It was a night to remember, which made it rather unfortunate how few were actually capable of doing so the next day. Once people fully confirmed that the drinks and food were free - or available for modest tips of available coinage, minor potions or the like - a party atmosphere immediately took hold, the stresses of sharing a room with so many dungeon monsters soon forgotten. It certainly didn't hurt that the monsters in question tended to be rather attractive, and flirty as well with those bold enough to try giving them a wink or a smile. Despite the low amount of money changing hands however it did quickly turn into a party of haves and have-nots.
Patrons were barred, on pain of being kicked out of the inn by Trush, from ordering good items off the menu on behalf of others who had not earned them. That meant many of the Initiates and Advanced Challengers present were looking on forlornly at the better meals being enjoyed by their more experienced colleagues, and the complete newbies like House Highbranch almost seemed to have regretted coming at all. While the half-elves supped on buttered bread and barely-drinkable swill, House Perlin managed to make their Floor Three-tier meals look like a feast in comparison. Even their service was nothing compared to that granted to the parties who had cleared Floor Six though, and the Valleylanders got an honorary Floor Seven-tier meal for being the party to have delved the deepest, despite having not actually cleared the floor yet.
The dungeon's food and drink tier was still only at B, marking it as 'slightly above average' quality cooking at best, but what it lacked in quality the dungeon made up for with quantity. The cheap meat alone that the dungeon could offer was more than many Challengers had ever enjoyed in a single meal in their lives, and Tinsel's order rivaled Jantana's in size despite the fact that the stack of food on her plate was several times larger than her own stomach. The sight of it was actually enough to empty the inn by a notable fraction, as some of the drunker independent Challengers declared that they would earn themselves some better meals immediately. Over a dozen formed up into a number of teams and disappeared into the various portal exits, never to be seen again.
...For the rest of the night. Xenia was strongly, strongly tempted to gather up quite a few souls that night, but eventually decided that having a massacre on her grand opening evening would be entirely counter-productive for the atmosphere she was trying to generate. She had to use her daily 'mercy' teleport early on, and a second almost as soon as the midnight reset ticked over. Sparing the rest of the drunkards wasn't an easy task, especially as Lollyp was rather displeased to be forced to spend the night flinging lightning bolts rather than being able to join the party. No one lost limbs, but broken bones and burn wounds were liberally dished out to teach the Challengers that just because Worthy Dungeon might know how to have fun did not mean that trying a dungeon floor drunk was suddenly a good idea.
The inn was slightly further depopulated as various Challengers experimented with the new 'room rental' system. Rather than having to teleport to a certain section of Floor Five from a specific matching portal within the dungeon, Challengers could now rent a 'room key' from the bar, which was an enchanted token which would connect the user to a specific room once they stepped into the main portal built for that purpose. Multiple people could get keys to a single room, provided that they had all cleared the floor required for that particular floor theme, and several more small groups soon disappeared through that ring over the course of the evening. The Domain party lost half of its members to the allure of the free rooms, with the two kobolds taking off with each other and the incubus Bard finding a human woman who was easily charmed by a few recited poems - and perhaps a drunken grope or two between his legs.
One lonely gnoll simply stares at the options listed on a board behind the bar and sighs, however, drawing the attention of the dungeon's new Priestess as she slides onto a stool next to him. "Nothing to your liking, good sir?"
Tafyaf shakes his head. "Many good options, many good ones, yes! But...ahh, Grayana has not been in the dungeon for months, no! Only cleared Floor Two, yes, and then never stepped foot in Worthy again. Must find a way to convince her to try more floors..."
Deylia eyes the gnoll, but has some trouble finding any identifying marks on his clothing. "Grayana, an elf, I assume? Are you a Challenger couple? Or has she gotten a taste and retired from the field? I understand that's not uncommon."
The Scout laughs. "Haha, no, soldiers we are - she is the lead medic of the Fort, consider yourself fortunate if you've not had to meet, haha! I however am a bit of a...free agent you might say, yes? Keep tabs on the dungeon and Challengers both, I do, and sometimes earn a bit of extra coin on the side, as well."
The woman raises an eyebrow. "Oh? Like one of those Challengers-for-hire, you mean, assisting others with their intrusions? How far have you gotten, yourself?"
The man grins widely. "I have been in the dungeon more times than any other, as far as I know! Twenty-three intrusions! Most only to Floor Two or Three however, but have cleared Floor Four twice, yes. Have qualified for Expert training already, although I've not yet been given leave to go and get it!"
"Ah, well, congratulations! Expert classes and Floor Four are both thresholds of a kind, things will certainly become more, well, challenging from here on. Do take care, though - an over-eagerness to try out the dungeon's...additional benefits may have played some small role in landing me my new career."
The gnoll eyes the rabbit a little warily. "...Are the rooms more lethal than they appear? Have heard of warning signs having been posted in the Floor Six section, I believe..."
"No, no, I died on Floor Four. It's still a rather embarrassing story, I must admit. It was only my second run in the dungeon, and I wasn't exactly expecting to end up with a new job by the end of the day, you know."
"Ah, and I'm certain you did not expect that job to be that of an inn hostess, even more so! Haha!"
Deylia chuckles but shakes her head. "Actually, I'm mostly just serving in the role tonight because it's so busy and because it's everyone's first time here. My intended role is of a Priestess of Kahlia. I can provide healing to those who have been injured, some boosts and the like, although I haven't yet learned any blessings."
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
If anything the mention of her correct title only intrigues the gnoll more. "A Priestess of Kahlia? As a dungeon boss? Hrmm...I have heard of the dungeon's connection to Kahlia, yes, but I have not put much thought into the place's religious matters, no. Perhaps I should hear more of what you have to teach?"
The former Maid is hardly trained in missionary work, and it would certainly be easy enough to just direct the man towards the Church of Bounty if he wanted to learn the proper methods of worshiping Kahlia. But on the other hand, the woman is well-trained in exploiting opportunities when they come by, especially when it's to the benefit of her mistress, and that's hardly changed just because one of her mistresses is now divine. Leaning forward, she puts on her best smile. "Well, tell me something, good sir...you say your partner is the lead medic for the local garrison? If so, I believe there's a good way to both encourage her to spend some more time in the dungeon, and do good work in the name of Kahlia at the same time..."
Tafyaf leans forward as well, clearly hooked. "Oh? Tell me more..."
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It was quite late into the evening, with some Challengers considering getting rooms for the night for actually sleeping within, when the next big stir of the grand opening occurred. Sable and Lilly had already slipped into the 'Fiver's Lounge' some time earlier to get away from the crowd, and after a while a curious dwarf decided to follow them through the portal. He didn't stay there for long however, and five minutes later he was back and shouting across the tavern.
"OI! YOU'LL NEVER FUCKIN' BELIEVE IT! That kobold mother-lover weren't lyin', there's a whole other section of the tavern here for folks who've cleared Floor Four and it is amazing!" The man takes no questions despite the horde of them being hurled his way, quickly returning to whence he had come, leaving only confusion in his wake. With no way to figure out what he meant other than seeing it for themselves, those who could do so all stood up and made their way after him - Tinsel in the lead.
"What could be so amazing about another part of the inn? We're already gettin' free booze, what could be better than - oh, fuck." The mousekin halts as she crosses through the portal, blinks, and begins to search through her alchemy bag before finding a bottle and inspecting it. "Sobering Potion, right...let's make sure I ain't fuckin' hallucinating this shit."
The woman swallows it down, closing her eyes tightly and shuddering slightly as her body rapidly detoxifies. When it's over and her eyes open once again, she shakes her head and goes searching for the nearest barmaid. "Right, it's real...and now I absolutely gotta get drunk all over again. Ale!"
The other Valleylanders follow through after her, as do Lyota and Wetears from the Domain group, along with a small handful of other Challengers. It's a relatively small proportion of the party given the requirements for entry, and with warning of the evening's events there were enough staff on hand that every new arrival had a alluringly-dressed rabbit-man or woman to meet them and take care of their needs. Limited to drinks, food, and seating at the stage of their choice, of course, though each of the Bunny Magicians, Rogues, and other various minions were happy to hang around and provide the sorts of evening company that wouldn't cross Alizz's personal limits. The exception being the Domain pair, who had the honor of being met by one of the dungeon's guardians.
Taly walks up to the two with a smile, and although she's not wearing one of the rabbit costumes being worn by the rest of the staff, neither is the banshee in her typical combat gear. The pair are actually rather stunned to see the woman in an evening dress, and she looks so stunning in it that Lyota assumes the woman must be wearing a charisma-enchanted necklace. Boosted charisma or not, her voice is certainly welcoming as she greets them. "Well, fancy meeting you here. To be honest, I wasn't sure this was the sort of place that would attract a fury demon. Or...maybe it would? I suppose it could work either way."
Lyota narrows her eyes as she scans the bawdy tavern, lit in red and pinks thanks to the use of tinted glass. "Consenting sexual displays are no sin, and the obscenity laws of the Rainlands do not apply to dungeons. In fact...even the sin that's omnipresent here in this dungeon has felt lighter than usual this evening, although I'm not sure how that's possible."
Smirking, Taly leans in with a whisper. "Ah, little behind-the-scenes secret for you, then. Since Floor Five is only connected to the rest of the dungeon by portals, we could put it anywhere. It's actually physically the topmost floor of the dungeon, furthest from the core chamber. Good thing too, since I wouldn't be surprised if we ended up needing a lot of space for all the expansion this one will be getting...in any case, I'm glad to see you're able to let your hair down a little. Can I get you anything?" Once again she leans in, this time a little closer. "Another free secret - private dances are absolutely on the menu, if you ask for them."
Wetears scoffs at the suggestion. "Including from you, Banshee Queen? That'd certainly be worth a story to tell, haha!"
"Pfft, it'd take a whole lot more than just asking, I can tell you that. Feel free to give it a try if you like though, heheh."
The fury demon simply rolls her eyes at the exchange. "We'll take a rain check on the private dance, thank you. Tonight, I believe we're just here to observe." She trails off somewhat as her eyes latch on to a well-toned Rogue hanging upside down from a metal pole, garbed in only a small garment that barely obscures his bulge. "...And perhaps we'll observe from a spot next to that stage, for the moment..."
Taly smirks. "Sure. Let me get you two a table..."
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At the other end of the room where women grace the stage, the impossible has managed to occur - Tinsel Hansliss has been struck dumb. As she stares at the stage, her jaw hanging slack, a display unlike any other in the world is taking place. A woman made of metal climbs and swings around on one of the stage's vertical poles, but to call it 'dancing' would be greatly insufficient. The figure has no joints in her entire body, instead each rigid fragment of sculpted metal is connected only by channels of glowing electricity, sparking and arcing each time a limb bends to change her position. They seem to come with almost no limits to her range of motion, but her grace on the pole comes from far more than that alone - at times she's able to hold onto the thing without even using her hands or thighs, her skin contact alone apparently enough to keep her from sliding down. At other times she's able to forcefully push herself around or up and down the pole with hardly any display of effort, as if her body was simply being pushed into the air by will alone.
Her body is clearly a work of art, as well. She has the rough form of an elf woman, slender and tall, with a solid chunk of metal shaped to resemble shoulder-length hair. Pieces of a costume resembling that worn by other dancers obscures just how detailed certain parts of her body are, although there's quite a bit less fabric in use as her torso is made up of multiple exposed fragments allowing her to bend and twist. As she turns upside down and hangs from her legs, her eyes finally seem to notice her adoring audience. "Ah! Hey there! Gods, you're adorable! I'm Zappy, what can I call you?"
Her mind apparently shut down, the mousekin's mouth works on its own. "...You can call me whatever you fuckin' want. You're beautiful."
"Thanks! I helped design me myself!"
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Good times and new connections were certainly easy to find in the new Fiver's Lounge. Unfortunately, that left three things behind in the inn's public section.
Two tables seating rival noble houses.
And way too much free booze.