Worthy Core

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..."

"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."