DAY 327

When Zappy knocks on the door of the small mansion currently being used as a barracks by the Army of the Valleylands expedition team, she's a little surprised by who eventually answers it. "Roxxy! I didn't know you were in the army!"

The crystal-studded elemental looks down at her electrified guest. "Hey, Zappy! I'm not in the army, why do you ask?"

Confused, the magnetic elemental checks again the address posted by the door. "Isn't this where the army team lives? I've met Tinsel here a few times before, she didn't say she moved!"

"Ah, I see! No, they live here, but so do Grizza and I. We're Earth Lords!"

Zappy tilts her head. "Is that like a stronger version of an earth elemental? Did a crystal get you that?"

"Nope, it's the other way around! By having control of a patch of earth, we can make other people pay us money! And money can be exchanged for crystals! Although the army is paying the money, not Tinsel and the others themselves, so I'm not entirely sure how the spell works."

"Oh, cool! I've heard your party's been doing good by the way, but don't the rest of them still live in the mountain? What made you want to live here in town?"

Stepping aside so that Zappy can actually come inside, Roxxy continues the conversation. "I just like hanging out with Grizza, I guess, and while driders like being underground apparently Grizza really likes having things like 'baths' and 'beds' that the Elemental Empire doesn't really have. How about you? I've heard you do hang out with Tinsel a lot, is it the same sort of thing? I thought you didn't do Challenger stuff like she does, though."

"No, we do other stuff, like go on walks, and I give her...fun-time feelings, and stuff!" After seeing - somehow - the confused expression on Roxxy's stony face, Zappy clarifies. "She gets embarrassed when I mention giving her orgasms, so she gave me a list of other things to call it. Tinsel and I have 'bedroom activities' together! That's why fleshies like those bed things, you know! Is Grizza the same?"

Roxxy has to think about that for a moment. "...I mean, I haven't been giving him any special feelings, I don't think. Are they important?"

Zappy has to think on that for a bit herself. "Maybe? I mean, Tinsel says I give her too many, sometimes, but then she never turns them down either. So I don't know what the recommended amount is. Also Grizza is bigger, so maybe he needs a different amount? You should probably check with him."

"Hrmm, maybe. Anyhow, Tinsel's up on the second floor right now, she's yelling at some people right now."

"She usually is! Thanks, and see you around!" The elemental makes her way up the main staircase to the second story of the three-floor building, and sure enough the sound of Tinsel's voice leads her the rest of the way.

"No, you're not getting individual bedrooms, did you think you all got promoted to generals or some shit!? Be glad you're getting beds! The first time I came to Grassbrook, I was working out of a damn tent! Now quit bellyaching and unpack your shit already!" As Zappy comes up behind her girlfriend, she finds that the mousekin is standing in a doorway yelling at a number of people she doesn't recognize. Easily peering over the shorter woman's head, Zappy notices a number of orcs and minotaurs inside the room, along with an unfamiliar drider, all of whom are dropping off packs next to various bunks.

"Hey, Tinsie! Making new friends?"

"Eh?" Tinsel quickly spins around, surprised at who she finds looming over her. "Zappy! Shit, I got distracted by this pack of greenies, I forgot you were coming by so soon. And nah, these ain't new friends." The Alchemist shows a smile, but it's an entirely cold one. "These are my new rookies."

A minotaur three times Tinsel's height seems to take offense to that. "With all due respect, ma'am, all of us here are Advanced-qualified with at least five dungeon challenges to our records. We're hardly rookies."

The mousekin turns on her with a sting in her voice. "You ain't ever been in Worthy Dungeon, and that makes you rookies to me! That place has eaten up and spit out soldiers worth ten of you, so don't go getting cocky!" Twisting back towards Zappy, a warmer smile appears. "Sorry about that. Gotta make sure greenies know their place."

"Um..." Interrupting her again, the drider stammers for Tinsel's attention. "Ma'am...what is that you're talking to?"

"What? What? Soldier, this here is my girlfriend. Her name is Zappy, and she's no soldier, but as far as I'm concerned she outranks each and every one of you! And you better treat her with respect!"

Frowning a little, or as much as her face allows her to, Zappy interjects. "Hey, now that's no way to speak to new friends! Even worthless rookie friends!" She turns her head towards the drider, and continues in a warmer tone of voice. "I'm Zappy, magnetic elemental! Are you all going to be challenging the dungeon soon?"

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The first minotaur answers that question. "Aye, with tensions going up around here the past few months, command's wanted more people on site in case the Domain tries any more tricks. Besides, with the dungeon still expanding, it'd be good to have more than one team that has experience with the place."

"Well, I wish you bad luck! That's a Worthy Dungeon joke, by the way. And remember, if you clear the first four floors and don't die, you can see me perform on Floor Five!"

At that, all of the soldiers in the room go still, including Tinsel. After a moment to build up their courage, the drider finally speaks. "Your...your girlfriend works on Floor Five, Alchemist?"

Instead of showing embarrassment, Tinsel decides to go with pride instead. "Does she perform? Does she perform? Soldier, Zappy here is the best dancer in the gods-damned Rainlands! If you actually survive the first four floors - which I highly doubt - you should count yourselves blessed to see so much as a single twirl on her stage! You hear me!?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Good!" After facing Zappy once again, Tinsel takes a breath. "So, where did you want to go today, Zappy?"

"I was thinking a picnic by the river? We could watch the fishies, and I haven't given you...special happy faces over there yet!"

Turning pink under her fur, Tinsel quickly slams shut the bedroom door behind her and begins leading Zappy away. "Great! Awesome! Let's go!"

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"Tassa! Tassa, come take a look, the city's finally in view!" Smiling, Beatrice waves over her minotaur companion as the woman stomps her way across the deck of the wooden ship. Goblin sailors dash back and forth, preparing for the coming docking, but they easily flow around the stern-faced woman like water as she approaches the railing.

"So that's Yotel-on-the-Sea, eh? Buildings look a lot fancier than I expecting for goblin architecture." Indeed, even from a few miles out the pale, sculpted towers of Yotel are easily visible. Accents of gold and copper reflect the morning sun, and magical crystals and runes light up the city, providing each tower with the power required for their various purposes. Even now, a smaller tower next to the dockyards flashes a beam of light at a nearby ship, levitating cargo up and into the port warehouses.

"Goblin money may have financed it, but from what the sailors tell me, they hired the best experts on the continent to actually build the place. Got a little bit of everything around there, apparently." As the sound of another set of clomping hooves alerts her, Beatrice turns to spot Janey joining the pair. She doesn't even bother putting up a fight against the 'morning hug' the larger minotaur wraps them both up in, having long since learned that it would be a futile attempt.

"Morning, morning! Man, can't wait to be on solid land again! It's still too bad Gemtooth wouldn't come with us, but I guess I understand his 'dwarves aren't meant for water' position a little better now. Though it's not like he would've been swimming!"

Beatrice chuckles. "Hey, it's a big deal, sailing out to a completely different continent, on a trip that's guaranteed to take months at the least. To be honest, I still don't believe both of you agreed to come. I mean, I appreciate the company, but I wasn't asking you to."

Janey plants her hands on her hips. "Hey, we may not have been a party for long, but I'm not about to let a companion go off into adventure without support! Besides, this is an opportunity for me to spread Taina's blessings to far-off lands!"

That remark earns her a raised eyebrow from Tassa. "...You mean you want to sleep with beastkin."

"Well, who doesn't! Have you heard the stories about wolfkin? There's a few things I'd like to confirm for myself..."

Sighing, the smaller minotaur turns back towards Beatrice. "Personally, I think it does me some good to get away from the New Continent for a while. With military tensions rising and me being a former soldier, it would have been hard for me to focus on myself while I was there. They do say the Old Continents have things you don't find on the New - and I'm not just talking about the shape of their genitals, either. I'm looking forward to potentially learning some new Challenger techniques." She grins, baring her teeth. "Hells, I might even try some of that magical ink you're looking to get, if it's as useful as you think it is."

"Well, it better be!" Beatrice frowns as she eyes the approaching port. "I'd hate to have set up all this for nothing - although exploration does have perks of its own, of course. Still...I'd love to be able to cast spells as easily as everyone else around here does."

She trails off for a bit, before eventually noticing another passenger crossing the deck of the ship. As easily recognizable among the shorter goblins as Janey was, the red-and-gold-scaled lizardkin stands out almost as brightly as the goblin city ahead. While some on the New Continent would have perhaps confused the man for a very tall kobold, or perhaps a wingless draconic, there was something a bit more snake-like in his expression and habits from what Beatrice had seen. Either way, it was his mind and confident manner that most interested her. "Kliss! Came out to see the city? Or just soak up a bit of sun?"

The man's snout splits in a grin that reveals a multitude of small, sharp teeth. "I've seen it before, of course, but it's still better than the monotony of an endless sea for a few weeks. I hope you're not too disappointed we weren't attacked by any sea monsters on this voyage?"

The monster slayer shrugs. "I mean, it could have been fun, but water monsters aren't exactly my specialty. So - how about it? Willing to take us up on our offer?"

Kliss spreads his arms open wide. "What - to escort three lovely ladies along a road I would have been taking anyways? I'd almost be willing to be your guide for free - almost! But yes, for a very modest fee, I would be happy to be your guide to the Untamed Reaches."

"Yay! Glad to have you!" Unsurprisingly, Janey sweeps the man up in a hug, but his continued smile indicates that the lizardkin has no complaints about the activity. He'd claimed before that he simply enjoyed the minotaur's body heat, but Beatrice suspected his enjoyment had something more to do with the massive mounds of flesh that would nearly swallow the slender fellow whole if Janey squeezed but a little tighter.

"Consider Janey-hugs to be a free, and non-optional, perk of the job. So what's the schedule then? We get into port by tonight, you wrap up your trader business tomorrow, and then...what? Head out the day after that?"

Kliss waggles a hand after the Embracing Acolyte releases him. "I'd like to go with a trading caravan if we could, and that could take up to a week depending on our timing. On the plus side, such a caravan would likely be happy to hire on your team as guards, so it would at least be a profitable delay."

"I can live with that. Tassa?" The minotaur nods, and Beatrice turns back to Kliss. "Might be nice to see the city a little bit, too. After all, if there's one thing I've learned in my line of work..." She pauses for a moment, turning to face the city once again. "There's always an adventure out there for you, if you look hard enough..."