The weekend arrived quicker than expected, and with it, the uping delve with Elida's team—a Natalie was both wary and apprehensive of, yet also admittedly ied in.

  While Natalie certainly didn't like Elida, to be generous in the description of her feelings, that didn't mean she wasn't intrigued by the top performer of their year, sialie was a delver and warrior at heart, and that woman excelled in both fields.

  Vaa too had caught her attention. There was no denying the short, scar-faced woman erson of immealent and equal intrigue, sidering her unknown background. A p Elida's team, temporary or not, would give Natalie insight into both of them that she might not ever get otherwise.

  It was just a shame she had to suffer Elida's preseo get that insight.

  While apprehensive and equally dreading the event as much as she was ied in it, Natalie wasn't scared of heading into the dungeon with Elida. The Parda-Halts were snakes; everyone khat. A dagger in the back wouldn't be out of character. They had literally tried such a tacti the ruling family of Valhaur, the Beaumons, a few geions bad high treason was a more dastardly crime than arranging an 'act' in the dungeon.

  But Natalie wasn't a blood enemy of Elida's, merely allied with Liz, and just a teammate at that. Even if their retionship had been more signifit, Natalie seriously doubted—as Liz did, sihey'd of course discussed the topic—that Elida would try anything. Beaumon and Parda-Halt retions were already tense, and unless Elida inteo kick off a war between major houses, she would keep Liz's teammate safe, because no matter how solid her excuses should something happen to Natalie by 'act,' no one would believe her; the Parda-Halts had unfortunately ruined any such be of the doubt with past exploits—and even with their curreations. Possibly, Elida would be more ed over Natalie's safety than if she had been some random delver, as to not raise tensions further.

  Though all of that did assume Elida didn't want a bloody war betweewo houses. It wasn't a zero ce of that, Natalie supposed, but it was unlikely enough—and using Natalie as a pawn toward that goal would be a strange enough approach—that she felt in no real danger.

  To py it safe, she would hold off on firming her denial of Elida's invitation onto the team until after the trial had ended. Maybe that was smart anyway: this was a weekend delve, and they might be fighting for their lives for days to e, so while calling the red-haired bitch a bitch would be satisfying, pying nice was better for team cohesion—which meaer for team safety. And while Natalie might have disappointed herself aeam with her ck of professionalism when it came to Aina, she did, at least, treat the life-ah danger of the dungeon with far more severity. She couldn't keep her di her skirt, but she would absolutely protect those she'd sworn she would: and even if she despised Elida aeam, Natalie inteo uphold her role of tank with as muness as she would in her own party.

  Like with any pnned weekend delve, they started the expedition on the final day of Te csses for the week as to eke out a bit more time in the dungeon before they o return. Elida's team was no less optimizing than Natalie's, and maybe they were even more so.

  After getting dressed and colleg the monster cores with the items she would need—and a few empty oo store what she found—she met Elida and the three other women that would be making up her temporary team. She spared a brief moment of amusement that even during her excursion onto another party, it would still be on a team of five women. Elida had lost the two men previously joinihe fighter and the tank, repced by Vaa and Natalie herself, respectively. Though presumably Otto would be returning, since she didn't io stay.

  As she walked over to their designated meeting spot, she admired each of them, and their gear, in turn.

  Elida spotted her ing almost immediately, green eyes log to her from a distance. A dark leather vest, worn but sturdy, protected her torso, while a pair of lighter leather pants hugged her legs. Her left arm was adorned by a bracer made of dark-blue hardened hide. On her right arm, she wore a strange pale glove that extended half her forearm. The ensemble was expectedly discordant and not-so-fashionable, since dungeon gear rarely made a habit of dropping matg outfits. Natalie's own armor was only coherent because it was issioned by a smith using the erotite deposit she'd found.

  Elida's daggers were o be seen, though that was to be expected: she kept them in a monster core, since openly carrying ons through the on streets of Aradon was, while not illegal, frowned upon when done by powerful delvers. Not something everyone cared about, but as Teudents, image mattered. Natalie for her part was happy not to lug around her enormous hammer as a matter of practicality.

  Vaa was predominantly bck. Her gear was lighter weight: a bck cloth shirt, dark gray breeches, and brown boots. She wore a cloak with the hood already pulled up, and her expression was reserved, as it teo be. Natalie couldn't read mu her face. She had also spotted Natalie ing early—it robably in a rogue's nature to be aware of their surroundings. As all delvers should be, but rogues more so. They were lightly armored and often relied on positioning and awareness of their oppos to aplish anything.

  The other two of Elida's party hadn't ged. She kheir names after this many weeks at Te. Clemehe team's healer, was dressed in heavy white robes that obscured any ear she might be wearing, besides the brow around her waist which hugged the thick cloth in. She had long brown hair and green eyes so dark Natalie had thought they were bck from a distance. She had a friendly resting expression, though for obvious reasons, Natalie didn't particurly like the woman. She was one of Elida's cohort—enough said, that.

  Faye was the team's mage, and her hair was the most striking part of her: bright e, and worn short. Natalie was fairly sure it was dyed, as was a on trend in Aradon, or at least on enough it was never worth a pause no matter hht or strahe color. She had brown eyes, was tall and thin, and was fairly aloof in demeanor, though not in the manner of Ana, but an unfriendly sort, as if she was making it clear before a versation began that she would rather it didn't. Maybe that uncharitable read was more thanks to the fact she'd been robbed by her—under Elida's leadership, but through Faye's explicit help heless—upon their first meeting.

  Taking a breath, Natalie fihe walk over, iing herself into the party she would be delving with the few days.