Dungeons and Dalliances Ch. 080-089

Rationally, she knew she couldn't be faulted for that, not fully. Elida was possibly the best student of their year. That Jordan had crumpled in a direct duel against her was inevitable.

She recognized this from a practical standpoint. Still, like all delvers, she had a competitive streak, and would have liked to have held off her opponent for a bit longer. Maybe if she had, then one of her teammates could have won their bout, and when Jordan finally fell, it would have been a four-on-four. Instead, Jordan had lasted all of half a minute.

She could barely remember the fight, even. Elida was a demon. For all her poise and smirks, she was no less vicious with her daggers than her tongue. Looking back on it, Jordan was almost impressed she had lasted as long she had.

Jordan sighed. It would be on her to smooth this over, she could tell. Who else would try to rally the team after something so morale-breaking? And that did need to be done. Sometimes delving wasn't about combat. As with any venture operating in teams, the human element couldn't be discounted.

The heavens knew Natalie, Ana, or Sofia wouldn't be taking care of it, trying to bring the team back together. Liz, Jordan figured, would usually do so, but she seemed to be in the worst mood of everyone. Understandably so. The poor girl was slumped over and staring at the ground, fists clenched on her lap. Elida hadn't even left her her weapon.

Ignoring her own shame, Jordan stood and stretched, rolling out sore muscles and groaning in an exaggerated way.

"Okay," she said. "That sucked. But no point in moping."

Four pairs of eyes turned to her.

"What?" Jordan said. "It's not the end of the world. Don't be babies."

She received a few different expressions at that. Natalie was of course the person her attention gravitated to first, and her best friend was, to no one's surprise, practically seething where she sat--and the glare pivoted Jordan's way at the dismissive words. Jordan could feel the heat radiating from her, and that disoriented her, even if she knew Natalie wasn't actually mad at her. The girl was just someone who burned hot.

Jordan rolled her eyes, which Natalie probably didn't like, but she wouldn't pull everyone out of the slump by being timid. She turned her attention to the others, more worried for them. Natalie's anger, while smoldering right now, would cool shortly. Liz's depression, Sofia's icy rage, and Ana's--well, who knew what Ana was thinking, like usual--Jordan expected would be more difficult to handle.

They all seemed irritated at her, which was good news, and had been the intent at the goading words. Anything to drag their focus away from their thrashing and robbery.

"It's really not," Jordan said. "And stop looking at me like that. Boo-hoo, we lost a fight." She clapped her hands together. "Come on. Let's start figuring this out. It's a little setback, but what'd you all expect, becoming delvers? For everything to be easy?"

That drew even more irritation, which, again, was what she'd been aiming for. Better mad at her than hunched over and depressed.

"So," Jordan said. "Seriously. Let's talk it out."

3.27 - Quagmire

"A little setback," Sofia finally replied. "That's what this is? A little setback."

"From a big picture viewpoint, I'd say so, yeah," Jordan said. "Or, maybe a bit of a problem, speaking for the here and now. But all that means is that it's even more important we figure stuff out."

It didn't bait out any further responses; Natalie and Sofia glared at her, Liz stayed slumped over, and even Ana seemed annoyed--Jordan thought. Hard to read. She didn't wholly fault them for the reactions. But it would be easiest to drag them out of the quagmire before they sank too deep, so she stayed on the offensive.

After being the primary point of failure in the fight itself, Jordan felt doubly responsible for doing so.

"First question, I guess," Jordan said, "is are we fighting our way back to town, or forging forward?"

"Keep going?" Ana asked. "Without gear?" She didn't sound like she disagreed, but rather was bringing the point up. Jordan perked up at that.

"Unless we think we can't handle it," Jordan said. "Can we?"

Natalie scoffed, Sofia pursed her lips, and Ana tilted her head.

"A boss would be unwise," Ana said. "But I suppose lateral advancement should still be within our capabilities."

Jordan was pleased to hear that, matching with Ana's blank demeanor, that she seemed mostly unaffected, despite the hint of irritation. Maybe she was harboring resentment or anger beneath the mask, but for the purpose of discussing their short term future, she was composed enough.

"And it's not like heading back to town helps," Natalie seethed. "Won't get our stuff back. Doubt Tenet's would do a second loan for us, either. We're fucked."

"Elida took too much," Liz said quietly "And she knows it. There's policy for this sort of thing. Tenet doesn't mind rivalry, but this is sabotage. She'll have to pay us back. Tenet will make her."

"That was her plan," Ana said. "Because paying us back doesn't matter. It sets us back for the weekend, and getting our items back later doesn't fix that."

"No, it doesn't," Liz agreed. "That was her plan." She stared down at her lap, fists clenched.

Natalie stared at the defeated-looking Liz, then visibly grew more agitated--though at what specifically, Jordan wasn't sure.

"Yeah, whatever," Natalie said loudly. "Who cares? She's a bitch, we'll figure out what to do about her later, but for now, how's our delve working?" She nodded at Jordan.

Jordan smiled, pleased Natalie had turned her anger in a productive direction. She had expected that to happen, though not this quickly. At a guess, Natalie had been spurred on by seeing Liz look so crushed.

"So, we'll keep going, then," Jordan said. "The weekend doesn't have to be a total wash. We can work through the first floor and find as much loot as we can. While doing so, we can find a boss room, maybe even two, but not enter them. Once we're halfway geared up again, we can backtrack and tackle them--if we're feeling comfortable."

"I guess it's a good thing we're so low level," Sofia said. There was still icy rage harbored in her tone, but she seemed to be grappling control of it. "Gear matters less. It's possible we could even handle a boss without it."

Okay, Jordan wasn't sure about that, but she appreciated the confidence, and how the mood seemed to be turning upward. Besides Liz, at least.

"And everyone's okay, right?" Jordan asked.

The answer was clear enough, else she'd have addressed it much sooner, but it was worth bringing up.

"Got a killer headache," Natalie muttered. "But yeah. I'm fine."

"I can make do," Sofia replied.

Ana nodded.

Everyone's attention turned to Liz, who seemed to shrink in on herself.

"Oh, please," Natalie said suddenly. "If you're blaming yourself for this, or think we're upset at you, you'll piss me off."

Liz blinked rapidly, and Jordan paused, too.

Though she understood what Natalie was going for. What Natalie lacked in tact, she made up for in earnestness.

"I mean," Liz mumbled. "It kind of is my fault. Wouldn't have happened if you didn't team with me."

"You think we're stupid, then?"

Liz seemed taken aback. "What?"

"You think we didn't know we'd have to deal with this?" Natalie asked heatedly. "House politics? When we teamed with a Beaumon?"

"But..."

"You think we didn't sign up for it?"

Glaring wasn't usually the best way to cheer someone up, but in this situation, it did. Liz stared at Natalie for a long moment, then visibly relaxed.

"I'm still sorry," Liz said. "This isn't something you four should have been dragged into. Elida is..."

"A bitch," Sofia offered.

A quiet laugh from Liz. "I guess that's a good word."

"We'll figure out what to do about her later," Natalie said. "But like Jordan said, more important things to focus on." She grunted as she climbed to her feet--she hadn't fully recovered from the fight, Jordan could tell. "So?" Natalie asked. "What's the plan?"

Again, four pairs of eyes turned to Jordan.

"Reality does need to be faced," Jordan said. "All five of us had our HP broken. It'd be reckless to head off as we are. I think anything more needs to wait until tomorrow. We'll set an early camp and head out after we recover."

"Nah," Natalie said. "It's fine. We can keep going. As long as I don't get hit, HP doesn't matter."

That was a very Natalie statement, and Jordan considered how best to tell her she was being an idiot.

Sofia, unfortunately, had a quicker reaction. She raised two prim, incredulous eyebrows at Natalie, and Natalie almost growled in response, seeing it. Jordan cut off the bickering before it could begin. Passions had cooled between the two rivals--or shifted--but in this situation, with everybody on edge from the events prior, Jordan sensed a real argument could break out.

"It'll come down to a vote," Jordan said. "And mine's to camp now. It's not worth the risk."

"We need to make up time," Natalie insisted.

"An early camp and early rise is the same from a time efficiency standpoint," Ana said, as logical as always. "In fact, resting first means we'll be in better condition and make better time. So it's objectively the better choice. I vote to camp as well."

Natalie couldn't argue that--like most things Ana said--but she didn't seem happy about it. Jordan knew her best friend well enough to tell why. Natalie needed something to hit. That was how she burned off stress. She didn't work things out by thinking them through, and so she wanted to keep delving--a way to work off steam.

Jordan had some other ideas for stress relief, but saying so right now was obviously not appropriate. Once the rest of the team was asleep.

"I guess that's true," Natalie finally ground out. "Fine. Camp first."

Looking around at the team and receiving nods, Jordan could tell they were in agreement. "Alright. Let's do that. We'll make up lost time tomorrow."

3.28 - Camp

The team set up camp efficiently. Though they had brought tents should they arrive to a biome that needed them, the Wispwood was a moderate enough climate they weren't necessary. So, after setting up a fire and their sleeping bags, they ate their respective meals then settled down for the night.

Natalie got the first shift. It wasn't common for the dungeon to send monsters after sleeping delvers, but it happened. More than that, enemy delvers could wander onto them. Which would be just about their luck. So, best to have somebody ready to sound the alarm.

She posted up on a log a short distance away. Being away from the smoldering fire helped keep cold, which kept her alert. After the past hours, exhaustion was doing its best to lull her to sleep.

More than the cold air, though, her thoughts were what prevented her from dozing off. She wasn't quite as furious as she'd been in the direct aftermath of the event, but her thoughts had far from steadied, either.

Twenty minutes before her hour-and-a-half shift ended, a figure stirred from inside the camp. Natalie glanced over to see Jordan extricating herself from her sleeping bag. Natalie frowned. Her shift wasn't over yet, so why? She needed her sleep as much as the rest of them.

"Couldn't sleep?" she asked when Jordan had wandered over.

"That," Jordan said. "Also started to feel a bit pointless. Would just make my shift harder."

Natalie nodded in sympathy. Jordan had gotten the second shift of the watch, which was arguably the worst. Getting to sleep for an hour and a half, then having to wake up and stand watch--it sucked. Natalie had gotten lucky; first and last shifts were the best.

Jordan settled onto the log next to her, and they sat in comfortable silence for a few moments. Natalie could intuit Jordan hadn't come over just to relieve her from her shift early. She wanted to talk.

"You've still stewing," Jordan finally said. "I can tell."

Natalie sighed. She'd expected something of the sorts. Jordan always had to be so... level headed and reasonable.

"Can't you just let me be mad?" Natalie asked. "For once?"

"I know what happened sucked, but all things considered, we're fine. We really are. There's no reason to dwell on it."

"You can't be suggesting we just forget about it."

"Not forget," Jordan said. "I'm not that forgiving, either. But for now, what happened, happened." She chewed her lip. "And what I'm really worried about is that you'll turn something that's frustrating, but ultimately doesn't matter, into something that does."

"And that means?"

"I don't know if we should retaliate," Jordan said. "With Elida. She said it herself. This was because of Liz. It doesn't have anything to do with us."

"Her group attacked ours."

"But not us, specifically," Jordan said. "It sounds ridiculous, but it's also true. We were just there. Liz's teammates."

Natalie's annoyance spiked. "Okay, but that's not changing any time soon, is it?"

"No," Jordan said, "and so we'll probably have similar issues. But it won't ever be us that's targeted. We aren't her enemies, her real ones, and we should keep it that way." She poked Natalie on the shoulder. "It sucks, but it's true. We don't want a major house as an enemy this early into the semester. We need to take this one on the chin. If it gets worse... we'll figure something out."

Natalie clenched and unclenched her hands, then looked away. "You're probably right." Not that it sat well with her.

"Plus," Jordan said, bumping shoulders, "I don't like seeing you all stormy and brooding. It's not you. And our first long delve was supposed to be exciting. A good day. So put all this to the side, at least until we're back at campus. Let's keep looking forward."

"Easier said than done," Natalie muttered. She didn't have the same control over her emotions as Jordan. How her friend could manage to so easily shelve something so infuriating was almost frustrating in its own right.

"I know," Jordan said. "But it really is for the best."

They sat in silence for a few moments.

"I've got an idea to cheer you up, then," Jordan said. "I think you need some stress relief."

Jordan slid a hand down Natalie's inner thigh, and the sudden action caught her so off guard she nearly jumped to her feet. The exhaustion weighing her down vanished, heart abruptly slamming in her chest.

Natalie looked at the sleeping forms of her teammates, two dozen feet or so away. "Here?" she asked incredulously. "Now?"

Jordan's rubbed at her thigh, not discouraged. "Sure. How else am I supposed to cheer you up?" The edges of her lips curled into a smirk. "And you still need to gather energy, don't you? No point in being wasteful. Once a day."

"But they're right there."

"I thought you were the bold one," Jordan teased. "Scared to have some fun in front of friends, now?"

Her hand dipped lower, rubbing against a bulge that was quickly filling out Natalie's pants. The thick leather armor meant there wasn't much sensation, but the thrill of the situation still had electricity shooting up her spine.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Jay," Natalie said. "They'll wake up."

"Only if you're loud. Guess you'll have to work on being quiet, won't you?"

Jordan stopped teasing her thigh. She shimmied up to her, pressing her breasts into Natalie's arm, then cupped her cock, pressing her palm firmly into it. Natalie let out a shaky breath, and even that felt excruciatingly loud in the mostly silent forest. Were her teammates deep sleepers? That felt like something she shouldn't just hope for.

"I think I can use an illusion," Natalie said. "To block the noise out. Or dampen it."

"You can?"

"Maybe. Haven't tried, but when it comes to using my skills in certain ways, they tend to be... lenient."

"Your class will do anything to get you laid," Jordan said, rolling her eyes. "Yeah. I remember."

Jordan stood, then knelt down in front of Natalie, and the sight of her best friend on her knees, fingers heading for her belt, nearly made her dizzy.

"Not that I'm complaining," Jordan said. "Really, I'm just as lucky, since I'm the one who gets to play with it. Helps me as much as you."

At the clinking sound of Jordan working away at Natalie's belt, Natalie decided she had to, for once, be the reasonable one. She wasn't sure if the illusion would work, but seeing how Jordan was apparently interested in doing this regardless of consequences, she better try something.

The illusion settled into place. Creating sounds was an easy task, as were simple images--especially with how she'd advanced the skill from progression I to II--but negating sound was a bit more of a problem. Not something she'd tried to do before. The idea had arrived from its sudden need.

"At least test it," Natalie said. "You--you succubus."

Her pants were off, now, with Natalie's panties struggling to keep her cock controlled. It strained desperately upward, not hiding much. Her shaft was clearly visible through the tent, and her tip leaked liquid, darkening the fabric. She probably should start wearing boxers or something. Just... the look of admiration Jordan always gave it, seeing it trapped and angry inside the delicate fabric, made up for the impracticality of continuing to wear panties.

"Test what?"

"If it blocks sound."

Jordan glanced toward the sleeping figures of their friends, though she couldn't see the image-less sound barrier Natalie had made. "You did it?" She looked back to Natalie's crotch, pursed her lips, then got off her knees and walked toward camp.

With Jordan having arrived at the other side of the illusion, Natalie snapped her fingers.

Jordan tilted her head. "Works. Can't hear that."

Natalie snapped louder, then tested a few sentences of varying volume. Afterward, Jordan said, "I can kind of hear you, but it's good enough. Heavily dampened."

She got back down in front of Natalie.

"So, just don't get too enthusiastic," Jordan said. A devious smile slipped onto her lips. "Though to be extra mean--and since I'm trying to cheer you up--I think I'm going to let you finally use my mouth. So, good luck with that."

A/N: I saw some comments where people thought Natalie and Jordan were on daily blowjob status. Just to clarify, Jordan teased her about using her mouth, but never actually did--she was trying to distract Natalie. I realize that bit of dialogue was unclear, so for those who assumed that, here's the clarification.