Worthy Core

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."

"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..."