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4.24 - Outfit Testing II

Reluctantly, and with her blush becoming more and more prominent, Sofia stripped off the top piece of her armor. And frankly, it

was

a big increase to the outfit's attractiveness. Their delving gear wasn't flattering. Their daily Tenet uniform was more so, to be honest, being thinner and clinging tighter to the body. But their equipment, not so much.

Sofia tossed the garment aside and crossed her arms, leaving her in her sports bra.

"Well?" Jordan asked.

"Yes," Sofia said, glaring at Natalie, "the bonus went up. I felt it."

"So removing clothes does work," Jordan said with a grin. "But, is it a big increase?"

"Certainly doesn't make up for losing an entire piece of gear."

"For now," Jordan said.

"Yes, for now. Natalie did mention she could upgrade skills."

Jordan's eyebrows went up in surprise. "She told you that?"

"I pestered her."

"Even so. She must trust you, then."

Both Sofia and Jordan looked at her, and Natalie coughed. "I mean, we

are

teammates."

Jordan smiled at Sofia, conversing silently with her. Whatever they communicated, it left the pale girl blushing even harder than before.

"Whatever," Sofia said.

"Sorry to break the news, though," Jordan said, "But we're not stopping with just your top. We're seeing this test through."

Jordan stepped closer and settled her hands onto Sofia's waist, making blue eyes widen. Slowly, tentatively, waiting to see if Sofia would protest, Jordan slid her hands onto Sofia's stomach. The duelist shivered and uncrossed her arms, glancing at Natalie. She didn't tell Jordan to stop.

"I'm seriously jealous of these," Jordan said, feeling Sofia up, running her fingers across her bumpy, toned abs. "If I were you, I'd show them off

way

more. Even without a good reason, like Nat's skill."

"W-Well," Sofia said, flustered under Jordan's sudden advances. "Thank you. But. There's not exactly much armor that would let me do so. Even if I

wanted

to. And it's rather indiscreet to just go 'showing off'."

"And it's an important place to cover up," Jordan said amusedly. "Hopefully less so in the future, though. You've got an amazing body. It deserves to be on display."

Sofia didn't seem sure whether to say thank you to that, or not.

Jordan's hands slipped up her stomach, then played with the bottom of Sofia's sports bra. "Now, let's get this off, too?"

Sofia's brain seemed to restart a few times at the question, and her eyes flicked between Jordan and Natalie. Natalie watched, heart hammering. Jordan was being even more assertive than Natalie had expected. Then again, why was Natalie surprised? Jordan had made several comments about sharing Sofia with her, and her stunt with sneaking into the bathroom and eavesdropping hadn't been subtle either.

"We

are

testing her ability," Sofia finally said. "But if you think I'm fighting topless in the dungeon, you're insane."

"No," Jordan laughed. "Like you said, we're just testing. I want to see how much stronger the effect gets with your tits out." Her lips curled up. "I'm guessing a lot."

Sofia hesitated, blushed, then peeled off the last piece of her upper outfit, leaving her standing in full delving gear from below the waist. And her top half naked, except for her choker.

Sofia shifted uncomfortably, flushing as Natalie drank in the sight of her bared tits. Small, pale, and perky, seeing Sofia exposed sent a thrill through her. She shifted in her seat, her cock throbbing inside her skirt, growing more difficult to hide by the second. The image was even more compromising with Jordan standing next to Sofia, her side pressed into Sofia's, an arm wrapped around her waist. Looking at Natalie admire Sofia with a smirk.

"So?" Jordan asked Sofia conspiratorially. "Let me guess. A big increase?"

"Definitely more than before," Sofia mumbled, looking down and away from Natalie's eyes. "How far will it go? Is there a maximum?"

"I figure there is," Jordan said. "But it

does

only say a 'minor' boost."

"Hmph." She faced Jordan. Some of her spirit returned. "And why am I the only one undressing? You can help test all of this too, you know. It shouldn't be just me."

"You want me to get my tits out, too?" Jordan asked. "Since you asked nicely, I guess that's fine."

"S-Shut up."

"But you have to do it yourself."

"Myself?"

"Take off whatever you want," Jordan said. She stepped up to her, then waved up and down her body. "Feel free."

"Oh," Sofia said.

Sofia stood there, flushing. Then, her expression resolved, refusing to be taunted. Her hands ventured up and started working away Jordan's armor.

Soon, Sofia had peeled off Jordan's upper layer, then her bra, leaving two topless girls standing in front of Natalie. One smirking, satisfied with the whole situation, and the other stalwartly pretending Natalie didn't exist, blue eyes skittering away.

"You're right," Jordan said. "It's hard to tell how much the boost is, but it's not small. More than most 'minor' boosts, I would think." She tilted her head. "But not as good as what our gear would normally give us. We'll have to find a compromise."

"Like what Ana has," Sofia muttered darkly.

Jordan nodded. "Skimpy gear. It comes with all the benefits of Natalie's skill, while being decent armor in its own right. Finding full sets for each of us will be the hard part, though."

"Unbelievable." Sofia's expression indicated the imagery of an entire team dressed in skimpy gear was something she was finding hard to digest.

"Alright," Jordan said. "Your pants, now." She didn't give Sofia time to react to her words before Jordan had already reached out and undone her belt, then started pulling it from the loops. Her pants button followed, and Jordan yanked down, revealing Sofia's panties.

"J-Jordan," Sofia protested.

"Spin around," Jordan said. "Come on. Show off that ass. It's your secret weapon."

Maybe as much because of Jordan's authoritative tone as her embarrassment, Sofia hesitated for only a moment, then did as she was told. She turned, her pants around her ankles, ass on full display.

And Jordan was right. It

was

Sofia's secret weapon.

Jordan gently slapped Sofia's butt, making the pale girl yelp in surprise.

"Jordan! Really?"

Jordan laughed in reply.

"That didn't seem like

skill testing,

" Sofia growled.

"No," Jordan agreed. "I just wanted a feel." She reached out and squeezed, getting another handful, and making Sofia jump even higher. "And maybe it affects Natalie's skill?" Her curled lips suggested she didn't think so; it was just an excuse.

"Jordan. Really," Sofia huffed. "What's gotten into you?"

"You," Jordan said. "You've gotten into me. I mean, Gods, your ass is

so

unbelievable." She blatantly admired it. "Whatever outfit we find for you, it

has

to show it off."

Sofia just stared at the dark-haired girl, not sure what to make of her sudden boldness. Jordan laughed a second time.

"Here, finish getting your boots and pants off. I'll do the same."

Natalie watched silently as Jordan and Sofia finished stripping to their panties. She stayed quiet because this almost felt like more Jordan and Sofia's event than her own. And she was loving it. Seeing Jordan play with and tease Sofia was doing things to her that Natalie hadn't expected. The constant smirking Jordan was sending her way told Natalie that she was very much aware of that.

"Alright," Jordan said. "Now, get these on." She dug into the shopping bag and withdrew two long black slips of cloth.

Sofia's brow furrowed as she took them, then her expression cleared up as she identified what they were. "Thigh highs?" Sofia asked. "I expected this test to be more ... armor focused."

"It's not like we have skimpy armor on standby, so no. This is more to see how big of a boost we can get. What it caps out at."

"And thigh highs will help with that?"

"Obviously. I mean, look." Jordan gestured at Natalie.

Sofia glanced her way, then blushed at seeing Natalie's own flushed face. "Really? Thigh highs and chokers?

That's

what you're into?"

"I mean, yeah," Natalie said. In part, at least. "They're hot."

"Whatever."

"And these too." Jordan handed Sofia a small square box. "Actually," Jordan said, taking it back. "Let me." She opened the container up, then pulled out two red ... stickers?

Jordan peeled the back off one, then stepped close to Sofia—and, grabbing her tit and gently squeezing, positioned the sticker then pressed it into Sofia's nipple. Sofia, wide-eyed, let it happen, once again helpless under Jordan's assertiveness.

Jordan followed up the first with a second, gently sticking the second of the heart-shaped pasties onto Sofia. She ran her finger across the smooth sticker for longer than appropriate—obviously just playing with Sofia, and drawing a shiver and an exhalation from the white-haired girl as she traced her nipple through the pasty.

"There," Jordan murmured. "Nice and covered up. Now, the thigh highs."

Sofia did as she was told, slipping on the other article of clothing. Which left her in her panties, black thigh highs, red nipple pasties, and choker.

"Because this is totally functional delving gear," Sofia muttered, seeming self-conscious in the lewd get-up. She shifted from foot to shoot, arms crossed, not meeting Natalie's eyes. "And stop ogling me."

"Isn't that the point?" Natalie asked.

"Something like this has to get close to [Stylish]'s max," Jordan said, admiring Sofia's perverted state of undress. "Barring maybe full lingerie, and a ... few things you probably wouldn't be comfortable with. So, how's it feel? How much?"

"More than I'd expected," Sofia said. "But again. Not enough to make up missing armor." She struggled to sound professional while blushing furiously, her entire body on display. She didn't seem to know what to do with her hands; she kept crossing her arms, then uncrossing them.

"We could also find equipment that naturally doesn't cover much up," Jordan said. "Boots and gloves, a crown, and another piece of jewelry, for example. Then wear whatever we want for our real outfit."

"And lose out on the physical protection?"

"That's a problem too," Jordan agreed. "So maybe real gear's necessary. But maybe not. Once Natalie upgrades [Stylish], it might become pretty strong. Make it worth changing what you wear."

"What

we

wear," Sofia corrected. "Stop acting like it'll just be me."

"You're the one blushing about it," Jordan said. "I've already decided to."

Sofia huffed.

"Okay," Jordan said. "Let's test out a few more things, make sure there's a cap, then we'll go find Liz and Ana. We've got a delve to handle." She sighed. "Though, if you two want to skip out today, and maybe have fun some other way ...?"

Sofia stared at Jordan, eyes wide at the obvious suggestion, and Natalie just shook her head in exasperation.

"Fine, fine," Jordan said. "Clearly, Natalie has some more training to take care of." She reached out and squeezed Sofia's ass, making her jump. "Our pet is still

way

too reluctant." She sighed. "But I'll wait patiently. It'll be worth it."

4.25 - Glass

Jordan had Sofia—and Natalie—experiment with a few more outfits of varying degrees of lewdness. They found that the bonus did eventually cap out, though only when dressed in ways that could most forgivingly be called 'obscene'. Like with Sofia in her thighs highs, panties, choker, and pasties. Natalie didn't think anyone would want to dress

that

scandalously for a while, though. If they ever would.

Jordan also dragged Natalie up to the front, then sat on the couch and cozied up with Sofia—still scantily clad, with their tops off, and Jordan indulgingly pressing herself into Sofia's side, their nearly naked curves hugging. Because [Stylish] worked both ways, Jordan bossed Natalie around, ordering her to strip this, strip that, and change out articles of clothing—because Natalie's buffs needed to be tested, too.

It was more mortifying than she'd expected. Natalie didn't behave that much differently than Sofia had. Which was to say, she blushed furiously throughout and did what Jordan told her to. Natalie could take control of a situation, but Jordan being so confident and egging on Sofia, making lewd comments about Natalie's body and forcing Sofia to agree with her, had Natalie on fire.

Especially when Jordan kept forcing Sofia to give her 'honest thoughts' on Natalie's outfit. And body. Since what aroused her affected Natalie's boosts—so, Jordan told Sofia, she shouldn't be so embarrassed. It was only a practical discussion. She made sure to constantly mention Natalie's cock. Natalie wasn't sure who was blushing harder by the end of it—her or Sofia.

Their allotted testing hour burned away fast, though. Finishing up, they got dressed into their original delving gear and returned to the team. Sofia seemed grateful the debacle was over, and honestly, Natalie was too. Jordan had found it

way

too amusing to mess with them. Really, where had all the confidence come from? The ease with which she'd taken charge?

Natalie would have to teach her a lesson tonight. Just to make sure she didn't get the wrong idea.

As a squad of five, they headed for the dungeon. The upcoming delve was an event she'd been looking forward to. With her significant gains in power and her new weapon choice, she'd been restless to test herself. And even without accounting for the excitement of her new boosts, delves were her favorite part of the day. Favorite professional part, at least. Hard to beat nights with Jordan. Or leveraging her ownership of Sofia.

As they headed for the dungeon, Natalie explained [Joined] and [Link] to the team. She spared the details behind how she and Liz had acquired the buffs, but she was sure the team could infer a few things. And if they didn't, Liz's blushing gave it away. But it was a detail that the team needed to know. They were, ultimately, professionals—as Liz was always insisting—and [Joined] and [Link] changed the combat dynamic.

Resting her oversized hammer on her shoulder, Natalie and her team ventured into the dungeon entrance—that flat, shimmering black portal inlaid into a giant stone slab. She went first, the cold black substance making her shiver as she stepped through. Her team followed on her heels.

Now that they had delved past the first floor, the dungeon entrance didn't drop them straight into the fray. Instead, they arrived to a small stone chamber with two shimmering black portals identical to the previous. Above each, respective numerals were inscribed: 'I' and 'II'.

"Straight to the second floor, right?" Natalie asked, just to verify. It'd been what they discussed, but always better to check.

"Should be able to handle it," Sofia said. "So yes. Second floor."

Natalie stepped through the second of the black portals, and once again, she shivered as she passed through space.

Her footstep landed on the polished tile floor of a square chamber. Natalie oriented herself quickly, scanning her environment. No monsters came rushing out to meet them in a surprise attack, which wasn't common when first entering but technically was possible.

She cataloged the room and the objects within.

The chamber was large and square, with scattered glass sculptures and mirrors. In the center was a fountain made of clear crystal lit from below, illuminating the water inside and casting reflections on the ceiling and walls. Water tinkled down into the circular pool it sprouted from. The tiles were polished to a mirror finish.

There were four exits, each different. The one to the north—she chose the reference direction arbitrarily—was made from glossy black obsidian. Another exit, to the east, was a set of ornate double doors that gleamed gold. The third was smaller, made of glass and etched with intricate designs. She couldn't make out much of the hallway through it. The fourth was a simple, unassuming wooden door, its plain appearance jarring with the rest of the room.

Her team, having joined her less than a second after Natalie herself stepped through, also peered around at the space.

"Don't recognize it," Sofia said. "Do any of you?"

All negatives.

"An uncharted floor, then," Sofia said. "Hm."

That wasn't the rarest thing in the world, since the dungeon could hardly be mapped in its entirety, even after centuries of effort. For all they knew, some floors were created from scratch when delvers set foot inside. But it was more common for uncharted floors to appear deeper into the dungeon, not this early.

Natalie wondered whether her class was at fault. Probably not. Not everything could be ascribed to her strange class. Odd things happened to everyone when it came to the dungeon. Plus, nothing about the floor seemed lewd—probably the best indicator.

"What's with all the polish?" Natalie asked. "Nearly hurts my eyes."

Besides a few surfaces, the entire room gleamed. The mirrors, the tile, the glass fountain, the glass sculptures—even the doorways, besides the wooden one. It made the glare of the white lanterns obnoxious.

"Dunno. But these sculptures are really something," Jordan commented, peering at one of them. It was a young woman's bust, her face severe and elegant. To its side was an abstract figure made from interlocked triangles. They rested on engraved plinths. Plaques were beneath each, filled with text, though the words were gibberish. "They're beautiful," Jordan said.

Natalie agreed. Though, she wasn't here to admire the dungeon-created artwork. She spared a moment to appreciate the incredible nature of the dungeon, as did most of the team—Ana seemed more interested in the nonsensical text than the statues themselves—but then Natalie corralled them to the more practical matter: "So, which door?"

"Good question," Sofia said. "Think the designs mean anything?"

"Could. Could also not."

"Helpful."

"Perhaps difficulty?" Ana suggested. "Or they hint where they lead?"

"The golden doors, in that case, might be something dangerous, but with a reward," Sofia said.

"A miniboss?" Liz suggested.

"Or a regular boss," Jordan said.

"Let's set it aside for now," Sofia said. "We'll come back and check later. How about we try the easiest? The wooden door."

With how little information they had to go on, they collectively shrugged and agreed. The chamber was hardly going anywhere, and they could check out the rest of the doors later. Natalie supposed the wooden door

could

close behind them, locking them out of future choices, but without any reason to believe that would happen, there was little point worrying over it. Pretty much anything could happen in the dungeon.

Natalie led the team through the wooden door. It didn't lock behind them. The hallway they entered was much the same as the entry chamber: all polished tiles, glass statues, and mirrors. Soft white lights glowed from above, reflected in the tiles below. Though the glare was annoying, she preferred it over dimly lit floors.

They picked across the hallway, watching for tripwires and other traps. None presented themselves. They turned a corner, and the first encounter of the evening came into view.

Natalie grinned, her grip tightening on her hefty two-handed hammer. It was time to test out her new fighting style.

4.26 - Steamroll

The [Lumin Golem - Lv. 2] was a humanoid monster about seven feet tall made of glass crystal—keeping with the theme of the floor. Like the floor itself, too, Natalie didn't recognize the creature. She admittedly didn't pay much attention in class, but monster manuals were one of the few things she had scoured cover to cover. If she didn't know the beast, the rest of the team likely didn't either.