Natalie felt nothing as she transitioned from the proper City of Eros into their instanced assig. There had been a versation behind her from two delvers idling in the Areion area, and their voices abruptly cut off. The heavy iron gate blog the path shuddered, then lifted, disappearing into the stone ceiling.

  They strode into the Arena. It was a circur space with firmly packed, tough dirt. Rocks and debris ched underfoot as they walked. Above, the twilight sky of the dungeon floor sparkled. Despite telep into some ' instance' of the Arena, it still seemed like they were in the middle of the City of Eros. She could see tall buildings peeking over the walls of the Arena.

  There were ures of i. No stands of spectators as might normally be found in an arena. Just walls and a dirt floor, along with the arched doorways that led in and out. On the opposite side was anate where presumably their oppos would ehe gates behind them shuddered and closed, sealing them in.

  Ahead, three stone pilrs rose out of the ground. Natalie eyed them warily, having summoned her on in preparation for a fight. Atop each squat pilr was a tablet of lighter-colored stoh text carved onto each. And not just text, but images too. Lewd images. Much like the Tokens of Eros.

  Their three choices of stakes.

  With some —and, admittedly, i—she approached the pilrs to peer at the tablets.

  The first held an engraved image of a nude woman, a minimalist illustration pleted in as few lines as possible. Beh the image read the text: Nudity. Both partits will remove all clothing and present their bodies to one another.

  "That's it?" Vaa blurted out. "Just get naked?"

  Natalie was simirly surprised, but after a sed's thought, it made sense.

  "This one has a single heart," she said, pointing to the bottom of the tablet, where said symbol was engraved. "It's one of the easiest stakes possible." Ohat even reserved people would sider with how incredible the rewards were. Her eyes flicked to the other tablets. They had two and three hearts, respectively. "The others won't be as … uh, simple." Simple might not be the right word, but she hadn't wao say 'perverted.'

  To plenty of people, eveing naked was objeable, perhaps enough so they would refuse. And the City was structured to aodate all sorts.

  The sed stoablet held an illustration of a pair of lips. Kisses, the stake read. Both partits will strip naked and share a passionate kiss. Additionally, each must pce a kiss between their partner's legs.

  Natalie flushed. It was hardly the lewdest thing that had been asked of her in the dungeon, but with Vaa? Kissing her between the legs? That would be … uh, iing.

  The dark-haired rogue had twice the rea, at least by the color of her face. Her expression, though, she kept perfectly posed, even if her cheeks belied how flustered she'd grown.

  "I see," Vaa said, her voice level. She offered no further entary.

  Natalie herself wasn't sure what she thought of it. Holy, it wasn't that bad, even if dorictly out of a utilitarian purpose. The 'passionate kiss' would just be a kiss; even Vaa would probably cede that to earn Empowered Tokens. The one lower down broke propriety far more, but even then … a quick kiss? The tablet made no requirements for ah of taount of passion. And sure, even pg a quick kiss on Vaa's pussy—or receiving one—had her stomach squirming. But by the standards of what Natalie had expected going in? Hardly the craziest task.

  Her eyes turo the third of the tablets. pleting the pattern, this one was a three-heart rating, the lewdness increasing from left tht.

  This one had an image of two somethings that took her a sed tnize. A drical, hollow object—a pocket pussy—along with its terpart, a dildo.

  Use Toy. One partit will pleasure the other to pletion using a provided aid.

  Natalie couldn't help it. She snorted. 'A provided aid'? The descriptions were so circumspeot that she'd have preferred if it were overly crude, like one partit will fuck the other with a toy until they cum, but that would've been ho at least. Though she'd probably have ughed at that too. It was all just so absurd.

  Vaa, by her expression, didn't find it amusing. But at least she didn't seem to find it objeable. There wasn't disgust on her face. Clearly she was struggling to e to terms with the situation, though. She wasn't an old-hand to the ridiculoushat came with Natalie's css.

  Natalie sobered up. "Well?" she asked Vaa. "Those are our choices. What do you think?"

  "The third o meaher of us could … use a toy oher? Not both?"

  "That's what it says."

  "So we pick who? Who would, then?"

  Natalie raised her eyebrows, and Vaa hurried to say:

  "Hypothetically. I'm not saying—" she cleared her throat. "I'm not saying that's the one we should go for. But if we did?"

  "Hypothetically, I wouldn't care. This is entirely up to you."

  "We're a team, so no, it isirely up to me."

  "It is. You decide." Seeing Vaa opening her mouth to protest, Natalie crified: "As in, I'm okay with all three, so you pick."

  That only seemed to trouble her. "So it's my fault if we get a worse payout."

  "No. That's not what I—" Natalie frowned. "I already told you. Don't piything that would make you unfortable. Who cares if we lose some efficy, or whatever?"

  "I would. And all of them make me unfortable. That's the whole point. To make you … do things. That you wouldn't otherwise."

  "Then we don't have to do any of them." Stubbornly, she said, "We also just skip. There's ways to get Tokens where we don't actually have to do anything personally. Or with each other." At the Coliseum, for example, they could just watch. Though progress would be slow.

  That only annoyed Vaa. Her carefully trolled expression broke into irritation. "Stop doing that. I'm not yours to protect. I'll decide what I decide, and you don't have any say in it. I'll pick how 'unfortable' I'll make myself." She faced forward, cheeks darkening again. "But to crify. You'd be fih any of them?"

  There were a number of things Natalie wao say in response, particurly bringing up what Vaa had just mentiohat they were a duo, and so she did have a say in things. And maybe Natalie herself didn't want to eh a partner who was obviously unfortable.

  But she studied Vaa for a sed. She was right in that she was her own person, and could decide for herself how much out of her fort zone she was willing to go. Still, Natalie wouldn't want to i with an obviously relut partner. But Vaa didn't seem … relut. Just flustered.

  "We shouldn't even have to pay out, as long as we don't get greedy," Natalie said. "We keep clearing rounds until it starts to get difficult, then leave."

  She g Natalie, then shrugged. "We'll decide that whe there." She focused oablets. "Still have to pie, though. The nudity is too easy. And I won't take the oh the least payout. Between the sed and third though." She hesitated. "Isn't the third … easier than the sed?"

  Natalie's eyebrows went up.

  "It feels like that to me, at least," Vaa said hastily. "With the sed, I would have to—" She didn't finish the statement. "The third would just be a toy. That I use on you?" She flushed deeply. "I wouldn't even really be toug you."

  Natalie kept a straight face. Was jerking her off with a pocket pussy until she came less lewd than a kiss followed by a peck between her legs? Not at all, in her opinion. But in some twisted sort of justification, she could see Vaa's point.

  If Natalie was ho with herself, she often did simir mental gymnastics. They wouldn't be toug, after all, in a literal sense.

  Still. It was defihe lewdest of their choices. As backed up by the heart-based rating system. But it was the one Vaa wao pick?

  "So, the third?"

  Vaa shrugged, over-casual for how embarrassed she obviously was. "It's the best paying, isn't it? And if you're okay with it…"

  Natalie wasly thrilled that was the excuse she used, that she was ag like they were just seeking profit, but previous iions and her persistent blush at least gave Natalie some fidehat it might not be pure practicality guiding Vaa's decision.

  "Besides," Vaa said. "We always bail, if we o. We won't even necessarily have to do it. So?" She stepped toward the third pedestal, giving her a questioning look.

  Natalie tried not to let her imaginatioake her. Vaa, using a toy on her? Not that it would actually happen.

  "Go for it," Natalie said, shrugging. Also over-casual in a way that probably gave away her blend of nervousness aement.

  Vaa nodded and, hesitating before she acted, tentatively pressed the stoablet. It sunk into the pilr like an oversized button, and the pilrs shuddered and desded into the ground, swallowed by the hard-packed dirt of the Arena.

  On the far side of the arena, the gate swung open. And so, their first assig of the day began.