"To success! And to the newest qualified members of the Fiver's Lounge!" Prince Thaddeus raises his mug in a toast with a smile on his face, and the expression is largely mirrored by the rest of his party. Lei looks around with a bit of confusion, however.

"Which we're celebrating...outside of the lounge in question, for some reason." Indeed, as he scans the room, the martial artist finds the Lucky Bastard's tavern to be a very familiar sight by this point. It's the peak of the summer season so the place is decently busy, but it's also certainly far more...traditional than rumors had described the Fiver's Lounge as being. Hells, the tavern didn't even allow for succubi to go around working their wiles in here, unless they were at least buying themselves drinks while they were at it. Bardic entertainment was irregular, meaning the most excitement the place usually had was the occasional card game.

"Yes, but only so we can celebrate properly. The walls may have ears wherever we go, but it sounds as if dungeon spirits are far more aware of their contents than we first assumed, so I wanted us to be able to share drinks in a place where we could talk more freely." The raven-haired prince shoots his companion a wink. "But no worries - I'm declaring tomorrow a day off, so if you wish to return and enjoy the pleasures we're currently missing out on, have at it."

On his other side, Linda smiles briefly before growing more serious. "You wish to talk business tonight, then?"

"Yes, but first, I must finish the task of congratulating you all on a job well done. The twilight forest of Floor Four...it was certainly something. Linda, Pulg, your magics did an excellent job of protecting us from those wraiths and shades. The mana-conversion artifacts are in full working order, I take it?"

The mage nods. "The first batch have been fully refined and tweaked, and I can personally say that using my magic felt as good as ever today. Pulg, any complaints?"

The half-orc shaman sitting next to her grins. "Ah, it was almost too easy! Being at full strength again - ah, I've missed it!"

Linda nods in agreement. "That also goes for the chest I've been working on, just place any artifacts you're worried about in there and they'll recharge overnight. Tizzy and I will still need some time to carry over the refinements to the second batch though, for the other team. I hope they all got through Floor One today in one piece, at least?"

Lei chuckles. "Yes, I checked in with them on our way back. A couple actually got scratched by that rabbit, but nothing major. They claim that he was stronger than we said - just trying to make up for their own flaws, I'm sure."

"Part of me was worried that our...that the dungeon might have caught on to our presence and would perhaps attempt to make things harder for us, but it seems as if our cover is yet intact." Thaddeus glances towards Pulg. "Perhaps the results of your ritual yesterday were correct - Sevastion truly is dead and gone, and did not spill our secrets. It's regretful that he chose that path, but at least it's not the worst-case scenario."

"Indeed." Pulg lifts his own mug in a toast. "May the man find fortune in his next life!" While there's a bit of a delayed response, given Sevastion's lack of popularity with the group, the others do eventually follow.

After taking a moment to swallow his drink, Lei changes the topic. "So we're taking a day off, and then what - Floor Six next?"

"Yes." Thaddeus nods. "And I think it's time we bring Tizzy back to our own party, as the dungeon only gets more difficult from here on. Aside from needing her skills ourselves, I'm not sure I trust her safety with the other Challengers around here, at least not on the deeper floors. They say a party of Masters was nearly wiped out the other day, you know."

Linda looks slightly surprised. "What about keeping her cover separate from ours?"

"She's already known as an independent freelancer, we'll just claim that we're hiring her on if anyone asks. I doubt anyone will, however."

"Sounds like a plan, then!" Pulg grins with a wide, toothy smile. "In the meanwhile, I think I'll spend some time with our newer arrivals. We must be sure that they're up to the task of aiding us, after all..."

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"Hold on, hold on, you're not making any sense. Dungeon ghosts?" Jantana sets down her cup as the minotaur sits at a much more private dining area, that being the dining room of the small mansion the Valleylander army had rented out as their local 'barracks'. "The dungeon is sending ghosts out into the town?"

"Well, yes and no!" Tinsel sighs as she leans back in her chair. "I don't think the dungeon sent it out, that orc called her or something. But it possessed him! And now he's walking around the town! A dungeon monster in plain sight!"

Sitting across from her, Mesht frowns and takes a bite of his dinner. "Mmm. Well, that's not so new, is it? We already know the dungeon can send its monsters into the town. Hells, I still remember when you made Kalasha and I follow that giant rabbit man around when he took his wife out on that date. Made me feel like a proper creep, alright."

Kalasha shoots him a smirk. "Hey, it got you a date with me out of the bargain, right? Wasn't all bad."

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Sure. I could expense-charge it to the army, so it was a free meal."

"That's - no, you're missing the point, here!" Tinsel slams her tiny palms down onto the table's surface. "When a dungeon monster visits the town, it gets noticed, recorded even! They even make Zappy check in with the guards, you know? This one - no one knows it's wandering around! And it fuckin' possessed a guy! What if it can hop around? It could be anyone by now!"

Haylizt, the group's drider Priestess, raises a hand - or rather a shadowy tentacle that briefly takes the form of one. "I think you might be forgetting the other issue you described. Someone's summoning monsters out of the dungeon? Why, and who the hells are these people? That might have been an orc, but he's definitely not with the Valleylands or we should've heard about it, right? Are these just Challengers up to some scheme, or do you think this is another Domain plot of some sort?"

Tinsel pauses for a moment to consider that particular angle before answering. "...You're right, we don't know enough about them. I do know he's a Master, cause part of my job is to try and keep an eye out for any Masters or Supremes who come through town. I think I've seen him hanging out with a couple of humans before...and now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure one of those humans is a Supreme. The only Supreme in Grassbrook right now, as far as I know." The mousekin grimaces at the thought. "Shit. Supremes don't just fall out of the fuckin' sky. It'd be one thing to think he was just here to check out the dungeon's, uh, 'fringe benefits', since for the most part Worthy Dungeon's not really at the level of attracting Supreme-tier Challengers yet. But to be here and having a party member fuckin' with the dungeon like that? There's definitely a bigger plot at play. Could be Dragonlord shit, for sure."

The Shadow Priestess nods along. "So what's our move, then? Observe and report? Or do we step in? We have been authorized to interfere with Domain plots, right? And I know Command was upset we missed out on things when that last Domain squad attacked those nobles, though honestly I'm not sure if we should've jumped into the middle of that one even if we'd known about it. They did sound like they wanted us to be more proactive, though."

"You'd be right if this is a Domain plot, but we don't know that yet. We need to get close to them, find out if they're acting alone or if they're getting orders from someone." Tinsel's eyes narrow as she returns to her original point. "Also, we definitely need to keep an eye on what that dungeon ghost is up to. I'm still worried about that!"

Mesht sighs. "Well, we can give it a shot, but everyone knows we're working for the Army of the Valleylands. If they're suspicious of government agents, it's gonna be difficult to just walk up to them and go, 'hey, can I buy you a drink, also, what do you think about summoning ghosts in secret rituals'."

"Right, we need someone with a little more plausible deniability." Tinsel turns her head upwards, mentally looking up at one of the bedrooms several floors above, where her 'landlord' resides. "I need to have a lil chat with Grizza about this..."

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"Ghosts. The realmwalkers are summoning ghosts." Alizz stares at Kelsey as the pair sit at a private Association meeting, alongside Renter and Sely. "From the dungeon."

"Well, singular ghost. Also, I dunno if they'll be doing that again, now that the dude trying the thing got fuckin' possessed. What are we gonna do about that, by the way? Not that it's Xenia's fault, but that does seem like a bit of a loophole around the usual arrangements we've been working with." The kobold gives a thoughtful look as he comments, as if having the proper paperwork filled out was indeed something he was typically concerned about.

The drider buries her face in her hands, pushing her glasses aside, and sighs deeply. "...I don't know. This whole realmwalkers business is a private matter of Xenia's, beyond the fact that they've been forging paperwork, it's not necessarily an Association concern. I can't help but feel like this is leading to a confrontation, but my hope was that it'd be a confrontation between them and Xenia. Watching them is one thing, but getting directly involved - I mean, they seem to be as good as they say, yes? Master-tier or higher, at least for their core group?"

Sely scoffs. "I've had to treat three Experts for injuries after they challenged that fistfighter to spars. 'Accidental' broken bones, my ass. That man plays with Experts like they're toys. Yes, I'd wager they've got at least a few Master-tiers there, forged paperwork or no."

"Right." Alizz sighs again. "That means they're beyond the four of us, unless we managed to arrange a perfect ambush. If we enlisted aid from the Challengers or staff trainers, or perhaps the Fort's garrison, we could beat them with numbers, but who knows how many casualties that could lead to? I don't want us getting directly involved in this mess unless it's an absolute requirement. If they want to try and interrogate dungeon guardians, and Xenia wants to plant a spy on their team in response...that's still between them and the dungeon. We'll just have to keep a closer eye on that shaman, I suppose."

Kelsey frowns. "I get what you're saying, but I don't like being passive if there's a threat to the dungeon under our noses. Protecting the place is one of our, like, top three job requirements. They've already called in reinforcements once, and they've apparently been using the past couple weeks to rebuild their magical strength. What if waiting just makes things worse?"

"We're not the only ones with plans at play here though, Kelsey. Xenia's already, apparently, neutered one of their major players, and could well be in a position to take out the others without even a fight. Maybe..." Alizz winces slightly as she says it. "Maybe we give Xenia a chance to work her own plans against them."

Kelsey chuckles. "Well, when I wake up and Grassbrook is burning down, at least we'll know who to blame..."

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"Hey! Pay attention!" Xenia snaps her fingers at the distracted floor guardian standing before her. "I may be the dungeon master here, but it's your arena. If I'm not getting your feedback on what sort of secondary monsters and distractions to put in here, I at least need to be sure you know how your own damn fight works."

Yulia's gaze quickly locks on to her new employer. "Yes, yes, I am listening! Was simply...thinking about something else, for a moment."

Xenia eyes her guardian for a moment, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "...Is this about the body? If the spider-queen thing isn't doing it for you, I've got no problem in downgrading you a bit if you need something more comfortable."

The arachne boss shakes her head vigorously. "No, that's not an issue! This body has already proven...quite enjoyable."

"Really? You ain't even had a fight with it yet. Or have you been..." Xenia briefly considers accessing her memories of Yulia's behavior, and then quickly changes her mind. "No, no, I don't wanna know, what you do on your personal time is your own business. Just let me know if anything's bothering you, okay?"

"Of course! I am here to help you, grandmother, after all..."