Worthy Core

The key rule on Floor Eleven for destroying the Domain expedition force is 'divide and conquer'. Floor Ten had seen multiple pitched battles, but the dungeon had gone about as far as it could with those. Most of the Rainlander soldiers are no longer in a state to fight a large-scale battle, and the remaining adventurers are ill-trained for combat of that sort. Small-scale unit-on-unit fighting is therefore the goal. Splitting the expedition into three main columns had certainly done a solid bit of work there, but more needed to be done.

Thus, redirection and separation traps are a major portion of the floor's defense. The dungeon rules put limits on how lethal a trap can be, but a trap which simply slides a wall into place or drops trespassers into another room is much more convenient to set up. Once there, individual Challenger parties or monsters can engage smaller groups of soldiers and, with any luck, come out on top. Unfortunately even the Challengers have taken serious casualties by this point, and so last ditch efforts are required.

"Fuck! Which one of you idiots stepped on that trap trigger!?"

"Why are you shouting? You're the one in front, it was probably you!"

As two succubi quarrel, the draconic and the kobold behind them focus on climbing to their feet. If anything, shame keeps them silent - they're Supremes, gods damn it. They shouldn't be falling prey to something as simple as pitfall traps! Eventually though the gray-scaled draconic turns her frustration on her companions.

"Silence, damn you! It doesn't matter what the trigger was - whether we missed it because of the damn darkness or because the dungeon is pulling some other sort of trick on us! The important thing is that we fell and now we need to recover! First thing - can we get back up the way we came?" The woman partially answers her own question, creating a blue flame in her hand which illuminates the darkened chamber they've landed in. The immediate surroundings are just like the hallways above - solid stone floors, stone brick walls. Glancing upwards, the kobold grimaces.

"Sealed over. No geomancers here, right? I'd rather not have to try and blast my way through the ceiling. Pitfall traps like this should leave an exit route though, right?"

The lead succubus nods at the smaller woman. "Right. Always has to be a way out. It might be hidden, so take a careful look around - oh! Well, hello there."

As the demon turns away from the rest of the group, she notices a large, muscular warrior standing before them. As if on cue the magic crystals dotting the chamber suddenly light up, and one more detail of the man becomes plainly clear - the blue coloring of his long hair. At the sight of it, the succubus's jaw drops in a wide grin. "It's true! He does visit Worthy Dungeon!"

The younger demon behind her is a little less enthusiastic about seeing a swordsman blocking their path. Especially given his blade seems to be rather...large. "What is this, Threnody? An ex-boyfriend of yours?"

"Oh, I wish! You know, I was alive when you were more...active, sir. But unfortunately I never did get the chance to make your acquaintance...Bill of the Blue Hair."

Bill grunts at the recognition. "Not a lot of people left who remember those days. But you're a Supreme, yeah? Not surprised a Betty like you looks good for her age."

"Oh, why thank you." The other members of her party seem a bit confused at Threnody's sudden shift in attitude, from irritated rogue to charming seductress, but she is the oldest member of their group so they follow her lead. Casually, they shift their hands away from their weapons, and try to strike up...if not friendly, at least neutral expressions. "You know, I was always very disappointed that I never scored myself a spot on that anti-Bill task force the Dragonlord put together, all those years ago."

Although the grip on his drawn blade remains firm, as long as his opponents are talking Bill feels obliged to return the favor. "Think you mighta heard wrong, dudette. Fought my share of foes, but I ain't ever tangled with some sort of anti-me team."

"Oh, you may have tangled, but only in the bedroom. Didn't that one wife of yours tell you? I heard you married one of them."

Bill frowns. "Dalore? Yeah, I know she was sent to seduce me and all'a that. Was just the one of her, though. I woulda noticed if she had a full team, I think."

Threnody laughs. "Just the one? Oh Bill, Bill, everyone in the Domain knew about you. Every time you took an interest in the Domain, or the Dragonlord, or anything down south, our sovereign would send a little 'distraction' or two your way. You'd have fun, spend a week or two drunk out of your mind in some tavern somewhere, completely forget about whatever 'quest' it was you were on, and then head back north. We weren't expected to marry you, but Dalore did certainly accomplish her mission, I'll give her that."

The paragon's expression turns pained as he tries to re-examine memories from over a century ago. "I may have partied down south of the border once or twice, I'll say that. But...however that shit went down, don't matter for the here-and-now, dig? Now, you been chill and all, so we don't gotta fight if you don't want to. Just lay down your arms, and you'll have a nice, comfy cell to hang out in. Might not even be for that long, way shit's going."

"Or...we can 'party' right here and now, and then you stand down while we walk on by. Sound enticing?" The rogue begins unfastening the top of her leather armor, and the succubus behind her is quick to follow her lead. The draconic looks a little less certain about this particular tactic however.

"Threnody, are you serious?"

"Oh, I am. Bill here may not have been the brightest champion, but he was legendary in bed. Why, I bet you could handle all four of us at once, what do you say?" The armor comes undone enough for Threnody to flash her breasts, and the younger demon turns to lower her pants and show him a rare red moon. The kobold of the party looks up at her draconic party and shrugs.

"When in Dragon's Jaw, right? Hey Bluehair, you like shortstacks?" She lifts up her mages robes to flash him her underwear, dark blue against green scales, and gives him a toothy grin.

For his part, Bill finds himself grinding his teeth. "...If you ain't gonna surrender, ladies, you oughtta put your clothes back on. Be a bit bogus to kill a coupla naked chicks."

Threnody pulls off her shirt entirely and slides the fabric into her belt, leaving her completely topless as she approaches Bill...and begins to pass him by. "And if you're not going to take us up on our offer, then you may as well get away from the exit and let us pass. Your reputation is solid, Bluehair. You don't kill beautiful women."

There's a growl from the man's wide chest, and as Threnody reaches his side his sword flashes out. The demon leaps back, a shocked expression on her face, although it has less to do with the wound on her arm and more with the fact that he attacked her at all. "Pull your swords, dammit! Or fall where you stand!"

That's the last warning Bill gives before he goes into attack mode, and even Threnody's fast reactions barely let her draw her blades and dodge in time. The other succubus, trusting Threnody's analysis of the situation, had entirely lost her pants and now finds herself hastily trying to draw her bow, while the kobold has to drop her robes again before pulling out a wand. Only the draconic is actually in any way ready for a battle, but her pyromancy is ill-suited for a close-range melee.

Eventually Threnody manages to score a hit against Bill's divine armor, but it proves to be an opening he left on purpose. Even her enchanted daggers barely scratch its golden surface, and when she's close enough he reaches out with surprising speed and grabs hold of her arm. There's no way a human ought to be able to move so quickly, holding a massive sword in one hand and a squirming fighter in the other, but Bill seems to have little difficulty as he uses the succubus as a living shield against a lightning bolt from the kobold. It doesn't kill her, but when Bill tosses her at the draconic a moment later she's certainly dazed.

Which is far better than the archer demon can say. The woman gets one shot off, an enchanted arrow which ends up coating the stone wall behind Bill in frost before she finds the man's sword planted in her chest. The two hold eye contact for a moment as the woman dies, and the expression on Bill's face would be difficult for even a dungeon avatar to determine. But as the light leaves her eyes, Bill gets back into the fight.

His next move isn't with his blade, but with the archer's own ammunition. The paragon grabs hold of a half-dozen magical arrows from the woman's quiver and spends but a moment pumping them full of divine power - not just charging them, but overcharging. When they're tossed at the kobold a moment later, the explosion leaves little left of the scaled elementalist.

Finally though the draconic is free to act. Without the others in her way to hinder her attacks she steps forward, blasting jets of flame with both hands. Bill's bulk and muscles are quite the boon in many cases, but unfortunately it makes it rather difficult for the man to dodge - especially with such a wide-area attack in such a small chamber.

To the draconic's shock, he doesn't bother. It's not that he's immune to the flames - although his divine armor certain does blunt the worst of the damage. But as his holy flesh begins to steam and smoke, it's almost as if he doesn't care. "Ain't afraid of dying in a fire, chica - I'm already dead. Besides, I've fought paragons of flame magic in the inter-afterlife competitions, you know? This shit's barely a sauna. You wanna give?"

The mage's response is to turn up the heat - and add her flame breath to the mix.

"Thought not."

With two swings the flames are extinguished - one to remove the pyromancer's hands, the second to claim her head. By time it's done Bill's sporting a heavy amount of scarring himself, but he knows his external wounds will soon fade. Eventually, he finds Threnody in the back of the room and pulls her to her feet.

"Last chance, homeslice. Team's down. Gonna give up?"

"Of course...not!" Both of the demon's daggers find their way into Bill's sides - yet like the flames, it seems even that's not enough to give the paragon a quick death. Bill's response is a headbutt that cracks off one of Threnody's horns and gives the woman a concussion - before his sword drives itself into her chest as well.

As Threnody's corpse slides to the ground, Bill takes a few deep breaths before shouting to the ceiling. "I can do it! I can kill hot babes!"

"..."

"...I think I'mma be sick."

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