109

3.39 - Revealing

This being a chest provided by a boss encounter, the warhammer was far from the only valuable drop. Though, as an uncommon, not one of the weakest, either; boss fight or not, this was still the first floor of the dungeon. Their rewards could only be so great.

A collection of various items came out. Nearly everyone on the team got some accessory or piece of gear that suited them to some degree, and Natalie found herself nodding to herself, their decision to tackle the boss despite being mildly underprepared clearly having demonstrated itself as having been worth it—their equipment issues were rectified in short order, bringing them back to where they'd been before Elida's interference. And they'd still be receiving much of that gear back; Liz had said such excessive robbing went against even Tenet's unforgiving and apathetic standards. So it was a great payday.

The crown jewel of loot chest came last. Jordan let out a low whistle, reading the item's description.

***

Robes of the Sparking Conduit

Rare

Lv. 1

Effects

- Spark of Inspiration. For twenty seconds, gain moderate bonuses to magical Prowess. Fifteen minute cooldown.

Description

White mage's robes that glow faintly with an otherworldly light.

***

"Another rare," Natalie said, shaking her head. "That's crazy."

"At least it came from a boss fight, this time," Sofia said, though was of course equally impressed. "So it makes some sense."

Rares were, well, rare, especially on the first floor. If one

would

drop, it'd be from a boss fight, so it wasn't nearly as astounding as Liz's wand, but even so. Two rares in a single day was incredible luck. Their fortunes really had turned around after Elida's attack. Was the dungeon taking pity on them, or was it just coincidence? Regardless, the team's mood had improved considerably—at the burst of fortune, Natalie could tell the last lingering discontent vanished.

Liz especially was bouncing on her heels, excited. "That's Ana's! Definitely. I don't need it."

Natalie found herself endeared at how enthusiastically the healer insisted the amazing mage's item go to Ana—because Liz herself could absolutely have made great use of the item. A moderate boost to magical prowess every few fights was incredible. Not quite as insane as Liz's persistent moderate furor boost, but that wand had come from a broken encounter; thinking about both how they'd gotten it, and how strong it was, hurt Natalie's head.

Sofia finished unfolding the white garment, dropping it out so they could see the full piece of clothing.

"Wait ..." Liz said.

"It doesn't seem like there's enough?" Sofia said, confused. She turned the piece of clothing around in her hands, trying to make sense of it.

Natalie also blinked. Those were

robes?

Sofia finished untangling it, and presented the article of clothing.

"Oh," Liz said.

As one, her four team mates turned to Natalie. Natalie's face seared red. "No. Uh-huh. You can't blame me every time something like this happens. It's not like there's

no

dungeon loot that's a little ..." She struggled to find the word.

"Slutty?" Sofia suggested, quirking an eyebrow. She tugged on the scant bundle of fabric. Natalie couldn't even fully tell how it was supposed to be worn; it was a tangle of strips and bands of white cloth.

"M-Maybe it's not Ana's, then?" Liz asked, laughing nervously and sending a look toward their mage.

Ana paused, then said, "Why? You want it?"

"No! I just mean—well, it's kind of ... what Sofia said?"

"Revealing?" Ana asked. "It's still an effective piece of equipment."

Liz gaped as Ana held her hand out for Sofia, and the white-haired girl amusedly gave it to her.

"Turn around, please?" Ana asked.

The team politely did so. Natalie focused her thoughts stalwartly elsewhere, because for some reason, the idea of Ana tugging on those flimsy 'robes' were creating problems down low—and while Jordan and Liz both knew about her issue there, Sofia and Ana were still in the dark. Plus, getting hard at her teammate's new attire would obviously be inappropriate. To understate things.

"There," Ana said.

They turned around.

Natalie lamented her fate.

She'd been vaguely aware that Ana had a great figure, because even for her loose, extremely unflattering gray robes, her bust and hips had been outrageously noticeable. Still, she'd underestimated what it took to make even thick mage robes cling to her curves.

Maybe it was the outrageous contrast, too, going from what Ana had been wearing to this. And Ana's panties and bra were clearly visible, considering how little the robes covered. But they were incongruous to the outfit. Two thin strands of white cloth ran down her chest, and if not for her black bra, a truly scandalous amount of skin would've been showing. The slightest breeze would've exposed the woman.

To Natalie's delight and despair, Ana turned around and presented the back of the outfit, too. The thin, lightweight cloth didn't cover much more lower down than it did above. Two flaps of white cloth covered her front and ass, but not entirely—Natalie got an indulgent sight of thighs, calves, stomach, back, and the edge of Ana's ass, the curves still plenty noticeable, even accentuated by the frail efforts to hide them.

"L-Looks good!" Liz squeaked. "If you're fine with it, of course. Are you fine with it?"

Ana turned back forward, then frowned down at her attire. "It's acceptable. A bit breezy. Should I lose the bra? The robes obviously aren't meant for it."

Liz sent panicked looks to Natalie, Sofia, and Jordan, but Natalie was undergoing her own crucible, so she didn't reply. She wasn't sure whether the visible bra and panties were making matters worse or better—that the garments clearly didn't match to the robe's scandalizing design almost made the outfit more erotic, despite covering more skin. Natalie desperately struggled to keep her thoughts chaste, and for her not to reveal her problem to Sofia and Ana.

Jordan rolled her eyes, seeming amused at everyone's reactions. Natalie knew she appreciated the sight, because who wouldn't, but she wasn't a mess like Liz and Natalie, and to a lesser extent, Sofia—who was pointedly trying not to stare as well.

"Maybe wait until you can get some tape," Jordan said. "Otherwise I think you'll be showing off more than you want. Doesn't seem like it'll stay in place."

"That's true," Ana said, pointedly playing with the thin straps that ran down her breasts. A slight breeze would send them fluttering open; she definitely needed tape to keep them in place. "I suppose it doesn't matter for now."

"Was that the last of the items?" Natalie asked, a bit louder than she meant. Lingering on Ana's new combat gear would only end poorly.

Jordan smirked at her, obviously knowing Natalie's plight, and Natalie only returned a glare. Fortunately, Sofia also seemed eager to move on; she was flustered too. Really, who would have expected Ana to have that much going on? The nerdy, emotionless girl had one of the most unfair figures Natalie had ever set eyes on.

And now she'd be showing it off constantly throughout the dungeon? By wearing those so-called 'robes' around? Natalie was completely doomed.

"That was the last," Sofia said, rummaging around one last time to make sure. She rose, then faced the far end of the arena. "More importantly, though, is whether we're using the exit."

It was a question that managed to briefly chase away thoughts of her teammate's revealing new clothing. The exit. Or, more relevantly, the entrance to the second floor of the dungeon.

All five of them chewed over the question. They'd discussed the possibility earlier, but being faced with the option recontextualized it.

"We

did

fare well against the boss," Jordan said. "At the same time, I think I'd rather keep grinding this floor. Maybe tackle one or two more bosses if possible. Second floor is risky."

"I agree," Sofia said. "Though my curiosity certainly doesn't."

Natalie snorted.

"Either works with me," Liz said. "Both options have merit. Especially with our gear upgrades, we can definitely handle it. But we're setting a good pace, and the Wispwood seems suited to our composition. It'd be smart to stay."

Natalie wavered between the two options. If they went into the second floor, they'd certainly have to stay near the entrance, and would likely have to retreat shortly. From there, they'd have to re-enter the dungeon, and therefore get a new first-floor that they weren't as familiar with. The hours they'd spent in the Wispwood had improved their efficiency carving through its monsters, so giving up that advantage might be unwise.

"I say we stay," Ana said, and the last chime-in solidified Natalie's own position.

Natalie nodded, then said, "We'll go down on our second boss, then call the delve—assuming it's getting late." Tomorrow was classes, and though they

could

stay overnight and get a bit more delving in that way, it wasn't strictly necessary, not after their previous fortune. Plus, everyone had stuff to handle up on campus, surely. Most prevalently, Natalie wanted to figure out her new housing situation. They had the loot and cores to afford it, by this point, especially if she was sharing a room with Jordan.

"Second boss," Sofia said. "That's optimistic, but if we set a good pace, I think it's possible." She nodded, then looked at Natalie. "You're good to continue?"

Natalie rubbed her side, winced at the bruise there, but said, "Yeah. Maybe take it a bit slow while Liz keeps patching me up. That dryad's staff was no fun."

Her teammates made several noises of agreement. Even the backline hadn't been spared from its devastating arcs. They gave sympathetic looks to Natalie who'd

especially

not been spared.

In accord, and with the boss chest looted, the team back tracked through the stone archway and set off into the Wispwood once more.

3.40 - Finishing Up

After several more hours of hunting, they did end up finding a second boss fight, which at their quick pace, hadn't been a guarantee, though Natalie wouldn't call it especially fortuitous, either.

The bad news was that, despite upgrades in equipment, their quickly growing exhaustion made the second fight much tougher. Not only that, but the opponent wasn't a single powerful enemy like the dryad, but three weaker elementals that formed a collective boss: a water elemental, a fire, and a stone one. Natalie could keep the attention of two with some consistency, but not all three, as was certainly the intention of the encounter.

Being weaker to several entities compared to a single strong one was a common weakness of teams, but especially theirs, where Sofia wasn't the greatest off-tank. Normally, the fighter would be the one to keep the third elemental's attention, and Sofia

did

manage to do so, but it wasn't her area of expertise. Her elusive fighting style meant she was also somewhat easy to ignore, at least for short bursts.

Natalie didn't know exactly what happened, being occupied with her own encounter with the other two elementals, but when they came out victorious, there were several more serious injuries than the previous fight against the dryad. Ironically, Natalie was the one who'd gotten out in a better condition than most of the rest of her team—though she was still beaten up herself.

The worst injury by far was Sofia's. Not by virtue of being life-threatening, but rather, the hand she wielded her rapier with had been twisted in a rather gruesome manner. Patched up by Liz, and with her supernatural endurance and recovery speed granted from her class, she'd be fine by tomorrow, but only with a full night's proper rest. It wouldn't be wise to continue with their fighter incapacitated in such a way, so their delve had come to an end.

Which wasn't too big of a problem. They hadn't had many hours left in them regardless, so nobody was upset. They looted the boss monster chess, receiving another smattering of useful items. Their incredible luck didn't continue, since they received no rares this time, but receiving several functional uncommons was still more than welcome.

Following that, they delved into the second floor of the dungeon just to take a look. They didn't take any fights or venture too far; after peeking around the magma-dotted cave system, they exited through the provided portal—portals always spawned near dungeon descents—and returned back to the surface.

It was early evening as they walked back to campus, laden with far more treasure than they'd expected considering their inauspicious beginnings. Natalie even felt a bit smug about it; Elida would certainly have expected their trip to have been outright crippled by her interference, but that wasn't remotely the case. Sure, they would have done better had the woman not robbed them blind, but by all measures, Natalie and the rest of her team considered their first long delve a success.

After handling their earnings, liquidating the obvious items into credits, then getting cleaned and changed into casual clothes, Natalie and the team had an evening left to themselves. It ought to be enough time to handle a big-ticket item, actually. With their recent earnings, and the timer making the barracks a strict requirement having expired, it was time they used their credits to purchase something essentially all students were desperate for—private dorms.

Natalie, Jordan, and Sofia had already researched the various dorms scattered across the campus and narrowed down their choices. While they hadn't been able to inspect the actual interiors, which they planned to do today, they'd still been able to decide on their feasible options. Dorms weren't just one enormous block somewhere on campus; they could choose from several buildings, and each varied in both luxury and positional convenience. Naturally, the three of them didn't care overmuch for either. They simply wanted out of the barracks.

"We're really getting a two bedroom?" Sofia asked.

"Why?" Jordan said without missing a beat. "Thinking of making it one? It'd get a little cramped with all of us in one bed, but I guess it's worth considering."

Sofia only huffed in reply, seeming exasperated at Jordan's teasing. Natalie, on her part, only shivered at the nightmare that would be sharing a room with Sofia.

She wondered what Sofia thought of her and Jordan sharing a room. Obviously, they had framed it as a cost-saving measure, but she didn't think most people would buy that. Did Sofia think she and Jordan had something going on?

As in, not in the sexual way, which they very much did, but romantically. That they were girlfriends.

The idea sent a little thrill through her that was distinctly confusing. Maybe because of how odd the idea was? Her and Jordan, girlfriends? No, they were just best friends with benefits. Jordan wasn't anything to Natalie besides someone she wanted to spend her life with, and occasionally bring to twitching, moaning climax.

For some reason, those thoughts felt absurd in Natalie's head, but puzzling over the topic was fortunately cut off by Sofia continuing the conversation.

"Regardless, we might be able to lock a room down tonight. Are we trying to move in if we can?"

"Definitely," Natalie said. "I'm

so

tired of those barracks."

That wasn't entirely true. The barracks themselves were tolerable. More accurately, she was tired of her and Jordan taking care of their 'energy gathering sessions' in public bathrooms. Having her own dorm would solve so many headaches. Not to mention Natalie would be free to stay at other people's rooms, too. Sammy had mentioned Tenet was strict on freshmen camping out at other people's dorms when they were supposed to be stuck in the barracks, but getting her own room lifted that restriction.

And, she supposed, she could even bring other girls back. Though with Jordan sharing it, that could be tricky. Still, the reduced rent was worth it. Not to mention getting to have Jordan in her bed every night. The concept of that was bizarrely enticing, and not for the exciting moments, but the simple idea of getting to cuddle up with Jordan each night before bed. Though, she probably wouldn't want to cuddle? They were just sex best friends. Did those cuddle?

"No disagreements there," Sofia said. "I wouldn't mind it so much if it weren't for the noise. Feels impossible to get an uninterrupted night of sleep."

Natalie hadn't had too much of a problem with that, but she understood the sentiment. She guessed Sofia was a lighter sleeper than some. Which might be a problem.

Soon enough, they arrived to the first candidate. The dorm building was a hive of activity, with the weekend's recent delves meaning freshmen were finally able to afford moving in—which was their group's situation, too. The building was well staffed for the increased traffic, having undoubtedly been prepared from previous years. Despite the time, approaching the end of normal business hours, they were showing people around and renting out rooms. Tenet was uncaring in some ways, but in this instance, at least, they were willing to accommodate the eager freshmen. Small blessings.

The tour wasn't especially exciting. Tenet had a strong emphasis on progression that carried over to nearly everything, and so the 'starter dorms' weren't much to write home about, even by Natalie's low standards, coming from the middle of nowhere.

Which wasn't to say they were crappy. Just plain. The kitchen was kitted out, which meant they could prepare their own meals if they wanted, though Tenet's cafeteria was free, and pretty incredible to be honest, so Natalie wasn't sure how often she'd do so. Having the option was nice, though.

Each of the two bedrooms came with their own attached bathroom, which was another big bonus—having to share one with Sofia would've been a nightmare. And a clutter.

The shared living room was compact but more than enough for their needs; it wasn't like they'd be hanging out there often. Tenet students didn't have much time to sit around. It would only serve as a space to study.

Everything came pre-furnished, since Tenet students were obviously not in the position to be buying their own and moving it in. It was an option if they so desired, but Natalie had no interest. There was an appeal to customizing the space, but she'd postpone any real efforts for that for when they upgraded to a more permanent space; this was just their small, cramped, but blessedly private starter dorm.

Initial plans had been to check out all three of the choices they'd scouted out as potentials, but after a brief discussion, they came to the consensus they simply didn't care—this one had everything they needed, and from their preliminary research, had been their top choice to begin with. Not wanting to deal with the chaos of checking out the other buildings under the frenzy of the freshmen rush, and possibly missing their opportunity to move in now, they signed the appropriate paperwork and passed over the initial fees.

The price—in credits, of course—made Natalie wince, regardless that this was one of the cheapest rooms and split three ways, but she reminded herself that her means for earning credits would only grow in the future, and exponentially so. The better gear, higher level, and more efficient delvers they became, the more and more credits that would be pouring into their accounts. While expensive now, rent for this dorm would be nearly inconsequential later on.

And so, those administrative tasks done, the three of them set off back to the barracks. They had moving-in to take care of.

3.41 - ❤ Celebration

Seeing how none of them had much belongings to speak of, the process didn't take long. Natalie found herself oddly giddy as she moved everything over, and her belongings started to mingle with Jordan's.