The Tower of Passion

The susurration of the tall grass was all that filled Fiona's ears as she stepped through, her party members quickly filing in around her.
"This is rude to short people" Liddy immediately said, with a resounding agreement from Annabelle. The tall grass surrounding them reached to Fiona's chest, far above the two shortest party members.
"It does make it easy for you to hide - I am afraid I stick out and make an easy target." Qae said as she looked around the endless grass plains, stretching in every direction.
"Oh yeah - death from below." Liddy did a backflip-kick, seemingly happy with this new angle of viewing her issue.

"Qae - I thought you'd say the sy-" Fiona's question was shut off immediately by the system interrupted her with their party's requirements for this floor, almost exactly as Qae had expected them.

 

"Right. It's pretty much what you said Qae." Fiona looked at the messaging - it didn't seem they would select who to befriend on this screen.
Open floor quests would have quests, sometimes specific sometimes vague. Some floors always had the same, some were random - some, like the fifth, even the location of the exit portal was specific to each party. The tower liked to have different options it, seemed.

"Good," Qae said having read the quest. "I believe in some cases skipping the optional items will be best for us, with our renewed focus to climb - however, I believe Fiona's abilities could be used on this floor." She was deep in thought, the rest of the party ignoring the unsaid meaning of that. 
"The Earthen are fifteen-foot tall earth elementals - unsuitable, I would imagine. Unless?" She looked at Fiona, who shook her head. She had to have SOME limits. SOME dignity. Although if it's an elemental they could probably shape things - no. No.
"Unsuitable."
"Shame - I believe they would give you strength, while Thunderers are likely strength or dexterity. They are still worth seeking out, they will likely help us find the portal as well. Let us set out with that Aim." She hefted her weapons.
"And what about the Thunderers - What are they?" Fiona asked, having volunteered to fuck one of them at some point soon.
"They are suitable." 

And with that, the dragon queen started walking through the tall, undulating grass, taking point position with Fiona and Liddy diagonally behind her on either side, Annabelle in the middle and Ash - temporarily leash-less, but still wearing Fiona's choice - taking up the rear, her cannon loaded with a basic round.

It turned out that walking through tall grass in heavy armour was better than a beach, but not by too much. Qae was struggling, pushing through the vegetation as it caught in the gaps of her armour, causing tugs with every step.
"We can take it slower..." Fiona started, looking around the plains. Nothing had changed for an hour. It was grass. And more grass. "We don't even know which direction."

"We can not slow down - and I am certain it is this way." Qae huffed, Fiona thought she could hear the uncertainty in her voice, but only cause she had heard the woman talk a lot the last few days. Particularly about things she was incredibly confident about - and this... Was different.

"There will be something - eventually. The dungeon does not let us flounder." The stubborn dragon kept going forward, Fiona without a better suggestion let her and the party followed. Waiting for whatever something the dungeon would have in store for them, on high alert.

The alert lowered to a medium, and then a low, and then a constant demonstration and discussion of Ash's various toys that she would pull out one by one and show to the group who, other than Qae, had decided this was most certainly the wrong direction. 
"How did you ever get an enchantment like that?" Liddy said, holding a fairly sizeable toy in red and black covered in soft, squidgy bumps and divided into three segments. With an arcane command whispered, each segment would start spinning and pulsing slightly in size, at different speeds and intensities.

"Promise of demonstration." Ash said, nonchalantly, as Liddy snickered.
"Good pet, I knew you would show off for everyone. Maybe at camp?" Fiona whispered, smiling as she saw the woman shuddered. The fox's praise kink had been a very welcome surprise for Fiona, and she took advantage of it at any moment she could. Her reactions would always make her smile.
"Once the dragon gives up for the day, can I try-" Annabelle started, just as the Paladin in front gave a sharp hushing sound. The only one who seemed to remember they were on an unsafe floor.

A strange clicking noise, followed by sporadic chirps sounded from somewhere beyond. Qae signalled for Fiona and Ash to bend down, hidden in the grass, as the noises came closer and closer. A swooshing grass, and buzzing of wings added to it as they waited in hiding.
"Thunderers?" Fiona asked quietly, as Qae shook her head, the buzzing noise getting louder and louder until it sounded like it was coming from everywhere around them.

They were all looking around, worried, as the noise intensified, a short burst of buzzing followed by a loud thud before the buzz restarted. Qae's eyes suddenly went wide as she stepped quickly to the side, just before an enormous claw skewered the earth just where she had stood. 

Strange alien bug eyes viewed the group, mandibles chittering as large insect wings fluttered before another claw shot out and was blocked by Qae's shield.

A mantis. A ten-foot tall mantis. If there was anything Fiona was terrified - if there was any creature she didn't want to fight supersized.  But was claw reared up to strike her friend again, she shook off her immediate shock and charged in.

A black flame explosion hit as Ash fired into the creature's thorax, while Fiona and Liddy dodged legs stabbing down and flailing claws. A dark shadowy spike pierced through one leg and the creature screeched, mandibles chittering into the sky.

It rushed towards Annabelle with a buzz of wings, but Liddy used [Spirit Step] to bring Qae and her tower shield in place just in time. Another two shots rung out, small black flame explosions around the wing of the creature eliciting another shriek as Fiona's hammer finally made contact with one spindly leg, the creature buckling under its own weight.

Fiona spun again, crushing through another leg at the same time Liddy, Timmy and a Chompy did their dance of death, chakrams spinning wildly as the spirits' abilities empowered the team.

The creature was flailing, no more targeted attacks as the remaining legs unable to support it stabbed wildly around, big claws trying to grab hold of Qae, Annabelle and Ash and bring them to the murderous mandibles. Liddy climbed onto the creature's back, as the two ranged attackers pestered the enormous insect with shots and bolts of black death.

Fiona thought that they had handled this perfectly until the creature shrieked again, buzzing surrounding them again followed by a soft thumping sound. 

The first mantis slowing down, on its last legs was joined by three more of its kind - smaller, duller coloured. But still towering over the party - and Fiona could hear more thumps and buzzes further afield.

"This is not ideal" Qae spun around as the first larger mantis stopped moving, just slightly twitching. "I'll try to distract two of them - Fiona, Liddy, can you manage one?" 

Fiona nodded, as she flexed her powerful leg muscles and pushed into the ground sprinting towards the one insect off to the side. "Everyone rush this one!" She shouted as bolts, bullets and Chompy the spirit shark flew over her head towards her target.

Fiona leapt, hammer over head waiting to crush down onto the creature's abdomen. But she never landed - snatched out of the air by a fourth mantis coming up behind her.

"FIONA!" Liddy shouted as the strong claw squeezed Fiona's ribcage, another plucking the mace out of her grip, slowly bringing her up to the chattering mandibles, alien eyes twitching as it looked at her. The thudding louder and louder.

But no buzzing. Just... Thud. Thud. Thud.

Louder and Louder.

Almost like thunder.