Worthy Core

Xenia Worthy, Reincarnator Extraordinaire, had often felt bad about many of the things she'd done in her many lives. Not for too long, as she tried not to dwell too much on the past, but regrets were a common feature of her existence. The acts she were undertaking now were sure to be added to that list, for they were truly evil. However, she just couldn't help herself.

She was making a platforming level.

While she had dreams of one day turning the entire abyssal cavern into part of her dungeon, for now those dreams were far beyond her. She couldn't even stretch her control across from one side to the other yet, despite her best attempts, no matter how narrowly she focused her efforts. For now she had to settle for a single cliffside, with hopes that another floor unlock would be enough to bridge the gap later on. She did have the option of eventually spending an unlock to triple the size of an existing floor, but there was always the chance that Xenia would want to increase the size of her forest, or make another floor like it, so for now that option was being kept in reserve. Xenia had at least gotten the usual freebies once she'd begun her work, although they didn't seem immediately useful.

"This is insanely unfair."

Xenia turns back to look at the slime boss whining across the gap behind her. "What? This is literally the first platform! It's a three foot jump! What kind of Challenger isn't going to be fit enough for that!?"

Lollyp sighs. "Let me demonstrate for you, Xen." Standing on a ledge that had been formed near the tunnel exit leading from Floor Four, the slime pulls her mass together and stretches upwards, adding on at least two feet to her usually short height. She then practically shoves herself forward, landing face-first on Xenia's platform with a plop. After grabbing hold of the second stony ledge with various tendrils she then pulls the rest of her body across the empty space, eventually reforming into a standing position. "Hrng! So...yeah, that's how that shit's gonna work for slimes."

Xenia gives her boss a look of disbelief. "What!? You're pulling my leg! I've seen you make jumps bigger than that all the time!"

"First off, I'm in a boss slime body. That means my magic is weaker than a normal slime's, but I'm physically stronger than most normal folks. Secondly, my biggest jumps always come from me swinging out of the ceiling. Slimes normally, we uh...well, we can't jump! A normal slime jump's like, a couple of inches! That's why your Hippity...your rabbit-slimes are so unusual. If you're gonna be making the platform jumps harder than this, no slime's gonna be able to get across without someone else helping them."

Guy hovers up alongside her, careless of the fact that a hundred feet or more of dark, empty abyss yawns beneath them. "Normally, I'd say this is a good thing. After all, making the path difficult is rather the point, and in any case slime Challengers are less than one in a hundred so far. However, we do need to be cautious of your 'core accessibility' requirements. The requirements are a little fuzzy, and generally based around the concept of parties, so a slime requiring some assistance for a single part is unlikely to cause an issue. That said, if a jump is determined to be too difficult for most adventurers to manage, the system won't allow it. My estimate would be that our current accessibility level would set our target difficulty at things an Advanced-class Challenger at best would be able to surpass, when it comes to physical obstacles."

Xenia grumbles. "Accounting for 'average' Challengers is such a pain though, when all it takes is one dude with earth magic to cancel out the whole damn routine! At least we've got slime cannons in the wall to deal with fliers." She pauses in thought for a moment before frowning. "Would...would a safety net ease things off on the accessibility restrictions, you think?"

Guy considers the suggestion. "Perhaps a little. It wouldn't allow you to require a fifty-foot leap, certainly, but perhaps it would allow for a few extra feet between platforms. Although I have to say, it seems like a safety net would ruin the point of the whole thing. What's the use of a trap or challenge you can simply keep retrying?"

"Yeah..." The dungeon master thinks a little longer, then snaps her fingers. "Oh, we'll just make it like, a really shitty safety net! Something that works, say, three times, then falls apart. The accessibility rules let us put in that door on Floor One because Challengers have to choose to close their way off, right? If dudes want to keep fucking up their jumps and falling off the floor, then that's their own choice. Kinda? Maybe?"

"That does seem like a decent compromise between accessibility and risk, yes, though we may need to play around a bit with things when it comes time to actually move the core down here."

"Yeah. Guess we'll focus a little less on straight-up jumping though, and maybe lean a little heavier on the traps and monsters. Even a tiny jump can be pretty bad if you get distracted at the wrong moment..." As she gives a modestly evil grin, Xenia turns her head upwards to peer into the darkness above. Although the forms are difficult to make out, the high-pitched, shrilly cry of a dragonet echoes across the cavern.

THE FRAYED ROPE, THREE MILES FROM DWARFBANE DUNGEON

Miles to the north, Beatrice was not having a good time. "C'mon, you haven't even seen me fight! One spar, that's all it takes, and you'll be begging me to join your party!" The warrior gestures wildly as she speaks in her still-heavily-accented Rainlander, although she slows down halfway through to set her mug aside before she scatters its contents across the tavern.

The bulky, heavily-armored man standing before her simply shakes his head as he turns to continue his way out the door. "Sorry, 'Lady'. We're not talking dullhands. Maybe you should find another line of work? Try the army!"

"The army!? Now listen here - " Ignoring her, the man simply continues on his way out, the rest of his party following him as they head outside. "Well, screw you! I bet you'll all fall down a hole anyhow!" Getting no response beyond the shutting of the tavern door, Beatrice grumbles as she returns to the bar. "...Fuckin' ridiculous, s'what it is."

"I have to admit, I have trouble seeing why you're having difficulty finding a party." Taking the monster slayer slightly by surprise, Beatrice turns to find that a minotaur woman is speaking to her from a few seats down the bar. "Your equipment seems to be impressive, and you have the look of a veteran to my eyes. Do you not work well in teams?"

Beatrice grumbles slightly as she straightens her posture, now that she realizes she had something of an audience. "I've done just fine with teams. It's just that damn 'dullhands' thing. People think it's more of a handicap than it really is."

The minotaur tilts her head. "Dullhands? Is that local slang? I'm afraid I just arrived from the Valleylands recently, I'm not familiar with the term. Or insult, as it may be."

Sighing, Beatrice explains. "So, I come from pretty far away, right? Different culture, and part of that is way fewer people use magic. I've been using magical gear all my life, but I've never picked up any spells or anything like that, right? All well and good, until I come here and try to get myself classified as a Challenger."

Eyeing Beatrice up and down, the minotaur nods. "I'd wager you have the look of an Expert at the least. But are they making you start off as an Initiate until you learn a few basics?"

The woman turns to stare into her mug for a moment before responding. "Not that bad...and also kind of worse. Maybe mostly worse. See, I'm good with a sword, damn good. Never had professional training, but I've been killing monsters my whole life, you know? The Challenger Association trainers, they tell me I've got the skills of a Supreme class swordswoman as far as all that goes."

The minotaur's eyes widen. "Supreme!? That is an accomplishment indeed. But how have they actually classified you, then?"

"Mid-level. Level 28 Vanguard Charger, an Expert class. Specifically, about the highest-level sword-and-shield type class they use that doesn't require heavy use of magic spells. You wanna go to Master on that branch, you need to know, like...spells to give yourself magical shields, let your sword cut things a few feet away, that sort of shit."

"Well, that does not sound so bad. Learn a few spells and you'll be Master-level in no time!"

Beatrice sighs. "Yeah, but therein lies the problem. I...I can't use magic. Not here, anyways, maybe not anywhere. I can use magical gear just fine, sure, but...I got none of it in me. Apparently the slur around here for folks like me is 'dullhands'. Cause I can't make my hands sparkle or something? Fuck if I know."

The woman next to her sucks in a breath, before moving a few seats closer so that she can offer Beatrice a comforting pat on her shoulder. "That is...unfortunate. I've heard of people who are bad at magic, certainly, and of course most simply never take the time, or spend the money, required to learn how to use it. But I wasn't aware one could be entirely without it. No wonder I've never heard the term. But...does that really cause you so much difficulty in joining parties? You certainly seem like you could take care of yourself, magic or no."

Beatrice shakes her head. "It's a matter of finding a good fit. I tried going out with a party of Initiates and Advanced once, actually, just to see some action. But I can't carry a whole party by myself, and all they could do was clear the first couple floors. Which is fine for an introduction, but I want to see more than that, dammit! Higher-level parties won't take me though once they hear I can't do magic. I technically don't really qualify for my current class as it is, and I might not ever be able to get a higher one unless I can get an exception or something."

"That does sound irritating. Well...I am only an Advanced-class Challenger myself, but I for one would be willing to fight alongside you. I am looking to challenge myself, truly, so if you want to delve a little deeper than most, I would be happy to push my limits at your side. Moreover, I would be delighted to see Supreme-level fighting skills in the flesh."

Beatrice turns a newly appraising eye on her conversation partner. The woman isn't as large as some minotaurs she'd seen - not that she'd seen many - but she looked like a fit warrior herself. "Oh? Well, tell me, what's your story then? Out here without a party too?"

The minotaur nods. "I am only recently arrived in the Rainlands. I received my training in the Valleylands, my homeland, and am currently a level 13 Woodlands Ranger. However, I wish to learn more about how other training schools fight, and have come here to see others in action. Perhaps I will continue on to the Thornwoods school, which both our nations use, although I am also considering more melee-focused programs." She grins before taking a sip from her own mug. "Also, we somewhat share a problem. The other Initiates and Advanced I've found have also considered me to be...too aggressive. I am not here to safely collect a chest of first floor loot every day, no! I am here to improve my skills! To become a true Challenger!"

Beatrice grins at the minotaur's outburst. "Hear, hear! Who needs adventurers who treat it like a day job? To fighting for your life and laughing about it after, that's what it's all about!" The warrior raises her mug in a toast, and the minotaur meets it with her own. "I like your style! We find ourselves a healer as crazy as we are, maybe a wizard or something, and we'll make our own damn party! What do you think?"

"It sounds like it would be my honor - ah, apologies, what was your name again?"

Beatrice laughs. "Ha, right, back home they called me Lady Beatrice, the Dra - the Monster Slayer! You can just call me Beatrice though, or Trish if you like. You?"

The woman nods. "Tassa Stoutheart. Again, it would be my honor to fight in your party, Lady Beatrice."

"Likewise - " Beatrice cuts off for a moment, staring off into the distance. "...That name sounds a little familiar from somewhere? ...Nah, probably nothing. To conquering the dungeon! You and me, Tassa, we're gonna go far..."

DaScoot

Just a quick check-in on some old friends(?).

Enjoy!