Worthy Core

"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.

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."