Dungeons and Dalliances Ch. 080-089

3.19 - Reveal

While the smaller after-class delves had acquainted them to delving, they were, ultimately, shallow representations of what delving truly was. The mechanics were the same, but the depth--and true challenges--were found in longer runs.

This trip, they would almost certainly be tracking down a boss. Maybe even they would find a stairway into the second floor. They weren't so reckless they'd go far into it, if so, but maybe they'd try their hand at an encounter or two. Though difficult, a single second-floor fight shouldn't be out of their reach.

Before they set off into the city proper and began their adventure, though, Natalie had things she needed to discuss with her team. It was a talk she wasn't looking forward to, but, to quiet her nagging morality, she had to see it through.

She pulled them aside, away from the busy Tenet pathways, so they had some privacy. Jordan gave her a sympathetic look. She knew what Natalie intended to broach. They'd talked it through together. At least Natalie would have her support.

"So," Natalie said. "Before we head out, there's something I need to tell all of you."

She addressed Ana and Liz more than Sofia. Sofia already knew, in broad strokes, about her class, and that was one of the things Natalie needed to clear the air about. Though, Sofia wasn't aware of the theft--one of the other big topics.

Natalie took a deep breath, then said, "First, let me say that I'm sorry. I didn't intend to keep it a secret forever, and after I explain, I hope you'll agree that I had some justifications. But that doesn't make it right, either."

Liz and Sofia watched her curiously, eyebrows raising at the introduction. Ana, on the other hand, kept her typical blank face. Which was unfortunate. Natalie suspected she wouldn't get many hints on what the stoic woman thought of this whole scenario. Liz, at least, wore her emotions on her sleeve, and Sofia, Natalie had experience reading.

"Remember our first delve?" Natalie asked. "How it ended? The trap."

"You did steal a monster core," Ana said.

Natalie winced. Ana was as sharp as always--and in being so, was ruining the build-up which could possibly have made her look less like a terrible teammate.

"I'm getting there," Natalie said.

Liz's eyes widened at the confession, and Sofia's eyebrows raised further. Thankfully, neither looked immediately upset. They were willing to give her a chance to explain.

"I have a weird class," Natalie said. "Let's start with that. Like, really weird. For a few reasons. You know how paladins have aspects?"

Some of the surprise morphed to interest.

"Mine's lust." She winced at just stating it like that, but there wasn't much more lead-up she could do. "And that 'trap' wasn't really a trap. It was more of an encounter."

Which was going to be even more awkward to explain.

"I'd rather not spell out the exact details," Natalie said, face heating up, "but yeah. I felt I needed to tell you, since the dungeon reacts to everyone's classes, and that's the kind of info you might want. In case it pulls you into something similar. An encounter that... I don't know, resonates with my aspect. Like it did for me."

Liz and Sofia's expressions turned into incredulity of what Natalie was implying. Even Ana seemed perplexed.

Natalie took a breath in, then rummaged out and held up proof for what she was saying: the monster core with the [Spirit of Infertility] stored inside it.

"I didn't sneak it out because I was greedy," Natalie said. "I just didn't know how to explain it. And I didn't want to talk about my class when we weren't even officially teammates. But I get all of that's just excuses."

She winced.

"And I would still like to keep it. It's, um, useful for my class. Which is why it was hand-delivered to me, I think."

"So the mural from the puzzle room," Ana said. "That was targeted toward you as much as me."

Natalie found it odd, if relieving, that that was what Ana chose to focus on, instead of everything else. Sofia and Liz, she wasn't so lucky. By their expressions, they were still digesting the implications of what an 'encounter influenced by Natalie's aspect' meant.

"Maybe?" Natalie said. "At least partially, yeah. Probably."

Sofia turned to Jordan. "You knew."

"After the fact," Jordan said. "But yes. She told me."

Nobody seemed surprised at that.

Sofia rubbed her forehead. She looked back to Natalie, seeming bewildered. "Well," she said. "I understand the why behind the subterfuge, at least, even if I'm not pleased about it."

"I'd, um, not want to go shouting about it, either," Liz laughed, bemused. A dusting of pink had settled onto her cheeks. She was clearly embarrassed by the reveal. "Sheesh. An encounter. You're really not going to tell us what that means?"

Natalie's own blush deepened. "I think you've put the basics together. I'd rather not get into the details."

"If your class prompts such events from the dungeon," Ana said, "then we need to know. Simply for tactical and strategic purposes, if nothing else. There's no reason to dance around the topic. We're all, ultimately, professionals."

Natalie siphoned some resolve from the matter-of-fact way Ana stated it. And it was true. She'd been hoping to go easy on some of the stickier details, though.

"There were some vines," Natalie said. "And, um, they needed to be taken care of." This was so mortifying. "That's enough to give you the picture. And I don't think those encounters are going to involve you all, anyway." She was far from certain on that. "The dungeon led me away to make it happen. And it was initiated by my choice. I mostly knew what I was getting into, before I got into it." That was leaving out the full details behind the situation, but she had chosen to get into that mess, more or less. "So. Yeah."

She'd picked to interact with the hole in the wall, and, while the vines hadn't been perfectly polite, it still had been Natalie's choice to throw herself into their writhing grip.

The clear-cut optionality could change, she knew, but hopefully it didn't. While bizarre and embarrassing, the sex-aspects of the dungeon were fine, for a sense of the word, as long as she had a choice in the matter.

"Anyway," Natalie said, cheeks blazing by this point. "Team vote, I guess. Can I keep this?" She held up the core. "And also, everyone knows what my class could do to the dungeon, now. So if that's a deal breaker to wanting to team up...?"

The team looked around at each other.

"Truthfully," Ana said, "It sounds lucrative. I don't mind you keeping that," she nodded at the orb, "but if we receive a steady flow of such items? They'll pay well. Do you expect to keep all of it?"

A part of Natalie did want to say she'd been the one to work for it, and that it was her class that produced the encounter and reward in the first place, but that wasn't how delving splits were handled. The same reason resource gathering was split--partially--to the whole team.

Or it could work like that, but such matters were decided through a team discussion. Hence this.

And, really, for the trouble Natalie's class presented, the team deserved a cut of the potential rewards for having to deal with it. Especially if it started roping them in, instead of involving Natalie alone.

"I'm hardly wanting to break up the team because of it," Liz said. "But sheesh. Wow. I'm not sure what to say, really."

"The feeling is mutual," Natalie said.

"To all of us." Sofia shook her head. "The idea doesn't thrill me, but there's benefits, too. As Ana said, there's money to be made with... specialty items... like that."

"One way to put it," Natalie mumbled.

"And if it's truly optional, or otherwise acts as a trap would, and can be avoided, then..." Sofia shrugged. "We'll handle it as it comes."

"And I'm intrigued by the details to your class," Ana said. "What kinds of skills does an aspect of 'lust' come with? Why illusions?"

"Well," Natalie said. "Those are my issues to deal with."

"So there are issues?"

Natalie shrugged. Ana accepted the rejection, though her curiosity was plain.

"We should get going," Sofia said. "Enlightening as that was, we still have a dungeon to clear." She shook her head, still incredulous. "And some time to think would be nice, too, during the walk. It's a lot to digest, Nat."

Liz nodded in agreement, hair bouncing with the rapidness of the movement. She was the most visibly uncomfortable at the reveal. "Yep. Let's get going. Thanks, uh, for telling us, Nat. I'm sure it was hard to. And you definitely could've gotten away with it."

"Wouldn't have been right," Natalie said. Though she wished she could've spared herself from this conversation, regardless of the ethics of the situation.

Liz nodded, then, blush matching Natalie's own, firmly set off toward the dungeon.

The rest of the team followed after her, and as they trailed down the path, headed for Aradon and the dungeon, Jordan leaned close and murmured, "That went well, don't you think?"

All things considered, she guessed it did. And she was glad everything--the parts relevant to her team, at least--was out in the open. Those secrets weren't the kind of thing she could have kept to herself and felt comfortable doing so with, especially since it might directly involve them in the future.

But seriously. So awkward.

3.20 - Flustered

Liz wasn't entirely sure what to think of Natalie's reveal. It was a lot to take in. Worse, they'd be at the dungeon entrance in less than twenty minutes--probably fighting monsters within thirty.

Almost more than Natalie sneaking out a monster core, the fact she'd dropped this on them right before the dungeon had Liz the slightest bit miffed. Because, really. A girl needed time to think all... that... over. Maybe that had even been Natalie's intention. Maybe she had presented her misdeeds, and the odd information, specifically timed so that they didn't have the opportunity to stew over it.

Liz didn't think so. She knew a schemer when she saw one. Growing up, she'd known more schemers than not. Even some of her best friends were ones. Heck, even she was, on occasion. She really, really hated politics, but it wasn't like she could get away from it all. Her last name was Beaumon. Fourteenth in line or not, monarchy more or less dissolved in everything but name or not, Liz was up to her eyeballs in conniving politicians and ingratiating sycophants.

Which was how she knew Natalie wasn't one. Or, ninety-nine percent sure. Natalie hadn't planned the timing. Rather, she'd just worked up the nerve then--or otherwise hadn't had the chance to get everyone together.

Though, clearly she was capable of competently lying, since Liz hadn't suspected a thing about her theft. But for sure, she wasn't some grand manipulator, either.

Even Sofia and Jordan were delightfully straightforward by Liz's standards. Growing up surrounded by the biggest names of a nation had been a major headache, and, frankly, her newest team's lack of political goals was a big plus for why she'd wanted to join. It hadn't just been wanting to split away from her family's prepared squad, and all the expectations that came with that. A decision her parents would not be happy about, next time she saw them. But Liz had already made her mind up.

But Natalie's stuff.

Her aspect. The item she'd gotten. The... vines. Which, even spared the details, painted the picture in only the broadest sense, had Liz's cheeks flaming. Vines? Really? Maybe being given so much creative liberty to construct the scene in her mind was even worse than if Natalie had just spelled it out. What did 'being taken care of' mean?

And her fluster was only partly because of the pervertedness and strangeness. The fact the imagery came bundled with Natalie was distinctly one of the reasons she couldn't fend away the blushes. Their team's tank really had a lot going on, and Liz would have to be blind to not have noticed. For that matter, the entire team was ridiculously attractive. Even Ana, for her anti-social tendencies and total disregard for her appearance. Liz was almost mad about that. Liz didn't think she was bland, but stacked up against all that? Her teammates were unfairly pretty, down to the woman.

Though, the less polite part of her was appreciative. A part she pointedly ignored, but it crept in nonetheless. The five of them were strictly teammates. Liz couldn't think about stuff like that. Professionals. Delving partners, nothing more.

Ergh.

Except... maybe that sort of thing, she should be thinking about. Because from the sound of it, Natalie's class involved... what? Lust-related skills? Whatever that meant? And even more to the point, the dungeon reacted to her class? Produced encounters like the vines--whatever 'the vines' meant. So maybe whether Liz found her teammates attractive mattered. Because by circumstance rather than deliberate intent, she might be ending up in scenarios she really wouldn't have expected, starting a career in delving.

That idea probably shouldn't have her heart skipping beats.

And she was making way too many assumptions. Natalie had seemed pretty sure that those weird encounters would be focused on her. For all Liz knew, she herself would never brush up against anything like that. And that was a good thing. It wasn't like she was curious what it would be like for a bunch of vines to... do stuff.

Whatever stuff meant.

Such a weird class.

And group encounters. She might not get any solo action, much less the entire team getting roped into something. So, calm down, Liz.

Getting involved with her teammates was a terrible idea, too. Not only because of the possible complications on a personal level, but because a Beaumon shouldn't be dallying with strangers. With anyone. Some of the smaller houses could afford to behave with such disregard for propriety, but certainly not the Beaumons. They had shining reputations to maintain, and regardless that Liz wasn't in the limelight like some of her relatives, she needed to adhere to that requirement, too.

So that Liz was entertaining those fantasies was doubly ridiculous.

Unfortunately, she couldn't shake the idea, no matter how hard she tried. At a minimum, she kept the thoughts firmly restrained the back of her head, where she didn't acknowledge them.

Almost before Liz knew it, they'd arrived to the dungeon entrance. She realized only then that she had been setting an expeditious pace, ahead of the group, scurrying forward out of embarrassment. She sheepishly rejoined them. At least her cheeks weren't betraying her, anymore. She'd mostly gotten herself under control. Mom's lessons on poise had some use.

Her teammates were bundled up with supplies. It didn't take much to prepare for a single-night expedition--maybe two nights, depending on how it went--but certainly more equipment than the light-weight packing they had needed for their earlier delves of only a few hours. Meals, sleeping bags, fire-starting supplies, and so on. Depending on the biome they dropped into, they could get away with more or less, but unfortunately, the dungeon wasn't kind enough to announce where it would throw them beforehand.

And they could exit and re-enter the dungeon to try to get more favorable battlegrounds, but the dungeon really didn't like when people tried to 'game' it. It would cause more trouble than it solved, having the dungeon upset with you. No, the widely agreed maxim was to engage with the dungeon on its own terms. Still a great chance at getting turned into monsterfood or adorning a spike trap, but not as much of one. Play fair, and the dungeon played fair back.

Well, usually.

The team looked at each other, checking silently to see if they were ready to enter, but of course they were. Would hardly have made it all the way to the dungeon entrance if not. This delve was a long time coming.

Some of the awkwardness lingered from Natalie's reveal, but honestly, Liz thought that would clear up fast, faced with the dungeon. Confronted by snarling monsters, and having to chain together complex spells, the background noise had a tendency of fading away. One of the reasons Liz liked delving so much. Much simpler. Kill or be killed. No stupid politics--delightfully refreshing.

Natalie leading, the team sank into the glassy black obsidian of the dungeon entrance, and their first serious delve began.

3.21 - Miniboss

An enormous two-handed cleaver rocketed down at an armored woman with red hair--and landed true. The mighty blow bisected her down the middle, and the over-sized blade bit into soft dirt, embedding, carving all the way through. Meeting so little resistance, the troll nearly toppled over.

Because it had been other-Natalie, the affectionate name Natalie used for the combat-illusion she'd been practicing. Her illusory armored form parted like mist by the giant blade, and not only had the troll wasted an attack on an enemy created from light and magic, but it found itself overextended and off balance.

Illusions. Even not meeting her potential with them, they were so damn useful. The upgrade from progression one to progression two had made it so much more functional, too.

Natalie didn't waste the opportunity her spell had opened up. Grunting with exertion, she winded back, then swung her hammer with everything she had--a blow slow and cumbersome enough she never would have tried it without such a clear advantage. The heavy chunk of metal landed into the troll's knee, and a grotesque crunch filled the air. Its leg bent inward, and it toppled, an imbalance from overextending itself becoming a total failure. It roared, guttural and somehow piercing at the same time.

She stumbled back barely in time to dodge another vicious slash--a desperate attack flung out with surprising speed--and with the eight-foot reach granted by its gigantic weapon, the troll almost reached her despite Natalie having expected the attack.

But with the last ditch retaliatory strike missed, the fight was over.

In slow, methodical fashion, Natalie and her team dispatched the crippled monster. They had been managing the beast even before a broken knee, so now, unable to even stand, the clean-up was a formality. Still, they did so meticulously--a textbook execution. No point in getting sloppy in the final stretch.

Shortly, their team had their first mini-boss kill.

The glass orb that appeared inside the black ribbons pouring from the disintegrating monster was unlike the smaller, mundane ones they had gathered from their dozens of other encounters. Stronger.

***

Greater Monster Core - Tier 1

***

Jordan plucked the ball from the ground, holding it up to inspect it.

"Lucky us," she said.

Natalie nodded in agreement. Higher-tier monster cores were more likely than the one-in-three drop chance from regular monsters, but still not guaranteed. They'd been fortunate with their loot in general, so far. Not to any incredible degree, but on the upper half of what could be expected. Which was good. Nothing soured a dungeon run like consistently coming up dry.

Natalie wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, still heaving in breaths--it had been a tough fight, as expected of a miniboss--then swept a gaze around, checking on the rest of her team.

She'd kept the troll's attention for most of the fight, but doing so one-hundred percent of the time was hard to manage. Dungeon monsters were more than happy to focus on whoever was getting in their face and making themselves an easy target, but not always. It was inevitable they'd break free from the tank, here and there.