Dungeons and Dalliances Ch. 070-079

That was true. Ninety percent of the student base was filthy rich, and if not that, sponsored by people who were.

So by that regard, they were as well off as anyone.

3.14 - Gear

"You're really so lucky," Sammy tsked. "Having an upperclassmen willing to help you sort out your gear situation? Give advice? Especially in the same role?"

"It's a big ask, I know," Natalie said. "But consider this ... I'll pay you back?"

"I will take you up on that, frosh. I'll put that mouth to work."

"Tonight?"

"I could be convinced," Sammy said, grinning. "So. I can spare an hour. And did you know Tenet logs 'mentoring' as community work? So I'm not being wholly selfless."

"How does that work?"

"Just gotta have you confirm it. It's easy."

"How much?"

"Oh, I don't know. One and a half thousand an hour, or something like that."

"Thousand?!"

"That's not much, frosh. Not for a third-year. A single second-tier monster core and change."

Second-tier. Natalie had half-way forgotten that Sammy was a mid-ranker. By the standards of the typical delver, she was blazing through her progression. Most delvers, by a large majority, never made it to the upper ranks; their career ended in mid-rank. One way or another—often times the violent one.

Her quick advancement was expected from a woman with two years experience in one of the most prestigious academies on the planet. She obviously made faster pace than 'the average delver'. She approached what most people's careers would peak at in a tenth the time. Years instead of decades.

"Well," Natalie said. "I'm glad you can turn a profit off me, then."

"Thanks. But don't think that'll get you out of tonight. Like I said, I'm putting that mouth to work."

"Like I said," Natalie returned, "I'd be upset if you didn't."

Sammy laughed. "Okay. Break it down for me, then. What do you have, what's your situation in your party, and any important details to your class."

"Personal questions, don't you think?"

Sammy poked Natalie's shoulder. "Can hardly advise you on how to gear up without them. Besides," she said, smirking, "we've done a lot more personal, haven't we?"

"You have ravished me and stolen my innocence," Natalie said thoughtfully.

"The other way around!"

"So I guess I can trust you. What I have. Let's see..."

***

Natalie / Level 1

Paladin of Lust

Stats

Furor: F

Tenacity: F+

Prowess: F-

Gear

Weapon Slot 1: <Ironstrike Hammer>

Weapon Slot 2: <Wooden Shield>

Equipment Slot 1: <Unused>

Equipment Slot 2: <Unused>

Equipment Slot 3: <Unused>

Equipment Slot 4: <Unused>

***

***

Ironstrike Hammer

Common

Lv. 1

Effects

- Solid Grip. Reduced likelihood of losing weapon during combat.

- Minor increase to physical Tenacity.

Description

A simple and reliable one-handed hammer.

***

***

Wooden Shield

Common

Lv. 1

Effects

- Sturdy.

- Lightweight.

- Minor increase to magical Tenacity.

Description

A basic, durable wooden shield with a rusty metal band running along the outer edge.

***

"Just two pieces," Natalie admitted. "Ten monster cores doesn't buy you much of anything." Weapons tended to be more expensive than gear, too, so it had only stretched to two items.

She explained to Sammy the hammer and shield she'd gotten. She had also geared up with mundane pieces of armor, using the monster cores provided by Tenet, but the magical pieces were the meaningful ones. Especially as she progressed, mundane armor would be practically worthless.

"So you opted for both weapon slots," Sammy commented.

"Not a good idea?"

"Didn't say that." Sammy pursed her lips as she considered, then she shrugged. "It's fine. Like you said, ten cores doesn't go far. Two minor bonuses to tenacity. Going heavy on defense, then?"

"To start with."

"Obviously, a safe choice for a tank."

"But not ideal?"

"It depends," Sammy said, "on the rest of what I asked. So spill it."

Natalie briefly described her class—the practical parts of it—and the role she intended to fill in her team. Without a consistent squad formalized, she couldn't say for sure, but since Sofia and Jordan were anchors, she knew she would serve as a support tank more than an aggressive one. They had physical offense to spare.

"Yeah," Sammy said. "Heavy defense is fine, then. Maybe I would've gone even heavier, instead of a hammer. But like I said, it's fine. Not like it matters in the long run."

And the long run was the reason she'd come to Sammy. "Four gear slots to fill. What should I look for first?"

"Some kind of breastplate is the obvious one," Sammy said. "Or any torso armor. Chainmail, whatever. You want that big tenacity boost. But finding one with a nice side bonus is important. For you, some kind of magic boost would be nice. Magical furor? Casting haste? Even bonus mana. Lots of good choices. Really, finding something good for the price is the important part, at your level."

"Higher up, that changes?"

"More about finding the perfect pieces," Sammy agreed, "not the budget ones." She blushed. "Not that I'm that high through the levels, or rich, so price definitely still matters. But baby-delvers need to get kitted out as soon as possible, not worry about the exact details."

Natalie nodded along. "And where does fashion fit into all of this?"

Sammy gave her an amused look. "You're one of those?"

"What's the point in winning if you can't look stylish?"

"You're messing with me."

"Me? I'm all about fashion."

"Honestly, it's kind of sad how many delvers do have matching armor sets. Had to have sacrificed efficiency." She shrugged. "At the same time, having good gear matters—a lot—but nitpicking minor boosts and effects isn't what makes a delver. Bad with perfect gear, still bad with great gear."

"So that's permission to prioritize style?"

"You're insufferable."

Natalie laughed. "Okay. So, chest armor first. Then what?"

"For you? Some kind of heavy mage gear. Whatever's applicable."

"Wizard hat?"

"It'd be an interesting look."

"And the last two?"

"I'd recommend boots, actually," Sammy said. "Footwork is important for a tank, same as a fighter and rogue. Maybe more. Since you're always being focused, it's important to have solidity. Not be knocked down. Like that grip effect you have with your hammer—similar ones are on boots to help stay on your feet."

Natalie bobbed her head. "Chestplate, boots, wizard hat. And the last one?"

"Those are just suggestions," Sammy said pointedly. "And please, no wizard hat. I don't advocate for style, but only to an extent. Some outfits are too criminal to take into public. Plus, the goal for your level is to find whatever's good for the price. As your class develops, what you need'll change, anyway. Plus this is just my opinion. So don't take it as gospel, or anything."

"Noted."

"But last piece ... hm. Going for full defense, obviously a big piece of lower armor. Focusing more on your magecraft, then another trinket—necklace, bracelet, whatever suits you. Some utility items are nice." Sammy shrugged. "There's really so many choices. When you actually have a budget, we can talk details. Check out the Exchange together."

"You'd do that?"

"Like I said, I can bill it under 'mentoring'. Get some credits out of it." A grin. "And, of course, you'll have to show thanks yourself."

Natalie smiled back. Obviously, she was more than happy to.

She hesitated.

"You know," Natalie said. "We haven't really talked about us."

Sammy blinked.

"I feel like what we have going on is obvious," Natalie said, "but maybe letting it be implied isn't the smartest?"

Sammy looked at Natalie, concerned. "Oh ... I, um. We're just having fun, right?"

Natalie relaxed. She'd been pretty sure she had read their interactions correctly, but they were becoming somewhat involved with each other, their dalliances happening every other day or so. And while Natalie liked Sammy a lot, she didn't consider them girlfriends, or even working toward it, really. Sammy was sweet and straightforward, and more than that, their relationship wasn't complicated. But they were just having fun.

"Friends with benefits?" Natalie suggested.

"Mentor and student with benefits," Sammy corrected. "Remember your place, frosh."

"So you're my sex teacher."

"W-Well, that's a bit much."

Natalie laughed, bumping shoulders with Sammy, and the blonde girl smiled back.

3.15 - Creativity

Days ticked by, and the daily routine of Tenet, while packed, became comfortable and nearly repetitive. Not that repetitive was bad. Repetitive was how practice became instinct, and well-honed instincts kept delvers alive.

Natalie, Sofia, and Jordan delved after class each day. None were as interesting as the first. They'd lucked into an amazing set-up with Ana and Liz. The other mages and healers they found to trial were, while competent, as all Tenet students, not remotely as skilled or as good of a fit as the first team.

The delves were less interesting in other ways, too. Namely, the stickier sort of encounter Natalie had gotten into near the end. Though that had been ... fun ... she was glad it wouldn't be an every-day thing. She was starting to accept—even enjoy—the stranger parts of her class, but that didn't mean she wanted every delve to end with a body-shaking orgasm, writhing in the grip of dozens of powerful vines. Or whatever else the dungeon could cook up.

Especially because it would get rather hard to explain, rather fast. Not just disappearing via trap—or worse, it happening in the open—but the rewards she would have to sneak out. At least, until she brought her team into the loop.

Both Ana and Liz had no shortage of teams to trial for, though Liz much more so than Ana. Healers were valuable, doubly so competent ones, and triply so ones with the surname Beaumon. Though circumstances of birth didn't matter as much at Tenet as the greater world, they still mattered, with connections opening and closing doors someone like Natalie could never manage on her own.

Not to mention, Tenet was only a four year institution. When they graduated, having made allies in the form of the royal family would be, to say the least, a valuable asset.

So, almost every open team wanted Liz. She might not be joining them. Natalie hoped she did, but she had to admit it was unlikely. Then again, maybe? Natalie planned on asking Liz about it, today. Since it was the second last day before the weekend, she only had one more trial, and had delved with two other teams. Whether she wanted to join Natalie's group should be mostly solidified.

Spars were as interesting as always, being Natalie's favorite part of the day, barring the obvious: after-class delves. And, uh, the other practical experience-earning encounters her class demanded of her, with Jordan and Sammy. But favorite academic part.

Unfortunately, there was a downside to sparring class. Or not exactly a downside. Just something Natalie hadn't a clue how to deal with.

"Think it's a coincidence?" Camille asked. "How our class has most of the better students, and so does theirs?"

Camille had 'made friends' with Natalie. Being the woman Natalie was almost certain had caught her in the restroom, using an illusion of Tess to put on a show, Camille's presence was, to say the least, awkward. Even a week later, the knowing smirks she sent Natalie's way made her face heat up. Natalie didn't know if she should confront her or just ignore the teasing. The latter was easier in the short-term, and with how much she had on her plate, it had been what she'd chosen.

Though she didn't need to tolerate Camille herself, just the awkward circumstances of what she knew, and how she apparently liked tormenting her. Barring that, the dark-haired woman was a competent mage, had interesting insight, was one of the few low-borns like Natalie herself,. Moreover, she was gorgeous and fun to talk with—when the topic didn't turn to how 'interesting' Natalie's illusions were, and whether she'd ever 'gotten creative' with them.

Natalie had even offered for Camille to trial with them, but she already had a team. Apparently, she was strictly aligned under House Gylver, and her patroness had organized a team in her stead with little choice on her part. So, lowborn, but not connectionless. Natalie, Sofia, and Jordan were likely close to unique in that regard. Like Camille, they'd qualified by raw talent alone, no extraneous factors, but unlike Camille, and most other lowborns at Tenet, they'd done so without being noticed. From the far south of Valhaur, no-where land to put it generously, they'd snuck past any major house's attention. Or even minor house.

"Coincidence?" Natalie echoed. "Probably not. I get the feeling Tenet picked classes carefully. How else would me, Jordan, and Sofia be together?"

"Bigger picture than that, even," Camille said. "Not just putting people who know each other together, but it seems like the good classes have all the talent, and the bad classes ... well. Don't. Remember yesterday?"

Natalie wrinkled her nose. She didn't like laying down a blanket statement like 'everyone from yesterday was terrible', but it was true.

For the past week, Instructor Robin had had them sparring against students from other classes. Internal fights only did so much, since it didn't take long to learn each other's abilities. The primary benefit from fighting other students was the variance in skillsets, the same as found down in the dungeon, and thus a growing capability to adapt to an unknown opponent.

"They weren't the best," Natalie agreed.

"But today." Camille whistled. "Class twelve."

Today's opponents were a different matter. For maybe the first time, they were, as a whole, losing. Not that these fights were really about winning or losing, but Natalie suspected everyone kept track. She wouldn't say she had enormous class pride, but she'd been noting each of her classmate's performances, and the class as a whole, and had been satisfied after spars each day, seeing them come out as an overall victor.

"They're the ones to watch for, if I had to guess," Natalie said.

"To put it lightly. Bet the top list is gonna be half full of them. Guess it makes sense, too. They have Elida and Johanna."

"Elida and Johanna?"

Camille gave her an odd look.

It gave her a flashback to Sammy—when Natalie had demonstrated her cluelessness to the 'political situation' at Tenet.

"They're important, I'm taking it," Natalie said dryly.

"Maybe you should spend less time practicing with your illusions," Camille said, "and more on learning who the best students of the year are."

Natalie's cheeks colored. Like usual, Camille made it obvious she knew what had happened in the restroom, but never pointed it out directly. Always layered in innuendo. But to her actual point—"I'm more focused on my own business."

She realized her mistake a second too late. A grin split Camille's face.

"Yes," Camille leered. "You're very occupied with yourself. I'm well aware."

"Shut up." By instinct, she went on the offensive. "And for someone talking about this so much, I'm starting to think you're just as creative with your spells."

Camille blinked at her. "With my spells? How?"

Bizarrely, the confusion seemed genuine. Natalie flushed even deeper. "Your vines and stuff. Please." She was a plant-based mage, and Natalie had learned first-hand how that could be ... employed in certain ways.

"My vines?"

"You're fooling no one."

Slowly, Camille pieced it together. Her mouth fell open. "Are you suggesting what I think you are?"

Mortifyingly, Natalie was pretty sure Camille really hadn't ever considered it. To be fair, Natalie's mind had only gone there because of the encounter down in the dungeon.

Face crimson, Natalie turned away and crossed her arms.

"You really have an imagination," Camille said, shaking her head. "I aspire to it. Maybe I will aim for some creativity."

"Elida," Natalie said, trying not to let that image linger. "Who is she?"

"Don't try to change the topic. Any specific suggestions?"

"Elida," Natalie repeated firmly.

"Maybe you want to come help? Teach me? A lesson from mage to mage?"

Natalie froze.

Camille laughed, and before Natalie could respond, she'd moved on. Maybe too quickly, and with her own pink tint to her cheeks, as if the last sentence had gone too far, slipped out by accident.

"Elida Parda-Halt," Camille said. "Third daughter to Ardell Parda-Halt. You seriously don't know her?"

3.16 - The Competition

For a brief moment, Natalie considered turning the conversation back to Camille's offer. But she wasn't sure it had been genuine, and when it came to Camille's endless teasing, it was better to not give her more fuel. So instead, she dropped it.

"I really don't," Natalie said. "I know who House Parda-Halt is, though."

"I would hope so," Camille said, giving her another odd look. "Anyway, there's not a Parda-Halt out there who isn't a prodigy. Won't be surprised if she's at the top of the class. As in, top-top. Number one."

"Which one is she?"

"Red hair. Over there."

A few sparring pads away, Natalie saw who Camille pointed at. With long red hair, the same vibrant color as Natalie's, and piercing green eyes, Natalie placed the woman in an instant. "Oh," she said. "She's in my barracks."

"Poor you."

"Poor me?"

"She hasn't been awful?"

"Haven't exchanged two words with her."

"Suggest you keep that up."

"Why?" Natalie had formed an immediately poor impression of the woman, because her first experience had been Elida giving a mocking, disdainful look toward Liz, clearly finding her sociable chatter as ... Natalie didn't know. Childish? Embarrassing? She supposed she was making assumptions. And that had been a while ago, and a rather minor incident, but now that Natalie liked Liz, the event bothered her more. Still, she wanted to hear Camille's thoughts on the matter.

"Always a good policy to keep thirty feet away from any Parda-Halt. Bunch of snakes, them." She grimaced. "Don't tell her I said that, though. Or anyone. My house is technically on good footing with hers."

Which made the point even stronger. "That bad, then?"

"Haven't talked to her," Camille admitted. "But really. Parda-Halt."

Natalie knew Parda-Halt had a poor reputation. Not more than a century ago, they'd tried to overthrow the monarchy. It spoke to their cunning their House hadn't collapsed for the failure. Hatred obviously lingered between Beaumon and Parda-Halt. Since Natalie had made friends with Liz, and Elida hadn't set a great impression in the first place, it was obvious which side of the line Natalie stood on for that rivalry. Not that she 'stood' in any meaningful capacity; she was a nobody.

"Huh," Natalie said. "And Johanna? I think Liz has mentioned her." She was pretty sure she'd heard the name once or twice.

"Not surprised," Camille said. "They're probably best friends. Johanna Valeria?"

"Ah," Natalie said. House Valeria and Beaumon were inseparable. Valeria had effectively led the military for generations; they were the Beaumon family's right hand. "Don't think Liz's talked about her that much, though." Then again, Natalie had hardly spent any significant amount of time with Liz. They'd made friends, but not to any deep degree. "She's in class twelve, too?"

"Over there," Camille said. "Blondie with the short hair."

Natalie placed her in a moment. She was in a two-on-two spar against Sofia. Johanna Valeria looked like a military woman. The effect was amplified by being in active combat, but her short hair, carved-from-stone expression, and powerful build radiated "soldier". She filled out the Tenet uniform in a way not many others did—and that was saying something, considering where they were.