Before they got to the ems, Natalie had to catch the team up on what she and Ana had earned in the previous rooms: the stat-boosting potions, the ing liquid, and, of course, Ana's buttplug. The tter Natalie outlined herself, rather than showing the item off for them to i—for obvious reasons.

  The team was happy to have gotten an infinite supply of magical ing liquid. Any delver would be. Fighting monsters was gory business, and a material that instantly freshehem up was much appreciated. And it would be veo have for day-to-day life, too. Especially for Natalie.

  Sihe vials were self-replenishing, everyo one, which they would ration out as here was a single dowo the potion, though—it left behind residue. Using the sing liquid left them looking like they'd deliberately oiled themselves up. A glossy sheen on their skin. It stuck around for a det amount of time, too. Nearly a half-hour before it faded naturally—though it could be wiped off, if with some difficulty.

  Seeieammates oil themselves up, even mostly clothed and in a non-sexual way, was an uedly erotic sight, to Natalie's dismay. She doubted that was a ce. The dungeon obviously liked screwing with her.

  Finally, there were the stat-boosting potions. The team was getting used to finding unbelievably good items, but that didn't mean they could shrug their shoulders and be unsurprised by them. Perma stat boosts were incredible, no matter how small. Even more than that, there was the implication they might get stronger ones. In lower levels of the dungeon, that 'minor' boost might bee a 'greater' o was a form of passive stat sg that most delvers simply didn't have access to. All else equal, that meant they would outpace their cssmates. How long before they were the stro in their year, if their fortunes kept like this?

  The mentions of deities awakening from their slumber was, of course, troubling, but for all they knew, it was the dungeon messing with them—no proof had ever been provided. Natalie was starting to doubt that, though. She really ought to look more into those implications. But where to even start? And her schedule acked enough as it stood. Maybe leaving it to Ana was best: she was clearly far more educated oopic. She'd been the oo describe the Reverie to them in the first pce. She would be much more effective at digging up information oopic than Natalie.

  Sofia, Jordan, and Liz also dispyed their earnings. They'd been through their er, though of a pletely different type than her and Ana's. They'd found several pieces of pretty det gear during their adventure. Nothing as broken as the lewd equipment that Natalie's css influeo drop, but still an impressive haul.

  Finally, they got to what everyone was most ied in: the final rewards from her and Ana's misadventures. Even Sofia, despite all her disdain for Natalie's css, couldn't hide her i. She'd always been the most ied in loot, the first to scurry over to a treasure chest, and that intrigue exteo the lewd equipment too. Even if she found it—or preteo find it—offputting.

  Natalie pulled out the first of the three items, and the team all peered at it, eager to read the description.

  ***

  Vial of Lesser al Ink

  Description

  An ornate gss tainer filled with dark violet ink. be used to refresh and modify existing al markings.

  ***

  "Wait," Natalie said. "al markings. Like—?"

  "Like from the challenge room," Ana agreed, sounding ied. She took the item from Natalie, tur side to side, then looked down at her stomach. "It's nearly faded, but I still see it." She traced the womb-like tattoo scrawled on her lower stomach. The ink had indeed almost disappeared, despite only twenty or so minutes having passed. But it could be renewed, with this?

  "Sorry?" Jordan said. "al markings? Ana has a tattoo? Catch us up?"

  "The st room required us to—" Ana started.

  "Don't worry about it," Natalie said loudly. "It doesn't matter."

  Ana gave her an odd look, but didn't tinue. Natalie scrambled for a way to expiuation without revealing … all of that.

  "Oh, please," Sofia said. "We all know you two fucked, so just tell us what happened. Or at least what's relevant. What is that thing?" She gestured at Ana's fading tattoo.

  Ana gave her a questioning look, and Natalie hesitated.

  "Okay," Natalie said. "Whatever." She waved her hand for Ana to speak.

  The mage turo Sofia. "The st challenge required us to repeatedly bring the mark-bearer," she gestured at the tattoo, "tasm."

  Everyone looked at Natalie, who admired a particurly iing part of the ceiling.

  "It captured and fuhat energy to break open seals that held rewards. This item, it seems," Ana wiggled the ink vial, "allows us to refresh the mark. And modify it. Though what that means, specifically, I have no idea."

  "But not create new ones?" Jordan asked.

  "It says refresh and modify. So I assume no." Ana studied the marking on her lower stomach, moving aside her flimsy strips of mage robes to get a better view—and also nearly fshieammates in the process, whia didn't seem to care about at all. "So perhaps there's future markings to e?"

  "But what will that one do, then? The one you're wearing?" Liz asked. "If it 'broke seals' earlier, what now?"

  "That's the question. I have no idea. Regardless, it's worth refreshing before it disappears."

  She held the ink vial out.

  "So, anyone assist?" Ana asked. Her attention gravitated to Liz, the st to speak. "It's easier than doing it myself. If you don't mind?"

  "M-Me?" Liz asked.

  "Or anyone," Ana said with a nont shrug.

  "Uh. Sure." Liz swallowed, then stepped forward and took the ink from Ana. "There's hough."

  "Your finger is fine."

  "It's, um, in a pretty intimate pce. You're sure?"

  "I trust you won't take advantage of me," Ana said solemnly.

  Delivered in that stony monotone, Natalie snorted—because she knew Ana was teasing Liz. Liz just seemed panicked about the request, or at least that Ana didn't seem aware of what she was asking, which was equally funny.

  Natalie appreciated that the attention was off of her, too. The whole, 'Ana had her to repeated asm' was still flustering her. At least Ana hadn't shamelessly given out the exact details, which was why Natalie had been worried in the first pce.

  "Of course I wouldn't," Liz stammered. "So, yeah, okay, if you're fih it, then … I guess there's no problem …" She twisted off the ink vial's cap. "I'll just trace it?"

  "Here." Ana hooked her thumbs into her pahen slid them down so they were out of the way—so they were sitting maybe a quarter-inch from exposing her entirely. Theugged her robes to the side, giving Liz a clear workspace to paint on. The shamelessness, and ck of hesitation, was demolishing the poor, easy-to-blush healer: Liz's face was fming red in an instant. She swallowed visibly before dipping a pointer finger into the ink vial aing down on her knees—putting her face-level to Ana's crotch.

  "I'm not ticklish," Ana assured her. "So don't worry about that."

  "Right," Liz said, sounding a bit strangled.

  It was vindig that Ana's behavior was as effective on Liz as it had been on Natalie, if not more so. Though, making Liz blush wasn't particurly difficult. Still, Natalie took her wins where she could get them. Ana was simply skilled at putting people off-foot—which was only sometimes iional, Natalie had learned.

  Whether this was iional? Natalie couldn't actually tell. Probably half and half.

  "It collects asmiergy," Jordan said. "Maybe without seals to break, it'll use that energy to do something else."

  "That's my hope," Ana agreed. "Or perhaps it'll do nothing. Experimentation is needed. And if it's i, then we try modifying it, using the ink. We'll o find an expert on are markings, though."

  "Shouldn't be hard. Not in Aradon."

  Ana nodded in agreement. She shivered as Liz, dowween her legs, traced her finger across the faded lines, quickly bringing the womb-like tattoo back to prominence.

  "That's gonna be awkward to expin," Jordan said dryly. "Still pnning to wear your robes out around town?"

  "Perhaps I'll o cover up," Ana said. "The tattoo does turn this outfit rather sdalous."

  "It wasn't already?" Sofia muttered. She shook her head, then turo Natalie. "And the item, the's see it. While they're finishing up all of that."