The following day Beatrice was dropping off crate after crate of goods in Xenia's core chamber, while the dungeon master herself was upstairs adding in some additional greenery. The room hadn't changed much during the move, except that the windows that had once displayed the mountain's secret abyss were now open to the back side of the fourth floor's waterfall, only dimly lit by some hidden fungus. They'd been carefully crafted to be hard to see even if someone did go looking behind the waterfall - what self-respecting adventurer didn't check for secrets behind waterfalls, after all - but they did still manage to do their job of making the room feel less stuffy. A little more humid, perhaps, but at least there weren't going to need to be any concerns about uncontrolled mold growths inside the dungeon or problems like that.

As Beatrice was setting up the last crate though, she was interrupted by Xenia drifting her way down the spiral staircase that now connected her core chamber door to the island surface above. "Ah, hey Trish! Was just gonna take a break and double check our design layout." She pauses and takes in the sight of the small pile of wooden boxes Beatrice is currently standing next to. "Ah, looks like you're getting ready to move out, then? You uh, know I can absorb stuff from anywhere, right? You didn't need to move all that down here. Where'd you even get the crates from anyways?"

Beatrice chuckles. "Had the entire boxes worth of stuff in the Item Boxes, obviously, not like I was gonna spend the time adding in every little ration one by one. And I know, but separating out and moving the stuff around helps me double-check what I'm dumping and what I'm keeping. I went through a fair bit of effort to get some of this stuff, and some of it I was holding on to for years in case it became useful, so it stings a little to find out it's turning into trash so suddenly. But hey, if it helps you out, then at least it's not a total waste."

Xenia nods. "I totally appreciate it, definitely. So what sort of cool, worthless trash are you dumping off in my dungeon?"

Beatrice scoffs before pointing first at a pair of stacked crates. "These are the extra rations and food stuffs, should still all be good, but I don't think I'll have any trouble stocking up on more down at the Challenger's camp, so I may as well let you have some. Honestly I feel like kind of an idiot for not giving them to you earlier. I figure the quantity alone should probably boost your food tier a fair bit, which means we could've all been eating better the past week, yeah? As for the specifics, I was looking through and I'm not sure it'll do much for you aside from the fish we were talking about yesterday. Like, there's nuts and seeds and fruits in there, but it's all local temperate plants, so odds are you've already got access to those by now. And if sausage won't let you get pigs, then other animals are probably out."

"Even the fish alone would be nice to unlock." Rubbing her hands together, Xenia gets an evil grin. "Oh, sure, they might start as decorative little F-tier fishies, but if I can crossbreed in waterbreathing with some of my other stuff? I'll be able to turn that river out there into a proper moat."

"Like...aquatic bunnies? How's that undead bunny program working out so far, by the way?"

Xenia frowns a little as she sits back into her favorite chair. "Well, we got Vampire Bunnies, which will make a decent swarm monster, I think. As a boss monster though, I dunno, not really feeling it, so I'm running it some more to see what else we might get."

Beatrice laughs a little before shivering at the thought of a swarm of bloodthirsty lagomorphs. "Cute but deadly, eesh. Uh, anyhow - box three. This one's mostly just bulky utility gear that doesn't really have any utility anymore. Fireproof armor that's almost lost its enchantments, a sword of sharpness that's basically just a normal sword at this point, and so on. To be honest it was mostly all just random quest rewards I picked up along the years and brought along because hey, why not, most of it I never actually used. So, like the food, it's all grist for your quantity-driven upgrades more than anything else."

"I'll take what I can get. The Initiates that come in here are still barely geared up at all, so that crate's probably worth at least a couple team wipes in upgrades. And the last box?"

The warrior pats her hand on the lid of the fourth container. "These are charged items that are losing their charges. Like, I had a fireball wand that anyone could use even without knowing magic, good for twenty blasts, right? Well, after checking it with an inspection tool, it's already down to more like five. It's honestly draining way faster than I would have expected, Sincere was telling me that the local mana fields might be not just incompatible but outright hostile to some of my gear, and might be actively sapping it. Fortunately craftsmanship matters, so my top-tier shit will still last a lot longer. So anyhow, this one's more magical stuff: wands, accessories, some scrolls that may or may not be just paper at this point. Hope it helps!"

"I'm sure it will!" Xenia's smile grows a little more devious after that statement, and the dungeon master changes the topic. "So you've been spending a lot of time chatting with Sincere, huh? Learning more about magic wands, eh, eh?"

Beatrice chuckles as she claims a seat for herself. "I don't know what you're talking about. He's been very thoughtfully teaching me about the local geography and cultures before I start my big tour, that's all."

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"Oh really?" Xenia's grin doesn't fade in the least. "Didn't want to mention this earlier, but you do realize I have at least a vague sense of all the mortals in my dungeon at all times, right? I mean, I can try and block it out, but sometimes things are really hard to ignore."

The dragon slayer's face grows hot under her helmet. "Xen! Don't tell me you've been peeking!"

"Hey, I had to make sure my craftsmanship was working up to spec, after all! So, any complaints? Any tweaks I oughtta get in before your next visit?" Xenia leans forward eagerly, enjoying putting the screws to her friend.

Clearing her throat, Beatrice does her best to keep her voice even. "No complaints, thank you. Hells, I'll even give the man my recommendation. If you and Lollyp ever need to take a break from each other, ask the man about his Delayed Gratification spell, you might enjoy it. Honestly, given how constantly horny you were back when you were my friggin' sword, I'm surprised you haven't slipped into the man's room already yourself. Uh, unless you have?"

This time it's Xenia's turn to lean back with a slight blush. "Hey, being a hunk of metal for seven years was extremely frustrating! I mean, it had its moments, but you know, as a woman...sword, there were needs that were hard to fill! Uh, y'know...other than that one time."

Beatrice pauses for a moment. "Yeah, that...one time. Which we're definitely never speaking of again. I mean, wasn't complaining, but, uh. Yeah."

"Yeeeah. So, right, Sincere. I mean, the man's got all the right bits in the right places, as you've so generously tested out, but he is such a nerd. Honestly I'm surprised you went for him so quick, I didn't think that was your type either."

The warrior chuckles, feeling a little bolder about the topic of conversation now. "Yeah, he's a nerd, but he's a confident nerd, and I think you said yourself once that confidence is sexy, right? Also, he's apparently a gigantic manslut and I very much respect and appreciate that. Seriously, I'm probably gonna be coming back here for him more than you at this point, no offense."

"Shit, maybe I should give him a try...but no, I don't wanna pressure the staff or nothin'. If he wants to make a move maybe we'll see. Anyhow, you heading out tomorrow then? Anything we can do before you go? Big farewell party? Hmm, already burned most of my mana for today, but I can make you some parting gifts tomorrow morning. Or do you just want a quiet evening in with the ol' lover-boy?"

"A small party might be nice. Followed up by a quiet evening in, if a certain nosy someone can promise not to peep."

"I promise to try."

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That evening a different form of party found itself gathering down at the Fort - which some were now calling Worthy Fort, though the name was still far from official. Walking in front of his selected troops, Lieutenant Willowbranch inspected each of them in turn. In a credit to their professionalism neither Willowbranch, Combat Medic Goldleaf, or Alpine Scout Tafyaf Srooll showed any indications of how they had been introduced to each other in front of the rest of the team...or at least, the two elves didn't. The Scout did have a bit of a smirk on his face but given that the man was a gnoll, that was quite possibly just his natural resting expression.

Stopping in front of the third soldier, the Wild Sentinal took a moment to look the human woman up and down. Although she was mostly encased in heavy plate armor, her face was exposed, leaving the heavy scarring on her left side plain to see. Her hair was cropped short to make helmets easier to wear, but if anything truly marked her it would be the constant faraway look in her eyes, and the way in which she never took much part in conversations. While her resume was mostly solid, Willowbranch did have to admit to having a few concerns. "Vanguard Rill Frudd. I'm told that among your dungeon experience, you once reached the seventh floor of the Fire Sands, is that right?"

Rill nods, without meeting his eyes. "Yes sir, that's correct."

"I'm also told you were the last survivor of that particular party. It's a little unusual, isn't it, for a party's heavy to be the last to fall? I'm not passing any judgment, but I am curious as to how exactly that occurred."

The woman again responds in a professional tone of voice, as if it's a report she's had to give more than a few times before. "The boss arena had a trap to turn part of the floor into quicksand, sir. By time I was able to free myself, the rest of my party had already fallen in combat. I was able to...avenge their deaths, but I lacked the healing abilities required to save the wounded."

"I see. I don't mean to dredge up bad memories, but it is good to know just what sort of tricks a dungeon might have in store for us. As long as we learn from our experiences, then no loss is ever entirely in vain."

The woman gives a perfunctory "Yes, sir." in response, and the Sentinel decides that's as much as he's likely to get out of her for the moment. Moving on, he reaches the final member of the party, a robe-wearing gnoll holding a staff adorned with animal skulls.

"And you would be Spirit Mage Choc Ress, yes? I admit I'm not very familiar with that particular Mage branch."

The man nods, chuckling before he's even started to speak. "Hehe, yes, yes. Would likely be a Shaman branch were I a Challenger, yes, but the military finds it too un-formalized a school, it does. In particular I can call on the spirits and echoes of the fallen - in the wilds, many animal spirits I can call. In dungeons, hehe, the more dangerous the dungeon, the more fallen adventurers there are to use, yes."

Willowbranch finds himself a little confused by the description. "How would that work, Spirit Mage? Are the souls of those who fall in dungeons not imprisoned by those same dungeons? How could you call on them yourself to fight against it?"

"Not soul magic, no, would be necromancy in that case, hehe, or perhaps demon magic. The spirits upon which I call are merely echoes, the disturbances a violent death leaves in the fabric of reality. The world itself remembers us, it does."

"Interesting. I wonder if that could be particularly useful in the this dungeon specifically, given its oddities. Can you speak with the spirits, Mage, or are they merely combat constructs?"

The Mage waggles a hand. "Sometimes, yes. Great conversationalists, they are not, no."

Sentinel Willowbranch rubs his chin as he considers the possibilities. "Then I suppose we'll just need to make sure we ask the right questions..."