Worthy Core

Tizzy had ended up spending the full night at the dungeon, along with practically everyone else considering no one was about to go climbing down the mountain in the dark. Especially not if they were as drunk as the vast majority of them had been. She'd even gotten a room to herself free of charge, despite having never challenged the dungeon before, although it was perhaps a little barebones. She had been tempted to find someone else to share a bunk with...but no, best to avoid potential entanglements this early into the mission. Perhaps if it looked likely that she'd be moving on again soon she would have given things a go, but to the scout's excitement it seemed as if their goal was finally within sight.

Now, all she had to do was report it.

Which is why she had eventually climbed back down the mountain after lunch the following day, and was now standing around in the middle of the forest outside Grassbrook. It might seem as if she were completely lost, but she wasn't the mission's scout for nothing, and a trail of invisible magical 'breadcrumbs' she'd left behind easily guided her back to her destination. So now, all she had to do was wait. Just a little longer...

Tizzy isn't looking directly at the marked spot, so she isn't blinded when a sudden flash of blue light ignites between the trees. It fades out just as quickly though, and the imp counts her new guests to be sure that everything is as expected. The first to appear as usual is Lei, his brown eyes a poor contrast to the slightly gray skin he acquired from the dark elf side of his ancestry. The next two through are the half-orc Pulg and the only fully-human woman of the initial group, the blonde-haired mage named Linda. Behind them all is the youngest member of the gathering, and yet the one they all defer to. His black hair is pristine despite the arcane energies swirling around him, and his piercing blue eyes quickly locate Tizzy amongst the trees.

"Taken on an illusion, I see. Things are going well Tizzy, I hope?"

Tizzy quickly bows as the man steps forward. "More than well, my lord. Unfortunately, purple skin seems to be a bit of rarity here, so for the moment I'm playing the role of a goblin. It seems that our artifact is still working properly?"

Reaching into his armor, the man pulls out a golden necklace adorned a by a single large, clear white gem. "It certainly got us here well enough - if we should run into that monster slayer, I daresay I could kiss her for having made a backup soul-tracking artifact. I suppose she had little else to spend her money on, from the sounds of it. Once our power has recharged, we should be able to bring through the rest. But tell me - it seems as if you have good news?" The man suddenly steps closer, a trace of hunger in his stare. "Wait - don't tell me you've actually seen him?"

"Her, actually - and seen her? Hells, I've been inside her! Spent the whole night there!" Tizzy's smile is bright as she shouts out her announcement, but as the gathered party stares down at the smaller woman, she realizes that perhaps she could have gone about that differently.

Pulg speaks up first, his rumbling voice somewhere between amusement and disappointment. "I had no idea you were that kind of kinky, imp. Granted, we might not be blood relatives in this particular realm, but..."

"No, no, wait, not what I meant!" Tizzy quickly waves her hands. "She's not human here - or any sort of normal mortal, for that matter!"

Her lord sighs in relief. "Well, hopefully that won't be an issue. To think she spent her previous life as a sword! That must have been a nightmare! I assume she's at least not some sort of animal or something, if you've found her so quickly." He looks back and forth around the forest. "It seems as if this artifact did indeed bring us quite close to her, which saves us a terrible amount of time and effort, but if she's some sort of woodland creature..."

"Nope! Apparently, she's a rock!"

Once again, horrified looks grace the faces of her allies. Linda raises her hand to her mouth as she gasps. "Dear gods, that poor woman! ...Er, you said you've been inside this rock, then?"

"Well, it's complicated. See, they have this thing in this realm called 'dungeons', and..." For the next fifteen minutes the woman gives a very brief lecture on the topic based on her recent discoveries, although most of the questions posed by her students need to go unanswered thanks to her own ignorance. Eventually though she's shared practically everything she knows, and wraps up her explanation. "So that's about the long and short of it, Prince Thaddeus. She's apparently very well defended...by herself."

The prince stalks back and forth, practically wearing a path in the moss beneath his feet. "Intriguing! ...Not the easiest outcome we could have expected, but it's not all downsides. At least she won't be going anywhere soon, so there's that silver lining."

Lei raises a hand covered in rune-marked wrappings. "Uh, yeah, isn't that a minor issue in and of itself, my lord? It sounds like she can't leave the damn place, and we're planning to go a bit further than the nearest village, isn't that right?"

Thaddeus both nods and waves the concern off. "Yes, yes, it is a wrinkle. But not an insurmountable one. At least removing the core from a dungeon only destroys the dungeon it created, and not the core itself, at least not directly. Consider the possibilities! What if a new dungeon could be formed elsewhere? Or...even just something dungeon-like, at a minimum? She could be protected, and truly immortal in such a form! It will require study, of course."

Linda nods along. "Indeed - but that's not something we can do in a gods-damned woods. You said there's a village nearby? Would a village have any resources we could use?"

The scout gives an eager nod. "The place is small but growing fast! Speaking of - we need to talk about your cover stories."

The half-orc dressed in leather and furs grunts at the suggestion. "What, traveling lordling and his bodyguards not going to cut it? ...Wait, don't tell me it's all goblins here. I don't mind turning greener but to hells if I'm gonna crouch over and pretend to be four damned feet tall for as long as we're here!"

"Nah, nah, they do got orcs here, and humans, so you're covered. I've got something better, though. Challengers. It's basically like a local Adventurer's Guild, virtually everyone who goes into the dungeon is one of them, other than apparently some military teams now and then. I've already started filling out paperwork for you lot, but once you've got your cover story down you'll need to go down to the Association office and sign off on it. Ah...here you go, Pulg Dinter, I've put you down as being a Shaman of Life and Power. That's a Master-tier class, by the way! Pretty high in their rankings, almost the top."

She hands the man a piece of paper, and as Linda steps forward Tizzy pulls out another. "Ah...Linda Cogswell, Force Mage. You and I are both in their 'Mage' family of classes, though I'm calling myself an Arcane Eye, bit of a Scout crossover."

Lei reaches out his hand next. "And me?"

"There's no 'Iron Palm' class, sorry, but I did put it down as your nickname. Zhou Lei the Iron Palm, your class is 'Shattering Fist'."

The martial artist takes it with a grunt. "Close enough, I suppose."

"And you, my lord, are Tad Luminar, an Undeniable Blade! That's a Supreme-tier class, the highest their rankings go, but I'm sure you'll be able to prove your skills if they try to test you."

A smirk traces the man's lips as he takes his own application form. "I'm the only one using a false name here, am I? Well, I suppose calling myself 'Worthy' would attract a bit too much attention here, wouldn't it?"

"Preeettty much, yeah. There's also the matter of magic we need to discuss."

Thaddeus sighs. "Would it be too much to hope that the magic here is compatible with our own? Your own illusions seem to work, so it can't be too bad."

The imp chuckles as she waggles her fingers, blue arcane energies dancing between them as she does so. "Well I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that this realm is practically swimming in magic. Damn near every adventurer knows a few spells, and even a lot of the general populace. So that means even spells and enchantments that aren't working at a hundred percent efficiency can still sort of work. The bad news is, it's not entirely compatible, no. Our artifacts should be good for at least a few weeks at a minimum, possibly months or years. However, you're gonna need to expect to be a lot weaker with your personal spells until I can craft some amulets or rings for everyone to process the local mana with. That's gonna take some time."

Linda tests her own magic, telekinetically pulling a stray branch from the ground and into her hand. "Mrmf, yes - we're far from defenseless, but even that was starting to give me traces of a headache. I imagine it wouldn't be safe for us to try and enter this dungeon as we are now?"

Pulg has thoughts on that. "Well, not if we're gonna fight the damn thing. Sounds like the place ain't entirely unapproachable, though. Any thoughts on just, y'know...goin' up there and asking her, all diplomatic-like?" Lei turns towards his companion, mock surprise on his face.

"What was that? Diplomacy!? Who are you, and what have you done with Pulg!?"

"Hey, if it's quicker than sitting around waitin' for a bunch of jewelry to get made up for us, well, that's all I'm saying..." The man trails off with a bit of a grumble, but his leader shakes his head.

"There is, as they say, only one opportunity to give a first impression. And I will not have us looking like a bunch of weak children, begging for the support of our elder. I know I for one would hardly be moved by such an approach, were I in her position. No. We shall recover our strength, challenge this dungeon as is the local custom, and then and only then reveal ourselves and our purpose. That will allow us to discuss matters from a position of strength and respect."

The blonde mage giggles as she adds her own thoughts. "Not to mention, it would be far more useful to be in that position if she doesn't care for our request."

The prince nods again, although his own expression is much more grim. "Indeed it would. Let us not hope for such an outcome...but either way, we must be prepared." Turning back towards Tizzy, the man begins to issue a new set of orders.

"Tizzy! Lead us to this village, and once we've found shelter, you and Linda can begin work on the mana conversion enchantments. Once you have your own working though, I'm ordering you to proceed with your investigations into the dungeon. Join with that adventurer party you mentioned, and see what we can actually expect to find down there. Once the rest of us are equipped and recharged, we'll follow based on your reports."

The woman salutes, her form a little sloppy but serious nonetheless. "Yes, my lord! And how about the others, sir?"

"If the mana here is different, it's hard to say how long it might take to recharge the artifacts for the crossing ritual. For the time being, we'll proceed as if we must complete this task on our own."

"Very well, my lord." Pointing southward through the forest, Tizzy begins to lead the group forward. "Til then, time to see what Grassbrook has to offer, eh? I bet this town doesn't know what's in store for it..."