Taly isn't sure whether she's more shocked by Elance's initiative, or the fact that a solution to their problem might already be in hand. "An interest? Already!? I mean...I guess two months is still a while, but I really wasn't sure this would ever pan out. Can you tell me more?"

The Bountiful Mother raises a hand, attempting to calm the Rogue. "As I said, it's an interest lass, not a full applicant. Not yet, anyhow. They are planning to make their way down here, and we'll be doing the usual tests...if they're not suitable, they're not suitable, this fertility concern aside. But yes, I suppose I can tell you a few details." She takes a bit of a breath, wondering where to begin.

"So...as I believe you have ample personal experience with, you're aware that my friend Greenie - Paladin Sable - underwent a Change earlier in her life, yes?"

Taly grins, her gray skin failing to blush. "I've noticed the anatomy she elected to leave unchanged if that's what you mean, certainly. We're not talking about Sable here though, right?"

"Right. Well, as you may also be aware, Greenie's family is, well...they're godsdamn loaded, is what they are. Practically nobility without the estates, especially with her grandmother and her elvish great-aunt managing most of the family's money for the past hundred years or whatever. And a Change is expensive. Extremely so."

Sely nods along. "Can't say I've ever looked into it, but I've met people who've wanted one and never gotten it."

"Indeed. That's Supreme-level Healer work of some rather specialized classes, aside from the very rare divine miracle or the like. And so the...pre-applicant I'm talking about is a fair bit less well-off than Greenie is. He's an older fellow, a human, and his wife is an elf, which is the other issue."

Taly digests that for a moment. "You mean there's an age concern?"

"Aye. Adoption's always an option for such couples, of course, but apparently they spent so long trying to save up for a Change to do things 'properly' with, that time reared her ugly head. If they adopt a human, the wife will have to watch both her husband and child die of old age, if they adopt an elf, the child will barely know their father before he passes away. So they passed on that option as well. But...apparently Option Worthy sounds appealing to them."

Sely rubs her head, trying to work out the logic of such a plan. "So they want to...have the husband use the dungeon as a cheap, cost-effective Change, he and his wife do the deed, and then...what, his kid gets to keep visiting him in the dungeon as he grows up? It's not a great way to raise a child."

Taly shrugs, a little less concerned. "That was always an inherent downside to the plan, to be honest. And hey, if they move down to Grassbrook, well, me sitting here is evidence that you don't have to wait til the kid is old enough to try the dungeon."

Elance nods. "Indeed. I'll spare you the other details til I've had the chance to talk to the man myself, but that's about the short of it. Does that sound like a solution Xenia'd be willing to work with?"

Taly grins once again. "Oh, yeah. I think we can make this work..."

----------------------------------------

A few hours later, Taly is in such a good mood as she walks down the path towards the mountain that she actually tries out whistling. It's not something she'd ever spent much time at before, but the idle thought soon turns into a more practical test as she realizes just how good her control of tone and pitch now is. The woman whistles a clear song with an untiring breath, and when she finishes that one, she begins to whistle a song in harmony with...herself. By manipulating her sound generation powers, the banshee is actually able to whistle multiple parts of the same song at once, making it sound as if an entire party were walking along.

Which probably explains why the armored warrior she suddenly comes across at one turn looks so surprised to see her. The woman is dressed almost entirely in plate armor save for a helmet, and her short blonde hair and scarred face immediately identify her. Before Taly can utter a greeting however, the warrior beats her to it.

"Hail - oh, there's only one of you? Stopped when I thought there was a small army coming up behind me!" The warrior grins, although it quickly fades away when she gets a better look at Taly's face. Her cheerful expression quickly turns into a drawn blade and a defensive stance.

"Hold on, now! Who are you?"

Instinctively, Taly's hands reach for her own blades, though her self-control kicks in just before she draws them. "Aha, you hold on, now! Forgotten me already, eh?"

"...Taly? Did something go wrong with your shadow magic?" Beatrice somewhat relaxes, although her sword doesn't go away just yet.

The Rogue laughs, the sound of it as charming as her whistling. "Ah, too bad you didn't have a forwarding address, or we could've kept you updated! Rather rude to greet me with a blade in hand either way, though I'll grant that I may look a little differently than when you left town."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure you looked...less dead the last we met. You're...alright?"

"Been worse! I was less dead the last time we met, that much is true. No worries though, I'm not here to consume your flesh. I work for your friend, these days."

"Oh! Well, I suppose that explains a few things." Beatrice finally re-sheathes her sword, and gives Taly an awkward smile. "Apologies for the reaction, there. Sort of instinctual when running into a monster on the road. Good thing we didn't need to have ourselves an unnecessary fight, at least."

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"Entirely understandable. Although..." Taly pauses for a moment in thought, before giving the warrior a devious look. "We could still have an unnecessary fight, if you were up for one."

Beatrice seems a bit confused, before eventually catching on. "Ah - you want to spar, then? I suppose I might be up for a bout. Any particular reason you're looking for a match today, though?"

The Rogue shrugs. "I remember how tough you were the last time you came through town, and I know I couldn't have beaten you in a fight then. Not up close, at least. But now...well, I have a few new tricks, and I've heard you've spent more than a few of your own. I'm curious if perhaps we're on an even playing field now. Besides...I'm in a good mood today."

"Fair enough. Mind if we take a rest for ten minutes before we begin, though? I've been on my feet all day, and I wouldn't mind catching up a little before we start beating each other up." She raises a hand, and with a flash it's suddenly filled with a bottle from one of her item box storage devices. "I have refreshments."

"That sounds like a great idea to me, Monster Slayer."

The pair find themselves a fallen log not far from the path and take a seat on it, finding it a better surface than the muddy, partially-snow-covered ground. Neither of the two much mind the chill as they relax however, given Taly's lack of a need for body heat, and the fact that at least one of Beatrice's many magical accessories grants her a strong amount of cold resistance. As they get to talking they start of course with the explanation for Taly's current condition, before turning towards Beatrice's own adventures.

"So you did find yourself a party, right? Tell me you haven't been soloing things for the past...five months?"

The warrior shakes her head. "No, no, I did, though it did take me a little while. We're taking a holiday break for a month or two, though - some folks are visiting their families, and I did want to check in and see how Xenia's doing. Also...it would've been awkward bringing the party here."

Taly grins. "Because it'd look bad if we killed your party members?"

Beatrice looks affronted. "Please, I soloed this place the last time I was here! Nah, turns out there's other reasons, but...eh, I'll wait til Xenia's around to bring it up."

"Hey, this place has gotten way tougher since you were last here. We're doing in like...an Expert every three weeks or something right now, and it's not even all Lollyp anymore! Hells, she's in like...third or fourth place, based on just the last few months."

"That so? You taking credit for much of that, Banshee Queen Taly?"

The Queen nods her head, although her lips are pursed. "It...took me a while to get used to it, to be honest. Like, I could probably be killing more people than I do. I usually like to taunt people a bit before the big boss fight starts, you know? I could tell you that it's all psychological, to get into their heads, but the truth of the matter is it'd probably be a lot more effective if I just started filling people with arrows the second they get to my arena. And I'm a sixth floor boss, nobody would really be surprised if I did. Difficulty's usually expected to spike after five or so, you know."

"I noticed - deepest my team's gone is eight, and that's pushing it for a squad of Experts and even one Advanced. You're going easy on them, though?"

"They're Challengers, you know, a part of me still wants to try and be friends with them. And for extra fuckin' awkwardness, word's started to get around that Sely is my sister. There's already been one or two cases of grieving survivors giving her a hard time over someone I took down. Sely can handle herself, but I still don't like the idea of...aligning myself into some sort of enemy of Challengers, right?"

"As if any of us would be doing this without there being monsters to fight, right?" Beatrice shakes her head, before standing up and stretching out. "Speaking of, still want that match?"

Instantly cheered up, Taly smiles. "You know it!" The two return to the path, the only cleared terrain around out here in the forest, and take up positions around fifteen feet apart.

Beatrice summons a shield from her storage, but when she draws her sword, the match begins. Rather than pulling from her old tricks as a Midnight Shadow or an Archer, Taly opens up with a triple-sourced sonic screech, blasting her opponent with three different waves of disorienting sound that make Beatrice stagger. It only takes her a moment to summon herself a helmet however, and the enchanted gear quickly begins to negate the effects. Taly's already on the move, carrying a dagger in only one hand, while she reaches out with the other as she approaches Beatrice. She was faster than the heavily-armored warrior even before becoming a boss monster, and despite her best efforts Beatrice isn't able to dodge before Taly grabs on to her leg with a sharp-taloned hand.

It's not the talons that were the threat however, at least not against Beatrice's armor, and instead Taly attempts to use her newfound strength to flip Beatrice into the mud. 'Attempt' being the operative word, as instead Beatrice remains firmly planted, and it's a surprised Taly who goes sliding in the slush instead. "The fuck!? Even with all that armor, I should be more than strong enough to toss you around these days!"

Beatrice's chuckle echoes from her helmet. "Boots of Weight. Not as good as Shoes of Sure Footing in some situations, but when - " She doesn't get a chance to finish her explanation, as Taly finally dips into her old magic to encase the area in shadow. There's another sudden glow from her helmet though, and when Taly's blade comes swinging in, the Rogue finds it easily blocked by Beatrice's heavy shield.

"That gear's cheating! Defense against sonic attacks, and it lets you see in the dark? How do you get that many enchantments on one thing?"

Beatrice grunts before answering, as the fight moves into melee back-and-forth. "It's not - not exactly that! I can see magic with it, and you're, hrnf, plenty magic these days! But also, yeah, your enchanters here are lazy! Too reliant on dungeon loot!"

"What?" Taly has a little trouble following the conversation, deep as she is in trying to penetrate Beatrice's heavy defenses, but that still sounds like a statement worth questioning.

"Where I come from, we didn't get all this gear being handed out by god-granted dungeons! You want a piece of magic armor, someone made that shit by hand! And I! Paid! Top! Coin!" Beatrice emphasizes each word by pushing Taly back with another blow or short charge, until the banshee's been pressed back up against the trees by the side of the path. "...Also I looted a bunch of dragon hoards, those helped!"

She swings at the tree, missing Taly as the Rogue dodges away - but she doesn't miss the tree. Cutting entirely through the trunk, the snow-covered plant collapses down in the same direction Taly was dodging towards. While the nimble Rogue avoids the main trunk itself, the branches are too much for her, and the woman is knocked to the ground as snow is flung into the air around them.

"And it's expertise like that which allows me to solve all my problems with brute force. You give?" Beatrice lifts up a branch, but her tone changes as she sees the effect of her attack. Not only is Taly pinned, but a branch has managed to impale itself right through the banshee's chest. "Oh, fuck! I thought you'd take that better! Hold on, I've got healing potions in here..."

The wounded Taly just waves Beatrice off as she coughs out a response. "Haha - ack, agh...don't bother. You just saved me the...the trouble of walking all the way back up the mountain, so...thanks, I guess? Guess with all that gear of yours, you are still pretty good. Next - next round's on me?" The Rogue manages a thumbs up and one final statement before her body finally collapses. "Welcome home."

The level thirty Expert sighs a little before standing up and staring at the mountain nearby, a short break before she'll have to get to clearing the damn tree out of the path. "...Yeah. Good to be home."