when a few minutes later the elves unleash their second loads of the night, triggering another round of squirming and groaning, the two locked hands stay firmly clasped.
Chapter 186: Children are Complicated
It was another routine day in the region the next morning, at least as far as the dungeon was concerned. The Domain party finally made their first serious attempt at clearing Floor Seven, and got most of the way through the final chamber - without the use of any shortcuts. They were brought to a halt however by a Trush-led ambush which left their kobold Solar Arcanist, Passy, perforated with arrows. The party''s healing was sufficient to both save the woman''s life and prevent any permanent injuries, but they backtracked for the exit rather than push forward - they were here for the long-haul, after all, and they could always try another day.
The day was far less mundane for a number of the dungeon''s visitors, first among them the trio sitting at a table in the dungeon inn. Xenia hadn''t gotten around to explaining some of her odd comments before her timer ran out the night before, but after the four mortal members of the maybe-orgy woke up that morning Beatrice had loaned Tolla her enchanted helmet so that the dwarf could pass on Xenia''s explanation for at least one of those comments. An explanation that left both of the men feeling rather dazed.
Nallond speaks up first. "Two dozen? And we''re talking actual - actual births here? And not just, ah, potential..."
Tolla shakes her head. "The spirit wasn''t entirely sure but she thinks Kahlia meant successful births, yeah. I might''ve lost track myself, but how many kids did you two think you had?"
Nallond answers with a sigh. "Six."
Renriel''s response follows after. "Eight, with one set of twins. Did she say how they were divided between the two of us?"
"Sorry, sounds like it was just an offhand comment from the goddess. But we - you - got name-dropped by a goddess! You know what that means!?"
The Hunter waves off his partner''s eagerness for the moment. "Let''s, ah, focus on one thing at a time, yes? It''s just...I don''t understand. Yes, we move around often, but we''ve never had trouble receiving messages and mail through the Association. How have we not heard of ten children we''ve fathered? Even for us...we may not be the best father figures, I''ll admit, but we''ve at least always been willing to provide support where needed."
The dwarf shrugs. "Practically everyone we''ve been banging these past few decades has been a Challenger, and you know how Challengers are. Even the women - nah, especially the women. Self-driven sorts, probably wanted to handle things on their own - or with their actual boyfriends, not like we''ve been sticking to singles. I mean, even half of the ones you know about haven''t wanted you around, right?"
Renriel chuckles. "They usually phrase it a little more nicely than that, but more or less, yes. ...Maybe it''s time we started using more precautions, though."
Tolla''s outraged at that suggestion. "Now that you two have a goddess watching us? Can we please talk about that, now?"
The Mage gives a slow nod as he finally begins considering the implications. "Potentials for Paragons...not of the deity I may have been expecting, but even so. That would rather shortcut our career quite a bit, wouldn''t it? We''ve been talking of finally pushing forward to Master-rank in the near future, but a Paragon is typically considered to be above Supreme! ...Not that Paragons of Fertility are exactly combat-oriented." As another thought occurs to him, he shakes his head. "It also sounds as if this rather leaves you out, my poor Tolla. If only you had been as risky as we had!"
The Shield Smasher waves it off. "Bah, surely she''s gotta give credit for being a good wing-woman, right? I deserve at least a third of that count! And besides, we dwarves might not have it as bad as your elf lasses, but we ain''t got it easy either - how much time would I have for this job if I kept getting knocked up for a year at a time? I''d be out of action for, oh, at least a good half of that! But either way, what sorta friend would I be if I saw you two on the edge of divine recognition and didn''t help push you forward?"
Nallond rubs his chin. "Which involves...what exactly? How many more children? I wonder if perhaps last night could have increased that count..." Tolla has to roll her eyes at that supposition.
"One, the dungeon spirit''s body faded out into so much pixie farts after an hour. Second, you elves might lose track of such things, but trust me, the foreign lass was a wee bit old for it, by human standards. Which is a good thing, given how the two of you barely gave the lady a break after her friend took her exit. That said, uh...well, the dungeon did have an offer for us."
Renriel''s eyebrow rises. "Oh? If it''s a request for us to stay until the next time her avatar''s recharged, I''d certainly be open to it."
"Dammit, I should''ve brought that up! But actually, she wants us to maybe stay even longer than that. If we - and especially you two and your goddess-attracting pairs of bollocks - want to stay here and do our thing, apparently she''s willin'' to give us certain perks. Like, say, gettin'' access to that Bunny Suite any time we have ''guests''."
The two elves share a look, and Nallond answers for them both. "Well...we do still have a lot of work to do to reclaim our lost records. And what easier way to stay on top than to be on hand?"
His partner nods in agreement. "Winter''s a terrible time for traveling, anyhow. Perhaps a month or two would be worth trying out..."
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Down at the Lucky Bastard, two other members of the community were having their own conversation relating to...carnal indiscretions. It was perhaps a bit public a setting for a conversation of this delicacy, but the tavern was something of a neutral ground, and the place was a little emptier now that many of the regulars had moved their base of operations up the mountain. As Raylin Perlin passes a folded piece of paper across the table, he attempts to make his pitch in the most professional tone of voice he can muster. "I''ve arranged my proposal in writing, but to cover the short version - "
He pauses as Gilda Highbranch takes the paper in hand and then flings it back at his chest, without so much as opening it. "Save your breath, Raylin. We have matters to discuss, yes, but there is absolutely no chance I will be accepting any such offer of marriage."
"At least allow me to state my terms!"
The half-elf woman rolls her eyes with a sigh. "Well, if you insist - perhaps this will be good for a laugh. What did you and your cousins manage to put together for today?"
Raylin attempts to recover his calm before starting over, but it''s not easy for the man. "For starters, allow me to set you at ease in one regard. I will be making no claim towards inheriting any of your father''s lands as part of the marriage, I am willing to renounce those claims in favor of your sister and her possible future branch of the family."
"Ha!" Gilda gives a prepared scoff, as if she was expecting exactly this. "You want credit for giving up something that could have never been yours in the first place! Even attempting to lay claim to a ducal inheritance would have gotten you laughed out of the room by any member of my family. Besides, this is a terrible offer for me personally - it means I, too, would have to surrender my claim on our parents'' estates."
Raylin winces slightly, but doesn''t allow her to cow him. "I have to admit to wondering, what claim do you have, exactly? Splitting a ducal estate between siblings would be very frowned upon, given that it would eliminate the house as a base of power within a few generations. Do you know for a fact that you will be your parents'' heir?"
Gilda''s mocking smile does fade a little at that reminder. "...When the time comes to pass, the heads of our associated families will gather to vote for which of us ought to be the heir. Silva and I have agreed not to be competitive about it, so it''s a fair fifty-fifty chance. And even the ''loser'' shall be more than well taken care of."
This time it''s the Marksman''s turn to scoff. "Fifty-fifty!? On a vote? Did your tutorage not include an accurate lesson on statistics, my lady? Your sister is quite well-liked and regarded at court, and meanwhile, how many friends do you have? Certainly, you may not have offended your cousins harshly enough to cause an open split in your house, but if forced to the choice of you or Silva? Do you really believe your odds to be better than, shall we say...one in ten?"
"As if you know anything about the politics of House Highbranch!" Her words may deny his claims, but something about the fire raging in her eyes tells Raylin he may have hit the mark. "In any case, it''s a moot point. The marriage will not be happening."
Raylin''s expression turns more dour at the implications of that statement. "Ah, I see. So you''re saying you won''t be...continuing with what''s begun?"
"Hrnh. I didn''t say that."
At that, the nobleman''s mood quickly turns towards anger. "Wait, what? Why? Combined with your poor odds of inheritance, raising a bastard will ruin your future prospects of marriage! Even if you were to give the child up for adoption - and if you''re considering it, then allow me - "
"As if I need a marriage! Future duchess or not, I have no doubts about my ability to take care of myself, Honorable Perlin. The child may have...value on their own behalf. And it need not be your concern."
"But, Lady Gilda - you don''t even like me! Why would you want to raise my child? How - how can I be sure that you would raise them in a loving house, especially if this is part of some...scheme or something you''ve cooked up?"
As Raylin begins to show more emotion than he had thus far, Gilda takes a moment to eye him a little closer. "Why do you care? I know your reputation, Raylin, it''s even worse than my own when it comes to the traffic of your bedchambers. If you wish to mark me as another notch on your bedpost, then fine, but take it and move on. Forget about the results, I ask you for nothing more."
"I - I will not abandon my child! If you do intend to carry through with this pregnancy, then I expect to play some role!"
With that said, Gilda reaches into one of her pockets and pulls out a folded piece of paper of her own, passing it across the table. "If that''s how you feel, then read this - and then see if you feel the same."
Eyebrow raised, Raylin does as asked, but his expression quickly darkens as he scans through it. "Will agree to...for the sum of...to...renounce? You''re willing to pay me to renounce my child? And - you had this prepared! Gilda! I will not abandon my own flesh and blood for mere coin!"
For once, the highborn woman doesn''t have a quick retort. The two lock eyes for a moment, and then another, before finally she looks away. "...Perhaps I misjudged you then, Raylin. I honestly did not expect you to be so stubborn about this topic."
Sensing that his opponent might actually be giving some ground, Raylin softens his own tone. "I am...quite aware of my reputation, Gilda. Philanderer, hothead, fool - and those are just the terms I use to describe myself. But let it not be said that I do not hold fast to my family. If you wished to not carry through, that would be one thing, I would understand. But otherwise...tell me - why is the child so important to you?"
It takes several long seconds for her to answer, but eventually Gilda''s gaze again meets Raylin''s. "The...child would likely have a strong...spiritual claim to these lands. Particularly if presented in a particular way. More so than either of our houses has without it."
"So that''s all it is then? You would use...our child as a simple political pawn?"
This time, some of Gilda''s fire returns to her voice. "I am not saying I would not care for him or her! But if there''s...additional benefits to be had, I would be a fool not to claim them!"
"Ha. Of course. Well, as I said, I am a fool, and I''m afraid I cannot play along with your plans so easily." Raylin stands up, tossing Gilda''s proposal back onto the table as he turns to leave. "I am not offended you do not wish to marry me, Gilda - I never expected you to say yes in the first place. But on this other matter? Do not expect me to yield the field, I shall not abandon my offspring. Please offer your sister my condolences - I did regret hearing of her injury. But for now, farewell."
He makes his exit from the tavern before Gilda can think of a response, and so the woman sits there for several minutes, staring coldly at the discarded offer. Eventually though she grabs it up and stuffs it away, swearing as she moves to make her own departure. "...Gods damn it, Raylin. Why did this have to become so complicated?"
Chapter 187: Taking a Leap
"Yeah! Woo! Suck it, dungeon! In your face!"
Sincere looks down at the foul-mouthed mousekin, who''s currently busy flipping off random walls of the core chamber while her party watches on with various entertained or mortified expressions. "Truly, Battle Alchemist? You couldn''t have done your...victory dance while still in the Floor Seven boss arena?"
Tinsel turns to face the Core Guardian. "What would be the point in rubbing it in the dungeon''s face if it ain''t actually watching? We finally cleared this fucker, and second party ever to do it, too!" Another day had rolled by in the dungeon, and while the Valleylander soldiers hadn''t faced the toughest challenge they could have their accomplishment was still worth celebrating. Since Trush had sent the party packing on their previous attempt, and with a fairly serious injury to boot, the Wandering Boss had chosen not to intercept them this time as they made their second attempt at Floor Seven. They had done it without exploiting any secret paths however, fighting through lesser fae ambushes from above the whole way and the slime bosses at the end as well.
It had certainly helped that Tinsel had stocked up on her Percussion Potions beforehand and almost literally carved a path of crystalline destruction through the floor, but that was the sort of preparation a Challenger was expected to use when dealing with dungeons, particularly classes like Alchemists, so Xenia couldn''t really fault her for it. She could perhaps fault the mousekin slightly for her poor sportsmanship, though.
"I assure you, the Master of Worthy Dungeon is always watching. And she doesn''t particularly enjoy your current display. And to think, we were even considering offering you a special reward..."
That certainly gets Tinsel''s attention, along with the rest of her party''s. Kalasha steps forward and lightly smacks the shorter woman on the back of the head. "You better not have cost us any loot, smartass! Please, Core Guardian, we would be honored to accept any rewards you choose to give us."
Tinsel grimaces as she rubs her head. "Hey, that''s Commanding Officer Smartass to you, Sniper. But uh, yeah, I apologize, or whatever."
Sincere eyes her for a moment before sighing. "Although House Perlin''s expedition did clear Floor Seven first, and has likely received some accolades from the Challenger''s Association for it, the dungeon has some...issues with the manner of their victory. Therefore, we''re declaring your party to be the first to properly clear the floor, without any caveats. We''ll be putting up a display in your honor in the inn - until we add a new floor and someone else takes your place. Additionally, each of you may request a personalized reward, just this once."
There''s a few widened eyes and dropped jaws, and Jantana speaks for the group. "Wait, what? Really? I''ve never heard of you doing that for floor clears before! Um...not that I''m complaining!"
The demon smirks. "What''s the point in keeping records if not to rub it in the faces of cheaters? In any case, you''ve put blood and sweat into your efforts, and as the floors grow more difficult, it may perhaps suit us to provide further enticements to continue pressing one''s limits. Do you know what you would like as your rewards?"
Tinsel finds herself caught by indecision, and waves the others forward. "Damn, wasn''t expectin'' this. You bunch go first, I...need''a think on this for a min." The soldiers do so, and for the most part it doesn''t take them much time to come up with ideas. Kalasha is quick to ask for a quiver of enchanted crossbow bolts, as even with putting in the effort to recover what ammo she can, keeping herself fully stocked with her more specialized tools is a never-ending struggle. Mesht, the Vanguard Charger, takes a new shield, while the minotaur Jantana requests a spiked gauntlet, something she''d been considering using for an off-hand weapon but which she could never find in her size.
Haylizt, the drider Shadow Priestess who had been injured on their last attempt at the floor, makes her request with a whisper in Sincere''s ear. He answers with a smile, and a minute later a box wrapped in black paper appears in his hands. The woman takes it with a blush, refusing to answer any questions, and finally it''s left to Tinsel.
Sincere turns his attention back to the party''s leader. "And you? We may not have the most top-tier potions available, but we could certainly provide a quantity of moderate-tier ones to make up for what must be a heavy consumption rate."
"Tempting, but the army does generally pay me back for that stuff anyways, eventually. I was thinking, well...could you do some sort of equipment an elemental might use?"
That comment certainly distracts the team from prodding at their Priestess, and Kalasha''s head snaps in her direction. "Wait, seriously? You get a custom reward and you''re asking on behalf of someone who works for the dungeon anyhow?"
"Shut up! I''ve just...been tryin'' to think of a gift she might like, and it''s hard to think up stuff for a girl who doesn''t have a use for anything besides scrap metal! Especially after how badly our first date went!"
Now even Sincere''s attention is rather redirected away from his professional duties. "Excuse me, you mean to say you took Zappy out on a date? I''d heard she''d left the dungeon the other day, but I assumed she was simply stretching her new legs. How did that go?"
Shame-faced, Tinsel plods along to a chair sitting at a nearby table and climbs into it. With a hand on her head, she looks up at the man. "I took her out to try the new Grassbrook bakery. I keep seeing couples sitting outside it, you know!? It looked all, like...romantic and shit, yeah?"
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Not seeing the issue, Mesht shrugs. "I wouldn''t mind if someone took me out to a bakery. Place always smells nice." This time he''s the one to receive a head-smack from Kalasha.
"Yeah, except elementals don''t eat, lug-brain! Did you manage to recover, fearless leader? Cause...wow."
"She didn''t hate hanging out there. I think she really enjoyed all the attention she was gettin'', too. But I sorta panicked and after that I took her to see, uh...the blacksmith."
Haylizt tilts her head. "To...buy her some new metal?"
"We ended up just watching the dudes work! I had to slip em a few coins to not throw us out. She was really into it, though, talked em into showing her samples of different, I dunno, ingots or ores or whatever, and some of the stuff they make. Think they gave her some free samples, they really got along with her, y''know?"
The Sniper stares down at the mousekin, and as she does her expression shifts. "...Are you feeling jealous of the blacksmiths, now?"
The smaller woman growls. "What the hells do I know about metal or blacksmithing? I just sat on my useless tail the whole time going, ''oh, that''s nice'' or ''neat'' and shit! And she said she might come back to visit them herself later..."
Sincere looks off to the side for a few moments before turning back to face the Alchemist. "I haven''t spoken to Zappy myself in a few days, but the dungeon tells me that Zappy seemed to be in a very good mood when she returned from her trip. I have my doubts that the date went as badly as you imagine...but in this, at least, it seems you have the dungeon on your side. We''ll provide you with some potions as a personal reward, but if you''re looking for a gift, we can perhaps help you out there as well."
Tinsel''s expression is one of caution, as she starts to consider the possible implications of a dungeon getting involved in her love life. "...Well, guess I did ask for it. What did you have in mind?"
"One moment. This may require some specialized work...we''ll be calling Taly to assist, if you don''t mind waiting."
"The - the banshee? Um. Alright, I don''t mind waiting, how about you guys go ahead and head out, alright?"
Haylizt grins. "But I want to see what the dungeon makes!"
"Head out or I''ll find out what''s in that box of yours and tell the whole inn!"
The drider looks back at the rest of the team. "Alright, everyone, let''s give Tinsel some privacy!"
Half an hour later, while the rest of their team is admiring their new plaque on the wall of the inn - complete with a very well-done relief sculpture of the five of them - Tinsel finds herself shuddering in the chilly winds outside. She''s not really all that cold, between her equipment and her own light fur, but the nerves don''t help very much, and when Zappy appears at the exit portal she''s not sure if she''s relieved or more nervous than ever. "Hey, Zaps! Weren''t interrupting you, I hope?"
The cheerful elemental comes over with a skip in her step. "Nope! We don''t usually need many dancers on shift til the evening hours. I did stop by to see your new record though, congratulations! Your image looks really cool in it!"
Tinsel''s eyes widen. "Wait, there''s images of us in it? ...Well, guess that''s fine. We are pretty awesome. But uh, thanks, you''ll have to show me it later."
"Sure - but why are we out here and not inside with the rest of your party? And what''s that bag there?" She points to a sizable lump of fabric sitting next to the mousekin, a mundane item rather than a bottomless bag, but the form inside is too indistinct to make out.
"It''s, well...I wanted to give you a gift, yeah? Though it''s for both of us, kinda, I guess. Tell me something - you''re still able to fly, I hear? Even with you being part earth elemental now?"
The magnetic elemental nods. "Yeah, though it''s not the same - and I guess really it''s more like flying than what I used to do. Used to be I''d just like, focus really hard on a cloud or something, and then zap! I''d be there! I''d have to keep moving to keep my core from falling out of the sky though, so I''d basically be hopping from cloud to cloud til I found a place to land."
"And now?"
In response, Zappy begins to levitate into the air. "Sort of a two-step process? First, I gotta get in tune with this, like, energy that comes out of the earth, you know? I just push against it, and then I start to float! Then I have to use air mana to actually push myself anywhere, unless there''s something close by I can use magnetism to pull myself over to."
Tinsel eyes the gently drifting elemental. "Suppose that ain''t so bad. Well, I got - I had the dungeon help me make this. For us, if you like it." She opens the bag by her side, and the fabric falls away to reveal...a contraption consisting of some sort of metal framework and a mesh of ropes.
"I love it! ...What is it?"
"It''s..." Tinsel coughs, clearing her throat. "It''s a harness. I can put it on, and then it snaps to your backplate, and then we can...fly. Together. Uh, in theory. Sincere said he doesn''t think you can carry that much weight, but I am pretty small, sooo..."
Zappy''s eyes light up, arcs of electricity sparking from them. "That''s amazing! I was kind of thinking of trying to carry you someplace before, but I was worried that I might drop you..."
"Ah, yeah, that''d be pretty rough. So...y''were thinkin'' of me, huh?" She rubs her neck with one hand, but is rather taken by surprise when Zappy kneels down and wraps her up in a static-charged hug.
"Of course! You''re my girlfriend, after all!"
Tinsel''s heart almost stops, and this time it''s not due to the electrical charges surging through her chest. "I...am? I mean, a''course! We''re...girlfriends!"
Zappy leans back, looking into Tinsel''s eyes. "Is that alright? I know we elementals don''t really do that stuff, am I doing it wrong? Oh no, you took me on a date and got me a gift and I haven''t been giving you anything other than orgasms!"
"No, no, it''s fine! You''re fine! Great, even. You''ve, uh...been giving me a lot of orgasms, so. Call it even? Anyhow...you wanna try the thing out?"
"You know it!" The two get started then on strapping Tinsel into the harness, carefully tying all the ropes as Taly had directed, and even fixing something of a seat between the mousekin''s legs. It takes five minutes or so, but once they''re convinced that nothing''s going to slip loose, Zappy turns around and though force of will magnetically snaps the harness onto her backplate, making it part of her own body. They do loop another rope or two around her chest, just for safety, but soon Zappy is standing next to the edge of the mountain outcrop and looking out at the forest below.
She turns to face Tinsel, who''s staring over her shoulder at the massive distance below them. "You ready to jump?"
Tinsel''s face is pale for more reasons than just her white fur, but it doesn''t take her long to nod. "You bet! Let''s see what we can do!"
As Zappy shoots into the air with a burst of air mana, Tinsel screaming along, the nearby Doorman watches on with a tear in his wooden eye. "Ah...the kids grow up so fast..."
Chapter 188: Using Your Head
Another day had come and gone, and no major events had occurred in Worthy Dungeon...save for perhaps the most awkward slaying of a Challenger yet. An orc woman had gotten staggering drunk late at night in the inn, but when she went to the portal that would have taken her to her rented room, for whatever reason the warrior decided to take a crack at the dungeon instead. It didn''t even come down to a monster killing her, however - the woman had stepped out onto the starting platform of Floor Six, stepped a little more, and then stepped right off the cliff and to her death, missing even the safety nets in the process.
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INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS SLAIN: 1 (1 OUTSIDE DUNGEON BOUNDS, MANA AWARDED, SOULS AND KNOWLEDGE NOT RECOVERED)
MANA ACQUIRED: 7, CURRENT AMOUNT: 236/236(67 CONSUMED BY CONSTRUCTS)
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: OUT OF BOUNDS 2
YOU HAVE SLAIN FIVE INTRUDERS OUTSIDE OF YOUR DUNGEON BOUNDS. THE KNOWLEDGE OF THOSE WHO DIE WITHIN THIRTY MINUTES OF EXITING YOUR DUNGEON WILL NOW BE RECOVERABLE.
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None of her colleagues realized the woman had died until she never reappeared the next day, and there was almost a small riot as paranoia began to set in that perhaps the dungeon had slain her in her sleep. Sure, they were protected by ''safe floor'' rules, but given the heavy use of portals who knew where the dungeon might actually be sending them? Eventually it was explained to them what had occurred, and after Sincere recovered a few of her personal effects from the bottom of the abyss the Challengers did settle down somewhat. A few of them left to spread the word down at the Association office, and it was generally a rather somber day...but given that a number of Challengers were now more or less living in the dungeon, it didn''t stop a normal dungeon intrusion from taking place a few hours later.
Once business hours were winding down though Xenia called for a meeting of her dungeon bosses with the exception of Deylia, who was still on ''time out''. As the attendees take their seats, Sincere takes a look around the core chamber. "Not using the lounge this evening, are we? Must be something rather official. Is this about the...unfortunate incident with the orc Brawler early this morning?"
Xenia shakes her head with a scoff. "Pfft, nah. Can you believe people were suggesting we put up safety checks or something? Like what, guardrails? Or a bouncer? On a dungeon floor? The bastards are lucky I even put in the safety nets! I mean, I do feel a little bad about someone dying like that...but come on. We specifically told people that if they get drunk and hop into the dungeon, we''re not giving them any more free passes!"
BB gives a bit of a sad smile as he crosses his arms. "I''ll miss her, you know. She was one of the only ones that actually appreciated my music! Although I do think I''ve been improving this week, so perhaps I''ll have more fans in the near future..."
"Miss her, huh? You remember her name?" Lollyp raises an eyebrow at the suddenly-sweating rabbit man.
"Rash...ala? Rarsha? Well, the important thing is, she was a woman who understood culture when she saw it."
"Hate to break it to you, Bloody, but you''re gonna need to do a lot more practicing on those flutes before your music becomes ''culture''. Or I need to get some better instruments." Xenia looks off as she thinks that over for a bit. "Is that like, a category of items? I didn''t get anything from the Bard we got the class from...do I really gotta make them all manually? A flute''s easy, but guitar strings...well, whatever. Not the point of the meet. Got two items of interest to cover tonight - first off, I''ve been storing up souls for a while now, at first I was doing it in case something came up during the Day Two Hundred milestone I''d wanna use em for, but we''re now on...Guy?"
"Day two hundred and ten, ma''am."
"Ten days past that and I should really get some use out of em. Second, we''ve had two parties clear Floor Seven now, one of which did it totally legit. Gotta assume the Domain and maybe the Highbranches won''t be far behind. So I think it''s time we do another raid for a new floor unlock."
DEATH raises a bony hand. "EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY BE VULNERABLE TO OUTSIDE INFLUENCES IN THE PROCESS?"
Xenia nods. "As I was telling Sincere the other day, that''s a reason to be cautious, but not enough of a reason to give up one of the best advantages we''ve got as a dungeon. It''s not like anyone''s really been able to hurt me through them, so I''ll keep an eye out for trouble, but I don''t think it''ll be anything I can''t handle. Main thing is, I''m thinking of going ahead and doing this tonight, so who''s up for a little expedition?"
The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
BB quickly raises his hand. "Ooh, ooh! I''d like to see this lost dungeon of yours, especially if we''re only doing these every few months now, apparently."
Taly rubs her chin. "Between the two of you that''s probably the Rogue duties handled. DEATH, you want to take the dark-magician role on this one? I don''t mind sitting it out."
"I SHALL DO SO. YOU ENJOY SPENDING TIME IN THE INN MORE THAN I DO, IN ANY CASE."
The dungeon master has to chuckle at the reminder. "But it''s always such a riot every time you go up there! Could use another Mage though, and Trush, you wanna play tank? Since the armor duo are playing hooky on another dungeon meeting, apparently."
Lollyp almost raises her hand, but shakes her head. "If BB''s going, I oughtta stay. I don''t think it''d be a huge deal if Floor One is missing a boss for a bit, but if both of the first two floors are down a guardian that could be an issue."
"Fair enough. Trush, Sin-Man?" Both of the men nod in agreement, and Trush laughs.
"I''d almost suggest bringing one of the Floor Seven slimes, but I suppose five is enough of a party as it is. When do we begin?"
"I''ll give everyone an hour to do whatever prep you need to do, then meet back here. Let''s hope for a boring one, yeah?"
Sincere gives a thin-lipped smile. "I shall hope...but not bet."
Once everyone was prepared, Xenia once again triggered her curse, sending her party into the lost dungeon and herself into her own soul. When her senses returned to her, she found herself in darkness.
Or almost in darkness, at least. After a moment to adapt to the low level of light she realizes there''s dim torches illuminating a stone hallway before her, and the woman groans. Whatever comment she''s about to make though is forgotten as she turns her head to the right and finds a skeleton standing there, holding a rusted spear and shield. "DAVE!"
The skeleton''s head turns to face her, and it gives a shout of its own. "XENIA!"
There''s a brief pause before it continues. "So, are we shouting now? That could be fun, there''s a bit of an echo. Could see how long it takes before the Necromancer comes around to yell at us."
"No, no, it''s just...I was actually just thinking of you the other day, you know? Probably why I ended up here." Finding a spear in her own hand, Xenia sets it aside against the wall, and begins to feel at her face. Sure enough, only bare bone is there to meet her equally skeletal fingers.
"Really? I''ve been thinking of you, too. The other day and also today. Mostly because you''re the only thing here other than the hallway, and we can''t leave. Mean of you to say this is my fault, though."
"Oh, no, definitely not what I meant. This? This is all that damn Necromancer''s fault for sure. Binding people''s souls into animated skeletons and then telling them to just stand guard forever? Without even a TV to watch or something? Super dick move. I was just, uh...well, this is gonna sound weird, but roll with it, yeah? I was remembering this, and thinking to myself...I never really thanked you for everything."
The skeleton turns back to stare at her, dim blue lights glowing in his eye sockets. "Well, you''re welcome. Also, what did I do?"
Xenia chuckles. "Kept me sane, man. Spent what? Seven months here like this? Hardly able to move until the day that party of adventurers showed up, and then they blew us to bits before we barely even started to move at all. If it''d just been me down here I mighta gone even more nuts than I already am."
Dave''s head tilts on his bony neck. "Well, I''m gonna roll with all that crazy shit you just said and say again, you''re welcome. Also, thank you for all your stories of being a Hero and stuff, they''ve been a lot of fun. Kinda makes me wish I remembered my last life. Also - how are you not holding your spear anymore?"
Xenia turns to look at the weapon leaning against the wall where she left it, and shrugs. "Good point. Hey, let me try something." Turning back towards the hallway ahead of them, she takes a few steps forward and then turns around. "Hey, I can move! Guess the command spell doesn''t really affect me in this sort of state, cool! ...Man, first time I''ve really gotten a good look at that door behind us we were guarding. Skulls are cool, but there''s such a thing as overdoing it, you know?"
Dave''s jaw drops. "You can move!" He twists and turns a little before eventually sagging. "Nope, feet still stuck in place here. Well...if you''re gonna go wandering, think you''ll come back and tell me what you find?"
Stepping forward and resting a hand on Dave''s shoulder, Xenia shakes her head. "Dude, I am not abandoning you here like this, especially after just saying how not being alone down here saved my sanity. Even if it ain''t real, this probably isn''t lasting more than like...thirty minutes tops anyway, probably. Assuming no one hits me."
"Eh? I like you too Xen, but if I had half an hour of freedom the last thing you''d see is my bony ass disappearing into the distance."
Xenia laughs, the sound somehow sounding sinister as it magically emanates from her fleshless mouth. "Haha, fair enough. Hey, maybe I can carry you?"
Dave looks down at himself, and the rusted armor he wears. "Nice thought but this crap is heavy. Dunno if it''s worth it if you''re just dragging me on the floor, scraping up the dust."
The skeleton warrior rubs her chin with one hand as she peers at her friend. "True...but I got another idea in mind. You up for trying something?"
"Sure! Always said you had a good head on your shoulders."
Ten minutes later as the two pass by yet another locked door, Dave makes a comment. "Glad you''re doing all the walking for me, Xen. It''s a real weight off my shoulders."
Xenia looks down at the skull she''s carrying in one arm. "You really gonna keep doing head puns, Dave? I think I might love you slightly less every time it happens."
"Oh, I see. You''re saying I should quit while I''m a head?"
"Dave."
"Look, if you''ve got a bone to pick with me, you can just say so."
"You used that one even back when we were standing guard. Repeatedly."
"Well, maybe you could help me come up with new material. Two heads are better than one, after all."
"Dave."
"Sorry, it''s okay if you don''t want to commit to working with me. I shouldn''t get a head of myself."
"That''s practically the same one you just did."
"Sorry, I''m not always that creative. Sometimes it feels like my head''s completely empty, you know?"
"Why does this place have so many hallways and doors? Is this a legit old-school dungeon or something? Or is my flashback thing just copying the shit I already knew about? It worked for the Fallen Tower though...right?"
"Hey, are you ignoring me? That kind of hurts my feelings. I''m not exactly thick-skinned."
"Dave, I swear to god, the next time I find a side hall I am using you as a freaking bowling ball."
"Sorry, sorry, I''ll be quiet. I''d say that my lips are sealed, but..." Before Xenia can react to that, the skull shouts again. "Hey! There''s an open door down that hall! Left! Other left!"
Turning around a bit, Xenia sees what he means. Down another dim, stony hallway lies a sliver of light, apparently candlelight escaping from a slightly open door. "Ah, finally! I hope this is where the Necromancer hides out, I think I''m gonna throw you at him."
"Go for it! I''ll give him a real headache!"
Not bothering with subtlety, Xenia simply marches over to the ajar door and swings it open, stepping inside and looking for trouble. Unfortunately, she finds it. The room seems to be some sort of mixture of wine cellar and library, with shelves of books on one side and bottles stacked up on the other. In the center of the room sits a large round table, dotted with open books and ancient wine stains, and in the chair facing the door sits a single powerful individual. Not, however, a Necromancer.
The toga-wearing, white-and-yellow-scaled draconic gives Xenia a toothy grin as they look over at her, a chalice of wine held in one hand. "I hope you don''t mind if I''ve been enjoying the benefits of your memories, Reincarnator. Please, take a seat - we have much to discuss."
Chapter 189: Meeting of the Minds
"Xen? Who''s this bozo?"
The skeleton warrior looks down at the skull in her hand, and then back up at the draconic figure sitting across from her. Sighing, she claims a seat for herself as she sets Dave''s head down on the table. "Dave, meet the Dragonlord. Dragonlord, meet Dave."
The tyrant raises a browridge at the speaking skull. "Do I wish to understand the purpose of you carting about that remnant of your past?"
"Hey, be nice! Dave here''s a friend of mine, kept me company for a long time. Guessin'' you''re the sort that''s not big on friends though, huh?"
Dave speaks up, his voice unhindered by the fact that his jaw is unable to move while seated on the table. "This one of the Necromancer''s flunkies, Xen? Want me to nibble on him for ya?"
Xenia shakes her head. "Nah, unrelated sort of asshole. What does bring you here though, Your Scaliness? I didn''t even know you could just insert yourself like this, last time we had a chat you yanked me out out of my little trip entirely, didn''t you?"
The shapeshifted dragon snorts. "Even an old dragon can learn new tricks, and I learned this one from your previous visitor some months ago. Who is also one of the reasons I''m here, incidentally."
Leaning forward with a bit more interest, Xenia asks a follow-up. "So y''knew about that? I got the impression you weren''t involved, was that wrong?"
They don''t answer right away, instead taking another gulp of wine from their chalice. "Amazing what this inner dimension of yours can reproduce, isn''t it? If I''m not mistaken you never sampled this wine - nor do you currently have tastebuds, apparently. And yet it feels and tastes entirely real, and from a rather fine vintage at that." Setting the cup aside, they get to the point. "I was not involved other than as an observer, no. I am involved this time, however, as my presence here is what is shielding you from a repeat performance."
Xenia''s eyes would go wide if she had any, or eyelids. "Wait, someone''s trying to get at me right now? Who?"
"I cannot trace the exact source of the interference. The magical signature is entirely divine, however, and not one which I''m familiar with."
Dave interjects, sounding a little nervous. "Uh, you got gods coming after you, Xen? Don''t remember you mentioning that part."
The dungeon master sighs. "Wish I could say I didn''t, but it''s apparently a real possibility. But, you saying you''re familiar with a lot of gods, D-L? And...why would you be sticking your neck out for me, if that''s the kind of stakes we''re playing with?"
If they''re bothered by Xenia''s nicknames, the Dragonlord shows no sign of it. "A number of them, yes. Divine interference with the Great Dungeon some centuries ago was...extensive. And did not leave us on good terms with each other. Not that I ever had much use for them, but you could say that''s soured me on the whole class ever since. But even aside from that, I am shielding you because I do not like it when other people attempt to put my property at risk. Dragons are known for their possessiveness, after all."
Xenia shoots to her feet, palms planted on the table as she aggressively growls at the much-larger figure. "Hey! I ain''t anybody''s property, and especially not yours! We made a deal, but I never swore myself as your vassal or any of that shit."
They brush off that concern with a wave of their hand. "Forgive me, I misspoke. The Great Dungeon is still my property, as far as I am concerned, I did not mean you directly. You are however my tenant and to some extent its protector, and so I find myself needing to protect you in turn."
The skeleton stays on her feet, still not entirely mollified. "Really? Cause the last dealings we had involved you sending a team with the threat to crack my core open. That''s not exactly good guardianship."
"It was a test, and you passed. Consider it water under the bridge, those concerns are past and we have new matters to concern ourselves with - especially with unknown third parties of divine origin showing an interest in you. I have had my agents performing what investigations they can, and I do not believe the entity who contacted you on your last excursion is native to our realm. But then, I imagine that doesn''t exactly surprise you."
"Or you, apparently. Sounds like you''ve got me all figured out, huh? Wasn''t entirely sure before."
"Your type is rare, but live as long as I do and you''ve seen it all before. I understand you''re familiar with one Paladin Sable Bluehair? Her grandfather was one such man, and we did meet on one occasion. I suspect there have been others throughout history."
Xenia scoffs a bit as she sits back into her seat. "And he didn''t stab you? Dragon-slaying seems like just the sort of thing a hero like that would get up to."
The tyrant shrugs. "Such men are easy enough to deal with. I allowed him to ''seduce'' one of my succubi agents and he soon enough went along on his way. He was a man of many conquests, but not one for particularly difficult ones."
"Wait, are you saying Sable''s grandma works for you?"
This time they sigh. "Once. Unfortunately the ''seduction'' actually took hold at some point, and she tendered her resignation. She had done her job, however, so it was of little concern. Anyhow, we are wandering away from the point."
Dave speaks up yet again. "Yeah! The point like there''s a freaking god out for us! What are we gonna do!?"
Xenia crosses her arms. "...Was kinda hopin'' the ''ignore it until it goes away'' strategy might have some value to it..."
The Dragonlord responds to that with a shrug. "It could be, if you ceased these excursions. It is my understanding that deities do not cross realms lightly, and you have divine patronage of your own. I do not understand the exact method with which they are tapping in to this unique experience of yours, but it very well could represent the limit of their abilities."
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
"Do you...want me to stop trying to reclaim old dungeon floors?"
"I am currently ambivalent on the matter, to be honest. However, I have been much enjoying these insights into your past lives, they have been very enlightening. If you should attempt more of these, I may allow you to proceed just to see how things play out, but I wished to have a discussion at least this once."
"Oh!" The warrior-turned-paperweight shouts. "Is that what''s going on here? Is this like a story about one of Xen''s past lives? That''s cool! I''ve heard all of your stories, you never said you could make them play out like this before, though! You been holding out on me?"
Xenia gives a sad chuckle. "Sorry Dave, it''s a new trick. And I''m afraid you''re not exactly...uh. Real. I do like getting to see you again, though."
"Xenia. Xen. Look into my eyes. ...Might need a little help here." Reaching out, Xenia turns the skull around so that it''s facing her, and the two eyeless figures lock stares. "I am a friggin'' talkin'' skull. I barely feel real on a good day. I still feel kind of flattered though that with all your craziness and all, I was worth telling a story about."
"Totally, Dave. Made you a statue and everything." Turning him back to face the Dragonlord once again, Xenia asks a new question. "So if you''re not telling me to stop, what do we have to talk about then?"
The dragon stands up from their chair and begins to pace the room, stretching their legs as they speak. "I would like to take our relationship to the next level. You are aware, I assume, of the system of Collaborator Dungeons we use within the Domain?"
Xenia nods. "I''ve gotten Lollyp''s perspective on it, at least. Not like she was particularly high-ranking or anything though, so I don''t know much about the nitty-gritty details."
"The system walks a fine line. The dungeons are the creations of the gods, after all, tools designed to serve a specific purpose. Corrupting dungeons from that purpose would draw their ire, and while I do not fear the divine as most do, it is a conflict I do not particularly need, not while still dealing with the after-effects of our last...confrontation."
Xenia tilts her head. "You saying you got into a slugfest with the gods? You might be bigger in the britches than some dragons I''ve known, but that sounds like a bit much." The towering figure laughs at her disbelief.
"Oh, it was remarkable in its subtlety. A few divinely-inspired dreams and visions, a guiding star or two, and suddenly a dozen races looking to escape the consequences of their own conflicts were informed of a new land, free for the taking! Barely populated, in comparison with their own ruined cities and ports. A minor matter of a grumpy dragon and their sparse followers who resided in those lands, but nothing to stop them from sending forth their fleets of colonists, hrmm?"
"You''re saying the colonization wave was the gods'' attempt to kill you?"
"Destroy me, annoy me, the outcome matters little beyond that I was chastised and diminished for my attempts to defy their wills." They wave a hand before refocusing. "But that is beside the point. The Collaborator Dungeon system is more than simply making use of dungeons as military bases. Challengers must be allowed access to them still, yes, and there are limits to how much we can artificially strengthen such dungeons. But the true strength of the arrangement is one of connection."
Bony fingers scratch against Xenia''s skull. "I wouldn''t have expected you to be all about the Power of Friendship, D-L."
"Ha. More that of a lord and their vassals. The Domain is my domain, and I do not simply mean in terms of political lines drawn on a map. Bonds formed between myself and my dungeons allow me to exert my will across my lands, should the need be great enough. Power is exchanged both ways, as well - were you one of my dungeons, you would never again need to fear for the safety of your core from the whims of errant Challengers."
Xenia scoffs. "I''d just need to worry about getting on your bad side, is all."
The Dragonlord turns to face Xenia as they make their next statement. "I give nothing for free. And I do not actually propose such an arrangement between us - yet. Your dungeon sits beyond the borders of the territory I currently rule, and taking you into the fold would provoke another sort of reaction I do not currently care to deal with. I do not intend for this to be the state of affairs forever, however, and both you and I have long lifetimes ahead of us. When I next soar north, you would be wise to plan for that moment."
Dave growls from the tabletop. "Hey! Are you threatening my pal?"
"No. As I said, I do not have any further interest in ''testing'' you, Xenia. Now...I am not one to treat others as equals, for I believe few if any exist, I suppose narcissism is yet another well-known trait of dragons. Believe it or not I am familiar with the concept of allies, however, and I would like to...upgrade our current relationship."
The dungeon master crosses her arms. "I am...very cautiously listening if you''re making an offer. Not feeling super inclined to accept at the moment, though."
"No offer today, merely a gift or two." Walking around the table, the Dragonlord halts before reaching Xenia and instead reaches to pick up Dave. After staring into the skull''s blank expression for a moment, they continue. "Soul magic is an expertise of the Domain, you know."
Xenia nods. "Seen Cerise do a trick or two, yeah, and I think I''ve heard Sincere mention that, too."
"Tricks learned from my own tutelage. Even I''ve learned something from these ''flashbacks'' of yours, however. You know, most mortals seem to believe that a soul is simply...a brain, a mind, disconnected from the body. But if that was true, then these recreations would be limited to those things which you had experienced with your own physical senses. What you had seen and felt. Yet they are not. Your soul bears the marks of all the things that have had an impact on you in your many lives, whether you were aware of them or not. This...mockery of a dungeon had a notable impact on your life for seven months, and so the entire structure has ingrained itself into you."
"...Interesting factoid, but if you''re gift-shopping for me, chocolates would be better."
"The gift I offer is one you already possess, but do not have the means to use. It''s not a simple matter for me, so do not take this lightly - but as Master of the Great Dungeon and a master of the domain of soul magic, I ask you - would you like to know what was beyond that door you spent so many months guarding?"
Xenia stirs in her seat, feeling a little nervous for some reason. "...Why do you ask?"
Before she can rise entirely, the Dragonlord plants a palm on her forehead, and her vision is blinded by light. "Because that is my gift to you."
When the light fades, Xenia finds herself back in her core chamber, surrounded by a very confused group of dungeon bosses. Miles away however, two other figures find themselves in the private chambers of the Dragonlord.
"Ah! My eyes! And I don''t even have eyes! ...Wait, are we out? Out of the dungeon? Is this real? Am I real!?"
The shapeshifted dragon looks down at the skull they hold in the palm of their hand. "You are as real as I wish you to be. The soul of...Dave may be long lost, but they left their mark on your Xenia, and chipping off a small fragment of her essence to form the core of your existence is a minor feat."
"I''m...Xenia? Wow, that''s a weird one. What''d you do that for, though?"
Lifting the skull to eye level, the Dragonlord asks a question. "Tell me, Dave. You say you are familiar with the stories of your friend''s past lives?"
"Oh, sure! Didn''t have a whole lot else to talk about, you know?"
"Excellent. I find myself in the mood for...story-time."
Chapter 190: Something Unique
As the group of dungeon residents look around in some confusion, BB is the first to speak up. "...Shit, something weird happened, didn''t it. Is the dungeon raid canceled?"
DEATH nods in agreement. "I WAS RATHER LOOKING FORWARD TO STRETCHING MY LEGS. ARE YOU ALRIGHT, HOWEVER?"
Xenia checks herself, before planting a palm on her forehead and groaning. "Ahhh, fuck! I mean, I think so? Got a killer headache for some reason, though. Shit, t''fuck that asshole do to me now?"
Sincere looks over her avatar from top to bottom, but rather unsurprisingly, he finds no signs of injury. "Did another visitor take a disliking to your face? Although it''s odd that it would prevent us from entering the dungeon entirely. If someone''s found a way to block our access, that would be a rather bad sign."
She shakes her head. "No, no, it was the Dragonlord this time, again. Said they were giving me...a gift?" Xenia looks around the room with one eye open, wincing as she does so. "Dunno what I''m expecting, though. Hope it was a bottle of aspirin. Fuck. What the hell did they do to me?"
As she collapses into a seat, Guy hovers over. "I...think I may have a clue. There''s a message processing...one moment. This feels a little...unusual..." A few moments later, a new screen appears.
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TRIPLE CURSED DUNGEON:
YOU HAVE SUBDUED THE ENERGIES OF THE LOST GREAT DUNGEON OF MOUNT FARALIS, CENTER OF THE WORLD: EXPERIMENTAL FLOOR 15. ADDITIONAL FLOOR UNLOCKED.
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The dungeon master groans as she reads over it. "Is that it? Giving us access to a floor unlock without needing to clear it? It''s something, I guess, but I''m pretty sure we could''ve done that on our own just fine."
Guy interrupts before she can continue complaining, however. "I...no. The message is incomplete, there''s...something more? I really don''t know what to make of this."
"Shit, if they broke you, Guy, I''m definitely callin'' it quits between them and us, and that''s for starters. You feeling alright?"
The screen bobbles. "I''m fine, just...confused? Ah, here comes the rest of it, apparently." As they say that, the original screen expands with additional information.
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TRIPLE CURSED DUNGEON:
YOU HAVE SUBDUED THE ENERGIES OF THE LOST GREAT DUNGEON OF MOUNT FARALIS, CENTER OF THE WORLD: EXPERIMENTAL FLOOR 15. ADDITIONAL FLOOR UNLOCKED.
UNIQUE MONSTER CROSSBREED UNLOCKED: SCALESLIME - C+
UNIQUE - UNIQUE - UNIQUE ENCHANTED ITEM ACACQUIREDED:
RAZ''PERKOZE''S MIRROR OF THE SOULSELF: SS
NOTE - ONLY ONE INSTANCE ONE INSTANCE OF A UNIQUE ITEM MAY BE SPAWNAWNED AT ONCE.
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Xenia gives the screen a rather blank stare before blinking once. "...And here I thought I was breaking shit with my ''worship of null'' shit. Fuck, was Raz the Necromancer''s name? I never knew...or maybe this is just some random loot he had? How the hell did the Dragonlord yoink this out of there?"
Trush''s gaze swaps between the screen and Xenia, not sure which one is confusing him more. "Mind catching up the rest of the party, Xenia? What did we miss out on?"
After shaking her head to clear her thoughts - and slightly worsen her headache - Xenia gets to explaining. "Went to a run where I was a monster summoned to serve a necromancer. He wasn''t around, but the Dragonlord was. Said that whoever tapped into my adventure last time is trying to do it again, and also...they apparently want us and them to be their version of friends, I guess? Said they were giving me a gift from my own past, which is apparently this mirror...which is apparently something of the Necromancer''s I was guarding during that run, though I didn''t know it."
Sincere strokes his chin. "Do you know what it is? Or Guy, do you know what a ''unique'' item means? That''s not a term I''m familiar with, at least not when it applies to dungeons."
The screen sounds rather confused themselves as they answer. "Neither was I until now, apparently. I can see the mechanics of it, however - unlike a physical item stored within your dungeon inventory, a unique item is created from your mana at will. While you can only have one of that item at once, if it''s destroyed or unsummoned you can create a new copy as you like."
"And it''s ''SS'' class? Jeeze, I didn''t even know the ranks went up that high. Well, I got no idea what it does, and I''m guessin'' the only way to find out is to make one. It doesn''t sound like a trap, at least. Anyone disagree?" Xenia looks around at the crowd, but Sincere shakes his head.
"Knowledge of dungeon mechanics is extremely sparse, but to my knowledge ''S-tier monster'' is generally used as a synonym for a very difficult deep-floor boss monster. I would very much like to see what an S-tier item is like."
"Got it. If this kills us all, blame Sincere." With a few taps on her menus Xenia summons the mirror into an empty part of the core chamber, and it''s immediately recognizable as a necromancer''s work. The mirror itself is perhaps nine feet tall and four wide, but beyond that the artifact is encrusted within a thick frame and stand made of skulls and other bones. Artificial ones, probably, made of shiny black stone or gems or other less familiar materials...but Xenia wouldn''t exactly bet money on that being true for all of them. The only part of the black-colored frame not skeleton-themed is two round, flat surfaces, one on each side of the mirror''s central hinge point where it can be tilted up or down.
Xenia steps in front of it for a moment, looking into it. "Well, creepy, and not really in keeping with the current dungeon theme, but it''s...nice? I don''t really see - oh, shit! Trush, take a look at this!"
The man steps forward, being a little cautious about it, but he freezes when he realizes what Xenia was talking about. Staring back at him from the mirror isn''t the Rabbit Champion the man now is, but the orc he used to be. Granted, the mirror-orc has both arms, but otherwise he looks nearly identical to Trush''s original form. "That''s - ! It''s the old me! I...suppose that explains the name of the thing, does it not? It reflects, what...the soul''s image of the self?"
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
"Seems like it!" Xenia steps closer once again, taking another look. "...BB and DEATH, you guys both look like you do now, guess your old selves dying here came with the whole soul-wash routine or whatever, huh? Still...it''s a neat party trick, but how often is that gonna come in handy? Don''t really seem like an S-tier enchantment."
The Xenia in the mirror points to one of the rounded surfaces on the side of the mirror''s frame. "Well if you want to use the main feature, just plant your palm on one of those and shout ''I summon you forth, my inner fears and desires!'' Or something like that, the intent matters more than the actual words, y''know?"
"Oh. Okay. Thanks." After another blank look and a blink, Xenia looks back towards the rest of the group once again. "Did that actually just happen or am I going extra nuts?"
Trush answers for the group with widened eyes. "Hard to say, I think I might have just gone a little crazy myself. Interesting enough that you even have a reflection, I think. Are you...going to do as it says?"
Xenia turns back towards her reflection and narrows her eyes at herself. "Is this a trick? If I...''summon'' you are you gonna start killing people or something?"
"Do you want me to start killing people?"
"...No?"
The reflection grins. "Love that confidence! It''s up to you, though. I don''t mind watching if you want to just stick me in a corner of the room or something."
The dungeon master sighs to herself for a long moment, before eventually planting one palm on the side of the mirror. "Fuck it, might as well see how crazy this gets. I summon you, my inner desires and all of that stuff."
"Woo!" With her arms raised in a cheer, the mirrored Xenia steps out of the frame and onto the floor. After taking a good look around, the summon grins. "Nice place you got here. Way better lighting than that Necromancer''s dump. Ooh, ooh, think you could put me up on Floor Five?"
Sincere''s tone has a note of alarm as he responds to that. "You''re aware of Floor Five? ...Don''t tell me you have all of Xenia''s memories, as well as her appearance!?"
Xenia''s face grows even more alarmed at that suggestion, but the reflection shrugs. "Memories and skills, for as long as I''m out here. Once I go back in, I only remember shit we talked about. Two restrictions, though - I can''t leave the line of sight of the mirror, and my strength''s limited to my own personal power cap. I''m not gonna be levitating any mountains just ''cause you plopped an archmage in front of me."
"Gah! And how do we get you back in? Dammit, I should''ve asked that first..." Xenia grimaces at herself, but her reflection gives her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"Hey, no worries! If I lose sight of the mirror, I pop back in. Or, you know...you can just ask me. I know my style''s all Spirit Halloween and shit, but I ain''t a cursed item or something. I want what you want! So if you want me back inside, just say the word. Also, you''re my owner, so I''ll follow your lead even if someone else does the actual summoning."
While she is somewhat reassured by that, BB still has a question on his mind. "So, I''ve never met a necromancer before, but I''m not really sure how this helps one out. You''re not a zombie or something, so...why make you?"
The reflection turns back towards BB and her grin goes wider. "Well, for fuckin'', mostly. I could also help em out with rituals that needed an extra pair of hands, and I could''ve helped put up a fight in a last stand or something if it came to it. My own personal memories only go up to the time Xenia here got adventurerized, though, so I dunno if that ever happened." As the group gives her stares of varying levels of disbelief, the reflection shrugs. "What? The Necromancer was a bony-ass lich, but since I reflect the soul I still looked like them at their prime. I''d fuck me too, if I was them."
Sincere''s eyes glow for a moment, and the demon speaks up with a new discovery. "Ah, Xenia! We could perhaps have Beatrice test this as well, but there''s something more here - I believe this reflection would be visible to all, not just your dungeon monsters! She could perhaps be used as another way to communicate with the world...if we trust her to do so."
The reflection shrugs again. "If the world doesn''t mind coming into my room to hear it, yeah, I could do that."
Xenia plants her hands on her hips and does some deep thinking as she looks the reflection up and down, snorting slightly as the reflection does the same back to her. "...Suppose I could see this coming in handy. Could be a special extra challenge boss somewhere maybe? I can always bring it back if the mirror gets shattered by Challengers or something. Dunno about putting you on Floor Five, though..."
"Ahhhh, but sticking me down on some floor where no one ever comes sounds boring as hell! I mean, granted, I''m used to it. But I''ll play nice!"
"...Maybe." Xenia chews on her lip a little before shaking her head. "Well, while I''m thinking about that, might as well do the other bit of business I was planning for tonight - let''s unlock some shit! Gonna go ahead and spend that floor credit now, just to see what that gets us..." She taps through her menus, and soon enough a new screen appears from Guy''s display.
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FLOOR 8 CREATED
ADDING NEW BASE ''CAVE'' MATERIALS:
MERCURY (LOW QUALITY)
MAGMA (LOW QUALITY)
NEW BASE ''CAVE'' CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED:
BATS: C-
FISH: D
ADDING NEW BASE ''TOWN'' MATERIALS:
AMBIENT URBAN NOISES (LOW QUALITY)
AMBIENT FARM NOISES (LOW QUALITY)
STAINED GLASS
NEW BASE ''TOWN'' CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED:
PORCINES: F
SLIMES, NON-SAPIENT: A-
MAGMA-BASED TRAPS UNLOCKED
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 6 TO 309
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The dungeon master gives a cheer of her own. "Woo! A-tier slimes, Lolly Pop''s gonna love this! Thanks, cities and your shitty sewer management systems! And now with that out of the way, let''s go ahead and use up those souls we''ve had sitting around." She taps her menu a few more times, and another confirmation screen appears.
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SOUL STORE PURCHASE CONFIRMATION
MIMIC CONSTRUCT CATEGORY UPGRADED TO: C-
TWENTY SOULS REMOVED FROM INVENTORY
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As the rest of the group reads along, some of them seem a bit unimpressed - DEATH among them. "YOU SPENT THE SOULS ON UPGRADING AN F-TIER MONSTER? IF THIS IS MEANT FOR FLOOR EIGHT, EVEN AT C-...IS THIS NOT PERHAPS A LITTLE WEAK FOR THE CHALLENGERS THEY WILL BE FACING?"
Xenia waves off his concerns, unbothered. "Yeah, yeah, but wait til I start crossbreeding them with other shit! Just imagine if I mixed them up with...hahah, oh, shit!" The dungeon master practically doubles over in laughter as she brings up her crossbreeding menu and looks at her options. "I can crossbreed mimics with inanimate shit! Like swords and armor! Oh, just you wait, guys - this is gonna be great."
Sincere shudders slightly. "I fear for the mental health of our Challengers as much as their physical, I believe. ...Well, if there''s no need for an actual dungeon raid tonight, I suppose our business is concluded, then? I wouldn''t mind doing some research into this new mirror of ours, but that can wait for another day."
"Yeah, sorry to get you all prepped and ready to go for nothing, guys. Maybe next time? But in the meanwhile, I think I need to do some...''research'' on this thing of my own." If there''s a few smirks and snorts at that statement, Xenia chooses not to hear them, and after a few farewells the various dungeon guardians have returned to their apartments, or to Floor Five. Soon enough she''s left alone with her reflection, who has a smile and one question for her new boss.
"So...we bangin''?"
"Obviously."
Chapter 191: Double the Pleasure - Explicit
As Lollyp''s working on her latest batch of alchemical experiments, wondering if perhaps the dungeon could set up some sort of potion shop within the tavern or shrine, she''s interrupted by Guy''s sudden appearance behind her. "Good evening, Lollyp. If this isn''t a bad time for you, Xenia''s requested your presence in her personal chambers."
Smiling as she turns to look at the Guide, the slime quickly begins putting away her current materials. "Her new ones, huh? Still haven''t spent much time in those...I''m assuming this is for fun and not business? Kinda late, and all."
The guide hesitates for a moment before answering. "...I think that perhaps it would be best if I did not ruin the surprise."
"Well, that''s promising-sounding. On my way!" It takes the practiced expert minimal time to safely store her materials away, and soon enough she''s exited her apartment and made her way through one of the shortcut portals outside. She finds herself in Xenia''s new apartment living room with no sign of the woman, but that''s not much of a surprise, and she immediately begins making her way to the bedroom. "Xen! You wanted to see me? For something good, I hope..."
A voice calls out to her from the back of the apartment. "We sure did! Get that jiggly butt in here!"
"We? We got a guest tonight? Did you and Sincere finally - oh, holy hells!" Lollyp comes to a halt as she finally steps through the bedroom door and sees the scene inside. There''s been a notable change to the room''s d¨¦cor, as a large mirror was at some point fixed to the ceiling. Its style seems a little questionable, but Lollyp''s eyes quickly pass over it and on towards the bed beneath it, where two nude Xenias are locked in an embrace, both of whom turn to face Lollyp and give her a grin.
"Lolly Pop! Xen here and I were just playing around, and we said to myself, you know what would hit the spot right now? Some good slime-tentacle dickin''!"
"Oh gods, there''s two of them. Do I even wanna know what''s going on here?"
The top Xenia smirks. "I dunno, do you? Or does the mystery make it more fun?"
"...Good point. I''m more than a walking slime dildo though, you know!" The slime waggles a finger at the pair, even as she begins to approach the bed.
The bottom Xenia nods. "For sure! A slime dildo''s never stretched me out like you, for one. Also, how many people could fuck me twice at the same time?"
Lollyp snorts as she leans down under the bed and pulls out a footstool, which she then climbs to get better lined up with the edge of the mattress. "Yeah, yeah. ''Lollyp, come bang me silly!'' ''Lolly Pop, come fuck my throat!'' Don''t get me wrong, I appreciate being respected for my talents, but now I''ve gotta service two of you? I''m asking for a raise after this for sure. Now..." She pauses as she examines the two, before making a spinning motion with one of her fingers. "You on the top, turn around like a sixty-nine, yeah? I''ve fucked you in the pussy and face at the same time before, but I''ve never been able to get a good look at both while I do it. This oughtta be...fun."
"Ah, anything for you! Love you, Lolly Pop!" The top Xenia turns around as requested and the both of them line themselves up with Lollyp by the edge of the bed, the bottom of the pair lying with her legs spread and the top resting her chin on the other''s mound, lips already open and tongue sticking out.
"Love you too...I think. Are both of you the real Xen? Eh, whatever, fuck it. Open wide!" With that warning given the slime presses her waist forward, while also extending both of the slime cocks she''d been busy forming. It''s clear that the two had already spent a fair bit of time going at it before Lollyp arrived - while Xenia''s magical form doesn''t create much in the way of messes or scents, the one Xenia''s smile is a little messy and the other''s cunt is even more so, with plenty of evidence of their earlier activities. So it is that Lollyp finds little resistance as she slides into the bottom''s well-lubricated pussy, and not much more as her other tentacle presses its way into a willing mouth. "Urnf! Man, it is convenient having both ends right here!"
"Ah, that''s good! Get it deep - and facefuck the hell out of that dumb slut on top of me, haha!" The bottom Xenia only laughs at her own joke for a moment before diving between the other''s legs, and as Lollyp grabs hold of the upper''s skull with both hands, that Xen finds herself rather pinned in place for a double-sided assault. Once the slime feels that she''s well-anchored, the fucking begins in earnest for the both of them, her hips thrusting forward while at the same time she begins to pump more of her mass into her phalli. The extra slime turns her cocks thicker and longer before receding back out, and then growing again, and then back, multiplying the effect of every pounding.
While the sensations are exhilarating, what really excites the alchemist is the noises she can extract. On one hand - or on one cock, it might be more accurate to say - every time she manages to reach the deepest reaches of the bottom''s pussy, a delightful groan or moan echoes out from the other end of the bed. At the same time, every thrust into the top''s throat inspires a new round of wonderful gagging noises - mostly for effect, given the dungeon spirit''s inability to suffocate. While Lollyp had indeed pounded Xenia from both ends at once before, she''d never gotten to enjoy both sets of reactions at once so clearly before, and she takes her time enjoying the novelty of the experience.
Of course, it''s not all about enjoying novelty alone, and after a few minutes the slime''s first climax of the evening hits her. Globs of sweet slime cum force their way up her faux phalli, and with groans of her own they begin to pump into their respective orifices. Bottom Xenia''s slit is soon dripping with the excess forced out by Lollyp''s continuing motions, while Top Xenia swallows down everything Lollyp can give her without complaint. She''s pretty sure the partner on the bottom hits a climax of her own somewhere in there, although the grin on the other''s face as Lollyp pops out of her lips indicates she doesn''t feel at all left out.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
"Gods, I love how you taste! You up for more, Lolly Pop?"
After taking a few deep breaths, Lollyp considers how she''d like the two for Round Two. "You think I''m stopping this at that? Hells no, now...how about you two line up like this..."
TWO HOURS LATER
"Worthy? Oh, Lollyp, you''re here? Guy told me Xenia wished to see me." Trush looks down in some confusion at the exhausted-looking slime, sitting half-deflated in one of the chairs in Xenia''s living room. The slime simply waves him on towards the back of the apartment, rather than explain more.
"They''re waiting for you back there. Good luck, man."
"They? Oh, no...well, let it not be said that Trush Sharptongue is a coward..." The Rabbit Champion boldly strides on out of the room and down the hall, before finally stepping through the door into the dungeon master''s bedroom. The moment he does, the man finds himself attacked...in a manner of speaking. From each side of the doorway a Xenia grabs onto one of his thighs, the only targets they can reach given that they''re both on their knees. "Two of them. Why does this not surprise me?"
"Cause you''re a smart man, Trush." The Xenia on the left grins up at him, before beginning to paw at his belt. "Though a smarter man woulda lost these pants before he got here."
The Xenia on the right seems to disagree with her, though. "Hey, sometimes unwrapping a present is the best part! ...Okay, no, the best part of this present is definitely the part where it fucks us. It''s still fun, though."
As the two begin to work his pants down, Trush considers aiding them, but instead chooses to settle for resting a large furry palm on each of their scalps. "I did rather expect this to happen, I suppose, but not quite this soon. You don''t waste any time, do - ahh!" His statement is interrupted as Right Xenia sucks one of his testicles into her mouth, and Left Xenia answers with a grin.
"Anticipation''s overrated! Much more fun to have things right away! And speaking of having your cock and eating it too..." With that said she leans in herself, taking the head of Trush''s thick dick between her lips. It doesn''t take long for the boss to become fully erect, and once he has the twins begin to alternate their positions somewhat - taking turns sliding their tongues up and down his shaft, suckling on his nuts, or seeing how far they can push his manhood down their throats. Which is quite far for the both of them, although they make a good show of turning it into a competition.
Before Trush can get too far along though Left Xenia shuffles her way around to Trush''s back, while gesturing for the man to spread his legs a little. He''s not entirely sure what she''s up to, but when he feels a tongue prodding at his asshole he has to admit to some true, genuine surprise for the first time this evening. "Ah! That''s - that''s a new one, Worthy. Feeling bold tonight, or...is this the double doing that?"
Right Xenia answers for her twin. "Wouldn''t you like to know? It''s not usually my - our - thing, but hey, monster digestive tracts are fake, right? That means butts are just for funtimes!"
"Well, when you put it like that..." The ability to hold a conversation fades away as Right Xenia returns to impaling her face on his cock, while behind him Left Xenia does her best to impale him using tongue and digit. Having already been rather close to finishing before they changed positions, it doesn''t take long for the double-sided oral assault to tip him over now. With both of his firm hands gripping onto the sides of Right Xenia''s head, the rabbit man groans and unloads his cum deep into her throat. She swallows it eagerly, and at no point does Left Xenia let up on her attentions on the man''s prostate, milking him for every drop he has.
If Trush is expecting a break at that point then he gets another surprise for the night, as the two Xenia simply swap places. "Mmrm - ain''t gettin'' a rest til I get a taste too, bunny boy!"
"You know I always have a second serving for you, Worthy - even if I have to make that a double for the both of you!" The two Xenias giggle at his response before resuming their earlier activities, and it only takes them a few minutes more to get the man to prove his claim. Rather than swap again however, the pair both climb onto the bed - somehow coordinating without any words spoken - and point their bare asses in his direction.
"You like to roleplay breeding me, right? Well, still ain''t worked, but who knows? You try hard enough and you might be the first man alive to knock up a mirror!"
Trush grins as he eyes the two swaying posteriors. "You think so, eh? And which one of you is the mirror?"
Both Xenias smirk. "Not sayin'' - guess you''ll have to try us both!"
TWO AND A HALF HOURS LATER
As Taly teleports into the living room, she shoots concerned looks in the direction of the slime and rabbit sprawled across the furniture in front of her. "You two okay? Guy said Xenia wanted to see me...?"
Trush groans in response. "I admit, even with calling in Lollyp for reinforcements, I proved too weak for them. I bid you good fortune in the battle ahead of you, warrior."
"...Okay. Well, that ain''t half ominous." The Rogue cautiously makes her way deeper into the apartment, and when she steps into the bedroom her eyes go wide. "Oh, fuck. There''s two of them."
Before her stand two Xenias, both identical in every way including the strap-on harnesses mounted to their hips. One of the pair is applying a generous portion of slime lube to her artificial dick, while the other lifts a set of specially-prepared ropes with a grin. "Hey, Taly? You up for trying out something new tonight?"
The banshee swallows hard, but nods. "Ain''t ever said no before. But uh...be gentle?"
ONE AND A HALF HOURS LATER
As a dazed and confused Taly recovers between the two Xenias lying on the bed, pink slime lube dripping from most of her orifices - along with various other fluids - the Xenia on the right gives the other a look.
"So you really don''t ever tire out, huh?"
"You either, apparently. Been keeping up pretty dang well, if I don''t say so myself."
The other giggles. "And I do say so myself. Too bad dungeon bosses aren''t quite as sturdy, huh?"
"Well, we could give em a couple of hours. On the other hand..."
"...You wanna see what the Dungeon Fuckers are up to tonight?"
"Gotta be a good hostess, right?"
"Right."
Chapter 192: The Applicant
Several days had passed since the most recent run-in with the Dragonlord, and while Xenia hadn''t started yet on her design for Floor Eight, that didn''t mean she was spending her time idle. As a matter of fact, she didn''t even spend all of it engaging in autophilia, although there may have been a second bout of that once her guardians had had a few days to recover. Mostly however she had spent her time working on mimic crossbreeds, with the aim of using them as the main feature of the new floor. Unlike her experiments with the divine sprites, mimics seemed to take to crossbreeding more readily than any other monster type she had attempted it with so far, and in just four days she''d already accumulated a decent-sized list of mimic experiments.
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CUSTOM MONSTERS VIA CROSSBREEDING:
BOOK MIMIC - C- - MIMICS/PRINTED GOODS
COIN CHEST MIMIC - C - MIMICS/CURRENCY (RAINLANDS)
BOTTLE MIMIC - B- MIMICS/POTIONS
SANDWICH MIMIC - C - MIMICS/FOOD AND DRINK
BUNNY MIMIC - B- - MIMICS/LAGOMORPHS
HANGMAN''S ROPE - C- - MIMICS/ROPE CONSTRUCTS
STRANGLER SCARF - C+ - MIMICS/CLOTHING
LOST SOCK - B - MIMICS/CLOTHING
CLONER SLIME - B- - MIMICS/SLIMES, NON-SAPIENT
SARCOPHAGUS MIMIC - B- - MIMICS/UNDEAD (MORTAL)
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While many of the mimics made for excellent traps and were giving Xenia many ideas, the cloner slime in particular proved to be uniquely interesting. If such a slime came into contact with a person it became capable of taking on their form, and even imitating their voice. They were far from sapient, however - they could only parrot words they heard the original say, and at best they could only mimic physical attacks they saw the original use. For the most part they stuck to the ''cover their target in acidic slime'' mode of attack most slimes used, but they did become far more mobile when in a humanoid form, and could even dodge attacks sent their way.
As for the mirror, they had eventually been installed in the Fiver''s Lounge at Em''s repeated request. That had been the nickname the reflection had taken, short for Enchanted Mirror, although they would occasionally go by Emma or Emmett depending on the gender of their current target. Not that they would get any of those in the lounge - not only was the mirror installed behind the bar, oriented sideways, but the frame of the artifact had been solidly encased within the wall''s bricks. This had the benefit of concealing the non-thematic skeleton design of the artifact, and it also prevented any drunkards or bored barbunnies from putting their hand on the triggering mechanism to summon Em forth. That didn''t entirely prevent Em from playing a bit of mischief, but they did at least keep it to minor pranks on Challengers drunk to the point where half the time they didn''t even notice they were having a conversation with their own reflection.
Several Challenger parties had made some advancements of their own in the past few days as well. The Dungeon Fuckers successfully cleared Floor Six, and for the first time they hired on some additional help to do so. The trio were experienced Experts, but they weren''t fools, and they were well aware that three Challengers with no dedicated healer was a poor team composition for higher-difficulty floors. Although some of the mercenaries were hesitant to work with a team with their reputation, particularly on such a difficult floor, others were eager to sign up for exactly the same reason, and the team had quite a celebratory party for their latest floor clear.
The House Perlin expedition had been rather dismayed to discover that the dungeon was disputing their Floor Seven record, and even more so to find out that Deylia had been punished for her part in their floor clear. Xenia didn''t allow them to meet with their former Maid, but the acolytes Fay and Lin did let them know their friend wasn''t in any particular danger, and so instead they decided to focus on clearing the black mark from their record. Unfortunately, their second attempt at Floor Seven perhaps confirmed that mark in the eyes of those paying attention to such things. They were unable to locate any secret paths on their next attempt, and on top of that the party faced Trush and his full squad in an ambush for the first time. They did survive the ambush, but both Priest Redbeard and their Protector Taylim took enough injuries that they decided not to push on to the floor bosses.
To add insult to literal injury, the next day the Domain party made their own second attempt at the floor and succeeded at it despite another ambush by Trush. This was in large part thanks to a trick discovered by Passy, their kobold Solar Arcanist. She''d been experimenting with a spell variant since their last defeat at the Champion''s hands, and a few quick tests in one of the floor''s smaller chambers confirmed her theory. When they entered the main crystal forest chamber, the Mage generated a large burst of magical light above the tree line - at a particular spectrum, intensity, and magical frequency to resonate with the mana crystals that made up most of the ''trees'' of the forest.
That triggered a chain reaction which sent a wild burst of intense light and heat throughout the chamber, echoing in waves of different colors as different crystals were activated. It had the effect of blinding and stunning virtually every monster in the room at once, with some falling to the ground entirely, and many of the others making enough noise to give away their positions. The Domain''s agents had to move quickly to take advantage of the moment, but it was sufficient to allow them to defeat Trush''s group before they could recover and with the rabbits down, the remaining monsters on the floor were relatively easy pickings.
Perhaps the biggest news for the dungeon however was some it wasn''t aware of quite yet. Down at the Church of Bounty''s chapel in Grassbrook, Bountiful Mother Elance was disturbed from her clerical work by the sound of a new arrival shouting out from the chapel''s entryway. "Hello! Is there a Mother Hammerdown here? We were told this was the place to find her."
Poking her head out of her office door, the dwarf spies two figures looking around. One, presumably the source of the shouted greeting, appears to be a human man in perhaps his late fifties. His brown hair and beard frame a face starting to show the signs of age, although his pale blue eyes still seem clear and intent, and what she can see of his frame and movements through his thick winter clothing seems to indicate a wiry strength. Standing next to him is an elf woman, whose age is accordingly much more difficult to place, but who pulls back her hood to reveal long, pale brown hair and light green eyes. She seems reserved in comparison to her louder companion, but the slight smile on her lips seems to indicate that she''s used to his noise.
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Speaking up, Elance grabs both of their attentions easily enough. "Aye, that''s me. No sermon today but we''re open for business if you''re requiring our services. I''m Mother Elance Hammerdown, feel free to call me Elance, in service to her divine Kahlia. If you''re looking for assistance of a more floral nature, Priestess Fullblossom should be around in another hour or two."
The man shakes his head. "Actually, we''re here about, ah...applying to the dungeon? Just me, that is. I understand that Cleric Seamcracker''s been in correspondence with you?"
"Oh?" Elance''s eyes go a little wider as she realizes who this is, and she gives the man a second looking over. She''s briefly surprised for a moment by the man''s beard now that she considers it, although on second thought, it''s really not so unusual - hair growth potions of all sorts are easy enough to come by, far more cheaply than a Change for certain, and would likely also explain the lack of gray in his hair. "Oh! Yes, I have, although it''s been a week or two since I last heard anything, I think. She never did actually tell me your names or much else in the way of details, though."
The elf nods in a slight bow. "I''m not surprised, we have tended to be rather private with our concerns. My husband here is Parker Reeves, and my name is Laeniel. Would now be a good time to discuss our application?"
"Well, I''m hardly about to make you wait after coming all this way! Though if you need time to rest from your journey, by all means, I imagine there''s no rush."
Parker shakes his head again. "We''ve already gotten ourselves a room at the General for the night, but I think we''d like to see this done as soon as possible. At the very least, if it''s not going to work out, I''d like to know right off."
Elance pshaws. "Feel free to have a little more optimism, aye? But sure, sure, come into my office here and we can have a chat." She leads the way and takes a quick moment to clear off some desk space and pull over two chairs, before pouring out some tea for her guests. "And how was that journey? Not too much of a trouble, I hope, I know it''s a terrible season for the roads."
Laeniel chuckles as she slides into a seat. "Aside from the chill and a minor encounter with a graybear, it wasn''t too awful. It is nice to be indoors again, though."
The dwarf raises an eyebrow as she passes out the cups. "And just how do you define a ''minor encounter'' with a damned magical bear, eh?"
Parker scoffs before sipping on the tea. "Three swings or less, I suppose I''d call it. That''s my field, after all, so it wasn''t anything particularly new for me."
"Oh?" Elance refreshes her own cup before reclaiming her chair. "And what exactly are your careers? I''m afraid I''ve really heard very little about you two."
"Headsman." As the Mother gives him a look, Parker grins and continues with a clarification. "That''s my Challenger class, not my job title. Level thirty, to be specific."
"Your career''s Challenging, then? I''m not familiar, I assume that''s a Master class, then?"
The man nods. "I actually spent a fair bit of time as a level thirty Wilds Woodsman, my Expert class, but we decided to spend the funds to get myself trained up before we came down here. In case it might help with the application, or...well, the job duties I assume I''d have if everything works out."
"It might, at that. You''re experienced with dungeons, then?"
At that question, Parker frowns a little. "Somewhat - not much, though, and not in years. I spend most of my time fighting wild monsters, like graybears and whatnot. Earning bounties, selling the skins and other parts, that sort of thing."
"Providing a valuable service, as well." Elance turns to face Laeniel for her next question. "And you, lass? Just for curiosity''s sake, I understand you''re not applying yourself."
Her slight smile returns as she answers. "Accountant." Elance nearly spits out her tea at the response.
"As - as a Challenger!?"
The elf''s laughter is light and easy as she watches Elance''s expression. "Aha, no, not at all! I provide freelance accounting and other scribe-related services for my town. I understand Grassbrook isn''t particularly large right now, but I have hopes it might expand to the point where I would be able to work here. We haven''t sold off our old home as of yet, but we have made all of the preparations to be able to move down here in short order if things work out."
"Ah, well, that makes more sense. And you''re right, but I bet you the Challenger''s Association might have work for you, with all of the money they''ve got running through the place right now, doing expansion and all that. Perhaps the Church eventually as well, down the road. But ah, back on task, eh? Now, I understand this may be a private, sensitive topic for the two of you, but I understand your interest in Worthy Dungeon comes down to...fertility-related concerns, shall we say?"
Parker nods. "We heard a few months ago about the dungeon where Challengers could supposedly be reborn, and I suppose I was briefly amused by the thought of what sort of monster body a fellow might end up with - it was a common topic of conversation at the taverns on some nights. But then recently we heard that the dungeon had invented some sort of fertile monster? And was looking for volunteers to use it?"
Laeniel adds on an additional comment. "That part''s not public, by the way. But Cleric Seamcracker''s familiar with our...''family planning'' concerns, and made us aware of the news."
"Aye, that''s about the long and short of it. The dungeon''s been experimenting with a few types of beastie and found one that can do the job, and I confirmed the fertility test results myself. You should be aware though that there is currently only one working monster option, and that would be a big hulking rabbit-man type of thing."
The man sitting across from her doesn''t seem entirely thrilled with that description. "Just...how monstrous are we talking, here?"
Elance snorts as she remembers the current setup of Floor Five. "Well, let me put it like this - the dungeon''s using similar types of rabbit-folk to add some sex appeal to its rest floor, and they''ve acquired quite a few fans. I can say for myself, they sure ain''t hideous to behold. The theory is that their offspring will look similar to a half-beastkin, but unfortunately there''s no way to know without someone trying it out."
The elf smiles, this time widely enough to show some teeth. "I can just imagine the cuddly little toddlers now! Personally, I don''t see a problem with that. I believe at this point we''d accept almost any option."
Parker seems a little more hesitant, but not much so. "I would like to see it for myself, but I think we can probably live with that, yes. Of course, I''ve heard this application process has a few requirements, but ah, that money wasn''t one of them? What do we need to do, exactly?"
The Mother chuckles. "This is all on behalf of the dungeon, and it has no need of coin, aye. For starters, it''s only open to those without children, which you obviously qualify for. Other than that, there''s two main things we do here before we send you up the mountain. First, something of an interview to determine both your suitability, and whether or not you fully understand what you''re signin'' on for. Which technically we''ve already started here, though I may come up with more questions for you later, and the dungeon will probably want to do a round of its own. Second, we do mean to test your battle skills, as I''m afraid there ain''t many slots open for dungeon monsters who can''t fight...although possibly not none, if it comes to it."
On this point at least the man is far more confident. "Well, as I said, I''m now a Master-class Challenger, so unless the dungeon has something against axes I think I like my odds. How do we prove it, though?"
"We''ll need to set it up, but swing by the Association training yard...tomorrow afternoon, say? I''ll have Greenie - ah, my associate Paladin Bluehair take charge of that task."
Parker smiles, in a way that implies he hasn''t had as many opportunities to do so in his life as he might have liked. "I''ll be looking forward to it."
Chapter 193: Failed Strategies
Grizza sighs as he looks around at the Lucky Bastard''s public room. "I don''t understand. We''ve been advertising our availability for a few days now, and there''s been no interest? I may only be Advanced-level, but that''s surely still sufficient for a few runs."
Roxxy shrugs from her seat. "Maybe they don''t like elementals? I could go back to the house while you find work. Or, you know...you could put on the ears."
The young drider frowns at the suggestion. "I''m not going to try and look sexy just for dungeoneering work! That would imply an entirely different career field altogether."
"Ah." The earth elemental pauses for a moment. "Would an ears-related career bring in more money?"
Grizza''s mouth opens and closes a few times, as he searches for an answer. "...Disturbingly, probably yes. But still...matters aren''t yet that dire."
As he passes by their table, the Association''s Thornwoods Tracker, Renter, comes to a halt. After lifting his worn leather hat a bit, he looks the pair over. "You two looking for mercenary work?"
The Arcanist tries not to look too eager, and fails. "Yes! You work for the Association''s field team, don''t you? Is the Association hiring?"
"Nah, but what, ain''t you two get the memo?" After seeing the blank looks on their faces - not that Roxxy''s face is ever particularly expressive - he explains further. "Teams ain''t looking for mercs around here anymore. Most of the freelancers moved on up to the dungeon tavern. If they are down here, they''re probably taking a break day or handling other business. So, teams don''t bother checking in here that much, they just head on up to the dungeon."
The drider winces. "I''d heard about the new tavern, and I knew that a lot of the traffic had moved up there, but I didn''t realize that was being done as a business stratagem. I...suppose we could try the same, though I''d hate to climb all that way for nothing."
Roxxy offers a suggestion. "Well, might be a little late for today, but maybe tomorrow? Maybe we could team up with - " The elemental is interrupted by the sounds of a noisy Paladin making her way over to the table.
"Hey, Renter, there you are! Not that I''m complaining, but are you making this place your official office, or what? You got the Challenger profile on that new guy, yet?" Sable comes to a halt as she gets a better look at the pair Renter was speaking with, and her eyes go wide at the sight of Roxxy. "Oh, dang! Is this another elemental dating couple? Is that catching on now? Oh, I''m sorry to interrupt, though! Don''t mind me!"
As Roxxy grows confused, Grizza''s eyes grow wide. "Dating!? No, no, not at all - Roxxy and I are simply coworkers, that''s all!"
"And friends, of course!" Roxxy adds on an important detail, and Grizza nods.
"Of course, I didn''t meant to leave that out."
"He was briefly my father figure, but he says calling him daddy makes him uncomfortable."
"...It does, Roxxy, yes, thank you for remembering."
As Sable grins at the exchange, Roxxy does think of a question of her own. "Oh, but wait, you said ''another''? Is there another elemental in town?"
This time it''s Sable''s turn to be surprised. "What, you don''t know? Zappy''s been down here with her girlfriend once or twice now, I think. You know Zappy?" As Roxxy shakes her head, Sable frowns. "Aren''t all of you from the same community though? You''re not from the dungeon? Or, you know...the neighborhood up there?"
Recognizing the name, Grizza''s eyes narrow in thought. "I don''t actually speak much with Alchemist Tinsel or her team, but I do recall mentions of her going on a date with a Zappy. I thought that was just one of those colorful Challenger nicknames, though. Zappy is an elemental?"
Roxxy leans forward, very intrigued herself. "Wait, they found other elementals in the old dungeon?"
"You didn''t know? ...I guess other than Zappy, they haven''t exactly been making a lot of public appearances. But yeah, there''s a couple of waters, and then...I dunno, a dozen or two earths and fires? Or magmas now or something, I guess."
Roxxy turns to face Grizza, and although there''s no eyes in her head, there''s a strong impression of intent in her gaze. "We are definitely going up there tomorrow."
Across the room, the Perlin expedition is sitting at a table and feeling much more glum. They''d begun getting uncomfortable looks both here and up at Worthy Inn, though the ones here at least were slightly more tolerable. The rabbit-staff of the dungeon had started rather noticeably mock-whispering to each other, referring to the Perlins as ''the cheater''s table'', and would make a point of telling them that they didn''t qualify for Floor Seven-quality offerings every time they came by to take an order. The ones who had begun to get friendly with Deylia were perhaps the worst, perhaps because they blamed the Perlins for leading their colleague into sins against the dungeon master.
The stares from fellow Challengers on the other hand tended to be less accusatory and more mocking, although it was difficult to say whether that was better or worse. The Challengers community certainly had its own list of grievous sins, most of them involving harming other Challengers - one did hear occasional stories of thieves and murderers attempting to use dungeon dives as a cover for their crimes. As long as you didn''t hurt anyone else though, or straight-up lie about your accomplishments, ''cheating'' wasn''t really a word in the Challenger vocabulary. It was generally expected that Challengers would use every advantage they could get, including hoarding and trading any secrets about dungeons that they could discover. In fact, some of their adventurer colleagues were actually impressed that the nobles had managed to plant an inside source within the dungeon, intentionally or not.
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That said, they certainly didn''t fail to notice how Worthy Dungeon was treating the Perlins, and seeing nobles in particular being slighted or insulted to their faces? Well, that was just funny.
Raylin sighs as he swirls the drink in his mug. "It would be nice to find out what trick the kobolds apparently used to defeat the Wandering Boss so easily with, as I''ve heard them claim. If we can just defeat Sharptongue''s team without being injured in return, I''m certain we can clear the floor without difficulty. We basically did it once before!"
Arlon has to disagree with his cousin. "I''ve...been having my doubts. Not about your analysis of the problem, Raylin, but more about whether or not that will correct the larger issue. Does anyone truly believe that Worthy Dungeon will begin to treat us better just because we clear Floor Seven a second time? ''Cheating'' or not?"
Sansie furrows her brow. "You think it will refuse to recognize us even after we improve our behavior? I don''t know how one properly argues their case with a dungeon, but I feel like we''d have cleared our record at that point."
Her cousin shakes his head, though. "It might clear our record as far as having completed the floor goes, yes. But...there''s still the matter of Deylia. I''m not certain what the dungeon''s perspective is on the matter exactly, but if it imagines that we planted a spy on its staff intentionally? As I''ve heard some around here suggest? Or that we somehow pressured or bribed her or something? First off, that would surely earn us extra ire from the dungeon for having done so. Secondly...even if we''ve been reassured that poor Deylia is in no physical danger, I don''t like the idea that she may be suffering from her desire to help us."
The Noble Elementalist considers that. "That''s...a fair point. But how do we settle that score, then? A payment for damages? That would likely fall afoul of ''anti-feeding'' regulations. A very heartfelt apology? Flowers?"
Before her cousins can add their thoughts, the nobles are interrupted by the arrival of their competitors. Gilda Highbranch steps up to their table - alongside Silva, looking rather different. Her missing right eye had been replaced by a prosthetic, but it was clearly no simple glass eye. The core of it is some metal, perhaps bronze, but a golden crystal lit by a dim magical light serves as its iris. On top of that, Raylin would swear that he notes small additional glowing lines around the edge of her eyelids, perhaps runes of some sort written along the sides of the eye. His attention is drawn back to Gilda however as the silver-haired half-elf greets the table.
"Greetings, Lord Perlin, Honorable Perlin and Forlin. If this isn''t a bad time, may we join you for a moment? We have matters we''d care to discuss."
Arlon takes charge of welcoming them to the table. "Certainly, by all means, have a seat, my Ladies Highbranch. May I add, I hope you''re doing well, Lady Silva? You seem to have recovered from your injury?"
Silva smiles as she sits down, her wound apparently doing little to mar her easy-going nature. "In a manner of speaking, yes, thank you. My new eye is something of a joint project between my sister and I, we''ve spent the last few days pouring each of our talents into it."
Raylin raises an eyebrow at that. "Sounds like the creation of a minor artifact, knowing your classes as Diviner and Enchantress. I assume there''s more to it than simple, mundane vision?"
If Silva was about to answer that, Gilda interrupts her by answering first. "You may assume that, yes - but the matter is not your concern. I thank you for your concern over my sister''s health, but we aren''t here today to discuss enchantments."
Arlon gives a curt nod. "Of course, I imagine there''s weightier matters on your mind. Dungeon-related however, I presume?"
"Indeed." Gilda eyes the opposing nobles before she continues. "We would like negotiate for House Perlin abandoning its claim to these lands, and putting your support behind our own."
Arlon and Raylin''s faces both turn sour, but Sansie outright scoffs at that suggestion. "Are you serious? House Highbranch hasn''t even cleared the dungeon yet! What makes you think your claim is stronger than ours?"
Gilda''s immediate biting response is held back as Silva plants a hand on her sister''s wrist, answering instead. "Word has reached us of your...conflict with the dungeon and its take on your performance. Personally, I don''t think less of you for trying to use what advantages you can. However, it is clear that you''ve lost the dungeon''s favor. I don''t need to tell you that this would be a disastrous start to a relationship, particularly when the dungeon is as intelligent and social as Worthy Dungeon appears to be. This could be a relationship that lasts for centuries, and dungeons can have very long memories. Your house taking stewardship now would be building on an unsteady foundation."
The Noble Vanguard frowns as he considers his response. "We''re not...blind to those concerns, Lady Silva, in fact I was just discussing matters along those lines myself. But if we have dishonored ourselves in the eyes of the dungeon, it would be even more dishonorable for us to simply abandon our efforts and leave things as they are. At the very least, I believe we should attempt to make amends with the dungeon spirit."
Gilda raises an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Oh? And how exactly do you intend to do that?"
"...We''re still considering our options."
"Of course. I''ll admit though, I do respect your stance, though I doubt your results. Allow me to make a proposal, then. You may attempt to gain your way back into the dungeon''s good graces. If you fail, however, would you enter into good-faith negotiations with us concerning the claim for these lands?"
Arlon looks at his cousins, but ultimately the decision rests on him. "...I suppose if we fail to appease the dungeon, we risk failure outright, and perhaps a negotiated settlement would be preferable. Is there a timeline on your offer? As I said, we were still discussing our next move."
Silva gives him a comforting smile, although the slight glow of her right eye gives her expression a rather otherworldly effect. "Not a precise timeline, no. However, we are planning to return to the dungeon ourselves quite soon, to see if we can clear Floor Seven ourselves. If we succeed, you understand our position will strengthen."
"I imagine it would. Still, we will need a few days, I think. Either way, I do wish you luck with your future attempts, Lady Silva."
"And we you. Until next time, Lord Perlin."
After the sisters make their exits, Raylin sighs and turns to his cousins. "...Okay. As if we didn''t have enough motivation, now we have additional political pressure on our backs. Do you have any bright ideas?"
He looks to Arlon...who then looks to Sansie. With a sigh and then a scoff of her own, Sansie smirks. "Ah, you hopeless boys. Okay, let me see what I can think of..."
Chapter 194: Put to the Test
That afternoon, a small crowd had formed in the stands next to the Association''s training yard. A very small crowd, consisting of Mother Elance, Priestess Lilly, and Laeniel the Accountant, to be precise. They were all huddled up in their winter clothing and for the most part not looking particularly excited to be out there, although Laeniel does maintain her smile as she cheers on her husband. "Courage and valor, Parker! Beat up the girl! Throw her into the slush!"
Sable and Parker both attempt to hide slight smirks at the elf''s cheerleading, and the Paladin takes an extra moment to study the man standing across from her. The Headsman was a heavy armor user like herself, but the differences between their equipment were stark. The Church of Bounty contributed a significant amount towards Sable''s gear, and anything the Church didn''t provide, Sable was more than wealthy enough to cover herself, not to mention adding in the occasional bit of dungeon loot. Parker meanwhile was perhaps a bit closer to the average Challenger in terms of gear, or even a little below average. His armor didn''t gleam, it didn''t all exactly fit a single fashion design, and some of it bore marks that were probably there long before he acquired the item for himself. He wore it well though, moving comfortably even in the chilly weather, and Sable has few doubts that the man had probably spent as much time in it as she had in her own.
There is one thing that''s slightly confusing her, however. "So, just to confirm something for me real quick, Parker. Your Challenger class is Headsman, right?"
The bearded man gives her a quick nod. "That''s correct, Paladin. I assume you got my paperwork from the Association to confirm my statements?"
"I did, yeah. But it''s an axe-wielding class, right?"
"That would be correct."
Sable nods a little slowly. "So...where''s your axe?"
As if he''d been waiting for that question, the man finally grins. "Well, as this is just a spar, my usual weapon wouldn''t be quite appropriate. Even if I were to pad the blade, it''s quite heavy, and the impact alone could be quite dangerous."
The Paladin swings her own wooden sword in response. "Right, right, but are you going to go grab a training weapon, or what?"
"Unfortunately, none of the training weapons quite suit my fighting style. Fortunately, that''s not exactly an issue for me. I just wanted an excuse to provide something of a demonstration."
Sable raises an eyebrow. "A demonstration of...?"
Without another word, Parker reaches out a hand towards the nearest rack full of wooden training weapons. There''s swords, spears, shields, and even an axe or two, if apparently not of the sort the man prefers to use. All of them begin to shake, rattled by an unseen force, and after a few moments - they splinter. Shards of wood fly through the air, with a former spear haft landing in Parker''s grip. Piece after piece of wood then continues to embed themselves into the top of the haft, fusing together as they do so. After about five, perhaps ten seconds, a smooth ''blade'' has been formed with only the discolorations in the wood showing that they were once taken from separate sources. It''s not small, either, with the slightly curved blade being perhaps a foot and a half long from toe to heel, and the head being a foot or more deep.
At the sight of it, Sable''s other eyebrow joins the first. "That...was way more magic than I was expecting from a melee class. What sort of trick is that, exactly?"
Parker begins to swing the new weapon a little before he answers, testing its balance. "It''s a common Master-level skill for classes closely tied to the use of a single specific weapon, something I''ve learned recently. Spearmasters, Master Swordsmen, and so on, usually learn spells to ensure that they''re never left entirely disarmed of their key piece of equipment. I can do the same from stone, lower qualities of metal...even glass, if there''s enough of it. Or more materials, if I get more practice and can expend more mana on the spell."
Elance harrumphs from the sidelines. "Very fancy an'' all, but we''re not covering the Association''s bill for all those weapons you just broke!"
Laeniel turns her smile on the dwarf sitting next to her. "That''s alright, we''re fully prepared to invest our savings into this venture if need be. And my husband does like to show off from time to time, even if he often denies it."
The man in question shrugs. "Seemed like a relevant part of my skills to display. That said, are you ready to get to it, Paladin?"
"Oh yeah. Show me what you got!" Sable raises both her shield and sword, but stays on the defense as she waits to see how Parker reacts. She''s not terribly familiar with axe-wielders, given that Paladin classes almost always go for the typical shield-and-sword setup, but she does know that they tend to be rather offensive in nature. They are, of course, also a melee class, so the man will need to close the distance if he wishes to strike her.
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So it is that Sable is rather surprised when Parker swings his wooden weapon and an arc of golden light flies from the blade, directly in her direction. She quickly ducks behind her shield and it holds fairly easily, but it does ring as if the weapon itself had struck it. "Okay, now what!? I''m starting to think you''re just a wizard with an axe-shaped staff or something!"
Parker laughs at her description as he begins to circle her. "Have you sparred with many Master-class Challengers, Paladin? I''ll admit, I hadn''t run into many myself before I took up the training program."
The woman shakes her helmet-covered head. "Not a lot, no. The Church of Bounty''s not really a martial church, we''ve only got a couple Master and Supreme-level Paladins in the entire organization. And most of those are basically retired from combat work. Why?"
"I suppose you''ll see yourself if you ever class up, but there''s limits to how much you can grow just from exercise and combat training!" With that said he does finally step forward and take a swing at the Paladin''s legs, though she hops backwards to stay out of range easily enough. "Of course, everyone''s got the usual spells and enchanted items to improve their strength and speed. Wouldn''t be able to use a weapon this ridiculous without it. But even that has - limits!" He swings again, an overhead blow, which Sable deflects with her shield rather than blocking entirely.
"So are you saying every class eventually evolves into being Mages? Not sure I''ve really noticed that. Some tricks here and there, sure..."
"I''m no Mage, my wife would probably have a better head for that business than I. But as I understand it, Mages attempt to learn the underlying rules of our world, whether it''s in breadth or a specific element. But weapon masters? We attempt to represent the very concept of our art. I don''t just wield an axe anymore - I Am The Axe; Head, Belly, and Knob." Parker''s words aren''t just a statement, but a spell, and as he lifts his weapon high a magical axe three times his own height forms above him. As he drops his own axe, so falls the mystical construct, and this time Sable has to roll out of the way entirely to keep from being smashed. The spell fades quickly, but as Sable looks back she spots a deep furrow carved into the cold mud of the training yard.
"...Okay, enough of letting you show off." Deciding that it''s time for her to see how Parker handles on the defensive, Sable charges in for an assault of her own. While she has a number of abilities allowing her to boost her own physical strength, she holds off on them for now, testing to see how he does against basic swordplay. Knowing that swords have the advantage in a very close melee she gets up almost into the man''s face, but to her surprise he doesn''t back away. The Paladin stabs forward once, then swings towards his chest, and at each attack Parker does some of the most economical dodging she''s ever seen. Her stab misses his side by a hair, and her swing does actually scrape against his chest plate - but so lightly that even in a spar she''d be hard-pressed to call it a proper hit.
"I''d say you''re reacting slow, but somehow that doesn''t feel right. You like cutting it close?"
"Close only counts in yardball and fireballs, Paladin - when facing a blade, any miss is as good as a mile. Besides, I''m hardly disarmed at this range - as you''ll see!" Sable is expecting the man to try and swing at her with the head of his weapon, but instead he goes at her with his knob. With a quick thrust the bottom of his long-handled axe is placed under her shield and between her legs, and with a quick twist the Headsman manages to catch her behind the knee. With surprising force he lifts her leg into the air, and when coupled with a shoulder-check against her shield the Paladin finds herself slammed onto her back before she realizes what''s happened.
She''s hardly out of the fight though, and quickly rolls aside before her opponent has a chance to finish her off. Unfortunately, when she does climb back to her feet she realizes that she now is at the ideal range for an axe-wielder, and before she has time to dodge the wooden axe again slams into the back of her leg, this time using the heavy wooden head. Again, she finds herself collapsing into the training yard''s cold mud, and this time she has to lay there for a moment and groan. "Ugh. You are a lot faster with that thing than I''d expect."
Parker smirks as he offers her a hand to help her rise to her feet. "Well, as I said, it''s magical boosts that got me this far - I hardly used such a large weapon in my Advanced days! Besides, that confusion you''re feeling is one of my best weapons - a lot of monsters underestimate my speed, as has the occasional unwary bandit."
Sable frowns as she examines the Challenger''s weapon. The magically-assembled tool is already showing serious signs of wear from the handful of impacts its taken so far, and she has doubts that it would last for a second spar. But rather than his current weapon, it''s the man''s ideal equipment that the Paladin is pondering. "Your normal day-to-day axe...anything special? Enchanted?"
Parker gives a half-nod. "Slightly - a bit of durability and lightness. Honestly, the enchantments are perhaps only Advanced-tier, though the weapon itself is sized for an Expert or Master''s use. Never had the funds for anything particularly fancy, though. Does my equipment matter for my application? I''d assume the dungeon doesn''t care."
The Paladin shakes her head. "That''s actually what I''m thinking about - I''m imagining what it''d be like to go against you as a dungeon boss. I''m assuming you''d be a Floor Seven boss or maybe even lower, so I doubt she''d hold back on your gear. If you had a monster''s strength, and then some sort of seriously magical axe to go with it...well, you might only be a level thirty Master, but with her gear I bet you''d be able to handle most other Masters you''d come across."
The Headsman grins at her assessment. "I do like the sound of that. So if you''re considering my future in the dungeon, does that mean I''ve passed the Church''s combat capabilities test?"
Sable gives a half-nod of her own. "Honestly, I can''t see anything I''d fail you for. I''m only an Expert myself, but even just being able to match me on the field would probably be good enough - I don''t think the dungeon''s putting that much emphasis on pre-existing skills. Especially since she''d like to recruit you for, y''know...other considerations. Still, I''d feel like I was slacking off if I passed you after just five minutes. Up for another round or two?"
The Headsman steps back and readies his weapon with a smile. "Whenever you''re ready, Paladin."
Chapter 195: Run-Ins in the Inn
It was barely past breakfast, and as usual the dungeon''s public inn was largely populated only by the handful of mercenary Challengers who had made the place their semi-permanent base of operations. It always tended to be quiet in the morning, with things not usually getting very excited until after a team had finished a run of the first floor or two and come back to show off their latest loot. The half-dozing Challengers are rather disturbed then by the sound of a woman shouting the moment she steps through the entrance portal. Although, once they see how large she is, their complaints quickly die on their lips.
"Hey! Is Zappy here? I heard Zappy works here? Or sometimes outside, but the door said she was working inside today!"
A rabbit-waiter winces slightly at the volume of the earth elemental''s voice, but he quickly replaces it with a smile. "Ah, she''s acquired another fan, has she? She mostly prefers to work in the evenings - I don''t believe we have any guests in the Lounge right now at all - but she may be there doing one of her early-morning practice routines."
"Ah, the Lounge? Okay! Which way is that?" Before she can go looking for it however, a tired-looking drider takes hold of her elbow.
"Roxxy, take it easy! You''ve heard about the Fiver''s Lounge, yes? And the key part of the name - ''Fiver''? As in, ''people who has properly worked their way through the first four floors''? Which does not include us as of yet?"
"But we''re not customers, Grizza, we''re just here to talk to her! So it should be fine, right?"
The waiter raises a hand as he moves to intercept her path to the portal rings. "I''m afraid your friend is correct - no entry to those who haven''t defeated Floor Four. But if you just wish to talk, perhaps that can be arranged. Are you friends of hers?"
"Not friends, no, but Roxxy is..." Grizza trails off as he looks at his companion and tries to sort out his answer. "...her...cousin?"
"Ah, must be on the earth side of the family, huh? Well, please, feel free to take a seat and I''ll go let her know you''re waiting, okay?"
Grizza gives the man a nod before leading the overeager elemental to a table, and is relieved to find that some of them do have reinforced chairs available for her, perhaps designed for minotaur guests. As veterans of Floor Two he finds that the menu options waiting for them aren''t the most appealing, but he does get himself a mug of water and a few breakfast biscuits to nibble on while they wait. After ten minutes or so their target steps on through, slightly crackling with energy and already dressed in her rabbit-costume uniform. She spots Roxxy immediately, and comes over with a smile forming on her sculpted face.
"Hey there, they said you were a cousin of mine? I don''t know if I have any cousins, but I don''t know that I don''t either, so I guess you could be! I''m Zappy!"
Still feeling a little excited, Roxxy stands up to greet her. "Hi! I''m Roxxy! I don''t think I have any cousins either, but I was born here! Or lower down, you know, in the old dungeon?"
"Oh, cool!" Zappy slides herself into a seat, and after feeling a little embarrassed about being the only one standing, Roxxy sits back down as well. "I don''t think we''ve met, though? And I''m pretty sure I know everyone...oh, wait, I think I heard they did find a couple new guys after I went north for a bit."
Grizza shakes his head. "As I understand it, Roxxy here is older, actually - my companion and I found her before your own...awakening? We did, ah, ''encounter'' some others on a return visit, but it appears we didn''t run into each other at the time. I have to say though, you are indeed a magnetic elemental? You''re really quite fascinating, I''m not sure I''ve even heard of anyone like you before."
"Ah, thanks, but you should know I''ve already got a girlfriend!" Zappy pauses before glancing off to the side. "...Except you''re a boy. And I don''t have a boyfriend. Am I supposed to have a boyfriend and a girlfriend? I''m still kind of new to the dating thing, you know? I might need to check with Tinsel, she might already have a boyfriend I''m supposed to use."
"I...uh." The Mage''s jaw works up and down a few times as he attempts to catch up with her line of logic. "...I mean, you certainly could if you wished, but - I apologize, I did not mean to come off as if I were flirting with you."
"Oh, okay! So how should you come off, then?"
Roxxy steps in, saving the floundering drider. "We''re here for me! I mean, you! But not in a me-dating-you kind of way. I wanna ask you stuff! You said there''s more of us here? Elementals, that is?"
Zappy nods. "Oh, yeah! Like, I dunno, two dozen or so? Some earths, and there were some fires, but Lord Sincere turned them into magmas. Also, Lord Sincere says we''re not supposed to call him Lord Sincere, but he kind of smiles when we do it so I like to do it anyhow, at least while he''s watching me. I get paid in smiles, you know! How about you? Do you dance or any work like that?"
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
"...I''ve smashed a few giant rats, and I got paid in pieces of metal. I gave them to Grizza, though. How many pieces of metal is a smile worth?"
"From the tips a few of the Challengers have tried to give me, a lot, apparently!"
"Hrmm...I don''t think I could afford to pay you any smiles, then. But the community you were talking about - they''re just hanging around in the old dungeon? Is it still all, you know. Full of nothing?"
"Nothing and more nothing! Do you wanna see it? I haven''t actually been down there myself in months, but I know they do visit sometimes, so there''s probably a path somewhere through the dungeon. All the way down at the bottom, probably."
Grizza''s had a little trouble keeping up with the rather rapid-fire dialogue between the two elementals, but at the sound of that last statement he gives a grimace. "That was how we got down there before, but that was when the dungeon only had one or two floors...and I think we''re only classified as having cleared Floor Two on a technicality, given how we sort of stumbled our way into the core chamber that one time. And even if we can clear our way through...seven floors? I wouldn''t wish to anger the dungeon again by trying to dig through her core chamber. There must be some way we could arrange...if not travel, perhaps a meeting?"
Zappy turns to face him. "Probably! I don''t think any of them have ever come up to the inn, so that could be a fun tour! What do you want to talk about, though?"
Grizza begins to answer before turning back towards Roxxy. "I have to ask, what do you wish to talk with them about? Is it just a matter of...catching up with the ''family'', or some such?"
Roxxy shakes her head. "Well, I was hoping maybe they''d found something fun down there, but it sounds like it''s still super boring. On the other hand, I think they could help solve your problem!"
"...Which problem is that, exactly?"
"Well, Challenging''s been a bit of fun so far, even if I''m not officially a Challenger and all we did was those training missions a few weeks ago. And if they''re not doing anything anyways - why not start a team of elementals?"
The man''s first instinct is to call that a ridiculous idea, but reconsiders his response before he voices it. "That...could actually be a good idea. They say an elemental is supposed to be equivalent to an Advanced or even Expert-class Challenger, if I recall correctly. What do you think, Zappy?"
"I think that sounds like a lot of fun! Not for me, though. I don''t want to die!"
"...Thanks for the vote of confidence."
A few hours later, as it gets into the late lunch period - or the very, extremely late breakfast period - four more inn guests arrive, exiting from one of the room portals. Once they''ve all come through, Tolla picks up on an interrupted conversation. "I mean, it ain''t like I''ve never done the rope thing before, you know! But yours were so, y''know...fancy! Where''d you learn how to do all that?"
Taly grins as she and the Dungeon Fuckers find themselves a table. "A lot of practice I did helping out my sister over the years. She''s a Divine Masochist, yeah? Works for the Association inspection team here in Grassbrook actually, you might have run into her."
Renriel finds himself a little intrigued by part of that statement. "Your...sister, you say? You two are...ah, very close?"
The banshee rolls her eyes. "Not like that! Not really, anyways. I mean, yeah, we''ve shared a few guys over the years, but when it''s just the two of us, it''s strictly job-related, you know?"
Nallond nods along. "I like that you''re that comfortable with your skillset, in any case. Is it something you''ve had the opportunity to practice much now that you''ve, ah...had a change in career?"
Taly smirks again. "More than ever, actually. And you guys know about Sable and Lilly''s visits up here, right? They''re not exactly coming to check out the architecture, heheh. I will say that you''re some of the first ones that will get to test out that bonus boss loot thing though, since those two don''t really run the dungeon floors these days."
The Shield Smasher raises an eyebrow. "Test? You don''t know how your own dungeon works?"
"You''d be surprised. We have had one guy do it apparently, so you don''t get a complete first-time record on that, sad to say...but the bonus loot he got for it seemed to be geared towards him specifically. We''re not sure what will happen if everyone on a team''s been, you know...''sexually impacted''. If three of you might mean three times the bonus, or something like that."
Tolla''s eyes grow wide. "A chance for three bonus prizes off one boss? How are more people not doing this already!?"
As she eyes some of the other Challengers sitting around the room, Taly gives an awkward chuckle. "Well, I guess we haven''t been advertising it all that much...also, while a few of us are a pretty open-minded bunch, I don''t know how many of the bosses would be up for a full-on Challenger gangbang! ...Probably Lollyp." Her eyes narrow in thought. "Maybe Trush, if it was a Challenger team full of bottoms?"
"We do need to meet up with that rabbit-man of yours sometime...well, sometime when he''s not tryin'' to kill us, and all that."
"I''ll let him know you were thinking of him. So...you three gonna try out Floor Seven today? Join the ranks of the teams to clear the current dungeon layout?"
The trio share a look but Nallond shakes his head. "We''d definitely need some reliable support for that, and there''s not many Expert mercenaries available right now, we''ll probably have to schedule something. But more than that, I think I''d like to collect our bonus loot first and have that on hand for the final floor."
Renriel nods in agreement. "Aye. Perhaps another run of Floor Four, then? I really do admire the forest design, it''s quite something."
As food begins to arrive at the table, Taly decides it''s time for her to make her exit, and stands up from her seat. "Well, good luck on your next run. And thanks again for last night - was nice knowing you didn''t have any grudges after having ourselves a match down on Floor Six the other day."
Tolla waves off the concern. "Pfft, who''d have a grudge against a dungeon guardian for doing her job?"
As Taly turns around, she nearly literally runs into the answer to that question. Approaching the table next to theirs is a group of Challengers including two half-elves...one of whom is sporting a clearly artificial eye. As they catch sight of Taly, the banshee swallows, especially as she notices the glare on the expression of the silver-haired sister. "Well...looks like we might be about to find out..."
Chapter 196: Eye to Eye
While Taly searches for the proper greeting for this particular situation, Gilda as usual is the first to speak up. "Banshee Queen. Prowling about the inn for your next prey, are you? Not satisfied with waiting for the Challengers to come to you?"
Always an expert at reading the room and then completely ignoring what she finds, Tolla answers instead. "Oh, she was satisfied with having some Challengers coming to her last night, alright! Defeated us pretty good, too, but we''re done now if you wanna take your shot."
"Tolla!" Taly snaps a little at the dwarf, deciding that perhaps there''s some occasions where it''d be better if the Shield Smasher gave her mouth a rest. "Please, ignore her. Ladies Highbranch, as you know Floor Five is neutral, and peaceful, ground. I mean no ill will to anyone here...and while I understand if you might have a grudge against me, this is not exactly the ideal place to have it out. If you want to swing by Floor Six again, that''s fine, but I hope you don''t take the results of our last match personally."
"Don''t take it personally!? You - " This time it''s Gilda''s turn to be interrupted, as Silva speaks up for herself.
"Sister, please! I''m glad that you feel inclined to stand up on my behalf, but this is entirely unnecessary. The guardian was doing her duty, and besides - we cleared Floor Six in that fight, did we not? Repeating it for a grudge match would be entirely counterproductive."
The Rogue nods her head at the blonde half-elf. "I''m glad to see there''s no ill-will on your part, at least. Would...it be insensitive of me to ask how you''re doing? I''m a little surprised to see you back at it so soon, and your prosthetic seems rather unusual?"
Despite her sister''s words, Gilda can only restrain her frustrations so far. "Really? You take her eye and then ask how she feels about it?" Taly''s response is a raised eyebrow.
"Would it help if I pointed out that I was aiming for your neck? Also, I did take a couple of ridiculously-sized blades through my chest in that fight, thanks to your bodyguard there. Even as a monster, that''s not exactly painless, you know."
"Gilda!" This time Silva turns to glare at her sister, and it''s hard to say whether it''s the look in her organic eye or the magical light in her replacement one which makes Gilda wince harder. After focusing on her for a few moments to ensure that she doesn''t have any further comments, Silva turns once again towards Taly. "I''m doing quite well, considering, thank you. I may still get some proper healing done at some point in the future...but then again, perhaps not. To be honest, my prosthetic is rather growing on me."
"Oh?" Taly studies what she can see of the new eye, noticing that there''s a few rune markings on it which are just barely visible...but it''s not remotely a field she has any expertise in, and so it''s more or less meaningless to her. "Is there more to it than just normal vision? I''m assuming you can see from it, at least?"
A slight smile graces the half-elf''s lips. "Now that would be telling. I do have some basic vision, yes, but this was something of an experiment the two of us put together. It restores my depth perception, and at least now I can tell if someone''s standing to my right. But more than that...well, you''ll understand if we don''t show you all our cards."
"Yeah, that''s entirely fair." A moment of silence turns into another, and Taly decides if she stands here any longer, the conversation could begin to get truly awkward. "Well, right, I was just about to get back to work, gotta be ready if anyone tries the floor this afternoon. Good luck on your next run - or, well, you know what I mean."
She begins to walk past the House Highbranch team, and receives a nod from Silva as she does so. As she passes Gilda however, the woman stops her and asks a quiet question. "Hold a moment. You can leave this dungeon, yes? There''s stories of you wandering around the town from time to time."
"...I don''t like to make a big deal of it, but yeah. Within restrictions. Why?"
Gilda narrows her eyes as she stares into Taly''s. "Right now, securing our reputation by clearing this dungeon is our highest priority. But once our claim is made, I would wish to have a duel with you, Banshee Queen. Outside - no dungeon tricks, no traps."
The banshee has a hard time not laughing at that. "You know that even if you kill me outside the dungeon, it won''t, you know, kill me, right? And I''d say that I''d rather not fight an expectant mother, but...well, if you want to keep Challenging then I suppose that part''s on you, at least."
"It need not be to the death. But I will see you humiliated."
Try as she might to summon up a stronger response, the best Taly can find is a shrug. "Alright, well, I''m always up for a good fight. Just let me know the time and place." With that said she continues on her way out of the inn, and vanishes through a portal ring moments later. Once she''s gone, Silva turns towards her sister yet again with a sigh.
"Really! You don''t always have to make everything so dramatic all the time, you realize? And if I were bothered enough by the wound, I''m still capable enough of fighting for my own honor."
Gilda''s expression softens slightly as she meets her sister''s gaze once again. "I know, I know. If she were just a monster, I don''t believe it would bother me so much. But if we''re going to be sharing this inn, having drinks a few tables away from each other...I want to have at least taken her measure. To know where we stand in a contest of even skill. Do you understand?"
Silva smiles, but it''s thin-lipped. "...Not really, no. But when the time comes, you''ll have my support of course. ...So! Shall we go see what this Floor Seven is all about, then?"
"Yes, let''s."
Compared to most of the other parties who had attempted Floor Seven, the House Highbranch expedition had a rather difficult time dealing with the minor fae monsters of the floor''s early chambers. Certainly the team had a strong enough defense to avoid taking any serious injuries from the low-tier monsters, but their offense was fairly low in magical terms, making it difficult for them to deal with the elemental creatures they faced. Gilda was constantly needing to re-apply elemental runes to her blade to add additional effects to her attacks, and although Sweet''s Bloodletter skills had allowed her to somehow make even skeletons and slimes bleed on earlier floors, doing the same to creatures of flame seemed to be beyond her limits.
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They did eventually make it to the main chamber, however, and once there the team moved with far more confidence. Sweet was actually able to manage the leap from the ground and into the branches of the upside-down crystalline trees, and from there she was able to stalk and slay quite a few of the fae archers before they became a danger. When the party reached a larger group of archers, firing at them with crystal-tipped arrows, a single ring from Gilda''s enchanted bell was able to disorient them sufficiently enough that half a dozen fell, immediately killing several in the process. It did mean that the artifact was drained when the next ambush came, but the group had another plan in mind for that one.
Huddling up behind one of the rocky outcrops dotting the floor, Silva refreshes the group on their roles. "I recognize this section - according to the divination I did at the start of the room, the man will strike once we move not much further from here. Randall, do you believe you can disable his archers? Once their initial volley fails, we should be able to make our challenge."
The half-elf gives a cocky grin as he nods. "Aye, I''ll go first - I''ve got something that can handle arrows alright."
Gilda looks around at the group. "Who will issue the challenge, then? Does it matter? You didn''t specify earlier. If not, then I''ll take that role."
"Don''t be silly, Gilda!" Kalin, her Noble Duelist cousin, chides the Enchantress. "This is exactly the sort of situation you brought me along for - don''t let your pride make you foolish. Besides, you''ve already issued one challenge today, at least spread the fun around a little, hrmm?"
Gilda looks towards her sister, but Silva has to apologize to them both. "Ah, did I not mention? Apologies. I''ll be the one to challenge the guardian to a duel."
The Enchantress gasps. "What? Silva, don''t take this the wrong way, but...you may be the worst duelist on this party. I have not seen Randall engage, but I have seen you. Please tell me this isn''t going to lead to us replacing another of your organs afterwards!"
"No worries, sister. I have a good feeling about this one. Now, Randall, whenever you''re ready."
"As you say, my lady. I''ll trust you know what you''re doing." With that said the rogue steps out from behind the rock and into the clearing ahead, muttering a spell and making signs with one hand behind his back as he goes. "No Big Problems, Only Little Ones..."
Ten feet later, the sound rings out of two bowstrings firing their ammunition at the man. Calmly looking down at his chest, Randall lifts a hand towards the two arrows protruding from his armor...and brushes off the toothpick-sized pieces of wood from the tiny indentations they had made in the leather. When he looks back up Trush stands on the opposite side of the clearing, his two spearmen squires leaping down from the tree branches after him. While the Wandering Boss seems a little put out, he can''t help smirking.
"Really can''t get a handle on you, you know? Mind telling me what your class is, noble?"
"I''m afraid I''m but a low-born freelancer, sir, and not a fancy Knight like yourself. As for my class..." Randall''s grin turns just a hint evil. "I am a Problem Solver."
That response manages to strike Trush silent for more than a moment. "...You''re joking, right? I''ve been a Challenger for years and I''ve never heard of such a thing."
"It''s an Esoteric, if you''re familiar with the term." Trush does recognize that, going by the widening of his eyes, but Randall continues before he can ask any follow-ups. "However, I am not the one who wished to speak with you. My lady?"
Hearing her cue, Silva steps out into the clearing. "Good day, Trush Sharptongue. I wish to challenge you to a duel for the right to proceed on to the boss arena, without further harassment from your squad or the fae."
"Aye? And why would I accept?"
Silva smirks at the Rabbit Champion. "If you win - and don''t immediately slay me in the process - I''ll tell you your future."
Trush harrumphs. "Not sure I need any such telling - but I do enjoy the opportunity to duel a Rainlands noble, rare as they are. Very well - with the understanding that I may still slay you after your divination. This shall be a match to the death, after all!"
The half-elf gives a slight bow before raising her sword and shield. "Agreed."
"Very well, then!" Trush raises his own weapons, and waits only long enough for Randall to clear the field. Knowing that speed and reaction time are on his side he immediately rushes forward, sliding somewhat to Silva''s right to flank her in her slightly-blind spot. Indeed, the woman is slow to adjust her defense, far too slow, and as Trush charges in he has time to look into Silva''s eyes as he moves in for the kill.
Which, as it turns out, is a serious mistake. As his gaze meets Silva''s prosthetic vision, a yellow light flashes before him. It lasts for only a fraction of a second, but when it''s gone, he sees that Silva is now standing a foot to the left compared to where she was a moment before. No - she''s where she was, but her shield and sword have swapped arms, making it easier for her to block his blow. Wait - that gnoll bodyguard of theirs, Sweet, has suddenly leapt into the fray!?
Trush attempts to dodge or pull back, but somehow that only seems to make things worse. He attempts to dodge to the right, yet at the same time he feels himself dodging left. No, he''s...leapt backwards? A nauseous feeling of having somehow moved in a dozen different directions at once takes hold of the man, and that feeling of disorientation manages to impact most of the simultaneous movements he appears to be making. All across the arena he''s stumbling, tripping - in one case managing to completely fall out of one of the crystal trees and to the rocky floor.
He tries to rise and return to his feet, but that''s a little difficult to do when he''s already on his feet and moving around. He has to guard - no, recover - he has to do something about the seven different Silvas, one Sweet, and two Gildas he sees running in his direction. He swings his sword at one, but to his horror he does so with the wrong right arm, his blade hitting nothing but air. He blocks with his shield, yet his shield doesn''t move at all as a blade plunges into his gut. Or did it strike his heart? No, his right arm is gone - three of his right arms, now.
All told the confusion lasts no more than ten seconds, but when his vision finally clears Trush finds himself lying on the stone, disarmed in a literal sense of both his right and left limbs, and bleeding from a serious chest wound as well. It''s only thanks to his constitution as a dungeon boss that he''s even able to gasp out a question to the now-singular Silva he sees standing over him. "What? Ill...illusions?"
"Not illusions, Sharptongue. Possibilities. The world as I see it, at times - but quite difficult to handle with the untrained mind, I think you''d agree. So, I believe I''ve won this round, hrmm? ...Ah, I believe he''s expired." She looks up at the rabbit squires standing opposite of her, each of them looking dumbstruck at the speed with which their Champion was taken apart. "You will honor his terms?"
A spear-wielding woman finds her tongue first. "...Aye, we will. You''ll still need to clear the floor boss itself to proceed, but we''ll not harry you any further."
"Excellent!" Silva looks back towards the rest of her team, who are now moving to catch up with her. "I''d say that was an excellent first test, wouldn''t you say, sister?"
For her part Gilda is no less shocked than the squires. "That - you said the primary enchantment we placed on that eye was a beneficial spell! You''ve never won a duel that quickly in your life!"
"I didn''t spend all those months in divination lessons for nothing, now did I? It''s only a benefit to those who know what to do with what it provides. Now, shall we slay ourselves some slimes?" Silva turns to head on towards the boss arena, but does stop to make one last comment. "Oh, and by the way - blue, green, and orange."
"Whatever you say, sister."
Chapter 197: Counters
With Silva''s forewarning, the House Highbranch party was able to take apart the mana slime bosses with only a little more effort than they had spent on Trush''s ambush, and so twenty minutes later the five members of the expedition find themselves standing in Worthy Dungeon''s core chamber. While Kalin and Randall are both rather taken by the current incarnation of the room''s design, the twin sisters for their part keep their focus on the demon guarding the central pillar. As usual, Gilda is the first to speak up.
"Hail, Core Guardian Sincere. We swear that we mean no harm to your dungeon''s core - do you recognize our victory?"
Sincere gives the pair a nod. "Indeed we do. Your display with Trush was particularly impressive, I might add. I understand if you won''t be explaining how exactly you did it, but I''ll certainly be looking forward to attempting to figure it out after you leave."
Silva bows slightly at the compliment. "Feel free - I had fun myself, crafting that particular enchantment with Gilda''s help. By the way, might I ask how many other parties have cleared Floor Seven so far? Just to confirm."
The Guardian smirks, knowing what she''s getting at. "Yours would be the third, Lady Highbranch."
Gilda''s smirk mirrors his own. "That would be the Valleylanders and the fury demon''s party, yes? House Perlin has not made the list?"
"I''m sure some rumors have gotten around, but if you''re hoping for clarification, I''m afraid we consider the details to be an internal matter. But yes, as far as the dungeon is concerned their clear of the floor is only, shall we say...partial credit."
"I see. While it is a shame we couldn''t have been the first overall, I think we can accept at least being the first noble representatives. That said, I would like to open official negotiations between your master and our house - preliminary ones, at least."
Not exactly expecting this turn of events, Sincere raises an eyebrow at the silver-haired half-elf. "Would you? I suppose I have some idea of what this is about...the dungeon currently has no strong interest in negotiations, but we''re willing to hear your proposal, at least."
The Enchantress gives him a nod. "Thank you. We would like Worthy Dungeon''s official blessing for House Highbranch to claim rule over these lands. We are willing to offer benefits in exchange, provided of course that they do not violate previous standing agreements, like the Challengers Association''s anti-feeding regulations."
Sincere gets a rather distracted look on his face before he answers, as if he''s attempting to remember a distant memory. "I have to say, this feels rather unorthodox. Your competitors offered no such arrangement, and to the best of my knowledge...I''m not sure I''m aware of any official agreements between Rainlander houses and the dungeons within the lands they administrate. Not that I am exactly in the loop of noble politics, but still. Of course the Domain has its arrangements, but that''s a rather different matter."
Silva speaks up to answer that question. "You''re correct, but then, Worthy Dungeon as a whole is rather ''unorthodox'', wouldn''t you agree? The inn, your bosses occasionally making trips to the town - and without having killed a single person while they''re there, unless you''ve been very quiet about it, hehe. Older, more mature dungeons may be more communicative, but by time that happens their territory has already been firmly established for generations. I don''t think there''s ever been an unadministered dungeon which could have taken part in negotiations before."
"I suppose you do have a point there. So, tell me, just what would you have in mind to offer a dungeon?"
Gilda resumes her semi-prepared statement. "For starters, we are aware of your dungeon''s close relationship with Kahlia and the Church of Bounty. We would like to begin by offering a large donation to the Church, which we are aware they are currently seeking in order to fund a larger base of operations in the local town. We would also be willing to offer House Highbranch''s assistance in finding...''applicants'' for your reincarnated bosses."
Rather than smiling, Sincere answers that proposal with narrowed eyes. "Interesting - but please understand. We went to the Church of Bounty for their assistance in limiting the number of applicants we might get for that particular process. We don''t necessarily want more such individuals making their way here."
"I don''t mean more, Core Guardian - I mean better. As things stand now, your offer mostly appeals to the desperate, those with little to lose. The overlap of that demographic with those whom have the skills you need? Rather small, wouldn''t you say? Meanwhile, House Highbranch has contacts with many of the most skilled Challengers in the land. With the assistance of our house, you might find it far easier to recruit such champions to your staff. I speak not just of Masters, but even potentially Supreme-rank Challengers, in time."
"You don''t mind if I ask how you would arrange such things, my lady?"
Gilda nods. "Certainly. For one, while we are aware your offer is limited to those without children, that does not mean many people do not have other family or friends they wish to see taken care of once they''re gone. Our house could certainly arrange that. Furthermore, many Challengers are, to be blunt, glory-seekers. While earning a rank as a dungeon''s immortal champion is certainly a kind of glory all of its own, House Highbranch could help carve their names in stone. Literally, with statues - or ballads, paintings...orphanages in their name, whatever appeals to their egos the most."
Sincere''s narrowed eyes remain. "And this wouldn''t be about inserting a representative of your own house into our ranks? No jealousy perhaps that House Perlin managed the feat first?"
The Enchantress can''t stop herself from snorting at that question. "Given the current relationship between your dungeon and her House? Whatever occurred, I''m almost glad she did join your ranks - not that I''m glad of any trouble she caused your master, of course."
"Of course." Sincere goes silent for a while, listening to an unheard voice by his side, before eventually resuming. "While the master of the dungeon appreciates your offer, she is not interested in ''glory hounds'' flocking to our door. Assistance in the name of Kahlia and her church does have some merit, however, and she''s not opposed to continuing negotiations in more detail at a later date. If you wish, you may speak to a representative on Floor Five the next time you come by, rather than making your way back down here."
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Gilda seems perhaps a little disappointed that they aren''t getting a more solid response right now, but Silva''s voice is cheerful enough as she gives the demon a smile. "We''re glad you''re open to the idea, at least! We''ll be back in a few days then, perhaps, to discuss things further?"
"We''ll be here. Until then, you''re welcome to take your final rewards, and you''re also welcome to revisit the inn after you exit - if you can refrain from challenging any more of our guardians to honor duels for the rest of the day, at least."
Silva shoots her sister a look as she nods. "We''ll do our best."
Once the party''s made their way through the exit portal with their final loot, Sincere turns back to Xenia with a question. "Are you really interested in opening negotiations with them? I was under the impression you were attempting to stay out of their little ''competition''."
The dungeon master shakes her head. "I don''t think it''s a good idea to stay out of it forever - someone''s gonna take over the territory eventually, they would even if we killed off every noble they sent in here. When that happens, I don''t want it to be someone who''s pissed off that we worked against them when they were fighting for the place. And at the same time, if the family that wins does owe us something, then that''s probably ideal."
"I suppose that''s true. Do you have anything in mind for when the next round of ''negotiations'' begins?"
"Not yet, but we should find some sort of way of getting House Perlin to make their own offer. Maybe the next time someone from the Church or Association swings by, we can have them take a message for us if they don''t come up here themselves in the next few days."
That statement manages to confuse the Mage more than a little. "Really? We''ve been sticking our thumb in their eye of late, what with their tarnished record and all. You''re still entertaining the option of assisting them in taking lordship of these lands?"
Xenia grins, baring more than a few teeth. "A negotiation ain''t a negotiation if there''s no competition, Sin-Man. Even if I was inclined to just throw behind House Highbranch right off - which I ain''t - having a counter-offer from House Perlin in our hands would be a major stick to beat them over the head with at the table."
"Ah, I suppose negotiations have never been exactly my strong suit, so I''ll defer to your wisdom. In the meanwhile, at least we can brainstorm some requests we''d like to make of them. Would you like to go over that topic now?"
Xenia only briefly considers it before responding with a negative. "...Mmm, nah. Gonna need some time to think on it myself, and besides, Trush just respawned. There''s a thing or two about that last fight I want to talk with him about..."
There''s a few benefits to being a Wandering Boss in a dungeon, compared to the more typical sort. While the bosses could indeed all ''wander'' about the dungeon if they wished to, Trush had the ability to fight at full strength on five different floors, unlike the others who would be notably weakened outside of their home arenas. Furthermore, unlike, say, Taly, who was forced to respawn back in her boss arena after a defeat, Trush had far more options for his revival point. As his eyes open once again, he finds himself staring at the increasingly-familiar look of the bedroom ceiling in his personal apartment. "Agh! At least dying took care of the headache..."
Although he takes a moment to rub his eyes, they quickly snap open again as a voice speaks up from his bedroom door. "So it felt as bad as it looked, huh?"
Sitting up, the Champion quickly recognizes his boss. "Ah, Worthy. Here to chew me out for my performance, are you? I suppose it must have looked rather disgraceful indeed."
Xenia snorts as she crosses her arms. "C''mon, I know you''d never give it less than your best in a deathmatch. I did want to find out what happened, though. That damn bell the lady''s sister uses is annoying enough, it''s going to suck if they''ve got two artifacts now that can disable most of our bosses."
The man has to nod at that. "It''s definitely not easy to deal with...although I doubt it would be as effective a second time, once you know what it''s like. For starters, I believe she required eye contact to activate the effect. I certainly won''t be doing that again should we have ourselves a rematch. For another, it wasn''t...inherently disorienting like that enchanted bell is. If I''d just been more careful - moved slower, focused more on defensive actions - I probably could have outlasted the effect. Especially now that I know it does seem to have a time limit."
"Good tips to pass around. What was it, though? Something about future-sight, given her class?"
Trush shakes his head. "Not the future, I don''t think - or not more than a second or two ahead if it was. But more like...alternate possibilities of how the fight could have gone? I think there was...part of me that was controlling my actual body, and then perhaps part of me that was controlling what my body could have done. The difference is subtle, but with some effort I could have probably kept my actual ass off of the ground."
The dungeon master frowns a little as she thinks it over. "Probably hard to do without having tried it at least once - but if it does only work well against someone once, that''s something at least. Wanted to ask you something else, though - what''s an Esoteric?"
The Knight actually shudders slightly at the term. "Not something you''d find often on this continent - I don''t know where they originally come from, even. But...let me put it like this. Normally if a Mage wants to create a defense against an incoming sword swing, they consider its physical attributes, yes? I''m no Mage, but my general understanding is that you might, say...create a barrier at a certain position, able to withstand a certain amount of force. Or if you have spells that affect metal, you might consider something that works based on the makeup of the sword''s blade. Or a kinetic or temporal Mage might consider its speed, yes?"
Xenia nods along. "All sounds like a lot of different ways to handle a sword, yeah. Esoterics do something different?"
"I''ve never met one before, mind you, and I''ve only heard it vaguely described. Perhaps Sincere would be a better source of information than myself. But as I understand it, Esoterics think of the world in very different ways, conceptual ways. An...Esoteric Swordmaster for example, if that''s the correct term, would consider the incoming blade and focus on its...sword-ness."
That description causes Xenia''s brow to furrow more than a little. "And that''s...different than its physical attributes?"
"As I understand it, yes. They might consider things like, I don''t know - its purpose, its history, the skill with which it''s wielded. They might then cause it to be...less of a sword for a time, allowing them to break or defeat it more easily. Sorry if I''m not explaining it well, I don''t know that I understand it that well."
"But what about this guy? He makes arrows less of an arrow, or something?"
"More than that, I believe." Trush frowns as he recalls his memory of the fight. "He called himself a ''Problem Solver''. Which means, I believe, that he sees the world in terms of ''problems'' and perhaps solutions. It didn''t matter what attack we attempted on him while he had that last spell active. If it came in the form of a problem, it would have simply transmuted into being...less of a problem."
At that statement, Xenia''s expression turns into a scowl. "Okay, and that sounds like a real problem to try and counter. Where''d those nobles find this guy?"
"I couldn''t tell you, but a man with skills like that, doing freelance work for the noble class?" Trush meets Xenia''s eyes, and gives her a rueful chuckle. "I''d bet you a chest of coins the man''s done his share of dirty deeds."
"Well...let''s try and see to it that he doesn''t do too many more of them down here..."
Chapter 198: Time to Think
Silence and quiet was a new experience for Deylia. Certainly, life in the ''leisure class'' of a noble came with quite a bit more downtime than it did for the working classes, with time to read, walk through the gardens, or come up with schemes for seducing other well-off nobles who were probably not cousins. That leisure time only came however thanks to the behind-the-scenes efforts of at least a dozen various servants - maids, gardeners, house spymasters, and so on. Deylia may have held a particularly high rank among the maids of Sansie''s household thanks to her close relationship with her mistress, but that didn''t excuse her from the work her duties required. So all in all, being left to her own devices for a long period of time was a fairly new development for the woman.
The first day Deylia was ''grounded'', supposedly for the purpose of getting to work on her meditation exercises, was not particularly productive. Although she attempted to display a calm surface appearance, knowing that Xenia could be watching her at literally any moment, inside her mind the trainee Priestess was wracked with grief. Grief that she had harmed House Perlin''s goals rather than aided them. Shame that she had abused Xenia''s trust, despite the opportunities the woman had granted her. Even fear, perhaps, that she could have inadvertently triggered events that would cause Kahlia to become wrathful with her, should she fail to uphold her efforts to become a high-ranking priestess of fertility.
She did at least manage to go through the motions of meditation, practicing the breathing exercises Xenia had taught her, but it was safe to say that she didn''t come anywhere close to forming any sort of divine connection her first day.
The second day - or the first full day of her punishment - was at least a little more stabilizing. Her emotions had had time to calm somewhat, and Xenia came by to lay down the precise details of her grounding. She was allowed two one-hour breaks a day, which she would be able to use to leave her apartment and visit the forest on Floor Four or the new shrine on Floor Five, provided she didn''t interact with any of the Challengers should they be in the area. Nor did she have many opportunities to interact with other members of the dungeon, aside from her two acolytes Fay and Lin. She was also provided with a bit of food and drink - not because she actually needed it, as a dungeon monster, but more because the act of eating was a hard habit for the reincarnated bosses to break after a lifetime of doing so several times a day. Having at least one meal a day had proved to be something of a relaxing experience for many of the dungeon''s guardians, and Deylia was still more than a little high-strung following the events of the previous day.
Her meditation progress was still fairly limited her second day.
The third day was when things began to fully settle into their new routine. It was quiet indeed, with her only contact being an hour spent with her acolytes, who to be honest had little to talk about beyond a few bits of gossip that had been going around the inn. It was that afternoon that Deylia actually began to feel herself ''entering the zone'' as Xenia had put it, the calm state of meditation taking her away from her worries, and causing her to briefly lose track of the flow of time around her. She perhaps only managed an hour or so of that state throughout the day, but the excitement of experiencing success did lift her mood quite a bit.
Day four was even more successful. Now that she knew what she was attempting to achieve, she found the meditative state easier to access, and was able to spend perhaps three hours or so during the day in a state of true calm. She still didn''t feel any divine connection with Kahlia, exactly - but she did begin to get the glimmers of there being...something beyond her mundane senses, something close yet hard to reach. That success excited her even further, but now that she needed to waste less time on failed attempts to meditate, Deylia did start to realize she had a new problem.
Deylia...had no hobbies.
Oh, certainly, she had skills. She knew how to mend, wash, and even create articles of clothing. She knew every possible way of serving tea. She knew how to gather herbs that could be used for either cooking, medicine, or both. But now that she was truly on her own, it occurred to Deylia that her pastimes were Sansie''s pastimes. Oh, her old mistress wasn''t a selfish woman - she''d often ask for Deylia''s input on what they ought to do on any given day when they had a bit of free time. But Deylia had almost always responded with whatever activity she thought Sansie would have enjoyed the most. Now that she was truly on her own - and confined to her room - she was starting to feel a bit at a loss when it came to figuring out what to do with the rest of her day.
It wasn''t even her punishment that was the problem, or at least not entirely. Xenia wanted to punish the woman, not torture her, and had offered Deylia the means of practicing various creative hobbies if she wished it. She could have wood if she wished to carve like Trush, or paper and ink if she wished to write like Sincere. She could even have limited access to the dungeon''s small library of books, if she asked for it. And she did ask for some of those items, if only to give them a try. She started on three different letters to Sansie or Raylin, before giving up on them halfway through. She did start on reading one of Sincere''s memoirs, but felt more inclined to spend the time editing his writing choices rather than actually enjoying the work.
Despite her growing boredom, on day six Deylia did experience a breakthrough. While meditating, she felt for the first time Kahlia''s divine presence in her mind. It felt much like her time in the Eternal Forest had - the warmth of the sun shining on her, the smell of flowers, the distant chirping of birds. She didn''t feel anything along the lines of direct communication, or a lesson in giving blessings, but she was close now, she could almost taste it.
On day seven, she gave up on writing editorial suggestions for Sincere and attempted to spend her afternoon masturbating. She stopped at the second round, when a giant stone eye suddenly carved itself into the ceiling above her bed. Deylia wasn''t sure if this was part of her punishment or if Xenia was simply pranking her, but the embarrassed Priestress quickly pulled her clothes back on and attempted to do another session of meditations instead, to mixed success. She did manage once again to feel Kahlia''s divine presence by the late evening, but by that point she was too mentally tired out by the long process to stay in it for long.
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On her eighth day, Deylia learned her first blessing. It was perhaps the most minor blessing granted to servants of Kahlia, a Lesser Blessing of Fertility. Its effectiveness was perhaps equivalent to an enchanted item crafted by an Initiate-class Enchanter, an improvement so small that such an item would be hard to distinguish from a charlatan''s good luck charm. Even so, it still marked a rather significant milestone for the Priestess, and when she announced her revelation to the walls Xenia did make an appearance to briefly congratulate her. Deylia even got a small cake that evening with a message written on top saying ''Blessings Be Upon You''.
Xenia also made a side comment that Deylia had earned back her masturbation privileges, although given the smirk she was wearing at the time, Deylia still wasn''t sure if she was being pranked on that matter.
The next few days passed in a rather relaxing routine. No more blessings were immediately forthcoming, but it had become easier than ever to tap into Kahlia''s divine connection, and hours began to blur away with the sensation of simply enjoying the comforts of being in a peaceful forest. The only downside Deylia discovered was that the longer she spent in that state, the more she began to feel as if she was herself pregnant. It wasn''t uncomfortable, just strange, at least until one day when she would swear she felt a kick at her stomach, which was surprising enough that it managed to eject her from her meditative state immediately. The sensations did fade after an hour or so though, so it just became another part of her new routine for her to deal with.
It was the eleventh day of her grounding that Deylia finally got her first proper visitor. Sitting at a desk in her main living room, the Priestess is interrupted in her work of providing further edits to Sincere''s written Rainlander when she''s surprised by the sound of a woman''s voice. "Hello? Priestess Niyen? I hope I''m not interrupting anything, I was told you were available?"
Standing up and walking over to her entryway - a simple alcove containing a portal - Deylia finds another Priestess standing there. "Ah, Priestess Fullblossom! I am available, yes, although I''m rather surprised to see you here. I, ah...was under the impression that I wasn''t being allowed guests at the moment."
The elf gives an awkward smile as she nods. "Ah, yes, I''ve heard a little something about your current...ah, situation. Not the details, as the dungeon seems to wish to keep it private, but I won''t pry if it''s something you''d rather not talk about, yourself."
"I''ll admit to my situation being entirely my own fault, but yes, if you''re here to discuss something else, I''d be more interested in hearing about that! Come in, have a seat...I think I have the materials required for some tea here in my kitchen, Xenia has granted me that much, at least."
"Thank you." Lilly makes her own way to the apartment dining room and finds a seat at the table, being rather familiar by now with the standard dungeon apartment layout thanks to her visits with various other guardians. She does take a moment to compliment Deylia''s handful of personal touches though, and once Deylia''s passed around her available refreshments and taken a seat herself, the Verdant Priestess gets down to business.
"So, we have a few things to discuss today, I believe. First off, I''ve been informed that you''ve actually received knowledge of a blessing from Kahlia! Is that true?"
Deylia smiles, happy that the meeting has started off on a good note, at least. "I have! A minor one, but actually being able to connect to Kahlia''s divinity during my meditations...I was never particularly religious before, but now I think I would be even were it not my role within the dungeon. I wonder, is that anything like how you learn yours?"
Lilly shakes her head. "In most churches, only the highest ranking clerics tend to gain such a personal connection to their patron deity. Then it generally filters down from there, generally through the process of special rituals or ceremonies. I have personally felt a connection with Palain perhaps a few times in my life...but it was always a very subtle, short-lived thing. I rather envy the connection you seem to have with Kahlia, I suppose."
The rabbit-woman''s smile fades slightly as she responds. "I''m glad for it, but I can feel how much of a responsibility it is, as well. There''s been many expectations laid upon me...and I fear I have much to do to prove myself worthy of them. Ah, did you wish to continue our lessons on how I ought to perform my clerical duties? Now that I can include the usage of a blessing in the mix? Not that I believe I''ll be hosting services anytime soon...even aside from my current confinement, I''m not sure a single minor blessing is sufficient for opening the shrine to the general public."
The Priestess of Palain considers it, but shakes her head again. "We should do that at some point, yes...and if you''re starved for company, I wouldn''t mind doing that tomorrow, perhaps - I''ll likely be staying the night in the dungeon in any case. There''s a different topic I wanted to cover for today, though. You see, ah...the dungeon''s latest applicant has finally arrived. In Grassbrook that is, and they''ll be coming up to the mountain tomorrow. Xenia did make it clear that she wanted a bit more warning on these things, after all."
Deylia''s eyes grow wide. "An applicant? You mean that one Xenia''s been attempting to recruit for the purposes of Kahlia''s divine quest? That''s wonderful! Assuming they''re a fitting candidate, that is. But what''s my role in this? I don''t know what I can offer to the...recruitment process, given my current situation..."
"Xenia wants you involved when he and his wife arrive, actually. For one, it will be required that he use one of your rabbit-folk bodies, at least temporarily, and I''ve been informed that she wants you and Trush to be present to answer any questions that may come up involving that. Secondly...well, this will be a pivotal moment in two people''s lives, a significant change they make for the sake of their family. Bountiful Mother Hammerdown feels, and I agree, that this is an important moment for you to witness. Given the unusual features of this dungeon, it''s entirely possible you might be overseeing future such events yourself."
The woman swallows, taking a moment to consider how serious the responsibility is. While Deylia did sacrifice her own life for another, it''s an entirely different kind of sacrifice than the one the new stranger is making - hers was instinctual, unplanned, and messy in more ways than one. Guiding someone making such a sacrifice with full understanding and intent...Deylia has to agree, it''s something she''ll need to see for herself. Nodding, she gives her agreement. "I think you''re right. Especially if this is at least partly in service to Kahlia...I ought to be there."
Lilly smiles as she leans in. "Excellent. So, in the meanwhile...let me tell you a little about your new colleague, Parker Reeves..."
Chapter 199: Dressing for a Funeral
Parker fusses as he looks at his wife in the mirror, while Laeniel brushes his hair to her vision of perfection. The entire setting seems far too comfortable for the man - while the couple had spent a night renting a room at the General, the bargain-rate offering of the small town''s two inns, Bountiful Mother Hammerdown had invited the pair to stay in a guest room at the Church''s own housing for the rest of their stay. The building - almost like a small mansion - had apparently been acquired with the idea of eventually housing the full staff for a much larger presence than the Church of Bounty currently had, and more than half of the bedrooms were still unoccupied. Several were still almost entirely unfurnished as well, but this particular room had been prepared for any traveling clerics and the like who needed a place to stay.
Aside from the mirror itself, a large furnishing with an elaborately-carved frame in a floral theme, the chamber had perhaps the nicest bed he and Laeniel had ever spent the night in. Not only was it large, but it was literally brand new, and the pair had almost felt guilty about breaking it in. Almost. The other furniture filling the large room was just as luxurious, but the green-colored outfit Parker was now wearing was something they had brought with them as it was the nicest outfit the man owned. Also the one he''d worn the least in his life, for the same reason, being a man who rather preferred functional wear over style. "You sure it''s important we get all dressed up like this, Laeny? You know we do need to hike through a forest and then up a mountain, in the cold, before we actually get to the dungeon?"
Laeniel chuckles at the complaint, having entirely expected it. "First impressions are everything, dear. Besides, look on the bright side - if things go well, it will be the last time you ever wear it."
Parker chuckles along, the two of them having shared more than a few morbid-sounding jokes like that over the past month or so. He does squirm a little more before responding, though. "At least it does look good, I suppose. Never having to wear binding wraps again will be an even bigger win, I daresay."
"It is the little things, sometimes. Now, turn and let me get a good look at you." Parker turns his head as requested while Laeniel sits down next to him on the bench-like chair in front of the vanity, allowing the two to see eye-to-eye as she brushes an errant hair back into place with a finger. "Ah. You''re even more handsome than when I married you."
The Headsman grunts at that, having his own opinion on the changing of his features. "The wrinkles do it for you, do they? My beard is much better now than it was thirty years ago though, I''ll agree."
"Oh, they''re not so bad." The elf looks into her husband''s eyes for a moment before changing to a more serious topic. "So, my love...are you certain about this? This may well be our last chance to change our minds."
The man''s brow furrows in confusion. "Really, Laeny? Have we not had this conversation enough times by now? Gone over every argument, for and against?"
"We have, but we''re going to go over it again, one more time. I don''t...I don''t want us to go through this with anything less than a hundred percent certainty. As much as I''ve always wanted children - we''ve always wanted them - you know I''ve always wanted you more."
"And I feel the same." Parker takes a moment to kiss his wife''s lips before continuing. "But of course that''s not the entire story. I don''t have many years left, Laeny. And I am a greedy human man. I''ve accepted that you may find other loves after I''m gone, but I''d prefer it if I could have you all to myself."
"More years than you seem to think, my dear! You''re not even sixty yet - you could still have multiple decades left in you, you know."
The Challenger shakes his head with a snort. "That''s being overly optimistic. The tricks I learned in my Master training might buy me an extra year or two of work, perhaps...but I''m getting old, Laeny. I can feel my bones creaking every time I pick up my ax. When I do a hunt in the forest, I say I''m going slow because I''ve learned caution, but the truth is I couldn''t rush it much more if I wanted to. By time I''m...sixty-five, at most, I''m either going to have to retire, or every time I pick up a bounty or a monster hunting job I''m going to have a fifty-fifty chance that I won''t be coming home to you."
Laeniel answers that with a shrug. "Then retire! You''ve done well for yourself, and with my scribe income we have more than enough to support the both of us. It''s not as if you need to prove your strength to me, not anymore."
This time she leans in for a kiss, which Parker accepts. "I''m not too proud to say I wouldn''t do it. If my only option were to sit on the porch and grow old with you...I''d count myself a lucky man. But as I said, I am still greedy. If there''s a better option...eternal youth, nearly free for the taking? Perhaps I won''t be able to spend it on your porch, but it sounds as if this strange dungeon is more than willing to be accommodating. If I could only see you a few days a month...but that future stretches for centuries into the future? I know you''re better at math than I, but I suspect that option adds up to the superior sum of days."
His wife nods, but her gaze wanders along with her thoughts. "But it''s not exactly free, is it? Not only will you be transformed into some monster, but you''ll need to kill. And not graybears or ghoulsquirrels, but people. I know you''ve had a run-in or two with bandits along the years, but we''re talking Challengers here. People like yourself!"
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"Aye, I''m not looking forward to it, it''s true. But think about it like this - wouldn''t it be better if it was me? The dungeon needs some sort of boss for its floors. If not another ''applicant'', then it will have something fully monstrous. And how much mercy does a Greater Acid Slime or a Vampire Lord or a Flame Sprite Ifrit have towards a Challenger? None, I can tell you that. If there must be an executioner, then better it be a just hand wielding the ax, aye?"
"I suppose that is true. You won''t be just a wild monster, after all - you''ll be a servant of the gods, in a way. In that respect I suppose it''s quite a promotion."
Parker grins, although it fades after a moment. "I suppose the biggest downside on my mind is that I will need to be with you as, well, a monster. I hope it''s not too terrible an experience for you."
This time as Laeniel''s gaze wanders, there''s a blush on her cheeks. "Well...I don''t know that I''m worried about that, exactly..."
Her husband isn''t sure if he''s hearing her correctly. "Have you been...fantasizing about a monstrous version of myself? To think that I''m still learning new things about you, after all these years!"
"I mean - well, it''s just - you see..." The elf stammers, not sure how to explain. Eventually she leans in with a whisper, as if the walls might be listening. "Paladin Bluehair came by earlier and gave me a bottle of, ah...''special'' lubricant. For the night, you see. Along with the fertility potions I told you about."
Parker''s brow furrows again. "I''m not sure I follow. This rabbit-thing needs something extra to get the job done?"
"Well, you see, apparently Sable''s seen the...template of monster the dungeon''s created for the purpose, and she says it''s...hefty."
"...How ''hefty'' are we talking about, here?"
"...The Paladin, ah. Loaned me a special toy of hers, to help...practice with." Without saying another word, Laeniel stands up and moves towards one of the dressers, and begins digging around inside. Eventually she pulls out an item which, had he found it himself, Parker would have assumed was some sort of self-defense weapon, or something to use to kill vermin with. "...The lubricant helps quite a bit."
Parker''s eyes grow wide. "...And you...enjoyed it?"
Laeniel''s blushing increases. "With a bit of practice, it does have its merits..."
"Well." Parker stands up, doing a final check of his outfit as he does so. "I feel like the argument''s been settled, then. All in favor of me becoming a dungeon monster for the rest of our days, say aye."
Laeniel face breaks out into a smirk. "Aye aye."
The trek to the mountain was rather enjoyable, despite the chill in the air. While it had been a great relief to find out that dungeon bosses here weren''t entirely confined to the dungeon, Parker still made the effort to soak in every moment he could of the forest hike. It could be his last breaths of fresh air as a fully free man, and somehow that thought made him feel more alive than he had in years. That said, by time he, his wife, Mother Hammerdown and Paladin Sable had finished climbing the mountain itself, they were all rather relieved to finally get indoors.
Once inside Worthy Dungeon the group briefly made their way through the public inn before finally ending up at the still mostly-unused Shrine of Kahlia. The two acolytes, Fay and Lin, greeted the party at the shrine entrance before directing them towards an office in the back, however it takes them a moment to get there as the vowed couple need to pause and gawk at the room''s gigantic statue for a little while. Eventually they do manage to get moving once again, and once they actually get back there they find that the room is apparently specially decorated for the occasion. A rather sizable mirror had been installed on one wall, encased within a thick wooden frame, while most of the room was taken up by a conference table. Waiting for the new arrivals were four more figures - Trush, Deylia, Priestess Fullblossom, and apparently, the Dungeon Master Xenia herself. As Elance Hammerdown notices her sitting there, her eyebrows rise.
"Popped your avatar for the occasion, did you? Hrmm, I think I was saving a biscuit somewhere for this moment. But, hold on now - you''ve fixed that odd coloring issue you seemed to have?"
Indeed, while the woman''s hair is still striped in black and white, her skin is properly flesh-colored in an apparent first for the dungeon master''s avatar. Despite that, the woman shakes her head with a smile. "Sorry, nope - I''m afraid I''m not the Girlboss herself, just an interpreter. You can call me Emma! And you two - I''m assuming you know Lilly here, but these here are Rabbit Champion Trush and Trainee Priestess Deylia." She offers a handshake across the table, and after a round of greetings is done Sable picks up with Elance''s questioning.
"Emma? I''m...confused. Are you a new boss? Did another applicant sneak in ahead of us? And why do you look like the dungeon master?"
Emma smiles, not seeming to mind the questions. "Not a boss, or an applicant - totally soulless, but in a fun way! Xenia is here in the room with us right now, but since it seemed like this could possibly go on for more than an hour, we figured we''d try out having me speak for her. Don''t worry, the rabbit duo here can keep me honest if I try to play anything."
Elance peers at the soulless figure sitting across from her. "Would you be inclined to ''play'' something, lass?"
Emma''s smile remains. "No more than Xenia would!"
"...I''ll take it as a positive that we have the others here, then. So, this all seems a little more formal than it was when Trush came by...I suppose you have had time to prepare a bit more this time around, eh? Did you, Xenia, have a specific agenda on how you wanted to handle this?"
The reflection nods. "Lilly here''s already established Parker''s background for us, his Challenger history and all, so we think we can skip over that part of the interview. The main matter on Xenia''s mind is, well, to be blunt about it - we''re hoping to use Parker here - and you, Laeniel, in order to satisfy our divine patron and Lady of Curves, Kahlia. But we don''t want this to be one-sided, we want to be sure that you''re getting enough out of it as well to feel like you''re getting a fair bargain." Focusing her full intent on the couple, Emma''s eyes seem to stare through them as she asks her next question.
"So tell me, Laeniel. Why do you want your husband to die today?"
Chapter 200: Job Interview
"What!? Me? Obviously I don''t want Parker to die, why would you say such a thing!?" Although Parker''s expression is confused, it''s nothing compared to his wife''s as Laeniel sputters out a response to Emma''s first question. For her part, Emma raises a doubting eyebrow.
"You don''t, do you? So you didn''t spend weeks, if not months, arranging this application through the Church of Bounty, traveling down here in the middle of winter, starting on arrangements to even move down permanently, go through the Church''s various tests, and then hike your way up this mountain?"
Laeniel looks around at the others next to her, but they don''t seem to have an answer to provide to the elf. "I mean - yes, obviously, we''ve done all that. But I don''t want Parker to die! What sort of monster do you think I am!?"
Emma leans back as she crosses her arms. "Really, cause it seems to me like you''ve gone through a lot of effort to have us kill your husband here."
Deciding to help out his wife, Parker verbally steps in. "I''m not sure why you''re putting all this pressure on Laeny, here. I''m the one who''s applied to join your dungeon, not her."
With a deep chuckle, Trush answers that question. "Aye, and we''ve had plenty of other applicants before, some successful, most not. But one thing they''ve - we''ve - all had in common is a lack of attachments. No kids, no loved ones, no dependents. Now, your situation''s a unique one, we''ll grant you that. But that''s why we need to press this point. Laeniel, you''ve come here to watch your husband die today - assume you''re willing to watch it yourself, of course. We need to be sure that you''ve got no misconceptions on that point, and that you understand what you''re both asking for."
"I...right, of course. I understand." Taking a deep breath, the accountant steadies herself. "Allow me to be more clear, then. I do not want Parker to die. If it were a choice, I''d choose for him to live forever - and not as a dungeon guardian, but with me, in our own home. But life does not give us what we want. I do want children, we both do. And even if it''s in some sort of limited fashion, I do want to spend the rest of my days being able to see Parker again. When you sum up the things we want, against the things life forces us to deal with, such as our differing lifespans, our...physical difficulties, the best path forward seems to be the one that Worthy Dungeon offers. Assuming you can do what you say you can do."
Deylia continues the questioning. "Although you two would be the first full test, we have every confidence that we will be able to address your major concerns, yes. Let that lead us into our next question, then. Should everything go as planned, and you become pregnant and give birth - are you prepared for the life ahead of you, following after that? You will be able to see Parker again, but he will have limited ability to help you raise your child, or children, should there be more. Furthermore, the children would not be exactly his by blood - they would be half-monster. I hope you''ve considered all this?"
Parker is about to respond himself, but a hand on his thigh lets him know to leave this to his wife. "We have, of course. Financially, I am confident in my ability to raise at least a small household on my own. If there were some way for Parker to provide, ah, support from the dungeon, it would be helpful, but not necessary. As for the, well, form of the child...whatever his or her blood may be, their spirit would come from myself and Parker, and I have no doubt that we would both love them. As for how others may react...well, if they want to criticize a child born under the blessing of Kahlia herself, they''re welcome to their opinions, but they would concern me little."
Elance chuckles from Laeniel''s side. "Aye, you can be certain to have the support of the Church of Bounty should that matter ever come up. And if things go as I expect, I imagine the influence of Kahlia will spread quite far in this region in the years to come."
Emma spends a moment with her head tilted to one side before she refocuses and continues. "As far as financial parental support goes, the dungeon''s not making any promises. No one else is currently making a salary, and while the boss can generate her own currency, it does come at a mana cost. That said, we don''t want a kid that we had a major part in conceiving to suffer cause we''re too miserly, so...it''s up for consideration down the line." For her next question, the reflection finally turns towards Parker. "So it''s your turn, now. You''ve considered all this too, I hope? Having to raise a kid at a distance? Giving up your old life and starting a new one of Challenger-killing?"
Parker nods, looking much more confident than Laeniel had earlier. "We have, many times. The concern we had before, which kept us from adopting, was knowing that I''d barely see the child out of adolescence and perhaps not even that if we adopted a full-blooded elf child. Even if I couldn''t be with them every day, knowing that I''d at least get to see them growing up - becoming an adult, exploring their talents, starting a family of their own - it''s more than a fair trade-off, in our minds. As for the part where I''d need to deal with Challengers, perhaps in a lethal fashion?" The man shrugs. "I''d probably feel worse about it if you were recruiting for one of your earlier floors, facing Initiates and the like. The place is currently Expert-ranked on its lower floors? Hrmph, Experts know what they''re getting into. It''s not exactly me going around and slitting throats."
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The reflection smirks. "Not unless we crossclass you into being a Rogue, at least. I suppose that''s the big stuff on our end, then. I can probably guess some of the stuff on your mind, but just to check, any big questions or concerns you need answered?"
The man nods again, but addresses his first question towards the two rabbit guardians. "I''ll start off with an open-ended question, just in case I don''t know what questions I ought to be asking. You two are both reincarnates, yes? Any thoughts you''d have to share? Things you wish you''d known or asked?"
Deylia gives a slightly sad shake of her head. "I am a reincarnated guardian, yes, but I was not exactly a typical applicant. I was...perhaps not as prepared as I should have been. It took me some time to fully, shall we say...accept my death and what I had lost...and what I had gained in exchange. You should be aware that this will be a new family for you in more ways than one - not only will you hopefully be fathering a child, but you''ll be joining the rest of us here for perhaps countless years. I hope you''re prepared to gain many more...ah, cousins, or however you''d prefer to think of us going forward."
Before Parker can respond to that, Trush gives a derisive snort. "I''d definitely not want to call us cousins, given how many of us are spending time in each other''s..." He trails off as he realizes some of the looks he''s getting, particularly from Mother Hammerdown and Laeniel. "...Well, Deylia''s not wrong, but the terminology you''d care to use is up to you, I''d say." Having said that, he takes a moment to consider a more serious response. "Other than that, there''s the usual advice about needing to have a pasttime that isn''t killing folks. The new features on Floor Five have been very helpful in that regard, although...well, not to immediately fall back to my earlier point, but if you two are faithfully vowed, I suppose some of those features may not appeal to you so much."
The couple share a brief glance and smiles before Parker responds. "I''d always told Laeny that I''d be mostly fine with her finding someone else after I was dead. Now that it appears that I can be dead and still vowed, well...we''ve heard the rumors of your dungeon, yes, but I don''t believe we''ll making any changes to our relationship in the near future. I''m sure I can find myself some way to keep myself occupied while keeping my pants on."
"Entirely valid. Beyond that...well, there are the physical adjustments, to your new body, I mean. In my case I''d lost an arm years before, so having one again was certainly something to get used to. But the height, the fur, the strength of my new legs...not needing to eat anymore? Nothing you won''t mostly get used to in a week or two, I think, but I suppose I hadn''t considered all of the more minor details involved with becoming a dungeon monster before it happened."
Parker gives Trush a nod before seguing into his next point. "Speaking of the new monster body I''ll be taking...you''ve said I''ll be a rabbit-folk like yourself, yes? Can I see an example of it? It sounds as if it''s still something rather different than your own forms."
Emma chuckles a little at that. "That''s what we''re using for Kahlia''s fertility quest, yeah...but probably not what we''re going to be using for your combat form. To be honest, we haven''t actually settled on that one yet. Xenia here seems confident she can roll herself a good mimic crossbreed for the job, or something fae-based, depending on whether we put you on Floor Seven or Eight. Until that''s settled you probably will be spending your time as a rabbit though. We can swap you out, but boss-level monster bodies cost mana, so it''s not something we''d wanna be doing multiple times a day. That said, you ready to see what you''re getting into? Given that you''re gonna be making a kid with it, you should probably get to have some input on the fine details and all that."
The Challenger''s eyebrows rise. "You mean assist in the creation of it before I have to die and, well, be it? That would certainly be helpful, yes. Not to mention a rather interesting insight into how you dungeons actually work..."
The reflection nods before turning towards the various Church representatives. "Given that this could get a little personal, would you mind giving us some time with the couple alone?"
"If they''re fine with that?" Seeing nods from Parker and Laeniel, Elance gives a nod of her own and rises from her seat. "Alright then, we''ll just be in the main chamber outside. Let us know when y''need us back."
Sable pouts slightly, although she does follow after her friend. "Darn, kinda wanted to see how designing a dungeon monster works. Suppose it could be a little creepy if I''m checking out Parker''s body though, so fair enough." The Paladin exits the room along with Priestess Lilly, and once they''ve shut the door behind them the trio of dungeon representatives stand up from their chairs. The applicant couple are a little confused by that, but they''re even more surprised when the table they''ve been sitting at suddenly increases in size. Seeing their expressions, Emma smirks.
"Turning this conference table into an examination table, no biggie. You might wanna stand up though to get a good look. This boy''s gonna be a big''un..."
Chapter 201: Renewal
As the Reeves stand up from their chairs, Emma gives them another warning. "Okay, so heads up, first off. We''re going to start by showing you the default Rabbit Champion Patriarch model. We''re taking for granted that we''re going to be making some changes here...especially in the size department, heh. But Xenia didn''t want to start off with her own preferences coloring your impressions."
Parker''s not entirely sure what he ought to be expecting, but at this point he finds himself willing to roll with almost any oddity. "I''ll keep that in mind. I have heard a comment or two about its, ah...size, yes."
Rather than responding, Emma steps away from the table - and from the glances of Trush and Deylia, Parker gets the impression the dungeon spirit must be stepping forward to do her magic. Indeed, only a few moments later a bright light covers the top of the table. It''s not sufficient to hurt his eyesight, but the man does find himself having trouble making out any details of what''s going on right in front of him. When it fades away, a fully formed, sleeping, and nude figure is lying before them. The monster is massive indeed, surely over seven feet in height when counting the ears, but more than that, it''s bulky. Each of its biceps seems more swollen than both of Parker''s put together, which is saying something considering the man''s always taken pride in his own physique. Its thighs are even more ridiculous, leading to powerful legs that Parker imagines could probably leap over a small building.
Of course, his eyes eventually land on the monster''s bare cock, which even in its soft state is clearly a girthy beast. Trying not to stare, Parker does take a moment to take in the other details of the monster''s form - the fur on its arms and legs is white, although the thick hair on its chest is mostly black with just a hint of gray. There''s stubble on its strong chin, and just enough signs of age on its face to make it clearly middle-aged. Certainly older than Deylia''s youthful form, and possibly even older than Trush, although as he sneaks another look at the Knight, Parker gets the impression Trush may have gotten a bit of de-aging done when he got his own monstrous body.
For her part, Laeniel is far less shy about examining the creature''s manhood. "...Well. I see the warnings I received were not misplaced. But I suppose it should be...manageable."
Emma chuckles again as she leans against the side of the table. "For the record, it can go bigger. However, not recommended for mortal use! We can go smaller, too. A little."
Trying to keep the conversation sounding somewhat professional, Deylia speaks up. "There is of course much more to consider here than, ah...physical comfort. Keep in mind that the form you choose here will be your child''s father, in a blood sense. We''re working on the assumption that the child will inherit the traits of the monster, so...would you prefer for it to match Parker as closely as possible, or would there be other changes you would like to make?"
Parker raises an eyebrow at the question. "Just how closely can you match me? Though I wouldn''t mind being a little younger, mind you."
The creature begins to glow and shift form, as Emma explains the limitations at play. "The actual ''monster'' traits are non-negotiable, sadly. The fur, ears, the nose, and so on. Also, specifically, the Patriarch has a certain role it''s presumably meant to fill in dungeon combat and we can only push that so far. Trush here is a Knight, and to compare the two, we think the Patriarch has more sheer muscle strength, but the Knight seems to have better speed and agility. While BB, our Floor One boss, is a Rogue with even more agility but less punching power. Even if we slim this guy down as much as possible, it''s almost certainly going to be a bigger - ah, yeah, there we go."
She gestures at the table as the glowing comes to an end, and Parker and Laeniel lean in for another look. It''s shorter now, but still taller than Parker - a few inches over six foot without counting the ears, compared to the Headsman''s five-and-a-half. And indeed, the bulky muscles still remain, but do at least seem a little less ridiculous. More than that, the creature now resembles Parker much more closely in a cosmetic sense. Its hair and fur now matches Parker''s dark brown, and its skin has the same tan the Challenger picked up over decades of working outdoors. It even has his beard now, although the face still seems a little wrong, even accounting for the odd-looking nose.
"It''s definitely much closer now, but I don''t believe those are quite my features, there."
Trush nods. "Unfortunately, it seems the dungeon''s ability to mimic faces is limited, perhaps intentionally so. The dungeon did unlock a way to copy mortal faces for undead monsters, and the flexibility apparently increases as the monsters tier up, so it seems to be a thing the dungeon needs to acquire over time. However, if you wanted to wait for us to tier up our rabbit-men to try for a closer attempt, you could be waiting for a few months or more."
Laeniel shakes her head. "As much as I love Parker''s appearance, I don''t think we need a child who looks exactly like him, if it were even possible. It has his hair, and..." The elf leans forward and opens the unconscious figure''s closed right eye for a quick look. "It does have the color of his eyes, I see. I don''t think I have any particular complaints about this form?" She turns towards her husband, who nods.
"I don''t think I want us to go so far as to try and pick out every little detail of our unborn son''s future body. As your...Xenia said, we perhaps shouldn''t let our own preferences define them. And I certainly don''t think they''d have anything to complain about...although I do wonder how this would turn out if it''s a daughter..."
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Emma smirks widely at that. "There is actually a Matriarch variant we have as well, although we''re not using it since we''re not trying to get dungeon monsters knocked up - yet, anyhow. Xenia did check one out though, apparently they''re also impressively well-endowed, and they''ve got enough hips for...well, probably enough to manage a whole litter of runts in a go. Still got all the muscle, too."
Laeniel leans in towards her husband with a giggle. "Perhaps we''ll need to be careful with how we raise them, or we may end up with far more grandchildren than we were expecting, hehe."
"Considering that until a month or two ago the expected number was ''none'', I think I could live with that just fine." Having said that, Parker sighs. "If ''live'' is indeed the proper term. Speaking of, if we''re agreed on this, are there any other matters we need to address?"
The dungeon''s representatives share a few looks with the empty space between them, but eventually Emma shakes her head. "Think that''s it for the preliminary business. Xenia''s already set up living quarters for you, and we can help you decorate those a bit, but we can handle all that later. Seems like you''ve passed the background check, the skills test, and the psych exam. So unless you''ve got more questions on your part...? Or if you need another night or two to sleep on it, that''s fine. We''ve been working on this for a few months now, we can wait a few more days if you''re still uncertain."
Parker glances at his wife, but seeing the surety in her eyes, quickly turns back towards the reflection. "I think we''ve been prepared for a while now, ourselves. And just putting it off another night..." The man shivers slightly, nervous energy running through his body. "I doubt I''d be able to relax or think any more clearly than I have been already. So let''s have this done, shall we? But, ah, how exactly shall we..."
Trush chuckles as he runs a hand along his neck, almost subconsciously. "Well, I went for ''decapitation by dungeon avatar'', and I can tell you it was quite quick and painless. We''ve got poisons of course, and I''m sure any variety of messier options. Won''t need to worry about how you look for a funeral, regardless. Also..." He nods towards Laeniel. "Will you be wanting witnesses? Your wife, or the Church?"
Laeniel answers for herself. "I want to be here for him, of course. But perhaps we could keep it private? As much as possible? It just feels...I don''t know, like an intimate moment, I suppose."
Deylia nods. "Of course. I suppose Emma and Xenia can handle things from here, so...we''ll be outside if you need us." With that said the two rabbit-folk make their exit, leaving the couple alone with the enchanted mirror and the invisible dungeon spirit. Emma looks back over to Parker, but the man answers her next question without her needing to ask it.
"Poison, I think. I''m not surprised the Shieldbreaker chose to die in a way approximating combat, and I suppose in other circumstances I could see myself choosing the same. But..." He looks at his wife with a wry grin. "I think I''d rather it if Laeny''s last memory of my current self wasn''t that of my head rolling across the floor."
"Fair enough, for sure." With a brief glow of light, a cup of tea suddenly makes its appearance on the table in front of the Challenger, steaming and hot. "I can''t promise it''ll be pleasant, but it should at least be quick."
The man''s hand reaches out for the cup, but before it gets there he pauses one more time and moves his hand to his wife''s cheek instead. The pair kiss, and it''s as if a thousand unsaid words pass between them for a brief minute. When he pulls back though, only four words need to be said. "I love you, Laeny."
"And I you, husband."
Twenty minutes later, Laeniel pulls her cloak more tightly against her chest as the cold mountain air breezes by. She was waiting outside along with the three members of the Church of Bounty, as the dungeon couldn''t absorb Parker''s remains until the ''party'' had made their exit, and so they were standing around rather awkwardly as the dungeon did its literal magic. There had been a few attempts at small talk, but the list of available topics had exhausted itself rather quickly, and so the four mostly just spent their time standing in silence, looking out at the sight of the forest and growing town in the distance.
Eventually though, their private thoughts are interrupted by an announcement from Doorman. "I have been informed that Headsman Parker has been revived into his new form, and has had a few minutes to adjust. Mrs. Reeves, if you''d like to take a step into that new portal ring there on the ground to your left, it will take you right to your husband''s new apartment. As for our guests from the Church, you''re welcome to return to the inn now if you''d like."
"Well, it''s not as if I plan to spend all night standin'' around out here." Elance quickly starts to make her way towards the portal rings, but stops to clasp Laeniel''s hand on the way. "Best of luck, aye? And remember, just because this part of it all is over now, doesn''t mean we''re not still here to support you if you need it. After all, with any luck this''ll be more of a beginning than an end, eh?"
The elf smiles as she pats the Mother''s hand in turn. "Thank you, and I imagine we''ll have occasion to talk again soon. But for now...it''s time to see what awaits us." The pair break away, and other than a few more quiet words of support from Sable and Lilly, Laeniel is left to return to the dungeon in silence. As she steps into the arcane ring and its magic activates, she''s briefly surprised again by the sudden shift in temperature, but she quickly refocuses in order to take in her surroundings. Her eyes need a moment to adjust to the dimmer light of the windowless apartment, but she does quickly recognize that she''s inside one, standing at the entrance of a modestly-decorated living room.
And in the center of that room, wearing an outfit not unlike what he wore on his climb up the mountain, is a much taller version of the man she''s loved for decades. Parker gives her a slight smile and is about to say something, but the words are stolen away as Laeniel launches herself towards him and wraps him up in a hug. Or as much of one as she''s able, given that her arms don''t quite get all the way around his new chest. Eventually Parker recovers though, and tries again. "Miss me, love?"
"Terribly." The pair kiss again, and Parker finds himself actually needing to slightly pick up his wife in order for the two to manage the task - a motion his new arms find completely trivial to perform. As he sets her back down, he asks her another question with a more serious look in his eyes.
"So, as for the...purpose of all this, the dungeon master tells me there''s no rush. If you want to take some time to adjust to all this..."
He''s shushed by a finger placed against his lips, and Laeniel''s eyes stare into his own. "Did this new apartment of yours come with a bedroom, husband?"
"Indeed it did."
"...Then why are we not already there?"
Chapter 202: Fulfilled - Explicit
Parker has to laugh at his wife''s eagerness. "You really have been looking forward to trying out a more monstrous me, haven''t you?"
"Husband." Laeniel narrows her eyes at the now much-taller man. "Let me put it like this. I have been taking fertility potions every day for most of the past week."
"You''ve mentioned as much, aye. And?"
"What I haven''t mentioned is that for the past two days I have been going this close to insane with need. If you don''t take me into that bedroom right this moment and fill me with child, I am currently about five minutes away from taking off my pants right here and taking care of myself. And I''d hate to stain your brand new rug."
Parker laughs, a much deeper, roaring sound than it used to be. "I think I might enjoy watching the show - but I can see you''ve been through enough, so I suppose I won''t torture you any further. But please - allow me." Parker gracefully sweeps his wife off her feet, with a light yelp of surprise, and he easily carries the elf down the hall to the bedroom. "The dungeon spirit - Xenia - tells me that she possesses a much more...elaborate bedchamber somewhere on this floor, designed specifically for romantic encounters. But if I''m being honest I don''t think I''m much more in control of myself than you, and I think I''d rather save that for a time when we can more, ah...properly enjoy the environment."
Laeniel laughs along. "And you don''t think I''ll enjoy your more modest bedchamber?"
When the new dungeon guardian grins, his large teeth gleam in the dim light. "I imagine soon I''ll have fucked you senseless enough that you won''t even know or care where you''re being fucked."
It doesn''t take long for his large strides to finish the trip down the hall, and with more than a bit of caution concerning his newfound strength Parker lays her down onto the bed. It is perhaps more modest than the one the couple had been sharing at the Church of Bounty for the past few days, and far more modest than Xenia''s special VIP suite, but it was still an impressive piece of furniture compared to the one the pair had been using for most of their days together. Laeniel takes a moment to stretch out on the brand new mattress, covered with fur blankets, and stares up at Parker as he stands next to the bed. "I think I like the sound of that. And...my, you really are so large from this angle. It''s entirely different from seeing it laid out on a table."
Her husband smirks. "Large, am I? And I haven''t even taken my pants off yet."
Laeniel nods. "Show me, please? I know you - we''ve - dreamed of you feeling complete for so long...I think it''s time we gave it a proper inspection, hrmm?"
"I''ll be honest, it was all I could do to keep my pants on and not start taking a look at it myself until you arrived. But indeed - let''s see what a life can buy us." Rather than immediately move to his pants however, the man starts with his shirt, pulling it off with one smooth motion. That alone is still enough to catch Laeniel''s attention, and even Parker needs to take a moment to run a hand across his new pectoral muscles. He''d always been a rather muscular fellow, but what he finds on his new frame is enormously different than what he''s used to. "Dear gods, would you look at that. I''m thinking I might never put my shirt back on again."
"I for one would not complain. But I will soon start complaining about the clothes you do still have on if you''re thinking about stopping there!" The elf begins to follow her own advice, quickly pulling at her own clothes and tossing them aside, ensuring that there won''t be a moment''s delay once her husband has finally caught up.
"I swear, you weren''t this wild on our vowing night. It almost makes me want to stretch it out a little longer..." The glare the man receives is enough to make him quickly reverse course. "But I suppose I wouldn''t want to drive you to violence against my brand new body, now would I? Now, where was I..." Parker then finally pulls off his pants, although it''s not quite as fluid a motion as he made with his shirt, given that he needs a few moments to adjust to the new size and shape of his rabbit-like legs. Soon though all garments have been tossed into various corners, and Parker turns back towards the bed for his wife''s inspection. Laeniel''s eyes go wide as she takes it in, hanging above her as she rests on the bed.
Her hand reaches out, but to Parker''s surprise it''s not his cock which she begins to fondle, but one of his heavy testicles hanging just behind it. "High heavens. I suppose I didn''t notice these so much earlier, but these cannot be normal. I can barely fit one in my hand! It''s so...it''s so much!"
It takes Parker a moment to answer, as first he needs to stop shuddering at the sensation of her fingers very gently squeezing his new organs. "Oh gods. I never thought...you''re right, surely this isn''t how the average human man feels. They''d be popping off at the slightest breeze...hrng, ah, you should be cautious, that does remind me of a warning the dungeon spirit gave me."
Laeniel quickly pulls her hand back. "What? A warning!? What sort of fine print was she holding out on us!?"
"Haha, nothing like that, love. Just...apparently these rabbit-folk are known for having something of a hair trigger." His eyes suddenly narrow in suspicion. "Or...did she call it a hare trigger? Eugh...anyhow, the good news is we quite make up for it with stamina and endurance, but the first round is said to be rather quick."
"Mrmm...well, I''d hate to waste even a drop, but I really would like a taste of the thing, now that I can see it all its glory. Do you think you can restrain yourself enough to put it where it needs to go before you let loose?"
Parker sucks in a breath as Laeniel''s hand once again begins to stroke him, this time running along his now nearly-erect shaft. "...To be fully honest? No. No, I do not. I mean, I hardly even know how this thing works, but I have a definite feeling it could go off at any moment now, especially with you playing with it like that."
"Well, at least wait for me to get to the proper foreplay first, then. Bring it closer, here." As he shuffles forward Laeniel adjusts her own position on the bed, bringing her head next to the edge of the mattress so that the massive rabbit cock is now hanging directly over her face. And onto it, once she pulls the erection down, with the organ being long enough to easily make contact with her despite Parker''s new height. The pair do a little more adjusting until finally Parker''s tip is just barely touching her lips, and after a brief kiss she begins to flick her tongue along the underside of his head. At the same time her hands start to stroke him more forcefully, and it really is a two-hand job.
As her tongue continues to work, Laeniel focuses on coverage more than teasing any particular spot, lubricating as much of Parker as she can with her saliva. It''s not nearly enough, but as precum begins to bead up at his slit her hands quickly add it to the mix, and it doesn''t take too long before her hands are more or less gracefully sliding their way up and down his length. She doesn''t get to play with him for very long however before the man groans out. "Ah! I don''t think I can hold back any longer - it''s cumming, Laeny!"
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Laeniel opens her mouth to provide him with a bit of encouragement, but has very bad - or perhaps very good - timing. The first jet of cum, impressively thick all on its own, shoots its way directly into her mouth, with the second following soon after. She shuts her lips in surprise at that but Parker is far from done, and the third rope drenches her chin - and as her hands release their grip on him, each further jet shoots further and further down her body, painting her tits, her stomach, and even reaching her thighs.
The pair are both slightly shocked into silence at the man''s performance, neither of them having much experience with anything like this, but eventually Laeniel begins to laugh as she wipes at her face. "Well, at least that part of things seems to be working very well. Perhaps it''s good that we had the first round outside, I don''t think I could have fit that much inside me in any case - especially with all of that in there as well!"
Smiling, Parker leans down to kiss his wife, but he has a rather evil grin as he stands back up. "No need to fret. I could be wrong, but I''m fairly certain there''s much more left where that came from. And I feel fairly certain I could go again right now, just as the spirit said. Are you ready?"
"I am, but you''re not! There''s a bottle of that special lubricant in my things - slather that thing up or the dungeon''s going to be responsible for killing both of us today!" Parker chuckles as he does so, and meanwhile Laeniel turns herself around so that her butt is now just barely hanging off the side of the bed. When Parker returns, his throbbing erection now tinted pink with lube, he takes a moment to slap it against her stomach and see how it matches up.
"Practically to your navel! I...think we''ll start you off slow, shall we?"
"For a start...but I really do want to feel as much of you as is physically possible..."
"Then we''ll just to see what your limits are then, shall we?" With that Parker finally lines himself up at her entrance, and he''s actually slightly surprised as his tip begins to drive its way inside. Whether it''s the foreplay, the lube, Laeniel''s earlier practice...or possible side effects of all the fertility potions the elf has been taking...her body actually seems to be quite receptive to him despite his size. It''s not until he gets two or three inches in that he begins to feel much resistance, and even then it doesn''t take all that much longer for her to open up even further. Laeniel doesn''t quite wince at some of his movements, but her face does express a twitch or two, and Parker slows down further to confirm he''s doing things correctly.
"Is this too much? I''m fine with admitting we may not get it all..."
"It''s fine! Wonderful, even...although it is quite a bit, yes. Just...go easy, but don''t stop until I tell you, yes?" Parker nods and returns to his rhythm of slowly pulling back and driving in, conquering his wife''s body by millimeters when he has to. Although he''d never lost his erection, as he continues he can feel as his balls begin to stir once again, and he takes it as a sign that his own body is once again fully ready for action. From then on it requires even further restraint to not force himself too far, but fortunately the challenge doesn''t last too much longer.
Once he has about half a foot of rabbit dick buried into her, still leaving a few inches left to go, Laeniel finally bids him to halt. "Okay, okay, I think that''s...probably a good place to hold. I might manage a little more, but I do want you to actually fuck me, not just penetrate me, so let''s leave a little margin, hrmm?" She takes a deep breath to steady herself, and then meets her husband''s eyes. "Alright. Now...give me your child, husband."
"With pleasure, wife." With that agreement the fucking finally begins in earnest, with Parker pulling out and then thrusting forward hard enough to have his dense balls bounce themselves off of her thighs. It does slow him for a moment as he needs to adjust to the sensation of the impact, but he soon decides it wasn''t exactly unpleasant and then repeats the process. For the first few rounds Laeniel remains partially sitting up, supporting herself on her elbows as she leans back and watches her husband work, but after he''s slammed into her half a dozen times she begins to feel the strength leave her arms. Falling back onto the bed, she settles for running her hands along her own slick torso, massaging her breasts as they jiggle with every thrust.
Despite any further concerns about the rabbit monsters being quick shots, it''s Laeniel who cums first in that position, her cunt clenching hard at the massive intruder filling her nethers. More than just that, her entire body begins to tremble and shudder slightly as the energy of it passes through her, and much of it has its own effect on Parker himself. The man believed he still had some restraint left in him, but as her body massages his, almost begging him to release, he discovers that perhaps he still doesn''t know his own body all that well yet. Taking himself by surprise the man fires off his second load of the night, his balls clenching almost painfully, and this time depositing his cum directly where it ought to go - against Laeniel''s semen-thirsty cervix.
By time he''s finally done Parker feels almost unsteady on his legs, and he needs a moment to clear his head before looking back down at his wife. She''s practically glowing, her pale skin is so flushed, and her beauty isn''t at all marred by the impressive puddle of white currently dripping its way off the side of the bed from between her legs. Chuckling at it, Parker has to shake his head. "Really not enough room for it all, eh? Yet...gods, these balls must be magical, I still feel like I could go yet again."
"Do it. That was wonderful, but I don''t care if we need to repeat it once or a hundred times. I don''t want us to stop until we''ve pushed your new body to the absolute limits."
Parker grins, displaying his wide front teeth. "As always, I''m eager to please...."
In the end, Laeniel had to eat her words and beg for mercy. While some of Xenia''s bosses did still need occasional breaks to rest, even if they did recover quite quickly compared to most mortals, it turned out that a B-tier monster designed to breed had a recuperation period that was within the margin of error for how long it took Parker to unleash another load within her. She was quite the trooper though, and by time she finally collapsed into the mattress the pair had gone through at least half a dozen positions and more than twice that number of orgasms for Parker alone, with Laeniel not being so far behind.
The top blanket was of course entirely ruined by the end of things and was tossed aside into one corner, although as the two later dozed it faded away and a new one replaced it, almost tucking them in. Parker stirred a little restlessly during the night, still getting used to the fact that he no longer needed to sleep, but any time he felt like leaving the bed all he needed to do was look back over at his wife, and admire the satisfied smile on her face as she slept. It became extremely hard for him to not shout in joy and leap from the bed when he spotted a card make its appearance on a nearby dresser, but as he didn''t want to disturb his wife or spoil the surprise, he managed to content himself with the knowledge that everything had gone according to plan.
Eventually the next morning Laeniel does stir, and as she spots her husband next to her she smiles at him once again. "Now that is a sight I can imagine waking up to more often. Although I''ll definitely need a few days to recover, I''m not entirely certain my legs still work."
"Oh? Well, that''s a shame, as I''m not sure we''ll be able to see what message the dungeon left for us over on the other side of the room there if no one goes to get it."
Laeniel''s half-asleep expression is one of confusion for a moment, before his words finally sink in. "A message? A...wait, a message!? You mean a card!? Already? Where?" Unlike Parker, Laeniel has absolutely no restraint as she suddenly shoots off of the bed and quickly finds the card sitting only a few feet away. Unsteady legs or not, within an eyeblink she''s standing next to the dresser and examining the message written within. Her face forms a wide smile, but as her eyes begin to water, Parker begins to worry if perhaps something did go wrong.
"Is it...what we were hoping for, Laeny?"
"...Yes, but..." Her words trail off into laughter, and rather than explain, she can only turn the inside of the card so that Parker can read it. "...Perhaps I took a few too many potions?"
With an eyebrow raised, Parker takes a look at what could have been so unexpected. Inside the card is a drawing of three toddlers, with diapers and rabbit ears, along with a single sentence written all in caps.
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE TRIPLETS!
Chapter 203: Meetings Interrupted by Meetings
"And you''re absolutely sure this is correct?" As Parker questions his new boss, Xenia gives him her widest possible grin while she leans back into the chair behind her office desk. Laeniel was still recovering in Parker''s bed, enjoying room service breakfast courtesy of the barbunnies, but her husband had arranged a meeting with the dungeon spirit at her earliest opportunity to confirm what her message to them had written out.
"Don''t take my word for it, that''s straight from Kahlia. I''ve got a quest going on from her to have five kids conceived within the dungeon bounds. It was at four out of five, then boom, seven out of five. And you two were the only two going at it at the time." After she says that, her expression shifts into a slight frown. "...Fuck, I wonder if I''ll have a way of keeping track of that once the quest is turned in. People have probably started to rely on me passing out those cards...I might have to ask her about that the next time we chat. Which is gonna be damn soon."
Parker has to pause slightly at that statement. "You just...casually schedule appointments with a goddess, do you?"
Xenia chuckles at the suggestion. "Actually I barge in on her unannounced, she''s never actually given me a way to call ahead, now that I think about it. But yeah, technically I think it''s supposed to take anywhere from a few hours to like, days even for a guy''s little swimmers to actually get to their target, so it''s only cause we''ve got the divine stamp on things that we can say for sure everything went like we wanted so quickly." She hesitates a little before asking a question to clarify. "...Well, did it, actually? I know triplets weren''t exactly what you were expecting."
"Expecting!?" Parker slams a palm down on his chair''s armrest, and winces a little as it hits harder and louder than he was expecting. "Madame Xenia, for a full-blooded elf, pregnancy is infrequent, and twins are rarely heard of. Neither of us have ever even heard of an elf woman bearing triplets! Did...did you have something to do with that?"
"First off, you can drop the titles, Xenia or Xen or whatever is fine. I mean, not that I was trying to pry, but I did see you giving it to your wife six ways to Sunday last night, let''s not pretend this relationship is that impersonal. Secondly..." The dungeon master has to stop and consider her actual answer for a bit before she continues. "Well, sorta, probably. When I think about it, there''s probably a bunch of factors that coulda helped out. First off, yeah, I bet all those potions she was taking did a lot of it. Unless it turns out the kids are identical, those probably woulda done the heavy lifting on getting her ladybits over-eager with the eggs. Then there''s you, and, well...the Church''s fertility tests aren''t that detailed, but I''m betting you''re packing a lot more arrows in your quiver than the average dude, you know? And, hrmmm...possible she might''ve had a little bonus buff to fertility going on top of all that."
The Rabbit Patriarch''s brow furrows. "You mean like from an enchanted charm? We''d considered picking one up if we needed to, or asking you for one perhaps, but we didn''t actually have any of those."
Xenia shakes her head. "This one''s a dungeon secret so don''t go spreading it around, but we''ve got an extra boost from Kahlia - every floor a Challenger clears gives em a temporary fertility boost. Normally clearing a floor means, for the most part, killing the floor boss and getting out alive...but Floor Five''s a safe floor. So maybe just walking in and then out again got the job done?"
Parker leans back into his seat, quietly exhaling. "Well, if we had all that adding up...perhaps it''s not so surprising after all. Gods, if Laeny were a dwarf or a gnoll rather than an elf..."
"Yeah, so going back to my question...are you alright with it going this way?"
The guardian barely hesitates before giving a firm nod. "It will be an adjustment to our plans...but Laeny is an accountant. As far as the financials go, if anyone can make it work, it''s her. She may need some hired help, given that I won''t be around much, but...we''ll make it work, I''m sure of it."
"Yeah..." Xenia''s voice fades out for a moment, until she sighs and comes to a conclusion. "I know we said before that I wasn''t promising anything concrete for child support, but fuck it. I was holding back because I haven''t really been paying folks here and I didn''t want anyone getting jealous, but...the mana cap is high enough these days that I hardly ever spend it all down anymore, even with me stockpiling loot drops and stuff. I don''t want to be a miser or nothin'' while your wife''s doing the single mom thing, cause I know how hard that can be with one kid, let alone three. So consider a stipend granted - enough to hire you a nanny or something like that, alright?"
The relief in Parker''s face is plain to see. "I really didn''t want to ask for more, you really have given us so much already. But I''m not too prideful to accept help when my family could sorely use it - so thank you. Thank you so very much, Xenia. We''ll have some time before it really becomes necessary in any case, given that elf pregnancies usually last for a year and a half."
The dungeon master waves his thanks off with an embarrassed grin. "God, a year and a half with triplets, now I feel really sorry for her. And, ah, don''t worry about it - this was a win-win deal for both of us, and honestly in the long term it might still be better off for me, given your, y''know...indefinite term of employment."
"I doubt I''ll have any cause to regret our arrangement. Speaking of, though...what''s next from here?"
"Hey, just cause you hit the target on your first shot doesn''t mean you gotta rush things, alright? I know you and your wife have been waiting for this for a long time, so as far as I''m concerned, your employment hasn''t actually started yet. Take a few days, hell, a week if you want, and have yourselves a honeymoon, yeah? Besides, turning you into a proper floor boss is gonna be a little more involved."
The rabbit''s expression shows a hint of concern. "How so?"
"Well, the Patriarch model can fight but it''s not really ideal for it...not really thematic for Floor Seven, either. I am working on a new model for you, a combat model, but there''s a chance it might not be as...charming as what some of the other folks got. Lollyp can shapeshift to match her old form, we''ve got an illusion spell on Sincere, and Taly''s not too much more than like, a palette swap and groody fingernails, but what''s cooking up might be a little more monstrous for you. So we might need to do an arrangement where we swap out your body on a regular basis. But that could be harder on you since you''ll need to spend that much extra time getting used to yourself."
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
"Is ''swapping bodies'' a difficult process?"
"It ain''t...painful or anything like that. But it can be disorienting, and it''s something that requires my specific focus and mana to do, so it ain''t something to do multiple times a day if there''s not a serious need for it. But I think it''ll be worth it, assuming you like what you got now for chilling on your off-duty hours."
Parker looks at his right hand as he clenches it into a fist. "I am still getting used to it, yes. But after my experience last night? Odd ears and fur aside, I think I can state that we''re both very satisfied with what you''ve provided."
Xenia grins. "Great! Now, feel free to swing by the inn on your way out and grab yourself and Laeniel some more breakfast, she seems to have really worked up an appetite from the looks of it. Me...I got a date with a goddess to get ready for..."
Half an hour later, Xenia is alone in her meditation chamber and attempting to get her thoughts in order for her next divine meeting, and attempting to disconnect herself a bit from the numerous Challenger groups starting to go about their day, when Guy appears to ruin her efforts. "Ah, morning, ma''am. I know you said you were going to be busy, but I''m afraid you''ve gotten a request for a meeting which you may wish to consider."
"Someone''s coming to me for a meeting!? Today? Okay, now that is some shitty fuckin'' timing. Who could it be..." She returns her focus to the public inn once again, and feels a bit confused. "...Why are there a bunch of elementals in the inn? They doing something weird again?"
Guy shakes their screen in a negative. "Actually, that''s entirely unrelated. I believe Sincere''s been in touch with the elemental community lately relating to a request for an elemental-based Challenging party. A request from that drider and earth elemental, actually, whom you may be familiar with? But so far there don''t appear to be any issues regarding their behavior. I''m referring to the...other party of note in the inn this morning."
"Other...oh, it''s those dweebs." Xenia frowns as she identifies the Perlins sitting at a table, apparently waiting for a response to their meeting request. "Not really in the mood for em, and I''d really like to check in with Kahlia...but I''m probably gonna end up being even busier after that one, so suppose I might as well get this out of the way. Did they have a specific topic in mind? Not that I can''t guess."
"They would like to make amends for their poor behavior, and advance a proposal for your support, apparently."
"Yeah, figures. Took em damn long enough, really." The dungeon master sighs. "Alright...have the staff send em to the shrine meeting room we used yesterday, I''ll pop Em back in their frame. And if Sincere isn''t busy herding elementals, have him come along too."
"Right away, ma''am."
Although all five members of the Perlin expedition''s main party had made their way up to the dungeon that morning, Priest Redbeard and Protector Taylim were made to wait in the shrine''s main chamber, due to the relatively small size of the actual meeting room. Redbeard was actually rather delighted to have a chance to inspect a dungeon-made shrine in detail, although Taylim did get a little twitchy about being separated from his charges in a dungeon. He did take a post next to the meeting room''s door, though, so if anyone did start getting stabbed he''d at least be quick to respond.
Arlon, Raylin, and Sansie meanwhile are directed into the room by the shrine''s acolytes, and are rather surprised to see two identical-appearing demons sitting on the other side of the table and waiting for them. While they do recognize Sincere from their previous visit to the dungeon''s core chamber, they''re a little confused at how the man managed to double himself. Smirking a little at their obvious confusion, one of the demons gestures towards the empty seats.
"Please, have a seat. Allow me to provide introductions. I am Sincere, and my colleague here is Emmett. The master of the dungeon is present for the meeting, but we''ll be speaking for her."
Arlon nods as he takes the center seat on the near side of the table, but still has to ask for further clarification. "I''ve heard a few stories of your origins, Guardian Sincere, so I''m aware you''re a reincarnate. Is...Emmett also such an individual?"
The other Sincere grins. "No, it''s part of a new negotiating tactic we''re trying out. You see, one of us always lies, and one of us always tells the truth."
Sansie''s brow furrows. "You''re joking, yes?"
The first Sincere rolls his eyes. "That was a joke, yes. We are taking this meeting entirely seriously, I assure you."
Emmett''s grin only grows, however. "Unless he''s the Sincere who lies, that is."
Raylin seems about to respond to that, but whatever he was going to say is silenced as Arlon puts a hand on his shoulder. "...Right. In any case, allow me to begin with a full and proper apology. We''re aware that we led our former companion and friend, Deylia Niyen, to betray the dungeon''s trust. That was a mistake on our part as much as it was hers, and although we did not seek out to have a spy among your staff, the decision to use her information ultimately comes down to me. Therefore I would like first to beg forgiveness on her behalf, and that you grant her leniency, and secondly, that you allow us to make amends for our foolishness."
Sincere - probably - nods in response. "We respect your willingness to take responsibility, even if it was perhaps a little overlong in coming. I should let you know that the dungeon master does not intend to go any easier on Deylia because of it, but her punishment will be a temporary one so long as she doesn''t repeat her mistake."
He pauses, and Emmett adds additional commentary. "She would also like to note that she''s glad you''re not quite so prone to being ''self-absorbed, self-important nitwits like most nobles''. It does speak well that you''d provide support to a former servant."
Arlon needs a moment to react to that comment, before his voice eventually comes out with one of his default responses. "...Thank her for the compliment. As for the second part..."
Sincere again takes control of the conversation. "We''re willing to hear you out. Be aware though that the biggest mark in your favor is that we wish for House Highbranch to have some actual competition in this little, well, noble competition of yours, and so we''re not about to disregard you out of hand. That said, it does depend a fair bit on what your actual proposal is. So if you''d like to proceed...?"
"Certainly." Arlon turns towards his smiling cousin. "Sansie? Would you like to take over?"
"Thank you, cousin. Now, we''re aware of the claims that Worthy Dungeon is located atop the empty ruins of the long-dead Great Dungeon. Very little of it is known in the Rainlands, as the Dragonlord abandoned it well before we controlled these lands, and it appears that they destroyed the dungeon in their exit rather than allow it to fall into enemy hands. We never even knew of its exact location, only that the Dragonlord had once made their capital in or near a large, ancient dungeon. That said, the noble houses of our kingdom have discovered a few things relating to the dungeon over the years and our many conflicts with our southern enemy."
Emmett raises an eyebrow. "So...what, then? You have secrets of the Dragonlord you would share with us?"
Sansie''s grin grows wider. "Something more concrete. How would you like to have one of the Lost Treasures of the Great Dungeon?"
Chapter 204: Offerings
The two Sinceres share a look before turning back towards Sansie, and one of them responds. "''Lost Treasure'' is a term commonly used, referring to anything and everything from a minor artifact lost a generation previous, to a mythological relic from the days of demigods which may or may not have ever existed in the first place. And you speak of a ''Lost Treasure'' from a dungeon? I presume this is some sort of reward the dungeon generated, given that dungeons can''t exactly be stripped for parts."
Sansie shakes her head, slightly. "We don''t know the details of its creation, but we believe it to be more than that. According to the recorded claims of Domain prisoners of the past, the Great Dungeon was special in some ways, able to do things other dungeons cannot. Many of these claims likely are legends, or misinformation, but some of it does have concrete evidence. Specifically, the Kingdom of the Rainlands possesses a captured artifact known as a Dungeon Link, supposedly crafted by the Great Dungeon while it was in operation."
Sincere searches his memory, but is forced to ask for more clarification. "I''m not familiar with such an artifact. What exactly does it do?"
The Noble Elementalist smiles, taking this as a sign of interest. "Well, we''ve never had cause to use it ourselves. But theoretically, it can be split into two parts and sent to different dungeons. This would allow them to communicate, share a certain amount of mana between themselves, and possibly perform a few other feats we have little confirmation of. The artifact was captured years ago, when a Domain infiltration team was attempting to use it to bring a Rainlands dungeon into the fold of their ''Collaborator Dungeon'' system. It''s possible they have more, but if so they haven''t made any further attempts to use them within our territory."
Emmett chuckles while Sincere thinks on that some more. "I notice you refer to the Kingdom possessing it, not your House specifically. Is this yours to negotiate with?"
At that, Sansie does have to shift a little in her seat. "It is not in the possession of House Perlin, no, but in that of a house closely aligned with ours. It''s never been used, as they''ve never had any dungeons they''ve wished to make friends of. We''ve reached out to them and have begun negotiations for a trade, which I believe they''re amenable to. If this is of interest to you, we''re even willing to utilize...special delivery methods to ensure it could be here within the week."
Sincere crosses his arms. "Mrmm, well, tell me now - is this a gift you offer us freely, or is this merely a bargain you make in exchange for our support for your claim?"
Arlon takes care of that question. "For this, all we ask is that you clear the slate in regards to our earlier misstep. If it leads you to view us more favorably compared to House Highbranch, well...that would be appreciated, but we''ll bind you to no expectations on that front as far as this is concerned."
The two demons both turn to listen to their unseen employer for a few moments before Emmett turns back to them with another question. "The master of the dungeon is interested, but there is one minor problem. She''s a bit of a homebody, as you might imagine, and she has no dungeon friends. This artifact is potentially useful but not without another dungeon to use it with. Did you have any intentions as far as that part of it goes?"
The Lord shakes his head. "At a minimum, we thought you might find it useful to simply have on hand, in the event that you did find a use for it down the road. If you''d like to make use of it more immediately, we could provide you with a list of older, more communicative dungeons within the Rainlands you might find to be of interest. Or you could speak with the Challenger''s Association on the topic - they''d likely have far more access to dungeons than we do."
The demons listen again, and Sincere provides the official response. "We''ll take both parts of this link for now, until we''ve found a likely partner dungeon. We''d still like for you to actually clear Floor Seven again if you wish for us to consider that properly done, but once we have the actual artifact and not simply a promise of one, we''ll be willing to seriously consider House Perlin as an option for local lordship. You should be aware that Highbranch has already made their own initial offer, so you still have some road to hike left ahead of you."
Arlon nods deeply. "Understood, and I thank you for being willing to hear us out even this far. Your master is indeed a very reasonable dungeon, as they''ve been known to say. Depending on our own negotiations we could have the item in your hands in as little as a few days, but we''ll let you know if it ends up delayed overmuch."
"We''ll be looking forward to it. In the meanwhile, feel free to enjoy the hospitality of our inn or the lounge, or to challenge yourself upon Floor Seven, if you like." The pair rise to show their guests out, and the nobles follow.
"We''ll perhaps rest here overnight and try it in the morn, thank you. I look forward to having our reputation cleared in the near future."
The expedition files out, finding a runner from their entourage waiting for them in the inn to pass on their messages, and in the meanwhile Xenia huddles back up with her negotiators. "So, you actually think this is going to be useful for us?"
Sincere''s smile is wide, far more so than it had been during the actual talks. "Oh, yes. While I am not specifically familiar with this particular artifact, given what I know of dungeons, and of the Dragonlord? I think the Rainlanders don''t realize what it is they actually have."
Xenia raises an eyebrow. "Eh? And what is that?"
"If there''s a link that can provide mana, it can almost certainly provide more. Perhaps monster designs, crossbreeding...even a transfer of souls, perhaps. I do have to wonder now if the Domain does have a network of these among their Collaborator Dungeons, or if they''ve perhaps created something else based on study of artifacts like this. There is still the matter of deciding what other dungeon to actually link up with, but if they or the Association are willing to send the other link to one of the older dungeons of the continent? Well, the possibilities are significant."
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A copy of his smile finally appears on Xenia''s face. "Well, now that does sound useful. In the meanwhile though, I really wanna get this quest turned in to Kahlia before something else comes along. Ready to pop back to the Lounge, Em?"
The reflection raises his hands. "Hold up! Mind if I stay out here for a while longer? I know Sincere here''s been hoping for the chance to give me a try."
The demon''s eyes grow wide and he sputters. "I - no! I mean, not right this moment, anyhow! I just...had a bit of natural curiosity, that''s all! I''m sure the others have at some point, as well."
Ignoring his denials, Xenia pats the man on the shoulder as she rises from her seat. "Hey man, you ain''t gotta justify anything to me. Knock yourself out...well, not literally, do other things to yourself, I guess. See you later, with any luck we''ll have a dungeon meeting tonight with some news."
Before he can issue any further denials, the dungeon master pops out, leaving the man with his own grinning reflection. "So...ever had anyone try a time magic trick on you, nerd boy?"
After popping back to her meditation chamber and going through a very quick set of relaxation exercises, Xenia had Guy once again activate the dungeon''s divine connection to Kahlia. Unlike her last trip with Deylia, this time Xenia felt the connection open up nearly immediately, and within moments the dungeon master found herself once again within the Eternal Forest. After blinking a bit to adjust her eyes, she looks around and notices that she''s not in the usual small forest clearing, but rather on the border of a forest and a large, hilly meadow of flowers. A copy of Kahlia''s organic throne is still there however, with the goddess herself seated upon it, and so Xenia quickly bows. "Your Fertileness! I''m glad you were willing to talk to me so quickly. I take it now''s a good time? It''s occurred to me that it might be more useful to set up appointments ahead of time, if you''d prefer that sort of thing..."
The statuesque divinity smiles down at the much smaller woman. "No need, within these personal realms time can flow a little differently than it does in other realms. I did expect you to come a little sooner after you completed your quests however, so we have been waiting somewhat for your arrival. My companions got rather bored in the process, as you can see." She gestures to a hillside behind Xenia, elevated a little lower than their own current position, which affords her a rather clear view.
A view of what, she''s not entirely certain. "Is that...a pink-haired dwarf sucking a dude off?"
"Indeed, Taina does tend to get a little...frisky when left with time on her hands. I''d have joined in, but as I think I''ve mentioned, it takes rather intense effort on my part to not end up getting someone pregnant when I play around, and I wanted to be fresh for our meeting. And speaking of which, congratulations. Both quests completed with a single coupling, very elegantly done."
Xenia looks back and forth between Kahlia and the pair on the distant hill. "Thanks, wasn''t really planned, but did work out well enough, I guess. I''m sorry, did you say...Taina? Like, the Goddess of Love, Taina, right? And...don''t tell me that''s Palain, is it? What sort of party did I crash, here?" A moment after she says that, her eyes go wide. "Wait, were all three of you waiting to talk with me?"
The goddess nods. "We were. However, we have two matters to discuss, and they''re only here for one of those, so since I''d hate to interrupt their fun how about we deal with the smaller matter first? You''ve completed a divine quest on behalf of your dungeon, and so you have won yourself a new Divine Favor. Surpassed it, even, with seven conceptions out of five which I found rather amusing. Have you considered what you would like? Within the limits of my divine portfolio, of course."
Xenia nods. "I have, yeah. Although first I was wondering if I could ask for, like, a lower-case-f favor. Would it be possible to still get a notification when someone gets knocked up in my place? That''s turned out kind of handy for more than just quest tracking."
Kahlia considers that for a brief moment before agreeing. "That''s rather basic functionality, equivalent to a spell even most low-level acolytes can perform, and if it encourages more visitors to ''try their luck'' in your dungeon, I can see that being beneficial indeed. What else did you have on your mind, though?"
This time, Xenia chews her lip for a bit before making her request. "Well, I did want to check with you on what the options might be. I don''t think we need another general fertility buff or anything like that, I think what we''ve got is pretty good. Do you have anything that''d be a good fit for dungeon combat, though? I''ve heard some gods offer champions or unique monsters, or stuff like that. Or even rewards like, I don''t know - revival potions we could use for loot drops?"
The towering woman raises an eyebrow. "Resurrection is a very different beast than reincarnation, so that is not something I could casually give out, no. Every such potion capable of reviving the dead would drain upon my own personal energy, and if I started reviving dead Challengers all willy-nilly - no, I cannot grant that. As for champions - I see. You wish for Bill."
"Bill?" Xenia tilts her head. "I dunno, am I asking for a Bill?"
"Bill of the Blue Hair, a legendary figure you may be familiar with. He was not one of mine in life - he took on the title of Paragon of Valor, actually. But I did try to make him a Paragon of Fertility, he had so many children, and I offered him a place in my halls when he died. Apparently he preferred an eternity of the pleasures my halls offer over the pleasures of eternal combat, and that time he did accept my offer. He is perhaps the most combat-capable of my Paragons, and the only one I would consider for a role as a dungeon ambassador."
"Wait, Sable''s grandpa Bill? That...could be interesting. You can really have him join the dungeon just like that?"
The goddess snorts. "No, not just like that. For starters, I will not require him to do anything he does not wish to, he has earned his rest. Furthermore, as I said, he chose not to enter into an eternity of fighting for his final rewards. If he agrees, he would not just be another of your floor guardians. Instead, he would be more of...oh, what''s the term, a ''wandering boss'' type? Someone for you to call upon in your moments of need, should things take a dire turn. A champion to come, defeat a great threat, and then leave." Having said that, she then stirs slightly in her seat. "...Although knowing Bill, you could probably get him to stay longer if you plied him with beautiful women."
Xenia narrows her eyes a little, but eventually shrugs. "Eh, fuck it, an ace up the sleeve to pull our ass out of the fire is too good to pass up. If he''s down for it, I''ll take it. I don''t suppose you''ve got another quest for us to tackle next, by any chance? I think things are pretty well set up now for getting the Challengers all nice and frisky."
"Just how many Divine Favors do you think the average dungeon receives, Reincarnator? Two in a year is quite enough I''m afraid, although I do of course appreciate you continuing with your...successful program. That said, if the matter of dungeon-related favors is out of the way, shall we proceed to your personal quest?"
Xenia quickly grows more serious as she nods. "Yeah, let''s. You''ve found a way to get in touch with the gods from that other realm?"
"Indeed. Let me gather my colleagues, and we shall speak further."
Chapter 205: Affairs of the Gods
At some unseen signal the two gods on the distant hillside somehow get the message that it''s time for them to get down to business, and the pair quickly make their way over to Kahlia''s throne. Bizarrely quickly, even - while they get up to their feet and began walking over like two normal people, somehow every step forward manages to pass ten times the expected distance or more, in a maneuver that hurts Xenia''s head to witness. They perhaps could have taken a little extra time however as when they arrive Taina is still wiping off her chin, and Palain is fixing the belt on his peasant-like outfit with an embarrassed look on his face. Nodding to Xenia, he excuses his tardiness.
"I''m sorry, it was rather rude of us to carry on like that in front of you, I didn''t actually notice your arrival. Taina''s skills here are, well...divine, as you might understand."
Xenia finds herself a little shocked for more than one reason. "Wow, I''m not used to gods apologizing to me for stuff. Uh, no worries though, you...did look like you were having fun, yeah. Almost sorry I interrupted."
"Hey, I wouldn''t have wanted to miss out on this! Taina, Goddess of Love, pleased to meet you!" The pink-haired goddess reaches out for a handshake, and after a discreet check to make sure that said hand seems clean, Xenia accepts.
"You''re pleased to meet me? Okay, now I feel like I''m in bizarro-land. But uh, likewise, I''ve heard a lot of good things about you?"
"Same!" The dwarf-sized divinity practically hops with excitement. "I''m so jealous of Kahlia, that she got to you first! Almost makes me want to get into the dungeon business myself, except I''m pretty sure none of the others are like you. Been even considering trying to get into the dungeon design field on my own, but the Dungeoneers faction''s been strangely rude about not taking our calls lately when we try to ask them about dungeon stuff." Her eyes narrow, her mood suddenly shifting. "There''s definitely something up with those lunkheads."
After enjoying Xenia''s flustered expression for a moment, Kahlia steps in. "Given that we''ve had a few successful projects together in the past, perhaps at some point I''ll allow you the chance to involve yourself with my favorite dungeon. However, that''s not what we''re here for today."
Xenia gives her a nod, thankful for the return to topic. "Yeah...I assume everyone here knows about my request to try and get in touch with the pantheon from one of my old worlds? I didn''t think I''d need to be involving so many deities to do it, though."
Palain, the God of Harvests, crosses his arms with an unhappy look on his face. "We did assist a little with spreading the word, although finding the pantheon in question turned out to be easier than expected. That''s not what we''re here for, though. We''re here to support dear Kahlia here in case any foolish gods get any bright ideas."
"Yup, pretty much!" Taina''s chin nods along at a rapid pace. "Opening a bridge between pantheons, even a minor one, is a big deal. There''s a non-zero chance it could be used as a trap, or a trick to try and invade and bypass our defenses, so we''re here to help shut things down if it goes wrong."
"Oof, all that risk just to get me in touch with someone? Well, thanks again, I suppose. How''s this going to work, exactly?"
The Goddess of Fertility sighs as she turns her attention back to Xenia. "Before we get to that, there''s something you should know. We were able to find the pantheon in question more easily than we expected because while we were searching for them...they were searching for you."
The dungeon master''s non-existent blood runs cold. "...Crap. Did this just turn out to be a really, really bad idea?"
"If I believed they intended to harm you, or even capture you, we would not even be entertaining the idea any further. You have my protection - our protection, now - and we have made them aware of the fact. They claim they only wish to speak to you. Or rather, in particular, one of their number does. Theolif, Lord of the Shield."
"Theolif?" Xenia winces. "Shit, that was the one whose temple I kind of...extra desecrated. You sure he doesn''t have it out for me?"
"Well, I can''t say if he''ll be polite with you, but he did promise your safety, and he seems like the sort of deity who pays particular attention to such promises. If he does betray you, we''ll do our best to bring you back unharmed, although I must warn you - we can not go there with you, no more than we would be willing to allow him to come here."
"Alright. Alright." Xenia takes deep breaths, attempting to shore up her mental will. "Suppose there''s no point in drawing this out. Are we doing this now?"
"If you are prepared, then we shall." With a glance and a nod to her companions, Kahlia rises from her throne and begins to cast a spell. As her eyes begin to glow and her hands rise into the air, the sky suddenly turns dark. There''s no clouds, nor is it like night falling, but as if the sun itself was turning dimmer. Taina and Palain join in, adding their energy to the casting, and as the wind blows into a spiral before them a portal forms in its center. There''s only the vague impression of a ghostly footpath within the horizontal vortex, but Kahlia gestures in its direction.
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"The bridge is made, and it is for mortal souls alone. Proceed, but remember - we will be with you as much as we can be."
Heartened by that fact, Xenia steps forward. "Thanks, that really does mean a lot to me. See you again soon, I hope." With that said, the Reincarnator Extraordinaire steps onto the path.
Xenia''d been through many mystical portals in her time, but there was something particularly unique about this one. All around her it was as if there were a howling wind, and yet not even the slightest breeze seemed to touch her. Instead, different sensations assaulted her as she made her way towards an unclear destination. Every ten steps or so her body would begin to feel twisted up as if her internal organs were attempting to find new positions, and then after another step or two there would be a sudden release and the feeling would fade. The dungeon master was pretty sure she didn''t even have internal organs these days, but something about it reminded her of the pressure changes one might experience on an airplane trip, just to a much stronger extent and to more than just her eardrums.
It''s without warning when she takes one final step and finds herself once again on solid ground. Or solid stone floor, as it were, with a quick look identifying her location as being in some sort of castle''s main audience chamber. The ceiling is easily a hundred feet high, and the place is almost as wide, but despite the distance she can still easily make out massive shields covering much of the stonework. There''s no unifying theme to them - some of them seem to look like fairly mundane medieval European shields, if perhaps much larger, while others look straight out of a fantasy role-playing game. Others aren''t classically European at all, or even metal, with some apparently being made of leather or even woven plant fibers of various kinds.
Beyond that though the massive chamber is practically empty. A long blue carpet does mark the path towards a throne at the other end of the chamber, with two figures at the opposite end. They''re far enough away that Xenia can''t quite make them out, but with one of them looking like an eight-foot-tall man sitting on an appropriately sized throne, Xenia takes a wild guess that that would be Theolif. Seeing nothing else for it, Xenia begins the hike forward.
She''s not entirely sure how close she ought to approach, but the god decides for her, raising a hand and speaking in a deep, loud voice once she gets to around twenty-five paces away. "Xenia Worthy, Reincarnator Extraordinaire. Once known in this realm as Prince Xenon Darkstar, Prince of the Fallen Tower."
Xenia bows her head low before responding. "That''s me, Lord Theolif. I greet you, and also..." Her voice trails off as she finally gets a good look at the woman standing attentively next to the god''s throne, and finds not just a woman, but a green-skinned elf in the garb of a priestess. Her perfect dungeon memory provides Xenia with her name immediately, although it doesn''t help with her surprise. "Priestess Opal Brightsky!?"
The elf gives her a smile, but it''s an entirely cold one. "It''s good to see you again, Prince - or rather, Xenia, I suppose. It''s odd seeing you in the form of a woman, but it is certainly still you."
Xenia attempts to keep to the script she was writing in her head, and fails. "Again? But we never actually met? ...Unless..."
Theolif nods. He''s a bulky man, wearing an outfit halfway between royal garb and armor, but he clearly has the physique of a wrestler beneath it. His brown hair is kept in place by a gold ringlet, and a braided beard jostles as he speaks. "Indeed, it was Priestess Brightsky you met some months previous, on your investigation into your own memories. As I could not contact you myself, even in a nonphysical plane, the priestess here served as my ambassador. I understand there was not much...communication during your meeting, but it did assist us with locating your current realm."
Unsure which question to ask first, Xenia decides to stay on the matter of Opal''s intrusion. "You were a real person the whole time? I mean, I could definitely tell you weren''t acting normal for part of it, but...how?"
The elf shakes her head. "Not the whole time, no. Your recreation of me however was the link we needed, a resonance that could create a bridge. Fitting into a soul imprint of one''s own self is fairly easy...if you''re naught but a spirit and you have a god guiding the way, in any case. But I believe we have more important matters to discuss, do we not?"
Refocusing, Xenia turns her attention back to the Lord of the Shield. "Right, of course. I...I honestly don''t even know where to begin. I''m aware of all of the crimes I committed while I lived in your realm, Theolif, and all of the people I hurt...or really, to be more accurate I probably don''t know all of the people I hurt. If...if Priestess Brightsky''s sitting here in your personal afterlife, I''m guessing she didn''t exactly get a happy ending, and I never even knew she existed until recently. I''d like to make amends for what I did, to the people like the priestess and everyone else, too."
The woman''s eyes flash as Xenia begins her apology, but Theolif''s voice is much more calm. "I am indeed aware of all of your transgressions. What might surprise you more is that I am also aware of your nature as a reincarnator, and in fact always have been." The dungeon master''s eyebrows rise a bit at that, but the god continues. "It is in fact a key part of what decided your fate. You were not meant to be a scion of darkness, you know. When your soul first entered our realm, you were on your way to becoming a summoned Hero. A role you''ve taken before, if I''m not mistaken, although I do not know the full details of your past incarnations."
"Uh, twice before, yeah. Had good and bad experiences with that, I guess. But if I was in the middle of being summoned, how did I end up getting born as an evil baby instead?"
"Because we - myself and some of the others of my kin - redirected you. Replaced you with another in the summoning ritual, and expended no small amount of effort into placing you into that particular developing form instead." Having said that Theolif rises from his throne and steps forward, his inherent majesty managing to intimidate Xenia even just through the simple act of walking. Upon reaching her however he kneels down on one knee, bowing sufficiently enough to be shorter than she.
"And for that, Xenia Worthy, Reincarnator Extraordinaire - I am so very sorry."
Chapter 206: Seeking Redemption
The first response to Theolif''s unexpected apology doesn''t come from Xenia, but from the elf priestess, Opal. "...What!? You''re sorry!? My - my lord, forgive me, but I thought you were seeking him, er, her, out in order to punish her?"
Xenia finds herself nodding along. "Uh, yeah, this conversation''s already taken like three different twists I wasn''t expectin'', and I''m not saying I was looking forward to getting smited again or something, but..."
"Explanations are required. As are further apologies, indeed." The Lord of the Shield rises once again to his feet and turns back towards Priestess Brightsky, although he doesn''t return to his throne. "Apologies to you, as well. I wish I had told you sooner, but in my own shame...I suppose I wished to only have this conversation once."
Xenia looks back up at the eight-foot-tall man. "I suppose I can understand wanting to avoid a difficult topic, even if I don''t understand anything else going on now, apparently. So for starters - why did you hijack my summoning?"
A slight grin graces the edges of Theolif''s lips. "In at least some respects, I''m glad this meeting was delayed until after your conversation with Priestess Brightsky, as her retelling of events has done much to clarify what your point of view must have been on the events that occurred. Indeed, I already knew we had made a mistake before then, but it was not until after hearing your comprehension of the situation that I fully understood where we went wrong." The deity begins to pace about, slowly, although he keeps his focus on Xenia. "I believe you compared the events of our realm to that of ''storybook tales'' or some such, is that correct?"
Biting her lip slightly, wondering if that could have been a poor choice of words, Xenia nonetheless nods. "Yeah, it just...felt like there were a lot of similarities between stories I''ve heard before, you know? Especially with how fights between ''good'' and ''evil'' always shook out."
"You''re not wrong, not on that point at least. But you were mistaken on another. You believed that we gods were the ones guiding events in that fashion, yes? Maintaining an eternal stalemate of good and evil, in which neither side could ever fully triumph?"
"Umm...yeah? I mean, who else? Dark gods maybe, and not you guys specifically, but it had to have been somebody, right? It didn''t feel entirely natural from where I was standing."
Theolif shakes his head. "I''m afraid you have the order of cause and effect reversed. Yes, we gods influence fate, and have our impact on the mortal world when we can. But who is it who guides the gods?" He raises an eyebrow before answering his own rhetorical question. "It is the mortals who believe in us. It is mortal belief that transforms an errant wisp of divinity into something of power and will, and yes, we do have wills of our own. But when faced against the belief of the millions of worshipers who sustain us? Their desires, their preconceptions, fence us into our domains, our bounds of behavior. Our realm faces an eternal conflict of good versus evil because the mortals of the realm believe there must always be such a conflict."
Xenia''s brow furrows. "Eh? So you''re saying you''re trapped in this cycle of storybook tales? How did playing table tennis with my soul factor into that?"
"That was our great mistake, you see - we had some conception of what you were, but we did not understand you. But what we thought...what we hoped was that you would be our answer to all this. Our own strategies with summoned Heroes and other such champions are always doomed to fail. We inherently sabotage ourselves without recognizing it, ignore things we should not have ignored. Maybe that''s what happened again, although it''s always hard to be certain. But when we take action, evil is always defeated, yet it always survives to rise again, and a new generation of innocents must suffer in the process."
Quickly walking closer from her position by the throne, Opal asks the next question, sounding perhaps even more surprised by all of this than Xenia does. "And how does creating the worst evil we''ve faced in thousands of years break the cycle in a good way? ...My lord..." She quickly bows her head at the end, but the anger in her voice is impossible to hide. For his part however, Theolif seems unoffended.
"As I said, the reincarnator''s soul bore the clear marks of having been a previous Hero, and while we could not see the details of her lives, we thought that was sufficient. We believed we were placing an inside man, or woman, within the enemy camp. She would grow up, gain the trust of those who held power within the Seafall Kingdom, and then, knowing the right moment - she would destroy it from within. With a completeness that no summoned Hero could ever match, acting from the outside."
At the sound of that, Xenia''s spirits begin to droop. "So...this is all my fault then. I messed up the plan? Granted, I didn''t know there was a plan, but..."
The god turns back to her as he places a comforting hand on her shoulder, a rather heavy weight. "If a father commands his child to carry a boulder and the stone crushes her, is the child to blame? Again, the details didn''t become very clear to me until Priestess Brightsky recounted her meeting with you, but the signs of it were obvious in hindsight. Perhaps if we had more time to prepare...but your soul was stretched. Tired. If we didn''t have time to see it beforehand, it was obvious by the time you reached even a young childhood. But we were too used to dealing with Heroes at their prime, at the height of their enthusiasm and eagerness. We never considered what a Hero might become after lifetimes of wounds and losses and grief."
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Part of Xenia instinctively wants to defend herself, especially now that the god she came to see seems to be willing to shoulder at least some of the blame...but as the words come to her lips, memories come to her mind. The faces of tortured prisoners, screaming villagers, and empty-eyed slaves. "That...yeah, it was pretty bad. I was pretty bad. But that''s not an excuse for all the shit I did, either. I came here to try and make things right, and I don''t think that''s changed."
"Good, because you''re correct. It doesn''t excuse all of your actions. What it does do, however, is allow us to talk on reasonable terms, rather than having me simply throw your soul into one of our nastier afterlives for a few millennia." As he speaks, Theolif returns to his throne and sits back down, before continuing to speak once again. "And perhaps the fates willed that this would be so, for you come to us with a problem to be solved, just as we were coming with one to you."
The dungeon master''s brow furrows, and she has to take a moment to process that. "So you''re saying you really weren''t looking for me so that you could punish me?"
"No. Some deities might do such a thing, but our pantheon does not possess a Lord or Lady of Vengeance, and we would not risk provoking another pantheon just to hunt down a stray soul. The problem, Xenia Worthy...is your descendants. Perhaps another problem you ultimately caused, but this one at least, I do not blame you for."
"I...did probably have a few bastards while I was here, yeah, though I never officially claimed any of them. Did they pick up where I left off after I was gone?"
The god waggles a hand. "Some tried. Because you never declared an heir, nor appointed a specific second-in-command among your lieutenants, there was quite the struggle for power after your demise. Even with your king father outliving you, thanks to his demonic pacts, he had none of the control over your lieutenants that you did. And your...Fallen Heroes cared nothing for your kingdom or its dark philosophies, only their personal power, and so within a year your father''s mighty empire was torn asunder by squabbling warlords. It''s perhaps the only reason the remaining free peoples had any chance of survival at all, and have even slowly begun to regain what was lost, although much of the land is still claimed by despotism."
Xenia thinks on that for a bit, but ultimately has to shrug with a sigh. "I''d like to help with that, but I''m kind of rooted where I am. I can''t exactly fight any battles for you. To be honest, I''m not entirely sure what I can do, although I''m still willing to try if you have any ideas."
This time it''s Opal who answers her question. "You''re in luck, then. You don''t need to come here to fight your bastard descendants. They''re coming to you."
That''s enough to send alarm bells ringing through Xenia''s mind. "Wait, what? Who? Why? They''d have to be like...a bunch of generations separated from me by now, right? What do they want me for?"
Theolif picks up with the explanation. "They were recruited for the task, by a Realmwalker. Another descendant of yours from another realm, some sort of nobility, or so they presented themselves. Thaddeus Worthy, a young man claiming to seek the ''power of his ancestor'' for...well, we''re not certain exactly what. But he had no small amount of power of his own, and was able to convince some of your less successful descendants here to sign on with his...faction, party, cult, whatever you''d like to call it. They then disappeared to another realm, presumably on your trail in some manner."
Something about the moment feels a little bittersweet. "Man...part of me''s always wanted to be able to meet more of my family, but not so much if they''re like...my evil grandkids or whatever. But they''re not in my current realm as far as I know, and I still can''t go hunting them down for you. If that''s what you wanted from me?"
"I''m not certain exactly what it is they wish from you, but they certainly seemed to believe that they could gain some sort of great power from you. So, if you seek redemption for your sins in this realm? I present you with two tasks. The first of which is - through whatever means you deem necessary, when and if this cult discovers you, ensure that they can not gain the power they seek and then return here to cause yet more trouble for a realm already sitting on the brink of destruction. So long as they''re gone, the free peoples still have a chance of recovery."
Xenia considers that and slowly nods. "I can certainly put up a fight if that''s what they''re looking for...or maybe talk them into chilling out. Maybe. Would be nice. What''s the second task?"
"You are a dungeon in your current life, yes? We do not use a ''dungeon core'' system in our realm, but I am familiar with the concept. You absorb the souls of fallen adventurers and use them to strengthen your defenses, is that correct?"
Xenia nods again. "That is, yeah. How does that help you?"
The god leans back into his throne with a sigh. "The Summoned Hero ritual is expensive, as you''ve surely noticed, it can be performed but twice a year. This is not simply due to the need to embody a mighty soul, but to reinforce it with power, inherent spells and abilities and so forth. But the souls you collect of trained, experienced adventurers? Particularly the most powerful of those? They could be made into Heroes at a bargain rate, so to speak. I imagine we could use them as quickly as you could collect them, and with those reinforcements, the balance could once again be restored."
The dungeon master raises a pair of fingers. "Two problems with that idea. One, unless someone willingly surrenders their life to me, they get all...soul-washed or whatever when they die, they lose all the abilities you''re looking for. Secondly, uh, I don''t have a way to send you souls."
The Lord of the Shield grins. "You do not, no. That is why I am granting you a Divine Favor, as your dungeon system classifies it. An ambassador, who can intercept the souls before being cleansed, and return them home to me. That ambassador being Opal Brightsky, here with us today."
The green-skinned elf''s eyes grow wide. "Wait, what!? Me? My lord...I am honored, but..." Opal''s voice trails off, as she eventually appears to come to a conclusion that her divine master is making the correct decision, or at least one she doesn''t wish to argue with. Xenia still has some confusion of her own, however.
"You want to give me a priestess? Well, I guess it wouldn''t be the first one..."
At this, Theolif shakes his head. "Not merely a priestess, reincarnator. My Valkyrie."
Chapter 207: New Staff
"It''s good to see you''re back and in one piece! I take it things went...well, about as well as could be expected?"
Xenia exchanges a hug with Taly as the dungeon master welcomes her to the core chamber, a smile on her face but with a rather tired-looking expression. "Hey, it takes a lot more than a god or two to keep Xenia Worthy down, you know! We do got a lot to talk about though."
"I bet! Looking forward to hearing all about it!" With that said Taly finds herself a seat at the room''s conference table, and Xenia moves on to welcoming the next guardian to arrive. It was late in the evening after her eventful trip to the personal realms of multiple deities, and she had summoned all of her bosses to discuss what had happened. Deylia had been released from her solitary confinement for the occasion, and even the armor duo had been dragged into the room, despite their claims that staring at dark stone walls was more entertaining than attending dungeon meetings. The visiting Challengers had been informed that the dungeon was closed for the night, and if anyone were to try a run anyhow they''d face the full force of Trush and every dirty trick Xenia could come up with. So far, they''d settled for a round of free drinks at the inn instead.
There hadn''t been much more for Xenia to discuss with the gods after being assigned her two tasks, although she did spend an awkward few minutes being doted on by Kahlia and her clique after returning from Theolif''s realm. None of them were particularly thrilled about the idea of allowing an ambassador from another pantheon to take up residence in their own realm of interest, but given that Valkyrie Brightsky would be confined to a single dungeon, and that the deal seemed to be for pure motives, they eventually agreed to allow passage just this once. Brightsky hadn''t actually arrived yet, and Kahlia and Theolif had some god-to-god discussions they needed to do to set up the arrangement, but that would hopefully be changing soon.
Once everyone had arrived, taken seats, and started digging into the snacks and drinks if they were into those sorts of things, Xenia takes up her place at the head of the table and gives them all a good looking-over. "Got a full house tonight, huh? Been a while since I got you all in here. We''ve got a lot to cover tonight, but while I''m on the topic of a crowded table, now''d probably be a good time to introduce Parker to the gang. I don''t think you''ve met everyone yet, so Parker, meet your new coworkers, everyone, meet Parker."
The large rabbit-man gives a bit of an awkward grin as he waves to the others up and down the table, mostly due to the fact that he still hadn''t entirely adjusted to the scale of his new Rabbit Patriarch body. Although Xenia had given him a custom-sized chair, the width of his shoulders still takes a bit of getting used to, and his motions are a little uncertain as he offers handshakes to those seated closest to him. "Glad to be here, certainly. Although I must say, this is the most bizarre conference I''ve ever attended. Which I mean in a good way, of course, no offense intended."
"NONE TAKEN." DEATH gives the man a smile as he offers his bony hand to shake, which somehow manages to come through despite his utter lack of lips. "ANOTHER GUARDIAN OF THE LAGOMORPH PERSUASION ADDED TO OUR RANKS, I SEE."
"Sorta." Xenia shrugs. "Parker here is probably gonna be trying out a split-body thing, when I give him his combat form it might not be rabbit-related, even if that does seem to be increasingly our theme. For now though I''m giving the man a chance to enjoy his second honeymoon, so for a while we''ll be doing something else for the Floor Seven boss, which I''ll be getting to in a bit."
Taly shoots the man a wide grin, her eyes warm despite their red tint. "Yeah, and congratulations by the way, I''ve heard you''ve had some...early success. Good for you, and I''m looking forward to hearing about what that did for the dungeon, too."
"Thank you. It was...certainly much more successful than we were anticipating, but Laeniel and I have had some time to discuss things a bit more and I think we''re both very satisfied with this turn of events. And thank you again for the, ah, extended ''honeymoon'', Xenia, although I''m happy to provide my services at any time should they be needed." Parker gives the dungeon master a nod, and she returns it with a thumbs up.
"Thanks, but with any luck we should be good on staffing for a good while, which leads me to the next announcement. I''m gonna go ahead and start with the big one first...as most of you know, I''ve been looking to get in touch with the gods from one of my previous lives, one where I fucked up bad, in order to...reduce my sins, my karmic weight, right the balance sheets, however you wanna say it. Kahlia agreed to arrange that if we could get a dungeon monster to knock up a mortal, and once again, thank you Parker for your contribution to the cause."
Having only gotten the very brief summary version of Xenia''s history earlier, Parker is still a little confused about what exactly all of this is about, but the man accepts the compliment nonetheless. "Ah...anytime, dungeon master."
"Thanks to that, this afternoon I had a lovely little chat with Theolif, Lord of the Shield, who very nicely did not smite me into atoms for my sins. He did provide me with two tasks, though...one of which came with a Divine Favor. A champion, to both assist us here in the dungeon and also do a little, uh, soul harvesting. Guy, is she ready?"
The guide bobs next to her. "I have received a notification that she is, ma''am."
"Alright, then...send her the invite."
Nothing appears to happen for a few moments, but eventually without further warning there''s a bright flash of light not far from where Guy is hovering. When it fades out a woman is standing there - but she has little in common with the librarian Xenia had once met in her memories. Rather than wearing the simple robes of a priestess, Opal Brightsky is now garbed in holy plate armor, shining bright and, perhaps unsurprisingly, with a large, heavy blue shield affixed to one arm. The only green skin visible is that of her face, which is now perfectly formed and flawless, her body remade through the effort of divine sculpting. It''s still framed by her pointy elven ears, but the dark-green, almost-black hair tumbling around her shoulders looks as glossy as that worn by any model. Her most notable change however is that the woman is now sporting a pair of wings, with feathers made of metal, and Xenia gets the vague impression that each individual feather might be almost shield-shaped.
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One thing the woman lacks however is any warmth in her expression as she examines the people gathered in front of her. Her eyes are a solid yellow now, without visible pupils, and it only seems to enhance the inhuman nature of her gaze. "So...you are the guardians of this...''Worthy Dungeon'', I take it?"
As a greeting, Lollyp asks the first question that comes to her mind. "Wow...are you an elf? But you''re so...green."
Opal''s eyes narrow at the slime. "And you are very...squishy."
With a sigh, Xenia steps in with introductions. "Everyone...meet Valkyrie Opal Brightsky. She''s been loaned to us by Lord Theolif, and will be helping him out with his...debt collection. I''ll probably be making her boss of Floor Seven, although once Floor Eight''s done and Parker''s on duty, we might shuffle things up a bit."
Sincere shifts slightly in his seat. "The way you''re avoiding the specific nature of her task here makes me rather nervous, I''ll have to admit."
"Is the Fallen Prince a squeamish one in this life? Well, allow me to explain, then." Opal snorts before continuing. "Your dungeon collects the souls of those it slays, yes? I am here to collect them and send them instead to my lord, where they will serve as Summoned Heroes and help to right the wrongs your master here once committed. Not all of them, of course, but any adventurer who is..." She sighs before finishing her statement. "...Worthy."
Lollyp seems a little uncomfortable at that. "Wait, are we going back to maxing out our killcount? I mean, I don''t mind much personally, I kinda miss having the occasional team-wipe to my name, but I don''t think the Association would like that."
Xenia shakes her head. "Like the lady said, Theolif wants Hero-quality adventurers only. Initiates and Advanced definitely don''t count, and maybe not even Experts, but Opal here is the expert at judging souls, so I''ll leave the details up to her."
Trush raises a hand. "This still seems like a significant cost to the dungeon, given that we won''t be able to use those souls on upgrades. How many souls are we talking about, here? And what about any future ''applicants'' we get?"
"Any applicants that go through the process and pass, we''ll still take as usual. Anyone that gives themselves up but we didn''t actually want, well, Opal can take a look at them. As for how many..." Xenia turns towards the elf, who speaks without hesitation.
"As many champions as it takes for our homelands to be freed from the tyranny of the Prince''s descendants."
"...Yeah, that. Could be a thing for years, honestly. We aren''t bagging that many Experts yet. But it''s not a one-sided deal. I don''t know exactly how you''d classify Opal in terms of monster tiers, but...I''m betting she''s an A-tier boss at least. That ain''t nothin''."
"Indeed it''s not." Trush gives the woman a nod, although her expression of vague displeasure changes little. "I''m looking forward to seeing you in action, Valkyrie. It sounded like there was more to discuss as well though, Worthy?"
"Yup. We also completed Kahlia''s divine quest to have five children conceived in the dungeon, thank you again Mr. Reeves. I asked Kahlia if she had a champion of her own we could use...which I brought up before knowing we''d get one from Theolif...but even so I think it''s a good deal. Unlike Opal, who will be living here full-time until her task is done, Kahlia''s champion is an emergencies-only sort of guy. Someone overpowered comes by, or someone comes looking to crack my core open? We give him a call and he shows up. Possible some of you might know of him, guy goes by the name of Bill of the Blue Hair."
Although she was vaguely aware of the man and his reputation, Xenia''s rather surprised by the shocked looks that appear on the faces of her reincarnated guardians. Sincere is the first to voice their confusion. "Bill - Bill of the Blue Hair!? His soul resides in Kahlia''s comforting embrace?"
"Uh...maybe, I''m not sure if it''s that literal or not. Honestly it wouldn''t surprise me. You didn''t know him by any chance, right, Sin-Man?"
Sincere shakes his head. "Not directly. But he was legendary over a century ago, back before the Valleylands won their independence from the Dragonlord. He mainly fought in service of the Rainlands, but he ranged all across the continent, righting wrongs, slaying monsters, rescuing...and marrying damsels. I never met him, although I am...acquainted with several of his descendants. Paladin Sable being one such. It''d be astounding to actually get to meet him one day."
"Well, that day is today, cause I got permission to call him up for introductions. Guy, we got Billy on the line?"
"Indeed. I''ve...also intercepted several messages from him asking if you''re ''hot'', which I''ve elected not to answer."
"...Swell. Well, let''s bring him in and say hello."
Once again, after a brief delay there''s a bright flash, and another new arrival is soon standing next to Opal. Despite the fact that the elf is rather tall for a woman, even an elven one, the human next to her still has the advantage by at least a foot and has shoulders as broad as Parker''s. His loose, shoulder-length hair is indeed blue, as is his slight goatee, but even more striking than his personal appearance is his attire. Unlike the divine armor of Valkyrie Brightsky, Bill has arrived in what appears to be blue jeans and...a Nirvana t-shirt. An easy grin brightens up the room as he scans the crowd.
"Looks like we got a whole damn party here tonight, yeah! Excellent!" Turning his head he spots Xenia, and offers her a handshake - with a hand that easily dwarfs her own when she reaches out. "You''re Xenia, yeah? Sweet name, and I dig that nose piercing, very gnarly."
For once, Xenia doesn''t quite know what to say. "That''s...yeah, thanks. Nice style on you, too. Um. ...Earth?"
Bill nods eagerly. "Hells yeah, man! Cincinnati, ''92! You too? Heard you were like, an extra-reincarnator or whatever, but didn''t wanna make any assumptions, you know?"
"Uh, yeah, actually. Tallahassee, like, three decades later."
The man''s grin grows wider. "Ah, Alabama, Dukes of Hazzard country, wicked!" Before Xenia can do more than blink once or twice, he turns back towards the rest of the group. "So, we gettin'' this party started off or what!?"
Chapter 208: Differences
Despite herself, Xenia can''t seem to stop her lips from trying to smile in the presence of Bill''s extrovert energy. Part of her wonders if it''s something supernatural, like how he surely wasn''t quite so massive or colorful back when he lived on Earth, but there''s certainly one easy way to find out more about him. "Haha, okay, easy man. Maybe we can do a little something later, but first, how about introductions? It seems like you''re pretty famous around here, but I don''t know much about you myself."
The tall man brushes it off with a sheepish smirk. "Chaw, ain''t so much to tell, really. Used to be in a band back in the day, right? Singer, lead guitar, you know the gig. Was doing this outdoor show one night and it started to rain, but me and my boys, we ain''t about to quit out halfway through a rockin'' performance! ...Also we didn''t exactly have the green to be passin'' out refunds, heheh. Well anyways, got hit with a bolt of lightning right in front of everybody, and when I woke up I was here, totally ripped, sportin'' a new hairstyle, and totally in the buff in this natural mountain spring full of bodacious elf babes. And the rest, as they say, is history."
Xenia pauses briefly as she tries to imagine the scene. "That''s...better than pretty much all of my landings have gone, I''ll give you that."
"Yeah, the Big Lady told me you done this a bunch of times, right? Even worked for her as a tree this one time? Wild shit, mos def. Good to know the ol'' blue marble''s still spinning in the twenty-twenties, though."
She has to chuckle a little at that. "Oh, it''s way past that, even. Ran into some guys from around like, the twenty-two-hundreds on one run, sounds like it''s gone totally sci-fi. Moon bases and everything. Probably wouldn''t recognize the place if I ever got back."
"Whoa, no shit? Well, they probably ain''t got fine demon babes back there, so I ain''t too sore about missin'' out." He scans the room again, and his eyes roam over Lollyp. "Or hot slime girls, neither. You know, you look just like this girl I knew back in the day? She was yellow though, and didn''t wear wizard hats."
Lollyp responds to that with a raised eyebrow. "So...you''re saying you knew a slime once."
"Totally, just like you! She used to give me that look all the time, too."
Trying not to let his face sink into his palm, Sincere attempts to move the topic along to something resembling business. "So...you''re here to assist the dungeon in times of need, yes? Is there anything we need to arrange in order to set that up?"
Xenia takes charge of answering, before Bill can get a chance to derail the topic once again. "I would like to give Billy here the dungeon tour to get him familiar with the place, so that if we do need to call you in an emergency, you''re not completely lost with how the place is laid out. Maybe cover what people''s skills are, too? Top-level summary, at least. Also - Opal, I''ve already set up a room for you on Floor Five along with a bunch of the other staff. Bill, since you''re not going to be living here I haven''t reserved you the space for an apartment, but if you do ever want to stick around for a night you''re free to use any of the inn''s rental rooms."
"Been hearin'' about this ''inn'' of yours, too!" There''s a gleam in the man''s eye as he speaks. "Gonna be included in the tour, yeah? Cause you know, if you''re makin'' the gossip rounds in heaven, you know it''s gotta be something special for real."
"We...might end the tour there, yeah, just to get all the, uh...''boring'' stuff out of the way first." Xenia narrows her eyes a little. "Also, uh, I ain''t one to judge for sure, but...ain''t you married, dude?"
Bill chuckles as he waves off that concern. "Oh, big time. I got, uh..." He stops to count on his fingers. "...Twelve wives? Not countin'' the mermaid. I mean, you can''t just spring it on a dude with a ''you surfed with me so that means we''re married'', that shit ain''t count. Most of em are chillin'' with me in Kahlia''s paradise these days, though there should be a couple of em still kickin'' it."
Taly has to try hard not to laugh at his serious expression, even as she asks a follow-up. "Lot of kids, too, yeah? That''s how you got Kahlia''s attention?"
The man nods eagerly. "Thirty-four, apparently, which totally rules. I mean, I only knew about like, twenty of em, but turns out the Big Lady likes keeping score on that sort of thing. Even managed to get that slime chick preg, which apparently is damn near impossible from what people tell me. Course, it did take a lot of tryin'', if you catch my drift."
"Jesus." Xenia takes a moment to pinch the bridge of her nose before refocusing. "Alright! How about we do that tour, yeah? Opal, you''ll be wanting to see this too. Anyone else, up to you if you wanna come along."
Kahlia''s divine champion shoots her two thumbs up. "Bitchin''! Let''s see these digs!"
With no Challengers attempting the dungeon this late at night, the tour of the various floors went smoothly enough. A few of the guardians did give brief demonstrations of their abilities, or the special features they had for their boss arenas, but promises of spars had to be reserved for a later time. Xenia did bypass the public inn portion of the tour, as she didn''t want to deal with managing the stir that would surely arise from marching a literal legend through the place. They did bring Bill to the more exclusive lounge though, although the tour group had dwindled to Trush, Lollyp, and Taly by that point. Even Xenia found herself begging off with the excuse of showing Opal to her new apartment. Hanging around with the boisterous man was both entertaining and aggravating in equal measure, and while she did have a few other topics on her mind she''d like to discuss with him at some point, for now she needed a bit of a break.
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Once she finds herself alone in a room with Opal however, Xenia begins to realize things may have just gotten a great deal more awkward. "So! Room layout''s been pretty standardized for most of our guardians at this point, but if you got requests for changes in the details or anything, let me know. Got a living room, kitchenette, washroom, bedroom, a general purpose room for whatever else you might need..." She turns to face the Valkyrie as a realization occurs to her. "Hey, do you actually got like...body concerns, like food and...plumbing and that? Dungeon monsters don''t, eating''s just a recreational thing, but I don''t know about your whole deal."
The elf shakes her head. "I am dead, I no longer worry about such concerns." She runs her hand along the back of a couch before turning to face Xenia more directly. "The design choices for your various floors and sections seem rather...diverse. But having seen your lounge, I can certainly say you haven''t lost your taste for debauchery."
There''s an impression that the woman meant it as an insult, but it''s hardly one Xenia can deny. "I suppose that''s been a consistent trait of mine, yeah." She goes silent for a bit, chewing her lip, before asking a question. "Hey, so...can we talk? If you''d rather chat later that''s fine, I know it''s been a busy day, or...if you''d rather talk never, I''d understand, though we do need to at least work together."
"I take my duties seriously, and I would not risk this divine task due to an inability to cooperate on my part." Opal looks away briefly before taking a deep breath. "I would like to ask you a question first, however?"
"Yeah? Shoot away."
"Your...companions. Do they know your history? The sins that you say weigh upon you?"
Xenia nods. "Not in fine detail, but I''ve told them the basics, yeah. Well, Parker''s new, he probably still needs more of an update, and Deylia''s been a lil out of the loop, too. It all got kicked off, too, cause apparently some demons around here can, like...smell it on me or whatever, though the number of dungeon outsiders who really know is...well, probably just the one. They were probably watching our little chat together, now that I think about it."
"Hmm. It''s just...very difficult for me to reconcile. Your companions, they seem like brave, valorous people. And yet they seem so casual around you, happy even. Around you, who hurt so many? How can they stomach it?"
Xenia frowns, especially at the thought that this might be an insult towards her guardians. "Look, Opal - "
She''s quickly interrupted. "Brightsky, if you would, or Valkyrie Brightsky. We are not on a first name basis with each other."
"...Valkyrie Brightsky. Look, I know you saw me at my worst, I ain''t gonna deny any of what I did or how bad it was. But I need you to believe that there''s more to me than that, okay? I''ve had friends, I''ve loved, I have tried to do the right thing more often than not. I won''t make any excuses, but I want you to see me as being more than just an evil prince."
The elf sighs a little as she looks Xenia''s avatar up and down. "Like your demons, I too can also judge the quality of a soul these days. And...well, to be honest, you rather hurt to look at. All of your lives, twisted together, overlapping...that''s not how a soul ought to look. Even so, certain colors still shine through. As much as I want to deny it, I can see the valor in you as well. We Valkyries are trained to look for such things in particular, the souls we gather are not always judged based on how...ethical their owners may have been. Yet we Valkyries are also unlike the restful dead in other ways - we feel more strongly, particularly our anger. It will not stop me from working with you, but I need you to know - I hate you. I hate you so much it makes me almost want to shake in your presence."
The dungeon master can''t help but wince at the expression in the elf''s yellow eyes. "Can...would it be alright if I asked what happened to you? After you were hiding out in the tower library?"
Opal crosses her arms as she considers whether or not to answer, but eventually nods. "That first Fallen Hero of yours - Peter. After you turned him to your side and eventually gave him his own territorial command, you allowed him to take a fraction of your staff and soldiers to serve as the foundation for his power. One of his lieutenants must have mentioned me, and as I was not serving a vital purpose in your employ, I was included in his retinue." Her eyes narrow. "He did not recruit me for my skills as a priestess or a librarian."
Xenia winces again. "God, I am so - "
"If you tell me you are sorry I will slap you right now." By this point Opal really is nearly vibrating, her muscles tense.
Seeing her mood, Xenia can only nod. "And...you became a Valkyrie somehow? My knowledge of the religions in that realm was not exactly in-depth, but that''s not something that happens to just anybody, yeah?"
"Indeed. After two years in the Sword Champion''s ''service'' I finally had enough, and stole myself a dagger. I slew five of his guards before I was boxed in, and threw myself from a castle tower to avoid being captured once again. For my bravery in battle, as well as my lifetime of service to him, Lord Theolif saw fit to make me one of his own."
Xenia nods again. "You''ve grown strong, I can see that. I...I ain''t gonna deny you any of what you''re feeling. You''ve more than earned that hate. But I want you to know - this deal Theolif and I have worked out? This means more to me than just...making the numbers balance out on some cosmic ledger. Even after we''ve helped set your realm right, and even if I do gotta smack around a few realmwalking grandkids or something, that doesn''t mean I''m counting it all fair and square. I just...hope one day we get to the point where I can say the words to you."
Opal''s lips twitch a few times, but when she speaks, Xenia suspects it''s not the first words that came to her mind. "Thank you for the tour, dungeon master, and the apartment. While I do not technically require sleep, it has been a long day, and I would like to rest. Perhaps we can speak tomorrow on the details of me fulfilling my duties here?"
"...Sure. Talk to you tomorrow then, have a good night''s rest."
The pair exchange nods before Xenia flickers out, teleporting her avatar back into her own apartment. Sensing her mood though, she''s not alone for long, as Guy comes by to check on her. "Everything alright, ma''am? It certainly seems to have been a rather tiring day."
Summoning herself a glass, Xenia takes a moment to take a long drink, just to enjoy the taste. "Ain''t even the half of it, Guy. You know...officially, Theolif only gave me two tasks to do. But...partnering me up with Opal, specifically? Of all of his Valkyries?" Xenia has a long sigh. "I don''t think that was an accident, and that part of it''s probably going to be the hardest task of em all..."
Chapter 209: Party Elements
As he rides down the moving platform that makes up the majority of Floor Two, Grizza looks over his team and thinks to himself: we''re in trouble.
Oh, sure, the party had done just fine on Floor One - they were nearly immune to everything on it save perhaps the rabbit boss himself. Roxxy herself was as stalwart as always, and the man standing next to her, an earth elemental named Flint, was just as tough. The two magma elementals, a woman named Cinder and a fellow named Ashley, were nearly as durable if perhaps a bit more...distracting. The magma elementals had more fluid forms than their earth cousins, and ever since running into Zappy and her new self-sculpted body the pair had been experimenting with shapes more pleasing to the eye of the average mortal. The drider was pretty sure they were only doing it to see if they could, but that didn''t make it any less awkward when Cinder would ask him if her chest mounds were big enough, or when Ashley would ask how fluid his ass ought to be.
None of that was really a problem, exactly. But as far as party compositions went? For a five-person team, they were surprisingly one-note - Grizza served as the party''s Mage, while everyone else was more or less there to take the hits. Certainly, the magma elementals had some additional damage capabilities. Not only could they set things on fire if they were touching them, but they could even throw chunks of themselves at foes as literal fireballs. That was a limited resource though, apparently requiring a fair bit of downtime to recover from later as they absorbed new stone into their bodies. The pair could also project flame itself somewhat, as they had back when they were purely fire elementals, but it sounded as if that was now even harder for them to do than to literally dismember themselves as weapons.
The biggest problem though was that they had no healer, and worse, even if they did, traditional healing didn''t work on elementals. Grizza himself had the only most basic First Aid spell available thanks to his time in the Army of the Valleylands, and he''d mostly be reliant on health potions to heal himself with. As for the others? Well, at least elementals weren''t much debilitated by pain, one could lose an arm and it would only be a temporary irritation, but it still wouldn''t help them recover in the midst of a dungeon intrusion.
So, with a bit of reluctance, the Arcane Mage sighs. "I think after we clear the second floor, assuming all goes well of course, we should take a break for the day."
Roxxy looks up from where she was stomping on an errant spider. "Really? I heard the pro teams usually take on the first three floors in a day when they''re starting off. And we haven''t even taken any injuries yet!"
"True, but we''re not exactly a professional team, are we? Three of us have never Challenged before at all, and even you''ve never properly attempted a dungeon, Roxxy. We''re doing well, but I don''t want us getting overconfident. I''d actually like to take some time to review our performance, you know, see how we might improve before the next attempt?"
Cinder laughs from the other side of the platform, where she''s been apparently irritated by her inability to exactly equalize the size of her new breasts. "Improve? How do you improve on perfection? Did you hear the way that last boss screamed when he melted?"
Grizza winces, having been attempting to not remember that specific memory. "That was...an efficient victory, yes. But I worry about the next encounter ahead. Lollyp is known for her creativity, and I doubt she''ll strike at us with something as mundane as short blades and kicks."
Flint pounds one fist into his palm. "I sure hope not! I mean, hells, I betcha I coulda stood there all day and he wouldn''t have gotten anywhere near my core! I signed up for this gig cause Zappy said it''d be exciting!"
"Exciting is fine. Despite what you might think, however, a wise Challenger does not risk their life more than necessary." Grizza pauses as the platform comes to a halt, just outside Lollyp''s boss arena. "Still, I''m glad you''re willing to take the hits. Usual formation, shall we? Lollyp''s known for her fondness of ambushes." The elementals nod and gather up in front of the arena door, preparing to take positions specifically designed to protect the relatively ''squishy'' drider. The two earth elementals would go in first, followed by Grizza who would end up flanked by the magmas. While monsters would generally attack the frontliners to zero effect, the other three could more easily resort to ranged attacks, with Grizza shouting out orders as he saw fit.
Grizza has to admit to himself, he''s a little uncomfortable finding himself in the team leader position while being at such a low Challenger rank himself. But with the elementals being so impulsive and uneducated about the world in general, they often seemed to respond to him like children following the commands of a schoolteacher, as eager to please as they were to try most things. And when they had attempted to give orders...well, needless to say, it was easiest for Grizza to shortcut that by simply taking command himself. "Flint, lead us in, would you?"
The elemental does so, opening the arena door and quickly stepping inside in order to make room for the others. Despite their large bulk - even the lighter magma elementals were easily above three hundred pounds in weight - the team moves quickly, taking up their arranged positions. They scan the various cracks and crannies of the room for signs of a magical slime, but as usual it''s Lollyp''s voice that appears first.
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"Wow, you''re really doing it, huh? An elemental-based party? Heard the rumors but I didn''t think you''d actually go for it! Just so you know, I ain''t taking it easier on anyone just for being neighbors!"
Cinder shouts out a response, a laugh in her voice. "Like we''d need the help! I bet a slime would melt real fast."
The elemental gets a laugh in response as well. "I may be a slime, but you forget - I''m also an elementalist." With that said the battle begins, as four alchemy bottles suddenly drop from the ceiling. Grizza destroys one with an arcane blast, while quickly deflecting a second with a magical barrier, but two of them more or less hit their targets. One lands directly on Flint, covering him in ice, and another just barely misses Ashley. Despite that Flint is breaking through the frost starting to grow over him within moments, while Ashley takes a leap backward in response to the bit of splash-back he received from the nearby impact.
"Gah! Is that cold!? Cold sucks!"
"Focus, everyone, she''s here!" Grizza points with a wand at the opposite end of the arena, where Lollyp has just made a landing and is already beginning to charge her spells. A direct physical attack against the elementals would be useless, she knows, having recalled just how weak she was when she and Roxxy briefly fought each other so many months earlier. Magic, on the other hand, is another story. Grizza begins to prepare a wider shield in order to defend against any projectiles or lightning blasts, but the man is taken somewhat by surprise when he''s struck by a chilled wind instead, blowing at him from the side. "Gah! I can''t defend against such a wide-area spell, we need to shut her down fast!"
Although he may have been hoping for Cinder and Ashley to answer with a round of liquid-hot rocks flying through the air, Grizza''s dismayed to see that even a relatively indirect attack like this seems to be nearly shutting the magma pair down. "Cinder! Can you move?"
"Move, yeah! Project anything, though?" She reaches out a hand, and a bare spark of flame appears in her palm. "...That''s a no!"
"Don''t worry, I got this!" Flint charges on ahead, swinging his fists. Like all of the elementals the man chose not to try using any typical weapons, but given that most monsters can''t withstand a one-hundred-pound fist to the face at high speeds, that generally hasn''t been much of a concern so far. His charge is halted however with a massive ice lance hitting him directly in the face, shattering his head into fragments.
"Ha! One down, four to go!" Lollyp turns her attention next to Roxxy, attempting to repeat the move, but the slightly-more-experienced elemental is quicker on her feet and smashes the next projectile out of the air. Lollyp''s taken entirely by surprise by what happens next, as Roxxy points one hand in the slime''s direction and suddenly blasts her with a lightning bolt.
"Ha! Eat lightning crystal!"
Unprepared for the attack, Lollyp drops her wand as her body begins to lose cohesion. "Fffffuck! I f-forgot we gave you those things..."
"Yeah, they''ve been great!" Raising her other hand, Roxxy repeats the move with the crystal embedded into its back, her reward for helping with the hunt for Sincere. Even the second blast isn''t sufficient to kill the boss, the crystals only being equivalent to a low-tier wand in strength, but it does manage to completely disable her ability to move for several moments.
Which is more time than Grizza needs. "Alright, thanks for the opening! I have this!" Pushing forward a little, Grizza lifts his wand and fires off a swarm of arcane missiles. It''s a rather inaccurate attack when used in this volley-fire form, but against a target who can''t move it proves more than sufficient for the task. Three, five, and finally eight small explosives eventually slam into the woman, each of them blowing off a part of her body mass, and by time the spell is over her body is already beginning to turn into a red puddle. Despite that, Grizza''s first move isn''t to celebrate.
"Flint! Can - can anyone do anything for him!?" He rushes over to the decapitated elemental, somehow still standing on his feet, but comes to a halt as to his surprise Flint raises a single finger. He then begins to grope around at his body for a bit, before eventually grabbing on to one shoulder and yanking out a chunk of it in one hand. Slamming the acquired rock into the hole between his shoulders, he then finally turns to Grizza and responds.
"Keep it steady, team boss! Didn''t come anywhere near my core, so it''s all good. A little distracting though, I''ll admit."
Grizza pauses for a moment as he stares at Flint''s new head, which looks even less face-like than he''s used to for an earth elemental. "...Right, of course. Silly me. ...I''d really like to know more about how you actually work though, at some point, you know. Elementals in general, that is."
Roxxy multitasks by responding even as she rushes over to check out the boss loot. "Feel free, I guess. Not like I know! Oh hey, Grizza, check it out! This one should be good for you!" As he comes over, Roxxy holds out a prize in his direction which he accepts and looks over.
"A wand? Elemental...ice? No, ice and air, actually. Neither are my specialties, but this could still prove useful." As he says that, his brow furrows and he turns back towards his companion. "Roxxy, if I remember correctly, those crystals you were given - they were the focus components of wands, isn''t that what they said?"
The elemental nods. "They said they were weaker cause they weren''t full wands, which is why they gave me two. Why do you ask?"
"Well...they''re lightning wand crystals, clearly. Your personal mana is earth-aspected, is that not an issue with you using them?"
Roxxy thinks on that for a moment before shaking her head. "...No? I mean, it feels a little bit wasteful maybe, but I think the crystal takes care of it, and I got tons of earth mana in me. I mean, we elementals are basically made of the stuff, right? We''re not like you fleshies, running off of...eating...birds, or whatever it is you do."
"Right, right..." The Mage taps a finger against his chin before asking a follow-up. "How many such crystals do you think you could ''wear'', as you do those two?"
"Well crystals are practically rocks, so integrating them into me was super easy! So like...however many crystals we had, probably?"
"Interesting..." As Grizza turns back towards the rest of the team, there''s a smile on his face. "Tomorrow we''re going back into town, and we''re buying as many low-grade wands from the Association as we can afford. I know they have plenty, given how many people have been running this floor. I think we may just have a solution for our versatility problems..."
Chapter 210: Mountaineers
"Fredder, stay within the damn shadow! Tainz, there''s two more of those damn archers up and to the right there, mind givin'' em a jolt of lightnin'' or two for us?"
As an axe-wielding dwarf rushes closer to a drider Mage standing at the center of their party formation, he grumbles to his team leader. "How the hells am I supposed to hit anything if I''m staying back here? I tossed both of my throwing axes ten minutes ago!"
Chuckling, another dwarf next to him mocks him slightly while she reloads her heavy-duty crossbow. "Not every single matchup''s a perfect balance of roles, kid. You know how many times I gotta hold my shots while you frontliners get mixed up into a melee? Don''t worry, you''ll get your loot all the same." Sure enough, of the six members of the mixed dwarf-and-drider party, only three of them have much work to do as they whittle down the fae archers firing at them from the crystalline trees of Floor Seven. As one of those three is a drider Shadow Mage however, cloaking the entire party in a cloud of summoned darkness, the others have little to fear from the incoming shots given that most of them go far wide.
When the last crystal monster falls thanks to a blast from the team''s drider Elementalist, the lead dwarf turns back towards his party. "Good work, Mountaineers! Looks like a clear shot from here to the boss arena, and there ain''t a chance that a handful of slimes are gonna get the best of us! Anyone need to rest up? Get anything prepped? Now''s the time."
While the dwarf Sniper sees to her ammo and the team''s Mages take a moment to recharge their mana, another drider approaches the man, accompanied by the sound of snarling. Not from himself of course, but from the three dire wolflings following after him. The bipedal beasts are short, no more than two and a half feet tall each, but their sharp claws and mouthfuls of fangs were still more than enough to be intimidating to anyone who didn''t know their master. Fortunately, Hammon Hardhead had spent the last five weeks working alongside the the follower of Garre, God of Monsters, and so the Monster Priest''s beastlings warranted little more than a quick looking-over for wounds as they approach. "None of your pups take any arrows there, Nomanz?"
"No, they''re far too agile for that. A little riled up though from not being able to do anything about enemies so high up, though. They should have better luck against the slimes, so long as they don''t allow themselves to be engulfed."
Hammon nods. "Good, good." Before he continues, the dwarf lowers his voice a little. "The kids doing okay, y''think? Pushing this deep with a couple of Advanced is a risky business."
The drider cleric looks over Fredder, the dwarf Axeman, and Tainz, their drider Elementalist, but his answer comes quickly enough. "Fredder should have perhaps hung on to his axes better, but I think we''re doing fine, and Tainz will be essential for countering the mana slimes. We might have been reliant on Yalizz''s shadow magics to help us get past the Banshee Queen, but there hasn''t been a Challenger casualty to the slimes yet. Ironically, I think Lollyp would actually be more dangerous were she on this floor, and went all-out."
The Shield Smasher chuckles at that. "Certainly would be if there were three or four of her, haha! Alright then, enough dawdlin'', let''s get our asses in gear before the dungeon decides to send that damn hoppy knight after us!"
The party does pick up quickly at that, not wanting a rematch with Trush and his squires. They''d had a run-in once before on Floor Four, taking a number of minor injuries in the process, and only actually cleared the floor on a later attempt when the man didn''t reappear. As for this fight however, the six were feeling much more confident. While not many parties had gotten this far yet, the nobles who had were far less circumspect about hiding their discoveries compared to some professional teams and word had spread of the fight''s mechanics. There did seem to be some randomization as to what kinds of slimes a party would have to fight, but the basic methods of killing a giant slime didn''t tend to change very much regardless of their elemental aspect.
Despite that, the experienced Experts of the group were only confident, not over-confident, and so when they open the boss arena''s crystalline doors Hammon steps inside slowly. It doesn''t take him long to decide that something seems to be a little off compared to the information the team had acquired. "Where''s the white one?"
Petal, the team''s dwarven Siege Sniper, does a quick scan of the arena and its crystalline pillars herself. "They''re supposed to be random, right? Guess we''re not fighting the white one today."
Hammon shakes his head at that. "No - the white one''s never random, it always finishes on that. And supposedly it always still has the crystals of even the ones it doesn''t use, so - why''s the white crystal missing?"
Standing at the man''s side, Fredder gives a snort. "Why are you worried about fewer bosses? Besides, we''re only the, what, fifth team through here? And not all of em talked about what they saw. Who''s to say this ain''t normal?"
"Instinct, kid. Instinct is tellin'' me that - gah!" Sure enough, Hammon wasn''t boasting as it''s his instinct alone that tells him to raise his shield to cover his head. He doesn''t see what it is that actually impacts him, but it lands on him hard enough to make his shield arm vibrate, and only a moment later a hard kick sends him flying into the wall of the arena. The Shield Smasher class is all about the manipulation of momentum, though, and he practically bounces off of the wall and onto his feet, ready to face whatever it was that struck him.
So it is that he gets an excellent view of Fredder''s head as it goes soaring across the arena. Standing in front of the former Challenger is a monster unlike anything else on the floor, and which is very definitely not a slime. It''s a woman, certainly, although all but her chin is covered in shining armor, including a winged visor sweeping back from her helmet. More notable are the large, functional metal wings extending from her back, reminding Hammon that he made one of the classic Challenger blunders. He''d forgotten to look up.
Before he can even shout out the order the party''s ranged members are firing at the boss, despite the fact that most of them hadn''t even properly entered the arena yet. The woman''s large shield moves quickly to intercept Petal''s crossbow bolt, but to their surprise even the wings move forward at lightning speed to protect against the actual lightning the Elementalist is firing at her. The energy doesn''t seem to hurt her, or at least not as much as it ought to considering how much metal the woman seems to be wearing, but it does at least appear to root her in place momentarily while the attack plays out. Seeing that, Hammon decides to go on the counter-offensive.
"Nomanz! Have your beasties flank her, she can''t cover every angle! Yalizz, blind her, Petal, try and restrain her before she can take back into the air! Use an ice bolt or something!" Despite his concerns however the guardian stays on the ground, even as Hammon and the trio of dire wolflings begin to surround her. A cloud of darkness attaches itself to her helmet, indicating the Shadow Mage''s magics are in play, but as Hammon charges in he realizes that it appears to be having no effect. The helmeted figure snaps her attention to him, kicking at him once again the moment he comes into range. Hammon blocks it with his shield, but her strength still manages to take him by surprise, knocking him backwards once again.
The wolflings receive even less attention, as a few swings of the monster''s sword quickly disables the whole lot of them - at least one immediately dead, its throat slit, and another failing to move after it falls to the ground. It would be an understatement then to say that Hammon is a little concerned as she starts to march in his direction, and even more when she begins to speak. "You - your soul is bright. You would make an excellent champion, dwarf. Prepare for the honor of - "
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Whatever she was about to say, it''s interrupted as slimy tentacles suddenly emerge from the rocky ground and grab on to her legs. Despite everything being flung at her, the woman''s shield and wings seem to keep her well-defended with almost minimal effort, but the monstrous trap apparently manages to take her at least a little bit by surprise.
"You killed Rez and Fizzo! You''ll pay for that, bitch!" As the Monster Priest of Garre shouts at her, the woman narrows her eyes at him in return.
"The - the beasts? You care little for the dwarf I slew, do you? ...You do care for your creatures though, I can see, so perhaps there''s something to work with there." Rather than strike at the tentacles holding her in place, instead the boss scoops up the axe Fredder had dropped and flings it at the drider Priest. It''s a heavy weapon, no throwing axe, yet it flies gracefully through the air as it passes right through the center of Nomanz''s skull. With the death of their summoner the tentacles holding her in place begin to slowly dissolve once again, and while he has a moment free Hammon decides it''s time to act.
"Retreat! This boss is at least a tier above the damn slimes! We''ll need a whole damn new strategy for this one!" His remaining team members need no further telling, and the Sniper and Shadow Mage hesitate only long enough to try one final attempt at restraining their opponent. An ice-aspected bolt from Petal does ice up the guardian''s wings, hopefully grounding the woman, while Yalizz summons tentacles of his own, shadowy forms to replace the monstrous ones now being torn away. He then begins to summon up a cloud of shadow to cover the party''s retreat, but this second spell proves to be one too many.
Even as Hammon rushes back through the arena door, Yalizz''s torso is sliced open next to him, his shadow magics apparently even less effective against the monster than the Priest''s summons and wolflings. The last survivor of that monstrous trio does choose that moment to reappear though, snapping at the woman''s ankle, and it''s that distraction alone that saves Hammon as he runs with all the speed his class training and short legs can muster. "Back! We''ll regroup at the previous chamber!"
While Petal and Tainz run on ahead, the Shield Smasher does spare a look back over his shoulder, and what he sees makes him grow pale. "She''s - fuck! She''s chasing us! Keep going til we hit the emergency portal!"
Smashing her shield against her wings, it only takes Opal a few moments to clear herself of the ice weighing her down. As she takes into the air of Floor Seven''s main chamber though she''s taken by surprise as one more obstacle gets in her way. Literally standing on air, Xenia''s avatar appears before her and it takes all of her strength not to crash into her new employer. "Brightsky! Stop! Let them go!"
Under her helmet, Opal''s brow furrows. "What? Why!? They''re retreating! The rout is the ideal time to slay one''s foes! Most casualties occur during the rout!"
"I''ve been a soldier since before you were born, you don''t need to tell me that." Xenia''s eyes narrow, but only for a moment. "Look - this is on me, I didn''t explain it well enough. But this isn''t a battlefield. Everything that happens in this dungeon is consensual, including the murdering. And ''ahhh, flee for your lives'' means ''no''. Get it?"
Hovering in place, Opal gives an annoyed look as she glances past Xenia''s floating form at the final drider and pair of dwarves as they escape the chamber. "But we need them! Well - perhaps not the drider girl, she''s still young. But those dwarves, they''re strong. They''d make excellent Heroes."
"Sure. But that''s short-term. I know they didn''t have dungeons back home, but trust me, there''s not much that holds a Challenger back. Are they getting away today? Sure. But they''ll be back in a week - and with reinforcements, more Challengers. And as long as we''ve got a reputation for playing fair, so will they. Hell, if they like the place, not only will they not try to crack the core open but they''ll keep on giving you chances to kill them. There''s dudes Lollyp''s fought like ten times before she finally got them."
Opal takes a few deep breaths as her wings continue to flap, but eventually she nods. "Very well. I hope you don''t expect me to go easy on those who actually put up a fight, however."
The dungeon master nods. "That''s fine. Nothing wrong with having a flashy first appearance, either. I bet you they''re gonna have a hell of a story to tell about you in the inn later. Well, you know...after they change their pants."
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INTRUSION SCORE:
MONSTERS SLAIN: 3
MORTALS SLAIN: 3
MORTALS ESCAPED: 3
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
CANINES: D+
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 3
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 16 TO 331
MANA ACQUIRED: 30, CURRENT AMOUNT: 201/258 (67 CONSUMED BY CONSTRUCTS)
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
SKILLS: DARK MAGE (ADVANCED), MONSTER ACOLYTE (ADVANCED), SHADOW MAGE (EXPERT), MONSTER PRIEST (EXPERT)
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: BURIED DEEP 3
YOU HAVE SLAIN TEN DWARVES. DWARVES RECEIVE A MINOR INTIMIDATION EFFECT UPON DUNGEON ENTRY.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: NO COMPETITORS 1
YOU HAVE SLAIN YOUR FIRST NON-DUNGEON MONSTER. DAMAGE TO NON-DUNGEON MONSTERS INCREASED BY 10%.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: DIVINE WRATH 1
YOU HAVE SCORED YOUR FIRST KILL WITH A DIVINE CHAMPION. DIVINE CHAMPIONS GAIN 10% MORE HEALTH.
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Chapter 211: Storms Brewing
Although the members of House Perlin had planned on re-challenging Floor Seven early in the morning, the day after they had their meeting with the dungeon''s representatives, they found that the time slot had already been booked. Another Challenger team, the ''Mountaineers'', had already been planning on making their first attempt at the floor and considering that the nobles were trying to mend their relationship with the dungeon they graciously allowed the other team to continue as scheduled. There was no hard rule preventing two teams from trying a floor at the same time - at least not in Worthy Dungeon, as some other dungeons did have mechanics preventing such a thing - but it would certainly have been rude to say the least. Creatures and bosses only respawned so quickly under normal circumstances, meaning usually only one team would be able to get the floor''s rewards. Besides, it''d hardly improve their record if they only cleared half the floor themselves.
After the survivors of that particular party returned to the inn just after lunchtime, the nobles suddenly found themselves extremely glad that they had accepted the delay. The trio told a rather confused tale of a winged monster that had appeared from above, carving through their party as if they were so many mobile pieces of cheese, and the two dwarves of the group quickly got to getting drunk. Everyone had gathered around them to try and get out more details, but by luring away the team''s Siege Sniper with the promise of a free round from their own personal stocks down in Grassbrook, the Perlins got their own personal source of information. Assuming they could get her to talk coherently, at least.
Again, Arlon tries to get the woman to start from the beginning. "Petal, yes? You''re a crossbow user? Ranged combatant? You must have had a good view of what transpired, then?"
"What transpired? What transpired? What transpired is that we lost our damn heads! Literally, in a couple cases! Ack, poor Fredder...we shoulda never taken him so deep, but we thought a team''a six woulda been more than plenty..."
Raising a hand, Raylin decides to try a different tack. "Let''s...not focus on exactly what happened, to start with. Could you describe what the monster looked like? You''ve said it had wings, and swooped down on you, yes?"
After taking a long drink from her mug, the woman nods. "Aye, great big shiny ones too, not a plain feather to be seen in the bunch. As hard as her armor - and that bloody great shield of hers. Shield or the wings, I couldn''t get a shot through to her at all!"
"Her, you say? So it appeared roughly mortal in appearance? Some form of Rabbit Champion, perhaps?"
Petal quickly shakes her head. "Didn''t have the fuzzy legs, nor the ears unless they were hidden under her helmet. She was almost totally covered up aside from her mouth, but...there was this one odd thing, I barely had time to notice in the midst of it all." The Sniper leans in and half-whispers. "I''d swear the lass''s skin was green. And not dark an'' rough like an orc''s, neither, but like nothin'' or nobody I seen before."
The nobles share a look and continue their questioning, but beyond the fact that the monster was apparently very good with a sword or a thrown axe, there was little more they could get from her. After calling for another round and sending her on her way, Sansie buries her face in her hands.
"Now? Now!? The day we were going to clear our record, that''s when the dungeon creates a new boss for Floor Seven? The Highbranches didn''t have to put up with anything so vicious-sounding."
Arlon frowns as he thinks over the news. "I had thought that we might encounter a new boss, there was word going around of a new ''applicant'' being recently accepted, after all. But I would not have imagined him being turned into a sword-wielding maiden, from what I''d heard of him."
"This seems wildly different from the other monsters in the dungeon, as well." Raylin looks around at the others on the table. "Winged monster women...there''s harpies, yes? But beyond the very first room of the place there''s been no use of anything bird-based at all. Are there other monster types I''m forgetting?"
The party''s Priest, Palm Redbeard, gives a solemn nod. "There...is one that comes to mind. Not exactly a typical monster class, mind you. Each of its kind is unique. But...they say some of those dungeons who have received Divine Favor in the form of floor guardians often receive them in the form of winged warriors."
The party is silent for a moment, until eventually Sansie speaks. "A divine champion. Gods save us. I did not think Kahlia would be the sort to partake in that form of reward..."
Their team leader attempts to refocus their thoughts. "Let us assume that that is indeed what this is, or it''s at least something similar. We were prepared to fight slimes. What are the weaknesses of a divine champion?"
The Priest again provides his best answer. "As I said, each are unique, but that is because they take on the aspects of the deity which they serve - much like any mundane Priest or Cleric does, like myself. We may have some common low-level spells, but beyond that every discipline is quite different. That can include their weaknesses - for example, I imagine a Champion of Ol, the God of Night, would be particularly weak against light-based magic."
Raylin''s unable to keep himself from snorting. "So what''s the weakness of a Champion of Kahlia? A team of virgins, perhaps? If so I think we''re out of luck on that front."
His cousin steeples his fingers as he turns his attention towards Sansie. "Setting aside possible divine traits, what do we know about the skills she actually displayed? Beyond flight, it sounds as if she used no magic at all, save perhaps a resistance to shadow magic. On the other hand, she''s apparently extremely durable against both blade and magical bolt."
Sansie raises an eyebrow. "Yes, so why are you looking at me? If lightning''s no good, I doubt a fireball would prove much better. Granted I am a superior Elementalist to that drider girl, no offense to her. But still..."
"Don''t write yourself off just yet, dear Sansie. I believe I have a plan..."
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Working their way through Floor Seven for the third time, the nobles found their passage going more smoothly than ever. They were plenty practiced by now with the minor monsters in the preliminary chambers, and even the fae archers hiding in the crystal trees didn''t seem particularly challenging by now. They also counted themselves very lucky that they didn''t run into Trush and his squires again, though it was hard to say whether that was due to chance, the dungeon deciding to ease up on them a bit, or the possibility that the dungeon was so confident in its new guardian that it didn''t need additional ambushes.
At last though they arrived at the boss arena at the end of the main chamber, a section blocked off by giant vines of stone and crystal so tightly interwoven it was practically a solid wall. Rather than approach the door to the arena however, it''s the wall that they stop to inspect. Rapping one of the crystals with his knuckles, Raylin turns to Sansie. "Is it doable, you think?"
Before she answers, the Elementalist pulls out a wand from her kit - a crystalline one she earned here in this very dungeon. Closing her eyes, she taps it against the crystal a few times. "It''s not my favored element, but with this wand...we can at least make the attempt, yes."
Arlon nods. "Then we shall give it a try. Everyone recall their roles?" As the party members give their affirmations, the man turns and heads to the door. "Taylim, with me, have that shield ready! For House Perlin!"
The group charges into the room, scanning it quickly but not finding any opponent waiting to face them. The warning provided by the Mountaineers proves sufficient though, and they quickly turn their attentions upward just in time to see a winged guardian swoop down at them, targeting Arlon himself. She''s taken by surprise however when she practically bounces off of a magic barrier, rolling to the floor a short distance away. Quickly recovering to her feet, the woman bares her teeth with a growl. "Bah, and here I thought you were talking about the literal shield. No matter - barriers can be cracked easily enough."
She moves forward to prove it, her sword arm swinging, but Arlon is already stepping aside to make room. "Redbeard, Sansie, knock her down!"
The pair do so, Sansie leveling a wand in the guardian''s direction while Redbeard chants to his goddess. While the two of them often worked together when firing off bolts of lightning, that was not the aspect of the storm they were calling this time. The attack starts off with a strong gust of wind blasting into the monster, momentarily disrupting her attack and making her take a step back. It really is only a momentary setback however, and the woman is already starting to utter a new taunt when Redbeard''s contribution to the maneuver comes into play. While Sansie''s galewinds continue to strike her head-on, suddenly new gusts begin to assault her from both the left and right, alternating with a frequency that no natural storm could ever match.
Still though, it is just wind. After pulling her wings in tightly, limiting the amount of drag they cause her, the guardian finally gets off her next comment. "You think I''ve never flown through a storm before? You have blades there, do you lack faith in your skill at arms?"
It''s Raylin that answers, raising his bow as he steps into the middle of the formation. "It''s no mere storm of wind and water you need to worry about today, guardian. Rain of Arrows!" Rapidly firing his bow as he casts his spell, the Noble Marksman fires off four quick shots into the air, each of them splitting off into half a dozen magical munitions as they''re released. Laughing, the woman raises her shield above her head and turns her wings into something of an umbrella as well.
"A good way to waste a lot of arrows at once, archer. ...Hrmm?" After bracing for a few moments, the guardian seems rather surprised when nothing actually lands to strike her defenses. Risking a peek around her shield, she soon discovers why - the arrows have become part of the magical storm, flying around the ceiling of the tall arena. "...If you were attempting to prevent me from taking to the air, it''s wasted effort. I''m just fine down here!" With that said she finally lunges for her attack, her sword slicing into Taylim''s barrier spell, and sure enough it begins to damage the spell on even the first attack. The purpose of Raylin''s move becomes apparent soon after though, when an arrow suddenly comes flying in from the side, striking her in the elbow. "Gah! How?"
Taking a pause between chants to his patron, Redbeard answers her question. "I can indeed sense your divinity, champion, but you are not the only representative of the divine here today. With the guidance of divine winds, you shall fall today!"
"Pfft! As if a few windswept arrows would bring down a Valkyrie Shieldmaiden!" She quickly continues striking at the barrier, already nearly reducing it to tatters, but as she does so three more arrows fly in from various angles. One scores a minor hit on her leg, while she deflects the other two, but those are quickly pulled back up into the air once again, ready to be used in another attempt. Another swing finally brings the Royal Protector''s spell down, but she finds the party''s physical defenses to be no less challenging as Taylim and Arlon both close ranks to meet her.
The woman''s swordsmanship is impeccable, deflecting attacks from both of the men and still managing to attempt blows of her own, sending the pair''s shields ringing, but as she does so the storm of arrows never lets up. They particularly go for her legs and knees, and while the woman''s plate armor deflects a few on its own the occasional projectile does manage to strike home. She keeps standing, keeps fighting, but eventually one arrow going directly into the back of her left knee makes the guardian stumble. Seeing their chance, the pair simultaneously slam into her with their shields, knocking her onto her back and sending her sprawling. Even as he does so, Arlon shouts out another command. "Raylin! Now!"
"On it." Raising his bow, Raylin fires another arrow into the sky - a very nontraditional arrow. Formed of stone and crystal, the center of the stone is made of an earth-aspected wand. A wand charged with a single, high-energy spell. As the arrow strikes the crystal chamber ceiling, Sansie utters the spell''s trigger word.
"Rockslide." At that command the arrow explodes with magical energy, almost all of which is absorbed by the crystal making up a particular section of the ceiling. That section being the area directly above where the floor''s guardian lies, every attempt to rise to her feet countered with another heavy gust of wind, or arrow flung at her face. Distracted by those nuisances, it''s only at the last moment that she looks upwards to see the several tons of stone crashing towards her.
"...Oh, damm-"
Ten minutes later, the party finds Sincere smirking as they enter the dungeon''s core chamber for the second time. "Well, now that was a show."
Sansie gives a scoff. "At the cost of a good wand, I should hope so. I''m sorry if we broke your dungeon arena, though. ...Or your floor guardian. Well, not that sorry..."
The demon can only laugh in response. "To be honest, after Brightsky''s first performance, I thought it might be weeks, perhaps months, before she found herself facing defeat. I still wouldn''t lower my estimations of her skill...but perhaps I might have to raise my estimations of yours."
Arlon gives the man a slight bow. "Thank you for the compliment - to be honest, I don''t know if we could have pulled off that level of coordination the first time we came here. I suppose that is what dungeons are all about though, isn''t it? That aside..."
Sincere chuckles again. "Your record? Consider it cleared. You may not be the first to have cleared the floor properly, but you are the first to have defeated Valkyrie Brightsky, so that''s an accomplishment, at least."
The nobleman takes a deep, relieved breath. "Thank you for your consideration. As for the rest of our offer?"
The Core Guardian shrugs. "We''re still willing to consider that as well. As long as you can indeed deliver the treasure you promised."
Arlon nods. "You will have it soon. Very soon."
Chapter 212: Package Delivery
Two days after Valkyrie Brightsky had made her dramatic appearance in the dungeon, Lyota Silverstar and her team were busy following their latest orders from home. Those orders did not involve them preparing for their own assault on the new guardian, no, instead they were currently shivering in the woods north of Grassbrook. The worst of winter was past but it was still far from spring, and the team had gotten rather used to enjoying the controlled environment of a dungeon inn rather than the chilly outdoors. At least they had music to take their minds off things, even if it was the same song over and over.
Eventually though it''s enough to make the goblin, Wetears, wish for silence instead. "Really, Bard, y''can''t give it a rest for ten minutes? Or at least play something different?"
Lionel removes the flute from his lips as he looks over from the fallen log where he sits. "For a few moments, perhaps, but not more. I need to be guiding fate when the creature passes us by or we miss our chance, and that could be half a minute and then it''s gone."
Barny, the team''s kobold Soulflame Wielder, redirects the questioning to their demonic leader. "And we''re sure that it will be passing over today, yeah? Whatever...it is. Can you tell us now that we''re all out here?"
The woman grunts. "There''s not much more than what I''ve already informed you of. Domain agents have discovered that House Perlin secured the release of a relic from the Rainlander vaults, one formerly possessed by our lord, and has arranged for it to be sent to their expedition here in Grassbrook. Normally such a thing would travel with a heavily armed guard, but it would appear this ''competition'' the nobles are engaging in has driven them to value speed over security. It''s being flown south by a trained monster, and is due to arrive today. It ought to pass roughly over our current position, and with Fatestealer''s manipulation of the odds we should be able to guarantee that it comes within our range. We will secure the relic and arrange for its transport back to the Domain. Did you have any further questions?"
Passy, the team''s other kobold, raises a hand. "What is the relic, though? Also...are you okay with, like...stealing stuff? Y''know, cause of your whole fury demon thing?"
Lyota narrows her yellow eyes. "For one thing, this relic was stolen from our lord - although I do not know its exact identity, no. But this is merely the recovery of stolen property, not a theft of its own. For another - we fury demons can commit crimes, you know. We have the same free will as any other mortal."
Lionel pauses in his tune-playing again to ask a quick question. "Oh? And how does that work out for you?"
This time, the other demon shifts a little before answering. "...If we commit a serious sin, it can cause...discomfort. It fades in time, or when we submit ourselves to punishment."
If her skin could get any redder by blushing, it would when Wetears adds a comment of his own. "It also apparently makes fury demons really attractive to other fury demons. It''s like a perfume, y''know? Hahaha!"
"Hordecaller! I did not mention that to you so that you could - wait!" Lyota''s eyes go wide as she glimpses something silhouetted against the gray clouds above them. "It''s here! Passy! Prepare your shot! Fatestealer, shift your focus to improving her luck!" The team quickly gets ready as Lionel shifts to a much faster-paced tune, and Passy gets to work creating a sphere of yellow energy between her palms. While most Mages might perhaps use a fireball spell for a task like this, instead the Solar Arcanist is creating a trapped ball of reflected light, a beam that gains in intensity every time it bounces off of the barrier holding it in place. It slowly grows ever brighter, and as the team begins to cast shadows onto the snowy ground, she shoots Lyota a look.
"I''m charged!"
Lyota spreads her wings and returns the glance. "Fire!" Passy does so, blasting the monstrous creature above, and Lyota is only moments behind it as she takes into the air. The size of the monster was apparent even from a distance, a creature with a ten-foot wingspan, and Lyota grins as she gets close enough to identify it more specifically. A trained dire bat. Passy''s beam of simulated sunlight easily blinds the sensitive creature''s eyes, and it''s almost enough to knock it out of the air right then and there. It does manage to recover itself before it begins to plummet, but it''s unable to stop Lyota from landing herself on its back. Before it can attempt to start a fight about it, the Soul Lasher has already cut the straps fixed to its torso with a short sword, and before the bat even knows what''s happened she''s already begun diving back towards the ground with her prize in hand. Whether the bat decides to return home or continue its journey is of no concern to her - she has what she''s after.
Her party gives her a cheer as she lands once again in the small clearing, snow scattering with the gusting from her wings, and Lionel takes a deep breath now that he can take a break from playing his flute. "Ah, success! So, can we actually see what this relic of ours is now, or must it remain secret?"
Lyota nods. "We must at least confirm that this is indeed a relic and not some sort of decoy. Let us see here..." Opening up the custom-designed satchel, the demon reaches inside and pulls out a large sphere, made of a bronze-like metal. There''s a thick crack going around the circumference of it, indicating that it can be split into two halves, but as she inspects it she sees little more to it aside from some runes she''s unfamiliar with. "Well...it is very certainly magical. If it were a decoy, I imagine they would have used something either obviously worthless or something designed to look much more...impressive."
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"Sounds good enough to me." Wetears ambles over to take a closer look of his own. "Now what? Do we gotta take this thing back south ourselves? Could wreck our cover, if this ain''t already done it."
Before Lyota can answer, a woman''s voice from the edge of the clearing does it for her. "I think you have much more to worry about than your cover, goblin. Good work, sister - exactly where you said they''d be."
As the Domain party quickly moves into defensive stances, they soon recognize the speaker - Gilda Highbranch, accompanied by the other members of her house''s core expedition party. Seeing the five Challengers emerging from the trees, Wetears gives a growl. "Hells! How''d you get so close like that!? Shoulda heard the snow crunching a hundred yards away!"
Gilda rolls her eyes. "We are of elven descent, you know. Besides, Silva here knew exactly how to lead us."
The focus shifts to the woman''s twin, and her normally smiling face is instead glaring at Lionel. "Yes. Although this one has been causing me quite the headache this morning. You''re a hard man to see, Gambler Bard."
Lionel''s own expression is much more pleasant as he answers. "My apologies, I would never intend to make life difficult for a charming young woman. That said, I imagine your own intentions are not quite so pure-hearted."
The Enchantress sneers at the man. "Really? We interrupt you, catch you red-handed - pardon the expression - in the middle of a relic theft and you have the gall to say that we''re the ones with impure intentions? Hand over your stolen property and we may allow you to walk free."
Lyota glares at the twins as she holds the relic close. "This item is not House Highbranch property. You have absolutely no standing to confiscate it or to interfere with us."
Gilda shakes her head. "We have all the right in the world to interfere with Domain agents acting against the good of the kingdom. Now, this is your last warning - hand it over or prepare to defend yourselves."
Biting back her first response, the Soul Lasher takes a moment to examine her team and the nobles. Virtually every member of the Highbranch party is equipped for a melee fight, and she''s aware that the massive gnoll lurking in the back of the group is said to be a Master-level combatant. Her own team is far more magically-inclined, which would be an advantage in some situations, but not so much one where they''ve been taken by surprise. They could certainly put up a fight, but casualties would be inevitable, and a victory might almost be its own problem. Killing two high-ranking noble scions...well, it''s not something Lyota would care to do without specific orders to that effect. Cursing, she turns back to the half-elf. "...Fine. It seems you have the advantage over us."
"Glad you''re a reasonable one, at least." Turning her head, Gilda addresses the dark-clad member of her party. "Randall, would you be so kind as to take possession of the relic?"
"As the lady commands." The rogue gives a somewhat-sarcastic bow before making his way into the forest clearing, but as he begins to approach Lyota realizes there''s another issue.
Wincing, she peers more closely at the man. "You - I''ve heard rumors of you, but...the amount of sin you carry? Murder...so much blood on your hands..."
Although he doesn''t stop his approach, Randall does frown at her words. "Aye, well don''t you go passing any judgment on me now, demon. We''re both agents of those who pay us the proper amount of coin, aren''t we? Besides, you just need to hand that prize over and head on home, and then you''ll never need to see me again, isn''t that right?"
"I am no mercenary, killer. I - gnnnhh!" As the man walks up to her and places one hand on the bronze sphere, the sensations of the man''s sins finally become too much for her. Without thinking, her instincts tell her to lash out at the man, to STOP HIM FROM STEALING THE PROPERTY OF HER LORD. One hand rakes at his face, her claw-like nails digging furrows into the surprised rogue''s cheek, even as her wings and legs send her leaping backwards. When her senses return she sees him standing there groaning, one hand pressed to his bleeding cheek while the other still holds on to half of the relic. The interior of the now-split sphere has an interesting design, an onion-like arrangement of layered runes, but unfortunately she hardly has time to inspect it right now. Looking down at her own hand she finds that the other half of the treasure is still in her possession, and another glance tells her that the Highbranch team has already begun drawing their blades. "Hold! I - I acted without thinking!"
"Yeah, well, you''ve gone and done it now, haven''t you?" Randall looks back towards his employers as his wound drips out through his fingers and into the snow. "Permission to give this spy a scar to remember me by, my ladies?"
Gilda gives a shrug. "I suppose that would be fair, wouldn''t it? And fury demons are all about proper punishment, I believe." Silva however turns towards her sister with an upset look.
"Gilda! I - I told you I saw things going poorly if a fight began! Just have them hand the rest of it over and let them leave!"
Randall seems far less inclined to let things go so easily, though. "Blood''s already been spilt, my lady. Besides, I''m not one for starting fights - just ending them." The next time he begins to approach Lyota there''s a dagger in his hands, and the rest of the Domain party begins to ease into combat stances of their own. Before he can go more than two paces he''s interrupted by a shout from a noble - but the man is taken by surprise as he realizes that this voice is masculine.
"Hold, there! Now, isn''t this something. We came out here to investigate a flashing light in the sky, and we find all sorts of unpleasantness. Now, what do you say we all calm down - and make sure that treasure is returned to its rightful owners." Arlon Perlin''s voice is steady as he addresses the clearing, and as the other ten Challengers look over in his direction they see him backed up by the rest of his expedition team. Raylin and Sansie are both prepared to begin firing upon the group, as Taylim stands with his shield ready and Priest Redbeard quietly chants to his goddess.
Groaning, Randall speaks for just about everybody. "Well. Now isn''t this a problem."
Chapter 213: Everything Happens, All of the Time
Turning his attention toward the noble twins, Arlon addresses the half-elves. "Now, I wonder. It''s easy enough to guess what the fury demon and her team are attempting to do here. Mind explaining your own purpose, my ladies?"
Speaking up before her sister can say the wrong thing, Silva answers the man. "I often perform a general divination every morning, as part of my usual routine. Imagine my surprise when the fates told me that there would be a crime of grave importance here in the woods today. We came to investigate, and it appears we managed to catch a party of thieves in the act."
"I see, I see. And you certainly didn''t have agents telling you that we were expecting a vital delivery today? I also assume you were going to hand over the relic to us once you had retrieved it?" Arlon raises an eyebrow at the noblewoman, wondering just how she intends to play this.
"Oh, is that yours? Well, certainly, if it belongs to you then it would be returned. Of course, we would need to confirm its true identity and ownership before handing it over, just to be on the safe side."
Sansie snorts at that verbal maneuver. "And how long would such a confirmation take? Weeks, if you hire the slowest messenger in the town? Time enough to sabotage our arrangement with the dungeon? Nice try, Silva, but I''m afraid it won''t work. We''re here now, so if you''d kindly give the treasure over to us, we''ll allow you all to just fuck off. Doesn''t that sound gracious?"
Still standing next to a wincing Lyota, Randall twirls his dagger with a sneer. "Ugh, sometimes there''s just too much talking. And possession is nine-tenths of the argument, so be a good girl and hand it over now, Silverstar." He turns back towards the demon, dagger raised, but Lyota leaps backwards once again - and this time she shouts out a command to her party, their hands already itching towards their weapons.
"Composition of Chaos! Passy, Lionel, now!" Raylin turns his attention towards the woman, wondering if he ought to try literally winging her with his bow, but in that moment of indecision he loses his shot. A sudden flare of light fills the clearing, blinding the entire assembly, but even as their vision turns to spots the sound of a flute playing makes itself heard.
The light doesn''t last for long, and when it fades Gilda is already marching into the clearing with her sword drawn. "Alright, that''s it! We''ll take them down and then - Silva?" She pauses as she realizes her sister isn''t marching alongside her, and as she looks back she notices a look of panic on Silva''s face.
"That song! The fates are dancing - we''re dancing, it''s...oh, no." Without further warning Silva''s enchanted eye flashes out with a light to rival Passy''s solar spells, and for the second time in as many moments every Challenger present finds themselves blinded. Again, the light only lasts for a moment, but when their vision returns the clearing is truly filled with chaos beyond anything Lyota could have possibly anticipated when she told Lionel to cast his spell.
Dozens of individuals are now swarming the clearing, shouting, swinging weapons, and firing spells. Four different Lyotas and half a dozen Randalls each seem to still carry halves of the relic, and as several of the Lyotas begin to take into the air Arlon shouts out a command. "Redbeard! Sansie! Keep the demon - demons - grounded!"
"Yes, my lord!" Priest Redbeard''s voice echoes as three of them respond, and they eye each other cautiously for only a moment before summoning the wrath of the Goddess of Storms. Combined with gusts of wind from at least one Sansie the sky above the clearing soon becomes a maelstrom of wind and snow, and both of the flying demons soon find themselves blown back towards the ground - one being tossed hard into a tree, a wing likely breaking against its branches.
For his part most of the Randalls don''t hesitate to dive into the melee, backed up by Sweet, but as several of them turn their focus towards the Perlins a Gilda reaches for her sister. "Silva! What just happened!? Who here is real?"
"All of us! None of us! That - that damned Bard! He asked the fates to alter the odds of events, but - oh god, my eye." Silva clamps a hand over her artificial eye as a realization occurs to her. "My eye let them in!"
Both of the Gildas now looking at her do so with confused expressions. "What? Let who in?"
"The fates are normally limited to subtle shifts in the mortal world! But the spell on my eye allows them to display the canvas of possibility to anyone...and when enhanced by the Bard''s song..." She trails off as it occurs to her that the song is still playing. "The spell isn''t going to end as long as the song plays!"
"Then we''re just going to have to - oh, gods!" Gilda pulls back in shock as a Sweet falls to the ground next to her, rolling in the snow to attempt to put out the flames currently immolating her. Before she can attempt to assist, another Sweet rushes up to the pair.
"My ladies! This is - this is ridiculously hazardous! I''ve already killed two kobolds and I have no idea if I''ve actually killed anyone yet! I strongly recommend we retreat!"
"Retreat? Now? This is our chance to secure our position! Come, Kalin, let us spill blood together!" Gilda raises her sword, running into the melee with two of her cousins following, as Gilda watches on with widened eyes.
"What? No! Somebody stop me! Why would I - oh gods what am I doing!?" As she watches on in panic she sees herself rush towards a fallen relic fragment, and in the process she crosses blades with an Arlon attempting to do the same. The Arlon seems to be rather shocked to find himself in direct combat with a noble rival, but the Gilda does not, and quickly begins ordering one of her Duelist cousins around in order to help her flank him. Elsewhere another Arlon is battling a goblin while a third is hanging back to protect his party, but the one engaged in combat with herself quickly pulls back Gilda''s attention. "We can''t kill a Perlin over this! I''m not that foolhardy!"
Next to her, the closest Silva sighs. "Maybe you wouldn''t be, but a version of you where you found a bug floating in your morning breakfast? Stubbed your toe on the hike here? You can''t deny you have a bit of a temper."
"Really? Ugh, whatever - Sweet! All of you, help me find the damn incubus! We need to stop this!" The woman raises her sword and a pair of gnolls move in to flank her, one of them sporting a number of arrows jutting out of one shoulder. The three of them move through the center of the clearing, avoiding the Arlons and Randalls and Lyotas struggling in a messy melee, and begin to search for Bards on the other side of the fight. Unfortunately, that search is far too successful. There''s at least eight copies of the man playing songs on various instruments or simply singing, and as one of her Sweets throws a blade at one, it simply passes right through him.
Giving a growl, the woman starts sniffing at the air. "Bardic illusions. A weak copy of the spell compared to a proper Mage''s version, but - forgive me, my other senses are nearly useless like this. Some of them are flesh and blood, and I can smell him from every direction!"
Gilda gives a growl of her own as she pushes forward, blocking a magical light blast with her shield. "Then stab them all and we''ll sort them out afterwards!"
On the House Perlin side of the confusion, Raylin finds himself with a case of choice paralysis as the Marksman has trouble deciding who his primary target ought to be. The Domain party started all this, and yet Gilda and Kalin have already wounded his cousin with their blades not very far away from him. At the same time an Arlon stands not five feet from him, guarded by a pair of very confused Taylims, and he''s uncertain if he ought to be actually concerned for his cousin or not. "Arlon! Are...are you in trouble?"
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The one next to him can only shrug. "I...might be? If one of me is slain, does that kill me when the spell ends? I don''t know if I should come to my aid or not."
Another Raylin steps up next to the first with a dismissive tone in his voice. "Let''s not be the ones to find out, eh?" He raises his bow and prepares to fire, but finds his weapon knocked aside by Raylin.
"Are you mad!? That woman is carrying my - our - my child! You can''t kill her!"
The second rolls his eyes and recovers his stance. "Fine, fine - I''ll do the other one, then." With that said he fires his bow, and in the center of the clearing a Kalin suddenly slumps over. Seeing her cousin slain, the Gilda standing next to him screams in rage - an opening which the wounded Arlon uses to stab her in the throat.
"Arlon! What have you done!?"
The one next to Raylin turns towards him with widened eyes. "I''m - I''m sorry! Normally I would have gone for a non-lethal - oh dear gods, what is that?" Raylin turns his head towards the other side of their grouping, where a pair of Sansies were exchanging magical blasts with the Domain kobolds, and quickly sees what worried his cousin so much. With the banging of weapons on shields, a number of Wetears begin summoning forth their mystical shieldbrothers - with extra copies for every physical goblin. Within moments there''s at least twenty goblins charging the Perlins, a true horde of flesh and magic, and the party''s Taylims all quickly move to intercept them.
Unfortunately, even with a few Arlons joining in it turns into a battle of five versus a score, and it''s not long at all before some of them have gotten into the party''s rear. One Sansie loses an arm, another her head, and it''s only a quick swarm of arrows from both Raylins and a few lightning bolts from a Redbeard that keeps them from getting any further.
At least, until a Randall appears from almost nowhere and drives daggers into the necks of both defending Arlons. The Protectors shout in dismay, too distracted by summoned goblins to turn their attention, but as the smug-looking rogue turns to slip away he finds himself suddenly impaled on a giant dagger, courtesy of the gnoll who had leapt twenty feet to land behind him. Before he can utter any final spells a second dagger relieves him of his head, and the Bloodletter turns towards the remaining Perlins.
"My lords, we didn''t order him to do that! We should be working together!"
The disarmed Sansie nods in agreement, but another with fire in her eyes steps towards the gnoll with her wand crackling with electricity, and in the split second it takes for Sweet to control her instincts a second Elementalist is relieved of a hand. "Ah! I didn''t - she shouldn''t have attacked me!"
Shaking his head, Raylin tries to find something to focus on. "Just - just find a way to shut off that damn spell!"
On another side of the clearing, two Silvas are attempting to do just that. "Can we use future-sight to determine which ones are real?" The other shakes her head.
"That''s the problem, they''re all real! Every future is equally valid until the spell ends and one is chosen!"
"This is the effect of a chaos spell - how about we remove some of the chaos?"
"Yes...by decreasing the number of players on the field? A possibility-prune? It would lock some down - but that damn Bard''s a damn engine of chaos right now, it won''t work on him!"
"Then we target his allies!" The other nods, and they both get to work on a joint spell, something which the Diviner rarely has the opportunity to engage in. Picking their targets from the opposite end of the clearing, they get to chanting, guiding the future of their opponents. It''s a powerful spell, the ability to force a person onto a particular path, usually far too powerful for even two Silvas working together to manage. Combined they could perhaps chart a person''s course minutes ahead, perhaps even only moments - but it''s not the amount of time or even the specific path that matters. All they require is that only one path be present.
On the other side of the melee, Barny and Passy find themselves more than a little disoriented as their twins, living or otherwise, suddenly fade out and only a single instance of each of them remains. Intense headaches strike both of them, and Barny raises a hand towards his companion. "Gah! I''ll try a purifying flame, maybe it''ll help with whatever just happ - " The rest of his sentence is cut off along with his life as a Randall drives a blade into his chest, and Passy''s cry is stillborn as Gilda''s sword does the same to her. Looking up at her hireling, the noble''s voice is filled with frustration.
"Can''t one of your bizarre spells do something about this, ''Problem Solver''!?"
Annoyingly, the man answers with a smirk. "In the midst of all this chaos? So far, ending one problem has just led to another. Although...perhaps there''s a way to solve this problem with a problem. One moment, if you would." With that said the half-elf begins to run towards the nearest Bard, but does so on a path that leads him right past a Lyota, one who''s just finished punching out a Kalin. With him winking at her as he runs by, the Soul Lasher feels more than motivated enough to try and bring the man down before he can hurt any more members of her team.
"Fatestealer! Watch yourself!" Shouting out even as she pulls forth her whip, Lyota manages to lash it around Randall''s arm, halting his dagger before he can strike the nearest Bard down. Unfortunately for her, striking the demon with his blade was never the man''s intention. Even as Lyota''s magic surges through the whip, sending a sensation of burning across Randall''s soul, the rogue reaches out and grabs Lionel with his free hand, pulling him close. Close enough to bring him into contact with the magically charged weapon.
And while there may be many Lionel Fatestealers scattered around the clearing, they only possess a single soul.
The moment of searing pain caused by the lash only lasts a moment, with Lyota quickly canceling her attack, but it proves more than sufficient. With a brief scream of pain which cuts off halfway through, all of the Bard''s songs and spells suddenly stop. One by one Challengers begin to blink out of existence as the fates chose their winners and losers, and those left standing find themselves left with expressions of horror at what remains at the end of it.
Barny and Passy lie where they fell, the kobolds'' fates sealed by Silva''s spell and the blades of her party.
Kalin Deepwoods'' corpse sits in the center of the clearing, an arrow jutting from the Noble Duelist''s skull.
A badly burned Sweet chugs health potion after health potion, attempting to restore her ability to climb back up to her feet.
Not far away, a battered Lyota Silverstar has collapsed to her knees, a wing almost shattered and her face badly bruised.
In the House Perlin gathering, Priest Redbeard moves quickly to heal the stump of Sansie''s right arm, making sure the Elementalist doesn''t bleed to death in the snow.
And a distraught Taylim howls at the sight of his failure, as the Noble Protector falls to his knees next to the corpse of Arlon Perlin.
Shocked into silence, the surviving Perlins barely notice as Gilda and Silva walk up to them, one half of the relic held in Gilda''s hand. Staring down at her fallen rival, it takes even Gilda a few moments to figure out what to say. "I...I''m sorry. This...did not turn out at all as I expected."
Turning towards her with anger flashing in his eyes, Raylin begins to shout. "It was your damned assassin who did this! Where is he!?" An excellent question, as those present begin to search the clearing and discover that he''s not the only one missing. No sign of the incubus Bard can be seen, or his goblin companion - or, for that matter, the other half of the dungeon relic. Noticing this, Silva begins to curse.
"They got away! After all that - and Sweet is in no condition to track them! This is so much worse than my divination ever suggested!"
Gritting her teeth, Sansie speaks through the pain of her lost limb. "Well, at least you''ll be handing over that half of the relic now - yes?"
To her frustration, Gilda''s expression grows stony. "...I would like to take this opportunity to negotiate." Even Silva seems shocked by her sister''s words, but Raylin laughs, unsurprised.
"Of course you would. And what is your generous offer, Enchantress?"
Fixing his stare with hers, Gilda continues. "Your expedition is crippled. I will return this half of the relic to you - but you must throw your support behind House Highbranch for claim over these lands."
The Marksman laughs in her face, as he gestures at his fallen cousin. "We have no authority to speak for House Perlin, now. Arlon''s father would never agree to that just for the return of something that''s already ours by right, whatever our ability to clear the dungeon may be."
Gilda nods slightly as she adjusts her proposal. "Then...as representative of your house expedition, if not your full house, speak in our favor to the spirit of Worthy Dungeon instead. Gain us her support, and...and I shall also acknowledge you as the father of my child. Our child."
Raylin''s eyes widen slightly at that. "Meaning what, exactly? Marriage? I have to admit, your acceptance of my proposal in front of the still-warm corpses of our kin was not how I ever expected this to turn out."
The half-elf grimaces. "We can discuss...marriage at a later time. But I will allow you a role in raising the child, at the least."
As Redbeard moves to assist Taylim in tending to Arlon''s body, and a heavily-singed Sweet begins to restrain the injured Lyota, Sansie walks up to her cousin''s side. "Do you want to consider this, Raylin? She''s right - as the only uninjured noble member of our party, practical leadership of the expedition falls to you. It''s your choice whether or not we continue our efforts in the dungeon. We do still have others who could assist you."
"But none as talented as you or dear Arlon." After looking to Sansie and then back towards Gilda, Raylin takes a long moment to close his eyes and exhale. When he finally opens them again, there''s a steely look in his expression. "I agree to your proposal...in principle." Briefly, he pauses.
"...But we have further conditions to discuss."
Chapter 214: Re-Negotiations
Breathing hard, Wetears does his best to keep up with the longer-legged Bard. "Are you sure you know where our contact was supposed to meet us, Fatestealer? Another hour or two and it will be dark, and neither of us brought camping gear for a winter night in the woods!"
Lionel gives the man a smile, although it seems more than a little forced. "Exactly? No. Fortunately, we don''t need to. I am certain I know which direction is south, and as long as we keep heading that way and manage to avoid any Rainlander patrols, we''ll be fine."
"Fine!? It''s days away to the closest Domain settlement! Are you sure you know much about spycraft outside of the parts that involve seducing attractive Challengers in bars, incubus?"
The demon chuckles. "I wouldn''t claim to, to be honest. However, I do know that - " Whatever more he''s about to say, he''s interrupted by the stern voice of a woman from somewhere up ahead, between the growing shadows of the trees.
"Halt! You are entering the Domain of the Dragonlord. Identify yourselves and be recognized, turn about and leave, or be slain. Your choice."
While Wetears raises his axe and shield, looking around at the trees ahead for signs of a foe, Lionel''s voice is calm as he answers. "Gambler Bard Lionel Fatestealer, accompanied by my friend and compatriot, Hordecaller Captain Wetears. We''re here to turn over possession of a recovered relic - and to request extraction south, as our mission did not play out exactly as we may have hoped."
To Wetears'' surprise a pair of cloak-wearing succubi seem to almost teleport into the snow before them, with only the slight shimmering of an illusion spell giving away their mode of stealth. One of the pair takes a step closer and inspects both of the new arrivals quickly. "With how fast you were running? I''d certainly expect so. But you did recover the relic? Are you being pursued?"
The Bard has to frown slightly as he reaches into the bag at his side and pulls out one half of the Dungeon Link. "Unfortunately, we only recovered one of the two pieces. We took casualties, however, so did our opponents. I''d expect a search party eventually but if their gnoll was still in a state to do any tracking I expect we''d both already be dead by now."
The lead succubus steps forward again and takes hold of the relic, checking it for damage. "...At least this was designed to be split apart and it isn''t actually broken. I suppose we''ll take what we can get, though it''s not on my head if you screwed this up too much. If you''re requesting extraction, then follow me - we have our camp not far away. We''ll debrief you there, and then Yolani here can handle transportation of the relic the rest of the way."
Lionel nods, and is about to respond when someone else interrupts him. "Don''t suppose you''d be willing to accept one more in your party, madame border guard?" The sound shocks everyone equally, and as Randall steps out from behind a tree he does so with an axe, a sword, and a wand all being quickly pointed in his direction. "Easy, easy - I come in peace."
Wetears is not particularly convinced of that claim. "I doubt that! Ladies, this man is an agent of House Highbranch! A lethal one, at that!" As he says that however, Randall responds with a sad shake of his head.
"Unfortunately, I have to say that is no longer the case. I determined it would be best if I took an unannounced sabbatical from my recent employment, before it could be terminated on my behalf."
The succubus is even more wary of the half-elf than Wetears, as her blade takes up a position for a quick strike. "Explain yourself. Quickly, if you would."
"Certainly. You see, apparently someone here decided it would be a good idea to cause a rather impressive amount of chaos, and one small part of that chaos apparently involved a version of myself slaying a noble scion. In front of witnesses, as well. Not that I don''t occasionally make plans for such a thing, but I honestly don''t know what I could have been thinking, to actually carry it out. Perhaps if I had also slain the rest of the Perlins as well..."
Lionel narrows his eyes as a hand itches towards his flute. "You also slew two of our own companions - the kobolds Barny and Passy. Perhaps you recall that as well?"
The man nods. "I do. You learn in my line of work that the occasional bloody deed is forgivable - but, sadly, within limits. And while a few slain spies may be within those limits, the son of a baron is generally not. So I counted the odds, and I''ve decided that I would rather throw myself upon the mercy of the Dragonlord, rather than the King."
The succubus steps closer, her sword still at the ready. "So you slew a Rainlander noble. Well done, I applaud you for that. But that does not mean you get free asylum within the Domain of the Dragonlord."
Randall nods again, this time with a rather smug look on his face. "I thought that might be a problem. Fortunately, before the fates had their final say, I was able to acquire something I believe should take care of that little issue."
"And that would be?"
Reaching into his cloak - slowly, so as not to lose his head - Randall pulls out an item with one hand. As he holds it out, it''s easy to recognize - a bronze-colored half-sphere, identical to that currently held by the succubus in front of him. "How would you like a third half of that little relic of yours?"
The next morning Emma, wearing Xenia''s face, uses it to give the people sitting across from her a rather unimpressed look. "Wow. You really screwed this all up, didn''t you?"
Both Gilda and Raylin are too shame-faced to respond, so that duty falls to Silva, sitting in the middle of the trio at the shrine''s conference table. "What occurred will be a national-level scandal, I''m sure. Domain agents enacted a plot leading to the deaths of two nobles, the grievous wounding of another, and one of those slain was a house heir. Diplomatic tensions are likely to ramp up to the point where even I would have trouble predicting their final outcome. Even more messily, neither of the slain nobility were actually killed by Domain hands. So yes...I think we''ll admit that the situation has become tremendously screwed up."
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Sincere raises an eyebrow at Silva''s analysis of events. "And yet here we have Highbranch and Perlin sitting at a table together, rather than swearing a blood oath of revenge against each other. Don''t tell me this case of shared adversity has turned you into friends?"
Raylin grunts at that question. "I''d hardly say that. But...the circumstances have changed significantly because of yesterday''s events, and attempting to proceed as if things were all the same would be foolishly stubborn. Even by my own standards. And blaming each other for the manipulation of Domain agents would be exactly the sort of result the Dragonlord would be overjoyed to see occur. While I can''t deny that it was my arrow that slew Kalin, I don''t even remember firing it!" He eyes the women at his side. "While I have my complaints about the behavior of House Highbranch yesterday - and have certainly voiced them - it''d be hypocritical for me to blame them for the death of Arlon rather than the Domain''s spies."
"Yeah, I can imagine." Emma pauses for a moment, before her smirk softens a little. "Ah...Xenia would like me to pass on her condolences. She didn''t know Arlon or Kalin well, but your cousin seemed like a decent guy. And Deylia''s not going to be happy to hear about Sansie''s injury, I''m sure."
"I would like the chance to speak to her myself at some point, if I''m able. But in the meanwhile you can tell her not to worry too much. It will take time for Sansie to return to our house lands and receive proper healing, but I imagine by this summer she''ll be throwing fireballs around again as if nothing had happened." With a bit of a frown, Raylin leans over in his seat to pull out an item from his bag and place it on the table. "Unfortunately, I also need to inform you that we''ll be unable to fully fulfill our promise to you. Only half of the Dungeon Link yet remains in our possession, with the other presumably on its way to the Domain by now."
Gilda adds in a scornful interjection. "Although we can''t be certain of that. We don''t know where Randall fucked off to, or if he was the one who claimed the other half, and a man like that could be on his way anywhere."
Sincere takes hold of the relic and brings it closer, studying the runes marking the flat side of the half-sphere. "An interesting predicament. The link may still allow us to make contact with another dungeon - but only if the Domain chooses to give the other half to one of its own dungeons."
Raylin nods. "Normally I would say putting a Rainlands dungeon into touch with a Domain one would be a thing to avoid - but we did promise you this gift, and I''m not about to back out now. So please, in place of my cousin, I offer this to you in hopes of your forgiveness for our transgressions."
Emma''s smile returns as she leans back in her chair. "Consider yourselves forgiven. You did manage to clear Floor Seven, and you bled for this, and that means more than the relic itself to be honest. But just to be clear - this is still a gift from House Perlin, yeah?" She points to the two sisters. "So what brings the ladies into this meeting, then?"
Gilda looks like she wants to say something, but almost literally bites down on her tongue, instead nodding to Raylin who speaks up again. "The ladies of House Highbranch and I have come to an arrangement. While House Perlin will still be seeking oversight of these lands, as a personal request, I would like to entreat you to throw your own support behind the claims of House Highbranch."
The reflection starts to respond to that, but she''s suddenly interrupted by something to her side. With slightly widened eyes, she instead slides her chair a few inches to the side of the table. "Hold on. Sounds like the boss would like to speak to you herself."
That''s the only warning given before Xenia suddenly appears, standing at the middle of her side of the table with both of her palms resting on its surface. While her monochrome black-and-white appearance had always been a little unsettling, the nobles are even more disoriented to see it next to the relatively normal-looking Emma, who otherwise shares her looks. That is, with the notable exception of their expressions. While Emma seems a little amused by this turn of events, Xenia''s own eyes are narrowed with suspicion as she looks over the noble trio.
"You''d like me to support your competitors, bow-boy? You sure it wasn''t Highbranch who kicked your ass out in that forest yesterday? Curious what brought on this little change of heart."
The man winces a little at the dungeon master''s surprising appearance and her rough tone of voice, but he does his best to answer in an even manner. "A few reasons. For one, our expedition''s primary party has been crippled, to some extent literally. Two of our original party are now deceased, and Sansie will not be combat-capable for months. We may have recently cleared the dungeon, but if you were to make further changes or expand its floors?" He looks over towards the twins, who are at least respectful enough to not be gloating in their victory. "I''ll admit to it. I don''t know if the remaining Challengers in our expedition are up to the task of Floor Seven, let alone a possible Floor Eight, and I''m certain we would not be able to keep up with the House Highbranch party. Being overtaken in the record of dungeon clears is nearly inevitable, at least within the near future. And plans for something as distant as this summer are worthless in this matter."
Xenia considers that for a bit before nodding. "Suppose that makes sense. You said there were other reasons?"
This time the Marksman is a little slower to respond. "There have been...personal arrangements. Some trading of house favors, as you might expect, but largely centering around...well, the matter of Lady Gilda''s and I''s expected child, which you are aware of."
"Ah, I see, I see." Xenia glances back and forth between the two, both of whom seem to be slightly embarrassed for some reason. "Well, that shit sounds personal, so I won''t dig into it. Hrmm, here''s the thing though. I don''t really like nobles."
Silva raises an eyebrow at that comment. "My pardon? I''ve been under the impression that our dealings have been largely very respectful."
"Other than the cheating, and you challenging my guardians to honor duels for doing their jobs, and...well, not the point, the matter is I consider myself a dungeon of the people, for the people, yaddda yadda." Xenia waves a hand in the air. "Still, I know there''s no avoiding you lot, so I was willing to entertain this whole affair. The competition was good, competition helps keep you honest compared to how it could go after one of you sits down your noble asses as a landlord and starts throwing your weight around."
Gilda''s expression darkens as she begins to glare at the dungeon master. "Are you saying you never intended to actually support either of our houses?"
"Not saying that." Xenia meets Gilda''s eyes. "The sort of offers you were making before - helping out the Church of Bounty, helping out with our ''applicant'' process. I assume that''s still on the table?"
The Enchantress nods. "They are."
"Good. I''m willing to support your claim for the lands around Grassbrook, but I don''t want your house getting all snooty and dictatorial, and getting the idea it can start dictating terms - especially not to me."
The Diviner swallows her words a few times before speaking up. "I promise you, we would not attempt to infringe upon your legal rights, and certainly not how you run your own affairs."
Xenia chuckles. "Except you''d get to decide my legal rights, wouldn''t ya? At least to an extent. So I need a guarantee. Something to make sure your house doesn''t get too full of itself."
Gilda''s suspicious gaze remains. "A guarantee such as...?"
"You can run the territory however you like, or however you Rainlander types do it. Manage the roads, the taxes, the guard patrols, all that stuff. But any decisions dealing with me, the Challengers, the Church of Bounty, or anything else that might affect my business?" Xenia takes a moment to look into the eyes of each of the twins before raising her left hand and pointing directly at Raylin. "They need to be signed off on, with full approval, by this dumbass."
As everyone on both sides of the table turns to stare at him, Raylin gets the feeling as if the temperature in the room has suddenly shot up. "...Well. Let''s talk this over, shall we?"
Chapter 215: Duties
It had been a long few hours of negotiations, filled with more than a few shouts and angry looks, and by time it was all over Raylin was more than exhausted. He made his way back down from the mountain afterwards, in order to discuss the outcome with the remaining members of his expedition, and it was not until the next day that he was able to return for one more meeting. This one at least would hopefully involve less yelling, but the man was still a little worried about its outcome.
Deylia was sitting on the floor in her apartment, eyes closed and in a meditative position, when the knock of a fist against a wooden support echoes from down the hall. "Deylia? Would it be alright if we come in?"
The woman''s eyes immediately jolt open, and her voice answers before she''s even climbed up to her feet. "Raylin!? The dungeon''s allowed you to visit? Of course, come in!" She quickly rushes out towards her apartment''s entry portal, a smile on her face, but that smile fades a moment later. "Sansie! Oh, Sansie, are you alright?"
The Elementalist gives a bit of a wry smile as she waves with one hand while lifting the bandaged stump of her other arm. "Well enough to climb a mountain it seems, thanks to the efforts of Priest Redbeard and the most expensive healing potions we had on hand. Ah, no pun intended."
Bypassing Raylin, Deylia steps forward to wrap up her former mistress in a hug, after carefully ensuring that she wouldn''t jostle the woman''s wounded limb. "Xenia told me what had happened, or at least the simple version of events. Those foul spies - it must have been horrible."
"Confusing, more like." Sansie shakes her head. "Even now it''s very odd. My memories seem to be from a version of me that watched my arm be removed, so I don''t recall how it felt, yet this is the body the fates chose to give me. The randomness of it - there was still an Arlon who was alive when the spell ended, and I''m fairly certain there were two Kalins around somewhere as well. And yet when it was all done and finished, their living versions just...faded away."
Deylia blinks as she tries to imagine the sight of it. "Dear Arlon...he surely deserved better. I suppose the position of heir will go to one of his younger brothers...but you!" She turns back towards Raylin. "Xenia allowed you to visit? She was, ah...rather unhappy about the last conversation or two we may have had."
The Marksman nods. "She did. She''s forgiven us now, it seems, but more than that - we needed to come to say goodbye. At least for a little while."
At that the former Maid frowns. "You mean to say you''ve given up on your claims? Was...was all of this for nothing, then?"
Raylin shakes his head as Sansie answers. "Not for nothing, no, although it would probably be fair to call this more of a loss than a win. We''ve, ah, negotiated a settlement with both House Highbranch and your new mistress, which to be honest went in a direction I did not expect. It''s not all settled, but it''s likely both of our expeditions will be returning to our own lands within the week. From there, the only fighting left to be done will be happening in the king''s court."
"Well, come in, take a seat, tell me what''s happened! Xenia did tell me briefly about your meeting and the fight you suffered, but she wouldn''t tell me the details."
Raylin gratefully takes a seat in the apartment''s living room, and begins his explanation as Deylia gets to putting together some tea. "The matters still need to be finalized by our house heads, and then of course the king needs to actually sign off on it, but on the superficial level at least House Highbranch has most likely won lordship over these lands."
"Superficial? So there''s more to it than it appears?"
"Xenia had quite a few conditions on her support for the plan. Normally, I don''t think the king would care that much about a dungeon''s approval...but Worthy Dungeon is unique, and to be honest, I think her proposals will probably amuse the old man. For starters, she wants the specific Highbranch representative overseeing Grassbrook and the surrounding territory to be an active Challenger. Apparently, she doesn''t want ''some lardass who''s only a danger to roast turkeys'' to be making decisions about a dungeon."
Sansie chuckles. "Of course, since House Highbranch is a house of half-elves, many of their elder members are still physically fit...but even so, few of them have risked their lives in a dungeon these past few decades. So it will likely be one or both of the sisters who are assigned that task. For now though it sounds as if they''ll be returning home for a time. They''re qualified now for Master-level training, and that will likely keep them busy for a few months."
Deylia gives a chuckle of her own as she passes out cups of tea. "Not to mention there''s currently no estates here fit for a duke''s scions, and they''re probably sick and tired of living out of inns or tents, even enchanted ones."
Raylin grins along, although it doesn''t last long. "There is that. However, when they do return...I will likely be moving down here myself. As part of their administration, and...perhaps more."
The priestess''s look is one of confusion. "You? In what way?"
"As Administrator of Dungeon Affairs, or some such title. While House Highbranch will be the one to ultimately profit from regional taxes, Right of First Purchase when dungeon items are auctioned, and so on, anything affecting the dungeon, Challengers, or the Church of Bounty must have my approval. With the expectation that I will be attempting to prevent the Highbranches from becoming too firmly entrenched in their power. Also, on a personal level...Gilda has agreed to recognize me as her consort."
Deylia''s eyes narrow. "Consort? That makes little sense. That''s not a title the husband of a house scion should have."
Sighing, Raylin leans back into his comfortable seat and rubs his eyes. "Very true, because we''re still not getting married. Even with the dungeon specifically requesting my involvement here, I am still not a good match for a Highbranch heir, and besides, I don''t know that either of us actually want it. But it does mean that House Highbranch will be providing me with living and working quarters on their new estate, and...that I will be allowed a direct role in the raising of our mutual child."
"And...possibly future children to come?" Rather than immediately answering Sansie''s question, Raylin blushes and licks his lips.
"After their behavior this week I feel less inclined to jump into Gilda''s bed than ever...but then I would have said that a month ago as well. Of course, once I''m returned I''m hopeful I could visit Del more often - "
He''s cut off by a quick comment from Deylia. "I think you should do it." Raylin''s expression is confused, but Sansie, who understands her former Maid better, has to quickly hide a slight smile.
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"I should visit you? Well, of course, as I was just saying - "
Deylia shakes her head. "Give her more children, I mean. Once she''s had time to recover from the current, of course."
The man needs a few moments to process that suggestion. "Really? You want that for me? With...Gilda? Even after their attempt to sabotage us?"
"It would have been underhanded, but had things not gone so dreadfully wrong, it would have just been another move in the usual political game, would it not? And as you said, by rank she''s too good for you. If you can''t convince her to make you a ducal heir with your station or your wealth, clearly you''ll need to rely on your...other talents."
Raylin stares at his lover for a long while. "...I''m not entirely sure if you''re being serious or not."
In answer, Deylia sighs to herself. "Ah, to imagine I''ll get to watch all of your children growing up in Grassbrook. I wonder if they''ll all have pointed ears and silver hair..."
"Dear gods." Raylin sips his tea and finally notices his cousin grinning at him. "Oh please, Sansie, don''t tell me you agree with the idea!"
Reaching out with her good hand, Sansie ruffles his hair. "Oh, the idea has its attractions. Children of you and Gilda Highbranch...they''ll be such beautiful, strong, stubborn fools. You deserve them as children."
The man repeats himself. "Dear gods. How about we discuss something other than my future progeny, shall we? You know, Taylim will likely be qualified for Master training as well soon. I just hope he forgives himself for what he sees as his failure at the forest."
"I''m sure he''s the type of man to let such an event drive him rather than destroy him. With Master-level training, I''m sure he''ll be even more of a monster on the battlefield than that Sweet..."
The Perlin family continued to chat and gossip for the next two hours, including a medical checkup on Sansie from Deylia herself, but eventually the two nobles bade their farewells and left to begin their trip back down the mountain. Deylia wasn''t alone for long though, as only minutes later Xenia made her own appearance at the apartment''s entryway. "Hey, Del. Good to chat, or you need a minute?"
Turning at the sound of her voice, Deylia gives a quick nod. "Now would be fine, miss - ah, Xenia. What did you want to discuss?"
Rather than answer right away, Xenia first moves to help herself to a chair. "As you''ve heard, the competition''s over, at least around here it is, and House Perlin probably won''t be back for a while. So with that in mind, and accounting for your good behavior, I''m lifting your grounding. I''m still expecting you to keep up on your meditations, but you''re free to visit the inn, the lounge, the other guardians, whatever." She pauses before giving a slight frown. "Still gonna keep you inside til the Perlins have actually left town, though."
Deylia bows her assent. "Thank you, Xenia, that''s more than fair. Should I plan on giving services at the shrine soon, do you think? I still don''t know more than the one minor blessing, although I do of course have my own healing magics."
"Yeah, about that." The dungeon master sighs before climbing back to her feet. "Come with me, we''ve got a discussion to have with someone else."
The two hop through the dungeon''s portal network to the shrine, and on their arrival Deylia immediately hears the sound of shouting.
"A sex shrine!? In a dungeon!? You''re not serious!"
Fay''s calm voice answers the shout. "A shrine of worship and healing, Lady Valkyrie, there will be no sex in the - ah, mistress, thank you for visiting us!"
Opal turns to see the new arrivals, and Fay and Lin both have slightly relieved-looking expressions on their faces as Xenia and Deylia make their entrance. Snorting, Xenia takes charge of addressing the woman''s complaints. "As Elance would be sure to tell me, no, worship of Kahlia ain''t about the sex. It''s a necessary part of the process, yeah, but if people wanna screw in the dungeon, we got plenty of other rooms for that."
The Valkyrie gives a brief nod to Xenia, but grants Deylia a longer welcome. "Good to see you again, Priestess Deylia. We haven''t had much opportunity to speak, but I understand that you are in charge of this shrine?"
Not entirely sure if she wants responsibility for whatever the issue may be, Deylia gives a cautious nod. "Yes - although I''m still undergoing training on my exact responsibilities, and it''s not yet open to the public. Is there an issue?"
"Not...exactly." The green-skinned elf gives a glance towards Xenia before looking back at Deylia. "I would like to expand this shrine to include worship of Theolif, Lord of the Shield."
Xenia frowns, answering before Deylia can speak. "Don''t think Kahlia would like that much. Aside from taking up resources meant for her, Theolif''s from a whole different competing pantheon. From the sounds of it, there''s not much love lost between different groups of gods, yeah? She''s not gonna want him making converts and stuff over here."
Sighing, Opal adjusts her proposal a little. "I didn''t - ah, well. I don''t believe the worship would even reach him from here anyhow, that wasn''t really the point. If not worship of the divinity himself, perhaps of the principles that he represents? Your Challengers are an unruly sort, they could use a few good lessons."
While Xenia is still considering the point, Deylia finds herself curious. "And just what principles would those be, exactly?"
"The Lord of the Shield represents protection, of course - but it''s the who and why that matter. Protection of the weak, endurance against evil, being a beacon of hope even when the odds seem overwhelming."
"Those certainly seem like noble virtues. But they are rather different than the sorts of sermons which Priestess Fullblossom has been teaching me."
Opal nods. "That''s fine. I would like to offer services here as well. I am a trained priestess myself, you know."
Xenia can''t hold in her laughter at that statement. "Really? You wanna kill Challengers in the morning and then preach to them at night? You think you''re going to get much of an attentive audience like that?"
"Hrmph. If anything I think perhaps they might be more willing to listen to someone who can defeat them on the battlefield."
"Yeah, as long as their heads are still attached." Having said that, Xenia has to take a moment to reconsider. "...Actually, yeah, maybe some of them would be into that. ...Fine. As long as it doesn''t interrupt anything Kahlia-related, and we''re not redecorating other than maybe putting up some shields. And no mentions of Theolif personally. If it''s okay with our shrine maiden here?"
She looks to Deylia, who''s a little surprised at the shift in focus. "With me?"
Xenia nods. "It is your shrine, after all. You run the place."
"Oh, yes. Well, I think that would be fine? Actually...even if the things our chosen patrons represent have rather different forms, I think I might be interested in learning more from you, Valkyrie Brightsky. I never spent much time in temples before, and I''d like to hear more about your own?"
"Ah?" Opal considers it only briefly before nodding. "That sounds like an excellent idea. Is there somewhere private we could speak? If now is a good time."
"Certainly, we can have tea in my apartment, just this way..."
After the two have made their exit, and Fay and Lin have returned to their unnecessary duty of keeping the shrine clean, Guy makes their appearance next to the standing Xenia. "Well, it''s good that she''s making friends, I suppose? It''s been a turbulent time, perhaps she could use the companionship."
"You talkin'' about Del or Opal there, Guy?" Xenia laughs rather than wait for a response. "Hell, could probably go for most of us. There''s a lot on our to-do list right now, ain''t there?"
"Indeed there is, ma''am. Finalizing Parker''s new combat form, starting proper design and construction of Floor Eight..."
"Getting the shrine up and running and backing up my promise about turning Deylia into a high priestess, making sure Opal doesn''t start going all hellfire and brimstone in here..."
"Preparing ourselves for what to do if a Domain dungeon does attempt to use the Dungeon Link to connect to us..."
Xenia chuckles. "Preparing ourselves for a wild pack of rogue grandkids who might wanna do Gods-don''t-know-what."
"Collect the souls of fallen champions in order to send them to be heroes in another realm."
"Keep an eye out for power-hungry nobles setting down roots and fucking around with things."
"And of course, the usual - challenging adventurers to within an inch of their lives, while protecting your core."
"And protecting everyone else here too, of course." Xenia gives her companion a grin. "Think we''re up for it?"
"Without a doubt. So...where shall we start at today?"
Chapter 216: New Body, Old Problems (Arc 6: A Swift Spring)
DAY 232
As Parker stands in a mostly-empty ''testing chamber'' in the still-under-construction Floor Eight, he finds himself a little amused by some of what he sees. Not far from him Emma and Xenia are arguing, and it may be the first time he''s seen them wearing such different expressions while using the same face.
"It''s weird! I think you shoulda asked me for permission first, don''t you think?"
Xenia rolls her eyes at the reflection''s complaint. "How is it weird? You''re the highest-level item on my inventory list, of course I''m gonna wanna try mixing you up. Wouldn''t you?"
Emma crosses her arms. "You can''t just crossbreed someone without their consent. I''m not exactly you and your ''leave a bastard in every universe'' libido, even when I look like you. I never said I wanted kids!"
The dungeon master gives a frown as she crosses her own arms. "I didn''t have kids that many times, you know. Besides, it''s not ''your kid''. You didn''t even know I was doing anything with you til I brought you down here, and trying this thing clogged up the crossbreeding system for like, a week and a half. I think you woulda noticed if it was actually doing something to you."
The reflection harrumphs. "Just because your dungeon systems might''ve acted as the surrogate doesn''t mean it ain''t mine, like, genetically. I think I should get to have a say in how it''s raised."
"Raised!? It ain''t even got a mind in there yet! It''s just a shell waiting for Parker!" Xenia gestures towards the waiting Patriarch, and seeing the slight smirk on his face, decides to shift her attention. "We can get back to this later, alright? I don''t wanna leave Parker standing around here all afternoon."
Emma grumps again, although Xenia gets the feeling she isn''t really that upset. "Fine, fine..."
"Trust me, you''ll love it in action. Probably. Anyhow, hey, Parker! How''s things? Laeniel getting all ready for the big move?"
The man waggles a heavy hand as the dungeon master walks his way. "Sort of, fortunately there''s not much she actually needs to do herself, not right now, anyhow. We''d already arranged things with an agent back home, to sell off our old house and have our possessions moved down here. Mother Hammerdown was kind enough to let her use the Church''s communication crystals for the purpose, since it was a short message, so she won''t even have to wait for the mail to get delivered back there. It''ll take a while for all of that to get moved down here, given the season, but that''s just as well as the new house isn''t actually built yet."
Xenia grins at the news. "The house? Already got one all picked out?"
Parker nods. "And paid for. We''re actually very lucky, timing-wise. A lot of the construction going on right now''s been timed for the expectation of a big rush once spring finally hits, so we''re here a bit early. Laeniel was able to take her pick of the lot, and get a pretty reasonable rate. Prices even four months from now could be quite a bit higher."
"Got her pick, huh? One with lots of room for the kiddos, I assume."
Parker''s about to answer, but then starts shifting around on his feet. "Yes, well...the initial design should have lots of room, yes. Rooms for her, the kids, and possibly a live-in nanny or guest room. Easily three times as large as our old home. It also comes with a decent amount of land, with an easy ability to add...expansions later on. If it''s required."
His boss is slightly confused for a moment, before she catches on and laughs. "Wait, wait, is Laeniel already planning for a second round? After round one turned out three times as successful as you were expecting? I mean, it can''t hurt to be prepared..."
"Definitely very...long-term planning there, I''d say. Given how long it takes for elves to give birth and then recover, it''d be several years before we could even consider trying for more, I''d say." Parker chews his lip a little with his oversized teeth. "Although it did surprise me, yes. I think we both fantasized about having children for so long that, well...perhaps I didn''t realize how much of a fantasy it had become for her, how much time she had spent thinking about it. But even if it takes a while, given that we could both be around for centuries now...well, I suppose it might only be a matter of time, really."
"Well, I wish you both all the luck and a whole warren of long-eared kiddos. And how about you? Ready to see what I''ve got cooked up for you?"
Parker nods towards the object sitting in the middle of the chamber - a sphere about a foot in diameter, polished to a mirror finish. "I see it, but I''m definitely going to need an explanation. I''m not sure I like the idea of becoming a...crystal ball or something, nor do I see how I would manage to kill Challengers as one. I was expecting to get something related to axes, you know."
Xenia waves off the concern as she turns and approaches the ball in question. "You''ll be able to use axes, don''tcha worry. Well, some of the time, anyhow. This lil baby''s got some crazy flexibility, if it works out like I''m expecting it to."
The Patriarch follows after. "Don''t suppose you could give me the explanation before you put me in there? Doesn''t even look like the thing''s got ears to listen with."
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"Y''know, as a dungeon monster, I bet you could probably hear me talking even if I put you into something that didn''t even have a head. I mean, it''s not like this body I''m walking around with actually exists right now. I''m pretty sure all of this is just an illusion put together by our connection with the dungeon system." Xenia gestures at herself, and Parker shrugs.
"Guess that would explain why you can''t touch outsiders without using that other spell. But anyhow - the big ball thing?"
Xenia nods. "Right, well, lemme explain how the dungeon monster crossbreeding system works. Basically, I pick two different unlocks I''ve got, assign em into the system, and after a few hours...or days with divine shit...or a friggin week apparently for this thing...it pops out something new with a tier level somewhere around the average of the two unlocks I used, and some traits of both. I''ve also gotten a few upgrades that let me aim for specific traits to carry over, which seems to slow it down a little, but cuts down on me needing to re-run the entire process a bunch of times."
"Interesting. But what two monsters led to this? I was under the impression your top monster types were, what? Bunnies, undead, and slimes?"
His boss grins widely as she raises a finger into the air. "Ah, but you see, it''s only with most monster types that I can only use monsters to crossbreed. Mimics have a special trait that lets them crossbreed with anything, including my inanimate item unlocks!"
At that, Emma steps back into the conversation. "Which means that apparently this little bundle of joy is the product of a mimic and me."
"Cause you''re my highest-tier item by like two entire tier steps! SS! This thing came out at B-plus even though my mimics are still only C-minus! Besides, I''m not even gonna ask you to pay child support."
Parker eyes Emma and then the inanimate sphere sitting by their feet. "I can see how a mimic and a mirror might have some...synergy, I suppose, but how does that translate to combat ability? Does becoming this allow me to transform into the people I''m fighting?"
Xenia''s grin turns more devious as she answers. "Oh, no, no, way better than that. See, Emma here ain''t just the reflection of a person''s physical appearance. She gains some of our memories and ways of thinking and acting, but mostly she''s a reflection of our fears and desires and stuff like that. Which is probably why she''s so horny all the time."
Emma gasps at the boldness of that statement. "Excuse you!? Being a reflection of you, I''d probably be horny even if I turned down the desire level ten times!"
"And Sincere? And Lollyp? And that time you played ''Guess Which One''s The Real Bunny Squire'' with Trush?" Xenia pauses and corrects herself. "...Okay, maybe Lollyp would be just as bad, yeah." She quickly waves her hands and attempts to refocus herself. "Anyhow, not the point. When I crossbred the enchanted mirror with my mimics, I pulled out a specific trait I was aiming for, and it wasn''t the part which reflects people''s appearances or their sexual desires."
"Thank the gods for that, at least." Parker raises an eyebrow. "So what trait did you select?"
Once again, Xenia''s smile turns sinister. "Lady and gentleman, allow me to introduce you to...the Fear Mimic. Now, how about I pop you in and let you take this thing for a test drive?"
Twenty minutes later, Beatrice is standing in front of a large silver sphere sitting on a chest-high pedestal, while giving Xenia a suspicious look from behind her enchanted helmet. "This is what you wanted me to check out, Xen? Is this just a scheme to slow down my packing-up? I said I''m not leaving til the end of the week, remember."
"Nah, nah, just figured you''d make a good test subject. Was a little worried there might be some sort of like, infinite recursion issue or something if we tried this out with Emma, and if I did this myself I''d be risking severe personal embarrassment."
The suspicious look continues. "But you''re fine with embarrassing me."
"Exactly! Now, Parker - show off what you can do!" Beatrice returns her attention back to the reflective sphere, and to her surprise the object begins to turn almost liquid. Protrusions start to form, some of them dripping off of the pedestal and down towards the floor, while others begin to stretch upwards, making the object taller. It eventually takes a humanoid form with arms, legs, and a head, and within seconds the reflective metal turns into the heavily-used metal of a suit of plate armor. Beatrice''s armor, specifically, a copy of Beatrice''s gear down to the slightest scuff mark and scratch. The only difference is the figure''s lack of a helmet, but the face that appears does differ from Beatrice''s significantly.
In some ways, perhaps most, the figure is almost Beatrice''s twin. Her notable burn scars cover one half of Parker''s face, her features and the look of her eyes are largely the same. But Parker''s hair is white and thin, his face covered with wrinkles, his eyes sunken and dimmed. As Parker hops off from his sitting position atop the pedestal, Beatrice gasps. "By the gods! Is - is that me as an old woman? I look awful!"
Parker does his best to examine his own face, peering at the smooth metal of one of his gauntlets. "Am I? ...You know, I can see how this might be demoralizing to my enemies, but if I have to fight as an old woman, I foresee there being some issues."
Xenia rolls her eyes. "When a mimic takes on the form of a treasure chest, is it actually a treasure chest?"
"...I suppose not?"
"No, it''s still a monster with giant teeth and tentacles and muscles." Deciding a demonstration is in order, Xenia summons up an axe much like Parker''s old weapon, and tosses it to the man. "Swing that around and tell me if you feel like an old lady?"
Parker catches it easily, despite the weapon''s heavy weight, and goes through a few motions with just as much ease. "Hmm, I suppose you''re right. Also, to be honest, I would have expected it to bother me more to be in the body of a woman like this - no offense, Lady Beatrice - but somehow I still feel like...myself, you know? Hells, even being that sphere earlier wasn''t so bad. I was worried it would feel confining to be without limbs."
The dungeon master nods. "That''s mimic instincts for you. Mimics gotta be about the most patient monsters there are, sitting around for ages until it''s time to strike. Plus, it wouldn''t do you much good to lose your sense of self and start thinking you were the thing you were reflecting."
Beatrice''s voice is a little less calm. "And why are you reflecting me as an old lady!? What''s this about?"
Parker answers that question. "It''s funny how instinctual it was. You fear growing old, is that it? I suppose I can relate - I''m a good decade your senior, and I felt much the same before I surrendered my body. Yet I can tell it bothers you even more."
Beatrice''s eyes narrow. "Oh, so this is the embarrassing part of it, is it? The idea here is you take on the physical embodiment of my fear and throw me off my game, huh?"
The axe-wielding mimic nods. "Seems so. Is it working?"
When Beatrice draws her sword, it''s with a smile on her face. "Give me a round or two, and I''ll answer that question."
Chapter 217: Dangerous Weaponry
DAY 245
"Alright, then, boys and girls...time to see what fresh new hell awaits us, and pray that I''m not being literal." Hammon Hardhead lifts his axe in one hand as he steps out into the entry chamber of Floor Eight, and does his best to give off a confident appearance to his party. The dwarf is still a little confused at how he ended up as the team leader of this new consolidated group, the ''Union of Blades'' they had taken to calling themselves, given that he was one of the lowest-ranked members of it. The Mountaineers were over, Tainz had refused to go any deeper than Floor Four after their last ill-fated expedition, and he and Petal Digwell, the Siege Sniper, were hardly about to try floors this deep as only a duo.
Even worse, this new five-member group wasn''t even the simple creation of two teams working together. No, it had taken three teams who had faced the new Valkyrie of Floor Seven to scrape together enough survivors to put together this group. The two dwarves had joined together with a four-person squad, The Red Blades, to finally take that flying monstrosity down and of those four only Tandy of Longsands Harbor, a human Rogue, had survived and kept enough of her limbs to keep going on to Floor Eight. The last two, the survivors of a party named Rain of Death, were the ones who really intimidated the dwarf though. Both of them were Master-level challengers, one of them an orc woman named Nashta, a Bishop of Battle who followed the ways of Erashi, the God of Strategy. The last, Lobald the Kobold, was a Sorcerer of Sky and the highest-ranked member of the new party at an impressive thirty-seven, a full ten levels above Hammon himself.
The orc and kobold both said Hammon seemed to have ''a good head on his shoulders'' though and voted for him as party leader, and that had been that. As he looks around him, at least the man can say that the environment he finds seems much more homey than the crystal caverns making up the floor above.
Though of course, that alone also serves to set the man on edge. Unlike the raw stone and bare caves that made up the vast majority of the dungeon up to this point, this first room appeared to have the look of a windowless castle, or perhaps an underground dwarven keep. The walls, floor and ceiling were made of carved stone blocks, held together by wooden supports, and there was even some furniture and a fireplace making the space feel almost lived-in. Certainly, the dwarf knew dungeons better than that. "Seems the dungeon''s playing around more with making a place that looks like a proper dwelling. I doubt that fireplace has a chimney that actually goes anywhere, though."
Tandy chuckles. "If we were further in I''d poke my head in to see if there was hidden treasure up there, but no one ever puts anything good in the first room. No monsters?"
The orc taps her metal staff on the floor as she steps into the center of the group. "It seems not - but the dungeon''s hardly shied away from attacking Challengers in the first room of a floor before. Keep your eyes open for traps."
"On it!" Tandy lightly steps around the room, prodding at various stones before turning her attention towards the table sitting near the fireplace. There''s plates and cups on it, containing the remains of a half-eaten meal, the food appearing fresh despite the fact that it could have been sitting there for weeks. "Definitely don''t eat anything - even if you''re into leftovers. Hrmm, what''s this, though?" A small metal box sits on one end of the table, held closed by only the simplest of latches, and as the Rogue carefully opens it she finds a tiny pile of coins sitting inside.
Petal edges closer, taking a look for herself. "Not a huge haul, but weird to find a reward so early, and without even a fight to be had for it." Tandy shakes her head as she plucks out only a single silver coin.
"Not a haul at all. I got a spell, Sense Value, and this is the only real coin in the bunch. The rest are decoys, they''ll poof if we take em outside the dungeon."
Lobald furrows his brown-scaled brow ridges. "What''s the point in giving us a single coin? Trying to weigh us down with fake loot? Even if we didn''t have your Rogue skills, I''d be able to detect the magical difference between real and fake coins."
Nashta nods. "The dungeon is attempting to set the stage...and we''re still determining the sort of play we''re in. Shall we continue?"
"Aye." Hammon points towards the heavy wooden door at the other side of the room. "Tandy, check the door and we''ll move on." The Rogue does so, and finding it untrapped, Hammon swings it open himself. He keeps his shield held high as he marches in, but the new chamber is as quiet as the first. Larger, certainly, and with a much more obvious theme - this chamber is clearly meant to be an armory. Racks of polearms and large axes sit against both side walls, swords and shields are mounted at numerous points, and there''s even two complete sets of human-sized armor sitting upon bare-bones wooden mannequins in different corners. The dwarf, of course, eyes it all suspiciously. "Keep an eye on those armors - could be minion versions of the bosses on Floor Three."
Petal scans her heavy crossbow across the room, seeking out targets. "So many weapons...nothin'' exactly legendary-looking or nothin'', but none of em look like trash, either. Are any of these real, Tandy?"
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"Most of em gotta be fakes, but lemme do a check..." The woman begins to walk down one side of the room, her leather glove-covered hand brushing against weapon shafts as she goes, and it''s as she''s starting on the second rack that she finds something.
Or rather, that something finds her.
As her hand brushes one large, double-sided axe, the metal head of the weapon suddenly splits apart and reveals long rows of monstrous teeth. The apparently-wooden shaft flexes as if it were an organic neck, allowing the weapon to bend in her direction, and before the Rogue knows what''s happened those sharp teeth are digging into her shoulder pad. "Gah! Get it off!" A dagger''s already in her left hand and beginning to stab at the beast, but her companions find themselves distracted before they can come to her aid. As Hammon had suspected, both sets of armor reveal themselves as monsters, the wooden sticks of the display mannequins flexing like skeletons beneath the metal plates. To make matters worse a trio of shields suddenly fall off the wall and crash to the floor, their structure breaking apart into sharpened triangles of metal that they use to start skittering across the floor like insects.
Even as he charges against the nearest armored foe, Hammon begins shouting out orders to his team. "I''ll take the big ones, Petal, try and snipe the skitterers! Nashta, help Tandy, Lobald, you blast what you can!" With that said the Shield Smasher raises his dwarf-steel shield and rams into the first walking suit of armor, and finds to his relief that it''s not as heavy as a normal opponent of that size might be. In fact, as it crashes to the ground the metal of its armor bends and bounces back as if it were mere rubber. Seeing that, Hammon lifts his axe and gets to hacking before it can rise back to its feet.
For her part Tandy finally manages to sever the ''head'' of the bitey axe, thanks to Nashta casting a spell on the creature to slow its movements. A moment later another polearm starts swinging itself in her direction, but as the Bishop swaps to speeding the Rogue up instead, Tandy finds herself easily able to dodge the creature. In fact, she finds herself at such an advantage that she actually decides to grab hold of it by the shaft, and uses it to smash a walking shield out of the air when it tries to leap for her. It turns out to be far less effective than an actual weapon, given how much it flexes in her hand at the impact, but it does at least seem to stun the creature.
Likewise, Petal and Lobald find their ranged attacks to be rather more impactful against the mobile shields than they might have expected. Rather than clanging off of metal shards, the Sniper''s crossbow bolts dig deep into the monsters, spurts of dark blood pulsing out at they howl at her. Meanwhile the lightning bolts from Lobald''s staff are no less effective for them being flesh rather than metal, as the room is soon filled with the stench of burning and smoking monster flesh.
In the end Hammon and Tandy are able to team up as they take on the last opponent, the second of the walking armors, and the pair do find that the sword it wields seems to be real. Fortunately it never comes close to hitting the sped-up Rogue, and the Shield Smasher has little trouble blocking what blows it attempts to send his way. As Tandy slips behind it and digs her dagger into the wooden stick making up its neck, the monster collapses to the ground in a heap, and all of the members of the party quickly turn left and right to scan for any more random items that might be attempting to murder them.
Once it''s clear that the room is quiet for the moment, Petal begins to curse. "Gods-damned mimics! That''s what this is! Those gemstones up on the last floor were a warning - the dungeon''s gone and invested in the damn lil buggers now, it seems!"
Tandy grimaces at the thought. "Dammit! A Rogue''s worst enemy, they say." That statement confuses her team leader slightly.
"Really? Don''t you have skills to detect that? What''s that ''value'' spell of yours have to say about a mimic, I wager they can''t really be ''worth'' anything, aye?"
The green-eyed woman shakes her head. "It depends on their tier. Bottom-tier mimics? Sure, almost any sort of spell will give away that they aren''t what they seem. These gotta be at least mid-tier though...I could push more mana into the spell to give them away, but..." Tandy looks around and gestures at the numerous weapon racks. "Pressing it that hard on all of this? I''d need to be downing a mana potion every room or two."
Lobald frowns as he looks over the remaining weapons, many of which have now fallen to the floor in all of the confusion. "Dammit. I see what the dungeon''s doing now...this is a test."
Petal returns his frown. "A test of what? Mimic detection?"
"Well, that too, but also one of greed. There''s gotta be like, thirty weapons in here, yeah? Even after the mimics popped out. There was one prize for us in the first room, a single coin. I bet you one of these weapons is real, too. And a coin ain''t much but a weapon is damn good for a second room."
Tandy sighs as she looks them over. "But I''d have to exhaust myself checking them over right. So our options are: to spend an age checking everything and then resting, to just say ''fuck it'' and leave them behind, to try and carry everything and see what goes poof after we leave...or to try and carry everything and then find out later that some of it''s still live mimics, waiting for a chance to eat our heads."
Hammon gives them a look himself before sighing. "Well, we''re the first team to try this floor, and that means loot ain''t our primary goal for today. Our three main objectives, as I see em, are as follows. One, scout out the floor and see what it''s got. Two, get the glory and Association credit for being here first, and even being the first to clear it if we can manage the job. And third - not die. Way I see it is, we check anything that looks too good to pass up, otherwise, we don''t take the risk and we just leave it for another day. The final floor rewards ought to be obvious, at least."
The orc shakes her head as she surveys the weaponry. "None of these appears to be anything more special than the others. All serviceable but nothing that would serve as personal upgrades for any of us, or make us our fortune."
"Agreed. So, right then - Tandy, same routine, check that door ahead, and make sure the knob ain''t gonna bite off my fingers when I open it. Let''s see how many more surprises Worthy Dungeon''s got in store for us today..."
Chapter 218: Not Just an Imitation
Hammon Hardhead breathes heavily as he rests his arm on his axe, leaning on the weapon for support. "I. Fuckin''. Hate. Mimics."
Although the others don''t immediately say anything, it''s obvious from their looks that they agree. Petal''s face was heavily scratched up from when a pillar she had been taking cover behind had sprouted claws and begun swiping at her. Lobald the Kobold was limping and using his staff as a crutch, after the candles had leapt off of a chandelier and turned into knives on the way down, one of them impaling itself through his scaled foot. Tandy had perhaps had the worst of it, as there was now a bandage wrapped around her head to stop the bleeding from where her right ear had been chewed off by a small box she''d been shaking to see if there was anything inside. She didn''t seem to mind the wound too much, though - ears were relatively easy to heal with magic, and apparently this was the third ear she''d lost over the course of her career. Still, none of them were in particularly high spirits.
Bishop Nashta does attempt to put a positive spin on things, at least. "Well, the good news is they all seem to be mid-tier at most in terms of strength, some even less than that. Once they reveal themselves we can slay them easily enough, and they seem to have trouble with biting through even decent leather armor. For a first-time run of a floor, this hasn''t really been so bad."
Lobald groans. "Yeah, yeah, but I hate the freakin'' mind-game aspects of it, y''know? A sock tried to bite me, you know? A sock! That''s gonna haunt my nightmares, I''m telling you."
Petal has to roll her eyes at that complaint. "Yeah, sure, but the thing wouldn''ta even gotten near your pervy ass if y''hadn''t seen a pair of lacy knickers hanging out of a drawer and gone, ''ooh, I gotta see what''s in that thing!'' Y''didn''t even fall for the chests of coins as quickly as you did that one!"
"Hey, you know what this dungeon is like! Fifty-fifty odds a pair of scanty underwear from here woulda had enough enchantments on it to turn someone into a Supreme-level wizard or some shit. A Sorcerer of Seduction! I still bet you there actually was something like that in there, if only we''d taken the time to check it."
The Rogue snorts at the suggestion. "Lizard, I am not burning my mana on picking through twenty different pairs of panties to see if any of them are any good." Having said that, Tandy does pause for a moment. "...Shit, on second thought, a dungeon like this probably would have hidden the best shit in a set like that. ...Hold on, my good ear''s hearing movement from up ahead." The group readies their weapons and slows down as they peer down the hallway stretching out before them, and eventually the rest of them do hear a slight shuffling sound. After a minute or two the source of it becomes apparent as a group of rabbits starts to hop their way around a corner.
The party leader''s not one to be taken in by their cute appearance, though. "There ain''t no such thing as an innocent little bunny in a dungeon, especially not this deep. If they''re down here, they''re a threat, and I don''t care to wait to find out what kind. Petal, Lobald, blast the buggers, would you?"
Petal is the first to act, hefting her crossbow to her shoulder and firing off a bolt at the lead rabbit. The creature dies easily enough, the force of the impact sufficient to send it sliding backwards along the stone floor, blood spilling as it goes. Unfortunately, that seems to be the trigger for the rest of the warren to drop the cute fa?ade, and instantly the remainder of them turn into true monsters. Jaws spread wide, revealing large mouths full of dripping fangs, but none of them open where the Challengers might expect a mouth to be. Instead heads flop back to reveal mouths inside of necks, sides split open to reveal jaws as large as the creatures themselves, and in one case an entire bunny splits down the middle, from top to bottom, turning the entire monster into a single oversized maw.
They run forward as they go, but Lobald was already preparing his own spell and a blast from his outstretched staff fries three of the creatures before they reach the party. Hammon does his best to block the rest as they arrive, but the mimics do seem to share the speed and flexibility of the rabbits they pretend to be, and several of them do get past him. Tandy takes one, her dagger sinking rapidly into a monster''s back, but the rest head for Nashta who stands at the center of the formation.
Luckily the Cleric is no stranger to the art of melee combat. Without showing the slightest hint of alarm in her expression the Bishop of Battle begins to spin her staff, timing it so that the heavy head of it lands with thick impacts into the sides of the rabbits as they reach her. Most of them are only stunned as they bounce off of the hallway wall, but one of them does end up flying right back over Hammon''s head, landing with an impact hard enough to break whatever passes for its skeleton.
It''s only the work of a minute or so to finish the monsters off, but when they''re done Petal seems even more discouraged than before. "Awful! Disgusting! What kind of sick freak would do that with bunnies! Those were worse than the bitey ones on Floor Four!"
Nashta chuckles as she wipes off the bloodstains on her metal staff. "Careful, Sniper. That is the dungeon master herself you''re insulting, now."
"Right, right. I mean uh...those were delightfully awful. Ten out of ten, gonna have nightmares about em worse than Lobald and his crotch-sniffin'' panty mimics."
The kobold shudders. "Eugh, I didn''t even think about that. Look, we should be close to the end by now, so how about we just move on and then forget about all this, eh?"
"Indeed, let''s do that. Tandy, back up front with me." The Shield Smasher and the Backstabber Rogue continue to lead the way down the hallway, and it''s not long after the turn that they find themselves in front of a large, impressive-looking door. Tandy declares it trap-free, after which she takes a moment more to inspect it from a style perspective.
"Yeah, this thing''s fancy enough to be a boss arena door, I''d say. We all good to continue?"
Hammon nods. "Wouldn''t have minded a safe room on this floor, but I suppose if anything I''d just suspect a healing fountain of being full of water elementals who''d try to drown us or something. Alright, on three..."
Tandy opens the door and Hammon takes the lead, shield raised, and the expectations of it being a boss arena seem to be quickly confirmed. Although it shares the general style of the rest of the floor, being made of castle-like carved stone blocks, the layout is quite different. It''s large and circular, but almost empty save a few decorations on the walls and a pillar in the middle, which holds a reflective silver ball. The group scans the decorations quickly, but their attention soon enough returns towards the centerpiece of the chamber.
Petal keeps her finger on her crossbow''s trigger. "Any one of those shields and tapestries and shit could be more mimics, but any ideas on that thing? Maybe it''s some sort of magic puzzle-type challenge?"
The party''s Sorcerer chuckles. "The closest thing this dungeon''s had to a puzzle is the damn riddle door, and the hardest part about that is how bad it is at being a puzzle. It''s definitely something, though?"
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The dwarf shrugs. "Want me to shoot it and see what happens?"
Hammon weighs the option in his mind, and eventually nods. "If we''re going to set the thing off one way or another, may as well set it off from a distance. Everyone be on their guard!"
The party prepares themselves, half of them doing so by slightly shuffling behind Hammon, and Petal releases her bolt. It hits the sphere dead center, but to everyone''s surprise it simply sticks itself halfway into the apparent metal surface, without cracking or denting it in any way. "...Is that thing some sort of liquid? A metal slime of some sort, maybe?"
Before anyone can answer the sphere begins to shift, at first looking as if perhaps it was in fact a slime, but soon it''s become much larger than a slime the sphere''s size could have possibly grown. As the bolt clatters onto the stone floor the creature grows arms, legs, and even massive wings, eventually taking a form that makes the party gasp in horror. Lobald''s eyes grow wide as he recognizes the armored figure sitting atop the pedestal a moment later. "Dear gods, the dungeon''s throwing another one of these things at us!?"
As the Valkyrie inspects themselves, a frown forms on their uncovered lips. "You''re kidding me. My big debut, and it''s as Brightsky? Gods, she''s really done a number on you teams up on Floor Seven, hasn''t she? She scared you even more than that fellow Petal''s been trying to court for the past thirty years and never worked up the courage to talk to. You should do that, by the way, if you survive this."
Petal''s mouth drops open. "What? How...?"
"Not one for giving away my secrets in my first fight, I''m afraid." The armored figure reaches out an arm, and to the party''s surprise one of the axes mounted to the wall suddenly rips itself free and flies into their open hand. "Prepare yourselves."
That''s all the warning they give before leaping into the air, their axe swooping down upon the center of the party. Hammon moves to intercept it with his shield, but to the dwarf''s consternation the blade of it actually bites several inches deep into his trusty equipment. Still, it does slow the monster down for a moment, and a moment is all a good team of Challengers need. "We''ve beaten her before, we can do it again! Lobald, keep her grounded! The rest of you, hit her weak points!"
The kobold does as requested, filling the large arena with a sudden storm that would make any attempt to take into the air a dangerous one. Given that Parker''s never had wings before, he wasn''t really considering trying to figure them out in the middle of a fight, but it does seem to keep the Sorcerer of Sky busy for a little while. In the meantime Petal''s quick-loaded another bolt and aimed for the boss''s neck, but finds herself surprised by how the monster reacts. The Valkyrie of Floor Seven would have blocked with her massive shield, which this version seems to lack, or would have otherwise used her metal wings as a barrier. This one instead manages to move only the slightest bit to allow the bolt to miss, a brush so close that the bolt''s fletching was probably scraping across their cheek.
As Tandy slips around the armored figure to find a place to plant her daggers, she''s also surprised when the guardian abandons their weapon to instead turn around and sock Tandy in the face with an armored fist. The Rogue rolls with it, lessening the impact and gaining some distance, but still swears at the knowledge that her face is sure to be one large bruise after the battle.
Examining the monster''s movements and reactions, Nashta is the first to come to a conclusion. "Harken, party - this is not a creature like Floor Seven''s guardian! It has her form, but not her patterns of attack! Do not allow yourselves to become complacent!"
"A strategist, eh? Well, we can''t be having someone with good ideas on the field, that just takes all the fun out of it!" Reaching out both arms, this time two axes fly out to fill the guardian''s hands, and within a second later both of them are swinging towards Hammon, one from either side. Only able to block one with his shield, the dwarf attempts to deflect the other with his armored gauntlet, but the metal fails to stop the weapon from digging deep into the bones of his arm. The monster doesn''t stay to finish the man off though, instead quickly pulling his axe free and stepping forward to advance on Nashta. To her credit the orc meets him without fear, her metal staff intercepting every swing her opponent throws at her, but unfortunately the swirl of blades serves its purpose in keeping her distracted.
As axe-swing after axe-swing is deflected by the Bishop, each sending sparks flying through the air, few in the party notice as one of the monster''s wings begins to take on a magical orange glow along its upper edge. Petal tries to shout out a warning, but it''s far too late as the monster suddenly spins, sending the wing sweeping in from the side and bisecting the orc at the waist as though she were made of butter. As her torso drops to the ground, the guardian pauses for a moment to examine their own handiwork. "My body is my weapon...and this body has its upsides, I suppose. Who''s next?"
The answer turns out to be Lobald, abandoning their storm spell to instead step in with a howl of rage. His staff slams into the guardian''s chest, doing no apparent damage, but the monster barely has time to widen their eyes before they realize what''s coming next. A massive blast of lightning sends them flying, electricity sparking off of their metal armor, and both of their wings snap as they land on the stone floor with a heavy impact. Tandy is quick to react, leaping at the prone figure with her daggers ready to stab downward, but even after such a hard landing the guardian''s still able to knock her aside with a blow from one hand, sending her rolling yet again.
Another bolt from Petal barely grazes the monster''s face, but it''s less of a miss this time as the Sniper was using one of her special shots. A second after impact with the floor the bolt explodes, shooting stony shrapnel across the guardian''s cheek, and it''s with a groan that they crawl back to their feet. "Ugh, that hurt. Nice to know I can take a hit, though."
Hammon himself prepares for a Shield Smasher charge, ready to knock the boss back onto their ass, but pauses as he notices several of the wall decorations crawling their way down and skittering across the floor. The stunned Tandy screams out as a dagger-like leg punches its way into her thigh, and the man makes a quick recalculation. Their healer is dead, two of them have wounded legs, not to mention the high potential for more surprises yet to reveal themselves the longer the fight continues. Adjusting his course, the man shouts out new orders. "Fall back! Out of the arena, I''ll grab the Rogue!"
With his enhanced speed it''s the work of a moment to smash away the monster trying to climb its way up Tandy''s body, and as he lifts her over one shoulder Petal and Lobald put their full efforts into keeping their foes away from the arena''s exit. The guardian doesn''t seem to be nearly as bloodthirsty as the monster they''re mimicking, however, and nothing reaches the quartet before they''ve had time to flee through the door and back down the hallway beyond.
As the blowing of winds and the crackling of electricity fades, Parker takes a deep breath as they examine their handiwork, the orc just now gasping out her last breath as he watches her on the floor. Sighing, he turns back to rest against his pedestal. "Well...suppose that wasn''t too bad for a debut. Hope Brightsky is flattered by my performance, at least..."
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------------------------
INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS SLAIN: 1
MORTALS ESCAPED: 4
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 1
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 6 TO 343
MANA ACQUIRED: 13, CURRENT AMOUNT: 267/276 (67 CONSUMED BY CONSTRUCTS)
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
SKILLS: PRIEST OF COMBAT (ADVANCED), PRIEST OF WAR (EXPERT), BISHOP OF BATTLE (MASTER)
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Chapter 219: Lolly Pop, Lolly Pop - Explicit
DAY 253
Xenia shouts out as she pops into Lollyp''s newly-redesigned apartment. "Lolly Pop, I''m here! Didn''t peek like I promised, you ready with that ''surprise'' you were talking about?" While she speaks, the dungeon master begins to walk down the twisty hallway leading into Lollyp''s bedroom. The ''apartment'' was still technically a hidden section of her boss arena, allowing her to respawn directly in her bed, but Xenia had expanded the space and put up walls to allow it to more closely resemble the living quarters used by the other guardians. Most of the new rooms had just ended up being used as storerooms for various alchemical reagents though, and it was still the slime''s bedroom-slash-main workshop that took up most of the space.
As Xenia makes one turn, Lollyp shouts back to her. "I''m all ready, yeah! Come on in, I think you''ll like what you find..."
"I definitely like that tone of voice, I''ll say that..." Xenia turns around yet another corner, making her way past a room filled with barrels full of mushrooms, and steps through the doorway into Lollyp''s main personal chamber. The slime still had a hammock along one wall, along with her alchemical work stations, but these days a large bed took up much of the space as well. Lollyp herself didn''t use it much, mattresses and blankets didn''t really suit slimes very well, but there were enough visits from Xenia - and occasionally from certain members of the Church of Bounty - that it had paid off for its creation more than a few times over by now. As an added bonus, if anyone ever did blow up the false ceiling of Lollyp''s boss arena the large bed would probably end up crushing them to death. It''s not the bed that catches Xenia''s attention, though.
No, that would be the fully human-sized, fully-endowed, black-lace-lingerie-wearing red slime who she finds waiting for her.
Lollyp wasn''t the shortest person Xenia had ever known, at a bit under five feet most of the time - not counting her wizard''s hat - she was still taller than many dwarves. She also had the ability to stretch out her height, but it was always a very visible stretching, both making her thinner and also giving her rather terrible balance if she actually tried to move while in that state. The Lollyp standing before her now has no such issues, being taller than Xenia and yet somehow curvier than ever, her brassiere struggling to hold the weight of all of the body mass that had been crammed into it. Xenia''s eyes fixate on that part of the slime''s anatomy more than once, despite the fact that Xenia is more than aware that slimes don''t actually have tits.
"Holy fuck, Lolly Pop. You look good. Where''d you even get that get-up, I don''t remember making any of that?"
"Borrowed it from a certain friend - maybe this would be a hint." Lollyp gestures towards her forehead where two tiny horns made of slime make their appearance, and that answer at least becomes clear.
"Sable owns a get-up like that? You do look like her size right now though, that''s for sure. Is that some sort of potion trick you figured out? Potion of Growth or something like that?"
The slime shakes her head. "Nah, all those recipes need monster parts we don''t have here, sadly. This, I pulled off with something a little different..."
"Oh?" Finally breaking free of Lollyp''s slightly jiggling anatomy, Xenia manages to quickly look over the rest of the room and discovers that there''s something else different about the place. "Wait, what''s Em''s mirror doing in here? I gave them to Taly and Trush last night. ...How did you even get that in here, the damn thing''s like nine feet tall!"
"With a lot of hard work and effort, I''ll say that. You''re getting good at your meditation though if we were actually able to get that by you. But forget about the mirror - come over here and focus on me, hrmm?" Despite her words it''s Lollyp who moves first, walking forward on actual legs rather than gliding about as she usually does. She even has high heels on, adding a satisfying clicking sound as she steps across the stone floor. Xenia wants to ask more questions about that, but her voice is silenced as Lollyp takes her in an embrace and locks lips with her in a kiss. Although the pair have kissed hundreds of times by now, there''s a very different feeling to it when Lollyp is taller than her boss, and as Xenia''s hands grab hold of the slime''s well-sculpted buttocks, she finds that she could get used to this. Eventually Lollyp breaks the lock just long enough to whisper into Xenia''s ear. "Get rid of those clothes and I''ll show you the real surprise, yeah?"
"Shit, there''s more? Consider it done." Just like that the clothing on her avatar form vanishes like so much mist, and her slime companion only takes a brief moment to eye her lover before again wrapping her up in a tight hug, kissing her deeply. As they continue Xenia''s hands begin to work their way up Lollyp''s body, but just before she''s about to begin groping at Lollyp''s protruding slime-sacs she pauses at the very distinct feeling of a tongue lapping at her between her legs. Very slowly turning her attention downwards, Xenia notices that Lollyp''s black lace panties have been pulled aside to reveal what is very definitely a second face, complete with eyes, a mouth, and a very long tongue.
"Gah!" Xenia exclaims as she hops backwards in surprise, her eyes growing wide. "Alright, you''ve tried out a lot of funky shapes down there before, but that''s a new one. ...Not saying I don''t like it, but damn, that''s a weird one to see without any warning."
Lollyp''s upper face just smiles without answering, but her lower one is much more expressive. "You thought you were getting eaten out by Lollyp! But it was me, Emma! Mwahahaha!" As she laughs the slime''s long tongue waggles in a way that can only be described as lascivious, and Xenia has a hard time not laughing at the absurdity of it.
"Shit, did you and Lollyp just Voltron together? Is that what''s going on here?"
"I don''t know that reference, but probably!" As Emma says that, Lollyp picks up with the actual explanation.
"Slimes can''t exactly merge together or anything like that, if that''s what you''re thinking, but we can like...fit together really close if we want to. And given that Emma''s got my exact coloring and consistency when she''s doubling me, you can''t even tell where one begins and the other ends, can you?" She moves her arms in a display pose, and Xenia has to admit, the illusion of the two of them being a single body is hard to break even now.
"Oh, so not a Voltron - you just two-slimes-in-a-trenchcoated me, then. An impressive new way to wanna eat me out though, I''ll say that."
"Nah, I just wanted to see the look on your face - don''t worry, I know you like it deep and rough." After saying that Emma''s face disappears from behind Lollyp''s panties, and a moment later a massive red cock literally unfurls in its place. While Lollyp''s put together many a faux phallus before, not to mention her share of tentacles and other such shapes, this one has a new level of anatomical detail that Xenia''s not used to. Fake veins trace up and around the red shaft, and the crowned head of it almost throbs with the fluid being pumped into it. While Xenia stares, Emma''s voice echoes out from a different part of the slimes'' combined form. "And if I need to say something, no worries, I can just talk out of Lollyp''s ass!"
For her part, Lollyp winces at the joke. "Not exactly the seductive attitude I was going for, but...what do you think?" She glances down at what Emma''s granted her, and is a little surprised herself at the detail level of it. "Wow, I''ve never put that much work into making it look like a rigid''s thing before. You uh...like what you see?" She twists her hips back and forth a bit, making the seven-inch-yet-still-flaccid appendage waggle, and Xenia finds herself nodding.
"Sometimes it is the uh, little things that make something complete, you know? Not that that''s anything near a ''little thing''..."
"I''ll be even less ''little'' if you get me going properly..." Emma''s voice echoes out, and Xenia tries not to roll her eyes at the suggestion. As a slime, the reflection could obviously be as large or stiff as she wanted to be, within the limits of her body mass...but if she wants to engage in a bit of roleplay, Xenia''s not one to say no. She steps back up to Lollyp, and while the slime wraps both of her arms around the dungeon master in an embrace, Xenia''s hands wrap themselves around the bulging cock. Stroking it is a bit of an odd sensation, as the slime membrane isn''t exactly wet, yet it''s still rather low-friction as Xenia''s hands twist around it, massaging it from top to bottom. For her part Lollyp focuses on locking lips with her lover, clearly enjoying having the height advantage for once.
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After a minute or two that height advantage doubles as Xenia slips down to her knees. Examining Emma''s work from up close, she can see that the beast is now much more erect and a few inches longer than it already was, and Xenia has to chuckle at it a little nervously. "Even with me being a dungeon avatar and you being a slime, I think I still got some physical limits with what I can fit in, you know? But I suppose I''ll see what I can manage..." With that said she starts licking her way up the underside of the crimson shaft, enjoying the taste as she goes. By time she reaches the tip of the rod there''s beading fluid waiting for her, a sweet slime concoction, and the woman laps it up eagerly before sucking the tip into her mouth.
Lollyp gasps out loud as she does so, and Xenia has to pause to ask a question. "Wait, is this Emma or Lollyp I''m suckin'' off right now? Did you actually feel that, Lolly Pop?"
"I can''t feel it, no. But how it looks? From this angle?" Lollyp takes a moment to run her fingers through Xenia''s black-and-white-striped hair. "Being tall is amazing, and being tall and watching you on your knees while you suck a cock is incredible. You''re beautiful like this, you know."
Emma''s voice speaks up from her end. "Got no eyes at the moment but I can still see you through the mirror, and I gotta agree. I''d be getting horny as fuck right now even if you weren''t sucking me off - but speaking of, how about you get back to it, eh?" Chuckling, and blushing a little at the lewd compliments, Xenia does as requested and returns the oversized appendage to her mouth. She focuses on the tip, running her tongue around it in circles while her hands continue to stroke their way up and down the shaft, but after a bit of that it seems that Lollyp desires even more of a show. After taking hold of Xenia''s scalp more forcefully, Lollyp begins to lightly thrust her hips forward.
At first the cock hits the back of her throat like a battering ram, the organ too girthy for even a dungeon spirit to take, but after a few repetitions it seems as if Emma''s become frustrated at the lack of progress. The dick suddenly slims down quite a bit, meaning it''s rather a surprise to both Xenia and Lollyp when the next thrust sends it a solid four inches down Xenia''s throat with almost no resistance. The dungeon master''s eyes go wide at the suddenness of it, but Lollyp knows her friend can handle a lot more than that, so from there she picks up the pace of her thrusts significantly even as she begins pulling against Xenia''s head to meet her half way. It''s not long before Xenia''s deepthroating the entire thing, slime-filled testicles bouncing off of her chin and her face impacting Lollyp''s pelvic region with so much force that she leaves an impression on the slime of her nose and forehead.
Emma proves to be less enduring than Xenia when it comes down to it, and it''s not much more than a minute of that before a moan echoes from the region of Lollyp''s rear. Xenia would laugh at the sound of it, but she finds herself rather busy when thick slime cum starts shooting its way down her throat, attempting to fill her metaphysical stomach. The testicles resting against her chin literally begin to shrivel up as Lollyp holds her in place, the fluid within pumping its way down the pulsating pipe lodged in her esophagus, but eventually the slime has to let go as her legs begin to lose their strength.
"Whoa! You alright down there?" Lollyp has to grab on to the bedpost to keep from falling over, and a contented sigh answers her from below.
"Sorry, trying to hold you up and deal with the loss of all that...pressure...was a bit more than I was expecting. God damn, does Xen know how to suck a lady dry."
Xenia laughs as she wipes some of the red fluid dripping from her lips. "Well, I''ve had a bit of practice. You need a bit of a break? It really did feel like I just drank down like, a tenth of whatever the hell it is you''ve got in there."
Lollyp answers for her partner. "I''ve actually got something else I''d like to try, and it would get Em off of her feet. Mind lying back on the bed, Xen?"
"For you, Lolly Pop? Any time." She does so, and as Lollyp turns to approach her a second cock makes its appearance a few inches above the first, nearly as large as the original started off as, although that flaccid organ is now much more modest-looking.
"I''m still ready to go, especially after a show like that. Em, feel free to join in when you catch your breath." Having said that though, it''s not her cock which Lollyp is focused on as she climbs onto the bed and crawls her way atop her boss, but rather her lips which kiss every sensitive bit on the way. Once she gets face-to-face with her companion Lollyp pauses to stare into Xenia''s eyes, her hands holding both sides of Xenia''s face. "It really is so different seeing you like this, you know? Even if I''m just a couple inches taller than you now, it makes me want to, I don''t know...protect you, and screw the living daylights out of you."
"Haha, well you know you''ve been doing a great job of that at any size. But yeah, it is really something seeing you like this. A lot different than the time you took a round in that Patriarch body, too."
Emma speaks up, her recovering organ fluttering between Xenia''s thighs as she does so. "Oooh, I''m seeing that in Lollyp''s memories now, damn that was hot. But yeah, a double-dose of slime girl''s got its own benefits. Double the benefits, if you know what I''m saying..."
Xenia nods as she leans back further and spreads her legs, welcoming the duo in a missionary position. "Oh yeah? Then how about you show me?"
Lollyp grins before leaning down to kiss Xenia once again, but her prehensile appendage needs no extra assistance to be able to find its target. The new cock glides its tip up and down Xenia''s slit of its own accord, spreading both of their natural lubricants between her folds, even as Emma''s recovering phallus begins to do the same down between Xenia''s cheeks. At some unseen signal both of them push forward at once, spreading Xenia wide, but it''s Emma who moans the loudest.
"Oh, fuck! Lollyp just pushed a tentacle down into me, too! Damn, I''ve done a lot of freaky stuff over the years, but - ah! There''s like three of them wriggling around in me now!"
Lollyp chuckles as ''her'' legs begin to shudder and wiggle. "Hey, it''s been a long time since I''ve been able to do anything with another slime, I''m not passing up on the chance! Let''s make this a proper threesome, yeah?" At that declaration Lollyp begins to pick up the pace, thrusting her hips forward, but it''s clearly all Emma can do just to keep up. The combined body of the two slimes starts to thin around the waist, the cock pressed into Xenia''s rear entrance serving as little more than a buttplug for the time being, but the one spreading her lower lips wide is more than enough to keep the dungeon spirit satisfied.
Holding her guardian close, Lollyp''s bra-covered mounds squished between their torsos, Xenia moans into her ear. "Fuck! So deep, so...hrnng, so good!" She doesn''t get out much more than that before Lollyp again kisses her, her tongue exploring Xenia''s, but that doesn''t stop her from multi-tasking in the least. Down below it''s almost as if the region connecting the two slime girls has turned into one large, roiling mass of genitalia, tentacles and phalli appearing and growing and thrusting themselves into the other slime. Emma''s duplicated body is soon turned into little more than an entire collection of cocksleeves for the more experienced slime as probing appendages dig their way inches and then entire feet deep into Emma''s rapidly-deconstructing form.
It''s a contest Xenia herself is almost unaware of, her entire focus taken up by the girthy intruder pushing her walls wide and kissing at her womb. The sounds Emma occasionally gets out does serve to give her a few hints, however. "AH! Fuck, it''s - it''s like my entire body just turned itself into a pussy to be fucked! Ah, Lollyp! Pump me deeeppaaaahhhh!"
The dungeon master can feel her ass grow slick as Emma descends into a long, ongoing orgasm, some of her cum pumping out through her grown cock but for the most part simply splattering out from where the two slimes are joined together. It''s a horrendous, sticky mess, long red trails of glue barely joining the two together as Emma loses the ability to play the part of Lollyp''s ''legs'', but at no point does Lollyp slow down her own hip thrusts. Eventually it''s too much for the reflection and Emma collapses into little more than a thin puddle covering the lower third of the bed. The sudden release of heated-up juices and musky slime cum is too much for for Xenia, and while she doesn''t fall apart as literally as Emma, her cries sound much the same.
"Ah! Right there, right - gods! Fill me up, fill me up!" Lollyp obliges, finally releasing one last load which she was saving up specially for her lover, and it''s one worthy of the dungeon master''s appetites. With a final hip thrust she pushes as deep as she can, and sticky slime soon fills whatever free space it can find, pumping deeper into Xenia''s mysterious anatomy and flowing back out onto the bedsheets as her capacity is overflowed.
Eventually Lollyp finally rolls off, and Xenia laughs as she gets a good look at what remains of Emma. "Damn, Lolly Pop, is that really what happens after slimes fuck around?"
Lollyp smiles, clearly proud of her work. "Mostly only when you screw a virgin - or you''re really good. You get better at holding yourself together with practice."
"Well, then." Xenia leans over to give Lollyp a peck on the cheek before she continues. "Sounds like someone needs to get themselves some training. Mind if I watch?"
The slime''s grin grows wider, while Emma''s reformed mouth manages to do little more than moan. "Xen? Prepare to watch a master at work..."
Chapter 220: A Family Establishment
DAY 275
Opal was sitting in one of the long bench seats in the Fiver''s Lounge one evening, watching one of the performers dance, which was a rather unusual act for the woman. She didn''t often spend time in the dungeon''s public areas, partially because she had always been rather heavily introverted, and partially because the Valkyrie really didn''t want to get to know the Challengers she would be attempting to slay sooner or later. However, specifically because it was so unusual for her, it didn''t surprise her much when someone else slipped into the seat next to her. Obviously someone would be coming by to make fun of her for making an appearance, probably the slime. Or the banshee. Or the...well, to be honest Opal could imagine nearly any of the dungeon''s guardians coming by to poke fun at her, save perhaps for the dungeon master herself who was wise enough to give her space.
It''s a rather shocking surprise then when Opal finally turns her head and realizes that the man sitting next to her is Bill, the blue-haired man himself. "Bill! You''ve come to the dungeon tonight? Did something go wrong I wasn''t aware of?"
The massive champion gives her a grin as he orders a drink from a passing barbunny, and shakes his head. "Naw, naw, nothin'' to get bent out of shape about or none of that. Just wanted to check in, enjoy the sights, you know? Been like a couple months now and I ain''t been tagged in yet, to be honest I was kinda expectin'' this place to be gettin'' into the shit like every other weekend, haha! And nothing in the deal says I can''t swing by just to have a good time."
"I see. I...suppose many people who had passed on, but had the opportunity to revisit the mortal world for a time would certainly leap at the opportunity."
The man half-nods and half-shrugs. "Yeah, though honestly the thought never really occurred to me much until this deal came along. How about you? You and I, we''re in like, the same line of work and all that, ain''t that right?"
Opal frowns at the thought of the boisterous human as being her colleague in that respect. "Well...in the sense that we are both the agents of our divine patrons, I suppose that much is true."
"Yeah, so how about you, then? You ever wanted to pop back into the land of the living for a night? Just to have a good time, blow off some steam, all of that good shit?"
The elf''s yellow eyes narrow. "I have often fantasized about returning once in a while to take revenge on particular individuals, yes. Especially once I was properly trained in the use of a blade."
After hearing that response, Bill has to suck in a breath and squirm slightly in his seat. "Whoa, hardcore, not exactly what I had in mind though, you know? Take a chill pill, homegirl, look around you. There''s free booze, literal fuckin'' Playboy bunnies, good entertainment, and everyone in the club''s fuckin'' ripped as shit. Life is good! Even for the dead, in a place like this." After he says that the waitress comes by with his order, and the Bunny Magician gives a slight blush as the man tips her with a wink. Somehow the sight of his flirty behavior only annoys Opal more, though.
"You and I may both be divine agents, Blue Hair, but clearly we are not the same. I serve my lord with every moment of my afterlife. For you, service is only a minor interruption to your eternal partying."
Bill frowns at her take on things. "Harsh, chica. More or less true, but still, harsh. But you wanna know something, totally true? Back when I was alive, I was like you are now. Hero as a gig, y''know? Always somethin'' to go do, someone to go save, some bogus, totally lame monster of the week to go stab. But even then I still knew how to cut loose and kick back. Like I always told my old man, you can''t be just your job. There is an Opal Brightsky somewhere under the Valkyrie there, right? I mean, check you out, you''re even wearing armor to the damn club."
Opal looks down at her outfit. It''s obviously not her full armament as Guardian of Floor Seven, and certainly she wasn''t using her metal wings, but she was still wearing the lighter outfit of leather and padded cloth she usually wore around the dungeon when not in combat. "I am a Valkyrie, all of the time. For as long as I am on a mission from my lord, it would not do for me to be entirely unarmed."
"That''s bogus, and I can prove it." The man points at the performer on the stage directly in front of them, a woman made of metal and electricity who''s putting on a show like nothing the man''s seen before. "Now, this place has got like...at least half a dozen dancers doin'' their thing at this time of night, from the looks of it. Half dudes, half girls, seems like? All of em choice. You picked this lady here - and I don''t blame you, she sure as hell caught my attention as soon as I walked in here. But that was a choice, yeah? So tell me no lies, what made you come over here and sit your leafy-green butt down in front of this girl in particular?"
Opal raises an eyebrow as she glances back towards the the spinning Zappy, considering her own actions. "Well, perhaps a few reasons, but beyond anything else...she''s real."
"They all seem pretty real to me, homegirl. Goose yourself a buttcheek if you don''t believe it."
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The Valkyrie shakes her head. "They''re physically real, yes, and they do have more independence than, say, an illusion spell or the like would. But they''re soulless, entirely. Puppets animated by Xenia''s will. The elemental, though? She''s real, and more than that, brighter than almost anyone else I''ve seen in here. And before you say it, no, I am not speaking of the flashing lights she generates. Her soul is...gloriously pure. She''s no warrior for certain, but seeing her joy as she dances...it''s beautiful."
Bill nods slightly as he thinks that over. "Huh. So...it''s not cause of the shiny metal titties, then?"
Opal sighs. "No. It is not because of the shiny metal titties."
Before the man can respond to that, the pair are interrupted by a woman who walks up to them with stars in her eyes. She''s wearing a rather casual outfit by dungeon standards rather than her usual armor, and so her red skin and green hair are rather apparent even in the lounge''s dim light. "Ah, excuse me for interrupting, but are you - are you Bill of the Blue Hair? I was in the public inn and someone said you were here."
The champion grins, quickly shifting into his meet-the-fans mode which comes easily to him even after all these years. "Got it in one, babe! How can I help you out? Keep in mind if you got a quest for something or other, I''m out of that biz these days. Super-retired, you could say."
"Oh, no, it''s not that! It''s just, you see - my name is Sable. Sable Bluehair. I''m, uh...your granddaughter."
Bill''s smile shifts as he gives her a second look, partially at the surprise of meeting family, and partially in gladness that he didn''t open up with a flirt. "No shit? You must be...one of Helios'' kids, yeah? His hair did have a turn towards that shade of green in it, if I remember right. Well hell, take a seat, I wouldn''t mind catching up if you don''t."
"I''d love to!" The Paladin slides into the bench seat next to Bill, followed shortly after by Priestess Lilly, who''s finally caught up to her companion. Sable introduces her, before glancing up at the stage and noticing the performance. "Oh, haha, it''s not weird hanging out with your granddaughter at an erotic lounge, is it? We could go somewhere else to talk if you like."
The man waves that concern off. "Ah, what''s to worry about? My grandpa took me out to the strip clubs all the time, weren''t nothin'' weird about that." He pauses before his eyes narrow slightly. "Other''n that one time we went to the one where it turned out my cousin Stacey was on shift that night. Maybe a lil weird that one time, just a lil."
Sable laughs awkwardly. "Ah, hahaa, I can uh...imagine. So you really are a defender of the dungeon, then? I''ve been told, but I didn''t expect to actually run into you here!"
"Might try and swing by every few months, we''ll see. So tell me, Sable, how''s your old man? And uh...your grandma, she doing good?"
The woman nods. "Dad''s fine, as far as I know. He''s an explorer mostly, he left the continent the last time like...almost twenty years ago now? He sends letters and little mementos sometimes, last I heard was one a year or so ago. And grandma''s good! She and great-aunt Rosealyne pretty much keep the family running these days, financially and all of that."
"That''s good, that''s good. Well, next time you see the girls, tell em hi for me, would ya? And tell em the others, your other aunts said hi too. We think about them a lot, y''know, though obviously I won''t mind none if they take their time in joining us, haha!"
"I will!" Sable nods quickly, slightly shocked at the idea that she''s been tasked with passing on a message from her dead ancestors. "So you really are here just to, um...enjoy the performances?"
"And maybe a little bit more than that." Bill smirks as he sips from his drink, before nodding his head in Opal''s direction. "Mostly though I''ve been trying to talk this one into cutting loose though, y''know? Even in a place like this, she''s still acting like she''s on the job. Hey girls, help me out here, tell Opal she''s being a total lame-o."
Sable and Lilly lean forward to take a look at the Valkyrie, who winces at the thought of being drawn back into the conversation. "I''m doing just fine, thank you. I don''t need your concern."
To her credit, Lilly tries her best. "It...is good for one''s mental health to take a break once in a while, you know. It''s not healthy to keep all of your stress chained within all of the time. I understand, though - as a priestess who tends to farmers, I often hear confessions from people who tell me they feel shame when they ignore their labors, even when their health requires them to."
Opal eyes the woman back. "Thank you, but I''ve been a priestess myself since long before you were born. I don''t need to confess or receive permission for my actions."
The blue-haired man in the middle of the group chuckles at her response. "See, total square. Yo, Sabes, you still got that succubus in you pretty strong, yeah? You sure look it."
Sable nods, not sure where he''s going with this. "Yeah - mom was a human, I''m only a quarter-demon, but everyone tells me I take after my dad a lot more. And uh, you, actually."
"Sweet." He points his thumb in Opal''s direction. "How about you work your succubus wiles on her? Ain''t many geeks that can stand up to that, and I would know."
The man gets a strange look from his granddaughter. "You''re...seriously telling me to make a move on your coworker? Also, I''m here tonight with Lilly, in case that wasn''t obvious."
"Sable, Sable, Sable." Bill tilts his head, looking her directly in the eyes. "You''re the grandkid of me, and your grandma ''Double-Fist'' Dalore?" He shifts his attention towards Lilly. "Tell me if I''m trippin'' here, but how many times have the two of you shared the love around a little?"
Lilly''s face turns red as she tries to stammer out an answer. "...Uh...well..."
"Yeah, that''s what I thought." With that said, Bill slaps his knee before climbing to his feet, drink in hand. "Well, I''m gonna bounce, I don''t wanna harsh your vibe, and I''m sure you don''t wanna see your old grand-dad makin'' the moves on some sweet bunny tail. If I don''t see you later though, we''ll catch up more the next time I swing by, yeah?"
"Uh...sure! Looking forward to it!" Sable watches as the giant man makes his way over to the bar, before turning her attention back towards the Valkyrie he left behind. There''s a bit of an odd look in Opal''s eyes, a bit of nervousness that seems foreign to the stern woman''s expression. The quarter-succubus does have a bit of an instinct for reading people, and at a guess she''d say that Opal is half-worried that Sable might actually stay...and half-worried that Sable might leave. Chuckling to herself, she puts a smile on her face.
"So...you come around here often?"
Chapter 221: Unbidden Desires - Explicit
"Ooooh! Ah, too fast, too fast!"
"Easy, Brightsky! Slime lube''s pretty damn good, but it doesn''t mean everything just works out at any pace!" Sable''s voice has a warning tone, but she can''t resist the smile on her face as she watches the green-skinned elf''s hands pulling on the bare waist of the paler local elven woman. On the other side of the pillory Lilly''s face seems a little less amused in the dim light of the Floor Three-themed, dungeon-style rental room, but not so much so that Sable feels overly concerned. Brightsky, though, turns immediately apologetic.
"Apologies! When you picked out this...strap-on for me, I thought you were picking one your companion would be comfortable with." Opal releases her hold on the other elf to gesture at her own body, and Sable has to take a moment to admire it from where she''s standing a few feet away. The woman had finally been convinced to shed her light armor, and was now garbed in little more than her shoes and the harness holding the moderately-sized, highly-crafted dildo in place. The woman''s breasts were slight, more humble than Sable''s, and much less voluminous than the proud mammaries hanging below the restrained Priestess, but their perky dark-green tips were still quite eye-catching to the quarter-demon. Her abs were another story though, a display of divine musculature that put even the prideful Paladin to shame, and Sable has to shake her head to banish the thoughts of licking her way up that glorious stomach from her mind.
"She is, but technique still matters. Ah, not to pry, but have you ever been with another woman before?" Opal''s eyes darken, and Sable worries that perhaps even that question was too much.
"I''d rather not discuss my...prior experience, if you don''t mind."
"Sure, sure, no pressure. Oh, but you don''t have any issues with like, vows of chastity or anything like that, right? You said you were a priestess too, I know some orders have rules about that sort of thing. Ours doesn''t, obviously."
This time the elf narrows her eyes at Sable. "You''re asking me that question now? Isn''t it a little too late to be worrying about my virtue? You didn''t seem so concerned when you were running your hand along my leg and whispering words into my ear back in the lounge."
The red-skinned woman grins, unable to feel any shame at the comment. "Sorry. When I see a beautiful woman, I tend to move first and start thinking the next morning, if ever. You certainly weren''t complaining, though."
Opal''s cheeks flush just a little. "Well, you''re certainly far more seductive than your family patriarch, how he''s claimed such success is a mystery to me. But to answer your question, no - my lord is a martial one, the virtues that concern him are of honor and defending the weak." She lifts a hand and brings it down with a slap, leaving a red impression on Lilly''s backside. "As long as a partner is consenting, he would take no issue with this. Although it is hard for me to imagine someone willingly allowing themselves to be restrained in this way."
"I don''t mind giving it a go once in a while, but Lilly here''s really got a thing for letting others take charge." Sable plants her hands on either side of the pillory boards and leans down, looking into Lilly''s eyes. The Paladin herself is stripped to the waist, allowing her tits to hang free as she bends over, and the woman enjoys the way Lilly''s eyes struggle to meet her own as she does so. "After all, Lilly here is just a poor, sweet little virginal elf priestess, who needs to be educated in the ways of pleasure by those who are more experienced in the ways of a woman''s body, isn''t that right, Lilly?"
"Hrnnh, oh, you. Purveyor of falsehoods..." Lilly closes her eyes, even as her hips begin to squirm, slowly pushing back towards Opal. For her part the Valkyrie looks down in a bit of confusion, where clear signs of creamy fluids mark the dildo where it still sits half-planted within the Verdant Priestess.
"She certainly doesn''t seem very virginal from where I''m standing."
"Oh, nonsense. Lilly here is as pure as the driven snow, and would be even if I invited everyone in the inn to join in and come through here in one big line. And haven''t I been tempted to do that once or twice." Sable walks her way around the pillory, and reaches down again to massage one of Lilly''s breasts, making the elf moan yet again. Without letting go, Sable turns her attention back towards Opal. "It''s called roleplay, you know? Sometimes fantasy adds just that little something special to a situation. That was the point of the safewords we mentioned earlier - someone says one of those, the fantasy stops. But until then?" She leans back in Lilly''s direction before continuing. "This prisoner here is just a poor little elf, waiting to be broken in."
Opal looks down at where her hands are once again gripping on to Lilly''s hips, while conflicting emotions run through her. After a moment of that she steps back, and looks back up at Sable. "Could I...just watch, for a while? See how you do it? You seem very comfortable with this."
"Hells, after watching you getting her ready, I was having trouble holding back! Sure, I don''t mind stepping in for a bit. Just let me know when you want to join back in." With that said Sable pulls down her pants before heading back in the direction of the pillory''s front end, but Opal goes still at the sight of what reveals itself as she does so.
"Is - is that a...a...?"
"What? Oh, this?" Sable waggles her hips a bit, making her rapidly-erecting cock bob back and forth. "Never seen a dick before?"
"Not on a woman! Is that a demon thing?"
"Nah - I mean, some succubi do pick up illusion spells that can temporarily give them a little something extra, sure, but I was born with this." Sable lifts her hands to her breasts and jiggles them in Opal''s direction. "These I had added on later in a Change, along with a voice shift and a few other cosmetics. Nice, aren''t they? You don''t have that back where you''re from? I''m pretty sure what we''ve heard about you isn''t the whole story, but I get you''re not local."
"I''ve never heard of such a thing, no. It''s, ah...well, you do pull off the look well, I''ll grant you that."
Sable grins, teeth shining brightly in the torchlight. "Thanks! It''s not all bought and paid for, you know, the muscles are all personal hard work." She leans down once again and mock-whispers into Lilly''s ear. "And strenuous exercise."
The elf whimpers slightly as Sable finishes moving around the pillory, taking up position directly in front of her, and there''s a slight mumble of ''showtime'' before the part-demon starts slapping her nearly-erect cock against Lilly''s cheek. "What do we have here? Another elf virgin, fallen into the hands of the Dungeon of Lust. Didn''t the Giant D outside warn you, little elf? Your chastity was forfeit the moment you walked into these halls."
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Lilly speaks in a pleading voice. "I''m sorry! I didn''t mean to fight your master! I only came here to help the innocent souls you keep trapped away, forced to dance for the pleasure of your monsters!"
"Maybe you''ll still get a chance to help them out - by taking a few of their shifts! How would you like that, Priestess? We could collar you to one of the poles with a chain, and make you bare yourself to everyone who walked by. Perhaps let them get a feel while they''re at it? To taste your cow tits and sink their hands into your pasty assflesh? Of course, I wouldn''t want them to have a turn until I''ve had the chance to break you in myself."
The talk stops as Sable slips her cock into Lilly''s lips, and Opal finds herself puzzling over the whole situation. Obviously, she''s aware that the two are acting - if Lilly was actually afraid the Valkyrie''s soul-sense would see it, and clearly the primary emotion driving her at the moment is anticipation. Indeed, it doesn''t even require magical senses to be able to tell that much. From the way the woman''s thighs are rubbing against each other, Lilly is clearly trying to do her best to give herself a hands-free orgasm, and failing. No, it''s the why that confuses Opal the most. Why would Lilly be feeling such pleasure, taking on the role of a prisoner? And why is Sable so clearly enjoying the mocking torment of a woman she clearly cares for?
And why, Theolif damn it, does she suddenly feel so much heat building up between her own legs, beneath her leather harness?
It''s not long before Sable''s again moved her hands onto the pillory boards, using them as support while her hips continue to thrust forward and facefuck the restrained elf. The quarter-succubus continues her string of insults, a mixture of ridiculous threats and mocking insults, although their quality and uniqueness appears to diminish as more of the blood flow redirects away from Sable''s brain. It still remains a more-than-arousing show despite that, but Opal soon finds herself wanting more.
"I...think I get the general idea. May I join back in, Paladin?"
Sable gestures at Lilly''s shaking rear end with one hand. "By all means, there''s plenty of elf fuckholes to go around. Take your pleasure, the prisoner''s in no position to complain."
Opal nods silently as she steps back into her former position, one hand pressing forward to spread the other elf wide. The woman''s anus seems to wink at her almost lewdfully, which is not a thought that would have ever passed through Opal''s mind before, but after a very brief moment of consideration she instead slips her strap-on back into Lilly''s slit. A plentiful amount of slime lube remains, but even without that Opal could tell that the shaft would have little trouble sliding into the heavily-aroused woman. Remembering her earlier misstep, the Valkyrie begins off with a gentle thrusting, but at the same time she decides she ought to add her own contribution to the scenario being played out.
"Yes! You - you like that, you elf slut? Enjoying the first taste of dick, are you? Trust me, you''ll have many more meals like that waiting in your future!" She looks up at Sable to realize the red woman is giving her a grin and a thumbs-up, and somehow that manages to embarrass her more than anything else, heat flooding to her cheeks. "Ah, you - you should consider yourself lucky, to have such a specimen given to you! Any woman would find herself wet before such a beast, and you''re as sodden as a marsh!"
There''s a squeal and a moaning sound forcing its way around Sable''s cock from the other end of the pillory, and Opal realizes to her surprise that the Priestess is actually climaxing to her words. Opal had barely even begun to actually fuck the woman yet, and yet clearly her thighs are trembling in orgasm, her hips rising and pushing in an attempt to get the dildo deeper. After her body finally goes limp Opal slows down, to give her a few moments to recover, but she''s surprised when she looks up to notice that Sable''s walking back in her direction. The woman''s spit-soaked dick thrusts out before her, and it takes an intense application of will to look up into the woman''s face instead. "Does your companion need a rest?"
"Oh, the slut will be fine in another minute or two. But I wouldn''t want you to go unattended yourself, now would I?" Sable slips behind the Valkyrie, standing just slightly taller than the divine champion, and wraps her heavily-muscled arms around Opal''s waist. The strap-on harness does absolutely nothing to block the feel of Sable''s erection against Opal''s ass, and the elf finds her breath hitching as Sable whispers into her ear. "Would you like me to attend you, Guardian?"
Opal wasn''t exactly expecting this when she allowed the demon to ''seduce'' her back in the lounge, but here and now, she can''t imagine answering in any other way. "Please...please do."
"As you desire." A hand slips between her legs, slightly teasing her before pulling aside one of the harness straps, and before she knows it the Paladin''s cock is already pressing its way between her folds. For all her mocking of Lilly a moment later, the Valkyrie is hardly any less aroused herself, and Opal finds herself groaning as inch after inch of ridiculously hot cockmeat presses its way inside. Once Sable''s fully driven herself into her new partner, she whispers once again.
"Now...how about we fuck this slut together, hrmm?"
Opal can only give a silent nod, and then groans again as Sable''s hips thrust into her. The groan is echoed as it drives her strap-on back into Lilly, making the Priestress moan in pleasure, and a new light suddenly fills Opal''s eyes. A slap rings out as Opal leaves a stinging handprint upon the woman''s ass, and she once again resumes her act from a moment before.
"You...you slut. Moaning when someone takes their pleasure from you. Moaning when someone delivers you pain. Is there anything that doesn''t make you damp?" She pauses, eyes closing as Sable thrusts into her once again, but she''s speaking again a moment later. "You really would spread your legs for anyone Sable brought in here, wouldn''t you? You serve the Church of Bounty, isn''t that right? Is that the service you truly dream of? Being seeded? Being plowed, as if Sable were your farmer and you naught but her fertile field?" Another pause for a moan, this one coming from both elves simultaneously. "A field never serves a farmer just once, you know. They - ahh - they get plowed again, and again. By the farmer, their laborers, their descendants, every season a new harvest - ah!"
It''s not long before Opal completely loses track of her own words, her own voice, her thoughts, everything fading away as Sable continues to thrust into her, the demon''s muscular body pressed tight against Opal''s back. That doesn''t mean she stops talking, but more as if some restraints had been lifted from her, her words becoming more derogatory with every statement, a heat to them that Opal almost doesn''t want to be able to remember when all is said and done. It only seems to inflame her companions more, though - Lilly climaxes again before long, a literal puddle appearing on the stonework between her legs. Meanwhile one of Sable''s hands slips beneath the harness and begins to stroke at Opal''s clit, in a pattern that almost makes it seem as if Sable is rewarding her for every time she insults the imprisoned Priestess.
It''s a reward that pays off, as after a few minutes more Opal feels her own climax begin to wash over her. Sensing it coming, Sable picks up her own pace at the same time, one arm wrapped around Opal''s neck and pulling her back while her finger rubs at a rapid pace that her hips almost manage to match. Just as the Valkyrie''s orgasm is nearly over she feels the pulsating throb of the woman inside her, pumping her with the seed she was just mocking Lilly with, and a sudden aftershock almost takes the strength from Opal''s legs.
Fortunately Sable''s strong arms keep her in place, her tight hold slowly coming to feel more like an embrace. "So...you feeling good, Brightsky?"
Opal silently nods, until her voice finally returns a few moments later. "Could...for the next round, could...I be the one in the restraints?"
Without even turning her head, Opal knows the quarter-succubus is smiling. "Guardian? I would love that."
Chapter 222: Gems in the Rough
DAY 280
Looking around at his party companions as they stand together in the grassy clearing, Grizza allows himself to feel a moment of pride. It had taken a lot of long, hard work to get them here - both in the literal sense of ''here'' being ''halfway through Floor Four'' and ''here'' as in ''working as capable, interlocking team members''. The crystals were a large part of it, of course. Such a large part that it had lead to their new party name, ''The Rough Gems''. Roxxy and Flint practically sparkle in the eerie blue glow of the floor these days, the crystals studding their arms and shoulders, reflecting the light of the bioluminescent moss and fungi covering the cavern ceiling.
Roxxy still had her original lightning-aspected crystals in the back of her hands, of course, but now there was a whole line of others tracing up her limbs. White gems for light generation. Pale blue gems for generating wind or ice. Even a few dirty brown ones, which doubled her natural control over earth and stone. Flint, the party''s other earth elemental, looked much the same while Cinder and Ashley were a little more one-note. Unfortunately a series of experiments had shown that the intense heat generated by the magma elementals would eventually crack most magical stones implanted in their bodies, rather explosively so for ice-aspected crystals. Only fire crystals could manage to survive in their igneous forms, and so they had split up the party''s entire supply of that kind between the two of them, turning them into powerhouses of flame when they entirely cut loose.
But gods, had that been an expensive phase of experimentation. For months the team had snapped up every wand they could find in the local market, even going so far as to barter dungeon loot with other parties for wands which they had recovered. There had been a surplus of such weapons initially, especially since Lollyp''s rewards from Floor Two often offered such things in a low-tier form. Learning to properly deconstruct those wands for their gems and modify them so that they could be triggered directly through an elemental''s willpower had led to the loss of a few of those items though, and even more had been destroyed trying to implant them into the hotblooded members of the team. Even after they were successfully implanted, it still took quite a bit of training for the elementals to learn to use their new abilities, and on many weeks the party had barely made even a single delve into the dungeon itself, instead spending their time in the training yard.
But finally it had all paid off. No longer did the earth elementals have to run up and punch every monster they faced. No longer did the magma elementals have to throw chunks of their own bodies in order to fight at range. Even the team''s healer concerns had faded, now that Flint was equipped with a pair of health-regenerating gemstones, in case Grizza ever took a hit as the squishiest member of the party. And the evidence of their growth lies around them, as a ring of smoldering shade corpses lay about the clearing, slowly turning into smoke. It''s with a smile on his face that the Mage congratulates his team. "Incredible! They didn''t even land a single hit - there''s teams of Experts who can''t lay claim to that level of dominance!"
Cinder laughs at the praise. "Experts? Hells, I bet if we got ourselves proper Challenger ranks now they''d call us Masters! Or maybe even Supremes! What''s a Supreme Pyromancer called? I bet it''s something cool like ''Fire of the Heavens'' or something like that, right?"
Grizza keeps smiling, but does his best to tamper expectations down just a little. "Well, it''s not all about sheer power, you know. Combat experience still counts for a lot, and we haven''t earned a great deal from repeating Floors Two and Three over and over these past few weeks. If we could clear Worthy Dungeon, that would certainly earn us quite a bit of respect. Although..." As his voice fades out his smile goes with it, and Roxxy steps forwards to put a heavy hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, what''s wrong? I mean yeah, some of the lower floor bosses do sound pretty scary, but I bet we can do it! Eventually."
"Yes, but..." The drider sighs. "To be honest, I rather feel as if I''m becoming the weak link in this party. Even if we had more wands to go around, I can''t use so many pieces of magic gear like you do - swapping wands in the middle of a fight and preparing a spell is far slower than you elementals simply flexing your magical muscles. And even if we pick up our rate of dungeon attempts, I''ll still likely be an Advanced rank for some time to come. Even moving through that tier to Expert within a year would be considered quite fast, you know. You four might soon become strong enough to fight the Terror of Floor Seven, or the Master Mimic of Floor Eight, but I have doubts I''d be strong enough to last even five seconds against foes like that."
Ashley gasps, his tone sounding almost insulted. "Hey! You''re the boss, the brains of the operation! And maybe that''s not saying much given that the rest of us don''t have brains, or any of that other weird meat stuff, but it was your ideas that got us this far. I don''t see us moving on without you, so if we gotta stick to the upper floors for a while to get you promoted, then that''s what we''ll do!"
Roxxy nods along with the magma elemental, although she does have a question of her own. "To be honest, I don''t know what''s keeping you from just getting your Expert training right now, really. I mean, other than the paperwork and all that stuff."
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"A lot of people ask that sort of question, but it''s not actually a matter of paperwork. Or at least, not entirely." Grizza falls into a natural mode of conversation as the party begins moving again, having long gotten used to needing to explain the ways of the world to the still-na?ve elementals. "At very low levels, it is true that most of a Challenger''s skills are basics which could be largely learned on the training field. Although even then nothing truly compares to having at least a little bit of field experience. As magic becomes a larger part of a Challenger''s toolset though there really is no replacement for actual combat." The man gestures at Roxxy''s implanted crystals as a counterexample. "For you, generating and using elemental energy is second nature. For most of us however, focusing and casting a spell requires intense mental effort. Casting a spell in a few seconds may seem like quite an accomplishment - but it''s not useful if a flying axe can kill you in half a second."
Flint shrugs his massive shoulders. "So...what? The Association wants a record of you having cast a spell a thousand times to be sure you''re good at it?"
Grizza chuckles. "Nothing that specific. But it is like a form of muscle memory, and...well, there''s different theories, you understand. Some sages suggest that the emotional states triggered by combat ease the formation of such instincts, others say it''s a matter of the body chemistry created by stressful conditions. But it seems indisputable that someone''s who''s fought in combat has magical reflexes many times superior to those who have fought in the training yards alone. And there''s no point in trying to move on to more complex spells before you''ve mastered the basics - if it took me five seconds to try and cast an arcane missile, attempting to cast, say...an arcane beam, a more advanced form, would take the better part of a minute and I''d be likely to do it incorrectly at the same time."
Roxxy murmurs as the party comes up to the sunken bridge marking the crossing to the boss arena island at the center of the floor. "Suppose this floor gives you a lot of target practice at least, with all those bunnies and stuff." Looking around at the flowing water, she raises her voice. "Hey, Slooshy! You in there?"
After a few moments, part of the river extends into the air and takes on a form similar to a woman''s head. "Yeah? Whatcha want?"
"Are you gonna give us trouble when we try to cross?"
The water elemental tilts her head. "...Can you drown?"
"Well, I can''t. But Grizza could, and drowning him would be like...bad."
"It''s kind of our gig, though...you''d still have four party members left, anyhow."
Grizza speaks up in his own defense. "Slooshy! I know we haven''t talked in...quite a long time, but are we not friends?"
The elemental turns to look at him. "...You beat me up in a fight and then made me take you to my boss, so that you could beat him up in a fight."
"...Yes, but it all worked out in the long run, didn''t it?"
Slooshy thinks that over for a bit. "Hrmm...maybe if you pay me a toll? That sounds like something a bridge-guarding monster might do."
The Mage rubs his chin. "Well, perhaps...but what do would a water elemental charge as a toll?"
"Gimme some of your water!" As Grizza begins to move his hand towards the canteen at his side, Slooshy shakes her head. "Naw, that drinking water is boring plain stuff. Gimme some of your water!"
"Uh..." The drider turns to look at Roxxy, but the earth elemental has nothing for him but a shrug. Wildly hoping that he''s not misreading the request, the man cautiously walks up to the edge of the river...and spits at the elemental. It would have landed on her approximate chest, but Slooshy actually ducks forward quickly to catch it in her mouth.
"Ah, now that''s a unique taste! Not much though, gimme some more?"
"...If you insist, bridge-keeper." Wondering if he''s the only one who finds this odd, the drider spits at her several more times, all of which manage to land on her face thanks to her quick reflexes. "...Does that prove sufficient?"
"...This time! But if you come back ''round these parts, you better be ready to pay double!" With that said the elemental disappears into the river once again, and Grizza finds himself sighing deeply as he moves to insert the token that will raise the bridge.
"...I think this is one secret dungeon tactic we will not be telling the other Challengers about. Let''s move on to the boss, shall we?"
Once the bridge has made its appearance the team quickly moves across, and it''s less than a minute later that they find themselves in the misty cemetery hidden at the island''s center. Wand at the ready, Grizza begins to shout out warnings. "Try not to get too distracted by the bunny monsters - they won''t be able to harm you, and I can shield myself sufficiently enough to block creatures of that size. Focus all your efforts on the guardian!"
Soon after he says that a dark cloud begins to swirl, and a booming voice responds. "IT IS NOT WISE TO FOCUS OVERMUCH ON YOUR DEATH, MORTALS. IT IS BETTER TO ENJOY WHAT LIFE YOU HAVE BEFORE IT IS TAKEN FROM YOU." The effect is rather lost given that none of the party members speak demonic, but as an announcement of the boss''s arrival it serves well enough. As the dark, scythe-wielding form comes into view, It''s struck quickly by a lightning blast from Roxxy.
And a hailstorm of ice shards from Flint.
And a tornado of flame generated by Ashley, followed up moments later by a rainstorm of tiny mortar fireballs launched by Cinder.
Grizza charges his wand, ready to fire off a swarm of missiles when he realizes that the giant shade is nowhere to be seen. "Did he switch back to mist? Watch your backs!"
Cinder points at a shiny box making its appearance not far from where DEATH was forming. "Unless he turned himself into a treasure chest, I think we got him, boss."
The Mage blinks a few times. "But...that was less than five seconds of combat. I don''t even think he had a chance to move!"
Roxxy flexes her stony arm, still crackling with energy. "The spirit of death''s gotta wake up a lot earlier in the morning to catch the Rough Gems napping! What do you say - think we''ve got this floor sorted out?"
Still a little in disbelief at the performance level of his team, a smile slowly grows on Grizza''s face. "I think we just might, at that..."
Chapter 223: Grudge Match
DAY 300
Spring had fully arrived in Grassbrook. The last of the snow had melted more than a month previous, save for atop the mountain itself, and the forest below was once again lush and green. While the local farmers were still in the early stages of preparing for their next harvest, a fresh crop of a more mobile product had already arrived in the town. Challengers had finally begun to stir from their winter residences, looking for new adventures to be found, and Worthy Dungeon was at the top of the list for many. While word had been spreading of the dungeon since the previous fall, at the time it had been such a new dungeon that it was largely discounted as being of interest only to local Initiates - or to oddballs like the Dungeon Fuckers, of course. Since then reports had spread however of the dungeon already growing to be a valid challenge for Experts, or perhaps even Masters, and that was more than enough to get people''s attention.
New arrivals were coming every day, and even the Lucky Bastard and The General were once again filling to capacity after the slow months of the dungeon''s own inn stealing most of their business. Fortunately the warm weather meant that construction on housing, retail, and other services could begin to pick up as well, and for every Challenger who arrived there were at least four craftsmen, shopkeepers, or other specialists. The local Association branch had attracted enough trainers to provide Advanced-level training in most common class types, and even Expert-level in a handful of them. Laeniel Reeves, despite still being a freelancer, was practically a permanent fixture at the Association office on most days as she helped Alizz and Kelsey manage the paperwork of all of the new additions.
On this day however, the most notable arrival at the dungeon was one who''d been there before. Standing before Doorman, the silver-haired half-elf speaks in her most formal tone of voice. "Greetings, Guardian of Worthy Dungeon. I have news I would discuss with your master. Might I speak to her, or a representative?"
The door peers down at her, a smile on his face. "Ah, Gilda Highbranch! I wasn''t sure if we''d be seeing you again until this summer! No Silva around today?"
The woman scoffs. "We may be twins, but we''re not joined at the hip. My sister still has business at the capital these days, business which is part of my message."
"Of course, of course. ...I know you''re not here to challenge the dungeon today, but perhaps you''d like to answer a riddle, for old time''s sake?"
Gilda raises an eyebrow at the door. "Are you not getting enough practice already? I thought I saw at least four other parties heading out this way this morning."
"True, but I like to get in as many as I can. Keep the mind sharp, and all that!"
Sighing, the noblewoman decides she may as well do her best to keep on the dungeon''s good side. "Very well, Guardian - what is your riddle?"
Doorman clears his throat. "You are half-elf, half-human, or so I''m told. ...Is your elf half your top or your bottom half?"
Frowning, Gilda looks down at herself without thinking about it. "I don''t...uh." Her eyes narrow as she considers the possible answers. "...Top. definitely the top half."
The door nods along. "Interesting, interesting! I wonder if Silva is the same or if you''re reversed. Ah, it seems the meeting room at the Floor Five shrine has been prepared, you know the way? You may enter, and welcome back to the dungeon!"
"Thank you. Here''s hoping this visit goes better than the last..."
After making her way through a very crowded Worthy Inn and then into the shrine to Kahlia, which to Gilda''s surprise actually does have a few Challengers sitting in it in quiet contemplation, the noble arrives at the office to the rear of the shrine. She steps inside to find two figures sitting at the table waiting for her, along with the dungeon''s mysterious mirror affixed to a nearby wall. Although she never met him in this form she recognizes the large rabbit fellow as being Parker from reports she''d gathered of the dungeon. The other man is a little harder to place - he reminds her of glimpses she''d seen of Parker those few times they had passed each other in Grassbrook, before his transformation, but there''s something a little different about him. His shoulders seem broader than she remembers, and his expression seems far more cheerful than the stern Headsman''s.
The rabbit-Parker clears things up somewhat as he handles introductions. "Welcome, Lady Highbranch. I''m Parker Reeves, Guardian of Floor Eight, I''m not sure if we''ve actually spoken face-to-face before. And speaking of faces, the man wearing my old face here is Emmett, who I believe you have met. We speak for the dungeon master, who is also here with us today. Sincere would normally handle these, but he has some business with our elemental neighbors today, I believe. Please, help yourself to some refreshments if you would like. I''m told you bring news?"
"I do." Gilda slips into a seat, and sips from a nearby glass of water before speaking further - climbing the mountain in warmer weather was not much more relaxing than climbing it in the ice and snow. "News you''ll be glad to hear, I imagine. Your master''s, dare I say it, scheme has borne fruit. The King has approved of your plan for lordship of these lands, indeed I believe he found it to be rather amusing. The arrangement you''ve required between our house and the Perlins will keep us in minor conflict for years to come, which I''m sure suits him just fine."
Emmett chuckles at Gilda''s obviously annoyed tone. "Oh, don''t be so pessimistic. You never know, making you two work together may work out better for you both in the long run. So, your father''s lord of these lands now?"
Gilda shakes her head. "Not quite yet - the proclamation won''t be made and officially laid down until the next meeting of the Council of Lords and Gnolls, which will be in the next month or so. It is all but official, however. Aside from bringing you the news, I''m also here to help oversee the establishment of a Highbranch estate in these lands. Make a final selection of a site, oversee initial design and construction, and that sort of thing."
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Parker nods. "I see. And, if you might forgive me for being so familiar with one of your rank, how is your family? Your sister? Your, ah, child?" His eyes glance down towards Gilda''s midsection, and the half-elf has to hold in a scoff.
"I and my child are quite fine, thank you. As you know half-elf pregnancies can be on the longer side, I doubt I''ll even begin to show for quite a while yet. My sister is doing fine as well, she''s helping to represent us at the court until the decision is final. She''s decided not to have her eye healed, although our dear Sweet has fully recovered from her wounds."
"I see, I see." Emmett gives her another smile. "Since things seem to be going well, is there any further business with the dungeon you''d like to discuss? If you''re here alone, I assume you''re not planning to challenge the dungeon."
"Not the dungeon, no." The half-elf locks her eyes with the reflection. "I do have an outstanding challenge which requires fulfilled, however. Is your Banshee Queen available for a duel in the near future? Again, I''d like to face her outside of the dungeon, on neutral ground, if that is indeed a thing you''re capable of."
Parker frowns. "That''s doable, yes. I believe there is a party on her floor at the moment, and the place is rather busy these days, but I''m sure we can arrange matters to warn the Challengers off or have Trush step in for an afternoon. I''ve heard about this duel though - do you still wish to actually go through with it? As you said, hasn''t your sister taken well to her new prosthetic?"
"She has. But that doesn''t mean it doesn''t still hurt me every time I see her injury, and more importantly, a Highbranch does not idly forget their challenges. I would see this matter settled."
The two figures glance towards the empty space between them, and after a moment Parker turns back to their guest. "Very well then. Taly''s already expressed a willingness to answer you should you press the matter, so I believe we can speak on her behalf. Would tomorrow at the Grassbrook Challenger''s Association office be suitable for you?"
Gilda nods, a thin smile on her lips. "I will be happy to meet her there."
It was more than a minor event the next day when the dungeon''s representatives made their appearance in Grassbrook. It had begun to become common knowledge that the dungeon''s guardians could exit the dungeon and travel at least as far as the town, however few had actually seen it happen and many had chosen not to believe it. That was intentional for the most part - when the dungeon bosses did visit the town, they attempted to do so in ways that would cause as little fuss as possible. Parker had visited his wife a few times, Taly paid visit to her sister every few weeks, and Deylia had come down to visit the Church of Bounty''s chapel once or twice.
That was all very different from what was occurring today however, as Taly, Trush, and Parker - in his Patriarch form - boldly walked down the center of Grassbook''s main thoroughfare. They traveled uncloaked, their monstrous forms obvious to see, and hushed whispers were stirred up from those locals who had never actually entered the dungeon for themselves. The Challengers who noticed them were far more blas¨¦, though. After all, the three of them were common visitors to Worthy Inn, and had shared drinks with more Challengers than they had actually fought. Still, as they walk up to the entrance of the Association office where Alizz, Kelsey, and Sely are waiting for them, there''s a worried look on the drider''s face.
"Three of you! I wasn''t expecting that, and I don''t imagine anyone else was either. Can Xenia actually afford to spare the three of you all at once?"
Taly nods. "The number of ''ambassador'' slots isn''t a problem right now - the Dungeon Fuckers alone would provide us enough, those three barely leave their room other than to find a fresh new party to seduce in the inn. As for the floors, it''s not too big of a worry. People hardly attempt Floor Eight, Bill''s willing to step in if it''s needed, and Sincere can serve as a guardian of last resort if it comes to it. Honestly, fighting Bill would probably be worse than fighting me, so I think the Challengers are avoiding the bottom three floors for the day. Besides, Xenia wanted to make an impression."
Kelsey chuckles at the suggestion. "Really? And what sort of impression would that be? Behave, or we''ll raid the town?"
Parker frowns. "Nothing so extreme, master kobold. But it is a show of support. The challenge may have been laid before Taly personally, but she is one of us, one of Xenia''s. Obviously we won''t interfere in the duel, but we are here to show that we all stand together."
Alizz nods, a little relieved that it''s nothing more extreme. "I suppose that''s understandable. Lady Highbranch is waiting for you in the training yard - or should I say, the main training yard, now that we have three of them set up. Shall I lead you to her?"
Taly nods in return. "If you would, thank you."
The group makes their way through the still-expanding office building and out into the training yard behind it, and finds quite an audience waiting for them. Aside from Gilda herself there''s several dozen people waiting in the stands, those who had heard the rumor of the duel taking place. The Church of Bounty''s representatives were present, as were a number of followers of House Highbranch who had traveled to Grassbrook with their lady. Most of them, though, were simply Challengers hoping to see either a noblewoman or a dungeon monster get their ass kicked, either would be fine for most of them.
Gilda affects to not notice her audience, or the additional dungeon guardians as Taly approaches. "I''m glad you were able to make it. I must say, it is rather unsettling to see a banshee walking about in the daylight."
"Hey, I''m a banshee, not a vampire." Taly gives Gilda a wink. "Besides, I''m always up for a good tussle. I assume Alizz here will be officiating today?"
The Association Administrator nods as Kelsey leads the others away to a safe distance. "I am. Lady Highbranch, as the issuer of the duel, would you like to state your terms?"
"Indeed. This will not be a duel to the death, as that would be pointless for one of us standing here. On the other hand, I''ve always found first blood duels to be...unsatisfying. Therefore I would like to make this a duel of submission."
"Very well." Alizz turns to Taly, stating the terms specifically. "The duel will last until one combatant has submitted, been knocked unconscious, or otherwise made incapable of continuing. Intentionally lethal blows are to be avoided. As for the stakes of the duel?"
Gilda answers first. "Should I win, Taly of Highfalls shall publicly apologize for the harm she committed unto my sister. She shall also state her personal support for our family''s right to rule these lands."
Taly raises an eyebrow at the second part. "Still worried about public legitimacy? But fine, I''m not looking to stir up any political insurrections or anything. As for if I win? Once she''s healed up, Lady Gilda Highbranch shall work a full eight hour shift in Worthy Dungeon''s fifth floor." Her grin turns devious. "Up to her whether it''s in the inn or the lounge."
Gilda narrows her eyes at the banshee, but nods. "Agreed."
Alizz sighs, but keeps to her formal script. "Very well. Full use of both weapons and magic is allowed, provided you do not risk harm to the spectators of the duel, or aim for intentionally lethal blows, as mentioned. Please return to your respective sides of the yard, you have two minutes to prepare."
The two do so, Taly spending her time doing stretches and preparing her bow while Gilda double-checks a number of temporary runes which she''s painted on her shield and sword. Both of the women are ready and in their combat stances when the time runs out, prepared to strike the moment Alizz announces the start of the duel.
And as her minuteglass runs out, Alizz does so. "Begin!"
Chapter 224: In The Mud
Over months spent as a floor guardian, Taly had developed a bit of a habit with her combat routines. She was now having to fight a Challenger party almost every day, sometimes twice a day, and there were only so many ways to engage in a fight after all. Obviously, she liked to start off the fight hidden within her magical shadows, that had been a favorite trick of hers since the days when she was still a human. A wide-area sonic shriek was also useful, since many parties had no particular defenses against sonic attacks. In this case, however, Taly knows her opponent.
Lady Gilda Highbranch is a Noble Enchanter, a fact which she''s seen in action. It''s honestly not really meant as a true combat class at all, but rather as a crafter class designed to support other Challengers. To use her skills in a fight, Gilda needs time to prepare through the use of runes painted onto her equipment with magical inks. Which means Gilda''s surely prepared counters specifically designed to handle each of Taly''s most common abilities. Sonic attack? She''s probably wearing enchanted earrings. Shadow magic? Gilda''s used a light enchantment on her blade to burn through those before. Even Taly''s trusty arrows probably have some defense already set in store for them.
So with that in mind, when Alizz calls for the duel to begin, Taly simply rushes forward at top speed. After all, no one can truly plan for a punch in the face.
The banshee''s speed is remarkable - one might even call it inhuman - as the gray-skinned woman dashes across the training yard, sweeping towards Gilda''s left. The half-elf does indeed seem to be rather surprised that her opponent is attempting to turn this into a melee bout, but to her credit Gilda still reacts quickly to the changing situation. Her shield swings into place, her sword pulls back for a strike - and then at the last moment Taly leaps into the air, soaring directly above Gilda''s defenses. It''s a swift move, not giving the banshee time to do much in terms of serious damage, but as she passes overhead her right hand hangs back to claw at Gilda''s face. Literally, her fingernails being as tough and sharp as any kobold''s talons, and Gilda cries out as blood begins to run down her cheeks.
Quickly spinning around, the woman''s face is full of anger as well as crimson stains. "Gah! If this was a ''first blood'' match, maybe you would have accomplished something. But it''s going to take a lot more than that to make me submit!"
Grinning, Taly taunts her opponent. "Not even to defend your good looks? Granted, if you see to a healer soon enough there won''t be a mark. But hey, maybe that Perlin boy likes scars?"
That leads to another angry shout as Gilda rushes forward, sword prepared to strike. Taly''s ready for the move, but too much so - before she swings, Gilda reveals her rage to be mostly a feint. Instead it''s her shield that swings upward, slamming into Taly''s arm as she moves to block the blow. The banshee''s further surprised though when the contact actually blasts her into the air with a flash of light, making her arm feel as if it''s on fire. As she recovers to her feet she takes a quick look at her limb, but despite the sensation there''s no flames to be found. A smile from Gilda does add insult to the injury, though.
"A holy enchantment, to burn the undead. Your new form may give you many strengths, but it has its weaknesses as well, does it not? Although if you did not like meeting my shield, you''re welcome to taste my blade instead."
Taly frowns as she decides that perhaps a knife-fight isn''t entirely in her best interests. "Yeah, yeah. If you wanted to really impress me, you would''ve challenged me to a round of bikini mud-wrestling. Now there would have been a fair match of skill."
Despite herself, Gilda has to ask. "What in the world is that? I sense you''re about to embarrass yourself with the answer."
The banshee laughs. "Embarrass? You''re looking at a two-time tournament champion! It''s something we started in the inn a few weeks ago, matches twice a week with the Rabbit Rogues and anyone else who wants to take a shot. You''re welcome to swing by, give it a try. If you don''t have appropriate attire, nude wrestling is entirely an option."
"Gah!" With another shout Gilda rushes forward, blade swinging, but she''s not the only one who''s prepared for today''s fight. With a sweep of her hand Taly scatters caltrops across the arena, crafted and mana-boosted to actual weapons by Xenia earlier that morning. And - because dungeons are also known for being enchantment specialists - further boosted with something a little extra. The noblewoman kicks a few away to clear a path towards her foe, but nearly stumbles when she takes a step and realizes that the spiky pieces of metal have somehow become fixed to her boot instead.
"Like it? Sticky enchantment. Once one gets you, it''s not coming off easily. At least not in the middle of a fight, anyhow. Want to call it quits before you ruin your soft noble feet?"
"Is your plan to irritate me into submission? I think you''ll find the strategy rather counter-productive!" Despite her strong words, Gilda stumbles slightly as she takes her first step forward and finds herself pushing a caltrop a little deeper into her boot. Unable to remove it, the noble swallows her pride and does something she never thought she would have to do.
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She hops forward into battle.
Taly can''t resist giggling at the sight of the strong-willed woman hopping on one foot, occasionally letting her sword drag itself in the dirt as she moves forward, but the moment of distraction costs her as Gilda reveals that she did indeed have her blade enchanted to provide magical light. A sudden flash blinds the surprised banshee, giving Gilda the time she needs to close the distance, and a shriek rattles the eardrums of everyone watching as the sword''s edge digs deeply into Taly''s upraised left arm. It doesn''t entirely sever the limb but it''s clearly useless even with Taly''s monstrous pain tolerances, and the dungeon boss quickly backs away to give her sensitive eyes time to recover.
Time which Gilda doesn''t intend to give her. Still hopping forward at best speed, the half-elf utters a trigger word which causes her shield to begin emitting light of its own. It''s not the same blinding flash her sword had produced, but rather a more warm, glowing sort of light...to everyone who observes it save Taly herself. Burning through the magical reservoirs of its painted runes, the anti-undead enchantment on the shield begins to shoot waves of nausea and disorientation through the banshee. It doesn''t stop her from putting up a fight as Gilda comes into range, long knives suddenly filling the banshee''s hands as she swings left and right, but even with all her weight on one foot Gilda manages to dodge or deflect the blows easily.
Deciding it''s time for a desperation move, one simple and to the point, Taly rushes ahead in a tackle. Coming into direct contact with the glowing shield does cause her some additional pain, but the magic in it is already running out, and the pain Gilda receives is far worse. As her back slams into the dirt of the training yard, half a dozen caltrops manage to embed themselves in her armor and then into the muscles of her back. Her muscles spasm with the injury, disabling her immediate attempts to climb back to her feet, and as Taly''s senses recover she raises a blade for a finishing blow. Not to the head, of course...perhaps to one of her less important organs, like a kidney. Association healers are pretty good with kidneys, she hears.
"Restrain."
Before Taly can strike her last blow, a single word escapes Gilda''s lips. Taly''s not sure exactly what to expect, but she definitely isn''t prepared for the arcane chains which suddenly burst from the dirt, slamming manacles onto her wrists and ankles. They pull her arms behind her, making her shriek again in pain as her injured limb is twisted, but through the pain she finally notices something.
Gilda wasn''t simply dragging her sword in the dirt earlier for physical support. She was drawing a rune on the ground. An oversized rune which she now finds herself right in the middle of. As Gilda''s blade slowly lifts towards her neck, she forces out a question. "How the hells? Don''t you need magical ink to draw that shit?"
Slowly and gingerly extricating herself from beneath the banshee and rising to her feet, Gilda manages to give her opponent a blood-stained smile. "You think you know my class, do you?"
"Yeah...Noble Enchantress. Something about that I missed?"
Gilda shakes her head, still smiling. "I wasn''t just dealing with politics when I went home for these past few months. You have the honor of speaking to a Lady of Runes." Her sword brushes closer against Taly''s neck. "A Master-rank Challenger. Do you submit?"
Taly mentally runs through her available options...but with an enchanted blade at her throat, none of them are good. A simple trigger word could probably have the thing shooting out a beam of light that would damn near take her head off. Eventually, she sighs. "...I submit. You got me."
Gilda''s grin turns toothy. "Excellent."
Ten minutes later, after Alizz proclaimed Lady Gilda Highbranch the official winner of the duel, the two combatants find themselves being seen to in the office of the Association''s on-duty healer. Well, mostly Gilda - for her part Taly is largely just taking a break while waiting for her dungeon boss regeneration to kick in. Although Taly can''t see Gilda as she''s being treated, her armor being very carefully removed behind a curtained-off section to avoid making her injuries worse, the woman''s occasional quiet groans make it clear that Taly did manage to get in a few licks of her own. Deciding to help distract the half-elf, Taly strikes up a conversation through the curtain.
"So...how exactly do you want this apology done? Letter? Wait for Silva to come down to Grassbrook? Or should I just shout it out from the mountaintop? ...You know, I bet I could make myself heard in Grassbrook from there if I really tried. I don''t really try for max volume very often."
The response comes after another short grunt of a caltrop being removed from a noble backside. "A public announcement in your dungeon''s inn and a letter to my sister would prove sufficient, I believe."
"I can do that. And after that...we''re good, yeah? No more silly honor duel shit?"
There''s a sudden growling undertone to Gilda''s reply. "It''s not silly to me, banshee." After saying that though, Gilda''s tone softens. "But to prove there''s no ill feelings...I am willing to fulfill my end of the duel''s wager despite my victory. The work shift in your inn, that is."
Taly briefly wonders if she suffered a head wound during the match. "Wait, what? Why?"
Gilda sighs. "At the request of my sister Silva. She...wishes me to practice humility a little more. Forgetting the challenge entirely was a step too far for me, but...I am willing to humble myself for a night''s worth of serving drinks if she believes it''s for my own good, somehow." There''s a slight pause before she speaks again. "But I will not be ''mud wrestling''."
"Oh, of course not!" Taly''s grin can be heard in her voice.
"That would have to wait until after your work shift."
Chapter 225: Children are Challenging
DAY 310
As Renriel slowly wakes up, he smiles and wraps an arm around the kobold lying next to him. "Have a pleasant evening, Gitty?"
The small woman smiles back, although her own response is much more sleepy. "Pleasant don''t even begin to describe it. This room - I mean, y''were great, obviously - but this room the dungeon''s granted you is incredible. Private bath, hot springs, more toys than y''could stick in a tribeful of gnolls, and this bed! You could damn near fit three whole squads on this damn thing!"
Nearby, an orc woman grins a toothy smile as she plays big spoon to the smaller Nallond. "Easier to say for a half-pint like you, but even I could get used to something like this. You truly are the dungeon''s favored Challengers if it''s granted you luxuries like this."
The elf in her arms gives a contented sigh. "It truly is rather a dream. We''ve never stayed in one place so long, and it''s still hard to imagine leaving. Hells, the dungeon is surely listening in on us, it seems as if every time we even suggest moving on there''s...well, let''s just say ''enticements'' falling into our laps soon after to make us stay."
"Oh really?" The orc leans back on a pillow, arms crossed behind her head, granting full access to her massive green assets to the dwarven hands stealthily groping for them. "I wouldn''t mind hearing about what those might be." She pauses for a moment, her head tilting. "Mrmm? What''s that on the dresser over there? I don''t remember anything being there last night."
Renriel freezes in place. "...It''s not a card of some sort, is it?"
Tolla giggles as she pulls herself up, using the orc''s generous handholds. "Nope. Not a card."
"Oh, good. What is it, then?"
The Shield Smasher gets a lyrical tone to her voice. "It''s not a card, Renny. It''s two."
The two elves give out synchronized groans. "Dear gods, not again..."
An hour later, after their guests for the evening had cleaned up and made their exit, Tolla is staring at her companions with a confused look as they sit on the edge of the massive heart-shaped bed. "What are you two so glum about? This is something to celebrate, ain''t it? I know it''s been worthy of a party in the past! Hells, I bet a celebration party or two have probably led to some of your kiddos."
Renriel shakes his head. "I''m not saying it''s bad, exactly. But we''ve been here for what? Three months now? Going on four? And that''s now five such congratulatory cards we''ve woken up to now. It''s just...the pace is a little concerning."
Tolla frowns. "Concerning? If anything, barely over one a month is slow, considering everything. Between the two of you, and how many folks have been rolling through here...well, I suppose the number of options has only really been going up this past month or so. Newbies climbing up here every day, now. I bet we could really break some records this summer."
Nallond gives an exasperated cry. "Tolla! These are our - our children we''re talking about here! Not just points to keep score of! It was shocking enough to find out how many children the two of us had fathered over an entire career of this business. Now you want to double that tally in what, a year or two? It''s bad enough that we play absentee father to most of our offspring, soon even financial support will be beyond us. Assuming the women actually carry through with the pregnancies."
The other elf nods. "It''s getting to be a bit much. I''ve actually been considering using, well. You know. Contraceptive potions."
The dwarf''s eyes grow wide. "No! You can''t do that! Not when you two are on the cusp of Paragonhood!"
Renriel spreads his arms wide. "We never started this for divine glory! This was about enjoying ourselves, spreading some joy, having ourselves a few cheeky little records to claim to our name! You''re talking like you''ve become some devout of the Church of Bounty."
"Well..." Tolla bites her lip. "...Maybe, let''s say perhaps I did do that. Like a month ago."
That minor revelation is enough to make Nallond stand to his feet. "What? Why wouldn''t you tell us something like that? I thought we told each other everything, by this point?"
"Cause I was embarrassed, alright!?" Tolla glares at her teammate, but Nallond is only more confused than ever.
"Embarrassed? Tolla, I have seen you provide oral ministrations to a barge sailor while we were still in full view of the river port!"
"Yeah, but like you said, that was for fun! This is...this is serious." The woman crosses her arms as she makes her way to a nearby chair and hops into it.
Renriel scratches his head. "Well, we at least agree on that, but it seems as if we''re coming to it from very different angles."
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The slightly-chastised dwarf just can''t help herself. "Yeah, like you two were coming to that orc last night from very different angles."
"Tolla!"
"Alright, fine! It''s just...I know I can''t exactly follow you two lads on this Paragon path, right?" She sinks into her chair with a groan. "If you two stopped right now and I started chuggin'' fertility potions like water an'' got to business, maybe I could catch up in fifteen or twenty years. Two decades where I''d be spendin'' half my time barely able to do a thing. Gods forbid, I might have to take up taxidermy like ma and pa always wanted. And that''s not the kind of stuffing I''m into, you know?"
Nallond rubs his eyes. "We''ve noticed, yes."
"And that''s why I''ve decided to do everything I can to support you two, to make it clear to the goddess that I''m part of this team! It''s a group effort! And I mean that in more than just talkin'' you up to the pretty lasses down in the inn."
"I have noticed remarkably fewer men sharing our chambers of late." Nallond tilts his head. "But wait, what other support do you mean, then? Something to do with the Church?"
"Aye"! Tolla nods her head eagerly. "I''ve been talking with that Deylia, and Fullblossom, and even Hammerdown herself. And, well...it''s not quite official yet, but you ain''t gotta worry a hair about providing for the new kiddos. Not as far as money is concerned, anyhow."
Renriel has his doubts. "What? You talked them into taking care of our bills?"
This time Tolla shakes her head. "Not just yours. It''s gonna be a new Church policy. Any kid conceived in Worthy Dungeon is gonna be declared a Blessed Bounty. It''s something they''ve done before, for the first kid born in a new village, or for a whole generation in a local area if a plague or something hit them hard enough. Every Blessed kid''s entitled to free food, clothing, even schooling from the Church until they''ve hit age of majority. Even the elvish ones, so you know they''re serious about it."
The Hunter whistles. "That does take quite a weight off my mind. And you talked them into this? I suppose we owe you an apology then, you clearly are taking this far more seriously than we believed."
"Oh, but there''s more."
Nallond narrows his eyes. "What more, exactly?"
Tolla locks her eyes with his. "You know how we''re coming up on qualifying for Master-level training soon? Well, I''ve decided to switch my path. I ain''t gonna be a Stalwart Smasher after all."
When she continues, her eyes almost have a glow to them. "I''m gonna be a Paladin."
As the third party of newbies to arrive this morning makes their way up to the gates of Worthy Dungeon, Doorman groans to see that this group isn''t entirely new. "Hey! What did I tell you four!? I''ve got little more to do than count the passing of the sun, and I''m fairly certain not a year has passed since we last spoke, let alone five!"
A red-haired girl points a staff at him as she shouts back. It still looks to be rather roughly carved, but it does at least have a gem on the end of it now. Tied on with a string, which dangles from a nail pounded into the tip. "Ha! You can''t turn us away this time! We''re proper Challengers now! Got ranks and classes and even identification badges!"
"Good, you have the badges they use to help identify corpses." The door peers down at the quartet; a human boy and girl, a gnoll boy, and an elvish girl. "Your equipment still looks as if it were pulled off of some such corpses and given a rough scrubbing - just how low are the standards to get into the Challenger''s Association these days?"
The boy speaks up as he shifts the weight of his wooden shield. "Fourteen years old, actually. We''re all more than qualified for that!"
"Fourteen!?" Doorman scoffs. "That might qualify for an apprentice Hunter assisting with tracking a Dire Squirrel or two. Delving into a dungeon? With no adults? That''s quite suicidal."
The gnoll shakes his bow as he argues back. "He didn''t say we were fourteen, no! We''re all older than that!"
"Fine, fine. If you''ve got such official identifiers now, then let me hear them."
The human girl goes first. "I''m Reba of Grassbrook! Level one Mage!"
"Docke of Grassbrook, Fighter."
"Garuf Latooh, I''m an Archer!"
"I''m, ah, I''m Elyss Lightstep, I''ve been trained as a Supporter."
Doorman narrows his eyes. "...Are you all level one?"
The redhead narrows hers back. "Well we''re not getting Association credit by arguing with you! Let us in and we''ll be level five by the end of the week!"
"You''ll be level dead by the end of the day! And just how old are you all, anyhow!?"
There''s silence for a moment, before Docke points a finger at the elf girl. "Well, Elyss here had a birthday last month, so now she''s - "
"I know how young the elf is, don''t give me elf numbers! Are any of you over eighteen? By the standards of a species that actually ages?" There''s silence again, and the door sighs. "Blessed Kahlia, give me strength. No! This dungeon is for eighteen years of age and older! We don''t care what the Association rules say!"
Garuf raises a pawlike hand. "Since we came all the way up here, again, yes, perhaps we could at least visit Floor Five for a break before we''d have to leave again? Maybe, yes?"
"Children are definitely not allowed in Floor Five! Even in the public inn, dear gods, some of the stories Zappy has told me...no!"
Reba crosses her arms, unmoved. "You at least have to offer us the chance at a riddle! The magic of a riddle door compels you! Even I know that much!"
Doorman wants to deny her, but he can''t. The dungeon has to be accessible, so if he were to stop offering riddles to everyone who came Xenia would have to remove most of his upgrades so that he could be easily chopped down by almost anyone who gave it a try. And while he would respawn, Doorman doesn''t quite like the sound of that. "Fine! An adult question! How - "
Elyss shouts out, mustering most of her willpower to do so. "No tax questions!"
The guardian harrumphs. "I don''t think you get to request riddle topics. But fine! When Lady Tarella threw her ball last month, which noble insulted her by wearing a red dress when they arrived?"
There''s a number of blinks and blank looks before Docke asks a question. "What even sort of riddle topic is that?"
"Politics! Politics, my lad, very important subject in the Rainlands."
Garuf scratches his head. "How do you know who wore what to some ball? That would be a hundred miles from here, at least, yes?"
"Why wouldn''t I keep up to date on politics? I keep my finger on the pulse of current events, I''ll have you know!"
Reba growls out a shout. "You don''t even have fingers!"
"And you don''t even have an answer for my question."
Stammering, Elyss makes a last ditch attempt. "Was it...Lady Uliope? I''ve heard her name before..."
Doorman shakes his head. "Sorry, close, but it was her cousin, Lord Kalipe. Nice try, too bad, come back next decade."
Defeated, the quartet slouch and start to turn away. Reba does shake her fist one last time, though. "You haven''t heard the last of us!"
"Of course not! The last of you for five years, though..." As the children finally make their way back down the trail, Doorman sighs. "Children. Now there''s a riddle for you."
Chapter 226: A Morning in the Life Of
DAY 316
7 AM
With a long, exaggerated stretch and yawn Xenia Worthy, Reincarnator Extraordinaire, rolls her way out of Trush''s bed to an appreciative audience. With a smirk on his face the former orc makes it obvious how his eyes are slowly working their way up her nude form as she stands up. "While no one would accuse you of being a great actress, Worthy, I do at least appreciate you putting up the pretense that I managed to tire you out last night. Or any night, for that matter. I also thank you for not dressing yourself instantaneously - for my benefit, I assume."
Xenia affects a confused look as she pulls on a pair of panties, as if she hadn''t just willed the panties into existence a moment before just to put on the show of putting them on. "What? Don''t know what you''re talking about. I am a completely ordinary human lady, who falls asleep at night and, when I wake up, I put on my pants one leg at a time like ordinary human women do."
The knight laughs. "I suppose that sounds like normal human things to do, yes, I suppose I wouldn''t know from my prior experience as an orc. Although, speaking seriously...I do appreciate you putting on the performance you do. Staying with me for the night, that is. With the dungeon as busy at it is these days, I know our ''business hours'' keep stretching further and further. I imagine there''s more demands on your focus all the time."
Xenia chuckles. "Hey, even a big, burly former orc soldier can enjoy cuddling afterwards, ain''t nothin'' wrong with that. Besides, there still isn''t too much for me to be paying attention to after midnight. I mean, unless I wanted to peek in on what folks are doing in the lounge or rental rooms. Which is totally not something I would ever do, seeing as I respect people''s privacy, and stuff."
Trush grunts. "As if anyone cares at this point. I imagine by now everyone''s used to the idea of you watching everything they do. It''s a bit funny, you would think most people would get nervous or upset about that sort of thing, but I''m pretty sure some of them actually like the idea of it. Probably because you don''t actually disapprove of anything they get up to."
The dungeon master does have to shake her head at that, as she pulls on a pair of tight black pants. "Don''t get me wrong, big man, there''s stuff I''ve seen these past few months I really wish I could un-see. But yeah, I ain''t gonna tell anyone to stop doin'' something if it ain''t hurting anyone. Or at least more than they consented to. Even if it does still creep me out a little when folks manage to seduce the barbunnies, now that folks are actually giving it a shot now and then."
The rabbit raises an eyebrow. "You''re still feeling awkward about how your monsters are extensions of yourself, or something like that? As if you wouldn''t be doing the same in their place, if you could spare your avatar spell more often."
"Yeah, but it''s like looking over and realizing your left hand is giving someone a handjob without you even knowing you were doing it, except it ain''t a metaphor cause we''re talking literal handjobs here. And more besides! At the same time, I don''t wanna tell the bunnies to stop cause you''re right, I would be doing the same in their place. Just one of those things you need to get used to and they never mention in the Dungeon Master''s handbook, I suppose."
Trush laughs deeply at the idea. "I think you''ve written an entirely new handbook of your own, Worthy. So, where are you off to first this morning?"
Xenia grins. "You know how pious a girl I am, Trush. I''m going to church."
8:30 AM
Xenia watches from the back row of the shrine as Deylia gives her morning sermon, invisible even to her Priestess as she does so without her avatar. While there''s not much in it for her spiritually - she''s seen the goddess Kahlia in the flesh more often than nearly anyone - there is a bit of pride for her to find in Deylia''s ever-improving performance. The woman had grown much more confident in her job over the past few months, thanks to her training and then her actual experience with speaking in front of groups of Challengers. Surprisingly, even this early in the morning there were people listening to the long-eared woman''s words, given that not every Challenger was in the habit of getting hammered in the inn every night.
The topics of course were rather different than what Xenia was used to hearing from most churches she''d attended across her lifetimes. For the most part, Deylia''s sermons mostly covered subjects like child-rearing and parenthood, and then using them as metaphors about how to live in a wider context. Being a parent to not just your literal children, but your projects, your community, even your own development as a person in some ways. Xenia rather suspected most of the people present were just looking for some spiritual balm before spending the day in potentially-lethal combat, no matter what particular form that spirituality might take, but she had to admit Deylia was very good at soothing nervous Challengers.
Those who were looking for soothing, at least. The ones looking to get amped up for combat would usually stop by for Opal''s twice-weekly sermons where she discussed the virtues of slaying great monsters both literally and metaphorically, but mostly literally.
As the sermon ends and the Challengers file out, Xenia does turn off her ''incognito mode'' and makes her way up to Deylia''s side. "Another good start to the morning, huh? Seems like you''re attracting a bit of a fanbase, getting more adventurers in here every day."
The Priestess smiles at the compliment but keeps her reply modest. "Every part of the dungeon is getting more adventurers every day, it''s called summertime. But I have noticed some becoming regulars, which is gratifying. It''s nice to think I''m making a difference in their lives with my advice." Her smile fades away as she continues. "Although I''ll admit it makes it feel a little worse when a regular...ceases to make their usual appearance."
"Dungeon life, huh? This whole system is about making people stronger, improving them, or so Guy tells me, but that does kind of hinge on them not being one of the ones that die in the process." Xenia leans forward, forcing a smile onto her own face. "But not just them, right? Make any personal progress lately?"
"You noticed, did you?" The rabbit woman chuckles. "I suppose I was a little excited, yes. I unlocked a new blessing in my last meditation session!" Her eyes seem to glow with an inner light, although she doesn''t immediately volunteer the specifics.
This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Still smiling, Xenia leans forward even closer. "And? Not just something minor, I''m guessing?"
Deylia nods. "I can now offer the Blessing of Fertile Health! I''ve been taught about this one, it''s one of the most commonly requested from the Church of Bounty! Part of it''s to help to heal the health concerns felt by expectant mothers, although that''s largely something I''d be capable of doing with my existing spells. Mostly though it applies to the unborn children. The risk of miscarriage or birth defects drops significantly when someone''s received this blessing!"
"Nice!" Xenia rewards her with a high five, a tradition she''d taught to her guardians and which had somewhat caught on. "You think you''d be giving that one out much? I know you''re getting tired of dudes coming by to ask for dick enhancers."
Deylia winces slightly. "I do wish that hadn''t been the third blessing on my list. Especially since I only know the minor version! They have to keep coming back for reapplications...but, at least it''s helped with the shrine''s popularity..." Shaking her head, she re-focuses. "Compared to that one, Fertile Health is much easier to use. Ideally it''d be applied once a month, but even just a single blessing over the course of a pregnancy can have considerable effects. And since you inform women the moment they conceive, if it occurs within the dungeon...well, those who are joyed by the news could come by for an immediate blessing on their child''s behalf."
"Double nice! We''ll have to start spreading the word. And while we''re speaking of progress..." This time when the dungeon master leans in, her smile seems to have a very different edge to it. "Our favorite bunny boy making much headway?"
To that, the Priestess has to roll her eyes. "If Bloody had talked his way into my bed, I know you would have noticed it immediately. He is...making progress though, I suppose. In his own way. The young man is capable of learning, at least."
Xenia pulls back and replaces her smirk with a shrug. "Honestly, I don''t really get it. The boy''s your type or he isn''t, right? I mean, I get not hopping right into bed with a guy, but BB''s been hanging around here for months now. He actually turns down invitations he gets in the inn! Which he''s actually getting now, now that he''s learned his Bard routine a little better."
"He does?" Deylia''s eyebrows rise. "He doesn''t need to do so on my behalf. In fact, I think I''d advise him to accept a few now and then. It''s his experience that concerns me, after all." As Xenia raises an eyebrow in return, Deylia quickly clarifies. "I don''t mean his bedroom experience! Just...life experience in general, you see? He might seem to have the knowledge, and form, that a twenty-year old man would have, but BB''s never actually lived a life outside of the dungeon. Or even stepped outside it at all! It just, I don''t know...doesn''t feel like it would be an equal relationship between us right now. But that need not be the case forever."
"Huh. You''re right, maybe I should push the kiddo into taking a day trip down to Grassbrook sometime. It is tough, given that Floor One''s the most active floor in the place, but we could cover it. I could shift Trush''s range to cover Floor One for a day...or, hell, let Sincere get some exercise for once. As long as he''s not bothering you though, I suppose that''s the important thing."
"Oh, if anything I find it rather flattering how hard he tries to impress me. Especially since he tries so very hard to make it look like he isn''t, hehe. And if he does ''grow up'' and decide to start becoming the true bard stereotype in the inn, that would be fine with me as well. Either way, I enjoy seeing his progress."
Xenia beams back as she steps away. "Almost as much as I like seeing yours. Keep up the good work, Del! We''ll make you a Head Priestess is no time! But for now, duty calls..."
10 AM
"You understand you aren''t actually the bar manager, right?" Xenia sits at the lounge bar in question as she speaks to her own reflection in the mirror, a conversation that would look a little odd if it weren''t half-invisible and if the lounge weren''t mostly deserted at this time of day. Emma rolls her eyes at the question.
"I''m as good as! Your guardians are all too busy with other jobs, and while you might''ve been able to teach your rabbit minions the basic skills of customer service, it''s still way outside of what they were designed for. Especially now that Deylia''s full-time on healing and shrine services. I''m the only one in this joint with more than half a brain, and I''m here almost all of the time anyways. Besides, I''m good at reading customers, you know?"
The dungeon master chuckles at that claim. "Right, right, no need for customer satisfaction surveys, you can just pick up the ''inner desires'' of everyone who passes you by, yeah?"
"Exactly!" Xenia''s reflected face nods back at her from the mirror''s bar counter. "All I''m saying is, I think you should hear me out on this."
"Okay, okay, hit me then. What''s this suggestions list you''ve come up with?"
"Glad you asked!" Emma pulls out a notepad from behind her version of the bar, which is a little mysterious given that there''s no such item on the real-world side of the mirror. "First off - ordering specialty items. Our food quality''s been going up a bit thanks to ''donations'' and ''tips'', but I think we should start importing menu items with the intention of selling them back, rather than absorbing them. Even as our food tier goes up that still doesn''t mean we can make every specific local dish or wine vintage that some people like to order."
Xenia struggles to do more than shrug. "Why, though? To sell for profit? We ain''t selling shit to begin with! Is it really gonna pull in more Challengers if we get some fancy foreign booze, cause it seems like they''re coming in here anyways."
Emma writes out a note on her pad. "How about if we reserved those for Challengers with deep floor clears? Make it an extra reward item? If we ever get twenty floors or something, we''re gonna have to work harder to keep improving the menu offerings to match."
After thinking it over for a few moments, Xenia still shakes her head. "That''s years away. And we''d have to make business contacts, arrange transport, get it up a fuckin'' mountainside...the idea''s not terrible, but it''s not something I wanna deal with right now. If we kill some Challengers and loot some weird food items or something from em though, I might consider reserving it for the bar. At least shit don''t go bad while it''s in my inventory."
"Fine, fine. Second note - we should consider hiring some more employees."
The dungeon master''s brow furrows. "What? We''ve got all we want right now and they work for free! Floor Five''s still nowhere near its monster capacity, and by time it gets there we''ll probably be making a new rest floor somewhere."
Emma nods but presses her point. "Yeah, but variety is the spice of life! Not everyone''s into bunnies, you know. Look, don''t spread it around, but I happen to know that there''s been a troupe of succubi and incubi coming into Grassbrook lately - following the business, you know how it is - and I guarantee you they would love an opportunity to set up here. And you know the Challengers would appreciate it too. I also hear a few Grassbrook natives are interested in new careers."
Xenia has to give an exasperated sigh at that suggestion. "Just because people can bone the bunnies doesn''t mean they''re expected to! I promised Alizz I wasn''t turning this place into a brothel!"
"Hey, you made this about sex, not me. I''m talking about waitresses, bartenders, you know? ...Maybe a few pole dancers, okay. Anything more than that would be strictly pro-boner. Bono. You know what I meant."
"I..." Xenia trails off as she thinks it over. "Shit, maybe. Being a local job creator could create some goodwill or something, I dunno. Who''s gonna be in charge of hiring em though? You?"
Emma gets a devious grin, one that looks even more sinister on Xenia''s face. "Xen, Xenner, Xenny, I am the perfect interviewer. One glance and I know all sorts of things about people. I can promise you I wouldn''t hire anyone that''s a risk to the dungeon or the Challengers."
"...Fine. Start small though. Maybe one or two each for the inn and the lounge, yeah? See if there''s any issues with having monsters and mortals working together."
The reflection pumps her fist. "Great! I''ll get the word spread right away! ...Also, can I actually be the bar manager?"
"...Sure. Don''t mess this up though, or I''m hanging you up in one of the bathrooms."
"Seesh, one day on the job and already the boss is breathing down my neck."
"You know it. Congrats on your promotion, but I''ve got other shit to take care of..."
Chapter 227: An Afternoon in the Life Of
12:30 PM
"Mrmm, this is good! Your menu''s definitely been getting better lately, soon I bet people would be climbing up here just for the inn alone!" Sable licks her lips after slurping the meat off of a rib, to the amusement of Mother Hammerdown and Sincere as they watch on. The three were sitting in a new private room attached to the inn, along with an invisible Xenia, added on as a new meeting location after the shrine had started to get more occupied with its intended purpose.
"I''ll be sure to pass on your compliments to the chef." Grinning, Sincere turns to his side. "Xenia, the latest reviews of your culinary prowess are quite complimentary."
Xenia rolls her eyes. "I''d hope so, considering I have to spend half an hour a day summoning shit to refresh the stocks. Damn, maybe Em''s right, and we do need to consider hiring an actual chef or something. I don''t know if I want to get to the point where I''m spending a couple hours a day summoning bowls of stew."
Raising an eyebrow, Sincere turns back towards the dungeon''s guests. "I don''t suppose this latest batch of applicants includes anyone with culinary talents?"
The dwarven cleric frowns. "Is that something we actually ought to be looking for? I can never tell with you lot. But no, I don''t believe so, and even if they did it''s a moot point. They''re all crap." Elance slaps down a sheaf of papers onto the table, carefully avoiding any errant sauces despite her dismissive tone.
Xenia eyes the stack. "Shit, that''s a lot. They all washed out?"
Before passing on the question, Sincere takes hold of the profiles and begins to flip through them himself. "I do see a few obvious declines here. Random farmers and fishermen, some youngsters who clearly ought to be finding better uses for their lives...but all of these? I see some with Challenger experience here."
Elance nods. "Yeah, allow me to give you the quick summary of that bunch. The human Mage? Wanted for experimentation on mortal prisoners, I''ve already passed along his name and had the monster picked up by the local garrison. The kobold lass? Thinks she''s Kahlia and that becoming part of the dungeon will ''return her to her divine powers''. The gnoll ''prince''? ...Gnolls ain''t got nobility. He''s got a Challenger record but we can''t confirm any of his actual background."
Sincere nods along as he flips through. "Hmm, here''s a minotaur soldier? I''d say that a minotaur could be useful, although I suppose they wouldn''t actually be a minotaur after they joined."
Sable shakes her head. "The man hates the Domain and anyone from there, or that he thinks is from there. The asshole almost started a fight with me just because I''m part demon. There''s no way that guy gives Challengers a fair shot at getting stabbed if he joins in."
The dungeon master sighs as she reads along over Sincere''s shoulder. "I guess I should be glad that we''re not getting flooded with people offing themselves in here, and the filtering process seems to be working pretty well. But there''s gotta be like twenty applicants here! I didn''t want to rely on them, but we might start needing that applicant program the Highbranches were talking about after all."
Taking that as a prompt, Sincere poses a question to the Church of Bounty members. "Hmm, yes, have you had any contact with House Highbranch recently? Part of their arrangement for Xenia''s support was that they would both support you, and assist in the applicant process."
Elance nods. "The financial support''s already been coming in. I still don''t know if we''ll be starting construction on a new facility this year, but we will be getting some more staff in the next few months." A smile crosses her face. "A few of my own lads among them. None of them took to the priesthood, but a few are willing to take the gods'' coin for their engineering skills and whatnot."
The Paladin handles the other half of the question. "I have heard rumors about House Highbranch talking up the dungeon, but it''s a pretty targeted recruitment campaign so I don''t know the specifics. Can''t say when or if we''ll get anyone on their recommendation."
"Well, guess we''re not in too much rush for a new floor and boss, since Parker''s still undefeated. Probably won''t hold for long though with all this new traffic. Anyhow, I''ll let you finish up here, Sin-man." Xenia turns her head and speaks to the air. "Hey Guy, what''s next on the agenda? Someone wanted to talk with me this afternoon?"
The guide appears but Sincere answers the question before they can. "Ah, that would be myself and Trush, actually. We wanted to discuss our dungeon rewards going forward."
"Hrmm? Well, alright then. See you in a few hours down in the core chamber, enjoy your lunch meeting." With that said, Xenia pops out so she can have a little lunch break of her own, enjoying the sight of Taly kicking the ass of a new team of Experts on Floor Six.
4 PM
"So, what''s this about? Something wrong with the loot drops? I haven''t been noticing much in the way of complaints." Xenia raises an eyebrow at the demon Mage and rabbit Champion sitting across from her, as the statue containing her core looms behind her.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Trush shakes his head. "Nothing wrong, no. Not yet, anyhow. Before we get into it though Worthy, mind if we ask a question? How exactly does making a dungeon reward work for you? When you make, say, a sword or whatnot."
She shrugs. "It''s a lot like making a monster, really. I can pick a type and a tier level, and set just how random I want it to be in appearance. Or I can design my own, or copy one I absorbed if it''s within the tier limit we''ve unlocked. Why do you ask?"
Rather than answering, Sincere asks a follow-up. "Just out of curiosity, how many reward items do you have stockpiled right now?"
"Well, I try to burn down all of my mana before a daily reset, if I remember to. I''ve got a couple hundred rabbit luck charms for Floor One, those go fast. Piles and piles of coins. Bunch of potions too, and of course the ever-popular slime lube bottles. Other enchanted weapons, arrows, armor, and all that sort of depends on my mood at the time I guess. Is there something I ought to be focusing on?"
The Bunny Knight finally gets to answering her question. "Not in terms of broad categories. However, word around the inn is that we''re likely to start seeing some Masters show up this summer. Not just the odd one here and there, like that plains gnoll or Alizz, but teams of em. And here''s the thing - Masters have, uh...high standards."
Sincere clarifies. "Not just speaking in terms of an item''s ''tier level'', although I''m sure that''s important. What really gets the attention of high-level Challengers though is, well...shall we say, its artistry?"
The other man chuckles. "Or to use a term you''ve used once or twice - the dungeon''s branding."
Xenia narrows her eyes. "Are you saying I''ve been handing out ugly swords? Look, I''ve been a fighter for centuries. A plain ol'' blade will kill a dude just as dead as something with fancy jewels and shit, in fact, it''ll probably last longer, too."
Trush waves a hand. "Oh, what we''ve been handing out is fine. And I''m not even suggesting you give every Master who shows up some crown with a dozen enchanted gems or some crap like that. How should I put it...what gets attention is equipment that is both unique, and unique to Worthy Dungeon. It becomes like a trophy, a badge, a..."
As he trails off, Xenia fills in his statement. "...A collector''s item?"
He attempts to snap his fingers, struggling slightly with his thick, furry digits. "Exactly! Something they can show off to other high-ranking Challengers and go, ''I got this killing the Giant Evil Dicklord of Ballsack Dungeon, do you get down to Floor Twenty-Three often?'', while waving their dicks around down at the Challenger bars. Dungeons that have easily-identifiable rewards are more popular because of shit like that."
"Huh." Xenia taps a finger against her chin. "So I should make...more bunny-themed gear?"
Sincere smirks. "Well, that is rather unique to Worthy Dungeon, as far as I''m aware. Of course, as you''ve noted, the slime lube rewards are one of our most popular, if only for their coin value. If you wanted to play up our, ah, association with fertility-related topics..."
The dungeon master''s grin grows wide. "I don''t know if every Challenger is up for showing off their giant dildo-shaped mace, no matter how good the enchantment on it is. But then, hey, some are. I''ll give it some thought though, workshop some prototypes. Anything else you wanted to cover today?"
Trush shakes his head. "Not here. Although...if you do put some new items into my own rewards, how about we stick with the rabbit theme, eh Worthy?"
"Coward."
9 PM
"Oh gods, you have magic fingers."
"I mean, literally yes, but also I do have a lot of practice at this, you know." Xenia smirks as she massages the Banshee Queen''s back, as the woman lays on her apartment bed. Her bare skin is a rather unhealthy-looking gray, but at least there''s none of the open sores, patchy skin, or exposed bone that would come with various other sorts of undead monsters.
Taly moans happily as the dungeon master works her shoulders, her eyes closed against her pillow. "Let me guess, you spent a life as a masseuse, becoming one of the best in the nation before dying in an unfortunate oils-and-incense-related accident."
"Haha, no, never professionally, no. I have had a lot of girlfriends and boyfriends and others along the years though, you pick up a few tricks. Some people fall for my skills at lopping heads off of monsters with swords, but sometimes romance needs a few...magic fingers."
"Mrmm." Taly sighs again, but her tone shifts slightly before she speaks again. "Is, ah...that what this is? Romance?"
Xenia pauses in her efforts, a bit of concern crossing her face. "I''d...rather not put a label on it, to be honest. Is that what you''re hoping for, here?"
"No, no! It''s just, well...we get to wondering sometimes, when we''re sharing a round at the inn. You seem particularly close to Lollyp, don''t you? I feel a little bad for how much busier she is these days."
Xenia chews over her response in her mind for a few moments. "Close is an alright way of putting it, sure. Could even say we do little date night things sometimes, as much as you can without ever leaving this murder hole. Fuck, I''ll say it, I don''t mind calling her a girlfriend. Or you one for that matter, or Trush a boyfriend. But trying to get strict about things when we''re gonna be here forever seems like a bad idea, you know? There''d inevitably be the breakups, and then the getting back together, and breaking up again...I expect it would get a lil old pretty damn quickly."
"Can''t disagree." Taly chuckles as a thought occurs to her. "You know that DEATH is still preaching that ''Xencere ship'', whatever that means."
"Oh, I know." Xenia smirks. "At this point I think Sin-man and I are staying hands-off just to fuck with the poor guy, not that we''ve ever said it out loud. Though as I said, we''re here forever, so...we''ll probably slip up eventually."
"DEATH''ll probably throw a celebration when it finally happens. To be honest, it kind of surprises me how easily this comes for you, despite me being part of it. I never dated more than one person at a time before I died. Not as an ongoing thing, anyhow."
"Maybe death puts a little perspective into it? I dunno. I like seeing my people happy, though. Not that I try to pry, but when I just randomly happen to see you and Trush together - "
"Bullshit. You''re probably watching us with one hand down your pants."
Xenia''s jaw drops. "Hey! At least do me the courtesy of pretending I know how to be respectful. Anyhow, as I was saying, well...you two seem to enjoy each other''s company, let''s say. And if you''re happy, then I''m happy."
"I am, surprisingly." Taly grips her pillow a little tighter as Xenia works her hands down Taly''s back. "You''re a pretty good dungeon master, Xenia. And...a good girlfriend. ...And really good with those fingers."
Xenia leans in closer, whispering into Taly''s ear. "Thanks for the compliment. Think that''s just upgraded you to the Girlfriend Special."
"What''s the - oh, my gods!"
Later as the evening closes in and Xenia is laying back in the banshee''s bed, a calming thought passes through her mind.
Today was a pretty good day.
Chapter 228: Re-Visits
DAY 327
When Zappy knocks on the door of the small mansion currently being used as a barracks by the Army of the Valleylands expedition team, she''s a little surprised by who eventually answers it. "Roxxy! I didn''t know you were in the army!"
The crystal-studded elemental looks down at her electrified guest. "Hey, Zappy! I''m not in the army, why do you ask?"
Confused, the magnetic elemental checks again the address posted by the door. "Isn''t this where the army team lives? I''ve met Tinsel here a few times before, she didn''t say she moved!"
"Ah, I see! No, they live here, but so do Grizza and I. We''re Earth Lords!"
Zappy tilts her head. "Is that like a stronger version of an earth elemental? Did a crystal get you that?"
"Nope, it''s the other way around! By having control of a patch of earth, we can make other people pay us money! And money can be exchanged for crystals! Although the army is paying the money, not Tinsel and the others themselves, so I''m not entirely sure how the spell works."
"Oh, cool! I''ve heard your party''s been doing good by the way, but don''t the rest of them still live in the mountain? What made you want to live here in town?"
Stepping aside so that Zappy can actually come inside, Roxxy continues the conversation. "I just like hanging out with Grizza, I guess, and while driders like being underground apparently Grizza really likes having things like ''baths'' and ''beds'' that the Elemental Empire doesn''t really have. How about you? I''ve heard you do hang out with Tinsel a lot, is it the same sort of thing? I thought you didn''t do Challenger stuff like she does, though."
"No, we do other stuff, like go on walks, and I give her...fun-time feelings, and stuff!" After seeing - somehow - the confused expression on Roxxy''s stony face, Zappy clarifies. "She gets embarrassed when I mention giving her orgasms, so she gave me a list of other things to call it. Tinsel and I have ''bedroom activities'' together! That''s why fleshies like those bed things, you know! Is Grizza the same?"
Roxxy has to think about that for a moment. "...I mean, I haven''t been giving him any special feelings, I don''t think. Are they important?"
Zappy has to think on that for a bit herself. "Maybe? I mean, Tinsel says I give her too many, sometimes, but then she never turns them down either. So I don''t know what the recommended amount is. Also Grizza is bigger, so maybe he needs a different amount? You should probably check with him."
"Hrmm, maybe. Anyhow, Tinsel''s up on the second floor right now, she''s yelling at some people right now."
"She usually is! Thanks, and see you around!" The elemental makes her way up the main staircase to the second story of the three-floor building, and sure enough the sound of Tinsel''s voice leads her the rest of the way.
"No, you''re not getting individual bedrooms, did you think you all got promoted to generals or some shit!? Be glad you''re getting beds! The first time I came to Grassbrook, I was working out of a damn tent! Now quit bellyaching and unpack your shit already!" As Zappy comes up behind her girlfriend, she finds that the mousekin is standing in a doorway yelling at a number of people she doesn''t recognize. Easily peering over the shorter woman''s head, Zappy notices a number of orcs and minotaurs inside the room, along with an unfamiliar drider, all of whom are dropping off packs next to various bunks.
"Hey, Tinsie! Making new friends?"
"Eh?" Tinsel quickly spins around, surprised at who she finds looming over her. "Zappy! Shit, I got distracted by this pack of greenies, I forgot you were coming by so soon. And nah, these ain''t new friends." The Alchemist shows a smile, but it''s an entirely cold one. "These are my new rookies."
A minotaur three times Tinsel''s height seems to take offense to that. "With all due respect, ma''am, all of us here are Advanced-qualified with at least five dungeon challenges to our records. We''re hardly rookies."
The mousekin turns on her with a sting in her voice. "You ain''t ever been in Worthy Dungeon, and that makes you rookies to me! That place has eaten up and spit out soldiers worth ten of you, so don''t go getting cocky!" Twisting back towards Zappy, a warmer smile appears. "Sorry about that. Gotta make sure greenies know their place."
"Um..." Interrupting her again, the drider stammers for Tinsel''s attention. "Ma''am...what is that you''re talking to?"
"What? What? Soldier, this here is my girlfriend. Her name is Zappy, and she''s no soldier, but as far as I''m concerned she outranks each and every one of you! And you better treat her with respect!"
Frowning a little, or as much as her face allows her to, Zappy interjects. "Hey, now that''s no way to speak to new friends! Even worthless rookie friends!" She turns her head towards the drider, and continues in a warmer tone of voice. "I''m Zappy, magnetic elemental! Are you all going to be challenging the dungeon soon?"
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The first minotaur answers that question. "Aye, with tensions going up around here the past few months, command''s wanted more people on site in case the Domain tries any more tricks. Besides, with the dungeon still expanding, it''d be good to have more than one team that has experience with the place."
"Well, I wish you bad luck! That''s a Worthy Dungeon joke, by the way. And remember, if you clear the first four floors and don''t die, you can see me perform on Floor Five!"
At that, all of the soldiers in the room go still, including Tinsel. After a moment to build up their courage, the drider finally speaks. "Your...your girlfriend works on Floor Five, Alchemist?"
Instead of showing embarrassment, Tinsel decides to go with pride instead. "Does she perform? Does she perform? Soldier, Zappy here is the best dancer in the gods-damned Rainlands! If you actually survive the first four floors - which I highly doubt - you should count yourselves blessed to see so much as a single twirl on her stage! You hear me!?"
"Yes, ma''am!"
"Good!" After facing Zappy once again, Tinsel takes a breath. "So, where did you want to go today, Zappy?"
"I was thinking a picnic by the river? We could watch the fishies, and I haven''t given you...special happy faces over there yet!"
Turning pink under her fur, Tinsel quickly slams shut the bedroom door behind her and begins leading Zappy away. "Great! Awesome! Let''s go!"
"Tassa! Tassa, come take a look, the city''s finally in view!" Smiling, Beatrice waves over her minotaur companion as the woman stomps her way across the deck of the wooden ship. Goblin sailors dash back and forth, preparing for the coming docking, but they easily flow around the stern-faced woman like water as she approaches the railing.
"So that''s Yotel-on-the-Sea, eh? Buildings look a lot fancier than I expecting for goblin architecture." Indeed, even from a few miles out the pale, sculpted towers of Yotel are easily visible. Accents of gold and copper reflect the morning sun, and magical crystals and runes light up the city, providing each tower with the power required for their various purposes. Even now, a smaller tower next to the dockyards flashes a beam of light at a nearby ship, levitating cargo up and into the port warehouses.
"Goblin money may have financed it, but from what the sailors tell me, they hired the best experts on the continent to actually build the place. Got a little bit of everything around there, apparently." As the sound of another set of clomping hooves alerts her, Beatrice turns to spot Janey joining the pair. She doesn''t even bother putting up a fight against the ''morning hug'' the larger minotaur wraps them both up in, having long since learned that it would be a futile attempt.
"Morning, morning! Man, can''t wait to be on solid land again! It''s still too bad Gemtooth wouldn''t come with us, but I guess I understand his ''dwarves aren''t meant for water'' position a little better now. Though it''s not like he would''ve been swimming!"
Beatrice chuckles. "Hey, it''s a big deal, sailing out to a completely different continent, on a trip that''s guaranteed to take months at the least. To be honest, I still don''t believe both of you agreed to come. I mean, I appreciate the company, but I wasn''t asking you to."
Janey plants her hands on her hips. "Hey, we may not have been a party for long, but I''m not about to let a companion go off into adventure without support! Besides, this is an opportunity for me to spread Taina''s blessings to far-off lands!"
That remark earns her a raised eyebrow from Tassa. "...You mean you want to sleep with beastkin."
"Well, who doesn''t! Have you heard the stories about wolfkin? There''s a few things I''d like to confirm for myself..."
Sighing, the smaller minotaur turns back towards Beatrice. "Personally, I think it does me some good to get away from the New Continent for a while. With military tensions rising and me being a former soldier, it would have been hard for me to focus on myself while I was there. They do say the Old Continents have things you don''t find on the New - and I''m not just talking about the shape of their genitals, either. I''m looking forward to potentially learning some new Challenger techniques." She grins, baring her teeth. "Hells, I might even try some of that magical ink you''re looking to get, if it''s as useful as you think it is."
"Well, it better be!" Beatrice frowns as she eyes the approaching port. "I''d hate to have set up all this for nothing - although exploration does have perks of its own, of course. Still...I''d love to be able to cast spells as easily as everyone else around here does."
She trails off for a bit, before eventually noticing another passenger crossing the deck of the ship. As easily recognizable among the shorter goblins as Janey was, the red-and-gold-scaled lizardkin stands out almost as brightly as the goblin city ahead. While some on the New Continent would have perhaps confused the man for a very tall kobold, or perhaps a wingless draconic, there was something a bit more snake-like in his expression and habits from what Beatrice had seen. Either way, it was his mind and confident manner that most interested her. "Kliss! Came out to see the city? Or just soak up a bit of sun?"
The man''s snout splits in a grin that reveals a multitude of small, sharp teeth. "I''ve seen it before, of course, but it''s still better than the monotony of an endless sea for a few weeks. I hope you''re not too disappointed we weren''t attacked by any sea monsters on this voyage?"
The monster slayer shrugs. "I mean, it could have been fun, but water monsters aren''t exactly my specialty. So - how about it? Willing to take us up on our offer?"
Kliss spreads his arms open wide. "What - to escort three lovely ladies along a road I would have been taking anyways? I''d almost be willing to be your guide for free - almost! But yes, for a very modest fee, I would be happy to be your guide to the Untamed Reaches."
"Yay! Glad to have you!" Unsurprisingly, Janey sweeps the man up in a hug, but his continued smile indicates that the lizardkin has no complaints about the activity. He''d claimed before that he simply enjoyed the minotaur''s body heat, but Beatrice suspected his enjoyment had something more to do with the massive mounds of flesh that would nearly swallow the slender fellow whole if Janey squeezed but a little tighter.
"Consider Janey-hugs to be a free, and non-optional, perk of the job. So what''s the schedule then? We get into port by tonight, you wrap up your trader business tomorrow, and then...what? Head out the day after that?"
Kliss waggles a hand after the Embracing Acolyte releases him. "I''d like to go with a trading caravan if we could, and that could take up to a week depending on our timing. On the plus side, such a caravan would likely be happy to hire on your team as guards, so it would at least be a profitable delay."
"I can live with that. Tassa?" The minotaur nods, and Beatrice turns back to Kliss. "Might be nice to see the city a little bit, too. After all, if there''s one thing I''ve learned in my line of work..." She pauses for a moment, turning to face the city once again. "There''s always an adventure out there for you, if you look hard enough..."
Chapter 229: A Day at the Office
DAY 336
"Laeniel, if you weren''t already a married woman, I''d propose to you right now."
Hearing that, the elf''s jaw drops open in a mixture of amusement and shock. "Alizz! I didn''t even know you were interested in women!"
The drider shakes her head. "I''m not. I''m interested in competency with paperwork though, and for that I''d put up with almost any variety of anatomy." Alizz begins to sort out the files Laeniel is handing over to her while she sits at her desk, and the elf sadly shakes her head.
"How did you manage all this before I came to town? Kelsey is your second-in-command, shouldn''t he be helping you with some of this?" That question draws a sharp laugh.
"Kelsey? Paperwork? The most I can expect from him is to have him sign off for me on a delivery or a Challenger report. I''m almost certain he pulls the old ''do a job incompetently so that you''re never asked to do it again'' trick whenever I have him do things involving budgets or actually writing up full reports. But we all have our specialties, and I''ll admit he''s better at wrangling Challengers than I am most days."
Frowning, Laeniel continues pressing the point. "How about your other clerks? This branch is much larger than it was even just since I first arrived in town, surely some of the new staff are helping with the workload?"
Again, Alizz shakes her head. "The new staff is barely keeping up with the new Challengers. You know, when we first set up shop here there wasn''t even a dungeon challenge done every day? Now there''s an average of at least half a dozen, maybe ten. Sure, they tend to be fairly short ones, the convenience of it making it easy for a party to do just one or two floors then take a break for the day, but each one generates paperwork."
While she had just been standing in front of Alizz''s desk while delivering her summaries of the branch''s monthly expenses, now Laeniel claims herself a seat as she settles in for a longer conversation. "I suppose I''ve mostly just been focused on your financial requirements, since that''s my specialty. But just how much paperwork does an Association branch generate on a daily basis?"
"Well, there''s a lot of new tasks that have been added on now that we''ve expanded." The bookish drider pulls out a sheaf of small papers from one folder and waves it around. "For example, thanks to new funding from House Highbranch, we can now offer paid Challenger contracts for wild monster hunting and road patrols. Even the Fort''s sent us a few for help patrolling the border, although I suspect they''re only doing it to help the army build contacts with the local Challengers."
"I''ve seen those expenses, yes, although I didn''t realize House Highbranch was the one ultimately paying out on them. There''s not very many of those, though? Grassbrook doesn''t have much of a wild monster population, and it''ll have even less of one soon enough."
Alizz pulls out another file. "That''s just one thing. Another is the expansion in our healing and training staff. That needs scheduling, maintenance of equipment and replacement of expendable supplies, graduation testing requirements, and so on. Every class needs slightly different training, so making sure we''re using our resources efficiently is quite the balancing act. I don''t want to request that, say, an Expert Pyromancer move down here only for them to discover that they only have one student every month or two. While we pay them a minimal baseline just for being on call, for the most part they don''t get paid if they don''t have students purchasing the training."
Laeniel gets a bit confused as she scans all of the folders organized in different places on Alizz''s desk and elsewhere around the room. "But why are you handling all of these? What are the other new clerks doing?"
The Mana Wrecker smiles with a wry grin. "Dealing with the worst job of all - processing Challenger reports. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to accurately track Challenger level credit across the whole of the Association? Especially with so many of our Challengers being new arrivals? Unless they were bright enough to have their home branches send their paperwork here before they arrived - and gods know there''s few enough of those - we basically have to create temporary files for most of them until the official records arrive, and then we have to make sure everything merges properly. Then there''s the matter of calculating how much credit any given dungeon delve ought to have earned them, made more complicated now by the fact that Challenger parties are spending an entire week up at that damn inn, and then filing half a dozen delve reports in one big batch. And finally there''s the worst part of it all - making sure they''re not lying on the reports."
The elf nods along. "Parker mentioned you have some sort of special process for ensuring Challenger levels are proper and honest?"
Rather than nodding, Alizz frowns instead. "Technically, yes. We of course have truth spells and enchanted charms to catch the most blatant lying. But an inexperienced questioner or experienced liar can turn those into more of a theater performance than anything effective. Besides, we can''t go through that process for every single report. We do have random audits, but mostly we reserve it for Initiates and Advanced Challengers...it''s the newbies who think lying about their record actually helps them rather than hurts them."
"How does it hurt them? You mean getting them expelled from the Association, or something like that?"
The drider chuckles ruefully. "Oh, they wish they were that lucky. Yes, being expelled is a potential punishment for repeated violations. But - you know the average serious casualty rate for a dungeon delve is about ten percent?" When Laeniel nods, she continues. "The average casualty rate for an Advanced-level Challenger who''s joining higher-ranked teams and delving deeper floors than they ought to, pretending they''re an Expert, is over twenty percent. The rate for Initiates pretending to be anything else is fifty. While we take the accuracy of our records seriously...well, let''s just say cheating is something of a self-correcting problem. The truly bothersome part is when that lying puts other Challengers at risk. Entire parties have occasionally lost their lives because they were depending on a fraud."
The accountant grimaces before asking a new question. "So, if your workload is so heavy...would you like me to take on more assignments for you? I still prefer my role as a freelancer rather than an Association clerk, but I do still have some free time if you have more that needs doing."
Alizz chews that over a bit before nodding. "We could definitely use the help. However, as I''ve described, all of this other work is much more directly tied into our activities managing Challengers than simply managing the budget is. Normally there''d be a whole training process about what it is we do here, and I don''t want to entirely skip over that. Would you be willing to spend some time working with the other staff? Just long enough to get some hands-on experience with what it is they do on a day-to-day basis."
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With a bright grin, Laeniel agrees. "I''d be happy to!"
"Gah! I thought you were a Divine Masochist, not a sadist!"
Sely frowns down at the man on her examination table as she works on re-attaching the orc''s finger. "Oh, I''m sorry, I thought you''d want me to be focusing on making sure you could actually use the damn digit after I attach it. You know, making sure the nerves and tendons actually connect properly? If you''d rather I focus my efforts on a pain-relief spell instead..."
The orc shakes his head. "No, no, just get it done. Just thought you were enjoying it a little much, is all."
As Laeniel watches on from the side of the room, Sely narrows her eyes. "You know what I don''t enjoy? Repeat customers. Or people coming in here because of entirely stupid, avoidable injuries. Just because you''re paying for the healing services doesn''t mean I don''t have better things I could be doing with my time."
The man frowns. "Hey, not like I was trying to lose a finger! But shit happens in the dungeon, you know?"
"Sure, finger injuries are common." The orc winces as Sely puts additional pressure on the healing joint. "Specifically losing a middle finger, however? While the rest of the hand is intact? I''m curious how a sword swing or falling trap might have managed such a precise injury."
The Challenger withers under the Cleric''s intent gaze for a while before eventually answering. "...I may have had it shot off by the Banshee Queen. While I was...waving it in her general direction."
Closing her eyes, Sely sighs. "Taly, Taly. You couldn''t have taught the lug a lesson in a way that didn''t make more work for me?"
The orc is a little confused by that statement, until eventually his eyes widen in realization. "Wait - I heard one of the monsters had a sister in the Association here! Don''t tell me that monster is your kin!?" Rather than a verbal response, the next noise to fill the room is the orc''s own pained howling.
"Well, looks like your finger''s nerves are working properly! Now, keep exercising it for the next two days, and you can pay the rest of your bill at the front desk. And don''t go waving it around if you''d like to keep it. You''re lucky you were able to recover it and get down the mountain in time, I may be a Cleric but I don''t perform miracles."
"Yes...thank you, Masochist..." Clearly working hard to keep tears from his eyes, the muscular orc climbs off of the examination table and leaves the room, leaving behind a slightly bemused elf.
"I see you have a very unique brand of bedside manner, madame Masochist."
Sely grunts. "I''m treating Challengers, not children who need a sweet with their medicine - although I imagine most of them would probably ask for one. I hope that''s an educational lesson for you at least, Mrs. Reeves."
"Laeniel, please. Honestly, I''m not sure what I should be learning here. Unless Alizz just wanted me to become more familiar with the concept of Challengers being injured - and I''m quite familiar enough with that, having been married to one for a few decades now."
Sighing again, Sely looks around the treatment center. "Do you know how much paperwork that half-hour visit generated? I had to expend healing agents to clean the wound and restore the finger. There''s the billing for the services, of course. The injury will also need to go into his record, to show that he qualifies for less Association level credit for that last run due to having received it. I also need to track the man''s personal medical history, as this treatment could have implications if he does become a repeat customer. Limbs that need to be re-attached multiple times need more extensive treatments on future procedures."
Laeniel nods. "I see, good point." She pauses for a moment, before asking another question. "Is it...difficult to work with people who were injured by your sister? Parker''s slain and injured a number of Challengers by now, and I do worry a little about...upset neighbors."
"Hrmph. You''re lucky that Parker''s on such a low floor, at least by local standards. Only vets come by to his arena, and those sorts of Challengers tend to know the score. Taly occasionally faces Advanced-level Challengers, and the newbies are much more likely to take things personally." A grin reaches Sely''s face, although it seems somehow cold. "Or, I suppose, the occasional thin-skinned noble. But I can take care of myself." This time, her grin is matched by an evil gleam in her eye. "And if anyone tries to make trouble, they''ll find out that I can hurt them far worse than Taly does."
"I...see."
Realizing that Laeniel might not exactly have that option, Sely continues. "Of course, if anyone does start making trouble for you, feel free to let us know. Alizz won''t stand for Challengers making trouble, nor I. You have our support if we need it."
Laeniel nods. "Thank you, that''s good to know. Do Challengers make much trouble, outside of the dungeon? I didn''t often spend time with ones other than Parker and a few of his close associates."
"Do they!? Well...it''s a good thing Kelsey''s on your list of tour stops..."
"Dudes. My friends, my pals. You absolute, stinking, slug-brained morons. What in the world were you thinking!?"
The two gnolls standing in front of the angry kobold, a pair of young brothers, shift uneasily under the older man''s attentions. "...That some of the new garrison archers were sort of cute, yes?"
"So that justified trying to sneak into the Fort barracks!? You realize some of those cute gnoll girls might have been the ones to shoot you, if you''d actually gotten much further past the walls!?"
"What? No! ...They were off duty that time of night, yes."
Kelsey sighs, pinching his snout. "If they''re on the Fort premises, they''re on duty. Renter, you spent like two months dating one of their Rangers, didn''t you? Mind informing these furbrains how you actually go about courting a soldier?"
The scruffy Tracker smirks as he turns to face the two brothers standing in the Association office''s main waiting room. "When the lass was actually off duty, that meant she had time to meet up at the Lucky Bastard. Or the marketplace. Or, y''know, anywhere that wasn''t the Fort itself. I never even stepped foot into the place aside from them one or two times I was submitting scout reports. Civilians are kind of not generally allowed into the place, y''know."
One of the brothers scoffs. "...Thought our stealth skills were up to the task, yes."
Kelsey takes in a deep breath. "Kid, you are Advanced. This is a border garrison, recently reinforced. Even if the guard shift ain''t got at least one Expert in it, that wall''s probably got Master-tier defensive enchantments on it at least. Look, part of maintaining a good record in the Association is having a clean criminal record, and Rogue classes do not get an exception on that. You''re lucky Commander Paulados isn''t making a bigger deal out of this, but we''re still making a note of it in your record, understand? I don''t want to see you two getting dragged in here again. Now get out of here, stick to stealing candy from babes or whatever."
The two gnolls quickly nod and beat a hasty retreat, leaving behind the one who had dragged them down to the office to start with.
"Ah, to be young and heavy of testicles, yes?"
The kobold chuckles. "Better than being old and dangly of testicles, I''ll say that. Not that either of us are old enough to be worrying about that yet, even if keeping these kids in line damn well makes me feel like it sometimes. Sorry they were causing you trouble, Taffy."
Tafyaf answers with a shrug. "Makes for good amusement, hehe. Enjoy watching your show as well, yes yes."
"Heh. Speaking of romance, how''s things with you and the Combat Medic? Heard you''ve been ranging further out now that the weather''s better."
"Good, good! Got Grayana to revisit the dungeon, yes, spending time in the inn. Already had credit for the third floor, even if we couldn''t remember her actually clearing it, still an odd delve, yes. Going back this weekend, I believe."
"Nice, maybe I''ll meet you two up there for a round. Due for a dungeon check-in soon anyhow. For now, though, gotta get the report for this shit filled out before I forget their damn names. Was it Draga and Bragga?"
Laeniel finally speaks up, from where she was watching by a nearby clerk''s desk. "Broga and Drago, I believe."
Kelsey snaps his talons. "Right, that! Good ear for detail there. Could definitely use you helping out with all the scribing work around here, if we ain''t scared you off yet. Think you''d still be interested in the gig?"
"Interested?" Laeniel slowly smiles. "Mr. Kelsey, I think this might be one of the most interesting places I''ve ever worked..."
Chapter 230: Quality Assurance - Explicit
DAY 341
After a long, hard day of watching Challengers injure themselves, summoning up food and loot items, and brewing up a few new breeds of mimic for Floor Eight, Xenia Worthy, Reincarnator Extraordinaire considers how to spend her evening. She has quite a few options, as always, but with her dungeon senses it''s easy to begin crossing a few possibilities off the list. Lollyp appears to be spending the night with the Dungeon Fuckers, and while Xenia could pop in - an open invitation to their bed seems to be always available - she doesn''t quite feel like burning her weekly avatar spell tonight. Besides, the trio were finally leaving for their Master-level training soon, and it could be the last chance for the slime to blow off some steam with them for some time. Taly and Trush meanwhile are enjoying each other''s company, along with two of Trush''s squires, making their bed quite crowded as it is. Even Emma seems to be busy, although she at least is doing so with her pants on, as the reflection is speaking through her mirror in order to instruct the Lounge''s latest new employees on their duties.
Meaning that for once the dungeon master actually has a night to herself. Well, in truth it''s not such a rare occasion, even Xenia doesn''t find herself bed-hopping every night. However, this is the rare occasion of her having a night alone while she''s also in the mood for something a bit...more. So after a bit of internal debate, the woman lies back in her bed and engages in a practice which she often denies partaking in, although no one ever puts much stock in her denials.
Quality assurance.
That''s all it is, of course. Not an invasion of privacy! Just...checking in, that''s all, to ensure that her Challenger guests are enjoying the benefits of the dungeon''s rental rooms. They took a lot of effort to put together after all, shouldn''t she check now and then to see if there''s anything that should be improved? She won''t make a nuisance of herself or anything, just...a quick peek, here and there...
Grayana Goldleaf sighs as she pulls off her pants, leaving the dark-haired elf standing in only her underwear as she turns to her companion. "I''ll admit, the Fiver''s Lounge was...an experience. Still not certain it was worth doing another run of the dungeon for, though. I can certainly see why you''ve been spending so many nights up here on the mountain, though."
Her gnoll paramour grins widely. "Jealous, are you? Been trying to get you in there for months, you know. Don''t tell me you did not enjoy the bunny boys on the stage, no."
"They had...skills, certainly. You know I''m interested in more than a pretty face, though. Or even a well-sculpted set of abs."
Tafyaf looks down at his own bare chest, and runs his paw-like hands across his furry skin. "Ah! You do not think I am pretty!? Doomed is our relationship, yes!"
Unimpressed by his antics, the Combat Medic crosses her arms and looks down at him. "I think you know exactly which of your traits I find most attractive, Taffy. But, since this is a special night...did you have anything in mind? Please don''t say ''play doctor'' again, I really don''t have energy for that one more than once a season."
The gnoll raises a finger. "How about the one where I captured you, a Domain spy, yes? I have rope in my things, of course, yes."
Grayana sighs. "I don''t think I can play that role properly. But...if you like that sort of theme, how about ''Dragonlord''?"
Tafyaf''s eyes grow wide, and the man nods eagerly. "Yes, yes! Excellent choice, it is."
"Very well, one moment." The elf takes a pause in order to close her eyes and get into character, and when she next turns to face Tafyaf it''s with her nose held high. "So. You are the Rainlander scout my minions found prowling around my Domain, are you?"
The gnoll in question falls to his hands and knees, bowing before the black-lace-lingerie-wearing ''Dragonlord''. "I am, yes! A fighter against your tyranny!"
Grayana raises a hand to her lips. "Mwa ha ha! A fighter, are you? I see but a furry slave! But tell me, slave, what sort of life would you prefer to have ahead of you? I could have you sent to the mines, to draw ore from the darkness for the rest of your days."
Tafyaf grovels, wringing his hands together. "No, no! A gnoll is not meant for the caverns and caves, no!"
"Then perhaps a life of service, then? A life in my palace, a life of comfort and plenty...as long as you''re willing to serve as my concubine."
"Yes! Please, mercy, Tafyaf will serve you well, my lord!"
Stepping forward, Grayana plants her feet some distance apart as she places herself directly in front of the kneeling gnoll. "Very well. Gnoll - show me what you use to pleasure your Rainlander whores with." At that command Tafyaf opens his mouth, and the secretly watching Xenia gasps in her room as a tongue nearly a foot long rolls out of the man''s jaw. Grayana however shows no signs of surprise, merely a satisfied smile as she pulls aside her lower garments.
"An impressive piece of anatomy. But do you know how to use it? Show me."
"At once, my lord!" Leaning forward, the Scout begins to lap at his roleplaying mistress, and even the stern-faced Grayana can''t entirely hide the reactions on her face as Tafyaf gets to work. It becomes even more impossible after she steps closer, allowing her partner to plant his slight snout directly atop her sex. His tongue soon becomes invisible after that, although it doesn''t take much imagination for Xenia to guess what the man is doing with it. The moans coming from the elf''s mouth provide more than a few clues, if she needed them.
Ha, having actually met the Dragonlord, it''s a little tough to imagine that noise ever coming from their throat. Then again, they do have slaves, so...who knows. I...should probably move on, yeah? Getting a little personal. Because it wasn''t personal before the dude shoved a foot''s worth of slick tongue-flesh up into his girlfriend''s hoo-ha, no. Yeah. Consider quality, uh...assured in this room.
As Grayana grabs onto Tafyaf''s ears, pulling him closer, Xenia moves to another room.
"Hold on to your butts, cause now it''s time to get serious!" Lollyp forms up three thick tentacles from her amorphous form, as -
Yeah, been there, been done by that, let''s move on.
"Are you nervous? You''re practically shaking." The Rabbit Rogue, currently off-shift from his duty as a bartender, looks up into the eyes of his young elf companion as he licks the other man''s nipple. The elf shudders slightly, before re-opening his eyes and looking back down.
"I...it''s just, well. I''ve never done this with, you know..."
"A monster?" The lagomorph seems unoffended as he asks, his hand continuing to grope its way across the elf''s bare chest at the same time.
The elf shakes his head. "No, I mean...another man. I''ve thought about it a lot, but..."
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"Oh?" The dungeon monster raises an eyebrow. "You seemed confident enough when we were flirting down in the inn." He grins widely as he moves his hand down between the Challenger''s legs, and cups what he finds there through the man''s pants. "And you certainly seem to be enjoying this well enough."
"Oh, I am. You''re gorgeous, really, monster or no. But I''ve never really worked up the confidence to try this with another, ah, mortal, you know?"
"I see." Standing up to his feet, the Rogue suddenly grabs up the elf and tosses him onto the nearby bed, clearly surprising his partner with his strength as he does so. Before the elf can get back up the rabbit''s already climbed atop him, straddling his legs and pinning his arms. "So it''s easier to flirt with a monster, is it? Because I''m not real? No consequences for embarrassment? Someone - no, some thing you can just use and discard, hrmmm? With the added bonus of extra dungeon loot at the same time, why wouldn''t you give it a try?"
"No! I wouldn''t - " The elf is cut off by a shushing finger placed against his lips.
"Fortunately for you, I''m into it. Now, let''s get to you using me properly, hrmm?" With that said the Rogue slips his way back down the elf''s torso, slipping off the man''s pants as he goes, and by time he reaches the elf''s crotch a magnificent six-inch display of elfhood is waiting for his attention. The rabbit-man starts with a long, slow lick up the shaft, and the Challenger trembles so much that Xenia wonders if the young man might pop off right then and there.
He does hold out long enough for the monster to grab him around the base in a tight grip, and from there the rabbit shows absolutely no hesitation in taking the elf into his mouth and then his throat. The high agility traits of the Rogue sub-type seems to include an impressive control over one''s gag reflexes, as the rabbit bobs his head rapidly up and down with no slowdown and almost no excess noise. It''s such an impressive display that Xenia''s nearly shocked that the elf holds on as long as he does, his cock vanishing in and out of the rabbit''s lips for a tremendous three minutes at least.
His stamina eventually comes to an end however, and the Rogue pauses so that as the elf''s shaft pulsates, it delivers its thick load right atop his tongue. He holds it there for a moment, tasting it, before finally swallowing it down in an exaggerated motion. "Ah. I do love the taste of a good elf after a long shift."
The Challenger gasps for a bit before finally working out a response. "Thank you. That was...that was incredible."
"I know." With another smile, the Rogue stands up and pulls down his own pants, his bold pink rod turning a deeper crimson as the elf stares at it. "But I hope you don''t mind spending a little time...being used yourself?"
"...I might enjoy that, yes..."
Whew! Alright, let''s move on. That''s...probably not some sort of expression of my inner slut there, right? That''s probably just a rabbit monster thing, yeah? Yeah. Definitely not a reflection on my subconscious whatsoever. ...Maybe I should watch another round to be sure? ...Nah, nah, plenty more to check in on...
"You''re enjoying this way too much, Thremin." The orc growls a little angrily as she tugs lightly at the pillory keeping her in place, a motion which may or may not be coincidentally shaking her bare ass at the same time.
A human, apparently Thremin, chuckles as he admires the three asses currently being presented to him. While the orc has the place of honor in the center, an elf lass has the pillory to her right, and a kobold man is locked up to her left - along with a footstool to help with his height. "I''m sorry. Would you rather I saw what''s on offer and weren''t enjoying this? I''d be a little insulted were I in your place, were that the case."
The kobold speaks up from his end. "Honestly, I think the gal''s just surprised - we all are, I''d wager. I don''t think any of us expected you to be the winner of the bet!"
"Hey, we all agreed - whoever got the final blow on that rabbit-eared shade would get to enjoy the pleasures of the team as they saw fit, yes? Did you really think that I wouldn''t be competing just because I''m ''the party healer''? You know undead are weak to holy magic, don''t you?"
The orc growls again, although with a bit of a laugh mixed in. "No, I thought you wouldn''t be competing because you like being on bottom, haha!"
"There''s lots of ways to enjoy oneself, and variety is important." Stepping to the right, Thremin leans over and speaks softly to the elf. Going from the marks on her shoulder still present from supporting a quiver all day, Xenia can easily identify her as the team''s archer even with the woman being as naked as she is. "It''s Ganeliel you should be directing that sort of comment to, though. Or am I mistaken in thinking that you were holding back with your last few shots there, at the end?"
"Hells!" The kobold shouts out angrily. "Playing with a bet is one thing, but it''s still a fight to the death, girl! You better not have been holding back!"
Ganeliel shouts back, an amusing argument between two people who can''t even get a good look at each other. "I wouldn''t have let us come to risk! The fight was well in hand by that point..."
Thremin smiles at the comment. "Not actually denying it though, I see. In that case, I think I''ll reward you by letting you go first." He runs a hand between the elf''s legs, making her moan, but the moan turns to a yelp of surprise as she feels slime lube starting to drip onto her rear entrance.
"Thremin!?"
"Thought I''d take advantage of the moment to enjoy some rarer pleasures, tonight. Sodomy all around, I think. The bet was rather open-ended, after all. Which means that it''d be a waste not to open your ends, if you''ll excuse me."
The orc shouts once again. "Your puns are even worse than your tiny dick. Doesn''t surprise me you''d go for such a blow, though."
"You complain...but I''m not hearing any safe words." The man pauses for a moment, letting it drag out for effect, before finally proceeding. "As I thought. Here we go, then."
Ganeliel gasps as the party''s healer stretches her out, the lube doing much to aid in the process, but failing to entirely negate the experience of a sudden entrance. It doesn''t take long for the initial probe to evolve into a full-on rhythmic assfuck, and each slam of the human''s pelvis against the elf results in a slight kicking of her legs, the modest jiggling of her slight breasts, and the groans of a woman who''s attempting to restrain her tongue but failing to do so. It''s not a very long fuck though, and after only a few minutes the man''s balls are clenching as they unload some of the day''s stress into the archer.
It''s hardly the last fuck of the evening though, and with her head twisted around as much as possible, the orc is able to spy it when Thremin downs himself some sort of potion. "Really? Dick enhancers, Thremin? Need that much help, do you?"
"I intend to get everything I can out of this evening, just as I know you''d do the same. But I''m sure I''ve kept you waiting too long, so - if you''ll allow me." Another drizzle of lube warns the orc to get ready, and a moment later it''s her turn to groan.
"Aggggh...did that damn potion make you bigger, Cleric?"
"Only aids in recovery, my dear - the size is all natural. Though if it''s enhanced by anything tonight, it''s the delightful sight of your very meaty backside, if I do say so myself." The backside in question gets a swift spank, and although the orc resists crying out, her body does squirm a little under the attention. It''s certainly the cock invading her bowels that gets the most of her focus though, and soon the green-skinned woman finds herself having as much trouble restraining her voice as her elf neighbor was a few minutes before.
"Ah! Fuck! You damn! Human! Motherfucker!"
"Your dirty talk is perhaps the most attractive part of screwing you, you know. Though perhaps it helps not having to look you in the face as you utter it." The insults switch into more of a wordless rage at that statement, but even as Thremin picks up the pace there''s not a single plea for the man to actually stop. And he doesn''t, at least not for a good ten minutes more, his second round taking the man a little extra time despite his potion supplements. The volume of fluid he leaves dripping between the orc''s legs as he steps away though indicates the time was hardly wasted.
As he steps towards the kobold, a second gulp of the potion already sliding down his throat, Thremin chuckles. "Lifting your tail for me already, are you? Looking forward to this?"
"Well, it ain''t like you were gonna go for anything other''n my ass, now were you? Go on, get it done with."
Thremin begins to apply yet more of the party''s supply of slime lube, but pauses to take the man''s tail in one hand and gently stroke it as he does so. "I do so love kobold tails, you know. I like having something to hold on to while I work."
"Ah, gee, you''re gonna make me blush. Just get on with - gah!" There''s a sudden moan as Thremin fucks his third party member of the night, although after that the kobold manages to maintain a silence much more effectively than the women to his right. The increasing erection the man displays though, flopping between his legs, provides enough of a clue that he''s hardly unaffected by Thremin''s efforts. And just as he said, Thremin uses his partner''s tail to his advantage, pulling on it, stroking it, and particularly focusing on the sensitive spot just above the ass. When Thremin finally finishes a few minutes later, his semen isn''t the only fluid staining the dungeon floor.
Seeing the human step away, the orc speaks up once again. "So - ready to call the bet done, then?" Even without being able to see it, somehow the woman is still able to sense the smirk on her teammate''s face.
"Now, I believe the bet was for the full evening, was it not? And I still have plenty of ''dick enhancer'' left in this bottle. So - how about we do a fresh round...but this time from the front, eh?"
As the other members of the party alternatively groan or lick their lips, Xenia mentally decides to pull back.
Alright, that was...wow, are we attracting the pervert parties now or are we MAKING them? And do I really want to know? In any case...that''s probably enough for one night, yeah? Let''s say quality''s assured pretty damn good, huh? Definitely not hearing any real complaints here...yeah, that elf is really enjoying - no, no, time for a break.
...At least til tomorrow night...
Chapter 231: Getting Some Fresh Air
DAY 350
Alizz gives her guest a slight smile as she sips from her tea. "My, what a face! I would have imagined you''d be more cheerful to be out and about for once! See the sun and sky! See Grassbrook for once - you''ve never seen it at all, have you? At least not from up close."
Lollyp grumps a bit as she sips from her own tea, while sitting across from Alizz at the drider''s office desk. "Hey, I haven''t been a complete shut-in. I go outside now and then, have a nice chat with Doorman! It''s not so bad now that it''s summer, and the mountain air won''t freeze me solid in ten minutes." The slime smiles slightly, but it turns into more of a frown as she sets her cup back down. "It''s just...embarrassing."
The Association Administrator tilts her head. "What? Being out in public? I would have imagined that crowded inn of yours would''ve gotten you used to crowds by now."
"Not that! It''s just...Parker had to carry me down here. In a bucket."
Alizz nearly chokes on her tea. "A bucket!? Really?"
"The dungeon can''t make the sort of slime-transporting bags the Domain uses for long-distance traveling. I wish we''d thought to put a lid on it...everyone saw me getting carried around like some sort of child!"
"Lollyp." Alizz gives her sister-in-law a firm stare. "You have, according to the Association''s best records, the highest killcount in the entire dungeon. Higher than Taly, higher than Trush, even more than that berserker ''Valkyrie'' of yours. The Initiates and Advanced of this town are terrified of you. Nobody is going to make fun of you for having trouble climbing up and down a mountain."
"Yeah, I guess." Lollyp purses her lips in thought. "Maybe I should play into it more. Be all, ''endure, my trusty rabbit mount, I shall ride you to victory!''"
"Well, that''s between you and Parker, if you want to do that. And perhaps Laeniel if you want to be indiscreet with your phrasing."
"I''ll chat with him about it for the ride back. But hey, I''m here now! So what''s up with you?"
"You really came all the way down here just to chat with me about my day? We do that up at the dungeon every few weeks, at least. Are you sure you don''t want to explore the town?"
Lollyp waves off the suggestion. "Eh, not really much in it for me. Not interested in shopping, the Lucky Bastard probably doesn''t match up to Worthy Inn, and I hear the brothel''s not officially open yet."
Fortunately, this time Alizz wasn''t in the middle of her tea when she hears Lollyp''s comment. "Brothel!? There''s no brothel, now or coming!"
"Oh please. C''mon Alizz, I get you not wanting your rep tied to all the weird shit the dungeon gets up to, but you don''t run the whole town. Especially not with the Highbranches moving down here soon. Face it, Challengers like to fuck, especially the ones coming down here, and if there''s not a low-key escort service running already I guarantee you there will be by the end of the season. Why''s it bother you, anyhow? You''re a widow, not a maiden nun. I know my brother wouldn''t mind seeing you moving on, whether it was for a night or, y''know...more."
The drider sighs. "I know, I know. We talked about that specifically, even. And I actually have...given things a try, once or twice. But it''s..." She trails off, before eyeing Lollyp cautiously. "Look, I''m not saying I had a particular ''thing'' for slimes before I met your brother. But afterwards..."
Lollyp''s grin stretches wide. "Nobody completes you quite like a slime, huh?"
"If we must use that particular term, yes. And there''s not exactly a great many options now that I no longer travel to the Domain. Even now, Worthy Dungeon has yet to receive even a single slime Challenger. No one wants to be carried up here in a bucket, I suppose."
Lollyp considers that in silence for a moment, before sighing. "Well, I suppose if it comes down to me, then I''ll - "
Alizz''s eyes go wide. "Lollyp, no! I - please! I value our friendship too much to even consider that!"
The slime shrugs. "Doesn''t really make any sense to me, but if you say so." She mentally looks around for a bit to find a new topic of conversation, and finds one. "So, you ready for the big day?"
Alizz raises an eyebrow, uncertain if this is in fact a change of topic. "Which big day is that?"
"The one year anniversary, of course! Two weeks away! I don''t know about you, but I''m expecting some good stuff to come our way."
Hastily, the administrator pulls out a calendar and flips through it. "I thought - oh, no, that was the date we arrived. If Xenia''s estimate of her ''birthday'' is correct...then yes, fifteen days from now. Oh, my. And now that we have so many new Challengers here, it''s going to be even harder to make sure everyone adapts to any changes. I suppose I''m thankful enough that Xenia allows us to perform peaceful inspections, to be honest I''d be a little hesitant to put our current team up against Brightsky or Parker, let alone after you make any further upgrades."
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"Bah, forget the inspections! There''s gonna be a huge party or two, and you''re invited for sure." Lollyp''s wide grin remains as she sips again from her drink. "This one''s gonna be good."
Lyota grunts as she finishes scratching another line into the stone with a ragged, talon-like nail. It''s a monotonous bit of work for the fury demon - after all, her nails are hardly anything like the claws a fiend might possess, let alone gremlins and their magical ability to damage things without hardly even trying. But on the other hand, it''s not as if the Soul Lasher has much else to do. Leaning back, she examines her handiwork: exactly one hundred lines carved into the stone.
Of course, it''d been more like a hundred and thirty days since her initial arrest. She hadn''t spent all of them here in the posh comfort of Fort Stonebound, though. Initially the Highbranches had handed her off to the Grassbrook Fort garrison, while word of her arrest was sent to the capital. It had taken a few days for her transfer north to be ordered, and then several weeks more for said transfer to actually occur. Her second stop had then been a secretive prison in the Rainlander heartlands, where the kingdom''s spymasters had convenient access to her.
It hadn''t been such a bad stay, all things considered. The torture was largely just psychological, if anything her interrogators actually seemed to respect her status as a fury demon. Aided by truth-detection spells, the interrogators seemed largely inclined to accept her word at face value, and the truth was that her time in the Rainlands had been almost entirely law-abiding. Yes, she had written reports back home to the Domain on things she''d seen, but until the recent relic theft attempt the most ''active'' she''d ever been as an agent was to help track down fugitive Domain criminals. The murderers and thieves were no more welcome in the north than in the south, and the Soul Lasher found herself actually being thanked for taking a few of them off the streets.
Beyond that though she had little to tell them that was of any interest. She knew of no secret Domain plans, she knew the names of no co-conspirators - her orders had all been thoroughly anonymized - and she didn''t even really have any particular insights on Worthy Dungeon. Not that any of them had asked how sinful the dungeon was, though, and Lyota had kept that particular tidbit to herself. Eventually she was then sent on to her potentially final residence: Fort Stonebound.
The place was nominally a mountain garrison used to watch the borders with the Valleylands, but the pass it guarded was unusable for half the year and barely usable the other half. For the most part it served as a remote prison for politically important prisoners. The fact that Lyota Silverstar was an enemy spy who had participated in the slayings of two nobles certainly qualified her for a hanging, but the Rainlands had few Domain prisoners at the moment which made her a valuable bargaining chip. One day the kingdom would likely want to effect a prisoner exchange for one of their own, and Lyota would fly free once again. Perhaps literally, as they''d even been kind enough to heal her wings, never mind that she barely had room to spread them in her cell.
That time would be years in coming though, most likely. Plenty of time to fill up the mostly-empty wall with quite a few more scratches, and to - what was that? As Lyota turns her head, she hears the distinct sound of soft-stepping feet. Which is odd, both because a guard wouldn''t be trying to step silently, and because it was currently after midnight, when no guard ought to be approaching. Lyota tenses, assuming it''s likely to be an unwelcome visitor coming her way, but her emotions largely change to confusion when she finally sees a cloaked succubus and a red slime come into view beyond the bars of her cell.
"What? Who are you? Did - " Lyota''s questions are shushed by the slime, who puts a finger to his lips before then pressing his hand against the cell''s lock.
"Marvyp, Stickyfinger Rogue at your service. Quietly now, I''ll have this lock picked in a jiffy, and then we can be out of here. We''re busting you out!"
The fury demon is confused for a number of reasons, but one concern in particular comes to the forefront of her mind. "How did you get through the hall? The cell lock is the least of our concerns." Indeed, the prison''s primary defense against escapes wasn''t physical, but magical. An anti-life field blocked the only exit from the cells, which could only be disabled by holding down a switch that was placed within the field itself. The only way to do so was to wear a specifically enchanted bracer which would protect the user, and from what Lyota had heard the bracer was secured more tightly than any set of keys. The fort commander herself kept it locked away in the most secure part of the prison, when she was not wearing it herself.
The succubus answers the question with a smile. "Oh, simple - Marvyp here and I slaughtered every guard in the fort, slew the commander in dramatic single combat, and we''re now free to stroll out at our leisure." Lyota needs no special senses to detect the lie, and after seeing her unimpressed look the succubus sighs and tries again. "We brought along a specialist. We''ll be out of here and hours away before anyone even knows we were here at all. I''m an Illusion Mage, I''ll get us out of here quietly enough, no worries about that."
Marvyp pops the cell open with his shapeshifted limb, but Lyota feels the need to ask one more question as she makes her exit. "Why go through the risk, though? I have no particular value - do I?"
The slime shrugs. "That''s between you and the Dragonlord. We just follow the orders. Now, get your winged butt moving, will you?" Lyota needs no further prodding and soon starts following the other two down the hall. As they make the turn towards the final exit, the team''s final member soon becomes obvious, or at least somewhat so. A cloaked figure stands at the anti-life field shut-off switch, holding it down, but to Lyota''s surprise the man''s arm seems to be armored with a standard gauntlet rather than the enchanted item that would allow someone to reach the switch and survive.
As she gets close enough to see under the man''s cloaked hood however, that mystery is soon explained. Although the figure appears to be wearing a heavy suit of armor, as she looks under the cloak the demon realizes that there''s no body within the metal shell at all. Instead it seems to be guided by nothing more than a skull, floating in place above the armor''s neck, its eye sockets lit up by blue flames. "I - who or what are you?"
The skull grins, somehow. "Well, the Dragonlord told me they had a rescue job that required someone with guts, a fellow with massive balls, a soldier with serious backbone! I told em, I ain''t got any of those, but I''d give it a shot anyhow!" The skull leans in as it finishes its introduction.
"You can call me Dave."
Chapter 232: Preparations (Arc 7: The Masters)
DAY 363
In some ways, Xenia was almost disappointed that she never felt physically tired anymore. Sure, being tired mostly sucked, but sometimes it served as proof of hard work well done. And Xenia had been working hard this week. On one hand, it was perhaps a little unfair that she had to throw what was essentially her own birthday party...but as the dungeon master, there was really no one else who could do it. It wasn''t just a party for her anyhow, but a literal public event, or at least partially so, and so she needed things to go off well.
It wouldn''t be the first public event the dungeon had thrown since the dungeon had opened its Floor Five inn and lounge. Two major spring festivals had come and gone - one of them marking the anniversary of the coronation of the current king, which was a minor event in Xenia''s eyes but worth the excuse of putting on a small party in the inn for. The other had been much larger, as it was the traditional spring fertility festival. Such an event would also be relatively minor in some locales, but it was one of two massive annual events for the Church of Bounty, the other being the fall harvest festival. While the church had put on some festivities in Grassbrook for those locals not interested in the dungeon, they had reserved most of their efforts towards celebrating in the dungeon blessed by Kahlia herself. The shrine had been packed full for hours, free drinks and fertility potions were on offer in the inn, and the lounge had been...well, Xenia wouldn''t be telling Alizz about everything that had gone on in the lounge that particular evening.
Xenia had passed out three more congratulatory cards the next morning alone.
There''d also been a number of private dungeon parties, as a few guardians and dungeon friends had springtime birthdays. Part of Xenia wanted to make those public events as well, but after some discussion it was felt that it might be pushing things a bit far. Most of the Challengers were okay with sharing the occasional drink in the inn with the dungeon''s floor bosses, but not all of them. There was a rather sizable minority even who tended to avoid the monsters when they came around. Asking the Challengers to celebrate the bosses who had slain many of their acquaintances would probably be a step too far for some.
The coming anniversary however would be both a private and a public event. According to Guy and the best guesses of the Association, the one year mark was one of the major milestones for a young dungeon, and like with the Day Two Hundred celebration Xenia wanted to throw a party to mark the occasion. The nitty-gritty details of dungeon unlocks was not a topic suitable for the general public though, and so a separate public event would be held the day after. It would be slightly bothersome as it could potentially interfere with Xenia''s ability to actually apply any new upgrades she received, but at least the Challengers would be all in one place rather than running through all of her floors.
And what a place it would be, too. Xenia had already carved out additional space in case it was required, enough to triple the capacity of the inn and double the size of the lounge. While the lounge was still being restricted to people who had cleared Floor Four, a general invite had been sent to all of the people of Grassbrook to enjoy themselves in the inn, if they so desired. Of course, many people wouldn''t be interested in the hike through a forest and up and down a mountain just for a few free drinks, and many of the locals were perhaps a bit hesitant to even try stepping foot within a dungeon, even if it was already the pride of the town by this point. Still, Xenia was expecting a crowd of over a hundred people at least, and was prepared for several times more than that.
Leading to the incredible amounts of effort she had been putting into the event. Carving out the additional space had been the easy part - Xenia had the ability to copy and paste rooms more or less, and had only done a few minor tweaks from there. The food, though...gods, the food. Drinks were simple enough, as Xenia had long since discovered she could create magical beer taps the same way she could create water ones. A simple overhead cost on her mana cap allowed her to produce pretty much as much booze as she wanted, with the only limitation being that if someone tried to bottle it up and walk out with it, it would evaporate almost immediately upon stepping outside. Food taps were, unfortunately, not a thing. Every meal that someone ordered from the inn had to be mana-infused into being a ''loot item'' in order to be actually edible, which meant that virtually the entire menu for hundreds of people had to be created by Xenia herself. Cheese, meat, bread, stews, sandwiches, sweets, and more. She''d even resorted to inventing an oven through the use of trap enchantments so that base ingredients could be turned into meal items that her tier unlocks still didn''t allow her to spawn directly. From there, everything went into the dungeon''s inventory where it would remain fresh - and hot, or cold - until the moment it was served.
Then there were the game and reward items...but those would come later. For now, Xenia needed a mental break if not a physical one, and the dungeon master found herself sitting in the dungeon''s open doorway, watching the stars come out even as her two first companions watch her. The view of Grassbrook itself was mostly blocked from where her current avatar was seated, but her dungeon senses pushed a little further than that, allowing her to see the lights in the town come on as darkness falls. "Y''know, Doorman, Guy, it occurs to me that there''s another first for me, down there."
The sapient door raises a wooden eyebrow. "Oh? And what''s that?"
"I''ve had people gather around me for a lot of different reasons in my time. I was a guild mistress for an adventurer''s guild once, that was a big one. Had a heroic party or two. Been a soldier a few times, and even had enough rank to have some troops under my command, though I''ve sure never been a general or anything like that. But I''ve never had anyone build a whole damn town in my honor before. How big would you say it is now? Started with maybe a hundred or so people, now it''s probably over four hundred? And growing faster all the time."
Guy chuckles amiably. "Oh, this is nothing yet. A few decades and this could well become an entire city in its own right."
Xenia shakes her head, unable to really believe it. "Just for a dungeon? I mean, I get it, we''re pretty great. But I don''t see myself as being able to support the like, economic needs of tens of thousands of people and all that, y''know?"
Doorman smiles. "Oh, I don''t know. Did you know that the most popular place for Challengers to review their loot is out here on the mountain, not far from where you sit?"
The dungeon master reviews her memories. "I''ve noticed people spending some time out here after a run before they come back into the inn, but I figured they were mostly just catching some fresh air and healing up or stuff like that. What''s the loot have to do with it, though?"
"Well, I suppose it''s a bit of eavesdropping, but I often overhear their reviews and excitement over what it is they find. Of course I''m sure much of that happens down within the dungeon as well, when they first recover their prizes, but it seems most Challengers prefer to analyze their findings in a...rather safer environment, I suppose."
Xenia snorts. "Or they don''t want to offend me by saying how shit something is where I can hear it. I have noticed people not saying a few things when they hang out in the inn, unless they get really drunk."
The door continues. "Well, there''s an occasional bit of that I suppose, but for the most part they seem quite pleased. And you know, over the months I''ve gotten a bit of an idea for the, ah...local economics of dungeon loot? An amateur''s view, at least."
Even the hovering guide seems intrigued by where Doorman may be going with this, now. "Oh? While I may know how much mana an item costs, monetary value is not something within my records. What do you hear?"
"The lucky rabbit''s feet charms are, perhaps, a local staple. It seems that the value of them within Grassbrook itself is rather low, given how many of them there are here - we consistently reward them on Floor One to virtually everyone, while the other floors are much more varied, from my understanding. Not to mention they can''t actually be used in the dungeon itself these days."
Xenia nods. "It''s sort of our brand now, I think, so yeah, we''ve been sticking with handing them out. They''re not worth anything now, though?"
"Oh, not locally - but they''re still very highly valued everywhere else, to the point where it''s worth shipping them out to be sold elsewhere. From what I''ve gathered, a single luck charm will earn a Challenger the equivalent of a month''s earnings for an average peasant."
Both the dungeon master and guide pause at that to do a bit of mental math, and Guy comes up with an analysis first. "For those parties who exclusively do Floor One, each Challenger is thus earning a year''s wages in...about three weeks, give or take? Not including the minor currency or potion rewards we often include there as well. Of course, most parties who stay here that long do deeper floors, and thus earn rewards that are worth quite a bit more, or so I would expect."
"Aye." Doorman nods. "Now, a peasant''s wages still aren''t much to a Challenger, who has to pay Association fees, equipment maintenance and all that. But my impression is that most of our regulars manage to earn a respectable annual wage within about a month or so of effort."
Xenia nods along, but it eventually transitions into a shrug. "Good for them, but a few magical items still isn''t enough to support tens of thousands of people, yeah?"
Guy bobs back and forth. "I think I can imagine how it plays out. The flood of money draws in people who specifically provide services to Challengers. Craftsmen, healers, trainers, innskeepers, and so on. But those people will also need additional services of their own. An expanded trade network to bring materials in. A banking system to secure all of the physical currency and other investments. Noble estates, as we''ve seen. Eventually other local resources that weren''t worth exploiting before, like more farming, fishing, or forestry products, are now worth investing in. After all, food grown locally is far cheaper than having to import it all, not to mention the lumber and stone for construction. And from there it just keeps growing and growing...I''ve been aware that older dungeons often have cities around them or nearby, although I''ve never put much thought into the exact process of it."
"Damn..." The dungeon master thinks that over for a bit, before eventually scoffing. "As if I didn''t have enough shit to worry about. If I get core-cracked here, not only do I get moved on and all of my people die, but now I gotta worry about a whole economy crashing at the same time."
The riddle door frowns at that. "That''s hardly on you if such a thing happens. Obviously the villains who perpetrate the act would be at fault! Not that I imagine such a thing is even much of a concern, at this point. Even the angriest Challengers I''ve seen never seem to seriously consider going after your core, and if both the Rainlands and the Domain currently see us as useful, it would appear that our position is quite secure. We even have divine protection!"
"Yeah..." Xenia trails off, as she rests her arm on one knee. "I don''t know, though. I mean, people have definitely noticed how weird we are by now. How fast we''re growing, even if I''ve been putting off grabbing a Floor Nine for a while. Having bosses wandering the town, how many divine favors we seem to have...and yet, somehow everything seems to be going really fuckin'' smoothly lately, ain''t it?"
The floating screen tilts. "You sound...displeased by that fact?"
"You know my deal, Guy. I''m cursed to be attracted to danger, remember? And I don''t think I get a free escape cause here I am the danger or any shit like that. It''s gonna go wrong eventually, Guy. It''s just a matter of time."
"Ah, I see the problem." Doorman grins. "You''re thinking too much! Big mistake. I sometimes start doing that too when I watch the stars, it''s a real hazard to watch out for. My recommendation would be to go back inside, and stop thinking for the rest of the evening."
Despite herself, Xenia has to chuckle at the advice. "Okay, yeah, good advice." She groans as she climbs to her feet, despite her inability to actually grow stiff or sore. "C''mon Guy, let''s go watch someone spin around a pole for a while and turn off our brains, yeah? Doctor Doorman''s orders."
"...If you say so, ma''am." With that said the two flash out, and a moment later Doorman swings himself closed, locking up for the night.
And neither he, nor the dungeon''s somewhat distracted senses, notice when a brief flash of blue light goes off in the distant forest.
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CONSOLIDATED INTRUSION SCORE SUMMARY, DAYS 246-363:
ANIMALS SLAIN: 7 (2 BIRDS, 3 WOLVES, 2 PANTHERS)
MORTALS SLAIN: 42 (8 HUMANS, 5 ORCS, 5 DWARVES, 7 ELVES, 5 KOBOLDS, 4 GNOLLS, 3 DRIDERS, 2 MINOTAURS, 2 DEMONS, 1 BEASTKIN)
MORTALS ESCAPED: 897
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
CANINES: C-
FELINES: D
CLOTHING: A-
METAL ARMOR: A
LEATHER ARMOR: A
SHIELDS: A-
WOOD CONSTRUCTS: B-
METAL CONSTRUCTS: B
FOOD AND DRINK: A
SPELL SCROLLS & MAGIC TOMES: C+
PRINTED GOODS: C
FUR CONSTRUCTS: B-
ROPE CONSTRUCTS: B-
UNDEAD (MORTAL): A
UNDEAD (ANIMAL): D+
TORCHES: B-
CURRENCY (RAINLANDS): A-
CURRENCY (VALLEYLANDS): B-
FEATHER ACCESSORIES: D
BONE ACCESSORIES: A-
METAL ACCESSORIES: B
ARROWS/DARTS: B+
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.RANGED WEAPONS: B+
KNIVES: A-
SWORDS: A-
SPEARS: C
STAFFS: B+
WANDS: B+
AXES: B
HAMMERS/MACES: C
POTIONS: A-
POISONS: B
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 27 (12 SOULS DIVERTED FROM DUNGEON COLLECTION, 3 KILLED BEYOND DUNGEON BOUNDS)
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
LIGHT COMBAT SKILLS: BURGLAR (ADVANCED), ASSASSIN (EXPERT), FOREST MARKSMAN (EXPERT)
HEAVY COMBAT SKILLS: PUGILIST (ADVANCED), SPEARMAN (ADVANCED), STALWART GUARDIAN (EXPERT), FIRE FIST (EXPERT), DOOM SHIELD (MASTER)
MAGIC COMBAT SKILLS: WATER MAGE (ADVANCED), BATTLE ELEMENTALIST (EXPERT), ILLUSIONIST (EXPERT)
HOLY COMBAT SKILLS: DARK ACOLYTE (ADVANCED), NATURE''S WATCHER (ADVANCED), PRIEST OF COMBAT (ADVANCED), PRIEST OF WAR (EXPERT), PRIEST OF THE DEEP (EXPERT), MOTHER OF MIDNIGHT (MASTER), BISHOP OF BATTLE (MASTER)
COMBAT SUPPORT SKILLS: SAPPER (ADVANCED), FLEETFOOT BARD (EXPERT)
NONCOMBAT SKILLS: MEDICINE (AMATEUR), DANCING (AMATEUR), DISGUISE (AMATEUR), FISHING (ADVANCED), MINING (ADVANCED), SINGING (ADVANCED)
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: BEASTSLAYER 2
YOU HAVE SLAIN FIFTY ANIMALS. ABILITY TO LURE IN EXTERNAL ANIMALS BOOSTED BY 50%.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: DEATHBRINGER 6
YOU HAVE SLAIN ONE HUNDRED MORTALS. ADDITIONAL FLOOR UNLOCKED.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: LAST LAUGH 3
YOU HAVE SLAIN TEN GNOLLS. GNOLLS RECEIVE A MINOR INTIMIDATION EFFECT UPON DUNGEON ENTRY.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: TREE CUTTER 3
YOU HAVE SLAIN TEN ELVES. ELVES RECEIVE A MINOR INTIMIDATION EFFECT UPON DUNGEON ENTRY.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: MANSLAUGHTER 4
YOU HAVE SLAIN TWENTY-FIVE HUMANS. BOSSES CAN BE GRANTED THE TITLE ''HUMANBANE'' FOR AN ADDITIONAL 25% DAMAGE AGAINST HUMANS.
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FEATURE UNLOCKED: BOSS TITLES
BOSSES CAN BE GRANTED A SINGLE BONUS-APPLYING TITLE. TITLES MAY BE CHANGED ONCE PER DAY.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: ORC CRUSHER 3
YOU HAVE SLAIN TEN ORCS. ORCS RECEIVE A MINOR INTIMIDATION EFFECT UPON DUNGEON ENTRY.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: ARACHNOPHOBIA 2
YOU HAVE SLAIN FIVE DRIDERS. MANA SPELL EFFECTIVENESS ON DRIDERS INCREASED BY 40%.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: TAIL-PULLER 2
YOU HAVE SLAIN FIVE KOBOLDS. MANA SPELL EFFECTIVENESS ON KOBOLDS INCREASED BY 40%.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: BY TOOTH AND CLAW 1
YOU HAVE SLAIN YOUR FIRST BEASTKIN. MANA SPELL EFFECTIVENESS ON BEASTKIN INCREASED BY 25%.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: NECROMANCER 4
YOU HAVE SLAIN AT LEAST TWENTY-FIVE MORTALS WITH UNDEAD MONSTERS. UNDEAD GAIN 10% DAMAGE RESISTANCE.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: FOUL, CRUEL, AND BAD-TEMPERED RODENTS 3
YOU HAVE SLAIN AT LEAST TEN MORTALS WITH LAGOMORPH MONSTERS. LAGOMORPHS MOVE 10% FASTER.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: DIVINE WRATH 2
YOU HAVE SLAIN AT LEAST FIVE MORTALS WITH DIVINE CHAMPIONS. DIVINE CHAMPIONS DEAL 10% MORE DAMAGE.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: DIVINE WRATH 3
YOU HAVE SLAIN AT LEAST TEN MORTALS WITH DIVINE CHAMPIONS. DIVINE CHAMPIONS MOVE 10% FASTER.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE 1
YOU HAVE SCORED YOUR FIRST KILL WITH MIMICS. MIMICS GAIN 10% MORE HEALTH.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: LIKE A BOSS 5
YOU HAVE SLAIN AT LEAST FIFTY MORTALS WITH A BOSS MONSTER. MORTALS CAN VOLUNTARILY TRIGGER ''DEATHMATCH MODE'' BEFORE BOSS COMBAT BEGINS. ANY MORTAL WHO EXITS THE ARENA BEFORE COMBAT IS COMPLETE IS IMMEDIATELY SLAIN, WHILE BOSS REWARDS ARE TRIPLED.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: OUT OF BOUNDS 2
YOU HAVE SLAIN AT LEAST FIVE MORTALS OUTSIDE OF YOUR DUNGEON BOUNDS. MORTALS WILL BECOME AWARE OF YOUR DUNGEON WHEN PASSING WITHIN ONE HUNDRED FEET OF ITS BOUNDS. TRAPS CAN NOW BE PLACED WITHIN TWENTY-FIVE FEET OF THE DUNGEON ENTRANCE.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: NO WAY OUT (NOT) 7
FIVE HUNDRED MORTALS HAVE ESCAPED FROM YOUR DUNGEON ALIVE. MORTALS WHO HAVE SPENT TEN CONTINUOUS DAYS WITHIN THE DUNGEON CAN BE EVICTED AT THE NEXT DAILY RESET.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: NO WAY OUT (NOT) 8
ONE THOUSAND MORTALS HAVE ESCAPED FROM YOUR DUNGEON ALIVE. MORTALS CAN BE DENIED THE ABILITY TO COLLECT REWARDS IF THEIR PREVIOUS INTRUSION WAS WITHIN SIX HOURS.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: SHIELD FORMATION 3
YOU HAVE LEARNED AT LEAST TEN DEFENSIVE MAGIC SPELLS. ''ACCESSIBILITY'' DIFFICULTY ALLOWANCES INCREASED BY ONE LEVEL.
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Chapter 233: A Miserable Road Trip
"We haven''t missed it yet, have we? Tell me we haven''t missed it!" As Slinz skitters down the road, Bank has to roll his eyes at his drider companion.
"Look, we all know how to read a calendar, and the last Association branch we passed confirmed it. The party isn''t until tomorrow, and we''ll be in Grassbrook today. Save your energy!"
Unable to comply, Slinz clenches her fists. "I''m just so excited! I feel like we''ve been missing out, you know? All these expansions we''ve been hearing about while we were training up north, all these newbies bragging about their exploits - we were earning ranks in Worthy Dungeon before it was cool, you know?"
Nalaney sighs from where she''s taking up the rear with her brother, their half-dwarf legs making it harder to keep up with the excitable Mage. "Admit it, Slinz - you just want to get back to a dungeon where we can kick some ass without having to wear half our own body weight in luck charms to keep from losing a limb. Gods, it was such a pain to get the Association to accept we needed the gear as a handicap. Hrmm...you think the dungeon might have some stronger tier items by now? It''d be good if we could dump a bunch of low-tier charms for one good ring or something like that."
Beside her, Nalaff smirks. "Could be, could be - but we might have to do the dungeon a service in return, from what I hear." The smirk fades as the Priest gets a whap on the back of the head from his sister.
"Come on, you don''t really believe that drivel, do you? The dungeon pays out bonus items for sleeping with a monster? Even for the standards of this place, that has to be Challenger rumor bullshit. An'' why are you lookin'' so pleased about it, anyhow? Don''t tell me you want to spend an evening with a dungeon monster? Granted, that''s probably the only sort that would take you in for a night."
"Hey, as far as that goes, I know I''ve heard enough rumors about those rabbit-folk monsters to be sure they ain''t exactly disfigured monstrosities. Besides, not like all of us have boyfriends waiting for us in every port of call - I assume Slinz here is hoping that incubus friend of hers is still in town, eh?"
The drider suddenly comes to a halt at that statement, her excited energy immediately draining away. "Uh...yeah. About that..."
Concerned, Bank steps closer. "What is it? It wasn''t a serious relationship, right? And he''s an incubus...I can''t imagine you''d be worried about him, I don''t know...cheating on you, or something?"
"Gods, I wish that was the problem." Moving forward again, Slinz continues with a frown. "You uh...remember that story a few months back, about Domain spies getting a few nobles killed?"
Nalaff speaks for the party with a very cautious "...Yyyyeeess?"
"...Lionel was, uh. Part of that party. From what I can tell he wasn''t killed or captured, but he was almost certainly part of it."
The team''s Rogue slaps her forehead. "You hooked up with a Domain spy!? How has this not come up before now!?"
"What use would it have been to bring it up!? It''s not like we helped him with spying or anything, and I don''t want anyone to think I''m involved with that, you know?"
Bank gives her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Hey, we all spent the day with him, didn''t we? And I''ll admit, he seemed pleasant enough. Besides, what are we going to do? Assume every demon we meet is a spy? Aside from there being a fair few demonic citizens of the Rainlands and Valleylands, you know the Association rules. Neutrality, everyone in the Association works together."
"Yeah...I guess I could have paid more attention though, I don''t know." Her voice trails off for a bit, before she suddenly speaks up once again. "Uh, hey! Who''s that up there? They seem...purple?"
Sure enough, standing next to the road is a traveler who''s shorter than the half-grown field of wheat she''s standing next to, her small size and dark-colored skin making her hard to spot from a distance. Her coloring is very definitely purple, with signs of pointed ears sticking out from her black hair, yet none of those clues make her any easier to identify. For her part the woman seems to be looking a little lost, suddenly perking up when she spots the approaching party. With a hand and her voice raised, she shouts out. "Hey there! Mind if I ask you a few questions?"
Before they can come into speaking range, Nalaney lowers her voice and asks a few of her own. "Shit, is that a gremlin? I''ve never seen one before. But a gremlin combined with Slinz''s natural bad luck could make us, like...spontaneously explode or something, don''t you think?"
Her brother shakes his head. "Aren''t gremlins supposed to be green? Shouldn''t matter, though - we all got our luck charms on, right? That should be plenty unless she actively tries some shit..."
Sighing, Bank takes the lead. "Let''s at least be friendly and see what she wants, aye?" Raising his own voice, he waves in response. "Hail! Certainly, we''d be glad to help. No troubles around here, I hope?"
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
As the group approaches, the woman answers. "Oh, nothing dangerous, if that''s what you mean. Just, uh...a little lost, hehe! Tell me, is there anything interesting around these parts?"
The party shares a look, and Nalaney whispers again. "The hells? Who just gets lost all the way out in the middle of nowhere like this? Something''s up."
"Hrmm, we''ll see..." Speaking up again, Bank offers the small woman a smile. She''s not much more than three and a half feet tall, but not nearly as squat-proportioned as the half-dwarf Greengrass twins, instead having the proportions of a simple young human woman who happened to be very tiny. If she is some sort of highwayman, at least she can''t be too dangerous, the man hopes. "Nothing much in this particular spot, no, just some farms and the forest. We''re taking the road south to Grassbrook though...mind if I ask where it is you''re headed?"
To his surprise, the woman doesn''t answer straight away. Instead her eyes seem locked on Slinz, as if she hadn''t really noticed the Mage until the group had gotten closer. Her eyes certainly seem unusually large for her size now that Bank sees them, and they seem to grow increasingly wider as Slinz comes closer. "Um...are you alright, miss?"
"Um." She lowers her voice into a stage whisper. "Don''t look now, but there''s a giant spider standing right to your left."
Most of the party smirks at that, although Slinz''s expression is largely one of confusion. "Do you...do you not know what a drider is? We don''t have any local communities, but surely everyone''s heard of us? ...Mind telling us what and who you are, while we''re at it?"
"Drider, huh? Like some sort of...spider centaur? Weird. But uh, sure! My name''s Tizzy Barrelbottom, and I''m a half-imp! Pleased to meet you, and who might you be?"
Before answering, Nalaff has a question of his own. "Imp, huh, not a gremlin? That''s still a sort of demon though, I assume?"
The woman''s head tilts. "Hrmm? An imp''s an imp! Guessing you don''t have any lil purple folks around here, huh?"
Bank takes over for the introductions. "Can''t say that we do, no. We''re the Miserables, by the way, we''re a Challenger party, just graduated to Expert level actually. All fresh level twenties, heh. I''m Bank, Vanguard Charger, this is Slinz, Solar Arcanist, and the twins there are Nalaff and Nalaney, a Thunder Priest and Backstabber Rogue. Oh, and half-elf, if you couldn''t tell."
If anything, all of that only serves to make the woman more confused. "Challenger party? Miserable ones, too? You seem like you''re doing alright, whatever it is you do."
"Ah, heh, the name just refers to a...streak of bad luck we''ve had in the past. But you''re not familiar with Challengers either? I thought even most of the Old Continents had Association branches on them? Just where is it you''re from, Miss Barrelbottom?"
The woman blinks at him. "...Very far away?"
"...Right." Bank looks at his companions, and gets a round of shrugs in return. "...Well, I wouldn''t mind answering some questions, but we don''t want to be delayed too much on our trip. We''re hoping to be in Grassbrook in time for the dungeon''s party tomorrow, but you''re welcome to walk with us if you need company?"
Instead of nodding, Tizzy grabs the sides of her head and cries. "Ahhh! You''re miserable people going to have a party in a dungeon? Is this some sort of Reverse Realm where good is bad and up is down? Heavens, am...am I tall here?"
There''s a solid five seconds of silence before Slinz answers. "...No, you''re still short. And the Kingdom of the Rainlands is...pretty normal, I think? It''s just the dungeon that''s weird, I suppose. And maybe us, a little bit." She stares at the imp for a little longer before sighing. "Look, do you want to come with us or not? We can''t just stand out here in the road all day."
"I''ll come, I''ll come!" With that said the group begins moving, but it doesn''t take long before she asks her next question. "...Ooooooohhhhh, wait, I get it now. This is one of those sex dungeon parties, right? I''ve heard about those! Kinky."
Nalaney snorts. "It''s not a..." Glancing at her brother, the Rogue realizes her denial may not have much substance to it. "...Okay, it''s sort of a sex dungeon. Apparently. But no, it''s a normal sort of dungeon, mostly. With monsters and traps and stuff that try to kill you. We''re Challengers, which means we challenge the dungeon and earn loot and rewards, and Association credit towards our next training programs. We''re Experts now, which is the mid-tier...but Expert is where it starts getting tougher to advance, so we couldn''t really claim to be halfway through the ranks yet at this stage. What is it you do?"
"Oh, I''m a bit of a mage, a bit of a scout. My main specialty is in studying different systems of magic, and to help build bridges between schools learned in different places where magic works differently. I can tell the magic here is real strong - all of you are spell-casters, aren''t you? But it''s still a bit different than what I''m used to."
Slinz frowns. "Magic works differently in different places? I know the Association has some pretty different classes available in different cultures, but I didn''t think the underlying rules really changed or anything like that."
"Oh, you''d be surprised! It''ll take some time, but ideally I''ll be able to design up some enchantments that can help a mage used to one system work their spells in another. I''d love being able to watch you cast some of your spells, by the way!"
"Well...maybe I can cast a few minor ones, while we walk. You sound like you''re a bit of an expert yourself...you''re not part of the Association, though? If you want to challenge the dungeon, you don''t have to be, but you don''t earn any Association level credit if you aren''t. Plus a lot of Challengers will be pretty hesitant to go into the dungeon with you if you''re not a member. And I''d definitely recommend not going in there alone."
"Oh, I do have friends who will be swinging by sooner or later, though I''m not sure if we''d be interested in this dungeon business or not. Loot is nice, but not really what we''re here for."
Bank gives her a smile. "Well, you should at least come to the party tomorrow, I don''t think you need to have cleared any floors for that. Maybe after you see the place, you''ll be a lot more interested. Worthy Dungeon is a very...unique sort of place, let''s say that."
The man almost stumbles over the shorter woman when she suddenly comes to a halt. Her eyes wide once again, she locks gazes with the Vanguard as she asks him a question in an intense tone of voice. "...What did you just say the name of the place was?"
"...Worthy Dungeon?" As he watches her face, Bank would almost swear the imp seems...hungry.
"...Yeah, I think I''ll want to check out this party, alright..."
Chapter 234: Kicking Things Off
"Alright! It''s seven o''clock and the dungeon''s been declared officially closed, on pain of suffering every dirty trick I can imagine for anyone who decides to sneak in anyways. That means it''s time for this party to get started!" There''s cheers around the inn as Xenia makes her announcement, followed by a second, smaller round of cheering as Emma translates for the handful of mortal guests. Although it appears quite similar to the now-famous Worthy Inn, the space currently being occupied by the dungeon''s guardians and friends is being broken in for the first time, having been added on as a party room expansion for the occasion. The grassy fields on Floor Four were nice for entertaining in, if perhaps a bit lacking in actual sunlight, but there was still something special about sharing drinks and food in a cozy tavern.
Along with the dungeon''s floor bosses and a handful of minions, there were a few groups of mortals walking around. The three main members of the Church of Bounty''s local branch were present, with Mother Hammerdown currently sharing a table with Deylia and her two shrine-tending acolytes. The Association''s primary inspection team were also present, including the relatively new Renter Forst, who had been brought in on more of the dungeon''s secrets over the previous months. Laeniel was present and drinking with her husband, and a number of elementals had been invited as well. Zappy had been included in the invitees, but hadn''t wanted to come to a party without Tinsel, and Xenia wasn''t quite ready to let the Valleylands army in on some of the things that could be getting discussed tonight.
When it comes to deciding who to talk to first however, Xenia decides to start with the hardest task first. Finding Valkyrie Brightsky standing alongside one of the empty walls, the dungeon master makes a cautious approach. "Welcome to your first major dungeon event, yeah? I know you skipped out on the fertility festival one, glad you came by tonight, though."
For once the green-skinned elf isn''t wearing the least bit of armor, and is instead wearing...well, perhaps not an outright dress, but likely the most casual-looking robe the woman owns. As she answers, she raises an eyebrow in Xenia''s direction. "You are? I wouldn''t have thought my presence would be among your priorities."
"Hey, I wasn''t just inviting you to the last few just to be polite, you know?" Doing her best, Xenia puts on a smile. "I really am glad to see you settling in a bit more. Even if you are mostly just here to hang out with Sable and her Lilly. I''ve, ah...noticed you being a bit more sociable after your last few date nights with those two."
Opal frowns at the suggestion. "While I am aware you cannot easily turn off your perceptions, I''d appreciate at least the pretense of privacy when it comes to my...affairs. And I''d hardly call them ''date nights''."
Xenia quickly raises her hands in mock surrender. "Hey, I ain''t even talking about what you get up to behind closed doors. Anyone would be able to see it - you''ve actually started smiling sometimes, when you think no one is looking."
The frown remains. "...I am allowed to smile, if the mood suits me."
"Allowed and encouraged, even. But hey, I''ll ease up on the personal chat, so allow me to talk for a min in my role as dungeon master, then?" Clearing her throat, Xenia continues in a more official tone of voice. "Valkyrie Brightsky, you''ve been doing a great job on Floor Seven. Even with the Challengers adapting to your encounter, you''ve got over ten kills to your name now, including two Masters! You''ve also pretty much single-handedly kept the Advanced from trying to push past Floor Six, which is helping to keep traffic away from the core chamber. I''m glad to have you on our team."
It actually seems to take Opal a few moments to figure out how to respond to the series of compliments, and she eventually appears to go with humility. "If anything, I feel that I''ve been under-performing. After my first battle, I expected to have similar results on all of my encounters, if not better. Instead, I have been slain myself over twenty times since I began my assignment here. Twice as many as I''ve slain in return! I don''t believe I''ve been performing to my own expectations."
Xenia briefly considers patting Opal on the shoulder, but ultimately goes with a simple shake of the head instead. "I think you need some perspective on who it is you''re fighting. As I''ve said, Advanced Challengers have stopped coming your way entirely. If we compare the tiers to, like, a soldier you might be used to back home? An Expert is like a twenty-year vet and a Master would be an army''s champion. And you''re fighting inside a limited arena, while the Challengers know what to expect and you usually don''t unless they''re repeat visitors. Trust me, Lollyp might have the highest killcount still, but even going all-out she''d be damned lucky to take down a Master."
"I...suppose that is true. Thank you for the...perspective."
"Anytime." Smiling, Xenia shifts the topic once again. "Speaking of champions, we''re up to an even dozen now of souls sent Theolif''s way. Have you heard any updates about how that''s been working out?"
This topic at least does seem to bring a slight smile to the Valkyrie''s lips. "I have, actually. It took some time to have the remaining mortal priests adapt to the changes in the summoning ritual. After all, the free lands are not the mighty kingdoms they were in your day, the number of those who can perform the ritual is much diminished. The first wave of champions has already been summoned forth, however. It will still likely be limited to twice a year - the summer and winter equinoxes - but it will now be possible to bring forth multiple heroes at once, if the souls have been collected. Seven have been resurrected in the first wave, and all have been willing volunteers to help aid in the struggle."
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"Good, good." The reincarnator trails off in thought for a moment. "Now that we''ve got confirmation that it all works, I''ve been wondering if we should let the Challengers know somehow...I don''t see an easy option, though. I don''t want folks knowing that much about my past, and I don''t know that there''d be many, or any, volunteers for that particular process. There''s some upsides to becoming a dungeon boss, if you''re in a particularly bad spot, but getting sent to another dimension to fight someone else''s war might not be super appealing. Though it could be more appealing than thinking that dying here is dying for good, I guess."
Opal shakes her head at that suggestion. "Quantity is good but quality is still better, and as a Valkyrie it is my duty to choose those who fight with everything they have, to their last dying breath. I don''t wish to fight those who allow themselves to be sloppy, thinking that a loss would be as acceptable as a victory. Nor do I wish to receive ''volunteers'' for a new life as you do. It is indeed not the same process - you can recreate a person entirely, from their body to their entire skillset, if you so wish it. Meanwhile the heroic summoning ritual can recreate their original body easily enough, but if we had to grant new or more powerful forms the entire advantage of receiving ''cheap'' summons would be lost. I cannot take old veterans who can no longer swing a sword, or unskilled pups who think it could be a path to power or riches."
"Kind of a relief to hear, actually, I didn''t want us to start having two reasons for suicidal warriors to come charging in here." Xenia pauses for a moment, considering if there''s another topic for her to move to, but she eventually decides to declare the conversation a victory and move on. "Anyhow, enjoy the party, yeah? Though don''t go letting Sable drag you off to a side room too early, don''t want anyone missing the big announcements!" As the Valkyrie sputters out a denial, the dungeon master makes her exit.
There''s a few more brief conversations to be had as she travels around the new tavern space, but ultimately Xenia works her way towards her other newest hire. With a wide smile on her face, she greets the boisterous Bill of the Blue Hair. "Hey, man, nice to see you swinging by again! I wasn''t sure if you''d be interested in tonight''s party, or tomorrow''s public event."
The giant man affects a dismayed expression. "What? Y''mean I''m not invited to both parties? Harsh, chica, you know a crazy house party is like, my only form of payment for this gig."
Xenia snorts, unimpressed. "Yeah, parties, free booze - and I know you know how much money all those lap dances woulda cost you on your last visit if people actually paid for those here. Though actually I was wondering about you coming to tomorrow''s event. I know you''ve been spotted in the lounge once or twice, but...well, tomorrow''s thing is gonna be big, you know? Like, folks who ain''t ever even stepped foot into a dungeon before are gonna be swinging by. Worried about making a big public appearance like that?"
Bill shrugs as he drinks from his mug. "Not like I''m gonna run into any ex-girlfriends out there or something. I mean...well, probably not. Not that many elves and demons around here, right?" He thinks that over for a bit before shrugging again. "But nah, not like people can ask anything of me more than an autograph, y''know? Why, were you worried about something?"
The dungeon master frowns slightly. "Well, there was one thing. Folks have pegged Brightsky as being a divine champion, and I don''t think there''s going to be any denying that you''re one, too. Just worried about if folks try to start adding up how many ''divine favors'' we''ve supposedly claimed to have earned already. Not really sure what sort of cover story we could come up with, though."
As usual, the former champion is unworried. "The Big Lady told me about how you were using her as a cover for some of your bogus curses or whatever, yeah? Look, I get ya being worried about that sort of shit back when you were getting started. But now what do you have to get all stressed about?" He waves his hands around, as if the presence of the inn were evidence of his point. "From what I hear, that pain-in-the-ass Dragonlord''s already gotcha figured out. The Rainlands nobility either loves ya, or is at least, like, super-invested in you staying up and running at this point, right? And the Valleylands have practically given up their claim on this mountain, which means...who gives a fuck what the Valleylands thinks of you? Be all mysterious and shit if you wanna be, a little mystery makes a lady hot."
Xenia nods along at most of his advice, but has to smirk at his final addition. "Hot, huh? Saying you got a thing for me, Billy boy?"
The man''s expression suddenly turns serious, and he puts a hand on Xenia''s shoulder as he looks her in the eye. "Mm, hey, look. Xenia. I know I got this reputation, right? Total lady-killer, can''t keep it in his pants, screws everything that moves, right? I''m sure you''ve heard a few stories about me."
Raising a curious eyebrow at the sudden shift in tone, Xenia nods. "I''ve heard a few, yeah. I mean...you''re a Paragon of Kahlia. That alone says a lot, you know?"
"Yeah." Bill nods, and continues. "It is all absolutely, positively, one hundred percent true. I think you are totally banging, and I know you''re busy runnin'' this sweet party and all right now, but after it''s all over I''d love to take you into one of those rental rooms of yours and give you a totally divine screwing. Literally, I have a holy wang now, and you do not know what that''s like until you''ve tried it. No pressure or nothin'', but offer''s on the table, yeah?"
Xenia blinks at that for a bit, trying to correlate the man''s incredibly serious expression with the words that just came out of his mouth. "...I''ll have to think on that and let you know, yeah?"
The man removes his hand from her shoulder. "Sure, like I said, no pressure - although y''never know, some other babe might come along and swoop me up before then, hahaha!" After a round of loud laughter, he suddenly turns serious once again. "Oh, I did wanna ask one favor, though?"
"...Yeah?"
"That one rabbit-guy of yours, you gave him Bard skills and have had him performing in your inn, right? And you could probably do the same for some of your other minions? Make backup singers an'' shit like that?"
"...Yeah?"
"Y''think I could play a gig at tomorrow''s big event?"
"...We''ll see."
Chapter 235: A Worthy Year
After noticing that Sincere had been shooting glances in her direction during her conversation with the champion Bill, Xenia makes her way towards his table next. Although the man was a bit of a nerd and a shut-in, he wasn''t nearly the wallflower at these sorts of events that Brightsky was. In fact, the demon had somehow managed to start turning Xenia''s parties into book clubs - Alizz or Mother Hammerdown would often come by, bringing the man some new tomes they had come across, and in exchange Sincere would trade them some of his own. Occasionally those were books made by Xenia at his request, collated from the skills and knowledge she''d absorbed from various Challengers, but as often as not the man traded away his own writings. Xenia wasn''t sure if they were actually getting published beyond the dungeon, but the other members of the club seemed pleased enough with the copies they had received.
At the moment however the man is sitting alone as Xenia slides into a spot at his table. "Heya, Sin-man, something up? Looked like you wanted my attention?"
"Ah?" The man chuckles, looking a little embarrassed. "Oh, I''m afraid it was actually Bill I was watching. I''ve heard much of the man, you know. It''s still quite a thing, trying to match up the legends with the man himself. You know, despite his bizarre size, I''m fairly certain this is in fact what he actually looked like at his peak and not some sort of divine perk, from what stories I''ve heard told."
"Definitely a little curious what or whose blessing got him that bonus, yeah. But why are you watching from over here?" Xenia leans forward. "Why not just go up and say hi?"
The demon hesitates to answer. "Well...there was one concern I''ve had on my mind..."
Smirking at his apparent shyness, his boss decides to strike with a tease. "What? Worried how it''s going to come up that you''ve slept with his grandkid? Honestly, I don''t think he''s the kinda guy to worry about that sort of thing. I mean, you know as well as I do how much time Opal''s been spending with Sable lately - and that was his idea."
Sincere sips from his drink. "Well...not just his granddaughter..."
Xenia''s eyes go wide. "Don''t tell me you''ve banged his wife at some point? ...Or, you know, one of his wives..."
That guess does manage to make the man laugh. "Oh, if only I could be that lucky! His wife Dalore is a relic of the Age of Warlocks like myself, you know, and her exploits are legendary. If perhaps of a very different sort than Bill''s are." As Xenia chuckles along, he continues. "No, no, I did have a months-long affair with his son once, though."
Xenia has to hide her face in her hands as she tries not to laugh. "You are the sluttiest librarian I''ve ever met, Sin-man."
"...I''m not sure if I qualify as a slut or a librarian, to be technical about it. But what I can''t figure out is...do you think the man has an interest in other men?"
Turning her head, Xenia watches as Bill chats up Sely on the other side of the room. She''s really not sure if the man has a chance there or not, but the evidence she''s seen does all point her in one direction. "Sorry, man, I think you might have struck out on this one. Man''s a poonhound through and through."
"Curses. To have gotten to know such a legend...well, I''m sure this dungeon will be home to legends aplenty in time, so no matter." After returning to his drink for a moment, the Mage changes the subject. "Speaking of the future, have you and Guy had any theories as to what ''prizes'' we may be receiving tonight?"
His boss quickly shakes her head. "Not even trying to guess, to be honest. I don''t want to get my hopes up for anything really crazy, you know? Especially since even if I do, somehow it''ll probably turn out even crazier than that. Gonna be as much of a surprise to me as to you, I''d bet."
"Here''s to happy surprises, then." Sincere raises his mug, and Xenia answers it.
"Here''s hoping!"
As she''s moving about, looking for her next companion to chat up, Xenia finds herself ambushed. And by a rather experienced group of ambushers at that, as well. All four of Trush''s squires suddenly come up to her in a group, and the shrine''s two acolytes aren''t far behind them. In fact, as the dungeon master quickly looks around, she noticed more than a few of the event''s barbunny staff seem to be hanging unusually close by as well. Before Xenia can ask about their purpose, Squire Ashadi speaks up in a loud and clear tone of voice. "Hail, Dungeon Master! Might we have a moment of your time?"
Not used to being approached like this by her own monsters, it takes Xenia a moment to nod. "Uh...sure! Is something wrong?"
The long-eared squire shakes her head. "Not at all. We just wanted to get together and say, well...thank you."
"Oh? Well...you''re welcome? What am I being thanked for?"
Grange, one of the archer squires, smirks at her question. "Well, we''ve been spending a fair bit of time chatting with Guy these past few weeks, and it''s become clear to us just how...ah, unusual a dungeon spirit you are. Not that you weren''t always the greatest, in our minds! And certainly we''d be willing to accept any orders you provided us, and happily so. But, well...we feel a little more confident that you are, in fact, the ideal dungeon master."
"Really?" As more smiling rabbit-folk close in on her, Xenia only finds herself more confused. "I didn''t even notice you and Guy having those chats. What exactly have they been telling you?"
Acolyte Fay answers that question. "I imagine your dungeon senses mostly spend their time tracking what the outsiders are doing, rather than us? In any case they''ve only been saying that normally, in most dungeons, monsters like ourselves wouldn''t get so many...what was the term...''fringe benefits''? Such as time available for recreation, or living quarters of our own. Even sharing the ''warrens'' between each other is far more than most monsters apparently get, not that we mind the closeness."
The unusually-praised dungeon master has to nod at that. "Yeah, I have noticed you guys have a lot of fun in there. If the floor bosses knew how much time you bunch spend playing board and card games..." Shaking her head, Xenia tries to refocus. "But really, it''s the least I can do. None of you asked to be, y''know, born into a life of violence and murder and all that. And I still feel weird about how you basically all have to do exactly what I say." Thinking on that, Xenia''s eyes narrow. "Wait, are you just doing this because my subconscious wanted to make me feel good?"
Lin, the shrine''s other acolyte, laughs out loud. "Tell me, dungeon master - when you''re alone with your thoughts, do you often spend your time telling yourself how wonderful you are?"
"...Let''s go with a ''not so much'' and leave it at that, yeah?"
The man nods. "From what confessions I''ve heard, you''d hardly be alone if it''s not the case. So I do not believe you are guiding us into this, no. Whatever freedom we may have as entities of the dungeon - please, just know that we are truly thankful to have been created in your service. And we''re hopeful that this dungeon anniversary party will be followed by many, many more to come."
Xenia is genuinely touched both emotionally and physically as more of the dungeon''s minions come forward to agree, and to clasp hands or shoulders with her. "Wow, thanks - really, thanks, it means a lot to hear that. Is there, well...anything else I could do to make the job better? Don''t wanna get complacent or anything just cause everything''s going well so far."
One of the barbunnies shouts out. "Well, if you wanted to give us a boost into the A-tiers, I wouldn''t complain..."
Another continues. "How about an entire floor with rabbit-folk minions? Then we could really show off - " That speaker is interrupted by one of the squires.
"Hey, it doesn''t need to all be about us! It could be interesting to spend time with folk of a different type, if we could unlock some..."
There''s a few more shouted suggestions, some of which Xenia can consider, and others which are mostly out of her hands. Eventually though she has to settle them down. "Alright, alright, consider it all noted down. Hells, I''ll drop a suggestion box in your rooms if you have more ideas later. But no plans right now, yeah? Who knows what we''ll get tonight."
A bartender agrees. "Whatever you decide, we have faith in you, dungeon master! A round of drinks, in the honor of the greatest dungeon on the New Continent!" There''s a hearty round of ''hear, hear''s from the entire party at that declaration, even from some of the mortal guests who were only vaguely aware of what was going on. After a few rounds Xenia gets them to quiet down once again, and affirms their claims.
"Damn straight we''re the best dungeon. And it''s thanks to all of you, too! So drink up and party down, cause any achievements we get tonight are going to be thanks to you!"
That pronouncement really seemed to get the party spirit going, and as it turns out, dungeon minions aren''t nearly as toxin-resistant as dungeon guardians tend to be. Within an hour drunk rabbit-eared minions were doing their best to be the life of the party at every table, and at one point a group of them banded together in order to literally pick Bill up and carry the man off to a side chamber, as a wistful Sincere watched on. A few of the remainder happened to notice and decided to cheer the demon up by carrying him off to a room of his own, and the departures did manage to quiet things back down for a while.
Fortunately everyone was back before the main event, although there were more than a few amused mutterings about how Bill actually managed to look a little embarrassed on his return for the first time anyone present had ever noticed. Rather than make a point of it though, Xenia instead hops up onto a small stage on one side of the tavern and turns on her avatar spell, allowing guests and minions alike to see and hear her.
"Hey all, it''s almost time! I do wanna give a few more shout-outs before the hour hits though, so listen up! First up, I wanna thank Alizz and the Association team for helping make sure that no one''s wanted to crack our core this year! I know it ain''t been the easiest gig."
As Alizz blushes at the attention, Sely mock-mutters to the crowd. "Know damn well I''ve been tempted to do the deed myself once or twice...but I suppose y''turned out alright."
"Ah, thanks, we love you too. And to my bountiful buddies, thanks for helping us keep things good with both the gods and the devout, and helping us set up the shrine - I''ve done a lot of things before but I never thought I''d be running a church! And you too, Deylia and Brightsky, you''ve been doing great! We''ll make you a high priestess yet, Del!"
The Valkyrie nearly turns into a statue at the sudden compliment, but Mother Elance is much less moved. "We''re doin'' what we can in the service of divine Kahlia and Palain, heavens know - but I still owe you a tossed biscuit, if I''m not mistaken!"
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"And that''s why I stole your bread roll basket before I turned on the avatar!" Grinning, Xenia waves Guy up onto the stage with her. "You about ready for the big moment, Guy?"
"As always, ma''am...and if I may, perhaps a countdown would be appropriate? Ahem - ten!" The hovering screen begins to count down, followed by the rest of the tavern. The mortals among the group are unable to see or hear the floating SGA representative but get the idea quickly enough, and by time the count hits zero the noise can nearly be heard through the stone walls and into the public inn next door. "Zero! And...aha, to no one''s surprise, it seems we have a few achievements processing! One moment, if you would..."
It takes a bit for the first box to appear, but soon enough a few do emerge from the guide, and Xenia begins to read through them.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: SURVIVOR 5
YOU HAVE SURVIVED ONE YEAR. YOU MAY NOW PRESENT YOUR AVATAR FORM TO INTRUDERS FOR UP TO ONE HOUR A MONTH.
NOTE: DUE TO A PREVIOUSLY-ACQUIRED AVATAR SPELL, THIS HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO ALLOW FOR ONE ADDITIONAL HOUR OF AVATAR DURATION EACH WEEK.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: BLOODTHIRSTY 3
YOU HAVE SLAIN AT LEAST ONE HUNDRED MORTALS IN YOUR FIRST YEAR. WHEN A MORTAL DIES IN YOUR DUNGEON, THEIR FINAL MEMORIES MAY BE STORED AND USED AS PART OF FEAR-BASED MAGICAL TRAPS.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: EXPANSIONIST 3
YOU HAVE EXPANDED TO AT LEAST EIGHT FLOORS WITHIN YOUR FIRST YEAR. YOU MAY CREATE ONE ''MIRROR INSTANCE'' OF A DUNGEON FLOOR, ALLOWING MULTIPLE INTRUDER PARTIES TO CHALLENGE IT SIMULTANEOUSLY. ENSOULED BOSSES WILL BE DUPLICATED WITH UNENSOULED COPIES FOR ADDITIONAL INSTANCES.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: GOOD FIRST IMPRESSIONS 4
AT LEAST THREE HUNDRED MORTALS HAVE ESCAPED YOUR BOUNDS WITHIN YOUR FIRST YEAR. BONUS MANA WILL BE AWARDED AT NOON IF NO INTRUDERS HAVE BEEN SLAIN IN THE PREVIOUS TWELVE HOURS.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: GOOD FIRST IMPRESSIONS 5
AT LEAST FIVE HUNDRED MORTALS HAVE ESCAPED YOUR BOUNDS WITHIN YOUR FIRST YEAR. INTRUDERS WHO HAVE BEEN WITHIN YOUR DUNGEON BOUNDS FOR AT LEAST EIGHT CONSECUTIVE DAYS MAY BE EVICTED AT THE NEXT DUNGEON RESET.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: GOOD FIRST IMPRESSIONS 6
AT LEAST ONE THOUSAND MORTALS HAVE ESCAPED YOUR BOUNDS WITHIN YOUR FIRST YEAR. INTRUDERS WHO HAVE CLEARED AT LEAST FIVE FLOORS WITHIN A SINGLE INTRUSION MAY BE GRANTED ADDITIONAL BONUS REWARDS ON EXITING THE DUNGEON.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: BREEDER 2
YOU HAVE CREATED AT LEAST FIFTY MONSTER CROSSBREEDS. CROSSBREEDING ANALYSIS WILL NOW PROCESS 30% MORE QUICKLY.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: RAVAGER 3
YOUR DUNGEON MONSTERS HAVE PERFORMED SEXUAL ACTS UPON MORTALS AT LEAST FIFTY TIMES. BOSS DEFEAT REWARDS WILL NOW OCCASIONALLY INCLUDE CHASTITY-PROTECTING ITEMS.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: RAVAGER 4
YOUR DUNGEON MONSTERS HAVE PERFORMED SEXUAL ACTS UPON MORTALS AT LEAST ONE HUNDRED TIMES. INTRUDERS WHO ARE VIRGINS OR WHO HAVE TAKEN AN OATH OF CHASTITY MAY USE AN EMERGENCY PORTAL TO ESCAPE THE DUNGEON UP TO ONCE A WEEK.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: HIGH CAPACITY 1
YOU HAVE HAD AT LEAST FIFTY SIMULTANEOUS DUNGEON INTRUDERS. ONE ADDITIONAL ''WANDERING BOSS'' SLOT UNLOCKED.
NOTE: WANDERING BOSSES MAY NOT HAVE OVERLAPPING TERRITORIES.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: CAMPERS 1
AT LEAST TWENTY-FIVE MORTALS HAVE SPENT THREE CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITHIN THE DUNGEON WITHOUT EXITING. MORTALS SLEEPING WITHIN THE DUNGEON MAY BE PROVIDED WITH IMPROVED HEALTH AND MANA REGENERATION.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: KNOWLEDGE BASE 1
YOU HAVE ACQUIRED AT LEAST FIFTY DIFFERENT SKILLSETS FROM SLAIN MORTALS. DUNGEON REWARDS CAN NOW BE ENCHANTED TO DIRECTLY IMPLANT SKILLS RANKED AT ''INITIATE'', ''ADVANCED'', ''AMATEUR'', OR ''GENERAL'' TIERS.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: MATERIALIST 1
YOU HAVE ACHIEVED AN S-TIER CONSTRUCT PATTERN WITHIN YOUR FIRST YEAR. YOU HAVE EARNED THREE FREE RANDOM UPGRADES FROM THE SOUL STORE.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: MATERIALIST 2
YOU HAVE ACHIEVED AN SS-TIER CONSTRUCT PATTERN WITHIN YOUR FIRST YEAR. YOU HAVE EARNED THREE FREE RANDOM UPGRADES FROM THE SOUL STORE.
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As she goes through them, Xenia has to smile. "Well...now these are giving me a few ideas..."
Chapter 236: Scoping Out the Scene
As Tizzy Barrelbottom looks around the unusual tavern, she does so with new eyes. Almost literally that is, as her violet irises and purple skin have been replaced by the yellow eyes and green skin of a goblin. She''d been able to pass herself off the day before as simply being a rare demon variant, but she knew her story raised a lot of questions as it was and her cover could use a few improvements. She had learned however that goblins were also a known species of long-eared travelers from distant lands, and even better, they were approximately imp-sized. Which was important, as her illusion spell could fake physicality within certain limits but making herself a few feet taller would have been far beyond them.
For the moment however no one seems to be much suspicious of her origins, rather instead she finds herself constantly invited to join the fresh-started party in one direction or another. The door outside had eagerly welcomed her and a group of other adventurers to enter the inn, and as soon as she''d hopped through the indicated portal ring a woman with patches of fur and long rabbit-like ears had invited her to claim a seat and order a drink. Although it''s relatively early in the evening there''s already no tables left entirely empty, but folks seem to be claiming spare seats wherever they can be found, and that suits the scout just fine. She''s here to chat people up and gain intel, after all, and the fact that she can get free booze while doing so is just a very nice bonus.
She does spot the young Miserables at one table, but given that she doesn''t want to raise any uncomfortable questions about her changed appearance, the newly-minted goblin instead makes her way towards another table of low-level Challengers, judging by their gear. Looking over the group, they seem perfect for her needs - a mixture of backgrounds, displays of outgoing behavior, and already half-drunk. Climbing into a seat, she gives a smile to a gnoll woman in the chair next to her. "Heya, mind if I take this spot? Seems like the place is already filling up pretty quick!"
"Please, sit, sit! Although the staff says more rooms will open up as more arrive, so perhaps we will not be sitting elbow-to-elbow all night, eh? I am Leyiff Ryoll, Archer. You are? Have not met many goblins, no!"
"Tizzy Barrelbottom, Arcane Eye!" The scout gives her introduction with a grin, which stretches wider as the gnoll recognizes the Master-level class title the woman had granted herself. It had taken her some time to decide on a suitable cover identity - she didn''t want to pretend to be a complete newbie to magic, as it would greatly limit what abilities she would be able to display. She had also deduced that it would be important to pretend to be one of these ''Challengers'', as it apparently looked very strange for a highly-trained adventurer to be wandering the land but without having any sort of Challenger Association rank to their name. She''d spent the morning pouring over the freely-available records at the local Association office, and picked out a class of magically-oriented scout for her preferred title. There was of course the minor issue of her not actually having such a rank, but if anyone asked she''d simply claimed that her paperwork was left behind at another office on another continent, and that she''d lost the copy she''d brought on her ''travels''.
"A Master, yes? Listen, all! A Master has graced our table for the night!" That certainly gets the attention of the other members of the gnoll''s party, and Tizzy soon has an orc fellow, an elf woman, and one odd-looking man with a thick beard and horns turning her way. The orc speaks up first, his eyebrows raised.
"A Master and a goblin? You must be one of the most unique people in here tonight, and that''s saying something! What brought you to our humble table, ma''am? I regret that we are but Advanced-rank ourselves, and I imagine our stories will pale in comparison to yours!"
Blushing with false humility, Tizzy gives the orc an ''ah, shucks'' look. "Oh, I ain''t here for bragging and boasting...well, maybe a little, but not too much! I''m here to learn about this here place, and I imagine you''ll be able to help me out just fine with that sort of thing. Ah...for example, I''m mostly familiar with the ethnicities of the New Continent, but I admit, I''m drawing a blank on this fellow here..." She nods towards the horned man, and he grunts.
"Half-minotaur. On my momma''s side. Didn''t get no fur, but my hooves got a hell of a kick to em, heh heh."
"Oh?" Tizzy pauses for a bit, but she seems to need to prod the man a little further. "And the other half is...human?"
"What? No, dwarf, of course. Couldn''t tell?" Tizzy eyes the man again, and while the beard and gruff voice was perhaps a clue...the fact that the man is clearly at least six feet tall is a little hard to correlate with what she knows of local dwarves.
"I, ah...not really, to be honest? Are all dwarves around here so...large?"
The elf gives a light chuckle from behind her hand. "Do dwarves not have the same reputation back on the Old Continents? Certainly, dwarves can produce rather tall children when they set themselves...lofty goals. Although I imagine it helps when the mother is the one of the larger persuasion, though given what I''ve heard about dwarves, perhaps they make things work well enough either way."
"Yeah, yeah, we ain''t here to talk about my daddy''s taste in women, now are we?" The half-minotaur tilts his head, staring at Tizzy through his bushy eyebrows. "Tell me that ain''t what you traveled all this way to hear about."
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"No, no - interesting as that may be." As she shakes her head, Tizzy gestures at the inn around them. "I''m actually here to learn more about this dungeon, at this moment, at least. I hear it''s...unusual."
The elf smiles but makes a sound that''s half-laugh and half-sigh. "Oh gods, where do we start? It''s blessed by Kahlia, obviously, which is a first. Eight floors in its first year, which sounds like a record as far as I know. But I''m not sure which particular trait is the record-holder for weird - the reincarnated bosses, or the, well...you know." The woman leans in, and whispers with a blush. "The sex stuff."
Tizzy listens attentively, but she''s really not sure where even to begin with that statement. "The uh. The sex stuff? What?"
The gnoll next to her laughs in the animalistic way that only gnolls can. "Oh ho ho, she does not know about the sex stuff, no!" Grinning at the scout''s confused expression, the Archer deigns to educate her. "Did you think being blessed by the Goddess of Fertility would have no side effects? Oh, it has corrupted the very concept of a dungeon, yes. For starters, if a woman finds herself with child after a night here, her child will be also be blessed by the goddess and the Church of Bounty!" The woman giggles to herself for a few moments. "I have a cousin who is trying very hard to accomplish this, yes, yes, hehee."
Given that Tizzy doesn''t know much about dungeons at all, at least she doesn''t have much in the way of preconceptions that need shattering. Still, one particular word in that explanation catches her attention. "...For starters? There''s more?"
With the gnoll caught up in a bout of giggles, the orc takes over. "It used to be just a rumor, but the evidence seems to bear it out. They say if you fuck a dungeon monster here, you get bonus rewards the next time you beat a boss. Ain''t tried it myself, but heard a few folks who swear by it, especially from that one weird trio who hung out around here for a good while."
"Fuck a monster? Who''d do that, even for a reward!?" In answer to Tizzy''s exclaimed question, the orc simply gestures towards a group of rabbit-folk working at the bar. Examining them for a moment, a realization dawns in her mind. "Wait, the bar staff here are monsters?"
The man gives a deep laugh. "What, did you think they were rabbitkin? Not enough fur for that! Probably not that many of em on the entire continent, neither. But yeah, most of the staff are monsters, mostly. There''s a couple locals who''ve been hired on, including one elemental dancer - and damn, am I looking forward to earning entry to the Lounge so I can see that in person!"
Tizzy looks around the room again, studying the adventurers she finds with her newly-gained knowledge in mind. "So...people come to Worthy Dungeon to...fuck...monsters? I mean, I get it a little bit now if that''s what they look like, but still..."
The half-minotaur rolls his eyes. "Please, we''re not all perverts. Hells, the Dungeon Fuckers were doing the work of any twenty of the rest of us when it comes to that sort of business. No, this dungeon is deadly serious when it means to be. Even with the place going easy on folks for the first few floors, every other group of newbies who comes in here walks out of Floor Two or Three with less limbs than they walked in with. After that, there''s a wandering boss that''ll ambush you at any moment, and no one''s actually cleared Floor Eight so far. And it''s been months!"
His elven companion sighs, this time without any trace of laughter. "It''s that boss, really. Mimics aren''t so bad if you''re expecting them, or so I hear, but a shapeshifting boss...they''re apparently nearly impossible to entirely plan for. Not that we''re getting anywhere near there anytime soon! Without any Experts on our team, even going past Floor Three would be a bad idea for us." Having said that, the look she''s giving Tizzy shifts. "...Tell me, Master Barrelbottom, do you have a party?"
Before she can answer, the gnoll interrupts her. "Are you crazy, Branwen? You cannot just ask a Master to join our party! No, no! Such a waste of time it would be for her, yes!"
"I - I didn''t ask her, though, did I?"
"But you were leading up to it, yes!" The gnoll turns back to Tizzy. "Forgive her, Master - we would not dream of being so forward!"
Tizzy is about to dismiss the gnoll''s worries, when she has another thought. "...Well, actually...I do have some friends coming, but it might be a little while yet. And maybe it''d be better to try things with a group? After all, you certainly seem to know more about the dungeon than I do."
The table goes silent for a moment at her suggestion, and a quick round of non-verbal communication seems to pass between the others at the table. Eventually, it''s the bearded man who speaks up first. "...If we have a Master on the team, we won''t get much Association credit for the run...not if it''s the first few floors, anyhow."
The orc snorts. "Aye, but we''ll still have the rewards, and what''s a run or two in the scheme of things, eh? Besides, haven''t you ever wanted to see a Master at work? I know I have!"
The elf nods along. "I feel like we could learn a lot!" Refocusing on Tizzy, she turns on her brightest smile. "The Red Talons would be happy to have you along for a run or two! Oh, that''s our party name, by the way."
The bearded man grunts. "Right, if we''re doing this, suppose we ought to introduce ourselves properly. You know Yiffy there''s our Archer, and the elf lass is Branwen, she''s...also our Archer. Well, one''s an Alpine and one''s a Woodlands, though damned if I can see a difference in how they shoot their damned bows."
Branwen gives a haughty sniff. "You''d notice the difference if we did more outdoors-based dungeons, you know. The grump here by the way is Metz Longflanks, he''s a Vanguard, though he fights more with a hammer than a shield. And the green fellow at my side here is Hurlash of Niad''osh, a Green Mage. Ah, not because he is green, though! Being green is a pleasant color, of course, but I mean..."
As she trails off into awkwardness, Hurlash takes mercy on her. "It''s fine, at least you''re a better shot with your arrows than with your words! So, Arcane Eye - you really up for slumming it with the likes of us for a run or two?"
"Sure, sure!" Tizzy nods, but her attention is pulled away by a stir elsewhere in the tavern. "But - perhaps tonight we can focus on the party, hmm? Seems like it''s just getting started..."
Chapter 237: Fabulous Prizes
There had been a bit of a minor competition for who would get to be the master of ceremonies for the big public event. Xenia had taken herself off of the list - even if she was willing to burn avatar time in order to be visible, she was a little hesitant to actually show herself in front of so many strangers. That also crossed off Em wearing Xenia''s face, although the reflection had still argued that their position as bar manager meant they were officially in charge of any events occurring within the bar. DEATH had volunteered for the role and gotten a bit of support, but the suggestion fell apart due to the fact that the vast majority of people didn''t speak demonic. Xenia had granted him the ability to speak in other languages, but in any other tongue the man just didn''t sound...DEATH-like, and branding took precedence over convenience.
There''d even been talk of having a mortal help out with the job, but there weren''t many good options there. The mortals who had spent the most time in the dungeon, the Dungeon Fuckers, had actually left a few weeks previously in order to finally get their long-delayed Master class ranks. Kelsey had been asked but Alizz had turned it down on his behalf, on the basis that it wasn''t the place of the Association to be representing dungeons in such a direct way. Paladin Sable, who was normally quite bold when it came to showing off her physical assets and skills, turned out to actually be rather shy when presented with the task of actually speaking in front of and organizing large groups of people.
Two official representatives had eventually been chosen though, and so the party finally gets officially kicked off when Taly makes her way onto the tavern''s performance stage. "Welcome Challengers, people of Grassbrook, devouts of the Church of Bounty, and everyone else who was willing to climb a mountain in exchange for free booze! We''re here to celebrate a birthday today, if you hadn''t already heard - Worthy Dungeon is one year old today!" There''s loud shouts and cheering from the crowd, especially at the mention of free booze, and the banshee has to wait a moment before she can continue - although at least the woman has no need of a microphone in order to be heard over the rest of the shouting. "We got a lot going on tonight, but I won''t be doing it alone, so let me welcome my party partner to the stage! The man with more intrusions to his name than anyone else, and amazingly, still has all his limbs! Scout Tafyaf Srooll, come on up here!"
The gnoll climbs up onto the stage with a wide grin on his snout, waving to the crowd as he steps beside Taly, especially to a slightly embarrassed-looking Grayana Goldleaf who''s left sitting at his table and is apparently rather surprised to find out her date is part of the evening''s events. "Thank you, thank you, yes, yes, I am amazing. Honored to be part of events as well, yes, thank you Banshee Queen Taly."
The banshee in question turns to give the man a smirk. "Nice to see you on my stage, Taffy - think you''ll ever find yourself in my arena?"
"I am happy to play guide whenever I am hired, and my army duties do not keep me occupied otherwise. But to make my way to Floor Six?" The gnoll smirks back. "Would need to be paid very very well, yes."
"Good to see a man who knows his worth. And in recognition of that, allow me to hand out the first present at this birthday party." Reaching into a hidden pocket on her black party dress, Taly pulls out an amulet which she then moves to place around Tafyaf''s neck. It''s a dungeon reward item, enchanted to provide accuracy bonuses with ranged weapons, but what everyone watching notices is the inscription on the round golden centerpiece: #1 GNOLL.
After reading it, Taffy gives a barking laugh. "Haha, good to be recognized indeed. But you say first present - far from the last, yes?"
Turning back to the crowd, Taly puts on her brightest smile, although the effect on an undead woman''s face still manages to be slightly terrifying to the non-Challengers in the room. "Far from it! We got a lot of shit going on tonight - we got music, food, and drinks, but more than that, we got events! It might be a party night and the floors might be closed, but this is still a dungeon, gods damn it! There''s gonna be challenges, and there''s gonna be loot! Now, ''safe floor'' rules are still in effect, so nobody''s getting killed tonight...but we might injure your pride pretty bad if you aren''t careful! So don''t go getting too drunk just yet - or do, cause honestly, it''d be a hell of a lot funnier that way."
"Haha, yes, yes, many egos shall be left bruised and broken tonight! But not now, no! Now, it is time for music! Ladies, gentlemen, and guestbeings, welcome to the stage - Bill and the Bloody Band!"
There''s a bit of confused applause as the two hop off the stage, although the audience gets more into it when BB and a few other rabbit-folk take to the stage and ready their instruments. BB was a common sight in the inn these days, and his musical repertoire had become rather impressive, so the regulars were excited to see what the man could do with a backup crew. The confusion returns in full force however when a massive blue-haired human takes up center stage with a stringed instrument. Few in the inn had been alive back when Bill of the Blue Hair had accomplished his heroic deeds, and none present had known him personally. Rumors of the dead champion''s association with the dungeon had slowly begun to spread, as his presence was known to both the Association and the Church, but few had ever expected to actually run into him in the flesh.
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The realization finally sinks in when a red-skinned Paladin begins shouting out his name. "Bill! Bill! Bill!" A wave of realization begins to wash through the gathering, and the shout is soon picked up by more and more of the audience until Bill finally waves for silence with a smile.
"Hey all, good to be back, live and on stage for one night only, hahaha! I know you all know me for my monster-slaying skills, but you might not know that I can kill it with a guitar pretty damn good, too! Now, there''s one song I always wanted to rock out to with you folks and never had the chance, but we''re gonna start with it tonight - a little something special I wrote myself called ''Johnny B. Goode''. Let''s rock!"
The song wasn''t quite the same on a non-electric guitar, but Xenia had to admit to herself that the man knew how to play. Then again, he''d probably spent most of the last century with little else to do aside from his heavenly wives, so perhaps it wasn''t so surprising. The band did one more song after that, a rocked-up version of a Rainlander classic, but after that it was time for more events. A round of trophy giveaways was done, handing out freebies to Challengers who had managed to get the dungeon''s attention in some way, with one very unlucky dwarf getting the best prize. The man had the dubious honor of having lost more limbs in the dungeon while still coming back for more than anyone else, having lost his arms three separate times, and thanks to some very expensive health potions and healers he actually still had all of his appendages when he walked up on stage to claim his prize. His new amulet was enchanted to increase durability, but the attention-getting part was the inscription which read ''BEST TARGET PRACTICE''. It was plainly visible on his chest after he put it on, given that his beard was still recovering from the last time Lollyp had burned it off.
With the freebies handed out, Taly and Taffy get to the business of the prizes which require a bit more effort. "Attention! Next, we shall put the Challengers to the test and see who is mightiest, yes? We have...trapped the inn, I am told?" Tafyaf gives Taly a slightly concerned look, mirrored by many of those watching, but the banshee quickly smiles back.
"Oh, we''ve got traps, but I also bet we''re gonna have ourselves some volunteers! Trush, show us the cursed swords!" At her cue the Rabbit Knight pulls aside a curtain hiding a section next to the stage, and reveals three pedestals of stone. Each comes up to about waist height on the average Challenger, and planted into the top of each of them appears to be a sword, with only the hilt visible. As the crowd looks them over, Taly explains the test they have in store. "Now I know what you''re thinking - strength test, right? Pull the swords from the stone? Wrong! These swords are trapped to generate a nice painful sting when you grab onto them - non-lethal, of course, but trust me, you''ll notice it."
Tafyaf nods along, getting the idea. "Ah, yes, I see! A test of endurance! We look to see who''s dumb enough to hold on to the thing for the longest, mrmm?"
"Exactly! Now, who''s the three dumbasses out there who want to grab onto a cursed sword for honor, glory, and prizes? Open to all, but no pain-negating gear or spells allowed!"
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Sable''s the first one to stand up. "Oh, ooh, pick me, pick me!"
Taly''s grin grows as the sight of the first volunteer. "Thought we''d see you up here tonight. We got two more?" If anything there''s almost too many volunteers at first, as intra and then inter-party debates quickly occur about who would be the best suited to represent the Challenger community. It''s sorted out in short order though, and soon two more candidates have stepped up - a minotaur man named Valen, and kobold woman who introduces herself as Rainy. As the three step up to the pedestals, the minotaur snorts at the competitor who''s barely a sixth of his body mass.
"You really think you''re the toughest here, pipsqueak? Thing might just knock you on your ass."
Undeterred, the kobold rubs her palms together. "I might not be the toughest one here, but I just might be the dumbest! Let me at it!"
"That''s the sort of eager attitude we like to see in our Challengers! Alright, step on up, and grab hold on the count of three! You let go, you lose! One! Two! Three!" The moment Taly finishes her count the trio grab on to the sword hilts, and almost as quickly all three of them start to groan. Although bets had already been going around putting down solid money on the kobold, within five seconds she practically falls onto her tail with a shout.
"Ahhh, holy fuckballs that was dumb! Fuuuuuccccckkkk..."
The Paladin and the minotaur both hold out for quite a bit longer, their voices restrained but their faces a rictus of pain. The traps had never really been designed for this sort of continuous use, the idea being that they would unload a large, quick burst of damaging magical energy into a foolish looter within the brief second or so it would take for said looter to realize that they needed to let go. Instead, Xenia had redesigned them to produce a lower amount of damage but over a longer time, with a chance of actually knocking someone unconscious if they kept at it for long enough.
It''s twenty seconds before Sable finally lets go, quickly grabbing at her wrist with her free hand. "Blessed Kahlia, that burned! Shit, I should''ve used my other hand, I was hoping to use ol'' righty later tonight!"
Tafyaf laughs at her pain. "Drinks and health potions are free for all competitors, yes! But we have a winner - Valen, the Bannerbearer! ...You can let go now, Valen, yes."
The minotaur grunts. "Can''t...fingers...not...working...agggghhh!" With a sudden cry the man falls back, his collapse creating a much more resounding boom than what Rainy had produced not long before. Perhaps slightly more alarmingly, there''s also faint traces of smoke being produced from the man''s hand and arm. When his eyes roll back into his head, Taly quickly moves to test his pulse.
Rather relieved to actually find one, she lifts the limp and twitchy limb into the air. "He''s alive!" There''s a loud round of cheering and applause, although not so much from Sable and Rainy who are still massaging their injured digits. "And we have a winner! As soon as Valen wakes up, he''ll be the owner of a shiny new set of gauntlets, custom-sized! Cause he''s gonna need em, apparently!"
A barbunny brings them up to the stage, generated on the spot by Xenia to fit the minotaur, and as she presents them to the crowd Taly prepares them for even more action.
"So - who''s up for a little more, eh?"
Chapter 238: They Dont Know That Im an Imp
"This is fucking insane." After a few more ''main events'', the dungeon had opened up additional inn space and Tizzy had been among those who joined the crowd to go check them out. There was certainly still quite a bit more she could learn from her new party, but she didn''t want to become overly attached to the group, and with any luck the imp would have a chance to make a few more connections tonight. That is, if she managed to avoid becoming too distracted by the new events and games now being put on by the dungeon.
It was almost a carnival atmosphere, although Tizzy had never seen an indoor carnival before. Granted, for that matter she''d never seen an inn that could apparently double or triple its capacity at will before either. It seemed as if every thirty feet or so there was another contest going on, most of them being staffed by men and women with rabbit ears. Not all of them, however - a few demons and humans wore inn uniforms as well, and the Red Thorns had informed her that they were actually local mortals who''d taken up employment at the dungeon. One table hosted a spicy food-eating contest, with the one next to it hosting a more advanced poisoned food-eating contest. Loud laughter came from another stand where a mallet and stain-resistant apron were used in a game which a sign identified as ''Whack-a-Slime''. There were also several tests of accuracy, although all of the weapons used for them were apparently blunted to avoid lethal accidents.
The prizes on offer were much lesser than those displayed during the main events, usually just a bit of currency, a small potion, or a very-lightly enchanted accessory. Tizzy was rather tempted to try and compete for some of the latter anyhow, if only to get a sample of a magical item...but no, she couldn''t get caught up in playing games. She was here tonight to practice the dreaded art of socializing. Looking around in the relatively quieter corners of the inn, she eventually finds herself a black-haired elf who doesn''t seem to be occupied with the evening''s entertainment. Making her way over, Tizzy gives the woman her best gobliny smile. "Evening! Not much for games and prizes, huh?"
The elf glances at her for a moment, almost as if she''s having trouble accepting that someone''s actually tried talking to her. "...Me? Well, not so much, I suppose. Much of it probably has to do with my internal desire to yell at all of these fools for hurting themselves like morons, as half of these contests are having them do. Sure, the dungeon''s set up a healing fountain in the alcove over yonder and is passing out healing potions like candy, but..." She shakes her head. "I hate seeing people developing such self-destructive habits."
Tizzy taps her chin as she analyzes the stern-looking elf. "Let me guess...you''re either a party leader, or a healer. Am I right?"
The woman actually seems slightly impressed at the guess. "Yes, actually. I''m not a Challenger, or an officer, but I am a Combat Medic for the local army garrison. Grayana Goldleaf is my name. How about yourself? Haven''t seen many goblins in town."
"Ah, just a curious traveler, I''m Tizzy Barrelbottom! If I''m not prying - do you and that gnoll who was up on stage earlier know each other? I saw you sitting together before the show started."
"You''re very observant. Yes, Tafyaf and I are..." She pauses for a moment, as if she''s judging the words on her tongue. "...We''re dating. If you''re wondering though, he''s much more invested in this dungeon business than I am. I''ve visited a few times in recent months to consult with the dungeon''s own healer, but I don''t do dungeon runs anymore."
There''s something about the woman''s tone that tells Tizzy there''s a story there. "Anymore, huh? Bad experience? To be honest, I''ve been talking to folks here and I really don''t know what to make of the place. On one hand, people tell me the place is so lethal for a year-old dungeon that it''s actually holding itself back in some cases. On the other, well..." Tizzy gestures around at all of the happy people drinking and partying around here. "They seem to, uh...really enjoy being here?"
Grayana scoffs. "Newcomers. You know, I was on a dungeon run here before the first Challengers had even arrived in town? The place wasn''t nearly so welcoming a year ago."
"Oh? How badly did it go?"
"Well, it wasn''t fun, but the first run wasn''t so bad." Grayana''s eyes begin to narrow as she continues explaining. "It''s the second run we did that bothers me."
Flagging down a passing waitress, Tiffy grabs a pair of free drinks and hands one over to the frowning elf before prodding her to continue. "C''mon, you can''t leave me hanging like that! Take a drink and tell me the story!"
Grayana does sip from the mug, but it takes her a moment to answer. "I can''t, which is what bothers me. You''ve heard, I imagine, about how the tavern here offers better food based on how many floors you''ve cleared? There''s a lot of freebies here tonight, but it''s still the case for much of the menu."
"I have. How many floors have you cleared?"
"Four, now. However...the first time I returned here, after the dungeon had created this inn, the staff informed me that I was qualified for up to Floor Three-quality offerings." Grayana sighs. "I don''t remember clearing Floor Three. That run...Taffy''s put it out of his mind, but something about it still bothers me."
Tizzy leans forward, ready to start literally prying the details out of the elf if she has to. "What would that be?"
"A few things, actually. For one, we were soaked afterwards, as if we''d encountered a water hazard. There are none on Floor Three...but there is on Floor Four, implying that we actually got quite far through that floor, unless the dungeon made major changes before and after our visit. But for another...to the best of my knowledge, no other team has ever encountered a trap that impacted memory as we supposedly did. And Taffy''s been here dozens of times since then, so he would surely have noticed one by now."
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"You sound like you suspect something is up, huh?"
Grayana scans the room before answering. "I won''t say anything overly harsh against the place - for one thing, the dungeon spirit could well be listening, and for another, it''d be rude to insult the host of such a generous party." Her eyes return to lock on to Tizzy''s. "But mark my words. Behind all the free food and stripping bunnies, this place has secrets. If you start running this dungeon, keep your eyes open."
Having said her piece, Grayana takes another long drink for her mug before making to leave. "But I suppose I''ve been enough of a mood-killer for one night, perhaps it''s time I go find my...date partner. Enjoy your evening, Miss Barrelbottom."
"You too, Medic Goldleaf!" She waves as the elf walks away, but one other comment stands out in her mind.
"...Stripping bunnies? Where are those at..."
"Wait, really? You died to be part of the dungeon? That''s, uh...well, that''s a choice, I guess." Having spent some time chatting up the various Challengers and other party guests, Tizzy had decided it was time to start getting to know some of the actual staff. Her attempts with the serving staff had gone nowhere, though - they were happy to chat to take an order or answer basic questions, but the moment it started to look like a longer conversation was in store they would beg off and return to their duties. Taly and the lead performers of the musical band were still too swamped with fans to approach, but Tizzy had noticed one unusually-sized rabbit fellow who didn''t seem to be tied up with tasks. He did seem to be on the alert for trouble-makers, but after the scout had brought him a mug to drink from, he seemed to be more than willing to strike up a conversation.
"Oh, as much as I still believe it was the right choice for myself, I certainly wouldn''t go recommending it!" Trush laughs deeply between swigs of booze. "I''d lost an arm, you know, and that was easily taken care of for me. I''m both younger and stronger now, and while I might, ah...claim to have been a certain sort of handsome in my way, Worthy''s new design for me rather makes my old body look rather pathetic in comparison, I''ll admit!" He chuckles again, subtly flexing his biceps as he peers at the much-shorter woman. "I don''t suppose that might have been what brought you my way, eh?"
Tizzy has to consciously stop herself from licking her lips as she looks the man over. The man is a sight to look at...but honestly, probably far too much for her, and imps did have to learn to set realistic expectations for themselves. "I mean, it sure didn''t hurt. But I''d like to hear about the place more! And this ''Worthy'' in particular...he is a person, of sorts? You have conversations together, and whatnot?"
Trush frowns at her assumptions. "''He''? I''m afraid you''ve been misinformed, Miss Barrelbottom. The spirit of this dungeon is very definitely a woman. And we''ve had conversations aplenty - and far more than that, haha!" The smirk in his expression leaves little doubt as to his meaning, and Tizzy would have to admit that at least that part matches up with the stories she''s heard.
"Ah, my apologies, perhaps I misheard somewhere. If they - she - is such a person then, will we be seeing her tonight? It is her birthday party, is it not?"
The man shakes his head. "I''m afraid I''ll have to disappoint you there. She''s still only capable of revealing herself to mortals for a limited amount of time, and that was spent just last night in a more private gathering. She has revealed herself to a few mortals, those who are close friends of the dungeon, but she''s yet to make any widely public appearances such as at a party like this. Trust me though, she is present and enjoying the event." He looks around for a moment, but doesn''t seem to find what he''s searching for. "...Possible she''s slipped away to the lounge for the moment, though. We do have some ''special events'' going on there as well, and I''d wager they''d need a closer watching...to ensure that Administrator Alizz doesn''t take issue with them, that is."
"Is...is it true what I''ve heard, about the lounge?" The Challengers Tizzy had talked to had certainly shared more than a few rumors with her, but most of the people she''d talked to were of low level, and not cleared to actually visit the place itself. Trush''s response is a rumbling laugh.
"Probably not! Oh, don''t get me wrong - only the grandest of bordellos would have a display like we have in store, from my own limited experience of such things. But we have our limits! No flesh is actually for sale, nor do we actually have nightly orgies or anything of that sort. But the displays, well...I''d recommend you clear yourself the first four floors yourself at your earliest opportunity. You seem like a lady who might enjoy such things."
The imp wonders if she ought to take offense at that, but she can''t quite disagree. "Well, I suppose that''s something to look forward to. Until then, I suppose I''ll enjoy what parts of the party I can..."
"The dungeon spirit!? She''s a crazy one, alright, y''never know what to expect from her, other than what you didn''t expect. Now, I tell you, lass, I ain''t been with the Association as an employee all that long. But I''ve been a Challenger for long enough to have retired from the gig and then come back, y''know? I been in a dungeon or two in my time. And there ain''t ever been a dungeon like Worthy Dungeon. I''d stake a year''s worth of paychecks on it, I don''t care how many continents you''ve visited. There ain''t nowhere like this!" Renter nods in agreement with his own statements as he talks, his ragged hat flopping a bit as he does so.
Tizzy leans over the table, having had to sit on her knees on the chair to do so. It shows that she''s paying attention, but if the move also happens to show off a bit more of her illusory green cleavage, well, that''s just a little extra bonus. The half-drunk Tracker certainly seems to think so, given that his eyes need more than a moment to pull away and back to her face. "And you know the dungeon well? Like, on a personal level sort of thing?"
The grizzled Challenger takes a bit to respond. "...I''d like to exaggerate and say we''re best of friends or some bullshit, but fuck, she''s probably listening in right now for all I know. I have seen her a few times, yeah. Bit of an odd look, all black-and-white all over, but Alizz tells me it''s normal for dungeon avatars to have some odd coloring going on. I suppose we''ve even exchanged a few words here and there. But know her?" Renter shakes his head. "Hells, I don''t know if that''s even possible."
Tizzy furrows her brow. "Possible? Why wouldn''t it be possible?"
"Oh, reasons enough! I mean, for starters..." The man trails off again, and suddenly seems to sober up a bit even as he stares into his mug. "Sorry, came close to speaking out of turn, there. As a dungeon inspector, we get let in on a few things that ain''t suited for the general public, you understand? And sometimes it''s the sort of thing that ain''t no big deal...but not this time. Sorry, don''t think I''m at liberty to give your question a suitable answer."
Foregoing subtlety, Tizzy leans forward a bit more and even begins to trace the collar of her shirt with one finger. "Oh? What if we were to find a more...private place to speak?"
The Tracker allows himself the luxury of staring, but still shakes his head. "Sorry, Miss Goblin. On this one the big head''s gotta make the decision, on account of me not wanting to lose it."
Showing him some mercy, Tizzy sits back into her seat. "Fair enough - I wouldn''t want to get you into trouble, Mr. Human. I have to say though, this place does sound very mysterious..."
Chapter 239: Crossovers
Tizzy had ended up spending the full night at the dungeon, along with practically everyone else considering no one was about to go climbing down the mountain in the dark. Especially not if they were as drunk as the vast majority of them had been. She''d even gotten a room to herself free of charge, despite having never challenged the dungeon before, although it was perhaps a little barebones. She had been tempted to find someone else to share a bunk with...but no, best to avoid potential entanglements this early into the mission. Perhaps if it looked likely that she''d be moving on again soon she would have given things a go, but to the scout''s excitement it seemed as if their goal was finally within sight.
Now, all she had to do was report it.
Which is why she had eventually climbed back down the mountain after lunch the following day, and was now standing around in the middle of the forest outside Grassbrook. It might seem as if she were completely lost, but she wasn''t the mission''s scout for nothing, and a trail of invisible magical ''breadcrumbs'' she''d left behind easily guided her back to her destination. So now, all she had to do was wait. Just a little longer...
Tizzy isn''t looking directly at the marked spot, so she isn''t blinded when a sudden flash of blue light ignites between the trees. It fades out just as quickly though, and the imp counts her new guests to be sure that everything is as expected. The first to appear as usual is Lei, his brown eyes a poor contrast to the slightly gray skin he acquired from the dark elf side of his ancestry. The next two through are the half-orc Pulg and the only fully-human woman of the initial group, the blonde-haired mage named Linda. Behind them all is the youngest member of the gathering, and yet the one they all defer to. His black hair is pristine despite the arcane energies swirling around him, and his piercing blue eyes quickly locate Tizzy amongst the trees.
"Taken on an illusion, I see. Things are going well Tizzy, I hope?"
Tizzy quickly bows as the man steps forward. "More than well, my lord. Unfortunately, purple skin seems to be a bit of rarity here, so for the moment I''m playing the role of a goblin. It seems that our artifact is still working properly?"
Reaching into his armor, the man pulls out a golden necklace adorned a by a single large, clear white gem. "It certainly got us here well enough - if we should run into that monster slayer, I daresay I could kiss her for having made a backup soul-tracking artifact. I suppose she had little else to spend her money on, from the sounds of it. Once our power has recharged, we should be able to bring through the rest. But tell me - it seems as if you have good news?" The man suddenly steps closer, a trace of hunger in his stare. "Wait - don''t tell me you''ve actually seen him?"
"Her, actually - and seen her? Hells, I''ve been inside her! Spent the whole night there!" Tizzy''s smile is bright as she shouts out her announcement, but as the gathered party stares down at the smaller woman, she realizes that perhaps she could have gone about that differently.
Pulg speaks up first, his rumbling voice somewhere between amusement and disappointment. "I had no idea you were that kind of kinky, imp. Granted, we might not be blood relatives in this particular realm, but..."
"No, no, wait, not what I meant!" Tizzy quickly waves her hands. "She''s not human here - or any sort of normal mortal, for that matter!"
Her lord sighs in relief. "Well, hopefully that won''t be an issue. To think she spent her previous life as a sword! That must have been a nightmare! I assume she''s at least not some sort of animal or something, if you''ve found her so quickly." He looks back and forth around the forest. "It seems as if this artifact did indeed bring us quite close to her, which saves us a terrible amount of time and effort, but if she''s some sort of woodland creature..."
"Nope! Apparently, she''s a rock!"
Once again, horrified looks grace the faces of her allies. Linda raises her hand to her mouth as she gasps. "Dear gods, that poor woman! ...Er, you said you''ve been inside this rock, then?"
"Well, it''s complicated. See, they have this thing in this realm called ''dungeons'', and..." For the next fifteen minutes the woman gives a very brief lecture on the topic based on her recent discoveries, although most of the questions posed by her students need to go unanswered thanks to her own ignorance. Eventually though she''s shared practically everything she knows, and wraps up her explanation. "So that''s about the long and short of it, Prince Thaddeus. She''s apparently very well defended...by herself."
The prince stalks back and forth, practically wearing a path in the moss beneath his feet. "Intriguing! ...Not the easiest outcome we could have expected, but it''s not all downsides. At least she won''t be going anywhere soon, so there''s that silver lining."
Lei raises a hand covered in rune-marked wrappings. "Uh, yeah, isn''t that a minor issue in and of itself, my lord? It sounds like she can''t leave the damn place, and we''re planning to go a bit further than the nearest village, isn''t that right?"
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Thaddeus both nods and waves the concern off. "Yes, yes, it is a wrinkle. But not an insurmountable one. At least removing the core from a dungeon only destroys the dungeon it created, and not the core itself, at least not directly. Consider the possibilities! What if a new dungeon could be formed elsewhere? Or...even just something dungeon-like, at a minimum? She could be protected, and truly immortal in such a form! It will require study, of course."
Linda nods along. "Indeed - but that''s not something we can do in a gods-damned woods. You said there''s a village nearby? Would a village have any resources we could use?"
The scout gives an eager nod. "The place is small but growing fast! Speaking of - we need to talk about your cover stories."
The half-orc dressed in leather and furs grunts at the suggestion. "What, traveling lordling and his bodyguards not going to cut it? ...Wait, don''t tell me it''s all goblins here. I don''t mind turning greener but to hells if I''m gonna crouch over and pretend to be four damned feet tall for as long as we''re here!"
"Nah, nah, they do got orcs here, and humans, so you''re covered. I''ve got something better, though. Challengers. It''s basically like a local Adventurer''s Guild, virtually everyone who goes into the dungeon is one of them, other than apparently some military teams now and then. I''ve already started filling out paperwork for you lot, but once you''ve got your cover story down you''ll need to go down to the Association office and sign off on it. Ah...here you go, Pulg Dinter, I''ve put you down as being a Shaman of Life and Power. That''s a Master-tier class, by the way! Pretty high in their rankings, almost the top."
She hands the man a piece of paper, and as Linda steps forward Tizzy pulls out another. "Ah...Linda Cogswell, Force Mage. You and I are both in their ''Mage'' family of classes, though I''m calling myself an Arcane Eye, bit of a Scout crossover."
Lei reaches out his hand next. "And me?"
"There''s no ''Iron Palm'' class, sorry, but I did put it down as your nickname. Zhou Lei the Iron Palm, your class is ''Shattering Fist''."
The martial artist takes it with a grunt. "Close enough, I suppose."
"And you, my lord, are Tad Luminar, an Undeniable Blade! That''s a Supreme-tier class, the highest their rankings go, but I''m sure you''ll be able to prove your skills if they try to test you."
A smirk traces the man''s lips as he takes his own application form. "I''m the only one using a false name here, am I? Well, I suppose calling myself ''Worthy'' would attract a bit too much attention here, wouldn''t it?"
"Preeettty much, yeah. There''s also the matter of magic we need to discuss."
Thaddeus sighs. "Would it be too much to hope that the magic here is compatible with our own? Your own illusions seem to work, so it can''t be too bad."
The imp chuckles as she waggles her fingers, blue arcane energies dancing between them as she does so. "Well I''ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that this realm is practically swimming in magic. Damn near every adventurer knows a few spells, and even a lot of the general populace. So that means even spells and enchantments that aren''t working at a hundred percent efficiency can still sort of work. The bad news is, it''s not entirely compatible, no. Our artifacts should be good for at least a few weeks at a minimum, possibly months or years. However, you''re gonna need to expect to be a lot weaker with your personal spells until I can craft some amulets or rings for everyone to process the local mana with. That''s gonna take some time."
Linda tests her own magic, telekinetically pulling a stray branch from the ground and into her hand. "Mrmf, yes - we''re far from defenseless, but even that was starting to give me traces of a headache. I imagine it wouldn''t be safe for us to try and enter this dungeon as we are now?"
Pulg has thoughts on that. "Well, not if we''re gonna fight the damn thing. Sounds like the place ain''t entirely unapproachable, though. Any thoughts on just, y''know...goin'' up there and asking her, all diplomatic-like?" Lei turns towards his companion, mock surprise on his face.
"What was that? Diplomacy!? Who are you, and what have you done with Pulg!?"
"Hey, if it''s quicker than sitting around waitin'' for a bunch of jewelry to get made up for us, well, that''s all I''m saying..." The man trails off with a bit of a grumble, but his leader shakes his head.
"There is, as they say, only one opportunity to give a first impression. And I will not have us looking like a bunch of weak children, begging for the support of our elder. I know I for one would hardly be moved by such an approach, were I in her position. No. We shall recover our strength, challenge this dungeon as is the local custom, and then and only then reveal ourselves and our purpose. That will allow us to discuss matters from a position of strength and respect."
The blonde mage giggles as she adds her own thoughts. "Not to mention, it would be far more useful to be in that position if she doesn''t care for our request."
The prince nods again, although his own expression is much more grim. "Indeed it would. Let us not hope for such an outcome...but either way, we must be prepared." Turning back towards Tizzy, the man begins to issue a new set of orders.
"Tizzy! Lead us to this village, and once we''ve found shelter, you and Linda can begin work on the mana conversion enchantments. Once you have your own working though, I''m ordering you to proceed with your investigations into the dungeon. Join with that adventurer party you mentioned, and see what we can actually expect to find down there. Once the rest of us are equipped and recharged, we''ll follow based on your reports."
The woman salutes, her form a little sloppy but serious nonetheless. "Yes, my lord! And how about the others, sir?"
"If the mana here is different, it''s hard to say how long it might take to recharge the artifacts for the crossing ritual. For the time being, we''ll proceed as if we must complete this task on our own."
"Very well, my lord." Pointing southward through the forest, Tizzy begins to lead the group forward. "Til then, time to see what Grassbrook has to offer, eh? I bet this town doesn''t know what''s in store for it..."
Chapter 240: Hive Minded
The day after the Birthday Party had been a quiet one in Worthy Dungeon, at least, for a certain definition of ''quiet''. Very few teams had actually run any dungeon floors, many of them because they were too hungover, and the rest because they weren''t actually done partying yet. The free food and booze had been cut back to normal levels, and most of the games had been packed up, but the additional inn space was still open for the moment and a few of the challenges such as dart tosses were still available without the actual prizes. The fact that there were so many people present was a bit of a draw all of its own as well, encouraging people to stay and share conversations with new friends, or to catch up with old acquaintances long missed.
The Fiver''s Lounge had also stayed in something of a party mode, although that was entirely unplanned by Xenia. Five mortals had been hired on for the event as dancers and strippers, three demons and two humans, and Em had made it clear to them that they had been hired on as entertainment and not as prostitutes. Several of them though had decided to take the opportunity to play entrepreneur and do their own ''side business'' after their shifts were over, and Xenia couldn''t really bring herself to try and tell them to stop. They seemed eager to continue plying their trade for as long as their audience remained as well, but Em only gave them one more day of looking aside before cracking down. A few things could be overlooked during a major event, but eventually word would have gotten around and Alizz would have surely gotten rather cross.
Altogether, even without the dungeon being run there was still enough to keep Xenia''s attention occupied for most of the day. The day following, though, was time to get back down to business. Deathmatch Mode had been officially announced to the public during the party, where Challengers could now receive triple the usual rewards by slaying a floor boss, at the expense of an immediate death should they leave the boss arena. As part of this announcement it was noted that it would play by the same rules as Lollyp''s Challenge Mode - if a team triggered it, even on one of the early floors, the dungeon would ignore all other arrangements with the Association and go all-out on trying to kill them. Two mid-tier parties had already tried it out on Floor One, where they had little risk even with BB trying his best, but so far none had dared it against one of the lower floors.
While the Challengers were stretching their muscles on the top floor though, Xenia was down deep - deeper than she''d ever gone before. As she stands in a bare stone cavern, staring at a vaguely map-like drawing carved into a stone table, Sincere makes his appearance at a nearby portal. It takes him a moment to adjust his eyes, given that the space is dimly lit by only a single torch, but after he does he makes his way to his employer''s side. "Making a new broom closet, are we? Guy said you wanted my help with something?"
Xenia gives him a grin before waving at the dim, cubic cave. "Yup! Welcome to Floor Nine! Decided it''s time to burn that killcount floor unlock we earned a while back. Parker''s still undefeated, but there were definitely a few groups of Masters in that party earlier talking about how to take him down. I''m betting we''re gonna be needing a new floor pretty soon. And hey - freebies!" With a snap of her fingers she summons Guy to her side. "Hey Guy, show him what we won!"
"As you say, ma''am." Dutifully, a list of unlocks is displayed to the Core Guardian.
|
-----------------------
FLOOR 9 CREATED
ADDING NEW BASE ''CAVE'' MATERIALS:
POISON CLOUDS (LOW QUALITY)
NEW BASE ''CAVE'' CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED:
FUNGUS CONSTRUCTS: F
FUNGOIDS: D-
METAL CONSTRUCTS: B+
ADDING NEW BASE ''TOWN'' MATERIALS:
STRAW (AVERAGE QUALITY)
CLAY (LOW QUALITY)
NEW BASE ''TOWN'' CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED:
EQUINES: D
RODENTS: D
POISON CLOUDS DO NOT REQUIRE A TRAP TRIGGER, BUT ARE VISIBLE AND HAVE A COMPARATIVELY LOW LEVEL OF EFFECTIVENESS
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 6 TO 350
-----------------------
|
"Hrmm, some interesting options there." Sincere looks around once again before raising an eyebrow. "As for the floor, it''s very...cozy."
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"Yeah, well, I got problems."
"I am certain of that."
Xenia grunts. "Problems you can help me with, I mean."
"I am now somewhat less certain."
This time the woman chuckles. "Well hold on, hear me out. So, the root problem is this - there''s still god knows how many floors of the old dead dungeon taking up space below us, and even a bit around us at this point. And even with the dead dungeon being dead, I can''t build into those old tunnels until we do the dungeon raid thing to claim em. But I don''t wanna go through that while I got a perfectly good floor unlock just sitting here. So what I''m trying to do here is build in Floor Nine around the next layer of empty tunnels."
Sincere peers at the map Xenia''s begun carving into the table in front of her, but has trouble telling if it actually contains any useful information. "What are you thinking, then? Wrap-arounds with stairwells and tunnels and whatnot?"
"Nah, a little fancier than that. I''ve been slacking off on the concept of dungeon puzzles, so I figured it''s time to dip into that a bit more. It''s Portal Maze time!"
The demon squints again at the map, and it starts to become more clear. "Ah, I think I see what you mean, then. These lines here...they''re portal connections, not hallways?"
Xenia nods. "Yeah - I haven''t started making most of this yet, just a couple of prototype rooms. I could use some ideas, though. The first one I was thinking of was infinitely looping rooms. Like, if I make a series of rooms that look identical to each other, folks could keep passing through them over and over and not even realize it for a while. Til they find the right exit portal, of course."
Sincere rubs his chin as he gives a slight nod. "Not any more dangerous than as a waste of time, but then I suppose that is what mazes are mostly about. It would also be trivial to link the portals differently for different parties. How about something more directly threatening, though? Say, portals that lead right into traps?"
Guy speaks up to answer this one. "Ah, we had actually considered that as well, but there are...complications. As you know, a route to the core chamber must be accessible, which is why we can''t simply wall it off, and even hazards like the jumps on Floor Six are limited to a certain level of danger. There''s something similar for portals as you suggested, although it can be rather complex."
The man frowns. "Complex in what way, exactly?"
"It''s largely a matter of the odds. If there''s two portals, one leading to the core and one leading to a trap, well, we cannot simply have a fifty-fifty chance of an instant death. A trap behind such a portal would have to be rather weak or easily avoided, and of course there would need to be a route back out again."
"But different odds change the situation?"
The screen bobs. "Yes, but not greatly. After a bit of trial and error, I would judge that having a portal that leads directly to an instant death would require it to be but one option out of twenty. More, if other routes also had additional such choices down the line."
Xenia shakes her head at the suggestion. "I ain''t gonna try and set up twenty different routes through this place, even if they join back up pretty quickly. That''d be using up most of the floor space just for that one damn split. Now, that doesn''t mean we can''t get nasty with stuff waiting at the other end of a portal. It just can''t be feeding people directly into an incinerator or some shit like that."
Sincere chuckles. "Nasty stuff such as monsters, I assume."
"Well, of course! Can''t have a maze without a minotaur...well, except I guess here it''s some of the adventurers who are the minotaurs. Wasn''t being literal anyhow - yeah, there''s gonna be a monster. In fact, I think this would be a great spot to base our second wandering boss. Trush is still on Floors Four through Eight, so Floor Nine''s currently open for one of those."
"But we don''t have such a boss at the moment. Or even a standard floor boss, for that matter." Sincere gazes at the map for a moment before a realization occurs to him. "Except wandering bosses don''t need to be ensouled, do they?"
"Nope! If we end up getting enough applicants for it, we''ll slot one in eventually, sure. But for the time being, hey - it''s a chance to get experimental! I don''t wanna put an actual person into something deformed, but unensouled bosses are fair game."
"Hrmmm..." Sincere spends a few minutes in thought, and Xenia gives him some silence in which to think. Eventually, he speaks up. "We do have a few conflicting goals with the layout here. We want a boss who can pursue Challengers through the maze. Therefore, slime bosses are out. However, the need to constantly go through portals means high-speed creatures would lose all of their momentum, as it takes several seconds to activate each one. Therefore rabbit bosses would be, if not disqualified, much weaker than normal."
His boss nods her head. "Makes sense. Undead are next highest-ranking, at B-plus, and there could be some options there. Although...hey Guy, what''s our insects tier at again?"
"B, ma''am."
Sincere raises an eyebrow at that. "So high? But we hardly even use any insects."
"Yeah, but remember when I had folks smashing all those bees back on Floor Four way back? We kinda stopped with that cause leveling up to A off of bees was getting tiring and uh, a little gross, but it''s still been in the list. The question is, what kind..." As Xenia trails off, her eyes grow wide and she slaps her forehead. "Oh, shit! I know what we should do here!"
Her Core Guardian winces. "With insects? I''m almost afraid to hear it."
"A hive floor! I''ve even got chitin as a construction material! And honey from our food, if I wanted to burn a ton of mana to have some sitting around. Although, I guess ants would be more cave-thematic than bees, yeah?"
Guy interjects with a suggestion of their own. "If I might, ma''am, consider that monster insects are hardly limited to the forms of mundane creatures, and B is not a low tier. Our popular Rabbit Champions are a B-tier unlock, after all. Have you reviewed the options actually available to you?"
The reincarnator grunts. "I mean, a few, but they got a lil gross and I skipped out. Guess I should, though..." Calling up a new menu screen, Xenia begins to browse through her options. "Huh, we could actually do sapient-level insect people now, though they''re still not as human-looking as the rabbits. Way too many legs and eyes...hrmm, hrmmm..."
She spends quite a long time going through the apparently extensive list of insectoid monstrosities, occasionally muttering phrases like ''centipede pit'' and ''poisonous butterflies'', and at some point Guy and Sincere get to work designing the actual layout of the floor themselves. While the appearance of the rooms in the maze could be customized in many ways, the two focus their efforts on how to use the portals to bridge the disconnected rooms in a way that would be maximally annoying, and marking particular rooms for traps or ambushes for whenever the dungeon master decides exactly what sort of traps and ambushes she would like to have. Eventually though, the two are startled by a sudden shout from Xenia.
"Oh, shit!"
"Ah!" Taking a quick moment to settle himself, Sincere turns back towards Xenia. "Something the matter?"
"Nah, nah, this is good. Oh, so good. I mean, it ain''t perfect. Could maybe try out some crossbreeds, see if we can''t make it a little better." As she faces her partners, Xenia''s smile turns evil. "But I think we''ve got an option here for xenomorphs."
Chapter 241: The Red Talons
As the party steps onto the platform section of Floor Two, Leyiff turns towards her newest companion. "So, how did you like your first taste of Worthy Dungeon, hrmm? I imagine it must have seemed quite easy for you, yes."
Tizzy has to agree, even if she doesn''t have much experience to compare it to. "To be honest, it kinda takes the fun out of it when you already knew where all the traps and ambushes were. I mean...I get not wanting to do things for ''fun'' if it''s lives on the line, but still."
The party''s other Archer, the elf Branwen, nods at the comment. "Yeah, there are some dungeons that change things up a bit more often, but starter floors tend to be particularly stable. They say the boss has been upgraded at least once though, and he definitely makes up for it. I, ah, I''m sure the rabbit''s nothing to a Master like yourself, but Initiates can often have trouble dealing with his speed."
"I could see that, given - ah!" Tizzy shouts in surprise as the bulky Metz presses his hand against a large button on one wall, and the platform begins to descend. "What''s going on!?"
The gnoll breaks into a fit of giggles, and Hurlash, the team''s orc mage, has to stifle a laugh himself as he answers. "Heh, forgive us for not warning you, Master Barrelbottom, but we did want to see the look on your face when that happened. Other than the boss arena, this entire floor moves, you see, and the challenges come to us."
"Funny how you keep trying to be respectful with that ''Master'' stuff and then you pull pranks on me." Tizzy sniffs, but eventually her true impish nature shines through. "Ah, fine, you got me pretty good, there! Is there anything I actually ought to know, though?"
Metz nods. "Yeah. This floor did get an upgrade a couple weeks back for the first time in ever. Bigger spiders."
"What? What do you mean bigger - " This time the shock in Tizzy''s voice is much closer to that of panic when a quartet of spiders suddenly fall onto the platform, bouncing slightly on their long legs, with each of them being nearly as large as Tizzy is. Beyond that each of them is slightly different - one for example seems to be covered in thick brown hairs, while another is shiny and colorful, with orange and green stripes racing along its body. They all look rather dangerous though, and the false goblin''s hands glow with magic as they begin to approach the party.
Despite their lower ranks however the Red Talons seem to take the ambush in stride. The party''s two Archers are immediately firing arrows at the more distant of the monsters, while Metz stomps into melee and Hurlash begins to channel a spell through his staff. Within moments one spider falls, pincushioned by arrows, and a second is splattered by the half-minotaur''s heavy warhammer. A transparent, green-tinted spell takes the form of a wall of brambles and closes in around a third, leaving only one left to charge the party. As both the spider and the imp coincidentally make very similar squealing noises, Tizzy''s prepared spell activates.
The blast of pink-colored energy annihilates the spider in front of her, the corpse of one behind it, and begins to trace a trail of slagged stone down the moving wall before the beam fades out several seconds later.
The final trapped spider seems to be almost too shocked to try and break free from its bramble prison, and so does Hurlash, given that the orc needs a few moments to remember to finish his task and crush the arachnid within his spell. Once he''s done however, he quickly turns to Tizzy with a question. "If I might ask, Master...did you not describe your class as ''a magical scout''?"
Tizzy shifts her eyes in his direction, her hands still held out in front of her, slightly shaking. "...Yeah? Why?"
Metz releases a breath he didn''t realize he was holding. "I didn''t think scouts had firepower like that in their arsenal. Then again, you are a Master, so I shouldn''t be surprised...but holy hells, was that a light show!"
"You try facing down a bug your own size and not panicking a little! That thing coulda eaten my face off in one chomp! Those things didn''t bother you any!?"
Branwen answers slowly. "...While we haven''t gone that deep into the dungeon ourselves, we''re informed that there''s far worse on other floors. I''m sure you must have faced worse yourself, in the dungeons in your homeland? Or...do you perhaps simply have an irrational phobia of spiders?"
"A phobia of spiders as big as I am is entirely rational!" Tizzy takes a deep breath before continuing. "Also, I uh...haven''t done any other dungeons before. I was more into, uh...wild monster hunts?"
The orc raises an eyebrow. "Oh really? I wasn''t sure there were still places where the monsters grew thick enough to earn a Master-level rank off of hunts alone, but then I know little of the Old Continents. This is truly your first dungeon intrusion, though?"
"Yeah, I - ah, hold that thought." The mage is again interrupted by a leaping ambush, but given that this round consists entirely of skeletons, she manages to keep her cool quite a bit more effectively. Arcane beams still destroy two of her opponents, but they remain much more reasonably sized, destroying only the creatures'' skulls and allowing the rest of them to collapse into piles of bones. "Right, so yeah, this is my first time. Shouldn''t be an issue, though?"
Leyiff chuckles. "Well, your firepower seems to be more than sufficient, yes. Did wonder what uses a magical scout would have in a dungeon, a little bit, yes."
"Well, the magical traps are pretty easy for me to detect. I am used to being a little more, uh...wide-ranging than working in a single structure, though. Raided a few ruins, I guess. But I usually gotta be pretty independent, so I ain''t been slacking on my defenses or offense, you know?"
"Heehee, I can see. Looking forward to how you handle the slime, yes."
Tizzy has to agree. "Fought slimes before, but never one that was smart like you guys say she is. Definitely looking forward to meeting her myself..."
The rest of the platform ride goes fairly smoothly, with Tizzy quickly pointing out the dart-triggering tripwires as they appear, and the following ambushes fall without much difficulty. With the team being so heavily focused on ranged offense, many of the monster waves don''t even have time to begin attacking before arrows and spells are claiming their targets. By time the platform hits the bottom level the party''s mood is quite confident, to say the least. Confident enough that there''s not too much concern when Tizzy stops to read the sign posted just outside the door to the boss arena.
"Huh? A true challenge? What''s this about?"
Hurlash grunts. "Never heard of a Challenge Mode either, eh? Worthy Dungeon''s got one, and it''s been applied to Lollyp here. If we trigger it, the slime and her arena get mana super-charged, but if we win anyhow we get better rewards."
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Tizzy smiles at the mention of rewards. "Oh, is that all? A little extra oomph to some spells? Seems like something we could handle."
The elf Archer doesn''t seem so certain. "There is more to it than just the boost to the guardian. Word is, Lollyp also goes a little more gloves-off when someone triggers it. You try it, and she goes for the throat in a way she doesn''t normally do. Not that many people have actually tried it, as far as I''ve heard."
The disguised imp shrugs. "Eh, what''s to worry about? You got me here, yeah? And this is still only Floor Two. C''mon, I''ll even let you guys keep the loot, I wanna see what a challenge looks like!" She pauses, and then amends her statement. "Well...most of the loot. Maybe we''ll see if we get something good for me..."
Even her hedged statement is enough for Metz. "Hells, I couldn''t say no to an extra bag of coins or potions or whatever else it wants to hand out. We''ve got a Master with us so it''s practically a freebie, anyhow. Anyone disagree?" Branwen''s expression is still a bit concerned, but no one actually speaks up, so the half-minotaur gives Tizzy a nod. "Let''s go for it!"
"Alright!" Pushing open the door to the arena, Tizzy boldly takes the lead and steps inside. Once the others have followed, she shouts out to the room. "Hey, we want a true challenge or whatever! Get out here so we can kick your butt!"
The room responds with an excitement that matches her own. "Alright - but you asked for it!"
"C''mon, show me whatcha - " The woman''s taunt is interrupted as the room begins to shake as if an earthquake had begun, and the acid pools around the room start to shoot geyser sprays of boiling chemicals left and right. It only takes a moment for her to try and regain her balance, but a moment is all it takes for a heavy, blobby mass to swing out of a crack in the ceiling and knock the light imp into the air.
A flight arc with a terminus that leads to Tizzy landing in a nearby acid pool, vanishing immediately beneath its bubbling, yellow-green surface.
As Lollyp rolls away to recover and prepare her next assault, Metz has time for one comment. "...Fuck. Agggh, whatever, take the slime down!"
As the party begins their assault, Lollyp has to give them credit. In the early days, low-level Archers were hardly a threat to the slime at all, given that traditional arrows tend to sink entirely into her body without doing any real damage whatsoever. These days, even newbies usually scrounged together at least one or two enchanted arrows just for her, tipped with explosive arrowheads, chemical solutions, or the like. And normally, the arrows flying towards Lollyp now would give her a moment''s pause.
That''s not so much the case when the arena''s Challenge Mode has boosted the Elementalist''s powers, however. A gust of wind not only knocks every shot away from the slime, but even manages to land one of them into Hurlash''s arm, interrupting the orc''s first spell. Metz charges forward, hammer ready to swing, but Lollyp doesn''t even need to cancel her wind spell in order to blast the man''s face with a bolt of lightning from her wand, while simultaneously burning him with flames from her free hand.
When four more slimy red hands suddenly appear from the boss''s torso, the Challengers realize they''re in real trouble. Doing his best to heal the screaming Metz, Hurlash shouts to his companions. "Okay, shit, the Challenge Mode is way worse than the rumors said! Break her concentration, don''t let her cast any more spells! Get in her face if you need to!"
Having seen each and every one of their shots go astray, Branwen and Leyiff nod, pulling out their sidearms. The shortswords aren''t much, nor are the Archers particularly well-trained in melee combat, but mages are also not traditionally known for their skill at arms themselves. So when Lollyp pulls a sword and an axe of her own out from hidden caches, they still feel reasonably good about their odds of getting in a few good hits. That feeling vanishes when their blades meet the slime''s, and jolts of electricity pass through them and into their bodies.
They don''t feel much more than that when an icicle bolt penetrates Branwen''s skull from the bottom of her chin and an axe swing separates Leyiff''s head from her body.
Giving up on his meager healing attempts, Hurlash switches his efforts into a mage-on-mage battle, sending giant mystical vines swinging and swatting in the slime''s direction. One does actually manage to land a hit, but it only manages to knock Lollyp off of her feet for a few seconds. In the meanwhile, the Green Mage soon discovers that mystical plants burn almost as well as real ones, and the orc finds himself pushed back by an inferno which burns away every construct he tries to summon. Distracted by the flames in front of him, the man never sees the spray of acid that slams into him from the side, dissolving his upper torso within seconds.
Soon, the only party member remaining is the crawling Metz, his eyes blinded by lightning strikes and his flesh still smoking from where Lollyp burned him. Even then, Lollyp has to admit to being a little impressed at how the man is still trying to lift his heavy hammer for one more swing. "...This is a Challenge Mode fight, so the rules say I don''t gotta go easy on you. But I''d feel a lil bad just offing you like this, so...you want to call it quits? If you''re lucky, Deylia might even be able to patch you up after."
The Vanguard''s response is a simple one. "Fuck you! Damned beast!"
"...Well, I gave it a shot." With that said she then gives him a shot of a more literal type, blasting the man''s brains out with a point-blank lightning bolt. "...Man, that was a trip even for me. I ain''t killed that many people that fast in ages!"
The slime beams at herself, but after a moment the smile fades as she notices something. "...Why are the geysers still firing off? Fight''s over! Acid pools off! Deactivate - "
The fight is then ended rather definitively as a blast of pink energy disintegrates the slime''s head. Followed by two more that handle the rest of the slime''s body for good measure. Cursing, a dripping Tizzy climbs her way out of the acid trap where she fell, a skin-tight arcane field keeping the chemicals from her skin although they don''t do so well at protecting her robes. Pulling at the melting fabric, Tizzy curses again. "Fuck, I''m gonna need to make myself an illusionary set of pants...again. Well, at least we won, right guys?"
The Arcane Eye pauses to examine the arena, now finally calming down as the Challenge Mode deactivates and the last of Lollyp''s spells dissipate. The smile that was forming on the imp''s face freezes, and then falls.
"Well...fuck. Looks like I''m gonna need a new party."
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INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS SLAIN: 4
MORTALS ESCAPED: 1
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 4
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 13 TO 363
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
LIGHT COMBAT SKILLS: WOODLANDS ARCHER (ADVANCED), ALPINE ARCHER (ADVANCED)
HEAVY COMBAT SKILLS: VANGUARD (ADVANCED)
MAGIC COMBAT SKILLS: GREEN MAGE (ADVANCED)
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: STICKY SITUATION 4
YOU HAVE SLAIN AT LEAST TWENTY-FIVE MORTALS WITH SLIME MONSTERS. SLIMES GAIN 10% DAMAGE RESISTANCE.
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Chapter 242: The Need for New Parties
"You lost your entire team!?"
"I was only under for like ten seconds! Tops! Couldn''t have been much more, given my arcane armor wouldn''t have lasted much more than that. It didn''t even break my goblin illusion!" Tizzy cries out in response to Lei''s questioning, as she recounts her tale to her true party in a room at the Lucky Bastard. It was a comfortable room, at least, the largest the inn had on offer. The new arrivals may not have had any of the local currency on hand, but they had gold and coins of other kinds aplenty, and finding shelter in a town used to travelers wasn''t too much of a hurdle. Which meant that while the half-imp is squirming in her seat, it is at least a comfortable seat.
Thaddeus gestures with one hand for Lei to calm down as he asks a question of his own. "Describe to me how this slime monster fought. While they can certainly be dangerous in various ways, I''ve never been aware of one being known for being quick about it."
Tizzy nods, stretching her arms out across the table in front of her. "I''ll admit, I fucked up bad with the Challenge Mode thing. Like, we coulda totally handled it if it was us, but it must have amped her up way past the Advanced-tier Challengers. I have heard that she''s rated as ''Expert'' tier, if she''s not holding back, but combined with all of the mana flowing through her thanks to that mode thing...well, I dunno if it''d push her into Master territory, but she was way past the Red Talons, that''s for sure."
Linda looks up from where she''s sitting on the other side of the room, reading a book on local magic theory. "But she killed them how, exactly? Don''t tell me she actually managed to digest four people in ten seconds!"
"Nah, she didn''t fight like a slime at all. Used magic and melee weapons. Hells, she didn''t even try spitting acid or anything - though she did have the arena doing plenty of that for her. I think..." Tizzy takes a moment to take a breath and clear her head before continuing. "Actually, now that I think about it, I think what I really underestimated was her experience. She''s probably been fighting a couple of parties every single day for months, and we''re talking literal to-the-death fights, here. She knows the weaknesses of every Challenger class, or at least the basic ones, she knows how to protect herself and how to hit where it hurts."
Her lord nods, but beckons for her to continue. "I can see how that would help, but the specifics of the battle?"
"Oh, right! Well, I had to piece it together from after the fact, but from the arrows scattered all over the place I think she neutered the Archers with a wind spell. That''s aerokinesis, by the way, with her being an Elementalist. Looked like they went into melee after that and didn''t do real well for themselves. Our Vanguard...well, to be honest, I get the impression Vanguards are usually supposed to be wearing more armor than Metz was, or using a heavy shield or something. That was probably a particular weakness of the Talons, he looked super crispy from a couple of energy blasts. And the orc just plain got melted by acid, that was definitely a Challenge Mode thing. I don''t think it splashes that much normally."
Lei speaks up once again, his bare arms crossed over his chest. "But she posed no issue to you alone? I imagine she would hardly have put up a fight against the five of us, Challenge Mode or no."
The scout nods in agreement. "Yeah, or at least, not once you guys are adapted to the local mana. Just wanted to check in though before I go trying to find another team, since I''d like to have more than just two floors checked out before you all head in there."
The group''s half-orc shaman, Pulg, interrupts his meditation next to the room''s window with a grunt. "Starting over, huh? What color should we expect you to be tomorrow? Something in blue, perhaps?"
Tizzy sighs. "Unfortunately, I don''t think I can just swap to another cover identity that easily. Another woman my size, showing up with my skillset? And no paperwork to my name? The Association clerks aren''t that dumb. I think I''m gonna have to just soak up the reputation hit from managing to get a team killed on my watch. So...yeah, finding a replacement''s not gonna be easy. It''s probably still too risky to go in without any backup, though. I mean, I''m pretty well-rounded and all, but I ain''t gonna call myself a one-woman squad or something."
The piercing blue eyes of her leader stare into her own, making the woman gulp nervously. "Remember, we''re not here to be loved or respected. If you have to bribe the locals, lie to them, charm them, whatever it takes - we must not be deterred. I understand clearing the first five floors is something of a local milestone? Then I''d like to see you make it at least that far by time we''re ready to join you."
The scout nods deeply, almost making it into a seated bow. "Of course, my lord! Don''t worry - there''s tons of folks hanging around there. I''ll be back in there killing monsters tomorrow, my word on it!"
Thaddeus grants her a slight smile. "Then I look forward to your next report..."
As Raylin inspects his new living and working arrangements, the noble isn''t sure whether to be impressed or disappointed. In only a few months the construction workers the Highbranches had hired had managed to work very quickly on managing to get something usable set up, not only for the Highbranches themselves but his own home on their new estate. The emphasis however being on ''usable'', and not exactly at anywhere near the level of luxury the man might have expected from a ducal estate, even a distant branch one. Part of the matter was that his own furniture and belongings were still being moved in, but the large house itself was still only half-finished.
Rather literally half at that, with one of the building''s two wings still being largely inaccessible except to the workers who were still completing it, and producing more than their share of noise in the process. His own bedroom was livable, at least, and a guest room was in good enough shape to be used as a temporary office. Taylim, who had escorted his new charge down to Grassbrook, would need to camp out in one of the reception areas downstairs for the time being though. Turning towards said newly-promoted Royal Sentinel, Raylin sighs. "I''m starting to question if we should actually have come down here so soon. Perhaps another few weeks would have been more suitable."
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Raising an eyebrow, the taller man grunts. "Weren''t you just complaining the other day about having been too late for the dungeon''s big party, sir?"
"Indeed! Too early and too late at the same time! I almost wonder if Gilda was delaying informing us of the event on purpose...if so, it could be a bad sign for how things are going to proceed from here. At least I''ll be much harder to cut out of the loop now that we''re in town." The noble falls back into a large chair, one of the only pieces of furniture currently in the room, while Taylim peers out of a window facing the direction of the town in question.
"It perhaps may be wise to keep any accusations to yourself, for now. It''d be unwise to begin your new working relationship on a bad step, and it could be that Lady Highbranch genuinely didn''t have more time to inform us of the event."
The comment draws a rather surprised expression from his employer. "What''s this, now? Don''t tell me your Master-level training included topics on diplomacy? Besides, if you''ll forgive me for saying so, it seems like rather hypocritical advice from you, considering how prone you are to seeing enemies behind every corner these days."
"...It did actually cover a few topics that could be considered diplomatic, yes. As you know sir, my class title includes the ''Royal'' prefix. That doesn''t just mean that I have the same martial training as the king''s protectors, but that the king could call on me to supplement his personal forces at any time. As such, I do need to know the formalities of how to act around foreign dignitaries, how to act during affairs of state, and so on. As for your other remark..." Taylim pauses, while continuing to stare out the window. "We may well have enemies around every corner, and the Highbranches may well be one of them. But if they are not, it would be very much to your benefit to avoid turning them into one. That would be my inexpert analysis, of course."
"Well, your new training''s encouraged you to speak your mind a bit more at least, and I''m glad for that. It could be lonesome here without the rest of the family, and to be honest I was rather concerned I would have no one here at all to talk to." Taylim turns his head at that comment, and notices the smirk on Raylin''s face.
"Is that so, sir? And here I thought you''d be too busy spending time with your new consort to be worried about such things."
"Hrnf. For the record, I am Gilda''s consort, the term does not extend the other way around. Not that I expect her to hold me to it very closely, either...in fact I was thinking of perhaps paying Deylia a visit at the earliest opportunity..." The Marksman''s thoughts are interrupted by a knock on his bedroom door, and when Taylim opens it, one of the other estate servants steps inside.
"Honorable Perlin, her lady has arrived to welcome you to the Highbranch estate. Shall I show her in?"
Raylin looks around at the state of his room, and quickly shakes his head. "No, this is hardly suitable for entertaining a lady of her stature. I''ll go down to her, we can...walk in the gardens, I suppose. There''s a few hedges and flower bushes planted, at least." Quickly rising to his feet, the man stops only long enough to gaze into a nearby mirror and brush his hair into place before heading on out, followed by his bodyguard. As he makes his way down the stairs he quickly spots Gilda by the door, although his attention first goes to her own attendant - the massive gnoll Sweet, towering over her like a rather furry statue.
"Welcome to my humble abode, Lady Highbranch - I would say my home is your home, except I suppose in this case this home does literally belong to you, does it not?"
The silver-haired half-elf nods. "It does, although you are welcome to manage it as you see fit. I hope you''re not too tired from your travels to talk, I had a few things I wished to discuss."
"Straight to business, hrmm?" Raylin''s smile remains, given that he''s not terribly surprised. "By all means - shall we take a walk outside? The sound of hammers is unlikely to add much to our conversation." Gilda nods, and a few minutes later the two are walking through a somewhat-more-attractive portion of the still under-construction estate, trailed by their respective guards. Once the sound of construction has died down, Raylin attempts to begin the meeting properly.
"You know, I was just telling Taylim, it''s too bad we couldn''t be here a few days sooner. Tell me, just how was the grand event at Worthy Dungeon? I''ve yet to hear many tales of it, although I''m sure there''s some to be heard."
To his disappointment, Gilda snorts at the question. "I''m afraid I''m the wrong person to ask - I did not attend myself."
"What? Surely the dungeon spirit sent you an invite?"
The lady nods. "She did, but I could not accept. It would have been a lose-lose situation, you know. I could have gone and attempted to stay out of the games and competitions, and put a damper on affairs by hanging around, or I could have taken part and rather sullied my image among the common folk, who of course made up the vast majority of the attendees. The only winning move was to not attend."
It takes a moment for Raylin to process that particular line of logic. "Really? Come on, surely you''re overthinking matters! I''ve entertained myself among the common folk on many an occasion with no such issues!"
Before responding, Gilda shoots her consort a bit of a glare. "And this seems like a perfect example of the distance between our two stations. You''re free to do as you please because you represent only yourself. I am potentially a future duchess - the reputation of House Highbranch hinges on my behavior. Few would judge House Perlin based on your activities."
Raylin eyes her, unconvinced. "Behavior including working a day as a barmaid? I did hear of that, you know."
"That was a matter of honor, I - " As her anger begins to mount, Gilda cuts herself off and begins again. "...Apologies. I actually came today, aside from wishing you welcome to the estate, in order to ask you a favor."
"Oh? Do tell."
Gilda takes a moment to examine a nearby rose bush before continuing. "...I intend to resume challenging the dungeon again in the near future. Not at an intense rate, but at least once every few weeks. I would like to request that you and Taylim join me on those expeditions."
The request takes Raylin off-guard enough that it takes him a bit to decide on his first objection. "Really? Are...well, are you sure you should be challenging in...your condition?"
The half-elf rolls her eyes, although it seems half-hearted, as if she were expecting this comment. "Please, I''ll be fit for combat for months to come. I''m here because the dungeon wants a local leader who can meet it on its own terms, it would not do for me to take off a year or more before facing it again."
"I see...but why us? How about your sister, or other House Highbranch retainers?"
"Silva is still occupied at the capital and our family estate with other matters. But yes, I do plan to go with retainers in my party if it''s needed. I do have a healer in mind to join us, for one." Gilda turns to look Raylin in the eyes. "But I''d be foolish to disregard talents like yourself and Taylim of Anchorfest while you sit here, otherwise occupied only with paperwork. Besides...Silva has been encouraging me to be more...open to the idea of working alongside others, including yourself."
It takes a moment of consideration, but eventually Raylin smiles. "Well, in that case...I believe Taylim and I would be happy to escort you to the dungeon. I''m looking forward to seeing how it''s changed, these past few months..."
Chapter 243: A Good Pain
It''s somewhat to Raylin''s surprise when the first joint noble dungeon expedition is set for the very next day, but after spending an afternoon listening to the sound of construction work he found himself more than eager to get away from the estate for a day. As the four of them enter the dungeon inn - Raylin, Gilda, Taylim, and Sweet - the Marksman takes a moment to examine the place for changes which may have occurred since his last visit. Physically, not much appears to have changed on first glance. The extra party space had finally been closed back up, putting the place back to its original layout as he remembers it for the most part. What does strike the man the most however is the change in the people.
For starters, there''s clearly an incubus working behind the tavern''s bar alongside the rabbit-eared staff, and one of the waitresses taking out drink orders seems to be a mundane human as far as he can tell. Beyond that, the place is packed compared to the last time he''d visited the place. Every New Continent ethnicity aside from draconics and slimes is represented, and even a few stranger faces like beastkin or goblins can be seen in smaller numbers. Many of them seem quite impressive as well from a quick glance, with elaborate armor and clearly-enchanted weapons gracing many of those present. It''s still early in the day, so the tavern''s musical stage is empty, but Raylin can already imagine what the place must look like once evening falls.
What isn''t immediately obvious though is the reason they came to the inn first. "So, Lady Gilda, you said your healer will be waiting for us here?"
"Indeed - and you can drop the honorifics, Raylin, I don''t want us to be delayed in a fight because we''re trying to be formal about our deaths. The same goes for you, Taylim."
The man gives a slight bow, but there''s a smirk on his face as he answers. "As you wish, my lady." The intentional formality draws a bit of ire from the half-elf, but Raylin quickly interjects.
"You''ll have to forgive Taylim his quirks. If it wasn''t for his dry pretense at pretending he respects noble rank, the man would have no sense of humor at all."
"Is that so?" Gilda doesn''t seem entirely sure how she ought to take that, but fortunately for the bodyguard she soon finds herself distracted. "Ah, I see our man - his table is over there, follow me." The group does so, and Raylin doesn''t need long to identify their fifth member. He''s an elf - and if Raylin judges it right, a full-blooded one rather than the half-human lineage that makes up most of House Highbranch''s noble members. The man''s hair is black and slicked back, kept short enough to be worn under a helmet, and his shoulders seem thick enough to indicate that he''s no stranger to handling himself in a melee fight. As they get closer other evidence of that becomes plain as well, including quite a few scars on his face. The color of his green eyes even seems slightly mismatched, indicating that at some point the man lost one - or both - and had the injury magically regenerated. All in all, it''s very much not what Raylin was expecting when he was told they would be meeting their party''s healer here.
The man rises from his seat and gives his own bow as the party approaches. "Lady Highbranch, Honorable Perlin, it is my honor to meet you here. I''ve been anticipating our first dungeon intrusion together."
"Simply Gilda is fine, as I was just telling the others." Gilda claims her seat at the table without fanfare, and the others soon follow. "It''s been a while since we''ve last met, hasn''t it? Raylin, Taylim, please meet Paladin Barlond Tanglethorn, our healer. Paladin, this is Raylin Perlin, Noble Marksman, and Taylim of Anchorfest, Royal Sentinel."
Raylin''s brow furrows as he shakes the man''s hand. "Paladin? I might be mistaken, but I thought the Paladin line usually focused on offense and defense. Is healing not usually more the line of Clerics?"
Barlond grins, his cheerful expression somewhat marred by the scars that stretch across his face as he does so. "Aha, it doesn''t surprise me that her ladyship would forego expressing my full title. I am a Paladin of Pain, good sir, in service to Jaaleni, the Goddess of Pain. Manipulation of the body is a key part of our church''s training."
For once, Taylim''s stoic expression cracks a bit. "...Manipulation of the body, you say?"
"Indeed! Our Clerics, the Masochists, are experts at taking the pain of both themselves and others and using it as fuel for their own abilities. We Sadist Paladins however tend to more directly take that pain and immediately redirect it onto our enemies! It''s not exactly a traditional healing method, I''ll admit, or even truly intended as one. But as a side effect pain and its sources are removed, leading to much the same outcome."
Raylin seems unconvinced, leading the usually quiet Sweet to speak up in support of the Paladin. "If it helps to have my own word to vouch for him, I have worked alongside Paladin Tanglethorn on several occasions myself - and sparred with him several times. I know a few things about causing injuries, and I can say that Tanglethorn is rather adept at undoing my work. Which I should note that some other, more traditional schools of healing have trouble accomplishing."
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"I see." Raylin eyes the man for signs of his equipment, but if it''s present it seems to be stashed into a bag of holding. "What would be your role in the party then, Paladin? Front-liner? Or more of a support position?"
"I believe myself to be quite flexible, but generally I react to the type of enemy we''re facing. My abilities work strongest when I''m the one generating pain myself, you see, but in a dungeon that doesn''t always work. Many undead, for example, feel no pain. In those cases I will traditionally fall back, and focus on managing the well-being of my companions. Fortunately our party seems to be rather flexible in general - I know the lady here is suited for both front-line and support work herself, and while Sweet may have the strength to lead a charge, I know she prefers to play the role of a flanker."
Taylim speaks up with a note of approval in his voice, apparently liking his analysis of the elf. "I look forward to seeing you in action. Where will we begin, then? Have you begun clearing the dungeon already?"
Gilda answers for her retainer. "I''ve had Barlond here work his way up alongside other parties these past few weeks, and he just cleared Floor Seven the other day. Since the rest of us have cleared it as well, I was thinking then we would go right into Floor Eight."
The Marksman shoots Gilda a disbelieving look. "Hold on, now - our first battle together as a group, and you want to go right into the hardest floor of the dungeon? One that has yet to be cleared by anyone? Why not, say, Floor Four, just for practice?"
Sweet bares her teeth in a grin. "I respect your caution, but the lady and I have discussed it, and I believe the risk is manageable. The mimics making up Floor Eight are not too severe a threat, certainly not to a party of our tier. It''s only Master Mimic Parker who''s been keeping the floor uncleared, and we do not need to engage him on our first try. We will be needing to try the floor eventually anyways, so we may as well begin there. Unless you feel your skills have grown rusty these past few months, Sir Marksman?"
Examining the group again, a realization occurs to Raylin. "Ah - Paladin of Pain, that''s a Master-tier rank, yes? And Gilda, I know you''ve trained up recently, as well as Taylim here? Well...that makes me the only Expert in this group, I suppose. It hadn''t occurred to me that I was the newbie in this gathering." He gives a bit of a wry grin. "In that case I suppose it''s up to me then to try and pull my weight here. No worries, Sweet - my aim is as good as ever, I''ve not been neglecting my own training these past few months, even if I am not yet ready for a tier graduation."
"Very well then." Gilda gives a curt nod at his assent. "We''ll give Barlond here some time to change into his armor, and then we''ll see just what sort of mimics the dungeon has available to throw at us..."
When the party steps into Floor Eight, making their way through a convenient shortcut portal, they find themselves in a rather large yet cluttered space. The room, longer than it is wide, has rows of beds along each wall all the way up to the opposite side. Trunks sit next to most of the bunks, alongside nightstands with candles, snacks, loose articles of clothing and other miscellaneous items. Barlond eyes it for a moment before nodding to himself. "Looks like we''re starting in the barracks, then."
Rather than responding right away, Raylin finds himself rather distracted by the Paladin''s ''armor''. He''d been expecting something rather more like what Sable Bluehair often wore around the dungeon, a shining set of full plate emblazoned with the symbol of the paladin''s church. Instead, the man''s torso is covered only by a set of black leather straps covered in enchanted runes, while in the place of a helmet the man wears a leather cowl. The large amount of exposed skin exposes quite a few scars along with it, many of which look like they ought to have been lethal. The Marksman had held his curiosity at first, but he finally finds himself at his limit.
"I have a question on that, but first, I''m sorry, I really have to ask - are you certain you''re equipped for this, Paladin? It seems as if the first arrow to fly your way could end your Challenging career rather abruptly..."
Barlond gives the noble a grin, a rather sinister-appearing act thanks to the fashion of the cowl covering his eyes and nose. "Do not think me unprotected, sir. My gear is enchanted to protect me - but unlike most such enchantments, which protect the skin, my enchantments only protect what''s beneath it. Thus allowing me to feel the full impact of every blow I receive, without sustaining lethal damage to my vital organs."
"...I see. And that''s a...good thing?"
"For me, it very much is. Now, you said you had another question?"
"Ah, right. You sounded as if you weren''t expecting us to start off in a barracks. Or did I misread you?"
The elf nods, as he returns his attention to the room around him. "This floor is more dynamic than most. Rooms are said to change layout between visits, with some not appearing at all on some runs. More than that, the ambushes change as well. After all, they wouldn''t be surprise ambushes if you knew exactly what all the mimics were disguised as, yes? A bedsheet might be a mimic one day, on another, it''s the pillow. All in all, it''s always best to remain cautious."
Taylim grunts, as he points his sword toward the door at the other end of the room. "Ought we just ignore everything then, and then proceed on through? As I understand it, mimics often just punish greedy adventurers." Sweet growls out her disagreement, though.
"Remember, our purpose here today is practice, not to complete the floor as quickly as possible. Hunting out mimics is exactly what we''re here for. Besides - would you like to have a room full of monsters to our rear, should we need to retreat?"
"Fair point. Where do we start, then?"
Having finished double-checking the runes recently painted onto her shield, Gilda grins. "I imagine Sweet here could sniff out most of them if she put her nose to it. But where''s the fun in that, hrmm? Let us begin by introducing some of the furniture around us to our blades, and see what complains..."
Chapter 244: Making Progress
Raylin had found himself in a position that, for a while, he refused to admit to himself even within his own mind. After clearing several rooms full of mimics however, he had to face the truth.
He was having fun.
It was a rather bizarre experience, considering all of the factors that ought to be working against such an outcome. For one, this was the first time he''d ever fought alongside Gilda, and honestly he had not been particularly looking forward to it. Yes, she was a skilled Challenger, who did have a few positive traits beyond that as well. From what little he could recall of their night together, he''d known there were at least some aspects of her company that were...tolerable. It was rather to his surprise though that having her at one''s side as a fighting companion was one of those aspects. Despite her notorious temper the woman seemed nearly immune to panic, and it was rather entertaining to see the way in which she would surgically carve up a beast pretending to be a cake.
Fighting the mimics was also far more exhilarating than it really ought to be, from the stories Raylin had heard told. His only personal experience with them were the handful of false gems on Floor Seven, but he''d certainly heard many tales of how paranoia-inducing the monsters could be. Some former Challengers even seemed to be permanently traumatized by the creatures, thanks to one close call or another they''d experienced at some point. But for Raylin, it almost seemed like a rather amusing game. Could his keen eye for detail pick out a mimic before it revealed itself? If an empowered arrow shot through multiple pieces of furniture, how many would it need to penetrate before one of them screamed? Every turn on this floor seemed to present a new and exciting challenge for the group to try.
If there was one thing that put a damper on the fun though, it was watching the Paladin of Pain at work. Specifically, because the man seemed to be having even more fun than Raylin was, which, considering the man''s equipment, absolutely should not have been the case. Aside from his...unusual taste in armor, the Paladin''s primary weapon was a light flail - a thick stick with a quartet of spiked balls chained to one end. It was certainly a lethal enough weapon, if used skillfully, but not nearly as lethal as a good blow from a traditional mace or a sword in most cases. Especially when fighting monsters like mimics, who often lacked familiar weak points such as heads.
The flail was less a tool of death though, and more of a...medium for it. The blows it struck rarely killed mimics, but it did hurt them. Even when they appeared to be metal or wood, the creatures were still made of meat and flesh, and the spikes of the weapon could dig deep gouges into their skin as it struck. Those blows would then release a great deal of pain...which Barlond somehow absorbed out of the air, and then used it to kill the mimics with. It was rather bizarre to watch, and the Marksman wasn''t entirely sure what the magic was actually doing. Most of the time, it would appear as if Barlond was simply gesturing at damaged monsters, whose bleeding wounds would begin to glow as if they were burning internally. They would scream out - a hideous sound from those twisted mouths, full of far too many teeth - and then collapse, twitching and in some cases even smoking.
Raylin had come to the decision that he would not watch the Paladin fight too closely for the rest of the floor.
Sweet, on the other hand, was an absolute delight for the eyes to behold. Not that Raylin had a thing for gnolls - and even if he did, this particular gnoll was perhaps a hair bit more on the intimidating side compared to the man''s usual taste in women. But the skill. She was apparently actually a level or two below Barlond, technically, but if Raylin hadn''t known that he would have imagined she was on the verge of being a Supreme-tier combatant. Against weaker foes the gnoll''s twin oversized daggers could easily score one-hit kills, while tougher foes rarely kept her attention for long. Instead she would strike a few apparently minor blows and move on, while letting her Bloodletter skills bleed the monsters to death in her wake. It was a strategy that also paired well with Barlond''s skills, and the two of them alone could quickly turn a room of mimics into a gory pile of dying monsters.
Raylin could only be thankful though that the monster blood soaking his attire would dissolve once they left the dungeon, and that he wouldn''t need to actually have it laundered. Or more likely, burned.
Still, the man finds himself in a good enough mood after clearing a fake stable - complete with a mimic horse - that he takes a break to mention as much to his companion. "I have to say, Gilda - your house seems quite adept at hiring skilled retainers. While I admit that I miss Sansie''s presence - not to mention poor Arlon''s - I can''t deny the skill this party seems to possess."
Gilda briefly glows at the compliment, although it fades quickly. "I''m afraid I can''t take any personal credit, although I''ll accept your praise on behalf of my house. Barlond has been a retainer of House Highbranch since before I was born, and Sweet has been one of the primary guardians of myself and my sister since we were young adults."
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Raylin briefly attempts to do some mental math on that last comment, before quickly giving up. He knew for a fact that Gilda was in her early fifties, but given her part-elf heritage it was nearly impossible to judge how long ago her ''young adulthood'' was by her standards. Hells, by full elf standards, he was pretty sure Gilda would still be only a young adult. "Doubly impressive, then - not only have you attracted skill, but loyalty as well. I''ll admit, to my knowledge House Perlin has perhaps but one or two Masters to its name, aside from Baron Perlin himself, of course. I''ll admit to being further curious about how these two came into your service. For example, I didn''t know your house were associates of the Church of Pain."
Having overheard the conversation, Barlond laughs. "Oh, it hardly is - or at least not in an exclusive sense. When you reach a level of politics such as the like where Duke Highbranch resides, one typically becomes a patron of many different religious organizations. I am not here on behalf of the church, however, but rather for more personal reasons. I am a distant cousin, you see, from the days before, well..." The man glances at Gilda, and a smile traces his lips. "Before the Highbranch side of the family decided they had a taste for human men."
Gilda focuses her infamous glare on the man, to little effect. "I''m not sure if you''re attempting to imply something, Barlond."
"Not at all! Although you must understand, the family split is a little shorter on my end than on your own, thanks to our longer generations. It occurred within my father''s days, as a matter of fact. By which I mean to say, I still hear gossip from my aunts about how your great-grandmother ran off with ''that human whelp''. It''s all rather amusing to me, and if you''ve chosen to carry on the family tradition in that manner, you''ll hear no objection from me."
Gilda sniffs. "You may hear an objection from me, however, if you continue to try and insinuate anything about my...romantic tastes. The relationship between myself and Raylin, such as it is, has nothing to do with his ethnicity."
Sweet nods along in agreement. "Oh, yes. My lady has had partners of very many different species - she does not discriminate!"
"Sweet!" Gilda quickly turns to face her grinning bodyguard, her expression now one of betrayal. "That - that was hardly a necessary comment!"
"Necessary, no. But funny, heheh! Besides, we are all part of the family now, wouldn''t you say?"
The Mage sighs, deciding this isn''t a battle she can win. "Sometimes I almost forget you do still have a gnollish sense of humor to you. Ugh, let''s close this topic and move on, shall we? If I''m not mistaken, I believe we''ve nearly cleared the floor at this point."
Taylim nods, looking a little relieved that the topic is moving away from talk of family affairs. "Shall we call it a day then, and return to the inn?"
"Actually...I was thinking that perhaps we ought to give the guardian mimic a try. After all, we''ve been doing remarkably well so far, and I feel quite fresh."
The bodyguard isn''t so keen on that suggestion. "I would warn against overconfidence, my lady. A single successful outing isn''t a trend, after all."
"Actually...I''m rather tempted to agree with Gilda here." Raylin gives Gilda a cautious look along with his agreement. "I do think we should be prepared to retreat if necessary...but we will be wanting to attempt it eventually, yes? Why not now, while we''re already here?"
Barlond gives a shrug of ''why not'' in response, while Sweet keeps her thoughts to herself, if she has any. Not wishing to contradict his employer, Taylim yields. "Very well - we are an effective team, I''ll grant that. We''ll want a solid strategy, though."
"Certainly. Now, as I understand it, we won''t know the exact form the mimic will take, so we should start off cautious. Taylim, have your group shield prepared as we enter, and - " Raylin''s instructions are interrupted by a harsh throat-clearing from Gilda.
"A-hem. Raylin?"
"Uh...yes, Gilda?"
"I am the leader of this team, if I must remind you. I''ll be the giving the orders here, if you''d be so kind."
A little embarrassed as he realizes his misstep, Raylin bows his head. "Ah, of course. My apologies, I meant no offense."
"I''m sure." Gilda sighs, before turning towards Taylim herself. "Now, Taylim. As we enter, ensure that your group shield is active. We want to be prepared for any sort of attack, after all."
With his straightest possible face, Taylim nods in acknowledgment. "Of course, my lady."
Quickly moving on, Gilda turns to the rest of the team. "Barlond, Sweet, you will be our primary offense, given the excellent synergy your talents have displayed so far. In the event that the monster takes a form too durable for you to damage, Raylin and I will attempt to expose its weak points for you, and keep you clear from other monsters otherwise. Primarily, you are to wear it down over time, although do remain alert for any healing that needs to be done."
Knowing her master, Sweet asks a question of her own. "Will you be making any special preparations for this battle, my lady?"
"Not knowing its weaknesses - if it even has any that aren''t variable - many of my runes would potentially be a waste of time." Despite her words, a smile soon forms on the Lady of Runes'' face. "That said, I have thought on the matter, and I have a few ideas I''d like to try..."
Watching their progress, an unseen Xenia questions her guide. "So, think they''ve got a shot?"
Guy seems a little uncertain as they respond, but not in regards to the question that was asked. "Even if they don''t - or rather, especially if they don''t - would it not be rather bad were they to perish?"
"What, cause they''re nobles?" Xenia eyes Gilda and Raylin before shaking her head. "It''d cause some annoyances, maybe, but there''s no way in hell I''m just granting them a free pass. Especially not on a boss no one else has even cleared before. Besides, nobles ain''t all that special. There''s always more where they came from."
"True, I suppose. And if they do actually have a shot, and defeat Parker?"
Xenia grins in a way that rather mirrors the one displayed by Gilda a moment before. "Then I''ll suppose that''ll be motivation to get Floor Nine all polished up..."
Chapter 245: Facing Your Fear
When the party - unnamed, now that Raylin thinks of it, for some reason - rushes into the boss arena, several things happen immediately. Taylim begins by quickly activating his magical shield, wrapping the party in a glowing, bluish half-sphere. Raylin scans his attention across the room, noting down the location of every piece of decoration he can find, knowing that at least some of them will turn out to be monsters. Barlond and Sweet both advance to the front of the group, although they don''t leave Taylim''s protection until their opponent fully reveals itself.
Not that it''s exactly hard to find. The reflective sphere sits on its pedestal in the center of the arena, just as the reports from other Challengers had claimed, yet those reports also told them that it''d be foolish to try and attack it in this state. While Raylin doubts that the sphere is actually invulnerable, it is apparently highly resistant to most forms of damage in this form, and so the party has little choice but to wait for it to change and assume the implement of their dooms. At least they don''t have to wait long. As they watch it begins to take a humanoid form, liquefying and extending limbs, and Barlond sighs in relief.
"Ah, good - it''s doing something humanoid. I heard once the damn thing transformed into a giant ball of spiders."
While keeping her focus on the enemy ahead, Sweet has to ask the question. "...How does a ball of spiders fight, exactly, I wonder?"
"I do not know and do not want to find out. ...Hold on now, is that...?" At first, it was apparent that the mimic was taking on the form of an armored warrior, holding a shield and a sword. Eventually though color begins to be applied to its form, the metal-like liquid taking on the texture of skin and cloth, and the exact appearance of the floor guardian becomes clear. The monster standing before them is a perfect copy of Gilda Highbranch.
As the group watches on in silence, the mimic smiles while admiring its new form. "Well, this is a new one. Not the first time I''ve been a mortal, certainly, but a member of your own party? Though the interesting part is which one of you triggered this particular transformation..."
Gilda doesn''t quite push to the front of the group, but she does step forward enough to get a good look at their foe. "What in the hells is this? Are you mocking me, monster?"
"Mocking you? If anything, perhaps you should be a little flattered. After all, you''re about to find out how you''d be able to take on a full party of Challengers and win! ...If you survive the experience yourself, of course."
Mimic Gilda - or Mimda, as Raylin mentally classifies them - assumes a combat position which immediately sets Sweet off, ignoring whatever deeper meaning there might be behind the monster''s form. "Enough talk - Barlond, with me!" The gnoll dashes off, although not in a frontal assault, leaving that instead to Barlond to handle. Instead she rushes to the right, practically hopping in long strides, gaining a significant amount of distance in the process. Mimda starts to turn to track her, but they soon have to return their focus to Barlond and his flail, which rings out as it impacts the monster''s shield.
Quickly ducking back to avoid a sword swing, Barlond has a smile on his face as he poses the monster a question. "I wonder, guardian - is your shield not a part of you? Do you not feel pain when I strike it? Would a blow on your body anywhere be just as good as another?"
"Feel free to keep wailing on it and find out. Or better yet - let it wail on you." A blast of explosive force suddenly emits from the shield, pushing Barlond back just in time for the mimic to swivel and parry a blow from Sweet. Back behind Taylim''s defenses, Gilda watches on with an annoyed expression.
"They - they''re even using my magic? How?"
Raylin fires off a shot as an opening shows itself, although the mimic easily dodges it. "Doesn''t much matter at the moment, does it? I''d say the more important matter is - how effective is your magic on them?"
"Yes, hold on, hold on - if the creature has a half-elf''s senses, then there''s a few ways to take advantage of that. Such as..." Quickly sheathing her sword, Gilda pulls out one of her favored enchanted artifacts - a family heirloom in the shape of a bell which causes disorientation in enemies that hear its ring. Since the last time she had cause to use it however, the Lady of Runes had made a few modifications of her own. "Sweet, Barlond - make room!"
The pair quickly dodge to either side, and with a swing of her arm Gilda rings the bell, leaving it pointed in the mimic''s direction. Rather than create an omnidirectional sound however, runes flare up around its edge, and a blast of directed soundwaves hit the mimic full-on. The monster raises its shield, of course, but that''s no defense against magically enhanced sound, which ought to leave the guardian stumbling to its knees any moment now.
Except...it remains standing firm. When the blast of sound ends and the mimic lowers its shield, Gilda realizes with some shock that her clone no longer has ears. "Come on, Lady Highbranch. How many times have you used that trick in this dungeon? I''ll admit, it was more intense than I expected - actually tickled a little, as it happens - but you''ll have to display something a little more original to win in this battle."
"Gah! Give me another moment!" Gilda quickly stashes her bell and reaches for her rune-painting brush instead, but Raylin sees that they have new worries to deal with.
"The gargoyles around the rim of the ceiling are coming to life - watch your heads!" Raylin quickly fires off a few arrows at the nearest monster, just beginning to stretch its wings, and is relieved to see that they do actually sink into its flesh. He''d heard stories of monsters made of stone, but mimics take on the appearance of things more than their actual attributes...save for the floor guardian itself, somehow, whose blade and shield seem to be more than up to the task of keeping two of the party''s Masters at bay.
"I shall manage the defense - you may remain focused on bringing the monsters down!" Taylim shouts out as he impales one swooping gargoyle with his blade, while his mystical shield-dome blocks another who begins clawing at it like an upset cat. Unfortunately the Sentinel finds himself taken by surprise when the creature on his blade drops its disguise, and its chest splits open into a massive maw filled with mismatched teeth. The shift allows it to free itself from the man''s blade, and Taylim pulls back just in time to avoid the fist that begins banging on his shield. "Gah! Will perhaps take me another few moments sir, my lady, but I''ll have this one sorted out quickly enough!"
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"I have faith in your abilities, Taylim." Raylin keeps his voice calm as he focuses on bringing down those monsters still at range, while keeping half an eye on Gilda, who seems to be busy painting symbols onto her sword. "Have something in mind, Gilda?"
"I do - the mimic likes shifting their form, do they? Then let''s see if I can''t make them a little more solid, hrmm?" With a wild grin on her face, the half-elf steps forward and points her weapon in the guardian''s direction once again. "Taking a shot - Frostbite!" Her sword lights up with a white-blue intensity, and a moment later the magical blast it emits hits Mimda, who once again blocks it with their shield. This time it''s rather less effective a defense, however - not only does the shield itself soon become encased with ice, but the blast continues to envelope their body, freezing the entire boss solid. It''s not exactly a single solid block of ice, and the mimic''s limbs can still move at a reduced speed, but it''s clearly a serious blow to their capabilities. Seeing their vulnerable state, Gilda grows smug.
"I believe now would be an excellent time to finish - oh, now what?" As the party watches on, glowing symbols begin to light up on the guardian''s shield, and as Gilda recognizes them she begins to curse. "Are - are you kidding me? They don''t even need to paint the runes!? The cheating - strike quickly, it''s writing an immolation enchantment!"
Sweet and Barlond don''t need to be told twice, and the pair quickly get to work. Their weapons open up wound after wound on the mimic, despite the armor the boss wears, but in this case their specialization at drawn-out damage over time works against them. Unable to strike a quickly lethal blow to interrupt the spell, the pair have to pull back when the shield erupts in a flash of flames which soon engulfs the guardian entirely. The party watches cautiously for a moment, hoping that it might be a form of suicidal desperation, but regretfully the flames only seem to harm the ice coating the monster and not the monster themselves.
"Gah, that''s an odd feeling. And I actually turned into a fire elemental once! But this is drawing down my reserves, so forgive me if I attempt to cut this battle a little short!" Mimda moves with renewed vigor, swiping their blade across Barlond''s chest before turning back to Sweet. The magical flames don''t last long, but the swordsmanship displayed is well beyond Gilda''s own - not that she''d be likely to admit it - and while the speed of the Highbranch retainers keeps them from receiving more than glancing hits they find themselves unable to strike back in return.
That stalemate comes to a surprising end when the guardian launches themselves forward, displaying a strength that Gilda herself certainly does not possess. The monster''s shield strikes Sweet with enough force to send even the towering gnoll tumbling to the ground, and the mimic''s blade is already beginning its downward swing before the Bloodletter has time to recover. Even Gilda has no time to do more than shout out as she sees the lethal blow fall forward. "Sweet - get out of there! I - Sweet!"
There''s a flash of light, and when the party blinks the spots out of their eyes, they find the mimic''s sword dug into the stone floor - and no sign of the gnoll who was there a moment before. Even Mimda seems to pause for a moment of surprise. "...Well, didn''t think I hit her that hard. Suppose that makes it easier to clean - "
Whatever mockery the guardian was preparing is cut short as an arrow suddenly juts from their left eye, having found its way through the gaps in the imitation helmet the mimic wears. Even that doesn''t manage to actually kill the monster, but a second icy blast from Gilda, draining the remaining energy from her sword''s temporary runes, strikes them only a fraction of a second later. This time there''s no shield in the way to intercept the attack, and despite the lesser energy of the second strike, after this blow the mimic seems to be more slowed down than ever. That leaves yet more openings for Raylin to strike from afar, and Barlond has soon joined in as well, intensifying the surely already-severe pain the mimic must be feeling from their brand new head wounds.
When the monster actually collapses to the arena floor though, it takes a few breaths for Raylin to realize what just happened. "Did - did we kill it? Have we actually cleared the floor?"
Despite her lesser physical exertion, given that she had only needed to swing her sword at the attacking gargoyles a handful of times, Gilda is breathing even harder than the Marksman is. "Yes, but - Sweet! I don''t understand! What sort of attack could have - have just wiped her from existence like that?"
After taking a bit longer to ensure that there''s no more mimics about to reveal themselves and attack, Taylim finally relaxes his guard enough to answer. "I do not know, my lady - but I know that she was a brave gnoll. Dedicated to your cause, a truly worthy companion."
"Stuff your eulogy, I just - aggh!" Gilda lets loose with a howl of frustration before beginning to stomp around, halting only when she sees the arena''s treasure chest make its appearance. "...Someone else inspect that, I...I do not care for baubles at just this moment."
"...Of course, allow me." With a slight bow of his head, Raylin steps forward and opens the chest. As he searches though it, his thoughts are largely on what this may mean for Gilda and the party. He barely knew Sweet personally, but he certainly respected her skill, and the Master-rank Challenger had been the estate''s head of security. Should he offer Taylim to take up that position? Or...no, it would be far too sensitive a matter to bring up, and he certainly wouldn''t want to look like he was taking advantage of the tragedy. It actually takes him a while to refocus and truly examine the objects he finds - the usual currency, two small potions, a dagger...some odd cage-like object that looks like it''d barely hold a mouse, which seems a bit strange...and finally, a plain silver ring with a purple gem inserted into it. It''ll need to be identified later, but something tells Raylin to mark it as part of his own portion of the rewards when the party settles up.
That will have to wait a little longer, though. "A few decent items, some oddities that may need identifying, but no apparent great treasures, I''m afraid. Still, the dungeon may yet give us some credit for being the first to clear the floor."
"Let us hope so." Although her words are slightly calmer, her tone is very much not as Gilda begins making her way to the previously-hidden door now apparent at the rear of the arena. "Let us see what all of this has gained us after all."
The party makes their way through the door, finding themselves once again in the now-familiar core chamber. Core Guardian Sincere is waiting to greet them once again, and he gives the group a nod with a smile on his face. "Congratulations! As I''m sure you''re aware, your party is the first to have gotten this far. I''ll admit, a Floor Nine is nearly prepared, but as we weren''t actually expecting you to get this far, the core chamber has yet to be moved to down to it."
Gilda frowns, unable to take any pleasure in their victory. "Wonderful. My - my greatest retainer slain, and now you tell me that our record of ''clearing'' the dungeon is soon to be undone. One wonders if there was even a point to it after all..."
In response to her morose statement, Sincere raises a confused eyebrow. "Slain? I was about to say, the fact that you defeated Parker with no casualties makes your victory even more impressive. Did - oh, I see." The demon smiles, as if struck by a sudden understanding. "Was Sweet beholden to an oath of chastity, my lady?"
The question only manages to confuse Gilda. "What? No, she was not particularly devout, nor inclined in that manner. Why do you ask?"
"Well, then - ah, I suppose perhaps it should be up to her to explain, then. The point is, your retainer is alive and well, waiting for you just outside the dungeon as we speak."
"What!? You - you''re not jesting?"
"I don''t mind the occasional prank, but I would not jest about something of this sort, Lady Highbranch."
Gilda takes the longest, deepest breath Raylin can ever remember seeing someone take, but he''s struck even more by the intense look of relief on her face when she''s done. That expression is soon replaced by a smile though, and her voice when she next speaks has no trace of the scorn it held just seconds before. "In that case - let us go and see what Worthy Inn has to offer the first victors of Floor Eight, shall we? Perhaps this is a victory worth celebrating."
Chapter 246: Getting Gross
Xenia is still laughing to herself the next day, as Guy and Sincere help her with the finishing touches on Floor Nine. "I still can''t believe they thought Parker vaporized her! With one hit!"
Sincere smirks along, although truth be told the humor of it had already worn out for him. "I suppose in their defense, the fact that Parker was able to duplicate Lady Highbranch''s runes meant his abilities were particularly difficult to predict. Perhaps she knows some enchantment that allows her sword to take on that sort of effect?"
"I doubt she''s got anything that good if she hasn''t already used it, but who knows, I guess." She finishes artfully crafting a chitin-based wall into the appearance of a set of screaming faces, but sighs as she looks it over. "I''unno, horror''s not really my usual style, but I feel like this floor could use a little something more, y''know?"
Guy glides on over to make a point. "Well, do recall that we''re currently working with the floor under full torch illumination at the moment, ma''am. Turn down the lights, add in a bit of smoke or mist, and everything will look quite differently, I am sure."
"Yeah, but..." Xenia trails off for a moment before snapping her fingers. "Oh, right! I''ve still got some upgrades to cash in on! Not to mention I''ve been stockpiling souls for ages lately. How about we spin the big wheel of fortune, eh? Maybe that''ll be an inspiration for something new to add to the place."
That, at least, Sincere can agree with. "Probably not much benefit to holding on to those random upgrades at least, no. Good luck on your draws - or, you know, bad luck, whichever suits you best."
"If it weren''t for bad luck, Sin-man, I''d have no luck at all..." Xenia taps through her interface screens, and soon enough her first set of free upgrades from her anniversary achievements has been cashed in.
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REWARD SPENT: MATERIALIST 1
THREE FREE RANDOM UPGRADES FROM THE SOUL STORE ACQUIRED:
- RODENTS TO D+
- EQUINES TO D+
- SHIELDS TO A
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Xenia looks over the list with a bit of a frown. "Well, rodents could maybe add to the creep factor, but D-tier at Floor Nine? They''d be shock value at best! Well, still got another."
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REWARD SPENT: MATERIALIST 2
THREE FREE RANDOM UPGRADES FROM THE SOUL STORE ACQUIRED:
- FOOD AND DRINK TO A+
- FUR CONSTRUCTS TO B
- ARACHNIDS TO C+
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"Hrmmmm..." The dungeon master considers her second prize set for a bit longer, tapping her foot. "Arachnids are definitely in line with the horror theme, but C-tiers are still a little low. Hey Guy, do you think we''d get sapient spider-people at B tiers? ...Ain''t that just, like...driders?"
"As a matter of fact, I believe there are some monsters that are very similar in form to driders, as it happens. However, not all cases of ''sapience'' means ''humanoid''. Monsters such as giant spiders can become quite intelligent even while preserving a fully monstrous form."
"Hrmm, yeah, that giant spider that shanked Frodo was supposed to be pretty smart, wasn''t she? Maybe we crossbreed them with the insects to get something extra-freaky, and just set aside a room or two for those...eh, lets go for it."
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SOUL STORE PURCHASE CONFIRMATION
ARACHNIDS CONSTRUCT CATEGORY UPGRADED TO: B-
FIVE SOULS REMOVED FROM INVENTORY
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Having sent five souls on to the great beyond, Xenia takes some time to examine her new unlocks. "Ohh, yeah, I see what you mean with the ''Arachne'' in here, Guy. Got the same basic body plan as a drider, but...is that a whole extra mouth? Also, the queen version goes up to a dozen feet tall, now that''s pretty impressive. Hell, that might be the biggest sapient unlock we''ve got yet."
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"Arachne, you say?" Sincere rubs his chin. "I have a feeling B-tier might be quite low for those, actually. I seem to recall hearing of a dungeon in the Valleylands with an arachne boss said to be twenty-five feet tall at least, she''s often engaged by several parties at once."
Xenia chuckles at the thought. "Guess the S-tier bosses are full raid-type challenges, huh? Well...don''t feel like juicing them to A-tier right off, even if I''ve still got the souls for it. Crossbreed first, see how horrifying we can make them come out - plus we can still grind up the insect side of things for free, as long as we keep doing bee-smashing sessions every now and then."
Guy bobs. "I''ll activate the crossbreeding program right away! Beyond monsters, have you considered traps, ma''am? Beyond the confusion of the portal maze, that is."
"I did have something in mind, part puzzle, part trap. You know that unlock we got the other day, how I can create items that implant skills now? Ones we''ve absorbed, anyhow?"
At the mention of them, Sincere actually gives a rather wistful sigh. "While you can now simply directly implant any skills we have into my mind, my former self would have paid a fortune for such items, at least any with relevant skills. It''s extremely rare for them to hit the market, you know."
Xenia scoffs at the information. "Yeah, I ain''t fuckin'' surprised. Do you have any idea how expensive those are for me? A single Advanced-tier skill implant takes up basically my entire daily mana pool, and I thought I had that thing bigger than I could even use it at this point! If we had access to higher-tier implants, I don''t think I''d be able to afford to make em anyhow! Honestly, with that sort of investment, I don''t think I''d even wanna bother making random implant items. Probably just save em as custom rewards for people we owe favors to, or something. But, I figured out a cheat way to use them!"
As they hear that, Guy''s response is wary. "A cheat, you say? I''m not sure I like the sound of that..."
"That''s why you leave the dungeon-building to us mortals, Guy! Anyhow, there''s two main ways to use skill implants." Xenia begins to count off on her fingers. "One, I can put them into single-use scrolls that permanently burn the skills into a person''s brain. Not like, an entire class all at once, but a spell or a special move or something like that, y''know? Maybe two or three in a scroll, if I wanna burn the budget."
Her demon companion guesses the other option on his own. "The other being enchanted gear, yes? Rings, helmets, etcetera? The benefit being that it''s not consumed by use and can be traded around, the downside being that you do have to equip the item until you''ve learned the skill yourself. Such items, should they possess valuable skills, often become family heirlooms or so I am told."
"Yeah. But here''s the trick I''ve noticed." Xenia grins, raising a finger into the air. "Enchanted items don''t have to be loot items."
Sincere tilts his head. "Hrmm? Oh, you mean in the sense that they can be gear for monsters, yes? ...Although I''m not sure why you would do that rather than simply implanting the skills the normal way, if you wanted to do that. Perhaps as some sort of quick-swap...but no, my understanding is that it''s not something you''d want to do in the middle of a fight."
"Maybe that''s the intended use, sure. But I''m thinking about using them for puzzle items."
Now Sincere is intrigued. "I...think I can see where you might be going with this, but please, continue."
"Right, so, lets say I wanted to make a thick wall of ice blocking a hall or something. I could only make it as thick as like, a low-level Expert could break down with a hammer, as the lowest common denominator of what a Challenger might be expected to be able to do, and our current accessibility ranking. There''s other ways to get past a barrier like that, like melting it, but I can''t assume a party has that sort of magic, the same way I can''t assume anyone can just fly around on Floor Six to get past a fifty foot jump."
"But if there was a handy magic ring nearby, which could grant the ability to cast pyromancy spells..."
"Then it''d be like having a door with a hidden key, and the accessibility limits get way more lax! Plus, since it''s not a loot item, and it''d go poof if anyone tried to actually keep it, the mana cost to make em is way lower. Hell, as part of the floor design, I''d probably get a free replacement every day if someone did actually take it."
"Hrmm." The Mage begins to pace back and forth as he considers the options. "There''s probably a wide variety of ways you could set up something like that...although as you said, it''s mostly equivalent to having a door with a key, yes? Interesting, perhaps, but perhaps also over-complicated."
The dungeon master rubs her palms together with an evil smirk. "Ah, but here comes the trap part of the puzzle-trap, Sin-man. Cause I can also toss em in a pile of cursed gear. And from what I can tell, ''Identify'' is not exactly a common skill or spell around these parts."
Having followed along in silence, Guy speaks up once again. "An intriguing idea, ma''am! What sort of curses did you have in mind, though? We can create curses from many of the enchantments and trap types we have unlocked, but aside from that contest at the party, we haven''t been using them very much."
"I''d like to use that new fear trap we unlocked, actually - the one that makes people experience the memories of the dead? I think that''d be extra hard for people to detect. Like - if I turn a ring into a lightning trap, to zap people who put it on, it''s gonna be chock full of lightning mana. Some magic-types might notice that and get suspicious. But skill implants and fear effects are both, like, mental things. The only downside is it only counts death-memories we''ve gained since we got the achievement, so the library of options is a bit slim at the moment."
Sincere considers that before chuckling to himself. "I suppose that is in keeping with this being the ''traumatize the Challengers'' floor. It''s almost too bad that this one comes after Parker''s arena, otherwise their experiences here would likely give him quite a few new fears to play around with himself."
Xenia''s eyes widen in realization. "Hey, I''m not aiming to traumatize anyone! Just...you know...horrify them so badly that they drop their guard and become easy prey to a chimeric abomination that''s probably gonna wanna eat them, lay eggs in them, or both?" Her face goes blank as she considers her own words. "Fuck, I am creating a PTSD factory. Well...maybe there''s a potion that can help with that? I''ll toss it in the floor rewards."
"I''m sure it will be much appreciated." The Core Guardian''s voice is dry as he diverts the topic. "So, specifically, what did you have in mind for the enchanted gear? There was the pyromancy example we discussed, but of course many Experts or Masters will already have such magic among their party. And we can only grant them Advanced-tier magic at best."
"I''ve been looking at our skill library and their spells and stuff, and did you know that Lollyp wasn''t just an Elementalist? She''s a Slime Elementalist."
"A Domain-specific class branch, yes - or I should say, a slime-specific branch, even. I admit that I don''t know what differentiates it from a standard Elementalist, though."
"They get a few extra spells for altering their own body, to make it resistant to the elements, or make it tougher or stretchier. Not a lot, mind, it sounds like their Warrior classes get a lot more alteration spells in there. But...it lets you alter slime. And...I have Slime Fabric and Slime Material as things I can make..."
Sincere winces as he sees where this is going. "Don''t tell me, you''re going to - "
"Make a big ol'' tunnel blocked up by sticky, snotty slime?" Xenia gives him a toothy grin. "Oh, better buckle up, cause this floor is gonna get real gross."
Chapter 247: A Happy Encounter - Explicit
As Trush watches the party of Challengers flee at their best speed, he does so with a bit of pride. Sure, all of the Challengers were still alive, but one human had left an arm behind as evidence of their fight, and an elf was injured so badly he had to be carried out by several of his teammates. At the same time Trush and all four of his squires were practically unmarked, thanks to the skill of their ambush. In fact, Trush wagered that if they pursued they could probably wipe the Challengers out entirely - but they were fleeing, and official policy was to let folks go in such situations.
So instead Trush turns around in the clearing of the Floor Four forest and lifts one arm into the air. "Victory! Another well-executed ambush, all of you! Excellent shot in particular, Squire Grange - opening a battle with the disabling of their healer, ha! To have gotten this far, you''d think they''d have learned to have a better defense prepared! Though I suppose Floor Four is when a Challenger learns to get serious, or learns to get dead."
The Rabbit Squires cheer in response, and the brunette, brown-furred Ashadi steps forward. "It''s all thanks to your leadership, Sir Trush! I know I''ve been granted the skills of a spearman, but I can see the difference with actual lived experience - you really do act like an army veteran."
The former orc snorts. "Hey, I was a Challenger myself far longer than I was in the Army of the Valleylands. Though I did get my start there, I suppose, and you never forget the basics. Honestly, that would be the reason I prefer to hunt on Floor Four - our training was in service of catching infiltrators in the forests that cover the southern border, after all. But you don''t need to fluff me up, Ashadi - ambushing a Challenger party is a piece of cake compared to tracking Domain spies."
Ashadi steps closer, and as her hand begins to trace its way up Trush''s breastplate her smile takes on a very different look. "Oh, Sir Trush - if I was fluffing you up, you''d know it. In fact, why don''t I demonstrate it for you now?"
The knight smirks in response, although his expression also carries a trace of uncertainty. "Oh? Right here in the middle of the floor? Perhaps it''d be best to wait until evening comes - or have I not been giving you enough attention lately?"
Ashadi''s spearman partner, the blonde-haired Yardath, approaches with a smile of his own. "I don''t think any of us would ever complain about the amount of time you spend with us...but at the same time, I don''t know that it would ever stop us from asking for more, either. You''re quite the presence both on and off the battlefield, after all."
"I appreciate the support." As he says that, the archer duo of the dark-furred Namasha and gray-furred Grange come closer as well, with very similar smiles and looks of anticipation on their faces. "But it''s still business hours, dammit! We need to be ready in case of emergency, never mind that another Challenger party could come through here at any time!" Moments after he says that the amputated arm lying near his feet melts away, indicating that the fleeing party has fully escaped the dungeon - and left the path open for another to follow in their place. Despite that, the disembodied voice of his boss speaks into his ear.
"Ahh, do the bunnies, Trush. I''ll give you a heads up if we need you."
Trush quickly looks back and forth, but sees no sign of the dungeon master. "Seriously, Worthy? I know you''re just looking for a show...but fine! I suppose we do deserve a...relaxing break..." Although the squires didn''t hear Xenia''s comment, they quickly catch on through context clues and give out another cheer. Trush raises a hand to hold most of them off though, and turns instead towards Ashadi, spending a moment to stroke her chin. They might both be the same ''species'' of dungeon monster, but Trush is far larger than any of his sidekicks, and his thick, furry digits easily take control of Ashadi''s face and lock her gaze with his own. "I believe there was an offer made of...fluffing, did you say? Care to demonstrate?"
The rabbit-woman grins widely, her large front teeth doing little to mar her flawless looks. "I never make a promise I can''t pay out on..."
Ten minutes later, the Happy Hunters are carefully making their way through a dense part of the forest when they find themselves stopped by an unusual sign. A very literal one, that is - a wooden post stuck into the grass and moss with four words written on it. Although everyone present speaks Rainlander, the human scout of the party reads it out loud anyhow. "''Shhh - Do Not Disturb''. What? I''ve never seen anything like this here before. What would we be disturbing?" Despite her confusion, the raven-locked woman does keep her voice to a whisper.
Coming up alongside her, the kobold Mage named Rainy takes a look for herself. "Obviously it''s a warning. But...why would it warn us not to disturb the monsters? Wouldn''t it want us to do that? Is this one of those reverse mind-trick things? Trying to make it so we do disturb something?"
Chuckling, the party''s other human gestures for her to come closer from where he''s leaning against a large tree trunk. "Don''t overthink things too much Rainy, you''ll sprain something." The red-haired man points out something through the forest, but only with his hand, leaving his bow at his side for now. "I''m pretty sure the dungeon just wanted to make sure we didn''t interrupt that."
"Interrupt - oh." It takes a moment for the shorter, gray-scaled kobold to get a view, but eventually the scene in the clearing ahead becomes clear. The infamous Trush, Rabbit Champion and Wandering Boss, is currently standing in plain sight but without much of his armor. Or his underclothes. He is somewhat obscured at least, thanks to the two rabbit-eared women currently on their knees in front of him and giving him some very thorough attention. Eventually Rainy is able to pull her eyes away long enough to spot the other two squires present as well, although they also seem to be too distracted to notice their audience. The pair are currently in the process of removing their own armor, but without much rush, apparently waiting for the right moment to join in.
The final member of the Hunters, a drider Vanguard, quietly whispers to his companions. "So, uh...do we just...go around? They are on the most direct route to the usual bridge token spot..."
The scout gives a quiet chuckle. "Are you kidding, Grenz? How often do we get a show like this!? The sign just said ''Do Not Disturb'' - not ''Go The Fuck Away''. As long as we stay quiet, we''re not doing any harm..."
Grenz gives her a shocked look. "Watch? I mean, if anything, now would be a fine time to, you know...take them out of the picture. It would make the floor much safer."
All three of his party members give him a disbelieving stare, and Rainy speaks for the group. "Kill someone in the middle of a blowjob? Rude, Grenz. Just rude. The polite thing to do would be to stay here and watch."
"I''m not sure that makes sense..." The drider looks from one teammate to another, and none of them seem inclined to go back the way they came. "...They are putting on a pretty decent show, I''ll give them that. Just - Rache, Hann, make sure you keep an eye out to make sure nothing else sneaks up on us, yes? I wouldn''t put it past the dungeon to be trying...this as some sort of new ambush bait, you know."
"Fair point, I''ll keep alert." Rache licks her lips before turning back to the view between bushes and trees. "But now shush, I think it''s about to get even better..."
For his part, Trush is currently having trouble noticing anything going on more than ten feet ahead of him, as two tongues work their way along his shaft. He does have the brainpower left to admire the two male members of the squires as they approach though, each of them having picked a partner of their own. Ashadi and Namasha''s pants were already rather loose, given that both of them had begun slipping their hands down between their legs while they worked, but with a little extra help from the boys the garments are soon pulled down entirely. The moans the women make as their partners slip inside add some rather pleasurable vibrations for their leader, especially as Ashadi takes him fully inside her mouth, and it takes Trush a while before he can manage to ask a question that''s on his mind.
"I''m surprised you lot have any energy for any more rounds of this, given how much time you spend in the warrens between training and ambushes. Most days you''re hardly on duty for more than a few hours!"
Namasha chuckles as she looks up at him, her hand occupied with massaging his heavy balls. "Why, I''m not sure what you mean. What do you imagine we do in the warrens, Sir Trush?"
"Oh, don''t give me that innocent look! Everyone knows it''s surely a rabbit orgy at all hours - don''t try to deny it!"
Namasha doesn''t, as her mouth is soon busy with aiding her hand, but Grange does speak up in her stead. "Orgies? In the warrens? Doesn''t sound familiar to me. Although...there was that one time when Xenia taught us Twister..."
"Hrnnng..." Trush finds his first response nearly turned into a climax as Ashadi begins to practice her deepthroating skills, but manages to bring himself under control at the last minute. "Twister? What the hells kind of sexual position is the Twister? I''ve heard of a lot in my time...actually, don''t tell me. I''m not sure I wish to know. The things that woman comes up with..."
Yardath laughs before ignoring his request. "Oh, it''s not so strange as you might imagine. First, you just get two to four people together in the center of the room, clear out the floor, and - "
His explanation is cut short by a terse command from Trush, with a rather different tone in his voice. "Later, Yardath. For now - hand me your spear, would you? ...No, the actual spear by your feet, dammit. But keep it looking casual..."
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The Happy Hunters were having a rather awkward time, to be honest. Though it was hardly a philosophy followed by all Challengers, especially not in this particular dungeon, the Hunters generally followed the idea that sleeping with your fellow party members was a recipe for trouble. Their time spent in Worthy Dungeon had slightly breached their comfort zones in the past, however. They''d cleared Floor Four before, gaining access to the Fiver''s Lounge, and like all such graduates had immediately spent a night visiting their reward. As it turned out, watching your party members receive lap dances from barely-dressed monsters and demons had a slight tendency to tear down interpersonal barriers.
Actually masturbating in front of each other was a new step, however. Obviously, all four of them were enjoying the show, and none of them would have denied that. It soon becomes particularly apparent for the men, given that Grenz''s loincloth is very noticeably protruding from his waistline, and even Hann''s pants are starting to look rather tight. Still, no one in the party wants to be the first to acknowledge it, and so they simply continue to watch the show in an uncomfortable silence.
Eventually it finally becomes too much for the team''s kobold, who snaps first. "Aw, fuck it. Let''s stop pretending we don''t wanna do it, and just do it, yeah?"
Rache the Scout breaks away from the show for a moment to turn her head. "Do - do what, Rainy? ...Rainy, where are your pants?"
"Not in the way anymore, that''s where!" One of the kobold''s taloned hands is blatantly rubbing between her thighs, while the other begins groping at her still-covered chest. All three party members are soon staring at her, the distant show entirely forgotten, but Grenz soon breaths a sigh of relief.
"Fuck it, she''s right, we''re all thinking it. If we kept on like this I was probably about to stain my damn clothes." The drider pulls aside his loincloth, revealing some very erect and very pink flesh, and Rache''s attention is soon locked on to a new target.
"Really? Right - right here in the forest, you two?"
"Nothing wrong with a bit of outdoors action - though we are technically inside, if you think about it. Besides - duck!" The Vanguard''s whisper suddenly shifts into a shout, and all four members of the party jerk back in surprise as a spear suddenly plants itself in the middle of the group. That surprise is nothing compared to the followup, when Trush himself lands from a jump, his unclothed status leaving his personal spear just as apparent.
"What''s this, eh? Voyeurs? Challengers letting their guard down? You know that''s a lethal mistake in these parts."
The Hunters freeze for a crucial moment, a moment which allows the squires to surround them. The monsters may be lacking most of their armor but their weapons are held at the ready, giving them a clear advantage over the Challengers. Certainly the Hunters aren''t entirely defenseless, but all four of them are able to do the same quick mental math - they''re in serious trouble, and at least one or two of them could certainly die if this turns violent.
...Which leads to an obvious question. Why hasn''t it turned violent yet?
Rainy is the first to voice it for the group. "Uh...yup! Good lesson to learn! But if that''s all, then how about we just, y''know, be on our way and keep that in mind for next time..."
The kobold''s hand starts to reach for some of her discarded gear, but she''s brought to a halt by a stomp from one of Trush''s rabbit-like legs. "I''m not one for letting folks off with a warning, you know. Plus, watching a private moment like that certainly demands...punishment."
Hann swallows, his eyes occasionally flickering towards Trush''s still-erect staff. "Are you going to...ravage us?"
Trush snorts in disbelief, leaving Namasha to actually speak for the rabbits. "Worthy would never go for such a thing, even if we wanted to. And killing you wouldn''t be much fun without a fight...Sir Trush, how about we simply relieve them of their gear and send them on their way? Or perhaps just their pants - that would make for a good lesson. Perhaps with a mild spanking..."
The Knight is silent for a moment, seriously considering the proposal, but he''s interrupted by a shout from Rainy. "No, it''s okay! You can fuck us." Noticing the stares from her companions, the pantless kobold quickly edits her statement. "Or uh, me at least. Especially if I get to keep my gear after?"
Rache hisses at the Mage. "Rainy! Are you serious here!?"
Rainy hisses back. "Like you weren''t fantasizing about it like twenty seconds ago! Besides...bonus loot!"
For his part Trush continues to simply stare at the much smaller woman, as if he hadn''t expected this outcome to actually occur. But his eyes can''t help but trail down to the slick signs of the still-bottomless kobold''s arousal, and his capacity for logical thought begins to fade. "...I really do not want this to become a habit, but...perhaps just this once. If you so freely choose. Your companions may each discard a piece of equipment and wait over - "
"Wait, me too!" Attention shifts quickly back to Rache, who seems surprised at her own outburst. "I mean...it''s not fair if it''s just Rainy and the five of you. She uh...she needs my help. Support of a teammate."
After sharing a silent look with Grenz, Hann speaks up for the party''s men. "Well...all for one and one for all, or something like that. We''ll uh. Join in too, if that''s okay."
Trush sighs, then notices the wooden sign slowly melting into the grass, then sighs again. "...Dammit, Worthy. So much for that heads up, huh? Alright, fine!" With that said, a heavy hand clamps down on Rainy''s shoulder. "As the one brave enough to speak up first I believe you have earned my...personal attention."
Rainy looks up with her best smile on her snout. "...Yay?"
"Hooooly dragons!" Rainy holds on for dear life to Trush''s ears as the man cups her buttocks in his large, furry hands. If the ear-pulling is causing the man any pain, it doesn''t seem to be sufficient to distract him from his task as his tongue laps away at the juices spilling from Rainy''s scaly slit. It''s quite a new experience for the kobold - not the sex act itself, perhaps, but certainly the manner in which it''s being performed. She may have had encounters with men larger than herself, but Trush surely sets a new record, and none of her former partners had ever just raised her to their face and begun feasting on her as if she were a particularly delicious peach.
Despite her handholds, Rainy finds her strength beginning to leave her as Trush focuses a brief bit of attention on her nub, and practically falls over backwards. Not quite, though, Trush''s strength being more than sufficient to keep her held up, but she does get a rather interesting upside-down view of the rest of her team. The dark-furred Namasha is currently on her knees in front of Grenz, stroking the man''s smooth erection while giving it long licks to help lube it up. That rabbit-eared girl seemed to have been pent up bad, since as soon as Trush kicked things off she''d practically dived for the first cock in plain sight. The drider still has a rather surprised look on his face as if he can''t believe what''s happening, but that''s nothing compared to the surprise Rainy feels as she gets a look at their red-headed Archer.
While she''d never gotten a hint that Hann was into other men, the blonde Yardath must have gotten some sort of hint and proceeded to practically pin the man to the tree he''d been hiding behind. She can''t get a good look at the Archer''s face, given that the two are engaged in quite the heavy makeout session, but she can definitly spy Hann''s hands as they grope at Yardath''s nude asscheeks. He pulls the rabbit closer to him in the process, and Rainy can just imagine how the two must be grinding against each other...
Trush shifts her slightly as he re-positions her for a deeper probing, and as Rainy gasps out again she now finds herself getting a good look at Rache. Lucky, lucky Rache - the Scout has the attention of two of the squires on her, the gray-furred Grange and the brunette Ashadi, both of whom are working hard to strip the woman down while also taking turns tasting her lips. The raven-haired woman doesn''t seem to know who to focus on the most - every time the pair swap off there''s a look of disappointment on her face as one partner recedes, only to be quickly replaced by fresh anticipation as the other rabbit moves in.
Her view gets taken away though as Trush shifts once again, lowering her down so that he can look her in the eyes. "I''ve not been with many kobolds in my day, but I don''t believe I''ve ever seen a gray-colored one at all! In fact, don''t I remember you from the party competition the other day? You''re certainly rather...distinctive."
Rainy giggles. "Ah, yeah, it''s how I got my name, actually. My parents called me their little Raincloud! Which...is probably a more interesting thing to see down in the Domain than it is up here in the Rainlands. I uh...imagine I didn''t make the best impression with my performance..."
"With your stamina and endurance? Perhaps not! But with your bravery, I will give you plenty of credit for that." Trush leans in, a wide grin on his face. "Of course, if you''d like a chance to prove your stamina now..."
Rainy gulps, but nods. "I can take any-anything you wanna throw at me!"
"No throwing involved! But I will give something to you." With that said Trush lowers his kobold partner down, and it''s not long before his cock is prodding at her cunt. It''s certainly large, by Rainy''s standards and perhaps most others, but to say the woman''s been well-prepared would be an understatement. Rainy gasps again as the Champion''s head begins spreading her wide, and as he drives deeper her speech becomes largely incoherent. "Fuck, fucky, dragons!"
Once again her head falls backwards, and once again Rainy is slightly - very slightly - distracted by the view of the rest of her party. Squire Namasha is now practically bent in half at the waist, her feet and palms flat on the ground as Grenz holds onto her hips and pulls the dark-skinned rabbit onto his length. Nearby, she sees that it''s now Yardath who''s left leaning against the tree he was previously pinning Hann against. Hann, meanwhile, is on his knees and licking away at the rabbit''s modest-sized length. Modest in comparison to Trush, at least, who may have slightly skewed Rainy''s standards going forward. Hann seems to have no complaints however, even if he is reduced to stroking his own exposed cock as he works away.
Rache meanwhile is being double-teamed quite effectively by Grange and Ashadi. The Scout is on her hands and knees as Grange kneels behind her, pumping away at a rapid pace. At the other end, Ashadi is lying back on the grassy forest floor, one hand supporting herself while the other holds Rache''s head down between her legs. The Scout seems to be rather enjoying her meal, given the vigorous motions she makes as her nose grinds into the rabbit''s groin, and the noises coming from Ashadi''s mouth.
Once again her view is interrupted as Trush pulls her back upright, the same smile still grinning on his face. "You have quite the adventurous party, don''t you, Rainy?"
"We''ve, ah - we''ve never done anything like this before!"
"I suppose that''s true - we''ve never done anything like this with a party before ourselves! But I think I can see the appeal! As...a matter of fact..." Trush''s face begins to turn almost into a grimace, but the meaning of it soon becomes plain as Rainy feels the man begin to pulsate inside her. He doesn''t let up though, in fact if anything the Champion begins to use Rainy as if she were even more of a handheld fucktoy, lifting her up and down, and it''s not long before she follows suit with a cry.
As the two begin to settle down after a few long breaths, Rainy once again finds herself looking into the man''s eyes. "That was...um. Do...do you think you could, ah. Punish me again?"
"...Well, it is our purpose here to put Challengers to the test, after all..."
It''s a very long hour before the Happy Hunters finally make their exit from the floor, apparently very happy indeed as they do so, if perhaps a little sore and exhausted. Fortunately no other parties happened to try the floor in that time, but Trush still has a minor complaint to make. "So...come on now, Worthy, did you set that up?"
Finally appearing before his eyes, the dungeon master shoots him a smirk. "Set it up? Naaaaaw. Maybe nudged things a little. Was a little curious how it''d turn out - went better than I woulda hoped for, though."
Unimpressed, Trush narrows his eyes at his boss. "In that case, it seems to me that perhaps you''re the one who needs a punishment, to learn how to respect one''s privacy. Perhaps I''ll see to that myself...later tonight."
"Oh nooooo..."
Chapter 248: Getting Some Exercise
"Are you sure you don''t want to wait for Tizzy and Linda to finish their enchanted amulets, my lord?"
Cautiously, so as to not miss his step as he makes his way up the mountain trail, Thaddeus turns to shoot Pulg an irritated look. "From all reports, the first floor of the dungeon could be done by literal children, if the dungeon were to allow them inside. If we were unable to do at least that much without magical assistance, I''d throw you and then myself off of this mountain. Also, remember - no ''my lord'', ''sirs'', or any of that while we''re in public. We don''t want anyone to think I''m posing as a part of the local nobility or such. There is potentially a duke out there who may wonder who is passing through his territory."
"Of course...boss." The half-orc shaman is quiet for a moment after that, but soon speaks up again. "Did we not want to do this alongside Tizzy, though? She''s been scouting for us for a reason, after all."
The human leading the way again shakes his head. "I want her spending her time pushing ahead, and it took her longer than expected to find another party to challenge with, so I don''t wish to delay her even longer. The reports we have are more than sufficient, between her scouting and the information the Association is willing to share. A few traps, a few monsters, nothing we can''t handle."
From the hard breathing the mage is doing as she struggles to keep up with Pulg, it''s clear that Linda isn''t quite in agreement even before she speaks up. "That''s easy for you to say, my - boss. You''re a swordsman. You don''t need any fancy spells to kill a beast with a blade. Things are still ten times more difficult for me than it was back home, and I''m hardly about to be killing many things by whopping them with my staff."
This time Thaddeus comes to a complete halt when he turns to face her. "Are you saying you don''t believe you''re up to the task, Cogswell?"
The woman''s flushed face pales slightly as she swallows. "No! It''s just - it would have perhaps been a better use of my - our - time if I were finishing our mana-adapter artifacts before we came up here. I assure you, even without them, I still have magic enough for a floor of this dungeon, though! I won''t even need ten percent! I''m sure five - two - would more than suffice!"
The prince, satisfied enough with that response, returns to the hike before responding. "I''ll admit, I''m being selfish. Scouting things out has kept Tizzy more than busy, and you''ve been spending time enough with your research and enchantment work. Even Pulg has been able to spend time becoming familiar with the spirits of this world. But there''s only so much time I can spend training, I''m afraid. My patience runs short - I need to at least see this dungeon for myself."
"Hear, hear!" Lei shouts out from his position at the front of the group. "And even the boss can at least practice his swordplay in the training yards without making a big scene out of it. You know how it looks when I attempt to practice proper martial arts in public? Everyone was coming up to me, asking about my class, my style - asking what continent I''m from. At least someone out there does train in schools of unarmed combat, but I couldn''t even tell you the name of the country where they live. It''s getting to the point where if I want to train without breaking our cover, I''ll need to go searching out traveling Challengers to practice on."
Pulg rubs his chin. "Like they wouldn''t have questions about why you''re picking fights with them? ...Oh, you wouldn''t be planning on leaving survivors, I imagine."
The Iron Palm grins, but his master frowns. "Don''t be so foolish, Lei. We don''t know enough yet about how capable the local adventurers are, save that they almost all seem to have some magical talent. If you pick a fight without your mystical techniques on hand, you could well find yourself facing down a rain of fireballs on your head. And while it would be your own fault, I do not want that sort of trouble getting back to me, understand?"
"Of course, master." Lei turns and half-bows. "Simply voicing my own frustration, I suppose."
"Well, it is time to put a lid on it - we''re just about here." Sure enough, a minute or so later and a few more turns in the trail brings the quartet before the infamous Doorman. Thaddeus advances to the fore of the party, putting on his most formal tone of voice as he greets the door.
"Hail, Guardian of Worthy Dungeon! We seek permission to engage your challenges and seek your rewards."
As usual, Doorman answers the party with a smile on his face. "Is that the sound of a translation artifact I hear? You must be travelers from quite far away, if you don''t speak any languages I know of. Where are you from, might I ask?"
The prince pauses, having been forewarned about the rather...unusual form of the door''s ''riddles''. "Is that your test, Master Door?"
"What? No, can''t a man just ask a question once in a while? Have a bit of pleasant conversation? There''s more to me than just my job, you know."
"I see." The man considers his cover story options, but experience has taught him that it can sometimes be harder to lie to a mystically-animated object than it can be to a flesh and blood person. "I''m afraid our homeland must remain a secret. My companions and I prefer to travel without incurring too many...complications on the way, you see."
Doorman lets out a whistle. "Ooooh, a mystery. I like that! Criminals on the run? Slaves escaping from the Dragonlord? The possibilities are endless - perhaps that''s even better than an actual answer!"
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"Well, I''m glad to have provided some amusement." Having said that, Thaddeus is inclined to press on and ask again for the riddle, but he''s struck by the fear that he may have become entangled in...small talk. "And...how is your day going, Master Door?"
"Please, call me Doorman. And well enough, well enough! Not too busy today, but enough to keep things interesting. Ah, good news though, the last group to try Floor One finished not long ago, so you''ll be able to enjoy the full experience rather than the mirrored version of the floor!"
The reference confuses the entire party, but it''s Linda who speaks up first. "There''s...a version of the floor inside a mirror?"
"Well, I don''t know how the process works exactly, but it''s a copy you''re teleported to - I don''t know where it resides, to be honest. But no worries, you''ll be able to face the original, fully ensouled BB!"
Thaddeus attempts to look thankful. "That''s...good to hear?"
"Indeed! Ah, but I suppose I''ve held you up long enough, it is a door''s job to occasionally open as well, I suppose. So, your riddle! Is your friend over there with the wrapped fists doing okay? He seems a shade of gray I haven''t seen on a face outside of Taly''s, and she''s dead! Is he some sort of...partial mummy? Is that contagious?"
The half-dark elf Lei is about to respond with a sarcastic remark, but Thaddeus, still worried about the risk of lying to the guardian, quickly interrupts him. "A condition he was born with, Master Doorman, but he''s quite fine, I assure you. Why, if anything, he''s one of the strongest men I know!"
Doorman looks suitably impressed as Lei begins flexing in a not-so-subtle manner. "I see, I see! Well, we do have a healer on staff, just in case you want a checkup later. But enough of that! Welcome to the dungeon! Try not to die!"
With that said the door swings open, and Thaddeus gestures for the showoff half-dark elf to take the lead.
As the party finishes up with the last of the skeleton warriors guarding the boss arena, Pulg makes note of an unusual expression on the prince''s face. "Careful there, boss - you''re actually smiling."
Thaddeus actually reaches up to his face to check. "Am I? Perhaps I was feeling more pent up than I even realized. It''s been a while since I''ve been on a good monster hunt, even ones as low-tier as these."
Lei scoffs. "Hardly even worth warming up for. The traps I really don''t understand, though. They''ve reportedly been known and unchanged for a year, wasn''t that right? They''re so easy to avoid if you already know where they are! What''s even the point of having them if they''re never moved?"
Linda answers that question, having done a little dungeon research since their arrival. "Some dungeons do update more often, or even daily, or so I understand. But even more often it seems to be a trend for dungeons to make their first floor almost too easy, sometimes. If people die before they even get a hint of a reward, the mood towards the dungeon is likely to sour. Give them an easy floor to earn some prizes on, however, and they''ll much more happily proceed onwards to their deaths in the lower floors."
The prince nods, but refocuses his party''s attention. "Interesting, but we will stick to one floor for today. Now remember, as the report said - the boss focuses on speed and agility. Pulg and I shall focus on keeping Linda covered, Lei, you''re our offensive striker."
The half-orc nods. "Indeed, he is quite offensive."
"Ah, I''m so glad my efforts have been noticed." The martial artist gives the shaman a grin before turning towards his boss. "Ready if you are."
"Proceed."
Lei leads the party into the boss arena, and almost immediately a number of small explosions set off, filling the room with smoke. Linda begins casting a spell to summon wind to clear it away, but before she''s even finished the boss makes his appearance, springing off of a wall with his powerful legs. He aims for Pulg first, either by coincidence or by having recognized the shaman as the party''s healer, but has to quickly dodge away instead as a beam of arcane energy shoots from the orc''s staff.
"Bah, thought the lady was your mage! But I see you''ve got some teeth on you, too!" The lightly-armored rabbit grins at Pulg as he readies his daggers for another attack, but the Rogue finds himself surprised as Lei leaps into combat with him before he can launch it. The melee that ensues is a rather fascinating one to watch - Lei''s movements are swift and precise, a clear result of years of constant training. BB''s knife-fighting meanwhile is of a form almost unique to him. Aside from the skills implanted within him by the dungeon, his movements also owe much to his unusual biology, particularly the strong legs which allow him to rapidly hop back and forth, avoiding most of Lei''s swings and kicks.
Most, but not all. Eventually Lei does land an open-palm strike against BB''s chest, and as he does so the runes inked into his fistwraps light up with a yellow energy. It only lasts for a fraction of a second before exploding into the boss, launching him through the air and slamming him into the nearest wall. BB still manages to recover to his feet quickly enough, despite surely having broken a few ribs, but that''s when the wind spell Linda had been preparing finally finishes its casting. Once again the rabbit man finds himself slung back against the wall, and this time the magical gale keeps him there for several seconds.
Which is perhaps not as long as Linda would have liked. "Crap, the spell''s already running dry - finish him quickly!"
"It shall be done." Without further fanfare Thaddeus himself comes to the fore, his blade swinging at the monster. BB continues to manage to dodge, despite the spell holding him in place, yet the prince never quite misses, either. Every blow cuts a limb or a joint, enough that while none of them are quite lethal on their own, when the spell finally runs out BB finds himself collapsing into a heap on the floor.
"Huh...funny. Seems like my legs...don''t quite want to work..."
"Then allow me to help you, friend, by hastening your resummoning." With a cold look on his face, Thaddeus brings his sword down one more time, giving BB''s head a vacation from his body. The expression soon turns back into a smile though as he turns back towards his party a few moments later. "Well! Clearly no match for a ''Supreme'' swordsman like myself, but an interesting bit of exercise, wouldn''t you say?"
"Of course, boss." Linda''s voice is dry as she gives her agreement. "Now - shall we see to the prizes? I''m interested in examining more of the local potions, if we happen to earn any."
"Indeed! To the victors go the spoils, after all."
As the party wraps things up and makes their exit through the portal at the rear of the arena, Xenia finds herself with a frown on her face. "Guy...we''ve got trouble."
The screen bobs in agreement. "Indeed - a Supreme-tier Challenger has arrived? Such a party could be a threat to even the new Floor Nine!"
"Not that, Guy." Xenia shakes her head. "I mean that unless someone around here has, by total coincidence, started making knock-off brand copies of Hua''s enchanted Iron Palm wraps, our...special guests have arrived."
Chapter 249: Intruders Detected
"They''re here." Xenia makes her announcement with her palms held flat on the surface of an extra-large conference table, one big enough to seat every guardian of the dungeon who could make it. Even the armor duo had been bullied into attending this meeting in the core chamber, although it did mean Xenia had had to delay the event until well after the last Challenger party had finished running the dungeon for the day. That means there''s enough faces available to produce a large number of confused looks in response to her short statement.
Deylia speaks up first. "Were we...expecting someone? I don''t remember hearing about any special arrivals, beyond the fact that we were perhaps getting more Masters lately in general..."
"No, not them - although they may have been passing themselves off as Masters, I dunno. I''m talking about the boys and girls Theolif warned me about. Brightsky, just to check, how much do you know about this ''Thaddeus'' character, exactly? Looks, motives, origins?"
The Valkryie sighs. "Unfortunately, we don''t know much more than what we already told you. The gods of my realm are not omniscient, particularly when it comes to warlord-held territory, and by time we''d even heard about this ''Thaddeus Worthy'', he''d already apparently accomplished much of his work there and moved on soon after. As far as his appearance goes...young, yet powerful, and charming. Black hair. He seemed to be a heavy user of enchanted artifacts, how much magic he held personally and how much was due to artifacts I do not know. We know he fought a few of the tyrant''s lieutenants...as a challenge? Proving himself? Eliminating rivals? I cannot say, but he was apparently a master swordsman."
Xenia nods along, but frowns as she does so. "Yeah, that''s the guy, alright. Maybe a lot weaker than that, given they only did one floor and then went home, but then Beatrice did say there was a lot of trouble with her own artifacts when she came here. BB, you fought them, any insights on your end?"
The Rogue shrugs. "I''m sure you had an even better view than I did. I didn''t even land a hit on them, but that''s not so uncommon for parties at Expert or higher, a lot of the time. The dude''s attitude was...focused, I guess? I see it sometimes on guys who''re usually a lot older than him, you know, the kind of Challenger who''s killed a thousand monsters before, knows exactly what to do, but doesn''t get complacent about it. Maybe the weirdest thing about their group was that gray-skinned fistfighter, I don''t think I''ve seen anyone with a fighting style like that before."
Xenia sits down in her chair, rubbing at her forehead. "Yeah, that''s the one that gave them away. Those were Hua''s fist wraps. Her Champion weapon. Either someone inherited them from her, or took them off her corpse...which might be more or less the same thing, the way things usually ran around there."
Sincere leans forward, interested by a key phrase that slipped in there. "A ''Champion weapon''? Do tell - is this something of import?"
The dungeon master''s brow furrows in concentration, as she considers her distant memories. "Well, I know almost every Hero I took on had one, or I''m pretty sure they did. Maybe Brightsky knows more about them?"
The elf nods, taking over. "Yes, the weapons were...not an essential part of the Hero summoning ritual, I suppose, but a traditional part of it. Over the past centuries, many weapons have been crafted by great masters and blessed by the divines of our realm. It would be tradition to remove some of these from the armories when a summoning ritual was done, and allow the Hero to choose one, out of perhaps half a dozen or so. The pickings are much slimmer these days, of course, but there were once hundreds of such relics in the armories of the free peoples."
"Right, and Hua the Iron Palm used enchanted fist wraps, which enhanced the power of her blows, among other things. Now, if I''m not mistaken, the dude wearing them was at least part dark elf, which was a group from back there...but only part, so he could have been a kid or grandkid of something of Hua''s."
"And a grandkid of yours?" Lollyp asks the question with a smirk, but Xenia doesn''t seem too happy to hear the suggestion.
"...Yeah, maybe. There is a chance we had a kid or two together. To be honest I didn''t try too hard to confirm it, and it wasn''t like I was exactly...exclusive at the time."
Taly peers at her boss. "Just how many kids did you have on that run? You know, rough estimate. I mean, if we''re facing your descendants here, it could be good to have some idea of how many that might be."
Rather than answer right away, Xenia''s face collapses into her palms, where it stays for a good long while before she rises back up. "Look, let me put it like this. Let me emphasize, I am not saying this to brag, because I am not fuckin'' proud of it. But I hardly ever spent a night in my bed alone as Prince of the Fallen Tower, and my adulthood there ran...like, forty-plus years? I mean, I was more than just nobility, even a prince. I was a celebrity. A war hero and a movie star and a prince, all rolled up into one. If I wanted company, I could literally just stick my head out of the door to my room and shout, and there''d be men and women and anyone else lining up. Fallen Heroes, army captains, tower guards, maids, cooks - "
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"Slaves?" Opal''s interjection draws a harsh glare from the dungeon master.
"No. Never that, even at my worst. I...turned a blind eye to a lot of shit, I''m not gonna claim any sort of moral high ground, but everyone in my bed was more than happy about being there. Usually more than I was, to be honest. Wasn''t exactly a time of sterling mental health for me."
Taly chews on that for a bit before responding. "So you''re saying the number of possible kids is...high."
"Especially if you factor in that we''re talking multiple generations ago. I think I can definitely say there were more possible recruits than the three people Thaddeus had in his party. Brightsky, don''t suppose you have a number on that yourself?"
"When it comes to lesser followers he may have pulled into his orbit - soldiers, retainers, servants - the number could be anywhere from a handful to a few hundred. We don''t believe he focused on recruiting such lower ranks, but those he did recruit could have brought followers of their own with them. For those we''re more concerned about, the rival warlords and captains fighting for control of the realm, the number could be around one to two dozen. We''re not sure how many of those who vanished in that time frame did so because they joined Thaddeus, or did so because they fought Thaddeus and lost."
"Wonderful. So yeah, definitely more than four people to watch out for." Xenia scans the crowd. "We need to keep an eye open for anyone else who might be associated with this bunch. Strangers, travelers, people who don''t fit in. Granted, there''s been a lot of those lately, given the big party and all, but still. Don''t suppose anyone''s noticed anything?"
There a bit of silence as the table thinks things over, and a few people eventually speak up, Parker first. "There were a trio of demons from the Old Continents at the party, as I recall. If I''m not mistaken the demonic population of the old world is quite low, outside of a few hidden enclaves of ancients, so they did stand out. A cover as travelers could explain their lack of local knowledge."
Trush offers up a thought of his own. "Aye, speaking of travelers, there was one goblin at the party who asked me a lot of questions, which surprised me since she was apparently high-tier. I''d expect someone of that level to be more informed of their destinations."
Xenia considers that, but doesn''t find anything to get immediately excited about. "The one who got her party wiped on Lollyp, yeah? Eh...both of those are worth noting, but we have been getting travelers from further away lately, nothing really conclusive there. Anything else?"
Dips raises a hand next. "There was one mmmmortal who licked me. Thrrrrrreee days ago."
There''s a few beats of silence at that before Xenia speaks up. "I uh, must''ve missed that. Licked you, huh?"
"They tried to do it agaaaain yesterday. I stabbed them."
"...Right. Odd, probably not a sign of otherworldly invasion though. Any other reports?" The dungeon master looks around at her assembled guardians, but no one else volunteers anything. After seeing there''s no more suggestions though, Lollyp does ask a question.
"So, if they cleared Floor One, they''ll probably be coming my way soon. Do you want me to go all-out on them, or...what? I don''t think Alizz will complain about a team wipe if it''s some sort of threat to the dungeon."
Taly responds before Xenia gets a chance to. "Whoa, whoa, hold up jiggle-stuff! We''re talking about Xenia''s grandkids here, or...something! We''re not gonna just kill them right off, even if they are evil." She glances towards Xenia for confirmation. "Uh...right?"
Her response is again interrupted, this time by Brightsky. "We cannot allow them to achieve their objective and return home. That is the divine charge which Lord Theolif has laid upon us! If need be, swap me in to Floor Two when they next arrive and I shall see it done."
Her declaration is punctuated by the slap of a hand on the table''s surface, as Xenia makes sure she has everyone''s attention. "Settle the fuck down, alright everyone? First, Brightsky, little clarification there - Theolif didn''t specify he wants them dead, right? All he cares about is that they don''t go back to your home realm and resume fucking things up there, yeah?"
The Valkyrie pauses before nodding. "...That is accurate, yes."
"Alright. Now, as for whether or not they''re evil...like, yes, I''ll admit the Seafall Kingdom I served did a lot of fucked up shit, and a lot of people were complicit to one level or another. But that doesn''t mean everyone who lived there, or fought in the army or whatever was like...a born sadist who got off on torture and murder. For all we know, these guys and girls who left did so because they didn''t like taking part in all that. But we don''t know, which is the problem. Anyhow, I''m not putting out a kill-on-sight order until we know what it is they''re after."
DEATH nods along. "SHOULD WE HAVE DOORMAN REDIRECT THEM TO A MEETING WITH SINCERE OR EM THE NEXT TIME THEY SHOW THEMSELVES, SO THAT WE MAY DISCOVER WHAT THAT PURPOSE IS?"
This time, Xenia needs to think a little longer. "...Fuck, I dunno. If they do have bad motives, then we''ll be tipping our hand that we''re on to them, and they''ll either run off or just lie to us. Either way, then they''ll just try harder to conceal what they''re up to. Meanwhile if they have good motives, they''ll tell us sooner or later." The dungeon master taps her fingers together for a bit before coming to a conclusion.
"We''re not under any immediate threat. There''s still eight floors between them and the core chamber and right now they don''t seem to be rushing things. So we''re not gonna rush things either. Don''t treat them different, don''t let them know we''re on to them, but keep an eye out for any weird shit, or anyone else who might be a member of their group. Until we''ve got more evidence...Brightsky, I''m setting you as the break point. If they get to you, feel free to force their hand and see if you can get anything out of them. Any other thoughts?"
Taly has one. "Should I talk to Sely, and get the Association involved? There could be stuff going on outside the dungeon, after all."
Xenia considers that, and nods. "Keep this to their main inspection party only, obviously, we don''t want the public getting wind of all of this realmwalker shit. Or the Dragonlord, fuck knows what they would do if they knew this was going on. Otherwise, business as usual til we know more. Everyone got it?"
There''s nods and affirmations around the table, and Xenia concludes with a sigh. "Well...here''s hoping they at least won''t keep us waiting too long..."
Chapter 250: In Dungeons, No One Can Hear You Scream
Raylin sighs as he settles into his chair at the Worthy Inn, taking a short break from the party''s climb up the mountain. He wasn''t exactly thrilled to be here again so soon, only five days after their previous delve, although perhaps it''d be more accurate to say that he wasn''t thrilled to be here again so soon for business purposes. He had been intending to pay a personal visit to Deylia soon, perhaps even today, but events had conspired to occupy his schedule instead.
He looks over the other members of the group - Gilda, Sweet, Taylim and Barlond - and notes how Gilda and her cousin order drinks to quench their thirst, while the two bodyguards settle for simply resting their feet as they settle in. Deciding to follow their example, Raylin''s about to order a mug of his own when he finds himself surprised by the rabbit-eared Priestess he''d just been thinking of. Smiling at him, Deylia easily makes her way across the mostly-empty tavern to reach their table. "Raylin! And Lady Highbranch, it''s good to see you again."
Taking advantage of Raylin''s surprise, Gilda responds first. "And you, Priestess Niyen. It''s been a while - I''ve actually been intending to visit one of your services one of these days, but haven''t quite found the time for it yet."
"You''re certainly welcome any time." As she looks over the table''s occupants, it''s impossible to miss how they''re all wearing their armor and weapons for today''s visit. "You''ve come to do another intrusion? To be honest, after achieving the record of the first clear of Floor Eight, I thought perhaps you''d be taking a break from such things for a month or two."
Raylin chuckles. "Unfortunately, it seems as if your employer has managed to place more work at our feet. But tell me, Del, since you''re here, perhaps you could confirm what we''ve heard? Please, take a seat and join us."
Deylia, being slightly more attentive of the norms for interacting with high nobility, looks first to Gilda for assent before claiming a seat for herself. "Thank you, I''d be happy to stop and chat for a bit. But what is it you''ve heard? Has, ah...has something happened in Grassbrook?"
Raylin''s eyes narrow briefly at the hint of worry in the former Maid''s voice, but he soon brushes it aside. "Have you been expecting the dungeon master to be causing trouble? But no, nothing''s happened in town as far as I''m aware. I was speaking of a Challenger party known as the...Ebon Kiss? I wonder how they chose that name..."
"Oh!" Relief fills her voice as Deylia sits up a little straighter. "That party! Mostly Experts with one or two Masters, yes? They defeated Parker yesterday I heard, the second party to have done so. You still maintain your record as the first, of course."
Gilda leans forward, glad to have had confirmation. "Word of that has reached us, yes. Though we were more interested in what they did after that. We got a report saying that they didn''t find the core chamber waiting for them afterwards - that your Floor Nine is now complete. Is that true?"
Deylia grins. "Indeed, as of a few days ago I believe, though this is the first time anyone''s made it that far. Wait - are you here to challenge Floor Nine yourselves?" Her smile fades as quickly as it appeared.
The heiress nods. "Not necessarily to clear it - but to see it for ourselves, at the least. From what we''ve heard, the Kisses simply saw the new floor, turned around, and left. They didn''t even share what it is they saw, or not as far as I''ve been informed. I don''t suppose you have anything to share as far as that goes?"
"I - ah, sorry, Lady Highbranch, but I''m not at liberty to discuss such things."
Raylin quickly interjects with his support. "Indeed, we certainly don''t want to give you any further trouble in that arena. But yes, in order to maintain our record to at least some extent, we''ll be looking to scout the place out after we''ve had a short break. We may only be an hour or two, perhaps - would you be free if I were to call on you afterwards?"
Deylia''s smile returns once again. "Certainly - although I hope you''ll be doing so in order to catch up, and not because you need my healing."
Gilda speaks up before Raylin gets the chance. "Yes, I''m sure he''ll have a glorious tale of having slain the latest giant rat the dungeon has deigned to throw at us. But for now, I think it would be best if Raylin were to keep his focus on the task ahead of us?"
The man nods, dutifully pushing thoughts of his next meeting with Deylia out of his mind. "Of course, Gilda. After all, there''s no telling what we may face..."
"Well...I''ve certainly never seen anything quite like this." After having stepped through the shortcut portal to the entryway of Floor Nine, Raylin was immediately greeted with some of the oddest construction materials he had ever encountered. The walls are black and slightly shiny, like the shells of a beetle, but shaped in a way that feels...wrong, somehow. The surfaces are covered in ridges and outgrowths, some of which make him think that the room has some sort of ribcage to it. The smooth material reflects an odd white light, and as Raylin glances upward he sees that the room''s illumination is provided by some sort of mana crystals, grown into flat lines that trace their way across the ceiling.
Not very effectively, though. Some of the smaller crystals flicker as he watches them, as if they were somehow damaged. Others are partially covered by the odd black material, giving it the appearance as if it had grown around them, or been packed over on top. The end result is that the chamber is lit well enough to see by, yet there''s plenty of dark, shadowy corners to the room that manage to keep drawing his eye. Every time the crystals flicker, the Marksman is uncertain if there''s movement he sees behind some of the ridged pillars dotting the wall, or if it was simply the shadows shifting with the light.
As he switches his attention to the room''s floor he notices another oddity, although these are pointed out first by Barlond, the team''s Paladin of Pain. "What are these? If they''re flowers, they''re the ugliest damn breed I''ve ever seen." As he speaks the man carefully approaches the nearest such object, a split bulb shape that does vaguely remind Raylin of a large flower, except the petals are far too...thick. Meaty, almost. Barlond seems drawn to them as well, and with a quick flick of his knife he''s severed one of the ''petals'' for a closer look. He gives it a sniff, before tossing it back away.
"A fungus of some sort I believe, actually. Not grown, though - no mushroom grows like...whatever this is. The dungeon shaped it specifically into this shape. But why?"
Peering into one of the bulbs herself, Gilda offers a theory. "I imagine this is some sort of...clue, or warning, however you''d like to think of it. Like with the coin in the first room of the mimic floor...somehow this is supposed to inform us of what we''re about to face. I''m not sure exactly what it''s trying to tell us, though."
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While keeping an eye out for ambushes, Taylim presents his thoughts. "Some of those...bulbs do seem to be opened as if they''re flowers, yes, but not all of them. Other seem rather violently torn apart, wouldn''t you say? From the inside I mean, as if something had burst out of them." The Royal Sentinel narrows his eyes. "I suspect the clues indicate fungoid monsters ahead. Vulnerable to blades and fire, but known for producing clouds of toxic spores, I believe."
"I see. Give me a few minutes, and I can prepare something for that." Pulling out one of the brushes from her belt, Gilda dips it into one of her pots of enchanted ink and begins going from party member to party member, drawing a rune on their chest or armor. "A rune of clean air. It may not last for the entire floor, but I can re-apply it if we stay here that long." After marking one on her own armor, she stows the brush away and looks to Sweet.
"Shall we move on?"
"As you say, my lady." The large gnoll proceeds to the door at the other side of the shadowy chamber, and finds it to not quite match the rest of the decor. Rather than the black substance covering the rest of the room, the door is instead an oval metal plate, with a large wheeled handle in its center. It takes the Bloodletter a few tries to figure it out, involving both pushing and pulling, but she eventually determines that spinning the wheel to the right causes it to swing open on a pair of rusty hinges. The passageway it reveals is small enough that Sweet has to duck down to step on through, but she at least doesn''t seem to need to immediately begin fighting as she does so.
"This room appears to be much the same, although I don''t see another doorway. No monsters...so far."
Taylim and Barlond cross over next, followed by the two nobles, and here Raylin notices that instead of fungoid pods littering the floor, this room has some sort of slime dripping from the ceiling in several spots, puddling in pools dotting the floor. Rather than the bright reds and greens of the dungeon''s slime monsters though, this substance seems thinner, and of a sickly white coloration. For his part Raylin feels no need to get anywhere near it, but Sweet does step forward to give the nearest pool a sniff.
"It''s...honey. Mixed with some foul substance I cannot identify. I would not recommend it as being safe for ingestion, my lady."
"I certainly wasn''t about to try. Is that the only risk this room offers, though? It''s rare for the dungeon to provide two harmless chambers in a row..." Just as Gilda says that, a noise emerges that makes her regret her words. It resembles the loud clicking sound an insect might make on a summer day...except mixed in with a form of very heavy breathing that no insect could produce.
Gaaahh-CHk-CHk-CHk-CHk-rrrrr...
Raylin quickly sweeps his bow across the room, looking for the source. "What in the heavens was that? I''ve never heard a monster produce such a sound! Did it come through the walls?"
"There! Up above, near the ceiling!" Barlond points out his target, and Raylin quickly spots what he found. Like with the metal door, there''s a grate near the ceiling that seems rather out of place, a rectangular shape with four bars covering a hole in the wall. Having spotted one, Raylin''s soon able to find three more on the walls, and two on the ceiling itself.
"There''s tiny tunnels or something, up above! The monster must be using those to get around!"
Gilda frowns. "Surely those aren''t how we''re supposed to exit this chamber ourselves? Even if we were to climb to them, they''re far too small."
"No, my lady." Having kept her own attention closer to ground level, Sweet points out a runic circle on the far side of the room. "There''s a portal ring there. I don''t like it, though. Crossing through it means the party needs to split up as we go, and we don''t know what we''re going into. It''d be a fine time for an ambush." As she says that, the sound echoes out a second time, this time from the other side of the room.
Gaaahh-CHk-CHk-CHk-CHk-rrrrr...
Raylin attempts to swallow his nervousness. "Perhaps we should wait for it to make its move, then, rather than allow it to attack us one at a time. I for one am in no rush, after all, and we can certainly - "
His statement is cut off when the chamber''s lighting suddenly turns off. Or, perhaps worse, almost all of it does - except for a single broken mana crystal which enters a flashing, strobing effect, making everyone appear frozen in time each time the light hits his eyes. Everyone, including the horror which suddenly crashes out of the ceiling, reaching for the party''s Paladin. The noise it makes is no more pleasant from up close, but it''s countered by immediate shouting from all sides.
"There it is! Get it!"
"Watch - watch the tail! It - agh!"
"Are there more?! Keep an eye on the ceiling!"
"It - it''s blood is burning! Careful of its wounds!"
As the beast lashes out, clawed limbs and mandibles striking at the Paladin and a long, thin tail knocking Gilda aside, each movement is captured in an instant of time by a flash of the light. For his part Raylin misses his first shot, having misjudged its movements during a moment of darkness, but even when the second arrow hits home he''s unable to tell if it did any damage. Eventually though Taylim does manage to bring his mystical shield spell online, and the blue light it generates - while far from enough to illuminate the entire room - is at least enough to somewhat counteract the flickering of the light above.
Yet somehow, Raylin''s brain doesn''t seem to want to focus too much on what it is he''s actually fighting. Panic grips him in a way he can''t recall having felt in years, and even among the Masters of this party he gets the feeling he''s not the only one. Sweet at least does quickly get to work, only to find that her Bloodletter skills may actually be working against her here - the more the monster bleeds, the more Barlond suffers as the fluid marks his exposed skin and begins to steam.
Eventually though, through the combined efforts of the team, the monster is brought to a halt and a light enchantment from Gilda allows them to get a proper look at what it was they were fighting. The basic body structure seems to be similar perhaps to a dragonfly, with some of the larger, thicker anatomy of a beetle in some places such as the head, as well as the black coloring of one. It doesn''t have wings, but it does have six legs ending in claws designed for ripping, and its long tail ends in what Raylin suspects might be some sort of stinger. As he turns his focus to his party members, it''s clear to see that Barlond got the worst of the ambush. Aside from a number of bad scratches - the sort the Sadist would probably be used to suffering - what appears to be acid burns also cover several large patches of skin.
After a few deep breaths, Gilda asks the question first. "What in the hells is this thing!?"
No one speaks up immediately, but Sweet does eventually offer a guess. "Perhaps...some sort of Horror, my lady. But modified, most likely. I''ve never heard of one whose blood was a weapon...I am also confused as to how a creature of this size entered through such a small passageway." Raylin looks up above, and indeed, the torn-off grate in the ceiling only seems large enough to fit a monster half the size of what they just fought. "The...the fear you may have felt is certainly a known trait of Horrors, however. A mental effect caused by looking upon it."
Raylin nods. "Right, well...seems the dungeon is certainly...expanding its bestiary, wouldn''t you say?"
Gilda spends a long moment looking at the insectoid monster, and then at Barlond, busy pouring potions on his wound, before answering. "You know...on second thought, perhaps we could leave such explorations up to the professional Challengers. Don''t you agree, Raylin?"
"...I''m sure they would be happy if we shared some of the glory of conquering a new floor with the other parties indeed, Gilda."
"Right then."
As Xenia watches the nobles turn around and leave, she snorts and utters a single unheard word. "Pussies."
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CROSSBREED UNLOCKED:
DISCOUNT XENOMORPH - B+ - CAVERN HORROR/ACID SLIME
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Chapter 251: Unknown Caller
Xenia had spent the full day with her mood altering between hysterics and annoyance, following the performance of the nobles on Floor Nine. Hysterics, because watching the nobles nearly piss themselves was objectively hilarious, and annoyance, because they''d fled after the introductory ambush. They hadn''t even started going through the portal maze yet! Half the fun of the floor was supposed to be watching the Challengers get hunted from room to room by the faux xenos, especially thanks to the little trick she and Sincere had come up with.
While Challengers had to stop and activate the portal rings on the floor of each room to move from one to another, the monsters could much more quickly travel around thanks to small ''air ducts'' that had been set up to connect them. Crossbreeding the horrors with slimes had certainly helped out quite a bit there. While the main goal had been to add acid blood - and that had taken a while to properly hybridize - it had also granted the side benefit of making the xenos rather...squishier than they looked. It perhaps hurt their durability a little, but it also meant they could fit through holes that no one would expect a monster their size to appear from.
Still, on reflection, Xenia ultimately had to conclude that it probably would have been more trouble than it was worth had the nobles actually died the day before. At least the floor was still mostly unknown, so even if Gilda shared her findings with the Association there were still plenty of surprises left in store.
For now at least, Xenia is half-meditating while working on possibilities for the floor boss, which was still being iterated on. At least, until Guy flies their way into her meditation chamber, somehow looking anxious despite their lack of a face. "Ma''am, I...well, I don''t know how to say this, but..."
Xenia opens an eye and studies the nervous guide. "What - did you play around and manage to get a bunny pregnant? Well then, I trust that you''ll take responsibility and play the role of a proper parent. You''ll have to get married, of course, I won''t have monsters living in sin in my dungeon."
"What? I don''t even - you know I haven''t - no, I believe this is something urgent, ma''am!"
With a sigh, Xenia''s avatar climbs to her feet. "What could it be? I''m not noticing anything weird with the Challengers. Are you picking up something from outside the dungeon?"
"Well, to be honest, that might be an accurate way to put it. You recall the ''dungeon link'' artifact we received several months ago, and placed into our inventory?"
That does manage to get the reincarnator''s attention. "Oh, shit, is the link...uh, linking? What''s actually happening, here?"
"I believe a connection has been formed on the other end. However, it also needs approval from you to fully activate it. I''m afraid I have no information on who is using the other half, unfortunately. How would you like to proceed?"
Xenia considers it for just half a moment before scoffing. "The Highbranches did suggest that rogue could''ve taken the stolen half practically anywhere, but let''s be honest, what other dungeon would be wanting a link-up with me? It''s gotta be one of the Dragonlord''s pet dungeons." She sighs briefly before shaking her head. "No point in putting it off, if they wanna chat with me, I suppose it''s better that they do it this way instead of sending a hit squad down to the damn core chamber or something. Let''s go ahead and approve the connection, see what this is all about."
Guy spawns a confirmation screen for their employer, who taps it away soon after. After a few moments there''s a new feeling of an incoming connection, but this time Xenia feels it herself. It''s almost like the sensation of someone tapping her on the shoulder, or perhaps whispering her name into her ear. To answer it, all she has to do is turn her head...in four dimensions, or at least that''s how it feels. Xenia does so, her instincts guiding her, and is surprised to see a familiar-looking toga-wearing draconic standing in her meditation chamber.
"Well, if it isn''t the Dragonlord themself! I''m surprised - I thought you''d have to go through a dungeon to use one of these things to talk to me, but here you are, eh? So to speak, at least."
"Dungeon Master Worthy." The tyrant nods their head slightly, in perhaps the deepest form of respect Xenia can remember seeing them perform. "Normally, you would be correct, but you forget that you are speaking to the master of dungeon-related magics. The half of the artifact I possess has been linked to myself directly, allowing me to project myself to you in this way. Granted, I was more able to take the risks of experimentation thanks to the surprising results of my newest minion''s impressive skills."
Xenia raises an eyebrow. "I''ve got absolutely no idea what you''re talking about. You have a dragon apprentice or something?"
The dragon laughs. "Hah, hardly! No, you may recall that ''Problem Solver'' who graced your dungeon some months ago? The one who seems to cause more problems than they solve? Well, it seems they managed to cheat the Fates themselves and acquire a third half of this relic, all of which are now equally connected to each other. I''ll admit, the manner of their magic is one which even I am hard-pressed to replicate."
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Xenia does her best to maintain an unaffected look. "Whee, good for you, got a free relic. What''s this call all about, though - why so interested in using it to get in touch with me?"
The Dragonlord also gives an unimpressed look, although theirs is more disappointed. "For one, I cannot make use of any part of the link without also making use of yours, as you have one of the pieces in your possession - and I am not interested in demanding that you hand it back. Forming connections with dungeons in Rainlander-controlled territory was my original objective with the artifact, after all. For a second matter, I wish to give you a warning."
"Ah, you''re getting worried about lil ol'' me? Or is this more one of those ''threat'' kind of warnings?"
The dragon shakes their head. "Not a threat from me, no. I have had my agents keeping a watch on the Grassbrook region for some time now, as I have been aware of the fact that someone has been seeking you out, thanks to the connection we share during your recreation of your memories. Although I''m afraid I cannot provide details on identity or numbers, my mystics have reported the arrival of realmwalkers within your region, at least twice within recent weeks."
Xenia crosses her arms and lets a smirk touch her lips. "Thanks for the heads up, D-L, but we already know. Spotted at least some of them wandering around here already."
"You have?" The tyrant actually looks slightly surprised for a moment, before adjusting their approach. "Would you care to share their descriptions? My agents could aid in - "
She cuts them off with a wave of a hand. "Let me stop you there, D-L. I appreciate you showing a bit of concern for my well-being, even if it maybe feels a little stalkery, but this is a personal issue. You don''t need to get yourself involved in this. I''m not even sure why you would, to be honest."
"Have I not made it clear that everything that happens on this continent is my concern, dungeon master? Let alone matters involving my former abode? But very well. If you do not wish for the assistance of my agents, I do have another offer I would like to present to you. The third portion of the link has been granted to one of my collaborator dungeons, as was its original intended purpose. If you are willing to agree, I would place them at your disposal, with advice and resources and so on. While I will retain possession of my own fragment, I''m afraid the demands on my time are too great to serve as your personal advisor, but I do know a dungeon who would be more than happy to do so."
Part of Xenia wants to turn them down, if only to put a bit more distance between them and herself...but there''s no denying that there could be a lot she could learn from a fellow dungeon. Guy''s advice can only help her with dungeon management, and only certain parts of it, while her ex-Challenger guardians can only provide the hazy knowledge collected by the Association over the years. And if it turns out to not pay off, Xenia can sense that she can close the connection at any time. The risks should be...minimal.
"...Fine, I''ll give it a trial period at least. When will I be hearing from them?"
The Dragonlord grins with a toothy smile. "Right now, if you''re willing."
"That quick, huh? I really don''t get all the personal attention...but sure, I don''t mind saying hello at least."
The Dragonlord nods and turns aside, and a moment later Xenia again gets the sensation of someone trying to get her attention. With a shake of her head it fades away, replaced by the sight of yet another new guest to her meditation chamber. The new arrival is a woman, certainly, but beyond that Xenia isn''t quite sure of anything. At first glance the spirit''s avatar has the spidery form of a drider, but she lacks the ebon skin and white hair shared by all driders Xenia''s seen thus far. Instead, her humanoid half has the appearance of a demon, with red skin, yellow eyes, long black hair and lengthy horns with a curve to them such that they bend backwards before again pointing to the ceiling. Although she''s short enough to stand in the room without the horns scraping the ceiling, somehow she feels much larger to Xenia, as if she were only temporarily this height out of convenience.
Her smile is friendly enough, if perhaps also a bit predatory in appearance thanks to her fangs, revealed as she offers her greetings. "Ah, so here you are - the infamous master of the even-more infamous Worthy Dungeon! Allow me to introduce myself - I am Halith, master of Poisonscale Dungeon. I have been so eager to meet you, ever since my glorious lord told me of the opportunity."
Xenia gives the woman a nod, trying her best to smile in return as she does so. "Really? I''m Xenia Worthy, feel free to call me Xenia, if we''re going to be, uh...working together, or link-buddies, or however you wanna call it. For starters...mind if I ask what your avatar is based on? I haven''t seen a drider or a demon that looks like you..."
Halith rolls her eyes. "One doesn''t have to be so boring as to just pick an existing species for their avatar, you know - or perhaps you don''t know, I hear you''ve progressed rather quickly for one so young. Many dungeons don''t have a proper avatar even for personal use for several weeks after being born! In my case, my earliest delvers were mostly driders and demons, and so I picked the most...interesting parts of their anatomy for my preferred form."
Given that Halith''s entire wardrobe consists of a rune-embroidered loincloth and a black leather breastband, that anatomy is certainly well on display. "It''s uh, it''s a good look! I like what I''ve got, personally, but you''ve got a definite...style going on, for sure." Taking a breath, Xenia turns back to the Dragonlord. "So, how exactly is this going to work? Did you have anything specific you wanted to cover tonight?"
The tyrant gives a thin smile before gesturing in Halith''s direction. "I will leave you in Halith''s care for now, young dungeon. Halith here has two centuries of experience, and she certainly does not need me hanging over her shoulder, I am sure. I do hope you two have a productive first meeting, but if anything goes wrong...I shall be in touch. Until next time."
The Dragonlord nods again, and their form pops out of existence, their part of the link connection closed. When Xenia turns back towards her fellow dungeon though she finds the woman rubbing her hands together with unabashed glee, a hungry grin on her face. "Ooooh, I can''t wait, it''s been ages since I''ve spoken to another dungeon spirit face-to-face, you know? Now...where shall we begin?"
Chapter 252: Backseat Dungeon Mastering
"You haven''t been using your skill library!? Why? You''ve just been letting it all go to waste!" Halith grips her head with both hands as she stomps - or, well, skitters heavily - around the core chamber, she and Xenia having relocated there from the rather more cramped meditation room in Xenia''s quarters. While a tour of the dungeon had been brought up, Halith had wanted to start things off with a basic overview of Xenia''s design style and methods, and she did not appear to be a fan of what she was hearing.
"I''ve told you most of my bosses are reincarnated Challengers, right? They''ve got their own personal skills from a lifetime of doing shit, y''know? We''ve experimented with a few things, but mostly it just seems to get in the way of their natural instincts. I did give BB Bard skills for the inn though, so there''s that." Xenia crosses her arms, feeling a little defensive about her strategies.
"Oh, well if you''ve been using them to entertain the Challengers, then that''s alright." The dungeon master turns her demonic drider-like avatar around so that she''s facing back towards Xenia, a move that takes a few seconds considering her impressive size and many legs. "Only about half of your guardians are reincarnates, though? What about the others? How effective have they actually been in battle?"
Xenia has to pause and think on that for a moment. "Uh, well, the armor duo on Floor Three have been told to go a little easier on folks...but I guess when I think about it they haven''t actually been hitting their quota. DEATH''s had a few here and there, not for a while though. And uh...the temp slime bosses I had on Floor Seven never actually scored any kills, I suppose." Halith simply raises an eyebrow in Xenia''s direction, causing her to defend herself a little more strongly. "But the other guardians have been more than making up for it! Our killcount''s still above average, you know? From what I hear, anyways."
"I can''t believe what I''m hearing! You''re letting perfectly good Challengers walk out of here alive, because you''re doing ''good enough''? A dungeon developing as fast as you have, I thought I''d be talking to someone with a lot more fire!"
"Oh, I got fire." Pausing, Xenia begins to eye her fellow dungeon master suspiciously. "Just how much did the Dragonlord tell you about me, by the way?"
Halith waves a hand. "Oh, only what I need to know, as usual. You''ve caught the attention of the Goddess of Fertility, somehow, you''ve been breaking all sorts of records, you''ve proven your worth to the Dragonlord on several occasions...there''s obviously much I haven''t been told, I can tell, but I know better than to pry. The Dragonlord sees a lot of potential in you, obviously, so that''s enough for me."
The suspicious look remains. "Potential for what, exactly? They keep giving me all this attention, and it sure doesn''t feel normal, you know?"
"I''ll say it isn''t!" Halith leans down so that her face is closer to Xenia''s. "You know how long it''s been since I''ve gotten to speak to another dungeon over one of these links? Sixty. Years. We don''t go setting this up for every new dungeon that comes around. Certainly, you being located on top of the old Great Dungeon''s a factor, but it''s clear there''s more than that. I''d wager you''re a big part of their plans."
"What plans?"
The drider gives Xenia a look as if she ought to be able to figure it out herself. "The only plans they ever have, dear. Reconquest of the continent. It''s been their only goal in life for centuries at this point, since before I was born. Now if you want specifics, I''m afraid I can''t tell you, but it''s clear that the Dragonlord sees you as being useful."
Xenia turns away, shaking her head. "Hearing that kinda makes me want to not be useful. I''m not interested in any of that shit, you know?"
"Then just don''t worry about it! Worry about what''s good for you. And right now, what''s good for you is me."
The reincarnator snorts. "Feeling a little full of yourself, are you?"
"You don''t get to be as old as I am and not learn a few tricks. I''m the second oldest dungeon in the Domain, I''ll have you know, and the third deepest as well! Thirty-four floors! Of course, it''s not how many floors you have, but how you use them."
Xenia frowns as she considers that number. "Is that all? I''ve got nine in like a year - I know that''s a little fast, but after two hundred years...I mean, soul store purchases alone could probably get you there in a few years, yeah?"
"What did I just say? It''s quality, not quantity. How many Challengers actually run all of your floors in a row over and over, hrmm? None, I''ll wager. Challengers delve up to their personal limits, until they reach a point where they don''t feel safe to proceed, and then they mostly stick there until they''ve trained up. Only a handful of Master and Supreme-level teams ever try my floors past twenty-five...well, more than once, anyhow." Halith chuckles at the last bit, and Xenia does as well, despite herself.
"So if you''re third, what''s the record, then?"
Halith scoffs. "That would be Endless Abyss, at fifty-eight. Abby - the master over there - hates ever redoing or redesigning anything, and just keeps making new floors every time a new idea crosses their mind. Half of them hardly ever even get used! It''s an enormous waste of resources, and it wouldn''t even help them that much if someone ever really decided to go for their core. The floors have so little investment that it would only slow a cracker-team down."
"Huh." While she''s still a little uncertain about the original intentions behind all of this, Xenia has to admit that talking with Halith has some value simply in the gossip alone. "That''s just in the Domain? Do you know much about other dungeons?"
The red-skinned woman has to sigh at that. "I''m sure the Dragonlord or the Association has a file on such things somewhere, but we dungeons tend to be a little out of the loop ourselves. It''s not like I''ve ever spoken to a Rainlands dungeon before, let alone any from outside the New Continent. For the most part, I only hear about things that a dungeon shouldn''t do, things that typically get them cracked open."
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"Oh, such as?"
"Such as leaving their guardians half-baked! Now stop distracting me, we were talking about how to make your unreincarnated guardians more murderous, weren''t we?"
"I mean, I guess we could talk about that..."
"We should! Now, this ''armor duo'' - tell me about their fighting style."
Xenia takes a seat at her conference table as she organizes her thoughts. "Well, Tank is a heavy shield user, to take the hits, and Dips does the damage with a sword and javelins. On top of that, I''ve also got these Terror Tentacles - a slime-ghost crossbreed - that pop out of the floor and grab on to people to pin them down. Oh, suppose I should mention they''re possessed armors, so they literally are armor."
Halith claps her hands twice. "Oooh, possessed armors, I like those, never used them for guardians before, though. That does give them a fair bit of resistance to many attacks...but it sounds as if they only do mundane, physical damage themselves?" She taps her lips before offering her advice. "Magical damage and utility would certainly help, death and shadow types being thematic, of course. I don''t suppose you''ve killed yourself any necromancers, by any chance?"
"Can''t say I''ve even seen one, no."
"They are much harder to find these days, it seems." Halith sighs, but Xenia does have a few alternatives to offer.
"I do have a couple Shadow-type classes in the library, and a...Spirit Mage? That guy could bring forth copies of dead souls or something like that, was a real problem for me at the time."
The visiting dungeon master''s eyes go wide and her voice again reaches peak volume. "A Spirit Mage? You got yourself a gods-damned Spirit Mage and you haven''t been using those skills!?"
"Well...I mean, I do use the spells every now and then to make sure that if another Spirit Mage comes by, they won''t be able to summon up copies of my own guardians to get their secrets. There''s apparently a cooldown on how often copies can be made, so I figure if I do it, another Spirit Mage wouldn''t be able to, yeah?"
"Another one? I haven''t even gotten one! I''ve only heard about them! You could use them to summon copies of dead Challengers!" Halith puts her head in her hands again as she paces around the room at a rapid speed, before suddenly coming to a halt and facing back towards Xenia. "I''ll trade you."
That offer certainly gets Xenia''s attention. "What? Trade? Explain, please. We can exchange skills we''ve collected?"
Halith nods. "It''s an exchange through the dungeon link, not a copy, unfortunately. Spirit Mage...that''s an Advanced-level class, if I recall correctly?"
Xenia chuckles, knowing full well that dungeons have perfect memories. "Yeah, so not really all that special, I''d think, especially for someone at your level?"
The drider scoffs. "Pfft, as if that matters, when I add it into a guardian with Master or Supreme-tier abilities already at play. I''ll grant you a...a Master-level skillset in exchange. What''s your overall theme, again? Getting mortals pregnant?"
The human avatar blinks at that for a few seconds. "Uh...more like, rabbits, I guess. And I''d like to say slimes though I''ve really only got the one main one. What, do you have a Rabbit Mage class or something?"
Halith waves away the attempt at humor. "What, like summoning rabbits? No, not a Mage. But I''m guessing you haven''t had many beastkin ''guests'' here yet? They are rare, but they come by now and then. And their melee classes are often specifically suited to their anatomy, you know."
Xenia raises her eyebrows. "So you got yourself a Rabbit...?"
"A Leaping Blademaster, is the title, a rabbitkin class. That BB of yours, you mentioned they were a Rabbit Rogue? And your Lagomorphs are at B-tiers?"
She nods. "Yeah - isn''t that basically the same sort of thing his dungeon monster skills already give him? Going by the name?"
Halith shakes her head. "At a B-tier your ''Rogue'' is at likely fighting at an Advanced level, maybe an Expert, but I doubt it. After all, the monster skills are supposed to be the baseline that you add to, you see? With a Master-tier class squeezed into his head, he''d be like...an S-tier monster in fighting ability, although he''d lack the physical improvements that come with it. It''d be a straight upgrade, and of a class you''re unlikely to run into yourself anytime soon. So, trade?"
Xenia has to take a moment to think that over. Now that she thinks about it, summoning the spirits of dead Challengers in the middle of a fight does sound pretty cool, and she''s rather disappointed that she didn''t think harder about it earlier. But a rabbitkin fighting class would certainly be more fitting to her dungeon''s theme - BB and Trush could both potentially benefit from it, perhaps even Deylia if she ever needed fighting skills for some reason. And it is true that she hasn''t seen a single rabbitkin so far, let alone one with a Master-tier class specifically designed around rabbit-like bodies. But mostly...she''d like to start off her relationship with Halith on a solid foundation, despite her reservations concerning the Dragonlord''s motivations, and a trade of a skill set she wasn''t even using seems like a low price to pay for that purpose.
"Alright, yeah, I can see that value in that. How''re we doing the trade?"
"One moment." Halith looks off to the side, perhaps at her own dungeon guide somewhere, invisible to Xenia, and makes a few gestures with one hand. A moment later a screen appears before her, with a simple interface.
|
------------------------
SKILL TRADE OFFERED
OFFERED: LEAPING BLADEMASTER (MASTER)
REQUESTED: SPIRIT MAGE (ADVANCED)
ACCEPT YES/NO?
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|
Xenia taps on the YES, and while she''s plenty used by now to the sensation of new spells and fighting skills suddenly appearing in her mind, this time it''s accompanied by the much odder feeling of some of her knowledge suddenly vanishing. It''s an odd sort of absence, if it weren''t for the fact that she''s still aware of the trade she just made, Xenia would think that she''d never known any Spirit Mage spells at all. "Huh, freaky. Well, do hope you''re right about me not getting more Spirit Mages in here, though I guess if one does come along, it''ll just give me a chance to re-collect that one, heh."
Halith claps her hands again, much more excited than before. "Oooooh, I am going to have so much fun with this one. Oh, I''d love to spend all day trading and bartering, but the link can only be used for so long before it needs to recharge." Her eyes grow intense as they lock on to Xenia''s. "How about we do that tour?"
Chapter 253: VIP Tour
It was to Xenia''s intense relief that Halith had insisted on speeding through the first few floors on her tour. While Xenia didn''t have any particular issues with her designs to the level that she felt the need to redesign them, she was well aware that she had been a complete newbie while initially making them and was a little worried about showing them off to an expert dungeon master. Halith seemed to be aware of the worry without Xenia even needing to bring it up though, noting that ''everyone''s first few floors are crap, don''t worry about it''.
Floor Four had definitely caught her attention though, and she spent a few of her remaining dungeon link minutes to stop and cuddle some of the vampire bunnies. It seemed that while she was visiting the dungeon, Halith had much the same ability to interact with it as Xenia did - Challengers couldn''t see her, but dungeon monsters and guardians could, although she had no authority to make any actual alterations to the place. That didn''t mean she didn''t have any suggestions to make in that regard, though.
"You said your name for this floor was the ''Forest of the Rabbit Cult'', is that right?"
Xenia nods as the two walk though the bioluminscence-lit trees. "Yeah, I didn''t do like, a whole story theme or anything, but I did set up this hidden ''ritual'' site out deep in the woods where folks need to find the bridge key. I''ve got a lot of my Shuns guarding the spot. Uh, my shade-rabbit crossbreeds."
"Hrmm, I''m guessing you set that up before you had your Rabbit Champions though, is that right?"
"Yeah, why do you ask?"
Halith eyes one of the aforementioned Shun. It mostly has the appearance of a traditional shade, being a figure of smoke and shadow without legs, cloaked in rags as it hovers around, with the rabbit ears emerging from its head being very difficult to notice without looking closely. "The Shun are certainly a good monster for the floor, and they''re thematic with the floor guardian. But they''re monsters, not cultists, wouldn''t you say? It seems to me that it would be more fitting if you had some of your sapient-level monsters playing that role - if you are interested in the ''story'' aspect of the design, of course."
Xenia rubs her chin. "I could fit in a few more monsters here, I suppose. Trush and his squad do visit the floor pretty often, but they''re not dressed like cultists or anything, that''s for sure. I don''t think any of my Rabbit Champion subtypes really fit ''cultist'' though..."
Her drider-like companion grins, exposing her fangs. "You have undead up to a mid tier now, yes? My suggestion - look at the Vampire Thralls. They give excellent cultist vibes, in my experience. Red or yellow eyes, pale skin, that certain sense of ''wrongness''. Very popular evil traits."
"As a crossbreed input? Yeah, I could give that a try." Xenia checks that she does in fact have the option available, and slots it into her crossbreeding system before turning back towards Halith. "How important is that sort of thing, by the way? I mean like, stories and themes and all that? I''ve been experimenting with a few just cause it gives me like, a focus when I''m putting a floor together, but I feel like I''m kinda just dabbling with it."
Her guest shrugs. "Very few dungeons get into it very heavily. I''m aware that you''re unusually, well...self-aware for a young dungeon, although I won''t pry as to how you developed so quickly. But many young dungeons are barely more than animal instincts for their first few years, you know? Very clever when it comes to trap and maze layout, perhaps, but concepts like ''stories'' take years to develop. For example...most cave-based dungeons wouldn''t even know how to mimic a forest to such a degree because at best they can only see one from a distance." She eyes Xenia slightly as she says that, but if she has questions on the topic she keeps them to herself.
"So themes aren''t really a thing, then?"
"Accidental ones, perhaps, but complex concepts tend to be rare until after the first ten floors or so. Many dungeons do experiment with some floors, sometimes getting very involved, but the only dungeon I know of who''s really invested into the idea is...ugh, Dragon''s Monument."
The woman says the name with such disgust that Xenia has to ask more. "What, not a fan of them?"
Halith looks back and forth, as if someone might be watching them, but of course finds no one. While several of the dungeon bosses were very curious about the dungeon''s special guest, Halith had requested that this meeting at least be for dungeon masters only. "Look - obviously, I am a part of the Dragonlord''s ''collaborator dungeon'' system. And I have no complaints! The assistance I have to provide to the Domain''s military and their Challengers is more than made up for with the assistance the Dragonlord has provided to me in return. I acknowledge them as my superior, but it is a relationship with give and take on both sides, you know? A partnership."
Xenia raises an eyebrow as she prods Halith to continue. "...But?"
"Redscale - the dungeon master of Dragon''s Monument - was discovered by the Dragonlord at a very young age. A few weeks old, I believe. And they, ah...imprinted rather heavily, I would say. They''ve become rather obsessed, and act more like a, well...don''t tell them I said this, but more like a pet than like a power in their own right."
"Okay...but what does this have to do with what we were talking about?"
Halith sighs. "The entire damn dungeon is basically a retelling of the Dragonlord''s life, particularly their battles with the colonial species. Recreations of historical battles, you see, or places from around the continent. Greatly exaggerated and distorted, of course. Personally, many of my Challengers have come from the territory that now makes up the Valleylands, so I feel I have a rather more...broad historical perspective. Certainly enough to admit the Dragonlord is not a perfect being. Hells, despite all their ego I doubt even the Dragonlord themselves would claim as much. Redscale has a different perspective on such things, though."
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The reincarnator has to grin at the admission. "You do seem to be a fan of driders, alright."
Halith nods slightly but doesn''t actually respond for a few moments. "Back in the days when the Dragonlord ruled the continent''s driders...well, no one was ever forced into entering my dungeon. But success in Challenging was a career that led to a chance for freedom that many Valleylanders were otherwise denied at the time. Over the years, I saw many desperate souls give it an attempt when they should have been taking up careers in weaving or mining or some such. At first I enjoyed the feast such unprepared intruders gave me, but as the years wore on..." The woman stares off into the distance before continuing. "In some ways, things are better now. We dungeons are tools of the gods, I believe that, and so it''s better when Challenging is left to those who are truly called to the life."
Xenia''s not sure exactly how to respond to that, so after a few beats she goes with the tried-and-true ''change the subject'' strategy. "Think I can agree with that...uh, so! That''s Floor Four, still got more than half the dungeon left!"
Her guest smiles but shakes her head. "Unfortunately I can feel the link''s charge is beginning to run dry, I won''t be able to finish the tour today. Perhaps...we can visit this infamous ''Floor Five'' of yours?"
"Heh, even other dungeons are hearing about that, are they? Sure - for you, only the VIP treatment will do!"
The pair did spend a few minutes in Worthy Inn, but as Halith was unable to actually interact with any of the Challengers populating the place, trying to hang out at one of the tables for a chat seemed a little awkward. She perked up significantly when they teleported over to the Fiver''s Lounge portion of the floor, however. As usual it was much less busy - although becoming more so all the time, these days - so it wasn''t so hard to find a place for the two to sit down and watch the shows. While the Challengers couldn''t see Halith, the dancers certainly could, and the red-skinned woman would probably be displaying a blush if her complexion was paler.
Once the two are seated at a table with specially-designed drider sofas, they''re interrupted by a succubus coming up to them in the garb of a lounge employee. That is to say, a black leather bunny suit with ears and fishnets, and from the way Halith''s eyes nearly pop out of her skull at the sight Xenia would wager the woman had just had more ideas crammed into her head than all of the conversations up to this point had managed. For her part though, Xenia eyes the woman for a different reason.
"Welcome to the Fiver''s Lounge! You two enjoying yourselves? I daresay you''re suited for the VIP treatment, if you''re interested..."
The demon gives Halith a wink, but Xenia interjects before her guest can respond. "Emma? What''s the deal with the demon skin? That''s Kalissa you''re mirroring, right, one of our bartenders?"
Emma pouts using Kalissa''s face. "Phooey - how''d you know it was me so quick? Do your dungeon senses let you see through me that easily?"
"Kalissa wouldn''t have been able to see Halith at all. Also, she''s standing across the room over there, still. What''s with the getup, really?"
Emma''s shoulders slump. "Bah! I just wanted to see who everyone''s talking about! An experienced dungeon master - I mean, if you ask me, Halith''s a bigger deal than Bill is. Possibly harder to give a lap dance to, though I''m sure some of the staff would be willing to give it a try anyhow."
Xenia rolls her eyes. "Considering how easy it is to get Bill to accept a lap dance, that''s a low bar - wait...did you ever give Bill a lap dance?" She quickly checks her memories, and finds at least one suspicious encounter on one of the man''s previous visits. "You did, didn''t you?"
Emma grins. "He sure was excited to be getting attention from ''twins'', that''s for sure. But are we gonna spend all night talking about my sex life, or are we gonna make sure our VIP has herself a good time tonight?"
"Wait, you even - " Xenia shakes her head, refocusing on the here and now. "You''re right, not my business. And at least you weren''t wearing my face for that. Uh, how about introductions? Emma, meet Halith, dungeon master of Poisonscale Dungeon. Halith, meet Emma, magic mirror and bar manager of Floor Five."
From the expression on her face, Halith hadn''t perhaps caught all of the context clues from that conversation, but had picked up enough. "Some sort of mirror monster? For your bar?" She eyes Emma''s demonic form up and down once again for good measure. "I can sense she''s a powerful one...and quite forward, at that. No wonder everyone who visits this dungeon ends up getting pregnant, if this is how your most dangerous guardians spend their time."
Emma shakes her head. "I''m not actually a guardian, I''m more of a...special case. I could put up a fight if I had to, though." As she gets to addressing the rest of Halith''s comment, she actually starts to look a little embarrassed. "Er, uh...is this too much? I kinda got used to it, hanging out around here, but I forgot most dungeons aren''t Worthy Dungeon. Do you even, uh...have an interest in that sort of stuff? You seemed like you were enjoying the dancers."
Xenia again steps in to save Halith from potential embarrassment. "Hey, it''s cool if you don''t, I mean, I know I''m an exception to a lot of the usual rules. Especially since you wouldn''t have reincarnated bosses and you''ve just got typical monsters hanging around, obviously people aren''t going to have the same, uh...instincts, or drives, or whatever..."
Halith chuckles, her earlier signs of blushing now gone. "Xenia, my dear. Everyone fucks a monster at least once."
Xenia blinks. "...What?"
"They won''t admit it, most of them. But we''ve all seen how the sapient-type monsters are equipped, and once you''re large enough to have safe zones, it''s only a matter of time before Challengers start giving...demonstrations. Need I remind you that most of my Challengers have historically been demons? Most of whom these days are succubi and incubi? Hells, in my case Challengers didn''t even wait for me to add safe zones, some parties started throwing celebrations immediately after clearing a floor. Trust me, dear. We''ve all at least given it a try."
Somehow, that actually makes Xenia feel a little relieved. "Oh, well...I guess maybe I''m not that weird after all then, huh?"
"Oh, no, you''re still exceptionally weird. I''m just saying I have no complaints with the performances on offer." She gives Emma another smile, but eventually sighs. "Unfortunately, my time here is almost up, so I won''t be able to enjoy this ''lap dance'' performance of yours. Perhaps next time?"
Emma grins. "I''ll have a private room reserved for you!"
Xenia laughs, but shakes her head. "Certainly, any time you wanna come over - but maybe next time I can come visit your place?"
Halith considers it, and gives a nod. "We shall have to see how long it takes for the artifact to recharge, especially with it split in such an odd way. But when it is - it''s a date."
Chapter 254: Showoff
Prince Thaddeus was beginning to revise downward his opinion of the dungeon. Not necessarily because of anything wrong with the dungeon itself, but rather that his expectations had perhaps not matched up to reality. While Tizzy was currently occupied with clearing Floor Four with her latest party, the rest of the group had decided to push through Floors Two and Three so as to not fall too far behind. Tizzy and Linda had finished their first mana-conversion amulet which Linda herself was now wearing, putting her more or less back at full strength, and it seemed to be worthwhile testing it out. Thaddeus and Lei the Iron Palm focused mainly on a combination of martial skills and enchanted items, so they had only been somewhat affected by the new environment to begin with, which left only the shaman Pulg to have to metaphorically limp along with the team.
Unfortunately, now that their team was operating at something approximating an ''Expert'' Challenger tier, the tests posed by the dungeon''s higher floors seemed to be less impressive than they had been on the team''s first visit. They had played it cautious with Lollyp, avoiding her Challenge Mode, but Linda''s magical defenses had practically neutered the Elementalist and the rest of the team had managed to slay the slime in perhaps less than a minute. Floor Three meanwhile had so far simply been...annoying. The jumping puzzle with the slime ambushes, the slime spiders and ghost tentacles which mostly only served to slow them down, and the timing puzzle with the magical barriers...Thaddeus badly needed to slay something.
So it is that when the team approaches Floor Three''s arena, he makes a rather controversial statement. "We''ve done well so far, today! Defeated one of the dungeon''s most notorious monsters with ease, and nearly cleared two floors in a matter of hours. So in celebration of your achievements and hard work, you all may remain here in the safe room and relax, while I slay the floor''s guardians."
Lei''s head immediately snaps up from where he''d been sipping from the room''s healing fountain. "What!? My - boss, you recall the scout briefing, yes? This floor has two bosses at once! Not to mention nuisance monsters!"
The prince gives the martial artist a grin. "Are you suggesting the fight is beyond me, Lei?"
The man quickly bows his head. "Not at all! But to pick this fight as your first solo combat...also, I''ll admit, I was rather looking forward to turning one of them into scrap myself."
Pulg studies his master a little before speaking up. "I assume this isn''t actually about rewarding us, is it? Is this perhaps an attempt to prove yourself?"
"Well, I suppose the entire dungeon is about that, is it not? But no, I''ll admit - I mostly feel as if I haven''t actually been allowed to cut loose so far today. These cramped tunnels, so many slime monsters...I need to savor the taste of a fiercer battle than we''ve seen so far."
Linda simply shrugs as she continues to recharge one of her wands. "Just let it go, boys. You know how he gets when he doesn''t get to play around every once in a while. Remember that time with that troll village?"
Lei chuckles. "The trolls certainly do - the survivors, at any rate. Very well, but don''t hesitate to call on us if the dungeon manages to surprise us, yes?"
"I am not so foolhardy as to entirely abandon my support. I''ll leave the arena door open, feel free to charge in to my rescue in the event something does go wrong. But I don''t expect this to take more than a few minutes." As the group offers him their well-wishes, the black-haired prince turns and pushes the arena doors open, then draws his sword as he steps inside.
He quickly scans the room, almost ignoring the two giant suits of armor standing on the opposite side. Instead he first examines the floor, watching out for the so-called Terror Tentacles waiting to ambush and grab onto him. While they''re currently hidden within the stone of the floor, the man does have enough mana-sense to get an impression of where the ghostly creatures are hiding, and he mentally maps out a safe route towards the floor''s guardians. They don''t wait for Thaddeus to finish doing so, of course, and Dips''s first javelin goes flying towards his head just as he returns his attention in her direction. He almost absentmindedly dodges the projectile though, earning a curse from Pulg as the weapon goes soaring into the safe room behind him.
Dips doesn''t seem too off-put by the miss, though. "What''s thhiiiiiss? The human approaches us alone?"
Tank grunts at the strategy. "Another overinflated eegggggooo. They''ve suffered no casualties yet? Allow us to grant you your firrrrrrst, then!" The heavy suit charges ahead, his shield held in front of him and his giant double-bladed axe swinging, but the smaller man simply rolls below the attack as if he''d done it a hundred times before. His own blade is already swinging by time he returns to his feet, swiping through the back of Tank''s knee, a blow that would have been very serious if Tank had things like bones or tendons. It is rather impressive that the man''s sword can cut through the possessed armor at all, but the damage seems to be only superficial given by how little it affects the undead.
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That doesn''t much bother Thaddeus, though - the attack was merely a probe, to see what passes for a weak point in a mobile hunk of metal. There''s certainly many more to test, particularly the head, and so Thaddeus''s next move involves dashing to the side of the guardian and swinging upwards...and missing entirely as a cloud of almost-tangible shadow envelops him.
"What in the blazes? We heard no mention of dark magics in this fight!"
Along with the stomping of Tank''s boots, Thaddeus can hear Dips''s laughter from across the arena. "A new trick this is, yyeeeess. Worthy told us not to use the shadow magic on the Innnnitiates, but if you are so eager to fight alone, surely you''re not complaining about a little challenge?"
To the contrary, the prince actually finds himself smiling. "Not at all - in fact, you''ve only given me justification to employ a few tricks of my own!" As he hears the sound of Tank''s axe swinging towards him, Thaddeus drives a bit of magic into his boots, which briefly glow with a golden light and nearly teleport the man ten feet backwards, tearing apart a ghostly tentacle which tries to latch on to him on the way. It''s enough distance to bring the man outside of the magical shadow, and when he glances in Dips''s direction he almost gets the feeling the armor is frowning at him.
"Swift on your feet - what Swordsman class are you, I wonder?"
"Not a skill, I''m afraid, simply a little enchanted trinket I''ve picked up over the past few years. And not the only one, either!" Indeed, he demonstrates another as Dips tosses another projectile his way. Ducking to the side in a way that manages to make his cloak swoosh through the air, the javelin gets entangled within it, a move that would normally not be as ideal as a complete miss. To Dips'' surprise however the cloak actually latches onto the javelin, grabbing it and then brandishing it above Thaddeus''s head as if the man had suddenly grown a scorpion''s tail. It puts itself to use immediately, deflecting a quick swing from Tank even as the man begins to approach Dips.
"You''re the source of those shadow magics, yes? Congratulations, then - you''ve just become the priority target!" Indeed, Dips quickly gets to repositioning her shadow onto Thaddeus''s new position, using the spell she''d acquired from Taly''s Shadow Rogue class, but without the element of surprise it seems to have little effect on the swordsman. In fact, the spell seems to affect Tank most of all - only the shadow''s creator gains the ability to see through it, leaving Tank to settle for using his bulk to try and score a hit on the slippery fellow, but Dips can only watch as his swings miss by ever more distance.
"Tank, to me, he is - " She''s interrupted as she needs to quickly bring up her own sword to deflect a blow, but at least she has no breath she needs to catch before continuing. "He is upon me!" Giving up on her spell, Dips focuses instead on her swordplay, and her speed is at least somewhat better compared to Tank''s heavy blows. Even so, it''s not enough - she only gets in one or two thrusts before finding herself on the defensive, and even when Tank closes the distance the man''s cloak continues to defend him as if he had eyes in the back of his head.
The cloak isn''t the only supporter the man has either, even if the others are merely in the morale sense. "You have them, Tad! Aim for the eye slits!"
Lei scoffs at Linda''s suggestion. "There''s no eyes in there, mage! Go for the neck!"
"I - am - working on it!" Although he does have a noticeable edge on the guardians in terms of skill, they do still have several feet of height and reach advantage on him, and his enchanted cloak can barely keep Tank at bay let alone actually damage him with a mere javelin. Eventually though he sees an opening, and uses the two against each other. The next time Tank raises his shield to deflect a blow from Thaddeus''s cloak, he again feeds a bit of magic into his boots, but this time into a leap. Practically bouncing off of the gigantic piece of metal, the prince comes in swinging at Dips at eye level, and when he lands on the ground Dips''s helmet is only a second behind him.
Growling, Tank abandons his shield in order to go all-in on offense...on the extremely annoying cloak, that is. Lunging forward, the guardian grabs onto the offending garment, before moving to use it to swing the egotistical Challenger across the room. Or at least, that''s the plan. Instead the cloak seems to automatically detach from Thaddeus''s shoulders the moment Tank puts any force into it, and instead of holding onto the fabric Tank finds that the fabric is now holding on to him.
Although it attempts to bind the armor''s two arms together, moving like a sentient rope, it''s too weak to do so considering the monster''s strength and sheer size. It does however manage to distract the boss for a few key seconds, and as Tank waves his arm around in an attempt to dislodge the thing, Thaddeus has the opportunity to move into the creature''s blind spot. One magic boot-enhanced jump later, and a second helmet is soon clattering to the stony ground, to the applause of the man''s audience.
Pulg chuckles as the others clap. "Showing off some of your toys, were you? Not worried about burning through their charge?"
Thaddeus doesn''t respond right away, instead watching to ensure that the undead monsters are actually dead as their empty shells crumple to the ground. When a chest appears in the center of the room though he relaxes, sheathing his sword and reaching out for the cloak which grabs onto him, crawling up his arm and re-attaching itself to his shoulders. "As our scout said, they should be fine for a few weeks even in the worst case. And now that Linda at the least can potentially recharge them, well, no reason not to cut a little loose once in a while, wouldn''t you say?"
Lei starts to nod, but scratches his head. "Wouldn''t you rather keep all your cards up your sleeve? Until a fight that matters, that is."
The prince chuckles. "They''re hardly my only cards, now aren''t they? Besides..." He trails off for a moment, as if lost in thought, before Linda attracts his attention.
"Besides what, Tad?"
"Individual cards are minor concerns for us, are they not? I think the time has come for us to draw upon an entirely new deck."
That comment certainly surprises the blonde, her eyebrows rising. "You mean..."
Thaddeus nods. "Indeed. When we return tonight, focus your energies on recharging the artifact. I think the others have waited long enough..."
Chapter 255: Petty Lords
Tizzy isn''t terribly happy as she stands outside in the forest the next day, along with the rest of Prince Thaddeus''s party. That wasn''t a slight against the forest, of course, it was a perfectly fine forest, although technically speaking they didn''t really need to come all the way out here again. But so far two realmwalks had been done out here and none of the locals had noticed anything, which was a pretty good sign that it was a safe, secluded location for a third ritual.
Mostly, she just finds herself disappointed that Thaddeus had already decided to bring along the rest of his followers. Although they''d all been more or less swayed to the Prince''s cause as a group back in their home realm, the half-imp had never really considered herself to be a full member of that particular clique. For one thing, she was a rather natural loner, which was one of the main reasons she had taken the unusual step of taking her magical talents and using them to become a scout rather than a traditional mage. For another, well...
Although she claimed it, Tizzy had always had doubts that Prince Xenon Darkstar was actually her grandfather.
Most of the others seemed quite more certain about it, and even if they were wrong, it didn''t really matter so much given that they had inherited rank enough as it was. Linda and Lei were both grandchildren of Xenon''s ''Fallen Champions'', and had held at least some measure of authority and power ever since they were born. Their positions as rival warlords within the fracturing empire weren''t particularly strong, or they likely would have never latched on to Prince Thaddeus, but they had held authority of their own. Pulg meanwhile was not a descendant of Champions, but his pedigree as a descendant of Xenon didn''t seem to be in doubt. His grandmother had been a minor tribal warchief, and apparently hadn''t been taken to dallying around all that much - especially not with humans.
Tizzy''s grandmother had been a humble guard captain. A respectable position for a commoner, certainly, but she had always been a little too loud about how she had bagged herself the prince himself on a few nights. Occasionally letting it slip that most of those nights had been some of the prince''s famously hedonistic orgies. To be quite frank, most of the time Tizzy wondered if her grandfather had actually been one of the Tower''s serving staff.
When she was alone, it didn''t matter. Hells, even with Prince Thaddeus, she didn''t think he genuinely cared all that much despite how big of a deal he made of his own ancestry. But around the other minor lordlings of her realm? Well, that was a different matter entirely. And now she was about to help to more than double the number of those hanging around. Hoping for one last chance at changing Thaddeus''s mind, she speaks up, careful not to interrupt him as he focuses on one of his relics, an amulet of his own design.
"Ah, you know my lord, there''s still a chance to reconsider. This is going to be a lot of new faces all at once, maybe we should hold off a little longer? Or only bring over one or two at a time, something like that? We wouldn''t want to give ourselves away."
The man grins as he grants her half of his attention. "What, and spend a month bringing across our reinforcements? You know we can''t communicate across realms, so we must stick to the pre-arranged dates and times when they would be ready with their half of the ritual. If we skip tonight, it''d be another four days before we could consider it again, and it''d take weeks to do them in pairs at that rate." He tilts his head down at her, giving her his full attention for at least a brief moment. "It doesn''t matter if you dislike them, Tizzy. They could be essential to our success. If you had experience in command, you''d know - you don''t have to like all of your subordinates in order to make use of them."
A little surprised at his comment, Tizzy glances around for the rest of the group. Lei and Pulg were somewhat distant, patrolling the forest for any interlopers, and Linda seems to be occupied with drawing out the required markings on the forest floor. Feeling somewhat secure, she leans in with a whisper. "Are you, uh...saying you don''t like us that much yourself, my lord?"
The dark-haired man''s smile doesn''t fade. "As a hypothetical, if it turned out that I despised you, would it change things? Would you abandon me, run and make a new life for yourself out there?"
The words somewhat shock her, but as best as she can tell, Tizzy''s pretty sure he is genuinely speaking hypothetically. "...Uh, well, I mean, I guess you haven''t like, lied to us about anything so far. You seem to know what you''re doing. As long as you didn''t abandon us I suppose I don''t need you to like me, uh...personally. Besides, I like this world alright but I''m not sure yet if I''d wanna live here."
Thaddeus reaches out a hand and pats the short woman on the head, a move which triggers ambiguous feelings in the scout. "See, very insightful. Trust is important. Competence is important. Liking someone is not. And at the very least, I limited my recruits to the most competent I could find. Yourself included, Tizzy. For the record, I am rather fond of you."
"Hah, uh, thanks, you''re alright too, I guess. Um...are you saying you don''t trust them all as much, though, if you mostly picked them for their skills?"
That question does cause the man''s smile to fade. "I trust them to operate in their own self-interests. I trust them to see that I can best serve those interests. I''ll admit, I do perhaps have somewhat less trust in their behavior, in some cases."
Tizzy winces. "You mean like Sevastian."
Thaddeus doesn''t respond for a moment. "I wish perhaps that I knew him better while his sister Yulia was still alive. I hear she was a...stabilizing influence on the man. Still, he has his uses."
The half-imp frowns. "Well, at least he''s just a normal sort of crazy. Not one of those ''don''t let yourself be alone with him in a room at night'' sort of crazy."
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The prince doesn''t quite frown along with her, but his mood does seem to darken somewhat. "I am aware of how your homeland tended to encourage certain...excesses and abuses of authority. I offered amnesty for past acts, to be redeemed through our cause, but that doesn''t mean I turn a blind eye. If anyone threatens you with harm..."
Tizzy waves her hands and puts on a toothy smile. "Hey, I''ve been taking care of myself for a long time now, and I''m tougher than most of these second-stringers anyhow. But uh, thanks. My lord."
"It''s no matter. You can, in fact, trust me. But enough delays - the artifact is prepared, and Linda appears to be finishing with the ritual circle. It''s time to begin. Take your place, Tizzy."
She does so, forming a triangle around the ritual circle with Linda and Thaddeus, although to be honest the two women have little to contribute to the ritual itself, mostly just serving as additional ''anchors'' for the crossing point. Thaddeus pulls out an additional anchor, the jeweled amulet they''d ''acquired'' from the stash of the monster slayer they''d heard about in their last realm, one which was very helpfully tuned to Xenon - or rather, Xenia''s - soul. The key piece of the puzzle though was Thaddeus''s own enchanted amulet, a jeweled locket Tizzy had never seen the inside of. Whatever magic fueled it though was powerful, and when the timing is right and the ritual is charged it only takes a few words for Thaddeus to trigger the spell.
There''s a bright flash of light, much brighter than those on the previous two occasions where the spell had been used, and this time when Tizzy blinks her eyes clear she sees a dozen new figures standing in the forest clearing. This wasn''t everyone who had joined Thaddeus when he made his recruitment pitch in Tizzy''s home realm - originally, there had been nearly fifty people when one included guards, retainers, servants and others who had come along. Some had fallen to fighting in the various realms along the way though, and not all of those to monsters or outsiders. Many of those who had come along had been rivals, after all, and those rivalries hadn''t faded away simply because they were all following a new lord.
Some had actually taken a liking to realms they''d traveled to though, strange sights of worlds that weren''t caught in an endless war between factions and deities, and Thaddeus had allowed anyone who wished to leave and settle down to do so.
Most of the servants and retainers were gone now, leaving only the strongest, most determined, and most arrogant to remain. Or, as Tizzy mentally referred to them as, the Petty Lords. About half of the new arrivals were fully human, descendants of one Fallen Champion or another, and not all of them claiming descent from Prince Xenon. There were two half-orcs and a pair of dark elves, and even a traditional green-skinned elf, alongside one other imp fellow named Ruckus. Tizzy couldn''t say that she got along particularly better with him than with anyone else, though.
Despite whatever his personal feelings might be, Prince Thaddeus greets the new arrivals with a wide smile as they turn to face him. "Welcome, my loyal adherents! I have the best of news for you today - the hunt is over, our quarry is found!"
A woman with purple hair - likely from a distant dark elf ancestor - and a hungry grin steps forward. "This is it, my lord? Xenon is here? Thank goodness - we were getting bored waiting in that last realm, there wasn''t a single monster in the area to fight, and we were doing our best to lay low with the locals, as you ordered."
"This seems to be one of their ''Xenia'' incarnations, but indeed, they are here. They are in a rather unusual form, however, and there will likely be many challenges ahead for us before our quest is complete. Tizzy here, as usual, has been taking the lead on gathering intelligence, as well as setting up cover identities as we will probably need to stay here for a few weeks at the least. Tizzy, would you care to take the lead?"
The scout nods. "Certainly, my lord. First off, yes, this is another realm where you''ll need some help adapting to the local mana - but hey, at least we''re not all gonna get System Sickness again, so there''s that." A number of lordlings groan at the reminder of a realm where they''d suddenly found themselves granted dozens of skills upon their arrival, only to have them all taken away again when they''d left. "We''re gonna get you set up with cover stories as adventurers - Challengers, they''re called - and as you can see from my lovely shade of green, some of you are gonna need illusions. Orcs, you''re fine. Ruckus, you''re getting goblined. Tannis, we''re gonna have to do your skin and eyes and all that again."
The green-skinned elf frowns at her statement. "Why is it the elves in so many other realms are so...dull? I suppose I''ll live, though."
"Try being a completely different species and then complain. Dark elves, you stand out a bit but a little less, so...up to you, I guess. Before we get to that, though, let me give you the quick fifteen-minute rundown on ''dungeons'', cause that''s what we''re dealing with here..."
She again gives her brief lecture that she''d previously given to Thaddeus, with a few additional bits of intelligence added, although it takes a little longer given the number of questions she has to deal with. Most of those in this final group would probably qualify as Expert-tier Challengers at best, but they all seem to have the egos of Supremes, making a point to speak up and ask inane questions if only so that the attention can all focus on them for a few brief seconds.
The most disturbing though comes at the end, just as Tizzy thinks she''s finally wrapped up. "...and so that''s why you definitely don''t want to trigger any special modes. Any final questions?"
She shivers slightly as a thin human with messy brown hair and wild green eyes steps forward. "Tell me, Scout Barrelbottom, these...chosen champions of the Dungeon Xenia...you say they serve alongside her forever, as immortal warriors? They are bound to her?"
Before she can answer, Thaddeus himself steps in. "Indeed, Sevastian, although whether they are bound specifically to the location or to her core is uncertain. They are a secondary concern, though - if only Xenia can be moved, then we''ll have to leave them to their fates. It may not be ideal, but they''ve served her for less than a year as it currently stands. For the most part, think of them as opponents that will need to be beaten to achieve our goal."
The man nods and strokes his chin, although it seems as if he''s only half listening. "Yes...they''ve proven themselves, and we shall prove ourselves by being their betters..." His head tilts to the side for a moment before he continues. "Indeed, Yulia, it is a bold decision, to pursue immortality. A very impressive set of individuals...of competition..."
"...Right." Thaddeus takes a breath, and refocuses on the rest of the group. "Tizzy and Linda will be handling illusions for those who need them, and then we''ll be returning to Grassbrook. We''ll split up into three or four groups, so as to not attract too much attention. Tomorrow, we''ll finalize arranging your cover identities - perhaps say you''re part of a foreign mercenary company who have taken up Challenging, or some such. Any other questions?"
When there''s none, the prince smiles. "Then tomorrow, your final challenge truly begins."
Chapter 256: Too Many Problems
Tizzy had not been having an easy time of it. It was bad enough having to help a dozen egotistical nobility get their cover identities set up, but it was even harder when she couldn''t be seen helping them. The general story they had to decided to go with was that the group of new arrivals were a mercenary company named ''The Inheritors'' who had all managed to lose their Association paperwork during a trip across the sea. Plausible, but it had nothing to do with Tizzy''s own cover story, and so she had to avoid being seen in the Association office with them. It didn''t help that unlike with Thaddeus''s main party, everyone in the new group seemed to be a critic when it came to the details of the Challenger classes Tizzy had come up with for them.
"No, Ruckus, I cannot put you down as being a Supreme-tier Challenger. I''m not even claiming that, and you know I could kick your ass!"
"Yeah, but they don''t know that!" The group''s only other imp grins with his illusory goblin face as he leans back in his chair, enjoying the comfort of Thaddeus''s room at the Lucky Bastard. Tizzy was half-suspecting they were only coming over here to complain as an excuse to get out of their current living arrangements - with the Bastard being too full for such a large group, the new arrivals had ended up at the town''s shelter of last resort. That being the Grassbrook Bunks, as they were called, the former bunkhouse used by the Association as temporary shelter while the town was still undergoing early construction. Unlike an inn it had basically no amenities at all, simply small rooms with cots and a roof to keep the rain out, anything else had to be provided by the guests themselves. There was a discount on it for Challengers, but until they got their temporary Challenger paperwork settled, the group was stuck paying full price...which was at least much cheaper than the inn was, still.
"They will know that when you walk in there with that stupid smile of yours and claim to be a one-in-a-hundred talent they''ve just never heard of before! They tested Prince Worthy on his swordplay when he registered, you know. Not in-depth, but enough to see that he could beat the best swordsman they had on the staff. Not only are you not Prince Worthy, but you''re way more dependent on magic than he is! You get tested before we have a mana adapter made for you, and you''ll be lucky to pass as Advanced!"
The man shrugs and looks aside. "Fine, fine. How about I just sneak in there and steal some Supreme credentials, then?"
Tizzy facepalms with her right hand. "Steal what, exactly? It''s not like the dungeon asks for IDs! The only people who are gonna want to see it are the people you''d have to steal it from! And they''re just gonna go ''wow, I don''t recall us handing out a Supreme-tier credential this week, did you, Stab-People Bob?'' ''Sure didn''t, Bone-Breaker Billy, looks like we got us a trouble-maker here!''"
Ruckus eyes the scout and her impressions. "I don''t think a desk clerk is gonna be named ''Stab-People Bob''."
"They will be after they fuckin'' stab you. I''m putting you down as an Expert-tier Trapmaster Rogue, be happy with that, I''m begging you. No, telling you."
"Fine, fine." The man scoffs before switching topics. "It''s not like you''re that much better, you know. You''re not on the Prince''s team, aren''t you just with a pack of local randos?"
The scout sighs. "I''m not on his team because I''m scouting ahead for his team. That means I''m deeper than anyone else, you know. You''re looking at the only member of our group with a pass to the Fiver''s Lounge!"
"Ooooh, fancy. ...What''s it like, anyhow?"
Tizzy pauses. "...I haven''t actually visited yet. I would, if you bunch weren''t taking up all my time with these cover story revisions!"
"Oh right, speaking of, can you mention in my application that I''m actually a prince myself? The Prince of, hrmm...Superrichia - "
"Get out!"
A few more visitors come and go, most of them annoying, although in a way Tizzy almost prefers their presence to that of the man who comes by that afternoon. Sighing, she looks into Sevastion''s always-widened eyes as he takes a seat at the room''s table. "So, what''s wrong with your cover story, Sevastion?"
"Oh? Nothing, nothing, although I was wondering if perhaps I don''t need one for Yulia as well, hrmm? Granted, people rarely ask her questions..."
The imp pinches her nose. "I didn''t write up an application for Yulia because she isn''t re - she doesn''t need one. Dead people can''t join the Association."
"Oh! Well, that is discriminatory! I suppose I shall not make a fuss, though, wouldn''t want to attract attention, now would we?"
"No, no, we wouldn''t." Tizzy takes a breath and looks over the smiling, wiry man. Somehow, it''s when he''s smiling that he manages to disturb her more. "So what did you want to talk about today, then?"
"I had questions! Questions about...resurrection! Immortality! Serving the divine! ...You know, some light conversation."
"Right. Uh. Is this about the dungeon''s guardians, again?"
"Yes, yes, tell me how these guardians are selected. How they are proven...worthy." The man giggles as he leans forward, eyes boring into the much smaller woman.
"Uh, sure." Tizzy reaches for her notes, mostly just to gain a moment to collect her thoughts. "Well, there seems to be a few requirements. One, it''s gotta be volunteers. Two, they have to die in the dungeon itself, it seems pretty sure. Three, they need to not have had children, something to do with the Goddess of Fertility giving people a second chance to prove themselves or something, I don''t really get that part myself. But hey, gods, what are you gonna do?" She shrugs before continuing. "And four, they need to pass an approval process given by the Church of Bounty. I''m not sure of all the details, but it seems to involve a background check, a test of combat ability, and, uh...a mental health analysis, or something."
She puts her notes aside before eyeing the man in front of her. "Why do you ask? If this is...something about Yulia..."
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"Oh, no, no, just curious. But this church test......that seems extraneous, red tape, unnecessary, wouldn''t you think? If the dungeon were to chose a champion, surely some church could not deny them?"
The scout furrows her brow. "Well...I guess? I know Lollyp supposedly joined the place way before the church showed up around here. Maybe the goddess added it on later?"
"Hrmm, possibly. I am sure our gloried ancestor is capable of choosing her own protectors, surely, surely."
"...Yeah, surely. Was there anything else?"
"No, no. Thank you for your assistance, Scout Barrelbottom."
"Sure, anytime..."
"Dude, you are not going to pass as a half-orc."
Tannis, the group''s green-skinned elf, gives Tizzy a frown. "Why not? Orcs have green skin, are about my size, and sometimes have pointed ears. Surely that''s enough to drop this troublesome illusion!"
"Maaaaybe you could sell the skin, sure. But the rest of this?" Tizzy gestures towards the rest of Tannis''s everything. "Orcs don''t have long, lustrous, green hair. Your teeth are way too small. And more importantly, you don''t have any godsdamn pupils. Your eyes are solid yellow! How does that even work!? How do you see anything!? Is everything yellow-tinted to you?"
The man narrows said yellow eyes at the scout. "Tizzy, we are from the same realm. You know this is normal for elves where we come from. I know I am not the only one you''ve met. Why are you acting like my appearance is strange to you?"
"I''ve never brought it up before, but no one''s ever explained it to me either! Seriously!" Tizzy waves one hand to her left and then one hand to her right. "Which hand are you looking at right now? I can''t fuckin'' tell! Because your eyes are goddamn bullshit!"
"...Are you feeling stressed right now, Barrelbottom?"
"Stressed? Why would I feel stressed!?" Tizzy grips the armrests of her chair and leans forward. "I fuckin'' love having ten people in a row coming in and going ''can you switch my class to one with a cooler name'', ''can you make my tits look bigger'', ''my teeth aren''t straight enough'', as if looking like an entire pack of godsdamned divine agents wouldn''t be the least bit suspicious! No one appreciates art!"
"...Who was asking for larger tits?"
"Gahhh!" Tizzy slumps back in her chair. "Get out and learn to live with your pasty-ass elf self. Or I''ll make you a really tall goblin for a day!"
"Fine, fine!" Tannis sighs and rises to his feet. "I''ll come back when you''re in a better mood..."
Things went on in much the same way for the rest of the day and even the next morning, before everyone had either had their issues handled or had Tizzy throw something at them when they brought said issues up. After lunch though she finally gets a chance to relax, as Thaddeus comes by along with Linda to check in on things and help start on the next batch of mana-conversion artifacts.
"Take it easy, Tizzy - with this being our final stop, I had imagined you''d be more relieved!"
Tizzy raises her tired face from the table to peer at her prince with one eye. "On most of our stops, most of our operation either stayed out of sight or...well, we just raided for the information or resources we need and we didn''t need cover identities for everybody. I swear, you give half of these people a secret identity and they think they''re a super-rogue all of a sudden!"
Linda chuckles at her exasperation. "They''re that troublesome, are they?"
"I think everyone''s been by at least like, three times before I finally settled their complaints. Except Sevastion, he only came by once."
Thaddeus nods as he takes a seat in a chair of his own. "Well, that''s good to hear. I haven''t seen Sevastion making any trouble today myself, either."
Linda nods along, before suddenly pausing in thought. "...Have you seen Sevastion at all today, my lord?"
The prince raises an eyebrow. "No, why?"
"Well, neither have I. ...Tizzy?"
The three exchange a round of glances, before simultaneously uttering the same word. "Fuck."
Stepping into the first chamber of Floor One, Sevastion laughs loudly as he strikes the barkbirds dead with his staff, somehow slaying each of them in a single blow despite the apparently weak strength of his swings. "Glorious! A glorious temple to they of most worth! A mountain to climb, a dungeon to delve! Gods above, demons below! Here in this place between places, I shall prove myself to you!"
Unseen, Xenia eyes the man and comments on his behavior to Guy. "I''ve...seen a few Challengers who were a bit more on the devout side than most, who said prayers and stuff before starting. But this is a little much, isn''t it?"
"Indeed, and...am I mistaken, or is he praying mostly to you, ma''am? If that''s the right term for what he''s saying."
"...True, he''s not praising Kahlia, he''s praising me. I think. I mean, he''s got some sort of power, he''s not some random murderhobo, but...wait. Shit, what is he doing now?" As the pair watch, the strange brown-haired man begins to walk calmly through the hallway exiting the first chamber. This is something that no Challenger has ever done, given that everyone''s long since been aware of the giant sawblade trap that''s been placed there. It''s become so ineffective that Xenia''s often thought about replacing it, but never had, not wanting to get caught in the mental trap of constantly redoing her old work. And yet, now, just three steps away...two...one...
Xenia winces and Guy recoils as the sawblade springs into action, much more reliable now that Xenia''s construction materials are better than when she had first built the thing. It first relieves the man of his left arm before digging into his stomach, sending blood and entrails splattering across the hallway walls. Yet, instead of screaming, the man seems...happy, as he falls to the ground.
"Yes! Glorious ancestor, take us! We shall serve you in your divine purpose! We shall...we shall..." The damage to his lungs finally seems to affect the man, but if he does manage to say anything more, Xenia doesn''t hear it over the sound of her own cursing.
"Dammit, dammit, fuckin'', shit! I knew this was gonna happen one day! Some crazy whackjob just offing himself in here! Dude must''ve totally skipped the Church of Bounty, no way they would''ve let him come up here. Fuck."
As the man finally ceases to respire and his body begins to dissolve away, Guy attempts to look on the bright side. "Well, it is a free soul, I suppose, and at least he won''t be bringing any more such people up here. Any thoughts on the best use for him?"
Xenia snorts. "I ain''t keeping him around, it''s straight to the Soul Store with him. Maybe he at least had an interesting class...uh." Xenia does a double-take at the intrusion report that appears before her, and glances back at Guy. "Guy...what the fuck is this?"
"...I''m...not really sure, ma''am."
"...Fuck. This just got more complicated."
|
------------------------
INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS SLAIN: 1
MORTALS ESCAPED: 0
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 2 - SEVASTION BOGDANOV, HUMAN, YULIA BOGDANOV, HUMAN
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
MAGIC COMBAT SKILLS: SPIRIT SPEAKER (UNRANKED), SPIRIT STALKER (UNRANKED)
------------------------
|
Chapter 257: The Little Witch
Xenia had wanted to call a dungeon staff meeting right away, but unfortunately even among just her reincarnated guardians, Lollyp and Taly were both occupied with Challenger parties who were working on their floors. Thus, it isn''t until later that evening that she''s finally able to assemble everyone in the dungeon''s conference room, an isolated add-on to Floor Five.
After everyone''s seated, Lollyp speaks up first. "So, what went wrong today?"
"What, I could have been calling a meeting for good news, you know?" Xenia eyes Lollyp for a moment before snorting. "Okay, no, something weird happened today, and I wanted to talk it over before making any big decisions. First up, Valkyrie Brightsky, question for you."
If she didn''t have Opal''s attention before, she certainly does now. "Yes, dungeon master? What is it? Does this involve the realmwalkers?"
"Maybe. Tell me, do the names Sevastion and Yulia Bogdanov mean anything to you?"
The elf narrows her eyes for a bit while she thinks, before eventually nodding. "Not the individuals, no, but the family name is that of one of the Fallen Champions, if I''m not mistaken. Not a powerful faction but such families do have some influence."
Taly frowns. "Odd names, what culture are those from?"
"Russian." Xenia rests her hands on her hips as she begins to pace around the end of the conference table. "Wasn''t a hundred percent sure, but I think Brightsky confirms it. These two gotta be descendants of Zhenya the Spiritualist...or, well, at least one of them, maybe they''re a married couple or something, I dunno. Well. Were." She chuckles to herself. "Never used her last name much, if I remember right I usually called her ''my little Baba Yaga''."
That name gets her some odd looks, and Sincere raises an eyebrow. "Meaning what, exactly?"
"Well, she was tiny, for one. Also...well, realmwalker in-joke, probably wouldn''t get it. But she acted a lot like a witch, or so it seemed like. Most summoned Heroes got themselves an artifact weapon or something they bonded with, but she was one of the handful that focused more on purely magical stuff."
Parker attempts to refocus the reminiscing onto the current issue at hand. "Did Sevastion and Yulia come to the dungeon today? Wait...that past tense, did they die in the dungeon today?"
"Well, that''s the interesting question, Parker. Cause Sevastion, yes, did super die in the dungeon today. Walked right into the sawblade trap on Floor One. Didn''t even seem upset about it."
Lollyp''s face screws up in confusion. "...Has anyone ever died to the sawblade trap?"
"Not since that one orc from - well, before even your time, yeah." Xenia sighs. "It was a suicide, no doubt about it. But here''s the weird thing. I never saw hide nor hair of this ''Yulia'', yet somehow we got her soul along with his. As a full reincarnate, even. Which, I don''t understand how that''s possible without her dying here and then volunteering herself to me."
Guy bobs up and down. "Well, as to the second...if her soul was present and cognizant, it could still be capable of consenting to the, ah, process. Even we aren''t capable of seeing non-dungeon monster ghosts without the use of specialized spells, so there''s no telling if she was around and aware."
Xenia turns to face the guide. "Wait, ghosts are a legit thing here?"
"Well, certainly! Oh, you don''t need to worry about the dungeon being haunted though, as all those who died here come under your authority."
"Well, great." Xenia stares up at the ceiling while she considers the information. "Maybe if she was bound to him somehow, killing him also released her and got her snapped up in our soul net?"
Before anyone can respond to her theory-crafting, Opal has a demand to make. "However they ended up in your custody, I would like to claim possession of them in the name of Lord Theolif."
That gets her a frown from the dungeon master. "Wait, what? Why would you want to summon a couple of warlord''s kids as summoned Heroes?"
"I don''t. I would like to remand them to Lord Theolif''s care so that he can...transfer them on to a suitable afterlife." Her eyes narrow as she imagines their fate, as do Xenia''s, although for slightly different reasons.
"Hell. You want to send them to a hell. Brightsky, you don''t even know these two. Hell, we don''t even know what it is they actually want to do here!"
Sincere nods along at that. "Yes, I think we should realize that what we have here is an ideal intelligence-gathering situation. If these two are servants of this Prince Thaddeus, then we can revive them and simply ask them what it is he''s trying to do here. Indeed, that might even be specifically why they came, to serve as some sort of ambassadors. If...a rather permanent form of such."
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"I dunno, Sin-man, the bizarre shit he was saying did not sound particularly diplomatic to me. That said, you''re right. I don''t think I wanna send them anywhere without knowing what it was he thought he was accomplishing, at the least."
Trush rubs his chin with his thick-fingered hand. "Not going to put them into anything powerful, I assume. Something that can talk but not threatening - a low-tier slime, perhaps?" Lollyp shakes her head at his suggestion.
"I could only talk with a slime monster body cause I know how non-monster slime bodies work. When Xenia puts me into one of your rigid bodies, I only half know what I''m doing, and I only know that half because of the natural instincts a dungeon body comes with. Put a rigid into a slime monster, and the only instincts they''re gonna have is how to crawl around and digest things."
Xenia nods. "Yeah...just False Mortals will do, I think. Gonna be generic, too, cause I don''t even know what Yulia''s supposed to look like. ...Might start with just her, actually. Maybe she''s less crazy than the other one." She pauses in thought. "Maybe I should put her in a dungeon monster ghost body, if that''s what she''s used to? ...Nah, don''t wanna give her no ghost powers or nothin'', False Mortal it is."
With that said, the dungeon master begins to go through her menus, and pulls up a largely randomized ''human woman'' template from her False Mortal options. The body forms, standing on its feet at the head of the table, a brown-haired woman garbed in a simple peasant dress who looks slightly middle-aged and frumpy, if anything. Although like all False Mortals, there''s still something slightly off about each of her facial details that makes the observers in the room feel rather uncomfortable looking at her. A few more menu selections and the body is implanted with Yulia''s soul, and the woman''s brown eyes open wide.
"Ahhh!" With a loud cry and a flailing of arms, the woman''s body immediately crumples to the ground. As the meeting''s attendees crane their necks to try and get a better look at her from around the table, Xenia pinches her nose.
"...Maybe I should''ve put her on a bed or something. Alright, be cool, on your feet." She reaches out a hand to the woman, though after a moment she needs to snap her fingers to get her focus, as it seems as if Yulia''s attention is fully taken up with staring at the wooden floorboards her face is planted against. "You''re in Worthy Dungeon. And yeah, you died, if that''s a shock to you. We''ve got some questions for you, though."
After rolling around to get a good look at Xenia''s face, Yulia finally accepts the offered hand and is pulled to her feet. The reincarnator is taken by surprise though when Yulia immediately transitions that into a tight hug, her face pressed against Xenia''s shoulder. "Grandfather! It''s truly you! We''ve found you!"
Not entirely sure how to react, Xenia gently pats the woman''s back a few times. "Uh...maybe? Are you entirely sure about that?"
Pulling back, Yulia gazes into Xenia''s eyes with an intense stare. "But of course! Baba always told us that she never loved another man after you! None were your equal!"
"...She said that, huh?"
"Oh yes! She told us about your couplings in great detail, as examples of how to properly please a lover!"
Xenia stares blankly at the wide-eyed woman, trying to ignore the roomful of guardians who are now equally staring at her. "...You know, it''s coming back to me now. There''s definitely a family resemblance, she used to say crazy shit like that a lot too."
Yulia nods. "Yes, I often hear that Sevastion and I take after her quite a bit!" After saying that, she begins to look around with an expression of concern. "Wait, where is Sevastion? We haven''t been separated in...so long..."
"He''s fine...I mean, uh, no, actually. He''s dead. But his soul''s fine! I thought I''d bring you out first and say hello." Gently pulling Yulia''s arms away, Xenia subtly steps outside of hug range. "You''re...siblings, I''m gonna guess?"
Yulia nods again. "Indeed! We both learned magic at Baba''s feet, including - ah, did you know Baba spent her life trying to find you after you perished? She cast so many spells trying to find your soul, your spirit..."
"I...was probably outside of her calling range, sorry." Sighing, Xenia reaches out a hand and begins guiding her guest towards an empty chair at the table. "Look, I hope you don''t mind, Yulia, but we''ve got a few questions for you. Why don''t you take a seat? This is the gang, by the way, the dungeon bosses. Gang, meet...my granddaughter?"
There''s a round of very confused and awkward-sounding ''hello''s from around the table, although when Yulia''s eyes find Sincere the woman squeals. "Ahhh! You have your own demon! You''re so lucky!"
Sincere responds with a solemn nod. "Yes. Yes she is."
"He''s not my demon - okay, yeah, technically I guess he is. You got a thing for demons, Yulia?"
"Sevastion and I, we''ve tried to summon and bind a demon for years, yes? Unfortunately, the strongest spirit Sevastion could ever manage to bind was, ah...my own." Her eyes turn downcast, as if the statement somehow shames her.
Xenia raises an eyebrow. "So you did die before and get bound to him, huh? How did that happen?"
"It was only a few months ago. I can project my spirit from my body, yes, use it to scout and fight?" Unfortunately..." She trails off for a moment before continuing, her shame apparently increasing. "I attempted to project during the middle of a fight with a great beast, while I was holding a blade in my hand. When my body lost consciousness, it, ah...fell and slit my own throat open."
Again unsure how to react, Xenia hesitates for a moment before reaching out and patting Yulia on the shoulder. "That''s rough, kid."
Energy seems to flow back into the woman at the gesture, and a smile returns to her face. "But it worked out! Sevastion was able to bind my spirit, and we could continue to aid with the prince''s search for you! And now we''ve found you!"
With his voice showing signs of a loss in patience, Trush interjects. "Yes, yes, apparently you have. But why? That''s the mystery we all want to know! Why are all of you and this prince conspiring, across worlds, to hunt down Worthy?" He chuckles as he shoots her a glance. "She''s an admirable woman, certainly, but this all seems like a little much!"
Yulia looks surprised, as if the answer was obvious. "Oh, you do not know? The prince desires to take grandfather home."
Chapter 258: The Grandkids Arent Alright
"Hold up, hold up, hold up." Xenia falls into a seat next to Yulia as she rubs her head. "Explain what you mean by home, exactly. I know you''re not talking about Earth cause...well, there would definitely not be a dude with a sword chasing me from Earth, hell, they''ve probably got lightsabers or something these days. And I know you''re not talking about the realm you and Brightsky come from, cause Thaddeus was just a visitor there, right?"
Yulia nods, with her frumpy, middle-aged peasant face. "Yes, he said he''d been tracking you for some time before his arrival! He wishes to take you back to the Kingdom of Seven Cities, where you can be the royalty you deserve to be!"
Xenia peers at Yulia for a bit, with a confused expression on her face. "The...Kingdom of Seven Cities? Okay, I''m pretty sure I know what realm you''re talking about now, but there was no Kingdom of Seven Cities when I was there. It was seven different kingdoms, that''s how I was able to rescue so many damn fuckin'' princesses. And I was never royalty! Hell, I never even had a noble title or anything! A pension from some of the crowns for my work as Hero, but that''s about it."
"Well, yes, the prince explained it all to us, you see. Although you were never crowned, you did add your blood to the noble line, did you not?"
Xenia pauses again, as some of the guardians at the table begin peering at her. While she''d shared the story of her time as the Hero of Seven Cities once or twice, and gossip had gotten around to some of the dungeon''s newer staff members, not everyone had the full details of her exploits in her past lives. "I mean...yeah, I did kind of have a son with a princess. One princess! Of one city! I don''t think he was even in line to become king, to be honest. The main reason he wasn''t shoved off to some backwoods estate as a bastard is just because I was pretty popular around there."
Yulia claps her hands together, eyes raised and lips smiling as if she''s remembering a dramatic moment from a romance novel. "Ah, but he did become king! King Harold Worthy, first of his name! And when the Seven Cities banded together into one nation, it was the line of Worthy that sat upon the throne!"
The dungeon master sighs, wishing she could get the story from someone who was a little less excited about it. "Okay, that''s...nice to hear, actually. I''m proud of him, I suppose...Harold was always a good kid. A good man, even." She trails off in thought for a bit, remembering the last time she saw her son so many lifetimes ago. "...But how does this involve me, exactly? I''m long out of the story by this point, you know?"
This time, Yulia''s fists clench up. "Treachery! Betrayal! The other six noble houses kept much of their power, you see. Worthy was always meant to be the central axis of the nation, while they were the spokes. But a generation ago, they conspired, and swung enough support to have another house named sovereign instead."
"...Okay..."
"But Prince Thaddeus knows that this is only because they''ve forgotten the glory that House Worthy brought to the realm! If he can bring you, return you to the nation that was founded on your blood, you could again restore power to its rightful place!"
Yulia beams at Xenia, who responds with a blank look. There''s a blink, and then a second...and then Xenia gets angry. "...Hold the fuck on, here. You''re telling me Thaddeus has been hunting me through realms, causing all this trouble...because he''s upset he only gets to be the heir of one city instead of seven!? Am I hearing this right!?"
Yulia blinks back as her smile fades. "...I mean...if you must simplify matters...yes?"
A fist slams the table. "Are you kidding me? That''s what my ''glorious house'' has been reduced to? Chasing power because some, some parliament or noble chamber or something voted his family out? What if they deserved it?"
As her volume grows, the others seated at the table begin to shrink back, not wanting to get drawn up in what has suddenly become a very personal affair. Even Valkyrie Brightsky, who had been asking for Yulia to be sent to a hellish afterlife a few minutes ago, suddenly finds herself feeling sympathetic for the woman drawing the full force of Xenia''s ire.
"Well...but...they''re your children!"
"Are they? Thaddeus is my descendant by what, a thirty-second? A sixty-fourth? Less? It''s been centuries since I lived there! And even if it was Harold himself coming here, I never raised him to be the type to try and seize power! I''ve been a commoner in almost every one of my lives, and that was just fine by me. I don''t even like nobles!" Unable to contain her energy, Xenia climbs back to her feet and begins to pace around while her arms flail and shake. "And even if I could go back, what am I supposed to do? Go stab some kings and queens for the guy? Raise an army and start a civil war? Fuck. That."
To emphasize her last words, Xenia plants her hands down on the table to look into Yulia''s eyes once again. The next time she speaks, her voice is a little quieter, but no less intense. "Besides, it''s a moot point. I can''t leave. Even if Thaddeus could somehow guarantee that I''d go back there the next time I die, if I die here, everyone here dies." She gestures at the assembled bosses, whose eyes suddenly widen at the realization that their existences might be at stake.
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Lollyp speaks for the group. "Yeah, what? Even if you took her as she is, as a dungeon core, the dungeon still dies if the core''s not there to power it! Us guardians would have like, a week or so of running on stored mana before we''d just go poof!"
Yulia swallows, suddenly looking much less certain about matters now that the plan hasn''t been received as she was expecting it to. "The prince plans to...research the issue. But you are the most important part."
Xenia snorts. "Research it, sure. And what''s the deal with you and your brother, then? Why are you here and not Thaddeus? Why not just come talk to me himself? Did he tell you to kill yourselves in here? Or, well...your brother, anyhow?"
"No! He wishes to prove himself to you by defeating your challenges, and showing you his strength! But Sevastion and I, we knew that would not be necessary. We are your blood! You wouldn''t turn away your blood!" The fervor in Yulia''s voice grows once again, before quickly fading back out. "...You...wouldn''t, would you?"
"Yulia." Sincere asks the woman a question while Xenia rubs her eyes. "You understand that by binding yourself to the dungeon as you have, you now share our fate? If this prince of yours destroys the dungeon, or the core, you''ll die along with the rest of us."
She nods. "That was our desire, yes!" Yulia glances back and forth, as if someone might be watching her. Aside from the entire roomful of people currently staring at her, that is. "...Not all of us are confident that Prince Thaddeus intends to reward us as he promised once our task is complete. We know he finds some of our behavior and history...distasteful. We felt it best to come to you directly, and present ourselves to you. If we can be brought along with you, then Thaddeus would have no choice but to include us!"
"Yeah, cause you''re all a pack of lunatics." Yulia''s ancestor sighs. "Though I guess I gotta take some blame for that. But now that you''re here...what to do with you..."
Brightsky sniffs, seeing another opportunity to make her request. "If you are done questioning them, then I again ask for the two to be sent to Lord Theolif for judgment."
She frowns as Xenia shakes her head. "I''m not done with them yet. Until this whole thing is settled, having an insider source on him and his crew is too useful. I''m keeping them around at least until Thaddeus and his little quest are done." Trush grins widely and chuckles at that pronouncement.
"Well, that won''t take very long, will it? They should next be attempting Floor Four, yes? The next time they arrive, we can hit them with every trick they have, and this will all be taken care of in ten minutes!" His smile is confident, at least until Xenia shakes her head.
"No. No special treatment, for better or worse. We let him and his party run the dungeon as normal."
That declaration surprises almost everyone, and Taly leans forward. "Wait, what? Did you not hear how this grandkid of yours is a potential threat to the dungeon? This is exactly the sort of thing we hold back for, so we can go all-out when we need to. Or...okay, I get that he is a relative of yours and maybe you don''t want us throwing him into the abyss or something, but in that case why not just pop in with your avatar and sort this out directly that way?"
As Xenia''s eyes lock on to Taly''s, her gaze seems assured. "The kid wants to prove himself. And that''s what dungeons are for, right? Proving themselves to the gods, technically, but if the guy wants to prove himself to me, I''ll allow it." She gestures at Yulia with one hand. "We''ve got part of the story here, and that''s good, but even Yulia''s saying she doesn''t trust everything she was told. And if he''ll lie to his followers, he might lie to me, too. But actions don''t lie. I want to see how the kid handles himself, especially now that he''s out of the tutorial zone floors. Now that I know what he''s after - or at least, what Yulia thinks he''s after - I can try and judge him with my own two eyes."
Parker speaks carefully - as one of the newest guardians, the man still feels a little uncertain about discussing a topic that''s clearly very personal to his boss. "And if they actually clear the dungeon? We just...let them wander into the core chamber and do as they will? At that point it may be too late to decide our course."
"If they get that far and I haven''t made a decision yet, I''ll either step in or beef things up to keep us safe. Don''t worry, I ain''t gonna gamble with everything on the line. I might ask that some of you try to...provoke him, or something, in your fights." Xenia turns to look at Brightsky and Parker in particular. "Find out what kind of man he is. If he''s really deceitful and power-hungry...or if maybe there is some honor to this quest of his." She raises a hand before anyone can interject. "Don''t worry, even if it turns out he''s got good reasons, I ain''t gonna abandon you all, if that''s even possible. But...who knows, maybe there''s a peaceful outcome to all this."
There''s not much response beyond a few hesitant nods, but eventually Yulia speaks up. "And...how might my brother and I serve you, grandfather? Ah...grandmother? Of course, we''ll tell you whatever you wish to know! Our skills are at your disposal, as well - I was known as quite the spy, and my brother is a renowned mystic."
Xenia taps her fingers on the table as she considers her options. "...A spy could be useful, but I don''t trust sending you outside of the dungeon right now, no offense. ...I do have a couple of boss slots open and waiting, though..."
Lollyp speaks up before Xenia can finish her thought. "Wait, really? I mean, yeah, no one''s passed the Church of Bounty''s filtering system lately, but boss spots are still in high demand, you know? We''re gonna just give away two spots to these...not-at-all-utterly-insane siblings?"
"Insanity can work out, sometimes..." Xenia turns towards Yulia, getting her full attention. "How do you feel about becoming a giant insect lady?"
Yulia claps her hands. "It would be an honor, grandmother!"
"...We''ll see how the trial period works out."
Chapter 259: Very Normal - Explicit
Tizzy''s week had gone from bad to worse. As she collapses onto the bed in her small, private room at the Lucky Bastard, she takes a moment to reflect on just how screwed they might all be.
Sevastion had always been a problem. Whether it was because of how his grandmother had taught him magic or something inherent in his personality, he had always been a little...off. Too intense, too unpredictable. His sister Yulia had been similar, but not quite to the same degree, and had helped make the man easier to deal with at the least. But after she''d died along the way, fallen in battle during their adventures, the man had only gotten worse. It wasn''t just the fact that he continued to act as if he was still holding conversations with his dead sibling, but that he also wasn''t talking with anyone else at the same time, meaning no one really knew what he was thinking or planning.
It had been annoying before, and now there was no telling how much damage he''d done. Having checked with the Rainlander soldiers who guarded the mountain trail, and other Challengers who''d been out that morning, it was obvious that the man had snuck into the dungeon. He had also not come out again, as far as anyone could tell. While Tizzy would have rated the man as being at about Expert-tier ability, and had been working on a cover identity based on that, his magic was much more along the lines of a supporter rather than a frontliner. Going into the dungeon alone? Honestly, the imp wasn''t sure the man could beat BB alone, let alone Lollyp.
So assuming he''d gone into the dungeon and died, what did that mean for their mission? That''s the worry that''s currently eating the scout alive. He hadn''t gone through the official process of being reincarnated into the dungeon, so as far as she was able to find out the dungeon should have only learned his skills and not his memories. Was that sufficient enough to break their cover? For now, Prince Thaddeus had put a hold on anyone doing any dungeon delves for a few days, just to wait and see if there was any sort of reaction from the dungeon, the Association, or anyone else.
Which means that Tizzy is currently sitting in her room with not much to do, and a lot of stress to manage. As she''s sometimes prone to doing, the small woman begins to talk to herself. "Gahhh, they better not blame this on me. I was just answering questions, I''m not anyone''s boss! This is Prince Thaddeus''s problem, not mine!" Having said that, she rolls over on the mattress and chides herself. "Not that this is his fault, either. Sevastion was always a nut! It''s not the prince''s fault that half of his recruits are lunatics."
"...Not me though. I''m normal."
Nodding to herself, Tizzy rolls back over and faces the door to her room, which is securely closed and locked. The night stars are shining through her window, and it seems reasonably sure that no one would be coming by to bother her for the rest of the night. Most of the group weren''t even staying at the inn, and the rest were still trying to make it less obvious that they were working together with Tizzy, just to help keep their cover identities separate.
"...Left the materials for making more mana-converters with Linda, and I''m kinda tired for making enchanted gear right now anyways." She looks over at a stack of books sitting on the nightstand, purchased from a local shop or the Association''s supplier. "...Gone through all of those at least once or twice. Damn, shoulda picked up one of those romance novels while I was grabbing stuff. Guess I could...make my own romance for the night, though..."
Narrowing her eyes, Tizzy quickly hops up and pulls the blinds closed on the window before listening at the door to make sure no one might be in hearing range. Just to be sure, she quickly casts a silencing spell on both the door and window, just to ensure the soundproof nature of the room. Once that''s done, the mystical scout faces the center of the room and casts an illusion. A very complex illusion. One of her favorites.
And one no one had ever, ever seen her cast.
As Tizzy looks up, Prince Thaddeus looks back down upon her, a beatific smile on his face. "Tizzy, there you are. You''re even more beautiful than the last time I saw you."
Tizzy smiles, but rather than respond she rubs her chin for a moment. "...Mmm, nah, used that one last time. And not really in the mood for it tonight anyhow. Try...Derogatory Mode." A wave of her hand casts a modification to the illusion, imparting her will and intentions onto it, and the false prince''s face turns into a sneer.
"You little imp slut. You''ve fucked it up again, haven''t you? Typical Barrelbottom behavior. I can always rely on you to be unreliable."
Listening to the illusion''s insults, the half-imp closes her eyes and shudders before muttering to herself. "Fuck, why is this so hot? ...I''m normal. I''m the normal one."
"''Normal'' is an aspiration for a failure like you. One almost thinks you want to be punished. And you know what the punishment is, don''t you?" Tizzy nods without speaking, and the prince continues. "Then get to it, you half-size whore."
Licking her lips, Tizzy reaches out and begins to undo the man''s pants. It''s ironic, she thinks to herself, as she often does at this point. The ability to create an illusion with not only tactile sensation but the ability to provide some level of actual physical force would be considered the achievement of a lifetime for most of those in her line of work. Arcane barriers, sound generation, light manipulation, even mental manipulation, all woven together to form a nearly perfect replication of an actual person.
And she''s never shown it off to anyone because she developed the technique in order to suck more dick.
In fact, her body moves on autopilot to such a degree that by the time Tizzy''s mind stops wandering, self-critiquing her illusion work, she realizes that the prince''s dick is already in her mouth. The taste...the taste is a little harder to replicate, she admits. For one, she''s never had the opportunity to taste the actual Prince Thaddeus, and so she''s had to base it entirely on a handful of experiences with other humans. For another, there''s no way for her to physically reproduce taste, and so the effect is entirely within her own mind. That makes it...slippery in a way, like a dream, easily modified if she loses her concentration.
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Considering that it''s rather difficult to maintain concentration as the prince places a hand on her head and begins to guide her motions, and the fact that it''d never be accurate even in the best case, Tizzy had given up on realism. Instead, her eyes practically roll up in her head as she works her tongue along as much as the surface of the shaft as possible, because this dick is delicious.
"This really is what you''re good at, isn''t it? The only thing, really. That''s the real reason I keep you around, Barrelbottom - you''re the best cocksucker in the party."
Tizzy pops off of his tip, blushing as she asks him a question. "Better than Cogswell, prince?"
"You wish you knew what Linda and I get up to when you''re not around. But you should stop worrying about her and start focusing on me." The hand on her head pulls Tizzy forward once again, but this time the prince''s cock slides its way up her face and it''s his balls that land in her open mouth instead. She immediately gets to sucking on them, even as drool and other fluids begin to smear themselves across her face. Much of it''s even real, considering it''s her own saliva to begin with. The prince releases a sigh of pleasure, but it doesn''t change his artificially generated mood.
"Gods, look at how you love it. Why did you even volunteer to be my scout? Wouldn''t you rather serve as my concubine? Your only responsibility being to warm my bed every night? Or the mornings...or the afternoons." Tizzy doesn''t respond, but one of her hands slips its way into her pants, which is answer enough for the illusion. "Or maybe it''s not just me you''d like? Perhaps I should assign you to be the free-use toy of the entire party?"
"Ooooh fuck. One of these days I really need to get up to running more than one of these illusions at once."
The raven-haired prince frowns at her, as she''d pulled back for a moment to make the comment. "I didn''t tell you to speak, slut. Perhaps I should work to make sure you''re properly gagged, this time!" He punctuates his point by placing his cock back between her lips, and then pulling her head down upon it until her nose is buried in his crotch. She coughs and sputters at the sudden move, but it''s not entirely unmanageable - she''d never be able to deepthroat the actual prince, she''s pretty sure, but an illusionary cock is only as large as she needs it to be. In this case, it''s now just large enough to fit comfortably snug within her throat, blocking her air but not causing her too much physical discomfort aside from that.
Of course, the difficulty level ramps up slightly when the prince grabs onto her head with both hands and begins to facefuck her fully. The phantom phallus slides easily in and out of her well-practiced mouth, but half of Tizzy''s attention shifts from the rigid organ and instead to her own needs. Barely able to support her own weight as her legs lose their strength, Tizzy begins to go at her sopping cunt with both hands while the illusion holds her up. Her right rubs furiously at her clit while the fingers of her left quickly thrust in and out of out of her hole in an uncoordinated yet effective technique. What little conscious thought she has left considers that she probably should have made sure her pants were fully removed before she got started, because with the amount of wetness coming out of her right now she''s pretty sure she''s going to need some serious laundering done tomorrow.
That thought dies when the prince seems to reach his limit, and without warning the pulsating cock begins to deposit its load directly onto her tongue. Not down her throat, but rather into her mouth intentionally, as Tizzy had made a few...modifications. If the taste was entirely up to her and her mind, then why not improve on it? And so it is that the sticky fluid filling her cheeks now has the same taste as a sweet pastry icing Tizzy had once enjoyed.
If her illusions could provide actual nutritional value, Tizzy would suck this dick for every meal and twice for dessert.
She takes her time tasting it, running it across her tongue and slowly swallowing, before admiring yet another benefit of illusionary partners: they didn''t grow soft. "What a cumslut. You enjoyed that, didn''t you? Seems I need to punish you...further..."
"Oh no, don''t do that! I''ll do better, my lord!" Tizzy''s words are belied by the manner in which she crawls onto her bed on her hands and knees while pulling off her pants, before pressing her shoulders down and wiggling her ass in the prince''s direction. "Please don''t ruin my tight little hole..."
Yet another benefit of illusionary partners: they didn''t critique amateurish roleplay skills.
"Ruin it? Woman, you''ll be lucky if you can walk tomorrow." The man steps up to the side of the bed, lining up his ever-ready dick with the cunt still drenched from Tizzy''s earlier attentions. Despite her best efforts, the scout hadn''t cum yet...but that lasts for approximately one and a half more seconds, as the moment Thaddeus plants his hands on her hips and pulls her back onto him, the imp finds herself shuddering in climax.
"Ahh! Oh fuck, my lord...you''re too big for me...ah..."
"Too big? Nonsense. For a cock-hungry whore like you, your body is nothing more than a sextoy, is it not? I imagine I could find one of those local minotaurs and invite them to have a fun evening with you - or should we send you back to that realm with the centaurs? Would one of them finally sate your need for...hard. Pounding. Dicks?" The prince emphasizes each word with an extra-strength pull on her waist, and it''s only Tizzy''s control over her illusions that keeps her from being literally impaled by the impressively-sized human. That doesn''t mean she doesn''t feel his full length, however - with a little mental manipulation of her own mind, the mage is able to ensure that she feels every single inch of the crafted illusion sliding into her, even if that would be a good two or three inches more than her body can actually fit.
The pounding continues on for another fifteen minutes, time filled with quite a bit more slander and numerous accompanying orgasms, but eventually Tizzy can feel herself tiring out. It''s not just the physical activity, which would be hard enough, but trying to maintain a complex and tangible illusion at the same time is also draining her mental energy and her mana. So eventually, she gasps out and gives the illusion his cue.
"Ah, just - just don''t cum inside! It''s not safe!"
"Your punishment is not yet complete! You''ll always be a fuckup, Barrelbottom, so I think it''s fitting that your punishment be a lifelong one! Prepare to be bred with my royal bastard!"
"Nooooo..." Tizzy rubs her clit with the last of her energy as the illusion throbs inside her, and a mixture of both real and imaginary fluids begin to spill down over her fingers. One final climax finally exhausts the woman and the illusion disappears in a sudden pop, leaving the still-shuddering bottom half of her body to collapse onto the bed. She lies there, gasping, her bed and fingers a mess, and before she passes out the scout has time for one last self-affirmation.
"I''m...I''m the normal one..."
Chapter 260: Dirty Dealing
Two days had passed since Sevastion''s eventful visit to the dungeon, although truth be told virtually no one outside of the dungeon''s staff actually knew about that particular event. No, what was really going to mark this week in the calendars is that today would be the day that Floor Nine would be fully put to the test by a brave crew of Masters and Experts. This, everyone knew about because the brave crew in question had spent the entire night before announcing it to everyone in Worthy Inn.
The Dirty Dealers were an experienced team from the Valleylands, who had gotten their name in two ways. For one thing, the team included a Stonefist Brawler, a Pyroclastic Geomancer, and a Cleric of Stone among its five members, which meant that there was often quite a bit of dirt and dust being thrown around when they fought. The other was that, well...they had several people on their team who could manipulate rock and stone with relative ease, allowing them to easily bypass many dungeon challenges. These often resulted in accusations of ''cheating'' from various dungeon masters, and Challenger parties without geomancer skills to make use of, but the Dirty Dealers simply suggested that if the dungeons wanted to make things harder on them then perhaps they should ''get good'' at designing their traps.
This heavy focus on a single element had even worked to their advantage when fighting Parker on Floor Eight, as when the man transformed into a giant wolf the party simply trapped him within a cage of stone, and the guardian was left without any ranged abilities to strike back with.
That relatively easy takedown of a monster who had halted almost every other party to come by meant that when the fivesome stepped into the first room of the floor, they were feeling rather confident about their chances. In the lead were the party''s two frontliners; Waller Mudcleft, a minotaur man who was the aforementioned Stonefist Brawler, and Palush of Niad''osh, an orcish Vanguard Charger. Slipping off to the side after them came Alesha of Niad''osh, an orc Shadow Sapper who nearly seemed to fade away in the darkness created by the room''s poor lighting and irregular walls. In the rear were Elissa Wheatscythe, a minotaur woman who was the party''s Geomancer, and Reardon Ironspike, a half-dwarf, half-orc Cleric who avoided being mistaken for a goblin thanks to his short ears and thick beard.
As the party''s leader, it falls to Elissa to take charge of reminding everyone of their task. "Okay! Everyone watch the ceilings and the walls, and get your light sources ready! Those Rainlander mucky-mucks barely poked their heads in here, but they were kind enough to let folks know that the floor includes ambushes by what''s almost certainly some sort of Horror! Despite their name and how ugly they are, Horrors are just dungeon monsters like any other, and they can be killed like any other!" The minotaur slams her crystal-tipped staff onto the ground for emphasis, and the motion of her arms sets the many pieces of jewelry hanging from her horns and neck swinging. "Do. Not. Panic. Now, everyone got your crystals ready?"
The party nods, and all of them except for Alesha lift a pale yellow gemstone in her direction, each of them bound around their necks by a chain. Elissa utters a quick spell in the direction of each of them, and three glowing gemstones soon add their light to the dim room, followed by a fourth as Elissa activates her own. "Now, the monsters ambush through small tunnels, so shout them out as soon as you spot them, and Reardon and I will pinch them shut. Alesha, make sure you keep an eye out for any the rest of us might miss in the darkness."
The orc nods, and Elissa can just make out the glint of a glass bottle already being held in one of her hands. "Sure thing - if you want I can toss in a little treat for the beasts before you seal them up, too."
"Not to start with - for all we know the place could have dozens of decoy tunnels, and I don''t want you wasting your supply. If there''s something actively crawling out of one, though, it could be useful in pushing it back before we seal it shut." Looking around, she spots the destroyed fungal pods the nobles had noticed on their visit to the floor. "There''s the odd mushrooms they mentioned, too. Sapper, you''re our expert on poisons and toxins, anything odd about those? I doubt the dungeon put them here for no reason."
The orc smoothly steps forward and analyzes the nearest pods, both by sight and with the aid of a few tools, including a magic gemstone and a small stick coated in chemicals. "Nothing airborne coming out of these. Dunno if they''re toxic to eat, but, y''know...if anyone here plans on eating a weird dungeon mushroom, whatever happens is on you."
"Alright then, moving on. Waller, Palush, take the door." She points her staff towards the odd metal door with the large, wheeled control mechanism, and Waller gets to the task of spinning it open. As it swings wide Palush quickly steps forward, his shield held high, eyes scanning the room for threats. The rest follow in behind him, and Elissa again begins issuing commands.
"Okay, this is as far as they got, so expect an ambush. I see two, no, three holes - " She''s interrupted by the sound of an echoing, inhuman cry, and the urgency of the party increases dramatically.
Chhhhhaaaa-cak-cak-chakkk...
"Reardon, on those hollows, quick!" Elissa and the party''s Cleric both get to work reshaping the stone of the ceiling, and the pair seal one grated entrance shut just before sounds of claws scratching on stone tell them they picked the right target. There''s still plenty more such openings for the two to address though, and by time they get to the last such ambush point there''s already a clawed limb pounding at the grate covering it, knocking it loose just before it needs to pull back in order to avoid being trapped by the closing stone. The whole affair is made even more tense when the room''s light crystals suddenly ''malfunction'', but the portable gems the party carry with them provide sufficient illumination to allow them to finish their task.
When at last the sounds of scratching claws and angry hisses fade away, the team takes a moment to catch their breath before Elissa gets their attention once again. "Okay - good work! Keep your guard up, we may still have to fight that monster elsewhere on the floor, but now it won''t be at its ideal ambush point, at the least. Easy mode stops here, though - from here on out, we''ve got no idea what lies ahead. But is that going to stop us?"
Recognizing the call-and-response moment, the party shouts back at her. "Hells no!" After sharing a few smiles and half-confident laughs, Palush points at the runic ring on the floor at the opposite side of the room.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
"Looks like the floor uses portal transport from here. Shall I take the lead? Or do we search out an alternative strategy?"
Elissa nods towards Reardon, and the party''s shortest member nods before approaching each of the room''s walls. At each one he plants a palm against the shiny black surface before tapping it with his heavy metal staff, and closes his eyes before moving on to the next. By time he''s done, he has a frown on his face as he makes his report. "Bad news. For one, the walls of the place are coated in something organic - it''s not obsidian or any other stone or mineral. It is just surface-layer, there''s dungeon stone beneath, so we have what we need to seal those tunnels with. Making tunnels is another matter entirely, though. We''d need to take the time to smash through this...outer shell, whatever it is, with brute force. On top of that, this floor is...not arranged in a way that makes easy sense to me, from what I can tell."
Alesha has a followup to ask, although she''s interrupted as the room''s lights return, and she''s left blinking as her eyes adjust. "What - ah, dammit! Stupid...what do you mean, Reardon, how''s it laid out?"
The green-skinned man points at several walls and the ceiling. "For one, there''s disconnected rooms around us - but they must be linked by portals, there''s no hallways to indicate a path. If we bust through, and just one of them has a portal to the boss room, we could totally miss it...or get ''lucky'' and stumble into the damn arena without being ready for it." He pauses and points along the length of another wall. "The other thing is, there''s a lot of empty space in that direction, and I sense more further away...but I don''t sense the magic of dungeon stone that way. It could be another void in the mountain, like the great abyss on Floor Six, though it ain''t hardly that big. If we bust into that though, I reckon we''ve gone the wrong way."
Elissa considers his words for a bit before sighing. "So the short answer is, if we try to make a shortcut, we could end up just taking the long way around by accident. Suppose we play it the dungeon''s way, for now - Palush, lead us in."
The heavily-armored orc nods, and soon enough he''s vanished through the portal ring. The others follow behind, giving each a second or two to clear the ring, and are each relieved to find no immediate ambush waiting for them on the other side. They''re less amused however to find three new portal rings waiting for them, and Waller groans. "It''s a damn maze, ain''t it? And one where we can''t just bust the walls down, either. Well, I assume we''re not splitting up, so which way first?"
"Hold - we can take some precautions first. Alesha, mark the exit for us, would you?" The Sapper nods before reaching for one of her bottles and smearing her fingers with the luminescent ink inside. With them she paints a symbol over their entry point, marking it as their way out, and the symbol remains visible even as the lights flicker out yet again. The act makes the party immediately tense up, but no monsters make their appearance - there aren''t even any ambush points in this room, as far as they can tell. Elissa chuckles with a slightly embarrassed tone.
"The dungeon is playing with us, wouldn''t you say? But nothing to fear - Palush, take us on straight ahead!"
The Vanguard nods and again steps through a portal ring, taking the exit directly opposite of their entrance, and Alesha marks it as well with a simple symbol before she follows the rest of the party through. When she arrives however she finds that this time the party was far less lucky, and had stepped into an immediate ambush by two horrors. In the dark.
The light generated by the party''s necklaces swings and flashes wildly as the Challengers fight, with Palush in the front and doing his best to hold one insectoid monster back with his shield. Waller meanwhile has taken the bold move of grappling with the other, stone forming from nowhere to coat his body and fists as he slams them into the creature as dark as the room''s odd walls. The blows from the minotaur would be sufficient to kill a normal man in a single hit, but their impact on the horror seems...unsatisfying. Not only do his fists not break the creature''s exoskeleton, but the monster''s body seems to...squish slightly under the blows, bouncing back rather than fracturing. He can''t even pin it down properly, as even when he grabs its forelimbs, its tail snaps out to attempt to penetrate his stony hide with a stinger.
Elissa doesn''t plan to let her frontliners handle the fight alone, however. "Reardon, help Palush pin down his opponent! I shall aid Waller, Alesha, keep an eye out for additional ambushes!" With that said she sends mystical energy through her staff, generating a dart of molten stone which flies through the air and impacts the beast snapping at Waller with its mandibles. This attack does manage to penetrate the monster''s hide, thanks to its heat and sharpened edge, but Waller perhaps wishes that it hadn''t. The monster''s blood splatters with the impact, and while some lands on the minotaur''s stone armor, a few drops do manage to come into contact with his upper arm, making the man shout.
"Gah! It - it has some sort of toxic blood! It''s burning!"
"Then shove it away, Waller! Unless you plan to strangle the thing, we''re going to need to make it bleed!"
The man follows his leader''s command, and after grabbing hold of one of the horror''s limbs he spins and tosses it against a far wall. For all of its monstrous appearance, the beast seems to be surprisingly thin and light, relying more on its flexibility to survive blows rather than heavy armor. It''s already scrambling to its feet when Elissa sends a swarm of magma darts following after it, but a glue bomb tossed by Alesha stops it before it can reach Waller once again. As Waller warned, the more the monster bleeds, the more it burns away the substance holding it in place, but to her credit Elissa quickly recognizes the risk and focuses on accuracy over quantity. A trio of darts puncture their way through the horror''s ugly skull, and with a final cry its mandibles grow still.
For their part, Palush and Reardon had been having slightly less luck. The organic substance covering much of the room''s walls and floor had limited the Cleric quite a bit in the use of his magical toolbox, but a bit of teamwork had eventually proven up to the task. The chamber''s coating wasn''t uniform, leaving some places bare and uncovered, and with some careful coordination Palush had eventually managed to push the horror beneath a smooth bit of ceiling. At that point Reardon had triggered several hundred pounds of stone into falling onto the monster, and with a rather unfortunate amount of splatter the monster is slain. As he looks over the steaming pits on his breastplate and sword, Palush curses.
"Dammit! Not just toxic, it''s acid! Its claws have trouble getting through my armor, but just having the thing bleed on me is going to cost me a small fortune in equipment repairs!"
"Hold on, I got you." Alesha quickly rushes over, another bottle at the ready, and splashes a foul-smelling substance on the worst-hit parts of the man''s plate. "Neutralizing agent - won''t repair what already got burnt, but will keep it from getting worse. Next time we do this floor, I''ll make sure to have a bottle or two for everyone."
"Good planning, and an excellent response to the ambush." Elissa smiles at her team, but frowns as she sees what waits for them on the other side of the room. Five pillars sit, each about chest-high and coated in ridges that seem like spines in some places and horrifying human faces in others. On top of the pillars are positioned fungal pods like they had found in the first room, but unlike those, each of these appears intact, the flaps of the bulbs held closed. The minotaur considers the sight, and purses her lips.
"Hrmm...now what strange test has the dungeon devised for us now?"
Chapter 261: Waist Deep and Sinking Fast
Waller snaps his fingers, a move the Stonefist Brawler can pull off now that his temporary stone armor has crumbled away. "Ah, that''s what the mushrooms are! Containers! Like pots, but...more organic, to fit with the theme of the floor, I suppose? They do still stand out a bit, but eh." Indeed, while the majority of the floor''s decor - if it can be called that - is the oddly ridged black substance coating the walls and floors, the the fungal pods sitting on the five pillars in front of the team are more of a pale brown - and oddly moist-looking, as well. They don''t seem dangerous, yet none of the Dirty Dealers are quick to volunteer to go inspect one any closer.
Reardon sniffs at the suggestion, a sound that echoes through the space. Despite being the smallest member of the team, his dwarven heritage apparently saw fit to grant him the party''s largest nose. "A container for what, now? Wait, are you saying these things are the floor''s equivalent of treasure chests?"
The minotaur shakes his head. "If there was one of them, maybe, but five? This feels like a puzzle to me. I bet you there''s something in one of them we need to finish the floor."
Elissa, the party''s leader and Pyroclastic Geomancer, gives the man a nod. "I concur. Pick one and see what''s inside, would you, Waller?"
"Me?" He gives the other minotaur a short glare before grunting. "Fine, fine. Least the damn thing won''t need any lockpicking." He steps up to the nearest pillar, the one on the right, and grabs hold of two of the flaps holding the bulb closed. He gives them a tug and the fungus easily peels apart, giving the man a good look at the contents. Reaching inside, he pulls out an amulet bearing a teardrop-shaped image. "Huh, maybe it is a treasure chest? Something relating to water, maybe?"
Alesha, the team''s Shadow Sapper, gives the man a grin. "Maybe the rest will show us more of a pattern. go on, check the next!"
Waller''s glare returns again. "There''s five of us and five mushrooms, I don''t know why I''m the one opening them all!"
"Because if one sprays you with acid, I''m the one that''ll need to patch you up? Besides, you knew what frontliner work meant when you picked your class."
Waller grumbles again, but moves on to the next and repeats the act, pulling out a second amulet. "Must be one for each of us? Five prizes this early, it must be part of the floor rather than a normal reward." He reaches the middle pillar of the five and again pries the pod open, but this time what he finds inside is very definitely not a piece of jewelry.
Instead what leaps out is some sort of unholy scorpion, latching on to the minotaur''s face with its eight long legs while its tail flails around. Rather than stinging the man though, the oddly thick appendage of the beast soon wraps itself around the Brawler''s neck, cutting his shout short with a tight squeeze. There''s no shortage of noise however as every other member of the party begins shouting in his stead, each quickly attempting to determine what they can do. None of them want to risk hitting their teammate with their weapons, so instead Palush, the orc Vanguard of the team, moves in to help Waller pry the monster from his head with his gauntleted hands.
Which is easier said than done, unfortunately. While the two of them working together to manage to release the hold the monster''s legs have on his face, the tail remains firmly wrapped around his throat, indeed squeezing even more tightly in an attempt to resist being removed. Palush stops for a brief moment, seeing that his attempt to help is only helping to strangle his friend, and so he calls out to the others. "Alesha! Grab my sword, sever the tail!"
"Alright, alright, just - hold steady, dammit! I don''t usually use a blade this size!" The squirming legs of the monster do quite a bit to unnerve the orc as she tries to line up a blow with the creature''s stretched tail, but eventually she sees her moment and takes the swing. The appendage severs easily, sending Palush falling backward and Waller grappling at the remainder still wrapped around his throat, but fortunately the Vanguard finds himself up to the task of finishing off the injured beast. Pulling a dagger from his waist he begins stabbing it repeatedly before it can attempt an escape, and after the fifth blow it finally goes still, its legs curling up as it hisses and perishes.
On his end, Waller manages to recover his breath soon enough, but his speech is another story, and there''s already indications of serious bruising around his thick neck as the tail is finally removed. "I - achk - dammit - "
"Easy, easy, take a sip of a potion, don''t want there to be anything broken in there." Reardon passes a bottle over to the man before peering at the marks on his neck. "Good gods - good thing we had you around to trigger that surprise, eh? If you were an elf lass, that thing could''ve broken your damn neck!"
Again, Waller turns his glare on his teammates as he swallows the potion down. "If I were an elf lass, I wager I''d get more respect from you lot. One of you can handle the rest! What even was that, it sure wasn''t a fungoid beastie!"
Elissa is the one to answer, as she carefully lifts the severed tail from the floor and looks it over. "The base form of the monster was certainly a scorpion, I''d say. But look at this - scales! In fact, if I hadn''t seen the other half of the monster, I''d wager this thing was the bottom half of a snake."
"Great. The dungeon is getting creative." Palush glances over at the last two pods. "Fire might wreck the items inside, but any complaints if I just stab the rest of them from here on?" No one takes issue with the idea, and after the orc retrieves his sword from Alesha the man gets to hacking. The next pod contains another monster, but as it''s immediately injured by the man''s heavy sword, it doesn''t get far before Palush finishes it with a second blow. Finally, the last container proves itself to be empty, aside from a third teardrop amulet waiting inside.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
After taking stock and making a final inspection of the room, the party soon comes to the conclusion that there''s no other way out except from where they came in at. "Side path - these must be keys or something for another room later on." Elissa gives Palush a nod. "Lead us back and on to another path, would you?"
"At once!" The orc heads back through the portal ring, followed by the rest of the team, and fortunately they find no new monsters waiting for them when they arrive. Alesha paints the portal they just came from with an ''X'', and Elissa points to her right.
"Well, let''s try that way, then. Be on your guard, as usual." The man nods, and again Palush leads them into the next room. This time, they find something quite unpleasant on the other side - hip-height, foul-smelling water in a dim, claustrophobic tunnel. As the shortest member of the team, Reardon has the most vocal complaints.
"Unholy hells! Please tell me Worthy ain''t gone into the realm of underwater floors yet!" Beside him, Waller shakes his head.
"Only old dungeons seem to do those, even ocean cove-themed ones. I''d wager this is just more of a hazard - makes it harder for us to see the floor, or slows us down."
"Mmmmaaakes it easier to see, to see who will prove themselves to grandmother..."
The party freezes as still as a painting before desperately looking around, lifting their glowing crystal amulets to try and light up the room. Elissa does her best to keep her voice calm. "A talker! Anyone see anything? ...Did the dungeon get a new boss lately?"
Alesha''s response is cut short. "No, but - there! Behind that pillar!" She points behind the party and to their left, where part of the wall is...moving. Or at least so it seems at first, until the dark form separates from the structure sufficiently enough for them to see its shape. For a moment several of them think it may be a slim drider, but the light from their crystals soon proves that theory wrong. The torso of the monster is still humanoid...mostly...but its face has mandibles where a jaw should be, and above them sits far too many eyes.
"I wonder which of you will prove the tastiest soul..." With that pleasant greeting the monster launches itself from the wall, crashing atop Waller who barely has time to generate enough stone armor to protect himself. The two collapse into the water with a splash, and Elissa begins working to pull everyone else back.
"There''s dry land down the tunnel, don''t try to fight it on its own terrain! Palush, get the big lug free, the rest of you, push forward!" Alesha doesn''t need any further encouragement, although the orc does pause long enough to grab Reardon by the collar, dragging him through the sodden tunnel as she runs at her best speed. For his part Palush charges the other direction, sword raised high, but he soon finds himself engaged with a sword fight with three of the monstrous drider''s legs. His enchanted blade is a fine weapon, and sure to beat even an exoskeleton in time, but for the moment it does prove rather difficult for him to save his companion before the minotaur drowns.
Luckily, he''s not on his own in that matter. Magma darts fly from Elissa''s staff, two of them pinging off of the monster''s shell, but two others managing to impale themselves into the bare chest of the creature''s torso. It hisses as it pulls them out, the heat perhaps hurting it more than the penetration, but either way it gives Waller the opening he needs to climb to his feet.
An act which the monster doesn''t seem inclined to allow. Its mandibles spread wide, and from the monster''s throat emits a spell unlike any the team''s heard before. "DESPAIR. DROWN. DIE." Elissa would swear that she feels her soul shudder in response to the foreign words, but that effect is minor compared to what happens to the spell''s target. One moment, Waller was moving at his best speed to make his way down the tunnel, while generating as much stone armor as he could to cover himself. The next, it''s as if the light in his eyes goes out. The large man slumps in place, his armor flaking off of his body in clumps and flakes, and his mouth drops open.
That mouth is soon coughing up blood a moment later, as one of the monster''s sharp-tipped appendages stabs its way into the minotaur''s spine. A second finds its way into his skull, and it''s not until the third goes for his heart that Elissa finally recovers. "...Retreat! This is a boss-level monster! We need to regroup!" Palush doesn''t need any further encouragement to fall back, and a moment later Elissa finds herself the closest party member to the beast. A fact which the beast clearly recognizes, given by the way it begins to eye her as he rips his legs free from the Brawler''s corpse.
Elissa slightly panics.
The organic substance covering the walls of the room had made it difficult to perform minor workings of stone, and working with dungeon stone was always more difficult than using normal rock. But the stone was still there, just hidden away, and stone can always be relied on to perform at least one notable feat when pushed with enough adrenaline and determination. Stone...falls.
With a bust of energy from her staff, the Geomancer summons the full weight of the ceiling''s support down on the tunnel between herself and the boss, cracking the wall''s facade to splinters as tons of rock collapse. Part of Elissa hopes to catch the monster in the act, but her spell was too rash, the boss was still too far away. Despite the distance and the dim lightning though, there''s a glow to the creature''s eyes that continues to haunt her until the very last moment, watching her until the tunnel is completely buried, separating the two in a rather permanent manner.
With the barrier of several feet of stone in place, Elissa is able to slightly calm herself before retreating to rejoin the rest of the party at the other end of the tunnel. "He...Waller''s fallen. The boss won''t be digging his way through that, though."
Alesha grimaces, not wanting to be the one to point out the obvious, but feeling obliged to do so anyways. "Yeah, but...now we don''t have a way out."
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CROSSBREED UNLOCKED:
FACE CONSTRICTOR - C- - SCORPION/SNAKE
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CROSSBREED UNLOCKED:
XENOSTALKER - B - CAVERN HORROR/ARACHNE
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Chapter 262: No Way Out
Elissa''s face doesn''t pale at the realization of her miscalculation, but that''s mostly because she''s a minotaur and the fur does a good job of hiding that sort of thing. "...Right. The tunnel is blocked, we''ll...just need to find another way out."
Reardon frowns at the optimism. "This could be a maze floor, aye, so there may yet be a loop back somewhere. But generally speaking, most floors only got the one main way through. Which means the way out is through the damn floor boss." If he were a younger Challenger, the man might have shouted that last statement, but the man is nearly at a Master-rank himself and knows the value of being calm in an emergency. The way his hand clenches his staff however tells his party members about his true stress level.
"Or," Alesha raises a hand, "You and Elissa could dig us back out again? I mean, you closed the tunnel, you could open it again, yeah?"
The party leader frowns. "With no small amount of exhaustion, and with a boss-level foe waiting for us on the other side. I do not believe that was a floor guardian - perhaps the dungeon has a new wandering boss? I suppose it is perhaps large enough now for another. In any case, it is an option of last resort. A boss may be waiting for us on either side now, so the floor guardian may actually be the easier option."
"Suppose that''s true." The Shadow Sapper looks around at the pocket of space the team finds themselves in, and gestures at three portal rings on the floor. "Could definitely be a maze floor, looks like another split here. Pick one at random and go?"
Elissa nods. "Palush? Lead us through the rightmost portal, if you would." The orc takes a breath and lifts his shield and sword, his mood certainly much lower now than before, but his courage not yet shaken. The man steps on through, followed by the rest of the party, and on the other side they''re glad to find no monsters waiting for them. A rather disturbing challenge does await, however.
The floor here at least is dry, but once again the passageway narrows into a tunnel that would require Elissa to watch her horns. The more problematic concern however is that the tunnel appears to be completely clogged with strands of slime. Inspecting it from a distance, Alesha grimaces. "Reminds me of the slime webs way back on Floor Three, but way thicker. I do have a bit of slime solvent on me, but definitely not enough for all that. Would be hard to hack through...Elissa, do you think you could burn it?"
The Pyroclastic Geomancer shakes her head. "Not easily - slime is wet and not particularly flammable, after all. But...those amulets we recovered. The symbols on them could perhaps be drops of slime, don''t you think? Perhaps this is the reason for them?" She says that, and then her eyes widen. "Did - did Waller still have all the amulets on him?"
That concern at least is partially addressed easily enough, as Reardon lifts one while gesturing to Palush. "He had one of the three, aye, but Palush and I were handed the others. At least they''re not keys for a lock, perhaps one will be sufficient?" He shrugs, before lifting the chain over his head. "Suppose there''s only one way to find out."
The way the half-orc goes completely still save for his widening eyes tells the party that Reardon may have found out, but not in a way they were hoping for. Just as Palush is about to ask if the man is okay, Reardon''s arms suddenly flail, and he goes crashing to the ground with a yell. "Ahhh! Get it off! It''s burning, get it off, off, off!"
"I - hold still, Cleric, I will! Just hold still, dammit!" Palush struggles to aid his teammate, as the man''s eyes seem to stare at things that aren''t there, but after a few moments he successfully manages to yank the amulet off of Reardon''s neck. It doesn''t immediately calm the man, but another half-minute or so seems to bring him back to reality. Surprisingly, his reaction is to start patting his arms and chest before laughing slightly maniacally.
"I''m fine! I''m fine! Ahahahaha!"
Alesha speaks up rather cautiously. "Uh...Reardon? Shit, was that a madness-cursed item or some shit?" She looks to her other teammates, but Reardon answers on his own behalf before they can.
"No - well, maybe. It, ah...I had this vision. I was fighting the slime girl back on Floor Two, and it was like her Challenge Mode was runnin'', aye? I got...blasted with this heaping great wave of acid, and I could feel my body dissolve! It was..." He trails off for a bit, his eyes staring at nothing. "...Well. It''s a relief to find it wasn''t real, I''ll tell y''that."
Palush eyes his own amulet he had received from Waller not long ago. "So...they''re cursed items. Well, that whole room was a waste of time, then." He''s about to throw it against the wall before Elissa halts him.
"Wait! That''s why there were multiple copies of the thing! One of them must be real!"
"...What if the real one was the one Waller had?" There''s no immediate response to Palush''s question, and eventually he sighs. "Dammit. Guess if it''s only mind trickery, I''ll take the risk..."
After taking a deep breath Palush slips the amulet on, and like Reardon his eyes widen. Just as Alesha is about to yank it off of him, however, he grabs her arm to stop her. "Wait! It''s - it''s not a trap, I...I..." He goes silent for a moment, and then his eyes narrow. "...I know slime magic."
Alesha pauses. "...That''s a thing?"
Reaching out an arm, Palush silently casts a spell, and the tunnel begins to unclog itself. The slime strands detach from the walls and ceiling, making a rather unholy mess on the floor as they do so, but it''s certainly far less of an effort than trying to cut or burn it away, let alone push through it. He even begins to thin out a walking trail on the floor, but gives up with a grunt before making much progress. "It''s weak magic. I could make it stop being sticky for a moment, but that''s about all. Still...this should be enough, I imagine?"
Elissa smiles, her mood very slightly improved. "We shall manage. Come, let us hope the end of the floor is not far away." She gives the Vanguard a nod and the man leads the way, unable to clear a path for them to walk, but at least able to prevent the slime from sticking to their boots as they pass. Eventually the group reaches a small chamber at the end of the tunnel, this time with only a single portal ring waiting for them, but a noise from behind draws their attention before they can focus on it.
Graaah-cha-chk-chk-chk
Chckck-grachk-gra-chk
Eyes wide, Palush turns back to face the tunnel they''d just cleared. "There''s a couple of them back there, we must''ve missed some entry points! ...You three go through first, I''ll do what I can to slow them down with the slime!"
Elissa wants to argue, but the sight of three mutant Horrors coming their way makes her agree. Splitting in the middle of combat is a risk, but less risky than a four-on-three fight against monsters of this sort. "Very well, but don''t delay! Alesha, Reardon, you go first!" She sends a few magma darts flying down the tunnel as the others activate the ring, one at a time, but the monsters move in unnatural ways. One crawls along the floor, as a beast should, only to be caught by the slime Palush gathers around it. Another mostly takes to the tunnel wall however, and the third actually begins to skitter along the ceiling. They dodge left and right as they move, and only one of her darts actually connects, a minor wound by the sight of it.
Then the ring is clear, and although Elissa wants to continue aiding her tank, who''s already lifting his shield in preparation for an impact from the nearest monster, she knows the best way to help is to minimize the amount of time he needs to hold them off. So instead she passes on through - only to find a new sort of chaos waiting for her on the other side. She barely has time to collect her senses before a monster falls from the ceiling in front of her, nearly landing right on her horns, and as she leaps back in surprise she finds another of the arachnid-snake hybrids righting itself on the floor.
Indeed, the spherical room she finds herself in is covered in fungoid pods, some of them open, some of them in the process of beginning to split wide, and it seems as if Alesha and Reardon are already fighting their own struggles with the monsters that were hidden inside. One leaps at Alesha''s face and the orc slices it open with a knife, before using her other hand to throw an incendiary bottle at one wall. Over a dozen pods go up in flames as it explodes, and some of them must have contained yet more monsters given by the shrieking sounds they emit as they burn. Reardon unfortunately was not so swift and appears to have been caught by one, scrabbling at the giant insect that''s latched onto his face as it squeezes the life from him.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
The Geomancer is about to move to his aid before being reminded of the one that nearly caught her as it leaps for her once again. The minotaur is a bit too tall for her face to be directly vulnerable to the relatively small beast, but it does manage to claim her right arm, and as its tail clenches her bicep tight she drops her staff against her will. She doesn''t need the staff to cast magic though, and as she holds her right arm out she begins to prepare a spell with her left. "The things grab hold like a leech! But I''ve heard how you can take care of those..."
With that said her left hand clenches onto the monster''s main body, even as she covers it in flames. It''s an energy intensive spell, given that she needs to protect herself from her own flames even as she makes them as hot as possible, but it has its intended effect and after a few seconds the monster falls off with a cry. Her heavy boot-clad hooves finish it off with a solid stomp, and a moment later her staff is back in her hand. Looking around, Alesha seems to have managed the rest of the room with blade and bottle, and is already working to assist Reardon, who''s currently collapsed onto the floor.
The Sapper gives the monster on the half-orc''s face a few careful stabs, and with Elissa''s help the two manage to carefully unwrap the tail from around his neck. The man''s eyes are once again wide in fear...but fear strikes Elissa as well as she notices that this time they''re still, frozen in place. Alesha carefully probes at the man''s neck for a moment before wailing.
"Ahhh! It - it broke his damn neck! I only took my eye off of him for a few seconds!"
"...It''s not your fault. It''s impressive that you slew as many as you did. If anything, I''m to blame for splitting the party as I did. But as soon as Palush comes through, we''ll..." The Mage trails off as she glances back at the portal ring, and does a quick mental calculation as to how long the fight lasted. The adrenaline makes it difficult to be sure, but...perhaps twenty seconds after she came through? Twice as much time, now - not long, but more than long enough for a Challenger to activate a portal ring. "...Palush is not coming through."
Alesha''s attention snaps up to the ring as she does the same mental calculation. "What? Did - we should go back through for him!"
Elissa''s heart breaks, but she grabs onto the orc''s arm as the woman begins to make her way towards the ring of runes. "Then we''d be compounding my mistake! We''d be stepping through a portal into three of the damn things right on top of us! Do you think you could hold up in a fight like that?"
The Sapper''s first instinct is to claim that she could - but the Master-tier Challenger is too experienced for that sort of bravado. "I...fuck! Just like that, now we''ve lost Reardon and Palush too? Fuck! This...fuckin'', fuck-ass floor!" The vaguely coherent curses continue for a few moments more, but Elissa simply stands and waits for her to calm herself.
"We must go on. Now more than ever, going backwards is not an option."
Alesha growls, but eventually nods. "Let''s hope the floor does loop back. I''m not looking forward to trying to...to duo a fuckin'' floor guardian right now." Elissa agrees silently, and the two make their way onward to another spherical chamber. This one has two ways out, one on the right side a heavy metal door with a wheeled handle, as they found in the first room, and on the left there''s another ring of portal runes on the ground. This time, Elissa steps forward, heading to the right.
"With a door, we don''t need to split ourselves. I''ll take the fore, if something comes through I can take a hit better than a puny orc like yourself."
Alesha snorts at the false insult, but steps aside as the Mage turns the wheel. "And minotaurs have the hardest heads, which is why we made you team leader. Maybe you should just get yourself a head start and charge us a way - " The Sapper''s barb comes to a sudden halt as the door opens, and a hand suddenly reaches out to grab Elissa by her robes.
"Found you."
Despite her large size, the Mage is pulled through the open doorway before Alesha can even consider how to react, and as the sound of bladed limbs entering flesh reach her ears, she does the only thing she can think to do.
She runs for the portal ring. It''s a matter of seconds for it to activate, a period of time filled with screams, some of them her own, but as it sends her onward the sound suddenly dies away. She doesn''t stop running though, passing past pods, crashing through slime, avoiding suspicious-looking grates as her eyes seek out the next exit ahead. A portal, a door, a tunnel, she loses track of how many chambers she transits through. Any ambushes are too slow to catch her, any traps do little more than slow her down as she focuses solely on the next way out, her mastery of shadow magic concealing her just long enough to slip on by.
Until finally one portal takes her to a room with no exit. It''s another spherical chamber but ten times the size of the last, ebon ribs crawling their way up the walls to support an arched ceiling. And in the center of the room, waiting for her...is Her. The woman stands up on eight tall legs, the mouth on her face grinning as the much-larger mouth below her humanoid torso stretches wide, showing a hundred sharp teeth.
"Ah! My brother saved one for me, did he? Ah, but only one...well, we shall make do..."
As the guardian''s spider-like legs bring her closer, Alesha faints, and the last thing she sees is a flash of light.
As Xenia and Guy watch the disappointed Yulia return to her seat, Guy finds themself confused. "Apologies, ma''am, but is it not standard policy to reserve the daily ''save a Challenger'' portal usage for the Initiates on the upper floors? Masters generally ''know what it is they''re in for'', do they not?"
Xenia chuckles briefly before answering. "Yeah, but they were running, even if this time they happened to be running in the wrong direction, so...eh. Besides, it''s traditional."
"Traditional? What tradition is worth the risk of spreading the secrets of the floor to other parties?"
The reincarnator gives her guide a grin. "You need to watch more movies, Guy. Every good horror story needs a sole survivor."
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INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS SLAIN: 4
MORTALS ESCAPED: 1
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
STAFFS: A-
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
MORTAL SOULS: 4
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 18 TO 434
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
HEAVY COMBAT SKILLS: VANGUARD CHARGER (EXPERT), ROCK PUNCHER (EXPERT), STONEFIST BRAWLER (MASTER)
MAGIC COMBAT SKILLS: STONE MAGE (ADVANCED), GEOMANCER (EXPERT), PYROCLASTIC GEOMANCER (MASTER)
HOLY COMBAT SKILLS: STONE PRIEST (ADVANCED), CLERIC OF STONE (EXPERT)
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: CULLING THE HERD 2
YOU HAVE SLAIN FIVE MINOTAURS. MANA SPELL EFFECTIVENESS ON MINOTAURS INCREASED BY 40%.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: CREEPY CRAWLIES 1
YOU HAVE SCORED YOUR FIRST KILL WITH INSECTOID MONSTERS. INSECTOIDS GAIN 10% MORE HEALTH.
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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: EIGHT-LEGGED FREAKS 1
YOU HAVE SCORED YOUR FIRST KILL WITH ARACHNID MONSTERS. ARACHNIDS GAIN 10% MORE HEALTH.
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Chapter 263: People Watching
Renter Forst groans as he tries to stretch out, taking a moment to do something other than lie down and peer out of an attic window. He and Kelsey are currently camped out in the second floor of one of Grassbrook''s new shops, a place that went by the name of Summer''s Sundries but which was actually a Challenger Association franchise, a store chain owned by the Association and which catered to Challengers specifically. That relationship meant that no one from the shop was complaining that two of the Association''s local inspection team were currently taking up space in their storage area, but that doesn''t mean Renter doesn''t have a complaint or two of his own.
"Tracker, Kelsey. I am a Thornwoods. Tracker. That means I''m good at spending my time in the woods and, you know, tracking shit. I don''t think y''much need my skills for sitting on our asses and peeping into the Bastard''s windows all day."
The kobold scoffs at the statement. "And what, you think mine are any better? I take hits and I set shit on fire. At least you''ve got good eyes. Besides, it''s not like we''ve got a lot of options here. Alizz is too busy for grunt work like this, which leaves you, me, and Sely to keep an eye on these strangers."
After taking a few moments to walk in a circle and stretch his legs, Renter again takes a seat next to one of the tiny windows, designed more for ventilation than people-watching. "So how about we bring in the Church of Bounty on this, huh? They seem pretty tight with the dungeon, right?"
Kelsey shrugs. "I don''t make the decisions for the dungeon, but I wouldn''t be surprised if they do get brought in now that one of them hopped the line and got himself guardianated." Having said that, his expression shifts into a grin. "Of course, if you''re just saying you''d rather spend your time up here with that succubus rather than with me, I ain''t gonna blame you. I''d swap you for her myself if I get the option."
His companion chuckles as he rubs the stubble on his chin. "If she''s into curvy elf lasses, I doubt I got much of a shot. She''s fun for a game of cards at the tavern though, I''ll say that. But hells, man, if we had the evening shift then at least we might be getting a good show or two out of all of this." Leaning forward, he again stares across the street and into what windows he can see of the Lucky Bastard. At this time of day there''s not much he can make out, save for the occasional hint of motion as someone inside one of the rooms walks around. That said, the Bastard is also on one of the town''s busiest streets, which means there''s quite a bit of foot traffic to keep track of as well. Almost anyone walking around for a bit of shopping or dining or anything else is likely to come into view at some point, which makes their current position one of the best people-watching points in the area.
If only it weren''t so damn stuffy on this summer afternoon. He''d taken off most of his outer layers already, but Kelsey, as a rather hot-blooded lizard, is practically down to his skivvies next to him. If it wasn''t for the fact that the Warrior of Flame had spells to help him with heat management, Renter suspects the man would probably be naked by this point. That thought leads him to think again about possibly enlisting Sable Bluehair, or perhaps Lilly Fullblossom, to aid in the job and...nope, he needs a different distraction.
"Wanna run through the list again? Sely said that new guy had intel on the rest of the arrivals?"
"Yup. Sure, why not, let''s start with the easy ones." Shifting in his seat, Kelsey pulls out a clipboard and begins to go down a list of names, or at least descriptions. "Imp girl, currently disguised as a goblin."
Renter hadn''t seen her in town all day, which was expected. "Up at the dungeon today, most likely."
"Imp guy, also disguised as a goblin."
"Walked into the inn thirty minutes ago, probably playing cards or some shit right now that I wish I could be doin''."
"Me too, but watchin'' em from the other side of the tavern all day would get a lil obvious." Kelsey moves down the list. "One elf man, green skin but probably wearing an illusion to be pale and boring like the rest of ''em."
Renter''s lips split into a grin. "Ain''t been stupid enough to go around in that color. But unless he swapped illusions with someone else, he went down towards the Association shooting range an hour ago."
"Two ''dark elves'', one man and one woman."
Before answering, the Tracker has to shake his head. "Can you believe they''re trying to pass themselves off as half drider? Sure, it explains the skin color. But when''s the last time y''seen a half-drider with just two legs?"
Kelsey shudders at a memory. "You seen many half-driders at all, Renter?"
"...Saw a pair of half-orc siblings, once. Had the whole spider thing going on, just more muscle up top than they usually get."
"I saw myself a half-minotaur once. No fur, but had the horns, and most important, she was enormous. And you know what her face looked like?"
Renter shoots the kobold a glance. "How am I gonna know what her face looked like? She got spider fangs in her snout or some shit?"
Kelsey grins. "Hells if I know. When I looked up at her, all I could see were her tits." He stretches out his arms to indicate the lady''s proportions, and Renter isn''t sure whether or not to call the man out on his bullshit. He had seen a minotaur or two who...well, now he''s just getting distracted even more.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
"Heh, right, right. Anyhow, they went down to the magic sparring yard. Before lunch, haven''t seen em back yet."
"Right - speaking of half-orcs, one man, one woman, aside from that one on the first team."
"Hey, just cause they''re both half-orcs doesn''t mean they stick together. The lady''s in the tavern, the fella is probably dropping a ton of gold down at the bakery, again."
"Heh, you''d think he''s never seen a pastry before. Human lady, purple hair."
"Ain''t seen her today. You think she dyes it?"
"If they come from a place where the elves have green skin, I ain''t discounting shit. Two human brothers, tall and with shoulder widths longer than my tail."
Renter shoots a glance at the kobold''s tail, not that he needs a reminder of it. "Probably still at the bunkhouse, after last night. Gotta say, that boss of theirs runs a tight ship, as drunk and loud as they were he still got them bundled off before the evening patrol could get called in."
"Probably only because the guy doesn''t want the Fort getting wind of them being around, rather than him giving a shit if they break a table or a chair or two." Kelsey''s finger slides down the list. "Father and son, brown hair, fencer''s builds."
"Ain''t seen em since they picked up that streetwalker last night. Tell ya, I''m fuckin'' shocked this town don''t have a proper brothel yet, though it sure seems like there''s a lot of ''rooms for rent'' dotting the place."
"Dungeon''s been messing with the usual business model, I think, especially with the place hiring the best dancers." Kelsey blinks, and looks up at Renter. "Wait, just one hire for the both of em?"
"...Maybe she had a friend waiting back home?"
"...I''m gonna pretend that''s the case." He sighs and continues. "Human lass with red eyes, doesn''t like being out in the sun."
Renter pointedly looks up at the afternoon sun shining through the window. "...Ask me again in six hours."
"Will do. And last...Pulg, Lei, Linda, and ''Tad'', of the first team. The hells kind of name is Tad, anyhow?"
"What, y''like ''Pulg'', but Tad sounds weird?"
"Seems like a proper orc name t''me, dunno what you mean. Anyhow, seen em or no?"
"Up in their room - I can see the flashes now and then from the mage doing her enchanting work. Except - hold on now, that''s Pulg stepping out of the Bastard now." Renter points out the rather noticeable half-orc, and Kelsey peers down on him.
"Yeah, that''s him alright. Wonder where he''s going?"
"Well, how about we follow him and find out?" Kelsey gives the man a look, and he shrugs. "What? What''s the point in just marking down every time someone crosses the street, if we don''t know what they''re doing when they ain''t in plain sight? If he''s goin'' somewhere new, we ain''t gonna find out about it from up here."
The kobold taps his talons against the windowsill before eventually grunting. "I hate leaving the post...but I ain''t lettin'' you trail someone alone, and you''re right, we are understaffed for this. We give it twenty minutes, yeah? He just steps into a shop a block over, we get back up here and stop wasting time."
"Fine by me. Just need a quick break, anyhow." With that said the two quickly pull on their discarded garments and make their way back down to the ground floor of the store and out into the street, once again catching sight of the orc shaman before he''s had a chance to get too far. Neither of the two are masters of stealth, but the town is still busy enough at this time of day that the man doesn''t seem to notice them as he makes one turn and then another, before eventually stopping at a market stall and buying himself...a live chicken, held in a simple cage.
Renter frowns as the orc pays for his purchase. "Bah, just caught the man buying dinner. Guess we...wait, he ain''t goin'' back to the inn?"
"Inn wouldn''t be happy about a fella butchering an animal in their rooms anyhow. Where is he going, though..." Indeed, Pulg heads down the street in the opposite direction, away from the market and the town center. Given that the town is still fairly small, there''s not much more in this direction that he could be heading towards, and after a few more streets the pair need to start hanging further back in order to stay out of view. Eventually, he makes it out of the town entirely and begins to head towards the nearby woods - easy enough to do, given that the town lacks anything resembling walls or even guards on the street.
Kelsey ducks down, the tall grass surrounding the town providing reasonable cover from the half-orc''s direction, although anyone watching the two from the town would probably find the behavior a little odd. "Okay, yeah, he''s definitely up to something. There''s a butcher''s in the marketplace he could''ve taken it to, and these travelers have been dumping enough gold that I doubt he''s worried about the cost. But what the hells do you need a chicken in the woods for?"
"...Poor chicken. But hey, we''re headin'' into my territory now. Follow my lead, yeah?" After giving Pulg a little more time to get ahead, Renter begins to lead the way after him, and soon the pair have slipped into the treeline, which still lingers close despite all of the lumber Grassbrook had been consuming for the past year. While the shaman seems to be no expert at stealth himself, the Tracker still enjoys the chance to practice his skills, picking out the man''s footsteps, and occasional spots where he''d stopped to pick some mushrooms or plant life. It''s not until they get deeper into the woods where the light has begun to fade that they hear the man''s voice, however.
"...That''s chanting. Man''s casting a spell of some sort, yeah?" Kelsey frowns at himself - he hadn''t been wearing his armor or carrying his shield during their lookout shift, leaving him with only his sword and his own spells to count on. Renter does carry a crossbow, but it''s a lighter, more mobile version than the man might bring for fighting dungeon monsters with. Still, getting into a fight should remain a worst-case scenario, so for now he simply gestures for Renter to continue moving on forward.
Eventually, the half-orc comes into view. He sits in the middle of a ring carved into the dirt, and marked at various spots with powders, tokens, or mushrooms. He''s shirtless now, but as he kneels in the dirt he seems to be busy covering himself with fresh chicken blood, a knife nearby proving as evidence of the fowl murder if the corpse in his left hand wasn''t enough. He continues to chant in a language that''s unfamiliar to Kelsey, but one word does stand out to him - or rather, a name.
"Sevastion - he said that, yeah?" He hisses the question to his companion. "That''s the name of the guy that Worthy ate!"
"Well, he''s dead now, so if the orc is casting a curse on him I dunno what good it''ll do. But if he wants to waste his time - holy shit!" It''s a miracle that Renter doesn''t shout out his last two words, as a sudden flash of light fills the forest clearing. What appears before Pulg at first seems to be the ghost of a drider, but Renter quickly realizes that''s all wrong. Driders don''t have giant mouths on the front of their spider halves, nor has he ever heard of one being ten feet tall, though perhaps Kelsey''s half-minotaur might have come close. It is also, Renter would be willing to wager, not Sevastion''s ghost.
Although in fact no one seems more surprised than Pulg, as the shaman utters a single shocked word.
"Yulia!?"
Chapter 264: Unlikely Forest Spirits
Yulia looks down at the shaman before her and hisses, an utterly inhuman sound. While her form is largely transparent, the two members of the Association inspection team peeping in on the event can''t help but wince at her visage. "Pulg!? Still bumbling around with your powders, I see. I take it you were expecting a different result, no?"
Pulg looks up at the new arrival, a requirement given that the woman is a good ten feet tall atop her eight spider-like legs. "Yulia, how!? The purpose of the ritual was to call upon Sevastion''s spirit, so I could find out what foolishness he got himself into this time!" The man realizes something and his eyes widen, what little more they can, at least. "Wait - you''ve been around this whole time, haven''t you? Was Sevastion actually speaking to you all along? Maybe he was only somewhat as crazy as we thought..."
Yulia grins, displaying sharp teeth as she does so - on both of her mouths. "I have sworn to protect my brother with my very soul. If you''re attempting to bind him to you, you''ll have to deal with me instead!" The larger mouth at the front of her spider half chomps twice, and Pulg quickly raises his hands.
"I wasn''t aiming to bind him, just to question the fool! But unholy hells, Yulia, what did he do to you? This is nothing like the form you wore in life!"
Yulia smiles again, as she looks down over her torso. Her spider half is bare, and her human - or human-ish, at least - half is hardly covered, with a simple breast wrap and a pair of bracers on her wrists. Taking hold of her chest, she jiggles it once or twice in Pulg''s direction. "Do you like? I asked for a few...improvements on my old body."
"...That was not even remotely what I meant. But tell me, what happened to Sevastion? Is he actually dead, as we assumed?"
The arachne taps her lips, as if considering the matter deeply. "Hrmmm...dead, alive, the difference seems so hard to tell these days. I''ve almost felt alive again this week, for the first time in months." She considers her right hand, and its transparent nature. "Yet now you take my flesh from me again? Or, no...I can sense my body still. Am I now a soul in two places, perhaps?"
"Flesh?" The shaman begins to pale at the implications. "Yulia...have you and your brother somehow joined the dungeon? Tell me you haven''t told her anything!"
"Why would we lie to dear grandmother? And she is not, not, not happy, oh...she will put you and the others to quite the test. I wonder if you''ll survive..."
Pulg shakes his head. "You two always were crazy, both of you. I suppose I''ll just have to do what I can to salvage this situation, then." The man dabs his fingers in the wet chicken blood still soaking his chest, and flicks some in Yulia''s direction as he utters an odd phrase. "Ulg''ack chu''lak! I release you from the mortal realm, spirit! Go, and find your peace in the afterlife!"
Yulia glances down at the blood that sails through her body, before looking back up at Pulg with a rather unimpressed look on her face. The two stand there, silent, until a good twenty seconds have passed by without anything happening.
"Absolutely amateur work, shaman. Amateur work. My afterlife is right there!" She reaches back with one arm, gesturing at the mountain behind her, not even needing to turn around to look for it. "You cannot ''release'' me - the bonds holding me here are far stronger than anything you could ever attempt to cut."
The half-orc growls. "Fine. Then...can I at least persuade you and your brother to not make things more difficult for us? If we must prove ourselves, then we shall - but why not help us along the way? We all joined in this mission together, did we not?"
Yulia shrugs. "I think perhaps I like where I am now, more than being some minor lady of a realm I''ve never seen - if they even accept the dead for such positions. Hrmm, no. I think I shall help you to fail."
"...I suppose that brings me to Plan C, then." Pulg''s eyes remain locked on Yulia''s, but one of his hands reaches into a pouch at his side. Yulia tilts her head at the move, but doesn''t react in time to avoid the spray of powder the man tosses at her - but she certainly reacts with pain when it actually impacts her body, acting as if it''s burning her non-existent skin at the touch. With a howl, she throws herself at the smaller man who''s already rolling to one side to avoid her.
A hundred feet away, Renter and Kelsey share something of a concerned look. The Tracker grips his light crossbow tightly, but doesn''t seem too inclined to use it just yet. "Alright, boss - now what the fuck do we do? If that lady is working for the dungeon, should we like...help her, or fuckin'' what?"
Kelsey glances towards the battle, which is surprisingly not one-sided despite the size difference of the two foes. The shaman is rather nimble for a caster, and manages to recover his staff before Yulia can pin him with one of her razor-sharp legs. With that in his hands and magically charged, he''s actually able to bat away her limbs despite their ghostly nature. "...You really want to get into the middle of that, Tracker? Hells, for all I know, that guy there can''t even actually hurt her!"Stolen story; please report.
His statement is punctuated by a scream, as a blast of arcane energy from the staff punctures a hole in Yulia''s left shoulder. It''s a rather impressive one, too - it should have completely severed the woman''s arm, and yet it remains in place, floating along as if it weren''t suddenly disconnected from the rest of her body. Kelsey sighs. "...Alright, maybe he can hurt her. But still!"
"...Yeah, I ain''t gettin'' paid enough to jump in there, now that I think about it." The man watches as the two trade a few more blows, the arachne dodging a pair of magical blasts before giving the shaman a deep cut on one thigh with her foreleg. "...So which one you wanna put money on?"
Kelsey gives his partner a bit of side-eye. "Really?"
Renter just trades the man back his own expression.
"...The orc, I guess. He brought her here, I''m surprised he ain''t just sent her back yet somehow. Ten silver says he zaps her somehow."
"Yer on."
The two get back to the serious matter of watching the impromptu forest brawl, but unfortunately for both Pulg and Kelsey, the shaman forgot one key factor about Yulia - the reincarnated guardians of Worthy Dungeon aren''t limited to the abilities of their physical monster forms. Stepping back for a moment, Yulia crosses her arms and mutters an incantation of her own. "Ten'' nochi, ukroy menya!" As she says it, the woman disappears into a shadow - yet it''s quite unlike the shadow magic used by Challengers like Taly. Rather than forming an almost physical cloud around herself, she simply seems to fade from view as if she were standing in a dark room and then the light illuminating her had gone out. This is despite the lack of any notable shadows in the forest clearing, yet somehow Renter and Kelsey can''t escape the feeling that their vision just grew darker, somehow.
Pulg doesn''t sit idle and wait for her to strike, however. Once again he reaches for one of his bags of powder and scatters some around himself in a wide circle, not to cast a spell, but simply to give away the presence of anyone invisible closing in on him. He did forget one other small issue, however - while the magically-charged powder of his previous attack had managed to harm Yulia, the more mundane material now has little impact on her ghostly body. So it is that his first hint as to her location is when one of her sharp forelegs stabs its way into his own left shoulder.
There''s no blood, somewhat to the surprise of the audience, but the half-orc certainly howls as if he''d been cut through to the bone. Realizing his mistake, he switches instead to swinging his staff around, its magical charge being more likely to have an actual impact on the dead woman, but his injury is already hindering his movements. Again he''s struck from behind, this time a disabling wound to his right arm, and the man''s staff drops to the ground. Another slash hits the man at the back of his knees, and he screams out loud as he collapses to them.
Secure in her victory, Yulia allows her spell to fade as she steps in front of Pulg once again. "They said you were calling yourself a Master. And here you are, defeated by a spirit you yourself summoned! I am doing grandmother a favor by sparing her from wasting her time on you."
Pulg looks up at her, some defiance left in his voice despite the fact that he''s plainly been beaten. "So this is it, then? You''ll slay me, despite the months we spent working together?"
"Months together, after years as rivals, no? But I won''t...quite kill you. Perhaps you can serve grandmother in another way..." Pulg eyes her with a confused expression, but he doesn''t have time to ask another question before one of Yulia''s spider legs jams itself into the center of his forehead. Like with his other injuries, there''s no actual physical indication of a wound, yet the man certainly goes as rigid as if the limb were real. The moment lasts for a few seconds, perhaps, before Yulia is suddenly gone. Or not quite so suddenly...as Renter considers what he just saw, he realizes that her form faded away as if she were begin sucked through her leg and into Pulg''s skull.
That doesn''t make Renter any less surprised however when Pulg suddenly stands up, dusts himself off, and collects his items...before turning to walk directly towards where Renter and Kelsey are hiding. There''s certainly something off about his movements, though - they had just followed the man through the town, after all, and something about how the shaman is walking now just doesn''t seem quite right. Before he can bring it up, Pulg shouts out to the two. "Enjoyed the show, yes? I do not often work in front of an audience, but I daresay I put on a good performance, no?"
Seeing no further point in hiding, Kelsey stands up before brushing himself off and responding. "...Is that really all this fuckin'' was, then? A performance?"
Pulg grins, showing his teeth. "The true performance has yet to even begin. Normally I would not let you stay around to watch the next act...but you are allies of grandmother, hrmm? I suppose you may consider this particular show over, if you do not spoil the surprise for the prince and his friends."
Renter feels himself obligated to state the obvious. "You''re...Yulia? Yulia...Burg...Burger, or somethin'' like that, right?"
Pulg''s eyes narrow. "Bogdanov, thank you very much. But do not wear it out - I am Pulg, Terrible Shaman now, you agree?"
The pair look at each other and shrug before Kelsey responds. "We''re just paid to watch, like Renter said. I ain''t jumping in the middle of your crazy shit."
"Good enough. Then I''ll see you around, boys." The orc gives the two a rather disturbing wink before marching on past them, but the Tracker notices that they don''t get more than ten feet before something changes. Already the man''s gait has shifted to once again match his previous movements, and when he starts singing something in a strange tongue moments later, his diction is again what it once was. Turning back towards Kelsey, he sighs.
"This dungeon is fucking insane to deal with, you know that?"
"Trust me, I know."
Somewhat further away and more deeply hidden in the woods, two other sets of eyes turn to look at each other. "What in the holiest hells was all of that!? That was something to do with the dungeon?"
The other figure shrugs. "No idea! Lots of stuff is above my paygrade, after all. Do you think it''s important?"
"...Yeah, I probably ought to report this, or...something."
"Ah, okay. Should I go ahead and pull my fingers out so - "
"Nah, nah. Show''s over, so we can...we can finish one more round, Zaps. It''s our afternoon off, after all..."
Chapter 265: Perspectives
"To success! And to the newest qualified members of the Fiver''s Lounge!" Prince Thaddeus raises his mug in a toast with a smile on his face, and the expression is largely mirrored by the rest of his party. Lei looks around with a bit of confusion, however.
"Which we''re celebrating...outside of the lounge in question, for some reason." Indeed, as he scans the room, the martial artist finds the Lucky Bastard''s tavern to be a very familiar sight by this point. It''s the peak of the summer season so the place is decently busy, but it''s also certainly far more...traditional than rumors had described the Fiver''s Lounge as being. Hells, the tavern didn''t even allow for succubi to go around working their wiles in here, unless they were at least buying themselves drinks while they were at it. Bardic entertainment was irregular, meaning the most excitement the place usually had was the occasional card game.
"Yes, but only so we can celebrate properly. The walls may have ears wherever we go, but it sounds as if dungeon spirits are far more aware of their contents than we first assumed, so I wanted us to be able to share drinks in a place where we could talk more freely." The raven-haired prince shoots his companion a wink. "But no worries - I''m declaring tomorrow a day off, so if you wish to return and enjoy the pleasures we''re currently missing out on, have at it."
On his other side, Linda smiles briefly before growing more serious. "You wish to talk business tonight, then?"
"Yes, but first, I must finish the task of congratulating you all on a job well done. The twilight forest of Floor Four...it was certainly something. Linda, Pulg, your magics did an excellent job of protecting us from those wraiths and shades. The mana-conversion artifacts are in full working order, I take it?"
The mage nods. "The first batch have been fully refined and tweaked, and I can personally say that using my magic felt as good as ever today. Pulg, any complaints?"
The half-orc shaman sitting next to her grins. "Ah, it was almost too easy! Being at full strength again - ah, I''ve missed it!"
Linda nods in agreement. "That also goes for the chest I''ve been working on, just place any artifacts you''re worried about in there and they''ll recharge overnight. Tizzy and I will still need some time to carry over the refinements to the second batch though, for the other team. I hope they all got through Floor One today in one piece, at least?"
Lei chuckles. "Yes, I checked in with them on our way back. A couple actually got scratched by that rabbit, but nothing major. They claim that he was stronger than we said - just trying to make up for their own flaws, I''m sure."
"Part of me was worried that our...that the dungeon might have caught on to our presence and would perhaps attempt to make things harder for us, but it seems as if our cover is yet intact." Thaddeus glances towards Pulg. "Perhaps the results of your ritual yesterday were correct - Sevastion truly is dead and gone, and did not spill our secrets. It''s regretful that he chose that path, but at least it''s not the worst-case scenario."
"Indeed." Pulg lifts his own mug in a toast. "May the man find fortune in his next life!" While there''s a bit of a delayed response, given Sevastion''s lack of popularity with the group, the others do eventually follow.
After taking a moment to swallow his drink, Lei changes the topic. "So we''re taking a day off, and then what - Floor Six next?"
"Yes." Thaddeus nods. "And I think it''s time we bring Tizzy back to our own party, as the dungeon only gets more difficult from here on. Aside from needing her skills ourselves, I''m not sure I trust her safety with the other Challengers around here, at least not on the deeper floors. They say a party of Masters was nearly wiped out the other day, you know."
Linda looks slightly surprised. "What about keeping her cover separate from ours?"
"She''s already known as an independent freelancer, we''ll just claim that we''re hiring her on if anyone asks. I doubt anyone will, however."
"Sounds like a plan, then!" Pulg grins with a wide, toothy smile. "In the meanwhile, I think I''ll spend some time with our newer arrivals. We must be sure that they''re up to the task of aiding us, after all..."
"Hold on, hold on, you''re not making any sense. Dungeon ghosts?" Jantana sets down her cup as the minotaur sits at a much more private dining area, that being the dining room of the small mansion the Valleylander army had rented out as their local ''barracks''. "The dungeon is sending ghosts out into the town?"
"Well, yes and no!" Tinsel sighs as she leans back in her chair. "I don''t think the dungeon sent it out, that orc called her or something. But it possessed him! And now he''s walking around the town! A dungeon monster in plain sight!"
Sitting across from her, Mesht frowns and takes a bite of his dinner. "Mmm. Well, that''s not so new, is it? We already know the dungeon can send its monsters into the town. Hells, I still remember when you made Kalasha and I follow that giant rabbit man around when he took his wife out on that date. Made me feel like a proper creep, alright."
Kalasha shoots him a smirk. "Hey, it got you a date with me out of the bargain, right? Wasn''t all bad."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
"Sure. I could expense-charge it to the army, so it was a free meal."
"That''s - no, you''re missing the point, here!" Tinsel slams her tiny palms down onto the table''s surface. "When a dungeon monster visits the town, it gets noticed, recorded even! They even make Zappy check in with the guards, you know? This one - no one knows it''s wandering around! And it fuckin'' possessed a guy! What if it can hop around? It could be anyone by now!"
Haylizt, the group''s drider Priestess, raises a hand - or rather a shadowy tentacle that briefly takes the form of one. "I think you might be forgetting the other issue you described. Someone''s summoning monsters out of the dungeon? Why, and who the hells are these people? That might have been an orc, but he''s definitely not with the Valleylands or we should''ve heard about it, right? Are these just Challengers up to some scheme, or do you think this is another Domain plot of some sort?"
Tinsel pauses for a moment to consider that particular angle before answering. "...You''re right, we don''t know enough about them. I do know he''s a Master, cause part of my job is to try and keep an eye out for any Masters or Supremes who come through town. I think I''ve seen him hanging out with a couple of humans before...and now that I think about it, I''m pretty sure one of those humans is a Supreme. The only Supreme in Grassbrook right now, as far as I know." The mousekin grimaces at the thought. "Shit. Supremes don''t just fall out of the fuckin'' sky. It''d be one thing to think he was just here to check out the dungeon''s, uh, ''fringe benefits'', since for the most part Worthy Dungeon''s not really at the level of attracting Supreme-tier Challengers yet. But to be here and having a party member fuckin'' with the dungeon like that? There''s definitely a bigger plot at play. Could be Dragonlord shit, for sure."
The Shadow Priestess nods along. "So what''s our move, then? Observe and report? Or do we step in? We have been authorized to interfere with Domain plots, right? And I know Command was upset we missed out on things when that last Domain squad attacked those nobles, though honestly I''m not sure if we should''ve jumped into the middle of that one even if we''d known about it. They did sound like they wanted us to be more proactive, though."
"You''d be right if this is a Domain plot, but we don''t know that yet. We need to get close to them, find out if they''re acting alone or if they''re getting orders from someone." Tinsel''s eyes narrow as she returns to her original point. "Also, we definitely need to keep an eye on what that dungeon ghost is up to. I''m still worried about that!"
Mesht sighs. "Well, we can give it a shot, but everyone knows we''re working for the Army of the Valleylands. If they''re suspicious of government agents, it''s gonna be difficult to just walk up to them and go, ''hey, can I buy you a drink, also, what do you think about summoning ghosts in secret rituals''."
"Right, we need someone with a little more plausible deniability." Tinsel turns her head upwards, mentally looking up at one of the bedrooms several floors above, where her ''landlord'' resides. "I need to have a lil chat with Grizza about this..."
"Ghosts. The realmwalkers are summoning ghosts." Alizz stares at Kelsey as the pair sit at a private Association meeting, alongside Renter and Sely. "From the dungeon."
"Well, singular ghost. Also, I dunno if they''ll be doing that again, now that the dude trying the thing got fuckin'' possessed. What are we gonna do about that, by the way? Not that it''s Xenia''s fault, but that does seem like a bit of a loophole around the usual arrangements we''ve been working with." The kobold gives a thoughtful look as he comments, as if having the proper paperwork filled out was indeed something he was typically concerned about.
The drider buries her face in her hands, pushing her glasses aside, and sighs deeply. "...I don''t know. This whole realmwalkers business is a private matter of Xenia''s, beyond the fact that they''ve been forging paperwork, it''s not necessarily an Association concern. I can''t help but feel like this is leading to a confrontation, but my hope was that it''d be a confrontation between them and Xenia. Watching them is one thing, but getting directly involved - I mean, they seem to be as good as they say, yes? Master-tier or higher, at least for their core group?"
Sely scoffs. "I''ve had to treat three Experts for injuries after they challenged that fistfighter to spars. ''Accidental'' broken bones, my ass. That man plays with Experts like they''re toys. Yes, I''d wager they''ve got at least a few Master-tiers there, forged paperwork or no."
"Right." Alizz sighs again. "That means they''re beyond the four of us, unless we managed to arrange a perfect ambush. If we enlisted aid from the Challengers or staff trainers, or perhaps the Fort''s garrison, we could beat them with numbers, but who knows how many casualties that could lead to? I don''t want us getting directly involved in this mess unless it''s an absolute requirement. If they want to try and interrogate dungeon guardians, and Xenia wants to plant a spy on their team in response...that''s still between them and the dungeon. We''ll just have to keep a closer eye on that shaman, I suppose."
Kelsey frowns. "I get what you''re saying, but I don''t like being passive if there''s a threat to the dungeon under our noses. Protecting the place is one of our, like, top three job requirements. They''ve already called in reinforcements once, and they''ve apparently been using the past couple weeks to rebuild their magical strength. What if waiting just makes things worse?"
"We''re not the only ones with plans at play here though, Kelsey. Xenia''s already, apparently, neutered one of their major players, and could well be in a position to take out the others without even a fight. Maybe..." Alizz winces slightly as she says it. "Maybe we give Xenia a chance to work her own plans against them."
Kelsey chuckles. "Well, when I wake up and Grassbrook is burning down, at least we''ll know who to blame..."
"Hey! Pay attention!" Xenia snaps her fingers at the distracted floor guardian standing before her. "I may be the dungeon master here, but it''s your arena. If I''m not getting your feedback on what sort of secondary monsters and distractions to put in here, I at least need to be sure you know how your own damn fight works."
Yulia''s gaze quickly locks on to her new employer. "Yes, yes, I am listening! Was simply...thinking about something else, for a moment."
Xenia eyes her guardian for a moment, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "...Is this about the body? If the spider-queen thing isn''t doing it for you, I''ve got no problem in downgrading you a bit if you need something more comfortable."
The arachne boss shakes her head vigorously. "No, that''s not an issue! This body has already proven...quite enjoyable."
"Really? You ain''t even had a fight with it yet. Or have you been..." Xenia briefly considers accessing her memories of Yulia''s behavior, and then quickly changes her mind. "No, no, I don''t wanna know, what you do on your personal time is your own business. Just let me know if anything''s bothering you, okay?"
"Of course! I am here to help you, grandmother, after all..."
Chapter 266: Tall Tales - Explicit
"I must say, your sermon was quite well done! I would have applauded, except I''m not sure that''s a typical behavior in the Church of Bounty."
Deylia grins at Raylin''s compliment as the two receive their drinks at their table in Worthy Inn, as they sit alongside Gilda Highbranch. "Probably not, but this is an independent shrine, remember. We don''t need to be strictly orthodox, here. Either way, I''m glad you two were finally able to come by! I assume having more evening sermons helped? The morning ones do mostly appeal to Challengers who''ve spent the night here, I suppose."
The silver-haired half-elf nods. "It did, actually. I don''t consider myself a slothful person, but the early hour in which we''d have to rise in order to make it up the mountain for a morning sermon...well, it wasn''t ideal for my schedule, I''ll put it like that. You seem to have had yourself a decently-sized audience tonight as well."
"To be honest, I wonder at that myself. We have had non-Challengers making, well, I suppose you could call them pilgrimages, up here to see the dungeon and stay for a few days. But the audience is mostly Challengers, and I wouldn''t have expected them to be interested in the sorts of topics I cover. Priestess Brightsky is certainly more...focused on martial topics, you could say, but surprisingly she doesn''t seem to attract quite the same attention."
Raylin rests his cheek on one hand as he gives the rabbit-eared Priestess a smile. "Perhaps they just enjoy listening to you talk? I know I certainly was quite captivated with your performance."
Deylia scoffs. "If they want a show, the Lounge is far better suited to that. I may be discussing matters related to fertility on a regular basis, but I''m hardly giving demonstrations."
Gilda attempts to slightly shift the topic. "Your sermon tonight about the importance of family was quite compelling, actually. About how parenthood is a responsibility, and such." She slightly glances down at herself before looking away. "Not that I need any particular reminders."
"Oh, it does everyone good to be reminded once in a while, I think." Deylia tilts her head at the noblewoman. "If I might ask, my lady, how is your own relationship with your family? It certainly seemed as if you and your sister are quite close, which is good, considering you are, well...potential rivals for your father''s title."
Gilda sighs. "To be honest, both of us have often wished that we had an elder sibling so we didn''t have to worry about that particular source of conflict. As for my parents, well, they''ve always gone to rather far lengths to avoid showing any favoritism towards one of us or the other. We both have our strengths, I''d say - Silva is more of a planner, and I''m more of a do-er. While I appreciate them not picking one of us over the other, at least while we''re still young, I''m not fond of the idea that it could eventually lead to us having to make the choice between ourselves, should something unfortunate happen."
"Personally, I think that..." Raylin trails off for a moment as he glances at Gilda, then takes a long sip from his drink before continuing. "...Actually, it''s not important what I think, really. Not my place."
The half-elf rolls her eyes at the verbal retreat. "Come, Raylin, you are my consort now. If you can''t feel confident in saying you support my claim for eventually becoming duchess, who else would? ...You were going to say you think I would make the better choice, yes?" As Raylin takes another long drink, her eyes narrow.
"As you said, you both have your strengths! I believe you''d both make fine duchesses, just...very different kinds of duchesses." Raylin glances at his companion to see if that sufficiently mollified her, and decides to pile it on a bit more. "Only one of you was bold enough to spend a day as a tavern server, and although I wasn''t here to witness it, I''m sure that display of humility will serve you well in tending to the common folk in the future."
Gilda rolls her eyes yet again. "It was only an eight hour shift. But I suppose I''ll accept the compliment, such as it is."
Having been let off the hook, Raylin grins and turns his attention back towards Deylia. "Speaking of shifts, I imagine you have no more duties for the rest of the night? I''ve been hoping you might have an...evening free." His hand slides across the table to brush hers, and the Priestess smiles back.
"Oh? Hoping for a demonstration of some of my sermon topics after all, are we?"
"Well, I''d certainly be an appreciative audience..."
"I can imagine." Deylia continues to smile at her old lover, before suddenly turning that smile onto Gilda. "Would you care to join us, my lady?"
For once, Raylin and Gilda are on the same page with their responses. "What?"
Deylia turns to Raylin first. "Raylin, you are her consort! Flirting with another woman right in front of her? How rude! It''s only polite to invite her ladyship to join in!" She then turns to Gilda. "I hope you can forgive him, I was once attempting to train him in better applying his...etiquette skills, but of course I have not had much opportunity of late. Perhaps we could work together...?"
Gilda finds her tongue first. "Priestess - Deylia - I am...I am quite aware of the relationship between you and Raylin here. The arrangement between us was hardly one of romance, I do not intend to enforce exclusivity." She eyes Raylin before continuing. "...As long as he can be at least somewhat subtle about it."
"And what of your growing family? Do you recall me saying how important it is for parents to work together, to provide a united force when raising their children?" Deylia shakes her head and sighs as she takes a drink. "Mm. If the two of you can''t even fuck a maid together, how are you going to raise a child together?"
Raylin''s face is blank as he attempts to process that. "...I''m sure you don''t actually mean that."
Deylia''s poker face is excellent as she looks back at him, without a twitch of her rabbit-like ears or nose. "Don''t I?"
The Marksman turns towards Gilda, prepared to write it all off as a joke, but she interrupts him with a long drink of her own, swallowing half the mug down before slamming it back on the table. "Fuck it. We should at least be even in the number of maids we fuck, hrmm? That''s fair."
Deylia''s smile turns toothy. "Excellent! In fact, we have a room I know you''ll both love..."
"How...how long has the dungeon had this room, exactly?" Raylin''s eyes are wide as he examines the dungeon''s VIP suite, and while Gilda keeps her thoughts to herself, her surprise is almost equally apparent. As she spins around to face them, Deylia has a large smile on her face.
"Oh, quite a while now, I forget exactly! The Dungeon Fuckers stayed here for several months, actually, and I believe it''s been mostly unused since they departed. There were a few Challengers who won nights here as prizes at the party, but for tonight, we have it all to ourselves! There''s both a small hot springs and a more traditional bath, quite a collection of toys and...specialized furniture over there, and well...of course you can see the bed." Deylia spreads her arms wide in the direction of the heart-shaped mattress, and they do have to be wide in order to fully encompass it.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
Gilda nods appreciatively. "Quite the...romantic getaway you have here. Actually, in many ways this would put even most noble bedrooms to shame. Assuming one was even willing to so, ah, blatantly decorate one for this purpose."
"It''s a bold statement, indeed." As he says that, Raylin looks over towards Gilda and finds himself feeling somewhat less-than-bold himself. "So...what are you in the mood for first, my lady? Perhaps a relaxing bath?" He steps closer and reaches out a hand to brush her shoulder with, but the half-elf elegantly steps away to avoid the contact. He''s a little confused by the move, and no less so when he sees the slightly mocking expression on her face.
"Don''t get too familiar now, my consort. The setting might be romantic, but we''re not here for romance. As I believe Deylia mentioned earlier, I think this would be a good opportunity to train you in how a consort...serves his lady. Don''t you agree?"
Deylia nods, although it''s half-hidden as her robes get pulled up over her body, leaving her standing in some very un-priestess-like lingerie. "Oh, certainly, my lady! And I''m sure I can help him out there - after all, as a maid, I gained quite a bit of experience in...serving others. Particularly this ruffian." She steps forward and begins to undress the Marksman, although for his part Raylin feels the need to defend himself in front of the heiress.
"Ah, Gilda, don''t misunderstand! It''s not as if I''m in the habit of - "
"Screwing your maids?" Deylia finishes his sentence for him, although not in the way he was aiming for. Nor in the manner, with her voice taking on a seductive tone as her face nears his, even as her hands continue to remove his clothing. "Bending them over and stuffing them with your highborn dick? Pumping them full of noble seed? Seeing if perhaps you can grace them with your family''s bastard children?"
Raylin suspects his face might be as red as it''s ever been, which is impressive considering how much blood flow is also being directed to the south. Stammering, he continues to attempt his defense. "No! That was - Gilda, I''m not that kind of - it was entirely consensual! Deylia wasn''t even my maid!"
Seeing his flustered state, Gilda can''t resist smirking at him. "Well, you certainly enjoy spawning bastards, that much seems to be true. Tell me, Deylia - how did this brute first have his way with you?" As she speaks she begins to undo the fasteners holding together her own outfit, and Raylin finds himself perhaps even more at a loss for comprehending what sort of situation he''s currently in.
"Oh, it was terrible, my lady. I was cleaning the artifact displays at the manor, as was my duty, when suddenly I felt these strange, strong hands cupping my breasts from behind - "
"I - you didn''t even work at - !" The man''s interjection is cut short by a kiss from the former maid, and when she pulls back to continue her story, Raylin stays silent.
"It was so rough! He pulled at my poor nipples right through my clothing, it was all I could do not to squeal! And then one hand slipped under my skirt, between my thighs, and he whispered into my ear - ''I''ll give you a nice, good mess to clean up.''"
Gilda mock-gasps. "How crude!"
"And that was only the beginning!" With most of Raylin''s clothing now scattered across the floor, Deylia switches instead to pushing down on his shoulders, indicating that he should kneel. Figuring out that he''s just along for the ride at this point, Raylin does so, and Gilda steps forward. "He pressed my face against the wall, but pulled on my hips so that my rear was sticking out in his direction. He flipped my skirt up so that I was entirely exposed! And right there, he pulled aside my undergarments and...and penetrated me with his fingers!"
"Such abhorrent treatment of a loyal servant. Clearly, the man needs to be taught his place. Hold him for me, will you?" Deylia does so, tilting Raylin''s head back slightly as Gilda once again steps forward. At this point she''s entirely bare from the waist down, and one more step brings Raylin''s lips against her own lower set. "Work that tongue, consort, while Deylia wags her own."
At last feeling like he knows what to do next, Raylin obliges, and Deylia once again continues. "Oh, he was so rough! He pulled them out to - to taste me, but soon had them right back inside, to dig away at me with them, and at such a rapid pace! I''m ashamed to admit, my lady, that I did begin to make quite a mess. My garments, and even the floor were stained with my involuntary pleasure..." She pauses for a moment to lick her palm, and once her hand is lubricated the priestess reaches down to grab at Raylin''s very confused, but also very erect cock. She begins to stroke it, covering it with her saliva, as her face rests on Raylin''s shoulder and her other hand massages his chest.
"Of course, he wasn''t happy without having his own satisfaction, my lady. Just when I thought it was over, he pulled me around and presented me with his...his obscene manhood. Before I knew what was happening I was down on my knees, and he was forcing his way into my mouth!"
Gilda''s eyes widen as she pulls on Raylin''s head, making better use of his own oral skills. "My! I''m glad indeed that I have the opportunity to provide him with proper punishment! To not even properly taste you himself first, how ungentlemanly."
"It was such a disgrace! He barely let me breathe, with his cock sliding back and forth, right into my throat! I''m sure I had tears running down my face, and spit was dripping from my chin, but all he said was ''now that''s a proper face for a serving girl to make!''" Muffled noises coming from the direction of Gilda''s cunt indicate that Raylin is once again attempting to deny the charges, but Gilda tightens her grip on his head, and the statement remains unheard. "After a few minutes I was nearly passed out, and I barely even felt it as his...his slimy seed was pouring down my throat. I daresay I almost blacked out by time he was done, it took him so long to finish pumping my stomach full."
"Abusing your maid to the point of near-injury!? My my, Raylin - I hope you can hold your - your own breath as well while you work." Gilda''s taunting statements are starting to lose some of their luster at this point, as Gilda''s breath hitches at Raylin''s oral attentions. As distracted as the man might be, his tongue is certainly well-practiced, and if she wasn''t so deep into the roleplay the noblewoman might even be tempted to actually compliment the man.
"Perhaps I was the lucky one, in the end. After all, he''d done all this in plain view of three other maids - "
This time, Raylin does briefly succeed in pulling back for a moment of freedom. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me - "
Deylia firmly pushes the back of his head towards Gilda''s groin, and proceeds as if there''d been no interruption. " - And he moved on to them immediately. Poor Farris was first - he threw her right down onto the floor, tearing her clothes off, and pinned her down while he thrust away at her! I can still see the image of his cock penetrating her, over and over, until his seed spilled from her womanhood. Then next was Alessa. Her shirt was ripped from her, and Raylin had her...pleasure him with her breasts. She was the most well-endowed woman at the manor, you know, and could hardly ever escape his gaze. Nor did she escape being marked by him as he thrust up at her."
"And...and the last?" Gilda''s eyes are half-lidded as she prods the Priestess to continue, but the woman is yet unwilling to admit just how close she is to losing control of herself.
"Ah, poor Nerry had the worst of it. With his brute strength he lifted her up, holding her beneath her knees and spreading her legs wide - and then he sodomized her, as he stood there in plain view of us all! I suppose it''s fortunate that he was so...lubricated, for he certainly penetrated her to the root. I thought her cries would alert the whole manor, although of course this was hardly the only time he''d had his way with the staff. He put on a show for us, driving between her cheeks until - "
Whatever the climactic end to the story might have been, it gets interrupted by Gilda''s sudden climax as her dam finally breaks open and she moans loudly. Both of her hands are holding Raylin''s face against her at this point, but Deylia can still see the trembling of her thighs as the half-elf orgasms, not to mention the fluids soon dripping down the man''s chin. That''s not the only mess she has to deal with though, as soon after Raylin''s cock begins to throb in her hand, followed by the warm feeling of cum spilling down her soft, paw-like fingers. Both Gilda and Raylin mutually fall back slightly, breathing hard with the intensity of their orgasms, and Deylia takes a moment to watch the two as she licks her hand clean - smiling the whole time, as if she were the rabbitgirl who caught the carrot.
Eventually, it''s Raylin who recovers first, turning towards Deylia with a disbelieving look on his face. "You have the wildest imagination I''ve ever heard! You never told stories like that before, I''m sure of it!"
The Priestess shrugs, still with a smug expression. "What can I say - perhaps this place is having a bit of an influence on me after all. But now - perhaps we''d like to actually try out the bed?"
Chapter 267: The Untamed Reaches
When Beatrice makes her way out of her tent in the early morning and heads down to the nearby stream to collect some water to freshen up with, she''s not surprised to see her companion Janey already there. The minotaur was very much a morning person, and always liked to start the day off with prayers to her goddess, as well as a bit of ritual cleaning. Unfortunately, those morning rituals don''t seem to stop her from turning towards Beatrice with a smug look on her face. "Well?"
The monster slayer rolls her eyes, even as she attempts to play the ignorance card. "Well what, Janey?"
"How was he? Sold you on the benefits of beastkin, hrmm?"
The scarred warrior can''t resist a glance back towards her tent, where Kliss, the group''s lizardkin merchant associate, is still snoring away. "...I''ll admit. I thought you were making it up when you said that he had two...well, you-knows. I can''t figure out why, though! How is that a - a biological benefit? Are they supposed to be with two women at once, or something?"
Janey raises an eyebrow at Beatrice as the human kneels down next to her, collecting water with an enchanted flask which does the work of filtering it for her. "What, did he not show you the ''biological benefits'' last night? Cause he surely showed me a trick or two - like when he - "
The Embracing Acolyte is cut off with a raised hand. "Hey, hey, you talked me into giving it a try, but that still doesn''t mean I want to hear the details of your liaisons, yeah? But uh...yeah, don''t know that I''ll be making a thing of it, but it was definitely...novel."
The minotaur laughs loudly, though hopefully not enough to disturb anyone in the camp who''s still sleeping. The forested environment does at least muffle the sound a bit with all of the trees, although nature is beginning to provide its own soundtrack with the call of birds and the hooting noises of small mammals. "Yes, novel, it was certainly that! Now I just need to convince Tassa to take a turn! Kliss certainly has enough interest on his part, I know."
Beatrice sighs at her companion''s exuberance. "Hey, look, Janey, I get that matchmaking is a service you provide in the name of Taina, or something like that, but you can tone it down a little, maybe? I don''t know that Tassa is the sort for one-night stands, and this caravan is only a week out from its last stop, so it''s not like we''ll be spending that much more time with Kliss." She continues, although the next part is slightly mumbled. "...Besides, if the entire team spends a night with the man, it might give us a bit of a reputation..."
"True, true, although I don''t think she''s as closed-off as you imagine. I''ve noticed her giving people looks, and I do have a Priestess-of-Love-Sense about these things!" Beatrice gives her a disbelieving look, and Janey grunts. "...Okay, I don''t have a spell for that, strictly speaking. I''m only an Expert, and that''s usually more of a Master-tier thing. But we are going to be passing through a rabbitkin village today, and it''s not like I''m going to be passing up that opportunity."
The slayer narrows her eyes. "An opportunity for what, exactly?"
Janey smiles. "To do what I''ve been doing this entire trip - confirming rumors!"
Beatrice shakes her head, but can''t help chuckling. "Sometimes I get the feeling they''re only getting ''confirmed'' because of your efforts to make it happen. But as long as you don''t cause any trouble, or annoy Tassa too much, well...I wish you luck."
The trading caravan had been a very variable thing, ever since it had first left Yotel-on-the-Sea about a month and a half earlier. Some of the trading wagons, carts, and transports had only been interested in trading with other goblin cities along the coastal region, and nearly half of the caravan had swapped out once it had begun heading towards the Untamed Reaches. That included the people staffing it, as well as the goods being transported - while it had originally been perhaps nine-tenths goblins, at that point it had become a quarter beastkin, and that percentage had only continue to rise as it went deeper into tribal territory.
Despite the region''s name however, and its reputation for being ''uncivilized'', Beatrice had actually found the trip to be extremely relaxing. There was apparently a rather wide mix of biomes within the Reaches, and an equally wide mix of people living within them. At first, near the coast there had been open plains and swamps, home to mouse and frogkin. It had soon turned into more of a forested territory though, where they had encountered wolf and bearkin villages, and the deeper they went, the more the Reaches turned into something resembling a thick jungle. Beyond what she had personally seen, Kliss had told them that there were cold mountainous regions populated by large, heavily-furred apekin, and to the north the Reaches turned into steppeland, bordering the Hordelands. Those lands were populated by orcs and the large plains-variety of gnolls, but there were apparently large communities of forest gnolls living in the border regions.
Beatrice''s quest however was taking her in a different direction. She''d been continuing her attempts to practice magic but to no avail, but fortunately she had heard confirmation of Sincere''s rumors about ''inkbinding'' rituals, which could implant magical skills within a person''s body through the use of, essentially, enchanted tattoos. While the practice had been invented by demons, if there were still any living around these parts they were remaining well hidden. It had been confirmed however that there was at least one tribe of boarkin who practiced the rituals, and they were the party''s final destination. There was still some distance to cover, though. In a week they''d be visiting Kliss''s home village of lizardkin, and there was apparently at least one major village of catkin to pass through after that.
Today''s destination however was Thumptown, home of the rabbitkin. When the caravan finally reaches it, a few hours after lunch, Beatrice again has to consider how the beastkin villages can easily shatter her preconceptions of what such ''tribal'' villages might be like, if only because they were all so incredibly unique. Some were barely villages at all, and instead more of a temporary campgrounds for a nomadic tribe. The bearkin village, a place named Longrest, had been a place of massive wooden structures with every building being designed to twice the scale that Beatrice was used to, making her feel like a dwarf the entire time she was there. Meanwhile the boarkin, she had heard, were great craftsmen of stone, and the place she was heading towards was apparently almost more of a giant fortress than a city. Thumptown, though, is very much a place of earth and trees.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
Not to say it''s unworked nature, by any means. In fact, an earthen wall surrounds the entire village, protecting the place from the many monsters of the Reaches, with a heavy wooden gate meeting the road. Rabbitkin spearmen and archers guard the gate as the caravan passes through, and the warrior has to struggle not to stare at the adorable noses sticking out of their leather-and-mail helmets, but her attention is soon grabbed by the sight of the village itself beyond the gate. The first structures she sees are almost burrow-like, although she suspects that they''re perhaps based around more traditional construction materials and then only covered in soil and grass to give them the appearance of small hills afterward. In between those buildings however are the trees.
There''s at least twenty of them scattered throughout the village, and each of them is huge. At nearly four times the height of the surrounding forest, Beatrice has to crane her neck upwards to see into their upper branches, where she finds to her surprise that there''s a rather large number of small, wooden homes built among them. A more distracting sight however are the swarms of pastel ribbons which circle the trunks and hang from the branches of every tree, before eventually trailing off to connect to the next nearest tree or to reach downward to ground level. It makes the place look like it''s in the middle of a festival, although as far as she can tell there''s nothing special going on at the moment. Still, Beatrice finds herself a little confused, and prods her guide-slash-experimental hookup with a question.
"Hey, Kliss, what''s the deal with all the vertical construction? Not that people need to, ah, conform to stereotypes or such, but I didn''t think rabbitfolk would be big on climbing."
The merchant turns to look up at the nearest tree, and smiles when he realizes what she''s talking about. "Oh, did it not come up? Thumptown is a mixed community - it''s about three-quarters rabbitkin, sure. Well...give or take how long it''s been since the last, uh...festival night. But the other quarter are squirrelkin."
"What? Squirrelkin?" Beatrice looks around with widened eyes, hoping to catch sight of one of the unfamiliar beastkin, and nearly leaps out of her boots when she turns to her right and finds one staring at her from only a handful of feet away. The woman - she''s pretty sure it''s a woman - is wearing a green vest with quite a few pockets, a smile, and absolutely nothing else. Now, by this point the lack of pants doesn''t entirely surprise the monster slayer much - many of the fur-covered beastkin seem to treat clothing as an optional, utilitarian piece of equipment. But this is perhaps the first time Beatrice has caught a pantsless woman leering at her in such a way.
"Gahhh! Ah - ma''am? Can - do - can I help you with something?"
The woman''s bushy tail ripples a few times in excitement, or fear, Beatrice isn''t entirely sure. "Wow! A real monkeykin! I''ve heard about you!"
"I - what? I''m pretty sure if I was a monkeykin, I''d have a tail. And fur. I''m a human. You haven''t seen one before?" Beatrice stops to see what the woman might want to talk about, not worried about the caravan passing her by as she does so. In a village this small she''ll hardly lose track of the group, and Tassa and Janey do notice the commotion and come over to check in on her. As they approach, the squirrelkin takes note of them as well.
"What''s a human a kin of? And I see we''ve got some cattlekin here!"
Even Janey''s friendly eyes grow a little wide at that. "Cattle - what!? We''re minotaurs, miss! Not beastkin! Not that there''s anything wrong with being a beastkin, of course. This town must be pretty sheltered, huh?"
"Not beastkin, they say! Wow, I''ve never heard of anyone being that much in denial before. I once saw a horsekin who kept saying he wasn''t a horsekin, too."
Various images flicker through Beatrice''s mind before she figures out what the woman is referring to. "You mean...a centaur?"
"Is ''taur'' just another word for kin? Though I don''t know what a cen is. Anyhow, welcome to Thumptown! You can be in denial and be in Thumptown at the same time, we''re very flexible like that. I''m Laquerel!"
Tassa speaks up, perhaps hoping to speed the conversation along by doing so. "...Nice to meet you, Laquerel. Are you the, ah...welcoming committee? Or just some street crier to try and direct us to the nearest inn?"
Laquerel blinks her large, black eyes. "Eh, I haven''t cried on the street in at least a month! No, I''m here to buy your stuff before anyone else can get it! Waiting for folks to set up stands or stock the shops is way too slow. We don''t get caravans very often this far out, unless you count the cats, but that''s hardly a caravan. More of a catavan, really."
Beatrice chuckles, somewhat awed by the childlike nature of a woman that she''d judge to be in at least her twenties. "Ah, I''m afraid you''re mistaken. We''re travelers, we''ve been helping out with security but we''re not actually part of the merchant group, we''re not selling anything."
"Oh." Laquerel blinks again, but makes no move to leave. "How much for a story, then?"
Janey''s attention is caught by that, enough for her to glance upwards from Laquerel''s mostly-bare bottom half. "Oh? You pay people for stories? Because I''d tell those for free! Or for a drink, perhaps. I''m Janey, by the way, and this is Tassa and Beatrice. What is it you do around here, Laquerel? Aside from buy things off strangers, that is."
"Oh, I''m a thief! And yeah, I like to learn stuff about folks!"
Tassa''s eyes narrow. "So...when you said you were looking for new merchandise that was coming into town..."
"Hrmm? Oh, no, I''m not going to steal any of your stuff! I''m a professional thief!"
Beatrice attempts to parse the difference, but fails. "Which means you''re not going to steal stuff from us because..."
Laquerel rolls her eyes. "Because no one''s paid me to! What, you think I''m gonna work for free? Besides, I don''t work in the village. The village council usually pays me to steal stuff from the other tribes and bring it back."
There''s a bit of silence at that, and Janey pauses to scratch her horns. "I think if you''re stealing on behalf of the government, it''s called something else. ...Right?"
Beatrice looks up at her companion. "...Involuntary tax collection?"
"I like the sound of that! Maybe you''re not so bad with words, not-a-monkeykin! So, do we have a deal? I''ll trade you drinks, and you trade me stories! Or I can tell you stories about this part of the Reach? You look new, I could trade you some cheap ones for sure."
The monster slayer takes a moment to consider it, but not a long one. "...Well, we are stuck here for at least a day or two while the caravan does its business. So sure, why not? Tell me, Laquerel, you ever hear a story about a dungeon?"
Chapter 268: A Midnight Snack
"Haha, wow, are you sure you''re not a succubus, Liani? I''ve gotta be honest, I''ve never had a girl move this fast before!" The blonde-haired young man grins as he lets himself be pulled along through the dark streets of Grassbrook, although the setting isn''t half as interesting as the woman leading the way. Grassbrook barely has more than a handful of paved streets at this point to begin with, and the alley she pulls him towards is an isolated one largely due to the simple fact that most of the town is fairly dead once the sun goes down. Despite the dim light of the moon however, the woman guiding him almost seems to glow in the night, her pale white skin nearly luminescent in his eyes.
"Oh? Do you have a thing for women with horns and claws, Kally? I might not have those, but I''m sure I have a few other surprises in store..."
"I''m sure you do..." Kally keeps grinning, but he does look around in a bit of confusion as Liani brings him behind a closed-up smith''s workshop. "Are you sure you don''t want to go back to an inn, though? It''d be a lot more, ah, comfortable, to say the least."
The woman rolls her eyes - an enchanting shade of red, as it happens, which is just one of the factors making the man wonder if she is in fact part-demon. "Far too crowded. Especially the bunkhouse where I''m staying - if nothing else I''d like an excuse to get out of the dreadful place for a few hours. Besides, haven''t you ever had a fantasy about having an eager woman in a back alley?"
Her partner chuckles, but a little awkwardly. "I''m sort of a farm boy, to be honest, Grassbrook is actually the biggest place I''ve ever spent more than a week in, which I suppose is really saying something. But that''s why I became a Challenger, you know? See a bit more of the world...meet exciting new people..."
"Oh, well, there''s no shame in that. A well-built farm boy like you...men like you do have a fine taste. A bit simple, perhaps, but very filling..."
"Oh?" The man''s eyebrow rises, wondering if this is how city girls flirt. "You''re something of a connoisseur of...how men taste, are you?"
"Men, women...animals, when I''m desperate."
"Wow. Are you sure you''re not a farm girl yourself - I mean, not that I''m saying anything - " His question is interrupted by a finger pressed against his lips, and Liani whispers as she leans in close.
"That''s right - don''t say anything. Just stand there and let me take care of everything..."
"Wow, okay. Ah...ooh..." Kally''s words fade out as Liani stretches upward to kiss him, before lowering herself slightly to work her way down his neck. She doesn''t go much further than that, though, as her final kiss gets very...very intense. "Ah...ahh! Liani - I...ahh..."
As fear slowly begins to take over arousal, the Challenger eventually begins to struggle against Liani''s embrace. Despite his status as an Advanced-tier warrior though, his efforts amount to nothing, with his limbs feeling surprisingly sluggish while his partner''s are unexpectedly firm. He then attempts to scream instead, to yell for help, but it''s almost as if he''s beginning to fall into an unreal, dream-like state despite the twin pains in the side of his neck. His exclamations result in nothing more than whimpers, his blows upon her arms coming to no harder an impact than a light shove. After a minute or two even that comes to a stop, and in a few minutes more Kally performs his final act of slumping to the muddy ground, while Liani looks down at him with a bloody smile on her face.
Unfortunately, she doesn''t get long to bask in the afterglow of her meal. "I was wondering how long it''d take you to go prowling, Liani."
Shocked, Liani spins around, only to be even more surprised when she sees who it is who managed to sneak up on her. "Pulg!? What - since when have you been so quiet? I should''ve heard your orcish heart beating from two blocks away!"
Pulg smiles, his grin far more toothy than Liani''s despite the lack of sharp fangs. "You think a man like myself doesn''t have a few tricks? Also - you think that Prince Thaddeus didn''t expect you to try something like this? I know he told you to lay low, vampire."
Liani calms down somewhat, or at least pretends to, shrugging as she leans against the wall beside Kally''s corpse. "And I have been, haven''t I? Gone nearly a full week without a proper meal! I''m sure our lord knows by now that I''m not going to spend forever being satisfied with butcher''s cuts."
"He had hoped, I suppose. Or perhaps hoped that you''d at least try monster blood from the dungeon, instead. But I''m not surprised, personally. For as long-lived as your kind can be, you''re often quite impatient, aren''t you?"
The vampire''s eyes narrow as she studies the man, and his casual stance as he rests his staff upon the ground. "Please, Pulg, let''s not ruin a fine night like this trading barbs. Now, are you here to scold me on our lord''s behalf, because if so, let''s be done with it, shall we?"
The half-orc doesn''t respond right away, and when he does, it''s not to answer her question. "You know, I''ve found out something interesting here about vampires, Liani. They only exist in dungeons, as dungeon spawn. Perhaps they did exist in an independent form once, centuries ago, but now...no, only dungeon monsters can be vampires."
"...So?"The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
"So, you know what''s going to happen, Liani? When they find this corpse? They know vampires well enough to know the marks of one on a body - but to find one outside of a dungeon, in this town of all towns?"
Liani sighs at the performance. "Just get to the point and tell me, Dinter."
"It will be assumed that the dungeon sent a monster out into the town. A monster who hunted, and then killed. That - that would be a very dangerous thing for our grandmother. Her good relationship with the people here would sour overnight."
"So what? Let us dispose of the corpse, then, and even if they do discover it - it''s not as if ''our grandmother'' will be staying here for long anyhow. Hells, perhaps ruining her relationship with the town would encourage her to be willing to leave!"
"That cannot be allowed." The half-orc steps forward, causing the vampire to tense up, but to her surprise he simply taps the corpse with his staff, sending a magical charge down through it as he does so. She eyes it, wondering if perhaps the shaman is using some sort of disintegration spell to remove the evidence, but Liani finds herself rather shocked when the corpse suddenly rises to its feet with a blank stare on his face.
"What in the hells is this, Dinter? You''re going by the title ''Shaman of Life'' or something like that, isn''t that right? But since when does your healing magic give you domain in the field of necromancy?"
The shaman gives her another grin. "To use your own words, I always have a few surprises in store. Now...I suppose I''ll have this fellow wander out into the woods for a bit, perhaps provoke the wildlife. By time anyone finds him, your bite will likely be the least of the damage on his body. The guard should assume he got drunk and got lost."
"Very clever. Perhaps I''ll call on you to assist the next time I''m feeling peckish. But until next time - " Liani moves to step away, but is interrupted as Pulg''s staff hits the wall next to her, barring her way.
"I''m afraid there''s not going to be a next time, Liani."
The woman scoffs. "Fine, fine. I''ll be a nice little vampire from now on, shaman. Perhaps I will try out some of those bunnies in the dungeon, it''d be new, at least."
"It''s a little too late for that." Magic flows through Pulg''s arms, increasing his strength moments before he swings a fist in Liani''s direction. To her credit, the woman doesn''t waste even a moment on being shocked by this turn of events, and quickly ducks beneath the blow thanks to her own preternatural senses. She considers making her own attack on the man, but seeing as how a fistfight doesn''t seem to be in her favor, the vampire instead launches herself towards a nearby roof with a powerful leap.
She doesn''t quite make it, though, considering Pulg''s hand manages to wrap itself around one of her ankles on the way, before using it to swing her into the alley''s mud. The impact might have killed a normal mortal, but Liani quickly turns around in an attempt to free herself. Pulg doesn''t let go, however, despite the fierce scratches she leaves on his arm, and swings her again into the muck. Then the orc spots something that makes him grin - a discarded, broken anvil, dragged here behind the smithy. The next time he swings the vampire around, her skull impacts the metal hard enough to make it literally ring.
Amazingly, even that doesn''t kill Liani, or even knock her unconscious, but when Pulg pulls her back up to her feet she''s certainly more than a little disoriented. As she attempts to trade one last barb, Liani finds her voice to be a little slurred. "Yoouuu...Thaddeus wouldn''t want...won''t be happy..."
"Honestly, I don''t think he would care if I did kill you, as long as I hid the evidence. But that won''t be necessary. You''re useful, after all. Not as easy to puppet as a full corpse, but you are at least partially undead...yes, you''ll do nicely."
Liani''s eyes narrow, but her concussed mind is too confused to even ask as to what it is the man''s talking about. And when a ghostly limb suddenly shoots out of Pulg''s shoulder, impaling her in the forehead, even those thoughts soon fade away.
"Yes, the man definitely died here, indeed. Or was very badly injured at the least. Could not have walked so far into the forest with such an injury, no."
Kelsey frowns as he watches his friend finish sniffing the alleyway. "Well, at least our killer didn''t account for gnollish noses. Did you pick anything up on that murderer, though, Taffy?"
The scout shakes his head. "The scent of the man''s blood was obvious, all the way from the forest to here, yes. It''s currently early afternoon, so...would say it''s from early last night, after business hours but before the taverns closed, hrmm? But that''s the blood. Very distinctive, yes. The rest...too much magic. Obscures much here, I''m afraid." He gestures down the alleyway, in the direction of the street. "And go much further than this, and the scents of hundreds fills the air. No good, no good."
The report does nothing to diminish the kobold''s frown. "What, are you saying you smell magic? Or that magic blew all the scent away or something?"
Tafyaf chews his lip as he thinks to himself. "Not an expert on types of magic, no. But some have scents of their own, certainly. Fire magic smells of ash, lightning magic smells of...ah, lightning? Hrmm. But this...not that I''ve run into it before, but death magic...yes, this alley smells of death, and not simply because a man died here, no."
That makes Kelsey''s eyes grow wide. "Are you saying we''ve got a goddamn necromancer in town? Why would one kill a guy just to get rid of the body?"
"Hrmm, the legends don''t tell much of their strategies, do they? But why are you investigating this, I wonder? The Association isn''t required to investigate crimes, that falls on us of the garrison, mostly usually, yes."
Kelsey counts off on his fingers. "Well, for one, the deceased was a Challenger. Okay, yeah, that still doesn''t make it our responsibility, but we do care, y''know? Second...there''s some suspicious folks we''ve been keeping an eye on who''d be the prime suspects. But I feel like I''d want at least some sort of evidence to say that one of them was the one that did it. There''s gotta be something here, right?"
Taffy looks around again, but shrugs. "The mud has been swept clean of prints. There is nothing here that would not be normal for the back alley of a smithy, I think? A...somewhat wide area, perhaps. There was a fight here, I would think. Not a simple assassination. Perhaps your Challenger put up a struggle, yes?"
The kobold scratches his head, but it doesn''t seem to add up. "Kid was barely into the Advanced ranks. If he was taken by surprise...it''s hard to imagine a hidden necromancer being that sloppy. With the element of surprise, I''m sure either you or I could''ve taken him out with one good blow to the head. But who knows, eh? Still...there may be someone to keep a closer eye on..."
"Well, let me know if you need further assistance. Unless you want to fight a necromancer. Then do not call me, no."
Kelsey has to grin at his friend''s self-preservation instincts. "Thanks for the offer. But here''s hoping this doesn''t end up way beyond any of our paygrades..."
Chapter 269: Knights vs Princes
"Seriously, Linda, you need to watch your feet. If you''d fallen through one of those trap doors, there''s no healing that would''ve saved you! Hells, I can''t even imagine trying to climb down there to get to you. Would have to hope for a broken neck to end it quick, if that happens." Tizzy shakes her head at the embarrassed mage as the two walk into Floor Seven, followed by the rest of Prince Thaddeus''s party. They were doing a double today, Tizzy had rejoined the team for Floor Six and since they''d cleared it without notable injuries they were proceeding on to Seven, which even Tizzy hadn''t attempted yet. Well, other than injuries to pride, at least - when Taly had filled her arena with shadow, Linda had nearly walked right into one of the holes in the floor that would have dumped her into the mountain''s abyss. Only Tizzy''s scouting magic had allowed to shout out a warning in time to make sure Linda had a chance to catch on to the ledge rather than fall directly in.
The boys at least were in a good enough mood. While Floor Six wasn''t as monster-heavy as some other floors, the climbing challenges had seemed to spur them on in a way some of the dungeon''s other puzzles and traps hadn''t, and Lei and Thaddeus in particular had gotten a little competitive about their climbing skills. Thaddeus himself had claimed the boss kill, as usual, mostly by being too fast for Taly to make use of her best ranged abilities.
Floor Seven is a very different environment though, and so Tizzy begins her scout refresher despite having only heard about the place second-hand. "Anyhow, so first off, there''s gem mimics at the start, so watch your feet and hands. It''s mostly all crystal-based monsters, so weak to smashing, though I don''t know if Lei''s hands are gonna get cut up if he tries to punch these things."
The man in question grins as he snatches up a gemstone from the ground, keeping a tight grip on it even as spindly legs pop out and attempt to claw at him. He squeezes down on it, which at first seems to have no apparent effect - but after a few moments the runes on his fist wraps activate. With a brief squeaking sound followed by a loud crack, the tiny monster falls to pieces with crystal fragments, legs, and teeth crumbling to the stone as Lei brushes his palms. "If I were simply using mundane martial techniques, that might be a concern. But with these? I think I''ll manage just fine, scout."
"...Cool. I guess. Showoff. Anyhow, past this room there''s a lot of elemental stuff, maybe Pulg can focus on defense with that? Then there''s humanoid monsters that mostly use archery, and hide up in these tree-like things hanging off the ceiling. Actually, that whole section might kind of suck for melee fighting, unless you think you can manage a, like...twenty foot vertical leap? Or something like that."
Lei frowns at that idea, but Thaddeus actually considers it for a bit. "Hrmm...with these boots on, I believe I could, yes. I wouldn''t want to become too separated from the team, however, so we''ll have to see how it goes. If it comes down to arcane blasts to carry the day, well, I did recruit you all for a reason, after all." The prince gives Tizzy a grin, and she quickly nods and turns around before he can see her blush. She''d been feeling a little over-stressed the past few days, even with Pulg reporting that the dungeon was still in the dark about their plans, since she was pretty sure the Association wasn''t entirely buying all of the cover stories she''d been putting together. She hadn''t talked to Thaddeus yet about her concerns, but she had been ''seeing'' him every night for the past few evenings, and while it helped at the time now she was wondering if maybe it wasn''t backfiring on her a little bit.
"Yeah, I can blast a few dudes for you, no problem! Anyhow, it''s tiny ones coming up, so get ready for some target practice..."
The introductory rooms of the floor aren''t too much of a challenge for the Master-equivalent team, given that Linda and Pulg are both capable of creating magical barriers to block the elemental attacks of the ''fae'' creatures. Thaddeus seems rather put out to hear that the tiny insectoid hybrids are apparently the closest thing this realm has to fairies, but if anything his disappointment only seems to improve his aim as he dashes around the room, whacking them out of the air with the flat of his blade. The tiny creatures tend to hit the walls and floor with enough force to break a few of their limbs in the process, and at that point they''re usually easy targets for Lei to finish off.
As they enter the floor''s main chamber, the team does pause for a while to investigate the upside-down forest. It''s been known for a while that a few classes have ways to negate the way the environment can hide the archers within, most particularly Earth Mages, and although they lack one of those Linda does have a few tricks of her own. Tizzy had classified the woman as a ''Force Mage'' for a reason - although she has little in the way of fine control, her ability to generate telekinetic barriers and projectiles is quite strong, and the mage essentially begins to throw magical cannonballs through the air as the party proceeds forward. Crystalline trees shatter to the ground as they clear a path, bringing a few fae archers down with them, at which point Thaddeus and Lei take turns dashing forward and engaging them in some short-lived combat.
The easy going comes to an end however as Tizzy just barely spots a few arrows coming their way at the last moment. She blasts them out of the air in time, but they prove to be a bit of a distraction as a number of humanoid monsters leap in from their left flank, giving Pulg and Lei a few minor wounds before the pair can turn and recover. As they do, the nature of their latest opponent becomes quite clear - the dungeon''s wandering boss and his Rabbit Champion spearmen have arrived. Thaddeus seems about to say something to challenge the new arrivals, but it''s Trush who speaks up first.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
"Well, you''ve been making good progress lately, haven''t you? I must apologize - I was going to welcome you to Worthy Dungeon on Floor Four, but unfortunately I happened to be busy with a prior engagement on another floor at the time. Still, I think this is as good a spot as any to put your delving to a halt, hrmm?"
"I see, I''ve been wondering when we might run into you." Thaddeus steps towards the man with a grin on his face, and his sword at the ready. "I''ve heard you''re open to the occasional duel, are you not? Care for a one-on-one?"
Trush eyes the man, but shakes his head. "While I do enjoy the occasional tussle with nobility, when I can get one...hrmm, no. Today, the dungeon''s interested in testing you all! Attack!"
Something about the rabbit-man''s comment strikes Thaddeus as being a little off, but he has no time to comment on it before Trush and his backup are charging forward. That said, he does still more or less get his desired match, as he himself moves forward to engage the Rabbit Knight in combat. On either side of him Lei and Pulg get into a melee with the two spear-wielding rabbits, while Tizzy and Linda work on setting up barriers and blasts to try and negate the archer duo of Trush''s entourage.
Despite his unusual anatomy, Thaddeus quickly decides that Trush is perhaps the ideal sparring partner he''s been missing out on for some time. The two have similar equipment, being dressed in heavy armor and armed with swords and shields, and while Thaddeus would suggest that he has the edge in raw skill at swordplay, Trush''s longer reach and monster strength means the two aren''t badly matched. Both combatants move far more quickly than their equipment would suggest, with ducks, dodges and rolls being as common as metal meeting metal, and even as the rest of the team begins to trade minor injuries with the other rabbits the two team leaders continue for quite some time without either of them taking a single hit.
That changes when Trush suddenly leaps forwards and upwards, his blade slicing at Thaddeus''s shoulder as he almost seems to vanish from the fight. Between the sudden pain and the quickness of the move, it takes the prince a few moments to realize where his opponent has gotten to. "...The trees!? Jumping at an angle - what was that, Sir Rabbit? A good thirty foot jump?"
"Impressed, are you? I''ve always had good leg strength, but a few recent upgrades have given me the combat reflexes to match!" The brief banter ends there with Trush once again taking a leap, but this time downwards, with his sword swinging in an arc to cut Thaddeus in two. Unfortunately for him, Trush isn''t the only one with a few fancy moves when it comes to acrobatics. As magic surges into Thaddeus''s enchanted boots the prince suddenly dashes forward ten feet, before turning and making a jump of his own - all while Trush is still midair. The repositioning means that Thaddeus is now coming up from behind his opponent, and even Trush''s rabbity reactions are too slow to prevent the man from slicing up the back of his leg. When he lands the effect of the injury is immediate, with Trush collapsing into a roll before he''s able to half-recover.
Thaddeus is hardly unaffected by his own injuries, however, and when the man lands the impact is enough to force his wounded arm to drop his shield. With both of the pair now partially exposed, caution begins to become the name of the game, with the prince attempting to flank the partially-immobilized knight, while Trush prepares to counter any move Thaddeus might make.
The guardian is somewhat less prepared for a Rabbit Champion to be flung his way, and Trush barely stops himself from slicing Yardath in half as the spearman crashes into his side. Thaddeus shoots Lei a rather annoyed look, spotting the smug-looking martial artist standing not far away, but he quickly decides that any complaints about interference can be brought up later. Not giving up the distraction, Thaddeus dashes forward once again and carves out a chunk of Trush''s swordarm. Barely slowing down, he continues forward, stopping only to spin and plant a thrust into the rabbit''s lower spine. Trush barely has time to recognize that his legs have been paralyzed before one final spin and slash slices through his neck, ending the fight rather conclusively. For his part, a dazed Yardath attempts to recover to his feet, but a pink-colored blast from Tizzy punches clear through his torso, putting an end to that particular endeavor.
Looking around, Thaddeus can see that the rest of the rabbits have met a similar fate, and while Lei and Pulg in particular are sporting a number of bloody injuries, no one seems to be in immediate danger of dying. With the danger passed the prince now has a chance to unleash his annoyance. "Lei! You ruined a perfectly good duel! I almost had him!"
Lei bows his head, although he can''t entirely hide his smirk. "You certainly did. However, might I suggest that we also remember this wasn''t the actual floor guardian, or am I wrong? If we want to be fresh for another such fight today, we may wish to spare the dramatics until then." His grin finally fades as he pulls the wrong muscle in his left arm, and he begins searching for a healing potion among his supplies. "Given how I''m feeling right now, I think we''re going to need you fresh if we''re still proceeding onward."
Thaddeus does have to stop to consider the options. All three of the men in the party are sporting nasty blade cuts, but healing potions and Pulg''s magics should be able to get them through at least one or two more fights. And if he''s not mistaken, the floor''s arena isn''t very far off...
"Fifteen minute rest to recover, but Tizzy, keep an eye out for any more ambushes. Today, we conquer Floor Seven!"
There''s a round of cheers, followed by a moment of silence broken by a question from the party''s scout.
"Definitely, but...is it just me, or did that guy call you nobility earlier?"
"..."
Chapter 270: Didnt Expect an Inquisition
Thaddeus''s party had mostly remained silent during their rest following the battle with Trush, though not because they had nothing to say. On one hand, it seemed possible that their cover had indeed been blown in some manner, and so there was no point in hiding or keeping quiet. On the other hand, they didn''t know for sure how much the dungeon knew about them, or how well it could listen in, and it would be foolish to give away their entire cover if only a small part had slipped.
That left discussion of their remaining goal for the day as a safe topic, though, and so after some time spent healing up and consuming a few quick snacks the prince gets the group re-focused. "Alright. We have a clear shot to the arena from here, and if I recall correctly, our opponent will be a winged woman. Correct, Tizzy?"
The scout nods. "Yeah - the wings aren''t just for show, she apparently likes to start off with a height advantage and swoop down on folks. Other than that she doesn''t seem to have much in the way of magic, unless maybe her defenses are boosted in some way - sounds like her wings and her shield are super-tough to get through. I think the usual advantage for Challengers is one of numbers, like, if you surround her or use a lot of different types of attacks, it''s harder for her to defend against everything."
Thaddeus rubs his chin. "Pinning her down will be important, then. Linda, Pulg, do you have any spells that would be useful there?"
The half-orc shakes his head, but Linda nods. "While I can create magical chains of force to bind someone with, that''s difficult to do in the middle of a fight. I can create walls and barriers, though. That should be enough to help box her in, or at least keep her from getting airborne again once she''s on the ground."
"I think that should be sufficient. Focus on limiting her maneuverability, and the rest of us shall attempt to overwhelm her with our particular specialties. Is everyone ready?" There''s a round of nods and affirmations, and so Thaddeus readies his shield and sword. "Then on we go - I shall take the lead."
The prince does so, keeping an eye out for any further ambushes as they go, but no rabbits or fae harry them for the short walk they need to take. The floor is entirely silent when they reach the crystalline gate sealing off the arena section of the floor, and it''s with his shield held high that Prince Thaddeus charges through, prepared for an immediate attack from above the moment he enters the space.
He feels a little silly, then, when he comes to a halt and realizes the floor guardian is simply standing at the opposite end of the arena, her own shield and sword held at a rest position. Part of Thaddeus''s instincts tell him to strike immediately, and not let her have the initiative, but after the encounter with the wandering boss a few minutes before he finds his mind filled with one or two doubts. So instead he calls out to the heavily-armored woman. "Waiting for us, are you? I hope you haven''t been too bored, we did take a brief rest before we arrived."
It''s hard to be sure with the helmet covering most of her face, but Thaddeus is pretty sure the guardian responds with a sneer. "Fifteen minutes is nothing. I have been awaiting your arrival for months, you aspiring tyrant. You and your pets." The woman spits before continuing. "You had more than this, did you not? I wish you''d brought them all, so I could finish you off all at once."
"It feels as if perhaps we''ve gotten off on the wrong foot - or there''s been some rather large assumptions made involving my reputation. Do I know you, guardian? You sound as if you have a personal concern with me."
"Not entirely personal, no - we have never met. But the lapdogs who follow you? The despoilers of my homeland? Oh yes, those I know well enough." Pausing, the guardian puts her sword aside for a moment so she can reach for her helmet. As she pulls it off, revealing her green skin, her darker green hair, and her yellow eyes, Tizzy gasps.
"What the shit! That''s - she''s an elf! One of our elves! How - no, wait, the dungeon must''ve put her together somehow. But...how does it know?"
The guardian steps forward, now wearing a bit of a smile on her face, but certainly not one that puts her challengers at ease. "The dungeon did not create me...well, perhaps in a roundabout way. But I am no monster, nor even a reincarnate. I am a Valkyrie." With an emphasis on her last word, the guardian raises her sword towards the ceiling and shouts out the rest of her introduction. "I am Valkyrie Opal Brightsky, Champion of Theolif, Lord of the Shield, and today is the day that I shall judge you, mortals."
Much of the effect is actually lost on Thaddeus, given that the man had hardly stopped to take theology lessons in every realm he had visited, but several other members of the party grow slightly pale. Lei curses, spitting a little himself.
"Theolif!? One of the gods of the ''free people''? Thaddeus, the dungeon''s been working against us this whole time! We need to slay this puppet, and then retreat when we can!"
Undeterred by the panic of his companions, Thaddeus gestures for calm from his party before turning back towards Brightsky. "I see there''s events conspiring here which I was unaware of. But still, I worry there has perhaps been a misunderstanding, Valkyrie. On what basis would you desire to judge me? I am not a native of your home realm, and my companions have turned aside from the conflicts of that world."Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
"Only to bring those conflicts elsewhere. I have been charged by my lord to ensure that those who follow you do not get the opportunity to return home, and resume killing and enslaving my people. Furthermore...I have been charged by the master of this dungeon, to judge you and the worthiness of your cause. We know that you intend to steal away Xenia Worthy from this place, regardless of the fact that it would doom the rest of us here. Care to explain yourself in your own words? Is this all over so petty a matter as lordship of some kingdom?"
Thaddeus does his best to keep his emotions from his face - he was expecting a physical challenge today, not some sort of courtroom trial. But he soon realizes he has no other option than to play along, and to make his case as best as he can, even if it is far from the ideal situation he was hoping to make it in. "The Hero Xenon Worthy was the greatest champion my land has ever known." For some reason even his initial statement causes the Valkyrie to frown, but he continues. "He saved countless people and seven cities from death and destruction. Furthermore, this was not a one-off event. He, or she, has saved thousands more across their many lifetimes, and I would know this for I have visited many of those realms and heard the legends myself. My own people recognized this, and realized that the Worthy bloodline was the strongest and most just option to rule our combined kingdom."
"Not just a Hero, prince. You''ve seen my own realm, I know, and you know that for every life they have saved they have caused another to suffer. Did the evidence of your own eyes mean nothing to you as you recruited Darkstar''s descendants, and saw the ruin of the land Prince Xenon left in his wake?"
"A terrible tragedy befell your land, I agree." Thaddeus swallows, hoping that he won''t ruin his argument by pressing on some personal grudge of the woman standing opposite him. "But in a way, it only proves my purpose. Xenia can be a great hero, or a terrible villain, depending on the world in which they find themselves. So why not then return to the realm of their greatest triumphs? With the advances I''ve made in realmwalking artifacts, we can put an end to this cycle of endless careening around the universe. Even were she not in the current form of an ageless stone, we could guarantee her an existence as a truly immortal ruler, one who could never be defeated by death! I''m offering her the chance to find her place as our queen for millennia to come, to rule over thousands, millions of people who love her!"
Brightsky sneers. "And make you a powerful right hand in the process, hrmm? For the rest of your life - or longer, even, if your magics have taught you the trick. Would it even be Worthy ruling, or would she merely be a figurehead for your ambitions?"
"Me? I am - I am giving up any chance of ever becoming king, with a ruler like her on the throne! And I have not gone through all of this effort, all this sweat and blood, merely to find myself a figurehead puppet! She will lead our people to greatness, I believe this with every bone in my body!"
He slams his gauntlet against his breastplate for emphasis, making it ring, and his delivery does seem to make the guardian pause for a moment. But only a moment, and then she changes her approach. "And what of the people she leads now, hrmm? True, it may not be millions - but she has a new family here, loved ones and trusted friends. Taking her from this realm, in whatever manner, would mean their deaths. Do you expect her to go along with your scheme so easily?"
"I am aware that there is a potential cost. But it was not my intention to simply steal away with her core in the night and vanish, Lady Valkyrie. After we had proven the strength of our cause and the validity of our claims, it was my full intention to find a way to transplant Xenia in her entirety - dungeon and contents included. There''s certainly plenty of places in my homeland where we could re-establish her, and while it may not be a kingly palace, in some ways the potential for her is far greater than were she mere flesh and blood. There''d be no need for her to fight for her own existence every single day as she does here, instead she could use her incredible powers to create herself a paradise of her own design!"
The Valkyrie presses the point. "And if your magic fails, and you have to choose between leaving her or destroying this place?"
"...In such a situation, I am sure Xenia would agree - the well-being of millions outweighs that of a dozen."
This time, before she continues, a slight smile appears on Brightsky''s lips. "Ah, but there is one final matter you don''t seem to have considered, prince. What if she does not wish to go with you?"
"Then the failure is mine, for not properly presenting the situation and the facts. But tell me, Valkyrie - why have you taken on the role of mouthpiece for this discussion? If our plan is known to you - and I would like to know how that occurred, but that is another matter - then why is the master of the dungeon not here to discuss this herself?"
"Oh, she is here." Brightsky tilts her head in one direction, before returning her helmet to her head. "And I would have to say, she''s not been terribly impressed by what you have to say. In - ah...in her own words, prince, ''fuck thrones, the only thing she''s good at is stabbing people''. She does not wish to be your ''eternal queen''."
"I will not surrender this cause so easily - if we must present a better case, then we shall proceed with our studies, and show that the lives of this dungeon''s guardians can be spared. But I did not come all this way - all this way! To be dismissed without so much as a proper face-to-face conversation! Will she not grant me one?"
Brightsky doesn''t answer at first, instead appearing to listen to an unheard voice by her side. What she hears seems to please her, considering the wide grin that appears after it''s done. "Actually, it seems as if the master of the dungeon has chosen to grant me a favor instead. The chance to put you and your minions to my own test - for regardless of this family matter of yours, I have not forgotten or forgiven the crimes of your warlord minions. Prepare your blades and your wands, challengers - for today I am sending you all to Lord Theolif''s halls."
"Yes! Finally! So much talking, talking, talking!" Everyone in the arena turns to face Pulg, as the usually soft-spoken orc exclaims loudly and draws a ritual knife from his belt. "Let this be settled - in blood!"
A declaration which the shaman punctuates by stabbing Linda Cogswell in the back, and the room descends into chaos.
Chapter 271: Between a Shield and a Hard Place
Perhaps the only thing that saves Prince Thaddeus''s party from immediately falling to pieces is the fact that Valkyrie Brightsky is as surprised as anyone else about Pulg''s sudden betrayal. Well, perhaps not quite as surprised as Linda Cogswell herself, judging by the look of shock on her face as her companion''s blade makes its way into her left lung. The mage doesn''t cry out at the betrayal - the knife in her lung probably having something to do with it - but the rest of the team certainly makes up for it.
Tizzy is the first to react, her scout instincts kicking in, but those instincts primarily tell her to get the fuck out of the danger zone and the half-imp quickly scampers over towards the edge of the arena. Lei seems frozen at the sight of the attack, but Thaddeus''s tactical mind immediately tells him that the group needs to get moving. The Valkyrie is on one side of them, some distance away and currently paused, but likely to resume her attack soon. Pulg stands to their rear, within melee range, but that''s a poor place for a shaman to be. Linda is critically wounded but not yet dead, but the party''s best healer was Pulg and their second best was Linda. If there''s to be any hope of saving the mage, she needs to be given healing potions immediately, which will be a bit of a challenge while fighting opponents on both sides. In a second and a half, the prince begins giving orders.
"Lei, take down Pulg! Tizzy, distract the guardian, buy us as much time as you can! I''ll aid Linda!" He doesn''t wait for confirmation before moving, and his first step in aiding his companion is to turn his own blade against the shaman. Pulg ducks backward, avoiding the swing and leaving his knife sticking out of Linda''s back, but forcing the man to give him some distance was all Thaddeus was hoping for. One more swing drives Pulg back a few more steps, and by the time Linda begins to crumple to the floor Thaddeus is already in position to catch her with one arm.
For her part, Tizzy focuses on the task of distracting the Valkyrie before the guardian can launch her own attack. She briefly considers using an arcane blast or two before discounting the idea, knowing that the heavily armored woman could probably deflect the blasts with her shield while charging ahead as if they weren''t even there. Instead, she focuses on one of her other specialties - illusions. With a rumbling sound stone spikes suddenly appear to grow from the ground in between Brightsky and the party, growing twenty feet into the air and placed every few feet apart. They''re not a solid wall across the arena, as that would invite Brightsky to try to break her way through, and the illusions wouldn''t hold up to that sort of test for very long. Instead, paths and openings here and there seem to tease a way through from one side to the other, and the Valkyrie pauses briefly to try and consider her route, or whether she ought to attempt to take to the air.
Meanwhile Lei eventually recovers from his shock in time to pick up with where Thaddeus left off, charging into combat with Pulg. As the man''s only weapons are his fists the martial artist moves into a much shorter range, one where the less athletic shaman should be at a significant disadvantage, but to Lei''s surprise the half-orc is remarkably agile with his staff, deflecting Lei''s blows one after the other. "What in the blazes is this, Pulg!? After all this time, you turn on us now? What have you been hiding from us!?"
The man grins, apparently unconcerned about the fight for his life, and his eyes take on an odd, widened appearance. "Lei, the Iron Palm! Yes, you''ve long served in Prince Thaddeus''s cause - but did you serve for grandmother''s benefit? Haha, I think not! What did you have back home, a mountain of gambling debts, half a fortress, a handful of sycophants and slaves you hadn''t driven off? Your eyes positively gleamed when the prince made you his promises, didn''t they? An estate, gold, a noble title! No, you joined this cause to serve yourself!"
Confused, Lei furrows his brow even as he continues his attack, scoring only occasional glancing blows. "As if you were any different!? A mere grandson of a minor warchief, aye? No inheritance but your spells, wasn''t that right? Maybe it was Thaddeus''s magic that drew you to him rather than gold, but that''s still only serving yourself!"
"Indeed, Pulg was an amateur and knew it quite well! He talked the talk of a wise shaman well enough, wore the trappings and spoke the words, but the man didn''t have half the magic of a proper tribal shaman! He would''ve done anything to fill that hole - but anything was done to him first!"
Thaddeus is doing his best to apply a healing potion to Linda''s wound even as he slowly removes the blade from her back, but the last part of the nearby exchange does manage to draw his attention for a moment. "The blazes are you - what happened to Pulg!? Who are you, really?"
Lei finally lands a solid hit to Pulg''s chest, audibly cracking a few ribs and sending the half-orc sliding backwards, but the man continues to grin as if he hadn''t felt a thing. "We rarely spoke much before my death, my lord, so I''ll forgive you for not recognizing me. But then, I''m not quite myself, am I? Perhaps I should shed some of this excess skin..." With that statement Pulg begins to twitch, his bones cracking even without Lei''s assistance, but the illusion or even shapeshifting spell Thaddeus is expecting doesn''t occur. Instead, long, spiky legs burst from the shaman''s back in a spray of gore, repurposed bone and meat hollowing out the man''s torso in order to provide him with new weapons. For a second time everyone in the arena pauses to stare at the former man with horror, but his lungs still seem to work well enough for him to shout out to Opal. "Come, Valkyrie! Let us shed blood in grandmother''s name!"
For her part, the Valkyrie in question isn''t quite so eager to play along. Halfway through the bramble of earthen spikes, she takes a moment to glare at the monstrosity taking form on the other side of the arena. "I don''t know why you think I need the aid of some boneshifter to...wait." Brightsky peers at Pulg closer, using her more divine senses, and things suddenly start to become much more clear. "...Yulia!? What in the name of Theolif do you think you''re doing!? How did you do that?"
"Simply taking advantage of opportunities as they come by! Which you - hrnf - should be doing as well!" While her transformation did buy her a few more seconds of shock from her former companions, her new form isn''t quite an immediate game-winning move. The long reach of her new limbs puts Lei at even more of a disadvantage in a melee, but the martial artist is no faker - he easily dodges the first three swipes Yulia makes at him with her spear-like legs, and on the fourth attack it''s actually Yulia who''s wounded, as a blow from Lei''s fist shatters an improvised limb into shards and dangling flesh.
"I knew those Bogdanovs were crazy, but this is really fuckin'' pushing it!" Tizzy starts to feel herself on the edge of panic, but it''s not the first time she''s been in a tough situation. She starts tossing off a few quick magical blasts at Brightsky, more to slow her down rather than to actually injure her, while at the same time she begins to weave a protective bubble around Thaddeus and Linda. "My best shields are personal ones, but maybe that''ll buy you a hit or two! But the sooner you can get into the fight, the better!"This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"One more moment! Almost there!" With one final movement the ritual knife emerges from Linda''s bloody robes, and the prince dumps out the rest of one of his best healing potions onto her back. The mage is hardly in any condition to join the fight, despite her mending flesh, but Thaddeus is relieved to see at least that she doesn''t seem to be in any immediate risk of dying. Assuming she doesn''t get stabbed again in the next sixty seconds, at least. "Keep your shield up around her, I''ll take on the guardian!"
With that declaration made Thaddeus prepares his shield and sword once more, and charges in Brightsky''s direction. Knowing that Tizzy''s not an earth mage, he doesn''t slow down in the least for her spiky barriers, and the Valkyrie''s eyes are clearly surprised as the man barrels through them as if they were nothing more than mist. Defense is still her strong suit though, and her shield is more than ready to meet his first swing. The second, third and fourth swings follow up perhaps a little more quickly than she was ready for though, and it''s only with a flurry of her wings that she''s able to prevent any of them from making contact with her body. That doesn''t mean the Valkyrie''s wings go unharmed, however, as each impact tears a score of shield-like feathers from her limbs, the metal fragments jingling as they bounce onto the stony ground.
"Gah! Never - never had a sword hit me like that, before! Perhaps I''ll see if I can keep it as a trophy, princeling!" Brightsky does her best to recover the initiative, swinging one of her wings in from the side as a distraction for her sword, but Thaddeus''s enchanted boots simply slide him out of range of both attacks in the blink of an eye. They then return him back to where he stood almost as quickly, and once again Brightsky finds herself losing yet more feathers to his enchanted blade.
It''s a battle of attrition the Valkyrie is plainly losing, but their personal duel is briefly interrupted when Lei makes a surprise appearance, flying through the air and almost landing atop Thaddeus and Brightsky both. Thaddeus takes a moment to glance backwards towards what''s left of Pulg''s body, and finds it to be a barely-mobile walking corpse at this point. Every new limb Yulia grew out of the orc''s ribcage had been broken off by the martial artist, and at least one of his normal arms was bending the wrong way as well. Yulia seems to feel no physical pain though, and had apparently found the strength to grapple and throw Lei one last time before her body collapsed for good. "A present for you, Brightsky!"
Thaddeus quickly glances back, realizing he was distracted for a moment too long, but unfortunately it does him no good. "Agh! One more good blow should do her in, prince, just let me - ah!" Lei realizes too late just how close he landed to the floor''s guardian, and barely has time enough to roll to make it so that his shoulder takes the hit of Brightsky''s sword rather than his neck. The brief chance at reprieve the still-grievous injury grants him isn''t enough to save his life, however, and the next swing of Brightsky''s blade sees his struggles brought to an end.
"Dammit! This - this was not how I wanted this to go! This is not a proper duel! But we will not be denied! We will prove the strength of our cause!" Brightsky seems prepared to answer Thaddeus''s exclamation with one of her own, but the intensity of Thaddeus''s second round of attacks puts his earlier swiftness to shame. The man is a blur around the arena, darting in and holding still only long enough to strike yet another tearing gouge into her wings, before again dashing out before she can hope to hit him back. Taking to the air is far beyond her capabilities at this point, even with her magical nature, and so the Valkyrie is left with only one last option.
"In the name of Lord Theolif! The Eternal Shield Never Falters!" It''s no spell that she utters, but a divine blessing, and all around her the fallen feathers that once made up her wings float once more into the air. As they gather they pick up speed, and soon form a metal dome around the Valkyrie, part shield and part weapon, a maelstrom of metal that threatens to tear apart anyone who comes too close. It''s such an intense sight that Thaddeus barely even notices as a final supercharged blast from Tizzy disintegrates what little was left of Pulg''s mutilated form, but his own course forward seems clear.
"No victory without sacrifice - so be it!" With a mental command Thaddeus''s magical cloak comes to life, wrapping itself around the prince, and the man charges directly into the storm. Four, nine, fifteen of the flying dagger-like feathers slam into his left side, but the cloak bundles up before each impact, taking the brunt of the damage even as the blows quickly rip the enchanted fabric to shreds. It''s not a defense that can hold up for long, but it doesn''t need to. The moment Thaddeus makes it into the calm at the center of the storm, his boots send him forward into one final dash. The wounded Valkyrie is too slow to lift her heavy shield in time to stop him, and as Thaddeus''s sword plants itself into her neck, the storm begins to die down once again.
As the last feather shard jingles to the floor, followed soon after by the Valkyrie''s corpse, Thaddeus turns back towards Tizzy and Linda. "Good work with...with Yulia, apparently. Dammit! How long were we being played!?" He shakes his head, quickly refocusing. "No, not important right this moment. How is Linda, Tizzy?"
"I think the doctor prescribes more healing potions, but she''ll live - if we get out of here right now, that is. I take it we''re done for today?" The scout gives a nervous grin with her false goblin face, but even with the illusion on Thaddeus can tell it''s a fragile thing.
"Yes. We need to...reconsider and regroup. But we''ll be back!" Thaddeus shouts his last statement up towards the ceiling, knowing who''s certain to be listening in. "We''ll prove our cause to you, Xenia!"
The man gets a response, even if he doesn''t hear it. "We''ll see about that...you don''t wise up by the next time you step in here, you''ll find yourself playing a very different game. ...As for me, seems like I have a spidergirl I need to have a talking to..."
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INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS SLAIN: 1
MORTALS ESCAPED: 3
NEW CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED/UPGRADED:
UNDEAD (MORTAL): A+
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
RUNIC FISTWRAPS OF THE IRON PALM
MORTAL SOULS: 1
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 10 to 360
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
LIGHT COMBAT SKILLS: IRON PALM MARTIAL ARTS (UNRANKED)
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Chapter 272: Uncovered
Yulia was in trouble. Xenia hadn''t explicitly said as much to her, but there were a few hints. For one, the Floor Nine guardian was currently standing in Xenia''s personal office space, having been rather literally summoned there. For another, she was no longer in her usual Arachne queen body, but had been ripped out of it and stuffed into a False Mortal form instead. Once again wearing the form of a middle-aged peasant woman, Yulia finds herself to be a little out of sorts after having finally gotten used to having so many limbs.
And thirdly, Xenia''s been sitting on the opposite side of the desk, staring daggers at her for a good solid minute by now. Generally not a sign that someone is about to heap praise on you, in Yulia''s limited experience of such things. For her part Yulia''s been left to stand, and her hands keep drifting from her center to her sides, uncertain just what sort of stance she ought to be assuming. Eventually her anxiety hits maximum however, and she decides to break the silence. "Grandmother, I - "
"Don''t give me that. ''Grandmother'' this, ''grandfather'' that. You act like I''m supposed to be some sort of family authority figure for you, that you came here because you love me just oh-so-much. Then what do you do? ...That''s not a rhetorical question by the way, I''m actually confused as fuck about what the hell it is you actually did. But I do know you did it without telling me, made plans of your own for dealing with Thaddeus. That''s not your role here, understand?"
Yulia swallows her first two responses, and decides to go with immediate acceptance instead. "I understand, grand - dungeon master...Xenia."
"We''ll see." Xenia sighs and rubs her face with both hands for a moment before looking back up at Yulia once again. "So walk me through this step by step. Pulg, that orc shaman, was apparently you? How, how long, and why, exactly?"
"A few days, grandmother, perhaps a week? The shaman attempted to summon my brother''s spirit to the forests outside Grassbrook, to question him, and got me instead. My brother bound my soul to his protection, and it seems that binding yet remains true. Unfortunately for Pulg, I have quite a bit of experience as a spirit, and having this dungeon monster form seems to have strengthened me still. Even outside of my body, my magical reserves are still mine to command, yes? Possessing the foolish magician was child''s play, to tell the truth. And from there I, ah...played it by ear, hrmm? Decided to wait until the opportune moment to reveal myself. Today''s battle seemed to me to be that moment."
"You''ve been walking around as an orc, in Grassbrook, for a week? And being a floor guardian here at the same time? Okay, taking advantage of the opportunity in the moment, I can get that. But why didn''t you tell me after the fact?" The reincarnator frowns. "This smells like a scheme, Yulia. And I don''t like schemes. Was your brother in on this?"
"No! I wanted it to be a surprise, please don''t punish poor Sevastion! I thought...I was worried that if I told you, you would tell me to stop. And that I would lose the chance to strike at them. Obviously, I never meant to harm you, grandmother - I couldn''t even if I had a dozen bodies!"
"Maybe." Something in Yulia''s tone makes Xenia''s eyes narrow. "You...do have some sort of limit on how many bodies you can possess, right? ...If you have any more copies of yourself wandering around out there, tell me now, or so help me I''ll put you in storage and you''ll be down to zero."
Yulia gulps before quickly answering. "One! I have one more! I was considering perhaps, ah, slowly whittling them down from the inside? One by one? But I did not have any further opportunities to isolate them."
"Okay...we can deal with this. Which one''s the other one? Not the one you stabbed, right? The fake goblin, then?"
Yulia shakes her head. "One of the others of the second wave. Liani, a vampire. Her body is...very well suited to necromantic manipulation."
Xenia leans back in her chair, surprised. "A vampire? I don''t remember you telling me about that! ...Don''t think I ever had a kid with a vampire, though we did have a small division of em in the army, back when. Maybe...well, doesn''t matter. Yulia, tell me what you''re doing with this vampire."
"At the moment? Sleeping. It''s still daytime, of course."
"Oh, of course. Just tell me you''re not killing people in Grassbrook with her, please?"
"Not at all! She''d just fed right before I claimed her, and even if she had not, my magical reserves could keep her body going...well, ah. Actually, I suppose I do not have those reserves, in this weak human form. But she''ll be fine for a while, regardless!"
The dungeon master looks at Yulia for a short while, lost in thought, before sighing. "This Pulg...was he one of mine? Grandkids, that is. And this Liani?"
Yulia half-nods. "Pulg was, yes. I do not believe Liani has ever claimed such. Lei also was of your blood, for that matter."
"...God. Two grandsons dead, and I never even knew them. Did...are you certain you had to possess the guy, Yulia? Handing out death to strangers is one thing, but family...I hope it was necessary."
Rather than answer directly, Yulia poses a question of her own. "Forgive me for asking, grandmother, but...is this why you allowed Thaddeus and the others to leave the dungeon without further combat? You could have forced them to fight their way out, is it not so?"Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
Allowing the redirection, Xenia answers. "A couple reasons. You''re right, making two tired-out Challengers and a half-crippled mage fight their way out of the dungeon in either direction would''ve almost certainly been a death sentence, even if I didn''t put the screws to them, which I could''ve. I''m...maybe being optimistic, but part of my hope was that knocking the boy around a bit might convince him to change his plans. I mean, if he can''t get to me, to my core, then anything else he''s planning is pointless. For another, he''s not fully committed yet. He''s still got all of those B-teamers sitting back in Grassbrook, and there''s no telling what they might do if their boss vanishes in the dungeon. Especially if they''re as bad as Brightsky thinks they are. I''d like to draw that lot in a bit more, see what they''re about...thin their numbers if I have to. But then I didn''t know I apparently had an inside agent in their midst, now did I?"
The statement ends with a glare in Yulia''s direction, and the mystic takes that as her cue to answer the original question. "Ah, yes! I don''t...forgive me, grandmother, but you must understand...as Sevastion and I were raised, conflict with distant family members was commonplace. The Seafall Kingdom was a victim of your own success, some say - too many powerful captains holding too much territory for it to remain united once you were no longer there to hold the reins. Pulg was...not the first cousin I''ve slain, I shall admit. I do believe I acted in your best interests! At the least, as you say, his confidence will be shaken. He will not be able to simply consider your own opinion as a secondary concern, hrmm? I do not believe this ever would have been done without blood."
"Maybe. But let''s dial the blood back for a little while, okay? This is an order from me, if you actually care about my opinion. No more killing them outside the dungeon, and no more killing them inside the dungeon either, unless I say so. Just keep operations at an intel-gathering level for now, yeah? And no more possessions! God, if the Association finds out about this..."
"Oh, the Association already knows, grandmother. Well, about Pulg, at least."
Xenia blinks at Yulia once, then twice. "...They fuckin'' what."
"No, no, they don''t grow the gems, you see, we''ve had to buy them - or loot them from the dungeon, of course. That''s why we''re on the lookout for paying jobs, yes? Have to, aha, fund our crystal habit, you know?" Grizza grins at the two men sitting across from him at the Lucky Bastard''s tavern table, a pair of tall, broad-shouldered brothers with odd accents. It''d be nice if Roxxy could provide him with a bit of backup in this particular aspect of his charm offensive, but the elemental''s stony face remains as expressionless as ever as she sits by his side.
"But why us, eh? You say you''ve been running the dungeon for months, you have a whole party of...rocks and things fighting by your side?" The first man, a fellow named Fletcher, eyes Roxxy as he speaks. "We''ve barely begun the dungeon. Shouldn''t you...mercenary Challengers be looking for tougher groups that''d spend more money, delve deeper floors?"
Despite her lack of an obvious mouth, Roxxy answers the man''s question. "Ah, but you and your group seemed interesting! From what we''ve heard, that is."
Grizza does his best not to glare at his companion for her statement, even as the two brothers narrow their eyes. The younger brother, Jason, speaks up. "Heard we were interesting, huh? What exactly have you been hearing?"
"That...you have a lot of money?"
Grizza isn''t sure whether to be relieved or exasperated at Roxxy''s explanation, but the brothers turn their looks on each other instead of her. "Damn. Someone''s been flashing gold, huh? And here the two of us have been playing by the rules all this time."
"The...rules?" As Jason turns his head back towards the drider, Grizza quickly verbally retreats. "I mean, how you spend your money is your business, of course! Unless we can get you to spend it on us, which is why we''re here, after all."
For his part, Fletcher seems amused by Grizza''s nervous stammering. "You''re not much a salesman, are you, kid? Hells, you look young to even be leading a team, let alone be as good as you say you are."
"Well, I admit, my training has been in arcane matters, rather than, ah, running a business. If you hire us on to join you in Worthy Dungeon, you''ll see our talents for yourselves!"
Jason purses his lips before shaking his head. "Forget it, Fletch. We''ve got enough people for more than a full party of our own, and besides, the...boss wouldn''t like us bringing in another party, would he?"
"I don''t know, the uh...our scout spent some time freelancing, didn''t she?" Fletcher returns his gaze to Roxxy. "...Still, ain''t sure about this whole ''fighting with rocks'' thing, no matter how many magic gems they''ve stuck up their ass. Eh, we''ll think on it, kid, but for now - "
As Fletcher begins to rise from the table, he''s interrupted by a statement from the elemental herself. "I didn''t want to do this, but I''m afraid you leave me no choice." All three non-elementals at the table suddenly turn rigid at Roxxy''s statement, and even more so as she begins to reach into a bag of belongings sitting by her chair on the floor. The brothers start to reach for their knives, but it''s Grizza who soon grows the most worried out of the bunch.
"Where - why do you have that, Roxxy? Here!?"
"Sometimes in the line of duty we have to do distasteful things, Grizza - our tenants have taught me that." With that said the elemental reaches up, and plants a ragged-looking set of leather rabbit ears on her head. Fletcher and Jason are about to question the act, but their jaws hang loose as the enchanted item''s magic takes hold. As if her stony form had turned into liquid, Roxxy''s jagged, hard edges melt away, and her dark brown coloring is replaced by smooth marble. It''s an astounding transformation, but the brothers are largely transfixed by the bare, anatomically-correct tits that suddenly appear on Roxxy''s chest.
"I...ah...that is, I mean..." Now it''s Fletcher''s turn to stammer for a while, until he can finally snap his eyes up to Roxxy''s - who now has eyes, if pupil-less ones, carved into her marble face. "What exactly is this about, miss?"
"If you hire us on, I''ll wear the ears while we delve."
The brothers share another look, and Fletcher quickly turns back to respond. "In consideration of the full facts, I think we may be interested in, ah, at least a trial run of hiring on the Rough Gems. Does the rest of the team also have..." Again the man is interrupted, but this time by something beyond the bounds of the table. Over at the Bastard''s entrance a heavily-armored man and a goblin make their way inside, both of them doing their best to help an injured-looking mage make her way up the tavern stairs. Grizza glances over at the sight, before turning back towards the pair.
"Something wrong, friends?"
Jason frowns for a moment before answering. "We''ll see, we''ll see..."
Chapter 273: Interview with a Vampire
As Alizz sits behind her office desk at the Challenger''s Association HQ, with Kelsey sitting on a chair off to the side, she can''t help but have to suppress a shiver at the sight of her current guest. There are a few reasons for the drider to be on her guard; for one thing, the woman is on the list of suspected realmwalkers that the dungeon had sent their way a week or two previously. That the woman is now sitting across from her, alone, is clearly a sign that something in that whole affair is about to get more complicated.
For another, something about Liani Darkspire just seems wrong in a way she can''t quite pin down. Her appearance is certainly unusual - her rather pale skin and red eyes would make Alizz think that perhaps she''s meeting an albino, although her dark hair seems to belie that. Of course, hair dye was easy enough to obtain to explain the flaw in that supposition. But beyond that, well - Alizz''s Challenger class is that of a Mana Wrecker, a Mage class which specializes in the breaking of spells and enchantments crafted by other Mages. That means she has quite a well-developed mana sense, and Liana''s mana is...twisted, raveled around itself in a way that would make Alizz fear for health complications in most people. She''s not working today as a medical specialist, however, and so instead she keeps her tone of voice in her ''official Association Administrator'' mode of speech.
"Good morning, Ms. Darkspire. Kelsey here tells me you had an urgent matter to bring to our attention today? Normally I require more of an appointment, but, ah...I''m willing to believe that this is an important matter. Or am I wrong?"
The woman nods with a confident look, but it seems to shatter away the moment she opens her mouth to speak. Her jaw hangs open briefly as her expression turns to one of apparent embarrassment, or perhaps contrition, before she continues. "I...I have been bid by my grandmother and master, Xenia Worthy, to report two murders to you. One of them being committed by myself, the other by...ah, it''s a complicated matter."
Alizz shifts uneasily in her sofa-sized seat as she shoots Kelsey a worried glance. "Explain, please. First things first, on what grounds do you claim the dungeon as being your master? Or your family, for that matter?"
The woman bows her head, as if greeting Alizz for the first time. "I''m afraid that I requested this meeting under false pretenses. This body is that of Liani Darkspire, but my name is Yulia Bogdanov, currently serving as Floor Guardian of Floor Nine of Worthy Dungeon, at my grandmother''s forbearance."
That makes Kelsey sit up a little straighter. "Wait a minute, wait a minute! We saw you the other day, yeah, but that was when you took over that orc fella''s body! Don''t tell me you''re pulling that trick on the entire town, now!"
Yulia shakes her head. "I had been planning to further infiltrate my...former associates further, yes, but following the final death of Pulg yesterday I have been instructed to stop such things. Grandmother was...not well pleased by my ''scheme'', as she put it. This is currently the only body I possess beyond the dungeon."
The confession makes Alizz''s ebon skin turn a little paler. "Wait, I only stayed out of this possession mess because I thought Xenia had a plan! It''s just been you - a dungeon monster - running about off the leash the whole time!?" The administrator sucks in a breath as she rubs her forehead. "Godsdamn it. If anyone finds out I was this sloppy, it could mean my job. But, no, that''s not the important thing right now." She looks back up at Yulia, refocused. "These murders you mentioned - this wouldn''t have something to do with an event, what, two or three days ago, would it?"
The pale woman nods. "Just before I took her form, Liani fed on a young man. As vampires do, yes? I admit, I helped conceal the act - but I have severed Liani''s soul from this body, so the criminal has been punished. That, ah, would be the second murder, you see."
Alizz glances again at Kelsey before staring at Yulia for a while. "...Okay, this is far outside of my jurisdiction. Well, no, actually. I''m pretty sure that the Association rulebook says that right now, Kelsey and I should immediately slay you, and then I should submit a report to headquarters to suggest a council on whether or not Worthy Dungeon needs to be core-cracked. But I cannot express in words how much I very much do not want to do that. Of course, that doesn''t even get into the part where there are a couple squads worth of infiltrators from another realm here, which I have not reported to the kingdom as a personal favor to Xenia. ...Gods, I am so very, very fired if this blows up."
Seeing that his boss needs a moment, Kelsey steps in. "This situation started fucked up and it ain''t been gettin'' any better, for sure, but we can at least keep this from gettin'' worse. Okay, for starters - just what exactly do you plan to do with this - gods, a vampire, really - with this vampire lass''s body you''re walkin'' around in?"
"At the moment, I have no plans. However, I am to also report to you that the matter of Prince Thaddeus is perhaps grown somewhat more urgent. There was an, ahem, confrontation in the dungeon yesterday, and the prince was not dissuaded from his plans to remove grandmother from the dungeon, and indeed, the realm entire. He called a meeting last night to tell the rest of his followers to accelerate their clearing of the dungeon, so that eventually they may all group up for a final strike together. I understand the Challenger term for this is a ''raid'', yes?"This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
"A raid? That - those are strictly forbidden in Worthy Dungeon right now!" Alizz clenches her teeth. "The dungeon doesn''t have any guardians currently classified as raid-level threats, and there''s too much risk that a raid could be a cover for a core-cracking attempt. Which I suppose this is, in a sense. This...this has gone too far. I don''t know if the Association has the manpower to force a confrontation, but Kelsey, if we can get help from Commander Paulados at the Fort - "
Alizz finds herself interrupted by her guest before she can finish her statement. "No! Apologies, but I attended the prince''s meeting, as you see me now, and reported the results to my grandmother. She wishes for the raid to proceed."
"What? Why in the world would she want that? It''s not like she gains some sort of benefit for killing a large group of Challengers all at once...or at least, not as far as I know."
"This is, well...it is a family matter. Grandmother does not wish to see her descendants spend the rest of their days in a Rainlander dungeon, or slain unnecessarily. Not everyone joined Thaddeus for the same reasons, nor had the same history in our home realm. Therefore, grandmother wishes to judge them herself and decide their fates."
Kelsey scratches his head. "By...what? Watching them kill Lollyp and Taly a few times? What the hells is that going to show her?"
Yulia turns to face the kobold. "Not through violence, no - or at least, not entirely through violence. You see, there is one key mistake Thaddeus is making, in his haste."
Alizz snorts. "What, beyond messing with Xenia in the first place? Threatening a dungeon who knows you''re coming is practically suicidal, at least for one of Xenia''s strength. Maybe if it were some other year-old dungeon, that would play out better."
"True, but I refer to something more factual." Yulia grins, exposing her vampiric fangs. "You see, Thaddeus''s understanding of dungeons is not complete. Something overlooked in his study of such things, it seems. Grandmother has shortcut portals, allowing people to skip floors they have previously cleared, as you know?"
The administrator motions for her to continue. "As does nearly every dungeon, of course."
"Yes, they are very common - so common that the prince believes that these shortcuts are mandatory. That is, that grandmother must allow Challengers to skip previously cleared floors. He has ordered his followers to clear their way up through Floor Six - which should be within their talents - at which point all shall gather together for a final push through the last three floors. He does not understand that grandmother can force their raid to restart at Floor One, once it arrives."
Alizz blinks at that. "Did no one tell...well, I guess it''s rare enough that a dungeon doesn''t use shortcuts that no one ever brought it up in a conversation. But how does this help Xenia ''test'' people, beyond the usual combat and puzzle challenges?"
"There are eleven remaining followers of this second group, not counting Liani, too many for a single party, at least without provoking the responses a ''raid'' might trigger. Grandmother intends to take advantage of these smaller groups, perhaps split them up further, and...well, I admit, I do not know her plans at a fine level of detail. But I know she is working on, ah...''special modifications'' to some of the floors, specifically for these followers."
"Well, that don''t sound at all intimidating." Kelsey scoffs. "I hope there ain''t gonna be any risk of these modifications catching any bystanders up in this mess, at least?"
"I am told it should not be too difficult for her to revert her modifications, it is mostly a matter of spending the mana. But even then, we are not talking about a matter of filling the halls with a hundred more deathtraps. Hmm, no, I believe grandmother has something more...subtly devious in mind."
There''s a bit of a soft smile on her face as she says that which only disturbs Alizz further. "You seem to have a very high opinion of your, ah...grandmother. Are you sure she doesn''t need our assistance with this?"
Yulia shakes her head. "I am largely here as a courtesy, and to ensure there is no interference - although she does thank you for your assistance so far. But, ah, you see, you have not grown up with the legends I have. Once, grandmother was renowned for her ability to outwit so-called ''champions''. To humiliate them on the battlefield, break their principles in the dungeons, to turn their strengths into weaknesses and their weaknesses into strengths. I think that, perhaps, she wishes to dust off these old skills...if, perhaps, in reverse."
Alizz sighs. "...I''m not sure I even want to know exactly what you''re referring to there. I know I''m out of the loop on most of Xenia''s history, and I don''t mind staying that way. But, fine - you keep the standard Challengers out of this, and then at least I won''t have to worry about this getting caught up in the paperwork. But again, if Xenia needs help, please let us know. The security of the dungeon is one of our primary concerns, after all. Second to that of the Challengers themselves."
Yulia nods. "No worries - the dungeon shall be as safe - or, perhaps, unsafe - as it ever was."
"So, you got the gig?"
Grizza looks down at the much shorter Alchemist and nods. "We have - not for the full party, or all at once, but three of us will be joining an existing party of three. We''ll be working on floors Three and Four, which are easy enough for us these days, so there should be plenty of opportunity to try and work in some gossip and whatnot. Perhaps I''ll even suggest a celebration on Floor Five afterwards."
Tinsel grins at the suggestion. "Anytime you can party on the Army''s dime, I say go for it. Just keep your senses sharp, alright? We still don''t know much about what this group is after, but command - y''know, as always - is suspecting more Dragonlord trickery. So anything could happen."
The drider nods. "No worries, Alchemist. I''m sure everything will go just fine."
Chapter 274: The Ground Beneath My Feet
"Well, Floor Three wasn''t so bad, was it? Anything like the dungeons back in your homeland, I wonder?" Grizza smiles as he poses the question to his current employer, wishing his mage training in the army had included some sort of acting practice. For his part, Fletcher eyes the drider for a moment before grunting.
"Oh yeah, had shit like that all the time. With the...slime bunnies, and the traps, and stuff. Pretty common shit."
"Really? You''ve seen slime rabbits before? Those were a new one to me when we first found them here, not that I''ve been in many other dungeons beyond Worthy Dungeon. Do you recall the name of the dungeon where you''ve seen rabbit monsters appear?"
The man doesn''t answer right away, instead scanning the starting area of Floor Four while counting his arrows with his fingertips. It seemed a little on the nose - a man named Fletcher apparently being an Archer-type class - but Grizza was already nervous about the number of questions he''d been trying to slip in and had decided not to ask if Fletcher was a given name or a nickname. "Eh. All blurs together after a while, you know? Anyhow, you''re the guide here, right? How about you and your rock pals stop gossiping and get to work, hrmm?"
"Of course, of course." Turning around, Grizza takes a look and counts up the rest of the party coming up behind them. It was a split party, with Grizza, Roxxy, and the magma elemental Ashley making up the ''mercenary'' half of the party. The other three included Fletcher and his brother Jason, a dual-wielding swordsman, and Ruckus, an arcane Rogue of some sort, the goblin having been rather circumspect about the exact name of his class. For that matter, all three of them had been rather circumspect about nearly everything they said, but that wasn''t particularly surprising.
After all, they were probably Domain spies.
It had taken some doing, linking this particular group of Challengers to the unfortunate orc shaman who had summoned the dungeon ghost into the woods some weeks ago. The Valleylands Army solders who had been sent to Grassbrook had taken turns following the possessed man and his apparent party, making up for their lack of expertise with their numbers, and had eventually noticed a few oddities. While the core group of spies, led by a man named Thaddeus, appeared to be rather isolated and disconnected from the other parties working out of the town, that turned out to be a rather superficial state of affairs. It had helped that his party never spent the night in the dungeon''s inn, an unusual state of affairs for a high-level party, and so it had been possible to link them to another group who behaved in the same way.
Namely, the large group of which Fletcher and his companions seemed to be a part. The two parties never openly met, but Tinsel herself had caught them having brief conversations on the street and in alleyways, her small size making her an excellent eavesdropper. The core party was judged to be too dangerous for Grizza to approach directly, but this other group, the ''Inheritors'', seemed to be much less powerful on an individual level. It had taken a few days for Grizza to successfully approach any of them about working together, but persistence had paid off and here he was, ''guiding'' them through the dungeon''s middle floors.
With that in mind, Grizza clears his throat and attempts to sound like a professional. "Ahem, ah, right! Now, this floor may appear to be open at first glance, and it is, but it''s actually divided into two parts. The lower section, which we''re currently on, is about a third of the floor and is relatively low-risk. Nuisance monsters, mostly, small rabbits and flying beasts. We''ll then need to scale a small cliff to the upper level, avoiding traps in the process, and most of the real hazards are up there. In particular, shade-type monsters. If you don''t have much in the way of magical skills, we should be able to help you out quite a bit there."
He gestures towards his companions, and his meaning is rather clear. Roxxy and Ashley are both studded with magical crystals, not particularly more of them than they had been some months previously, but very much better ones. There was a limit to how many crystals an earth or magma elemental could control, apparently, so eventually the Rough Gems had taken instead to upgrading their quality, prying gemstones from more powerful wands and swapping them out with their original set. Ashley continued to be largely equipped with crystals aspected to fire magic, but Roxxy had turned into nearly a geode rainbow - an effect that was made even more stunning thanks to her use of Grizza''s enchanted rabbit-ear headband. When she''d used it in the inn the other day she''d only been wearing a handful of gems, her ''walking around'' set, but when combined with her full battle set the gems had appeared to shift into becoming almost a sort of armor for the sculptured woman.
Armor that did little to hide the ''flesh'' beneath, but at least it was covering her important bits, which she now appeared to have. Ruckus in particular couldn''t seem to keep his eyes off of the elemental, and Grizza wasn''t entirely sure if the goblin wanted to grope her or rob her. Either way, he kept a close eye on the rogue in turn.
"Right, right. Well, we are paying you for more than just the simple tricks and tips any five-coin guidebook coulda told us, so yeah, I''m sure hopin'' you plan to help out." Jason has a grin on his face as he speaks, but it doesn''t hide the seriousness behind his mocking tone. For her part, Roxxy doesn''t seem to notice.
"Hey, we helped out a lot on the last floor, didn''t we? Took care of most of those slimes, and helped break the puzzle room, right? But sure, shades aren''t a problem for us. Even aside from our magic attacks, shades can''t hurt an elemental as much as they can a fleshie." Roxxy playfully pokes Jason''s arm with her finger, although Grizza''s pretty sure the man''s eyes spend more time on her marble tits than on her hands.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
"Sure, sure. Looking forward to, uh...seein'' how you handle yourself. Lead on, m''guess."
They do so, and sure enough the beginning area of the floor is quite easy for the party to handle. The floor''s fanged rabbits have virtually no chance of actually harming the team''s elementals, and while the monsters are quick enough to dodge around them, the party''s fleshier members are more than a match for the ones that get through. Grizza ensures that everyone stays far away from the floor''s small river, and it''s not long before they reach the cliff wall leading to the upper level. Ruckus seems to be rather excited at the idea of scaling up the cliff face, apparently having been looking forward to testing himself against the traps the dungeon had placed among the various paths upwards, but the goblin finds himself disappointed when his companions outvote him. Instead, a powered-up Roxxy simply picks a bare patch of stone and places her hand against it, willing the rock into forming a convenient set of stairs for them to take.
Once everyone''s climbed on up, Grizza begins to explain the next portion in more detail. "Alright, so there''s apparently been a few recent changes to the floor you might not have heard of. Shades do still stalk the forest, but the ''hidden shrine'' where the bridge key is kept is apparently guarded by undead thralls these days. I don''t recommend we skip collecting the key, while Roxxy could try and generate a bridge to the boss arena island on her own, it''d practically drain her mana supply - and potions don''t really work on elementals, unfortunately. Beheading the monsters works well enough, as does fire."
Fletcher nods. "Be nice to fight something properly human-sized for once - though I imagine Ash here could probably burn some walking dead pretty good, heh. Same as before, I''ll let you lot take the lead, since you''re pretty good at tanking the hits around here."
Roxxy and Ashley have no complaints about their assignment, and Grizza himself follows shortly behind them as they begin to head towards the next patch of woods. Before they get there though, Roxxy pauses and looks around. Grizza himself has to come to a quick halt to keep from running into her, and quickly points his wand up towards the trees. "See something, Roxxy? I don''t think the shades have ever ambushed someone this early, before. Wait, don''t tell me the wandering boss is out there."
The elemental shakes her head. "No, not that. There''s something different about this place compared to usual, not sure what though. Something feels...oh." Roxxy turns her head downwards and stares at the ground beneath her feet, and before Grizza can ask what the problem is, that ground suddenly gives way beneath them. It''s a rather significant fall which claims both elementals and Grizza, at least twenty feet down, but it''s fortunately broken with a splash of water rather than the shattering of the drider''s eight legs. The relief Grizza feels at that is short-lived once the Mage recalls what lives in the waters of Floor Four.
Splashing around, Grizza shouts up towards the faces peering down at him from above. "Sinkhole! This is - this is new! Try not to fall in, there could be water elementals down here! ...I don''t suppose you have a rope?"
The trio look at each other, and Fletcher doesn''t attempt to hide his words as he speaks to his brother. "...What you think, Jason, any chance we''d actually be able to haul those mobile rocks up out of there?"
The swordsman laughs. "You fuckin'' kidding? Doin'' one of them would take all day, let alone two! How ''bout they just dig their own way out?"
Roxxy peers around at the darkened pond they find themselves in, growing more obscured over time thanks to the steam rising up from around Ashley''s magma-filled form. "We probably could with enough time, but that''d leave us pretty vulnerable if the splashies come out to play! Think you could keep an eye out for them while we work, at least?"
There''s a bit of silence before eventually Ruckus speaks up - but not to the Rough Gems. "...We didn''t pay them up front, right? If they bite it, we''re not out on anything?"
Fletcher shakes his head. "Pay was gonna be based on loot recovered. Which, y''know, splits a lot less three ways compared to six. You two good for some undead killin''?"
Grizza shouts out before the others can respond. "What!? You can''t just leave us here! You''ll - you''ll never work with another Challenger in this town again!"
"...Oh noooo..." Ruckus cries briefly before chuckling. "I mean, it ain''t nothing personal. But rescuing you three sounds like a prime trigger for an ambush up here, and I ain''t really feeling it, you know? Good luck down there, though!"
"Wait - are you kidding - " Grizza''s shouting dies off as the three faces vanish, and he briefly considers blasting the ceiling in an attempt to knock the rest down with them before they can escape. That''d almost certainly make his situation worse, though, and the drider is having a hard enough time swimming as it is. His bulky form is slightly buoyant, but his legs are hardly shaped for moving through the water, and the Mage can already feel himself beginning to tire. That is, until a stony platform rises up beneath him just enough to let him stand rather than tread endlessly. Looking around, he spots Roxxy staring back at him, the massive woman herself currently little more than a head and shoulders above the surface.
"That help you, Grizza? I''m standing on the bottom now, so it''s not too deep. Don''t think I could raise that platform all the way to the top, though, that''d be a bit much for me to do all at once."
"It''ll help for now, Roxxy, thank you. But...gods, I''ve never seen such awful behavior! I suppose this does seem like more evidence for them being Domain spies, don''t you think? ...This is very odd, though, I''ve never heard of the dungeon having a trap like this before? Do...do you think it''s just because no one who''s triggered it has survived to tell about it?"
Ashley shakes his head, or at least Grizza thinks so, considering the man is currently covered in a tiny cloud of steam. "Nah, if there was a hollow in the floor like this before, we woulda noticed for sure. Honestly we probably shoulda noticed it earlier anyways, guess we got complacent, huh?"
The Mage has to agree. "It seems so. Uh, is this water bothering you, Ashley? I''ve never seen a magma elemental get submerged before."
"Eh, it''s coolin'' me down, probably gonna be harder to toss a fireball around or whatever. Ain''t bad for my health or nothin'', though."
"Well that''s something, at least. First things first, we need to get out of this water, Roxxy, can you make - " Whatever Grizza''s about to say next, it''s interrupted by a giggling form that emerges from the surface of the water between him and Roxxy. Or rather, it is the surface of the water.
"Haha, don''t be silly, spider-man! You''re not going anywhere."
Chapter 275: Special Limited Time Offers
Jason scans the forest as he walks, with one of his two swords resting on his shoulder. "So, you think we''re good to finish this with just three people? We could go back, come back with reinforcements."
His brother shakes his head. "The prince wouldn''t be happy with delays, that''s why he let us hire on mercs to begin with. We should be fine, though - you got your magic swords, I got some enchanted arrows, Ruckus has got...whatever the lil bastard''s got. It''s enough to handle a few undead, and this floor ain''t supposed to be too tough."
The disguised imp laughs at the mention of his name. "Oh, yeah, I got all sorts of tricks and goodies up my sleeves. But the floor boss is just supposed to be, like, a bigger shade, yeah? If we can handle some of the small ones, shouldn''t be no issue at all."
"Alright, then, guess we''ll find out cause we''ve got a group inbound. Ahead, to the right, look sharp!" Fletcher readies his bow, his keen eyesight having picked out the movement of monsters in the trees, although he holds his fire for a clearer shot. Ruckus is a little more proactive though and tosses a small metal orb fixed to the end of a wire, such that it wraps around one of the nearby tree trunks. He quickly ties off the other end to a second tree before giving the brothers a thumbs up, not that either of them are entirely certain what it is the imp just did.
Fletcher doesn''t have time to ask, as within moments the first three rabbit-eared shades make their appearance. The man fires off one of his handful of explosive arrows, hitting his target but finding little reason to celebrate as it seems to do no apparent damage to the undead monster. It does at least knock it backwards a few feet, but if there''s any actual injury to the shadowy figure, the archer can''t see it. The same can''t be said for the other two as they charge on forward, passing right through Ruckus''s wire trap.
Or at least, they try to. Fletcher had seen the monsters pass through thin branches as if they weren''t there, but somehow the two shades manage to get completely tangled up in the simple bit of metal wire their rogue had strung up. It''s hard to explain given that the wire itself doesn''t even seem to move with the impact of their arrival, yet the shades tumble to the ground as if they''d been caught up in an elaborate net encompassing their entire forms. The man doesn''t have long to puzzle over it though before Ruckus himself shouts out. "The ghost snare ain''t gonna kill em, just slow em down - so, y''know, maybe get to it?"
"Right - on it!" Jason steps forward, now wielding both of his blades, and a slight yellow light passes up their edges as the man charges them with mana. A few quick swipes turns the struggling shades into so much smoke, and soon only the possibly-injured one remains. Fletcher switches up his tactics, pulling out a lightning-enchanted arrow for his next shot, and sure enough this one seems to do far more damage to the undead. It still doesn''t quite kill it, leaving it twitching and crackling in place as it hovers a few feet above the ground, but Jason is more than quick enough to duck under the snare and claim a third kill before it can recover. With the immediate threat down Fletcher searches the trees once again, but for now the forest seems to be quiet.
"Ghost snare?" Jason chuckles. "How often do you need to trap a ghost? How do you trap a ghost?"
"Trade secret! It''s not like I ask you how stabbing things works, do I?"
The swordsman narrows his eyes at his shorter companion. "I feel like ''stabbing things'' is pretty self-explanatory."
"Yeah, yeah, that''s what every expert says about their line of work. Anyhow, seems like we can handle some ghosts pretty alright, yeah? Unless you think you''re gonna run out of special arrows, Fletch?"
The archer shakes his head. "If it gets to it I can charge up some mundane arrows myself, just saving my energy. Just keep alert, though, I don''t want us getting surrounded out here."
The others nod, and the party continues to search out the supposed ''altar'' where they''ll be able to find the key to the floor''s river crossing. Two more ambushes attempt to stop the trio, one of them containing a full six shades, yet even when a monster gets past Fletcher and Ruckus they don''t fail to encounter Jason''s blades instead, as the man dashes back and forth to cover every angle. It''s all going rather smoothly, until they reach their destination and find that the altar they were looking for is no more.
Instead, they find a rabbit-eared woman sitting on a stone table alongside a gem-encrusted treasure chest. The chest does catch their attention for a brief moment, but their focus is quickly drawn back to the smiling woman, and the fact that she''s dressed only in lacy black lingerie. Spotting them, her smile grows wider as she shouts out. "Hey there, boys!"
Ruckus shakes his head. "Right. Trick, trap, mimic. Something''s going on here, for sure. Shoot the lady, Fletch."
"Now hold on, hold on. This ain''t...too strange for the dungeon, right? They say they got ladies like this working in the lounge, yeah? Maybe this is just another...bonus challenge, or something?"
Jason sighs. "Maybe the guide would''ve known something about it, though Tizzy sure didn''t say anything. But, sure - the girl''s unarmed, even if she''s gonna toss a fireball at us, I don''t think she could do it fast enough to take us all out."
The girl in question speaks up, using a rather disarming ''country girl'' accent as she does so. "Ah, sugar, I ain''t gonna be tossing anything at you except these fire-hot offers, yeah? You boys are real lucky, you know - the dungeon''s trying something new, and you get to be the first to take advantage of it!"
"Trick. Trick, trick, trick. Guys, I like staring at a pair of tits as much as anyone, but the dungeon is clearly using a booby trap on us." Ruckus gestures at the rabbit-woman while staring at the brothers, urging them to violence with his eyes.
"Easy, Ruckus, we''ll keep our distance. So tell me, lass, what''s this offer of yours?"
"Glad you asked! Since there''s three of you boys, you get three prizes, and it''s just up to you to decide who gets what!" She hops off of the table, and gestures towards the chest by her side. "One of you gets the contents of this genuine dungeon treasure chest! Enchanted items guaranteed, no curses involved!" The monstrous woman then moves into a second pose, with her hands on her hips and her bust puffed out. "One of you gets me! For today, and every day for the next month if you swing by Floor Five! Interested?" She waggles her eyebrows, and the three adventurers find themselves feeling rather conflicted.
Fletcher speaks up first. "That''s...a very unique offer, lass. Very tempting. Doesn''t sound like a dungeon to give things away for free, though. What''s the third offer?"You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
The woman steps aside and gestures at the stone table, and as Fletcher looks at it more closely, he notices it''s not exactly a table. There''s grooves carved into it, in the approximate shape of a person, and...he''s pretty sure there''s restraints fixed to it for arms and legs. "The third one of you gets sacrificed to the dungeon by your friends!" The trio blink at that statement for a moment, and the woman continues with her explanation. "The dungeon''s decided to work smarter, not harder! Why go through all the effort of killing Challengers if we can just pay Challengers to do it for us?"
"Okay, yeah, there''s the trick. One of us dies and then the dungeon just kills the other two. Obvious." Ruckus crosses his arms, frowning at his companions. "Not to mention two of us probably isn''t enough to clear the floor."
"Aww, do I have to sweeten the deal?" The temptress pouts. "Well, don''t tell the boss I''m offering this, but I''ll also toss in a ''clear Floor Four free'' token! Just show it to DEATH on your way out and you won''t even need to fight! You''ll even get the floor rewards!"
Jason rubs his chin. "Yeeeaahhh, I''m not sure we can trust you to hold up your end on this. Can dungeons lie?"
"Of course not! Traps, sure! Illusions, sometimes! But dungeons are tools of the gods - Worthy Dungeon, especially! Lying to Challengers would be a sin!"
Fletcher narrows his eyes at the woman. "...Have heard something about the local religions being involved with dungeons, yeah. And Worthy Dungeon''s supposed to be sponsored by one of the good ones. The offer''s probably real."
"Even if it was, not like someone''s gonna volunteer to be third! So who''d the poor sap be to..." Ruckus looks up at his human companions, who are both looking back down at him. "Oh, come on! Fuck you! The dungeon''s obviously fucking with us!"
"Literally, in a few minutes." Jason smirks at the rabbit-eared woman before glancing back down at Ruckus. "It gotta be done in any special way?"
The woman nods. "Yup, just strap him down to this sacrificial altar, and if you like I can handle the messy bit! But you gotta get him here yourself!"
The three adventurers stare at each other for a long moment of silence, not a word being spoken from their lips, but their eyes passing a realm of thought and emotion between them. Then all at once they burst into action, Ruckus and Fletcher jumping backwards as Jason leaps for the imp. The rogue is able toss out a quick bomb of pepper-laden smoke, blinding the archer and making him choke, but unfortunately for him he has no answer to the Expert-qualified swordsman well within arm''s reach. His main satchel gets cut off his shoulder before he can draw a second trick from it, and when he attempts to charge a spell in his left hand, his palm gets pierced by a blade for his trouble.
Being disarmed doesn''t mean Ruckus goes quietly, of course, the imp got his name for a reason and struggles, squirms, and utters every obscenity he can think of as Jason slashes at him repeatedly. In a few seconds the disguised imp''s fallen to the ground, his limbs and joints bleeding, but even that doesn''t stop him from trying to bite his former ally as Jason grabs him in a restraining hold. A bleary-eyed Fletcher appears before him before long though and silences the smaller man with a punch to the gut - or at least reduces the volume, as a trickle of muttered curses continues to drip from Ruckus''s lips.
"Honestly, Ruckus, been thinkin'' of doin'' this for months anyhow. Gods, you''re one annoying son of a bitch, you know that? How many times you tried to cheat us at cards? Stolen shit from our rooms? You think that just because we didn''t catch you in the act, we didn''t know it was you? Only thing keeping a dagger out of your gut was no one wanted to piss off the boss. But hey...accidents happen in a dungeon, right?" Fletcher gives the imp an ugly grin before nodding at Jason. "Get the sack of shit onto the table, yeah?"
"Oh yeah, lookin'' forward to this almost as much as Miss Legs over here..." Jason''s grin matches Fletcher''s as he hefts the imp over one shoulder, and brings him to the sacrificial altar. Fortunately the dungeon master had the foresight to install a number of sets of restraints on the item, and even with his short height it''s not hard for the brothers to get the injured man strapped down within a minute or so. Ruckus never shuts up, but Fletcher does his best to ignore him as he turns towards the rabbit woman. "So, that''s good, then? We bleed the shit, and get...what you offered?"
"Sure enough! There is one other step, though. You see the chest here?" She gestures at the container in question, and the brothers both glance at it - Jason perhaps needing an extra moment to refocus his attention from the other sort of chest on display. "Before you open it, you''ll need to - now!" The brothers barely have time to blink before the signal is received, and neither Fletcher nor Jason have time to even register the sensation of the arrows landing in the back of their skulls, fired from the treeline at the edge of the clearing. As the men tumble to the ground Ruckus begins swearing again, but for an entirely different reason, as he spies a squad of rabbit-folk make their way out of the trees.
"Good work, Ashadi! Hope it wasn''t too disturbing, having to get up close to those thugs like that."
Squire Ashadi smiles brightly as Trush approaches, surrounded by the rest of his squires. "Hells no, that was fun! I mean, gods...they were so. Dumb." Ashadi shakes her head before leaning down over the restrained Ruckus and adding a comment. "Seriously. ''Dungeons can''t lie.'' They actually believed that?"
Ruckus groans. "Can, sadly enough. But why bother with all that ''offer'' shit? Why not just fight like a normal monster, huh?"
Trush answers that question. "Because this was a test of morality, rogue, not combat skill. Worthy wanted to see what types of folks you were - if there''s decency to you, or if you''d turn on each other as easily as we''d heard." Trush snorts at the two corpses lying at his feet. "Pretty obvious how that went for these two."
"But - but not me, right?! I didn''t try and kill em! They were the ones that made a move on me!"
"True enough." Trush''s expression is not a positive one, despite his words. "That didn''t exactly apply to those hirelings you brought along though, did it?"
The imp sighs. "Fuck. They talk before the water elementals or whatever got em?"
"One, wouldn''t need em to - Worthy saw the whole thing. Two, they''re fine, just got a free bath. Worthy was just gettin'' em out of the way while we played our little game, they''re not involved in this."
"Oh, well...good for them, then. Yay. Yippee." Ruckus sighs again. "Guess I''m pretty fucked then though, huh?"
"Not looking good for you, no." Trush kneels down next to the altar, so that he can speak into the false goblin''s ear. "Worthy''s seen you work though, and seems to think you''ve got some useful skills. What do you think?"
Trying not to hope too much, Ruckus turns his head to look into Trush''s eyes. "...I know a trick or two, sure."
"Well then. How about this offer..."
|
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INTRUSION SCORE:
MORTALS SLAIN: 2
MORTALS ESCAPED: 4
LIMITED ITEMS OBTAINED:
TWIN FANG BLADES (2)
MORTAL SOULS: 2
MANA CAP INCREASED BY 9 TO 443
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED:
HEAVY COMBAT SKILLS: DUAL BLADESMAN (UNRANKED)
LIGHT COMBAT SKILLS: ARCANE ARCHER (UNRANKED)
---------------------------------------------------------------
|
Chapter 276: Telling Tales
"Are you shittin'' me, boy?"
Grizza winces as he looks at the men and women sitting on the opposite side of his table at the Lucky Bastard - a human, a pair of unusually dark-skinned elves, and the speaker of the question, a half-orc with an intimidating-looking scar across his cheek. Roxxy and Ashley are both at his side, backing him up, and he''s fairly certain he''s not about to be attacked in public, but the young Mage still finds himself having to struggle to avoid a stammer in his reply.
"I''m afraid not, sir. It was a brand new trap, never seen before in the dungeon - a massive sinkhole in the upper section of Floor Four, you see. Water elementals at the bottom of it. By time we caught up to them, all three of them had already drowned."
One of the elves leans forward at the last comment. "''Caught up'', you say? Why were you not with them?"
When Grizza takes a moment too long to answer, Roxxy steps in. "You''d have to ask them that - they said they wanted to walk ahead for a moment, talk about something. First sign we knew anything was wrong was when we heard the ground open up."
The human of the group grumbles. "Likely story. Well...maybe. Ruckus was always a schemer. But sounds to me like this lot here just wanted to steal their gear, say the dungeon did it. Probably makes up half their ''business'', yeah?"
That accusation manages to make the relatively-quiet Ashley raise his voice in response. "Slander! Our record is perfect, you know...uh, I mean, well, not anymore, I guess. But before! We''ve never lost a party member until yesterday! ...Uh, besides, we couldn''t even get down to their bodies, or their gear, that was what killed them, after all."
The half-orc growls and refocuses the conversation. "Fine, fine - though if I see sign of Jason''s swords around town or something, we''ll be having more than words about it, believe you me. Is there anything else you can tell us about this trap, though? Our squad went through Floor Four like an hour beforehand and didn''t run into any of these damn ''sinkholes''."
Grizza shakes his head. "I''m afraid not. Ah, I can tell you that in general the dungeon doesn''t often risk the water elementals in open attacks, as they''re not actually dungeon monsters, just, well...residents? If a party had a way to fight them off, they''d probably retreat quickly."
The man brushes that off. "Doesn''t really matter, ain''t gonna be hitting Floor Four again ourselves."
Licking his lips, Grizza leans forward and makes his best attempt at upselling. "Moving on to Floor Six soon, then? If you need our services, the Rough Gems are willing to provide, erm, a hefty discount considering recent - "
That attempt is interrupted by a boisterous laugh. "The balls on you, spider! No. Actually, correction. Fuck no. In fact, get the fuck out of here before I decide to start prying diamonds out of your friends here as a refund on behalf of my former associates."
Roxxy begins moving to pull the enchanted rabbit ears out of a bag, but Grizza stops her with a hand on her arm. "Quite understandable, sir. Ah...good luck in your future challenges. Until next time!"
The four adventurers sit in silence as they watch the Gems beat a hasty retreat out of the tavern, and then they all begin to speak at once. The human manages to make himself heard the clearest, though. "Well, ain''t gonna miss that little im-goblin, I mean, but the brothers were a good pair in a scrap. Your squad didn''t see anything weird on that floor, Norlash?"
Norlash, the orc, grunts a negative. "Was just like Tizzy said it was for us. You and your kid find anything odd when your squad went through, Lyman?"
The human returns the negative. "Reed and I and the rest of us just ran into shades and weak little vampire things. Weren''t anything compared to Liani, of course."
One of the elves picks up the conversation as it trails off. "Tad''s not going to like it either way. I said we should have just all stuck together in a group from here on, I don''t know why we''re still going in there in fours and fives and acting like we''re still doing normal dungeon runs."
"Cause apparently some dungeons can trigger special modes or some shit when a massive group comes through, and nobody wants to go through five floors of hellfire in a single run, Hylii! It''s gonna be bad enough starting it at Floor Seven or Eight! That''s assuming the rest of us make it through Floor Six, at least. You''re right though, that shit was targeted. The dungeon definitely knows who we all are by now, I''d say."
Lyman rubs his chin. "This change how we''re going to do things for the next go? Other than not hiring more mercs."
"Well, don''t let ourselves get split up, that''s for sure. I don''t know why Ruckus or the boys wanted to get away from their guides for a minute, but it could''ve cost them their lives. Also, keep an eye out for anything different from how Tizzy described it. Anything changed, it probably changed just for us."Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Hylii, the male of the dark elf pair, nods in agreement. "Shall we make any changes to the group setup for Floor Six, do you think?"
Norlash begins counting off on his fingers. "Assuming we don''t get the boss or his girls to help us out, we''re down to me and Nalain, you and Gerliari, Lyman and his kid, Tannis, Liani, and Violetta. Tizzy''s research says ''raid mechanics'' can start kicking in at eight people in a group, so we still gotta split up. So no, same groups, I think. Nalain and I will take Tannis and Violetta, and that leaves the rest of you with Lyman''s party."
"Fair enough. Floor Six tomorrow, then?"
"Too late to climb up there and run a floor today, or I would. I don''t like the idea of giving the dungeon more time to get some clever ideas about how to fuck with us. So yeah, tomorrow." Norlash bares his teeth at the thought of the dungeon designing traps specifically for him. "And then we''ll pay the dungeon back for everyone it''s killed."
Gerliari, the other dark elf, chuckles. "Even Ruckus?"
"...Even Ruckus."
Ruckus looks around nervously as he sits in his chair, his goblin illusion long since been dissolved. The man was good at telling time even when underground, so he knew for a fact that he''d been kept in his small cell for almost a full twenty-four hours. He''d been briefly escorted out of the dungeon by Trush, with a blade held close to his throat, so that the dungeon could ''close'' his party''s intrusion, but his sight of the sun had lasted only a minute before he''d been forced back in through a shortcut portal. He wasn''t sure which floor he''d been taken to from there, but given the rough setup of the cell he was in he suspected the place had been crafted just for him. Another thing he was good at was breaking out of cells, so for the first twenty minutes or so of that he hadn''t been too worried. After he popped his cuffs open and jimmied the lock of his door however, he''d realized that a cell within a dungeon was an entirely different beast than any mortal prison the imp had ever been locked within.
Like the others, he''d had the ''Intro to Dungeons'' lecture from Tizzy, including the rules that dungeons had to follow when it came to their Challengers. A Challenger had to always have a path to the core, as well as at least one path to exit the dungeon. They didn''t have to be safe paths, but a path had to exist, and a sneaky fellow like Ruckus could find his way out of anything, or so he''d like to think. The problem was that unlike with a normal prison, a dungeon could see every single thing you do within it, a fact that was made clear when Trush and Sevastion both showed up outside his cell to ask what he was doing. They did have to ask twice, given that Ruckus was a little gobsmacked to say the least to see that Sevastion was now sporting mandibles and a few extra legs, but the pair actually accepted his excuse of ''testing the locks'', and even seemed somewhat pleased about it for some reason.
They did tell him - with a few pointy weapons being brandished for emphasis - not to do it again, and Ruckus quickly agreed. Apparently the dungeon''s rules didn''t allow it to simply seal him up within a tomb of stone, but it didn''t stop his ''path'' out from being littered with a few more dungeon guardians than he''d ever care to try and challenge on his own.
After that he''d had little to do but to count the hours, and it was almost a relief to find himself dragged out of there and into a portal ring. He isn''t entirely sure if he should still be relieved though, given that the man''s fairly certain he''s now standing in the seat of the dungeon spirit''s power. Not her core chamber, she''d surely not be that foolish, but instead, an office and trophy chamber. A heavy wooden desk fills up most of the space, and one of the walls is occupied by a truly massive and evil-looking mirror, but much of the rest is occupied with the other kind of dungeon loot. Items that fallen Challengers had left behind when they died - enchanted weapons, family crests, a few small pieces of jewelry and crafted artwork.
It''s a set of trophies being added to even now, as a human woman with striped black-and-white hair stands a few feet away, facing the wall as she admires a sword in her hands. She tests it a few times, restrained by the size of the office, but she''s confident enough with her movements to tell Ruckus that the lady knows what she''s doing with a blade. After a few half-swings she comes to a halt and places the sword on a new display next to its twin, and Ruckus feels the need to break the silence at the sight of it.
"Jason''s blades, yeah? Good enough for you to keep around? I know he liked em, didn''t think they''d be much compared to what a dungeon could make at will, though."
The woman crosses her arms and answers without turning to face her guest. "Starting a new collection, apparently. Do you recognize that, over there?" She gestures at a bare frame containing what seems to be a collection of rags, and Ruckus has to peer at it for a moment to figure out what he''s looking at.
"...Oh! That uh, that''d be Lei''s fist wraps, yeah? You kept those too?"
"Iron Palm fist wraps and Twin Fang blades. Seems like Xenia finds herself in a bit of a rut, repeating old habits. This isn''t the first time she''s had a collection of Champion''s artifacts, you know. Although she didn''t kill the original owners of these particular two."
Ruckus swallows as it''s somewhat confirmed for him just who it is he''s speaking to. "So...that would be you, yeah? Prince Xenon, or...Xenia, or whatever you want me to call you, I''m flexible!"
The woman finally turns to look at him, and to Ruckus''s surprise there''s a grin on her face. "Call me...Emma."
"...Sure, Lady Emma, Dungeon Spirit Emma, Your Majesty, whatever you want. I uh...ain''t got a fancy inheritance to offer you if you''re lookin'', sorry, not that you didn''t already take all my stuff yesterday."
"Aside from some lockpicks even a dungeon has a hard time finding, apparently. But you''re lucky, Ruckus. ...Is that even your real name, while we''re on the topic?"
"Well, my full name is Barruck Thanliel Lionus Lionus Dodanus Alanie Dullspoon, but you can call me Ruckus, it''s cool. When folks tried giving me nicknames as a kid it was either Ruckus or Anus, so you can guess which one I leaned towards."
"...Right, I think she asked for an imp''s full name once and then never did that again. To get on track though, Ruckus, we don''t want you for your gear. We don''t even want you for your intel, although I am going to take anything you''ve got."
Ruckus tries his best to put a smile on his lips as he nods along. "Sure, sure - what can I do for you, then?"
"For starters...you''re going to listen to a story."
Chapter 277: The Twin Fangs
Emma sits on the edge of the office desk only a few feet away from the seated imp, and gives the prisoner a grin. For some reason, it doesn''t put him at ease.
"So, in the interests of full disclosure, the reason I introduced myself as Emma and not as Xenia is because I''m not Xenia. She is here, of course, but frankly you''re not worth burning precious avatar time on. That''s time she could spend getting drunk, or enjoying a lap dance from an incubus in the lounge, after all." She pauses as her head tilts to the side, before snorting. "C''mon, I might not be omniscient Xen, but I ain''t gonna miss what''s going on in my own damn lounge."
Ruckus eyes the empty side of the office, but finds no trace of the dungeon spirit that he can see. "Sure, sure, I''m not complaining. Not like I''m some high-and-mighty prince or something myself. Just a humble rogue."
"So I see. That being said, while I''m taking Xenia''s form I can remember what she remembers, so for the purposes of this story I''ll be speaking in first person." She pauses briefly again before slightly changing the topic. "Before we get into it, though - not a prince, sure, but don''t suppose you''re also claiming to be one of Xen''s grandkids?"
Ruckus opens his mouth to speak, but then thinks better of what he was about to say and then changes tack. "Well, yea...well, no, actually. My cousin did, Wander, but he''s one of the boys that didn''t make it this far. Got in a fight with one of the prince''s other recruits, old grudges, y''know, but it didn''t exactly go well for either of em. But I was already along the ride so, hey, here I am. Yippee."
"Really such a delightful bunch, you just sound better every time we hear more about you. Anyways! The story. Now, you might not be a descendant of a Champion yourself, but I take it you''ve heard enough about them? How Prince Xenon turned the Champions against their summoners, conquered and rebuilt the Tower, yadda yadda?"
The imp nods. "Obviously. I mean, even folks literally living under rocks know about Prince Xenon!"
"Figured. But do the stories mention how I did it?"
Ruckus scratches at a long ear. "Bribes, right? Money, power, all that. Some people say Xenon had a hypnotic voice or something, but I never really bought into that sort of shit."
Emma chuckles. "Nah - not surprised people think about bribes, since giving a Champion a castle tends to be pretty obvious even to the footsoldiers, but all of that happened after I turned em. That''s the last step in the process. You know what''s first?" Her smile widens, and she doesn''t wait for the rogue to guess. "Showmanship. As an example...well, take the original owner of those swords there - Jennifer of the Twin Fangs. Or as well called her, Stabby Jen. She was...well, not in the first ten Champions, maybe the first fifteen or so? Enough that I''d been doing it for a few years and had the routine down. It all started on a dark and stormy night..."
As Xenon hears the crash of thunder and lightning outside the dungeon windows, the prince nods to himself. Getting a weather mage to cast a storm spell this intense was no minor effort, but it wasn''t every day a new Champion arrived in his cells, and it was important to make a good first impression. With that in mind he checks his outfit before he proceeds any further - skull pauldrons, black cape, sword at his side with its hilt shaped like tusks and thorns. Everything a good dark lord needs.
Everything proper and fake, just as it ought to be.
Pleased with his appearance the man continues on forward, and the next turn of a corner brings him before the Champion''s cell. The brown-haired woman seems young, as most of them do, perhaps college age or slightly older. Her soft features wouldn''t look out of place in any suburban coffee shop, but her bare arms do show hints of muscle, the results of a few weeks or months crash-training a combat course. She''s dressed in prisoner''s rags but her skin is clean enough, her cell having been provided with running water and a small bathtub. That was almost more of a practical concern than a kindness, considering hoofing buckets of water up the massive Tower the manual way would''ve been more effort than anyone could be assed to do, but either way it seems as if the woman had taken advantage of the chance to wash away the stains of her last battle.
Her armor is long gone, moved to the Tower armory, but her relic-class weapons are here in the dungeon and left in plain sight for her to view. A weapon rack was brought out just for them, the twin swords angled just right to catch the torchlight, taunting the Champion with their presence. A classic dark lord blunder, isn''t it? Leaving a hero''s magical weapons right next to their prison cell, so that any escape immediately leads into a battle for the Tower itself?
Tropes are tropes for a reason, after all, they often make sense. Too much sense, really. And that''s the problem with them.
The woman scowls as Xenon as he walks into view, even as she takes a step back away from the bars. "Darkstar! I don''t - I don''t know how you caught us so quickly at the border, but you better not have hurt my friends, or you''ll regret it!"
Xenon grins as he pulls up a simple wooden chair and takes a seat in front of the cell. "You''re lucky, Champion - your team this round was stunningly incompetent. Really, a brownie as your tank? Did you think mischief and illusions would make up for going down to a single solid hit? I don''t think even Willow would''ve tried that shit. Nah, taking them alive was easy. Better than that all-elf assassin team the last one had. Elf assassins really don''t like being captured alive."Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
The woman''s eyes narrow. "Willow? Is that one of...the lieutenants you''ve recruited?"
"What? No, the lil hobbity dude from the movie, with the magic acorns...fuck, forget it, guess that one didn''t stand the test of time. I could go back to making ''dark side'' references, everyone seems to love a good Star Wars."
Now more confused than ever, the woman steps closer to the cell bars once more. "You...you know Star Wars?"
Xenon laughs. "They still aren''t telling you kids about this, huh? They''ve got to have heard about it by now...then again, competence doesn''t seem to be high on their trait list. Tell me, Champion, what''s your name? I''m Prince Xenon Darkstar, as you seem to know."
The woman stands up a little straighter as she introduces herself. "Jennifer! Of the Twin Fangs! I''ve been chosen and blessed by the - "
Xenon quickly interrupts her with a wave of his hand. "Yeah, yeah, I''ve heard that part before. So Jen, huh? Can I call you Jen? Or do you prefer Jenny?"
"...Jen''s fine."
"Great! So, tell me Jen, how''s the Champion life working out for you? Training go well? Got some good adventuring buddies? You did call them your friends, so that''s a good sign. I''d assume getting captured wasn''t in your plans, but then that''s not exactly off-beat for the typical hero story, is it?"
Jen peers at the dark prince, uncertain what his upbeat tone actually means for her. "Why - why are you acting like this is some sort of movie or something? Is that what''s going on here?"
The prince grins widely, although the smile lacks much warmth. "Acting like? No, Jen, we are. Well, in a story, anyways, they don''t have movies around here. Maybe if they did they wouldn''t bother with all of this bullshit. Life is but a stage, and the gods have dressed us up in idiot costumes and shoved you and I up on it."
The Champion seems offended by the man''s words. "What? No - those are real people out there! I know them! This isn''t like some sort of video game filled with NPCs, you asshole! You''re ruining real lives!"
Xenon''s smile fades away as he leans forward. "I know they''re real people, and that''s the problem. The gods don''t care about them, Jen, or you, or me. If we weren''t here, it''d be another hero and another villain saying the same lines and doing the same things. And I''m not speaking hypothetically. I don''t know if you''ve gotten a history lesson, but this war''s been going on for thousands of years! The countries change, the names of the players, but the tide swings back and forth, back and forth, nobody ever wins, and everybody suffers. Forever."
Jen blinks as she processes her captor''s words. "So...why are you bothering, then? Why don''t you just surrender and break the cycle? Let good triumph?"
Xenon sadly shakes his head. "Wouldn''t do any good. For one thing, you might notice that my title is prince, not king. I have no authority to surrender the kingdom. And if I didn''t fight - if I just slit my throat and moved on to the next run, say - they''d just put someone less competent in charge and the stalemate would continue for another fifty years. No, if I''m going to break the cycle, it''s by winning it for good. Well, not ''for Good'', haha, although to be honest I think you''d find most of the folks on this side are every bit as decent as the elves and dwarves and so on on yours."
"But you''re not going to win. You''re just playing your role after all, aren''t you!?"
"Oh, but I am already winning, Jen. And you know how?" Xenon leans forwards a bit more, and there''s a strange light in his eyes as he does so. "Because I''m not going to fight you."
Jen seems rather unconvinced. "You''re just going to let me go, then?"
"Yup! Not right now, but soon. I can tell you''ve got at least two brain cells to rub together in there, and so far I''ve only had one absolute moron who ended up not wanting to come out eventually. On average...three weeks to flip a Champion to my side, though there was one guy who signed up in thirty minutes, bit of an outlier there."
The Champion''s voice is defiant as she shouts back. "I''ll never join you! I don''t know what spells you used on the others, or what tortures, but I won''t fall like the others did."
"I''d wager a bet on that, but we did take all of your money already. But if you want to play hero for a little longer, that''s alright. See you tomorrow, Jen."
The man gets up and returns his chair to its original spot, ignoring his prisoner as she continues to shout in his direction. "What? You can''t leave me in here! Let us...go..." Her voice trails off as the dungeon door slams shut, leaving her in silence, and she returns to her bunk and collapses on top of it.
"...What in the world is wrong with that guy?"
"So you''re going to torture me after all, huh? Or are you going to...to..." Jen grows quiet before she finishes her sentence, uncertain if she wants to give the prince any ideas. The young woman is currently strapped to an inclined torture rack, her wrists secured above her head, and for a moment she finds herself wishing for the safety of a set of iron bars.
Prince Xenon simply shakes his head, however. "No, no, just setting the stage. I''ve tried this other ways, you know? For example, inviting a Champion to share a feast with me at my table. Full armor, no chains or anything. Have a pleasant talk over dinner about their future, right? Classic villain move. Sit down, one on one, hash out our issues. Goes over like a lead balloon. Never works."
Jen snorts. "But this does?"
Xenon leans over the woman, his intense eyes staring into hers. "Yup. You see...Champions like being tied up."
The prisoner sputters. "What!? That''s - no!"
The prince steps back and begins to pace around the rack. "Not as a sex thing, necessarily - although sometimes. One guy already had a hard-on by this point. But no, being too nice makes you too nervous. You spend too much time looking for the trick, the trap. Poisoned food, a macabre dinner show or something like that. And ignoring me when I''m telling you the trick to your face. No, I''ve found that Champions need to be...eased out of it. You expect to be a prisoner, you expect to be tortured. So talking to you like this is a more comfortable setting. It puts your mind at ease."
"I''m really not sure I''m comfortable with the idea of being tortured, asshole."
"And you won''t be." Xenon gestures at the rack. "You get a good look at what''s on that thing before we strapped you into it? The chains. The pulleys. The sweat-stains from previous occupants - we do our best to keep things clean around here, but y''know, it''s seen a bit of use by this point." He turns to look at Jen once again. "You know what''s not on that rack?"
The woman does her best to eye it with her forehead strapped down, but nothing obvious jumps out at her. "...Spikes?"
"True. But also - no blood. I''ve never tortured anyone on that rack, and I''m not going to start today. We''re just going to have ourselves a nice, comfortable...conversation."
"About what, exactly?"
Xenon finds his old wooden chair, and takes a moment to lean back into it before answering her question. "Today - we''re going to talk about you."
Chapter 278: Getting Stabby
"I just...really thought maybe I would matter for once, you know? I had a law degree, and I was working a cash register at a bookstore! I felt like I''d wasted my whole life." Jen tries not to sob, not the least because it would be a real mess if her nose started running right now. After all, the woman is currently hanging upside down by her ankles, with her hands just barely scraping the floor. She was worried at first about the effects of having all of her blood rushing to her head like this, but it seems as if her improved Champion physiology can handle such reverses of gravity even after a good twenty minutes. Her emotional state on the other hand is...a little shakier.
"Wow, a register jockey? I thought things were all scifi by your time, I''m surprised they still have clerks. Or books, for that matter." Sitting on his simple wooden chair a few feet away, Prince Xenon Darkstar nods along to his prisoner''s tale.
"It was a specialty shop. Old-fashioned. I mean, at least I didn''t have to worry about student debt, like I guess they did back in your time? But it was just...embarrassing, you know? I thought I had my life all planned out since I was twelve, then it turned out I sucked at it. Then suddenly I was here, and all of these people were telling me I mattered. I could save the world! Guess I fucked that up too, huh?"
"Maybe at that specific task, but it doesn''t mean you don''t still have potential in you. But that''s how they get you, you see? You pop out of a ritual, confused, with no idea what''s going on, and completely alone - surrounded by people maybe, but friends? Family? Even allies. You''ve got no support structure at all. Even if you wanted to tell them to go fuck themselves, what else are you going to do? Wander off into a world you know nothing about, no money, no training? They''ve got you by the metaphorical balls, Jen."
Jen considers that she had processed a few of those thoughts early on, but at the time it didn''t seem so bad. After all, the greater good was calling, wasn''t it? But now... "...Do you think they''d send me back? Could you send me back?"
A sad expression crosses the prince''s face. "There is no way back, I''m afraid. Trust me, I spent a long time looking for one, and found bupkis. They didn''t tell you that? Or did they just say - "
" - That they''d do what they could to help me after your kingdom was defeated. God, I really am an idiot, aren''t I?"
Xenon leans closer, and downward a bit so that his eyes are level with the dangling woman''s. "Jen, Jen, you''ve gotta stop beating yourself up about this. Again, none of this was an accident. They do this all the time. They''re experts at summoning in strangers, arming them up with weapons and a mission, and sending them on their way. Right into my jaws. And then six months later they do it again."
Jen is silent for a moment, before eventually asking a new question. "But what is the alternative then? Just...be evil? I don''t...I don''t want to be evil."
That statement draws a chuckle from her captor. "Evil? Jen, ask any one of the people working in this tower if they''re evil and half of them will laugh at you, and half of them will get angry. The dark elves have political issues with the high elves going back thousands of years. The orcs want to roam and hunt the steppes and forests, but they can''t do that in the ''free kingdoms'' because the free kingdoms practice fuckin'' serfdom. And the imps - god, do you know how racist the high elves get when it comes to imps? Ask one about it and they''ll rant your damn ears off. I''m not going to go and say it''s the free kingdoms that are evil, but that''s because the labels are made up. There is no good and evil. It''s just two sides, fighting forever."
The Champion''s forehead creases in thought. "But...I''ve heard you do horrible things. Not you personally - I mean, yes, you personally - but also your side in general. Slaughtering, enslaving, all of that kind of thing?"
"And you don''t want to do that?"
"Of course not! I''m not some monster!"
Xenon smiles and spreads his hands wide. "Well, then I have good news for you. I can make it so you don''t have to do anything you don''t want to - and so that you can do anything you do want to. That''s my offer. Actual freedom. I ain''t some Star Wars dark lord offering ''freedom'' when all I really mean is ''get angry and kill a bunch of people''. I mean freedom. You want to fight? You fight. You want to kill? You kill. You want to, I don''t know...start a garden in some tiny little hamlet somewhere? I''ll pay for the cart full of seeds and a horse to get you there. Hell, I''ll even get you legal training if you want to take a crack at the lawyer thing here. We are the ''evil empire'' after all, so of course we have lawyers."
Jen feels unconvinced. "You must want something from me, right? I mean, why go through all of this effort talking to me if you don''t want something?"
The prince shakes his head. "All I want is for you to not get in the way. This game of the gods ends when one side clears the board, so all I need is for you to not be on their side of the board. You want on my side, or you want off, either''s fine with me."Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
"...You''ve done this before, right? Other Champions have taken the deal?"
"Got six right now serving as lieutenants, I don''t know if you''ve been told much about them. But for anyone willing to sign on I''ve got a hell of a signing bonus - a personal castle, troops, staff, money. It''s a good deal. I''ve got one right now serving as a baker in the Tower kitchens. Their request, by the way, not a punishment. Great with cookies. One went back to the capital to study magic. Not for war, just because she thought it was really neat."
"What...exactly is in this signing bonus package?"
The prince leans back in. "Well for starters, let''s talk about what you need."
"You will suffer for your betrayal! A thousand curses upon - uggh!" The elven general''s stream of invectives is replaced by a spew of blood as Jen''s armored fist strikes the man''s jaw.
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I listened to you before, and it was all lies! I''m tired of it! I don''t want to hear another word out of your damn mouth! Asshole!" The former Champion strikes the prisoner again and again, while not far away her new lord watches on from atop his steed. He doesn''t devote all of his attention to her - there''s a hundred things demanding his focus at a moment like this, with yet another enemy stronghold finally fallen into his hands. Orcs and humans in dark armor stream through ruined walls and battered doorways, in some cases seeking out pockets of resistance, in others working to secure potential artifacts and other high-value targets, and one team of mages is already taking up fire brigade duties. After all, you don''t want to capture a castle just to have it burn down an hour later.
For the most part though his attention is on Jen. His expression is passive, even as the general finally passes into unconsciousness at Jen''s hands, and it''s not until the woman approaches him that he raises an eyebrow. "Getting in some stress relief, I see?"
Jen''s face looks slightly embarrassed, a marked difference from the rage it displayed a moment before. "Yeah, uh...I don''t actually remember his name, but I sure as hell recognize him. He''s one of the dudes who was there at my summoning - one of the ones who said that if I beat you, they''d help me go home again. Sorry if I got a little out of control, I know you''re not supposed to, uh...beat prisoners up like that."
Xenon chuckles. "I noticed you used your fists and not your enchanted swords, so he should probably consider himself lucky. Besides, he''s not my prisoner - he''s yours. This was your assault, after all. His life is in your hands."
The woman frowns. "It doesn''t really feel like ''my'' assault. I mean, it''s your troops, your equipment, your mages. I just took the lead on the attack, is all." Saying that, she glances down at her thick breastplate, marked with the scratches and blood of the recent battle. Little of that blood is hers.
"Not taking my word for it, are you? I gave you these troops, it''s your force now. I know you don''t go from a solo adventurer to a general in a day, so I don''t mind coming along. But remember, these troops answer to you now."
"I...suppose so." Jen scans the crowd of soldiers and sighs. "I wish some of my friends had been willing to sign up along with me. I didn''t know them long but it was still nice to have company."
The prince nods, but takes a moment to dismount before answering. "The locals are always a little harder to flip, their prejudices and biases are much stronger. I''ll keep working on them for a few more months, and if it doesn''t work I''ll put them in your care, if you wish. You can make sure they''re comfortable, if it makes you feel better."
Jan smirks. "Not worried they''ll flip me back to the other side once they''re alone with me?"
"If anything, it''s their welfare I''d be worried about. Some of my lieutenants have tended to grow rather...upset with their former colleagues, after having seen things from the other side." He gestures towards the still-groaning general a few yards away. "As you might imagine. But as I said - your prisoners, your decision. Keep them, kill them, free them, whatever you decide."
"...Hopefully I don''t need to kill them. Although I''m not sure what I''m going to do with all the prisoners we took today, my castle doesn''t have room for them and I''ve already got enough maids and butlers."
That statement does manage to provoke a reaction from the man, as his lips split in a grin. "Castle? Jen, Fort Spearbite is little more than a reinforced military camp! I just sent you there to get acquainted with your troops before leading them into battle. Fort Spearbite isn''t your castle."
The Champion''s brow furrows. "What? But you said I''d get a castle!"
"I did!" Xenon''s hand waves through the air at the structure before them - a wide tower eight floors tall, surrounded by stone-constructed mansions, barracks, stables, thick walls, and all the other accessories a medieval stronghold needs. "Ulond''s Redoubt! Now this is a castle! Nine hundred years old, and this is one of those places where the older things get, the better, you know. Enchantments all over the place for defenses, lights, running water. Room for fifteen hundred soldiers and twice that in support staff and populace, when you account for the surrounding land and structures. Room for your family, your mistress''s family, and your mistress''s boyfriend''s family. Jen, this is your castle."
Jen''s eyes grow wide, as if she''s seeing the place for the first time. "What? Wait, all of this? It''s mine? All I did was climb a wall and stab like, twenty people!"
"Twenty of the best fighters and mages they had on the walls, that is. Trust me, it''s not the quantity of your stabbing, it''s the quality of your stabbing. Now, it''s not a no-strings attached gift, of course. Obviously, this is a border region, even if now the border is on the other side of the territory. There''s going to be fighting here, and you''ll need to take part. If you''d rather have a quieter career, you still have the option of taking up a manor back in the heartlands...but, well, it won''t be this."
The woman licks her lips. "I...think maybe I could deal with doing a bit more fighting. I mean, if I''m gonna be stuck in this fantasy-ass world, I may as well do it in style, right?"
Xenon smiles, but somehow it seems as if it doesn''t quite reach his eyes as he does so. "Trust me, Jen - whatever it is you''re looking for in this world, you can find it. All you have to do is to reach out and take it."
She considers that for a moment, and nods her head. "...I think I can see the appeal. Maybe...being ''evil'' does pay..."
Chapter 279: A Ladys Desires - Explicit
"It''s so good to see you again, Prince Xenon! You haven''t visited the Redoubt since we captured it, what, a little over two years ago? Please, have a seat." Lady Jen, Jen of the Twin Fangs, or Stabby Jen to friends and enemies alike, smiles as she takes a seat at the small table next to her. The Redoubt has a much grander and larger feasting hall, but at the moment Jen and her guest are sitting down for a later dinner in one of the rooms of her personal quarters, near the top of the stronghold. Aside from the guards outside the door, it''s perhaps her first time being alone in a room with the man since...the Fallen Tower''s dungeon, now that she thinks about it.
The man in question smiles back as he reaches for the provided wine. "True, though it''s only been four months or so since your last Tower visit. You''ve been doing well these past few years, haven''t you? The territory is no longer a border region, and I hear you''ve captured your third general recently. Still, I think calling me ''Prince'' is a new development, hrmm? I remember the days when ''asshole'' was a far more common title."
Jen blushes at the reminder. "Well, you deserve a little respect - thanks to you I''m literally living a fairy tale life now, aren''t I? And yup! This last one was a gnome, so now I have an elf, a human, and a gnome in my collection of generals. It was just a week or so ago though, so it''ll take a little while before he can join the cleaning staff with the others."
"Is that the fate of your prisoners? Is there a maid outfit involved, perhaps?"
The lady of the castle almost chokes on her wine at the thought. "Agh, ahaha, gods no! I''m not Pervert Pete, you know? Mostly I have them dealing with the stables and the latrines. Serves them right. I made a list, you know? There were nine people at my summoning who were generals, or who''ve become generals since then. Three of them are dead now, someone else got to them first, so that leaves three left for my collection. Not that I''ll stop at generals, of course. If we get deep enough into their territory to get some of those priests or aristocrats who were part of the ritual..."
Xenon raises an eyebrow. "Still holding a grudge, even if they brought you to your ''fairy tale'' world? Not that I blame you, I know the feeling."
Jan sighs. "You were right. After I told them to fuck off, they did it again. And again, and again. I''ve talked to some of the others, you know, including Zhenya, and she came after me, yeah? They told her the exact same bullshit they told me, practically word for fuckin'' word. They''re not gonna stop! Some of these ''Champions'' were barely out of high school! What gives these assholes the right, to - to kidnap people, and recruit them into their war? None of us asked for this!"
The Champion''s good mood goes from slightly embarrassed to red-faced with anger in a matter of moments, but her prince isn''t exactly surprised. There had always been an undercurrent of anger to the woman, and the years of warfare had only caused to expose it further. She wasn''t as sadistic as a few of the former Champions were, but Xenon had seen her in battle, and the smile she wore while shedding blood would be impossible to fake. Despite all her rage, the prince feels quite calm as he sits across from her. In a way, the man wishes he could still feel the anger as brightly as she does, and part of him wonders if that''s why he spends so much effort surrounding himself with such people.
"A person can justify almost anything, if they think that they''re pure good and that their enemies are utterly evil. I''ve never bought into that myself, though - I don''t believe that there are good and evil people. It''s the actions that we take that have morality or don''t, and every action needs to be considered on its own merits."
Jen blinks briefly at that comment, her anger somewhat sidetracked by the moment of philosophy. "And...you don''t think some of your actions are evil, Prince? Or mine, for that matter?"
Xenon shakes his head as he swirls the wine in his goblet. "I know that they are. I''m not blind. Just...tired, perhaps. Doing the right thing - if I even trusted myself to know what that is - wouldn''t help anyone in the long run. It doesn''t really matter at this point. The war needs to end, the gods need to be kicked in the pants. Then perhaps we can atone, or face judgment. Or not. Even we don''t really matter."
Again the mood shifts, this time from anger to moroseness, and this particular emotion makes Jen feel more awkward than ever. The prince was known for his moods - or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he seemed to spend most of his time in a mood, and only rarely came out of it. The man did have some good points, he''d recruited her to his side, after all, but...she''d be a little more comfortable if the man showed a bit more concern for himself, or the world, or anything from time to time.
Fortunately...she has heard of one way the man can be distracted from his troubles. The prince is in his mid-thirties now, not yet old enough to show marks of his age, although scars of battle had begun to trace their way across his skin here and there. His black hair is still untouched by gray, and as he looks out through the window and into the starry night, his firm chin is clearly displayed by the candlelight behind him. Taking a breath and gathering her courage, Jen decides to change the topic.
"Perhaps we should talk about something other than the war and the fate of the world, eh? There''s definitely happier things we could discuss."
"Oh? And what did you have in mind?"
"Well...it seems like I always miss them when I swing by the Tower, always some event or disaster or something canceling them at the wrong time. But...I have heard you know how to party, when you want to."
The mention does make the man smirk. "And you''re hoping for some good stories? I could perhaps oblige, although the names would have to be changed to protect the guilty."
"Stories? Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of...reenactments..."
"Were you now..."
Jen laughs as the muscular noble pushes open the double doors leading to her bedchamber, only marginally handicapped by the fact that she''s currently wrapped around him with two legs and one arm, otherwise supported only by a single hand firmly gripping her ass. "Haha, here it is! Knew you''d find it eventually, although who would have thought the dreaded Prince of the Fallen Tower was bad at following directions?"
Xenon scoffs. "My apologies, it is a little difficult to see when someone''s lips are latched on to yours. Also, I''m pretty sure your chambers have even more rooms than mine do. Was that last one really just a closet?"
"A proper lady needs a suit of armor for every occasion. But there''s the bed, so - whoop!" The woman gasps as she''s tossed down onto the mattress, much of her remaining garments falling even more loose than they already were in the process. In the aid of her rather heavy-handed ''seduction'' Jen had started with exposing more of her cleavage, and in the trip from one room to another the target of that seduction had already spent a fair bit of time enjoying the hidden treasures of her blouse with his free hand.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
She''s far from disappointed by Xenon''s intense response to her invitation, but she does have to admit to a bit of surprise. Even in battle she can''t recall the prince ever coming alive quite so quickly, compared to the way he had almost immediately forgotten his drink and food and risen from his seat to join her. It''s almost as if the man standing over her is a different figure altogether. "Wow...I have to admit, Xenon, you''re a much more...intense man than I had imagined. At least in the bedroom."
Xenon smiles down at her as he removes some of his own clothing, which is mostly far more intact than her own. "Mmm, perhaps. You know, as you might remember, I haven''t always been a man. My lives have been...hrmm, close to even, but I''ve always preferred the body of a woman. But do you know what?"
Jen finds herself a little confused by the current topic, but follows along. "What''s that? Should I...call you Princess?"
"Haha! If you like, Lady Jen. But no - I''ve found that I have just as much fun with the female form from the outside as I do having it myself. Especially as a man. Perhaps it''s the strength." Xenon demonstrates that strength as he easily lifts Jen''s legs up into the air, pulling off her already-loosened pants as he does so. "Maybe it''s the dick - well, I''m not going to lie. There''s a lot of fun to be had with a dick." With that said the prince sets her ankles on his shoulders and pushes down his own pants, and the royal dick in question springs to attention.
Jen eyes it appreciatively - it''s not the largest in the kingdom, particularly when considering some of the non-human species, but it was certainly the most famous. Rumors claimed that it had pleased hundreds of women - and men - yet that doesn''t make the Champion feel like she was just about to become another notch on the prince''s bedpost. Hell, if he kept count like that he''d probably hardly have a bedpost left at this point. Instead, all she can think about is the fact that she''s about to confirm some of those rumors with personal experience. "Is that so?"
"A fair bit. But mostly? I think it''s the opportunity to treat a woman like I always wanted men to treat me." With that said he leans forward, deeply enough to kiss her on the lips, and fortunately the superhuman beneath him is more than limber enough to bend with him as he does so. The kiss is good, like all the others so far, but not good enough to distract her from the warm feeling of the man''s cock sliding up between her thighs, and her hands reach down to grab it and hold it in place.
"You like...being tossed around and bent in half, eh? It''s not bad, though not what I would''ve pictured from you."
"Well, I have worn many faces." With that said Xenon begins to move downward, likely to put his current face to good use, but Jen stops him with a hand on his arm.
"Hold on. I like where your mind is at, but...I want to do something first, if that''s alright?"
Xenon raises his eyebrows but nods in assent. "Well, it is the lady''s castle."
"You''re damn right. I just...want to get a proper feel for this thing. You know I''m a hands-on sort of gal, after all." Her partner nods and straightens back up, and as he does so Jen does her best to clamp her thighs together. The act leaves much of his length trapped between her legs, and the feeling of it against her skin and rubbing atop her mound excites her more than she would''ve imagined. There''s still a few inches left exposed though, and those receive further attention from Jen''s battle-worn hands. The prince perhaps involuntarily thrusts forward slightly as he feels her fingers wrap around him, but Jen quickly decides to encourage that instinct, both verbally and by pressing back against him with her own hips. "You can, ah, do a bit more of that if you like."
"A thigh-fuck? Interesting, a little more chaste than I was expecting from you."
"Chaste? I''ve got my boss''s dick between my legs and I''m halfway jerking him off, and you''re calling this chaste? Fuck you! I just...hnnf, the way it grinds against me there is just...really good, that''s all."
The prince chuckles as he gradually picks up the pace. "Well, the lady knows what she wants." The pair continue like that for perhaps another minute, with Jen doing her best to try not to visibly squirm under the sensation of the cock grinding against her mons pubis, but eventually Xenon decides he can improve matters somewhat. Pulling up on Jen''s legs, she soon finds herself with her knees over the man''s shoulders rather than her ankles, and her lower half turned practically vertical against his torso. His cock remains where it is, trapped between her legs, except now it presses fully along the length of her slit with every thrust.
The sudden change in sensations makes Jen forget all about the partial handjob she was giving him, and instead her arms fall back to help support herself against the mattress. The move does give her a little more leverage though, and now when she thrusts back against her lord there''s a distinct clap of her ass against his thighs as they collide. "Aw, fuck! I should''ve - tried this before!"
"Haven''t done it often myself, but I can definitely tell you''re excited." Indeed, the new position is doing quite a bit to lubricate Xenon''s manhood as the pair continue, with Jen''s fluids slowly coating more and more of the underside of the man''s shaft. That in turn allows the both of them to pick up speed, and it only takes a few minutes more of that to bring the Champion to a shuddering climax. Neither of them slow down very much though, and by time Jen''s eyes finish rolling back in her skull she''s looking up to see the first jet of Xenon''s cum spraying over her. She jerks slightly as the surprise load hits her chin to start with, but can''t help smiling as it continues to trace its way down her body, marking her left tit, her navel, and finally delivering a little more to pool in her clamped legs.
"Ha, wow. That might be one of the best I''ve had, and we haven''t even actually fucked yet. I hope you''re up for a round two though, because I''m not skipping out on that."
The prince nods, and slides out from her thighs just enough to begin lining himself back up with her. "I come from a family lineage that''s been enhanced by dark pacts for generations. Apparently, ''virility'' is one of the top-desired traits in eldritch deals, so trust me, I''m just getting started. If you''re ready to continue?"
Jen''s about to nod, but finds herself pausing as she looks down at herself and sees the prince preparing to press forward. Most of her former experiences had involved birth control, it having been easy to acquire and use back on Earth in her time, but those medications had worn off a year ago and she''d never bothered to acquire the local magical equivalents. Somehow the thought hadn''t really occurred to her until now...yet it''s not exactly a thought that''s telling her to stop what they''re doing, either.
"You know, speaking of...Zhenya said she''d only been on the team for two months before you knocked her up."
Xenon frowns, not exactly sure where this line of conversation is heading. "The little Baba Yaga says a lot, about half of which makes sense. I should say, it''s not confirmed that - "
Jen finishes the statement for him " - That it''s your kid, I know, I know. You''ve got swinging orgies, there''s questionable parentage, and you''ve been screwing around for years and somehow have zero confirmed heirs. You''re not exactly father material, I get it."
"If you''d rather do something else - or wait until you can prepare yourself..." Xenon begins to pull back, but finds himself surprised as the athletic killer quickly pulls her legs off of his shoulders and brings them around to lock around his hips.
"Xenon, I''m rich. I''m powerful, both physically and politically, I''m one of the most dangerous people on the continent if not the planet. I''m not exactly worried about child support. You''ve given me an army, a castle - a cause to fight for, that cause namely being myself. You''ve already given me so much." With that said Jen reaches up and grabs on to the back of Xenon''s neck, pulling him down so that she can whisper the next bit into his ear. "So I don''t mind at all if you want to give me a bastard too."
Xenon smiles at the comment, but Jen can''t entirely tell if it''s real or not. Regardless, the cock slowly pressing its way between her labia only seems to grow more erect, and that''s answer enough for her. "Well...let it not be said that I don''t give my partners what they want..."
Ruckus rubs his face with one hand. "I really don''t think you needed to tell me that whole last part. Was that necessary?"
Emma grins, as she looks off to the side of the office. "Necessary? Maybe not. But if you could see the look on Xenia''s face right now, you''d know that it was goddamn hilarious."
Chapter 280: Put to the Test
Ruckus does manage a single chuckle at Emma''s tone. "Well, alright, suppose I can put up a lot if it''s in service to a prank. And I suppose that story does help back up all those people claiming to have been your kids or grandkids. But I''m still not sure why you''re telling me all this. You''ve already got Sevastion and Yulia on your side, so it''s not like I got much in the way of intel you ain''t already got."
Emma leans back as she sits on the edge of Xenia''s desk, and lets out a sigh. "Ahhh, guess I did let the moral of the story get a little muddled there. Look, the point is, well, you''ve maybe heard the saying ''power corrupts'', or something like that? It''s bullshit. Power reveals. If someone is selfish, or sadistic, or greedy, it was always there. It just maybe didn''t have a chance to reveal itself while its owner was a nobody."
The imprisoned imp tilts his head. "Really? Cause it sounded like you got really fuckin'' efficient at corrupting folks. You flipped a couple dozen Champions to your side over the years, isn''t that right?"
Emma nods. "Flipped them away from the Free Kingdoms, sure. Turned them into warlords and sent them back with their swords pointed in the opposite direction? No, that was only about half of em. Maybe those are the ones who got to be more famous later on, since they were the ones who had territory and armies and all that. But it wasn''t the ''power to conquer'' that I - ah, Xenia - offered them. It was the power to do whatever they wanted. And for half of em, it was shit like, baking, studying magic, one guy went and became a sea captain and sailed off to who knows where. But what we''ve noticed about you and your bunch? Your problem is you all want power and you ain''t got shit."
Ruckus waggles a hand at that. "I mean, that''s true for me and a few of the others, sure. I was pretty much a nobody back home. There were some folks with some real weight to throw around though. Nothing like the big ol'' Prince of the Fallen Tower had, but still."
"You''re not exactly working in the mail room, I''ll give you that. But even for the ones at the top, there were too many people fighting for too small of a pie. No one feels safe, everyone''s driven by insecurity. Thaddeus thinks his glorious family line is going to be forgotten. The warlords who signed on with him were all one bad battle away from getting toppled and executed, vassalized, or enslaved. The lower ranks didn''t see any way for advancement that didn''t involve leaving their entire damn planet behind. All of you have bet everything on this wild-ass plan that somehow Xenia is going to solve all of your problems. That''s not something folks do if they feel like the status quo''s working out for them."
"And...I take it you''re not exactly feeling inclined to solve all of our problems, huh?"
Emma leans forward, with a wicked grin on her mirrored copy of Xenia''s face. "Oh, but there''s the rub, kiddo. The scheme. We are. And you''re going to help me."
The imp buries his face in his hands for a brief moment. "Gods, now I know why so many of us were nuts, they inherited it from you. What does that even mean!? Are you saying you are going to go home with Prince Thaddeus after all?"
The mirrored woman shakes her head. "No, because that''s what Thaddeus thinks he wants. And the rest of you want it even less than he does. You don''t give a shit about the Kingdom of Seven Cities that he came from, you just want a place where you can live your lives in comfort without worrying about someone assassinating you through your bedroom window at night. And if it was just that simple, I bet you Xenia could swing things so that most of you could have that here. But we''re not super inclined to do that either, because at least half of you are murderous assholes and, grandkids or no, we wouldn''t want you as neighbors."
"So...you''re gonna what, test everyone like you tested me and the brothers, and see who''s not an asshole? Didn''t I, uh...already fail that test? Not that I''m complaining about being given a second chance, mind you."
"Something like that. Unfortunately, Sevastion and Yulia aren''t real high on the social skills thing, they barely knew most of you, and a proper test needs a bit of insight into the person being tested. The Champions were a pretty diverse set, but more or less they all had the same basic backstory. For this crowd I need something a little more. You, though? I''ve heard a bit about you, and you seem like the type to know secrets. Get a little bit into everybody''s business, don''t you?" Emma chuckles at the slightly guilty look on Ruckus''s face. "We will give you half credit for not falling for the rabbitgirl trick, but you''re right, we don''t fully trust you, and you haven''t exactly proven yourself yet. So before you help me test anyone else, you''re going to face a little test of your own. Xenia?"
She looks to the side, and a moment later a new portal ring appears on the floor not far from where Ruckus is sitting. "There you go. Get to it, Trapmaster, and...try not to disappoint us again. Xenia''s trying to be reasonable, given there''s family involved and all, but third chances aren''t a common thing for her even when she''s in a good mood."
The imp swallows heavily as he looks at the circle of arcane symbols. "Is, uh...is a moral test really gonna work if you tell me it''s a test beforehand?"
Emma laughs again. "Ruckus, weren''t you listening? Xenia told every Champion exactly what she was doing, and it worked anyways. It''s not a pop quiz you can study for. It''s just you, and what you bring with you. Now...get to it."
Ruckus licks his lips before hopping out of his chair, and attempts to put a brave look on his face. "Well then...here I go..."
Ruckus blinks his eyes as the portal''s magic completes, and his attention is immediately drawn to the statue standing before him. Given it''s of a goddess who''s at least four times his height and with more than enough curves to match, it embarrassingly takes him a few moments to examine the rest of his surroundings. When he does the imp realizes that he''s currently within a shrine, with two unfriendly priestesses staring at him. Well, on closer look perhaps the rabbit-eared one is simply cautious, but the glare on the other more than makes up for it, and given that she''s wearing light armor and a sword, she does somewhat skew the man''s weighting of the pair just slightly. "Ah...hello?"
The rabbitgirl priestess grants him a nod and introductions. "Welcome to the dungeon''s Shrine to Fertility and Shields. I am Priestess Deylia, and my associate here is Priestess Brightsky - although you may have heard of her by her title of ''Valkyrie'' instead."
The imp grimaces. "You''re - the Floor Seven boss, right? Thought you''d have wings, but, uh, even without I really hope this isn''t gonna be some sort of combat test."
The green-skinned elf looks down at him, both literally and metaphorically. "I would recommend not turning it into one - although it would cut this short and save me a great deal of time if you wish to try it."
Ruckus raises his hands. "No, no, ain''t gonna try anything! But uh, what exactly is the deal here, then?"
Deylia takes care of the explanations. "It''s rather simple, really. I''m going to offer you items in pairs to choose between, while Brightsky here will determine if you''re being honest or if you''re only choosing answers you think will make us, or Xenia, happy."
The man returns Brightsky''s probing look. "What, you''re some sort of elvish lie detector?"
The woman''s voice is cold as she responds. "Try me, and find out."If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
"...Right. So, what am I choosing between, then?"
Deylia steps behind a long altar at the front of the shine, and picks up two covered trays before setting them on top of it. "We''ll start with a...calibration of the test. Oh, I should note - these aren''t hypothetical questions. You can literally have your choice. Now, which of these two meals would you prefer? I''m assuming your menu''s been limited the past day or so." She lifts the covers off of the trays, and reveals two very different meals beneath them. One is a nice, juicy steak, with a side of veggies and a buttered roll, while the other plate contains...a single moldy biscuit, and an uncooked egg. Ruckus once again eyes the two priestesses.
Finding a convenient stool waiting for him on his side of the altar, Ruckus steps forward and climbs up to get a better look at its contents. "...A calibration test, you said? Well, I''ve told a few lies in my time, but I don''t think even I''m a good enough actor to say I want whatever the hell kind of dinner you call that one on the left. I''ll try the steak, please."
Deylia smiles, and pushes the tray across to Ruckus''s side of the altar. "Go ahead, you may eat while we continue." She gives the man a minute to pick up the provided silverware and dig in, before picking up the next two items from the floor next to her feet. The first item she displays is a set of well-made clothing, apparently sized to fit the short imp, and it''s immediately tempting given the man hasn''t changed in a day and most of his equipment was taken from him when he was captured. The other is a set of three spherical contraptions, and while Ruckus isn''t entirely certain what they are, the rogue knows magical explosives when he sees them.
The imp blinks briefly at the newest set. "You''re offering me clothes or...bombs? Is that what I''m seeing here?"
Deylia nods. "It is. The clothes are lightly enchanted for protection from the elements, while each explosive item is, I''m told, powerful enough to take down a heavy wooden door. Or an Advanced Challenger."
Ruckus sets aside his fork and begins reaching out, briefly, before halting himself and sighing. "Fuck. I gotta be one hundred percent honest here? I mean, the clothes look good, but..." With a frown on his face, Ruckus moves his hand to the left and carefully plucks up the bombs, moving them to his side of the altar. Deylia raises an eyebrow at the choice.
"The food is obvious - would you mind explaining this choice, though?"
Brightsky interrupts him before he can answer. "Because the imp values destruction over protection. He is being true to himself, however."
Sighing, Ruckus offers his own explanation. "Typical elf judgment, eh? No, for me the bombs are protection. You gotta understand, I ain''t been without a weapon for years. Even in my sleep! Hells, especially in my sleep. I honestly feel more naked without a blade or a trap than I would if I was literally naked. Weapons are higher on the list of needs than a new shirt, that''s all it is."
"I suppose I can understand that. Next choice." The next two items have quite a bit of difference in their weight, as Deylia starts with dropping a heavy bag of coins onto the altar. Through its loosened opening Ruckus can see the glint of silver, meaning it''s not quite a fortune but it is enough money to keep a Challenger happy for months. On the other side, she places a simple rolled-up scroll. "The currency is obvious. The scroll, meanwhile, will permanently grant the reader knowledge of a spell allowing them to see in the dark, from the Midnight Shadow class of Rogues. Single-use. Its market value is approximately similar to the coins here, slightly less."
This time Ruckus doesn''t even hesitate before snapping up the scroll, somewhat surprising the Valkyrie watching on. "Really? You value knowledge over silver, imp?"
"Abso-fuckin-lutely. You know why?" The man taps his temple. "Because you can lose material goods and possessions at any moment, and faster than you might think. What goes up here? Now that''s more secure than a bank vault. That''s before we even get into the question of if I''m gonna be able to spend anything, honestly..."
While Brightsky''s face isn''t any friendlier, Deylia''s does grow more sympathetic. "Did you perhaps have a deprived childhood, Mr. Ruckus? One built around insecurity?"
He shrugs. "Well, I wasn''t poor, but shit was...competitive. Having a favorite toy or some shit was a good way to get it stolen from you, yeah?"
"I see...well, on to the next one." The next two items are easily placed, given that they''re both mere scraps of parchment with something written on each of them. Ruckus takes a few minutes to continue enjoying his meal, and slightly annoying the Valkyrie watching him eat, before peering closer at what they say.
"Good for one night with...any non-mortal dancer from the Fiver''s Lounge?" Ruckus looks up at the priestess in front of him, who blushes slightly.
"The mortal dancers aren''t exactly hired on for such work...although I''ve heard they do participate from time to time. That''s just one option, though."
"Right, and the other one...good for one week''s worth of top-quality meals in Worthy Inn? Well, heheh, the food is pretty good, but - " Ruckus begins to reach towards the first slip of paper, but comes to a quick halt as Brightsky''s hand suddenly grabs on to the hilt of her sword. "Whoa, whoa? Passing judgment on me again, lady? I''m not the one who put the offer on the table!"
The elf shakes her head, though. "I am not judging you for desiring pleasures of the flesh. I am noting that you''re about to lie to us."
Ruckus''s eyes grow wide. "Eh? What do you mean? I''m a hot-blooded imp man, of course I..." Although his indignation starts strong, it doesn''t take long before his voice begins to trail off. "...Fuck. Guess that was a bit of an, uh, automatic reaction there. Kind of used to showing off, y''know? To be honest I uh...ain''t really that into the ''pleasures of the flesh'' as much as I might like to claim."
Deylia''s voice continues to be understanding. "There''s no shame in having, or not having, particular preferences, Mr. Ruckus."
"Oh, don''t get me wrong, I love the ladies! It''s just that, uh..." The imp glances towards Brightsky before continuing in a lower tone of voice. "...I got, uh...performance issues. You know."
"Ah. I see. I appreciate your honesty."
"Right." Ruckus gulps. "Did I...fail?"
"You''re still within the bounds of the test. This is our last one, though." Deylia puts forward two more scraps of parchment, and Ruckus wastes little time before reading them.
"Good for...one free emergency teleport out of the dungeon, with all material possessions and full health? You''re giving me the option to just walk out of here?" Ruckus scratches his head. "What, you wouldn''t even make me promise not to tell Thaddeus about any of this, or something? And you''re not gonna stab me if I choose that one? This isn''t another ''the dungeon can''t lie'' thing, is it?"
Brightsky scoffs. "I will not stab you if you choose it honestly. But it is as Deylia said - there are no tricks here, every offer is a true one. If you honestly want your freedom, it is yours, regardless of the costs to us." She frowns again, although this time it doesn''t seem to be at Ruckus. "Even if personally I find this to be...an unnecessary risk. I swear it on Lord Theolif, and that is not an oath I take lightly."
"Huh. And the other one...''help Worthy Dungeon put your former companions to the test, and determine their true character''?" This time Ruckus finds himself even more confused. "This is...literally just the offer Worthy was making earlier? I can work with Worthy, or I can leave? What was the point? Why go through all this? Weren''t you gonna ask if I''d rather stab a puppy or my nana or some shit like that?"
Deylia gives the man a slight smile. "The point of the test was to slow you down, and make you think about what it is you really want. If you had the choice given to you immediately, would you not choose to leave, and rejoin your companions? Would it not be the safer option?"
Brightsky continues. "But it is time to consider your true self, not the expectations placed on you, not the person you pretend to be around others. Consider the question fully. Do you truly wish to continue to follow Thaddeus in his quest, and to join in his fate, for good or for ill? If you genuinely wish for that, you may leave with your prizes and I shall not harm you. ...Again, against my personal judgment. Of course, should you return bearing arms you will be under no protection."
Now it''s Ruckus''s turn to frown, as he stares at the two slips sitting before him. A minute goes by, then another, and part of him wonders if the Valkyrie can tell what it is he truly wants here because he''s not sure if he does himself. Eventually though only one choice seems to call to him.
In a soft voice, the man speaks. "...I never thought it was gonna work out."
Deylia tilts her head slightly, unsure if her rabbit ears heard correctly. "Hrmm? What''s that?"
"I never thought the plan was gonna work. Not the ''recover Xenon'' part of it, that part didn''t seem so hard, at least before we found out Xenon was a fuckin'' rock in this world. I mean the part where Prince Thaddeus was gonna make us all lords and ladies back in his home kingdom after we got there. How we''d...finally have peace, and not have to scrabble and fight for every inch between each other anymore." Ruckus shakes his head. "It was never gonna work. We''d just bring the old fights along with us, and it''d be the same shit all over again. Some of us, yeah, did just want out of it all. I know I did. But some of us just wanted the chance to be a big fish in a little pond."
Looking back up at the priestesses, Ruckus''s voice is more confident as he reaches out and grabs hold of the second slip. "Well...maybe I wouldn''t mind doing a little fishing."
While Brightsky''s expression remains clouded, Deylia gives the rogue a warm smile. "Well, Mr. Ruckus - welcome to the team."
Chapter 281: Family Planning
While Xenia had been working on her latest recruit the other followers of Prince Thaddeus hadn''t been idle, and both of the remaining support teams attempted and cleared Floor Six during the course of the day. They didn''t have an easy time of it, however - Xenia needed to buy some time for Ruckus and herself to design her personalized traps and tests, and so she decided to buy that time by breaking ankles.
Numerous new traps were added to the climbing sections of the abyssal floor, such as handholds designed to work correctly when lighter scouts tried to use them, yet broke off or triggered spike traps when a more heavily-armored Challenger put their weight on them. The dungeon master also developed a new slime crossbreed named, imaginatively enough, Earth Slimes, which were a byproduct of her Earth Sprites. Just as Water Slimes could appear nearly transparent when submerged in water, Earth Slimes were capable of camouflaging themselves perfectly with surrounding rock or dirt as long as they were standing still. This was partly a factor of their natural coloring and texturing, and partly due to the fact that they would actually eat some of the surrounding stone and then use it to coat their skin. These slimes could make seamless pitfalls, creating a floor which appeared quite solid until you tried stepping on it. A few were also placed onto the climbing walls, and scored themselves a number of finger snacks.
Even Taly had been told to go for injuries rather than killshots with the parties, which irritated the Rogue more than a little. Family members or not, there were more than a few complaints among the guardians that this was all a severe waste of resources against a group that had already proven itself to be a threat. By going all-out - perhaps by moving Sevastion''s Wandering Boss range to cover the sixth floor - scoring at least a few kills wouldn''t have been too difficult. After spending an hour watching Xenia and Emma discuss plans with Ruckus however Lollyp had come to a different conclusion about Xenia''s true motivations, one which she voices after the imp had been released to his upgraded prison cell for the night.
"You''re having fun, aren''t you?"
Xenia blinks in surprise, either at the comment itself or because she''d forgotten the slime woman was sitting at the dungeon''s conference table. Trap discussion had been moved there from Xenia''s office so that guardians who had a bit of free time could come and contribute, but aside from a few suggestions when she''d first arrived Lollyp had been nearly silent. Trush and Valkyrie Brightsky had both come and left, with Brightsky seeing the imp to his new and improved quarters, and it was now just Xenia, Lollyp and Emma still sitting at the table around a pile of sketches and dungeon-created models. "Eh? Fun?"
Emma smirks at her boss, still wearing Xenia''s face as she does so. "We might be. Are we having fun, Xenia?"
For once Xenia''s expression is not a mirror of Emma''s. "What? Lolly Pop, we''ve just spent the whole evening talking about what essentially boils down to as ''low-level psychological torture of my grandkids''. And despite what the Challengers and occasionally Alizz might claim, I''m not a sadist. Trust me, I''m not looking forward to dealing with all this shit."
Lollyp has to shake her head at the denial. "Really? Cause I''ve seen you on some of your dungeon design stretches. I''m not saying you don''t have some fun with the typical floor, but it''s hard for you to focus on traps and stuff for more than like, an hour or two at a time. How many weeks or months have the last few floors taken to finally get opened to the public after you started on them? And how long has it been since we did one of those raids for a new floor unlock? You don''t push for new floors until you absolutely have to."
Xenia eyes Lollyp cautiously, not sure where she''s going with this. "I mean, I''ll admit, dungeon design''s not my typical skillset. I mean, if anything, I''d probably rather be one of the Challengers if I had a choice in the matter. I miss getting my blood pumping, you know? I''m more used to getting my own hands dirty. So, yeah, designing traps isn''t particularly fun for me most of the time."
"Except this isn''t like most times. You got into that stuff with Ruckus, earlier. Deylia and Parker both poked their heads in tonight and you barely noticed. Hells, I''ve been sitting here watching you and you forgot I was here, didn''t you? And you''re omniscient."
Emma''s smirk turns into a full-on grin. "She''s got you there, girlboss. You don''t get this focused when a bunnyboy''s ass is shaking in your face in the Lounge. Right now I think I got a pretty good idea what you''re feeling, and you are getting intense about these tests of yours for sure."
"It''s not fun! It''s important! If I''m doing this, it''s important that we do it right, and..." Xenia pauses, and forces herself to take a deep breath before turning back towards Lollyp. "Ugh, don''t mean to snap, but...was there something you meant when you said you thought I was having fun?"The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Before answering, Lollyp takes the time to plop out of her seat and head down to Xenia''s end of the table, giving her a brief shoulder massage with one hand before climbing into the chair next to her. "I wasn''t saying it to like, pass judgment or anything. But there''s a reason you''re doing all this beyond just the family ties, right? I mean, look at what you did with Floor Six today in a matter of like, twelve hours. That floor hasn''t been updated in months, and now suddenly it''s breaking bones again. You''ve got a muse working on your shoulder right now, don''t you? You seem...inspired, and I don''t just mean by Ruckus''s suggestions."
Xenia glances towards Emma, but finds no support there, and so she sighs before answering. "Ugh. So...Emma and I told Ruckus today about how I flipped Champions to my side, back when I was Prince of the Fallen Tower. In a fair bit more detail than I''ve probably told you...no, scratch that, way more detail than I''ve told you. The fact that Emma gets my memories while she''s wearing my face is occasionally convenient and also really fuckin'' creepy, you know?"
The creep in question scoffs. "Pffft! On the bright side, you know that I''m not gonna do anything with your memories that you wouldn''t do. You''d prank the shit out of yourself if you could! Also, you''re avoiding the point."
"...Right. Anyways, it made me think about how, as fucked up as I was on that run, and for all the bad decisions I made, there was one part of all that I actually almost enjoyed."
Lollyp leans forward, an attentive look on her face. "Oh? Wait, is it the part where you had constant - "
Xenia quickly interjects. "Not talking about the celebrity superstar sex. I mean, that was physically good, usually, but I mean more like...emotionally, or spiritually or whatever. And that was the fact that I got to meet and know people who were as fucked up as I was. As I still am, honestly. They didn''t have all of the experience that I did, but they got it, you know? At least after I pointed some shit out to them. I was wrong, with the decisions I encouraged them to make, but I wasn''t that far off with how I pictured the situation. At least, with the info I had available at the time."
"Okay...and what does that have to do with designing all these personalized tests? None of these people are...what did you call it? Izzykais? Or wait, are they now, because they''ve been realm-hopping?"
The reincarnator shakes her head. "It''s not the same, no. But I still feel like there''s something there, right? A chance for some sort of...connection, I guess. To family, to people who came from the same world I did, even if it was so much different in time that it was practically a completely different place. There''s still a bunch of these guys left, and I want to believe that some of them aren''t complete assholes. If I can find just one nugget of gold in this pile''a shit, maybe it wasn''t all for nothing. Maybe I can have at least some sort of positive legacy after all the shit I did. You know?"
Emma raises an eyebrow, her smirk now vanished. "Wow, you''re actually taking this more seriously than even I thought. I figured we were just in it for the challenge of it all. I mean, it''s not like we can design personalized traps for every random adventurer who wanders in here, yeah? Seemed like an opportunity for a bit of mischief. What are you gonna do if some of them actually pass the test, then?"
Xenia looks back at Emma, slightly surprised. "What, you don''t already know?"
"I got your memories of events, traits, and skills, more or less. But I can''t read your mind at this current moment, and even small differences in perspective can change future decisions in a big way. So no, I don''t know your plans if you don''t tell me."
The dungeon master taps her finger on the table as if she''s checking something off on an invisible list. "Thaddeus is holding off on doing a big raid-scale push for the core chamber because he''s not expecting me to vanish the shortcuts the moment he shows up with a dozen people at his back. He thinks he can work his way down to the lower floors piecemeal. If we completely wipe out another one of his parties though, through deaths or captures or whatever else, he''ll probably accelerate his plans and we''ll lose the chance to work on people individually. At that point it''ll probably be do-or-die for everyone. So we''re going to have to switch to doing catch-and-release."
Lollyp frowns at that idea. "What, like, even for the ones who ''fail'' the tests?"
"To make sure I get the chance to see as many of them as possible, yeah. If some pass, maybe we''ll be able to turn them to inside agents before we send them back, or at least we can mark them as nonlethal targets when the final push happens."
Emma leans back in her seat. "And if they all fail, then we''ve got to fight a full-force raid when the time comes."
Xenia doesn''t seem particularly concerned, going by the slight curve of her lips. "Through nine floors? No holds barred? Trust me, I''ve got a whole sleeve full of aces for if it comes down to it."
Her slime companion returns back to Emma''s original question. "But after all that, what about the ones who turn out to not suck ass?"
"Well..." Xenia''s voice trails off slightly, as she becomes lost in thought. "Suppose that depends on exactly how the test results look..."
In a room at the Lucky Bastard, Thaddeus practically growls. "Six injuries in a single day? What went wrong!?"
Tizzy does her best not to take her boss''s anger personally. "A minor floor redesign, apparently. New monsters and traps that haven''t been on Floor Six before. It''s almost certainly targeted against us - but at least they''re all minor injuries. Even the fingers can be regrown if we use some of our better potions."
Linda Cogswell frowns at the half-imp''s analysis. "But that will delay us a few more days, won''t it?"
The scout nods. "Yeah, it''d be a real risk to go into Floor Seven with injuries. But at least we don''t have a solid time limit, right?"
The prince''s eyes narrow. "We''ll have to see. Our ancestor is up to something..."
Chapter 282: Take Me to Church
It had been two days since Norlash and his party had cleared Floor Six, which made it rather unusual for them to be already climbing the mountain again today. Not that it was odd for Challengers to make attempts on a dungeon every few days, but typically adventurers tended to wait for at least a week after healing the sort of injuries the party had received on their last visit. Norlash himself had come through it all with only scrapes, thanks to the high agility the half-orc fighter possessed. His cousin Nalain had suffered a broken ankle however after stepping deep into a camouflaged slime, and only a quick generation of her personal barrier spell had prevented her from having her entire foot eaten.
The heavily-armored woman is in good spirits today though, which is a marked difference from the elf walking next to her. Tizzy''s illusion spells manage to hide Tannis''s green skin but his scowl is unmistakable, not to mention the way the man keeps pulling at his fingers as if to make sure that they''re all still there. Three of them had been chewed off while attempting to scale the cavern walls above the mountain''s abyss, and it was lucky that Thaddeus''s expedition was so well-equipped with high-quality healing potions or else the mage would''ve never been able to regrow them all so quickly. The party''s other mage, the purple-haired Violetta, had suffered much more typical arrow wounds during the fight with Taly, but as usual she had ''taken care of matters'' herself afterwards and seemed to be quite fine today.
Everyone else in the party had theories about the woman''s exact methods, but as they weren''t the sort of theories they wanted to have confirmed, none of them had ever pressed her on the matter.
All in all though the party is in reasonable spirits as they arrive at Doorman''s small plateau upon the mountainside. Nodding at the oversized door, Norlash speaks for his party. "Greetings, Guardian Door. We seek to challenge Floor Seven today. Our progress is recognized, yes?"
The guardian nods, but doesn''t seem to be quite as cheerful as usual about it. "It is - but we do have a special offer to make to you today, if you''d like to hear it."
"No." The half-orc answers quickly, crossing his arms across his scale-mail-covered chest. "You know who we are, and we know that you know. There''s absolutely zero chance that any ''special offer'' is to our benefit."
Violetta steps forward with a grin on her face, unhesitant about undercutting her party leader. "Hold on now, hold on, don''t be hasty! Deals and bargains with powerful beings may not always be wise, but they''re always interesting. No harm in hearing it out, hrmm?"
The man sighs, deciding to go along with things if only to keep the future complaining to a minimum. "Fine. We''ll hear the offer, guardian."
"Excellent! Here is the offer, ladies and sirs: as you may know, Valkyrie Brightsky serves two main roles within our proud dungeon. For one, she is the Floor Guardian of Floor Seven, as I assume you know given that you intend to challenge it today. She is however also a priestess, and occasionally gives sermons in the shrine we''ve constructed on Floor Five."
Tannis scoffs. "Typical ''free kingdoms'' propaganda, I gather. She''s an agent of the Lord of Shields, isn''t it so? I''ve fought a few of those in my time. In my experience, most shields can be broken with a bit of effort."
Doorman does his best to keep his tone more-or-less light despite the mage''s dismissive words. "Well, perhaps you ought to open your ears and your mind for an afternoon, hrmm? The offer is this - instead of challenging Floor Seven, you may instead choose to experience one of Valkyrie Brightsky''s sermons at the shrine. At the end of it, we''ll offer you a portal right to the end of Floor Seven, giving you credit for completing the floor."
Nalain scowls, while her helmet mostly blocks the sight of her eyes from others, the grimace on her face is plainly visible. "Right. We sit in some pews for a while and listen to someone talk, and we get free credit for one of the dungeon''s hardest floors? Pull the other one, door. There''s obviously a trick."
"Ah, but might I remind you, my lady, that Floor Five is a rest floor, a safe zone. If we were to kill any Challengers there, the dungeon would suffer punishments in response. It''s as much a guarantee of safety as we can offer."
Tannis raises a hand. "Ah, ah, I see the trick! It will tell us it''s giving us a portal to the shrine on Floor Five, but it will actually be a copy of the room on Floor Seven, or elsewhere! Then you''ll be free to slaughter us all you like after we let our guards down, hrmm? Hrmm?"
The guardian sighs, but manages to resist rolling his eyes. "While the shrine is typically accessed via a portal, if you insist we can open a physical path connecting it to the inn. You may step inside, see that you''re in the inn - which is populated with customers, by the way - and walk directly there. If I''m lying, you may immediately turn around and leave. Does that satisfy you?"
The purple-haired mage claps her hands with excitement. "Oh, ooh, can we go? A sermon from an actual Valkyrie, I can''t wait to hear what she has to say!"
"She wants to kill us, you idiot!" Norlash can''t keep himself from growling out his frustration with the woman, but it affects her smiling expression not in the least. "There is absolutely no way she has anything good to say to us!"If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
"I know! That''s what makes it so exciting!"
Nalain attempts to rub her forehead through her helmet. "...Maybe it''s worth a shot, Norlash. Maybe the dungeon really does just want to...talk. Or rant at us, or excoriate us for our sins, or some nonsense. If it gets us through a floor without losing any more fingers or toes, it''ll be worth it. Not to mention the free loot - we do still get the Floor Seven rewards, yes, door?"
"...If you insist I''m sure they can be provided."
"Hrmph." The party leader grunts his dissatisfaction. "Since when do you use words like ''excoriate'', Nalain?"
"What? I''ve read a book, Norlash. And words relating to pain make me think of you."
"Hah! Fine. But the moment we see something...funny, we retreat and clear the floor like normal, aye?"
The rest of the party nods, and Violetta almost squeals her response. "Aye!"
The four adventurers do take the more cautious route of taking the shortcut portal to Worthy Inn instead of to the shrine directly, and there''s some noticeable surprise on the faces of the Challengers eating there when a new door appears on one wall of the tavern. A rabbit-eared waitress directs the group to it, and when Norlash opens it up it''s rather clear that the addition was made in a relative hurry. Unlike the more carefully crafted inn which was built to look as if it had been serving meals for thirty years, the hall beyond is made of the most basic of dungeon stone. It''s not in a straight line either, even going up and then down stairs at one point to presumably cross over some other rooms on the floor, but the party remains fairly certain that they''re not being tricked into leaving the safe zone of Floor Five, as such a thing usually comes with a subtle feeling of magical pressure.
Eventually it does lead into the entryway of the somewhat-famous shrine of the dungeon, a chamber they had all heard about but which none of them had ever entered. The place is empty of Challengers - probably forcefully emptied if any of them had been in here a few minutes before - but not entirely abandoned. The shrine''s two main attendants, the Rabbit Acolytes Fay and Lin, each stand to one side at the front of the shrine. In the center behind the altar stands Valkyrie Brightsky herself, wearing not her battle armor but her traditional garb of a priestess-librarian. The lack of metal and wings means the woman is easily overlooked for the gigantic, curvy statue placed directly behind her, but each of the adventurers makes sure not to let the guardian out of their sight for more than a moment.
Norlash feels tempted to challenge the green-skinned elf in some way, but Brightsky preempts him with a welcome. "I''m glad to see you''ve taken us up on our offer. While Priestess Deylia is the head priestess of this shrine, I will be leading today''s sermon, and so I welcome you to join in the peace of this place. Please, take any seat you feel comfortable with."
The half-orc narrows his eyes, looking for the hidden meaning in her words. "I''ll admit to some surprise, Valkyrie. I''ve heard of your encounter with the Prince and his close companions, and I believe there was some sort of mention about ''sending us all to Lord Theolif''s halls'' or some such, wasn''t there? Quite a turn you''re taking here, isn''t it?"
The elf grins, but it''s a cold one she gives them. "Oh, I would enjoy nothing more than to cross blades with each of you. But that is not what we''re here for today. I swear upon my honor and my faith in Lord Theolif, I shall not harm you today."
The purple-haired mage of the party steps forward with a much more honest smile, and slips into one of the pews. "Well, I''m looking forward to hearing what you''re going to be talking about today. What''s the topic going to be?"
"We''ll get to that in a moment - Violetta, yes? And the rest of you would be...Tannis, and the cousins Norlash and Nalain, correct?"
Nalain grunts. "Sevastion told you as much, aye? Or Yulia? Guess I''m flattered you at least bothered to learn our names before engaging us." Despite her unhappy tone, the warrior slides into the pew behind Violetta''s.
"Names and more besides. Today''s sermon will be about the value of confession, with a practical aspect. While I speak today, I ask that each of you take turns in our confessional chamber to your left there. Either Acolyte Fay or Acolyte Lin can assist you, it''s your choice."
Tannis, who was halfway through sitting down, suddenly stands back up and points at the priestess. "Aha! There it is! You''ll drag us off into the shadows one by one and feed us to some monster, hrmm!? Your oath may be true as you''re here serving as a mere distraction for the true trap!"
Brightsky narrows her own eyes in response, her patience clearly nearing its limits. "Yes. Yes, our trap will be waiting for you in the confessional chamber, very perceptive of you. Yet my oath remains, and I shall expand it - so long as you bring no violence here, none shall be brought upon you either."
Norlash rumbles thoughtfully. "One by one, is it? I suppose that would make it a difficult trap to get each of us - one, at the most. I still don''t see why we should take that risk, though."
The elf taps her fingers in thought, before turning her head to listen to an unseen voice. "...Fine. The first of you to volunteer shall receive their Floor Seven rewards paid upfront, rather than at the end of the sermon. Does this encouragement suffice?"
Violetta quickly stands back up, clapping her hands. "Oooh, ooh, I was going to volunteer first anyways, but I''ll definitely take a bribe! I''ll go with...which one''s the cute rabbit boy?"
The rabbit boy in question speaks up with a slight blush. "I am Lin, ma''am."
"Lin! Alright, let''s go! I''ve got a lot of fun sins to talk about!"
"...Right this way, then." Lin gestures towards the door at the side of the shrine''s main chamber, before stepping over and leading the way himself. Violetta eagerly follows, finding a cozy room inside with a simple wooden table, two chairs, and light provided by dim gemstones. The mage takes a seat, but seems to be a bit confused as she looks around the room.
"Shouldn''t a confession come with a bit more...privacy?"
The black-furred acolyte does close the door behind him, but makes no other special preparations before taking the opposite seat. "Ah, while Valkyrie Brightsky does preach in the manner of the Lord of the Shield, this shrine was not constructed in the manner of your homeland, so I do not know what rituals you may be used to. This is closer to a Church of Bounty tradition, although even there we are not exactly orthodox. And in any case, today''s confessional approach has been...adjusted for you and your companions."
"Ah, so you are going to trick me somehow, then?"
The man gives her a slight smile. "Perhaps."
The woman leans forward with a much wider grin. "Well alright then! Let''s get started, eh?"
Chapter 283: Confession is Good for the Soul
"For starters, here''s your bribe. Thank you for having the courage to take the first turn, Violetta." Fay leans over and picks up a small chest which was almost certainly not on the floor next to him a moment before, and places it onto the table in front of him. Continuing with her previous behavioral trend, the mage shows no hesitation as she pulls it closer and opens it up.
"Goodies! Let''s see...mana potion, coins and...a dagger? This seems a little light for a Floor Seven reward." Violetta turns the knife about in the light of the room, and indeed the thing looks far too small to be of any real danger to a dungeon monster.
"...Typically we don''t provide identification services, but in this case, I''ll let you know that it''s been enchanted with an illusion spell. Those who are cut with it will begin to see hallucinations and the like."
The woman grins. "Really? Might try that out myself, then. Bribe accepted! So, we''re doing a confessional here, hrmm? Where should I start? If I''m supposed to tell you everything I''ve ever done, we could be here all day!"
Fay doesn''t answer right away, instead taking a moment to place his arms onto the table in front of him, folding his hands across each other while fixing the mage with a stare. It''s not harsh, but it has a certain intensity, and Violetta''s smile begins to become a bit strained. "Actually, we''re going to be focusing on something very specific today. Tell us about Lynette."
At the mention of that name Violetta''s good mood evaporates entirely. "...How do you know that name? I never...I''m sure I never talked about her with Sevastion. You''re not reading my mind, are you?"
"We have our sources, but they''re incomplete. We have half the story, but what we don''t have is your perspective. Why don''t you tell us about her?"
Violetta doesn''t answer right away, instead returning Fay''s stare with one of her own. Although the Acolyte is only a minion of a monster, and would hardly last twenty seconds in any sort of fight, the man doesn''t show the slightest bit of fear or concern about being trapped in a small room with the Expert-qualified mage. Perhaps his confidence is well-placed, as instead of reaching for the dagger or her wand, the woman eventually does respond with her words. "Lynette was my cousin. A year older, we grew up together. Had most of our education together. Best friends, really. And eventually, I killed her. Does that qualify as my confession, Mr. Fay?"
"Not in the least. We know you killed her. We would still like you to tell us about it."
This time the silence is brief before Violetta continues, in a rather monotone voice. "I used a dagger, not much different than this one here, actually. Didn''t need anything bigger, given that she was strapped down to a table when I did it. She was drugged, so she didn''t feel much physical pain, which is good because I killed her slow. Bled her out. Not drugged enough to not know what I was doing, though. There was certainly a fair bit of emotional pain! But that was important. Couldn''t have her knocked out all the way, or it wouldn''t have worked."
Fay leans forward slightly, and speaks without judgment in his voice. "You killed her for power."
The mage''s voice grows quiet. "...How do you know that?"
"The priestess, Brightsky, she''s an excellent judge of people''s souls, you know. She can''t exactly read your life''s story, but she sneaked a peek at you while you were working your way through Floor Six. You bear the undeniable marks of a dark pact, Mage Violetta."
The woman''s fingers tap against the tabletop. "If you know that, then what''s the point of all this? Confession might lighten the heart, but it doesn''t do a thing to the dark gods. This is a waste of time, I think."
"We''re curious, you know. Were you expecting the pact to fade when you left your home realm? Gods cannot directly intervene outside of their territory, the local pantheon usually frowns on that sort of thing. But that doesn''t negate their gifts either, most of the time. Priestess Brightsky is certainly an example of that. A pact with a god isn''t something you can run from."
This time Violetta''s smile returns, but it seems far less genuine than before. "Who''s running!? I paid a lot for my power, didn''t I? The life of someone - someone important! It''d be a waste to give it all up even if I could, don''t you think?"
Fay''s answer to that seems to ignore her question entirely. "You''re fortunate though, you know? Certainly, one god''s power can be a good answer to another''s, at least if they''re of a similar strength, and depending on their particular divine portfolio. But Priestess Brightsky is an agent of Lord Theolif, a divinity directly opposed to your dark gods, and one familiar with their ways. And this far out from their domain? Why, if you were to sever your pact then there would be absolutely nothing they could do about it. Even if they could locate you, attempting to retaliate on you directly, here, would risk an inter-pantheon war, and given your realm already has one of those going on I doubt they''d care for a second."The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
"Sever the pact? You''re being ridiculous! After the price I paid? That''s - no, besides, I need the power. Without it I''d be the weakest member of this whole sorry lot!"
Fay locks eyes with Violetta again. "Tell us about when you killed Lynette."
The mage fidgets for a bit, looking like she might just get up and leave instead of answering, but eventually seems to decide to play along. "...It was our mothers'' idea, you see. They were sisters, and our grandmother was a priestess of the dark gods, a high-ranking one. Not the original owner of the pact, but an inheritor, that''s how it works in our family. When grandmother died, the pact transferred to the youngest generation of our family - but if that involves multiple people, it splits and weakens. Eventually the benefits of the pact would fade into being practically nothing at all."
Fay gives an understanding nod. "And your family decided to...re-consolidate the powers the god granted you?"
"It''s not enough for someone under the pact to simply die, you know. If that happens the power is simply lost forever." Violetta shakes her head. "It has to be a ritual killing. One family member has to bleed the other over the course of an hour, with them remaining conscious the whole time. Or most of it, at least. The..." The woman swallows before continuing. "...The betrayal and suffering fuels the ritual."
"And your family chose you?"
Violetta barks out a laugh. "Ha! That would have been too easy. No, they made us compete, with the main event being tasks to eliminate groups of enemy mages and witches. I...poisoned Lynette''s party before she went out on her assignment." She looks away, staring off into the distance. "Not enough to kill them, at least not directly. Just enough to sap their strength. A few died in the fight, but mostly it allowed half of her targets to escape. She failed, and I won the competition. It wasn''t even cheating, really. Tricks like that were basically expected. She killed my best horse."
"Betrayal fuels the ritual." Fay repeats her own words back to her, and she nods in agreement.
"Exactly so." The mage takes a moment to collect herself, and takes a deep breath before continuing. "So, does this confession please you, Mr. Priestly Rabbit? Have I held up my end of the bargain?"
The Acolyte nods. "You have. And now, I would like to present you with a second bargain."
"Dark gods, you''re making me wish we had simply chosen to slash and blast you instead. Isn''t that what a dungeon''s supposed to be about!? What''s your game now?"
"Actually, you might like this particular game. It involves killing me."
"Oh, well now we''re talking."
"As a Rabbit Acolyte, I contain within myself a small amount of divine energy - something unique to Worthy Dungeon, if we''re not mistaken. Not a lot, not compared to Priestess Deylia, let alone Priestess Brightsky. But enough to be potentially very useful in certain rituals."
The mage only needs a moment to consider the implications of that before her eyes grow wide. "Wait, you''re not just an acolyte in service to the gods - you possess actual divine essence!?"
"A little, as I said." Again Fay leans over to pick up a box from the floor, again finding a chest which Violetta would swear had not been there when she''d entered the room. This time he keeps it on his side of the table, opening it up to withdraw a second dagger, a glass bottle filled with a clear liquid, and something similar to a large magnifying glass lens held in a vertical frame. "These are ritual components constructed with Priestess Brightsky''s assistance, I don''t know if you''re familiar with this particular ritual. The dagger is capable of killing a divine being without allowing the divine energy to escape, or at least not right away, while the lens can focus and direct that energy into the alchemical potion we''ve prepared here. Such a divinely-powered potion can be used for multiple rituals, we have the steps written down here for two of them if you need a guide."
"A Potion of Divine Essence...I''ve never even seen one before, but I have heard of it, yes! You''re...serious about being willing to die for one of these rituals? What about those ''safe floor'' rules?"
Fay smirks. "Fortunately, or unfortunately, those rules only protect mortals. But in any case, I''ll respawn soon enough - I may contain divine energy, but I''m actually quite soulless, so I''m at no long-term risk from the ordeal."
"And these rituals? I don''t recall the steps for any off of the top of my head, what are the two you''ve prepared for today?"
"Quite simple. If you say one particular set of words over the potion before consuming it, it will be sufficient to shatter the pact holding onto your soul, weakened as it currently is in this realm. If you say a different set of words...it will corrupt the potion, and make your pact stronger."
Violetta''s eyes narrow with suspicion. "I see. And if I chose to preform the ''wrong'' ritual? I''ll step outside and find some punishment waiting for me?"
"No punishment, no rewards, beyond the ritual itself. The only thing we''re offering here today is freedom."
The woman snorts. "You really think offering me freedom from my pact will what, turn me into an ally or something of yours? That I''ll turn against Prince Thaddeus and the rest of his followers? Half of us are inclined to turn on each other even without all of that."
The Acolyte shakes his head. "That''s not the freedom we''re offering, not directly, at least. No - we''re offering you the freedom to make whatever choice you want to make. Right here, right now, your future is yours to decide."
Violetta spends a while staring at the dagger sitting across the table, carefully considering her words before responding. "You really offer this to me? Even knowing what it could do? In local terms, an empowered pact would turn me into a Master overnight, or so I would estimate. I would become...very difficult to kill. Your deeper dungeon floors might not be able to stop me, or at least, me fighting alongside the others."
Fay''s answer is to sit back and begin undoing his robe, eventually baring his pale chest to the mage. "It seems it''s not just my life in your hands, but many. What will be your choice, Violetta Threnel, Warlock of Rot?"
Unseen but still watching, Xenia stands in silence as she watches her Acolyte be slain and an esoteric ritual be performed.
And eventually, silently, she smiles.
Chapter 284: Fifty Percent is a Passing Grade
"So, how''d we do?" Parker asks his boss the question as he takes a seat at the dungeon''s conference table, joining in with the rather impromptu meeting that had gathered. Xenia hadn''t actually called one this time, but enough guardians were curious about the first day of her new strategy to want an update on how things had gone. Taly, Brightsky, and Deylia were also present, as was Ruckus, available to receive feedback on the result his intel and suggestions had helped produce with Emma to serve as his translator.
"Two out of four, which isn''t bad considering we didn''t have anything special prepped for the orc lady. She was a little confused about why we had her do a regular-ass confession, but I suppose it gave me a little more insight on her. At least she doesn''t seem like a genocidal freak, so there''s that." Xenia spins slightly in her chair at the head of the table as she speaks, a new design she was trying out. The furniture squeaks rather noticeably as she does so however, so she soon stops with a wince. "Bleh. Well, hopefully we''ll get another shot at her before it''s too late, we''ll see how it goes."
"Which one failed?" Ruckus quickly raises a hand following Emma''s whispers, halting her before she can respond. "Actually, let me guess. Tannis, right?"
The dungeon master nods. "I wasn''t going to blame him for being a paranoid-ass little fuck, but it turns out he really is paranoid because of all of those assassination schemes, like you said. He took the cursed charm instead of the enchanted one."
Deylia frowns. "Did he know it was cursed? What does the charm do, might I ask?"
Xenia points at the Banshee Queen in the room. "Based the curse on one of Taly''s Midnight Shadow spells. An attack spell that does damage to someone who''s not aware that they''re in combat? Fix it to a necklace, put it around someone''s neck, and speak the trigger word and...well, it might not take their head entirely off, but I reckon it''d kill most folks. Assuming they''re not in a fight at the time."
The Priestess''s frown deepens. "I can''t imagine how that would be useful to a Challenger. Getting it onto a monster''s neck - if it even has a neck - and then triggering it before the monster knows they''re there?"
"It''s a tool of murder, yeah, hence the ''failed'' comment. When it comes time, we''re not going easy on that bastard, for sure."
"I sure won''t miss him." Ruckus leans back in his chair and grins at Emma''s translation. "So that means the passes were Norlash and...Violetta? Wait, really? Violetta passed? She did kill her cousin in a sacrificial ritual to the dark gods, right?"
"Yeah, but not by choice." Xenia''s gaze drifts off as she recalls the woman''s ''confession'' earlier that day. "Honestly, I think that lady''s a lot more fucked up than she lets on. Thanks again for prepping that divine ritual for us, Brightsky."
The Valkyrie is now returned to her armor, which seems to make the elf more comfortable, but it is at least a lighter version of it without her helmet or wings taking up space. "Thank Lord Theolif, I would not have been able to assemble it without his guidance. I''m still somewhat...concerned by the idea that you can use the lives of your monsters as fuel for those rituals, so you''ll have to forgive me if I do not share any others."
"Hey, it''s better than, what, summoning and then murdering an actual angel somehow, right?" Xenia chuckles. "Man, Kahlia would not be happy with me if I tried that, for sure. But good news! Our purple-haired mage is now actually just a mage and not a secret warlock. Even if she does still stand against us, at least she should be easier to manage now."
Taly shivers. "The powers she was willing to show off were creepy enough as it was. She tried to play them off as shadow magic or something like that, but I know shadow magic, and that was definitely something else. I don''t want to imagine what kind of upgrades she would''ve gotten if she''d chosen to make her pact stronger. You really would have let her do it?"
Xenia tilts her head in Ruckus''s direction. "I get that maybe I''m being a little inconsistent with honesty after how I handled Ruckus''s team. But then, considering those two brothers failed even before they got to my test, I can''t say I feel too bad about that. But in a shrine, in a safe floor, with a promise of safety? I mean, I ain''t usually super religious or anything, despite everything, but even I know better than to break an oath in a shrine actually being watched over by a goddess. And the test wouldn''t have worked without that setup."
Deylia bites her lip. "But you''re still not worried she would''ve become too strong for us?"
"Hey, she might have a pact, or had, but we''ve got divinely-powered cards in our deck too. I think we could''ve managed."
Emma continues to keep their guest updated on the conversation, which provokes a comment from the imp. "Honestly, I''m kinda curious myself what Violetta might be like if she doesn''t have a God of Rot whispering in her head every now and then." The imp grins a toothy grin. "Maybe she might actually be almost tolerable. But how about Norlash, then? How''d the big man''s test work out?"
"Right, the orc dude? Sorry to Ruckus, but his intel was actually way off on that one."
Ruckus quickly leans forward after being told of her words, his good mood visibly evaporating. "Wait, what? What did I get wrong? Are you saying he didn''t have a harem of slaves back home, because that was like, the second thing I ever heard about the guy!"If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"He did have slaves, yeah, ones he picked up as concubines. But it was really more of a rescue. He''d buy them off the market and set them up in his estate or whatever he had, and just...let them do their own thing." Xenia grimaces slightly at her next comment. "Apparently his first love when he was a teenager was one of his dad''s concubines. I get the impression that didn''t work out so well, but he seemed to have a better appreciation of their plight after that."
Taly raises an eyebrow. "And...you''re sure he wasn''t just making that up to sound good? That he didn''t ever...ask for ''compensation'' for his generosity or something like that?"
Xenia''s expression turns to a grin. "Lin asked him that, and he did not take it well. Apparently he didn''t really mind having the reputation as a slaver, it kept him from getting into conflicts with people who did keep slaves for real, but getting questioned over it in a religious ritual was a different matter entirely. Dude was adamant that he never touched them."
Emma finishes translating for the room''s mortal, before adding a comment of her own. "The ''ethical slaveowner'' routine, eh? Well, maybe it was better than starting a fight he couldn''t win. If he kept his hands to himself that''s the important part, I suppose."
"Well, guess I can be surprised." Ruckus scratches his head. "Speaking of surprises though, we''re not doing the same thing for the rest of them, right? After this first team goes back and talks about what happened, there''s a chance Thaddeus might guess what we''re up to and try to shut it down somehow. Convince people to lie more or something, or tell em to take the ''fight'' option, iunno."
"He''s right, besides, we still have our ''inside vampire'' with the other group, so that gives us a few more options there. Aside from the vamp we''ve got, what, two dark elves and a human father-and-son pair, yeah? That''s another thing, I want to check how that family duo interact. If they''re anything like the brothers from the other day, it''s possible they make each other worse."
"Alright then, well, we did get things set up for that." Ruckus claps his hands before looking at Xenia''s apparently-empty chair a bit awkwardly. "So uh...it''s back to my room for me, then? I mean, if the other team does end up coming by today, I''m on call or whatever, but I''m guessing they''re not gonna be by until tomorrow at the least."
The reincarnator studies the man for a moment before answering. "Tell him he gets access to the employee-only section of the dungeon. He did good work today, so he deserves a bit of a reward. Don''t go to the inn though, there''s a chance he''d be noticed there."
The imp raises an eyebrow after being given the invitation. "Really? Well, thanks...but what''s the employee-only section, exactly?"
Emma takes care of the answer herself. "Some of the residences on floors Two and Five, if you want to hang out with somebody. There''s a bit of a recreation area on Floor Five, and the Rabbit Warrens - "
Taly sits up straight in her seat. "Wait, what? Xenia doesn''t even let us into the warrens! I want to see what''s in the warrens!"
"...Okay, not the warrens. Oh, and you can chill in the Floor Four forest if no one''s running the place. We''ll have DEATH tell the elementals not to drown you."
"...That would be appreciated, thanks. Might start off with that recreation area, then?"
Emma points to one of the portal rings in a corner of the conference room. "Right that way, little man. Knock yourself out."
Ruckus doesn''t hesitate for long to make his escape, having felt extremely awkward about the entire meeting. The presence of Xenia in the conference room had been extremely real - the way her swiveling seat kept slightly adjusting made it seem as if there was a poltergeist in the room, but the manner in which everyone else held a conversation with someone he couldn''t see or hear made him feel slightly insane. Having Emma around did help a bit, as he was fairly sure the strange woman mimicked many of the dungeon master''s reactions and emotions, but it didn''t entirely make up for the difficulties of having to speak with someone who he couldn''t see.
As he steps into the ''recreation area'', he finds himself needing a moment to reorient himself and not just because of the portal displacement. The space isn''t laid out like any room in any typical building, owing to things like the complete lack of windows or structural supports, and Ruckus finds himself suspecting that when the owner of the place can change a floor''s design on a whim, things perhaps aren''t planned out as thoroughly as would be done by a mortal architect.
There''s a ''kitchen'' in one corner of the room, but it''s not arranged like any kitchen a mortal would use. There''s a collection of mugs and glasses on one counter next to a set of pipes and taps, and the imp realizes that he''s seeing a duplicate of the magical taps the dungeon uses in the inn and lounge. There''s a bowl of fruit, fresh enough that it was probably summoned from nothing just this morning, if not more recently. Then there''s another counter covered in arcane symbols, next to a very large metal box covered in yet more. It doesn''t take long for the ''Trapmaster Rogue'' to figure out that they''re dungeon traps, but it takes a bit more study to realize that the purpose of them is to generate heat and cold. A storebox and a rather improvised stove, apparently, though perhaps not one he''d care to experiment with right now.
He skips the drinks for now but does grab up a juicy-looking red fruit, and begins biting into it as he examines the rest of the space. There''s a hall marked with a sign saying ''Residences'', although he notices that there''s no more specific markings on the doors further in. Security, perhaps, in case a Challenger somehow broke into here and was looking for someone in specific? There''s another door marked with a rabbit head symbol, similar to that used in parts of Floor Four, and the imp quickly assumes that it leads to the mysterious warrens. The next door down leads to a training and sparring area, and as Ruckus pokes his head inside he sees that there''s several racks full of weapons dotting the walls. For a brief moment he feels like he ought to go and ''borrow'' one or two, but the realization that the dungeon would immediately notice motivates him to keep on moving.
The final door however seems a little safer to enter, although Ruckus tries his best to keep quiet as he enters the chamber marked as ''The Library''. Sure enough the mid-size room is filled with shelves of books, but his slight attempt at stealth seems to have done him little good, as a red-skinned demon looks up immediately at his entrance. The man is sitting in the most comfortable-looking chair in the place, which probably helps given that the tome he''s reading seems to be the bulkiest book Ruckus has ever seen, needing to rest on the demon''s lap as he turns its pages. Whatever it''s about though seems to be far less interesting than Ruckus is, as the demon gives the man a long looking-over before smiling.
"Ah, found your way here, did you? Why don''t you have a seat? I actually have quite a bit I''d like to discuss with you..."
Chapter 285: The Worthy Trail
"All the gods good and dark, how did I end up so damn interesting!? I''m like, the bottom of the pecking order when it comes to Prince Thaddeus''s guys, and whatever I do know, I''ve spent like a solid day or two telling to Emma and Xenia! What sort of interrogation did I walk into this time?" Ruckus can''t stop himself from giving a bit of a rant as the sitting demon looks on, which is perhaps an indication that the man had had a bit of stress building up. It had certainly been a relief not to have been killed by the dungeon, but that doesn''t mean the past few days had been anywhere close to relaxing. The red-skinned librarian fellow probably isn''t to blame for any of that, and as he stops to take a breath Ruckus considers that maybe he should be more careful around strangers in a place like this.
The demon simply laughs however as he carefully closes his oversized tome. "Perhaps you''ve mistaken my intentions. I find myself not particularly involved in Xenia''s current scheme, so that''s not where my interest lies. I was hoping for perhaps a more casual opportunity to delve your knowledge? Ah, allow me to introduce myself; I am Sincere, former arcane demon. Or...perhaps as a non-local, you''re not familiar with my particular kin?"
The imp shakes his head, but finds himself a chair of his own as he settles in for whatever the demon has in store. "I''m pretty sure there''s more demon varieties across the realm than almost anything else. You know imps are considered demons in some places? Not that those guys look anything like us. They got wings, which is a bonus, but their faces....euugh." Ruckus shivers. "Like flying babies with shark teeth. I assume you''re into magic, though?"
"Secrets, actually, magic or otherwise. Arcane demons feed on such things, you see." Sincere gestures to his current form. "I am no longer an arcane demon, my species is now ''false mortal'', parentheses ''demon'', which has none of the particular traits of my previous race. Aesthetics only, I''m afraid. Even so, habits born of hundreds of years of travel die hard, and so if you don''t mind I''d like to learn a few of the things that you know. Things perhaps so far unknown to this realm."
Ruckus grunts. "I''ll admit, I might be a little full of myself when it comes to trap design or disarming. But I doubt I''m a one-in-a-realm prodigy at it, even with me getting training from ah, out of town."
With a bit of effort, Sincere moves his current reading material onto a nearby table before refocusing on his guest. "It''s more your travel experiences I''m interested in. As I understand it, Prince Thaddeus has been tracking Xenia''s soul through the realms, starting from the ''Kingdom of Seven Cities'', at some point arriving in your own home realm we might refer to as ''Land of the Fallen Tower'', and then eventually arriving here. That leaves quite a few gaps though, does it not? Perhaps you could fill in some of those for me - I''d be interested in knowing not just about your party, but the realms you must have visited. Or, for that matter, what traces of Xenia you found along the way. I assume she hasn''t asked you for such herself?"
The question makes Ruckus scratch his head. "Uh, I guess not, now that I think about it. I guess she''s not exactly interested in updates on the places where she used to hang out, huh?"
"Our leader''s relationship with her past is a tricky one, it''s true. I mean, look at you, after all. A physical reminder of a life she perhaps wishes in particular had best been buried. Still, I don''t imagine she''ll mind it too much if I ask a few questions." Sincere raises an eyebrow and looks upward to the ceiling. "Or if I''m wrong, may the dungeon strike me dead?"
The two watch the ceiling for a few moments, and eventually Sincere looks back and gives a thin-lipped smile. "It seems we''ve been blessed to continue. For starters, how much do you know about the prince''s travels from before he arrived in your realm?"
"Not much. He was alone when he showed up, which seemed odd at the time. I mean, he''s supposed to be a ranking prince, right? No way a guy like that doesn''t have some sort of followers or friends or whatever, yeah? But he never talked much about the realms before he found ours, and I think that has something to do with it. I mean, I bet he did have another team before he stopped to recruit us, or hells, maybe he had a couple, and it didn''t go so well for them. Not exactly a tale crowned in glory, eh? But he had his enchanted gear and a pile of gold, so he wasn''t exactly some beggar on our doorsteps, neither."
Sincere leans forward. "Is there much danger in the realms you visited, then?"
That one makes the imp laugh out loud. "Danger? Brother, there were places that made me wish I''d stayed home, and that''s saying something! Three times we lost someone within ten minutes of crossing over! After that we started doing the routine of sending in a scout, then a team of our best, before the rest of us squishies made the trip. One of those scouts just vanished once, too."
"Casualties were that high, then?"
"There''s barely a quarter of us that even made it here! Granted, it was mostly the weakest of us that died or gave up. Some basic-ass guards, one dude even brought some of his slaves with him."Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
The demon winces. "Unfortunate that they were forced to their deaths like that."
"Oh, no, the slaves murdered the guy one day and ran off. Hope they''re living their best lives or whatever. Weren''t the worst world they picked to run off to."
"I see. And what forms did these threats actually take, might I ask?"
"Well, once we landed in the middle of a tribe of goblins. Dumb ones, nothing like the couple I''ve seen around here. We ended up taking out the whole camp, but not without a few losses. Once we landed outside a human army base and they refused to believe we weren''t an enemy force. Didn''t go so well for them either. Then there was one time folk just...died."
He shrugs and Sincere feels obligated to push a little more. "Just died, is it?"
"We think there were nature spirits, or fae, or something like that going around and doing folks in. Never figured it out, just started runnin'' and didn''t stop until we were out of the woods, literally. Maybe coulda put up a fight if we were prepped, but taken by surprise like that? With a bunch of our magic not working? Forget it. Oh, gods, I haven''t even mentioned the fuckin'' magic issues!"
Sincere nods. "I''m aware that different realms function slightly differently, and that enchanted equipment may lose its power over time in another realm. You suffered issues like that?"
"There was at least one realm where there was no magic at all. Some of the mages actually got sick! Then ones where everyone''s got, if not magic, at least something crammed into their heads lettin'' em pull off impossible stunts. On one of them, I was able to make traps by literally banging on rocks and sticks with a hammer."
The description takes the librarian a few moments to consider. "How...did that function, exactly?"
Ruckus waves his arms in frustration. "Fucked if I know! And I was the one doing it! Like I''d bang on some broken-ass branch, blink, and suddenly it''d be a polished lever! Bang on a rock and it''d be a pressure plate! And gods, the people in that realm were morons."
"Oh? They didn''t use their...magic to its full potential?"
Ruckus shakes his head. "That''s the problem, magic was all they used! None of them had the slightest idea how anything actually worked, or how to build shit for real! Cartmakers could make a cart that would basically drive itself, but wouldn''t know how to put a wheel on an axle if they had to actually figure it out! I tell ya, whenever we did something that wasn''t ''system-based'' in front of them, they looked at us like we were demigods or some shit. I think someone baked a pie the regular-ass way and the tavern lost their damn minds."
Sincere chuckles at the thought. "Suppose I''m actually glad we don''t have such shortcuts, then. But tell me more about how you were able to track Xenia from one realm to another. Were you going in order, following her from one life to the next?"
"That was something of a trade secret, I guess. Thaddeus never really explained how it worked, but the impression I got was that it wasn''t exactly in order, no. In fact, sometimes we went places I''m pretty sure she''d never been at all. It was some combination of her traces, and like...the alignment of the realms? Sometimes we''d go ''off the trail'' to take a shortcut, I think, or just because the place the prince wanted to go to was unaligned at the time, or something. We did investigate where we could, the ideal case was to find something Worthy owned at some point so Thaddeus could re-calibrate his magical doo-dad or whatever."
The demon''s yellow eyes gleam with interest. "And what sort of things did you find out there?"
"A statue, once. Posthumous, actually, so I''m not sure how that helped. I mean, not like she ever touched the thing. But it was put up where she''d died defending a village from a swarm of giant bugs or something, and there was enough...spiritual essence or something involved to keep Thaddeus going? Honestly, I''m not remotely an expert in that kind of magic."
"Hrmm. I don''t believe she''s ever mentioned a ''death by giant bugs'' to me before."
"Well, according to the statue she was twelve when it happened. Maybe not a life she bothered to count." The imp shrugs, while Sincere''s mouth briefly hangs open.
"Saved the village at - no, I suppose it''s not unbelievable. But some relics were actual possessions of hers?"
The man nods. "Lady - or dude, depending - loves her swords, that''s for sure. Found like four of those. Think some folks kept a couple but none that made it this far. Once there was a cottage. Not hers, uh, apparently she fought something called a ''where wolf'' in there and bled all over the damn place, it was still stained when we found it. Kinda doubting she made it out of that fight. Oh, there was this really cool mask once from when she was a bandit lord, or something like that."
Sincere furrows his brow. "Xenia? A bandit lord?"
"One of those noble ones that gives away most of their money. Well, half. ...Some of it, anyhow. Pretty sure the legends were way bigger than the truth of the matter. Anyhow, was this weird design that was split down the middle, the black half on one side was laughing and the white half was crying. Not sure I wanna read into that, honestly. Forget where it ended up. Anyhow, the final big break was when we busted into that one monster slayer''s boarded-up mansion and found her amulet. That thing was already all keyed up for us, led us right here."
His questioner does narrow his eyes at that. "Yes, Sevastion did mention that to me...Beatrice''s mansion, yes? I hope you didn''t damage too many of her belongings. I have no idea if she ever expects to return home again, but I''d hate to imagine her returning to a ravaged ruin if she does."
That question manages to surprise the imp. "Wait, the monster slayer actually made it here? The rumors we were following said she just up and vanished one day! Well, hope she''s not too upset. I mean, the place was basically emptied out before we even got there, it definitely looked like someone packed up and didn''t plan on coming back any time soon. There were a few juicy items left though, I think Thaddeus and Linda grabbed them. They have the best bags of holding, after all."
Rather than getting worried by the news, Sincere actually smiles. "Is that so? Well...perhaps we''ll have a few gifts for her when she next visits..."
Chapter 286: False Leadership
"I don''t like this, Linda."
Linda Cogswell finds that she has to agree with her prince in principle, although she has the feeling that there''s a different ''this'' that the two of them would have in mind when making such a comment. The raven-haired prince''s handsome face has been increasingly marked the past few days by a haunted look, an impression that his eyes aren''t quite seeing the world in front of him. At first, in the hours after the disastrous fight with Valkyrie Brightsky, the man had been the epitome of commanding. Plans had been drawn up, orders were given, preparations made. Whatever training young Thaddeus had received in the subject of leadership as a young man seemed to serve him well in a crisis.
Unfortunately as the ''crisis'' had drawn out into days and now almost a week, it seemed as if his nerves had begun to fray. He was constantly having Tizzy go out to keep an eye out for spies, and he''d ransacked Pulg''s belongings to try and find out if Yulia had left any clue as to possible sabotage actions she may have performed. He''d stopped going to the Association to train, worried that they were working with the dungeon, but that meant the man was hardly leaving the Lucky Bastard these days at all. As for the dungeon itself, he refused to return there until all the pieces were in place for one final great assault towards the core chamber, but those pieces were moving so much more slowly than they had hoped.
First it had been the loss of Fletcher, Jason, and Ruckus. There was a real concern after that that the dungeon might be attempting to kill all of them on sight, pulling out every dirty trick it could imagine, and it''d taken an actual speech from Thaddeus to keep the other teams from refusing to continue delving. Then there had been that spate of minor injuries - almost a relief, really, since it implied that the dungeon wasn''t necessarily trying to kill them. It had slowed down the schedule however, and while some of the warriors enjoyed the break it had only given the prince more time to second-guess himself.
And now there''s yesterday''s business with the confessions. Linda has to admit, the whole setup sounds extremely suspicious. Honestly, the dungeon''s strategy seems impossible for her to figure out - first death, then injuries, and now...what? Personal questions? If there''s a theme there she can''t claim to see it. But as much as it simply annoys her, it''s clearly eating Prince Thaddeus alive, and that is a problem she can handle. Or at least, so she hopes.
"Let''s...not get lost in circles again trying to divine Xenia''s purpose, shall we, my lord? We spent hours on it talking last night. Perhaps we should focus on more pragmatic issues? For example, does this change the overall plan?"
The man throws a hand into the air. "Well how am I to plan my next move if I don''t know my opponent''s strategy!? There must be something she hoped to gain with that confession booth scheme yesterday, something important. Are we certain that Yulia could not have possessed one of them while they were isolated?"
The blonde mage sighs, although not loudly enough to be noticed. "Tizzy and I discussed this last night, my lord. From what we know of Yulia''s school of magic, her possessions are inherently fatal to the possessed. The original soul is evicted to make room for her own. We''ve discretely checked that with Challenger sources, and that would count as a death for the dungeon, and that means it would have violated the safe floor rules. When something like that happens apparently it''s obvious to all mortals in the dungeon, to alert them that their safety is at risk. No such warning was felt by anyone present, on our team or otherwise."
"Fine. Fine!" The prince shouts briefly before walking over and collapsing into a chair. "To answer your question then...no. To wildly alter our plans every time the dungeon does something we can''t explain would guarantee chaos for us, and ever-slimmer chances of success. If we can''t determine Xenia''s strategy today, then the teams will resume delving tomorrow. We''re very close, soon everyone will have cleared up to the start of Floor Eight."
"And mimics and oversized bugs won''t be the slightest threat to a team our size, will they, Thaddeus?" Linda gives her prince her warmest smile but the effort is wasted, again it''s as if the man is looking at the opposite wall and seeing the dungeon, not her.
"No, no...but there will be more than that. More tricks, more surprises. Count on that, Linda."
"...I''ll be prepared, of course. I won''t be taken by surprise again, you can be sure. For now though...I think I need to stretch my legs. Would you join me on a walk of the town, prince?"
Thaddeus simply shakes his head and waves her off. "No, thank you. I need to...to think a little more. But enjoy yourself, please."
"...Until later then, my lord." With a slight bow of her head Linda turns and leaves the room, but as the door closes behind her she pauses - and rather than turn left towards the stairs, she turns right. She needs help - the whole party needs help, really. For a battle like the one ahead they need a leader with his head on straight, and a Prince Thaddeus like the one they have now is likely to get them all killed. There''s precious few she can turn to, though. Most of their remaining party members aren''t actually that close to the prince, and even if they were, they don''t have the sharp minds needed to handle a situation like this. So instead of going out, Linda makes her way to Tizzy''s room.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
Before she knocks on the scout''s door however she stops, getting the feeling that something is wrong. A quick check with her mana senses - essentially pulsing a small wave of mana into the hallway and feeling where it meets resistance - quickly tells her why. Tizzy''s door has been reinforced by magic. The realization mostly serves to confuse the mage though, as it''s difficult for her determine why that would be the case. As a ''Force Mage'' barriers are one of her specialties, but that only allows her to quickly determine that the magic on the door isn''t of the sort to make it stronger. Given Tizzy''s skills, that would most likely mean it''s some sort of illusion spell instead, but why would the woman need to cast such a spell on her door?
It seems unlikely that it''s there for a long-term purpose, as that role is served by runes and enchantments. Ongoing spells require an ongoing upkeep of mana, and even with their mana conversion artifacts their reserves are still a limited thing in this realm. That implies that the scout is doing something right this moment that she feels the need to protect, contain, or conceal from other inn residents. Could...could Tizzy also be possessed by the dungeon? She hadn''t gone there alone in quite a while, but perhaps Yulia had lept from Pulg''s corpse to her while Thaddeus was distracted and she was nearly unconscious? Pulling her wand from her robes, Linda makes a quick decision.
She has to take Tizzy by surprise and be prepared to halt whatever the scout is doing behind closed doors.
Linda''s detail-level spellwork with tiny forcefields isn''t her best skill, but fortunately the locks the inn uses aren''t the most complex. After just under a minute of working at the handle with her wand the lock releases, and just in case the action alerts Tizzy to her doings Linda immediately throws the door open and steps inside.
As she does so, the spells blocking the sounds from leaving the room cease to have any effect on her, and Linda immediately regrets everything. "Tizzy!?"
Tizzy doesn''t respond right away. Certainly not because she doesn''t see her new guest arrive - indeed, her widened eyes lock on to Linda''s nearly immediately. However, the improvised gag made from a pillowcase prevents her from saying hello...and the man kneeling behind her on the bed, thrusting away, appears to be holding on to her arms and preventing her from removing said gag. Linda quickly averts her eyes, realizing she must have interrupted a rendezvous with a local - but they snap back on their own when her brain catches up and recognizes the face of the man on that bed. "...My lord!?"
"Ah, Linda, close the door, would you? I believe Tizzy here''s almost finished her latest round of punishment."
Moving almost automatically, Linda immediately turns and does so before it occurs to her that she literally just saw the prince a minute earlier, and he couldn''t possibly be the man in front of her now. She''s about to pose a question to this effect as she turns back, but as she does she recognizes the tremors running through the half-imp at that particular moment, and the mage finds herself too busy blushing to find her words. As soon as Tizzy recovers herself though she snaps her fingers, and Linda gets at least some answers as Prince Thaddeus suddenly fades away.
"...By all the dark gods, Tizzy! What have you been doing in here!?"
This time it doesn''t take long for the scout to remove her gag, and her first response is a plea. "Don''t tell him! Shit, shit, don''t tell anybody! You weren''t supposed to see that!"
As the woman - still wearing her usual goblin illusion - quickly pulls up the bedsheets around her in order to hide her unclothed state Linda feels like she ought to turn away again. Instead, worried about what the scout might pull if she looks away for even a moment, she settles for simply relaxing the hold she still has on her wand. "What - what was it I just saw, Tizzy? Was that an illusion of Prince Thaddeus? But it talked! It sounded just like him!" As she says that she blinks, and realizes something more. "...Wait. It was holding on to you, wasn''t he - it? That wasn''t just a visual illusion, was it?"
"I...really?" Tizzy''s expression grows confused. "That''s the part that gets your attention? I mean...could be worse..."
"I mean, one thing at a time! You can make your illusions solid!? Since when?"
Tizzy pauses, and Linda can tell she''s considering whether or not to answer at all. After a moment though she sighs, and begins to explain. "Well, at really small levels, for a couple years, I guess? I was first able to do a person maybe half a year ago, and I''ve been, uh...improving the fine details since then."
"...The fine details, eh?"
The scout shrinks into her sheets. Considering her size relative to the bed, that''s not particularly hard for her to do, and soon only her head is visible above a clump of fabric. "Do you really want me to explain?"
Linda rubs the bridge of her nose. "...No, not really. But...wow. Prince Thaddeus? You...you know? I mean, I''m not criticizing your tastes, but..."
"Well, we can''t all spend all our time around him like you do, now can we?"
The undercurrent in Tizzy''s tone brings Linda up short. "Like me? ...Tizzy, the prince and I are not entangled! We''ve never even kissed, let alone..." Linda gestures at the bed. "...Done whatever you''d call that!"
"...Wow. Really?"
"Really! That - " The mage stops herself, and shifts her focus. "That''s...not really the important thing right now. Tizzy, you can make realistic, solid illusions of people? Just the prince, or of anyone?"
"Um...could be anyone, but I''d need to have a clear picture of them in my head, if I want them to hold up to more than a few seconds of looking. Why?"
"I think...I may be able to use this."
"...Uh, you want a turn with the prince too?"
The blonde mage quickly shakes her head, although it doesn''t hide her blush. "What, no!"
"..."
"...We can come back to that later."
Chapter 287: Going in Circles
"Well...shit."
Reed Blair raises an eyebrow in his father''s direction as the two step into the first chamber of Floor Six, their thin blades at the ready. "What? Does this cave look worse to you than all the others so far? At least there''s no endless drop a foot away at all times like on the floor before."
Lyman shakes his head. "No, I''m just disappointed that we''re actually here. Was kinda hoping the dungeon would send us to the shrine like the other group, so we''d get an easy win. I''d take an hour of spilling my sins over spilling my guts any day."
"Feeling your age, human?" The dark elf coming up behind him has a smirk on his gray-skinned face, adding a warmer feeling to the potential insult.
"Age? You''re damn near twice as old as I am, Hylii, damn you! But nah, aside from having an easier time of it, then at least we''d know what to expect. Now I got the feeling the dungeon''s still up to something, but now we ain''t got a clue what it is."
The middle-aged man twitches a bit as two shards of metal fly through the air, shattering a pair of small gemstones on the floor beyond him. Gemstones which squeal in pain as the metal tears them apart. Those cries are cut short as the shards exit their bodies just as quickly, flying back into the sleeve of the second dark elf to enter the floor. "Maybe you should care less about potential dangers, and focus more on the ones sharing the room with us. Tizzy''s report included mentions of the tiny mimics, you know."
Reed grunts as the two elves verbally team up on his dad. "Relax, Gerliari, the report also said they''re slow to act and easy to take care of once they do. We were getting to it in a moment."
The last member of the party steps through the shortcut portal and wastes little time in drawing her own blade. The party has three sword fighters, which is a little unbalanced by some reckonings, but Liani''s style is quite a bit...messier than the Blairs and their fencing-based training. The local Challenger class title the pale-skinned woman had claimed was that of a Bloody Blade, a melee class augmented by blood magic, which would typically be rather useless on a floor like this where none of the monsters actually have blood. That''s mostly just a cover story however, as the woman''s actual skills contain more than a few abilities that would have raised a few questions had Tizzy included them on her paperwork. She certainly seems confident enough as she scans the room and displays a fang-tipped smile.
"Mmmm, back in the dungeon. Everyone''s ready?"
Gerliari turns to face the last arrival, her violet robes jingling slightly as she moves. "You seem unusually eager, Liani. I thought you hated getting your hands dirty - unless it was in the process of getting yourself a snack."
"True, but I have a good feeling about this floor. I think we''re going to be very...productive today."
Lyman frowns but shrugs it off. "Somehow, you being in a good mood doesn''t help mine any. Just remember to keep a watch out for Gery''s back, everyone. She''s our ace in the hole when it comes to the Valkyrie, in fact, if she bites it I''m calling this whole run off. Otherwise we''re too melee-oriented for that fight, in my opinion."
The dark elf mage sighs and pinches her nose. "...Lyman, have you forgotten that the dungeon can almost certainly hear us now that we''re inside? You''ve just painted a nice big target on that back of mine."
"...Well, it''ll encourage you to keep on your toes. Now enough dawdling, lets get to it!"
It doesn''t take long for the group to clear the first chamber, as both of the dark elves display abilities that allow them to sense the mimics hiding around them. Gerliari does so by detecting the different metallicities of the false gemstones, while Hylii - acting under the guise of a ''Body Mage'' - manages to detect their faint life signs directly. From there things begin to get a little more complex, however. The elemental sprite-based fae of the floor have a number of magical attacks which the party has no direct counter for, and so instead the team manages by showcasing a high level of agility instead. The Blair family are known for their speed and precision in their swordplay, but with Hylii''s magics enhancing their muscles the two become masters of being wherever their enemy''s attacks aren''t. Liani meanwhile manages quite well on her own, and half the time the woman slays her opponents by crushing them in her palms, her sword almost forgotten.
It''s a little tiring, but the party takes no injuries and so they remain largely in good cheer for the first few chambers. Eight crystal-filled rooms on, that mood begins to slip slightly. Turning back towards his team, Lyman furrows his brow. "I didn''t miscount or misremember, right? Wasn''t it only supposed to be five or six chambers before we get to that big one with the upside-down crystal trees, or whatever? Do you think the dungeon broke it up into a bunch of small ones? Seems odd, since the reports said the most dangerous stuff was supposed to be in the main chamber."
Reed peeks ahead through the small tunnel leading to the next room, and his frown matches his father''s. "It''s worse than just making more rooms. Is it just me, dad, or does this next one look familiar?"The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
The group continues on through, and sure enough there''s a number of distinctive markers sitting around them. For one, there''s the shattered remnants of the gemstone mimics they''d slain on arrival. For another, the shortcut portal leading back to the mountainside is impossible to miss. At the sight of it, Hylii groans. "Ah, wonderful! We''ve gone in a circle. But doesn''t that violate the dungeon rules, or something? There has to be a route to continue onward, yes?"
Gery nods. "They can be hidden, but only within reason. Dungeons can become trickier as they age, apparently. I didn''t bother searching out for hidden doors or tunnels on our first trip around, but perhaps I can pick something up if I look for it."
Lyman gives his approval, and so the party gets to searching the walls of the floor, with Gerliari running her fingertips across the stone of the inner side of the loop. It doesn''t take long before she stops, and with a quick slam of the side of her fist against the stone a thin facade crumbles away, revealing a small pressure plate. Grinning, she turns back to the rest of the team. "This is magically charged - given how weakly it was hidden, it must be part of the way onward. A switch for a hidden door, perhaps. Shall I?"
The party leader sighs, but eventually nods. "Everyone get ready for a trap. Actually, Hylii, you hit the button. If it zaps you or something, you''re the fastest, and if you aren''t, at least you''re more expendable than Gery is."
"My, your confidence in me is astounding." Despite the sarcasm, the elf doesn''t hesitate to walk over and press down on the plate, muscles prepared to launch himself backwards should anything go wrong. Instead, absolutely nothing happens at all.
The party cranes their heads in silence for a few moments, wondering if perhaps the room had shifted in some invisible way, but it doesn''t take long to come to the conclusion that everything is exactly as it was. Scratching his head, Reed offers a theory. "Perhaps it opened a door on the other side of the loop?"
"Perhaps. I suppose we''ll continue and see if I can find anything more, shall I?" Lyman again nods his assent, and the Metal Mage continues her search of the floor. Now knowing what to look for, it doesn''t take her long to find a second switch, just as it doesn''t take the party long to confirm that it also has no apparent effect when pressed. Then another, and another, until eventually the party''s completed their second circle of the floor. Mentally counting it up, Lyman begins cursing to himself.
"Five switches! Five goddamn switches. And that one door there that completes the loop wasn''t there when we walked in, so the dungeon''s obviously making modifications as we go. Modifications just for us. Anyone else see the obvious, here?"
Reed grunts as he stands next to his father. "Five of us, five switches. We''ll need to hit them all at once, I assume? That''s a challenge of synchronization, I suppose. It''s not going to be easy to time things for the five of us spread across the floor."
"Right, Reed, but that''s not what concerns me. What concerns me is that we''ll be splitting up the party to the maximum extent possible. Would that not be the ideal moment for the dungeon to strike us all down?"
The party considers that in silence for a moment, before Hylii chooses to speak up. "They say that, regardless of how physically large a dungeon floor may be, each floor only has a certain ''capacity'' for the number of monsters it can contain. The Association''s done studies of it, and it does vary depending on how strong those monsters are, but there is a limit to how difficult the challenge of a floor can be. Not only have we already cleared out quite a few rooms worth of monsters, but there were more of those rooms than there typically are. So, theoretically, we''ve probably already killed most of the floor''s monsters. The main threat is likely just the boss, and possibly that rabbit boss who shows up randomly sometimes. That''s not enough to get all five of us at once."
The other elf scoffs. "Oh, so just one or two of us, then? And we''ve already told the dungeon that I''m the most valuable target here? Explain to me how splitting up isn''t going to lead to my death?"
Liani had been rather silent for quite a while, but on seeing Gery''s discouraged expression the vampire decides to try and cheer her up. "What if Hylii gave you his best enhancements before we split up, hrmm? If you''re already the best magician in the party, you''d be quite the terror if you''re boosted to being our deadliest fighter at the same time! Perhaps you might even want for the boss to try and give you a surprise hello!"
"Hrnf, I don''t know about that, but...becoming fast enough to rejoin the rest of the party would certainly help. Hylii, does that work for you?"
The Body Mage rubs his chin in thought, but eventually nods. "I was planning to save my most expensive spells for the boss fight, but if this could be the boss fight, then I suppose I might as well. And if it''s not, we do still have mana potions. I can also help with the synchronized plate-pressing challenge, as well. My perception-enhancing spell also includes the perception of time - if we begin counting in sync, it shouldn''t be too hard to remain in sync for the duration of the spell."
"Let''s do it, then. I don''t want to have to go back and tell the prince we gave up because of some damn logic puzzle or some shit." Lyman gives the man a nod. "Boost Gery up, then let us know when to start counting. Sixty seconds should be enough for everyone to get into position, so we''ll hit them on sixty, got it?"
The party confirms their understanding of their orders, and Hylii gets to work casting his entire assortment of body-boosting spells on his elf companion. A much simpler spell improves the party''s senses, and with that done they immediately get to sprinting in either direction. Gerliari takes the switch closest to the floor''s exit, while Liani moves on to the most distant plate as the most physically durable member of the party. To help with their timing Lyman begins to bellow out his count, and soon the sound of numbers can be heard echoing down the floor.
"Fifty-seven!"
"Fifty-eight!"
"Fifty-nine!"
"Sixty! Now!"
Each member of the party slams down their hands upon the switches and just as they suspected, their correct timing activates the puzzle mechanism.
And nearly a dozen doors slide shut, cutting off each member of the party into their own individual chamber.
Chapter 288: How You Play the Game
"I knew it! I fucking knew it! This place is going to fucking kill me!" Gerliari shouts out her first panicked reaction to the walls and ceiling of the crystal-studded chamber she finds herself trapped within, although of course the experienced combat mage doesn''t stop there. The sleeves of her robes billow wide and within moments a swarm of metal shards have flown out and begun orbiting the dark elf, prepared to both defend her and attack any threat which reveals itself. Her silver-colored ponytail bounces back and forth as she examines every corner of her prison, its erratic movements alone doing quite a bit to display her anxiety.
Which leaves the woman feeling a little embarrassed when nothing happens except for the sliding open of a new exit from the room, with a rock face descending into the floor not far from the pressure plate she''d hit to activate it. The caster is no Earth Mage but her skills with metal had served her well when seeking out the hidden switches around Floor Seven, and so she starts with examining how the door was able to hide from her senses. "Okay, how''d you pull that off? Gotta be...two feet thick, so okay, I missed the empty space behind it. But the mechanism?" She leans over to touch the floor, and groans after a minute of pressing her mana through it. "Ugh, it''s really just a hunk of rock, all the magic driving it was buried under our feet. Damn, perfectly set up to hide from my surface scans."
Gery pauses to frown at her own statement. "...Too perfect. Did you set this up for me, dungeon? Was this entire damn puzzle designed for my magic, specifically?"
The dungeon gives her no response, and so eventually she straightens up, returns her shards to her robes, and sighs before moving towards the newly revealed tunnel. It''s not a long one, perhaps only eight feet deep before opening into another chamber, but the mage takes no extra risks before passing through it. With a hand brushing one wall she examines every foot of the passage for hidden traps or triggers, moving forward only when she''s confident that she''s surrounded by nothing more than mundane stone - or at least, mundane by dungeon standards.
What she finds beyond surprises her more than any trap, however. The chamber is decorated much like the rest of the floor, with raw, brown stone marked by oversized, brightly-colored crystals jutting from every surface. In the center of all of that though is a space cleared out for a stone table and two small rocky benches, and sitting on the opposite side of that table is a red-skinned demon. The man greets her with a comfortable smile, and gestures towards the empty bench. "Care to join me for a game, Mage Gerliari?"
As cautious as always, the mage doesn''t exactly leap to accept the invitation. "You''re...Sinister, right? The dungeon''s core guardian? Aren''t we still a long way from the dungeon''s core?"
The demon sniffs slightly at his guest''s misconceptions. "Sincere, actually. And yes, but I''m hardly a prisoner of the core chamber. I am simply weaker when away from my assigned floor, not that I''m necessarily the strongest defender of the dungeon to begin with. My wits, however, remain as sharp as ever."
The elf takes a few steps closer and notices that the table isn''t exactly bare. At first she imagines that the surface is covered with some sort of board game, with a map and pieces which she doesn''t recognize, but it doesn''t take long for her to realize that she recognizes them all too well. The ring of rooms around the edge of the map is clearly the chambers her party had already cleared within Floor Seven, and a number of the pieces represent her team. There''s even one for herself, an ebon marker standing in a room next to a marble figure which is clearly the man sitting in front of her.
"...My apologies, Sincere. You can call me Gery, if we''re being friendly. I don''t mind a good game or two, but I usually like to know the stakes before I sit down at a table."
The man''s smile splits wide, showing his pearly teeth. "Ah, but this is a dungeon, Gery. The stakes are what they always are! Fortune - or death. Although very little of the latter for you yourself, unless you manage to play exceptionally poorly."
Gery slowly slides into the open seat, although she''s still no more certain about actually playing along with whatever it is the dungeon is up to. "Why me, though? You seem to know a lot about us - shouldn''t you have noticed that Lyman is the leader of this group? Or...is this about me being more of a magic-user while the others like to, ah...get their hands dirty?"
"Actually, the reason you were picked is because we''d like to know more about you. We do have our sources, of course. We know that Lyman and Reed are father and son, descendants of a ''Champion'' although not of Prince Xenon himself. Hylii is a descendant of that infamous figure, or at least claims to be, but you...we know rather little about, as it happens."
The mage frowns, noticing a slight inconsistency. "You forgot Liani, eh? Is she not on your scouting sheets either?"
"Ah, of course, I couldn''t forget the vampire, could I? An opportunist, apparently, one of those with no particular paths to power back home, and so she chose to try a new avenue by following in the footsteps of Prince Thaddeus. Honestly, despite her unusual species...perhaps the least interesting of the bunch."
"I''ll be sure to tell her you said so. But why do you care so much? Wait, does this relate to those confessions you were doing with the other team? Were you just using them to gain intel on us?" The thought makes her furrow her brow. "How the hells would I be involved in anything they would''ve needed to ''confess'' about?"The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
"It''s related, yes, but not as means of getting the members of your expedition to discuss each other. Like this test, our goal is to see what each of you is willing or able to reveal about yourselves. Now, before we begin, shall I explain the rules of the game?"
The elf gives a hesitant nod. "I''m listening, at least."
"As you know, dungeons must allow for a path from the dungeon''s entrance to its core, and there are limits on how difficult this path can be to clear. The requirements are relaxed the deeper one goes, and so on Floor Seven we are allowed to be a little more restrictive than on Floor One. It''s not a great difference, but on Floor One a door or barrier must be passable by one or two Challengers, while here we can make it so that barriers are much more difficult to clear without the support of a team."
Gery eyes the pieces on the board, each trapped within their own chamber. "So you got around that by splitting us up. None of us are Earth Mages, so breaking down a door pinning someone inside is going to be next to impossible for any single one of us to do. So game over, you win?"
Sincere snaps his fingers. "Not quite, you see, your team still has a method of progressing - you. With your wit and clever thinking, you may - may - be able to lead your party safely to the floor''s exit. This is a game of trade-offs however, and not only is it a question of if you can lead your full party to perfect safety, but if you even want to."
The unwilling player sneers at his description. "I don''t know what you''ve heard about me - some of us are backstabbers, yes, but that''s not how I operate. Not to mention that I would be a fool to weaken my party before I myself even have a clear path to safety."
"Ah, but you haven''t heard what the trade-offs are yet! For example, behold your opposition." Sincere waves a hand at one side of the table, and suddenly new marble pieces appear, growing from its surface. Some of them are crystalline humanoids, some variant of fae, as she''s heard them described. There''s also a number of massive slime blobs, or at least, massive if their scales are correct when compared to the sizes of her team''s pieces. Finally there''s four rabbit-eared figures, although Gerliari is relieved to see that the notorious Trush isn''t among them. "The more of these monsters that are defeated, the more doors you can open. Or if not defeated, you may still choose to open a door five minutes after a set has been placed onto the board."
It doesn''t take long for the mage to catch Sincere''s implication. "You''re saying I could direct all of these monsters against a single member of my party, almost certainly killing them, but five minutes later the rest of us would have a clear path to the exit?"
The demon smiles. "I see you catch on quickly."
"...You''re seeing who I would be willing to kill in exchange for the safety of people I care about."
"Not just that, of course. Not every door is necessary for your party to escape. A number of treasures have also been placed into side rooms. I''ll give you a hint - three of those side rooms are connected to this very chamber. Not that you have to worry about spending moves to free yourself. At the conclusion of the game you will be allowed to leave despite any other results regarding the rest of your party."
At this point Gery feels the need to roll her eyes. "So I could even get paid, scooping up a bunch of loot right here, at the expense of making someone else fight a swarm of monsters on my behalf."
"Or bring the swarms to this chamber, if you like! I promise to stay out of your way, and if you choose, you can take all of the danger of the floor upon yourself. We''ve established a hidden network of paths that will allow the monsters to reach any room upon the map. And in case you''re wondering, yes, you could attempt to find that network...but then you''d be stumbling right into where all of our monsters are currently gathered."
"Well let''s not get crazy, I''m neither that arrogant or that saintly." Having said that, the elf refocuses her attention onto the table, attempting to piece together a strategy. There''s one obvious problem that immediately becomes clear to her - while the outer ring of rooms appears on the map, as well as the chambers where her companions are currently held, the only other chamber marked is the exit at the center of the floor. In between those sections, the table is nothing more than bare stone. "How am I suppose to guide my party if I don''t have a path?"
"There''s no game without a bit of risk, is there? The doors are marked by these thinner lines, as you can see, and for each set of monsters you place you can declare which door you would like to link them to. Once the door opens, the chamber beyond will be revealed on the map. There is a path for each of you to reach the exit, I swear on my honor."
"And...can I determine the condition of my companions in some way?"
"Visually, yes - as an example...hrmm, your elf companion?" Sincere gestures at the piece representing Hylii, and as Gerliari watches on the man''s figure shifts as if it were clay rather than hard ebony. His expression shifts from determination to anguish, and cuts appear on his light armor and arms. Before Gerliari can shout in alarm, the figure quickly shifts back to its original shape. "Just an example. Perhaps not the most precise method, but I imagine you can get the general gist."
The elf shifts her attention back up to the demon sitting across from her. "And is this a two-player game? Do you have some role in this?"
"Indeed I do! I...am The Tempter." Sincere waves his arms in an exaggerated display, and huffs when Gerliari gives him an unimpressed look. "Every few moves, I shall tempt you. I''ll offer you hints, prizes, and warnings. If you like you can choose to ignore everything I say, and still win the game. Alternatively, you can choose to do everything I say, and also win the game. Of course, much depends on your personal definition of ''winning''."
"This sounds like a ridiculously complex way of learning about me! Just buy me a drink like every other man in my life, eh!? Seriously, why am I going through this and no one else?"
"I won''t say we know the rest of your companions like they''re open books, but I also won''t say that they''re not being tested as well. The dungeon will be watching you all very carefully, of course. But of all of them, you seemed most suited for the role. In any case, best to deal with the hand you''re dealt rather bemoaning your situation, don''t you think?"
Gery narrows her eyes. "And if my response to my hand is to put a dart through your skull right now?"
Sincere raises his hands in a mock surrender, but with an entirely unafraid expression on his face. "The game continues regardless. But in that case, you would have to proceed without my charming company."
"...Fine." With a sigh, the mage looks back down at the board, and reaches out to pick up one of the sets of monster pieces. "Then I suppose it''s time for the opening move..."
Chapter 289: Opening Moves
Gerliari doesn''t sweat as she examines the game board, but if she spends much more time considering her options she expects she''s probably soon to start. First, she begins by examining the space taken up by the ''board'' itself. Fortunately the outer ring of chambers around the edge of Floor Seven defines the boundaries quite effectively, and the center chamber with the floor''s exit is also marked on the stone surface. So the question is - how many rooms connect each of her companions to that central chamber, and how direct is the route they''ll have to take? Surely it won''t be so easy as every chamber turning out to be an identical shape and size, and she''d certainly never assume that the path will be the shortest possible distance.
As a rough estimate, the Metal Mage determines that each starting point is probably about three rooms from the exit. That''s quite short for a dungeon floor...if the group were moving as a party. As individuals every single fight is fraught with peril, with no room for mistakes. So...should her first step be to try and link her companions back up? Surely there''s routes designed with that in mind. But who first?
Her gaze first settles on Hylii. Pragmatic reasons come to mind to start with - as a Body Mage, or at least what the locals classify as such, the man is strongest in working with others. The mage can boost his own strength and agility as well as that of allies, but he''s the largest power multiplier in the party. There''s also the fact that he''s the only other dark elf left in their expedition, but her mind quickly filters that out as irrelevant information.
What''s harder to filter out is that she and Hylii had been romantically involved for three different periods of varying lengths during their lives. The two weren''t exactly ''together'' these days, but over the course of the many months of their journeys together there had been nights...but she shakes her head. Hylii is the most important piece on the board, and that''s simply an objective fact.
The woman''s thought processes aren''t entirely invisible to her opponent. Sincere leans forward slightly to try and catch her attention, and gives her a slight smirk. "Having trouble thinking of a first move? While there''s no strict time limit, we don''t actually control your party members, and we can''t rule out that they won''t eventually do something...ill-advised on their own accord. Perhaps you would like a hint?"
Gery eyes the man suspiciously. "You offer hints, do you?"
"For a price, of course."
"...Of course. No, not yet. Although I do have one question - what''s stopping me from just placing all the monsters into an empty room?"
"Ah, thank you for reminding me." Sincere gestures at the outer ring of chambers. "The previously-cleared set of rooms are not part of the game, and as for new chambers, they are not valid targets until a path to them has been opened and a door cannot be closed once opened. So at best, you''d buy your companions some time as the monsters would need to chase them down. It may be preferable to placing monsters right on top of them, however."
"...So my first move has to be on one of the chambers where someone''s currently locked up. Wonderful." With that in mind Gery then begins to determine which of her party members can best handle a solo fight. That decision at least is not particularly difficult for her to decide on. Reaching out, she picks up one of the sets of humanoid fae monsters and places the three pieces down onto the chamber containing the ebony piece representing Liani, the human vampire.
Sincere keeps his tone even as he confirms the move. "All placements are final once you release your contact with the pieces. Are you certain?"
"Liani''s the hardest of us to kill - and honestly the one I''d miss the least if I''m wrong. Judge me for that if you want, I think any of the others would say the same. Vampires are...not entirely right, you know? So, are they fighting now?"
"It will require a moment, we''re not using teleportation rings for this. In the meanwhile, tell me, what exactly is wrong about vampires? I''ve heard stories of course, but we rather lack the real thing around these parts."
The mage considers her words, knowing that the dungeon will somehow be testing her on them. "Vampires prey on people, inherently. Animal blood can sate them for a time, or monsters, but it''s not really about the blood itself. I mean, do you have any idea how long it takes to actually drain all of the blood from an adult body?"
"I have learned that some methods are quicker than others, but yes, it''s not exactly an easy process."
The elf eyes the demon a little warily after that statement. "...Right, well, it''s way too slow for a quick hunt. The drinking is symbolic, what they''re really absorbing is essence. Think of it as...the energy or tissue that binds a soul to a body. Damage to it can be healed, but very slowly and it''s not something potions can help with. Someone half-drained might be practically confined to a bed for most of the next year. And Liani isn''t particularly one for half-measures when she feasts."
"And you judge her for her dietary needs?"Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
Gery scoffs. "It''s not just the drinking. A normal person who lives on the murder of others would be traumatized by it eventually, don''t you think? But not vampires. The vamping process...kills that part of them, or something. I''m not an expert. But Liani cares about most people the way most people would care about a farmer''s chicken. She - ah!" The explanation is cut short as the pieces on the board suddenly begin to move, although in a rather odd manner.
It''s fairly clear right away that the pieces are not exactly reproducing the events that must surely be occurring elsewhere on the floor. Liani would be far more dynamic, and the fae pieces barely seem to move either. Liani''s piece does slide over to make contact with one of the marble fae however, and after a moment the piece alters so that the fae is suddenly missing a leg. A few seconds later, without warning, the fae suddenly crumbles into stone shards which further degrade into sand-like grains, and as Liani moves to face another fae the sand evaporates away entirely. The other two monster pieces eventually suffer the same fate, although by the end of it there''s a clear mark of slash wounds on Liani''s left arm, likely a result of the fae''s crystalline blades.
Sincere claps at the show. "Seems you judged her strength well! You now have the option of opening any one door."
The elf doesn''t hesitate in looking over towards Hylii''s piece, and notices two doors connected to his chamber. Noticing that one leads to what''s probably a chamber connecting him and Reed, she points it out. "That one, if you would."
"As you wish." The line representing the door fades away, and sure enough a new chamber is revealed on the board which would indeed connect him to the younger fencer of the party. Unfortunately, Reed''s side of the chamber is still locked shut, meaning Gerliari will need to trigger at least one more fight before the two can team up. "So, who shall compete next? Shall Liani go for a second round?"
Gery is tempted to go with that choice, but she does shoot a glance at the injury displayed on Liani''s game piece. It''s not too major a wound...assuming the display is accurate to what actually occurred. But on top of that the vampire could be tired out from her fight, meaning it would be risky to immediately throw her into a second. With that in mind she instead turns her attention to Lyman''s chamber, and reaches for another set of monster pieces.
"More fae? Why not mix it up with some slimes, perhaps?"
"Against a fencer? Are you trying to trick me into getting him killed? No, wait, don''t answer that - of course you are. The fae may not be as easy to hurt as a flesh-and-blood mortal, but if they fight with swords then at least Lyman will know how to handle himself." With that said she places the trio of fae down, and in about a minute later a fight begins once again. At first the man seems to perform even better than Liani had, with the first of the fae being defeated within moments. Unfortunately the man''s best skills are based on one-on-one fights, and focusing on his first opponent appears to have allowed the other two time to flank him. A slash appears on Lyman''s leg, and another on his arm, with the man''s face turning into one of pained determination.
The duelist seems to recover himself after that, and it''s not long before the last two monster pieces crumble away as well. The human''s taken a third wound before that happens though, and the look of him is enough to make Gery wonder if she should''ve sent the next wave to Liani again after all. Seeing her distress, Sincere takes the moment to strike. "You know, I could ensure that a chest with a healing potion will wait for him in the next chamber he enters..."
The mage narrows her eyes. "And the price?"
"How about an equivalent exchange? Or no, one in your favor, even. We remove multiple wounds from your party leader, and in exchange we injure another party member a single time."
The offer mostly manages to confuse her. "Injure one how? If a dungeon could simply hurt people at will, no one would ever defeat one!"
"We''ll simply have one of our wandering bosses step in, fight to first blood, so to speak, and then leave. Or perhaps they may even prove their skill and defeat the boss single-handedly, in which case we''ll allow you the win. There''s really no downside!"
Despite Sincere''s friendly tone, Gery can''t stop herself from sneering at him. "Make someone fight a boss on their own!? Are you mad? ...Except..." A thought occurs to her, although it takes her a moment to decide to voice it. "...What if I choose myself?"
"Entirely within the rules! And simplifies matters quite a bit as well." Sincere reaches into his robes and pulls out a nasty-looking knife, and waves it in her direction. "Magic is more my traditional field of combat, but I''m entirely capable of inflicting a non-fatal injury, provided you hold still. Do you have a least-favorite limb?"
The question makes Gerliari consider things she''d never really had to think about before. She uses her arms to cast...but she needs both legs to move around, and a lack of mobility could get her killed if something happens. She does of course have a health potion or two on herself if she really needs them, and she doesn''t really need both arms to cast her spells...
Sighing, she takes a deep breath before answering. "Left arm, I suppose. Ah - perhaps we can avoid damaging my robe, please?"
Gery lifts the left sleeve of her robe, and Sincere doesn''t show a hint of hesitation as he stands up and moves to her side of the table. "Of course - this is a civilized game, after all. Simply hold your arm out like that, and...there we go."
The elf blinks, barely even aware of what Sincere actually did. There was just a quick flash of the blade towards her elbow, and now...her arm seems to have lost all strength to it, she realizes. There''s just a hint of blood, which she quickly moves to patch up with a bandage from her supplies even as she asks what just happened to her. "What - how - it barely even hurts!"
"The pain will come in time, but I did use a simple temporal stasis field to hold you still for a very precise cut. One of the tendons in your elbow, to be specific. Be careful moving it, your range of motion will be slightly limited until it''s properly healed."
"...Are you a healer yourself, demon?"
"No, just a man who''s experienced his share of wounds. Now, there''s still the matter of your owed passage - which door shall we open next?"
Without hesitating, Gerliari uses her right arm to point out the door separating Reed and Hylii. "That one, if you would."
"Ah, the party reassembling begins! Now to see how your party handles a bit of teamwork, hrmm? So...what''s your next move?"
Chapter 290: Team Sports
Gerliari continues the game by placing down yet another set of fae swordsmen, although this time she''s able to put it into an empty chamber, that being the one Hylii had left in order to meet up with Reed. She wasn''t certain if it would make things worse, possibly by allowing the monsters to sneak up on her party more gradually, but fortunately it seems as fae aren''t particularly stealthy monsters. Although the ''battles'' undertaken by the game pieces leave a lot of details left to the imagination, the mage is fairly certain the pair manage to hold them off without too much difficulty. With that fight done she''s granted the option to either open a door pointing closer to the exit, or one leading around an inner loop in Lyman''s direction. Deciding that reuniting the party is more important than a quick exit, she chooses the inner loop.
Not wanting to put another fight on the pair so soon, Gery chooses to assign the next set of monsters to attack Liani again, figuring the vampire can take it. She does, although another wound is added to the figure''s leg by time the battle is complete. Another door opens, and there''s soon only one barrier left separating Hylii and Reed from Reed''s father. Unfortunately, there''s a slight problem.
Sincere rests his chin on the back of his hands and gives his opponent a smile. "Out of easy options, are we? It seems you''ve already consumed our entire stock of fae warriors. And no casualties so far, well done!"
The dark elf growls at his choice of words. "You''re saying those were the easy options, then? We''ve got slimes and rabbit-folk left. Are slimes really that hard? We''ve been killing them since Floor One!"
"Do you really need to ask me that question? If you thought the slimes would be easy targets for your companions, you would have started with them yourself, would you not?" Gery doesn''t answer him, instead focusing her thoughts on the game board, and Sincere gives her a moment before continuing. "I could perhaps offer some advice...at a cost, of course."
Gery closes her eyes and sighs. "Of course. What''s the price this time?" If she has to take another wound, she will - she does have health potions, and she is at much less risk than her companions. Sincere doesn''t make things that easy on her however.
"Information for information, I think would be fair. You tell us an unflattering secret about one of your companions, one they would not want us to know, and I''ll give you a hint in exchange."
"You - you want me to snitch on my party members? Is that what''s going on here?"
The demon shrugs. "They suffer some harm to their reputation, instead of harm to their bodies. Surely that''s less serious, no?"
"Sure, but it''s what you''re going to do with that information that worries me." She considers it for a brief moment before shaking her head. "No deal." Instead, the mage comes to her own conclusions - the main weakness of slimes is their low mobility. Therefore, she again places the monsters down in the empty chamber where Hylii started his path at, forcing the trio of slimes to slowly make their way over to the pair. Sure enough, they become piled up at the doorways between chambers, and the pieces representing Hylii and Reed turn to engage the monsters at one of these chokepoints.
Unfortunately the advantage doesn''t turn out to be enough. Even aside from their slow movements the battle seems to go on for far too long, and by time the last marble slime turns to sand and dust the ebony piece representing Reed has lost an arm. His left, at least, meaning the man can still wield his blade, but needless to say it remains a rather serious injury. On the positive side Hylii''s skills as a Body Mage ought to be enough to keep the duelist from bleeding out, along with their health potions, but actually restoring a limb is well beyond him.
Sincere tsks. "A fair gamble, but it doesn''t appear to have paid off, or at least not entirely I''m afraid. These are slightly tougher than the slimes found on Floor One, I must admit."
"Gah! How can a couple slimes be so dangerous!? Put all together, aren''t these more monsters than the floor should be able to hold? You do have limits, right? Or else every floor would be nothing but wall-to-wall enemies?"
Sincere smirks. "Would you like to trade for the answer to that question?"
There''s still two more sets of slimes left to play, and the information could be useful...but Gerliari finds herself hesitant to trade away anything she might possess, information or otherwise. Besides, there''s something slightly more important to worry about at the moment. "Can I trade for something to give Reed his damn arm back?"
"Ooof, that''s a rather large ask. If it was severed and could be re-attached, perhaps, but slimes tend to...consume limbs they take...ah, yes, I''m told the arm is gone entirely. Such healing is beyond us at the moment. Perhaps an alternative? Removing one of the slimes from the next set, perhaps, for an easier fight?"
"Mmm...let me think on it. For now, open that door to Lyman." Sincere nods, and a moment later the lines indicating the barrier between Lyman and the pair fade away. Lyman''s stone piece quickly moves out to join the other two, and Gery can just imagine the scene in her head, with Lyman bemoaning the grievous injury his son has received. There should at least be a chest waiting for him with a healing potion, for whatever it may be worth at this point.
"Ok...what would it cost to decrease the number of monsters?"
"Tell us what you genuinely think of Reed Blair. And try to be honest, if we think you''re lying, you''ll be awarded no prizes."
"Is that all? Well..." Gery pauses to consider her opinion of the man, and decides it''s probably worth playing along. "Honestly, my opinion of Reed Blair is that there is no Reed Blair. The human''s a grown adult, yet he aims to be his father in every way he can. Not just his fighting style. You know I''ve seen him standing behind Lyman, doing his best to copy his father''s facial expressions while people are talking? And I''m honestly not sure I''ve seen the two spend more than an hour apart. It''s embarrassing, to be honest. If he spends his whole life trying to be his father, he''ll never be more than a pale shadow. I have no issues fighting alongside the man, but I doubt I''ll ever respect him."
"Interesting. You care enough to give him an easier time of things, though. Well then! What''s your next move?"Stolen novel; please report.
"Continue reuniting the party, no reason to change strategies now. Liani can sit tight, a trio should be able to put up a better fight than her at this point." Again the mage puts down a set of slime pieces into the room where Hylii started out, this time with only a pair rather than a trio. Sure enough, even with Reed wounded, Lyman and Hylii appear to be able to handle this particular wave without injuries. That gets the party one chamber away from Liani is waiting, with a single barrier separating her from the rest, and the last set of slime pieces removes even that set of lines from the board.
Gerliari is smiling when she reaches out for the set of rabbit-folk pieces, the last set of monsters left in the game, but that smile fades when she realizes something. "Hold on now - these are the last monsters left to play."
"I see you have mastered basic counting skills, yes."
Her eyes narrow. "Except...I don''t have a door connecting them to the exit chamber yet. There''s plenty leading in that direction, but it''s going to be a minimum of at least two for them to get out. What''s going on here?"
Her opponent shrugs. "If you''d gone directly towards the exit, perhaps you''d have gotten there easily. Or if perhaps you were willing to make harsher trades..."
"Sure, a straight path may have gotten out one or two of them! ...Could I have gotten them all out if I made them fight one by one rather than gathering? But the risks..." Gerliari clenches her teeth. "You were driving me to pick one of them to sacrifice, weren''t you?"
"It''s certainly a valid strategy. But the game''s not over yet, now is it?"
"I...suppose there''s still a move left. Very well." With that said the dark elf places the final pieces onto the board, and once again they begin to move on their own initiative, chasing her party through empty rooms. When they finally catch up it seems to be a true struggle, the two spear-armed rabbits engaging her party in a melee while a pair of archers take cover at a doorway. Fortunately her team seems to be up to the task - until the very final moment, when Reed''s piece suddenly grows an arrow shaft from its chest, just as the final archer piece crumbles away. His piece doesn''t dissolve at least, meaning the man isn''t dead, but going by the expression on its face Gery doubts his odds look very good.
"Dammit!"
"Well, it just so happens I have an offer for a situation such as this."
The elf bares her teeth at the man. "Of course you do. Out with it!"
"There is an unmarked path from this ring directly to the exit chamber, which is not only quicker but contains both a chest and a small healing fountain. Not something you''d find during normal play."
"And the cost?"
At this point Sincere''s smile fades away, and his expression becomes far more serious. "Your party leaves, you do not. You surrender yourself to the dungeon and become one of us."
Gery wants to call the man a lying bastard, but the look in his eyes makes her bite back her words. "And if I don''t take that...charitable offer?"
"You can choose to open the final door of your choice. It will get your party a little closer to to the end, and together they may be able to find a way to break through and exit the floor. Or perhaps Reed will die of his injuries first. Or perhaps they will remain trapped until the dungeon resets at midnight, and the monsters respawn. You can then continue the game from there, with more sets of opponents to play. Of course, you may forfeit and make your own exit at any point."
The mage does take a moment to consider the possibilities. If she could communicate with her party she might very well choose to delay the game until she has more moves available. But they would have no way of knowing that more monsters would be arriving hours from now, and would likely not be on their guard when that happens. Hells, half of them might be asleep - or dead - by time the ''reset'' comes around. Even worse, the pieces do little to tell her if her companions are alert and ready for an ambush or not. It''s enough to make her at least consider the alternative option.
"...Tell me more about this offer of yours? I''ve heard people become your floor bosses through some sort of system like this?"
"Not necessarily floor guardians. We don''t currently have any empty slots, actually, although we could make you a supporting boss on Floor Five or elsewhere until something opens up. But namely, you would be tied to this dungeon for as long as the dungeon exists, and in whatever form the dungeon master chooses to place you - although she will certainly take your preferences into account. However, if you tire of the dungeon monster profession, your soul can be released on to the afterlife at a later point. Oh, and in case you weren''t aware, this does involve you dying in the process. I''ve been through it myself, under rather more hectic circumstances."
Gery takes that into account, and comes up with a list of three choices sitting before her. One, she could wait until midnight, get her additional moves, and hopefully clear the path to the exit for her team. This would require waiting around for hours, and it''s entirely possible that her team would all die anyhow. Secondly, she could ensure their escape but be tied to the dungeon for...well, an uncertain amount of time, given Prince Thaddeus''s designs on the place. Or...
"...You said all three of the doors connected to this chamber we''re currently in have treasure in them?"
The demon nods. "They do indeed. If you would like a hint as to which contains what sort - "
"I''ve heard enough offers from you, thanks." Gery takes a deep breath, and makes her choice. "Open the door to the right, in this chamber. Then I forfeit."
"Very well." Sincere looks over towards the indicated slab of stone, which slides away to display a closet-sized space with a treasure chest on a pedestal. A portal ring then appears on the floor, and the demon gestures towards it. "That will take you to the floor exit, you may leave when you''re ready. I''ll leave you to collect your winnings."
"...My ''winnings''. Thanks." She doesn''t meet the man''s eyes as he stands up and exits through the portal, and even when she moves to open the chest she barely takes note of its contents. She does down a health potion to restore her wounded arm before collecting some coins and likely enchanted jewelry, but she hardly glances at them before shoving them into her bag. Her feet move almost on their own as she then makes her way through the portal...but what she finds on the other side manages to stir her attention.
Sitting at a table filled with food and drink are Hylii, Reed, Lyman and Liani, all looking as healthy as they''d been when they entered the floor. They look up at Gerliari as she arrives, but the elf finds her attention drawn to a large sign hanging from the center of the ceiling.
| PLAYER |
PARTY MEMBERS SAVED |
| REED |
5 |
| LIANI |
4 |
| HYLII |
4 |
| LYMAN |
3 |
"Hey, there''s our slowpoke! You''re not too far behind though, dad just came through a few minutes ago." Reed points a thumb at Lyman as he greets Gerliari with a grin. "That extra time meant you got us all out I hope, eh?"
Before she can answer a final line is added, and Reed''s smile drops.
"...Well. Maybe board games aren''t really your thing..."
Chapter 291: Pass, Maybe, Kill
Xenia claps for her assembled guardians as Sincere, Lollyp, Deylia and Parker look on with bemused expressions. "Congratulations, everyone! You''re now fully qualified game masters."
Lollyp strokes her chin in thought. "Hrmm, does that come with a raise?"
"Hrnf, sure, you all get a free round at the lounge. Now, obviously I saw everything that went on, and we all know the final scores, but I''d like to get your thoughts on how everyone did. Let''s start with the top score and work our way down, eh?" The dungeon master points at Parker, sitting at the opposite end of the conference room. "Reed got his entire party through. Was he that good, or were you that easy on him? I noticed a lot of deals going on."
Parker, in his oversized Rabbit Patriarch form, looks slightly offended. "Go easy on him? If anything, the number of deals I was able to ''tempt'' him into makes me the winner, doesn''t it? That was our goal, right?"
Xenia half-nods. "As a method for learning about them, sure. So - what do you think you learned about Mr. Reed Blair?"
"Well, obviously the man values his father above the rest of the team. He never put Lyman at risk. He even took a light injury himself in order to help his father along one step. But beyond that, he clearly values physical safety above, ah...information security, let''s say. That''s probably the main reason he was able to get everyone out."
Deylia leans forward, sensing gossip is to be had. "He informed on the secrets of his party?"
"Excepting Lyman of course, yes. Obviously there''s nothing left for us to learn about Liani, or at least that we care about. He also had a lot to say about the dark elves though, and honestly I think he was eager to say it. He''s very suspicious of those two, and didn''t seem to mind stating his suspicions as fact."
Lollyp frowns at the statement. "Really? I had Hylii and - well, I guess I''ll go into details in a minute, but I got the impression he was pretty much exactly what he seemed to be on the surface. What did the fencer kid have to say about them?"
Parker scoffs. "Only that he suspects they were behind half of the bad things that happened to their party over the past month or two before they got here. I know there''s been a lot of backstabbing among that group, but I get the feeling that he picked out his suspects first and came up with the evidence after. But he thought he was telling the truth, so I allowed it as far as the deal-making went."
Xenia still seems to have a concern to point out. "But he did get them all through alive. He could''ve taken the opportunity to kill them and he didn''t. What''s your take on that?"
"I think he...honestly doesn''t actually care if they did betray other members of the group? They haven''t done anything to him or his father, so Reed was still willing to work with them. But more than that, the young man just...has no initiative. His father didn''t tell him to betray the elves, and so he didn''t."
"Something to consider when we bring up his dad, then. We can skip Liani, since that was just Yulia and Em playing around for fun to kill time, so next on the board is Hylii. So, Lolly Pop, how was playing with Mr. Body?"
The slime mage grins. "A lot of fun, actually? He had a lot of faith in the team''s ladies, though he, uh...showed it kind of differently. He let Gerliari take extra fights on the assumption that her magic could handle them, and Liani took extra on the assumption that she wouldn''t actually die from a couple of beatings. Reed died on his watch, but I think he didn''t see that coming at all. He put the two fencers up against the slimes and didn''t expect the slimes to be so tough. Even though I told him not to underestimate slimes!"
Sincere considers the results. "So he never turned on any of his party members? How about where information was concerned?"
"Only talked about himself! He actually gave us demonstrations of his skills, you know, his body-enhancement spells and all? It''s not all magic, though - under those robes, that mage is buff."
Deylia coughs on the drink she was sipping from. "You told him to get naked!?"
Lollyp shakes her head, with a bit of a jiggle. "Not at all! I just told him to show off and off went the clothes! I mean, he still had pants on. I was tempted to ask for...other demonstrations, but there were only so many moves in the game, you know? Anyhow, you can mark him down as this: supremely self-confident."
The dungeon master is silent for a moment as she thinks over Lollyp''s findings. "While I''m not fond of supreme arrogance, you''re right, he never turned on anyone or even snitched on them. If anyone in this group gets a pass, he qualifies. Next up, Deylia. How was Fencer Daddy?"
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The rabbit-eared priestess frowns. "Can we call him something else? Mr. Blair was...very professional. As a human he''s not nearly as old as the elves, but I think his role as a father made him feel the need to act more authoritative. Unfortunately, in this case that means ''willing to make the hard decisions'' while at the same time being blatantly biased."
Lollyp grins. "He lost two, so lemme guess - he sacrificed half the team to save his boy?"
"Well, he didn''t entirely clear a path like Reed apparently did for his father. Didn''t want to ''coddle'' him. But yes, the moment we gave Reed a wound his strategy shifted entirely."
Sincere nods along, unsurprised. "So who did he sacrifice in the name of family?"
"He lost Gerliari through a miscalculation - he sent the rabbit squires after her assuming she could take control of their weapons, forgetting that our archers can use crystal and stone-tipped arrowheads, and the spearmen could simply leave their weapons behind. A four-on-one would be no match for a mage taken by surprise. But yes, his sacrifice of Liani was blatant." Deylia shakes her head. "The moment Reed was wounded, Lyman simply sent wave after wave at Liani until she ''died'' and he was able to clear a path for the others. She was the most ''expendable'', in his view. Probably because she was a murderer rather than due to her combat skills."
Xenia sucks in a breath. "It''s a tough one to judge. It''s hard to ding a man for putting his kid first, especially above someone who we definitely know was a serial killer. More than that though, it seems clear that Reed and Lyman are a package deal. If we kill one the other''s gonna hate us forever for sure."
Lollyp purses her lips. "The ''Maybe Pile'' then?"
"Maybe Pile it is."
Deylia looks a little confused at the expression. "What exactly does that mean, to put someone in the ''maybe'' pile?"
The dungeon master gestures at Lollyp and Parker. "I''ve discussed this with some of the floor guardians so you might''ve missed out, but basically - don''t pull punches on them, but don''t specifically go after them either. They might get one last chance to impress me during their big raid but if they go down I''m not gonna cry about it. I mean, if it comes to it, all of them are putting their lives on the line, there''s only so much you can control things in a life-or-death fight. But if they''re smart they''re not going to force us to get to that point."
"I see." Deylia looks over at Sincere. "It''s just Gerliari left then, yes? She, ah...did exceptionally poorly, or am I wrong?"
The demon sighs as he nods. "She actually started off quite strong. Spread out the monster attacks so that no one was overly at risk, worked to bring the team together rather than leaving anyone alone and vulnerable. She was resistant to making deals, which was protective of her team, but ultimately worked against her as her strategy didn''t leave her with enough moves. It''s her final decision that really clinches it, however."
"Yeah. That was..." Xenia grimaces. "She sold out her entire team to take a payday and get herself out of the dungeon." The rest of the meeting''s occupants share similar expressions, and Sincere continues.
"It really comes down to her valuing her time over the lives of her party. Yes, it would''ve required waiting nearly half a day for the dungeon reset...but that''s half a day compared to the lives of four of her companions. Never mind that over that much time, the party could''ve probably found and broken through the exits on their own. In fact, they may very well have ended up doing that anyways after she left, were the scenario actually being played out. I imagine that would have been an awkward reunion back in Grassbrook."
Xenia shakes her head. "Was awkward enough when they all saw her score. At least she gave away all of her winnings to apologize, but...that hardly makes up for leaving them to die. Hell, there''s a chance they might kill her before she ends up coming back here. But if she does...Kill Pile."
The priestess takes on a somber expression. "While a dungeon deals out death on a regular basis, passing judgment like this does feel...heavier. Is Gerliari one of your descendants?"
"Fortunately I can say that''s an easy no, because the dark elves are old enough that I would''ve probably known them personally, even if I wasn''t exactly Father of the Year. Probably kids of one of my army captains or something like that. But yeah, that doesn''t necessarily make it easy either. If she really surprises me later, maybe she gets a stay of execution. But they come in here, they''re playing for keeps."
Parker clasps his heavy, paw-like hands together. "So is that all of the preparations, then? We expect them to come in their ''raid'' group on their next visit?"
"Most of these guys aren''t nearly good enough to get through Floors Eight and Nine without their Master-tier members, and they know it. So yeah, there''s nowhere left for them to go. Might have Ruckus help me out with some more trap ideas, but more or less I think we''re set on our end."
Lollyp gives a wry grin at her boss''s words. "More than set. I almost feel bad for them."
At the Lucky Bastard, Tizzy falls back into her bed with an exhausted sigh. While she hadn''t done much in the way of physical activity today it''d taken some serious social skill usage to keep the ''Inheritors'' from tearing Gerliari apart once everyone had heard about Worthy Dungeon''s latest trick. Prince Thaddeus hadn''t been much help there either, as he''d been too distracted by the games themselves to care much about their results. Of course, having his followers turn on each other was nothing new to the man, but they''re so close to the finish line that Tizzy rather wishes he''d adjust his strategy just a little.
Before she can get lost in thought however a knock on the door interrupts her. Linda pokes her head in without waiting for a response, and gives Tizzy a meaningful glance. "Are you prepared for...practice tonight?"
The half-imp nods. "Yeah, my magic''s fully charged. I just hope our tricks turn out to match up to Xenon''s..."
Chapter 292: Mage Collaboration - Explicit
"Forward! Slash! Stab! Block!" Tizzy shouts out orders like a drill instructor as she stands on a tree stump, illuminated by the moon and a few of her own mage-lights. It''s a rather tiring exercise - not only is she directing a full half a dozen Prince Thaddeus illusions and the light spells, but also maintaining a wider illusion spell to hide all of that from prying eyes. After all, strange lights in the forests outside Grassbrook would likely draw attention, and that''s the last thing she and Linda need right now.
Fortunately Linda''s presence isn''t just for her good company. Tizzy has to admit, she would have never managed to create so many simultaneous illusions if it wasn''t for the Force Mage''s help. After all, the solid constructs were part illusion and part magical barrier, and while Tizzy has pretty decent control of barrier spells herself, she''s a mere amateur in the field compared to Linda. The difficult part was mixing their magic so that Tizzy could control the fake princes without the two of them needing to coordinate every single movement. After a few days of practice however the pair of them are up to six false Thaddeuses, which isn''t to say there aren''t still improvements to be made.
"The little army thing is nice, Tizzy, but a little too in-sync. I mean, if they move like this the true Prince Thaddeus will be the one who stands out the most, because there''s no way a real person could move so perfectly in order with so many constructs." Linda rests her chin in one hand as she watches on, shaking her head slightly.
"Seesh, I spent this much time just trying to control them all at once, and now you want me to what, control them less?" The half-imp rolls her eyes, although silently she can''t help but agree.
"Perhaps have them each go out and attack a different tree? It will all be basically the same thing, but they''ll have to move differently to get there and such."
"Suppose we can give that a shot. Princes! Activate Lumberjack Mode!" With that order given - and more importantly, an adjustment made to the spell controlling them - the six illusory figures turn and seek out a different tree bordering the small forest clearing. Each of them raises a sword and begins to strike at the trunks before them, although not to much great effect. While Linda could put a little more effort into making her barriers ''sharp'', for now that isn''t really the point of the test...not to mention a bunch of trees bearing sword wounds might look strange to any foresters wandering by later on.
While the Princes more or less follow the orders as intended, Tizzy still has to go around and fine-tune each of them. In each case their gaze is slightly off, or the pattern in which they ''breathe'' during their attacks, or so on. Sufficient to confuse someone for a few seconds, but against a dungeon guardian the scout knows she needs to be able to work to a higher standard. Eventually though each of the six is moving in an at least somewhat unique pattern, while generally appearing to be actually human as they do so. Satisfied but tiring, Tizzy returns to her tree stump and takes a seat.
"Be nice to have another week to practice, but I think this should work fairly well. Of course, that makes us the weak points in the whole thing, the moment the dungeon figures out we''re using illusions...which will probably be immediately...it''ll probably figure out that we''re the ones controlling it."
The blonde-haired human nods in agreement. "I was thinking perhaps you should keep us invisible, and then have two of the illusions take our places instead of the Prince. I''ve asked around, and while dungeons can see quite a bit within their territory, it sounds like illusions can still conceal things from them."
"Should be doable. I''ve definitely created decoy illusions of myself before. Do we want to test that now though? I''ve got the energy for...maybe one more kind of test in me tonight, I think."
"One more, hrmm?" Linda pauses in thought, a pause which takes a suspiciously long amount of time. When Tizzy looks over at her companion she finds a rather thoughtful expression on the mage''s face, as she chews on her lip.
"...What exactly are you thinking about, Cogswell?"
"Ah, well...I was thinking perhaps we should test how they...interact. As a non-combat example. I mean, if you think about it, even doing something as simple as...I don''t know...shaking hands could be very complicated to synchronize."
Tizzy narrows her eyes. "...Shaking hands, huh? Is that what you want to see them doing?"
Although the early evening is growing dark, there''s still a visible hint of blush on Linda''s cheeks. Given it''s nearly the middle of summer, the evening chill is a rather unlikely explanation for the flushed skin. "...Don''t give me that kind of look! You were the one who had them doing weird things first!"
The imp continues with ''that kind of look'' for a few seconds more, before eventually bursting out into laughter. "Okay, okay, you got me there. Just wanted to see if you''d admit it. How about you be direct though, eh? What exactly did you have in mind for...interactions?"
"Well..." Linda bites her lip again. "Perhaps a kiss? That would be very...complex a motion."
"Could be, could be. If we''re putting on a show though I''m gonna need to conserve my energy. Cutting Princes Three through Six." Tizzy waves a wand at the illusions, and four of them quickly turn into little more than humanoid blobs, formed of lightly glowing blue energy. Linda repeats the action on her end, and soon enough there''s only two Prince Thaddeuses left in the clearing. Tizzy has them sheath their swords and return from their tree-slaying missions, and a few moments later the two are standing in front of the magicians, staring at each other. "Okay...let''s see here...Prince One, Top Mode, Prince Two, Bottom Mode."
"...You have pre-arranged spells for that?"
Linda doesn''t get an answer to that question, or at least not a direct one, as the illusions begin to speak instead. "Well, well, well, if it isn''t my lesser half...I hope you''ve been working hard today, my little prince."
The second illusion looks into the eyes of the first as he steps closer. Although they wear the same face, there''s still a very noticeable difference in their expressions that almost makes them look like different people. "Hard indeed. Perhaps...hard enough to earn a reward, my prince?"
Linda adds another question from the sidelines. "Are they really going to keep referring to each other the same way?"
"Shhh! The show''s about to get good!"
"Perhaps so." With that said the first prince places his hands around the other''s face and leans in for a kiss, the second Thaddeus closing his eyes and tilting his head in preparation. It starts off chaste, a simple peck or two, but then the leading prince starts again and begins to properly conquer his counterpart''s lips. The second lets out a muffled moan, and his hands begin to roam across the other''s body as the first holds him close.
Linda takes a seat next to Tizzy, perhaps feeling that she needs a more relaxing position from which to watch this display. "Wow. That''s...what exactly is this based on again, Tizzy? Even just this is an, ah...impressive show."
The imp clears her throat. "I''ve got a, uh, good imagination, that''s all. And agreed, but...I ain''t got the juice to keep this running all night. Mind if I speed ahead to the good stuff?"
The blonde turns her head with a raised eyebrow. "The good stuff? What exactly is the - oh!"
With a wave of her hand, Tizzy demonstrates what she means. Most of the clothing and armor the two princes wear immediately vanishes, leaving them in not much more than their pants and boots. Prince Thaddeus had occasionally been seen without a shirt on during their months together so this much at least is an accurate reproduction of the man, and one that Linda can admire. She doesn''t have time to say as much however before the performance moves on to the next scene.
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"I can feel that you are indeed working hard, little prince. Yet it is not the inferior''s place to recieve satisfaction before their master, is it not so? Down to your knees, prince, and see if you can earn your reward." The first gently presses down on the shoulder of the second, and with a nod the second prince kneels down before the other. His hands soon get to work unfastening the man''s belt - did Tizzy leave the belts on just to watch them come off? - and a moment later the performance reaches a stage far beyond what Linda would have ever asked for. A quite realistic human cock springs into the evening air, and the second Thaddeus doesn''t hesitate for a moment before leaning forward to lick his way up the underside of the shaft.
"Oh! Is - I didn''t really mean to - is this perhaps going too far?"
Tizzy gives the human a slightly disbelieving look. "Are you kidding me? Don''t lie to me, this is exactly what you wanted to see. You don''t have to say it, it''s obvious."
Linda swallows. "But is it not...disrespectful to Thaddeus?"
"I mean...yeah? Definitely. But who''s gonna tell him? Sure ain''t me." The imp watches her companion for a moment, waiting for a response, but when none comes she shrugs and gets to shrugging off her own pants. "I mean, do what you want, but I''m not going through all this effort and not getting full value out of the mana, you know what I''m saying?"
"Tizzy!" Linda''s attention is now drawn between two competing views, with the second prince now fully sucking the cock of the first a few feet away, while Tizzy is now beginning to rub at her own dark purple groin not inches away from her. Her goblin illusion had been dispelled in order to conserve her energy for the tests, and so it is that Linda gets her best view yet of her longtime associate. She wants to object to the behavior...but the princes again demand her focus.
"Mrmm, you do well to worship the royal scepter, little prince...but do not forget to honor the ballsack as well, yes?" The first withdraws his cock from the second''s mouth but pushes his hips forward again a second later, this time exposing a heavy set of testicles to his clone. The second doesn''t hesitate for a moment, immediately giving them a lick before sucking one into his eager mouth.
"Oh fuck, that''s hot. Gods, I wish I''d done multiple princes at once before. He looks good from both sides, don''t you think?" Any embarrassment Tizzy once held over this situation had long since evaporated, and the wet sounds coming from the direction of the two men are soon joined by the accompaniment of Tizzy''s fingers digging for her sensitive parts.
This escalation does finally draw another comment from Linda. "Are you really going to finger yourself right next to me!? Tizzy!"
"What, never had a good circlejam before? ...Maybe that''s just an imp thing, been a while for me. But stop acting so shocked, I know you''re as turned on as I am. Just join in and stop worrying about it, yeah?"
"I...well..." Linda wants to object, but she can''t deny that squirming her thighs together at the show in front of them isn''t really getting the job done for her, or at least not as much as she would like. And there''s no one else around to judge either of them... "...Fine! But not a word of this to anyone!"
As the mage begins to undo her robes, Tizzy laughs. "What the fuck am I gonna say!? Hey guys, before we go risk our lives today, I want you all to know that Cogswell and I spent the night banging the damn pearls out of our clams to the sight of Prince Thaddeus sucking his own dick! Now let''s go beat this dungeon!" The woman snorts at her own suggestion, and Linda finds herself blushing for yet more reasons.
"Well..."
She''s saved from the need to find words for her thoughts as the first prince speaks up yet again. "Ah! You do good work indeed, little prince! Allow me to give you the first taste of your reward!" With that said the illusion pulls back a few inches and begins to rapidly stroke his throbbing cock, as the second tilts his head back and opens his mouth wide. With a groan a truly impressive amount of cum begins to spray into the evening air, covering the second''s face with thick rope after thick, sticky rope, and more than a small amount lands its way between his thirsty lips.
With one hand paused between her legs, Linda can''t help but feel conflicted and frustrated by this development. "What!? I just got - you know, started, and you already finished it!?"
Tizzy chuckles. "Finished!? Hey, I started conserving my energy for a reason, you know? Next scene, boys!"
The Thaddeuses don''t directly acknowledge their summoner, but the first prince obliges nevertheless. "Now...turn around, little prince, and you''ll get exactly what you''ve been waiting for."
"Ah, yes - thank you, my generous prince." The second illusion quickly undoes his own belt and pants, pulling them to his knees before turning around and getting down on all fours. The two women get an impressive, direct view of the royal behind as he presents himself, and both they and the first prince take a moment to admire it. The man is a little more direct about it, though - kneeling down himself before groping it with one strong hand, then slapping it to observe how the flesh ripples.
"Gods. Is this really how two men, ah...pleasure each other?"
"I mean...as far as I''ve heard it described. Little more easy for me to see how women handle things, you know?" The first prince begins to place his still-hard cock at the other''s tight hole, forcing a groan from his partner, and as he begins to press forward Tizzy spares a glance for how Linda''s handling things. Compared to Tizzy''s own forceful - and more than a little noisy - delves between her lips, the human woman seems to be lightly stroking herself as if afraid she''s going to break something. "Speaking of, you''re never gonna finish before I run dry if you''re being that shy about it. Not done this a lot or something? Here, let me show you how a proper circlejam works, alright?"
"Eh? What are - ah!" Linda gasps in surprise as Tizzy moves her right hand between Linda''s legs, pushing Linda''s own hand aside, and she only barely has time to register just how wet the half-imp''s fingers are before those fingers are probing inside. Her first reaction is to pull Tizzy''s arm away...but within just a few seconds, it soon becomes clear that the smaller woman has a very good idea of what she''s doing. "Oh! I...I''ve done it occasionally, of course, but...ah! Never like this!"
"Good, right?" Tizzy grins a toothy smile, but nods her head towards the two princes who are now picking up steam. "But keep your eyes on them, yeah, they''re the show after all." The mage does as ordered and finds her eyes entranced by the sight of the prince''s cock slamming forward into his own ass, his still-heavy balls swinging with the effort. With some force of will she''s able to then redirect her eyes towards the faces the two are portraying, both in different forms of focus and ecstasy, and when combined with Tizzy''s efforts Linda gets the feeling she might not actually last that long after all.
Then Tizzy manages to draw her attention back with a simple sentence. "Here, you do me while I do you - try and copy what I''m doing, yeah?" The scout uses her free hand to take Linda''s left wrist, and the mage finds herself lacking the willpower to stop it from being placed atop Tizzy''s dark-furred mound. At first she falls into old habits, her fingers beginning a light rubbing motion, but a frown on Tizzy''s face makes it clear that''s not what she''s looking for. Rather than wait for a complaint Linda instead changes her motions first, doing her best to mimic Tizzy''s much more aggressive digging with her own, longer fingers.
She''d never done this with anyone''s pussy but her own, but the difference between them immediately come to her mind. As might be expected, the shorter woman is both tighter and shallower, and Linda finds herself discovering a particularly sensitive spot within the imp with an ease she struggled to do with herself. From the way she squirms, Tizzy is certainly pleased with this development. "Ah, unholy hells! Right there, right there, keep at it - ah!" With that shout she takes Linda by surprise with an almost immediate climax, and Linda finds herself captivated by the feeling of Tizzy clenching around her. Just as she''s about to withdraw her hand though, Tizzy grabs her wrist once again and holds it in place.
"Didn''t say I was done! Keep at it!"
Linda wordlessly nods and returns her eyes to the view ahead, even as her brain mostly continues to focus on the feeling of Tizzy''s fingers. The second prince seems to have been enjoying his ''reward'', as it''s not long before the cock swinging between his legs starts to visibly jerk, sending strings of cum shooting onto the grass beneath him. The first prince doesn''t slow down though, pulling on the other''s hips while occasionally slapping the man''s flank for encouragement. "You''re not tiring yet, are you!? Show us what a prince is made of!"
The mage feels herself growing almost lightheaded at all of the stimulation, but manages to keep her attention focused on the pair ahead until the first prince moans out his own climax. This one is hidden from view - a final slam sending the man deep into the other''s hole, firing his illusory cum out of sight, but Linda finds her imagination more than up to the task of filling in the details. Almost as good as Tizzy is at filling her, perhaps. A final series of rough strokes across her nub finally causes her to see white, and Linda''s entire body trembles as her orgasm runs through her.
It takes a subjective eternity for the feelings to subside - perhaps helped along by the fact that Tizzy herself never ceased her movements - but eventually Linda regains her senses to find that the illusions have faded away, all signs of their presence entirely erased. Tizzy''s hand finally retreats from between her legs, a movement which causes Linda to realize that her own hand continued to fondle the imp as if it had a mind of its own, something Tizzy certainly doesn''t mind going by the smile on her face. "Ah, it''s - it''s over now?"
"Your magic went a little wild there for a minute, and I was running too empty to take over without warning. So yeah, show''s over. ...If you want to keep me going for another round though, I ain''t gonna complain."
The mage does actually need a moment to think about it, but does eventually pull her hand away. "We should, ah...perhaps make sure we''re rested up for tomorrow, right? But...if things go well tomorrow, and we both survive...perhaps we could...ah..."
Tizzy''s grin stretches wider. "Collaborate on our illusions a little more? Well...that certainly sounds like something to look forward to."
Chapter 293: The Raid
It was early in the morning when the largest adventuring party Worthy Dungeon had ever seen gathered before its door. Not exactly the crack of dawn - even now the climb to the dungeon could still be occasionally treacherous, and Prince Thaddeus hardly wanted to lose a party member to a slip down the mountain on a day like today just because it was still too dark to see. Not to mention the man wanted his party to be well-rested, and Tizzy and Linda in particular had tired themselves out the night before by practicing their ace-up-the-sleeve technique. But he expected it to be a long day of dungeon delving, and so he''d brooked no complaint from those wondering if perhaps they could defeat Xenia Worthy after a good lunch instead.
Before stepping forward to challenge the dungeon''s watching door, the prince first turns to survey his team. He has to admit, he''s worried about the fact that Linda and Tizzy are his only remaining followers who qualify as a local ''Master''-tier Challenger, as today they''d be facing fights that lower-ranked adventurers were never meant to suffer. What they lack in quality however they still have in quantity, and a full dozen hardened fighters now stand ready to battle.
Aside from the Prince himself and his two closest companions, there''s the dark elves, Hylii and Gerliari, as well as the green-skinned ''high'' elf, Tannis. Norlash and Nalain stand not far away, the half-orcs looking indistinguishable from those native to this realm. Liani stands in the back, a hood protecting her pale skin from the worst of the sun''s rays. There''s a few more humans to round out the group as well - the warlock Violetta, the fencer Lyman Blair, and his son Reed. All in all the group boasts a decent mix of magic and melee-based fighters, although Thaddeus wouldn''t have minded a dedicated healer or two to round things out. Hylii''s body altering-spells could do in a pinch, but the prince had made sure that everyone was carrying their own supply of healing potions before they''d left. This could perhaps be their final battle after all, so there was no point in holding supplies back.
Seeing that everyone is still in good shape after the climb, the nobleman turns and approaches the first challenge of the day - not that it should be anything more than a formality. "Hail, guardian of Worthy Dungeon! As I promised, I have returned. Today we shall prove our strength to our ancestor, and have her hear our words! Today, we shall not be denied!"
Doorman gives him a smirk, but somehow the expression doesn''t seem as warm as it normally would. "Is that so? Have you come to, perhaps, inform us that you''ve discovered a way to have Xenia aid you without the destruction of this place and its occupants being an inherent result of your plans?"
Thaddeus carefully manages his expression, holding back a frown. His best mages had been far too busy to do any real research into how one might transplant an entire dungeon system, let alone to another realm, but there had hardly been any point in even trying once they''d been forced to admit the difficulties. No one had ever done such a thing as far as anyone knew, and researching it even with Xenia''s cooperation could have taken months - and she was anything but cooperative, unfortunately. Thaddeus was unwilling to wait that long - if transplanting Xenia''s core also brought along her guardians with her, then it would be an excellent bonus, but if not then it would simply be the cost they''d have to pay.
"I''m afraid not. Yet Xenia Worthy''s duties call her, even across the ages and the realms. Her place is not here, but home with those who would cherish and worship her. The Kingdom of Seven Cities needs her leadership, and I will see my quest fulfilled. Now - provide us with a shortcut portal to Floor Eight, please. All here have completed up to and including Floor Seven...if perhaps not all in a particularly traditional manner."
"Hrmm, hrmm. Well, first I have a riddle for you." The door grins, and this time his smile is outright mean. "Guess who didn''t do their homework on how dungeon shortcut portals work?"
A chill shivers its way up Prince Thaddeus''s spine, although he again does his best not to show his thoughts on his face. "...Gods." Guessing where this is going, the man sighs. "Is it myself?"
"Ding ding, we have a winner! You see, my lord, shortcut portals are a bit of an...enticement. An encouragement for high-tier Challengers to visit a dungeon, given that many of them have no desire to re-clear half a dozen floors that are entirely beneath them every time they make an attempt on the place. But it''s a privilege, not a right. A privilege Worthy Dungeon has decided not to extend to you today. You may of course challenge the dungeon if you wish - but you''ll be starting at Floor One."
This time it''s Tizzy''s turn to freeze, as most of the eyes in the expedition turn to her. As the scout primarily responsible for researching the dungeon system, it had been she whom everyone had relied upon for this sort of information. When Thaddeus himself turns to look at the half-imp, her voice comes out in something of a squeak. "No - no one ever said anything like that! It wasn''t in any of the books I read either! I swear!"
"Oh, you''ve gotta be kidding me! You''re telling me we''ve gotta go back through all - " Norlash''s complaining is brought to a quick halt by a raised hand from Thaddeus. His other hand is clenched into a fist, and it takes him a moment to control his own anger, but the prince realizes it''s not Tizzy that he''s truly upset with.
"This is...a setback. If anyone''s, the fault is mine, I did not devote enough time and resources to doing a fuller study of the rules which guide a dungeon. But this changes nothing. Our previous efforts were not wasted, for we have already beaten the higher floors and will find them trivial now. We also have more than enough supplies to last us for a longer expedition, even if we weren''t quite planning on it. If we must challenge and defeat the entire dungeon in a day - then we shall do so, and today shall be that day."
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"Well, you earn points for courage, if not wisdom. To those who challenge us today - I wish you good luck." Doorman gives the group a wink, and with that he glides open. The sight beyond is a familiar one to everyone present, the hollow-pyramid-shaped room populated by flying dog-bird hybrids. One of the most harmless rooms in the dungeon, as even Initiates never failed to clear at least this much. And yet, none of the party seem particularly eager to step inside today.
Lyman peers inside the darker chamber. "So, who wants to bet that everything''s been turned up to skull-fuck levels of difficulty for us, hrmm?"
Tizzy shakes her head. "I am sure about this much - a dungeon can''t just make itself impossible to clear. If they could, at least some of them would, but it doesn''t happen. A dungeon floor can only be so hard."
Thaddeus nods in agreement. "It''s not the difficulty that should alarm us, but the potential for surprises. We may have been here before - but everyone keep your eyes open. A change in design could be hidden at any turn." With that said the prince steps through the door himself, his shield and sword at the ready. As usual the Barkbirds begin to dive at him the moment he enters, each easily slain by a single swing of his blade, and several other members quickly follow along in order to join in on the easy kills.
The first chamber is cleared quickly, but the hall that follows with its infamous ''giant sawblade'' trap marks the first apparent change in the dungeon. Previously, the blade trap was linked to a pressure plate on the floor. Avoid the plate, avoid the trap. Today as the party approaches the hall, they find the blade already active and spinning back and forth down the hall - and joined by two others on the opposite wall, placed at different heights.
Nalain scoffs at the sight. "Is this still an ''Initiate'' level challenge? You can''t dodge all of those, and now you can''t avoid triggering the trap either. What''s the trick?"
"It doesn''t really matter what the trick is." Thaddeus turns his head back towards the group and shouts. "Gerliari!"
"Yup? Ah, I see. Haha, an easy one, alright." With a few quick motions the ''Metal Mage'' sends a wave of energy down the hall. At first it seems to have no apparent effect on the dungeon, but after a moment each of the blades begins to shudder and slow. The noise they emit seems to grow, a sound of hidden mechanisms struggling against the bindings of magic, but eventually it''s the mechanisms that break. With three crashes in short succession each of the traps collapses, the blades tilting at angles within their travel slits before jamming entirely. Observing her handiwork, Gerliari nods. "Well, there''s part of the trick. The traps were weak, it barely took me any energy at all to snap their vital bits. Perhaps because it went for quantity over quality?"
"We can guess at the mechanics behind dungeon traps at a later time. Do you sense any other traps in the hall, Gerliari?"
The dark elf and Tizzy both do a quick analysis of the damaged hallway, but find nothing to report to their liege. "That''s all for this hall, my lord."
Thaddeus nods. "Then onward - mind the blades, of course, they are still sharp."
With Tizzy taking the lead the party then continues on through the rest of the floor, finding it modified in ways rather similar to the hall. Nothing had been radically redesigned, nor is the difficulty beyond what they can handle...but everything is just a little bit different. There''s no Water Slime hiding a key in the Slip-n-Slide room, instead, an Earth Slime turns out to be concealing it within a small cubbyhole on one of the walls. The skeleton ''maze'' has a new layout, and a new twist on its old ambushes. This time skeleton vermin fall from holes in the ceiling, scrabbling for eyeballs and noses, while large slimes block the way forward.
Against even just a standard-sized team the changes would still not be enough to make the floor truly dangerous, but they do serve to put the full party on edge. Each door, wall, ceiling and floor is carefully checked by multiple members of the group, some with magic, some with their mundane senses, searching for more traps and tricks. When one is found it''s almost a relief, with the fear of the unknown pressed back at least one more step. The floor remains a short one though, and so it''s not long before the group reaches the door sealing the way to the first floor guardian.
The ''bribe'' that had once been placed there to encourage Challengers to leave had long since been removed, replaced with a simple warning, but as Tizzy approaches she finds that something new now awaits them instead. "Huh, what''s this? A basket full of charm necklaces? Why would we be stupid enough to put on - oh, there''s a sign." She''s about to read it out to the crowd, but Tannis steps forward and beats her to it.
"''Good Luck Charms. Each Challenger who defeats a Guardian while wearing one shall receive a token for each charm they wear. A party who reaches the core chamber having earned at least one hundred tokens in a single intrusion shall have their petition to the dungeon master heard.'' Good luck charms, my ass." The green-skinned elf snorts, his color-changing illusion having been dispelled once they''d entered the dungeon. "Even we''ve heard about the luck-switching effect this dungeon possesses!"
There''s several nods of agreement at this, but Thaddeus has his own analysis. "This is it - the olive branch, the game. Worthy is challenging us. Nine floors, plus wandering bosses, and twelve of us. If we each wear one we''ll have more than a hundred tokens by the end, and Xenia will grant us our request." The man sighs in relief. "She has not entirely denied us."
Reed raises a hand. "And what if we don''t all make it all nine floors? We can lose some, but not a lot..."
The half-orc Norlash answers that question. "It says one for every charm you have on, meaning you don''t need to just have one. If someone falls, we collect their charm and their tokens and re-distribute." The scarred man frowns. "Although I imagine wearing multiple will make things even worse for you. Do we play this game, prince?"
Thaddeus doesn''t need long to consider it. "We will. We''ll play, and we''ll win. Everyone take one and put it on. Even with such a handicap, today our quest will be complete. Now - prepare to face the first guardian of the dungeon!"
Chapter 294: Going Down
When the door opens to the Floor One boss arena, it''s immediately clear that something is different. The room still has the same basic shape; that of a large cavern leading the way to a smaller one towards the back, from whence the rabbitfolk boss usually appears and where the exit to Floor Two can be found. The torches that normally light the chamber are gone however, and instead only bioluminescent moss can be found, softly glowing on the ceiling and walls. Overall it means the room is far darker than normal, but the rabbity boss can still be seen standing at the opposite end of the arena. He also seems different in at least one respect - in previous fights the man had always fought with claw-like weapons attached to his hands, but today the rogue stands with a proper blade at the ready.
Worried that attacking with too many people at once may cause the party members to get in each others way, Prince Thaddeus instead points out a handful of followers to assist him in the coming fight. "Lyman, Reed, cover my flanks. Hylii, give us a boost. The rest of you, hang back - this foe will hardly need all of us."
Having apparently heard the prince''s orders with his oversized ears, the waiting rogue laughs. "I''ll admit, I''m not gonna claim I could take on a dozen of you at once. But just three? I almost feel insulted."
Thaddeus gives the man the respect of an answer as he steps forward. "You may recall how easily I handled you the first time we met, yes? We''ve invoked no ''Challenge Mode'', the dungeon cannot empower you as much as it would take to be a threat to us."
"Mrmm, partially true." BB grins at his opponent. "But I am just the Floor One guardian. Xenia always held me back a few tiers to keep me from overpowering the Initiates, not to mention disallowing full access to her skill library. You might find that I''m not the man I used to be."
"If so, then words will not display it. Show me!" Thaddeus dashes forward, his enchanted boots giving him a burst of speed that few mortals could ever hope to match - which makes it all the more shocking when BB meets him halfway, parrying his blade. The force of the impact tells the prince that the monster is still not quite as strong as him, but his speed? Thaddeus tests him a few more times, a swing and a thrust, and the rabbit dodges both with near-ease. On one hand, it makes a chill run up Thaddeus''s spine to think that Worthy Dungeon may have been holding its cards even closer to its chest than he thought. On the other hand...he can''t stop a smile from appearing on his face as he faces a swordsman who can actually almost challenge him.
"Where was this speed before!? Surely a few ''tiers'' could not have been hiding so much improvement!"
BB has a grin on his own face as he dashes forward, nearly slicing Thaddeus''s side before he has to pull back and fend off the Blairs for a few moments. "The last time you faced me, I possessed the skills of a simple Rabbit Rogue! ...And a Bard, but that''s not particularly relevant. But now?" The guardian pauses his explanation to leap into the air, his blade parrying Lyman''s while a foot kicks out to wallop Reed in the side of the head, sending the younger man sprawling. "Now you face a Leaping Blademaster - a Master of the rabbitkin arts!"
Crowded up with the others at the arena''s entrance, Violetta leans forward to shout out a question. "Sure you don''t want us to zap him or something, prince?"
"I am enjoying this fight, but we do have quite a fair bit left to go, so...Hylii, if you would?"
"Was just waiting on your order, my liege." The Body Mage immediately gets to casting a spell, this time not one to improve the forms of his allies, but to weaken that of his foe. While most mages might have trouble hitting a target this agile, wasting mana on errant fireballs, Hylii''s magic has a few special traits. Yes, it''s stronger when he''s touching his target. It''s even better when the target isn''t resisting his spells. But in general - if there''s a body within his range, then it''s easy prey for his magical domain. With a simple thought the dark elf casts a curse of weakness upon the blademaster, and it''s to immediate effect as BB stumbles on his next landing.
"Hey! Just when it was getting good! Well, I''ve still got something for cheaters - smoke bomb!" BB tosses a small sphere in Hylii''s direction, and the mage almost feels tempted to taunt the monster about it. After all, he didn''t need to see BB to cast the spell, he certainly doesn''t need to see him in order to maintain it.
Then the bomb explodes, and Hylii realizes the smoke contains more than just vision-impairing particulates. "Gah! This is - it''s a stench bomb! How child-ergh..." For a moment the elf was about to discount the danger of such an attack, but that''s before he feels his breakfast attempting to escape his stomach through his esophagus. As a Body Mage it''s a relatively simple matter for him to get himself under control...but in the process he loses concentration on his curse spell.
A moment is all BB needs as his speed returns without warning, allowing him to take Lyman by surprise as he dashes forward. His blow isn''t a killing one, but the gash on the fencer''s side is one that will surely need attention in the very near future. It''s BB''s turn to be surprised then when Lyman ignores his wound to grab on to the guardian''s arm with his free hand. "I have him, lord! Now!"
Having been hot on the rabbit''s trail this entire time, Thaddeus hardly needs to be told twice to make a dash of his own, planting his sword solidly into BB''s spine. The guardian seems poised to make one last taunt, but Thaddeus spoils that as well, retracting his blade only to quickly swing it again, this time removing the monster''s head from his shoulders.
The prince doesn''t take any time to celebrate his victory, however. "Lyman! Are you badly hurt?"
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"Frankly, yes. A potion should do me well, though, provided I don''t need to do much heavy lifting during the platform ride up ahead."
"Drink up, then. And Reed, not too injured, I hope?"
The younger fencer presses a hand to the beginning of a bruise already forming on his temple. "Was a solid hit, sir, but nothing serious. I''ll be fine."
Thaddeus shakes his head. "Use a dab of potion anyhow - we don''t want to let small injuries build up over the course of the day. Hylii, I assume you''ve regained control of yourself?"
"Only had me for a moment, my lord." The dark elf looks much better now that he''s standing outside of the range of the smoke bomb''s effects, which Linda and Tizzy are currently blocking off in order to allow the rest of the party to pass safely. "Shall we collect our winnings? I imagine we''ll have those tokens waiting for us at the least."
"Indeed." The prince makes his way over to the newly-appeared chest, and finds the usual items waiting for them on the top of the pile. "Currency, a small mana potion, more rabbit feet charms...hold on, now." The man shifts the prizes back and forth, and frowns at what he finds at the bottom of the chest. Coins, bearing an image of a rabbit''s head in profile on one side, and a swirl-covered orb on the other. "Only four tokens! Everyone''s wearing their charms, yes?"
The group looks around, examining each other, but everyone seems to have a rabbit foot of their own around their neck. Smirking slightly, Liani offers up a suggestion. "It did say something about ''defeats a Floor Guardian'', yes? And only four of us actually took part in the fight, not counting spectators."
"Dammit!" Thaddeus smacks the edge of the chest with a fist, although he can''t deny the obvious logic. "I suppose we''ll have to find a way to allow everyone to participate in the remaining guardian battles...and we''ve lost out on the opportunity for eight tokens. Fortunately we should still have margin enough...and we do have extra charms to wear now if we need them, as well. Very well, then...live and learn, this is but a minor hiccup. If everyone''s ready, we''ll move on to Floor Two."
It doesn''t take long for the group to make their way through the caverns and onto the platform at the top of the vertical ''floor'', and so far at least everything seems to be normal. The platform is the same size, the lights are the same as ever, and Tizzy takes a look around at the walls and ceiling and finds no new additions that could indicate traps. There''s simply the pressure plate on one wall which triggers the movement of the floor, and an impatient Tannis steps over to press it once Tizzy finishes her examination.
"This whole floor is traps and ambushes, isn''t it? I''m not looking forward to seeing what - " Whatever the elf was about to say is interrupted as the floor moves...but in a rather unexpected way.
Which is to say that the ground directly in front of the pressure plate immediately collapses and takes Tannis with it, plummeting to the distant ground over a hundred meters below.
There''s nothing but silence for a moment as everyone stares in disbelief at the empty spot where a mage stood just a second before, but as usual Thaddeus is the first to react. "Tizzy! What did we miss!?"
"I - the - " The nervous half-imp waves her hands in the direction of the trap, as if it will help her understand what just went wrong. "I didn''t think it was a trap trigger because it was just out right in the open! Like it always is! I guess I didn''t check the platform carefully enough for seams, but..."
"If there were any, we missed them as well. But what now? The floor does at least still need to be triggered into moving, yes?"
There''s not much thought to taking time for mourning the lost elf, as instead the party turns to focus on - very carefully - giving the room a second looking-over. This time Tizzy does notice the change, however. "Wait, look - the pressure plate stayed pushed in after Tannis pressed it, and there''s another one on the side of the hollow it made there! I guess we had to push the first one to get access to it, and we were just supposed to...jump out of the way really quickly, or something?"
"Good eye - assuming that is in fact one which we wish to press." For a second Thaddeus considers ordering Tizzy to press it, as the group''s scout, but he quickly remembers again that she''s one of his more valuable followers. And on second thought, there''s really no need to put anyone at any particular risk. "Linda, can you trigger the plate with a barrier spell?"
The blonde mage eyes it and quickly nods. "It''s not a finesse operation, so it won''t be a problem, my lord."
"Then do so - and do the same for the following switches we''ll need to press, if that pattern remains. And...everyone stay light on your feet."
When the Force Mage triggers the switch the platform begins its usual motion, although at least half of the party does actually jump a little at the slightest hint of movement. There''s an exchange of awkward grins as the adventurers share in their embarrassment, but they are at least relieved to find that the floor becomes rather more normal after that. Well, at least mostly normal. The skeleton and spider ambushes which leap at the party at the platform''s various stops are clearly upgraded in their strength, with the skeletons wearing better armor and the spiders being much faster and apparently far more venomous. The irony of facing venom after losing Tannis, their expert at toxins and poisons, isn''t missed by anyone, but between Hylii and Violetta''s spells and a few general-purpose antidote potions the group pulls through.
There are more pitfalls to be found at each stop, but with the trick already revealed they don''t manage to claim a second victim. To the dungeon''s credit they aren''t all as obvious as being directly in front of the switches, but as the floor moves Tizzy spends her spare time closely examining the floor with one of her perception-enhancing scout spells. After knowing what to look for, the remaining pitfalls are easy to mark out and avoid before they''re triggered.
It does leave the platform a little crowded by the end of the trip, riddled with holes as it is, but even with such a large crowd the space remains large enough for them all. The holes do pose one question however, which Norlash voices.
"...Anyone wanna take a look for Tannis''s charm?"
To his relief, Liani quickly raises a hand. "Ah, I''ll do it! Let''s see, he was over on this side..." As the vampire leans into the space opened up by the first pitfall, no one else seems inclined to take a particularly close look at what remains of their lost companion. Mumbles from Liani about how the man''s corpse is caught beneath the platform and needs a little ''disassembly'' doesn''t do much to encourage them either. Eventually, though, she raises a bloody rabbit''s foot charm in triumph. "Found it! Still works, I think."
Thaddeus pinches his eyes shut. "Certainly worked to give the man poor luck, at least. But moving on - the second guardian awaits us."
Tizzy has a final warning to add on as well. "And, uh...definitely do not trigger the Challenge Mode. Just in case anyone was thinking of it..."
Chapter 295: Slime Odds
As the party files into Lollyp''s boss arena they once again find that things have changed. At least the place isn''t in its Challenge Mode state, with cauldrons of boiling acid spewing left and right, but the layout of those dangerous chemicals is certainly not what it used to be. Instead channels have been carved throughout the floor, leaving islands and bridges of stone dividing out sections of yellow and green soup. Cautiously, Gerliari reaches out with a wand and does her best to sense the arrangement of metals in the liquid and stone beneath it.
"The good news is, those channels aren''t very deep. I don''t think there''s any more acid here than there used to be, it''s just spread out more. Not going to drown in it, but it''ll be a lot harder to avoid."
Thaddeus frowns at the Metal Mage''s analysis. "Triply difficult as there''s so many of us and we''ll be covering so much more space. A traditionally-sized party might find it easier like this, but with us..." Thaddeus pauses to eye the ceiling, looking for ambush points. "Everybody spread out, watch both your footing and the ceiling. Ideally everyone should take part in order to earn tokens, but it''s more important that we don''t end up hurting each other in the process. Caution and precision are the name of the game."
The party acknowledges his words, and carefully the group makes their way through the cavern arena, hopping over bits of acid, or making their way across stone bridges after carefully testing them to make sure that they''re not about to fall apart. By time everyone''s taken up a position that they feel comfortable with they''ve taken up half the room - and yet oddly enough there''s no sign of the guardian.
The half-orc Norlash is the one to lose his patience and shout out first. "Are you planning to bore us to death, slime? I know the dungeon can''t block us from moving on simply by refusing to fight - if you don''t challenge us, we''ll just break down that door and move on without you!"
There''s no immediate response, or at least it would be more accurate to say that there''s no verbal answer to the man''s question. A portion of the wall does begin to move however in a moment when no one''s looking at it, slowly and subtly. That is until it suddenly moves very quickly indeed, walloping Nalain on the back of the head with a massive fist made of stone. To her fortune the orcish woman is fully encased in heavy armor, and a high-quality set at that, but it doesn''t save her from tumbling into a nearby stream of hissing chemicals. She quickly rolls out of it and onto the opposite side, but her scream as acids pour into that armor of hers quickly alerts the rest of the group.
Hylii gives identification his best attempt. "It''s - a golem? Or an earth elemental, or something! They''ve switched up the bosses on us!"
Chuckling, the ''golem'' in question turns its attention on him and begins to blast him with shards of stone, flung from a cannon-like orifice on one arm. The Body Mage is an agile target and moves quickly, but not enough to keep a handful of the shards from embedding themselves in his skin. "You got it half right! You know, I''ve always been kind of basic up til now. ''Slime - Red''. The red part is just a description, it doesn''t even give me any special abilities!"
The boss''s introduction is cut a little short by several of the party''s mages as she ducks a force blast from Linda, and converts her arm into a thick earthen shield to protect herself from one of Tizzy''s pink arcane beams. Neither are enough to entirely shut her up, though. "But you know what we have now? Earth Slimes. Now, earth was never my favorite element. We slimes are more fluid-minded, y''know? But when you combine Elementalist magic with having a body made of one of the elements? Oooh ho ho ho, then you''re in for some fun times!"
As Violetta sees to Nalain''s aid, doing her best to clear the acid from the orc''s skin, several of the party''s melee members decide that it''s time to jump in. Literally, as Thaddeus, Norlash, and Lyman take running leaps over channels of acid to land in front of Lollyp on her little island. The prince claims the first blow, giving a shout of triumph as his sword penetrates through a crack in Lollyp''s stony armor to bury itself inside her chest...and then realizes his mistake as that armor seals itself shut around his blade, trapping it inside her.
"Oh no, right in the heart! ...If I had one! Haha!" The slime gives a wide swing of a heavy tendril-shaped limb in the prince''s direction, which the man easily ducks back to avoid, but Norlash is a little less lucky. His axe does deflect the blow somewhat, but the sheer weight involved manages to make him stumble several feet, barely avoiding an impromptu bath. Meanwhile Lyman thrusts away with his fencer''s blade, landing several quick jabs which Lollyp is unable to catch...but to even less noticeable effect than Thaddeus had caused with his sword. Frowning, the man turns and leaps back to another island, admitting to a minor defeat.
"Not much I can do while she''s got all that stone holding her together! Blast or tear it off, maybe, and then we can take her apart!"
"Gah! You''d strip a lady in front of all of these people? How rude!" Lollyp continues to engage both Thaddeus and Norlash in a melee, moving more fluidly than any earth elemental could ever dream of doing while resisting every blow they land in return. The prince makes one more attempt to recover his sword before he too jumps away.
"We need to pin her down! Hylii, can you slow her?"
"No can do, my lord - that slime barely has a body as far as my magic can recognize such a thing! I''m doing my best to improve our own speed, though!"
"Gerliari, then! Shut down her armor!"
The dark elf reaches into her voluminous sleeves, and pulls out a handful of metal shards. "There''s not enough metal in that stone for me to control it - but there''s always the indirect option!" With that shout she magically slings the shards forward, triggering them into changing their shape as they fly. When they land it''s not as mere blades, but seven-inch-long nails that slam into the slime''s feet, pinning them to the ground. Of course, the monster laughs at the injury.
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"You''re trying to pin down a slime? You''d think you''d never fought one before - oh." In this case Lollyp''s experience works against her, as she attempts to simply shift her mass around the metal pinning her in place...only to realize that the stone she''s grown into her skin isn''t moving with her. It leaves her faced with two bad options - one of them to stand where she is until the mage blasts wear through her shield, a tactic they''re already trying to some effect. Or, she can do what few ''rigids'' would ever be willing to. After firing back with a lightning bolt which splatters uselessly against Linda''s barriers but at least distracts her for a moment, Lollyp shouts and steps forward, ripping off her own legs and growing new ones as she goes.
The replacement is quick but it''s not a regeneration, the slime becoming quite a bit smaller in the process. More notably her new legs are nearly undefended, a brown-grey mix of goo without the stone armor that protects the rest of her body. Lollyp can already see the shots being lined up to blast her legs off again, chipping away at her bit by bit, and so she pulls a second slime-exclusive maneuver. Quickly tipping forward into a half-somersault, the guardian lands on her hands and her blobby feet rise straight into the air. The adventurers pause briefly in their attacks at the sight of it, and even more so when Lollyp''s head suddenly emerges from what use to be her crotch.
"Even if I don''t have a leg to stand on, that doesn''t mean I need a hand!" There''s a wild look in her eyes as Lollyp''s limbs again take a tendril-like form, but the threat they pose is quite different from what they were a minute earlier. Her stone-encrusted limbs were attacks of weight and mass, knocking her foes aside if they didn''t dodge. Her new arms on the other hand are far more flexible without their armor - but rather than hands what they end in are stone shards, turning them into primitive bladed whips.
Gerliari reaches for another handful of metal from her robes, but finds herself with a new priority with the sound of a cracking whip. Lollyp had stretched her limb over a dozen feet, weakening it terribly, and indeed the last two feet of it had completely snapped off with the impact of her attack. It was worth the expense of body mass however as Gerliari reaches up to find a stone implanted in her throat, the strands of slime left dangling from it already dissolving onto her chest and mixing with her blood.
Norlash does manage to prevent a repeat of the blow, severing Lollyp''s other tendril with his heavy axe, but Thaddeus doesn''t feel inclined to give her time to think up any more clever tricks. "Hylii, keep Gerliari alive! Linda, cage!"
"...Right!" The barrier mage is a little slow to react, given that she can''t maintain her defensive barriers and enclose the slime within one at the same time, or at least not to a strength at which she''d be comfortable with. But after a moment thin pillars of magical force slam into place around the guardian, each of them only barely visible, but solid enough to block any more melee attacks of the sort that downed Gery. Lollyp does quickly begin trying to shift her way through the cracks, but realizes that once again her new form is working against her. Many of the stones encasing her skin are too large to fit through without a bit of finangling, and even a second''s slowdown is enough time for Tizzy to blast off her head.
A new head does reform soon enough, but at this point Lollyp is down to little more than half of her original body mass, a critical amount for a slime. Deciding she only has time left for one more attack, the elementalist plays her last card.
"Hrmm, guess you win! As Xen would say, suppose it''s time for you to hit the showers!" A limb stretches forward and fires an elemental blast at the ceiling, not with much strength behind it, but not much is needed. Previously-weakened stone crumbles apart, and almost before her enemies have time to react the hidden half of the room''s acid is pouring down across the chamber.
To some extent the party is lucky to have several defensive specialists among its number. Tizzy and Nalain both possess personal barrier spells, and the previously-wounded orc is still aware enough to grab Violetta and shield the mage with her own body. Linda quickly refocuses on a magical umbrella above her own head, but only has time to create a second for her lord Thaddeus before the steaming liquid begins to land. Across the room, Norlash, Hylii, Lyman, Reed, and Liani howl as the acid burns into their skin - and Gerliari grows disturbingly silent. Without the Body Mage''s focus on keeping the wound in her neck sealed the woman''s lifeblood continues to pour from her throat, and the prince moves forward to aid her by removing the threat.
With another dash from his enchanted boots the prince lands before Lollyp once again, and this time when he grabs hold of the blade stuck in her torso Lollyp lacks the strength to hold onto it. A spray of brown slime jets forward as it slides through her skin, and it''s joined by more and more as the man slashes at her most vulnerable parts. Not that it takes much, though - with her previous wounds Lollyp was already at her limit, and after just a few blows the guardian collapses into a mash of slime and stone.
Thaddeus doesn''t tarry in his victory, quickly turning back towards the party''s dark elves. "Gerliari! Can she still be saved, Hylii?" The man in question winces at the question, still willing his own flesh to knit back together as he stares at his long-time companion, and frowns.
"It''s...a question of effectiveness, my lord. If Violetta and I work together, and we use some of our best potions...perhaps. But we''ll barely be able to heal the wounds all the rest of us have just received if we drain ourselves to that extent. I couldn''t recommend continuing the raid like this, sir. We''d have to leave and try again in a few days."
"...A few more days for the dungeon to devise new tricks...and to be thrown back at only the second floor?" Avoiding the puddles and streams, the prince makes his way to Gerliari''s side and kneels next to her. It seems plain the woman can''t hear them - her face is half-melted from the acid rain, and the fact that she isn''t screaming or flailing is strong evidence that she''s already unconscious, if she''s still alive at all. "I''m sorry, Gerliari. For the good of us all, we must win or lose this fight today. I can promise you that you will not be forgotten...and that you will not have to suffer in pain."
The party watches on as the prince''s dagger finishes what Lollyp started, but few find that they have much to say. Indeed, most of them are focused on themselves, healing their wounds as best as they''re able, but their leader urges them on. "Come. This is no place to recover, and I don''t want someone wasting a potion with a slip in one of these puddles. We''ll rest in the next room...but we will continue soon."
Chapter 296: Remix
Silently, Prince Thaddeus counts the tokens in his possession. Eleven new ones added to the four they''d had from Floor One. Fortunately the dungeon had granted them one for Gerliari despite her passing, and although not everyone had contributed a great deal to the battle with the Floor Two guardian, being splattered by acid rain apparently counted as taking part at least. Fifteen down, eighty-five left to collect, still a daunting figure but within tolerance levels. As he puts the tokens away he turns to examine what he holds in his other hand - a rabbit-foot charm necklace, only slightly damaged from a bit of acid splatter.
Tizzy looks up at her leader as she approaches, leaving the rest of the group behind her in the tunnel connecting Floors Two and Three. "Gerliari''s, right? Do you want someone to put that on, prince? Start doubling up?"
The man nods, but moves to put it around his own neck. "We can''t lose out on any more tokens if we can help it, and as your leader it falls to me to be the first to take on an additional burden. But don''t worry about me, how''s the rest of the party doing?"
The scout glances back at the others, not that she needs a reminder of their wounds. "Fortunately the acid burns look a lot worse than they are, at least as far as combat effectiveness goes. Everyone managed to protect their eyes, at least, although some ears didn''t quite make it. Nalain took the worst of it with that little dip she had, but Hylii and Violetta are getting her patched up pretty good. Otherwise folks are dabbing on healing potions on the worst burns, using our low-tier stuff first."
"Everyone''s still able to fight, then? That''s well. I''m particularly glad you and Linda came through unharmed, Tizzy."
The half-imp turns back to look at her liege, a bit of surprise in her eyes. "Ah? Oh, right, the uh...plan we cooked up. We do still need to conserve our energy, but we''ll make it to the bottom with you, prince."
The man''s lip quirks slightly. "That wasn''t entirely what I meant, but that as well." The good humor evaporates with a sigh. "While Gerliari may not have been our most powerful mage, she did add important versatility to the group. We''re going to be relying more on your scouting skills from here on, I believe."
"You can count on me! Do be careful, though - Floor Three''s a notorious traps floor, and I''m gonna take a wild guess and say that it''s probably not gonna be exactly the same traps this time, either."
"I suspect you''re right." With a stretch, Prince Thaddeus turns back to his party and urges them onward. "We continue, my friends! But use caution, and follow Tizzy''s word as if it were my own. She shall guide our steps through the coming challenges."
Tizzy does her best to put a smile on her face, but can''t help but mutter. "Well, no pressure or anything..."
She does prove to be right about one thing, at least - the traps of Floor Three are significantly different than they''d been the last time anyone had come through. Not entirely new, perhaps, but very certainly a remix. The gigantic steps of the first chamber, previously equipped with Hippity Blobbities to knock Challengers into traps, now has Terror Tentacles instead. As a floor panel tips in order to dump someone into a pitfall, a tentacle lashes out at ankles and knees, preventing adventurers from leaping to safety. Linda and Thaddeus end up doing most of the work to save those who can''t help themselves, with the mage using barriers to block people from falling, while Thaddeus''s speedy boots allow him to leap back and forth in time to catch those about to slip.
The maze area which had once been populated with Slime Spiders and their extra-sticky, gooey webs...still is, but not in a way that''s at first apparent. Instead chains drape their way across every hallway, while barely-dressed - or entirely undressed, in a few cases - succubi and incubi dash out from behind corners to attack. Except as the party members attempt to defend themselves they find that their blows amount to nothing, while the scantily-clad demons prove remarkably adept at stabbing their ankles, for some reason. Quickly seeing through their magic with her own spells, Tizzy points out that the demons are just illusions cast on spiders, making them appear far larger than they are.
A bigger issue is that some of the chains aren''t just there to hinder their progress, as the slime webs once had been. Instead about one out of every twenty is actually attached to a trap, and so Tizzy finds herself needing to check every. Single. One. The scout curses Gerliari for getting herself killed, knowing that the Metal Mage could''ve easily determined which chains are linked to hidden mechanisms. Thaddeus at least is a patient man however, and gives Tizzy all the time she needs to clear the party a safe route.
Following the first half of the maze, the party then encounters orc skeletons covered in Hippity Blobbities. No injuries result...but it''s unlikely that any of them will be singing any glorious ballads about exactly how those fights proceed.
The barrier puzzle room which once had a series of timed traps and barrier spells requiring good timing and a clever mind to bypass, is now both simpler and more of a pain. Gone are the barriers and the timing tricks, instead each of the room''s traps is just constantly active at all times. Flamethrower jets, spinning blades, and electrical surges cover nearly every inch of open space between the entrance and exit. On one hand, the power of the traps is somewhat reduced - likely part of the rules maintaining accessibility. On the other hand, disarming a trap actively shooting flames all around it tends to be slightly more difficult, especially without any Earth Mages in the party to make things easy.
Ultimately it comes down to a combination of Hylii''s and Tizzy''s magics to see the party through. Linda could have potentially created a safe path through the room using a tunnel of magical barriers, but having such a large construct under constant attack would''ve been a significant hit to her mana reserves. Instead each member of the party receives a pair of boosts - a speed and agility burst from Hylii, and a personal barrier spell from Tizzy. At which point, well...they each run from one end of the room to the other at top speed. The scout''s barrier magic is nowhere near as good as Linda''s, but given that she only needs to apply it to one person at a time and only for less than a minute, it does serve to eventually get everyone through unscathed.
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Finally the party is gathered once again before a boss arena, in what used to be the floor''s safe room. While there''s no hazardous changes to the chamber, Norlash does growl a bit at the sight of how empty it is. "Of course the healing fountain is gone. Wouldn''t have wanted to throw us even a single bone, now would they?"
Liani shrugs. "If there was a fountain here, would you have drunk from it? Or would you have gotten paranoid that the water had been poisoned?"
Thaddeus sighs. "If Tannis were here, he could have checked...but he''s not and nor is the fountain, so it''s beyond a moot point. More importantly, ahead is the arena of the living armors. You''ve all been through here before, but to restate the known facts, typically this challenge consists of two giant suits of, apparently, ghost-possessed armor, with more of those ghostly tentacles hidden in the floor. However having seen how the last two guardian battles have gone, it''s safe to assume that something will have changed."
Lyman takes a drink from his non-healing canteen before asking a question. "Should we plan around what we do know, at least? Reed and I can do well to handle smaller monsters and keep them off the rest of you, while someone else cracks those armors open."
"This is a fight involving multiple challenges, typically, so yes, let''s split into squads." The prince begins to point at members of his party. "Tizzy, Lyman, and Reed - you''ll cover our flanks and watch for nuisance threats or traps. Linda, Liani, Violetta, you''ll focus on pinning down the heavier armor and keeping it from defending the other. Norlash, Nalain, Hylii, you''re with me, we''ll focus on taking down the more offense-oriented foe. After she''s down, we''ll refocus on the heavy. Of course, be prepared to adjust quickly should we go in there and find something unexpected. Is everyone ready?"
There''s a few more drinks of water and potions, but soon enough everyone''s given him their confirmation. With a nod to Norlash the orc pushes open the double doors to the boss arena while Thaddeus prepares to take the lead in the fight ahead. Of course, they should have perhaps expected what they find when the doors open. It''s true that the fight does still seem to consist of two boss-level foes, while smaller monsters fill the chamber floor.
What they didn''t expect to find however is for the two giant armors to be replaced by ghostly figures, shrouded humanoids without legs or faces and nothing but transparent bony hands emerging from their cloaks. Meanwhile around them hovers at least two dozen flying swords, maces, and axes, all of which immediately turn to face the new arrivals. A taunting voice emerges from one of the faceless cloaks, her voice changed yet somewhat familiar. "It''s too bad that I wiiilllll not be the one to get to stab you thisssss time. But we''ll see you bleeeeeed well enough."
As usual, Thaddeus attempts to focus on reacting quickly. "Heavy squad, focus on the left guardian, my squad on the right! Flank squad, keep those weapons off us!"
The fencer duo do quickly leap forward to begin engaging with the possessed weapons, but find themselves at a bit of a loss as Reed complains. "What...what are we actually meant to wound, here? I see nothing wielding these weapons!"
His father shouts back at him. "Just focus on your parries, son! We only need to keep them off us until the big ones are dead!"
The party is at least somewhat fortunate in that Linda''s barriers seem to block a ghost as well as they do a physical construct, with a magical wall quickly taking form between the two bosses, although they do waver a bit as blasts of black electricity shoot from the undead''s hands and slam into the magic separating them from their companion. Thaddeus''s team has a bit more trouble, however. The prince and Norlash both land solid hits on Dips'' new body, yet their weapons seem to pass right through her without causing any harm at all. The human does manage to dodge a eldritch blast fired in his direction, but Nalain needs to block one targeted for her cousin which pulls a groan from her throat.
"Hrgg! My shield only half-blocks these attacks, I felt that energy go right up my arm! We''ll need to take her down before she gets off many more of those!"
Looking around, Thaddeus decides to pull some support from another squad. "Violetta! You have power over death, yes? Drain these monsters dry, or take control over them!"
The purple-haired mage grimaces as she counterspells a blast heading in her direction. "I...I can''t, my lord! I don''t have the power to command things like these!"
"What!? I know I''ve seen you handle stronger - do it!"
"I - I''ll try!" While Linda keeps Tank largely contained, Violetta turns her attention to Dips instead. A spell from her wand links her to the ghostly woman, and her voice takes on an otherworldly tone of its own as she speaks. "Mine - you are mine! Heed my words! Be my arm, strike down my foe!"
Dips does turn to face the mage, yet despite her lack of an apparent head under her cloak everyone watching gets the impression of a smile as Dips responds. "I will be your arm - and more besides. I am yours, and you are MINE." With that her body seems to collapse, and a burst of energy carries back through the link to Violetta''s wand. The mage''s eyes take on a purple glow, and as others in her party turn to her in alarm she seems to begin to speak to herself.
"I - no! If I hadn''t taken the damn deal, I...what? What are you saying? Why would I..."
"Violetta!" Thaddeus shouts out to the mage, but fails to draw her attention. "Resist it! Hylii, can you help her expel it from her body? It''s trying to possess her!"
"I - I can maybe make her strong enough to resist it!" The dark elf begins to cast mind-enhancing spells on his companion, but Violetta seems to ignore him even as he does so.
"Really? You''re not...you promise?" Violetta sighs, and closes her eyes. "Alright, then. I will."
Before anyone can ask just what it is the woman is talking about, a portal ring suddenly appears around her feet, its magical symbols glowing with power. Thaddeus isn''t too alarmed at first - the portals must be consciously triggered by each individual person going through them, they pose no risk as direct traps. Yet despite that, in a flash Violetta - and Dips with her - vanishes from the room. A moment later the portal ring is gone with them.
"What!? Where did she - gah! Everyone, focus fire on the other ghost! Tizzy, Linda, use what offensive magics you can!"
With the orcs switching focus to fend off the possessed weaponry, and Nalain even managing to shatter a few of them, it''s not too difficult for the rest of the party to turn their attention to Tank. While the monster does still prove resistant to most forms of attack, the party''s primary mages do possess a few backup wands for situations like these and a number of fireballs do prove sufficient to eventually put the guardian down. As Tank fades away with a horrifying scream, the remaining weapons die as well, clattering to the ground and leaving a confused party of adventurers behind.
The prince shakes his head. "We''ve won? But we didn''t actually defeat - wait. If that ghost fled with Violetta, does that count as a retreat? But...where did she go? Hylii, can you sense her?"
The mage shakes his head. "No, my lord. My ability to detect people through dungeon stone is quite limited at best, though. I sense she''s still alive, as she still has some of my enhancement spells active on her. But in a location like this with so much inherent magic, I can''t determine a location."
Reed frowns. "Did that ghost trick her into going through the portal? Taking her somewhere to kill her off quickly, I suppose? Though I''m surprised she''s not dead already in that case. Do you think she managed to fight it off? Maybe she''s still out there, trapped somewhere?"
Thaddeus frowns, but doesn''t speak all of his thoughts. "If we can...recover her, we will. But there''s no point in worrying about it now, she could be anywhere. For now...we continue forward."
Chapter 297: A Forest Stroll
As the party steps out into the entry area of Floor Four, they''re quietly relieved to see that for at least the moment it seems to be recognizable. No ghost bunnies immediately leap out to attack them, no giant water elementals rise up to sweep them all away in a tidal wave. Still, the fact that things seem to be visually the same doesn''t do much to put Thaddeus at ease. As the others gather up, the prince calls two of his followers forward. "Tizzy, Liani, a moment?"
The scout quickly makes her way over, with the vampire following at a more casual pace. "Yes, prince? What do you need?"
"I''m still concerned by the reports we got earlier saying that we lost Ruckus and the Harris brothers to a new sinkhole trap. If there''s something like that out there and we all travel in a large group, we could risk taking significant losses to a single misstep. At the same time, I don''t wish to fully split up the party either."
Liani stretches her arms and shoulders as she poses a question. "So what is your plan, my liege?"
"I want you and Tizzy to scout ahead and make sure there''s no major surprises. No new traps, no change in the location of the bridge key, or anything of that matter. Tizzy, you''re our best scout and I know you can take care of yourself. Liani, you''re fast, durable, and have excellent senses - especially in a low-light environment like this dim forest, yes? The rest of us will make our way towards the cliff, but we''ll await your report before climbing to the higher level."
Tizzy nods eagerly. "We can do that! This place looks bigger than it is thanks to all the trees, but it''s still just a cave pretending to be a forest. If we can avoid any fights - and my illusions should come in handy there - we can probably confirm the key location and be back at the cliffs in...twenty minutes? Thirty tops."
The prince gives her a small smile. "Good, but remember - your lives are more important than the information. If you run into defenses you can''t handle, come back and retrieve us. You''re an essential part of this party." He pauses for a moment before turning his head towards Liani. "...Both of you."
"No worries, my lord. I''ll keep an eye on our little scout, here." Liani looks down at Tizzy, and gives the half-imp a fanged smile. "Shall we, Barrelbottom?"
"Yeah, one moment." Tizzy pulls a wand out from one of her many pouches, and casts a quick spell on the two of them. "Alright. We''ll be invisible and silent except to allies, so we can still see and hear each other. It won''t hold up in a fight, though, so...don''t do that?"
"I''ll try to restrain myself. After you."
The pair make their way forward, with Tizzy in the lead while Liani takes a slightly different route, leaping up into the branches of the nearest tree and then hopping from limb to limb. They soon make their way to the floor''s cliff face without finding anything more along the way than the expected fluffle or two of vampire rabbits. As the scout examines the climbing trails up, Liani abandons the trees and rejoins her companion.
"Find any new tricks, scout?"
"Tricks? No, not yet." Tizzy turns towards Liani, raising an eyebrow at the pale-skinned woman. "Definitely noticing something new about you, though. What''s with the new attitude?"
Liani does her best to look confused. "Attitude? I''m afraid you''ll need to be a little more specific, imp."
The imp points a finger at her. "See, you say that like you''re insulting me, except there''s no real bite there. Uh, no pun intended. You''re in a good mood for some reason, and I can''t figure out why."
"What? Am I not allowed to be in a good mood when we''re so close to achieving our goals?"
Tizzy shakes her head. "See, that''s what gets me. You''re normally only in a good mood after you''ve gotten your prize. Unless you''re hunting down some poor bloke without a chance of defending himself, you hate the part where you actually have to do any work. So what gives? Ah, here we go." Tizzy fires off a very minor arcane blast which triggers a nearby rockfall, which leaves behind an apparently-clear path up the cliff in its wake. "Skipped that tripwire there, and...no slimes hidden here as far as I can tell. Let''s climb here."
Liani follows her up, but once the pair reach the upper layer of the forest it becomes apparent that Tizzy is still waiting for an answer to her question. With a huff, Liani decides to play along. "Tell me, Barrelbottom - do you ever have doubts in our glorious leader? In his genius plan for our enrichment and the glory of our honored ancestor?"
This line of questioning immediately puts Tizzy on edge. "I mean...I''m no zealot. I''m sure we''ve all had our doubts. But this has to be the worst possible time to be thinking about that! And if you are, that explains even less why you''d be in a good mood about it!"
"Ah, but you see, my comfort comes from nihilism."
"...What?" Tizzy shakes her head, before turning and making her way towards the treeline. "Talk and walk, we don''t want to keep folks waiting. What do you mean by nihilism? I mean, I never thought you really had any great causes to start with, but putting a label on it sounds like a bit much."
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The vampire glides gracefully along, her feet barely disturbing the grass even without Tizzy''s illusion spell needing to do any work. "Well, it''s not that I believe in nothing. Rather, I believe that our results here today...do not really matter."
"What!? How can you say that? After all of the effort we''ve put into this? All the people who''ve already died?"
Liani rolls her eyes. "Please, don''t pretend like you miss any of them. Tell me, do you really fantasize about becoming ''Lady'' Tizzana Barrelbottom, noblewoman of the Seven Cities? Wearing fancy dresses and sitting around all day at some estate?"
Tizzy''s brow furrows. "I mean...I don''t think I''d mind that, exactly. But to be honest I figured I''d follow along with Prince Thaddeus. Royals always need mages in their court, right? Maybe I could take a hefty cash payment instead, and spend my time working on...I don''t know, interesting magical problems and stuff. Or maybe I''d help Xenon - Xenia - with her new setup. Even if I have missed a thing or two, I am still the party expert on dungeons, y''know?"
The last comment does actually manage to surprise the vampire. "You wish to work for gr - for the dungeon? Are you not worried that she''ll be your enemy after all of this struggle? Even if we succeed here?"
"I - hold on." Tizzy gestures for the pair to take cover behind a tree, and wait while a lumbering figure walks on by. Its slow, ponderous steps seem too quiet given the size of the thing, although tree branches do occasionally crack as it brushes past them. At first the monster looks like a shambling pile of rotting meat, but as Tizzy looks up she finds that it has a very rabbit-like head, complete with long ears. Staying very quiet, she motions for Liani to follow her as she takes the long way around, and it''s not until the creature is out of sight that she feels safe speaking again, spell or no.
"What the hell is with all the rabbits, anyhow!? How does combining a giant zombie with a rabbit make it more dangerous? Does it - okay, I''m gonna assume it can jump like a hundred feet or something stupid like that, I guess." The scout shakes her head. "Anyhow, it''s not like we provoked all this, did we? I get it, she''s probably friends with her dungeon buddies here, and I get not wanting to be ripped away from them. But we are trying to help her, you know? Maybe she will be pissed at us, but I hope she''ll forgive us...eventually."
There''s silence for a while as the pair make their way onward, easily bypassing a patrol of long-eared shades and another shambling giant. Eventually they find the altar where the dungeon keeps the key that raises the bridge which leads to the guardian arena, and note that it''s guarded by a squad of vampire thralls. While that change was relatively recent in the dungeon''s history, it was one they''d seen before, and Tizzy motions for Liani to begin making the way back to the others. They don''t get too much further before Liani speaks up again, though.
"What if you could skip ahead a few steps, scout? What if you could begin working for Xenia immediately?"
The question immediately causes Tizzy to freeze, and as she looks back at Liani her personal barrier spell is already flicking on. "That''s not the sort of hypothetical a woman like you would ever ask, Liani. How long have you been flipped? What - what have you done against the rest of us?"
Apparently unconcerned, Liani leans down and gives the half-imp a wide grin. "Since before I ever entered the dungeon...or at least, in this body, anyhow."
The scout''s eyes widen. "...Yulia. How...how many more members of the squad have you possessed?"
"It''s just me. Grandmother was actually rather displeased by my infiltration schemes, so I halted them after I discarded Pulg. Liani has proven useful in an observation role, but of course the time for that is nearing an end as well."
Without turning her head, Tizzy uses a few of her subtle scout spells to ensure that there''s no monsters sneaking up on her position. "And now you''ve got me alone, huh? You''re an idiot if you think you can take me in a one-on-one, though. Maybe if you''d taken me by surprise, but it''s too late for that now."
Liani shakes her head. "Oh, Tizzy, I don''t want to kill you! You''re not on the ''must-slay'' list, after all. You''re not on the ''spare'' list either, though. Your fate is up in the air, which means you have a limited window of opportunity to decide its outcome."
Before answering, the scout runs a few scenarios through her mind. As a vampire, Liani has access to a few low-level mental spells which Tizzy''s experience with illusions should be able to counteract. Her hands are dangerous weapons, but probably insufficient to break through Tizzy''s barrier before the woman can either fight her off or retreat under a new illusion. The vampire is very durable, but a few max-strength arcane blasts should still be able to kill her. The more worrying concern is - what abilities does Yulia have on top of Liani''s? Could her spirit form pass right through Tizzy''s barriers? Could the dungeon have provided her with new spells that Tizzy would never even guess at? However she looks at it a fight seems like a gigantic gamble, and so Tizzy keeps talking.
"What...opportunity do I have here, exactly?"
"Well, I have provoked a moment of choice by revealing myself to you. I would not suggest that the two of us attack the others - even with surprise, we would fail. And I''m not so foolish as to ask you to directly attack your beloved prince."
Deciding not to address that particular adjective, Tizzy raises another option. "So you want me to, what, be an undercover spy like you? What would Xenia even expect me to find out in the next few hours that she doesn''t already know?"
"Mmm, no, while your skill with magical disguises is good, you are a terrible actress. Thaddeus would know something is wrong within minutes, I''m sure. So here are your options." Liani stands up straight and spreads her arms open wide. "One, you can kill me where I stand."
"...Definitely considering it. What else is on the menu?"
"Or you can let me go, allowing me to preserve this body for...later use. Take my charm, and tell the prince I became overconfident and fell to a trap. You will not see me again until the end, so I promise you I will not ruin your deception. Or I suppose you could let me go and tell Thaddeus you let a spy escape, but I don''t see much advantage for you in that path."
Tizzy mentally readies an arcane blast spell, but doesn''t trigger it just yet. "You''re really not gonna fight me? At all?"
"As I said, I currently have no wish to kill you - and this is not a true death for me, now is it? But this is a moment of truth for you, so consider." Liani''s smile returns. "Will you aid an agent of Xenia Worthy? Or will you slay a threat to Prince Thaddeus?"
Hearing the offer made plain, Tizzy does take a moment to seriously consider it. But only a moment.
Back near the cliffside, Hylii''s head suddenly jerks upward, catching Thaddeus''s attention. "What is it, Hylii? Did your enhanced senses hear something?"
The dark elf nods. "I hope her illusion spell muffled it for the monsters...because I''m pretty sure I just heard Tizzy fire off a pretty heavy blast spell."
Chapter 298: Acts of Protest
"To think that she was yet another spy all this time. When I think about all the damage she could have done to us...not to mention the possibility that she could have been lying about not having other ''bodies'' in her possession..." Thaddeus shakes his head and refocuses on Tizzy. "I''m just glad she choose to attempt to flip you rather than attack you. I would''ve never sent you off alone with her if I''d had any idea."
The scout brushes off his concern with a smile. "Ah, I could''ve handled her. Granted, it would''ve drained a lot of my juice, so I''m glad she didn''t, too. I just, uh...hope I didn''t piss the dungeon off too much by not taking the offer. It sounds like the dungeon has a kill list and I might''ve just earned myself a spot."
The prince places a hand on her shoulder. "You''ve also earned yourself even greater rewards when all this is over." The handsome, raven-haired noble gives her a slight smirk. "Aside from your safety, needless to say I''m also quite relieved that you didn''t take Yulia up on her offer. As I''ve said, you are essential to our success."
The extra dose of praise makes the half-imp blush, her purple cheeks turning dark given that she''d stopped bothering with her goblin disguise since they''d entered the dungeon. "Hey! I spent my whole life doing my best to avoid the double-crossing game, I''m not gonna dive into it here at the finish line! And I still don''t feel like we''re actually working against Xenia, even if maybe she''s not, uh...super enthusiastic about our plan."
"We will make our case to her in person, and we will convince her of our righteousness. That said..." Thaddeus takes a moment to examine the luck charm Tizzy retrieved from Liani''s corpse, and holds it up. "We cannot pass on any opportunities to earn more tokens. The dungeon awarded us one for Violetta''s contribution in the last boss fight, but her charm was taken along with her. Do I have a volunteer to take on a second charm? Your rewards will take it into account when all is said and done."
While there''s no immediate response, Nalain does eventually reach for it. "We need our remaining mages in one piece, and if one of the fencer boys added to their bad luck a single bad slip could see them slitting their own throats or some shit. At least I''ve got the armor for taking an extra hit here and there."
"Fair logic, and thank you for your courage, Nalain." The prince hands it over with a sigh as he considers what remains of their ''raid''. They''d started the day with twelve members and at halfway through the dungeon they already find themselves reduced to eight, a number barely qualifying as a raid at all. Still, eight is still sufficient for the challenges waiting ahead of them, and the party has far from played all of their cards. Putting on a brave face, he again addresses the group as a whole.
"We continue on, to the key altar and then the guardian''s island. Follow Tizzy''s path carefully, and beware for surprises."
If anything the surprising thing about the trek to recover the dungeon key is the lack of surprises. The new, hulking undead monsters could have perhaps been a hazard if they''d actually managed to sneak up on the party somehow - perhaps by hiding behind a very large tree? But with some preparation Thaddeus and Norlash boosted by Hylii''s spells prove more than sufficient to behead the behemoths with a few strokes of their blades. The shades fall before Tizzy and Linda as easily as they had the first time they had come through this floor, and the thralls guarding the key don''t even lay a finger on the adventurers.
All of which leaves the prince a little worried. Floor Four is known to be one of the most popular hunting grounds of Trush, one of the dungeon''s wandering bosses. Perhaps he''s waiting to meet them again on Floor Seven, as he had before? But the man doesn''t want to distract himself with theoreticals while actual fights lie before him, and so he largely pushes the concern out of his mind while still keeping one eye on the surrounding forest.
When they return with their prize to the floor''s small river however, they do find a surprise waiting for them. Specifically, an audience. It was common knowledge by now that water elementals lurk in the dungeon''s false river, and that while they assist the dungeon by drowning those who happened to take a dip they never engage in real combat. They aren''t actually dungeon monsters after all, and so death for them would be final rather than just a minor inconvenience. Therefore, the elementals never truly show themselves beyond perhaps poking their heads above the surface of the river for brief periods.
Until today, when a trio of water elementals have apparently decided to pull themselves up onto the far shore and begin waving signs around. They''re primitive at best and Thaddeus has trouble actually making out their message, but fortunately the elementals decide to begin shouting it out loud when they see the party approach. "Save our dungeon! Don''t take our river! Princes go home!"
Not wanting to immediately approach them, Thaddeus halts at the small obelisk which is used to trigger the raising of the river crossing. "Hail, elementals! Do you intend to impede our progress today?"
While water elementals in particular lack much in the way of distinguishing characteristics, a woman''s voice comes from the one who answers him. "Yeah! Like...morally! We''re here to make you feel bad! Is it working?"
Norlash blinks his eyes at the sight. "What are you lot even protesting about? Don''t folks say you''re not even bound to the place? There''s an even bigger river right down the mountain if you need a home!"
"Oh, so if there''s a house-thingie right down the dirt-path or whatever from your hut, does that mean you don''t mind if someone washes it away? We like this river! There''s interesting fish in here, and no one bothers us when we drown someone!"
"I...suppose that''s a unique benefit, at least." Thaddeus rubs his chin. "Perhaps I could...offer you a job in a castle moat once we''re done? I am not heartless. But if you don''t intend to fight us, we will be crossing your river regardless."
"A moat?" The lead elemental begins discussing things with the other two before eventually shouting back. "We still hope you choke! But if you don''t die, I guess we could give it a try. Do people drown in moats?"
"...Not often, most of the time, except for when many do at once, I suppose?"
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"Suppose that averages out, at least. Well, we won''t fight you, but we are gonna glare at you real hard as you walk by, alright?"
"...I accept your bargain, lady of the river." Thaddeus looks back at his party with a shrug, and gestures for Tizzy to insert the key to raise the bridge. The stone walkway appears as usual, apparently untrapped, and as the party crosses over it they do indeed receive some very harsh glares. Nevertheless they all get across in one piece and soon after find themselves stepping into the familiar mist of the Floor Four guardian arena.
There, they find their next surprise.
Typically the fight here begins with a bit of an ambush, with DEATH emerging from shadow and fog at some point after a challenging party has fully arrived. Today, DEATH stands waiting for them...as does Trush and his four rabbit squires. At the sight of the assembled monsters the adventurers quickly prepare themselves for a fight, and Reed mutters loudly.
"Two guardians at once!? Isn''t there one of those dungeon rules about that?"
Trush grins, showing off his broad teeth. "Not at all - we just typically avoid it as a courtesy, one which we''ve chosen not to offer you. Just consider yourself lucky we haven''t appeared today in something a bit more monstrous! I did try out a few new forms in preparation, but my squad and I have trained as we are and I didn''t want to mess with a working system. That said, I do look forward to fighting alongside you today, DEATH OF RABBITS."
The cloaked shade nods back at the Rabbit Knight. "I AM AS WELL. IT IS ALWAYS GOOD TO TRY SOMETHING NEW ONCE IN A WHILE. I AM TOLD IT KEEPS LIFE INTERESTING. PERHAPS IT DOES THE SAME FOR DEATH."
"I''m sure it does!" Trush laughs loudly before looking back at Prince Thaddeus. "Enough bantering, though. Time for battle - attack!" The adventurers prepare themselves for a leaping attack of blades and spears, but to their surprise the melee-focused monsters actually leap backwards, creating more distance in the arena even as the archers provide covering fire. The swordsmen of the party are about to pursue, when a shout from Tizzy makes them halt.
"Watch the grass! Nuisance monsters incoming!" Sure enough a flood of vampire rabbits emerges from the mist a moment later, leaping for ankles and undefended groins wherever possible. Their threat level is low to experts of this tier, but had half of the group been caught out in the open things could have gone rather badly for them. Instead Linda focuses on their defense, blocking arrows and shadow magics from the guardians while Lyman and Reed switch to plucking bunnies out of the air with their thin rapiers.
As the onslaught begins to slow down, Thaddeus begins issuing orders. "Tizzy, do what you can to occupy the shade! Hylii, focus on enemy curses! Blairs, keep our flanks clear, Norlash and Nalain with me!" Everyone quickly moves to their assigned roles, with Thaddeus leading the orcs forward while Tizzy begins rapid-firing light blasts at DEATH to keep him from entering into the coming melee. Trush is far less restrained however and with a shout he leaps forward alongside his spear-wielders, to mixed results. Yardath''s spear practically bounces off of Nalain''s magically-enhanced shield when he makes impact, and while Ashadi does force Norlash to dodge her thrust, the rabbit-woman soon finds herself dodging a series of axe swings in response.
Trush and the prince meanwhile find themselves on much more even ground, a repeat of their earlier fight on Floor Seven. "We beat you before, rabbit! Do you expect things to go differently this time?"
The monster grins in response. "Well, while I may not have taken any new upgrades...the same isn''t true of my companion. DEATH? LIGHTS!"
No one in the party speaks demonic, and so it comes as a bit of a surprise when the arena is suddenly encased in an unnatural darkness - a common spell of Taly''s Midnight Shadow class, applied to DEATH. Tizzy does her best to generate light, summoned by her illusion spells, but it''s not quite a match and only allows the adventurers glimpses of their foes. Thaddeus briefly hopes that perhaps the darkness might at least put them all on an even footing, but one short gleam of illumination reveals to him that Trush is now wearing a half-mask, surely an enchanted counteragent to the magical shadow.
The cries from the party around him indicate that the gambit is already seeing results. He doesn''t hear indications that anyone''s been immediately killed, but Nalain and Norlash both groan in ways indicating that they''ve taken hits, and Reed curses as something bites into his leg. Gritting his teeth, the prince comes to the conclusion that he does have another option for leveling the playing field. "Hylii! Lock down the arena!"
"As you command, my lord!" The dark elf had been focusing on giving ailments to the distant archers, causing them to miss their shots, but quickly shifts into a much larger spell. Larger...and indiscriminate. "Limbs, obey not your masters! Area of Agony: Muscle Spasm!"
While the name might not sound like much, everyone in the arena with a physical body save for Hylii himself immediately crumbles to the ground, their bodies twitching and clenching uncontrollably. It affects some less than others - Thaddeus, Trush, and Nalain for example are already working to push their way back to their feet. There is one left entirely unaffected though, and DEATH decides it''s time to move in and begin claiming necks with his scythe before the foolish mortals have time to recover from their mistake.
A move which falls exactly into Thaddeus''s plans. For while the spell may make it very difficult if not impossible for the melee-focused members of the party to work...the same can''t be said for the mages, who can cast many of their spells with words or willpower alone. Tizzy''s own vision is only lightly affected by the magical midnight thanks to her sensory scouting spells, and so the imp can easily tell when DEATH comes in close to try and trim Norlash''s head from his shoulders.
Close enough that even in her current state she can''t miss when she gives him a full-level arcane blast, and in seconds the darkness that was covering the small field is illuminated instead by a flash of pink. By time the arena returns to normal DEATH is already little more than a fading wisp of smoke. The Body Mage''s spell is slower to end, but this too benefits the adventurers. With the mages only somewhat affected and the orcs recovering much faster than the squires, Yardath and the archer Namasha are already slain by time Trush gets back to his feet. Even then the battle between himself and Thaddeus takes on the comical form of two old men fighting, struggling against the weight of their own armor and weapons as they attempt to wrest back control of their own bodies.
Half a minute later Ashadi''s right leg is amputated by one of Norlash''s axes, followed soon after by her head, and the archer Grange falls not long after thanks to an elemental lightning blast from one of Linda''s wands. Trush continues to fight on bravely, but his courage is half sapped by the sight of his companions falling around him and half sapped in a more literal way by Hylii, as the mage works to ensure that he alone fails to recover from the earlier spell. Seeing that his struggle is futile, the former orc smiles.
"Well, damn. And here I bet Taly we''d claim at least two of you. Your people fight well, princeling, I''ll give you that."
"And you''re a fine swordsman, guardian. I regret that this will be our last duel." Thaddeus''s final swing is precise, opening Trush''s throat, and as the last monster falls into the grass the man inspects his team. "Well done, all. Do we have any injuries?"
Nalain nods. "Bruised some ribs there, and I see Reed''s bleeding. Nothing we can''t recover from with a potion or two, though."
"Excellent. Take a few minutes to rest up, and then we''ll continue to the next floor."
While the others breath a sigh of relief, Tizzy seems a bit concerned. "I have been wondering about that, actually."
The prince raises an eyebrow. "About what, Tizzy?"
"If the dungeon is making us go through the whole dungeon...are we actually passing through Floor Five today?"
"...Well, I suppose we''ll soon see."
Chapter 299: The Luxury Box
"You little twit! You were alive the whole time!? We were all worried about you - okay, no, that''s a lie. We were worried that the dungeon had decided to start killing us all, I''ll say that!" As Violetta chews out a somewhat surprised Ruckus, Xenia watches on with a grin from her seat at the head of the conference table. Fortunately the Reincarnator Extraordinaire is invisible to her guests, so neither of them can see the look on her face. Unfortunately, they can see the look on her face on Emma''s face, as the mirrored woman sits next to her. Parker and Sincere also sit nearby, muscle in case their newest visitor decides to get rowdy, but for the most part they stay ignored as the mage focuses on her former companion.
"Hey, it was sort of an offer I couldn''t refuse, you know? ...Except for that one part where they said I could refuse it. But it was too good to pass up! And hells, what are you judging me for, you''re here too aren''t ya?" Ruckus shouts back at the woman, hopping out of his seat in the process so that he can properly pace around and wave his arms.
Clearing his throat, Sincere does his best to get their attention. "Yes, on that point. You are here, Mage Violetta. As I understand it, Dips made our offer and you accepted, yes? Just...to be clear, did Dips accurately explain what the offer was? Communication skills are not exactly her strongest suit, I must admit."
The purple-haired woman turns and puts a smile on her face, apparently pleased to be questioned by a demon. "Oh, well, I certainly hope there weren''t any misconceptions, or I might be in quite a pickle now, hrmm? Hahahaha..." Her laughter starts off a bit wild before eventually calming down, and eventually she resumes in a more even tone of voice. "Aha, yes, well. Essentially, if I understood the voice in my head correctly - and I do have some experience with those - Dips..." Violetta trails back off for a moment. "Wait, is her name really ''Dips''?"
Parker sighs. "Don''t ask, I did and I still don''t understand it."
"Aha. Well, essentially she offered me a free pass out of Prince Thaddeus''s raid. Entirely out, that is - that you would not ask me to fight them, and you would not punish me for my part in it so far. She also suggested that I could swear my soul to you for great power, if I wished it."
Emma was nodding along with the recitation until the last comment, which causes her to frown. "Wait, hold on. We didn''t tell her to say that last part - did we, Xen? No? Yeah, that''s not really the sort of offer we just hand out here." She scratches her head in thought before coming to a realization. "Yeah, Dips was probably hoping she''d be the one to get to kill you if you signed on for it."
The half-explanation makes Violetta''s eyes grow wide. "Wait, you''re offering me a deal where you kill me if I do agree to it? What exactly was she talking about?"
Ruckus''s brow furrows at the question. "Weren''t you listening to Tizzy''s briefing about the place? Half of the dungeon guardians here are former adventurers! That ghost creep was talking about binding you to the place permanently!"
"Really?" Violetta frowns in concentration. "Oh, I might have missed part of that. There was something about it being a ritual involving a goddess, yes? I typically avoid the light gods so I didn''t pay much attention, I suppose."
The guardians huddle with Xenia for a moment, and the dungeon master eventually allows them permission to share a few more details on the process. Taking charge, Sincere turns back to the mage. "Perhaps to clear up a minor confusion first, Kahlia is not a ''light'' god as you would understand it. Generally benign yes, but as much as such alignments are constructed here she would be considered more of a ''wild'' nature goddess. More importantly however, no ritual to Kahlia is required for someone to be...recruited. Xenia can choose her own guardians, with the consent of those offering themselves, of course."
Emma adds on a further point. "And as I said, we don''t do that lightly. We don''t even have any real open spots for new guardians at the moment, since Yulia and Sevastion took the last two. And they took them without going through the process either, and that was annoying enough. Sevastion''s been behaving himself, but Yulia''s still on a bit of a time-out for her shenanigans. In any case, you seem less suicidally crazy compared to those two." She pauses, eyes the woman for a moment, and amends her statement. "A little less, anyhow."
"Aha. To be honest...I would not be fully opposed to the idea, if I think about it..." The admission makes Ruckus gasp.
"What the hell, V!? Didn''t you just free yourself from a soulbound pact!? Like less than a week ago? Why''d you wanna throw that all away so fast?"
Violetta sighs before answering. "To be honest, I''ve been feeling a little...empty, ever since I performed the ritual. The Rot God couldn''t truly speak to me out here but I could still feel his presence, and furthermore it''s a presence I''ve lived with for over twenty years. My powers are diminished, my mind is...quieter. Also, I''m realms away from my home and now I''ve betrayed the lord I followed here. What do I have left?"
That question provokes a direct response from Xenia, which Emma translates. "Hey, did you miss the point of all of that? That ritual gave you freedom over your life - which means you can do anything. Travel! Learn new magic! Start a new career! You''ve got everything left. Why would you wanna give that up to stay here?"
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The mage doesn''t answer right away, but when she does it''s with a slightly embarrassed look on her face. "Well, for one...it would be nice to live with family that actually cares about me. Your ritual undid the damage that my flesh-and-blood inflicted on me when I was a teenager, so you''ve done more for me than they ever did."
Emma raises an eyebrow. "And...are you? Family, that is."
"Ah, yes? On my father''s side, though. I don''t believe my pactsworn grandmother ever met Prince Xenon."
"Yeah, that''s...we''re not killing the first family we''ve come across and managed to convince to lay down arms. It''s too late for the Bogdanovs and the Harrises. Might end up being too late for more of the rest, too. Look, at least try to make a go of things before you start binding yourself to another higher power, alright?"
The mage considers that and nods. "That''s...fair. I suppose I''ve hardly seen this realm outside of one small town. Perhaps I should at least see what my opportunities are."
"Good, definitely think about it. We - " The mirrored woman halts as Xenia taps her arm.
"Hey Em, they just got through DEATH and Trush. Gotta admit I''m impressed, a little, they beat them pretty quickly too."
"Oof. All of them?" Emma sucks in a breath before turning back towards the guests. "Sorry pals, looks like I gotta go play bar manager. Need to make sure we''ve got the mortals cleared out, we put up a warning as soon as the raid started but some of them have been sticking around. Don''t need any wild cards messing up this game. The boys here can play translator while I''m out, have fun!"
The giant mirror affixed to one wall of the room suddenly vanishes, taking Emma with it but leaving their guests with a few questions. Ruckus is the first to voice them. "She went to the bar? As in Floor Five? Isn''t that, like, not even on the actual path to the core? Floor Four goes directly through a tunnel to Floor Six, doesn''t it?"
Sincere explains. "Typically yes, however we''ve closed off that tunnel and installed portals which pass through the Fiver''s Lounge. As that section is already limited to people who have cleared Floor Four, we didn''t have to worry about Initiates wandering directly into the abyss, so to speak."
Violetta raises a finger. "But weren''t you very clear earlier that you couldn''t kill mortals on Floor Five? Or...are you willing to take the punishment for doing so, whatever that is?"
Parker shakes his head. "Actually, we''re intending for the encounter there to be non-violent. We can''t necessarily stop them from attacking, but if the mortals have all cleared out then at least they can''t do any permanent damage."
"I see. Well...in the meantime, I suppose I''m not entirely sure what I should do with myself. Are Ruckus and I just meant to wait here until the raid is completed, then?"
The imp agrees. "Actually, just to confirm, is my job here done after that? ...Uh, assuming Thaddeus doesn''t yoink you or core-crack you or something. Although I guess that would end the gig pretty definitively too."
The guardians consult with their master, and a few moments later Sincere answers. "You are of course free to leave once the ongoing event is concluded. That said, we''re not going to simply toss you outdoors either, especially considering this could take all day. In fact, would you like some guest quarters to rest in, Mage Violetta? Xenia''s become quite adept at carving out something serviceable in a very short amount of time."
She considers it, but decides to decline the offer. "To be honest, I''d rather not be cut out of the loop, I want to know how things are going!"
Unheard by the woman, Xenia chuckles. "Yeah, everyone appreciates a good show, don''t they? Though I suppose they''re not getting much of one here, it''s not exactly like we''ve got a big widescreen TV in here playing the Superbowl. Although...Sin-man, mind getting your arm off the table for a minute?"
"Trying something new, are we?" The demon raises an eyebrow as he leans back from the conference table.
"The shit we did with those game boards was, well...just a game. It wasn''t linked to anything actually happening. But I do have basically perfect perception of everything that''s going on, and perfect control over shit like this table, so..." With a metaphorical deep breath for morale reasons, Xenia focuses her attention on the table in front of her and reaches out a hand. The stone shifts and grows into a scale model of what''s clearly the Fiver''s Lounge, although with the ceiling and most of the walls removed. Violetta and Ruckus in particular are rather entranced by the display of magic, but the model of the room pales in complexity compared to what comes next. Figures of people begin to emerge, and as each of them becomes fully grown they begin to move. Walking, silently talking, and in two cases actually spinning around on marble poles.
It''s a bit of an illusion of life, given that none of them ever actually fully disconnect from the surface of the table and begin moving around freely, but it''s still a display of skill that no Earth Mage could ever reproduce. Ruckus gives a whistle at the sight of the scene. "All of this is actually what''s going on right now? ...Wait, they dance like that in the Lounge? Maybe I have been missing out..."
Parker is nearly as impressed, but keeps his expression more schooled so as to at least appear more experienced. "I''ve found it''s wise not to underestimate our fearless leader when it comes to her own domain. I think we''re all in for quite a show now. Ah, it looks like Emma''s reformed herself, if in a different body..."
Not all that far away, although through quite a few thick stone walls, Deylia looks up in surprise as she''s approached by...herself. "Emma? I don''t believe you''ve ever taken on my appearance before."
The mirror grins, currently dressed in a maid-like uniform matching that worn by the woman standing behind the lounge''s bar. "Well you''re the only one in here, unless I was gonna dress like one of the bunnies. Besides, I think we go well together. Who can resist two cute maids, right? Although it''s not nearly as cute as that other outfit I saw you practicing in. You''re quite the performer, apparently!"
Deylia blushes before responding. "I''m hoping they don''t get deep enough that I actually need to try out that guise, I regret ever making the suggestion to Xenia now! But if you''re here, then I assume our guests will be arriving soon. Which means we''ll soon be finding out how charming they''ll find us..."
Chapter 300: Lounge Intermission (& Poll)
When Tizzy first comes through the dungeon''s portal, no one around her immediately notices thanks to the invisibility illusion the half-imp had cast on herself. As others start pouring through however it does immediately catch the attention of those already in the room, yet it''s the new arrivals who are most taken by surprise. Nalain steps forward to intercept any attacks with her heavy equipment, and it''s she who speaks up first.
"This...this really is the Lounge, isn''t it? It routed us through here?" She goes silent as she catches sight of of the lounge''s bunny staff, who had only halted for a few moments before resuming their routines on the various stages. "...Do we actually have to kill those bunnies because...wow. We really have been missing out."
"No violence, please!" The request is shouted out by a woman standing behind the lounge''s main bar, and although she also has a pair of long ears sticking up from the top of her head her clothing is quite a bit different from the rest of the staff. It''s certainly much less revealing than what''s being worn by the entertainers - even ignoring those wearing nothing at all - and yet somehow it doesn''t look quite right for the sort of maid-style uniform it''s probably supposed to resemble. Whatever the party thinks of her clothing, it''s soon pushed aside by the realization that there''s an identical such woman standing right next to her. The second maid continues the welcome introduction of the first.
"While ''safe rule'' floors only protect mortals, not dungeon monsters, today we will defend ourselves if attacked. But please, be at ease, at least for now. There''s no need for fighting in the Lounge."
The adventurers are clearly not inclined to take this statement at face value, but Prince Thaddeus puts on a confident air as he steps forward. Eyeing the women, he can''t determine which one exactly he ought to address, and so he does his best to include both of them. "Going by the descriptions I''ve heard, and given that this is Floor Five, I imagine this makes you Priestess Deylia, yes? Or at least...one of you is? Tell me, if we''re not expected to fight on this floor, then why did the dungeon go out of its way to require us to detour through it?"
Of the two maids one wears a slightly more serious expression, and it''s she who gives the man a nod. "I am Deylia, although today I am here as a simple servant, not as a Priestess. As for the reason you were directed here - well, I suppose there''s a few, although with a single root purpose. Our intention is to minimize the number of people who need to die today."
Linda sniffs as she steps up beside her leader. "Somehow I doubt that involves the dungeon deciding to end this farce and hear us out."
The smiling maid answers the mage. "More like we''re hoping to talk you around. So, for starters, what you''ve been facing so far is the easy shit. Teams of Advanced Challengers have gotten past Floor Four, and yet here you are already down a third of your party! It''s only going to get worse from here, you know."
The other continues. "Furthermore, there''s unlikely to be any further opportunities for a calm, collected discussion after this. Consider this a last-ditch effort at a method that doesn''t involve violence."
The raven-haired prince sighs. "I appreciate the gesture, ladies, but it doesn''t seem as if there''s much purpose to it. It sounds as if your master doesn''t yet intend to listen further to us, and I doubt we''re much interested in whatever arguments you might have to make."
"Ah-ah-ah!" The second maid snaps her fingers. "You might not be interested in what we''ve got to say, but you might be interested in what we''re paying! Here''s the deal - you all stay here for at least an hour, and and let your people actually give us a chance at talking to them, you''ll get tokens as if you''d fought a boss for them. Counting the charms you''re wearing right now, no triple-stacking or whatever just cause we made the offer! You''re probably up to what, forty-something tokens at this point? If you want to earn your hundred through violence at this point you''re at serious risk of falling short, unless you start stacking on more charms from the extras you''ve been earning. And do you really want to go into the toughest fights in the dungeon with all that bad luck running against you? Honestly, you can''t afford not to hear us out."
"Is it really even worth it?" Tizzy speaks with a disbelieving tone as she drops her illusion and comes forward. "Is Xenia going to come with us if we actually earn a hundred of those tokens?"
Deylia slightly shakes her head. "It''s not a guarantee. But she will honestly, genuinely hear you out and seriously consider your proposal. She''s sworn it to me on her honor. At the very least it''s unlikely she''d have you leave with nothing, should you succeed."
Thaddeus takes a moment to calculate their odds of success. His party is down to eight members, however both Nalain and himself have already doubled-up on their charms. The dungeon had rewarded them for defeating two bosses in the Floor Four prizes, meaning they were now up to forty-six tokens. Depending on whether or not they have to fight the core guardian and another wandering boss, they may still have sufficient chances to earn all of the tokens they need. But if they don''t, or more party members are lost - and a fall on the abyss of Floor Six would likely mean a loss of charms - things could get much dicier. All in all, ten tokens earned here could be enough to clinch their eventual victory.
With that in mind, he nods. "Very well, ladies, I agree. Did you have a particular...format in mind for how you wish for this to go?"
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One of them nods back. "Just split up and relax, and we''ll try our best to get to each of you. Drinks are on the house, everyone gets one free dance, and we''ll even provide healing services."
Thaddeus sighs. "I''ll admit, we weren''t planning on doing a full run of the dungeon today. I suppose an hour''s rest would be helpful all on its own, as would the healing." He turns to his party and shouts out a command. "Non-alcoholic drinks only, though! Save the celebrations for when we''re done! And...enjoy the lounge in moderation, I suppose."
While a few members of the party don''t seem to be entirely at ease in a room filled with dungeon monsters, most of them seem relieved that they''re not going to have to fight for their lives again for at least an hour. A few of them approach the bar, asking for drink options from the bunny bartenders, while others take seats in the lounge alone or in small groups. Nalain is one of those gathering at the bar, sighing as she rests her legs on a stool, and Deylia approaches the heavily-armored orc first.
"Greetings, warrior. Might I offer you some healing today?"
"Depends. Does it come with any strings attached?"
"Not at all. Although as your commander agreed, I will be speaking with you while I work, if you don''t mind."
Nalain nods, and Deylia begins channeling a low-intensity spell while another staff member gets the woman a drink. The fighter''s bruised bones and minor cuts begin to fade away, and Nalain finds herself already in an improved mood as Deylia begins her pitch. Unfortunately, it''s one that immediately kills that good mood. "You know...if you succeed and Xenia leaves this realm, I, Emma, and all the others you see here will die. Well...perhaps not Emma, she''s not a typical resident. She''s probably not looking forward to testing it out, though."
"Gah. Going right for the guilt-trip, huh? Look, temporary truce aside, we fight for masters who are - at the moment - on opposite sides of a conflict. You think this is my first time? Alliances shifted often back home, as did loyalties. I''ve killed former allies and associates before, perhaps even a friend or two. But it was all how things go when you choose the life of a warrior, and everyone understood that. When the truce is over, you lot will be back to trying to kill me, and I''ll go back to trying to kill you."
Deylia adjusts her tack. "But who says there needs to be a conflict at all? Xenia isn''t needed to save a world or anything of that import, Prince Thaddeus is just looking to save his family''s political position! Why is that worth killing over?"
Nalain laughs out loud. "Priestess, back home thousands of people died every year for things like ''family''s political positions''! In fact, Prince Thaddeus''s death count is minuscule compared to what I''m used to! This might be the least deadly campaign I''ve ever served on! If you have another argument to make, you might want to try that one."
As Deylia considers her options, Emma makes her way over to Lyman and Reed Blair, who''ve taken a seat in front of one of the stages. Before she gets into speaking range she changes her form, dropping Deylia''s maid-like garb for the shape of one of the dancing rabbit-girls, and the human pair both look a little more intrigued at her much more minimal dress. "Hey boys - mind if I take a seat here?"
Lyman gestures to a spot on the long bench next to him. "It''s the lady''s lounge, by all means."
"Thanks!" Emma ignores the offered spot and instead plops herself down right between the two men, kicking back and putting an arm around each of their shoulders. "Father and son, right? Never tried that combo before. Not at the same time, anyhow."
Reed nearly spits up his drink. "Is - is that how you intend to convince us to abandon this fight!?"
Emma waves the suggestion off. "Nah, nah, I like having a bit of fun but I''m not one to whore myself out like that. But as long as you''re both alive and I''m still in one piece, there''s a chance it''ll happen some day. That''s the sad thing about someone losing their life, right? All those possibilities, snipped like a scissor trimming threads."
The elder Blair raises an eyebrow. "Is that the sort of possibilities you think about, lass? Who you''ll bed one day? While I appreciate your...forwardness, my son and I have more important concerns on our mind."
"Ah yeah? What are those?" She leans forward as she asks, and given that her top is barely secured as it is it''s a marvel that Reed''s able to tear back his concentration and answer for the duo.
"We''re...the last Blairs, you know? Our grandfather was one of Prince Xenon''s champions, so our family line isn''t old, but it was large, and powerful. Grandfather Greg had seven children before he died. All of them skilled with blades or magic."
Lyman continues the tale. "And of those seven siblings, I''m the last. We were caught in a lose-lose position, you see? After Xenon died, we weren''t powerful enough to make a serious claim for the top spot - that largely went to the families descended from the man in some way. But we were too powerful to ignore. One lost battle sent us into a death spiral. Further attacks and assassinations whittled us down until only I remained." His face darkens. "Not even Reed''s mother was spared the extermination of our line."
For once, Emma looks a little chastened at the dark mood. "Ah, my condolences. How does that relate to, ah...possibilities, though?"
Reed picks up. "We''ve been promised a new noble title and land once we return to Prince Thaddeus''s home realm. We won''t just be surviving anymore. The Blairs will be able to live again!"
"And, what? You don''t think you could do that here? Or any other realm you''ve visited so far?"
The younger man shakes his head. "The land of this realm is already claimed by nobles, and we have no connection there. What are we to become? Traveling adventurers like these Challengers? Risking our lives for our daily bread? It''s one thing to fight for a cause, a campaign, but as a way of life? My father and I are talented but...I do not wish to do this forever."
Emma frowns. "You''d have a connection with us, though. We might be rooted in place but we have friends. Xenia chats with gods, for crying out loud. I''m sure we could work something out."
Lyman shakes his head. "So we''ve heard. But a man needs more than an offer of a shiny coin to trade his loyalty, once already promised."
"Well, you''re not making this easy on me. But we can certainly do better than coins..."
As the adventurers relax, heal, and refresh themselves, the two women of the dungeon continue to go from group to group, pressing their points. There''s no immediate, obvious defections, which isn''t particularly surprising. After all, no one''s going to change sides right in front of an audience of their peers let alone their commander. But do the dungeon''s arguments find totally barren fields awaiting them?
From the bar Prince Thaddeus watches on, and wonders.
Chapter 301: Unsolid Stone
After the full expedition gathers at the shortcut portal depositing them back on Floor Six, Prince Thaddeus turns to face them all. "I trust everyone is well refreshed? Five floors are completed, four remain, so we are more than halfway through! But the hazards will only grow from here, so I hope you''re all well-prepared and fully alert."
Norlash chuckles while shaking his head. "I do indeed feel much better, that Priestess knows her way around a healing spell! It really does make me wonder, though. The dungeon puts us through this grueling endurance test, and then allows us to relax and recover? Are you sure it didn''t try to drug us or something in there, Hylii?"
The dark elf smirks. "While detecting poisons in drinks isn''t one of my specialties, I would certainly be able to detect if anyone here had negative effects coursing through their bodies. I can say that we are all uniformly in better health than we were when we entered the Lounge."
"Perhaps our ancestor was sincere in her claim to offer us all a final chance to turn back." The prince gets an intense look in his eye, and he turns it on each of his followers in turn. "And in her image, I shall do the same. If anyone has been swayed by the dungeon''s arguments, or lost faith in myself and our cause, I also offer each of you the chance to turn back now. I will not hold it against you if you decide to do so."
There''s a few blinks and disbelieving looks in response to that statement, and Nalain voices the collective mood. "Really? Not that I am considering it, but after everything we''ve been through you''d let us walk away here at the last moment?"
"Have I ever forced anyone to follow me against their will? Have there not been many who''ve chosen to turn back along the way?" Thaddeus scoffs before continuing. "Besides, there''s a more important concern. If anyone chooses to turn back, it would be better for all of us if it happened now rather than while we are in the middle of a fight for our lives. I want to be sure that all of us here are fully committed."
Everyone in the party trades looks, but no one seems inclined to take the offer. Seeing the result, Linda gives her prince a smile. "Seems we''re still united, my lord."
"And I''m glad to see it. The dungeon awarded us ten tokens for Floor Five, so we''re more than halfway through by that measure as well. But back to the immediate concern - Floor Six! I see that the abyss here remains, and that the dungeon hasn''t somehow transported us to an even more dire locale than we''re used to. That said I do expect there to be some surprises waiting for us, so scouting is again essential. Tizzy, Reed, you''re our most agile and sharp-eyed members, particularly with Hylii''s magics to assist you. Have him provide you with the typical boosts, and then take the lead. If you encounter any monsters you cannot easily dispatch, fall back and wait for the rest of us."
"You got it!" Tizzy takes in a deep breath as Hylii enhances her muscles and senses, and gestures for the younger Blair to follow her as she enters Floor Six proper. As usual, the floor starts with an outcrop of rock hanging onto the edge of the large void within the mountain, with several jumps required to reach further walkways before coming across the first climbing challenge. While her short height might typically cause some difficulty with the jumps required, with the magic running through her now Tizzy manages the first leap without trouble.
As she gets to the second, however, she turns with a sudden halt and raises a hand to stop her companion. "Hold up! The dungeon''s already pulling shit."
Reed frowns and examines the canyon around him. "Is it? I still see the safety net below, not that I exactly trust it. Is there a trap on the far landing?"
The half-imp grins, a show of professional respect to the dungeon designer. "Oh, no, this is way more devious than that. Take a look." Tizzy scoops up a loose pebble from the ground and throws it across the next gap - only for it to bounce off of the air halfway through, before falling into the void below. "You''re lucky I''m good with illusion magic. There''s a damn wall between the two sections and they turned it invisible. You jump into that, you''re gonna break your face and then the rest of you a minute later when you land."
The fencer curses. "Dark gods! How are we supposed to get around it, then?"
"I think...hrmm, one second." The scout reaches out past the edge of the outcrop and begins to make tapping motions with her fingers. Apparently, she finds what she''s looking for. "Alright, yeah, there''s also an invisible walkway going around it. I could break the illusion but our magic isn''t exactly the same...would actually be more efficient for me to just make one of my own. Take a look."
With a simple gesture Tizzy performs the unusual trick of revealing with an illusion, rather than concealing. A path of stone suddenly appears marking the path ahead, as well as a two-foot-tall block placed just right to catch any jumpers. Reed prods it with his foot a little uncertainly.
"You''re sure your display here matches the actual stone?"
"I mean, the color might be different, but it''s where you see it. I''ll go first, c''mon."
The pair make their way across and to the first climbing wall, but rather than make her way up the cliffside Tizzy instead turns to the human. "Lift me up, I wanna get on your shoulders."
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"Alright..." At this point the young man is following along first and asking questions later, but the questions do come. "Is the wall not to your liking?"
"Well, not really! This is a good setup though, I can test most of these handholds without actually risking my life on them." With the two of them magically enhanced it''s not too awkward for the woman to perch herself on the fencer''s shoulders, and she soon begins pulling and tapping at the various handholds. One does end up getting a minor blast of arcane magic, causing it to turn into the goopy remains of an Earth Slime, but for the most part Tizzy seems satisfied with what she finds. "Alright, let''s head up!"
As the rest of the party catches up the two again move on ahead, and the next challenge they find seems to be one of combat. Tiny flying beasts swoop down to attack the pair, but between Tizzy''s barriers and Reed''s precise thrusts, half a dozen of the monsters are slain without either of them being at any risk. Following that is a new sort of trap consisting of a stretch of walkway that threatens to crumble to dust as they walk across it, but a shout back to the others lets Linda know to reinforce it with her own barriers before they attempt it.
Eventually though they reach a challenge which leaves even Tizzy stumped. Jumps between sections are common, but the next one they come across is a good fifty feet - and at a slight incline at that. Wincing, the scout takes another look around. "We can''t possibly be expected to jump across that, right? Or fly? There''s a limit to how difficult a floor can be!"
Reed scratches his head. "Perhaps something could be done with ropes? Although I don''t see anything for a grappling hook to catch onto. Could Linda''s barriers get us across?"
Tizzy considers it, but frowns. "Possibly, but holding up the weight of the party for long enough for people to get across...I definitely couldn''t do it, and it''d probably seriously drain her, too. Which would be bad if the spell gave out halfway through. Look around, we might be missing something."
As Tizzy begins peering over the edge of their current position, checking if something might be hidden below, Reed turns to examine the rock face instead. Pushing and tapping, he searches out hidden switches or buttons - when suddenly something finds him instead. Just as he''s about to rap his knuckles against the stone a bony hand reaches straight through it, grabbing onto the human''s leather jacket and - somehow - pulling him directly through the solid rock. Noticing the movement, Tizzy immediately gets back up to her feet and swears.
"Gah! Hidden tunnel! Dammit, should''ve paid more - I''m coming, Reed!" The scout quickly leaps through the illusory facade and finds herself in the middle of an undead ambush. A skeletal orc had apparently thrown Reed deeper into the secret chamber where he now finds himself surrounded by four more of the monsters, while the original turns back to face the newcomer. A rusted blade lifts into the air, and Tizzy curses again as she ducks back out of the tunnel. "Fuck, I ain''t melee! Guys, we need backup!"
While the rest of the party hears her shout, half of them are still occupied with safely traversing the crumbling stone section. Seeing that they might not arrive in time to help, Tizzy sighs, takes a deep breath, and re-strengthens her personal barrier spell before heading back through the false wall. The first skeleton is still waiting there but her arcane blast is faster than its arm, and the creature shatters into fragments and dust against the tunnel''s sides. The next part is a little bit trickier however, given that she can''t just go wildly firing off magics without hitting Reed as well.
The man seems to be having a hard enough time of it as it is. The adventurer is an expert swordsman, but one who excels in fair duels which a four-on-one is definitely not. The fact that skeletons lack vital organs to puncture seems to be a slight issue as well. As Tizzy watches one does lose its head thanks to a thrust at its neck, but Reed pays for it a moment later as two others swing at his left side. Before she can react one blade has dug itself deep into his forearm, while the other claims two of the man''s fingers. On the plus side the injury does cause Reed to collapse to the ground, which makes things a little easier on the mage.
"Keep down! I got em, Reed!" Another quick application of her barrier spell saves the fencer from a possibly fatal blow, while a storm of rapid-fire minor blasts knocks limbs and bones from the creatures one by one. It''s not long before the fight is over, but it is just long enough for Lyman to come barreling into the tunnel.
"Reed!? Is he - Reed!" The man quickly rushes over to his son, who greets him with a restrained smile.
"Damn, couldn''t have saved a few more for me, Tizzy? I only got one of them myself..."
"True, they did only get your offhand, so you probably coulda handled at least one more..." The scout forces a smile to her face as she rushes forward, already grabbing at her potion supply. While they should be sufficient to stop the bleeding and perhaps even heal the wound on Reed''s arm, the fingers are another matter. The party does still have a few of their best-quality potions remaining, but even those would require the man to stay still and rest for at least a day to keep the severed appendages attached.
It''s only a minute more before the rest of the party catches up, and Lyman is already prepared to report on his son''s health to his lord. "Ah - Tizzy did well to move so quickly, my prince. He''ll live, and should be back on his feet in a few minutes."
Thaddeus nods. "That''s good, and thank you, Tizzy. Can you still fight, Reed? No bravado, give me an honest answer."
The fencer clenches his blade tightly, but has a pale, sick look on his face as he stands back up. "Another potion and I should still be able to fight, my lord. But...not at my best. Even with the bleeding stopped the pain is quite...quite significant, prince. Nor will I be able to move my left side as quickly. I...may need some assistance with the climbing from here on, as well."
The prince has a grim expression, but gives the man a nod. "There''s no shame in admitting to injury, Reed. We''ll have Hylii do what we can, but we''ll have to move you to the rear until you''ve at least had some more time to recover. Lyman, can you take over scouting duties with Tizzy?"
For a moment the older Blair seems to want to object, looking to stay closer to his wounded son - but the man isn''t a healer, and can see that it would be a poor use of his skills. "I can, my lord."
"Very well. We''ll rest here for a moment, then the two of you can continue. If you''re in shape for it, Tizzy?"
The woman gives an eager nod. "Lil bit tired from all those arcane spells, but nothing compared to a boss fight. We''ll be out of this floor in no time!"
Chapter 302: Smoke and Mirrors
Tizzy was perhaps a little wrong about her estimate on the time required, but at least the party doesn''t run into any further injuries while traversing Floor Six. The remainder of the course are challenges the party had seen before, either on previous runs or earlier on the floor, but that doesn''t mean the climbing and jumping go any faster. It particularly doesn''t help that Reed finds it slightly more difficult to climb cliff walls with only eight fingers, but with the support of the rest of the party he manages without too much trouble.
The concern spikes though once they reach the boss arena, and the group regathers before making the final leap. Prince Thaddeus looks around at the end of the floor as best as he''s able from their current position, and if anything it worries him more that he can''t see any changes. "Tizzy, I don''t suppose your scouting skills are telling you anything more than my eyes are telling me?"
The half-imp casts a number of spells - perception boosters, illusion detectors, and ones that even highlight potential dangers in her vision, but she shakes her head. "There''s still the usual. Pitfalls on the overhang half of the arena that''ll drop you right into the void. I don''t...see anything on the ceiling either, at least not from what I can see from this angle. I suppose that''s a good thing? I''ll put marker illusions over the pitfalls to help point them out."
"Thank you, but no, I highly doubt that nothing has changed about this fight. Something has in every guardian battle thus far. But if it''s not a change in the arena, then it must be a change in the guardian. We could stand here making guesses all day however, so we may as well get to it. Is everyone prepared? Reed, how are you feeling?"
The fencer gives his lord a smile and a nod, looking tired yet much less pale than he had been an hour before. "Much better, prince, the potions have helped negate the...side-effects of my injury. My left arm may still be a bit of a sore spot, but I can adapt my fighting style to protect it."
"Very well. Taly, the guardian ahead, focuses on ranged attacks and shadow magic. Tizzy, do your best to keep her from hiding. Linda, protect us from her arrows and blades. Everyone else, we''ll be focusing on pinning her down and finishing her off. Nalain, lead us in if you would."
The heavily-armored orc nods and leaps across the gap to the arena floor, managing it easily with Hylii''s spells boosting her strength. Thaddeus himself follows second, with the others shortly after. The mages cluster together under Linda''s shields while the melee-oriented combatants fan out, but at first there doesn''t seem to be anything for them to fight. Shouting out, Thaddeus attempts to reveal their foe. "Taly! Taly of Highfalls, yes? Are you waiting for a particular invitation? A challenge to a duel, perhaps?"
A cloud of tangible shadow suddenly appears on one of the small outcrops dotting the inner side of the arena, and a woman''s voice shouts back from it. "Nothing specific, really! I just like to build up a little bit of anticipation before the main event, you know? But sure, I think it''s time for us to begin."
It''s well known that the Banshee Queen has excellent control of her voice, and so no one even bothers firing an attack at the newly-appeared cloud. It''s surely a distraction, after all. One by one every outcrop on the wall ahead of them is likewise soon coated with darkness, and Thaddeus shouts back to his scout. "Do you know where she''s hiding, Tizzy?"
The woman frowns. "The shadows do block my magic a bit, it''s taking me some effort to check them all...but something''s weird. I feel like I''m picking up something in all of the ones I''ve checked so far, except - incoming!"
Twelve arrows suddenly fire at once towards the party, one from each of the shadowy ambush points. Given that everyone in the party was on high alert, the number doesn''t ultimately amount to much. Barriers block half of them outright, an arcane blast destroys another, and the group dodges most of the rest. That is, with the exception of Lyman, who attempts to parry the projectile flying his way - only for it to pass right through both his blade and his shoulder as if they weren''t there at all. "Eh? A decoy?"
His question is answered by laughter, first from one throat - and then a second. Another and another joins in, and it soon sounds as if an entire auditorium''s worth of audience members are cheering and jeering at the adventurers. While a banshee''s voice is capable of a lot the sheer cacophony seems to be more than even Taly should be capable of, and a few of the adventurers begin to worry that the noise alone could potentially cause a cave-in.
The ground remains stable though, and so the next concern for the group is when eight different Talys suddenly dive out of their ambush points. Some head into melee, waving nasty-looking daggers, while others hang back and fire more arrows, and one plays mage as they cast shadow magic. Having at least partially revealed themselves, Tizzy gets a better idea of what''s going on. "They''re illusions! Or - most of them! There''s too much for me to check them all at once, and some of them are giving me weird results!"
"Then treat every foe as if they''re a lethal threat! Party, advance!" The vanguard of the team charges forward at Thaddeus''s command, meeting the Talys in battle. Or at least, theoretically. Several of them swing their blades right through their opponents as if they were so much smoke, and judging them to be illusions, move on to find a new target. That lasts until Norlash turns his back on one dagger-armed Taly, only for the Rogue to step forward and plant a blade in his kidney.
The banshee smiles as she whispers into his ear. "Never turn your back on a lady, handsome. It''s rude."
The man is in a bit too much pain to retort with anything witty, but he does recover swiftly enough to swing his heavy axe in her direction. Almost to his surprise it actually impacts the woman''s blade as she ducks and deflects it, and the warrior shouts his findings to the team. "The illusions aren''t all harmless! Some can actually fight!" Now fully focused on his opponent, he manages to swing an overhead blow at her the Rogue could certainly never block, only to be frustrated when again his weapon simply passes right through her. "And they swap back and forth! They''re solid and then they''re not!"
Norlash isn''t the only member of the party to be making that particular discovery. Those who thought they were engaged with the real Taly find themselves to be fighting ghosts a moment later, and several members find themselves outnumbered as they have to treat multiple banshees as if they''re actual threats. Deciding that there''s clearly some sort of magical trick being played on them, Thaddeus asks a question of his mages.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
"We can hold them back, but we can''t pin her down if she''s solid one moment and smoke the next! Is this a power of the undead, or something more?"
Tizzy grits her teeth, trying her best to come up with a useful answer but failing. "I don''t get it! They all bear marks of illusions, but something happens to them when they turn solid! I haven''t seen anything like it before!"
While the scout focuses on the magical composition of their foes, Linda comes to a realization of her own. "There''s only one real one at a time! I believe she can transfer quickly, but I haven''t seen her actually touch two things at once!"
"Somehow leaping between her images? An unusual trick - Hylii, how about you? Can you detect which one is real?"
The dark elf frowns at the women fighting on the arena floor, until with a confused expression he points towards one of the still-shrouded overhangs from which arrows occasionally fire. "...There. I don''t detect a body down here even when she''s solid - but there is one up there!"
"Even more curious - but I''ll see to this myself!" Pumping mana into his enchanted boots, the prince suddenly leaps through the air and lands upon the indicated outcrop. He''s essentially blind as he does so, the magical shadow no less concealing for being encased within it, but fortunately he doesn''t need to see in order to be a threat. The platform of stone isn''t particularly large and so with just a few swings of his blade he''s able to cover most of the space - and gets rewarded by the feel of resistance and the sound of a woman cursing.
"Gah! You''re a real buzzkill, huh? Guess I gotta go mix it up myself, then."
Thaddeus can''t see it, but he can still hear the sound as Taly jumps from the platform and lands on the ground below. She quickly ducks into another cloud of magical shadow, as do two of her duplicates, and when they emerge a moment later all three are bearing identical sword wounds across their stomachs.
Unfortunately, this particular bit of deception fools neither Tizzy''s illusion-detection spells or Hylii''s ability to sense nearby bodies, and both quickly point her out. Tizzy does so with a literal pointer, casting an illusion of her own over Taly''s head to illuminate her with light. "That one! That one''s the real one!"
"Aw, fuckbuckets." Her soured mood doesn''t slow the Banshee down, and she still steps forward with her two companion duplicates to engage with Lyman. The fencer ignores the others in order to focus on his primary opponent...much to his regret as one of the illusions plants its dagger into his neck. While it doesn''t immediately kill the experienced adventurer, it does have a slightly negative impact on his ability to parry Taly''s own blade, and a cry from Reed does little to prevent her from planting another dagger into Lyman''s chest.
Even with his dying breath however the man still does his best to accomplish his mission, and his left arm grabs on to Taly''s own to keep her from simply ducking away. Nalain and Reed are both moving to try and take advantage of that fact, but Tizzy beats them both, blasting the area with a wide-cone burst of magic. All three Taly''s are caught up in the attack, but while one simply ignores it two are sent flying - one of them minus an arm. Watching the two, Tizzy blinks at her own results. "There''s the real one, and a solid illusion! The real one''s the injured one, get the other before she swaps again!"
Sadly that suggestion arrives too late, and once again Norlash''s axe buries into the stone to no result. Nalain and Reed meanwhile focus on their more concrete opponent, and the heavily-injured Taly grins as she finds herself being teamed up on.
"Man, getting illusion spells was pretty neat, but I wouldn''t mind being a bit more durable...but hey, I got one of you pretty good, didn''t I?"
Reed shouts back as his thin blade thrusts forward. injuring the woman''s remaining arm. "You will pay for that! You killed my father, damn you! Prepare to die!"
Nalain''s sword takes one of Taly''s legs, and the Rogue nearly falls to the ground. She does still manage to look up though, and gives Reed one last smile. "Always am. But now...I suppose we''ll see what sort of man you are, Reed Blair."
The fencer''s only response is his blade through her left eye socket and then her brain, and the magical shadows dotting the arena begin to fade.
...But the fight isn''t yet over. Some of the shadows remain, and while half of the false Talys disappear as well, several remain fighting. Snorting, one of them even speaks. "Damn, leaving me in the middle of our team-up fight, Taly? You did get one though, suppose I oughtta at least try and match your score before I go. How about...you!" Turning to face Hylii, the false Taly suddenly dashes towards the mage - as does every other copy of the banshee. The mage is hardly defenseless, being quite effective with a blade of his own, but against nearly half a dozen women at once it does prove to be a bit much.
The elf scores the first hit on Taly, only to find that it''s not a hit at all a moment before a dagger slashes his side. Realizing that it''s no time for half-measures the man begins to cast every spell he has - focused on himself as the target. Speed boosts, skin hardening, perception enhancers, the man is left practically glowing as his body is covered in temporary runes. Rarely has the party seen him go all-out, and few seem to be more surprised than Taly as the mage turns on them - and starts winning.
Of course, ''winning'' is difficult when many of your blows have no impact at all. Yet despite the swapping power of the illusory opponent Hylii does actually score a few hits and finds to his delight that every copy gains an injury he manages to inflict on one. At the same time Taly''s blows on him have next to no effect, barely scratching his enhanced skin even when they get through his leather armor. Still, the man''s magical reserves can only sustain so many powerful spells for a short time, and it seems to be a race to see who runs out of endurance first.
Fortunately for Hylii, not every member of the party is engrossed in the fight. As Taly''s magical shadows begin to fade away Tizzy suddenly notices a static illusion on the wall, hidden atop one of the outcrops. Putting forth the extra effort to counter it, the illusion crumbles away to reveal that what appeared to be part of the rocky wall of the arena was in fact a gigantic, skull-decorated mirror. "...What the...wait, wasn''t there a mirror like this back in the lounge?"
One of the Talys turns back to see what she''s talking about, and sighs as she notices. "Well, in the words of my current role model...''aw, fuckbuckets''."
That''s all she has time for before a final blast from Tizzy shatters the giant mirror, and rather than just fade away, every remaining Taly suddenly shatters in the same way. The rest of the shadows soon clear up as well, and the appearance of a treasure chest indicates that the fight is finally over.
Not that it''s much consolation for Reed, crouched over the body of his father. Thaddeus soon joins him, and puts a hand on the young man''s shoulder as he offers what consolation he can. "Lyman was a brave man, Reed. You take after him in all the best ways."
The fencer nods, but his voice is cold as he responds. "I...I realize this isn''t the time for revenge, my prince, as we''re here to recover your ancestor, not destroy her. But I swear, I will not let her kill another of us."
Unseen and unheard, Guy ask a question of their employer. "I do hope Taly knew what she was doing. We''re rather committed now on eliminating young Reed, don''t you think?"
Xenia responds with a shrug. "We''ll see. There''s still a couple floors left to go...who knows what could happen next?"
Chapter 303: Judgment of the Valkyrie
As the party steps onto Floor Seven things once again seem almost normal. There''s no indication that the dungeon has once again looped the chambers as part of its bizarre ''board game'' test, and Prince Thaddeus rather doubts it would repeat that move again anyhow. Also, despite their losses so far including the recently fallen Lyman Blair, the prince still has high hopes for their success. The dungeon had awarded them ten more tokens for the previous fight, including one for Lyman''s contribution, yet had not provided extras for the second guardian which seems inconsistent. It had given them a second helping for the fight with DEATH and Trush, after all. As best as anyone could guess the issue was that the mirrored woman ''didn''t count'' as a guardian, for one reason or another.
Still, they''re up to sixty-six now and with three floor bosses, a core guardian, and possibly another wandering boss remaining, the last thirty-four shouldn''t be out of their reach. Seven party members are also...sufficient, for the task, he has to hope. The typical dungeon party was only four to six, after all. He''s even feeling confident enough that he hadn''t allowed Reed to wear his father''s dungeon charm, lest the already-injured man draw more bad luck upon himself. The most important consideration right now isn''t the team''s endurance but rather their morale, and so Thaddeus gives his group another brief floor-intro pep talk.
"Here we are again on Floor Seven. All of you have been here before, although many of you have not actually had the opportunity to fight Theolif''s Valkyrie in actual combat. It is a shame that Gerliari did not make it this far, as I imagine she would''ve made short work of the guardian. My heart also still aches with the loss of dear Lyman, who was one of our most experienced combatants. Our victory is still comfortably in our grasp, however. After all, Tizzy, did you and I not slay her even with Yulia literally stabbing Linda in the back? This time I expect her defeat to come all the sooner. Now, are all of you ready for our next challenge, or do we require further rest?"
For the most part the party turns to look at Reed rather than answer for themselves, but the young man simply nods with a focused look in his eyes. "My heart...also aches with the loss of my father, my lord. But I learned well fighting at his side, and I will not let you down."
The prince returns the nod before turning to face the room ahead, and silently keeps his doubts to himself. It''s a little funny, after all - the prince himself is twenty-eight, a mere two years older than Reed is. Yet the man always felt much younger considering the way he followed always at his father''s footsteps, taking his advice on every issue. He can only hope the man has the self-confidence to continue without a father figure to guide him. After all, Thaddeus would feel a little awkward having to step into that role for himself...
Even as these thoughts pass through his mind, the party easily identifies and slays the tiny crystalline mimics placed to greet new arrivals to the floor. The sprites and crystal fae in the following rooms are likewise exactly as Thaddeus remembers them, and with seven adventurers several of the rooms are cleared in a matter of seconds. Linda''s barriers easily block most of their attacks, and the other mages largely get to sit back and act as support as Thaddeus, Norlash, Nalain, and Reed eliminate each monster one by one.
Eventually the group again reaches the large upside-down ''forest'' in the center of the floor, and there''s noticeable sighs of relief at the confirmation that the dungeon hasn''t done something incredibly twisted to the environment. The prince has to smirk at the thought that a forest made of gemstones feels comfortably familiar to him, but takes on a serious expression before again addressing the group. "Alright, all. This is a section of the dungeon particularly known for its ambushes, so be on your guard. The Rabbit Knight often makes his appearance here, and I do not know for certain if the man can only face a team once in a day. Either way there are sure to be monsters hiding above, so be wary. Tizzy, keep your eyes open and shout out when you spot something."
"You got it, my lord!" The scout carefully leads the team forward, searching for any ''branches'' that might be moving in a threatening manner. Oddly enough she finds nothing at all, and it''s when they reach the midpoint of the large chamber that the amount of nothing becomes truly worrisome.
"Ah...Prince Thaddeus, my lord? I think...we have a problem."
"Completely unsurprising, at this point. But what''s the matter specifically, Tizzy?"
The half-imp points ahead. "The boss arena should be right in that direction - a big section sealed off by giant crystals, yeah? But it''s not there. I''m...not exactly sure which direction we ought to be heading in now."
Linda frowns as she looks for herself. "Well, the floor has to have an exit somewhere. Should we go and search over there regardless? But...where is the Valkyrie?"
That question is partially answered as a woman''s voice echoes through the massive chamber, bouncing off of the many crystals hanging overhead. "Interesting thing about ''boss arenas'', I am told. While most guardians need to be bound to a floor, the specific ''arena'' typically used is entirely optional. Or, in other words - the entire floor can be my arena."
Thaddeus curses as he raises his shield. "Dammit! The Valkyrie''s greatest strength is her flight and mobility, which the arena typically restrains! Watch above and to your flanks, she''s likely to try and soar at us from a blind angle!"
The woman in question does soar in, but comes to a halt in plain view a good forty feet from the nearest adventurer. "A good guess, princeling. But aside from mobility, there''s something else this arrangement grants me that I did not have in my prior engagements." Even at this distance and with her helmet covering most of her face, Thaddeus can still see the wide grin on the green-skinned elf''s face.
"Minions."
As if the word were a pre-determined signal, a reverberating sound of shattering passes through the ceiling above them. Linda quickly forms a magical dome above the group, worrying that perhaps the dungeon is about to bring the entire damned forest down atop their heads, yet there''s far fewer crystal shards pinging off of her defenses than she would expect. Peering upwards, the mage realizes that it''s perhaps only one in ten ''trees'' which were broken, and those seem oddly...hollow.
Her vision is then blocked as a large red glob of something splatters across her barrier spell. "What in the dark gods!?"
Tizzy is much quicker to recognize the threat. "Slimes! It''s raining slimes, people!" Sure enough, for a hundred feet in every direction large slimes are falling from the sky, and apparently left mostly uninjured by their impacts with the stony ground. They do splatter a little on landing, but after a few seconds of pulling themselves back together they orient themselves and march towards the adventurers at their center. They come in nearly every color of the rainbow, and Linda hazards a guess as to their full nature.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"They say the dungeon once used ''mana slimes'' as a boss monster on this floor, these may be weaker versions! Each is aspected to a different element, be on your guard!"
The group''s melee defenders circle around to provide a barrier against the slow-moving monsters, but unfortunately they don''t have much time to prepare before the guardian herself is soaring at them. Brightsky doesn''t stay around to fight, instead swooping by to swing her blade at Norlash before rising back into the air. The scratch she leaves on him is minor, but Nalain can see where this is going. "She''s going to try and wear us out with a thousand cuts while the slimes distract us! I''ll focus on her as long as you can keep the slimes off of me, alright?"
Thaddeus is tempted to claim the guardian for himself, but he can see the wisdom in the suggestion. Nalain''s heavy armor isn''t particularly useful against the slimes who have a weakness against agile opponents, but it should counter the Valkyrie''s current strategy of light wounds. "Agreed! We''ll thin their numbers and then focus on her after!"
Unfortunately the plan is easier said than done. Reed''s thin blade is useless against the slimes, and so the young fencer mostly only serves to act as a decoy, hopping between monsters as they attempt to trip him with tentacles or launch blobs of goo in his direction. Even Norlash''s heavy axe is of limited use, as these slimes are largely too massive to kill in a single blow, and the creatures close up their wounds fairly quickly between attacks. Thaddeus does what he can in their stead, using his enchanted boots to dash back and forth across the battlefield, amputating tentacles wherever they appear. A single lost limb isn''t enough to kill the monsters, but fully-removed slime is beyond their ability to recover and so the prince works his own version of the thousand-cuts strategy on them.
He could still use a little assistance, though. After Hylii finishes boosting Nalain to a level to where she can confidently intercept the Valkyrie''s attacks, the prince calls out for him. "Have you figured out anything useful for slimes, my friend?"
"It''s...complicated! As I said before, they barely have a body like my magics are used to. No skeleton, no internal organs. But...hrmm." The dark elf closes his eyes for a moment and concentrates. "These slimes do have mana pathways, and not nearly as complicated as the Floor Two guardian''s. I may be able to do something there..." Casting a spell towards an earth-aspected slime not far away, the man smiles as he watches the blob half-transform into stone and crystal, bringing its movements to a complete halt. "I can overload their pathways and cause them to misfire! Speaking of that though, do stay away from the fiery ones, a misfire there may still be...well, let''s see..."
He casts the same spell towards a brightly colored slime, and winces as the monster suddenly explodes from within. Thaddeus looks away as a bit of slime flies in his direction. "Yes...very effective. Good work, Hylii."
With a strategy in place the battle then begins in earnest, with each side struggling to see whose plan will prove the better. Even in such large numbers, the slimes aren''t truly much of a threat to the adventurers. Boss-level Mana Slimes might have been one thing, but the minion versions can barely cast a tiny fireball or weak bolt of lightning every minute, a rate of fire the mage''s barriers are more than able to withstand. Their speed isn''t much to worry about either, with only a few light impacts temporarily managing to trip up Reed or Norlash.
There are a lot of them however, and they''re difficult to kill even with Hylii''s discovery. That allows them to serve their purpose as a distraction for Brightsky, who doesn''t let up as she swoops down and down again on the party several times a minute. The boosted Nalain does manage to intercept many of her attacks, but on one occasion the guardian crashes right through Linda''s barrier and nearly takes her head, saved only by a panicked tackle from Tizzy which pulls the mage to the ground.
With Hylii spending most of his magic on exploding slimes his boosts on Nalain prove a little more short-lived than he may have intended, and certainly more so than Nalain herself was expecting. As she leaps to intercept the Valkyrie once again several of the spells wear off mid-jump, and the orc finds herself crashing to the ground on a twisted ankle. The unexpected nature of the motion is perhaps also the only thing that saves her, as Brightsky adjusts to take advantage of the warrior''s weakness and instead only manages to impact the orc''s helmet with her blade rather than the neck she was aiming for. It does serve to knock the orc entirely unconscious though, and Thaddeus quickly moves to intercept before Brightsky can finish her off.
As his blade locks with the elf''s, the man peers into her eyes as best as her helmet will allow. "Do you still intend to judge my companions and I, Valkyrie? To send us to your god? Or will you still not let your master here decide our fates?"
Brightsky grimaces in frustration. She''d lost her momentum in her attempt to slay the orc, and the slimes are already thinning out enough that her previous strategy''s not likely to last more than another minute or two anyhow. The adventurers only have a single solid ranged combatant in Tizzy and her arcane blasts, but she doesn''t wager good odds on her chances in a ranged battle. So perhaps it''s time to see if she can at least humble this whelp a little before the fight ends.
"Several of you have been judged already! Or have you not noticed the bodies of your fallen companions as you left them along the way? Did you think them random chance? Do you think the pitfall on Floor Two would have claimed just anyone who had pressed that button?"
As he trades blows with the elf, each of them searching for ways through the other''s defenses, Thaddeus frowns. "It''s no surprise that Xenia has been after something with all of these tests of hers. But all of this has been entirely unnecessary! We''re not her enemies! I am not even your enemy, Valkyrie, whatever crimes some of my followers may have once committed."
"Of course! You don''t want to do this. You''re just forced into it, by a silly woman who doesn''t understand that you know what''s better for her than she does! If only she would stop resisting, perhaps she would realize that you''re not so bad!" There''s a light in her eyes as Opal''s volume increases, a literal divine fire of retribution, and Thaddeus finds himself beginning to struggle to keep up with the strength of her blows. Fortunately the man does not fight alone, and spells from Tizzy and Linda begin to aid him as the local slime population faces extinction.
"That''s not - I''m not - damn you! I''m only asking to be heard! I have spent years seeking her out, lost dozens along the way! If I must be denied, then let it be by Xenia herself! The blood spilled will not be for nothing!"
The two turn into a flurry of silver, with armor and swords and shields glinting in the magical light of the floor as they battle. In the end it''s Brightsky''s wings that prove to be her undoing. The large appendages are easy targets for the party''s mages and while wounding the metal-clad limbs might be difficult, restraining them with barrier spells is much more practical. Without the ability to leap or dodge it comes down solely to Brightsky''s swordplay to counter the incoming blows, and eventually the woman leaves a gap in her defenses that Thaddeus immediately takes.
As the elf''s head falls to the floor, a satisfied grin finds its way to his face. Yet strangely enough, the shout that comes from Tizzy behind him is filled with panic and concern. "Thaddeus! Are you alright?"
"Of course Tizzy, thank you again for you aid, and Linda as well. Are the slimes all...oh." The prince feels for a moment that his shield arm is much too light, and as he looks down he realizes that his shield is now lying on the ground. As is the arm it was strapped to.
"...Oh. I see."