Worthy Core

DAY 774

"It certainly seems as if I picked an interesting time to become a monster, haven't I?" As Pizola sips from a cup of tea, Xenia shoots her newest guardian a smirk. The pair are sitting in Xenia's office at the moment but for casual reasons rather than for anything serious. Xenia had 'seen' the woman just yesterday at the all-hands meeting, but given that the new recruit had just gone through a major change in her lifestyle, the dungeon master felt the need to check in a little more closely than with her other employees.

In particular, Pizola's anatomy had gone through a radical change, perhaps more so than anyone else save Yulia and Sevastion - although in the opposite direction. Where Pizola had once trod the ground with eight spider-like legs, now two humanoid ones sit crossed on her seat. That's not to say that the former performer had lost all of her limbs however, as four more rest on her back, pulled in tight between her torso and the chair's backrest. As an 'Arachnos Champion' Pizola had traded away much of her old appearance, and even her face is barely recognizable between the lack of wrinkles and the now-bright pink hair that spills across it. Going by the smile on that face though, Xenia gets the impression the once-drider doesn't have many regrets.

"Yeah, not that I can say there's ever a good time. I do feel bad that I pulled you into all of this mess, though. If the Dragonlord is coming here then I've kinda painted a big ol' target on the place, and that means putting you in the crossfire." Xenia sits back, no beverage in her own hands due to the fact that she's currently immaterial. "There's...not much of anything I can do if you're having second thoughts about things, but if you've got any concerns I can help with, I'd be happy to hear them."

Pizola's response is a loud laugh. "Ahaha, oh, dear, no, I still feel as if I must thank you again! It did take me a little while to learn to properly walk again, yes, although these...instincts this body put into my head certainly helped. But once I was fully mobile again, oh my! No more pain in my knees, no...well, hells, forget about just wiping the slate clean! The power coursing through this new form of mine is practically intoxicating! I can leap twenty feet into the air! And I've hardly even begun to fully push myself! My arms are stronger than they've ever been, my eyesight is more than perfect, it's just...well, you know what it's like to be old, yes?"

Xenia chuckles and nods. While telling an exhaustive history of her many lives would have taken more time than they'd spent together so far, the reincarnator had given Pizola the basic gist of things. "Not as many times as I might've wished for, but I've made it there once or twice, yeah. And...yeah, there's maybe been moments where I was almost looking forward to moving on to my next round and getting a fresh start. Although I still hate being a baby. Fuckin' baby runs. I'd take being a senior citizen over that. I didn't usually get a fresh start that came with superpowers, though."

"Indeed." Pizola gives Xenia a knowing smile as she sips her tea, before adding another comment. "And Lollyp, former senior-slime herself, has been happy to expound on the...additional benefits that being 'young' and a member of this dungeon include."

Xenia quickly does a scan on her recent memories involving Lollyp, and winces. "...Oh, yeah, she told you about the, uh...open friends-with-benefits thing some of us have going on here? Honestly, I suppose I should consider it an improvement that she didn't run in to make it part of the initial sales pitch! I always gotta give the same disclaimer, though - that ain't any sort of requirement, and as your boss I sure as hell don't wanna put any pressure on folks. It's less of a thing these days, anyhow. Parker's happily married, and Yulia and Sevastion...I mean, y'all can probably guess why I'm not pulling them into anything like that. If you wanna take things at your own pace...or look for hookups in the lounge, instead, that's totally fine."

"Oh, I don't believe it's an offer to dismiss in the least. I've had many a lover in my time, and not nearly enough in recent years for my tastes. And as a traveling performer, I know all about managing the drama involved with...workplace romances. If anything, I thought perhaps I might ask you for recommendations on where to begin."

Xenia blinks in response, not expecting her newest hire to be quite so forward. "Is...is that so, eh? I, uh...well, you prefer the guys or the gals? Of course, with monster bodies folks aren't locked in, and...hell, if you want to try out something different..." She trails off, not entirely sure where she was going with that. Pizola seems enticed by the suggestion regardless, however.

"Well, that is an interesting idea. I suppose I prefer men for lovers, although perhaps ironically I've had more women in my bed over the years. Something about the company I keep, I suppose. As for changing my body again...we'll put that aside for now. Wouldn't want to spoil all my new toys right away, now would I? Seems I have quite a tenure still ahead of me."

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Pizola's expression is still one of collected cool, and Xenia finds herself feeling somewhat flushed in comparison to it. "Well, I know Trush is always open to...well, y'know. And honestly, if you wanted to spend time with some of your Floor Ten sidekicks...I mean, some folk might find it a lil strange, but Trush sure does it often enough...uh! Anyhow!" Xenia slaps her palms onto her thighs. "As much as I'd love to spend my time planning parties or dates, we probably do have more serious stuff to talk about."

The Weaver adjusts in her seat, looking a little more focused. "Do we? Is this about Floor Ten, perhaps? I have enjoyed playing announcer for the handful of times I've had the opportunity, but I haven't yet had the chance to face Challengers in combat. I do feel that I'm fully adapted to this new body though, so I'm rather looking forward to the chance."

"As long as Challengers are still running the dungeon, we'll keep things business as usual, so I'm sure someone will get by the Miserables sooner or later." Xenia sighs. "Unfortunately, all that hard work Guy and Sincere and I put into setting up the puzzles and trials for the third section of the floor feels...wasted, now. If a war is coming to our doorstep, I don't wanna face it with footraces and mind games."

"You're worried that the Dragonlord intends to attack us directly? Sending teams into the dungeon?" The performer considers the possibility. "I can see why you would want something with a few more pointy edges involved. Although you may be underestimating the power of 'mind games'. You designed those challenges specifically to be non-lethal...but there's nothing that means they have to stay that way. Warriors who have trained to bring down castle walls may perhaps be stymied by defenses of a less usual type. Besides, as an illusionist, I'm well suited to playing a more...direct role in things than other guardians. I believe I could easily sneak around a bit and have some mischief before they find my arena."

"Perhaps...some of it's definitely gonna have to get redrawn, though. Hell, I'm probably going to need to come up with alternate designs for damn near the entire place." Xenia summons herself a piece of paper and begins drawing a layout of Floor Ten on it. "I think...I might take out the Rogue-types we've been staffing that section with and replace them with Mages. Particularly illusionists. Really reinforce that strength of yours there, to help keep people guessing. Maybe add in some mimics?"

"I understand yours are still a little weak, yes? But with illusions helping to hide them even more so than usual, perhaps they could still play some role. Of course, even in war, I hope we don't intend to completely forego the power of showmanship."

Xenia raises an eyebrow at the spiderwoman. "You've, uh. Never fought in a war, right?"

"Too grim for my tastes. I think there's a few things I could add to the occasion should I find myself in one, though."

"And...what would that be, exactly?"

Pizola sits back in her chair for a bit and taps her finger on the armrest, mind in thought before she answers. "...Draconics and demons."

"You would...add draconics and demons? I think the Dragonlord's beat you to the punch there."

The performer shakes her head. "No, that's what I mean. At Floor Ten, we would be facing the Dragonlord's elite. For muscle, that's the draconics, for magic, it's the demons. Slimes don't advance that far, and kobolds get pushed into making up the majority of the traditional army. While I haven't fought in a war, my parents did, and I've heard tale of the Domain's tactics." Her hand moves to her lips. "There's many powerful demon mages in the Domain...perhaps relying too heavily on magic defenses like illusions would be a weakness. Unless..."

Xenia leans forward. "Unless what?"

Pizola smiles. "Well, I've heard about the strengths of the Domain's soldiers, but also their weaknesses. And pride is ever the fatal flaw of the elite..."

DRAGON'S JAW

As his magically-enchanted armor propels him into the fancy office of Cerise Darktouched, Dave looks around in a bit of confusion. "Uh, reporting for duty, ma'am! Although I'm not seeing Lyota here? Been busy as hell in this tower lately though, people zooming left and right all over! Maybe she got held up in traffic?"

The succubus sitting behind the desk seems pretty busy herself, although it shows in her eyes rather than her motions. "Lyota won't be joining us today, Dave. Things are a bit busy, but your transport for the next mission will be handled by another agent."

Dave's skinless face still manages to look a little nervous as he takes a seat in front of the desk. "Uh, some newbie? Honestly, I'd rather keep working with Silverstar if I could, yeah? I mean...the heat's getting turned up lately! There's snipers watching the skies now, more guards around the dungeons...if it comes to it, I promise I'll even cut down on the puns!"

That manages to catch Cerise's attention. "Well, now I know you like her, if you want her back that much. But this isn't your usual mission. In fact, we're done with the previous phase of stone transfers. There were a few dungeons still on our list, but...we'll have to set those aside for now. Matters have accelerated."

"Must have, going by all the kobolds I saw running around out there. What's going on?"

The demon sits up straight, staring directly into Dave's empty eye sockets. "The Domain will soon be going to war. The colonial powers will soon be brought to heel, and this continent will once again be truly the Domain of the Dragonlord, in deed as well as in name."

"Oh!" The animated skull considers that for a moment. "So, uh...I'm being drafted? Do I at least get to join a cool skeleton army? I always wanted to be in one of those."

"You're not joining the army, but we do have a mission for you. One that will fulfill a different wish of yours, I believe." Cerise reaches into a desk drawer and pulls out a bottomless bag, which she sets atop her desk.

"We need you to deliver a message."