Worthy Core

"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?"

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..."