Dungeons and Dalliances

7.99 – Emerged

7.99 – Emerged

Despite 'tempting fate' as Vanetta had accused her of, they weren't subjected to any ambushes while lugging their earnings back. Once more, she held her breath as she passed over the inert mass of vines, only releasing it after they'd cleared the hallway without being scooped up and stuffed with aphrodisiac.

Reaching the stairway leading up and out of the Basement, Natalie hovered and came to a stop.

"There's gonna be people up there," she said, turning. "They might give us something to cover ourselves with, but we'll still be naked coming up." She chewed her lip. "We can use these chests," she said, jiggling the wooden containers full of coins, metal rattling inside, "to hide ourselves a bit, but that only helps so much."

"What's your point?" Vanetta asked, sounding annoyed by Natalie stating the obvious.

She set her chest of Tokens on the ground. "Here," she said, undoing her loincloth. "Take this."

"What?"

Unceremoniously baring her lower half, she held the flimsy cloth out to Vanetta. "You can hide your boobs with the chest. You'll be basically decent." She snorted. "By the City's standards, at least."

"But what about you?"

"I like showing off my tits," she said, smirking. Which wasn't a lie, but obviously not to random people. She still had a sense of modesty. "There's plenty to show off, anyway, unlike some people here."

It was a deliberate taunt, a way to annoy Vanetta and make her more likely to accept the offer. It worked as intended: the rogue's eyes narrowed, her back straightened, and she growled, "Just because I don't have—all of that," she gestured angrily at Natalie's chest, "doesn't mean I don't have anything to show off. Ugh." She lifted her chin. "Give." She thrust a hand out, and Natalie handed her the loincloth. Though the item was bind-on-pickup, people could still interact with it. She just wouldn't be able to equip it or receive its effects.

Wrapping the item around her waist and tying the strand, Vanetta picked up her chest full of coins and pressed it into her breasts. She was, as Natalie had said, 'decent' in the strictest sense.

Vanetta strode forward, and Natalie picked up her own chest of coins and used it to cover her crotch—obviously the more sensitive choice.

Before ascending the stairs, Vanetta came to a stop.

"I'm not stupid enough that I don't see what you're doing, by the way," she muttered. "So, thank you."

Natalie blinked in surprise, but Vanetta was already stomping up the stairway in an attempt to flee.

Maybe her ploy hadn't been as subtle as she'd intended. She smiled.

She wasn't looking forward to striding out in public with her tits out, but that was a million times better than Vanetta being unwillingly ogled. That idea made her skin crawl.

Though, a loincloth and a wooden chest pressed into her breasts were hardly some chaste outfit. Vanetta was still in a dicey situation herself.

Together, they climbed the stairs, Vanetta leading.

The long ascending corridor seemed to go on longer than it should, and every step brought her further into thickening darkness.

Halfway up, a voice echoed in her head.

***

Performance Evaluation: S

Enchantment proceeding.

***

Right.

She'd forgotten that Palace Basement runs came with the usual sort of rewards. This was why most people went down into the Basement—the Vault had been a separate event.

Natalie couldn't see it happen, but she suspected a significant portion, if not all, of the mundane tokens inside the treasure chest had been enchanted.

Ahead, the barely visible figure of Vanetta stiffened, footsteps slowing before carrying forward. No doubt, she'd gotten the same announcement.

A few dozen steps later, they emerged into light.

As expected, there was a scattering of individuals who gawked at them as they strode out. Other Basement-goers, perhaps, loitering for one reason or another. Natalie sighed as she stepped in front of Vanetta, purposefully drawing attention to herself. Or more accurately, her tits. The rogue happily hid behind her, despite being the more chaste between them, and while Natalie couldn't see her face, she imagined a furious blush.

"Hey," she said casually to the crowd. "Basement took our gear. Anyone have a towel, or something? We'd appreciate it."

Natalie didn't have a misanthropic view of the world, but she didn't think people were, by nature, saints. Yet the residents of the City of Eros continued to impress her. It was a tall, dark-haired boy who hastily drew a towel out of a backpack and stepped forward to spread it in front of Natalie, averting his gaze. He seemed unperturbed, not a hint of a blush—definitely not someone unused to seeing a stranger's tits, she thought with amusement. Probably a veteran of the City. Or gay? Or a player even back on the surface. In any case, she appreciated the gesture.

"Thanks," Natalie said. She set the chest of coins down, took the towel, and tied it around her waist. "I'll meet you in the lobby in fifteen, to give it back?" Pressing the chest into her breasts like Vanetta was, she was more or less decent—though on the 'less' side of 'more or less'.

"No need," the boy said. "It's just a towel. No big deal."

Her appraisal of him went even higher. "Thanks, then."

They retreated to their respective rooms without issue. She tugged on a set of casual wear, her loincloth stuffed underneath her skirt for the stat bonus, should she, for some unknown reason, need the boost while in the City—though she shouldn't. The City was unreasonably safe, with those heavy sets of living armor patrolling and seeking out violators. As impressed as she was by the average person so far, the strict rules set by the City had at least a part to play with how crime-free the City was.

She met with Vanetta, who had likewise changed into her spare set of civilian clothes. "Glad that's over with," she sighed. "Still a while before we need to meet with the team. Let's get our equipment sorted?"

Definitely. While their gear situation had been partially solved by the incredible loot doled out by the Vault, Natalie had two of four slots filled—the necklace and the loincloth. Before venturing into either City assignment or the Ruins, she needed to buy a weapon and two more pieces of equipment. Going into battle with empty equipment slots was a horrible idea. And without a weapon, obviously three times as stupid.

With the enormous payday, she doubted she would have much problem finding something worthwhile.

"Time for a shopping spree, then," Natalie said.