In the end, Natalie came to a decision: she couldn't justify ending their delve whehree short days they'd allocated came and passed. Not with possible rewards in the form of Epid possibly Mythical items sitting in the Emporium. While leavieam without their primary tank for aended period was far from ideal—and in some ways, leaving them in the dark oher she was alive at all was worse—the potential for be was too great.

  Thankfully, both downsides were mitigated. As for them g a tank—Malice, [Divine Invigoration], and hopefully [Aura of Blessed Adva] were helping them along. They would be maki progress without her.

  And for Natalie's well-being, [Divine Invigoration]'s persisting effect would indicate she was alive and down in the dungeon, haviehe delve for one reason or another. sidering how two god-blessed individuals had eogether, she was sure Ana, if no one else, would suggest that the dungeon had taken special i in them and thrown them into aended challehough [Divine Invigoration] would expire after a week, so they would eventually lose that assurance.

  Also, Natalie had made tact with two parties leaving the City of Eros, paying them to send messages to Te aeammates. Assuming something odd wasn't going on, such as a memory effect or simir, Jordan and the others would receive news of her being alive. There was no guarahough; unication could only leave the City, er it.

  So, not ideal, but not horrible, in regard to her teammates. Natalie inteo make it up to them by bringing back loot. Plus, her be was their be since skills scaled on level. So if she were to level up again, [Aura of Blessed Adva] would work even more effectively on them. And there were few bes as substantial as faster leveling.

  The first week passed with a variety of adventures. Mostly, she received Arena and Bordello assigs. The expected Coliseum event with Elida, shogly, didn't appear, aher did the sdalous Pace Basements.

  Natalie received two non-standard assigs: one night, to go "punish criminals secured in pillories", which was, uh, a rather fun one, and another day, to "engage in al retions with three other citygoers", which had also been an enjoyable experience. Pig up girls was always fun, and being paid to do it? Eveer. Especially when said irls had gotten their own share of rewards.

  She was starting tnize faces oreets, which made the City experience more flustering in some ways and less in others. Because while there were a few hundred people at any given moment iy, a few hundred wasn't that many, and sialie mostly paid attention to the girls, the pool was cut in half.

  She was starting to be reized iurn, too. It wasn't on firls to have perma extra equipment, apparently, which made her a point of i in its ht. Never mind that she aeam were from Te—as few groups here were, since most delvers in general weree delvers by definition—and not just that, they were some of the best of their year.

  As it turned out, ag as a regur, full-time delving team was only slightly less effective at earning tokens than engaging in their assigs. So their squad of five turo that often, wheheir given tasks were too unfortable. Heading out into the Ruins and hunting bosses, then bringing those s back to trade with city-folk, wasn't quite as good as engaging in the way the City wanted, but it wasn't far off.

  Only for their team, though, because of how effit they were. The vast majority of groups avoided the 'points of i' in the Ruins like the pgue. Which was fair. Eveeam struggled with some. And most delvers weren't looking to get themselves killed. Even the more prudish would rather lounge about in a Bordello aertais than risk perma maiming. Teudents were just a special brand of crazy—and her group in particur.

  So, that hunting efficy, bined with a better-than-expected trading ratio between regur s and ented ones, made the endeavors fruitful. Doubly so because there were a subset of city-goers who had happily sunken into full depravity and were quite … effit when it came to enting tokens. Some of the stories she'd heard sdalized even her. Most of those inated from the Pace Basement. A certaiation had been built up for that pce, and Natalie was slightly apprehensive for when she eventually received an assighere herself.

  Which was, it turned out, on day seven.

  Reading that simple s—veo the Pace Basements aurn with at least one piece of loot—had Natalie's stomach both sinking and her heart rate pig up in anticipation. The situation evolved for the better when she checked what Vaa had gotten and received a grunted response of, "Pace Basement." They'd gotten it together, on the same day. The assig didn't specifically tell them to go together, but—the option was there.

  Learning that Natalie had also gotten it, Vaa paused. Normally, she would have rejected this stra and most perverted of the on assigs. But with Natalie also assigned?

  "Is teaming even allowed in the Basement?" Vaa asked dubiously, gng at the paper again.

  "It is. It's a whole thing; you just have to hang around the entrand see if anyone wants to." She'd heard people talk about it; after a week iy, she'd chatted with enough of the other deo have a good idea of how everything worked. "The challenges adjust, though, I think? So it's not necessarily an advantage. You split loot. And you lose your—privacy."

  "Ah, yes," Vaa said sarcastically, "if yonna have sex with a monster, you should at least have your privacy."

  As a distinguished monster-fucker herself—thanks to Malid her insatiable appetites—Natalie defended herself, "They're humanoid. They even talk. Nothing wrong with that."

  Vaa grunted. "That they talk is crazy in its ht," she muttered. She wiped a hand down her face. "Yonna make me go with you, aren't you?"

  Natalie didn't point out that Vaa could decide not to on her own prerogative. She grinned shamelessly and gave the irl the excuse she was looking for.

  "Please? It's dark and scary. I don't want to go alone."

  Vaa glowered at her since she was ying it on thick.

  "Besides," Natalie said, "we'll have a choi what happens. The enters are hard, but we're good. If we're not feeling it, we fight our way out and leave."

  There was always the risk of 'not feeling it' and losing anyway, though, or falling into some trap, so venturing down into that pce was essentially giving b sent. So Vaa hesitated for a long moment.

  But for all her accusations of Natalie's own pervertedness, the irl was clearly curious. Because it didn't take that long before she got a hesitant nod.

  "Fi's the sed-best way to earn tokens iy, isn't it? Might as well see what's going on down there."