7.09 – Trial Run III


    Since there was little reason to not bring Astrid up to afortable level of rage—or Bloodlust as the Harkvalen girl called it—Zoey cast the spell before they ascended the staircase to the next room.


    In small increments, she inmed the emotions of the shield-bearer. Astrid grunted "more" several times before an eventual "enough" cut her off. By then, she was well and fuming. At least, that was what the set of her jaw and the fiery look in her eyes suggested. She was shuddering with her anger, shoulders quaking and her knuckles white on the grip of her shield.


    <em>That </em>was the level of anger that this woman considered ''routine''? What was her emergency level? White-out rage where she couldn''t even think? Frankly, she already seemed to be there. Trembling in anger was a point Zoey had reached only a handful of times in her life.


    Delta tilted her head, tall fox ears twitching in interest as she studied the warrior. "What''s that like, anyway?"


    Red eyes turned to Delta. "rify," she said calmly. Though, unlike before, with an edge to her voice, not fully able to mask her emotional state.


    "You look ready to rip someone''s throat out."


    "I am."


    "So what''s that like? You can fight like that, and not—you know? Lose control?"


    "Control," Astrid repeated. She grinned, and it was all teeth. Zoey''s heart rate picked up. Not out of fear, but… uh, well, a bit of fear, but also other emotions. "Control is a matter of perspective."


    "Huh," Delta said. She paused briefly. "You ever fuck someone like that?"


    "D-Delta!" Rosalie protested in shock, even as Astrid blinked.


    "Sorry, is that too personal?" Deltaughed. "It''s just where my head went. Everyone knows there''s nothing quite like a hate fuck, and," she waved up and down at Astrid, "<em>that''s</em> gotta be the closest you can get, artificially."


    Rosalie looked horrified Delta had asked such a crude question, especially with no lead-up, but Astrid surprised both of them when sheughed.


    "Is a good question," she mused. "But would be dangerous, no? Get distracted, lose your head, and …" She let the obvious go unsaid.


    "But you <em>have </em>tried it?"


    Astrid smirked. She hefted her shield up and turned to the stairs.


    "Perhaps."


    Delta shared a grin with Zoey, wiggling her eyebrows, to which Zoey gave a roll of her eyes.


    Though, good to know. Delta had performed a useful bit of reconnaissance. Astrid''s response suggested she wasn''t <em>too </em>flustered to talk about such topics, though the euphemism she''d also said that she was hardly as free in attitude as, say, Delta.


    Rosalie still looked appalled at Delta''s question. Zoey knew it was because, where she might have grown slightly more liberal to the idea of sex, Astrid was one of her father''s allies—a member of ''wayfaring society.'' So impropriety flustered her much more than when they were in private. Even if feeling out Astrid was the point of today''s mission.


    Astrid led them up the stairs. They ascended into a new room. This one was much more densely furnishedpared to the previous. It seemed to be a study of some kind, with many stocked bookshelves of multi-colored tomes. The stone brick wall was curved, and Zoey suspected they were in a tower of some sort. A wizard''s tower, forck of further context? That seemed like something a dungeon might take shape as.


    In the following fight against two more sets of armor—these ones with orange lights emanating from their neck-holes rather than green—Astrid demonstrated how valuable her raised Bloodlust was. She was faster, stronger, and tougher, and not by a small amount. The only downside was that a certain wildness had crept into her actions. Yet, nheless, she <em>did </em>move with precise, practiced motions. Fully in control. Or … mostly. Zoey would have known just from watching that the woman''s rage had been kindled.


    The monsters died without fanfare, though Zoey would never call it routine, because she was <em>fighting monsters. </em>Something natives of this world might shrug their shoulders at, but Zoey was from Earth, and while her perspective and norms might have adjusted, she would always stay aware of how insane her new life was.


    Her theory of ''wizard''s tower'' was confirmed as they cleared room after room. The next encounter was a collection of elemental golems inside a workshop; the one after that was arge empty ritual chamber; and then some sort of storage room lined with shelves of ingredients.


    Interested in thatst one, Zoey shoveled potential reagents into her inventory. Sabina would appreciate her for it. Collecting items from shards could make decent money on its own. The only reason their team didn''t pick through shards more thoroughly was because Rosalie''s family was rich as sin, and Zoey had other, more effective means of money-making. No need to uproot the entire shard and go through theborious process of trying to sell every odd and end.


    Regardless, reagent-collection for artificers of various disciplines was lucrative. Sabina would be d Zoey was collecting them. Especially now that they were entering truly dangerous shards, of the fourth tier. Maybe she''d be appreciative enough to go easy on the next quiz? That idea briefly distracted her.


    The fights weren''t too difficult. Even Astrid seemed impressed by the ease they were clearing a fourth advancement shard with. She was especially eying Rosalie, and not in <em>that </em>way—though Zoey wouldn''t have med her—but because she was fighting with such speed and strength that she almost seemed fifth advancement rather than fourth. A prodigy boosted by a goddess-sponsored support was something to behold.


    As they progressed, Zoey asionally needed to calm Astrid down. That wouldn''t normally be a problem, but she''d ramped Astrid right to the edge of what she wasfortable with maintaining, which would normally take the course of a shard to achieve—at least when acting in moderation, since Astrid could choose how deeply to give into her own emotions. Regardless, since Zoey had ''cheated'' her into a simmering rage, she subsequently needed to be calmed down with her spells, too. A small expenditure of mana, but well worth turning their front line member into a vicious bulwark right off the bat.


    Having cleared many rooms by now, Zoey realized the shard really <em>was </em>normal. She guessed that could still change, but by all ounts, the Shard Stabilizer seemed to have worked. Only the boss room might be affected. And maybe not even then? Hopefully not. They wanted to get to know Astrid with this trip, and <em>not </em>throw her into the deep end. A set of bustyva elementals trying to fuck Zoey was thest thing they needed.


    Though she might appreciate the encounter nheless, tragic as it would be to their mission.


    After an hour and a half of studious monster-clearing, they ran into their first loot room: a vault guarded by a thick metal door that was already ajar. After inspecting for traps, they peeked in and saw their first loot chests.


    Zoey was <em>always </em>excited for loot, because of course she was. For the first time, though, she ended up disappointed.


    All they received were… normal items. A dagger, a pair of boots, and a decently potent healing potion. Zoey might have appreciated the mundane items if they''d been incredible, but they weren''t even that. Normal, with seemingly average effects. Much worse than they could expect to equip themselves via Rosalie''s family vault. Even not that great for what could be found on the market.


    Just average.


    And there was the grand w in locking down divine influence on a shard. Zoey had expected it, but still. No nymphomaniac slimegirls demanded to be fucked to death—or at least into a catatonic state—meant no sex items of amazing strength-boosting power.


    "Well, that''s boring," Delta said, hands on her hips as she frowned at their haul.


    Astrid turned a quizzical look her way. "Decent, I would think? For first loot room."


    Delta paused, then shrugged. "Yeah, I guess," she said wryly. She met Zoey''s eyes, and Zoey could read her thoughts: <em>just, my standards have changed. Average loot? Howme.</em>


    Ah, well. Again, this shard was about Astrid. And to sate Zoey''s curiosity on what a normal pocket-world might be like. Certainly, she wasn''t <em>bored</em>. Lethal fights against other-worldly monsters were hardly uninteresting. Plus Zoey was getting a chance to stretch her metaphorical magical muscles in real fights, rather than against sparring partners.


    Finally, the time arrived. Even going easy on her spellcasting, and rationing her abilities, Zoey''s Lust ran out quickly, the biggest downside to her alternative-style mana pool.


    So it was time to recharge.


    And how were they going to manage <em>that, </em>with Astrid here?