Worthy Core

Tiffany glances back at the groups following behind her and sighs. "Yeah, this is about what I expected."

Grenwald follows in her gaze. "What, the part where it's practically down to us and some of the arrow fodder? Well, hey, Threnody's squad might always catch back up with us, you never know."

"Threnody has passed away, I'm afraid, as have her companions." Pretty sniffs, a rather unpleasant sound coming from his ruined nose. "I'd offer a threnody for her, but I'm afraid I never picked up that particular aspect of bardic skills."

Tiffany frowns. "Eh? You could detect that? We weren't even near them when they slid down that pitfall."

"I put subtle monitoring spells on all of the elites who took this particular branch with us, just in case we were separated. It's not actually that good at precise locations, but I can sense general physical conditions. And I can say that, as of the last sensations I felt from them, their conditions were...negative."

"Well, just fuckin' great." Grenwald grimaces as he does the math. Aside from the three of them, only five other Masters and Supremes remain in their wing. Not all of the others had been killed, three of the mercenaries had simply been seriously wounded and called in their contract escape clauses. The kobold's not entirely sure where they plan to go, considering they'll have to return most of the way through Floor Ten just to get back to the tunnels, but perhaps the dungeon hadn't been able to replenish the monsters there yet.

Other than that, they now lead a glorious unit of a dozen Domain soldiers. Now, all in all, normally eight elites with a dozen supporters would be considered enough for any mission within a dungeon - even a core-cracking assignment in many cases. Yet somehow the man can't help but feel like he'd rather have three times as many people at his back.

Those ruminations come to a halt as the tunnel they're marching through suddenly turns and opens up into a wider chamber, and it's obviously not an empty one either. The room is large and square, at least at the base, but the ceiling is slanted like two sides of a pyramid. The low section of the ceiling comes to a corner just above their current position, while the raised section sits directly opposite them. And, standing in something of a balcony in that higher portion of the room, stands the demon Grenwald now recognizes as Sincere.

The guardian doesn't hesitate to greet them. "Welcome! You've been better, Pretty - although I honestly must say I wish you were worse. I'm not surprised to see you alive and fighting, but is it so hard to take a hint? You could have easily claimed injuries from the...departure I left you with on our previous engagement."

Pretty gives his former lover a slight smile. "Yes, well, I'd say you at least blasted all of the selflessness out of me. Now? I suppose I'm here for the money, glory, endless harems of cute kobolds, etcetera etcetera. Although if you've reconsidered my previous words..."

Sincere seems unimpressed by either statement. "Please, we both know you go through a harem phase every twenty or thirty years and then grow out of it. And my position has not changed."

Tiffany and Grenwald both begin to look a little uncomfortable at this extended 'negotiation' phase between the two demons, not to mention the other soldiers beginning to pile up behind them, but a glance from Pretty keeps them silent for a little while longer. Instead, he continues to address the dungeon guardian. "Physically, your position has changed quite a bit. Enjoying looking down on us, are you? Are you not the Core Guardian as I've heard? You couldn't win against me in a fair fight before, I'm surprised you would continue weakening yourself like this, wandering into Floor Eleven."

"I do enjoy looking down on you, indeed. But not only do I hold the high ground, but also home territory." He waves a hand at the floor of the chamber, and the new arrivals notice that the brick pattern changes to a different color and size around Sincere's quarter of the room. "I am, in fact, standing in the Core Chamber right now. Fun fact, as my mistress would say - I only need to be within the boundaries of the chamber to be at full strength, there's nothing stopping me from casting my magic at targets standing outside of it."

Pretty raises an eyebrow. "Don't suppose you're hiding a side door to the main chamber behind you back there? Might make for a nice little shortcut, then." He sighs, then cracks his knuckles. "There's not much more to be said, is there? Any final comments? You do love getting in the last word."

"And I'm sure I'll get in many more. But for now, let's go with...please, allow me to introduce my colleagues." With that statement Sincere waves a hand, and several floor-level hidden doors slide open. A number of Challengers step through whose descriptions the Domain mercenaries recognize - these are the Highbranch retainers, Supreme-tier combatants of their own. Additionally, one very dark-skinned elf suddenly appears at Sincere's side, one whom Pretty doesn't recognize.

As dramatic as the moment is, it's not enough. Five combatants against twenty? Perhaps they'll beat the Dragonlord to the dungeon's core after all.

Pretty begins casting a spell the moment he gives the order. "Take them. No mercy is required." It's an order given in a confident tone, however the Sensationalist finds his confidence to be shaken almost immediately. His pain-causing spells are...ineffective? No, not entirely, but he can feel the enemy Supremes resisting them. That's not a trait that high-tier adventurers just gain naturally, some mage must have cast a spell to...Pretty's eyes narrow in suspicion.

"Slay that elf on the balcony!"

"Oh dear, Hylii, it seems that my old friend is as sharp as ever." Sincere tsks as an arcane barrier goes up around his balcony, even as the nobles below begin engaging their opponents. Paladin Daylinta charges forward, meeting Grenwald and two other melee-focused Supremes in battle. It would normally be a very uneven match, except somehow the paladin is moving even more swiftly than her divinely-blessed physique would usually allow for. Every blow Grenwald blocks sends the man sliding backwards several feet, and his companions have little luck getting their blades within even an inch of her armor.

Meanwhile Tiffany takes the lead in combating the Highbranch mages, yet she too feels that something's not quite right with her spells. Gloomroot summons shadowy constructs and Silverbloom fires off blasts of arcane force, which Tiffany redirects elsewhere with shields of distorted space. Except...instead of fully redirecting the attacks, the spells seem to be getting caught in her barriers instead. It's an effect she could replicate on purpose with some effort, but that's certainly not what's happening here. "What the hells is up with those spells!? Pretty, any ideas?"

The incubus redirects his attention for a brief moment to analyze the effects. "Sincere has slowed down the spells of his allies. Not something you typically do for your own side, unless..."

Tiffany grimaces. "I can't lower my barriers if the spells are just gonna kick back up again the moment they're gone! And it's blocking our return fire as well!" Indeed, the other mages and archers of their party have attempted to fire off a few shots of their own, only to have them miss as badly as the incoming attacks were meant to. Spatial distortions work both ways, after all. Meanwhile the longer the effect lasts the more incoming spells the barrier catches, meaning the effect of dropping it is only growing more severe. "...My mana's refreshed enough to hold this for a while, but not forever."

"At least mine do not need to pass through intervening space. But..." Pretty attempts to cast his spells again, targeting his foes with even more energy, but the most he gets for his efforts are slight winces on the faces of the Rainlander nobles. "Damn you, Sincere! Don't tell me you found another Sensationalist out there! That man's not even a demon!"

The elf in question answers on his own behalf, safe behind Sincere's wards. "Body Mage, if you must know. From a...distant tradition. I will admit that you may be the superior specialist when dealing with the senses, Sir Sensationalist, but pain resistance is a spell I mastered long ago!"

Calculating the odds, Sincere notes that they have only one real advantage here - sheer numbers. "Soldiers! Around the barriers, attack the mages! That paladin can't hold us all back!" The man himself doesn't make any motions towards moving forwards, but he does cast numerous boosting spells upon the Domain soldiers. Speed boosts, strength enhancers...they'll have a negative impact on the health of the men and women when the spells wear off, but that assumes that they'll live through this fight to experience those consequences. To their credit the soldiers don't hesitate, and the Supremes countering Daylinta do their best to keep her pinned down as the others charge past.

It's not enough to stop her from leaping to the side and smashing two of them with her warhammer before they get her under control again, but the majority do get past, at least.

Unfortunately, that was just the first obstacle. Between Pretty's boosts and additional spatial warping from Tiffany, the demons and kobolds find their way forward eased...until they run into the temporal spells of Sincere, slowing them down. The effect is headache-inducing to watch, as the fighters appear to be moving in slow motion yet somehow move forward at almost a normal pace. It's even worse for the soldiers themselves, and one stops to retch - until an arcane blast from Silverbloom takes care of his nausea in a permanent fashion.

The ones who do actually reach the Highbranch mages don't find themselves much better off. Here they find prepared defenses cast by Gloomroot, and shadowy tentacles grasp at their feet. While with time the half-elf could focus his efforts on tearing his foes limb from limb with those summons, here he settles for a more efficient solution. Pinned down, each soldier turns into little more than target practice for his elven companion, and one by one the man blasts each of them with a spell.

Desperation makes even cornered rats dangerous however, and one kobold does get one last laugh. As Silverbloom turns his focus onto her the rogue flings her daggers in Gloomroot's direction, and the combination of spatial and temporal warping is enough to throw off the mage's defenses. With a strange flicker the dagger lands in the man's neck, and although it doesn't immediately kill the mage, most of his spells and summons around the room suddenly fade out.

Including those being held at bay by Tiffany. With those soldiers behind her now mostly gone and half of the spells trapped in her barrier fizzled away, the woman is now free to refocus her efforts. She does so immediately, turning on Paladin Daylinta, negating quite a few of the body-boosting spells Hylii had granted her. She may be three times as fast, but when her weapon needs to cross twice as much distance, suddenly her advantage over her foes is much diminished.

Sadly for the Domain, they have little opportunity to take advantage of the fact. As the common soldiers are decimated by Arcane Sorcerer Silverbloom, he too becomes free to refocus his efforts upon his elite-tier opponents. In his case, he does so with the assistance of Sincere - with a time-speeding effect that allows the elf to cast even major spells with the apparent ease of a common cantrip. Shards of force shred one Supreme mage to pieces, and a moment later a boulder-sized sphere of glowing energy crashes down next to Grenwald and his companions. One is half-crushed with both of his legs flattened in an agonizing way, while Grenwald himself is knocked away - leaving Daylinta largely free to do as she pleases.

Meanwhile Pretty grimaces and curses under his breath, feeling more impotent than he has in years. He knows he's a more powerful mage than this Hylii, at least by one tier if not two or three. Yet his magic is so damn stubborn! At best he can cancel out the man's body-improving effects, leaving his enemies...well, still exceedingly dangerous. He knows that if he had more time he could figure out its trick, its odd mana structures, but time is of course not on his side in this particular fight.

Exasperated, he shouts out to the Warp Mistress. "Tiffany! It's up to you to take out Sincere and his pet! Once they're down, we can finish off these nobles!"

The blonde demon turns her eyes on the Core Guardian, and the man smirks back at her. "I must admit, I always wanted to face off against one of your class. Time versus space - which one will win out in the end, hrmm? Show me what you've learned in your years, young lady."

Levitating slowly into the air, Tiffany turns all of her focus into a massive working, creating a spell of warping that could conceivably tear apart the entire opposite half of the chamber...and then she takes one last look around before triggering it.

The soldiers, dead or disabled. Daylinta and Silverbloom finishing off one of the other Supreme mercenaries together, leaving those ranks as consisting of her, a dazed Grenwald, a struggling Pretty, and one or two others whose names she barely remembers.

"...Fuck this. I surrender."

As the spell fades out into nothing, the room turns silent and all present turn to face her. Pretty's angry voice speaks the question most of them are feeling. "What!? We still have a chance! That spell could have ended this!"

The arcane demon grunts. "Yeah, I kill that guardian up there and the dungeon could have him back and taunting us again five minutes later. Meanwhile, I die and I don't get to spend any of the money I earned. We were supposed to be marching into the place's Core Chamber with a godsdamned army at our backs and now look at what's fuckin' left! I didn't come here to die, Pretty. Did you?"

"I at least have the professionalism to not turn aside at the last moment! I don't like to pull rank, Tiffany, but my spells do still work on you. Finish that damn spell or - " The incubus had turned on Tiffany with his sword drawn, a wild look in his eyes, and murder in his veins...all of which collapse as Daylinta's warhammer crashes down onto the man's skull. The demon crumples to the brick floor immediately, and a still-concussed Grenwald asks a question with a wince.

"...Shit. He's dead?"

Red glances at her latest victim and shrugs. "Not sure. Want me to make sure?"

A loud sigh rumbles through the room, and Sincere makes his pronouncement. "...I will admit I am not an unbiased arbiter. I suppose I still hold pity for the man, for all the trouble he's caused us. Paladin Daylinta, you are a Deliverer of Balance, a follower of Taliar, God of Balanced Scales. What does your faith tell you to do in a situation like this?"

The woman glances back at her companions. Gloomroot is...not well, but a hasty healing potion has at least kept the man from bleeding to death. Meanwhile the rest of the room is an abattoir of gore, given that many of the spells cast today have not been...precise instruments. Taking a deep breath, Red sighs as well. "Death has been had by the handfuls today, Guardian Sincere. A bit of pity would balance the scales...if only slightly."

"Then so be it." Sincere steadies his voice. "Drop your weapons, and those of you still alive shall not be harmed. Do you surrender?"

With a grunt, Grenwald tosses his sword onto the ground. "Welp. Gonna be real hard getting paid from this if our employer dies. Or if they live, for that matter. Don't suppose the dungeon offers a surrender bonus incentive?"

"...We will discuss that when she is less occupied, perhaps..."

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