Worthy Core

Much, much later that evening, following multiple re-applications of Cerise's avatar-summoning spell, the trio finally find themselves back to dealing with the final matter of business awaiting them. Xenia and Cerise stand near to Xenia's bed, a sleeping Lollyp resting on a fresh set of furs that were summoned in lieu of a laundry service. Even in sleep the slime woman has a smile on her face, and Xenia finds her heartstrings being tugged by what's about to occur. "So...she's under a sleeping spell, you said? Totally out of it?"

Cerise nods. "The method I'm about to use is quite painless, but even so...well, even those prepared for it can often have a hard time finally facing their own mortality." Xenia nods along.

"Amen. Even if you know what's coming next, it's hard to jump off that cliff sometimes." Once again, Cerise finds herself giving the dungeon master a questioning stare. "...I really need to work on shutting up more. Ignore me. How's this work?"

Sighing, Cerise takes a seat on a stool Xenia summoned for her and begins to move her hands over Lollyp's chest. "The easiest way to describe it would be as...soul surgery. The spell has little use in combat, as it's almost impossible to use on someone who's resisting the process, but it can be useful to treat various soul-based afflictions. Or...to sever it from the body. As forms of death go, it's as peaceful an option as you'll find."

Nodding, Xenia finds herself taking the slime's hand in her own as Cerise works. It's odd, given how little she really knows about the spellcaster, but the sacrifice Lollyp is willing to make for her feels like something the dungeon master has to answer with at least a token show of appreciation. It doesn't last for long, however - with a slight flick of Cerise's wrist, a gasp escapes the slime's mouth, and soon after her body seems to halfway deflate into the fur blankets. "...It's done." Xenia's comment is more of a statement than a question, but the succubus answers regardless.

"It is." Cerise takes a moment to collect herself before rising back to her feet, and turning to face Xenia. "...You know, I've gotten to know many dungeon spirits over the years. Some are cruel, some can be fun...there's even a small number who I would say it's been a pleasure to work with. But among those, you seem to be your own special kind of unique. I do truly wish you success, and I hope we can renew our...relationship in the future."

Xenia gives an awkward smirk. "Gee, shucks. It's been the highlight of my career having you here, too. Anything I can do to guarantee I see you again one of these days?"

Cerise raises a finger to Xenia's chin, looking deeply into the woman's black and white eyes. "...Will you kill for me?"

The breath catches in Xenia's chest, but she finds herself nodding. "...I will. As fucked up a basis as that might be for a second date, I'm gonna think of you every time one of those gifts saves my ass from some adventurer asshole. And I'll make sure to make good use of...whoever Lollyp ends up becoming."

A faint smile crosses Cerise's lips. "Again, I wish you every possible success." Collecting herself yet again, she shifts to a more formal tone. "I've left our gifts on the table there, including the...'special' items you requested earlier. I daresay you did earn them, in the end." Xenia blushes, or as much as she can in her monochrome state, but Cerise continues. "I'll make my exit and rejoin the others upstairs, which will close off this 'intrusion' and allow you to absorb your new capabilities. Farewell, Master of Worthy Dungeon. May we meet again soon."

"Likewise...Lady Cerise Darktouched." Xenia feels herself fluster as she uses the formal-sounding title, but somehow it just wouldn't feel right to settle for her usual 'yeah, it's been fun, now get the fuck out of my house.' Without further words the succubus makes her way to the chamber's exit portal, mentally activates the spell ring on the floor, and vanishes in a glow of blue light. Before long the items she left behind begin to dissolve into the dungeon furniture, including the corpse of Lollyp left on her bed, as well as Lollyp's personal effects where they were left on the floor. Soon after she hears the voice of Guy calling from the elevator shaft.

"I see we have an Intrusion Report waiting for us! Are you...decent, ma'am?"

Xenia scoffs. "Well I got the robe back on, that's as good as you're gonna get! C'mon, let's see what this all added up to." Permission granted, the guide's screen leaves the shaft and enters the core chamber, spawning notification screens as they go.

Xenia reads through the screens, generally pleased at what she sees. "'Slime accessories', huh? Better than having to rank up a category just for sex toys I guess, if dudes are coming in here equipped with dildos I don't think I wanna know about it. ...Huhhh..." She pauses as she notices one thing that seems a little different than usual. "Hey, Guy, does this thing usually display the names of the souls we collected? Honestly I don't think I even know the names of a couple of those guys."

Guy, however, doesn't respond right away. "Hrrk...ah...you ah...recall that earlier...'unusual' attribute you unlocked? I, ah...think there's another one - agh!" With a sound that comes far too close to vomiting, one more window appears - another one in black and white, with an oddly fluid form to its frame. Hesitantly, Xenia pulls it forward.

For once, the dungeon master's jaw drops. "...Oooooh, fuck. Why do I have to find that one out now?"

The next several minutes consist largely of Xenia pacing her way back and forth across the room, mumbling to herself, an activity only briefly interrupted by the disruption of her avatar spell finally wearing off for the last time. For a while Guy is content to allow their charge to work out her thoughts in her own way, but eventually it seems like someone needs to step in to break her train of thought. "Ma'am! If you keep at it much longer, you'll find a way for a virtual avatar to somehow wear a track into stone. Now, I understand that was a rather unusual message just then, but perhaps if we discuss our thoughts together we would be better able to solve the issue plaguing your mind?"

Glancing in Guy's direction, Xenia slows down a bit and catches a deep breath. "Guy...would it be fucked up if we actually use Lollyp's soul for something now?"

Guy's screen tilts. "I'm afraid I don't follow your thinking. To be honest, this seems like a potential windfall for us, if anything!"

Xenia shakes her head, however. "Not saying I would give it up myself, but...being a reincarnator's not always a good thing. Like we were saying the other day, being born into a form, fresh and shiny and all that, helps adapt you to it. Imagine taking a normal-ass dude though and sticking him into a door like we did with the guy upstairs? I bet you even Doorman would be way less cheerful if he remembered having a family or whatever, you know?"

"Ah, I see. Well, in at least this case we're fortunate, as I believe we can in fact restore Lollyp to her original body. Or better, even!"

Going by her raised eyebrow, Xenia seems unconvinced. "You mean like, long-term, right? Weren't you saying we don't get bodies that even look alive until we tier up a bunch more times?"

"For most mortals, that would be correct. However, Lollyp is a slime, a rare case of a mortal race with a monster cousin. As you may have noticed, absorbing even a single mortal slime immediately put us at 'C' tier in monster slimes. And while that rank would normally be a step down from an average mortal's body, if you were to mana-enhance one to 'Boss'-level quality, it would be effectively at least as good as any average mortal slime, given their ability to reshape their form as they see fit."

Eyes wide, Xenia raises a hand to her lips. "I...I can do it? I can, totally, for real, bring Lollyp back to life?"

"As a dungeon monster dependent on your mana to live, yes. But there are certainly worse fates."

Firming her will, Xenia brings up her construction spells and spawns a new empty chamber between the elevator shaft and her own chamber, pushing it deeper into the mountain once again. "Alright. Alright! Let's do it! Floor two needs a boss, and Lollyp's got the job. Let's just hope she doesn't mind the slight change in plans..."

Going through her slime monster options, Xenia finds there's quite a few different kinds, specialized in various different ways. There's also a wide variety of color options, although they don't appear to have any effect beyond appearance. Deciding to go with the form most similar to Lollyp's original body, Xenia selects a 'basic' red slime at her maximum tier and summons it into the currently-empty boss chamber. Before it has time to wander off, she then immediately charges it up with her freshly-acquired mana, overloading it until the body grows larger and stronger, becoming a Boss Slime. Then, finally, Xenia goes into the menu describing her soul inventory, noting the special entry for 'LOLLYP, SLIME'. "...Alright. Here we go. Bringing back the dead!"

Almost imperceptibly, a soft glow emanates from the dungeon master's palm and into the slime. Nearly immediately the behavior of the Boss Slime begins to change, with the large protrusion on the top of the blobby form pointing one way and then the other as if it were looking around the room. After a few moments it then points straight upwards, forming the basis of a humanoid body as it stretches itself out, turning its mass into recognizable arms, legs, and a head. Finally a face appears, and Lollyp's wide eyes and wide smile turn to face Xenia...with a bit of an embarrassed look.

"Oh, wow! That must have been really something, I can't remember the last time I just totally lost my form like that! Feels like I really slept in, too...oh, dang, did I miss something? Where's Lady Cerise? Don't tell me she just left me here as I am!?"

Xenia does her best to plaster a smile on her face. "No, no, everything went well! So uh...welcome, Boss of Floor Two Lollyp! Today begins the first day of your second life!"

Lollyp gasps. "Oh, sweet! This is better than I expected, I feel more flexible already...wait." The slime tilts her head, the smile slowly fading from her lips. "Uh. How come I can, you know. Remember things?"

The dungeon master chuckles uneasily. "...Did I forget to mention the part where this dungeon is cursed?"